“I'm just from your house,” he said, “and I promised your mother to come over after you. I was afraid I'd be late. The distance round by the road is longer than I thought.”
“I'm afraid you are too late,” said Floyd, with a polite smile. “I was lucky enough to find the first red ear of corn, and the reward was that I might take home any one I asked. I assure you I'll see that Miss Cynthia is well taken care of.”
“Oh! I—I see.” The preacher seemed stunned by the disappointment. “I didn't know; I thought—”
“Yes, Floyd has won fast enough,” said Pole. “An' he's acted the part of the gentleman all through.” Pole explained what Floyd had done in excusing Miss Cynthia from the principal forfeit he had won.
But Hillhouse seemed unable to reply. The young people were moving towards the cottage, and he fell behind Floyd and his partner, walking along with the others and saying nothing.
It was a lonely, shaded road which Floyd and his companion traversed to reach her home.
“My luck turned just in the nick of time,” he said, exultantly. “I went there, Cynthia, especially to talk with you, and I was mad enough to fight when I saw how Pole had arranged everything. Then, by good-fortune and cheating, I found that red ear; and, well, here we are. You have no idea how pretty you look, with your hair—”
“Stop, don't begin that!” Cynthia suddenly commanded, and she turned her eyes upon him steadily.
“Stop? Why do you say that?”
“Because you talk that way to all the girls, and I don't want to hear it.”