s dimity curtains and trellised paper it
still looked as fresh and new as if decorated and furnished yesterday.

Left alone, Kenelm undressed, and before he got into bed, bared
his right arm, and doubling it, gravely contemplated its muscular
development, passing his left hand over that prominence in the upper
part which is vulgarly called the ball. Satisfied apparently with the
size and the firmness of that pugilistic protuberance, he gently sighed
forth, "I fear I shall have to lick Thomas Bowles." In five minutes more
he was asleep.

CHAPTER X.

THE next day the hay-mowing was completed, and a large portion of the
hay already made carted away to be stacked. Kenelm acquitted himself
with a credit not less praiseworthy than had previously won Mr.
Saunderson's approbation. But instead of rejecting as before the
acquaintance of Miss Jessie Wiles, he contrived towards noon to place
himself near to that dangerous beauty, and commenced conversation. "I am
afraid I was rather rude to you yesterday, and I want to beg pardon."

"Oh," answered the girl, in that simple intelligible English which
is more frequent among our village folks nowadays than many popular
novelists would lead us into supposing, "oh, I ought to ask pardon for
taking a liberty in speaking to you. But I thought you'd feel strange,
and I intended it kindly."

"I'm sure you did," returned Kenelm, chivalrously raking her portion of
hay as well as his own, while he spoke. "And I want to be good friends
with you. It is very near the time when we shall leave off for
dinner, and Mrs. Saunderson has filled my pockets with some excellent
beef-sandwiches, which I shall be happy to share with you, if you do not
object to dine with me here, instead of going home for your dinner."

The girl hesitated, and then shook her head in dissent from the
proposition.

"Are you afraid that your neighbours will think it wrong?"

Jessie curled up her lips with a pretty scorn, and said, "I don't much
care what other folks say, but is n't it wrong?"

"Not in the least. Let me make your mind easy. I am here but for a day
or two: we are not likely ever to meet again; but, before I go, I should
be glad if I could do you some little service." As he spoke he had
paused from his work, and, leaning on his rake, fixed his eyes, for the
first time attentively, on the fair haymaker.

Yes, she was decidedly pretty,--pretty to a rare degree: luxuriant brown
hair neatly tied up, und