“Dr Justin wanted to drive you down, but I said I had promised,” said Amos gravely; “you don’t care, do you?”
“I should have been very sorry if you had forgotten your promise or broken your word. I would not have cared to trouble Dr Justin Everett.”
“Oh, it wouldn’t have troubled him any! He’d as lief come with you as not, I guess. If any one had come, it ought to have been Nellie; but I told her I had something to tell you, and she was very good about it. As for Miss Avery, I guess she didn’t care much about going. You like Miss Avery pretty well, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes! Not as I like Nellie, you know. But Miss Avery has been—very—”
“Kind and condescending!” said Amos, as Fidelia paused for a word.
They both laughed a little, but nothing more was said about Miss Avery. A good deal was said about things in general, but not a word which Nellie and all the rest of them might not have heard; and Fidelia began to think she had misunderstood the boy as to his having something to say to her. But when the horse had been securely fastened at a safe distance from the track, they turned to walk up and down the platform. During the few minutes that remained, Amos said,—
“I am going to tell father that I am going to college this fall or next, just as he thinks best.”
“Yes, of course,” said Fidelia. “Well?”
“That is all; and it isn’t ‘of course’ by a good deal. I had about made up my mind for something else. I was going West, to see how it looked out there, any way.”
“Not without your father’s knowledge?”