window,
and leading you to follow me.'

'Not a bit,' said Anne, seeing his mistake as to the state of her heart,
and being rather angry with him for it. 'I think it was most natural,
considering the noise.'

Silence again. 'Derriman is sober as a judge,' said Loveday, as they
turned to go. 'It was only the others who were noisy.'

'Whether he is sober or not is nothing whatever to me,' said Anne.

'Of course not. I know it,' said the trumpet-major, in accents
expressing unhappiness at her somewhat curt tone, and some doubt of her
assurance.

Before they had emerged from the shadow of the hall some persons were
seen moving along the road. Loveday was for going on just the same; but
Anne, from a shy feeling that it was as well not to be seen walking alone
with a man who was not her lover, said--

'Mr. Loveday, let us wait here a minute till they have passed.'

On nearer view the group was seen to comprise a man on a piebald horse,
and another man walking beside him. When they were opposite the house
they halted, and the rider dismounted, whereupon a dispute between him
and the other man ensued, apparently on a question of money.

''Tis old Mr. Derriman come home!' said Anne. 'He has hired that horse
from the bathing-machine to bring him. Only fancy!'

Before they had gone many steps further the farmer and his companion had
ended their dispute, and the latter mounted the horse and cantered away,
Uncle Benjy coming on to the house at a nimble pace. As soon as he
observed Loveday and Anne, he fell into a feebler gait; when they came up
he recognized Anne.

'And you have torn yourself away from King George's Esplanade so soon,
Farmer Derriman?' said she.

'Yes, faith! I couldn't bide at such a ruination place,' said the
farmer. 'Your hand in your pocket every minute of the day. 'Tis a
shilling for this, half-a-crown for that; if you only eat one egg, or
even a poor windfall of an apple, you've got to pay; and a bunch o'
radishes is a halfpenny, and a quart o' cider a good tuppence
three-farthings at lowest reckoning. Nothing without paying! I couldn't
even get a ride homeward upon that screw without the man wanting a
shilling for it, when my weight didn't take a penny out of the beast.
I've saved a penn'orth or so of shoeleather to be sure; but the saddle
was so rough wi' patches that 'a took twopence out of the seat of my best
breeches. King George hev' ruined the town for other folks. More than