but he was not a boy of ready speech, and, before he could utter a word,
Tim burst in before him with a question, 'Please, is there a Tim in the
Bible?' he asked.

'Yes,' answered Miss Anne, smiling again; 'he was a young man who knew
the Bible from his youth.'

'That ain't me, however,' said Tim in a despondent tone.

'There is nothing now to prevent you beginning to know it,' continued
Miss Anne. 'Listen: as Stephen cannot come to me at Botfield, you shall
meet me in the Red Gravel Pit at nine o'clock on a Sunday morning as long
as the summer lasts, and I will teach you all. Bring little Nan with you,
Stephen.'

Down the same narrow green pathway trodden by the feet of Stephen's angry
master and his brother the evening before, they now watched the little
light figure of the young lady, as she slowly vanished out of their
sight. When the gleaming of her dress was quite lost, Stephen rubbed his
eyes for a moment, and then turned to Martha and Tim.

'Is she a real woman, dost think?' he asked.

'A real woman!' repeated Martha rather scornfully; 'of course she is; and
it's a real silk gown she had on, I can tell thee. Spirits don't go about
in silk gowns and broad daylight, never as I heard tell of, lad.'