And though in ripe boyhood the unfaithful
Daniel transferred the hot part of his homage to the more coquettish
Dolly, Faith had not made any grievance of that, but rather thought all
the more of him, especially when he saved her sister's life in a very
rash boating adventure.
So now she went up to him with a friendly mind, and asked him softly and
pitifully what trouble had fallen upon him. At the sweet sound of her
voice, and the bright encouragement of her eyes, he felt as if he was
getting better.
"If you please, miss," he said, with a meek salutation, which proved his
panisic ideas to be not properly wrought into his system as yet--"if you
please, miss, things are very hard upon me."
"Is it money?" she asked, with the true British instinct that all common
woes have their origin there; "if it is, I shall be so glad that I
happen to have a good bit put by just now."
But Dan shook his head with such dignified sadness that Faith was quite
afraid of having hurt his feelings. "Oh, I might have known," she said,
"that it was nothing of that kind. You are always so industrious and
steady. But what can it be? Is it anything about Captain Stubbard
and his men, because I know you do not like them, and none of the old
Springhaven people seem to do so? Have you been obliged to fight with
any of them, Daniel?"
"No, miss, no. I would not soil my hand by laying it on any of such
chaps as those. Unless they should go for to insult me, I mean, or any
one belonging to me.
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