But it matters little to
me, I'm sure, if he ever comes back again, or not;--turn in the first
gate on your left;--no, I care but little, for my part, whether Harvey
ever shows his face again or not--not I"--and she closed the door
abruptly on the horseman, who gladly extended his ride a half mile
farther, to obtain lodgings which promised both more comfort and
greater security.
Sufficient light yet remained to enable the traveler to distinguish the
improvements [Footnote: Improvements is used by the Americans to express
every degree of change in converting land from its state of wilderness
to that of cultivation. In this meaning of the word, it is an
improvement to fell the trees; and it is valued precisely by the
supposed amount of the cost.] which had been made in the cultivation,
and in the general appearance of the grounds around the building to
which he was now approaching. The house was of stone, long, low, and
with a small wing at each extremity. A piazza, extending along the
front, with neatly turned pillars of wood, together with the good order
and preservation of the fences and outbuildings, gave the place an air
altogether superior to the common farmhouses of the country. After
leading his horse behind an angle of the wall, where it was in some
degree protected from the wind and rain, the traveler threw his valise
over his arm, and knocked loudly at the entrance of the building for
admission.
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