but 'Lena quickly replied, "Not at all," laughingly giving as an
insuperable objection, "the size of the house and the number of
windows she would have to wash!"

With a loud laugh Durward proposed that they should now return home,
and again mounting their horses, they started for Maple Grove, which
they reached just after the family had finished breakfast. With the
first ring of the bell, John Jr., eager not to lose an iota of what
might occur, was at the table, and when his mother and Carrie,
anxious at the non-appearance of Durward and 'Lena, cast wistful
glances toward each other, he very indifferently asked Mrs. Graham
"if her son had returned from his ride."

"I've not seen him," answered the lady, her scowl deepening and her
lower jaw dropping slightly, as it usually did when she was ill at
ease.

"Who's gone to ride?" asked Mr. Graham; and John Jr. replied that
Durward and 'Lena had been riding nearly two hours, adding, that
"they must find each other exceedingly interesting to be gone so
long."

This last was for the express benefit of his mother, whose frown kept
company with Mrs. Graham's scowl. Chopping her steak into
mince-meat, and almost biting a piece from her cup as she sipped her
coffee, she at last found voice to ask, "what horse 'Lena rode!"

"Fleetfoot, of course," said John Jr., at the same time telling his
father he thought "he ought to give 'Lena a pony of her own, for she
was accounted the best rider in the county, and Fleetfoot was getting