affectation.
It pleased everybody but Reuben, who had conceived a distaste for him
from the first. Perhaps, if he had not placed his chair so near to Ruth,
and had regarded her less often and with a less evident admiration, the
young man might have liked him better.

"Well," said Fuller, "we are here pretty nigh every evenin' while the
fine weather lasts. We happen to be here this afternoon because young
Mr. Gold is goin' away for to-night to Castle Barfield. You'll find we
here almost of any evenin'--to-morrow, to begin with."

"We had better be going now, Ferdinand," said his lordship, who dreaded
the new beginning of the music. "Good-afternoon, Fuller. Good-afternoon,
Eld. Good-afternoon, Gold."

"Good-day, my lord," said Reuben, rather gloomily. He had not spoken
until now, and Ferdinand had wished to note the accent. There was none
to note in the few words he uttered.

"Your little girl is growing into a woman, Fuller," said his lordship.

"That's the way wi' most gells, my lord," said Fuller.

"Good-afternoon, Miss Ruth," said the old nobleman, nodding and smiling.

"Good-afternoon, my lord," said Ruth. Ferdinand's attentive ear noted
again the absence of the district accent. He removed his cap and bowed
to her.

"Good-afternoon. I may come to-morrow evening, then?" The query was
addressed to her, but she did not answer it, either by glance or word.
She had answered his bow and turned away before he had spoken.

"Ay," said Fuller; "come and welcome."

He bowed and smiled all round, and walked away with his lordship. He
turned at the garden door for a final glance at the pretty girl, but she
had her back turned upon him, and was leaning both hands on her father's
shoulder.

CHAPTER IV.

The rustic little church at Heydon Hay made a nucleus for the village,
which, close at hand, clustered about it pretty thickly, but soon
began to fray off into scattered edges, as if the force of attraction
decreased with distance, after the established rule. Beside the
church-yard, and separated from it by a high brick wall, was a garden,
fronted by half a dozen slim and lofty poplars. Within the churchyard
the wall was only on a level with the topmost tufts of grass, but on the
garden side it stood six feet high, and was bulged out somewhat by the
weight of earth which pressed against it. Facing the tall poplars was
a house of two stories. It looked like a short row of houses, for
it boasted three front doors.