away cup and plate, and sat back in his chair.

"`In the midst of life we are in death,'" he muttered. "Dear, dear, I
wish I hadn't spoken so harshly to him last night, mother. Fine,
straightforward young fellow, and as good a gardener as ever stepped."

Mrs Ellis sighed and glanced at her daughter, who was looking wildly
from one to the other.

"There; I'll get back. Ah! Who's this?"

It was Daniel Barnett, who had run up from the bothy; and Ellis hurried
out to the door.

"What is it?" he cried anxiously.

"Old Hannah says, `Will you come on:' She don't like the looks of him.
He's off his head."

Ellis caught his hat from the peg, and glanced at Daniel Barnett with a
peculiar thought or two in his head as the young man looked quickly at
the door and window.

Barnett caught the glance and felt uncomfortable, for though sorry for
his fellow-worker's accident, certain thoughts would intrude relating to
his own prospects if John Grange were not at The Hollows.

They hurried down to the grounds, mother and daughter watching from the
window, and in those few minutes a great change came over Mary Ellis's
face. It was as if it rapidly altered from that of the happy, careless
girl, who went singing about the house, to the thoughtful, anxious
woman. Even her way of speaking was different, as she turned quickly
upon her mother.

"What was father so angry about last night?" she said. "Did he have a
quarrel with poor Mr Grange?"

"Well, hardly a quarrel, my dear. Oh, it was nothing."

"But he said he was sorry he spoke so harshly to him. Mother, you are
keeping something back."

"Well, well, well, my darling, nothing much; only young men will be
young men; and father was put out by his vanity and conceit. He
actually got talking to father about you."

"About me?" said Mary, flushing, and beginning to tremble.

"Yes, my dear; and, as father said, it was nothing short of impudence
for a young man in his position to think about you. I don't know what's
come to the young men now-a-days, I'm sure."

Mary said nothing, but she was very thoughtful all that day, and during
the days which followed, for she had found out the truth about herself,
and a little germ that had been growing in her breast, but of which she
had thought little till Daniel Barnett came up and spoke, and made her
know she had a heart--a fact of which she became perfectly sure, when
the news reached her next morning of the sad accident in