ng more
to do with her. Of course our Annie was not to grieve Sally, neither to
let it appear for a moment that I suspected her kind views upon me, and
her strong regard for our dairy: only I thought it right upon our part
not to waste Sally's time any longer, being a handsome wench as she was,
and many young fellows glad to marry her.

And Annie did this uncommonly well, as she herself told me afterwards,
having taken Sally in the sweetest manner into her pure confidence, and
opened half her bosom to her, about my very sad love affair. Not that
she let Sally know, of course, who it was, or what it was; only that she
made her understand, without hinting at any desire of it, that there was
no chance now of having me. Sally changed colour a little at this, and
then went on about a red cow which had passed seven needles at milking
time.

Inasmuch as there are two sorts of month well recognised by the
calendar, to wit the lunar and the solar, I made bold to regard both
my months, in the absence of any provision, as intended to be strictly
lunar. Therefore upon the very day when the eight weeks were expiring
forth I went in search of Lorna, taking the pearl ring hopefully, and
all the new-laid eggs I could find, and a dozen and a half of small
trout from our brook. And the pleasure it gave me to catch those trout,
thinking as every one came forth and danced upon the grass, how much
she would enjoy him, is more than I can now describe, although I well
remember it. And it struck me that after accepting my ring, and saying
how much she loved me, it was possible that my Queen might invite
me even to stay and sup with her: and so I arranged with dear Annie
beforehand, who was now the greatest comfort to me, to account for my
absence if I should be late.

But alas, I was utterly disappointed; for although I waited and waited
for hours, with an equal amount both of patience and peril, no Lorna
ever appeared at all, nor even the faintest sign of her. And another
thing occurred as well, which vexed me more than it need have done, for
so small a matter. And this was that my little offering of the trout
and the new-laid eggs was carried off in the coolest manner by that vile
Carver Doone. For thinking to keep them the fresher and nicer, away from
so much handling, I laid them in a little bed of reeds by the side of
the water, and placed some dog-leaves over them. And when I had quite
forgotten about them, and was watching from my hi