the last turn in the lane, she heard the ring of Daniel
Greensmith's hammer on the anvil, and a few minutes' more walking
brought her in sight of the smith himself, who laid down his hammer and
shaded his eyes to see who was coming.

"Why, Uncle Dan, don't you know me?" said Avice.

"Nay, who is to know thee, when thou comes so seldom?" said old Dan,
wiping his hot face with his apron. "Art thou come to see me or my
dame?"

"I want to see Aunt Filomena. Is she in, Uncle Dan?"

"She's in, unless she's out," said Dan unanswerably. "And her tongue's
in, too. It's at home, _that_ is. Was this morning, anyhow. What dost
thou want of her?"

"Well," said Avice, hesitating, "I want her advice--"

"Then thou wants what thou'lt get plenty of," said Dan, with a comical
twist of his mouth, as he turned over some long nails to find a suitable
one. "I'll be fain if thou'lt cart away a middling lot, for there's
more coming my way than I've occasion for at this present."

Avice laughed. "I daresay Aunt is overworked a bit," she said.
"Perhaps I can help her, Uncle Dan. Folks are apt to lose their tempers
when they are tired."

"Some folks are apt to lose 'em whether they are tired or not," said the
smith, with a shake of his grizzled head. "I've got six lasses, and
four on 'em takes after her. I could manage one, and maybe I might
tackle two; but when five on 'em gets a-top of a chap, why, he's down
afore he knows it. I'm a peaceable man enough if they'd take me
peaceable. But them five rattling tongues, that gallops faster than Sir
Otho's charger up to the Manor--eh, I tell thee what, Avice, they do
wear a man out!"

"Poor Uncle Dan! I should think they do. But are all the girls at
home? I thought Mildred and Emma were to be bound apprentices in
Lincoln."

"Fell through wi' Mildred," said the smith. "Didn't offer good enough;
and She"--by which pronoun he usually designated his vixenish
wife--"wouldn't hear on it. Emma's bound, worse luck! I could ha' done
wi' Emma. She and Bertha's the only ones as can be peaceable, like me."

"Mildred's still at home, then?"

"Mildred's at home yet. And so's El'nor, and so's Susanna, and so's
Ankaret; and every one on 'em's tongue's worse nor t'other. And"--a
very heavy sigh--"so's She!"

Avice knew that Uncle Dan was usually a man of fewer words than this.
For him to be thus loquacious showed very strong emotion or irritation
of some sort. She went round to t