CHAPTER II.

LIFE AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE.


"Come, come, children," said Aunt Faith, as she went down the stairs,
"do not waste so much time in talking or you will be late for
prayers."

The talking consisted of a dialogue between Tom and Gem, carried on
through the half-closed door of their respective rooms during the
morning toilet, and the subject, as usual, was Pete Trone, Esq. "Who
did Pete vote for?" began Gem.

"Pete voted the Republican ticket, like a sensible dog!" replied Tom,
in a high key.

"He did not! I watched him at the polls. He is an out-and-out
Democrat!" returned Gem, at the top of her voice.

"No such thing!" shouted back her brother; "he attended a rat-ification
meeting last night in the cellar, and made a speech from the text,
'_aut rates aut bones_.'"

"Oh, if you're going to quote Latin, I give up," said Gem, "and
besides, there's the bell."

In a few moments the family assembled in the sitting-room,--Tom, Gem,
Sibyl, and after some delay, Bessie; Hugh did not appear, and Aunt
Faith, with an inward sigh, opened her Bible and read a chapter from