"Oh, I like it well; but a carriage seems monotonous. Horseback exercises for me!"
"You—like—you like it?"
"Passionately!" cried Sarah. "Oh, how I love a spirited, prancing, bounding pony!"
With his usual labor of enunciation, Mr. Kerchey said that, if she could inform him where a side-saddle was to be obtained, he would be "most—ah—happy" to give her his best horse to ride that evening. He was five minutes occupied in expressing so much.
"We have a ladies' saddle," said Sarah; "but I'd rather not go and ride on Sundays merely for pleasure."
"Ah! a thousand—ah—pardons!" rejoined Mr. Kerchey, conscious of having committed an indiscretion. "Some—some other time?"
Sarah excused his freedom, and gayly told him "almost any time;" and when he finally took his leave, declared that she had "got well rid of him, at last."
Meanwhile, Sam had decoyed Willie and Georgie into the orchard, and betrayed them into a game of ball. He made his lame foot a good excuse to sit upon the grass and enjoy all the "knocking" or "licks," while the boys threw and "chased."
"What are you about there, you rogue?" cried Mr. Royden, who had enough natural religious feeling to desire that his family should behave decorously on the Sabbath.
"Oh, nothing much," said Sam; "only playing ball a little."