nferior creatures; but even a haughty greeting is better than a
remonstrance delivered with a mace. At any rate, all the Caselys were
brought up to offer reverence to the Squire, and the tradition of mutual
esteem and distant respect had never been broken. A correct notion of
the rights of labour had not been expounded anywhere near the estate,
and the roughest fellow on Mr. Ellington's land probably felt loyalty
towards the Family. This state of things cannot withstand the advance of
culture for very long, but meantime it offers even unto this day an
interesting specimen of ancient usage.

When his daughter had got out her knitting, Thomas Casely drew down his
shaggy brows, and looked at her with a queer twinkle of kindness.

"You'll have had a grand talk with them over at the Dean?"

"No, father. The old Squire rode round, and he wanted to see so many
things about the stackyard, aunt couldn't get away. Bob was in for a
minute."

"What for didn't Bob see you home?"

"Oh, I cannot be fashed with him. When he's dressed to come out, he
looks just like as if he'd got mixed suits of other folks' clothes on."

"You'll not have to be proud, my woman. He's just as good, and better,
than the most of the lads round here. I never knew no good come of
pride."

"I never knew what pride meant; but if I walk with a lad I like him to
be bonny, and I want to see him not look like a countryman altogether.
Bob isn't bonny."

"Ay, well, hinny, if you want fine clothes, I doubt you'll get nobody
but the young squire." This Mr. Casely said with a slow smile, and Mary
thought suddenly, "Next Thursday afternoon."

The reader will see that these rustics had not attained that quaint
sententious wisdom proper to the rustics of fiction. In their
ungrammatical way they talked much like human beings.

II.

When Mr. Ellington turned once more to the sea, after Mary Casely had
passed out of sight, the look of things had somehow altered in his eyes.
He went to the edge of the rocks, and looked down on the short ripples
that broke into whiteness below him. He was taken with the beauty of the
clear green water that moved over the shallows, and he found himself
watching the swift changes of shade caused by the passage of the light
breeze with something like active interest. The ragworts and the wild
geraniums made a yellow and purple fretwork all around him, and the
colour gave him a sense of keen gladness. He faced round and entered the