“I don’t mind telling you, for I know you are interested,” he said confidentially, “that Raymond told me this morning he was simply crazy about her, he couldn’t wait any longer, and was going to pop the question to-night. I s’pose there ain’t much question about it though, for I reckon she’s as much in love as he, though,––as I said, you never can tell.”
And he little suspected that what he said seemed to Steve the death-knell to his hopes.
Mr. Follet continued loquaciously: “Raymond’s the greatest fellow I ever saw. Everybody likes him. Why, he’s in with the moonshiners about here hand and glove, and they’re powerful offish. Never saw anything under the canopee like him. He has big plans too, about some of the land round here which he says is full of coal. He’s looked a little at 193 the Greely Ridge; he thinks that’s the finest piece, but he hasn’t been over it carefully yet––been too much in love, you know,” and he laughed contentedly.
Steve made conventional reply, and admitting he was quite tired, went to the little attic for another restless, unhappy night.
If the good fairies had only visited his couch and whispered their story of what was going on under the trees, how sweet would have been his sleep! But they did not.
Next morning Steve announced at the breakfast table that he must be leaving the following morning; a few days off from work for pleasure was all he could take with good grace.
Mr. and Mrs. Follet expressed their regret, while Nancy’s eyes were upon her plate. Mr. Follet was complaining of some sciatic pain, but tried to throw it off with his usual nervous energy.
“Nancy,” he said, “you haven’t taken Steve over to Borden’s Cave, which has been discovered since he was here. Why don’t you go this morning?”
“Why, I should be glad to,” responded Nancy, and Steve, feeling that her agreement was upon the basis of the old family relationship between them, made no excuse, though he did not doubt, with the fatality of anxious lovers, that the engagement had 194 taken place. The two started off with Gyp and the family horse for a three mile canter, and Steve’s spirit rose with the exhilaration of it in spite of himself.
The cave proved to be a most interesting rock formation and when they had examined it, Steve pointing out some curious scientific facts, they sat down in the quiet woods upon a fallen tree trunk, while the horses grazed.