Sylvia's Lovers

'--but that fancy had three parts to do wi' love,' continued Philip,

'and it would be hard, may-be, to get a reason for her not fancying

him. Yet I wish she'd think twice about it; he so set upon having

her, I think he'll do himself a mischief wi' fretting, if it goes on

as it is.' 'It'll noane go on as it is,' said Alice, with gloomy oracularness.

'How not?' asked Philip. Then, receiving no answer, he went on, 'He

loves her true, and he's within a month or two on her age, and his

character will bear handling on a' sides; and his share on t' shop

will be worth hundreds a year afore long.' Another pause. Alice was trying to bring down her pride to say

something, which she could not with all her efforts.

'Maybe yo'll speak a word for him, mother,' said Philip, annoyed at

her silence.

'I'll do no such thing. Marriages are best made wi'out melling. How

do I know but what she likes some one better?' 'Our Hester's not th' lass to think on a young man unless he's been

a-wooing on her. And yo' know, mother, as well as I do--and Coulson

does too--she's niver given any one a chance to woo her; living half

her time here, and t' other half in t' shop, and niver speaking to

no one by t' way.' 'I wish thou wouldn't come here troubling me on a Sabbath day wi'

thy vanity and thy worldly talk. I'd liefer by far be i' that world

wheere there's neither marrying nor giving in marriage, for it's all

a moithering mess here.' She turned to the closed Bible lying on the

dresser, and opened it with a bang. While she was adjusting her

spectacles on her nose, with hands trembling with passion, she heard

Philip say,-'I ask yo'r pardon, I'm sure. I couldn't well come any other day.' 'It's a' t' same--I care not. But thou might as well tell truth.

I'll be bound thou's been at Haytersbank Farm some day this week?' Philip reddened; in fact, he had forgotten how he had got to

consider his frequent visits to the farm as a regular piece of

occupation. He kept silence.

Alice looked at him with a sharp intelligence that read his silence

through.

'I thought so. Next time thou thinks to thyself, 'I'm more

knowledgeable than Coulson,' just remember Alice Rose's words, and

they are these:--If Coulson's too thick-sighted to see through a

board, thou'rt too blind to see through a window. As for comin' and

speakin' up for Coulson, why he'll be married to some one else afore

t' year's out, for all he thinks he's so set upon Hester now. Go thy

ways, and leave me to my Scripture, and come no more on Sabbath days

wi' thy vain babbling.' So Philip returned from his mission rather crestfallen, but quite as

far as ever from 'seeing through a glass window.' Before the year was out, Alice's prophecy was fulfilled. Coulson,

who found the position of a rejected lover in the same house with

the girl who had refused him, too uncomfortable to be endured, as

soon as he was convinced that his object was decidedly out of his

reach, turned his attention to some one else. He did not love his

new sweetheart as he had done Hester: there was more of reason and

less of fancy in his attachment. But it ended successfully; and

before the first snow fell, Philip was best man at his partner's

wedding.