at a distance so long as he lived under the
same roof with her. One evening he sulked
at some saucy remark of hers; he sitting in
the chimney-corner with his aims on his
knees and his head bent forwards, lazily gazing
into the wood-fire on the hearth, and luxuriating
in rest after a hard day's labour; she
sitting among the geraniums on the long, low
window-seat, trying to catch the last slanting
rays of the autumnal light, to enable her to
finish stitching a shirt-collar for Will, who
lounged full length on the flags at the other
side of the hearth to Michael, poking the
burning wood from time to time with a long
hazel-stick to bring out the leap of
glittering sparks.

"And if you can dance a threesome reel,
what good does it do ye? " asked Susan,
looking askance at Michael, who had just
been vaunting his proficiency. " Does it help
you plough, or reap, or even climb the rocks
to take a raven's nest. If I were a man I'd
be ashamed to give in to such softness."

"If you were a man you'd be glad to do
anything which made the pretty girls stand
round and admire."

'' As they do to you, eh! ho! Michael!
that would not be my way o' being a man."

"What would then? " asked he, after a
pause, during which he had expected in vain
that she would go on with her sentence. No
answer.

"I should not like you as a man, Susy.
You'd be too hard and headstrong."

"Am I hard and headstrong? " asked she
with as indifferent a tone as she could assume,
but which yet had a touch of pique in it. His
quick ear detected the inflexion.

"No, Susy! You're wilful at times, and
that's right enough. I don't like a girl without
spirit. There's a mighty pretty girl
comes to the dancing-class; but she is all
milk and water. Her eyes never flash like
your's when you're put out; why, I can see
them flame across the kitchen like a cat's
eyes in the dark. Now, if you were a man, I
should feel queer before those looks of your's;
as it is, I rather like them, because— "

"Because what? " asked she, looking up
and perceiving that he had stolen close up to
her.

"Because I can make all right in this way,"
said he, kissing her suddenly.

"Can you?  " said she, wrenching herself
out of his grasp and panting, half with rage.
"Take that, by way of proof that making
right is none so easy." And she boxed his
ears pretty sharply. He went back to his
seat discomfited and out of temper. She
could no longer see to look, even if her face
had not burnt and her eyes dazzled, but she
did not choose to move her seat, so she still
preserved her stooping attitude, and pretended
to go on sewing.

' Eleanor Hebthwaite may be milk-and-water,"
muttered he, " but— Confound thee,
lad! what art doing?" exclaimed Michael, as
a great piece of burning wood was cast into
his face by an unlucky poke of Will's. "Thou
great lounging clumsy chap, I'll teach thee
better! " and with one or two good round
kicks he sent the lad whimpering away into
the back kitchen. When he had a little
recovered himself from his passion, he saw
Susan standing before him, her face looking
strange and almost ghastly by the reversed
position of the shadows arising from the
firelight shining upwards right under it.

"I tell thee what, Michael," said she, "that
lad's motherless, but not friendless."

"His own father leathers him, and why
should not I, when he's given me such a burn,
on my face," said Michael, putting up his
hand to his cheek as if in pain.

"His father's his father, and there is
nought more to be said. But if he did burn
thee, it was by accident, and not o' purpose,
as thou kicked him; it's a mercy if his ribs
are not broken."

"He howls loud enough, I'm sure. I might
a kicked many a lad twice as hard and they'd
ne'er ha' said ought but damn ye; but yon
lad must needs cry out like a stuck pig if one
touches him," replied Michael sullenly.

Susan went back to the window-seat, and
looked absently out of the window at the
drifting clouds for a minute or two, while her
eyes filled with tears. Then she got up and
made for the outer door which led into the
back-kitchen. Before she reached it,
however, she heard a low voice, whose music
made her thrill, say —

"Susan, Susan!"

Her heart melted within her, but it
seemed like treachery to her poor boy, like
faithlessness to her dead mother to turn to
her lover while the tears which he had caused
to flow were yet unwiped on Will's cheeks.
So she seemed to take no heed but passed
into the darkness, and, guided by the sobs,
she found her way to where Willie sat
crouched among disused tubs and churns.

"Come out wi' me, lad;" and they went into
the orchard, where the fruit-trees were bare
of leaves, but ghastly in their tattered covering
of grey moss: and the soughing November
wind came with long sweeps over the fells till
it rattled among the crackling boughs,
underneath which the brother and sister sate in
the dark; he in her lap, and she hushing his
head against her shoulder.

"Thou shouldst na' play wi' fire. It's a
naughty trick. Thou'lt suffer for it in worse
ways nor this before thou'st done, I'm afeared.
I should ha' hit thee twice as lungeous kicks
as Mike, if I'd been in his place. He did na'
hurt thee, I am sure," she assumed, half as a
question.

"Yes! but he did. He turned me quite
sick." And he let his head fall languidly
down on his sister's breast.

"Come lad! come lad! " said she anxiously
"Be a man. It was not much that I saw.
Why, when first the red cow came she kicked