his motive in coming--merely asked for his
supper and ate it without much remark.

"I ha' na had luck," he said. "Luck's not i my loine; I wur na born to
it, loike some foak. Happen th' tide'll tak' a turn after a bit."

"Yore feyther wur axin me about th' engineer," Liz said to Joan the next
morning. "He wanted to know if we seed him pass heer i' his road hoam.
D'yo' think he's getten a spite agen th' engineer yet, Joan?"

"I'm afeard," Joan answered. "Feyther's loike to bear a grudge agen them
as put him out, whether they're reet or wrong. Liz----" hesitating.

"What is it, Joan?"

"Dunnot yo' say no more nor yo' con help when he axes yo' about th'
engineer. I'm wor-ritin' mysen lest feyther should get hissen into
trouble. He's hasty, yo' know."

In the evening she went out and left the child to its mother. She had
business to look after, she told Liz, and it would keep her out late.
Whatever the business was, it kept her out so late that Liz was tired of
waiting, and went to bed worn out and a trifle fretted.

She did not know what hour it was when she awakened; voices and a light
in the road roused her, and almost as soon as she was fully conscious,
the door opened and Joan came in. Liz raised her head from the pillow to
look at her. She was pale and seemed excited. She was even trembling a
little, and her voice was unsteady as she asked,

"Has th' little un been quiet, Liz?"

"Quiet enow," said Liz. "What a toime yo' ha' been, Joan! It mun be near
midneet. I got so worn out wi' waitin' fur yo' that I could na sit up no
longer. Wheer ha' yo' been?"

"I went to Riggan," said Joan, "Theer wur summat as I wur obliged to see
to, an' I wur kept beyond my toime by summat as happent. But it is na
quoite midneet, though it's late enow."

"Was na theer a lantern wi' yo'?" asked Liz. "I thowt I seed th' leet
fro' a lantern."

"Yes," Joan answered, "theer wur a lantern. As I wur turnin' into th'
road, I met Mester Derrick comin' fro' th' Rectory an'--an' he walked
alongside o' me."

CHAPTER XX - The New Gate-Keeper

Sammy Craddock made his appearance at Mr. Haviland's promptly, and being
shown into the library, which was empty, took a seat and proceeded to
regard the surroundings critically.

"Dunnot scald thy nose wi' thy own broth," Mrs. Craddock had said to him
warningly, when he left her. "Keep a civil tongue i' thy head. Thy toime
fur saucin' thy betters is past an' gone. Tha'lt ha' to tak' both fa