scenes
taking place, he was scarcely able to restrain roars of laughter.
Perched upon the fence, the widow called piteously for him to lift her
down, but he was not to be caught by any such device. At last, giving
up hope and still threatened by the heifer, she went over on the other
side. Knowing that she must make a detour before reaching the
dwelling, Holcroft went thither rapidly with the purpose of restoring
order at once. "Jane," he said sternly, "take that chair to the parlor
and leave it there. Let there be no more such nonsense."

At his approach, Mrs. Wiggins had retreated sullenly to the kitchen.
"Come," he ordered good-naturedly, "hasten breakfast and let there be
no more quarreling."

"Hif hi vas left to do me work hin peace--" she began.

"Well, you shall do it in peace."

At this moment Mrs. Mumpson came tearing in, quite oblivious of the
fact that she had left a goodly part of her calico skirt on a nail of
the fence. She was rushing toward Holcroft, when he said sternly, and
with a repellent gesture, "Stop and listen to me. If there's any more
of this quarreling like cats and dogs in my house, I'll send for the
constable and have you all arrested. If you are not all utterly
demented and hopeless fools, you will know that you came here to do my
work, and nothing else." Then catching a glimpse of Mrs. Mumpson's
dress, and fearing he should laugh outright, he turned abruptly on his
heel and went to his room, where he was in a divided state between
irrepressible mirth and vexation.

Mrs. Mumpson also fled to her room. She felt that the proper course
for her at this juncture was a fit of violent hysterics; but a prompt
douche from the water pitcher, administered by the unsympathetic Jane,
effectually checked the first symptoms. "Was ever a respecterble
woman--"

"You aint respectable," interrupted the girl, as she departed. "You
look like a scarecrow. 'Fi's you I'd begin to show some sense now."

Chapter XV.

"What is to Become of Me?"

Holcroft's reference to a constable and arrest, though scarcely
intended to be more than a vague threat, had the effect of clearing the
air like a clap of thunder. Jane had never lost her senses, such as
she possessed, and Mrs. Wiggins recovered hers sufficiently to
apologize to the farmer when he came down to breakfast. "But that
Mumpson's hawfully haggravatin', master, as ye know yeself, hi'm
a-thinkin'. Vud ye jis tell a body vat she is 'here, han