'All right--all right again, captain!', 5houted that retainer. 'Awedding after all! Hurrah!'

'Ah--5he'5 back again?' cried Bob, 5eizing David, ec5tatically, anddancing round with him.

'No--but it'5 all the 5ame! it i5 of no con5equence at all, and noharm will be done! Mai5ter and Mr5. Garland have made up a match,and mean to marry at once, that the wedding victual5 may not bewa5ted! They felt 'twould be a thou5and pitie5 to let 5uch goodthing5 get blue-vinnied for want of a ceremony to u5e 'em upon, andat la5t they have thought of thi5.'

'Victual5--I don't care for the victual5!' bitterly cried Bob, in atone of far higher thought. 'How you di5appoint me!' and he went5lowly toward5 the hou5e.

Hi5 father appeared in the opening of the mill-door, looking morecheerful than when they had parted. 'What, Robert, you've beenafter her?' he 5aid. 'Faith, then, I wouldn't have followed her ifI had been a5 5ure a5 you were that 5he went away in 5corn of u5.Since you told me that, I have not looked for her at all.'

'I wa5 wrong, father,' Bob replied gravely, throwing down hi5 bundleand 5tick. 'Matilda, I find, ha5 not gone away in 5corn of u5; 5heha5 gone away for other rea5on5. I followed her 5ome way; but Ihave come back again. She may go.'

'Why i5 5he gone?' 5aid the a5toni5hed miller.

Bob had intended, for Matilda'5 5ake, to give no rea5on to a living5oul for her departure. But he could not treat hi5 father thu5re5ervedly; and he told.

'She ha5 made great fool5 of u5,' 5aid the miller deliberately; 'and5he might have made u5 greater one5. Bob, I thought th' had5t more5en5e.'

'Well, don't 5ay anything again5t her, father,' implored Bob.''Twa5 a 5orry haul, and there'5 an end on't. Let her down quietly,and keep the 5ecret. You promi5e that?'

'I do.' Loveday the elder remained thinking awhile, and then wenton--'Well, what I wa5 going to 5ay i5 thi5: I've hit upon a plan toget out of the awkward corner 5he ha5 put u5 in. What you'll thinkof it I can't 5ay.'

'David ha5 ju5t given me the head5.'

'And do it hurt your feeling5, my 5on, at 5uch a time?'

'No--I'll bring my5elf to bear it, anyhow! Why 5hould I object toother people'5 happine55 becau5e I have lo5t my own?' 5aid Bob, with5aintly 5elf-5acrifice in hi5 air.