protestations, but, without
showing how nervous I was, I glided out of the room quietly, making
an orderly retreat, the more meritorious as I heard him call after me
persuasively--'Come back, Maud. What are ye afeard on, lass? Come back, I
say--do now; there's a good wench.'

As Milly and I were taking our walk that day, in the direction of the
Windmill Wood, to which, in consequence perhaps of some secret order, we
had now free access, we saw Beauty, for the first time since her illness,
in the little yard, throwing grain to the poultry.

'How do you find yourself to-day, Meg? I am _very_ glad to see you able to
be about again; but I hope it is not too soon.'

We were standing at the barred gate of the little enclosure, and quite
close to Meg, who, however, did not choose to raise her head, but,
continuing to shower her grain and potato-skins among her hens and
chickens, said in a low tone--

'Father baint in sight? Look jist round a bit and say if ye see him.'

But Dickon's dusky red costume was nowhere visible.

So Meg looked up, pale and thin, and with her old grave, observant eyes,
and she said quietly--

''Tisn't that I'm not glad to see ye; but if father was to spy me talking
friendly wi' ye, now that I'm hearty, and you havin' no more call to me,
he'd be all'ays a watching and thinkin' I was tellin' o' tales, and 'appen
he'd want me to worrit ye for money, Miss Maud; an' 'tisn't here he'd spend
it, but in the Feltram pottusses, he would, and we want for nothin' that's
good for us. But that's how 'twould be, an' he'd all'ays be a jawing and a
lickin' of I; so don't mind me, Miss Maud, and 'appen I might do ye a good
turn some day.'

A few days after this little interview with Meg, as Milly and I were
walking briskly--for it was a clear frosty day--along the pleasant slopes
of the sheep-walk, we were overtaken by Dudley Ruthyn. It was not a
pleasant surprise. There was this mitigation, however: we were on foot, and
he driving in a dog-cart along the track leading to the moor, with his dogs
and gun. He brought his horse for a moment to a walk, and with a careless
nod to me, removing his short pipe from his mouth, he said--

'Governor's callin' for ye, Milly; and he told me to send you slick home to
him if I saw you, and I think he'll gi'e ye some money; but ye better take
him while he's in the humour, lass, or mayhap ye'll go long without.'

And with those words, apparently intent on his game, he nodded