She had remarked Sam and Alice come riding over the paddock, and Sam, by way of giving a riding-lesson, holding the little white hand in his, teaching it (the dog!) to hold the reins properly.

And on seeing Alice she had said to herself, "That will do." But all this was not what Mrs.Mayford meant,--in fact, these two good ladies were at cross-purposes.
"Well, I thought I did," replied Mrs.Buckley, referring to Sam.

"But one must not be premature.

They are both very young, and may not know their own minds." "They seem as if they did," said Mrs.Mayford.

"Look there!" Outside the window they saw something which gave Mrs.Buckley a sort of pang, and made Mrs.Mayford laugh.
There was no one in the garden visible but Cecil Mayford and Alice, and she was at that moment busily engaged in pinning a rose into his buttonhole.