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Did you talk with him?" "Only about the house. Hosy and I didn't like him well enough to talk about anything else, except religion. He and his wife gave us to understand they were awful pious. I'm afraid we wouldn't have been churchy enough to suit them, anyway. Hosy, here, doesn't go to meetin' as often as he ought to." "I am glad of it."
I cal'late I'll be contented with having my folks cross in the Mayflower. They came three thousand miles anyway." She was inclined to regard the Channel rather contemptuously just then. A half hour later she was more respectful. The steamer was awaiting us at the pier. As the throng of passengers filed up the gang-plank she suddenly squeezed my arm. "Look! Hosy!" she cried. "Look! Isn't that him?"
This way out of the difficulty had occurred to me; so when she seemed to hesitate, I asked: "But what?" "But it won't be very pleasant for you in Mayberry. You'd have considerable explainin' to do. And, more'n that, Hosy, there's all that packin' up to do and I've seen you try to pack a trunk too often before.
You've got a letter, too, Hosy. Who is it from?" "From Campbell," I answered, wearily. "He wants to know how the novel is getting on, of course." "Humph! Well, you write him that it's gettin' on the way a squid gets ahead by goin' backwards. Don't let him pester you one bit, Hosy. You write that novel just as fast or slow as you feel like. He told you to take a vacation, anyway." I smiled.
Oh, Hosy, don't ask me any more questions than you have to. I can't bear to answer 'em." She paused and turned away. "How she must hate us!" I said, after a moment. "Why, no why, no, Hosy, I don't think she does; at least I'm tryin' to hope she doesn't. I softened it all I could.
I ain't stirred from it for nineteen years, an' I ain't never goin' to stir from it agin. Somebody go save my bedstid!" "And was it saved?" asked Hilda, laughing. "No," said the farmer; "'t wa'n't wuth savin', nohow. Besides, if't hed been, she'd ha' gone back to it an' stayed there. Hosy Grout, who did her chores, kicked it into the fire; an' she was a well woman to the day of her death."
How could you do that! No one could." "I did it. I don't know how exactly. I just went on tellin' it all straight from the beginnin', and pretty soon I could see she was commencin' to believe. And she believes now, Hosy; she does, I know it." "Did she say so?" "No, she didn't say anything, scarcely not at the last. She didn't cry, either; I almost wish she had.
What I said yesterday was perfectly plain. I told you I did not wish your acquaintance or your friendship. Friendship " with a blaze of scorn, "from YOU! I I told you I " "Hush! hush! please don't," begged Hephzy. "You mustn't. You're too weak and sick. Oh, Hosy, do be careful." I was quite willing to be careful if I had known how. "I think," I said, "that this interview had better be postponed.
I can't say that I do. But " "You saw Herbert Bayliss yesterday. That was the 'errand' you went upon yesterday morning in Paris. Wasn't it?" She was very much taken aback. She has told me since that she had no idea I suspected the truth. "Wasn't it?" I repeated. "Why why, yes, it was, Hosy. I did go to see him, there at his hotel.
Hephzy interrupted. "Oh, I always call him Hosy," she explained. "It's a kind of pet name of mine. It's short for Hosea. His whole name is Hosea Kent Knowles, but 'most everybody but me does call him Kent. I don't think he likes Hosea very well." Our companion looked very much as if she did not wonder at my dislike. Her eyes twinkled. "Hosea," she repeated. "That is an odd name.
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