t, not seeing at once how the change was likely
to affect him, he held his peace--with the cunning pretense that his
silence arose from anger. His first feeling was of pleasure, but the
man of business must take care how he shows himself pleased. On
reflection, he continued pleased; for, as they did not seem likely to
succeed in securing Mary in the way they had wished, the next best
thing certainly would be to get rid of her. Perhaps, indeed, it was the
very best thing; for it would be easy to get George a wife more
suitable to the position of his family than a little canting dissenter,
and her money would be in their hands all the same; while, once clear
of her haunting cat-eyes, ready to pounce upon whatever her soft-headed
father had taught her was wicked, he could do twice the business. But,
while he continued pleased, he continued careful not to show his
satisfaction, for she would then go smelling about for the cause!
During three whole days, therefore, he never spoke to her. On the
fourth, he spoke as if nothing had ever been amiss between them, and
showed some interest in her further intentions. But Mary, in the
straightforward manner peculiar to herself, told him she preferred not
speaking of them at present; whereupon the cunning man concluded that
she wanted a place in another shop, and was on the outlook--prepared to
leave the moment one should turn up.

She asked him one day whether he had yet found a person to take her
place.

"Time enough for that," he answered. "You're not gone yet."

"As you please, Mr. Turnbull," said Mary. "It was merely that I should
be sorry to leave you without sufficient help in the shop."

"And _I_ should be sorry," rejoined Turnbull, "that Miss Marston should
fancy herself indispensable to the business she turned her back upon."

From that moment, the restraint he had for the last week or two laid
upon himself thus broken through, he never spoke to her except with
such rudeness that she no longer ventured to address him even on
shop-business; and all the people in the place, George included,
following the example so plainly set them, she felt, when, at last, in
the month of November, a letter from Hesper heralded the hour of her
deliverance, that to take any formal leave would be but to expose
herself to indignity. She therefore merely told Turnbull, one evening
as he left the shop, that she would not be there in the morning, and
was gone from Testbridge before it was open