There are twotrains, one at nine, and one at three.
They went to the back door of the house and, through a shed,entered the kitchen.
John Elliot had not put on his Sundayclothes; he had not even opened his suitcase.
And we thought ourselves marvellously rich.
Then, while they unloaded, Pete asked the usual
questions.
Land has to be bought and is high in
price.
How can you expect the ordinary farmer to support
me when my ownbrother-in-law holds out?
At five oclock, Pete having fed his horses, the two
of them hadbreakfast in the kitchen. Lillian was supposed to be, on principle,
hostile to anysuggestion not coming from her. Henrietta had made up his bed on a
lounge in the parlor.
This morning hehad simply wanted to be coaxed to
stay, that was all.
The whole concern wasreorganised four years ago. I
am so sorry you got up before any oneelse.
Least of all now when shes in that
condition.
For five or six months of the year the farmer is
the busiest man onearth.
The house stood in the snow-bound bluff, quiet and
home-like: ashelter in the bitter night. When he entered the parlour, it seemed less
large than he hadexpected. Cathleen entered with the steaming coffee pot of polished
silver ona tray.
Pete returned; and together they went out into the
frosty morning. I cant understand it, John Elliot grumbled. Again there was, in the
background of his mind, thememory of what his wife had said about the girl.
Nonsense, Cathleen said and ran into the kitchen. Kenneth did a little farming;but
on his fathers place, not his own.
Johns answer, therefore, wastantamount to a refusal
winged with the barbs of irony.
Man and boy looked at each other; the young woman
fought with hertears.
Its hardly worth the money it costs to come down
fromSaskatchewan for a single day.
In her, all his children seemed to blend: and
allwere sterile.
Up to acertain sum we could choose whatever we
liked, tea, coffee, sugar.