two years I had been away had not improved her. She was more noisy,
and her talk was more coarse, and many an oath was on her lips. I saw
it, but I didn't care, because I had become quite reckless, and my
laugh and my jokes were louder than anyone's in the room.

"'Well, wherever you have been,' says Bella, 'you're very much
improved, Gethin.'

"'Am I that?' says I. 'And how, then?'

"'Oh, well, you are not afraid of a joke, and you've not got that hard
look on your mouth when you hear a light word. Oh, anwl! I was afraid
of you those days; but I will say you had a kind heart, Gethin Owens.'

"'Well,' I says, 'that's alright still, whatever.'"

"'Well then,' she says, 'if it is, you'll take me to the Vampire
Theatre to-night. Come on, Gethin Owens, for the sake of old times,'
she says; and I was glad to see her, certainly, 'twas so long since I
had met an old friend, and the brandy had got in my head a little,
though I hadn't had so much as Bella.

"'Come on, then,' sez I, for I couldn't refuse her when she said 'for
the sake of old times'; and I looked round for Ben Barlow to tell him I
was going, but I couldn't see him anywhere. Well, off we went
together, and when we got out in the street, in spite of the flaring
gas-lamps, you could see 'twas a beautiful night. The moon was shining
round and clear above us, and I never could see the full moon, Sara,
even far away in foreign countries, without thinking of Garthowen
slopes and the moor. Well, this night they came before me very plain,