`` I know he was over at Avonlea last night . And ma says he 's taken a notion to you -- she knows by the way he looked at you when you were singing night before last . It would be just like him to do something queer like this -- he 's such a shy fellow with the girls . '' Sylvia frowned a little . She did not like Mattie 's expressions , but she did like Mayflowers , and she did not dislike Chris Stewart , who had seemed to her merely a nice , modest , country boy . She lifted the flowers and buried her face in them . `` Anyway , I 'm much obliged to the giver , whoever he or she is , '' she said merrily . `` There 's nothing I love like Mayflowers . Oh , how sweet they are ! '' When they had passed the Old Lady emerged from her lurking place , flushed with triumph . It did not vex her that Sylvia should think Chris Stewart had given her the flowers ; nay , it was all the better , since she would be the less likely to suspect the real donor . The main thing was that Sylvia should have the delight of them . That quite satisfied the Old Lady , who went back to her lonely house with the cockles of her heart all in a glow . It soon was a matter of gossip in Spencervale that Chris Stewart was leaving Mayflowers at the beech hollow for the music teacher every other day . Chris himself denied it , but he was not believed . Firstly , there were no Mayflowers in Spencervale ; secondly , Chris had to go to Carmody every other day to haul milk to the butter factory , and Mayflowers grew in Carmody , and , thirdly , the Stewarts always had a romantic streak in them . Was not that enough circumstantial evidence for anybody ? As for Sylvia , she did not mind if Chris had a boyish admiration for her and expressed it thus delicately . She thought it very nice of him , indeed , when he did not vex her with any other advances , and she was quite content to enjoy his Mayflowers . Old Lady Lloyd heard all the gossip about it from the egg pedlar , and listened to him with laughter glimmering far down in her eyes .
The egg pedlar went away and vowed he 'd never seen the Old Lady so spry as she was this spring ; she seemed real interested XXXXX the young folk 's doings .
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