And,
coming home from gathering whortles for a pie for my aunt--which she
dearly loves--I found to my undying grief as I'd dropped the precious
trophy somewhere. And back along I went and hunted till dusk and dewfall,
and drowned myself with tears; and for two whole days I couldn't gather
pluck to tell you the fearful news. I've lost pounds of solid flesh
fretting and be so weak as a goose-chick about it; but I was coming to
confess my sins to-day. And now you rise up, like the sun over a cloud,
and turn my sorrow into joy, I'm sure."
"You needn't think so," he said, "because there's a lot more in this than
meets the eye, and I doubt you're lying."
She stared at that.
"I should hope all's well that ends well, James," she answered him, "and
no call for no such insult as that. What was lost be found, such as it is,
and I'm very wishful to know where Mary Jane picked it up."
"She didn't pick it up at all," he answered. "'Twas Nicholas Caunter--his
gift to her."
"What a world!" exclaimed Cora. "So Nicholas found it! Or, since you think
I'm lying, perhaps you'll say 'twas me gave it to him, because your sister
thought 'twas more than time she had a present off him?"
"How he came by it I've yet to find out," answered the man, "and if that's
true and you thought to hoodwink Mary Jane and me also by a trick like
that, then you're a bad lot and not worth your keep to any man.
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