et Tuvvy's promise first, but he felt he must carry out the interview
alone.

"Well," he said slowly, "if I do, where will you wait? I couldn't do it
with you listening. Will you go back to old Sally's?"

But that, Maisie, remembering the fluff, quite refused to do. She would
go and see Mrs Solace, she said, and this being settled, she went
towards the house, and Dennis turned to the barn where Tuvvy worked.

As he entered, and saw the familiar thin figure bending over the
carpenter's bench, he felt excited and nervous. How should he begin?
As a rule, he did not talk much during these visits, and that made it
more difficult now. He took his usual seat on a chopping-block near,
and Tuvvy, after giving him one rapid sidelong glance, continued his
work without speaking. He was making a ladder, and just now was
arranging a heap of smoothly-turned rungs in neat rows. Dennis thought
he had a rather shamefaced air, like the dog Peter when he knew he had
done wrong. It was of no use to wait for him to make a remark, so he
said carelessly:

"Is that going to be a long ladder?"

"Pretty tol'rable, master," answered Tuvvy, his long lean fingers moving
nimbly amongst the pieces of wood.

"Shall you finish it in a week?" was Dennis's next question.

Tuvvy's dark eyes flashed round at him for a second, but he only
answered, "Pretty nigh."

Dennis was silent for a little while. Then he gathered his courage for
a great effort, for he felt that it was of no use to beat about the bush
any longer.

"Mr Tuvvy," he said, "I'm so sorry you're going away."

"Thank ye, master," said Tuvvy; "so be I."

"Why do you?" asked Dennis.

"'Cause the gaffer sacked me," answered Tuvvy.

"But," said Dennis, his courage rising, now that he had got into the
thick of it, "he wouldn't want you to go if he could help it. You're a
clever workman, aren't you?"

"Folks say so," answered Tuvvy modestly.

"Well," said Dennis, "I mean to ask him to let you stop. Only you must
promise me first not to have any more bouts."

Tuvvy was so taken by surprise, that he stopped working and turned his
whole face round upon Dennis, who sat, an upright little figure, on the
chopping-block, with a flushed and eager face.

"Thank ye kindly, master," he said, after a moment's survey; "you mean
well, but 'tain't no use."

"Why not?" asked Dennis, in a resolute voice.

"I couldn't keep that there promise," said Tuvvy, "not if I was to make
it. T