e found some dock-leaves, sat
down with her on his knee, and rubbed her hands with the leaves,
repeating the old saw--

"Our nettle,
In dock;
Dock shall ha'
A new smock;
Nettle shan't
Ha' narrun'."

What with the rubbing, and the constable's kind manner, and
listening to the doggerel rhyme, and feeling that nettle would
get her deserts, the little thing soon ceased crying. But several
groups had been drawn towards the place, and amongst the rest
came Miss Winter and her cousin, who had been within hearing of
the disaster. The constable began to feel very nervous and
uncomfortable, when he looked up from his charitable occupation,
and suddenly found the rector's daughter close to him. But his
nervousness was uncalled for. The sight of what he was about, and
of the tender way in which he was handling the child, drove all
remembrance of his heresies and contumaciousness in the matter of
psalmody out of her head. She greeted him with frankness and
cordiality, and presently--when he had given up his charge to the
mother, who was inclined at first to be hard with the poor little
sobbing truant--came up, and said she wished to speak a few words
to him.

David was highly delighted at Miss Winter's manner; but he walked
along at her side not quite comfortable in his mind, for fear
lest she should start the old subject of dispute, and then his
duty as a public man would have to be done at all risk of
offending her. He was much comforted when she began by asking him
whether he had seen much of Widow Winburn's son lately.

David admitted that he generally saw him every day.

Did he know that he had left his place, and had quarrelled with
Mr. Tester?

Yes, David knew that Harry had had words with Farmer Tester; but
Farmer Tester was a sort that was very hard not to have words
with.

"Still, it is very bad, you know, for so young a man to be
quarrelling with the farmers," said Miss Winter.

"'Twas the varmer as quarreled wi' he, you see, miss," David
answered, "which makes all the odds. He cum to Harry all in a
fluster, and said as how he must drow up the land as he'd a'got,
or he's place--one or t'other on 'em. And so you see, Miss, as
Harry wur kind o' druv to it. 'Twarn't likely as he wur to drow
up the land now as he were just reppin' the benefit ov it, and
all for Varmer Tester's place, wich be no sich gurt things, miss,
arter all."

"Very likely not; but I fear it may hinder his getting
emp