Hannah stood holding the cottage door wide open for his exit.

"Good morning, Hannah," he said smilingly, as he passed out.

She stepped after him, saying:

"Mr. Brudenell, sir, I must beg you not to come so far out of your way
again to bring us a fish. We thank you; but we could not accept it. This
also I must request you to take away." And detaching the rock fish from
the nail where it hung, she put it in his hands.

He laughed good-humoredly as he took it, and without further answer than
a low bow walked swiftly down the hill.

Hannah re-entered the hut and found herself in the midst of a tempest in
a tea-pot.

Nora had a fiery temper of her own, and now it blazed out upon her
sister--her beautiful face was stormy with grief and indignation as she
exclaimed:

"Oh, Hannah! how could you act so shamefully? To think that yesterday
you and I ate and drank and feasted and danced all day at his place, and
received so much kindness and attention from him besides, and to-day you
would scarcely let him sit down and warm his feet in ours! You treated
him worse than a dog, you did, Hannah. And he felt it, too. I saw he
did, though he was too much of a gentleman to show it! And as for me, I
could have died from mortification!"

"My child," answered Hannah gravely, "however badly you or he might have