lashing eyes. "Perhaps he
is the lord of the manor and thought I was one of his subjects."

"There are lords in this country, then?"

"Lords or patroons, they are called," she replied, her face still
flushed.

At this moment, across the meadows, beyond the fence of stumps--poor
remains of primeval monarchs!--a woman appeared at the back door of
the inn with a tin horn upon which she blew vigorously, the harsh
blasts echoing over hill and valley. The startled swallows and
martins arose from the eaves and fluttered above the roof. The farm
hand at the plow released the handle, and the slip-shod maid appeared
in the door of the cow-shed, spry and nimble enough at meal time.

From the window of her room Susan saw them returning and looked
surprised as well as a bit annoyed. Truth to tell, Mistress Susan,
with her capacity for admiring and being admired, had conceived a
momentary interest in the stranger, a fancy as light as it was
ephemeral. That touch of melancholy when his face was in repose
inspired a transitory desire for investigation in this past-mistress
of emotional analysis. But the arrival of the coach which had passed
the couple soon diverted Susan's thoughts to a new channel.

The equipage drew up, and a young man, dressed in a style novel in
that locality, sprang out. He wore a silk hat with scarcely any brim,
trousers extremely wide at the ankle, a waistcoat of the dimensions of
1745, and large watch ribbons, sustaining ponderous bunches of seals.

The gallant fop touched the narrow brim of his hat to Kate, who was
peeping from one window, and waved a kiss to Susan, who was
surreptitiously glancing from another, whereupon both being detected,
drew back hastily. Overwhelmed by the appearance of a guest of such
manifest distinction, the landlord bowed obsequiously as the other
entered the tavern with a supercilious nod.

To Mistress Susan this incident was exciting while it lasted, but
when the dandy had disappeared her attention was again attracted to
Constance and Saint-Prosper, who slowly approached. He paused with his
horse before the front door and she stood a moment near the little
porch, on either side of which grew sweet-williams, four-o'clocks and
larkspur. But the few conventional words were scanty crumbs for the
fair eavesdropper above, the young girl soon entering the house and
the soldier leading his horse in the direction of the stable. As the
latter disappeared around the corner of the tav