Rain had fallen in the night and the dust was laid, the trees were intensely green.
Neither of them knew exactly how this pleasant thing had come about, although, as a matter of crude fact, Mrs.Sykes had played the part of the god from the machine.

This energetic lady had made the doctor's professional career her peculiar care and it had occurred to her that, as a resident physician, he was disgracefully ignorant of the surrounding country.

At the same moment she had remembered that to-morrow was Saturday, and that for trapesing the country and meandering around in outlandish places there was no one in town equal to Esther Coombe.
"But," objected the doctor, "I hardly know Miss Coombe well enough to ask a favour of her." Mrs.Sykes opined that that didn't matter.

"Land sakes," she declared, "it would be a nice state of affairs if one huming-being couldn't do a kindness to another without being acquainted a year or two." Besides, Esther, as the old doctor's daughter, might almost be said to have a duty toward the newcomer.

Mrs.Sykes felt sure that Dr.Coombe would have insisted upon proper attentions being shown, since he was always "the politest man you ever saw, and terrible nice to strangers." Mrs.Sykes also, with the assistance of Aunt Amy, had provided the large basket.