“Where’s Eve, Joan?” he asked as, having looked through two of the rooms, he came, still in breathless haste, into the outer kitchen, where Joan was now busily engaged in baking her cakes.

“Ain’t her outside nowheres?” said Joan, wiping her face with her apron to conceal its expression.

“No, I can’t see her.”

“Awh, then, I reckon they’m not come in yet;” and by this time she had recovered herself sufficiently to turn round and answer with indifference.

“Who’s they?” said Adam quickly.

“Why, her went out for a bit of a stroll with Jerrem.  They—­”

But Adam interrupted her.  “Jerrem?” he exclaimed.  “Why should she go out with Jerrem?”

“Awh, he’s right enough now,” said Joan.  “He’s so sober as a judge, or I wouldn’t ha’ suffered ’en anighst her.  Eve thought she should like a bit of a walk, and he offered to go with her; and I was very glad of it too, for Tabithy wanted to sandy the floors, so their room was better for we than their company.”

“’Tis very strange,” said Adam, “that Eve can’t see how she puts me out by goin’ off any way like this with Jerrem.  I won’t have it,” he added, with rising anger, “and if she’s to be my wife she sha’n’t do it, either; so she’d best choose between us before things go too far.”

“Awh, don’t ’ee take it like that,” said Joan soothingly. “’Twasn’t done with no manin’ in it.  Her hadn’t any more thought o’ vexin’ ’ee than a babby; nor I neither, so far as that goes, or I should ha’ put a stopper on it, you may be sure.  Why, go and meet ’em.  They’m only out by Chapel Rock:  they left word where they was goin’ a-purpose.”

A little mollified by this, Adam said, “I don’t tell Eve everything, but Jerrem and I haven’t pulled together for a long time, and the more we see o’ one another the worse it is, and the less I want him to have anything to say to Eve.  He’s always carryin’ on some game or ’nother.  When we were at Guernsey he made a reg’lar set-out of it ’bout some letter that came there to him.  Well, who could that have been from?  Nobody we know anything about, or he’d have said so.  Besides, who should want to write to him, or what business had he to go blabbin’ about which place we were bound for?  I haven’t seen all the soundings o’ that affair clear yet, but I mean to.  I ain’t goin’ to be ’jammed in a clench like Jackson’ for Jerrem nor nobody else.”

Joan made no answer.  She seemed to be engaged in turning her crock round, and while bending down she said, “Well, I should go after ’em if I was you.  They’m sure not to be very far off, and I’ll get tea ready while you’m gone.”

Adam moved away.  Somewhat reluctant to go, he lingered about the rooms for some time, making up his mind what he should do.  He could not help being haunted by an idea that the two people he had seen standing were Eve and Jerrem.  It was a suspicion which angered him beyond measure, and after once letting it come before him it rankled so sorely that he determined to satisfy himself, and therefore started off down the street, past the quay and up by the steps.