“I like him,” she said; “he has pluck.  I have had a good deal of talk with him, and he told me frankly that he could not afford to put money into the place and farm it as it ought to be farmed.  But he was born a country man, and he has the heart of a country man; and he is going to see if he can make a living out of it for himself and his sister.”

“Which may result,” said the doctor, “in his becoming a mere farm laborer and putting an end to his sister’s education.”

“Nonsense!” exclaimed the old lady.  “Young fellows—­college men—­go out on ranches in the West and do that sort of thing, and it lowers them in nobody’s estimation.  Let young Haverley call his farm a ranch and rough it.  It would be the same thing.  I’ve backed him up strongly.  It’s a manly choice of a manly life.  As for his sister, she has been so long at school that it will do her more good to stop than to go on.”

“It will be hard scratching,” said the doctor, “to get a living out of Cobhurst, and I hope these young people will not come to grief while they are making the experiment.”

Miss Panney smiled without looking at her companion.

“Don’t be afraid of that,” she said presently; “I have pretty good reason to think that he will get on well enough.”

That evening Miriam sat up in bed with a shawl about her shoulders and discoursed to her brother.

“Now, Ralph,” said she, “you must have seen a lot of things about our place, because, when I came to think of it, it was plain enough that you couldn’t help it.  I am crazy to see what you saw, but you mustn’t tell me anything except what I ask you.  Please be particular about that.”

“Go on,” said Ralph.  “You shall not have a word more or less than you want.”

“Well, then, is your bed comfortable?”

“Perfectly,” he answered.

“And have you pillows enough?”

“More than I want,” said Ralph.

“And are the doors and windows all fastened and locked downstairs?”

He laughed.  “You needn’t bother yourself about that sort of thing.  I will attend to the locking up.”

She slightly knitted her brows in reflection.  “Now then, Ralph,” said she, “I am coming to it, and mind, not a word more than I ask for.  Have we any horses?”

“We have,” he replied.

“How many?”

“Four.”

Miriam clasped her hands and looked at her brother with sparkling eyes.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, “four horses!”

“Two of them,” he began, but she stopped him in an instant.

“Don’t tell me another thing,” she cried; “I don’t want to know what color they are, or anything about them.  To-morrow I shall see them for myself.  Oh, Ralph, isn’t it perfectly wonderful that we should have four horses?  I can’t stand anything more just now, so please kiss me good-night.”

About an hour afterwards Ralph was awakened by a knock at his door.