It was almost four o'clock before Mr. Curtis made his appearance, and his wife, who had been chatting with Mrs. Taylor, the farmer's wife, had begun to wonder where he could be.
"You're nice and cool here," he said, laying his hat on the table and wiping the drops of perspiration from his forehead.
"You look very tired, Lawrence," she said, anxiously.
He only laughed.
"Isn't it time to start?" the lady asked.
"The horses will be round directly; but, Cecilia, I want to ask you a question. Were you in earnest when you said you should like to live here in this quiet village?"
She sighed. "Yes, Lawrence, I really meant that I should enjoy a home away from the bustle and confusion of a city; and that lovely lake is exactly what I have always connected with my visions of a country home. But why do you look so eager?"
"Because, my dear, I have ascertained that I can purchase that spot on reasonable terms. In fact, everything is settled on condition that when you have taken a nearer view you like it."