’For I would give them to her with a nice message from you; and—and—if you take them, you will say nothing at all; and where is the compliment?’ He laughed. ’Ye’re a wise little lass; but four big hares are heavy to carry—with the wind against ye; so run away and get me my coat and my Glengarry; and I will take them along myself, compliment or no compliment.’ However, as it turned out, Mrs. Douglas was not the first of the family he was fated to meet that morning. He had scarcely left the deershed when he perceived Meenie coming along the road; and this was an auspicious and kindly event; for somehow the day seemed to go by more smoothly and evenly and contentedly when he had chanced to meet Meenie in the morning, and have a few minutes’ chat with her about affairs in general, and an assurance that all was going well with her. So he went forward to meet her with a light heart; and he thought she would be pleased that he was taking the hares to her mother; and perhaps, too, he considered that they might be a little more frank in their friendship after the exceeding good fellowship of the night of the children’s party. He went forward unsuspectingly. ’Good morning, Miss Douglas!’ said he, slackening in his pace, for naturally they always stopped for a few seconds or minutes when they met thus. But to his astonishment Miss Douglas did not seem inclined to stay. Her eyes were bent on the ground as she came along; she but timidly half lifted them as she reached him; and ’Good morning, Ronald!’ she said, and would have passed on. And then it seemed as if, in her great embarrassment, she did not know what to do. She stopped; her face was suffused with red; and she said hurriedly—and yet with an effort to appear unconcerned— ’I suppose Maggie is at home?’ ’Oh yes,’ said he, and her manner was so changed that he also scarce knew what to say or to think. And again she was going on, and again she lingered—with a sudden fear that she might be thought ungracious or unkind. ’The children all got away safely yesterday morning,’ said she—but her eyes never met his; and there was still tell-tale colour in her cheeks. ’So I heard,’ he answered. ’I am sure they must have enjoyed the evening,’ she said, as if forcing herself to speak. And then it suddenly occurred to him—for this encounter had been all too brief and bewildering for any proper understanding of it—that perhaps her mother had been reproving her for being too friendly with the people about the inn and with himself, and that he was only causing her embarrassment by detaining her, and so he said— ’Oh yes, I’m sure o’ that. Well, good morning, Miss Douglas; I’m going along to give your mother these two or three hares.’ ’Good morning,’ said she—still without looking at him—and then she went.