Sylvia's Lovers

'He'll need it all, and more too, to grease his tongue, if iver he

reckons to win me for his wife!'

When they were out of the shop, Sylvia said, in a coaxing tone,-

'Molly, who is it? Whose tongue 'll need greasing? Just tell me, and

I'll never tell!' She was so much in earnest that Molly was perplexed. She did not

quite like saying that she had alluded to no one in particular, only

to a possible sweetheart, so she began to think what young man had

made the most civil speeches to her in her life; the list was not a

long one to go over, for her father was not so well off as to make

her sought after for her money, and her face was rather of the

homeliest. But she suddenly remembered her cousin, the specksioneer,

who had given her two large shells, and taken a kiss from her

half-willing lips before he went to sea the last time. So she smiled

a little, and then said,-'Well! I dunno. It's ill talking o' these things afore one has made

up one's mind. And perhaps if Charley Kinraid behaves hissen, I

might be brought to listen.' 'Charley Kinraid! who's he?'

'Yon specksioneer cousin o' mine, as I was talking on.'

'And do yo' think he cares for yo'?' asked Sylvia, in a low, tender

tone, as if touching on a great mystery.

Molly only said, 'Be quiet wi' yo',' and Sylvia could not make out

whether she cut the conversation so short because she was offended,

or because they had come to the shop where they had to sell their

butter and eggs.

'Now, Sylvia, if thou'll leave me thy basket, I'll make as good a

bargain as iver I can on 'em; and thou can be off to choose this

grand new cloak as is to be, afore it gets any darker. Where is ta

going to?' 'Mother said I'd better go to Foster's,' answered Sylvia, with a

shade of annoyance in her face. 'Feyther said just anywhere.'

'Foster's is t' best place; thou canst try anywhere afterwards. I'll

be at Foster's in five minutes, for I reckon we mun hasten a bit

now. It'll be near five o'clock.'

Sylvia hung her head and looked very demure as she walked off by

herself to Foster's shop in the market-place.