? If she'm gwaine to leave un
out the account altogether, he'll be worse off than the foxes. His son's
gone to foreign paarts an' his darter's lyin'-in--not that her husband
would spare a crust o' bread for auld Lezzard, best o' times."

"Trust me to do what's right. Now I'll go and see after Chris."

"An' make it up with Will while sun shines on 'e. It's so easy, come
gude fortune, to feel your heart swellin' out to others."

"We are good friends now."

"Do'e think I doan't knaw better? Your quarrel's patched for the sake of
us women. Have a real make-up, I mean."

"I will, then. I'll be what I was to him, if he'll let me. I'll forgive
everything that's past--everything and every body."

"So do. An' doan't 'e tell no more of them hard sayings 'gainst powers
an' principalities an' Providence. Us be all looked arter, 'cording to
the unknawn planning of God. How's Mrs. Lezzard?"

"She'll be dead in a fortnight--perhaps less. As likely as not I might
marry Chris before the next new moon."

"Doan't think 'pon that yet. Be cool, an' keep your heart in bounds. 'T
is allus the way wi' such as you, who never hope nothing. Theer comes a
matter as takes 'em out of themselves, then they get drunk with hope,
all of a sudden, an' flies higher than the most sanguine folks, an'
builds castles 'pon clouds. Theer's the diggin' of a graave between you
and Chris yet. Doan't forget that."

"You can't evade solid facts."

"No, but solid facts, seen close, often put on a differ'nt faace to what
they did far-ways off."

"You won't dishearten me, mother; I'm a happy man for once."

"Be you? God forbid I should cloud 'e then; awnly keep wise as well as
happy, an' doan't fill Chris with tu gert a shaw of pomps an'
splendours. Put it away till it comes. Our dreams 'bout the future 's
allus a long sight better or worse than the future itself."

"Don't forbid dreaming. That's the sole happiness I've ever had until
now."

"Happiness, you call it? 'T is awnly a painted tinsel o' the mind, and
coming from it into reality is like waking arter tu much drink. So I've
heard my husband say scores o' times--him bein' a man much given to
overhopefulness in his younger days--same as Will is now."

Clement departed, and presently found himself with the cooler breezes of
the high lands upon his hot forehead. They put him in mind of Mrs.
Blanchard again, and their tendency, as hers had been, was to moderate
his ardour; but that seemed impossibl