Her face was quite aglow with excitement and a certain timid mischief as
she laughed: "Not while you are so solemn. It can wait."

He looked at his watch. "I must give some orders to Jim about the stock
before he turns in," he said.

"He's gone to the stables already," said Mrs. Rylands.

"No matter; I can go there and find him."

"Shall I bring your boots?" she said quickly.

"I'll put them on when I pass through the kitchen. I won't be long away.
Now go to bed. You are looking tired," he said gently, as he gazed at
the drawn lines about her eyes and mouth. Her former pretty color
struck him also as having changed of late, and as being irregular and
inharmonious.

As Mrs. Rylands obediently ascended the stairs she heaved a faint sigh,
her only recognition of her husband's criticism. He turned and passed
quickly into the kitchen. He wanted to be alone to collect his thoughts.
But he was surprised to find Jane still there, sitting bolt upright in
a chair in the corner. Apparently she had been expecting him, for as he
entered she stood up, and wiped her cheek and mouth with one hand, as if
to compress her lips the more tightly.

"I reckoned," she began, "that unless you war for forgettin' everythin'
in these yer goings on, ye'd be passin' through here to tend to your
stock. I've got a word to say to ye, Mr. Rylands. When I first kem over
here to help, I got word from the folks around that your wife afore