'Ah,' she said with a breath of satisfaction, 'you are beginning to understand me!'
'What new token have I given of such sagacity?'
'So long as you and Mr. Falkirk had a monopoly of the wisdom, there was no use for my small supply,' said Wych Hazel. 'You never gave me an inch of line. And how you dare suddenly let so much out at once!'she laughed a little, breaking off.
There was infinite grave fondness in the way Dane drew her up to him and putting his hand under her chin, lifted the changeable face to study it. Then kissing her and letting her go, he remarked,
'The rest we hold together, subject to your demands, whenever this stock happens to be insufficient.'
'Yes,'she said, not looking at him,'the first demands, I think, will be to make myself into a business woman. How much of the time are you going to let me work with you in the Hollow?'
'Let you?There is unlimited room for work. I have bought the
Charteris mills, Hazel.'
'Have you!I thought he would not be willing.'
'He had stopped work, you know; the people were in terrible distress; the times might not encourage him to go on for some time; and he concluded to accept my offer. I got his answer only last night. I shall telegraph Arthur to-day to let the mills run again.'
'They will keep New Year,' was Hazel's comment.