"Morethantwomiles,"saidAgatha。"Weshouldbedrowned。"
　　"Thereisnothingforitbuttowaithereunderthetrees,"saidMissWilson。
　　"Thebranchesareverybare,"saidGertrudeanxiously。"Ifitshouldcomedownheavilytheywilldripworsethantherainitself。"
　　"Muchworse,"saidAgatha。"Ithinkwehadbettergetundertheverandaoftheoldchalet。Itisnothalfaminute'swalkfromhere。"
　　"Butwehavenoright——"Heretheskydarkenedthreateningly。
　　MissWilsoncheckedherselfandsaid,"Isupposeitisstillempty。"
　　"Ofcourse,"repliedAgatha,impatienttobemoving。"Itisalmostaruin。"
　　"Thenletusgothere,byallmeans,"saidMissWilson,notdisposedtostandontriflesattheriskofabadcold。
　　Theyhurriedon,andcamepresentlytoagreenhillbythewayside。OntheslopewasadilapidatedSwisscottage,surroundedbyaverandaonslenderwoodenpillars,aboutwhichclungafewtendrilsofwitheredcreeper,theirstrayendsstillswingingfromtherecentwind,nowmomentarilyhushedasiflisteningforthecomingoftherain。Accessfromtheroadwaywasbyaroughwoodengateinthehedge。TothesurpriseofAgatha,whohadlastseenthisgateoffitshingesandonlyattachedtothepostbyarustychainandpadlock,itwasnowrehungandfastenedbyanewhasp。Theweatheradmittingofnodelaytoconsidertheserepairs,sheopenedthegateandhasteneduptheslope,followedbythetroopofgirls。Theirascentendedwitharush,fortherainsuddenlycamedownintorrents。
　　Whentheyweresafeundertheveranda,panting,laughing,grumbling,orcongratulatingthemselvesonhavingbeensoclosetoaplaceofshelter,MissWilsonobserved,withsomeuneasiness,aspade——new,likethehaspofthegate——stickinguprightinapatchofgroundthatsomeonehadevidentlybeendigginglately。Shewasabouttocommentonthissignofhabitation,whenthedoorofthechaletwasflungopen,andJanescreamedasamandartedouttothespade,whichhewasabouttocarryinoutofthewet,whenheperceivedthecompanyundertheveranda,andstoodstillinamazement。Hewasayounglaborerwithareddish—brownbeardofaweek'sgrowth。Heworecorduroytrousersandalinen—sleevedcorduroyvest;both,likethehaspandspade,new。Acoarseblueshirt,withavulgarred—and—orangeneckerchief,alsonew,completedhisdress;and,toshieldhimselffromtherain,heheldupasilkumbrellawithasilver—mountedebonyhandle,whichheseemedunlikelytohavecomebyhonestly。MissWilsonfeltlikeaboycaughtrobbinganorchard,butsheputaboldfaceonthematterandsaid:
　　"Willyouallowustotakeshelterhereuntiltherainisover？"
　　"Forcertain,yourladyship,"hereplied,respectfullyapplyingthespadehandletohishair,whichwascombeddowntohiseyebrows。"Yourladyshipdoesmeproudtotakerefugefromtheonclemencyoftheyallovrmentsbeneathmy'umblerooftree。"Hisaccentwasbarbarous;andhe,likealowcomedian,seemedtorelishitsvulgarity。Ashespokehecameinamongthemforshelter,andproppedhisspadeagainstthewallofthechalet,kickingthesoilfromhishobnailedblucherboots,whichwerenew。
　　"Icameout,honoredlady,"heresumed,muchathisease,"tohousemyspade,wherebyIearnmyliving。Whatthepenistothepoet,suchisthespadetotheworkingman。"Hetookthekerchieffromhisneck,wipedhistemplesasifthesweatofhonesttoilwerethere,andcalmlytieditonagain。
　　"Ifyou'll'scusearemarkfromacommonman,"heobserved,"yourladyshiphasafinefamilyofdaughters。"
