“Lose the shop you will,” Mary warned him.  “And that’s remorseful you’ll be.”

“Like this and that is the feeling,” said Evan.

“Go to him,” Mary counseled, “and say you will pay forty-five.”

“No-no, foolish that is.”

They two conferred with each other, and Mary gave to Evan all her money, which was almost twenty pounds; and Evan said to Dai:  “I am not doubtful—­”

“Speak what is in you,” Dai urged quickly.

“Test your shop will I for eight weeks as manager.  I give you twenty down as earnest and twenty-five at the finish of the weeks if I buy her.”

Dai and Rachel weighed that which Evan had proposed.  The woman said:  “A lawyer will do this”; the man said:  “Splendid is the bargain and costly and thievish are old lawyers.”

In this sort Dai answered Evan:  “Do as you say.  But I shall not give money for your work.  Act you honestly by me.  Did not mam carry me next my brother, who is a big preacher?  Lend you will I a bed, and a dish or two and a plate, and a knife to eat food.”

At this Mary’s joy was abounding.  “Put you up the banns,” she said.

“Lots of days there is.  Wait until I’ve bought the place.”

Mary tightened her inner garments and loosened her outer garments, and every evening she came to the shop to prepare food for Evan, to make his bed, and to minister to him as a woman.

Now the daily custom at the shop was twelve gallons of milk, and the tea packets and flour bags which were on shelves were empty.  Evan’s anger was awful.  He upbraided Mary, and he prayed to be shown how to worst Dai.  His prayer was respected:  at the end of the second week he gave Dai two pounds more than he had given him the week before.

“Brisk is trade,” said Dai.

“I took into stock flour, tea, and four tins of job biscuits,” replied Evan.  “Am I not your servant?”

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

It was so that Evan bought more than he would sell, and each week he held a little money by fraud; and matches also and bundles of firewood and soap did he buy in Dai’s name.

In the middle of the eighth week Dai came down to the shop.

“How goes it?” he asked in English.

“Fine, man.  Fine.”  Changing his language, Evan said:  “Keep her will I, and give you the money as I pledged.  Take you the sum and sign you the paper bach.”

Having acted accordingly, Dai cast his gaze on the shelves and on the floor, and he walked about judging aloud the value of what he saw:  “Tea, three-pound-ten; biscuits, four-six; flour, four-five; firewood, five shillings; matches, one-ten; soap, one pound.  Bring you these to Petersham.  Put you them with the bed and the dishes I kindly lent you.”

“For sure me, fulfil my pledge will I,” Evan said.

He assembled Dai’s belongings and placed them in a cart which he had borrowed; and on the back of the cart he hung a Chinese lantern which had in it a lighted candle.  When he arrived at Dai’s house, he cried:  “Here is your ownings.  Unload you them.”