as just the same as ever, with a smile on
his face. You didn't often see it without one.

I knew he had come after me, and had given up his own fancy for mine.

'I thought you were going to stay and turn good,' I said. 'Why didn't
you?'

'It might have been better for me if I had,' he said, 'but you know very
well, Dick, that whatever turns up, whether it's for good or evil, you
and I go together.'

We looked at one another for a moment. Our eyes met. We didn't say
anything; but we understood one another as well as if we had talked for
a week. We rode up to the door of our cottage without speaking. The sun
had set, and some of the stars had come out, early as it was, for it
was late autumn. Aileen was sitting on a bench in the verandah reading,
mother was working away as usual at something in the house. Mother
couldn't read or write, but you never caught her sitting with her hands
before her. Except when she was asleep I don't think she ever was quite
still.

Aileen ran out to us, and stood while we let go our horses, and brought
the saddles and bridles under the verandah.

'I'm glad you're come home for one thing,' she said. 'There is a message
from father. He wants you to meet him.'

'Who brought it?' I said.

'One of the Dalys--Patsey, I think.'

'All right,' said Jim, kissing her as he lifted her up in his great
strong arms. 'I must go in and have a gossip with the old woman. Aileen
can tell me after tea. I daresay it's not so good that it won't keep.'

Mother was that fond of both of us that I believe, as sure as I sit
here, she'd have put her head on the block, or died in any other way for
either of her boys, not because it was her duty, but glad and cheerful
like, to have saved us from death or disgrace. I think she was fonder
of us two than she was of Aileen. Mothers are generally fonder of their
sons. Why I never could see; and if she thought more of one than the
other it was Jim. He was the youngest, and he had that kind of
big, frolicsome, loving way with him, like a Newfoundland pup about
half-grown. I always used to think, somehow, nobody ever seemed to be
able to get into a pelter with Jim, not even father, and that was a
thing as some people couldn't be got to believe. As for mother and
Aileen, they were as fond of him as if he'd been a big baby.

So while he went to sit down on the stretcher, and let mother put her
arms round his neck and hug him and cry over him, as she always did if
he'd