　　"Theyarenotmydaughters,"saidMissWilson,rathershortly。
　　"Sisters,mebbe？"
　　"No。"
　　"Ithoughttheymoutbe,acauseIhaveasistermyself。NotthatIwouldmakeboldfortodrorcomparisons,eveninmyownmind,forshe'sonlyacommonwoman——ascommonaoneaseveryousee。
　　Butfewwomenriseabovethecommon。LastSunday,inyonvillagechurch,Iheardtheministerreadoutthatonemaninathousandhadhefound,'butonewomaninallthese,'hesays,'haveInotfound,'andIthinkstomyself,'Rightyouare！'ButIwarranthenevermetyourladyship。"
　　Alaugh,thinlydisguisedasacough,escapedfromMissCarpenter。
　　"Youngladya—ketchin'cold,I'mafeerd,"hesaid,withrespectfulsolicitude。
　　"Doyouthinktherainwilllastlong？"saidAgathapolitely。
　　Themanexaminedtheskywithaweather—wiseairforsomemoments。ThenheturnedtoAgatha,andrepliedhumbly:"TheLordonlyknows,Miss。Itisnotforacommonmanlikemetosay。"
　　Silenceensued,duringwhichAgatha,furtivelyscrutinizingthetenantofthechalet,noticedthathisfaceandneckwerecleanerandlesssunburntthanthoseoftheordinarytoilersofLyvern。
　　Hishandswerehiddenbylargegardeningglovesstainedwithcoaldust。Lyvernlaborers,asarule,hadlittleobjectiontosoiltheirhands;theyneverworegloves。Still,shethought,therewasnoreasonwhyaneccentricworkman,insufferablytalkative,andcapableofanallusiontothepenofthepoet,shouldnotindulgehimselfwithcheapgloves。Butthenthesilk,silvermountedumbrella——
　　"Theyounglady'shi,"hesaidsuddenly,holdingouttheumbrella,"isfixedonthishere。Iamwellawarethatitisnotforthelowestofthelowtocarryagentleman'sbrolly,andI
　　askyourladyship'spardonfortheliberty。Icomebyitaccidental—like,andshouldbegladofareasonableofferfromanygentlemaninwantofahonestarticle。"
　　Ashespoketwogentlemen,muchinwantofthearticle,astheirclingingwetcoatsshowed,ranthroughthegatewayandmadeforthechalet。Fairholmearrivedfirst,exclaiming:"Fearfulshower！"andbrisklyturnedhisbacktotheladiesinordertostandattheedgeoftheverandaandshakethewateroutofhishat。Josephscamenext,shrinkingfromthedampcontactofhisowngarments。HecringedtoMissWilson,andhopedthatshehadescapedawetting。
　　"SofarIhave,"shereplied。"Thequestionis,howarewetogethome？"
　　"Oh,it'sonlyashower,"saidJosephs,lookingupcheerfullyattheunbrokencurtainofcloud。"Itwillclearuppresently。"
　　"Itain'tforacommonmantosetuphisopinionagain'agentlemanwothaveprofesh'nalknowledgeoftheheavens,asonemaysay,"saidtheman,"butIwould'umblyoffertobetmyumbrellartohiswideawakethatitdon'tceaserainingthissideofseveno'clock。"
　　"Thatmanliveshere,"whisperedMissWilson,"andIsupposehewantstogetridofus。"
　　"H'm！"saidFairholme。Then,turningtothestrangelaborerwiththeairofapersonnottobetrifledwith,heraisedhisvoice,andsaid:"Youlivehere,doyou,myman？"
　　"Ido,sir,byyourgoodleave,ifImaymakesobold。"
　　"What'syourname？"
　　"JeffSmilash,sir,atyourservice。"
　　"Wheredoyoucomefrom？"
　　"Brixtonbury,sir。"
　　"Brixtonbury！Where'sthat？"
　　"Well,sir,Idon'trightlyknow。Ifagentlemanlikeyou,knowingjographyandsuch,can'ttell,howcanI？"
　　"Yououghttoknowwhereyouwereborn,man。Haven'tyougotcommonsense？"
　　"Wherecouldsuchaoneasmegetcommonsense,sir？Besides,I
