breaking his favourite pipe in his excite ment. Tas at invent.ol o' some o' the m lying Redueap gossipers, who're alway on the look-out to ruin a girl's charac Because they may have seen Barry punas dering about there. - for I spied on bearings long before I went

awar

they've put it down at once as a pertant
100, but I know Margot better, Mary
Wer. I'd doubt my own self i
Eater as soon as I would her.”

Airs. Lee had been prepares, is 04- 8!! a certain amoun

ment from Pilip,

The pured for this #2“, „

which betraye. 11.

Were tual in Wot a

Lueri Wd'

CHAPTER VI.

forget how different she was brought up; 'twas the natural thing there for the women to sit gossiping with the men. They're all just like her."

66

Oh, indeed!" said Mrs. Lee, with well-feigned surprise. "Then I'm thankful I live in a Christian country where the women know what decency means, and sit in their own houses all the week, and go to church or chapel on Sundays, and don't go giggling and gostering without a bit o' bonnet on their heads, and long ear-drops

THE hawthorn was blossoming in the Redneap hedges, the cuckoo was telling its good tidings to the glad villagers; the winter was over, the spring time had come and with it had come Philip Lee. Yes, Philip was at home again; and, having done ample justice to the substantial tea she had set forth in his honour, he sat by his old mother's fireside, pipe in hand, prepared to listen to the vast heap of news which for his benefit, amusement, and in-hanging to their ears; if that's the French struction she had been all these months past accumulating.

Mrs. Lee took out her knitting, and settled herself to enjoy, as only a woman can, the pleasure of retailing all this amount of gossip and soon she was deep in John Chubb's illness and death, the unnecessary display made at his funeral, the sermon preached by Mr. Horan, of whom, it was said, Mr. Vesey was uncommonly jealous; the various good or bad ventures made by the different boats, the prospects of the fishing trade, &c.; until, in the midst of a graphic account of Mrs. Craft's headstone, her son interrupted her by saying, somewhat irrelevantly, 66 How are all the maidens?"

Mrs. Lee gave him a sharp glance, but she only answered, "Oh! all very well. Annie Turle was here on Sunday. Ever since you left she would ha' me go there o' Wednesdays, and have my tea and go to chapel with her; 'tis quite a pleasure to go to a place o' worship with that girl, for she'll bring away the sermon, word for word, and repeat it like a book. Annie's her mother's girl there, for all the Batesons were wonderful hands at remembering things."

Philip gave a few more puffs at his pipe, and then he asked, "Have you seen anything of old Dutton?"

"Not lately."

Here something went wrong with the pipe, and Philip had to turn completely away from his mother to remedy it, during which time he said, with assumed indifference, "Nor Margot?”

Naomi Lee pursed up her thin lips as, without taking her eyes from her knitting she answered her son's question. "Nobody ever went down to the beach, or passed Craft's, without being pretty sure to see Margot - wherever the men are you may hear her voice above all. In my day, a girl wouldn't ha' bin much thought of that every man could make free and have his joke with."

"Oh! she means no harm, mother.

You

way, thank the Lord that I'm English.". And Mrs. Lee knitted away more vigorously than before, while Philip sat with troubled face and heart, wondering how his mother would act on hearing that he had chosen the chief of these offenders to bear her name, to fill her place, and to step into those shoes which were now employed. in shaking off the dust of her resentment into the faces of the whole nation of foreigners.

"Come, come, mother," he said at length, "you mustn't speak hardly of her, for "but Mrs. Lee interrupted him by exclaiming

-

"Me speak hard o' her! Well, I'm sure Philip, you'd best listen to what others ha' get to say. Just ask Mr. Vesey what's his opinion o' a girl who could go up to the rectory feast flaunting her great long ear-drops as bold as brass afore the ladies, and sit up laughing and jabbering away her lingo to young Mr. Chenevix and Cap'en Fortescue, as if she was one o' their own sort; or put the question to Mrs. Davis, if she'd let her Sarah Jane set foot inside a dancing booth, as I understand Margot might ha' bin seen at Rickfield Revels, capering away like one o' Richardson's show-gals. But there, 'tis no business o' mine, nor o' yours neither, for that matter, so we needn't waste Our time haggling over things that don't concern us.

"What Margot does concerns me very considerably, mother," said Philip, determined to avow the engagement without any more delay.

