e, and Mrs. Ray came after with her apron turned over her head.
"What is it, Mrs. Sturt?" said Rachel. "Have you heard anything?"

"Heard anything? Well; I'm always a hearing of something. Do you
slip across the green while I speak just one word to your mother.
And Rachel, wait for me at the gate. Mrs. Ray, he's in my little
parlour."

"Who? not Luke Rowan?"

"But he is though; that very young man! He's come over to make it up
with her. He's told me so with his own mouth. You may be as sure of
it as,--as,--as anything. You leave 'em to me, Mrs. Ray; I wouldn't
bring them together if it wasn't for good. It's my belief our pet
would a' died if he hadn't come back to her--it is then." And Mrs.
Sturt put her apron up to her eyes.

Rachel having paused for a moment, as she looked first at her mother
and then at Mrs. Sturt, had done as she was bidden, and had walked
quickly across the green. Mrs. Ray, when she heard her neighbour's
tidings, stood fixed by dismay and dread, mingled with joy. She had
longed for his coming back; but now that he was there, close upon
them, intending to do all that she had wished him to do, she was half
afraid of him! After all was he not a young man; and might he not,
even yet, be a wolf? She was horrorstricken at the idea of sending
Rachel over to see a lover, and looked back at the cottage window,
towards Mrs. Prime, as though to see whether she was being watched
in her iniquity. "Oh, Mrs. Sturt!" she said, "why didn't you give us
time to think about it?"

"Give you time! How could I give you time, and he here on the spot?
There's been too much time to my thinking. When young folk are
agreeable and the old folk are agreeable too, there can't be too
little time. Come along over and we'll talk of it in the kitchen
while they talks in the parlour. He'd a' been in there among you all
only for Mrs. Prime. She is so dour like for a young man to have to
say anything before her, of the likes of that. That's why I took him
into our place."

They overtook Rachel at the house door and they all went through
together into the great kitchen. "Oh, Rachel!" said Mrs. Ray. "Oh,
dear!"

"What is it, mamma?" said Rachel. Then looking into her mother's
face, she guessed the truth. "Mamma," she said, "he's here! Mr. Rowan
is here!" And she took hold of her mother's arm, as though to support
herself.

"And that's just the truth," said Mrs. Sturt, triumphantly. "He's
through there in the little parlour, a