　　wasonlyafoundling。MebbeIwarn'sbornatall。"
　　"DidIseeyouatchurchlastSunday？"
　　"No,sir。Ionlycomeo'Wensday。"
　　"Well,letmeseeyoutherenextSunday,"saidFairholmeshortly,turningawayfromhim。
　　MissWilsonlookedattheweather,atJosephs,whowasconversingwithJane,andfinallyatSmilash,whoknuckledhisforeheadwithoutwaitingtobeaddressed。
　　"HaveyouaboywhomyoucansendtoLyverntogetusaconveyance——acarriage？Iwillgivehimashillingforhistrouble。"
　　"Ashilling！"saidSmilashjoyfully。"Yourladyshipisanoblelady。Twofour—wheeledcabs。There'seightonyou。"
　　"ThereisonlyonecabinLyvern,"saidMissWilson。"TakethiscardtoMr。Marsh,thejotmaster,andtellhimthepredicamentwearein。Hewillsendvehicles。"
　　Smilashtookthecardandreaditataglance。Hethenwentintothechalet。Reappearingpresentlyinasou'westerandoilskins,heranoffthroughtherainandvaultedoverthegatewithridiculouselegance。Nosoonerhadhevanishedthan,asoftenhappenstoremarkablemen,hebecamethesubjectofconversation。
　　"Adecentworkman,"saidJosephs。"Awell—manneredman,consideringhisclass。"
　　"Abornfool,though,"saidFairholme。
　　"Orarogue,"saidAgatha,emphasizingthesuggestionbyaglitterofhereyesandteeth,whilstherschoolfellows,ratherdisapprovingofherfreedom,stoodstifflydumb。"HetoldMissWilsonthathehadasister,andthathehadbeentochurchlastSunday,andhehasjusttoldyouthatheisafoundling,andthatheonlycamelastWednesday。Hisaccentisputon,andhecanread,andIdon'tbelieveheisaworkmanatall。Perhapsheisaburglar,comedowntostealthecollegeplate。"
　　"Agatha,"saidMissWilsongravely,"youmustbeverycarefulhowyousaythingsofthatkind。"
　　"Butitissoobvious。Hisexplanationabouttheumbrellawasmadeuptodisarmsuspicion。Hehandleditandleanedonitinawaythatshowedhowmuchmorefamiliaritwastohimthanthatnewspadehewassoanxiousabout。Andallhisclothesarenew。"
　　"True,"saidFairholme,"butthereisnotmuchinallthat。
　　Workmennowadaysapegentlemenineverything。However,Iwillkeepaneyeonhim。"
　　"Oh,thankyousomuch,"saidAgatha。Fairholme,suspectingmockery,frowned,andMissWilsonlookedseverelyatthemocker。
　　Littlemorewassaid,exceptastothechances——manifestlysmall——oftherainceasing,untilthetopsofacab,adecayedmourningcoach,andthreedrippinghatswereseenoverthehedge。
　　Smilashsatontheboxofthecoach,besidethedriver。Whenitstopped,healighted,re—enteredthechaletwithoutspeaking,cameoutwiththeumbrella,spreaditaboveMissWilson'shead,andsaid:
　　"Now,ifyourladyshipwillcomewithme,Iwillseeyoudryintothestray,andthenI'llbringyourhonoredniecesonebyone。"
　　"Ishallcomelast,"saidMissWilson,irritatedbyhisassumptionthatthepartywasafamilyone。"Gertrude,youhadbettergofirst。"
　　"Allowme,"saidFairholme,steppingforward,andattemptingtotaketheumbrella。
　　"Thankyou,Ishallnottroubleyou,"shesaidfrostily,andtrippedawayovertheoozingfieldwithSmilash,whoheldtheumbrellaoverherwithostentatioussolicitude。Inthesamemannerheledtheresttothevehicles,inwhichtheypackedthemselveswithsomedifficulty。Agatha,whocamelastbutone,gavehimthreepence。
　　"Youhaveanoble'artandanexpressivehi,Miss,"hesaid,apparentlymuchmoved。"Blessingsonboth！Blessingsonboth！"
