"Du tell," said Mrs. Putnam. "How long you been here?"
Quincy replied that he arrived two days after Christmas.
"Where be you stoppin'?" asked Mrs. Putnam.
Quincy answered, "I am boarding at Deacon Mason's."
"He's a nice old gentleman," said Mrs. Putnam, "and Mrs. Mason's good as they make 'em. Her daughter Huldy's a pert young thing, she's pretty and she knows it."
Quincy remarked that he thought Miss Mason was a very nice young lady.
"Oh, yes," said Mrs. Putnam, "you young fellers never look more than skin deep. Now the way she trifles with that young 'Zekiel Pettengill I think's shameful. They ust to have a spat every week about something but they allus made it up. But I heard Lindy say that after you come here, 'Zeke he got huffy and Huldy she got independent, and they hain't spoke to each other nigh on two weeks."
This was a revelation to Quincy, but he was to hear more about it very soon.
"How long be you goin' to stay, Mr. Sawyer?"
"I haven't decided," said Quincy.