"
"Your mother'll not be needin' un, now th' men's gone. Bide wi' Emily
a fortnight," her father suggested.
"I'll take th' lass over when she's wantin' t' go," said Richard.
"'Tis a rare treat t' Emily t' have she here, an' th' change'll be
doin' your lass good."
So it was agreed, and Tom drove away.
It was a terrible disappointment to Emily and her mother that Bob did
not come, but Bessie's visit served to mitigate it to some extent, and
her presence brightened the cabin very much.
No one knew whether or not Bob's failure to appear was regretted by
Bessie. That was her secret. However it may have been, she had a
splendid visit with Mrs. Gray and Emily, and the days rolled by very
pleasantly, and when Richard Gray left for his trail again on the
Monday morning following her arrival the thought that Bessie was with
"th' little maid" gave him a sense of quiet satisfaction and security
that he had not felt when he was away from them earlier in the winter.
When Douglas Campbell came over one morning a week after Bessie's
arrival he found the atmosphere of gloom that he had noticed on his
earlier visits had quite disappeared. Mrs. Gray seemed contented now,
and Emily was as happy as could be.
Douglas remained to have dinner with them.
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