Sometimes she came twice in a day, usually in a pony-
cart, but when the pony was wanted by her father she had to come on
foot with the basket, and the farm was three miles out. On Sunday she
didn't come, but had a good deal to do at home.
"Ah, poor little slave! No wonder she gazed at you as she did; - she was
thinking how sweet your life must be with people to love and care for
you and no hard work to do."
"And was that what made her stare at me, and not because I had a
nightcap on and was like an old woman talking to a stranger?" This
without a smile.
"No doubt. But you seem to know a great deal about her. Now I wonder if
you can tell me something about this beautiful young lady with an
umbrella coming towards us? I should much like to know who she is - and
I should like to call on her."
"Yes, I can tell you all about her. She is Miss Eva Langton, and lives
at the White House. You follow the street till you get out of the town
where there is a pond at this end of the common, and just a little the
other side of the pond there are big trees, and behind the trees a
white gate. That's the gate of the White House, only you can't see it
because the trees are in the way. Are you going to call on her?"
I explained that I did not know her, and though I wished I did because
she was so pretty, it would not perhaps be quite right to go to her
house to see her.
"I'm sorry you're not going to call, she's such a nice young lady.
Everybody likes her." And then, after a few moments, she looked up with
a smile, and said, "Is there anything else I can tell you about the
people of the town? There's a man going by in the rain with a lot of
planks on his head - would you like to know who he is and all about
him?"
"Oh yes, certainly," I replied. "But of course I don't care so much
about him as I do about that little brown girl from the farm, and the
nice Miss Langton from the White House. But it's really very pleasant
to listen to you whatever you talk about. I really think you one of the
most charming little girls I have ever met, and I wonder what you will
be like in another five years.
