aking with difficulty through her quickened breath, the bundle
almost more than she could manage.

'I wish just now as he'd say a bit more,' said Daniel. 'Now, see, here's
a letter I've just got from him. I wrote to him last night to let him
know of things as was goin' round at the lecture. There's one or two of
our men, you know, think he'd ought to be made to smart a bit for the
way he's treated Emma, and last night they up an' spoke--you should just
a' 'eard them. Then someone set it goin' as the fault wasn't Dick's at
all. See what I mean? I don't know who started that. I can't think as
he'd try to blacken a girl's name just to excuse himself; that's goin' a
bit too far.'

Mrs. Clay came to a standstill.

'He's been saying things of Emma?' she cried. 'Is that what you mean?'

'Well, see now. I couldn't believe it, an' I don't rightly believe it
yet. I'll read you the answer as he's sent me.'

Daniel gave forth the letter, getting rather lost amid its pretentious
periods, with the eccentric pauses and intonation of an uneducated
reader. Standing in a busy thoroughfare, he and Kate almost blocked
the pavement; impatient pedestrians pushed against them, and uttered
maledictions.

'I suppose that's Dick's new way o' sayin' he hadn't nothin' to do with
it,' Daniel commented at the end. 'Money seems always to bring long
words with it somehow. It seems to me he'd ought to speak plainer.'

'Who's done it, if he didn't?' Kate exclaimed, with shrill anger. 'You
don't suppose there's another man 'ud go about telling coward lies? The
mean wretch! Says things about my sister, does he? I'll be even with
that man yet, never you mind.'

'Well, I can't believe it o' Dick,' muttered Dabbs. 'He says 'ere, you
see, as he hasn't time to contradict "idle stories." I suppose that
means he didn't start 'em.'

'If he tells one lie, won't he tell another?' cried the woman. She was
obliged to put down her bundle on a doorstep, and used the moment of
relief to pour forth vigorous vituperation. Dick listened with an
air half of approval, half doggedly doubtful. He was not altogether
satisfied with himself.

'Well, I must get off 'ome,' he said at length. 'It's only right as you
should know what's goin' on. There's no one believes a word of it, and
that you can tell Emma. If I hear it repeated, you may be sure I'll up
an' say what I think. It won't go no further if I can stop it. Well, so
long! Give my respects to your sister.'

Da