w don't you be nervous or worried. I see you are not
strong, and you shall not be taxed any more than I can help. Goodby
for a little while."

Meantime Watterly stepped out a moment and gave his domestic a few
orders; then he accompanied Holcroft to the barn, and the horses were
soon attached to the market wagon. "You're in for it now, Jim, sure
enough," he said laughing. "What will Angy say to it all?"

"Tell her that I say you've been a mighty good friend to me, yet I hope
I may never return any favors of the same kind."

"By jocks! I hope not. I guess it's just as well she was away.
She'll think we've acted just like two harum-scarum men, and will be
awfully scandalized over your marrying this woman. Don't you feel a
little nervous about it?"

"No! When my mind's made up, I don't worry. Nobody else need lie
awake for it's my affair."

"Well, Jim, you know how I feel about it, but I've got to say something
and I might as well say it plain."

"That's the only way you ought to say it."

"Well, you talked long enough to give me plenty of time to think. One
thing is clear, Angy won't take to this marriage. You know I'd like to
have you both come in and take a meal as you always have done, but then
a man must keep peace with his wife, and--"

"I understand, Tom. We won't come till Mrs. Watterly asks us."

"But you won't have hard feelings?"

"No, indeed. Aint you doing your level best as a friend?"

"Well, you know women are so set about these things, and Angy is rather
hard on people who don't come up to her mark of respectability. What's
more, I suppose you'll find that others will think and act as she does.
If you cared about people's opinions I should have been dead against
it, but as you feel and are situated, I'm hanged if I don't think she's
just the one."

"If it hadn't been this one, I don't believe it would have been anyone.
Here we are," and he tied his horses before the office of the justice.

Mr. Harkins greeted Holcroft with a sort of patronizing cordiality, and
was good enough to remember that they had been at the little country
schoolhouse together. In Watterly he heartily recognized a brother
politician who controlled a goodly number of votes.

When Holcroft briefly made known his errand, the justice gave a great
guffaw of laughter and said, "Oh, bring her here! And I'll invite in
some of the boys as witnesses."

"I'm not afraid of all the witnesses that you could crowd into