Helena, at the sight of those two tears, knelt down beside the little
boy, eager to be sympathetic. But he did not notice her, and by and by
the tears dried up. After she had tried to make him talk;--of Dr.
Lavendar, of school, of his old home;--without drawing anything more
from him than "yes ma'am," or "no ma'am," she gave it up and waited
until he should be tired of the rabbits. The sun was warm, the smell
of the crushed dock leaves heavy in the sheltered corner behind the
barn; it was so silent that they could hear the nibbling of the two
prisoners, who kept glancing at them with apprehensive eyes that
gleamed with pale red fires. David sighed with joy.
"What are their names?" he said at last in a low voice.
"They haven't any names; you can name them if you like."
"I shall call them Mr. and Mrs. Smith," he said with decision. And
then fell silent again.
"You came to Old Chester in the stage with Mr. Pryor," she said after
a while; "he told me you were a very nice little boy."
"How did he know?" demanded David.
"He is very nice himself," Helena said smiling.
David meditated. "Is that gentleman my enemy?"
"Of course not! he isn't anybody's enemy," she told him reprovingly.
David turned silently to his rabbits.
"Why did you think he was your enemy?" she persisted.
"I only just hoped he wasn't; I don't want to love him."
"What!"
"If he was my enemy, I'd have to love him, you know," David explained
patiently.
Helena in her confused astonishment knew not what to reply. She
stammered something about that being wrong; of course David must love
Mr. Pryor!
"They ought to have fresh water," David interrupted thoughtfully; and
Helena had to reach into the hutch for a battered tin pan.
She watched him run to the stable and come back, holding the pan in
both hands and walking very slowly under the mottled branches of the
button-woods; at every step the water splashed over the rusty brim,
and the sunshine, catching and flickering in it, was reflected in a
rippling gleam across his serious face.
All that afternoon he permitted her to follow him about. He was gently
polite when she spoke to him but he hardly noticed her until, as they
went down through the orchard, his little hand tightened suddenly on
hers, and he pressed against her skirts.