　　HewentbackforJane,whoslippedonthewetgrassandfell。Hehadtoputforthhisstrengthashehelpedhertorise。"Hopeyouain'tsoppedupmuchoftherainfall,Miss,"hesaid。"Youareafineyoungladyforyourage。Nighontwelvestone,Ishouldthink。"
　　Shereddenedandhurriedtothecab,whereAgathawas。Butitwasfull;andJane,muchagainstherwill,hadtogetintothecoach,considerablydiminishingthespaceleftforMissWilson,towhomSmilashhadreturned。
　　"Now,dearlady,"hesaid,"takecareyoudon'tslip。Comealong。"
　　MissWilson,ignoringtheinvitation,tookashillingfromherpurse。
　　"No,lady,"saidSmilashwithavirtuousair。"Iamanhonestmanandhaveneverseentheinsideofajailexceptfourtimes,andonlytwiceforstealing。Youryoungestdaughter——herwiththeexpressivehi——havepaidmefarbeyondwhatisproper。"
　　"Ihavetoldyouthattheseyoungladiesarenotmydaughters,"
　　saidMissWilsonsharply。"Whydoyounotlistentowhatissaidtoyou？"
　　"Don'tbetoohardonacommonman,lady,"saidSmilashsubmissively。"Theyoungladyhavejustgivenmethree'arf—crowns。"
　　"Threehalf—crowns！"exclaimedMissWilson,angeredatsuchextravagance。
　　"Blessherinnocence,shedon'tknowwhatispropertogivetoalowsortlikeme！ButIwillnotrobtheyounglady。'Arf—a—crownisnomorenorisfairforthejob,andarf—a—crownwillIkeep,ifagreeabletoyournobleladyship。ButIgiveyoubackthefivebobintrustforher。Haveyouevernoticedherexpressivehi？"
　　"Nonsense,sir。Youhadbetterkeepthemoneynowthatyouhavegotit。"
　　"Wot！Sellforfivebobthehighopinionyourladyshiphasofme！
　　No,dearlady;notlikely。Myfather'sverylastwordstomewas——"
　　"Yousaidjustnowthatyouwereafoundling,"saidFairholme。
　　"Whatarewetobelieve？Eh？"
　　"SoIwere,sir;butbymother'ssidealone。Herladyshipwillpleasetotakebackthemoney,forkeepitIwillnot。Iamofthelowerorders,andthereforenotamanofmyword;butwhenI
　　dosticktoit,Isticklikewax。"
　　"Takeit,"saidFairholmetoMissWilson。"Takeit,ofcourse。
　　Sevenandsixpenceisaridiculoussumtogivehimforwhathehasdone。Itwouldonlysethimdrinking。"
　　"Hisreverencesaystrue,lady。Theone'arfcrownwillkeepmecomfortablytightuntilSundaymorning;andmoreIdonotdesire。"
　　"Justalittlelessofyourtongue,myman,"saidFairholme,takingthetwocoinsfromhimandhandingthemtoMissWilson,whobadetheclergymengoodafternoon,andwenttothecoachundertheumbrella。
　　"IfyourladyshipshouldwantahandymantodoanoddjobupatthecollegeIhopeyouwillrememberme,"Smilashsaidastheywentdowntheslope。
　　"Oh,youknowwhoIam,doyou？"saidMissWilsondrily。
　　"Allthecountryknowsyou,Miss,andworshipsyou。Ihavefewequalsasacoiner,andifyoushouldrequireamedalstrucktogiveawayforgoodbehaviororthelike,IthinkIcouldstrikeonetoyoursatisfaction。Andifyourladyshipshouldwantatrifleofsmuggledlace——"
　　"Youhadbetterbecarefuloryouwillgetintotrouble,I
　　think,"saidMissWilsonsternly。"Tellhimtodriveon。"
　　Thevehiclesstarted,andSmilashtookthelibertyofwavinghishatafterthem。Thenhereturnedtothechalet,lefttheumbrellawithin,cameoutagain,lockedthedoor,putthekeyinhispocket,andwalkedoffthroughtherainacrossthehillwithouttakingtheleastnoticeoftheastonishedparsons。
