respected townsman. He had meant from the first to end with a paunch.
But now wealth was inalienably his and Beauty could beckon him on no
strange pilgrimages, his soul retraced its steps and contemplated this
bright thing as an earth creature might creep to the mouth of its lair
and blink at the sun. And there was more than that to it. He loved her.
He had never had enough to do with pitiful things (his wife Elizabeth
had been a banker's daughter), and this, child had come to him, that day
in June, so white, so weak, so chilled to the bone, for all the summer
heat, by her monstrous ill-usage....

He said, "Nelly, will your mother be feared if you stop and take a few
notes for Mr. Philip till eight? There is a chemist body coming through
from the cordite works at Aberfay who can't come in the day but Saturday
mornings, and you ken Mr. Philip's away to London for the week-end by
the 8.30, so he's seeing him the night. Mr. Philip would be thankful if
you'd stop."

"I will so, Mr. James," said Ellen.

"You're sure your mother'll not be feared?"

"What way would my mother be feared," said Ellen, "and me seventeen
past?"

"There's many a lassie who's found being seventeen no protection from a
wicked world." He emitted some great Burns-night chuckles, and kicked
the fire to a blaze.

She said sternly, "Take note, Mr. James, that I haven't done a hand's
turn this hour or more, and that not for want of asking for work. Dear