Produced by Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders
By
Laura E. Richards
Author of
"Captain January," "Melody," "Marie," etc.
TO
Richard Sullivan,
KINDEST OF UNCLES, FRIENDS, AND CRITICS,
THIS STORY IS AFFECTIONATELY
DEDICATED
He paddled on in silence
The young doctor glancing around saw all these things.
He stood looking at her, his hand still on the hammock rope.
"There he comes, full chisel!" cried Ithuriel Butters.
"That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor. "What's thematter with my getting taken in there?"
The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
"Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that theywouldn't take you."
"Why not?" asked the young man, vivaciously. "Too rich? too proud? tooyoung? too old? what's the matter with them?"
The old doctor laughed outright this time. "You young firebrand!" hesaid. "Do you think you are going to take this village by storm? Thathouse is the Temple of Vesta. It is inhabited by the Vestal Virgins,who tend the sacred fire, and do other things beside. You might as wellask to be taken into the meeting-house to board."
"This is more attractive than the meetinghouse," said the young doctor.
"This is one of the most attractive houses I ever saw."
He looked at it earnestly, and as they drove along the elm-shadedstreet, he turned in his seat to look at it again.
It certainly was an attractive house. Its front of bright clean redbrick was perhaps too near the street; but the garden, whose tall lilacand syringa bushes waved over the top of the high wall, must, hethought, run back some way, and from the west windows there must be aglorious sea-view.
The house looked both genteel and benevolent. The white stone steps andwindow-sills and the white fan over the door gave a certain effect ofclean linen that was singularly pleasing. The young doctor, unlikeDoctor Johnson, had a passion for clean linen. The knocker, too, was ofthe graceful long oval shape he liked, and burnished to the last pointof perfection, and the shining windows were so placed as to give an airof cheerful interrogation to the whole.
"I like that house!" said the young doctor again. "Tell me about thepeople!"
Again the old doctor laughed. "I tell you they are the Vestal Virgins!"he repeated. "There are two of them, Miss Phoebe and Miss Vesta Blyth.Miss Phoebe is as good as gold, but something of a man-hater.