tain likeness in their attitudes. Each leaned against the
stone shelf which jutted, waist high, from the wall, but neither took
support from it. Her brown eyes were level with his grey ones; her hands
were on her hips, while his arms were folded across his breast.

"Hullo, Napoleon!" Miriam said. "Good-morning, Lily. Is he being
tiresome? He looks it."

"We're only arguing," she said. "We often do it."

This was the little girl whom Mrs. Brent, now in her ample grave, had
slapped and kissed and teased, to the edification of the Canipers. She
had grown tall and very straight; her thick dark hair was twisted
tightly round her head; her skirt was short, revealing firm ankles and
wooden shoes, and she wore a jersey which fitted her body closely and
left her brown neck bare. Her watchful eyes were like those of some shy
animal, but her lips had the faculty of repose. Helen had once compared
her to a mettlesome young horse and there was about her some quality of
the male. She might have been a youth scorning passion because she
feared it.

"If it's a very important argument," said Miriam, "I'll retire. There's
a sad baby calf down by your gate. I could go and talk to him."

"Silly little beast!" Lily said; "he's always making a fuss. Listen to
this, Miriam. John wants to pay me for letting him work a strip of my
land that's been lying idle all these years."

"If you won't let me pay rent--"

"He hasn't any money, Lily."

"I can try to pay you by helping on the farm. You can lie in bed and let
me do your share of milking."

"He'll do no harm," Miriam asserted.

"I know that. He's been doing odd jobs for us ever since we began
carrying his vegetables to town. He likes to pay for all he gets. You're
mean-spirited, John."

"All right. I'll be mean-spirited, and I'll be here for this evening's
milking."

"That's settled, then," she said, with a great semblance of relief.

"And Mrs. Caniper of Pinderwell House will be very much obliged if
you'll let her have two chickens as soon as possible."

"Certainly, miss. I'll go and see about them."

Miriam let out a little scream and put her hands to her ears.

"No, no, don't kill them yet! Not till you're quite sure that I'm safely
on the other side of the road. John, stop her!"

"You're a little goose," Lily said. "They're lying quite comfortably
dead in the larder."

"Oh, thank Heaven! Shall I tell you a horrible secret of my past life?
Once when I was very small,