He split wood until she called him to stop . Then he carried in the wood-box full , and piled it so neatly that even the grim handmaiden was pleased . After that , she sent him to the garden to pick the early beans . In the evening he milked three cows and did all the chores , falling into the ways of the place with a deft adaptability that went far to soften Clemantiny 's heart . `` He 's been taught to work somewheres , '' she admitted grudgingly , `` and he 's real polite and respectful . But he looks too cute by half . And his name is n't Benson any more than mine . When I called him ` Chester Benson ' out there in the cow-yard , he stared at me fer half a minute ` sif I 'd called him Nebuchadnezzar . '' When bedtime came , Miss Salome took Chester up to a room whose whiteness and daintiness quite took away the breath of a lad who had been used to sleeping in garrets or hired men 's kitchen chambers all his life . Later on Miss Salome came in to see if he was comfortable , and stood , with her candle in her hand , looking down very kindly at the thin , shrewd little face on the pillow . `` I hope you 'll sleep real well here , Chester , '' she said . `` I had a little boy once who used to sleep here . You -- you look like him . Good night . '' She bent over him and kissed his forehead . Chester had never been kissed by anyone before , so far as he could remember . Something came up in his throat that felt about as big as a pumpkin . At the same moment he wished he could have told Miss Salome the whole truth about himself . I might tell her in the morning , he thought , as he watched her figure passing out of the little porch chamber . But on second thought he decided that this would never do .
He felt sure she would disapprove of his running away , and would probably insist upon his going straight back to Upton or , XXXXX least , informing Aunt Harriet of his whereabouts .
as at by in into on out that until with