it a little odd he pondered on it but did not quite go the length of suspecting anything still less of suspecting still he thought it odd but be thought it when one market day old said to him do you remember the promise you made to the lion hearted young man your brother do you ask that to me you never visit her and others are not so who go this evening and you will see yes i will go and i will soon see if there is anything in it said william not stopping even to inquire why the old jew took all this interest in the affair that evening as meadows was in the middle of a description of the town of started up why here is william and she ran out and welcomed him in with much cordiality perhaps with some excess of cordiality william came in and saluted the and meadows in his dogged � it is never too late to mend meadows was not best pleased but kept his temper admirably and leaving engaged both the farmers in a conversation on home topics looked disappointed meadows was content with that and the party separated half an hour sooner than usual the next market evening in william meadows again plays the same game this time could hardly restrain her temper she did not want to hear about the acres and the grove and oxen and but about something that mattered to but when the next market evening william arrived before mr meadows she was downright provoked and gave him short answers which raised his suspicions and made him think he had done wisely in coming this evening excused herself and went to bed early she was in the next market day and william met her and said � i take a cup of tea with you to night u you are agreeable william said sharply what makes you always come to us on market day i don t know what makes mr meadows come that day because he passes our house to fo to his own i suppose but you live ut two miles off jou can come any day that you are minded should i be welcome what do you think will speak your mind i don t understand you seems to me i was not very welcome last time if i thought that i wouldn t come again replied as sharp as a needle then instantly a little she explained you are welcome to me will and you know that as well as i do but i want you to come some other evening if it is all the same to you why why because i am dull other evenings and it would be nice to have a chat with you would it of course it would but that evening i have company � and he talks to me of nothing else sneered the unlucky william gave him such a look and that interests me more than anything you can say to me � if you won t be offended snapped william bit his lip well then i won t come this evening eh no don t that is a good soul les pour n pas this is a harsh saying and of course not pure truth but there is a deal of truth in it william was proud and the consciousness of his own love for her made him less able to persist for he knew she might be so as to retort if he her too far so he altered the direction of his battery he planted himself at the gate of farm and as meadows got off his horse requested a few words with him meadows ran him over with one lightning glance and then the whole man was on the william opened the affair you heard me promise to look on as my sister and keep her as she is for my brother that is far away i heard you mr william said meadows with a smile that provoked william as the artful one intended it should you come here too often sir too often for who too often for me too often for george too often for the girl herself i won t have george s sweetheart talked about you are the first to talk about her if there s scandal it is of your making i won t have it � at a word meadows called out miss will you step here � is too late to mend william was astonished at his audacity he did not know his man opened the parlor window what is it mr meadows will you step here if you please came here is a young man tells me i must not call on your father or you i say you must not do it often enough to make her talked of who dares to talk of me cried scarlet nobody miss nobody but the young man himself and so i told him is your father within then i step in and speak witli him any way and the sly meadows vanished to give an opportunity of quarrelling with william while she was hot i don t know how you came to take such liberties with me began quite pale now with anger it is for george s sake said william did george bid you insult my friends and i would not put up with it from george himself much less from you i shall write to george and ask him whether he wishes me to be your slave don t ye do so don t set my brother against me remonstrated william the best thing you can do is to go home and mind your farm and get a sweetheart for yourself and then you won t trouble your head about me more than you have any business to do this last cut wounded william to the quick evening good evening 