In a way she was; and particularly when they fondly rallied her upon her
new accession of motherly practical manner, and she laughed with them,
and ended with that merry, mellow sigh which still gave Ruth new pride
in her and new hope. But another source of Ruth's new hope was that
Arthur, who had written to the bishop and resigned his calling the day
after Mrs. Morris's little namesake was born, had at length withdrawn
his letter.
"It is to your brother we owe its withdrawal," said the bishop,
privately, to Ruth.
She beamed gratefully, but did not tell him that, after the long, secret
conference between her brother and the rector, Leonard had come to her
and wept for Arthur the only tears he had ever shed in her presence.
Now Leonard had found occasion to go West for a time, though he still
held his office; and Arthur was filling the rectorate almost in the old
first way. On some small parish matter the rustic vestryman with the
spectacled daughter came to Arthur's library in better spirits than he
had shown for months, and by and by asked conjecturally, "I--eh--guess
you don't keep any babies here you're ashamed to show, do ye?" and held
his mouth very wide open.
The infinitesimal was brought.
"Well, I vum! Why, Miz. Winslow, I don't believe th' ever was a pretty
baby so puny, nor a puny baby so pretty! Now, if it's a fair question, I
hope y' ain't tryin' to push in between this baby and the keaow, be ye?"
"No," laughed Isabel.
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