Does thee know, Thomas, said she, that when thee first came home I was dreadfully afraid of thee? Thee seemed to me to be so much older than I was, and then theed seen so much on thy travels.
Thee aint afraid of me now, is thee, Patty?
No, indeed; it seems as though thee might almost be a cousin of mine, I know thee so well. It does father so much good to see thee; hes never been the same since mother died till now.
There was a moment or two before Tom spoke.
Perhaps it isnt thy father I come to see, Patty, said he, in a low voice. He leaned over the edge of the bridge as he spoke and looked fixedly into the dark rushing water beneath.
Patty made no answer, and Tom was not sure that she heard him. Neither of them said another word until Patty said, in a low voice, I guess wed better go home now, Thomas.
Then they turned and walked back again to the old mill. Tom opened the gate for Patty. Farewell, Patty, said he.
Wont thee come up and see father, Thomas? said she.
Not to-night.
Farewell, then.
Tom watched her until she had gone up the porch steps and was hidden by the vines that were clustered about it. He heard Elihu say, Wheres Thomas? but he did not hear Pattys answer; then he turned and walked slowly homeward.
The summer passed, the fall passed, the winter passed, and the spring time had come again.
Toms walk with Patty seemed to have broken through the smoothness of the acquaintance betwixt the three.
Elihu had never been the same to him since that night; he had never been as cordial or as friendly as he had been before.
Sometimes it seemed to Tom as though Patty herself was growing tired of seeing so much of him. At such times he would vow within himself as he walked homeward that he would never call there again, and yet he always went back after a while.
So things moved along without that pleasant friendliness in their acquaintanceship until that occurred which altered the face of everything.
One First-day afternoon, Tom found himself standing on the porch of the mill-house. It was in the early part of April, but the day was very mild and soft, and Elihu and Patty were sitting on the porch.
How is thee, Thomas? said Elihu. He did not take the pipe from his lips as he spoke, neither did he ask the other to be seated. Tom stood leaning against the post and no one spoke for a while.
Isnt it a lovely day? said Patty.
Yes, it is, said Tom; would thee like to take a walk up the road as far as Whiteleys?
Yes, I would, said Patty; I havent been away from the house all day.
Its very damp; its too damp to walk, said Elihu; besides, thees got thy thin shoes on.
But well walk in the road, father; Ill promise not to go off of the road. Ill put on heavier shoes if thee thinks that these are too thin.
Very well, do as thee pleases, said Elihu, sharply; I think its too damp, but I suppose theell do as thee chooses. Then he knocked the ashes out of his pipe and went into the house without another word, shutting the door carefully behind him.
I dont know why he doesnt want me to go, said Patty; its a lovely day for a walk. Wait till I go in and speak to him, maybe hell change his mind; and she followed her father into the house.
I cant bear this any longer; said Tom to himself. Ill have it over this afternoon, or Ill never come here again. Ill ask her to be my wife, and if the worst comes to the worst Ill ship for another cruise.
Presently Patty came out of the house again. She had thrown a scarf over her shoulders. Is thee ready to go, Thomas? said she.
Yes; Im ready.
There was very little talk between them as they walked on side by side, for Toms heart was too full of that which was upon his mind to say much with his lips; so they went down the road into the hollow, past the old mill, over the bridge that crossed Stony Brook just beyond, up the hill on the other side, past Whiteleys farm-house, and so to the further crest of the hill that overlooked Rocky Creek Valley beyond. There they stopped and stood beside the fence at the roadside, looking down into the valley beneath them. It was a fair sight that lay spread out before their eyes field beyond field, farm-house, barn and orchard, all bathed in the soft yellow sunshine, saving here and there where a cloud cast a purple shadow that moved slowly across the hills and down into the valleys.
Isnt it beautiful? said Patty, as she leaned against the rough fence, looking out across the valley, while the wind stirred the hair at her cheeks and temples.
Yes; it is; said Tom, its a goodly world to live in, Patty.
Then silence fell between them.
Theres the old Naylor homestead, said Patty at last.
Yes; I see it, said Tom, shortly, glancing as he spoke in the direction which she pointed. Then, after a while, he continued, What a queer man Isaac Naylor is!
I dont see anything queer about him, said Patty, looking down at the toe of her shoe.
Well, I never saw a man like him.
He is a very good worthy man, and everybody respects him, said Patty, warmly.
Oh! I dont deny that, said Tom, with a pang at his heart.
Thee couldnt truthfully deny it if thee would, Thomas, said Patty.
Im only a rough sea-faring man, said Tom. I dont know that any one respects me very much. He waited a moment, but Patty said nothing; then he went on again:
For all that, Id rather be a man of thirty at thirty, and not as dead to all things as though I was a man of eighty. Isaac Naylor is more like a man of eighty than he is like one of thirty. No one would take him to be only five years older than I am.
I dont know any man that I respect as much as I do Isaac Naylor, said Patty. I dont like to hear thee talk against him as thee does. He has never spoken ill of thee.
Thee need never be afraid of my saying anything more against him, said Tom, bitterly; I see that thee likes him more than I thought thee did. I might have known it too, from the way that he has been visiting thee during this last month or two.
Why shouldnt he visit me, Thomas?
The Lord knows!
She made no answer to this, and presently Tom spoke again.
Im going off to sea before long, Patty, said he, for it seemed to him just then that the sea was a fit place for him to be. Patty made no answer to this; she was picking busily at the fringe of the scarf that hung about her shoulders.
How soon is thee going, Thomas? said she at last.
Oh! I dont know; in three or four weeks, I guess. It doesnt matter, does it?
Patty made no reply.
Tom was leaning on the fence, looking out across the valley, but seeing nothing. His mind was in a whirl, for he was saying unto himself, Now is the time, be a man, speak your heart boldly, for this is the opportunity!
Twice he tried to bring himself to speak, and twice his heart failed him. The third time that he strove, he broke the silence.
Patty, said he. His heart was beating thickly, but there was no turning back now, for the first word had been spoken.
Patty must have had an inkling of what was in Toms mind, for her bosom was rising and falling quickly.
Patty, said Tom again.
What is it, Thomas? said she, in a trembling voice, and without raising her head.
Tom was picking nervously at the rough bark upon the fence-rail near to him, but he was looking at Patty.