Chapter Six
Avoiding Mr. Stanton and Mr. Green proved to be more difficult than Sophy had anticipated. Everywhere she went, she heard them spoken of, usually in terms of the strongest praise; everyone was enchanted with them, everyone hoped to become their intimate friend, or to see their daughters distinguished by some particular attention.
Worse, Sophy could scarcely leave her home without encountering them somewhere. If she walked into town, she passed them on the street; if she wandered over the fields or through the woods, she would see them coming back from a ride or a ramble of their own. Mr. Stanton was not again so rude as to stare openly at her, but she often felt his gaze upon her, only to find him looking elsewhere when she turned.
A week went by, and most of another, and st
