’Twas after that the carpenter’s anxieties began.  He’d hoped that Milly would be a lot cast down by this reverse and that he’d fill the gap and comfort her and support her through the sad affair; but she didn’t want no support.  In fact she talked most sensible about being jilted and confessed that it might be all for the best in the long run.  “Nought happens save by the will of Heaven,” she said, “and I can look at it with a good conscience which be a tower of strength, and I can even go so far as to tell myself that Daisy Newte may make a better wife for Bill than me; for that’s where his eyes are turning.”

“Daisy Newte!  Good God—­the blindness of the bachelor male!” swore Jonas.

And from that day forward he was at her—­respectful, but unsleeping.

His fear was that, now she stood free of a man, her nice feeling would take her from under his roof and of course there was plenty of women who pointed this out to Milly Bassett; but in her fine way she despised the mind that thinks evil for choice and said ’twas a pity that good thoughts was not put into the human heart instead of bad ones.

She said:  “If my character can’t rise above Thorpe-Michael, ’tis pity.  And the man, or woman, who could whisper a bad thought against Jonas Bird be beneath my notice and his’n.”

And then he offered for her and she took him; and then, after that, of course, she left his home till the wedding.

And the carpenter’s childer yowled their heads off when she went, and couldn’t very easy be made to understand that Milly was only away for a few weeks and would soon be back to bide with ’em.  William tried hard to get a bit more cash out of Jonas when he heard the glad news; but, though feeling kindly to heaven above and earth beneath after his wonnerful triumph, Milly’s future husband felt that with his new calls and doing up his home and buying poultry for his wife—­birds being a thing she doted on—­that William must be content.  He paid another fifty down and made it clear that no more must be counted on for six months.  And the horseman said no more at that time, being a good bit occupied with Daisy Newte by then.  For she was walking with him and very near won.  And afore Christmas, he’d got her.

All went well and everybody wished Jonas joy and Milly luck.  ’Twas thought a very reasonable match, for Bird stood high in the public esteem and the folk had long since felt that Milly might do much better than William.  But they admired her honesty and the way she’d stuck to him and felt she’d been richly rewarded.  In fact Jonas and Milly were a devoted pair and not a cloud darkened their wedded life for a good few years.

Then came the fatal affair of the bargain, and though pretty easy about the instalments till he’d got three children of his own, from that time forth there’s no doubt William began to fret Jonas cruel.  Because, you see, the crafty toad had bargained for interest running, and Jonas, not understanding these things and guessing such matters was always five per centum and no more, had agreed to pay it.  But this is where William got the better of him, for White went to a friend of his at Dartmouth and between them they figured up a very clever scheme which caused Jonas a lot of inconvenience.