he saying was, and a farmer; but he had gone off in a decline. As
regarded Mrs. Newberry's serious side, Stockdale gathered that she was
one of the trimmers who went to church and chapel both.

'I'll go there,' said Stockdale, feeling that, in the absence of purely
sectarian lodgings, he could do no better.

'She's a little particular, and won't hae gover'ment folks, or curates,
or the pa'son's friends, or such like,' said the lad dubiously.

'Ah, that may be a promising sign: I'll call. Or no; just you go up and
ask first if she can find room for me. I have to see one or two persons
on another matter. You will find me down at the carrier's.'

In a quarter of an hour the lad came back, and said that Mrs. Newberry
would have no objection to accommodate him, whereupon Stockdale called at
the house.

It stood within a garden-hedge, and seemed to be roomy and comfortable.
He saw an elderly woman, with whom he made arrangements to come the same
night, since there was no inn in the place, and he wished to house
himself as soon as possible; the village being a local centre from which
he was to radiate at once to the different small chapels in the
neighbourhood. He forthwith sent his luggage to Mrs. Newberry's from the
carrier's, where he had taken shelter, and in the evening walked up to
his temporary home.

As he now lived there, Stockdale felt it unnecessary to knock at the
door; and entering quietly he had the pleasure of hearing footsteps
scudding away like mice into the back quarters. He advanced to the
parlour, as the front room was called, though its stone floor was
scarcely disguised by the carpet, which only over-laid the trodden areas,
leaving sandy deserts under the bulging mouldings of the table-legs,
playing with brass furniture. But the room looked snug and cheerful. The
firelight shone out brightly, trembling on the knobs and handles, and
lurking in great strength on the under surface of the chimney-piece. A
deep arm-chair, covered with horsehair, and studded with a countless
throng of brass nails, was pulled up on one side of the fireplace. The
tea-things were on the table, the teapot cover was open, and a little
hand-bell had been laid at that precise point towards which a person
seated in the great chair might be expected instinctively to stretch his
hand.

Stockdale sat down, not objecting to his experience of the room thus far,
and began his residence by tinkling the bell. A little girl cr