came down his short front walk, throwing half his glances forward to
her, quite unaware that he was equally the object of her admiration.

Though white-haired and somewhat bent he was still slender and handsome,
a most worthy figure against the background of the red brick house,
whose weathered walls contrasted happily with the blossoming shrubs
about their base, and with the green of lawn and trees.

"Good-afternoon, Isabel. I was saying to your mother, I hope such days
as this are some offset for the Southern weather and scenery you have
had to give up."

"You shouldn't tempt our Southern boastfulness, General," Isabel
replied, with an air of meek chiding. She had a pretty way of
skirmishing with men which always brought an apologetic laugh from her
mother, but which the General had discovered she never used in a company
of less than three.

"Oh! ho, ho!" laughed Mrs. Morris, who was just short, plump, and pretty
enough to laugh to advantage. "Why, General,"--she sobered abruptly, and
she was just pretty and plump and short enough to do this well,
also,--"my recovered health is offset enough for me."

"For _us_, my dear," said the daughter. "My mother's restored
health is offset enough for us, General. Indeed, for me"--addressing the
distant view--"there is no call for off-set; any landscape or climate is
perfect that has such friends in it as--as this one has."

"Oh! ho, ho!" laughed the mother again. Nobody ever told the Morrises
they had a delicious Southern accent, and their words are given here