“Oh, oh, ye’ll be doing that once too often, me jewel,” predicted Judy darkly.

“Judy, this love business is no end of a bother. ‘In life’s morning march when my bosom was young’ I thought it must be tremendously romantic. But it’s just a nuisance. Life would be much simpler if there were nothing of the sort.”

“Oh, oh, simple, is it? A bit dull, I’m thinking. I’ve niver had inny love affairs mesilf to spake av but oh, the fun I’ve had watching other people’s!”

Pat had been able to sidetrack Rex Miller “diplomatically” but she was not so fortunate with Samuel MacLeod…probably because it had never occurred to her that he had any “intentions” regarding her. Samuel…nobody ever called him Sam…it simply couldn’t be done…came now and again to Silver Bush to confer with Pat and Rae on the programs of the Young People’s Society, of which he was president, but no one, not even Judy, ever looked upon him as a possible beau. And now after supper, having asked Pat to dance…Rae said that dancing with Samuel was almost as solemn a performance as leading the Young People’s…he followed it up by asking her to go for a walk in the garden. Pat steered him past the graveyard, which he seemed to mistake for the garden, and got him into the delphinium walk. And, standing there, even more dreadfully conscious of hands and feet than usual, he told her that his heart had chosen her for the supreme object of its love and that if she would like to be Mrs. Samuel MacLeod she had only to say the word.

Pat was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t speak at all at first and it was not till Samuel, taking her silence for maidenly consent began gingerly to put a long arm around her, that she came to the surface and managed to gasp out,

“Oh, no…no…I don’t think I can…I mean, I’m sure I can’t. Oh, it’s utterly impossible.”

As she spoke there was a smothered giggle on the other side of the delphiniums and Emmy Madison and Dot Robinson scuttled away across the lawn.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” cried Pat. “I never thought anybody was there.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Samuel, with a dignity that somehow did not misbecome him. “I am not ashamed to have people know that I aspired to you.”

In spite of his absurd Victorian phrases Pat found herself for the first time rather liking him. He couldn’t help being a South Glen MacLeod. They were all like that. And she made up her mind that she would never entertain Judy or Suzanne by an account of this proposal…though to be sure that wretched Emmy and Dot would spread it all over the clan.