Chapter 63
baa-baa and green meat,' answered Dan from the box, where he sat in
state like a chief among his tribe, with the great hound at his feet.
The girls began to clear up, but made little headway; for everything
they touched had a story, and all were thrilling, comical, or wild;
so they found it hard to settle to their work, till Dan was carried
off by Mr Laurie.
This was the beginning of the summer holiday, and it was curious to
see what a pleasant little stir Dan's and Emil's coming made in the
quiet life of the studious community; for they seemed to bring a
fresh breeze with them that enlivened everyone. Many of the
collegians remained during vacation; and Plumfield and Parnassus did
their best to make these days pleasant for them, since most came from
distant States, were poor, and had few opportunities but this for
culture or amusement. Emil was hail-fellow-well-met with men and
maids, and went rollicking about in true sailor fashion; but Dan
stood rather in awe of the 'fair girl-graduates', and was silent when
among them, eyeing them as an eagle might a flock of doves. He got on
better with the young men, and was their hero at once. Their
admiration for his manly accomplishments did him good; because he
felt his educational defects keenly, and often wondered if he could
find anything in books to satisfy him as thoroughly as did the
lessons he was learning from Nature's splendidly illustrated volume.
In spite of his silence, the girls found out his good qualities, and
regarded 'the Spaniard', as they named him, with great favour; for
his black eyes were more eloquent than his tongue, and the kind
creatures tried to show their friendly interests in many charming
ways.
He saw this, and endeavoured to be worthy of it--curbing his free
speech, toning down his rough manners, and watching the effect of all
he said and did, anxious to make a good impression. The social
atmosphere warmed his lonely heart, the culture excited him to do his
best, and the changes which had taken place during his absence, both
in himself and others, made the old home seem like a new world. After