landlord, had held out a finger
to the new-comer, not to speak of a hand; while all regarded
his presence at North Aston as rather a liberty than otherwise.
Nevertheless, as time would show, though he had come there without
purpose and lived among the people without interest, he would not be
found without his uses, and one at least of the threads making up the
skein of life at North Aston would be placed in his hands.

As Leam came to the side both Edgar Harrowby and Alick Corfield turned
to greet her, the usually sad face of the curate, already brightened
by fresh air and exercise, brighter still at seeing her, the handsome
head of the squire held a little higher as his figure involuntarily
straightened and he put out his best powers in her honor. But Alick's
shambling legs carried him fastest, and he was first at the edge, the
neighborhood looking on, prepared to build a Tower of Babel heaven
high on the foundation of a single brick. Leam Dundas had not yet been
fitted with her hypothetical mate, and people wanted to see to whom
they were to give her.

"Oh, come on with me!" cried Alick as soon as he came up, speaking
with the unconscious familiarity of gladness at the advent for which
he had watched so long. He held out his arm to Leam crooked awkwardly
at the elbow.

"No," said Leam a little shortly.

She always stiffened when Alick spoke to her before folk with anything
like intimacy in his manner. He was her good friend, granted, and she
liked him in a way and respected him in a way, though he was still too
much after the pattern of her former slave and dog to gain her best
esteem. She was one of those women who are arbitrary and disdainful to
masculine weakness, and require to be absolutely dominated by men if
they are to respect them as men like to be respected by women, and
as--_pace_ the Shriekers--the true woman likes to respect men. And
Alick, though he had her in his hands and might destroy her at a
word--clergyman, too, as he was, and thus possessing the key to higher
things than she knew--was always so humble, so subservient, he made
her feel as if she was his superior--not, as it should have been, that
he was hers. In consequence, girl-like, proud and shy, she treated
him with more disdain than she ought to have done, and used the power
which he himself gave her without much consideration as to its effect.
Besides, she did not wish to let people think he knew too much of
her. With the nervous fancy