After tea Polly Jane and I set out; we had a little basket with camphor and mustard, and other useful things Calanthy had put up for Mrs. Burt: it is a beautiful walk through the Hollow, and I should have liked it very much if my head had not been so full of the picnic that I couldn't think of anything else. We didn't go through the village, but turned off the main road into a lane that cut off a part of the distance. I was a little ahead of Polly Jane, for she _would_ carry the basket, and we had just got into the lane when she said to me, 'Look back, Dimpey; here comes one of your beaux!' I turned around, and saw Ned Hassel on one of his fast horses. He pulled up at the corner and called out--his voice was a little too _loud_ and confident like, I must confess--'Good evening, Polly Jane; good evening, Dimpey; are you going to take a walk in the woods, so near sundown?' It provoked Polly, I suppose, to hear him speak so bold, for she answered, very short, 'No, we're going on an errand.' He didn't seem to notice, but looked at me, and said, 'I was just on my way to your house, Dimpey, to ask your company to the picnic next week; I suppose Joe told you about it? We're going to set out early, and have a real good time; I mean to take my fast team and the light wagon, and we can get up the mountain before the others have fairly started.' Polly Jane spoke up again--she never could bear the Hassels, and always said they were the greatest braggarts in our county: 'That would be great fun, for you and Dimpey to get ahead of all the company! I thought picnickers always kept together.' Ned colored up and looked angry, but he only said, 'Will you engage to ride with me, Dimpey?' If Polly Jane had not been there, I should have told Ned to ask father if I might go; but I couldn't bear to have her think I wanted Ned for a beau; so I answered, 'I don't know yet whether I can go or not; I'll see what our folks say.' 'Well, Dimpey, I'll come over to your house to-morrow night; I guess you'll go; good evening,' and away he galloped. '_Guess_ you'll go, indeed!' said Polly Jane, as soon as he was out of hearing. 'I guess she won't go with _you_, Mr. Impudence! You're not going to make a fool of our Dimpey, and break her neck besides, not if her father knows it, _I_ can tell you.' It isn't often that Polly Jane speaks out so spunky, but I expect she was vexed because he didn't answer her; as for me, I could have cried to think that things happened so, and I felt almost angry with poor Widow Burt for being sick, and taking me away from home that evening. It was awful wicked, but I was well punished for it afterward. 'It's _too_ bad in you to talk so, Polly,' said I, 'as if I was a child six years old! I wonder _why_ it's impudent in Ned to ask me to ride with him; you wouldn't say so if it was any one else; but you hate poor Ned--you know you do,' and here I broke down and really cried; but they were spiteful tears, after all.