"Let's go up and look," said Falkenberg.

Coming up to the house, we found a little group of lads and girls outside
taking the air. Emma was there as well.

"Why, there's Emma!" cried Falkenberg cheerily, not in the least put out
to find she had gone without him. "Emma, here, I've got something for
you!"

He reckoned to make all good with a word, but Emma turned away from him
and went indoors. Then, when he moved to go after her, others barred his
way, hinting pretty plainly that he wasn't wanted there.

"But Emma is there. Ask her to come out."

"Emma's not coming out. She's here with Markus Shoemaker."

Falkenberg stood there helpless. He had been cold to Emma now for so long
that she had given him up. And, seeing him stand there stupidly agape,
some of the girls began to make game of him: had she left him all alone,
then, and what would he ever do now, poor fellow?

Falkenberg set his bottle to his lips and drank before the eyes of all,
then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and passed to the nearest
man. There was a better feeling now towards us; we were good fellows, with
bottles in our pockets, and willing to pass them round; moreover, we were
strangers in the place, and that was always something new. Also,
Falkenberg said many humorous things of Markus Shoemaker, whom he
persisted in calling Lukas.