warmly, one hand resting gently on Anna’s shoulder.
Then her eyes lifted to her son and she spoke again. “We had come to think of you as a child, my dear. We thought of you as our little Anna for such a long time, and now I see that we should really address you as Miss Trent.”
Austin Barker shuffled slightly. “Well—two years does make a difference,” he mumbled.
Anna stood in confusion. She wasn’t sure what was happening.
“Would you prefer to be addressed as Miss?” Austin’s mother was asking.
Anna managed a wobbly smile. She didn’t understand the significance of the statement. She was Anna. Why would Pastor Barker’s mother want to change that?
“Anna is fine,” she finally volunteered.
The hand on her shoulder extended to slip around her, and Anna felt herself given a warm hug.
“Good,” said Mrs. Barker. “Anna it will be. We have our little Anna still.”
She seemed pleased with the thought, and Austin turned Anna to meet his father.
Later Anna was presented to many of Austin’s fellow classmates. She was aware of eyebrows lifting. Of teasing smiles and playful nudges. But Anna was unable to understand the responses.
Are they laughing at me? she asked herself. But she found them all to be so kind, so courteous, that she couldn’t believe it to be so.
No. It had something to do with Austin. For some reason his friends were teasing him. Anna puzzled over it but at last was able to push it aside. She couldn’t sort it out. She didn’t understand the customs of this new world that she had entered.
“May I see you back to the Willoughbys?” Pastor Barker was asking her.
It had been a long confusing day and Anna felt more tired than if she had done a huge laundry over the wooden wash-board. And her feet ached in the shiny new shoes.
She managed to nod her head and prayed silently that they wouldn’t have to walk.
“I’ve borrowed a team,” Pastor Barker was saying. “If you don’t mind, I thought we could take a bit of a drive. This is the only opportunity I’ll have to see you, and I did want to have a chance to—to discuss—to—to talk—a bit.”
Anna nodded again. She was so thankful to hear that they would be comfortably riding.
They were out of the busy town and into the calmness of the countryside before Austin spoke again. He seemed to hesitate a bit—as though not knowing where to start, but then just blurted out, “I—you—I suppose you noticed my surprise when I saw you today.”
Anna nodded.
“Well—like my mother—I have thought of you as—well as a—a little girl—a child. I—I guess I described you to them in that fashion.”
Anna’s eyes widened.
“Well—I see that—that I’ve been—been badly mistaken. You are far from a child, Anna.”
Anna did not know what to say. She was sorry that she had let him down.
“I’m sure—with your perception—you also noticed the surprise and amusement of my fellow classmates.”
“I did,” Anna managed to say.
“Yes—well—you see—the joke was rather on me. I had spent two years telling them about—about this—this brilliant, eager young student that I was coaching—and then she turns up—an attractive young woman. No wonder they wished to razz me a bit. They could see for themselves that writing to you, teaching you, was no sacrifice. I suppose they now doubt my good intentions. Was it your beauty—or your brain? Any one of them would have been glad to be your teacher.”
Anna swung her head around to look directly into Austin’s face. Was he serious? He appeared to be.
Anna felt total confusion.
“Well, I want you to know,” Austin continued in subdued tones, “that I still admire your keenness, your searching, your aptitude for spiritual things. You have taught me much, Anna. You have helped me to grow and stretch—almost as much as the theology texts. I want to thank you—and if—if you have no objections—I would like to continue our correspondence in the
Then her eyes lifted to her son and she spoke again. “We had come to think of you as a child, my dear. We thought of you as our little Anna for such a long time, and now I see that we should really address you as Miss Trent.”
Austin Barker shuffled slightly. “Well—two years does make a difference,” he mumbled.
Anna stood in confusion. She wasn’t sure what was happening.
“Would you prefer to be addressed as Miss?” Austin’s mother was asking.
Anna managed a wobbly smile. She didn’t understand the significance of the statement. She was Anna. Why would Pastor Barker’s mother want to change that?
“Anna is fine,” she finally volunteered.
The hand on her shoulder extended to slip around her, and Anna felt herself given a warm hug.
“Good,” said Mrs. Barker. “Anna it will be. We have our little Anna still.”
She seemed pleased with the thought, and Austin turned Anna to meet his father.
Later Anna was presented to many of Austin’s fellow classmates. She was aware of eyebrows lifting. Of teasing smiles and playful nudges. But Anna was unable to understand the responses.
Are they laughing at me? she asked herself. But she found them all to be so kind, so courteous, that she couldn’t believe it to be so.
No. It had something to do with Austin. For some reason his friends were teasing him. Anna puzzled over it but at last was able to push it aside. She couldn’t sort it out. She didn’t understand the customs of this new world that she had entered.
“May I see you back to the Willoughbys?” Pastor Barker was asking her.
It had been a long confusing day and Anna felt more tired than if she had done a huge laundry over the wooden wash-board. And her feet ached in the shiny new shoes.
She managed to nod her head and prayed silently that they wouldn’t have to walk.
“I’ve borrowed a team,” Pastor Barker was saying. “If you don’t mind, I thought we could take a bit of a drive. This is the only opportunity I’ll have to see you, and I did want to have a chance to—to discuss—to—to talk—a bit.”
Anna nodded again. She was so thankful to hear that they would be comfortably riding.
They were out of the busy town and into the calmness of the countryside before Austin spoke again. He seemed to hesitate a bit—as though not knowing where to start, but then just blurted out, “I—you—I suppose you noticed my surprise when I saw you today.”
Anna nodded.
“Well—like my mother—I have thought of you as—well as a—a little girl—a child. I—I guess I described you to them in that fashion.”
Anna’s eyes widened.
“Well—I see that—that I’ve been—been badly mistaken. You are far from a child, Anna.”
Anna did not know what to say. She was sorry that she had let him down.
“I’m sure—with your perception—you also noticed the surprise and amusement of my fellow classmates.”
“I did,” Anna managed to say.
“Yes—well—you see—the joke was rather on me. I had spent two years telling them about—about this—this brilliant, eager young student that I was coaching—and then she turns up—an attractive young woman. No wonder they wished to razz me a bit. They could see for themselves that writing to you, teaching you, was no sacrifice. I suppose they now doubt my good intentions. Was it your beauty—or your brain? Any one of them would have been glad to be your teacher.”
Anna swung her head around to look directly into Austin’s face. Was he serious? He appeared to be.
Anna felt total confusion.
“Well, I want you to know,” Austin continued in subdued tones, “that I still admire your keenness, your searching, your aptitude for spiritual things. You have taught me much, Anna. You have helped me to grow and stretch—almost as much as the theology texts. I want to thank you—and if—if you have no objections—I would like to continue our correspondence in the
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