"Here she is," cried a dozen voices; and the owners thereof rushed forward to greet and embrace Miss Huldy Mason, the Deacon's daughter and the most popular girl in the village.
'Zekiel turned and saw that she was alone. Evidently the city fellow had not come with her.
Huldy was somewhat astonished at the warmth of her greeting, and was at a loss to understand the reason for it, until Lindy Putnam said:
"Didn't he come with you?"
"Who?" asked Huldy, with wide-open eyes.
"Oh, you can't fool us," cried Tilly James. "'Zeke Pettengill told us all about that city feller that's boarding down to your house. We were just talking it over together, and he surmised that it might be the same one that you met down to your aunt's house, when you went to Boston last summer."
"As Mr. Pettengill seems to know so much about my gentlemen friends, if you want any more information, no doubt he can supply it," said Huldy coldly.
"'Zeke kinder thought," said Bob Wood, "that he might be tired, and probably went to bed right after supper."
"Well, he didn't," said Huldy, now thoroughly excited, "he came with me, and he's outside now talking with Hiram about the barge."
"Why don't he come in?" asked Bob Wood. "P'r'aps he's bashful."