Which they did.
"Has Philetus got home?" was Fleda's first question.
"No," said Mrs. Rossitur, "but Dr. Quackenboss has been here, and brought the paper; he was at the post-office this morning, he says. Did you see Mr. Olmney?"
"Yes, Ma'am, and I feel he has saved me from a lame arm those pine-knots are so heavy."
"He is a lovely young man!" said Mrs. Rossitur, with uncommon emphasis.
"I should have been blind to the fact, aunt Lucy, if you had not made me change my shoes. At present, no disparagement to him, I feel as if a cup of tea would be rather more lovely than anything else."
"He sat with me some time," said Mrs. Rossitur; "I was afraid he would not overtake you."
Tea was ready, and only waiting for Mrs. Rossitur to come down stairs, when Fleda, whose eye was carelessly running along the columns of the paper, uttered a sudden shout, and covered her face with it. Hugh looked up in astonishment, but Fleda was beyond anything but exclamations, laughing and flushing to the very roots of her hair.
"What is the matter, Fleda?"
"Why," said Fleda, "how comical! I was just looking over the list of articles in the January number of the Excelsior"