He laughed at the proud curl of her lips.
“You wouldn’t care, would you?” he persisted, “if some old duffer had taken it into his noddle to do a good deed? Once we are married, I shan’t bother to unearth him, you’d better believe. I’m in favor of letting sleeping philanthropists lie—eh, Barbie?”
“We’ll not be married,” Barbara said, in a low voice, “till——”
He caught her suddenly about the waist and stopped her words with one of his close kisses.
“You shan’t say it,” he murmured, his lips still on hers.
She twisted sharply out of his grasp, her face crimsoning slowly.
“Wouldn’t what, little wife?” he drawled, reaching for her lazily from his comfortable seat in the corner of the sofa.
“Pretty near,” he laughed; “too near for such little exhibitions of prudery.”
His eyes, vividly blue and sparkling under their long curling lashes, met hers with a look which she silently resented.
“I have sold the apples on the trees,” she said presently, seating herself near the window, under pretence of getting a better light on her sewing.
David yawned audibly, and thrust his hands into his trousers pockets.
“Yes; and for a good price, as prices go, Peg says.”
“Do y’ know, that old Morrison is a fool. I mean to get rid of him, when I take charge here.”
“The old chap doesn’t know enough to last him over night,” pursued David. “I don’t believe you’d ever have gotten into such a hole financially, if it hadn’t been for his running things into the ground. What you want is a couple of capable young men about the place. Of course we’ll keep some decent horses. I’ve bought one already, a beauty! Come out and look at him, Barbie. Or, say, put on your hat and I’ll take you for a spin. We’ll take in the county fair, if you say so. It’s in full blast to-day.”
“Not to-day, David; I’ve bread to bake. But I’ll come out and look at your horse.”
“You’re getting so confoundedly difficult, Barbara. I never know how to take you,” complained David, as they walked, a little apart, along the gravel path.
He turned to look at her and was struck afresh by her beauty. During the long days of the summer that was past, she seemed to have bloomed into a new and more vivid loveliness. He drew his breath sharply as his eyes lingered on the rich red of her mouth, the full column of her round white throat, and the soft undulations of her figure as she moved slowly under the dazzling light of the September sky.