66

"Surely!" answered his mother. "What a pity then, that you wasn't home to advise her against taking up with a raff like that Barry, who she's walked with for the last

why, a'most ever since you left. 'Twas in everybody's mouth; for, as Mrs. Vesey said, far better she'd tie a stone round her neck and jump into the sea than drag herself down with such a fellow as Barry."

"I'll never believe it!" exclaimed Philip,

66

breaking his favourite pipe in his excite- turn up or aside into any place rather ment. "Tis an invention o' some o' them than meet me." lying Redneap gossipers, who're always on the look-out to ruin a girl's character. Because they may have seen Barry philandering about there, for I spied out his bearings long before I went away, they've put it down at once as a settled job; but I know Margot better, mother. Why, I'd doubt my own self in such a matter as soon as I would her."

-

Mrs. Lee had been prepared to hear doubts and a certain amount of defence and argument from Philip, but she was quite unprepared for this excited display of a passion which betrayed itself in voice and manner more than in words. Was it possible that there was more between them than she had known of? If so, all the greater reason that his eyes should be opened, and it would therefore need all her woman's wariness and cunning to fan his jealousy and inflame his anger. This she would do without exhibiting her own dislike towards the girl, for experience had taught her that Philip was ever ready to screen Margot from blame, and to take her part against any one who expressed the smallest condemnation of her or her doings.

"I don't wonder at what you say, Philip," his mother began, seeming not to notice his emotion, "for at the first go off I didn't pay any heed to it neither. Margot is no favourite o' mine, and that I plainly own, but I've allays credited her as being a girl desirous o' keeping respectable company, and knowing I'm one as is set agin the French, I've not bin above asking myself if I didn't p'raps stickle overmuch at her furrin ways."

66

And you have always bin dead against her, mother; from the first she couldn't say, nor do, nor look so as to please you at all."

Mrs. Lee checked her angry answer, and paused to draw a fresh supply of oil to pour upon the kindled fire.

"Was that her fault or yours, mother?" asked Philip; who, resting his hands on the high mantelshelf, leaned his head upon them and gazed moodily into the fire. "The last time I saw you together, you was so chuff and stand off that it was no wonder she fought shy of coming here."

Mrs. Lee avoided replying directly to her son's question, but went on, "I may say that I've never but once been fairly faced by her, and then I own that p'raps I wasn't over cordial; for though, as I said before, she's no favourite o' mine, still I'm a mother, Phil, and I have a feeling for other mothers, and I thought what would ha' been the feelings o' hers who, I've heerd from you, was a respectable, industrious woman- to see her child enter that room afore all the gentry and the village people with Dick Barry, whom many had their doubts if the rector should ha' asked at all.”

"Margot went to Mr. Chenevix's with Barry?" almost groaned poor Philip. “It must ha' bin accidental, mother."

Mrs. Lee shook her head.

"People don't come together and go together unless they've fixed it all beforehand; besides which I heerd her say, if it hadn't been for Barry, she should never ha' got up Turncross. And then, when after all these fly-away airs she walks up to me sayin' something about, if Philip was there she supposed I should be quite happy - well, I answered rather short, and no wonder neither."

Philip was silent. He couldn't answer his mother; he could only keep asking himself if it was possible that Margot had forgotten and forsaken him. Had she, while he was away toiling and saving that they might be married whenever he returned, cast him off for the man of all others most odious to him, a man whom she knew that he disliked and despised ? Impossible; but why then go to the recI ain't the first mother, Phil, who's tory with him, where everybody would see thought nobody good enough for her boy, and make their remarks about her, more and perhaps a feeling did sometimes make especially his mother, whom he had begged me speak out more than I meant or felt in her to conciliate as much as possible? Oh! regard to Margot. There's some mar- it was unkind, cruel! And then his love riages by which you seem to have gained began to plead for the offender, and suga daughter, and there's some make ye feel gest that his mother might be exaggeratyou've lost your son; but nobody can ac- ing. He would wait, and, if condemnacuse me o' ever breathing a false word tion must be given, it should be given by agin Margot, or of bringing a charge be- her own lips, not on anybody's else's rephind her back I wouldn't ha' made before resentation. If he could but go at once and her face. Since you've bin gone she's see her, but it was already late, and the never bin the one to come anigh me, and distance to Shingle Cove was over two if by chance I met her in the village, she'd miles, go which way you might. How

should he manage? "I think I'll take al turn outside," he said suddenly; "I shan't be gone ten minutes; " and, without waiting for the remonstrance which he knew was certain to come, he stepped out, hoping to gain from the cool air relief and inspiration how best to act. He was still calculating in how short a time he could run down to the cottage, in the direction of which he stood gazing, when his reverie was broken by that disagreeable but accredited British mode of welcome

a

Oh! good night, old chap. I shall tell 'em at Craft's I've seen ye. Come now, look in some night and have a yarn with us. You know it's always Gai! gai! dessus le quai!""

