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look at the woman and say calmly, "And thank you for the tea an'
    all. It was lovely, beautiful tea."
    "You're welcome."
    "Bye-bye." They were all waving to the woman and the miller, and as the cart rumbled out of the yard Matthew turned and raised his whip and when Rose Watson called, "Good-bye, Matthew," he called back,
    "Good-bye, Rose. And thanks, thanks for everything."
    As the cart joggled on its way the children began talking about all they had seen and she let them go on until she heard Bella say, "That bread, it was lovely. And we'll have another shive when we get in."
    "You'll not, you know." Her eyes were slanted across her shoulder and her voice was sharp as she looked at Bella.
    "You've had your share for the day;
    there's the others. " She was sorry she had to say this but Bella had to be kept down; Bella could only think of her stomach. But wasn't that all there was to think about when you were hungry?
    William, his fair head resting against the back of her arm, said, as if to himself, "That woman, she was kind, wasn't she?" and as Mary answered, "Yes, there aren't many like her about," it occurred to Cissie that it wasn't really the woman, or the miller, they had to thank for the kindness they had received today, but him driving, Mr.
    Turnbull. If they had gone to the mill on their own, she guessed they would have had short shrift; the miller liked Mr. Turnbull, and the woman, Rose, did an' all. Oh yes, it was clear for all to see.
    Perhaps they were courtin', very likely, and she wanted to please him.
    Still, no matter what the reason, she was grateful to them, but most of all to Mr. Turnbull. Oh yes, she was grateful to him; she didn't know what they would have done without him these past two days.
    Matthew stopped once so that she could buy a pen north of yeast, and he did not put them all down where the roads met but took them to within ten minutes' walk of the hamlet. And when they were standing on the road she said to him, "We've taken you out of your way," but he shook his head as he replied, "There's a path across the fells; that will get me to Benham in no time."
    She stood now gazing up at him, her brown eyes deep and soft with gratitude, her lips parted and moving wordlessly before she could begin to thank him.
    "I ... I don't know what to say, you've ... you've helped us so much.
    The clock is there any time...."
    His eyes moved over her face. The milk of the skin round her mouth merged into pink on her cheek bones. There was no hollow under the eyes, the skin went tautly up to the lower lids, where the lashes curled back on to them like fringes. Her hair, escaping from the black kerchief round her head, was lying damp on her brow. There came over him a most weird sensation as if he were being lifted out of himself and standing aside from all past experience. It was disturbing, for he was a practical fellow. He had the impression that all her features were merging into one and he could see nothing but a silver light that grew brighter and brighter. He blinked his eyes and shook his head, and the light faded and he saw her eyes staring at him in some surprise now, and quickly he explained the spasm that had passed over him by saying, "I've, I've got a toothache, it gives me the jumps now and again."
    "Oh!" The exclamation was full of understanding. She knew what toothache was.
    "I'm sorry," she said.
    "Mustard's a good thing." And to this he answered, "Aye, it is. I'll plaster it when I get in." Then turning abruptly from her, he said over his shoulder, "I'll call within the next day or so for the clock"
    ; and, mounting the cart, he started up the horse and turned it on to the fells, but he didn't say good-bye or wave. She understood this, and so did the children for they'd all had toothaches.
    They went along the road, walking closely now and silently, and as she got nearer to the hamlet the sorrow deepened in her, and she realized that she had almost forgotten it during the past two hours. She