　　InthemeantimeMissWilson,unabletocontainherannoyanceatAgatha'sextravagance,spokeofittothegirlswhosharedthecoachwithher。ButJanedeclaredthatAgathaonlypossessedthreepenceintheworld,andthereforecouldnotpossiblyhavegiventhemanthirtytimesthatsum。Whentheyreachedthecollege,Agatha,confrontedwithMissWilson,openedhereyesinwonder,andexclaimed,laughing:"Ionlygavehimthreepence。Hehassentmeapresentoffourandninepence！"
　　CHAPTERIV
　　SaturdayatAltonCollege,nominallyahalfholiday,wasreallyawholeone。Classesingymnastics,dancing,elocution,anddrawingwereheldinthemorning。Theafternoonwasspentatlawntennis,towhichladyguestsresidentintheneighborhoodwereallowedtobringtheirhusbands,brothers,andfathers——MissWilsonbeinganxioustosendherpupilsforthintotheworldfreefromtheuncouthstiffnessofschoolgirlsunaccustomedtosociety。
　　LateinOctobercameaSaturdaywhichprovedanythingbutaholidayforMissWilson。Athalf—pastone,luncheonbeingover,shewentoutofdoorstoalawnthatlaybetweenthesouthernsideofthecollegeandashrubbery。HereshefoundagroupofgirlswatchingAgathaandJane,whoweredraggingarolleroverthegrass。Oneofthem,tossingaballaboutwithherracket,happenedtodriveitintotheshrubbery,whence,tothesurpriseofthecompany,Smilashpresentlyemerged,carryingtheball,blinking,andproclaimingthat,thoughacommonman,hehadhisfeelingslikeanother,andthathiseyewasneitherasticknorastone。Hewasdressedasbefore,buthisgarments,soiledwithclayandlime,nolongerlookednew。
　　"Whatbringsyouhere,pray？"demandedMissWilson。
　　"Iwasledintothebeliefthatyousentforme,lady,"hereplied。"Thebaker'sladtoldmesoashepassedmy'umblecotthismorning。Ithoughthewereincapableofdeceit。"
　　"Thatisquiteright;Ididsendforyou。Butwhydidyounotgoroundtotheservants'hall？"
　　"Iamatpresentinsearchofit,lady。Iwerelookingforitwhenthisballcotchmehere"（touchinghiseye）。"Acruelblowonthehi'nat'rallyspiresitsvisionandexpressionandmakesahonestmanlooklikeathief。"
　　"Agatha,"saidMissWilson,"comehere。"
　　"Mydootytoyou,Miss,"saidSmilash,pullinghisforelock。
　　"ThisisthemanfromwhomIhadthefiveshillings,whichhesaidyouhadjustgivenhim。Didyoudoso？"
　　"Certainlynot。Ionlygavehimthreepence。"
　　"ButIshowedthemoneytoyourladyship,"saidSmilash,twistinghishatagitatedly。"Igevityou。Wherewouldthelikeofmegetfiveshillingsexceptbythebountyoftherichandnoble？IftheyoungladythinksIhadn'torttohavekep'thetother'arfcrown,Iwouldnotobjecttoitsbein'stoppedfrommywagesifIweregivenajobofworkhere。But——"
　　"Butit'snonsense,"saidAgatha。"Inevergaveyouthreehalf—crowns。"
　　"Perhapsyoumout'a'madeamistake。Penceissummatsimilarto'arf—crowns,andthedaywereverydark。"
　　"Icouldn'thave,"saidAgatha。"Janehadmypursealltheearlierpartoftheweek,MissWilson,andshecantellyouthattherewasonlythreepenceinit。YouknowthatIgetmymoneyonthefirstofeverymonth。Itneverlastslongerthanaweek。Theideaofmyhavingsevenandsixpenceonthesixteenthisridiculous。"
　　"ButIputittoyou,Miss,ain'tittwiceasridiculousforme,apoorlaborer,togiveupmoneywotInevergot？"
　　VaguealarmcreptuponAgathaasthetestimonyofhersenseswascontradicted。"AllIknowis,"sheprotested,"thatIdidnotgiveittoyou;somypenniesmusthaveturnedintohalf—crownsinyourpocket。"
