you there. He's quite clever
enough for that. He's a cunning, deep rogue, and I'll lay my life he'll
find you there. He's separated us for a whole bitter year, to gain his own
wicked ends, and if you can't see what he's done you must be mad after
all."

"And what if I refuse to come back?" he asked, his monkey face still
working.

"Then I'll marry Bill--rascal though he is. When I look into the past and
think how he used to tell me you were running after the girls behind my
back! But did I believe him? No! I boxed his ears and told him where the
liars go. I didn't run away and hide from my lawful husband."

Nicky took it all in very slow.

"I'll have such a fearful vengeance on that dog as never was heard about!"
he swore. "Strike me blind if I don't! I'll strangle him with these hands
afore the nation."

"You can tell about that later," she said. "Meantime you'd best forget
your kit and come home this minute. You've grown cruel rough and wild
seemingly. You want me after you."

"I shall calm in fullness of time," he told her, "and no doubt be the same
as ever I was before this fearful affair happened. I never thought to take
off my clothes, nor yet wash again. I've been like a savage animal with
such troubles as I've suffered; but now, thank the watching God, my woes
be very near passed seemingly, and I've got my honour and my pride and a
wife and a home also."

"Come back to 'em then!" begged Jenny, and the little creature put his
spider arms around her and pressed her to his shirt.

"You must certainly wash again, and the sooner the better," she said; then
she kissed his hairy muzzle and patted his head and thanked the Lord for
all His blessings. As for Spider, he pawed her and called upon heaven and
wept out of his dirty eyes.

"It is almost too much," he said; "but mark me, I'll never rest no more
till I've took my revenge on that anointed devil from hell and torn his
throat out!" Knowing the nature of the man, however, Jenny didn't fret too
much about that. They went afore the master of the works presently, and
being a human sort of chap, he took a sporting view of the situation and
let Spider go along with his wife; which he did do. He had certainly
suffered a good bit one way and another, owing to his own weak-minded
foolishness, and found himself meek as a worm afore Jenny and terrible
thankful to be in sight of better times.

"I wanted to die, too," his silly wife assured him; "but Providence knew