He hated him by intuition, and a liking for him had not been begotten by Betsey's assurances that he was making headway with Julia.

August was riding astride a bag of corn on his way to mill, when Humphreys, taking a walk, met him.
"A pleasant day, Mr.Wehle!" "Yes," said August, with a courtesy as mechanical as Humphreys's smile.
The singing-master was rather pleased than otherwise to see that August disliked him.

It suited his purpose, just now to gall Wehle into saying what he would not otherwise have said.
"I hear you are in trouble," he proceeded.
"How so ?" "Oh! I hear that Mrs.Anderson doesn't like Dutchmen." The smile now seemed to have something of a sneer in it.
"I don't know that that is your affair," said August, all his suspicions, by a sort of "resolution of force," changing into anger.
"Oh! I beg pardon," with a tone half-mocking.

"I did not know but I might help settle matters.

I think I have Mrs.Anderson's confidence; and I know that I have Miss Anderson's confidence in an unusual degree.
I think a great deal of her.