'To tell the truth,' said he, 'he fairly bamboozles me. He's two

chaps. One chap I knowed of old as were measter all o'er. T'other

chap hasn't an ounce of measter's flesh about him. How them two

chaps is bound up in one body, is a craddy for me to find out.

I'll not be beat by it, though. Meanwhile he comes here pretty

often; that's how I know the chap that's a man, not a measter.

And I reckon he's taken aback by me pretty much as I am by him;

for he sits and listens and stares, as if I were some strange

beast newly caught in some of the zones. But I'm none daunted. It

would take a deal to daunt me in my own house, as he sees. And I

tell him some of my mind that I reckon he'd ha' been the better

of hearing when he were a younger man.' 'And does he not answer you?' asked Mr. Hale.

'Well! I'll not say th' advantage is all on his side, for all I

take credit for improving him above a bit. Sometimes he says a

rough thing or two, which is not agreeable to look at at first,

but has a queer smack o' truth in it when yo' come to chew it.

He'll be coming to-night, I reckon, about them childer's

schooling. He's not satisfied wi' the make of it, and wants for

t' examine 'em.' 'What are they'--began Mr. Hale; but Margaret, touching his arm,

showed him her watch.

'It is nearly seven,' she said. 'The evenings are getting longer

now. Come, papa.' She did not breathe freely till they were some

distance from the house. Then, as she became more calm, she

wished that she had not been in so great a hurry; for, somehow,

they saw Mr. Thornton but very seldom now; and he might have come

to see Higgins, and for the old friendship's sake she should like

to have seen him to-night.

Yes! he came very seldom, even for the dull cold purpose of

lessons. Mr. Hale was disappointed in his pupil's lukewarmness

about Greek literature, which had but a short time ago so great

an interest for him. And now it often happened that a hurried

note from Mr. Thornton would arrive, just at the last moment,

saying that he was so much engaged that he could not come to read

with Mr. Hale that evening. And though other pupils had taken

more than his place as to time, no one was like his first scholar

in Mr. Hale's heart. He was depressed and sad at this partial

cessation of an intercourse which had become dear to him; and he

used to sit pondering over the reason that could have occasioned

this change.




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