ood thinking.

"I tell you what, Mary," he said at last, "I'll take a brisk walk down
the road towards Minehead. I should think that's the only place where
he'd try for work. I daresay I shall overtake him."

Her eyes brightened.

"Yes, that's quite possible,"--and she was evidently pleased at the
suggestion. "He's so old and feeble, and you're so strong and quick on
your feet----"

"Quick with my lips, too," said Angus, promptly kissing her. "But I
shall have to be on my best behaviour now you're all alone in the
cottage, Mary! David has left you defenceless!"

He laughed, but as she raised her eyes questioningly to his face, grew
serious.

"Yes, my Mary! You'll have to stay by your own sweet lonesome! Otherwise
all the dear, kind, meddlesome old women in the village will talk! Mrs.
Twitt will lead the chorus, with the best intentions, unless--and this
is a dreadful alternative!--you can persuade her to come up and play
propriety!"

The puzzled look left her face, and she smiled though a wave of colour
flushed her cheeks.

"Oh! I see what you mean, Angus! But I'm too old to want looking
after--I can look after myself."

"Can you?" And he took her into his arms and held her fast. "And how
will you do it?"

She was silent a moment, looking into his eyes with a grave and musing
tenderness. Then she said quietly--

"By trusting you, my love, now and always!"

Very gently he released her from his embrace--very reverently he kissed
her.

"And you shall never regret your trust, you dear, sweet angel of a
woman! Be sure of that! Now I'm off to look for David--I'll try and
bring him back with me. By the way, Mary, I've told Mr. and Mrs. Twitt
and good old Bunce that we are engaged--so the news is now the public
property of the whole village. In fact, we might just as well have put
up the banns and secured the parson!"

He laughed his bright, jovial laugh, and throwing on his cap went out,
striding up the coombe with swift, easy steps, whistling joyously "My
Nannie O" as he made the ascent. Twice he turned to wave his hand to
Mary who stood watching him from her garden gate, and then he
disappeared. She waited a moment among all the sweetly perfumed flowers
in her little garden, looking at the bright glitter of the hill stream
as it flowed equably by.

"How wonderful it is," she thought, "that God should have been so good
to me! I have done nothing to deserve any love at all, and yet Angus
loves me! It seem