lling her sore.
'Tis only one thing she wants now, Gethin. 'Tis for Garthowen to be
happy, and that will never be till thou art home once more. Come,
Gethin bach, come home with me; our hearts are all set upon thee."

"Halt!" said Gethin, and he pushed his fingers through his hair until
it stood on end. "Phew! Mrs. Jones was never stinting with her fire;
'tis stifling hot here," and he turned away to the doorway, and stood a
moment looking out into the street. "Will married--and not to Morva!"
What wild hopes were rising again within him? but he crushed them down,
and turned on his heel with a laugh. "How you women can live day after
day with a roaring fire I can't think--but come, Sara, on with your
story."

"Well!" she said, "all the way from Garthowen I have come to fetch
thee, Gethin, and thou must come home with me."

"Would Morva like to see me?" he said, in a low, uncertain voice.

"Oh! Gethin, thou art a foolish man, and a blind man! Morva does not
know what I have come here for; but if thou ask'st me the question,
'Would Morva be glad to see me?' I answer 'Yes.'"

"D'ye think that--that--"

"Never mind what I think, come home and find out for thyself."

"Sara, woman," said Gethin, bringing his fist down with a thump on the
table, "take care what you are doing. I tell you it has taken me three
long years to smother the hopes which awoke in my heart when I was last
at home. Don't awake them again, lest they should master me; unless
you have some gleam of hope to give me."

Sara laughed joyfully.

"Well, now, how much will satisfy thee?"

"D'ye think, Sara, she could ever be brought to love me?"

"Well," she said mischievously, "thee canst try, Gethin. Come home and
try, man!"

"What day is it to-day? 'Tis Tuesday; I'll only stop to settle with
Captain Price, and I'll come home, Sara. Wilt stop for me?"

"No, no, I have been too long from home. Tomorrow the _Fairy Queen_ is
going back, and I will go with her. I can trust thee, my boy, to
follow me soon."

"Dei anwl! Yes! the ship's hawser wouldn't keep me back! I'll be down
there one of these next days. I'll cheer the old man up--and Sara,
woman, I have money to lay out on the farm. 'Tis too long a story to
tell thee now, how a man I helped a bit in the hospital at Montevideo
died, and left me all his money, 500 pounds! I didn't care a
cockleshell for it, but to-day I am beginning to be glad of it.
There's glad I'll be to see t