Her brother rewarded her by drawing up her chair and drawing it closer.
"I am glad they are gone, for your sake, mamma," he said.
"Well, we haven't made a bad summer of it," said Mr. Landholm.
His wife thought in her secret soul it had been a busy one. Winthrop thought it had been a barren one. Rufus — was not ready to say quite that.
"Not a bad summer," repeated Mr. Landholm. "The next thing is to see what we will do with the winter."
"Or what the winter will do with us," said Rufus after a moment.
"If you like it so," said his father; "but I prefer the other mode of putting it. I'd keep the upper hand of time always; — I speak it reverently."
Winthrop thought how completely the summer had got the better of him.
"My friend Haye is a good fellow — a good fellow. I like him. He and I were always together in the legislature. He's a sensible man."
"He is a gentleman," said Rufus.