He grinned a little sheepishly.
"The truth is I've annoyed her," he said. "And she's all spikes when I touch her."
Mrs. Woodburn appealed to her husband, but got nothing out of him.
"It's no good comin' to me, Mar. I don't know nothin' at all about it," he said shortly. "She's trainin' the hoss. If I so much as looks at him I gets my nose bit off."
The old lady's distress was such that at length the young man took his courage in his hands and approached the girl.
"Boy," he said, "are you going to ride him? Please tell me."
The girl set her lips.
"You think I'm afraid of Aintree," she said deeply.
"I don't," he pleaded. "I swear to you I don't."
She was not to be appeased.