"If you think it is
necessary."
It was thus that Josephine St. Auban became the head of Tallwoods
household. Not that week did she leave, nor the next, nor the one
thereafter. The winter advanced, it was about to wane, and still
she remained. Slowly, the master advanced toward recovery.
Meantime, under charge of the mistress, the household machine fell
once more into proper ways. The servants learned obedience. The
plans for the work of the spring somehow went on much as formerly.
Everywhere there became manifest the presence of a quiet, strong,
restraining and self-restrained influence.
In time the doctor became lighter in his speech, less frequent in
his visits. "You're not going to lose that musical leg, Dunwody,"
said he. "Old Ma Nature beats all us surgeons. In time she'll
fill you in a nice new bone along there maybe, and if you're
careful you'll have two feet for quite a while yet to come. You've
ruined old Eleazar's fiddle, though, taking that E string! Did I
ever tell you all about that coon dog of mine I had, once?"
Dunwody at last reached the point of his recovery where he could
grin at these remarks; but if anything, he had grown more grim and
silent than before.
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