nished his indictment he drew a
yellow handkerchief from his pocket and mopped the sweat from his
forehead, his chin, and the back of his neck.

"Oh!" answered Maud, negligently, "you heard everything, did you? Well,
you didn't hear much."

"I tell you," he continued, with a sullen rage, "I heard every word. Do
you hear me? I heard every word."

The savage roughness of his voice made her tremble, but her spirits
rose to meet his anger, and she laughed as she replied:

"Well, you heard 'Thank you, sir,' and 'Good-morning.' It wasn't much,
unless you took it as a lesson in manners, and goodness knows you need
it."

"Now, look'ye here. It's no use foolin' with me. You know what I heard.
If you don't, I'll tell you!"

"Very well, Mr. Paul Pry, what was it?" said the angry girl, who had
quite forgotten that any words were spoken at the gate.

"I heard him tell you you could come in any time the back way," Sam
hoarsely whispered, watching her face with eyes of fire. She turned
crimson as the sunset she was gazing at, and she felt as if she could
have torn her cheeks with her fingernails for blushing. She was aware
of having done nothing wrong, nothing to be ashamed of. She had been
all day cherishing the recollection of her visit to Farnham as
something too pleasant and delicate to talk about. No evil thought had
mingled with it in her own mind. She had hardly looked beyond the mere
pleasure of the day. She had not given a name or a form to the hopes
and fancies that were fluttering at her heart. And now to have this
sweet and secret pleasure handled and mauled by such a one as Sam
Sleeny filled her with a speechless shame. Even yet she hardly
comprehended the full extent of his insinuation. He did not leave her
long in doubt. Taking her silence and her confusion as an
acknowledgment, he went on, in the same low, savage tone:

"I had my hammer in my hand. I looked through the pear trees to see if
he kissed you. If he had 'a' done it, I would have killed him as sure
as death."

At this brutal speech she turned pale a moment, as if suddenly struck a
stunning blow. Then she cried out:

"Hold your vile tongue, you----"

But she felt her voice faltering and the tears of rage gushing from her
eyes. She buried her face in her hands and sat a little while in
silence, while Sam was dumb beside her, feeling like an awkward
murderer. She was not so overcome that she did not think very rapidly
during this moment's pause.