The stream talked and talked and talked about what he was going to do when he was a river.

"How tired the banks must be of listening to him!" thought Hester, with closed eyes.
And the world melted slowly away in a delicious sense of well-being, from which the next moment, as it seemed to her, she was suddenly awakened by Mr.Gresley's voice near at hand.
"Hester! _Hester_! HESTER!" "Here! here!" gasped Hester, with a start, upsetting her lapful of letters as she scrambled hastily to her feet.
The young vicar drew near, and looked over the church-yard wall.

A large crumb upon his upper lip did not lessen the awful severity of his countenance.
"We have nearly finished luncheon," he observed.

"The servants could not find you anywhere.

I don't want to be always finding fault, Hester, but I wish, for your own sake as well as ours, you would be more punctual at meals." Hester had never been late before, but she felt that this was not the moment to remind her brother of that fact.
"I beg pardon," she said, humbly.