Milly Richards, though he'd not thought
much of her of late. The house Hannah was looking from was her aunt's.

'"My dear Milly--my coming wife, as I may call 'ee," says Tony in his
modest way, and not so loud that Unity could overhear, "I see a young
woman alooking out of window, who I think may accost me. The fact is,
Milly, she had a notion that I was wishing to marry her, and since she's
discovered I've promised another, and a prettier than she, I'm rather
afeard of her temper if she sees us together. Now, Milly, would you do
me a favour--my coming wife, as I may say?"

'"Certainly, dearest Tony," says she.

'"Then would ye creep under the empty sacks just here in the front of the
waggon, and hide there out of sight till we've passed the house? She
hasn't seen us yet. You see, we ought to live in peace and good-will
since 'tis almost Christmas, and 'twill prevent angry passions rising,
which we always should do."

'"I don't mind, to oblige you, Tony," Milly said; and though she didn't
care much about doing it, she crept under, and crouched down just behind
the seat, Unity being snug at the other end. So they drove on till they
got near the road-side cottage. Hannah had soon seen him coming, and
waited at the window, looking down upon him. She tossed her head a
little disdainful and smiled off-hand.

'"Well, aren't you going to be civil enough to ask me to ride home with
you!" she says, seeing that he was for driving past with a nod and a
smile.

'"Ah, to be sure! What was I thinking of?" said Tony, in a flutter. "But
you seem as if you was staying at your aunt's?"

'"No, I am not," she said. "Don't you see I have my bonnet and jacket
on? I have only called to see her on my way home. How can you be so
stupid, Tony?"

'"In that case--ah--of course you must come along wi' me," says Tony,
feeling a dim sort of sweat rising up inside his clothes. And he reined
in the horse, and waited till she'd come downstairs, and then helped her
up beside him. He drove on again, his face as long as a face that was a
round one by nature well could be.

'Hannah looked round sideways into his eyes. "This is nice, isn't it,
Tony?" she says. "I like riding with you."

'Tony looked back into her eyes. "And I with you," he said after a
while. In short, having considered her, he warmed up, and the more he
looked at her the more he liked her, till he couldn't for the life of him
think why he had ever said a word