‘Yes; I understand that.’

’Everybody understands it who has been unhappy.  That woman sometimes says things to me that make me wish—­wish that they’d make him bishop of Patagonia.  And yet does it all in friendship, and mamma says that she is quite right.’

‘I liked her for standing up for her husband.’

’But he does go to sleep—­and then he scratches his nose to show that he’s awake.  I shouldn’t have said it, only she is always hinting at uncle Christopher.  Uncle Christopher certainly does go to sleep when Mr Boyce preaches, and he hasn’t studied any scientific little movement during his slumbers to make the people believe that he’s all alive.  I gave him a hint one day, and he got angry with me!’

’I shouldn’t have thought he could have been angry with you.  It seems to me from what you say that you may do whatever you please with him.’

’He is very good to me.  If you knew it all—­if you could understand how good he has been!  I’ll try and tell you one day.  It is not what he has done that makes me love him so—­but what he has thoroughly understood, and what, so understanding, he has not done, and what he has not said.  It is a case of sympathy.  If ever there was a gentleman uncle Christopher is one.  And I used to dislike him so, at one time!’

‘And why?’

’Chiefly because he would make me wear brown frocks when I wanted to have them pink or green.  And he kept me for six months from having them long, and up to this day he scolds me if there is half an inch on the ground for him to tread upon.’

‘I shouldn’t mind that if I were you.’

’I don’t—­not now.  But it used to be serious when I was a young girl.  And we thought, Bell and I, that he was cross to mamma.  He and mamma didn’t agree at first, you know, as they do now.  It is quite true that he did dislike mamma when we first came.’

‘I can’t think how anybody could ever dislike Mrs Dale.’

’But he did.  And then he wanted to make up a marriage between Bell and my cousin Bernard.  But neither of them cared a bit for each other, and then he used to scold them—­and then—­and then—­and then—­Oh, he was so good to me!  Here’s Gregory at last.  Gregory, we’ve been waiting this hour and a half.’

‘It ain’t ten minutes since Hopkins let me come with the barrows, miss.’

’Then Hopkins is a traitor.  Never mind.  You’d better begin now—­up there at the steps.  It’ll be quite dark in a few minutes.  Here’s Mrs Giles with her broom.  Come, Mrs Giles; we shall have to pass the night here if you don’t make haste.  Are you cold, Grace?’

’No; I’m not cold.  I’m thinking what they are doing now in the church at Hogglestock.’

‘The Hogglestock church is not pretty, like this?’

’Oh, no.  It is a very plain brick building, with something like a pigeon-house for a belfry.  And the pulpit is over the reading-desk, and the reading-desk over the clerk, so that papa, when he preaches, is nearly up to the ceiling.  And the whole place is divided into pews, in which the farmers hide themselves when they come to church.’