to approach him. Naomi recovered her self-possession, and checked me
before I could interfere.

"Who are you?" she asked, turning sharply toward the stranger. "What do
you want there?"

The man stepped out from the shadow into the moonlight, and stood
revealed to us as John Jago.

"I hope I am not intruding?" he said, looking hard at me.

"What do you want?" Naomi repeated.

"I don't wish to disturb you, or to disturb this gentleman," he
proceeded. "When you are quite at leisure, Miss Naomi, you would be
doing me a favor if you would permit me to say a few words to you in
private."

He spoke with the most scrupulous politeness; trying, and trying
vainly, to conceal some strong agitation which was in possession of
him. His wild brown eyes--wilder than ever in the moonlight--rested
entreatingly, with a strange underlying expression of despair, on
Naomi's face. His hands, clasped lightly in front of him, trembled
incessantly. Little as I liked the man, he did really impress me as a
pitiable object at that moment.

"Do you mean that you want to speak to me to-night?" Naomi asked, in
undisguised surprise.

"Yes, miss, if you please, at your leisure and at Mr. Lefrank's."

Naomi hesitated.

"Won't it keep till to-morrow?" she said.

"I shall be away on farm business to-morrow, miss, for the whole day.
Please to give me a few minutes this evening." He advanced a step
toward her; his voice faltered, and dropped timidly to a whisper. "I
really have something to say to you, Miss Naomi. It would be a kindness
on your part--a very, very great kindness--if you will let me say it
before I rest to-night."

I rose again to resign my place to him. Once more Naomi checked me.

"No," she said. "Don't stir." She addressed John Jago very reluctantly:
"If you are so much in earnest about it, Mr. John, I suppose it must
be. I can't guess what _you_ can possibly have to say to me which
cannot be said before a third person. However, it wouldn't be civil, I
suppose, to say 'No' in my place. You know it's my business to wind up
the hall-clock at ten every night. If you choose to come and help me,
the chances are that we shall have the hall to ourselves. Will that
do?"

"Not in the hall, miss, if you will excuse me."

"Not in the hall!"

"And not in the house either, if I may make so bold."

"What do you mean?" She turned impatiently, and appealed to me. "Do
_you_ understand him?"

John Jago signed to me imploringly to le