ing her face on his shoulder.

'Nowe, lass; aw've tried th' hens and mi mother, and aw'm wrang i'
both, an' aw never knew aught bother thee but t' one or t' other
on 'em. Where mun I go next?'

Again there were tears in Miriam's eyes, and with one supreme
effort she raised her blushing face from Matt's shoulder to his
bushy whiskers, and burying her rosy lips near his ear, whispered
something, and then sank on his breast.

Then Matt drew his wife so closely to him that she bit her lips to
stifle the cry of pain that his love-clasp brought; and when he
let her go, it was that he might shower on her a rain of kisses,
diviner than had ever been hers in the seven happy years of their
past wedded life. For some minutes Matt sat with Miriam in his
arms, a spell of sanctity and silence filling the room. In that
silence both heard a voice--a little voice--preludious of the
music of heaven, and they peopled the light which haloed them with
a presence, childlike and pure. Then it was that Miriam looked up
at her husband and said:

'Th' promise is not brokken, thaa sees, after all. It's to us and
to aar childer, for all thi mother hes said so mich abaat it.'

'Ey, lass,' replied he, his manhood swept by emotion, 'o' sich is
the kingdom o' heaven.'

And a gleam of firelight fell on the darkening wall, and lit up an
old text which hung there, and they both read, 'Children are a
heritage from God.'

* * * * *

'An' arto baan to keep it a secret, lass?' asked Matt, when once
the spell of silence was broken.

'Why shouldn't I? There's no one as aw know as has any reet to
know but thee.'

'But they'll noan be so long i' findin' it aat. Then they'll never
let us alone, lass. There'll be some gammin', aw con tell thee.'

'I'm noan feared on 'em, Matt. I con stan' mi corner if thaa con.'

'Yi, a dozen corners naa, lass. Thaa knows it used to be hard
afore when they were all chaffin' me at th' factory, but they can
talk their tungs off naa for aught I care. But they'll soon find
it aat.'

'None as soon as thaa thinks, Matt. They've gan o'er sperrin
(being inquisitive) long sin', and when they're off th' scent
they're on th' wrang scent.'

'Aw think aw'd tell mi mother, lass, if aw were thee.'

'Let her find it aat, as t'others 'll hev to do.'

'As thaa likes, lass. But thaa knows hoo's fretted and prayed and
worrited hersel a deal abaat thee for mony a year. And if hoo deed
afore th' chi