　　"Mebbeso,"saidSmilashgravely。"I'veheard,andIknowitforafact,thatmoneygrowsinthepocketsoftherich。Whynotinthepocketsofthepooraswell？Whyshouldyoubesu'prisedatwot'appenseveryday？"
　　"Hadyouanymoneyofyourownaboutyouatthetime？"
　　"Wherecouldthelikeofmegetmoney？——askingpardonformakingsoboldastocatechiseyourladyship。"
　　"Idon'tknowwhereyoucouldgetit,"saidMissWilsontestily;
　　"Iaskyou,hadyouany？"
　　"Well,lady,Idisremember。Iwillnotimposeuponyou。I
　　disremember。"
　　"Thenyou'vemadeamistake,"saidMissWilson,handinghimbackhismoney。"Here。Ifitisnotyours,itisnotours;soyouhadbetterkeepit。"
　　"Keepit！Oh,lady,butthisistheheighthofnobility！AndwhatshallIdotoearnyourbounty,lady？"
　　"Itisnotmybounty:Igiveittoyoubecauseitdoesnotbelongtome,and,Isuppose,mustbelongtoyou。Youseemtobeaverysimpleman。"
　　"Ithankyourladyship;IhopeIam。Respectingtheday'swork,now,lady;wasyouthinkingofemployingapoormanatall？"
　　"No,thankyou;Ihavenooccasionforyourservices。IhavealsotogiveyoutheshillingIpromisedyouforgettingthecabs。
　　Hereitis。"
　　"Anothershillin'！"criedSmilash,stupefied。
　　"Yes,"saidMissWilson,beginningtofeelveryangry。"Letmehearnomoreaboutit,please。Don'tyouunderstandthatyouhaveearnedit？"
　　"Iamacommonman,andunderstandnexttonothing,"herepliedreverently。"Butifyourladyshipwouldgivemeaday'sworktokeepmegoin',IcouldputupallthismoneyinalittlewoodensavingsbankIhaveathome,andkeepittospendwhensicknessoroddageshall,inamannerofspeaking,laytheir'endsuponme。Icouldsmooththatgrassbeautiful;themyoungladies'llstrainthemselveswiththatheavyroller。Iftennisistheword,Icanputupnetsfittocatchbirdsofparadisein。Ifthecourtsistobechalkedoutinwhite,Icandrawalinesostraightthatyoucouldhardlykeepyourselffromerectinganequilateraltriangleonit。Iamhonestwhenwellwatched,andI
　　canwaitattableequaltotheLordMayoro'London'sbutler。"
　　"Icannotemployyouwithoutacharacter,"saidMissWilson,amusedbyhisscrapofEuclid,andwonderingwherehehadpickeditup。
　　"Ibearthebestofcharacters,lady。Thereverendrectorhasknownmefromaboy。"
　　"Iwasspeakingtohimaboutyouyesterday,"saidMissWilson,lookinghardathim,"andhesaysyouareaperfectstrangertohim。"
　　"Gentlemenissoforgetful,"saidSmilashsadly。"ButIalludedtomynativerector——meaningtherectorofmynativevillage,Auburn。'SweetAuburn,loveliestvillageoftheplain,'asthegentlemancalledit。"
　　"ThatwasnotthenameyoumentionedtoMr。Fairholme。Idonotrecollectwhatnameyougave,butitwasnotAuburn,norhaveI
　　everheardofanysuchplace。"
　　"NeverreadofsweetAuburn！"
　　"Notinanygeographyorgazetteer。Doyourecollecttellingmethatyouhavebeeninprison？"
　　"Onlysixtimes,"pleadedSmilash,hisfeaturesworkingconvulsively。"Don'tbeartoohardonacommonman。Onlysixtimes,andallthroughdrink。ButIhavetookthepledge,andkep'itfaithfulforeighteenmonthspast。"
　　MissWilsonnowsetdownthemanasoneofthosekeen,half—wittedcountryfellows,contemptuouslystyledoriginals,whounintentionallymakethemselvespopularbyflatteringthesenseofsanityinthosewhosefacultiesarebetteradaptedtocircumstances。
　　"Youhaveabadmemory,Mr。Smilash,"shesaidgood—humoredly。
