They regained the highway, a little farther on, and tramped rapidly homeward. At the entrance to Criss-Cross, Stephanie stopped and held out her hand.
"It is too early in the morning to ask you in," she said. "My hostess won't be visible as yet. She's not an early rambler--like we are, Mr. Porshinger. Thank you for saving me from that horrid bull."
"And a less strenuous time on our next walk," he replied, bowing awkwardly over her hand. "You do walk 'most every morning, don't you, Mrs. Lorraine?"
"Every morning that it is convenient," she answered.
"Will it be convenient to-morrow morning?" he asked.
"Not to-morrow," she replied. "I've something else on," and with a little nod she turned away and went up the drive to the house.
"Send my breakfast up in half an hour," she said to the butler, as she passed through the hall.
Once in her room, she rang for a maid, got out of her dusty walking suit and into the grateful shower bath--having first protected her hair with a rubber cap. Then she dressed, put on a flowing silk kimono, and went in to her breakfast, which the servant was just laying on the table by the window.
In the midst of it, there was a knock on the door and Gladys entered.
"Had your breakfast?" Stephanie inquired.
"An hour ago," Gladys replied. "You take the early morning hours to walk; I take them for my correspondence and household orders. You win this time--it was a beautiful morning. Where did you go?"
"Out the Churchville road, across the path through the Overton property to the Henrystown road, and home."
"The path through the Overton property!" exclaimed Gladys. "I forgot to warn you that they are using those fields for pasturing cattle, with a vicious bull among them. Did you see him?"
"Yes, we saw him," Stephanie answered, buttering a roll.
"On the contrary," said Stephanie, tapping an egg with the tip of her spoon, "I think you would have been scared into the quickest action you have ever known."
"I mean that you would have made a record run for the fence," slowly measuring the salt.
"Precisely what I did--and I just made it."
"Do you mean the bull actually attacked you?"
"No--he didn't get quite close enough to _actually_ attack--he missed me by the fraction of a hair. I went over the fence just as he banged into it. We had a nerve-racking finish--the bull and I. I won it by an eyelash."