ilas, to whom
she keeps murmuring little sentences as to who was at church and who
was not at church, and how pretty the red mountain-ash is over the
Rectory wall?

"I wish _we_ had a little garden, father, with double daisies in, like
Mrs. Winthrop's," said Eppie, when they were out in the lane; "only
they say it 'ud take a deal of digging and bringing fresh soil--and you
couldn't do that, could you, father? Anyhow, I shouldn't like you to
do it, for it 'ud be too hard work for you."

"Yes, I could do it, child, if you want a bit o' garden: these long
evenings, I could work at taking in a little bit o' the waste, just
enough for a root or two o' flowers for you; and again, i' the morning,
I could have a turn wi' the spade before I sat down to the loom. Why
didn't you tell me before as you wanted a bit o' garden?"

"_I_ can dig it for you, Master Marner," said the young man in fustian,
who was now by Eppie's side, entering into the conversation without the
trouble of formalities. "It'll be play to me after I've done my day's
work, or any odd bits o' time when the work's slack. And I'll bring
you some soil from Mr. Cass's garden--he'll let me, and willing."

"Eh, Aaron, my lad, are you there?" said Silas; "I wasn't aware of
you; for when Eppie's talking o' things, I see nothing but what she's
a-saying. Well, if you could help me with the digging, we might get
her a bit o' garden all the sooner."

"Then, if you think well and good," said Aaron, "I'll come to the
Stone-pits this afternoon, and we'll settle what land's to be taken in,
and I'll get up an hour earlier i' the morning, and begin on it."

"But not if you don't promise me not to work at the hard digging,
father," said Eppie. "For I shouldn't ha' said anything about it," she
added, half-bashfully, half-roguishly, "only Mrs. Winthrop said as
Aaron 'ud be so good, and--"

"And you might ha' known it without mother telling you," said Aaron.
"And Master Marner knows too, I hope, as I'm able and willing to do a
turn o' work for him, and he won't do me the unkindness to anyways take
it out o' my hands."

"There, now, father, you won't work in it till it's all easy," said
Eppie, "and you and me can mark out the beds, and make holes and plant
the roots. It'll be a deal livelier at the Stone-pits when we've got
some flowers, for I always think the flowers can see us and know what
we're talking about. And I'll have a bit o' rosemary, and bergamot,
and thy