The girl rose, slipped off her apron, and rolled the silver into it in a heap on the floor. There were six visitors in the house already, who had come since Mr. Littlefield went away; but Dorothy was not like Eliza Potter, she did not know how to be cross. She asked Hop-clover if her foot was “asleep;” but, when she found the little girl was lame, she seemed very sorry. Then she led the children into the parlor to her mistress; while Mr. Littlefield drove into the stable with his man John, to put up the carriage.
Mrs. Littlefield was a lovely little lady, in a drab silk dress and fine white cap, with a white kerchief crossed upon her bosom. She was seated with her guests, four Quaker ladies, who also wore white caps and kerchiefs. She rose when the children entered, and said with a kind smile that she was very glad they had come. But I am sure she wondered where her husband had picked them up; for she had never seen one of them before.
Hop-clover was quite alarmed by the row of Quakers, but she did nothing worse than to put her finger in her mouth; while Posy blushed crimson, and Pollio bowed five times,—once for each lady,—not forgetting to twitch his front-hair. He had never seen women dressed so strangely before; but he wished them to understand that he thought none the worse of them for it.
When Mr. Littlefield came in and said the twins were Judge Pitcher’s children, his wife kissed them again, and said she had always wanted to see them.
“And thee wants to see this one just as much, when I tell thee who she is,” said her husband, leading up Hop-clover. “This is Lucinda Fearing’s child.”
“What? Thee doesn’t mean our Lucinda,—the one that came to us when our little grandchild Samuel was born, and lived here five years?” said Mrs. Littlefield, taking Hop-clover in her arms, and hugging her right against the starched kerchief. “Bless thy little heart! Why, thee looks like thy mother!”
“I knew thee would be glad to see her, Liddy,” said Mr. Littlefield, smiling.
The Quaker ladies all looked on with the kindest interest, and said they remembered “that good Lucinda.”
“She made my caps for me,” said Mrs. Mott.
“She was very steady about going to meeting,” said Mrs. Swan.