Van Brunt."
He took both her hands in one, and laid the other lightly over
her ears.
"I'll let you go," said he. "Now, don't you be caught here
again, if you know what is good for yourself."
He saw Miss Nancy out of the door, and then came back to
Ellen, who was crying heartily again from nervous vexation.
"She's gone," said he. "What has that wicked thing been doing,
Miss Ellen? what's the matter with you?"
"Oh, Mr. Van Brunt," said Ellen, "you can't think how she has
worried me; she has been here this great while; just look at
all my things on the floor, and that isn't the half."
Mr. Van Brunt gave a long whistle as his eye surveyed the
tokens of Miss Nancy's mischief-making, over and through which
both she and himself had been chasing at full speed, making
the state of matters rather worse than it was before.
"I do say," said he, slowly, "that is too bad. I'd fix them up
again for you, Miss Ellen, if I knew how; but my hands are
a'most as clumsy as my feet, and I see the marks of them
there; it's too bad, I declare; I didn't know what I was going
on."
"Never mind, Mr. Van Brunt," said Ellen, — "I don't mind what
you have done, a bit. I'm so glad to see you!"
She put out her little hand to him as she spoke. He took it in
his own, silently; but, though he said and showed nothing of
it, Ellen's look and tone of affection thrilled his heart with
pleasure.
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