Therefore, I went forth at once, bearing my pipe in a skilful manner, as I had seen Farmer Nicholas do; and marking, with a new kind of pleasure, how the rings and wreaths of smoke hovered and fluttered in the moonlight, like a lark upon his carol.  Poor Annie was gone back again to our father’s grave, and there she sat upon the turf, sobbing very gently, and not wishing to trouble any one.  So I raised her tenderly, and made much of her, and consoled her, for I could not scold her there; and perhaps after all she was not to be blamed so much as Tom Faggus himself was.  Annie was very grateful to me, and kissed me many times, and begged my pardon ever so often for her rudeness to me.  And then having gone so far with it, and finding me so complaisant, she must needs try to go a little further, and to lead me away from her own affairs, and into mine concerning Lorna.  But although it was clever enough of her she was not deep enough for me there; and I soon discovered that she knew nothing, not even the name of my darling; but only suspected from things she had seen, and put together like a woman.  Upon this I brought her back again to Tom Faggus and his doings.

“My poor Annie, have you really promised him to be his wife?”

“Then after all you have no reason, John, no particular reason, I mean, for slighting poor Sally Snowe so?”

“Without even asking mother or me!  Oh, Annie, it was wrong of you!”

“But, darling, you know that mother wishes you so much to marry Sally; and I am sure you could have her to-morrow.  She dotes on the very ground—­”

“I dare say he tells you that, Annie, that he dotes on the ground you walk upon—­but did you believe him, child?”

“You may believe me, I assure you, John, and half the farm to be settled upon her, after the old man’s time; and though she gives herself little airs, it is only done to entice you; she has the very best hand in the dairy John, and the lightest at a turn-over cake—­”

“Now, Annie, don’t talk nonsense so.  I wish just to know the truth about you and Tom Faggus.  Do you mean to marry him?”

“I to marry before my brother, and leave him with none to take care of him!  Who can do him a red deer collop, except Sally herself, as I can?  Come home, dear, at once, and I will do you one; for you never ate a morsel of supper, with all the people you had to attend upon.”

This was true enough; and seeing no chance of anything more than cross questions and crooked purposes, at which a girl was sure to beat me, I even allowed her to lead me home, with the thoughts of the collop uppermost.  But I never counted upon being beaten so thoroughly as I was; for knowing me now to be off my guard, the young hussy stopped at the farmyard gate, as if with a brier entangling her, and while I was stooping to take it away, she looked me full in the face by the moonlight, and jerked out quite suddenly,—­

“Can your love do a collop, John?”