“You can sit in here, Miss Miller,” said Quincy, pointing to one of the rear seats; and when she was seated Quincy told Hiram to put the valise on the seat beside her.  He had no idea of having Huldy take a back seat.

True to her promise, Huldy made her toilet in the appointed time, and taking her seat beside Quincy, he took up the reins.  Turning to Hiram he asked, “If I drive by Hill’s grocery and take the road to the left, will it bring me round to the main road to Eastborough Centre again?”

“Yaas,” said Hiram, “you take the road where Mis’ Hawkins’s boardin’ house is on the corner.  You remember that big yellow house.  You know I told you Mandy’s mother kept it.”

“All right,” said Quincy, and off they went.

Quincy gave a side glance at Huldy.  He discovered she was throwing a side glance at him.  They both smiled, but said nothing.  He drove around the big tree that stood in the centre of the square in front of the grocery, which brought the team quite close to the store platform.  No one was in sight, but just as he reached Mrs. Hawkins’s boarding house the door opened and Obadiah Strout came out.  Huldy placed her hand on Quincy’s arm.

“Please hold up a minute, Mr. Sawyer.”

Quincy brought the horse to a standstill with a jerk and looked straight ahead.

“Ah, good morning, Mr. Strout,” said Huldy.  “Did you get the letter I sent up by Hiram last evening about my taking music lessons?”

“Yes,” said Mr. Strout, “and I was coming down this morning to settle on the best time for you taking them.”

“Could you come to-morrow afternoon from two to three?” asked Huldy.

Strout took a well-worn memorandum book from his pocket and consulted it.  “Three to four would be the best I could do,” said he, “for I have a lesson from half-past one to half-past two.”

“That will do just as well,” replied Huldy.  “Three to four to-morrow afternoon.  Isn’t this a beautiful day, Mr. Strout?  I am taking a little drive for my health;” and she nodded smilingly to Strout, who had recognized Quincy as her companion.

“That’s all, Mr. Sawyer,” said Huldy, and they drove on.

“By thunder,” said Strout, “they say the hair of a dog is good for his bite.  Just as soon as she got well, off she goes riding again with the same feller who tipped the team over and broke her arm.  I guess ’Zeke Pettengill’s chances ain’t worth much now.  It beats all how ’Zeke can let that feller board in his house, but I suppose he does it to let us folks see that he don’t care.  Well, Huldy Mason is a bright little girl, and I always liked her.  That city chap don’t mean to marry her, and if I don’t make the best of my chances when I get to teaching her music, my name ain’t Obadiah Strout, which I guess it is.”  And he walked across the square to Hill’s grocery to smoke his morning cigar.

On the way to Eastborough Centre Quincy wondered what he would do with Huldy when he arrived there.  He did not care to take her to the Poorhouse, and particularly he did not wish her to see his uncle.  Quincy was proud, but he was also sensible, and he decided upon a course of action that would prevent any one from saying that his pride had made him do a foolish act.