that ye're not murdered when Saul gets drunk at the first house; and
we'll take my aunt too, as we can't leave her behind; and we'll take the
cow that has to be milked, and the pigs and hens that have to be fed;
and when we get there, we'll settle down without any house to live in,
and feed on air."

His sarcasm came from him like the sweat of anger; he did not seem to
take any voluntary interest in the play of his words. His manner was
cool, but it was noticeable that he had stopped his work and was merely
cutting a piece of wood with his jack-knife. As she looked at him
steadily he whittled the more savagely.

The other man laughed again, and wriggled as he laughed.

"No," she replied, "you can't come, I know; but I can take care of
myself."

"It's a thieving, drunken lot of fellows Saul will fall in with. Ye may
prefer their society to mine, but I'll not risk it."

"I can go to the minister."

"And his wife would make a kitchen-girl of ye, and ye'd run off from her
in a week. If ye'd not stay here, where ye have it all your own way,
it's not long that ye'd put up wi' my lady's fault-finding; and
ministers and their wives isn't much better than other folks--I've told
ye before what I think of that sort of truck."

There was a glitter in her eyes that would have startled him, but he did
not see it. He was looking only at the wood he was cutting, but he never