‘And what,’ says he.

‘There wasn’t much besides,’ says I.

‘Good God, don’t be such an idiot!’ and he looked as if he could have shaken me.

‘Well, then, if you must have it,’ says I, ’she says, “Tell Jack there’s at least one girl I know of as would make him a better wife than I should, and has been thinking of him steady and faithful these three years, while I’ve been giving my mind to far other things."’

‘Confound her!’ says he, ’little witch.  And who is this other girl that she’s so gracious to hand me over to?’

‘I don’t want to say no more,’ says I.  ’I’m going now, Mr. Halibut.  Good-bye.’

For well I knew he wouldn’t let me go at that.

‘Tell me who it is,’ says he.  ’What! she’s not content with giving me the mitten herself, but she must insult me and this poor girl too, who’s got more sense than she has.  Good Heavens, it would serve her right if I took her at her word, and took the other girl back with me.’

He was walking up and down with his hands in his pockets, frowning like a July thunderstorm.

’Wicked, heartless little—­but there, thank God! all women aren’t like her.  Who’s this girl that she’s tried to set me against?’

‘I can’t tell you,’ says I.

‘Oh! can’t you, my girl?  But you shall.’

And he catches hold of both my wrists in his hands.

‘Leave me go!’ I cried, ‘you’re hurting me.’

‘Who is it?’

I was looking down my nose very straight, but when he said that, I just lifted my eyes up and looked at him, and dropped them.

I’ve always practised looking like what I meant, or what I wanted people to think I meant—­sort of matching your looks and words, like you match ribbon and a bit of stuff.

‘So you’re the girl, are you?’ he cries.  ’And she thought to put you to shame before me with her messages?  Look here, I’m well off.  I’m going to Liverpool to-night, and back to America next week.  I want to take a wife with me, and she says you have thought of me while I’ve been away.  Will you marry me, Jane?’

I just looked at him again, and he put his arm round me and gave me a good kiss.  I had to put up with it, though I never could see any sense in that sort of stuff.  Then we walked home together, very slow, his arm round me.

I daresay some people will think I oughtn’t to have acted so, taking away another girl’s fellow.  But I was quite sure she would get plenty that would play love in a cottage with her, and she did not seem to appreciate her blessings in getting a man that was well off, and I didn’t see how it could be found out, as he was going away next day.

Now, it would all have gone as well as well if I had had the sense to offer to see him off at the station, and I ought to have had the sense to see him well out of the place.  But we all make mistakes sometimes.  Mine was in saying ‘Good-bye’ to him at the corner of the four-acre and going home by myself, leaving him with three-quarters of an hour for ’Satan to find some mischief still for idle hands to do’ in.