here way."

"I don't know what you mean, and, what's more, I don't care," said
Silence, resuming her work, and calling back the bolt-upright dignity
with which she began.

There was a pause of some moments, during which the features of Silence
worked with suppressed rage, which was contemplated by Uncle Jaw with
undisguised satisfaction.

"You see, I s'pose, I shouldn't a minded your Susan's setting out to
court up my Joe, if it hadn't a been for them things."

"Courting your son! Mr. Adams, I should like to know what you mean by
that. I'm sure nobody wants your son, though he's a civil, likely fellow
enough; yet with such an old dragon for a father, I'll warrant he won't
get any body to court him, nor be courted by him neither."

"Railly, Miss Silence, you ain't hardly civil, now."

"Civil! I should like to know who _could_ be civil. You know, now, as
well as I do, that you are saying all this out of clear, sheer ugliness;
and that's what you keep a doing all round the neighborhood."

"Miss Silence," said Uncle Jaw, "I don't want no hard words with you.
It's pretty much known round the neighborhood that your Susan thinks
she'll get my Joe, and I s'pose you was thinking that perhaps it would
be the best way of settling up matters; but you see, now, I took and
tell'd my son I railly didn't see as I could afford it; I took and
tell'd him that young folks must have something considerable to start
with; and that, if Susan lost that 'ere piece of ground, as is likely
she will, it would be cutting off quite too much of a piece; so, you
see, I don't want you to take no encouragement about that."

"Well, I think this is pretty well!" exclaimed Silence, provoked beyond
measure or endurance; "you old torment! think I don't know what you're
at! I and Susan courting your son? I wonder if you ain't ashamed of
yourself, now! I should like to know what I or she have done, now, to
get that notion into your head?"

"I didn't s'pose you 'spected to get him yourself," said Uncle Jaw, "for
I guess by this time you've pretty much gin up trying, hain't ye? But
Susan does, I'm pretty sure."

"Here, Susan! Susan! you--come down!" called Miss Silence, in great
wrath, throwing open the chamber door. "Mr. Adams wants to speak with
you." Susan, fluttering and agitated, slowly descended into the room,
where she stopped, and looked hesitatingly, first at Uncle Jaw and then
at her sister, who, without ceremony, proposed the subject matter