him, convert him--anything
but give him up or give in to him. She forgot how much easier it is to
conceive plans than to carry them out--to arrange speeches than to utter
them. She forgot that only the evening before, when, an opportunity
being afforded, she had resolved upon telling Adam the whole
circumstance of Reuben May and the promise made between them, while the
words were yet on her lips she had drawn them back because Adam had said
he knew that the promise was "nothing but the promise of a letter;" and
Eve's courage had suddenly given way, and by her silence she had led him
to conclude that nothing else had passed between them. Joan had spoken
of the envious grudge which Adam had borne toward Jerrem because he had
shared in his mother's heart, so that this was not the first time Adam
had dropped in gall to mingle with the cup of his love.

The thought of Joan brought the fact of her unexplained disappearance to
Eve's mind, and, full of compunction at the bare suspicion of having
wounded that generous heart, Eve jumped up with the intention of seeking
her and of bringing about a satisfactory explanation. She had not far to
go before she came upon Joan, rubbing and scrubbing away as if the
welfare of all Polperro depended on the amount of energy she could throw
into her work. Her face was flushed and her voice unsteady, the natural
consequences of such violent exercise, and which Eve's approach but
seemed to lend greater force to.

"Joan, I want to speak to you."

"Awh, my dear, I can't listen to no spakin' now," replied Joan hastily,
"and the tables looking as they do."

"But Tabithy always scrubs the tables, Joan: why should you do it?"

"Tabithy's arms ain't half so young as mine--worse luck for me or for
she!"

Having by this time gained a little insight into Joan's peculiarities,
Eve argued no further, but sat herself down on a convenient seat,
waiting for the time when the rasping sound of the brush would come to
an end. Her patience was put to no very great tax, for after a few
minutes Joan flung the brush along the table, exclaiming, "Awh, drabbit
the ole scrubbin'! I must give over. I b'lieve I've had enuf of it for
this time, 't all events."

"Joan, you ain't hurt with me, are you?" said Eve, trying to push her
into the seat from which she had just risen. "I wanted to be the first
to tell you, only that Adam spoke as he did, and took all I was going to
say out of my mouth. It leaves you to thin