"What"s the matter?"
"Oh ? pride ? injured pride of station! The wrong of not coming to our table and putting her knife into our b.u.t.ter."
"And living in such a place!" said Hugh.
"You don"t know what a place. They are rniserably poor, I am sure; and yet ? I suppose that the less people have to be proud of, the more they make of what is left. Poor people!" ?
"Poor Fleda!" said Hugh, looking at her. "What will you do now?"
"Oh, we"ll do somehow," said she, cheerfully. "Perhaps it is just as well, after all; for Cynthy isn"t the smartest woman in the world. I remember grandpa used to say he didn"t believe she could get a bean into the middle of her bread."
"A bean into the middle of her bread!" said Hugh.
But Fleda"s sobriety was quite banished by his mystified look, and her laugh rang along over the fields before she answered him.
That laugh had blown away all the vapours, for the present at least, and they jogged on again very sociably.
"Do you know," said Fleda, after a while of silent enjoyment in the changes of scene and the mild autumn weather ? "I am not sure that it wasn"t very well for me that we came away from New York."
"I dare say it was," said Hugh ? "since we came; but what makes you say so?"
"I don"t mean that it was for anybody else, but for me. I think I was a little proud of our nice things there."
"You, Fleda!" said Hugh, with a look of appreciating affection.
"Yes, I was, a little. It didn"t make the greatest part of my love for them, I am sure; but I think I had a little undefined sort of pleasure in the feeling that they were better and prettier than other people had."
"You are sure you are not proud of your little King Charles now?" said Hugh.
"I don"t know but I am," said Fleda, laughing. "But how much pleasanter it is here on almost every account! Look at the beautiful sweep of the ground off among those hills ? isn"t it? What an exquisite horizon line, Hugh!"
"And what a sky over it!"
"Yes ? I love these fall skies. Oh, I would a great deal rather be here than in any city that ever was built!"
"So would I," said Hugh. "But the thing is ?"
Fleda knew quite well what the thing was, and did not answer.
"But, my dear Hugh," she said, presently ? "I don"t remember that sweep of hills when we were coming?"
"You were going the other way," said Hugh.
"Yes, but Hugh ? I am sure we did not pa.s.s these grain fields.
We must have got into the wrong road."
Hugh drew the reins, and looked and doubted.
"There is a house yonder," said Fleda ? we had better drive on, and ask."
"There is no house ?"
"Yes, there is ? behind that piece of wood. Look over it; don"t you see a light curl of blue smoke against the sky? ? We never pa.s.sed that house and wood, I am certain. We ought to make haste, for the afternoons are short now, and you will please to recollect there is n.o.body at home to get tea."
"I hope Lucas will get upon one of his everlasting talks with father," said Hugh.
"And that it will hold till we get home," said Fleda. "It will be the happiest use Lucas has made of his tongue in a good while."
Just as they stopped before a substantial-looking farm-house, a man came from the other way and stopped there too, with his hand upon the gate.
"How far are we from Queechy, Sir?" said Hugh.
"You"re not from it at all, Sir," said the man, politely.
"You"re in Queechy, Sir, at present."
"Is this the right road from Montepoole to Queechy village?"
"It is not, Sir. It is a very tortuous direction, indeed. Have I not the pleasure of speaking to Mr. Rossitur"s young gentleman?"
Mr. Rossitur"s young gentleman acknowledged his relationship, and begged the favour of being set in the right way home.
"With much pleasure! You have been showing Miss Rossitur the picturesque country about Montepoole?"
"My cousin and I have been there on business, and lost our way coming back."
"Ah, I dare say! Very easy. First time you have been there?"
"Yes, Sir; and we are in a hurry to get home."
"Well, Sir ? you know the road by Deacon Patterson"s? ? comes out just above the lake."
Hugh did not remember.
"Well ? you keep this road straight on, ? I"m sorry you are in a hurry, ? you keep on till ? do you know when you strike Mr.
Harris"s ground?"
No, Hugh knew nothing about it, nor Fleda.
"Well, I"ll tell you now how it is," said the stranger, "if you"ll permit me. You and your ? a ? cousin ? come in and do us the pleasure of taking some refreshment. I know my sister "ll have her table set out by this time ? and I"ll do myself the honour of introducing you to ? a ? these strange roads, afterwards."
"Thank you, Sir, but that trouble is unnecessary ? cannot you direct us?"
"No trouble ? indeed, Sir, I a.s.sure you, I should esteem it a favour ? very highly. I ? I am Dr. Quackenboss, Sir; you may have heard ?"
"Thank you, Dr. Quackenboss, but we have no time this afternoon ? we are very anxious to reach home as soon as possible, if you would be so good as to put us in the way."
"I ? really, Sir, I am afraid ? to a person ignorant of the various localities ? you will lose no time ? I will just hitch your horse here, and I"ll have mine ready by the time this young lady has rested. Miss ? a ? wont you join with me? I a.s.sure you I will not put you to the expense of a minute.
Thank you, Mr. Harden! ? just clap the saddle on to Lollypop, and have him up here in three seconds. Thank you! ? My dear Miss ? a ? wont you take my arm? I am gratified, I a.s.sure you."