er."

"I wish him much happiness."

"Now, you needn't make believe you didn't like Florian's little finger
better than the whole geometer."

"What if I did? He's got nothing, and I've got nothing; and 'twice
nothing is nothing at all,' says George the blacksmith."

The two girls had reached the well, where many of their companions were
already awaiting the arrival of the officer of Government.

"Have you heard, Crescence?" cried Christian's Dolly--"Florian's come
back an hour ago: you've got a full team to drive now."

"You preach to your grandmother," retorted Crescence: "such a beanpole
as you may open every shutter of her windows and '11 never catch a
gudgeon."

"That's it," said a girl with forward air and manners, who bore the
ominous designation of "Corpse Kitty," because she fitted the shrouds.
Passing her hand over her mouth, she went on:--"Give her her change,
Crescence: we know it's all cash-down where you come from." She
accompanied the words with a significant gesture.

"Oh, you're nervous because nobody will lend you any thing," replied
the assailed one. "You're a sweet one, Dolly, to set _her_ a-going."

"Well, what did you fly at Dolly that way for?" said Melchior's Lenore:
"she didn't mean any harm by it. Can't you take a little fun?"

"Has Florian really come home?" asked Crescence, softly.

"Of course he has," cried Corpse Kitty, aloud. "Just look out, you
hemp-toad: you'll find you've 'most done carrying your head as high as
a sleigh-horse: Florian will take the geometer's bearings before you
know what's what."

Soges now appeared as another Moses to open the well for the daughters
of Jethro: he did not seem to woo any of them, however, for he was not
by any means in a bland or amiable frame of mind.

"Give Crescence the cream of the water: she's got to have the
geometer's standees washed to-night," cried Kitty.

"Let her talk," said Lenore: "you can't worry her more than by not
listening to her. She's just like the dogs: they bark at you, and if
you walk on quietly they run home again and bark at the next person
that comes along the road. She's after making everybody out as bad as
she is herself, if she can. But you must be on the look-out about
Florian now, or you'll get into trouble."

"Yes," said another girl: "he's brought lots of money with him, and the
first thing he did was to give his father a gold ducat. The money must
'a' looked scared when it got into that room. The old f