She had come
up with her mother alone, and they were in the house,
interviewing the carpenter as before, when the Colonel
jumped out of his buggy and cast anchor at the pavement.
More exactly, Mrs. Lapham was interviewing the carpenter,
and Irene was sitting in the bow-window on a trestle,
and looking out at the driving. She saw him come up
with her father, and bowed and blushed. Her father went
on up-stairs to find her mother, and Corey pulled up another
trestle which he found in the back part of the room.
The first floorings had been laid throughout the house,
and the partitions had been lathed so that one could realise the
shape of the interior.
"I suppose you will sit at this window a good deal,"
said the young man.
"Yes, I think it will be very nice. There's so much
more going on than there is in the Square."
"It must be very interesting to you to see the house grow."
"It is. Only it doesn't seem to grow so fast as I expected."
"Why, I'm amazed at the progress your carpenter has made
every time I come."
The girl looked down, and then lifting her eyes she said,
with a sort of timorous appeal--
"I've been reading that book since you were down at Nantasket."
"Book?" repeated Corey, while she reddened with disappointment.
"Oh yes. Middlemarch. Did you like it?"
"I haven't got through with it yet.
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