eeks blooming
with health, the two together presented a perfect picture of a fish-wife
and fish-girl.

Dame Lanreath had promised, after they had sold the contents of their
creels, to wait some little time to see the Flurry dance and the gay
people who would throng the town. Nelly looked forward to the scene
with pleasure, her only regret being that Michael had been unable to
accompany her.

They had gone some distance when they heard a rapid step behind them,
and Eban Cowan came up to Nelly's side.

"I have been walking hard to overtake you, Nelly," he said, "for I found
that you had gone on. I suppose you intend to stay and see the gay
doings at Helston, and will not object to an escort back in the
evening?"

"Granny proposes stopping for the Flurry dance, but we shall come away
long before it is dark, and as we know the road as well as most people,
we can find it by ourselves," answered Nelly, coldly.

"You will miss half the fun, then," said Eban. "You must get your
granny to stop, or, if she will not, she cannot mind your remaining with
my sister and cousin, and I can see you and them home."

"I cannot let my granny walk home by herself," answered Nelly; "and so,
Eban, I beg that you will not say anything more about the matter."

Eban saw that it would not do just then to press the subject, and he
hoped that perhaps Nelly would lose sight of her grandmother in the
crowd, and that she would then be too glad to come back under his
charge. He had made up his mind to have a talk with her, and bring
matters to an issue; he did not suppose that she and Michael could care
much for each other, or he thought that they would have married long
ago, and so believed that he had a better chance than any one else of
winning Nelly Trefusis.

He walked on, trying to make himself agreeable now saying a few words to
the dame, who generally gave him curt answers, and now addressing Nelly.
As he had plenty to say for himself, she could not help being amused,
and his conversation served to beguile the way over the somewhat dreary
country they had to pass till the neighbourhood of Helston was reached.

He accompanied them in the ferry-boat which took them across to the town
on the other side of the shallow estuary or lake on which it is built.

As they had now to go from house to house to sell their fish, he had to
leave them, believing, however, that he should have no difficulty in
finding them again when their creels we