“No’m, not yet. She said she’d wait till you-all come.”
“Very well. You’d better take Mr. North’s things to his room, Uncle; and perhaps you’d like to go up?” turning to John.
“Thank you, I will.”
“I’m going up to see mamma; I’ll be back in a minute or so, John. I’ve told them at the stable to bring the horses around; we’ll take a ride before supper.” Phillip tossed aside his cap and turned toward a door.
“But maybe Mr. North is tired, Phil, and would rather not ride this evening,” said Margaret.
“Tired! Shucks, Margey; why, you just can’t tire him! You want to ride, don’t you, John?”
“I should like to very much. It seems a mistake to stay indoors in this kind of weather—it’s grand. I’ll get washed up a bit and change my things. Don’t let your mother put herself to any inconvenience on my account, Phil, unless she would have come downstairs anyway—if I wasn’t here, I mean——”
“This is her usual time,” answered Margaret. “I suspect the reason she’s not already here to welcome you is that she’s doing an unusual amount of primping on your account, Mr. North. Mamma is not beyond feminine coquetries, is she, Phil?”
“She’s the biggest flirt in four counties!” laughed Phillip. “I don’t doubt but that she’s been dressing for your conquest, John, ever since morning.”