Mrs. Garth loomed large in the road beside her. Rotha would now have
hastened home, but the woman had recognized her in the darkness.

"How's all at Shoulth'et?" said Mrs. Garth in her blandest tones;
"rubbin' on as usual?"

Rotha answered with a civil commonplace, and turned to go. But Mrs.
Garth had stood, and the girl felt compelled to stand also.

"It's odd to see ye not at work, lass," said the woman in a
conciliatory way; "ye're nigh almost always as thrang as Thorp wife,
tittyvating the house and what not."

Again some commonplace from Rotha, and another step homewards.

"I've just been takin' a sup o' tea with laal 'Becca Rudd. It's early
to go home, but, as I says to my Joey, there's no place like it; and
nowther is there. It's like ye've found that yersel', lass, afore
this."

There was an insinuating sneer in the tone in which Mrs. Garth uttered
her last words. Getting no response, she added,--

"And yer fadder, I reckon _he's_ found it out too, bein' so lang
beholden to others. I met the poor man on the road awhile ago."

"It's cold and sappy, Mrs. Garth. Good night," said Rotha.

"Poor man, he has to scrat now," said Mrs. Garth, regardless of
Rotha's adieu. "I reckon he's none gone off for a spoag; he's none
gone for a jaunt."

The woman was angry at Rotha's silence, and, failing to conciliate the
girl, she was determined to hold her by other means. Rotha perceived
the purpose, and wondered within herself why she did not go.

"But he's gone on a bootless errand, I tell ye," continued Mrs. Garth.

"What errand?" It was impossible to resist the impulse to probe the
woman's meaning.

Mrs. Garth laughed. It was a cruel laugh, with a crow of triumph in
it.

"Yer waxin' apace, lass; I reckon ye think ye'll be amang the next
batch of weddiners," said Mrs. Garth.

Rotha was not slow to see the connection of this scarcely relevant
observation. Did the woman know on what errand her father had set out?
Had she guessed it? And if so, what matter?

"I wish the errand had been mine instead," said Rotha calmly. But it
was an unlucky remark.

"Like enough. Now, that's very like," said Mrs. Garth with affected
sincerity. "Ye'll want to see him badly, lass; he's been lang away.
Weel, it's nought but nature. He's a very personable young man.
There's no sayin' aught against it. Yes, he's of the bettermer sort,
that way."

Of what use was it to continue this idle gossip? Rotha was again
turning about, w