other young
women, and nobody dreamt as she'd go and bring this here scandal on the
place; nobody knows who the man was, but it _is_ said as there's someone
_not_ twenty miles from here as knows more about it nor he didn't ought
to," Dodge added with sinister meaning. This dark hint conveyed
absolutely no enlightenment to the mind of Mrs. Temperley, from sheer
lack of familiarity, on her part, with the rumours of the district.
Dodge applied himself with a spurt to his work.

"When she had her baby, she was like one out of her mind," he continued;
"she couldn't stand the disgrace and the neighbours talkin', and that.
Mrs. Walker she went and saw her, and brought her nourishin' things, and
kep' on a-telling her how she must try and make up for what she had
done, and repent and all that; but she never got up her heart again
like, and the poor soul took fever from grievin', the doctor says, and
raved on dreadful, accusin' of somebody, and sayin' he'd sent her to
hell; and then Wensday morning, ten o'clock, she died. Didn't you hear
the passing bell a-tolling, mum?"

"Yes, the wind brought it down the valley; but I did not know whom it
was tolling for."

"That's who it was," said Dodge.

"This is an awfully sad story," cried Mrs. Temperley.

Dodge ran his fingers through his hair judicially. "I don't hold with
them sort o' goings on for young women," he observed.

"Do you hold with them for young men?"

Dodge puckered up his face into an odd expression of mingled reflection
and worldly wisdom. "You can't prevent young fellers bein' young
fellers," he at length observed.

"It seems almost a pity that being young fellows should also mean being
blackguards," observed Mrs. Temperley calmly.

"Well, there's somethin' to be said for that way o' lookin' at it,"
Dodge was startled into agreeing.

"I suppose _she_ gets all the blame of the thing," the lady went on,
with quiet exasperation. Dodge seemed thrown off his bearings.

"Everybody in Craddock was a-talking about it, as was only to be
expected," said the gravedigger. "Well, well, we're all sinners. Don't
do to be too hard on folks. 'Pears sad like after keepin' 'spectable for
all them years too--sort o' waste."

Mrs. Temperley gave a little laugh, which seemed to Dodge rather
eccentric.

"Who is looking after the baby?" she asked.

"One of the neighbours, name o' Gullick, as her husband works for Lord
Engleton, which she takes in washing," Dodge comprehensiv