s," replied her mother.

"How dost thou know he is the sweetheart o' another lass?" saith Keren.

"If an he be not," quoth her mother, who, though not half so big as her
child, was in nowise less valiant--"if an he be not," quoth she, "'tis
time he were."

"And for why?" saith Keren.

"Thou knowest as well as I do, Happuch," saith my wife; whereat up
started my crack-brain in a fine fury.

"Why wilt thou call me that vile name, when thou knowest how it maddens
me?" saith she, hurling her spindle upon the floor, and tightening both
her pretty hands so that they looked like balls o' her own brown yarn.

"For that I am not pleased with thee, Happuch," saith her mother, with
all composure, looking at the linen as she washed it, with her head
cocked to one side.

"There again!" shouted my wildfire, stamping with her foot. "Why didst
thou not call me Beelzebub and have done with 't?"

"For the reason," quoth her mother, calmly, "that neither Beel nor Zebub
is a suiting name for a woman, and, furthermore, that thou art not the
Devil, though thou dost act like him on occasions."

"Wife, wife," put in I, seeing that the girl was like to split with
rage, "speak gentler to Keren."

"To Happuch," saith she.

"Speak gentler to the girl," saith I, hoping to compromise, as 'twere.

"Happuch," saith my wife again.

"Well, well," saith I, still hoping to split the difference, so that I
would have neither my wife nor my daughter upon me, "if thou wouldst
only speak gentler to Keren-Happuch, thou--"

"To Happuch," saith my wife a third time; whereat the lass did bounce
out o' the house without more ado, and spent that night with a friend o'
her own, by name one Mistress Meg Titmouse.

"Wife," saith I unto her later, hoping to draw her into converse
concerning Keren, so that I might reason with her as to her treatment o'
th' lass--"wife," saith I, amiably, and, as I thought, in a manner most
winsome, "wherefore didst thou speak to Keren as thou didst this
morning?"

"I spake to Happuch," saith my wife, "because I did choose so to do. And
as for the why o' that wherefore, though thou shouldst smirk till
doomsday like a dog scratching his ear, ne'er wilt thou get it out o'
me!"

Then saith I, being justly angered, as I think thou wilt admit,
comrade--saith I,

"Thou art welcome to keep thy counsel!" saith I.

And I followed the example set me by my vixen, and did spend more than
half the night at this very tavern.