e fellers gets a bit rowdy before they go home."

"Very possibly," replied his companion, dryly. "I don't think the Blue
Dragon would suit me; but surely there is some cottager with a spare
bed and sitting-room, who might be glad of a quiet, respectable lodger
for a bit?"

Tom threw a searching glance at the speaker; he was not quite sure
that, notwithstanding his gentle manner of talking, he was to be
altogether trusted.

"If you'd step up beside me I'll drive you to the forge," he said,
willing to shelve his responsibility of recommendation. "It's close
here, and Allison will help you if no one else can. He knows every
one's business."

"Just the sort of man I want," said Tom's new acquaintance, climbing
into the cart and seating himself on the cushion that had been intended
for Rose. His alert grey eyes took in his new surroundings at a glance.

No one could call Rudham a pretty village: it was too straggling, too
bare of trees, which had been planted sparsely and attained no
luxuriance of growth; but it was not wholly unattractive this evening,
with the setting sun turning to gold the varying bends of the river
which ran through the valley, and the cottages and farmhouses dotted
here and there with a not unpleasing irregularity, and in the distance
a softly rising upland turning from blue to purple in the evening light.

"Yonder's the Court, where my people live," said Tom, jerking his whip
to a big house more than a mile away that peeped out from among the
trees. "It belonged to the old squire who was buried to-day, you know."

"Ah!" ejaculated his listener, not greatly interested, apparently, in
the information.

"It's a wonderful fine place, and they say as he who's to have it won't
hold no store by it. Pity, ain't it?"

Tom's companion broke into rather a disconcerting laugh.

"Look here, my lad, by the time you're thirty you won't give credit to
every bit of gossip that comes to your ears; you'll wait to know that
it's true before you pass it on, at any rate. This will be the forge
you spoke of, and there's the owner, sure enough, standing at the door.
Thank you for the lift, and here's a shilling for your trouble."

But Tom thrust away the proffered tip with a shake of his head.

"No, thank you; you kept the horse safe at the station."

"So, on the principle that one good turn deserves another, you'll give
me a lift for nothing. All right and thank you," said the man,
dismounting and lif