the sun was up. The reaping began. Katie
would bind for Alick; and, during the
day, the two exchanged a good many sharp
words. Rob M'Lean came to lend a hand in
the afternoon, and the men soon found each
other out; but Rob had a decided advantage
over the other. "Was there ever such a
wild Irishman, all tatters and rags, ever seen
in the country-side before?" whispered Rob
to Katie, as they sat under a tree, at four
o'clock, eating the 'lowance that had been
brought from the house; Katie gave Alick
a sly glance, and said "No." And, as
Alick overheard both question and answer,
he vowed vengeance against Rob.

That night in the lane there was Jasper
Linfoot and Phil Cressy; and Katie talked
and laughed with both of them; and the next
day she was gossiping with Peter Askew
over the field-style; and in the evening Torn
Carter brought her some shreds of scarlet
cloth that she wanted to weave into a mat,
and Katie chattered with him; and the
next day Johnny Martin came with an offering
of summer apples, which (Alick being
there to see) were graciously accepted. So
Johnny was heartened into staying half-an-
hour, sighing and smiling spasmodically.
Alick went out very wrathful. "So many rivals
are too many for one man," thought he. And,
all the following morning, he took no more
notice of Katie than he did of Kester—I
mean, he seemed not to take notice of her.

Katie was as cross as sticks, and
pretended she was ill, and must go home.
Home, accordingly, she went, and tangled her
knitting horribly. She had not been there
long, when Alick came in at the gate with a
long face, holding his hand in a handkerchief
all stained with blood. Up sprang Katie,
the colour going out of her face with fright.

"You're hurt, Alick! O how have you
done it? Let me see and bind it up."

"The least bit in creation, Miss Katie;
but you're the best binder in the world, and
it'll heal under your eyes," replied the wily
Alick, uncovering the injured hand.

Katie got a sponge and water, and bathed
it, and her pity fled.

"It's not much more than a scratch," said
she; so Alick groaned miserably.

"Surely, Miss Katie, it's the hard heart
you've got, for all your bonnie face," said he,
reproachfully.

Katie blushed. Nobody else's compliments
had ever had that pleasing effect before; and
Alick suddenly took heart of grace, and said
one or two more pretty things that did not
seem to vex Katie very much. The dressing
of the wound being done, Alick was obliged
to go back to the field; carrying the 'lowance
was an excuse for Katie to return too; so,
leaving her ball to the mercy of the cat
on the floor, she got the basket and stone
bottle of beer ready, and followed Alick.
The reapers said 'lowance was early that
day, and her father found fault about it.

Alick's reflections were of a more cheerful
turn now. "Too many rivals may be as
good as none," he thought. Indeed, he had
found out—who knows by what freemasonry?
—that Katie liked nobody so well as him; and
he turned his discovery to good account. Did
she encourage Rob, or Jasper, or Peter,
or Johnny, or any one of her many admirers,
by word or smile, he devoted himself to
Jennie, the pretty Irish girl, who was
binding at Marshall's farm; and Katie's
pillow could have testified that he had ample
revenge.

Thus they went on till the last shock
was in stack, and the Irish reapers began to
travel north in search of fresh pastures. All
went but Alick; and he, from his quick wit
and sharp eye, had won favour with the
Squire's head keeper, who retained him as
one of his watchers.

Although he had arrived at Harwood a
scarecrow of rags, who so trim and spruce
now as Alick? Katie had a secret pride
in his appearance, as, with his gun on his
arm and his game-bag slung over his shoulder,
he followed the Squire in the woods,
—looking, as she thought, far the finer and
handsomer gentleman. That Johnny's face
had now become perfectly sickening to her,
and none the less so because Kester would talk
of their marriage; for the young man had
been chosen village schoolmaster, with a
salary of thirty pounds, a cottage and garden
rent-free, and coals ad libitum; so that he
had a home to take her to.

Katie was having a good cry one afternoon
in the house by herself, over the thoughts of
Johnny, when there came a knock to the
door. She got up and opened it, expecting
to see a neighbour come in for a gossip; but,
instead, there stood Alick.

Directly he saw what she had been about
he cried, "Who has been vexing thee, Katie?
Only tell me,—tell me, Katie!" And a
smile broke through her tears as she said,
"O Alick, it's that Johnny!" And they
looked in each other's faces and laughed.

What Alick said more, this tradition
betrayeth not; but, whatever it was, Johnny's
prospects of a wife were not increased
thereby; and when Alick went away home to
his cottage at the park gate, it was with a
triumphant step and his curly head in the
air; and Katie cried no more over her knitting
that afternoon.

v.

VILLAGE gossip soon proclaimed the fact of
Alick's visits to Kester Pateman's cottage;
and amongst the first to hear of them was
Johnny. He went and remonstrated with
Katie, and threatened to tell her father.
Katie's blood was up, and she dared him
to tell at once. So Johnny did tell, and
Kester bade Alick keep away. "Katie's
for no Irish beggar, but for a decent
Harwood lad," said he, surlily. "And you'll