She liked Cora very well, you understand, and knew she’d miss her cooking, if not her pretty face and her commonsense; but she had a great feeling for a man round her house, which was lonely, and on the moor-edge by the river, half a mile from Little Silver village, and her ambition was to engage a married couple who could tend home and garden, poultry and pigs; because Mrs. Dene, though fairly well to do, was an energetic creature and liked to be busy and add to her income in a small way.

So when she learned through his sister that James White wanted Cora, she done her best to help on the match and found the girl not unwilling.  In fact, Cora accepted Jimmy before she knew quite enough about him to do so; and then, after she got to understand his nature and found he was merciless about money and cruel close, and grudged a sovereign for a bit of fun, her heart sank.  Because she didn’t know that love can’t stem a ruling passion, and ain’t very often the ruling passion itself in a male, and she found, as many other maidens have afore her, that a man’s love affairs don’t stand between him and life, or change his character and bent of mind.

So when she discovered that James was a miser, Cora began to see other things, because, once there’s a spot for doubt to work, the tarnish soon spreads.  James would not buy her a ring, but put five pounds in the bank for her, which didn’t interest Cora much; and that’s how it stood with them; while as to the other pair, the friction was a bit different.

You see, Nicholas Caunter, the cowman, only got interested in his master’s sister when he found she was terrible interested in him.  He was very good looking and a simple, charming sort of a man unconscious of his fine appearance; and there’s no doubt that Mary Jane fell in love with him a week after he came to Hartland.  And, when he found that out, being heartwhole at the time and poor as a mouse, he couldn’t but see that to wed Mary Jane would be a pretty useful step; because she had her own money and was a nice enough woman, though not very good-looking.

However, she was healthy and hearty and there was a lot of her, so Nick told himself it all looked very promising and proper and he started making love to her, and foxed himself presently that it was the genuine article and there weren’t nobody for him on earth but Mary Jane.

Then, a week after he’d offered for her and she’d wasted no time saying “Yes,” but was in his arms almost afore the words had got out of his mouth, the young woman brought Nicholas acquainted with Cora Dene, because she said it was well he should know her brother’s future bride.

So there they was—­Cora betrothed to James White and Mary Jane White fixed up with Nicholas Gaunter, though he’d only been at Hartland a month.  And then the trouble began.  First, Cora slowly discovered that James was close as a shut knife; and if she’d been clever enough to read a man’s mouth and eyes, she’d have seen his character stamped upon ’em.  But that was the first secret disturbance; and then Nicholas, he got a painful jar and found out there was only one girl on earth for him and that was Cora.