ted, demonstrable lie. And
yet it was a lie which, by its mere telling, might be made available
for its intended purpose. If it were known through the capital that
Crasweller was anxious to obtain a year's grace by means of so foul a
lie, the year's grace would be accorded to him. And then the Fixed
Period would be at an end.

"I will tell you what it is," said he, anxious to represent his
wishes to me in another light. "Grundle wants to get rid of me."

"Grundle, I fear, has truth on his side," said I, determined to show
him that I, at any rate, would not consent to lend myself to the
furtherance of a falsehood.

"Grundle wants to get rid of me," he repeated in the same tone. "But
he shan't find that I am so easy to deal with. Eva already does
not above half like him. Eva thinks that this depositing plan is
abominable. She says that no good Christians ever thought of it."

"A child--a sweet child--but still only a child; and brought up by
her mother with all the old prejudices."

"I don't know much about that. I never knew a decent woman who wasn't
an Episcopalian. Eva is at any rate a good girl, to endeavour to save
her father; and I'll tell you what--it is not too late yet. As far as
my opinion goes, Jack Neverbend is ten to one a better sort of fellow
than Abraham Grundle. Of course a promise has been made; but promises
are like pie-crusts. Don't you think that Jack Neverbend is quite old
enough to marry a wife, and that he only needs be told to make up
his mind to do it? Little Christchurch would do just as well for him
as for Grundle. If he don't think much of the girl he must think
something of the sheep."

Not think much of the girl! Just at this time Jack was talking to
his mother, morning, noon, and night, about Eva, and threatening
young Grundle with all kinds of schoolboy punishments if he should
persevere in his suit. Only yesterday he had insulted Abraham
grossly, and, as I had reason to suspect, had been more than once
out to Christchurch on some clandestine object, as to which it was
necessary, he thought, to keep old Crasweller in the dark. And then
to be told in this manner that Jack didn't think much of Eva, and
should be encouraged in preference to look after the sheep! He would
have sacrificed every sheep on the place for the sake of half an hour
with Eva alone in the woods. But he was afraid of Crasweller, whom he
knew to have sanctioned an engagement with Abraham Grundle.

"I don't think