Walkirk was
making the best of it, and had entered the game; but I declined all
invitations to do so.
Before long there was some laughing and a good deal of romping, and I
fancied that the girls, some of whom were not at all bad looking, would
have been pleased if I had joined in the sport. But this did not suit
me; I still was, as I declared myself, a Lover in Check, and the society
of young women was not attractive to me.
I went outside, where a group of elderly men were discussing the tax
rates; and after remaining a few minutes with them, I came to the
conclusion that the pleasantest thing I could do would be to take a
stroll over the country.
I made my way over some rolling meadow land, where three or four of
Captain Jabe's cows were carefully selecting the edible portions of the
herbage, and, having passed the crest of a rounded hill, I found myself
on the edge of a piece of woodland, which seemed to be of considerable
extent. This suited my mood exactly, and I was soon following the curves
and bends of a rude roadway, in places almost overgrown by vines and
bushes, which led me deeper and deeper into the shadowed recesses of the
woods. It was now about four o'clock in the afternoon. The sun was still
well up, and out in the open the day was warm for an up-and-down-hill
stroll; but here in the woods it was cool and quiet, and the air was
full of the pleasant summer smells that come from the trees, the leaves,
and the very earth of the woods.
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