beth," said
Caleb Bateson kindly; "they're no judges. But my missis has the right of
it when she says that a man knows what he wants, and in general sticks
to it till he gets it. And if ever a man got what he wanted in this
world, that man's our Mr. Christopher."

"You're right there, Bateson," agreed the master of the Osierfield; and
his eyes grew very tender as they rested upon Elisabeth.

"And if he don't have no objection to cleverness and a pale complexion,
who shall gainsay him?" added Mrs. Hankey. "If he's content, surely it
ain't nobody's business to interfere; even though we may none of us,
Miss Elisabeth included, be as young as we was ten years ago."

"And he is quite content, thank you," Christopher hastened to say.

"I think you were right about women not knowing their own minds,"
Elisabeth said to her hostess; "though I am bound to confess it is a
little stupid of us. But I believe the root of it is in shyness, and in
a sort of fear of the depth of our own feelings."

"I daresay you're right, miss; and, when all's said and done, I'd sooner
hear a woman abusing a man she really likes, than see her throwing
herself at the head of a man as don't want her. That's the uptake of
all things, to my mind; I can't abide it." And Mrs. Bateson shook her
head in violent disapproval.

Mrs. Hankey now joined in. "I remember my sister Sarah, when she was a
girl. There was a man wanted her ever so, and seemed as cut-up as never
was when she said no. She didn't know what to do with him, he was that
miserable; and yet she couldn't bring her mind to have him, because he'd
red hair and seven in family, being a widower. So she prayed the Lord to
comfort him and give him consolation. And sure enough the Lord did; for
within a month from the time as Sarah refused him, he was engaged to
Wilhelmina Gregg, our chapel-keeper's daughter. And then--would you
believe it?--Sarah went quite touchy and offended, and couldn't enjoy
her vittles, and wouldn't wear her best bonnet of a Sunday, and kept
saying as the sons of men were lighter than vanity. Which I don't deny
as they are, but that wasn't the occasion to mention it, Wilhelmina's
marriage being more the answer to prayer, as you may say, than any extra
foolishness on the man's part."

"I should greatly have admired your sister Sarah," said Christopher;
"she was so delightfully feminine. And as for the red-headed swain, I
have no patience with him. His fickleness was intolerabl