but it was to be observed that his eyes avoided his wife's.

"Hullo, naybour!" he shouted, perceiving Nicky-Nan. "Well, now, I
count this real friendly of ye, to come an' give me the send-off."
And indeed Nicky's presence seemed to be a sensible relief to him.
"Haven't ate all the eggs, I hope? For I be hungry as a hunter.
. . . Well, so it's War for sure, and a man must go off to do his
little bit; though how it happened--" In the act of helping
himself he glanced merrily around the table. "Eh, 'Beida, my li'l
gel, what be you starin' at so hard?"

"Father looks fine, don't-a?" responded 'Beida, addressing the
company.

"What I want to know," said 'Bert, "is why he couldn' have married
Mother years afore he did--an' then I'd have been a man an' able to
work a gun."

"Ho!" Mr Penhaligon brought his fist down on the table with huge
enjoyment. "Hear that, my dear? Wants to know why we didn' marry
years afore we did?" He turned to his wife, appealing to her to
enjoy the joke, but hastily averted his eyes. "Well, now, I'll tell
ye, sonny--if it's strictly atween you an' me an' the bedpost.
I asked her half a dozen times: but she wouldn' have me. No: look at
me she wouldn' till I'd pined away in flesh for her, same as you see
me at present. . . . Eh, M'ria? What's your version?"

Mrs Penhaligon burst into tears; and then, as her husband jumped up
to console her, started to scold the children furiously for dawdling
over breakfast, when goodness knew, with their clothes in such a