“I’ve just been having a tell with Minnie Parable—­old Parable’s daughter,” he said.

“Have you?” I said.  “Would you call him old?”

“Be damned to his age,” he answered.  “That’s neither here nor there.  But this I’d wish you to understand.  I’ve respected you for a good few years now.”

“Why not?” I asked, rather short, for I didn’t like his manner.

“No reason at all till half an hour agone,” he replied.  “But now I hear that, while you well knew my feelings and my hopes and might have trusted a man like me to speak when he saw his way, instead of following my lead and remembering yourself and calling to mind the sort of woman such as I had the right to expect, and waiting with patience and dignity for the accepted hour, you be throwing all thought of me to the winds and rolling your eyes on the men and axing them to tea, and conducting yourself in a manner very unbecoming indeed for the woman I’d long hoped to marry.”

I felt myself go red to the bosom; but I done a very clever thing, for though a thousand words leapt to my tongue, I didn’t speak one of ’em; but kept my mouth close shut and looked at him.  Nought will vex an angry man more than to be faced with blank silence after he’s let off steam and worked up to a fine pitch; and now Greg expected me to answer back; and it put him out of his stride a lot when I didn’t.

I dare say we was both dumb for three minutes; then he got up off his chair and prepared to go.

“And—­and,” he began again “—­and I want you to understand here and now—­here and now—­that it’s off.  You’ve played with my affections and made me a laughing stock—­so Minnie Parable tells me—­and I hope you’ll live to repent it—­yes, I do.  And I’ll say good evening.”

“Good evening, Mr. Sweet,” I said, “and may God forgive you, because I never won’t.  You’ve put the foul-mouthed lies of that forgotten creature before a faithful, wholesome woman and listened to libellious falsehoods spoke against me behind my back, and talked stuff I might have you up for.  And ’tis you are disgraced, not me; and when you find a straighter, cleaner-minded and more honourable creature than what I am, and one as would make you a finer partner, or had more admiration and respect for your character and opinions than what I had until ten minutes ago, then I shall be pleased to wish her luck.”

“It’s all off, all the same,” he said, and began to shamble down the path; but he’d lost his fire.

“Yes,” I said, following him to the gate.  “It’s off all right, and angels from heaven wouldn’t bring it on again.  I never had it in my mind for an instant moment to take any man but you, and if I haven’t been patient and long-suffering, waiting till your insulting caution was at an end, then God never made a patient woman.  But it’s off, as you truly remark, and I’m very well content to remain the relic of John Stocks, who valued me and who died blessing my name.”