You
will soon be climbing up to see the swallows again and hunting eggs and
everything as usual."
"Oh, yes, indeed," said Marjorie, hopefully.
Watching her face he laid the parcel in her hand. "Don't open it till I'm
gone. I had something of a time to get it. The old fellow was as
obstinate as a mule when he saw that my heart was set on it. Mother
hadn't a thing old enough--I ransacked everywhere--if I'd had time to go
to grandmother's I might have done better. She's ninety-three, you know,
and has some of her grandmother's things. This thing isn't a beauty to
look at, but it's old, and that's the chief consideration. Extreme old
age will compensate for its ugliness; which is an extenuation that I
haven't for mine. I'm going to-morrow."
"Oh, I want to see it," she exclaimed, not regarding his last remark.
"That's all you care," he said, disappointedly. "I thought you would be
sorry that I'm going."
"You know I am," she returned penitently, picking at the yellow cord.
"Perhaps when I am two hundred years old you'll be as anxious to look at
me as you are to look at that!"
"Oh, Hollis, I do thank you so."
"But you must promise me two things or you can't have it!"
"I'll promise twenty."
"Two will do until next time. First, will you go and see my mother as
soon as you get well, and go often?"
"That's too easy; I want to do something _hard_ for you," she answered
earnestly.
"Perhaps you will some day, who knows? There are hard enough things to do
for people, I'm finding out.
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