It was with strange feelings that the girl and her mother, lately socheerful, passed out of the back door into the open air of thebarton, laden with hay scents and the herby breath of cows. A finesleet had begun to fall, and they trotted across the yard quickly.

　　The stable-door was open; a light shone from it--from the lanternwhich always hung there, and which Philip had lighted, as he said.

　　Softly nearing the door, Mrs. Hall pronounced the name 'Helena!'

　　There was no answer for the moment. Looking in she was taken bysurprise. Two people appeared before her. For one, instead of thedrabbish woman she had expected, Mrs. Hall saw a pale, dark-eyed,ladylike creature, whose personality ruled her attire rather thanwas ruled by it. She was in a new and handsome gown, of course, andan old bonnet. She was standing up, agitated; her hand was held byher companion--none else than Sally's affianced, Farmer CharlesDarton, upon whose fine figure the pale stranger's eyes were fixed,as his were fixed upon her. His other hand held the rein of hishorse, which was standing saddled as if just led in.

　　At sight of Mrs. Hall they both turned, looking at her in a wayneither quite conscious nor unconscious, and without seeming torecollect that words were necessary as a solution to the scene. Inanother moment Sally entered also, when Mr. Darton dropped hiscompanion's hand, led the horse aside, and came to greet hisbetrothed and Mrs. Hall.

　　'Ah!' he said, smiling--with something like forced composure--'thisis a roundabout way of arriving, you will say, my dear Mrs. Hall.

　　But we lost our way, which made us late. I saw a light here, andled in my horse at once--my friend Johns and my man have gone backto the little inn with theirs, not to crowd you too much. No soonerhad I entered than I saw that this lady had taken temporary shelterhere--and found I was intruding.'

　　'She is my daughter-in-law,' said Mrs. Hall calmly. 'My son, too,is in the house, but he has gone to bed unwell.'

　　Sally had stood staring wonderingly at the scene until this moment,hardly recognizing Darton's shake of the hand. The spell that boundher was broken by her perceiving the two little children seated on aheap of hay. She suddenly went forward, spoke to them, and took oneon her arm and the other in her hand.

　　'And two children?' said Mr. Darton, showing thus that he had notbeen there long enough as yet to understand the situation.

　　'My grandchildren,' said Mrs. Hall, with as much affected ease asbefore.

　　Philip Hall's wife, in spite of this interruption to her firstrencounter, seemed scarcely so much affected by it as to feel anyone's presence in addition to Mr. Darton's. However, arousingherself by a quick reflection, she threw a sudden critical glance ofher sad eyes upon Mrs. Hall; and, apparently finding hersatisfactory, advanced to her in a meek initiative. Then Sally andthe stranger spoke some friendly words to each other, and Sally wenton with the children into the house. Mrs. Hall and Helena followed,and Mr. Darton followed these, looking at Helena's dress andoutline, and listening to her voice like a man in a dream.

　　By the time the others reached the house Sally had already goneupstairs with the tired children. She rapped against the wall forRebekah to come in and help to attend to them, Rebekah's house beinga little 'spit-and-dab' cabin leaning against the substantial stone-work of Mrs. Hall's taller erection. When she came a bed was madeup for the little ones, and some supper given to them. Ondescending the stairs after seeing this done Sally went to thesitting-room. Young Mrs. Hall entered it just in advance of her,having in the interim retired with her mother-in-law to take off herbonnet, and otherwise make herself presentable. Hence it wasevident that no further communication could have passed between herand Mr. Darton since their brief interview in the stable.

　　Mr. Japheth Johns now opportunely arrived, and broke up therestraint of the company, after a few orthodox meteorologicalcommentaries had passed between him and Mrs. Hall by way ofintroduction. They at once sat down to supper, the present of wineand turkey not being produced for consumption to-night, lest thepremature display of those gifts should seem to throw doubt on Mrs.

　　Hall's capacities as a provider.

　　'Drink hearty, Mr. Johns--drink hearty,' said that matronmagnanimously. 'Such as it is there's plenty of. But perhapscider-wine is not to your taste?--though there's body in it.'

　　'Quite the contrairy, ma'am--quite the contrairy,' said thedairyman. 'For though I inherit the malt-liquor principle from myfather, I am a cider-drinker on my mother's side. She came fromthese parts, you know. And there's this to be said for't--'tis amore peaceful liquor, and don't lie about a man like your hotterdrinks. With care, one may live on it a twelvemonth withoutknocking down a neighbour, or getting a black eye from an oldacquaintance.'

　　The general conversation thus begun was continued briskly, though itwas in the main restricted to Mrs. Hall and Japheth, who in truthrequired but little help from anybody. There being slight call uponSally's tongue, she had ample leisure to do what her heart mostdesired, namely, watch her intended husband and her sister-in-lawwith a view of elucidating the strange momentary scene in which hermother and herself had surprised them in the stable. If that scenemeant anything, it meant, at least, that they had met before. Thatthere had been no time for explanations Sally could see, for theirmanner was still one of suppressed amazement at each other'spresence there. Darton's eyes, too, fell continually on the gownworn by Helena as if this were an added riddle to his perplexity;though to Sally it was the one feature in the case which was nomystery. He seemed to feel that fate had impishly changed his vis-a-vis in the lover's jig he was about to foot; that while the gownhad been expected to enclose a Sally, a Helena's face looked outfrom the bodice; that some long-lost hand met his own from thesleeves.

　　Sally could see that whatever Helena might know of Darton, she knewnothing of how the dress entered into his embarrassment. And atmoments the young girl would have persuaded herself that Darton'slooks at her sister-in-law were entirely the fruit of the clothesquery. But surely at other times a more extensive range ofspeculation and sentiment was expressed by her lover's eye than thatwhich the changed dress would account for.

　　Sally's independence made her one of the least jealous of women.

　　But there was something in the relations of these two visitors whichought to be explained.

　　Japheth Johns continued to converse in his well-known style,interspersing his talk with some private reflections on the positionof Darton and Sally, which, though the sparkle in his eye showedthem to be highly entertaining to himself, were apparently not quitecommunicable to the company. At last he withdrew for the night,going off to the roadside inn half-a-mile back, whither Dartonpromised to follow him in a few minutes.

　　Half-an-hour passed, and then Mr. Darton also rose to leave, Sallyand her sister-in-law simultaneously wishing him good-night as theyretired upstairs to their rooms. But on his arriving at the frontdoor with Mrs. Hall a sharp shower of rain began to come down, whenthe widow suggested that he should return to the fire-side till thestorm ceased.

　　Darton accepted her proposal, but insisted that, as it was gettinglate, and she was obviously tired, she should not sit up on hisaccount, since he could let himself out of the house, and wouldquite enjoy smoking a pipe by the hearth alone. Mrs. Hall assented;and Darton was left by himself. He spread his knees to the brands,lit up his tobacco as he had said, and sat gazing into the fire, andat the notches of the chimney-crook which hung above.

　　An occasional drop of rain rolled down the chimney with a hiss, andstill he ............