doors to the polished floor. It is not strange, therefore, that by and
by the red sweeping cap began to droop over the silver salver, until
finally they all settled down together, and the new parlor maid was
sound asleep, to the music of the tall old clock in the corner of the
hall back under the stairway.

Then some one came up the walk, and rapped briskly with the end of his
riding whip on the blind doors.

The parlor maid suddenly awoke, stumbled to the door, and fumbled with
the fastenings, but it was no use, she couldn't open them; thereupon she
turned the slats and looked through at the young clergyman standing
there.

The red cap nodded affably.

"Could you climb in through the window, s'pose?" she asked.

This was such a new and startling novelty at the Van Stark homestead,
that the visitor laughed, while the parlor maid patiently waited for his
decision.

He had shone in athletics at his college, so when he stopped laughing,
he put his hands on the stone window-sill leading into the library, and
vaulted in so lightly and easily, that Beth was delighted to think she
had thought of it.

She then went back to adjust her sweeping cap, which had dropped off,
and to pick up the salver, which she had put down to free her hands.