The errant buttons did not trouble her. She had an
eternity of time wherein to pick them up; and, indeed, the chances were
that some tall, benevolent being would do it for her.
"It's a man," she said. "He's got on a light coat with bright buttons,
and a fuzzy hat. He's got a big nose."
Now, indeed, despair entered into Amelia, and sat enthroned. She sank
down on a straight-backed chair, and put her hands on her knees, while
the knock came again, a little querulously.
"Enoch," said she, "do you know what's happened? That's cousin Josiah
Pease out there." Her voice bore the tragedy of a thousand past
encounters; but that Enoch could not know.
"Is it?" asked he, with but a mild appearance of interest. "Want me to
go to the door?"
"Go to the door!" echoed Amelia, so stridently that he looked up at her
again. "No; I don't want anybody should go to the door till this room's
cleared up. If 't w'an't so ever-lastin' cold, I'd take him right into
the clock-room, an' blaze a fire; but he'd see right through that. You
gether up them tools an' things, an' I'll help carry out the bench."
If Enoch had not just then been absorbed in a delicate combination of
brass, he might have spoken more sympathetically.
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