"Well, that is satisfactory, Mr. Douglass," said Fleda. "How is Mrs. Douglass and Catherine?"
"I ha'n't heerd 'em sayin' nothin' about it," he said; "and if there was anythin' the matter, I suppose they'd let me know. There don't much go wrong in a man's house without his hearin' tell of it. So I think. Maybe 'tan't the same in other men's houses. That's the way it is in mine."
"Mrs. Douglass would not thank you," said Fleda, wholly unable to keep from laughing. Earl's mouth gave way a very little, and then he went on.
"How be you?" he said. "You ha'n't gained much, as I see. I don't see but you're as poor as when you went away."
"I am very well, Mr. Douglass."
"I guess New York aint the place to grow fat. Well, Fleda, there ha'n't been seen in the hull country, or by any man in it, the like of the crop of corn we took off that 'ere twenty- acre lot they're all beat to hear tell of it they wont believe me Seth Plumfield ha'n't showed as much himself; he says you're the best farmer in the state."
"I hope he gives you part of the credit, Mr. Douglass how much was there?"
"I'll take my share of credit whenever I can get it," said Earl, "and I think it's right to take it, as long as you ha'n't nothing to be ashamed of; but I wont take no more than my share; and I will say I thought we was a-goin' to choke the corn to death, when we seeded the field in that way. Well, there's better than two thousand bushel more or less and as handsome corn as I want to see there never was handsomer corn. Would you let it go for five shillings? there's a man I've heerd of wants the hull of it."
"Is that a good price, Mr. Douglass? Why don't you ask Mr.
Rossitur?"
"Do you s'pose Mr. Rossitur knows much about it?" inquired Earl, with a curious turn of feature, between sly and contemptuous. "The less he has to do with that heap of corn, the bigger it'll be that's my idee. I aint a-goin' to ask him nothin' you may ask him what you like to ask him but I don't think he'll tell you much that'll make you and me wiser in the matter o' farmin'."