grasp, "never; and I am astonished at your making yourself ridiculous in this way. I'll never speak to you again. Please let me go on alone or I shall turn back again."

At this juncture a loud peal of laughter was heard from behind a low hedge to the left of the path, followed by a volley of "tabs," or pieces of fresh turf. The "tabs" were well aimed, as Mr. Burlington's garments testified, and the recipient of these gifts came hastily to the conclusion that it would not be well to wait for explanations, and therefore sprang to his feet and rushed down the valley with all the speed he could command. Unfortunately the hedge lay in the same direction, and the individuals who so ruthlessly interrupted his love-scene pursued Mr. Burlington with "tabs" so far as the

next bridge.

This was an edifice of the rustic style of architecture, and the builders had not troubled to cut off the projecting knots and ends of the trees. Consequently when Mr. Burlington crossed the bridge with pennons flying and banners waving, in other words, with coat-tails fluttering in the breeze, the result was somewhat disastrous, for the right tail caught in a rough end of a branch and incontinently parted company with the main body of the coat, to be picked up as a trophy by the ribald rustics who threw the aforesaid "tabs" and Mr. Burlington reached St. Enodoc Castle a quarter of an hour after with a lame story of losing his coattail in making his escape from an infuriated

cow.

39

CHAPTER V.

HA, HA, THE WOOING O'T.

Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,

One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never;
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny.

Much Ado about Nothing.

MRS. TREWHELLA [waxed very indignant when Jenifer arrived home and related her scene with Mr. Burlington by St. Conan's brook.

"The owld rascal! to go meeakin' love, as he do call it, to you. Why he's owld enough to be your grandfather, and he do look owlder than that-owld enough to be fust cousin to Methusalum."

Daniel was not inclined to be so severe

in his judgment.

"He's a foolish owld chap," he said, "to go courtin' a young girl, one that edn in high life too, but I doant see, 'Becca, that he've a committed any crime, and if I was behind the hedge when they youngsters pelted un weth' tabs,' I should ha' bin inclined to give um a clip under the ear. What do you say, Jenny ?"

"I say," answered Jenifer, "that he's a detestable old man. Marry him, indeed, with his long coat and green spectacles! I would just as soon marry an old goat.'

"Mark is back," said Daniel, laughing; "you would sooner marry 'ee, wouldn' 'ee?"

"Don't talk like that, father," said Jenifer, reddening; "I don't want to marry Mark or any one else, and I don't think anybody but that old fright wants to marry me.

"Aw, I know better than that," said Daniel, "you doant knaw all the water that goes ovver the wheel. I knaw a young fellow or two who have got his heye upon 'ee, Jenny."

"Be quiet, father," remonstrated Rebecca, "doant 'ee taise her any more, and doant 'ee teeake any notice of what father do say, my dear; he do like to jokey a a bit sometimes. Where are 'ee goin', Jenny ?"

"Oh, only out into the garden," answered she, leaving the room.

"I wish you wouldn't taise her so," said Rebecca, "you can see she doant

like it."

"Howld tha tongue, 'Becca," was Dan's answer; "you do knaw that I awnly towld her what's nateral to women; their heads es fulled weth sweethearts and treeade of that kind all the days of their life."