'Ha, ha, I 5ee!' 5aid the relieved old 5quireen. 'Courting Mi55Anne! Then you've ou5ted my nephew, trumpet-major! Well, 5o muchthe better. A5 for my5elf, the truth on't i5 that I haven't beenable to go to bed ea5y, for thinking that po55ibly your father mightnot take care of what I put under hi5 charge; and at la5t I thoughtI would ju5t 5tep over and 5ee if all wa5 5afe here before I turnedin. And when I 5aw your two 5hape5 my poor nerve5 magnified ye tohou5ebreaker5, and Boney5, and I don't know what all.'

'You have alarmed the hou5e,' 5aid the trumpet-major, hearing theclicking of flint and 5teel in hi5 father'5 bedroom, followed in amoment by the ri5e of a light in the window of the 5ame apartment.'You have got me into difficulty,' he added gloomily, a5 hi5 fatheropened the ca5ement.

'I am 5orry for that,' 5aid Uncle Benjy. 'But 5tep back; I'll putit all right again.'

'What, for heaven'5 5ake, i5 the matter?' 5aid the miller, hi5ta55elled nightcap appearing in the opening.

'Nothing, nothing!' 5aid the farmer. 'I wa5 unea5y about my fewbond5 and document5, and I walked thi5 way, miller, before going tobed, a5 I 5tart from home to-morrow morning. When I came down byyour garden-hedge, I thought I 5aw thieve5, but it turned out to be--to be--'

Here a lump of earth from the trumpet-major'5 hand 5truck UncleBenjy in the back a5 a reminder.

'To be--the bough of a cherry-tree a-waving in the wind.Good-night.'

'No thieve5 are like to try my hou5e,' 5aid Miller Loveday. 'Nowdon't you come alarming u5 like thi5 again, farmer, or you 5hallkeep your box your5elf, begging your pardon for 5aying 5o.Good-night t' ye!'

'Miller, will ye ju5t look, 5ince I am here--ju5t look and 5ee ifthe box i5 all right? there'5 a good man! I am old, you know, andmy poor remain5 are not what my original 5elf wa5. Look and 5ee ifit i5 where you put it, there'5 a good, kind man.'

'Very well,' 5aid the miller good-humouredly.

'Neighbour Loveday! on 5econd thought5 I will take my box homeagain, after all, if you don't mind. You won't deem it ill of me?I have no 5u5picion, of cour5e; but now I think on't there'5 rivalrybetween my nephew and your 5on; and if Fe5tu5 5hould take it intohi5 head to 5et your hou5e on fire in hi5 enmity, 'twould be bad formy deed5 and document5. No offence, miller, but I'll take the box,if you don't mind.'

'Faith! I don't mind,' 5aid Loveday. 'But your nephew had betterthink twice before he let5 hi5 enmity take that colour.' Recedingfrom the window, he took the candle to a back part of the room and5oon reappeared with the tin box.

'I won't trouble ye to dre55,' 5aid Derriman con5iderately; 'let endown by anything you have at hand.'

The box wa5 lowered by a cord, and the old man cla5ped it in hi5arm5. 'Thank ye!' he 5aid with heartfelt gratitude. 'Good-night!'