e were not inclined to say. 'I go that way when the
grass is wet,' she returned at last.

'It is not wet now,' he persisted; 'the sun has been shining on it these
nine hours.' The fact was that the way by the path was less open than by
the road, and Festus wished to walk with her uninterrupted. 'But, of
course, it is nothing to me what you do.' He flung himself from the
stile and walked away towards the house.

Anne, supposing him really indifferent, took the same way, upon which he
turned his head and waited for her with a proud smile.

'I cannot go with you,' she said decisively.

'Nonsense, you foolish girl! I must walk along with you down to the
corner.'

'No, please, Mr. Derriman; we might be seen.'

'Now, now--that's shyness!' he said jocosely.

'No; you know I cannot let you.'

'But I must.'

'But I do not allow it.'

'Allow it or not, I will.'

'Then you are unkind, and I must submit,' she said, her eyes brimming
with tears.

'Ho, ho; what a shame of me! My wig, I won't do any such thing for the
world,' said the repentant yeoman. 'Haw, haw; why, I thought your "go
away" meant "come on," as it does with so many of the women I meet,
especially in these clothes. Who was to know you were so confoundedly
serious?'

As he did not go Anne stood still and said nothing.

'I see you have a deal more caution and a deal less good-nature than I
ever thought you had,' he continued emphatically.

'No, sir; it is not any planned manner of mine at all,' she said
earnestly. 'But you will see, I am sure, that I could not go down to the
hall with you without putting myself in a wrong light.'

'Yes; that's it, that's it. I am only a fellow in the yeomanry cavalry--a
plain soldier, I may say; and we know what women think of such: that they
are a bad lot--men you mustn't speak to for fear of losing your
character--chaps you avoid in the roads--chaps that come into a house
like oxen, daub the stairs wi' their boots, stain the furniture wi' their
drink, talk rubbish to the servants, abuse all that's holy and righteous,
and are only saved from being carried off by Old Nick because they are
wanted for Boney.'

'Indeed, I didn't know you were thought so bad of as that,' said she
simply.

'What! don't my uncle complain to you of me? You are a favourite of that
handsome, nice old gaffer's, I know.'

'Never.'

'Well, what do we think of our nice trumpet-major, hey?'

Anne closed her mouth up tight, buil