“No,” said Headland, “I hope to have the pleasure of being employed in that way in the afternoon, and I shall be glad if any other lady will trust herself to my pilotage.”
Harry, in the meantime, recollecting that he had promised to pay the Miss Pembertons a visit, ordered his horse, and took the road to Hurlston.
As he approached the village, having never been at Downside, he thought he would first call at Adam Halliburt’s cottage and enquire the way. The cottage, from its remarkable structure, he remembered well.
Calling to a boy to take care of his horse, he dismounted and knocked at the door. The dame opened it.
“This is an honour, Mr Harry,” she said, begging him to enter, with a look of pleased surprise on her countenance. “To think that now you are a grand officer you have come to see poor folks like us,” she continued, dusting a chair, while Adam in his frank, hearty way held out his hand to welcome his guest. He would probably have done the same had the king come to his cottage.
“To tell you the truth, I am on my way to Downside, and thought I would call here first to enquire the road,” said Harry. “I hope you and your daughter were not tired by walking about so much yesterday at the fête.”
“Thank you, Mr Harry, not a bit; besides, as our May didn’t dance she hadn’t so much cause to be tired as most of the young people had.”
“She looks somewhat delicate, and ill able to go through what many girls would think nothing of,” observed Harry, for he wished to get the dame to talk about her daughter.
“Bless you, she is strong and hearty as she ever was, and some time ago when both the ladies were ill, she sat up night after night watching them, and was none the worse for it, and fine weather or foul she goes about the village for that matter all the year round, visiting the poor and sick when the Miss Pembertons cannot go to them,” and the good dame ran on expatiating on her favourite theme—the praises of May.
Harry was somewhat surprised to hear her speak in such unmeasured terms of her daughter’s good qualities.