"At Mr. Huxter's."
"Is he a relation of yours?" asked the boy, looking at John with interest.
"No, he isn't," said John, hastily, unwilling for a moment to have it supposed that there was any such tie between him and his temporary host.
"Are you going to stay long?"
John was not surprised at these questions, for in the country, where he had always lived, it was the rule to be inquisitive about other people's affairs, and he felt that he ought to make some return for his ride.
"I don't think I shall," he said.
He would like to have replied decidedly in the negative; but he felt that he was by no means certain about the length of his stay.
"How do you like Huxter?" asked his new acquaintance, with rather a comical look.
"I've seen men I liked better," said John, smiling.