ze,
his heart was at once won over to the side of the rival. Will Somers was
seated by the hearth, on which a few live embers despite the warmth of
the summer evening still burned; a rude little table was by his side,
on which were laid osier twigs and white peeled chips, together with an
open book. His hands, pale and slender, were at work on a small basket
half finished. His mother was just clearing away the tea-things from
another table that stood by the window. Will rose, with the good
breeding that belongs to the rural peasant, as the stranger entered; the
widow looked round with surprise, and dropped her simple courtesy,--a
little thin woman, with a mild, patient face.

The cottage was very tidily kept, as it is in most village homes where
the woman has it her own way. The deal dresser opposite the door had
its display of humble crockery. The whitewashed walls were relieved with
coloured prints, chiefly Scriptural subjects from the New Testament,
such as the Return of the Prodigal Son, in a blue coat and yellow
inexpressibles, with his stockings about his heels.

At one corner there were piled up baskets of various sizes, and at
another corner was an open cupboard containing books,--an article of
decorative furniture found in cottages much more rarely than coloured
prints and gleaming crockery.

All this, of course, Kenelm could not at a glance comprehend in detail.
But as the mind of a man accustomed to generalization is marvellously
quick in forming a sound judgment, whereas a mind accustomed to dwell
only on detail is wonderfully slow at arriving at any judgment at all,
and when it does, the probability is that it will arrive at a wrong one,
Kenelm judged correctly when he came to this conclusion: "I am among
simple English peasants; but, for some reason or other, not to be
explained by the relative amount of wages, it is a favourable specimen
of that class."

"I beg your pardon for intruding at this hour, Mrs. Somers," said
Kenelm, who had been too familiar with peasants from his earliest
childhood not to know how quickly, when in the presence of their
household gods, they appreciate respect, and how acutely they feel the
want of it. "But my stay in the village is very short, and I should not
like to leave without seeing your son's basket-work, of which I have
heard much."

"You are very good, sir," said Will, with a pleased smile that
wonderfully brightened up his face. "It is only just a few common thi