to get out of a night and meet Giles,--you know Giles?" "No I
don't," said I lying. "He works here sometimes, you must have seen him,"
said Pender. "No." "Well he works here, is a likely young chap, but
Molly's mother hates him,--well she watched and watched, till one night
she caught them, and him on top of her in the large barn,--he had got
through the wicket on the far-yard wicket." "How could she do that?"
Pender explained to me what I knew perfectly well.

"On the top of her?" "Yes they were a doing it.--and she hit him hard on
the head with a stick, and nearly stunned him before they knew she were
there." "Who hit?" "Why her mother, he were nearly insensible."

"Then Mrs. Brown asked me what to do, and I said he had better marry
her, and she said he should not. So she went to Missus, asked her
advice, and on account of Molly's character to say nothing about finding
Giles taking liberties with her daughter. Missus said Giles at the end
of the week was to be sent off,--and he's gone. Mrs. Brown scarcely lets
Molly out of the house, and when I sees her I laughs to myself. That
a young thing like that has had it done to her. Her mother told me you
know,--I have sworn to tell nobody, but I don't mind telling you." "She
has seen two pricks," said I, "page Robert's and Giles' ". "Yes she
has."

I wondered whether he had spent when he felt the stick on his head. "I
think he had," said she, "for Mrs. Brown said she found his stuff on her
child's chemise. Every day there is a row between them, Molly says she
will go to service, her mother says she shan't, and that she will turn
out a bunter, and bring her in her age with sorrow to the grave. Poor
thing."

"Pugh," said I, "why make such a fuss about such a natural action?"
"Well it be natural," said Pender, "but she might have waited, she is
very young."

In the family way Pender was, and by me,--of that I had no doubt. Pender
thought it was done the first time I had her in the rick-yard. "Did
he not do it about that time?" I asked. Pender hesitated, and on being
pressed to reply at length said, "It's funny, I am always thinking about
it, but it is a fact that he did it that very night; and when you
have done it, he generally do it also that night. I can't account for
it,--can't abear him to do it when you have,--can't abear his doing it
at all now, and he does it more than he used." "You spend with him?" "I
don't,--I hate him then, I hate him altogether since I have kn