　　"Younevergivethesameaccountofyourselftwice。"
　　"IamwellawarethatIdonotexpressmyselfwithexactability。
　　Ladiesandgentlemenhavethatpoweroverwordsthattheycanalwayssaywhattheymean,butacommonmanlikemecan't。Wordsdon'tcomenaturaltohim。Hehasmorethoughtsthanwords,andwhatwordshehasdon'tfithisthoughts。MightItakeaturnwiththeroller,andmakemyselfusefulabouttheplaceuntilnightfall,forninepence？"
　　MissWilson,whowasexpectingmorethanherusualSaturdayvisitors,consideredthepropositionandassented。"Andremember,"shesaid,"thatasyouareastrangerhere,yourcharacterinLyverndependsupontheuseyoumakeofthisopportunity。"
　　"Iamgratefultoyournobleladyship。Mayyourladyship'sgoodnesssewuptheholewhichisinthepocketwhereIcarrymycharacter,andwhichhascausedmetoloseitsofrequent。It'sabadplaceformentokeeptheircharactersin;butsuchisthefashion。Andsohurrayforthegloriousnineteenthcentury！"
　　Hetookoffhiscoat,seizedtheroller,andbegantopullitwithanenergyforeigntothemeasuredmillhorsemanneroftheaccustomedlaborer。MissWilsonlookeddoubtfullyathim,but,beinginhaste,wentindoorswithoutfurthercomment。Thegirlsmistrustinghiseccentricity,keptaloof。Agathadeterminedtohaveanotherandbetterlookathim。Racketinhand,shewalkedslowlyacrossthegrassandcameclosetohimjustashe,unawareofherapproach,utteredagroanofexhaustionandsatdowntorest。
　　"Tiredalready,Mr。Smilash？"shesaidmockingly。
　　Helookedupdeliberately,tookoffoneofhiswashleathergloves,fannedhimselfwithit,displayingawhiteandfinehand,andatlastreplied,inthetoneandwiththeaccentofagentleman:
　　"Very。"
　　Agatharecoiled。Hefannedhimselfwithouttheleastconcern。
　　"You——youarenotalaborer,"shesaidatlast。
　　"Obviouslynot。"
　　"Ithoughtnot。"
　　Henodded。
　　"SupposeItellonyou,"shesaid,growingbolderassherecollectedthatshewasnotalonewithhim。
　　"IfyoudoIshallgetoutofitjustasIgotoutofthehalf—crowns,andMissWilsonwillbegintothinkthatyouaremad。"
　　"ThenIreallydidnotgiveyouthesevenandsixpence,"shesaid,relieved。
　　"Whatisyourownopinion？"heanswered,takingthreepenniesfromhispocket,jinglingtheminhispalm。"Whatisyourname？"
　　"Ishallnottellyou,"saidAgathawithdignity。
　　Heshruggedhisshoulders。"Perhapsyouareright,"hesaid。"I
　　wouldnottellyoumineifyouaskedme。"
　　"Ihavenottheslightestintentionofaskingyou。"
　　"No？ThenSmilashshalldoforyou,andAgathawilldoforme。"
　　"Youhadbettertakecare。"
　　"Ofwhat？"
　　"Ofwhatyousay,and——areyounotafraidofbeingfoundout？"
　　"Iamfoundoutalready——byyou,andIamnonetheworse。"
　　"Supposethepolicefindyouout！"
　　"Notthey。Besides,Iamnothidingfromthepolice。IhavearighttowearcorduroyifIpreferittobroadcloth。Considertheadvantagesofit！IthasprocuredmeadmissiontoAltonCollege,andthepleasureofyouracquaintance。WillyouexcusemeifIgoonwithmyrolling,justtokeepupappearances？IcantalkasI
　　roll。"
　　"Youmay,ifyouarefondofsoliloquizing,"shesaid,turningawayasherose。
　　"Seriously,Agatha,youmustnottelltheothersaboutme。"
　　"DonotcallmeAgatha,"shesaidimpetuously。"WhatshallIcallyou,then？"
　　"Youneednotaddressmeatall。"
　　"Ineed,andwill。Don'tbeill—natured。"