She pressed her hands more tightly.  “I may be wronging you,” she answered; “I should love to think so; but—­you have something you want to say to Corp before I see him.”

“Not at all,” Tommy said; “if you still want to see Corp, let us go together.”  She hesitated, but she knew how clever he was.  “I prefer to go alone,” she replied.  “Forgive me if I ask you to turn back.”

“Don’t go,” he entreated her.  “Grizel, I give you my word of honour it is to save you acute pain that I want to see Corp first.”  She smiled wanly at that, for though, as we know, it was true, she misunderstood him.  He had to let her go on alone.

CHAPTER XII

IN WHICH A COMEDIAN CHALLENGES TRAGEDY TO BOWLS

When Grizel opened the door of Corp’s house she found husband and wife at home, the baby in his father’s arms; what is more, Gavinia was looking on smiling and saying, “You bonny litlin, you’re windy to have him dandling you; and no wonder, for he’s a father to be proud o’.”  Corp was accepting it all with a complacent smirk.  Oh, agreeable change since last we were in this house! oh, happy picture of domestic bliss! oh—­but no, these are not the words; what we meant to say was, “Gavinia, you limmer, so you have got the better of that man of yours at last.”

How had she contrived it?  We have seen her escorting the old lady to the Dovecot, Corp skulking behind.  Our next peep at them shows Gavinia back at her house, Corp peering through the window and wondering whether he dare venture in.  Gavinia was still bothered, for though she knew now the story of Tommy’s heroism, there was no glove in it, and it was the glove that maddened her.

“No, I ken nothing about a glove,” the old lady had assured her.

“Not a sylup was said about a glove,” maintained Christina, who had given her a highly coloured narrative of what took place in Mrs. McLean’s parlour.

“And yet there’s a glove in’t as sure as there’s a quirk in’t,” Gavinia kept muttering to herself.  She rose to have another look at the hoddy-place in which she had concealed the glove from her husband, and as she did so she caught sight of him at the window.  He bobbed at once, but she hastened to the door to scarify him.  The clock had given only two ticks when she was upon him, but in that time she had completely changed her plan of action.  She welcomed him with smiles of pride.  Thus is the nimbleness of women’s wit measured once and for all.  They need two seconds if they are to do the thing comfortably.

“Never to have telled me, and you behaved so grandly!” she cried, with adoring glances that were as a carpet on which he strode pompously into the house.

“It wasna me that did it; it was him,” said Corp, and even then he feared that he had told too much.  “I kenna what you’re speaking about,” he added loyally.

“Corp,” she answered, “you needna be so canny, for the laddie is in the town, and Mr. Sandys has confessed all.”