And he went off, laughing heartily at hearty slap on the back the perpetrator Philip's mode of receiving his invitation, of which pleasantry wheeled in front of which was to slam the door with such viohim, exclaiming, What, Phil Lee! why lence that his mother jumped off her chair, who'd have thought it! Come, tip us your while all the pots and pans and household flipper, mate. Why, you look more like a crockery joined in chorus with her exclaman who's got rid of the last shot in his mation of astonishment. Philip muttered locker than one just come back, as I hear something about the wind being so strong you have, with your pockets full of shin- and that fool Collins, and then threw himers." Philip tried to put on a more self into a chair, and declared he thought cheerful expression as he took his friend's he must turn in, for he felt too tired to proffered hand, and laughingly replied, "I don't know much about the pocketful of shiners. Where did you hear that?" Why, at the best news-shop in the village Craft's, to be sure."

66

Oh! what, you still all meet there?" "I should think so," said his companion. Why I don't believe you'd find a house to equal Craft's - no, not in sailing round the globe. I never met with one; and wherever I go, I generally try 'em. They're such a one-and-all set of fellows there, ready to give and take a joke, and enjoy it, turn how it may -no cutting up rough nor moping with them; its Gai! gail dessus le quai!'" And he roared out the refrain to one of Margot's songs at the top of his hoarse voice. In his present mocd, the sound made Philip feel as if he could have strangled the man.

"Where did you get that?" he exclaimed suappishly.

"Where? why from your old flame, the pretty Margot. Ah! it's well you've come home, or you'd have found your flag hauled down, I can tell ye. Ha ha! you should ha' seen Barry's chopfallen look, when young Nat Condy told him you was at Luton; all the fellows were at him; for he's been on dooty at the cottage pretty regular since you've bin away, and he didn't half like being told he'd have to sheer off now to the tune of 'Get up, Jack, let John sit down.""

Philip's rage seemed to choke him, to the unbounded delight of Sam Collins. who chuckled over the account he should give at Craft's of the clever manner in which he had raised Philip Lee's dander, and made him so jealous.

speak.

Mrs. Lee did not attempt to dissuade him. She lit his candle, and told him he'd feel all the better for a night's rest; and, pretending not to notice his discomposure, the other parted with her son for the night-thankful that she had thus put a stop to what she saw had gone further than she had any idea of; pitying her boy, from whom she would have taken and willingly borne every pain and sorrow, but nursing hatred towards the girl who could cause him a heartache for which his mother had no healing balsam.

And Philip? He tossed and turned, making his old bed creak and groan with his restlessness, as he wore out the long night with imaginary interviews, full of bitter reproaches and humiliating contrition, sharp words and timely penitence. Finally he sank to sleep, and dreamed that he was in the midst of a storm, whose fierce raging he heeded not, because he held Margot tight clasped in his arms, and all was forgiven and forgotten.

CHAPTER VII.

It was the day after Philip's return, and by three o'clock in the afternoon Margot had worked herself into a fever of excitement and expectation. What could be keeping him away? Something very important, she felt sure, for no doubt or suspicion of the truth ever crossed her mind. By a very early hour she had finished her house-work, dressed herself with more than her usual care, and taken up her position on a seat at some little distance from the cottage, where she sat waiting with nervous anxiety for her lover to make

his appearance. Never before had she pulled the twine of her netting into such inextricable knots, never had she felt such impatience in undoing them. At length her fingers made a sudden stop. She hears a step sees a shadow looks up - and Dick Barry is standing before her.

"Oh! is that you, Dick?" and if a hope still lingered in poor Dick's breast, that look and tone of disappointment crushed and banished it altogether.

"That's a sorry sort o' welcome to get, Margot. But, there, I suppose I mustn't expect much now he's back,” he added bitterly.

Margot's nerves were too much on the strain to permit of her taking anything coolly; besides she felt vexed and angry with Barry for not being Philip, and, woman-like, was inclined to vent her displeasure on the innocent object who had disappointed her.