Breakfast followed; and still the brothers were absent.
Miss Meadowcroft looked at her father, and said, "From bad to worse, sir.

What did I tell you ?" Naomi instantly applied the antidote: "The boys are no doubt detained over their work, uncle." She turned to me.
"You want to see the farm, Mr.Lefrank.Come and help me to find the boys." For more than an hour we visited one part of the farm after another, without discovering the missing men.

We found them at last near the outskirts of a small wood, sitting, talking together, on the trunk of a felled tree.
Silas rose as we approached, and walked away, without a word of greeting or apology, into the wood.

As he got on his feet, I noticed that his brother whispered something in his ear; and I heard him answer, "All right." "Ambrose, does that mean you have something to keep a secret from us ?" asked Naomi, approaching her lover with a smile.

"Is Silas ordered to hold his tongue ?" Ambrose kicked sulkily at the loose stones lying about him.