Sweet came up, all on his own, with a bit of startling news.

"I wasn't listening," he said, "and I should feel a good bit put out if
you thought I was; but passing the parlour door last Sunday, I heard the
man at her again! I catched the words, 'We're neither of us growing any
younger, Mary Blake,' and then I passed on my way. And coming back a bit
later, with my ear open, out of respect for the missis, I heard the man
kiss her--I'll swear he did--for you can't mistake the sound if once
you've heard it. And she made a noise like a kettle bubbling over. And so
of course, I felt that it would be doing less than my duty if I didn't
come over and tell you, because your sister's eyes was red as fire at
supper table, and 'twas very clear she'd been weeping a bucketful about
it. And me and my wife feel 'tis an outrageous thing and something ought
to be done against the man."

Well, I went over next morning, and Mary wouldn't see me! For the only
time in all our lives, she wouldn't see me. And first I was properly angry
with her, and next, of course, I thought how 'twas, and guessed the man
had forbidden her to speak to me for fear of my power over her. Him I
couldn't see neither, because he was gone to Plymouth. Of course he'd gone
for craft, that I shouldn't tackle him. So I left it there, and walked
home very much enraged against Bob Battle. Because I felt it was getting
to be a proper struggle between him and me for Mary; and that it was about
time I set to work against him in earnest.

The climax happened a week later, when the Lord's Day came round again,
and we went to church as usual. Then a proper awful shock fell on me and
my wife.

For at the appointed time, if the Reverend Batson didn't ax 'em out!
"Robert Battle, bachelor, and Mary Blake, spinster, both of this parish,"
he said; and so I knew the old rascal had gone too far at last and guessed
it was time I took him in hand like a man. I remember getting red-hot all
over and feeling a rush of righteous anger fill my heart; and an angry man
will do anything, so I got up in the eye of all the people--an act very
contrary to my nature, I'm sure. The place swam before my eyes and I was
only conscious of one thing: my wife tugging at my tail to drag me down.
But nought could have shut me up at that tragical moment, and I spoke with
a loud and steady voice.

"I deny it and defy it, Reverend Batson," I said, when he asked if anybody
knew 'just cause'; and the people