Martin Holt's parlour. Whilst Jemima and Keziah listened eagerly to
the stories of the student's son, with the delight natural to
Puritan maidens denied any participation in such scenes of
merriment, Jacob was looking rather dismally round the room, and
presently broke in with the question:

"But where, all this time, is Cherry?"

"Strewing rushes in the eating parlour, I doubt not," answered
Keziah. "She went out a while back to cut them. She loveth not dry
disputings and learned talk. Belike she will linger below till nigh
on the supper hour an Aunt Susan call her not."

"I love not such disputings neither," said Jacob, with unwonted
energy. "Good Kezzie, let us twain slip below to help Cherry over
her task."

Keziah gave a quick glance at the face of her stern aunt, who loved
not this sort of slipping away during times of ceremony; but she
had her back to them and to the door, and was engrossed in the talk
as well as in the stocking fabric upon her needles. Jemima and
Walter were still talking unrebuked in a low key. Perchance this
flitting could be accomplished without drawing down either notice
or remark. To please Jacob, Keziah would have done much, even to
running the risk of a scolding from her aunt. She had none of saucy
Cherry's scorn of the big boorish fellow with the red face and
hairy hands. She looked below the surface, and knew that a kindly
heart beat beneath the ungainly habit; and being but plain herself,
Keziah would have taken shame to herself for thinking scorn of
another for a like defect.