ver heard, or thought, or imagined concerning him,
in repeating, as if it were a point of duty, all the harm that one
neighbour says of another, and in denouncing, as if it were a sin,
whatever the unlucky person whom they address may happen to do, or to
leave undone.

"I am none of your palavering chaps, to flummer over an old vixen for
the sake of her strong-box. I hate such falseness. I speak the truth and
care for no man," quoth John Stokes.

And accordingly John Stokes never saw Mrs. Deborah Thornby but he
saluted her, pretty much as his mastiff accosted her favourite cat;
erected his bristles, looked at her with savage bloodshot eyes, showed
his teeth, and vented a sound something between a snarl and a growl;
whilst she, (like the fourfooted tabby,) set up her back and spit at him
in return.

They met often, as I have said, for the enjoyment of quarrelling; and as
whatever he advised she was pretty sure _not_ to do, it is probable
that his remonstrances in favour of her friendless relations served to
confirm her in the small tyranny which she exercised towards them.

Such being the state of feeling between these two jangling cousins, it
may be imagined with what indignation Mrs. Deborah found John Stokes,
upon the death of his wife, removing her widowed sister-in-law from the
cottage in which she had placed her, and bringing her home to the mill,
to officiate as his housekeeper, and take charge of a lovely little
girl, his only child. She vowed one of those vows of anger which I fear
are oftener kept than the vows of love, to strike both mother and son
out of her will, (by the way, she had a superstitious horror of that
disagreeable ceremony, and even the temptation of choosing new legatees
whenever the old displeased her, had not been sufficient to induce her
to make one,--the threat did as well,) and never to speak to either of
them again as long as she lived.

She proclaimed this resolution at the rate of twelve times an hour,
(that is to say, once in five minutes,) every day for a fortnight; and
in spite of her well-known caprice, there seemed for once in her life
reason to believe that she would keep her word.

Those prudent and sagacious persons who are so good as to take the
superintendence of other people's affairs, and to tell by the look of
the foot where the shoe pinches and where it does not, all united in
blaming the poor widow for withdrawing herself and her son from Mrs.
Deborah's protection.