come down to watch the progress of the work, and to give a
smart rap or two on the toiling fingers, when a heavy footstep in the
passage caused her to dart upstairs again. It was Bob Hewett, returned
from his evening recreations.

'Oh, that's you, is it?' cried Clem. 'Come down; I want to speak to
you.'

'Wait till to-morrow,' answered Bob, advancing towards the stairs.

'Wait! we'll see about that!'

She sprang forward, and with a prompt exertion of muscle, admirable in
its way, whirled Bob round and dragged him to the head of the kitchen
flight. The young fellow took it in good part, and went down with her.

'You go up into the passage,' said Clem to her servant, and was
immediately obeyed.

'Now,' resumed Miss Peckover, when she had closed the door, 'who have
you been goin' about with to-night?'

'What are you talking about?' returned Bob, who had seated himself on
the table, and was regarding Clem jocosely. 'I've been with some pals,
that's all.'

'Pals! what sort o' pals? Do you call Pennyloaf Candy one o' your pals?'

She stood before him in a superb attitude, her head poised fiercely,
her arms quivering at her sides, all the stature and vigour of her
young body emphasised by muscular strain.

'Pennyloaf Candy!' Bob repeated, as if in scorn of the person so named.
'Get on with you! I'm sick of hearing you talk about her. Why I haven't
seen her not these three weeks.'

'It's a ---- lie!' Clem's epithet was too vigorous for reproduction.
'Sukey Jollop saw you with her down by the meat-market, an' Jeck
Bartley saw you too.'

'Jeck did?' He laughed with obstreperous scorn. 'Why, Jeck's gone to
Homerton to his mother till Saturday night. Don't be such a bloomin'
fool! Just because Suke Jollop's dead nuts on me, an' I won't have
nothin' to say to her, she goes tellin' these bloomin' lies. When I see
her next, I'll make her go down on her marrow-bones an' beg my pardon.
See if I don't just!'

There was an engaging frankness in Bob's way of defending himself which
evidently impressed Miss Peckover, though it did not immediately soothe
her irritation. She put her arms a-kimbo, and examined him with a
steady suspicion which would have disconcerted most young men. Bob,
however, only laughed more heartily. The scene was prolonged. Bob had
no recourse to tenderness to dismiss the girl's jealousy. His
self-conceit was supreme, and had always stood him in such stead with
the young ladies who, to use his own expr