Then he went out, planting his feet solidly on the
carpet, and presently the front door shut. I could not understand why we
had come to this very unemphatic party, and examined the whole room
carefully to see what was the object of our visit. A maid came in and
removed the rest of the breakfast things, leaving the cloth still on the
table, and some of the spoons and knives, with the salt-cellars, in
their places. When she had finished and gone out, there was a silence,
only broken by the crackling of the paper as the old man folded it.
Presently the old lady said: "I wish Charles could get his holiday a
little sooner; he looks so tired, and he does not eat well. He does
stick so hard to his business."
"Yes, dear, he does," said the old man, "but it is just the busiest
time, and he tells me that they have had some large orders lately. They
are doing very well, I understand."
There was another silence, and then the old lady put down her letter,
and looked for a moment at a picture, representing a boy, a large
photograph a good deal faded, which hung close to her--underneath it was
a small vase of flowers on a bracket.
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