"Was that his daughter--that nice-looking young woman you were
talking to?"

"Yes, sir, it was."

And he stole a shy pleased look at me out of the corners of his
eyes.

"It's a good thing," I said, "to have an honest experienced old mill
like yours, that can manage to go on of itself for a little while
now and then."

This gave a great help to his budding confidence. He laughed.

"Well, sir, it's not very often it's left to itself. Jane isn't at
her father's above once or twice a week at most."

"She doesn't live with them, then?"

"No, sir. You see they're both hearty, and they ain't over well to
do, and Jane lives up at the Hall, sir. She's upper housemaid, and
waits on one of the young ladies.--Old Rogers has seen a great deal
of the world, sir."

"So I imagine. I am just going to see him. Good morning."

I jumped across the stream, and went up a little gravel-walk, which
led me in a few yards to the cottage-door. It was a sweet place to
live in, with honeysuckle growing over the house, and the sounds of
the softly-labouring mill-wheel ever in its little porch and about