I do believe I should have passed the house after I got to it had I not seen a vision of pink ribbons, white dress, and black eyes at the window, and realized that I was observed.

So I touched the horse with the whip, drove up with a flourish, and before I had fairly pulled up at the block, Belle was at the door, with a servant behind her carrying a hamper.
"You are late, Mr.Flutter," she called out, half gayly, half crossly.
I arose from the seat, flung down the reins, and leaped out, like a flying-fish out of the water, to hand the beautiful apparition in.

In my nervousness I did not observe how I placed the lines, my foot became entangled in them, I was brought up in the most unexpected manner, landing on the pavement on my new hat instead of the soles of my boots.
This was not only embarrassing, but positively painful.

There was a bump on my forehead, the rim of my hat was crushed, my new suit was soiled, my knee ached like Jericho, and there was a rent in my pantaloons right opposite where my knee hurt.
Belle tittered, the colored girl stuffed her apron in her mouth, and said "hi! hi!" behind it.

I would have given all I had in life to give if I could have started on an exploring expedition for China just then, but I couldn't.