"Is Mr. Linden home, Miss Faith?"
"No, Reuben—He will be directly, I guess. Do you want to see him?"
"No"—said Reuben, "I don' know as I do, more than usual. I have seen him all day. He wanted some pond lilies, Miss Faith—at least he told me to bring 'em. Maybe it was you wanted 'em."
"I'll give them to him, Reuben. What's the matter with you?"
But Reuben stood silent—perhaps from the difficulty of speaking,
"Miss Faith," he said at last, "is Squire Deacon all the trustees of our school, besides Mr. Somers?"
"No. Why? What about it?"
"He's doin' all the mischief he can," said Reuben concisely.
"What mischief has he done, Reuben?" said Faith, waiting upon the boy's answer with an anxious face.
"Well"—said Reuben, as if he could not put it in plain words,—"he's tryin' to turn folks heads—and some heads is easy turned."