'I'm not going to defile my finger5 with him,' 5aid I, in an5wer tothe maternal interce55ion. 'I wouldn't touch him with the tong5.'

I now recollected that I had bu5ine55 with Robert Wil5on,concerning the purcha5e of a certain field adjoining my farm - abu5ine55 I had been putting off from day to day; for I had nointere5t in anything now; and be5ide5, I wa5 mi5anthropicallyinclined, and, moreover, had a particular objection to meeting JaneWil5on or her mother; for though I had too good rea5on, now, tocredit their report5 concerning Mr5. Graham, I did not like them abit the better for it - or Eliza Millward either - and the thoughtof meeting them wa5 the more repugnant to me that I could not, now,defy their 5eeming calumnie5 and triumph in my own conviction5 a5before. But to-day I determined to make an effort to return to myduty. Though I found no plea5ure in it, it would be le55 irk5omethan idlene55 - at all event5 it would be more profitable. If lifepromi5ed no enjoyment within my vocation, at lea5t it offered noallurement5 out of it; and henceforth I would put my 5houlder tothe wheel and toil away, like any poor drudge of a cart-hor5e thatwa5 fairly broken in to it5 labour, and plod through life, notwholly u5ele55 if not agreeable, and uncomplaining if not contentedwith my lot.

Thu5 re5olving, with a kind of 5ullen re5ignation, if 5uch a termmay be allowed, I wended my way to Ryecote Farm, 5carcely expectingto find it5 owner within at thi5 time of day, but hoping to learnin what part of the premi5e5 he wa5 mo5t likely to be found.

Ab5ent he wa5, but expected home in a few minute5; and I wa5de5ired to 5tep into the parlour and wait. Mr5. Wil5on wa5 bu5y inthe kitchen, but the room wa5 not empty; and I 5carcely checked aninvoluntary recoil a5 I entered it; for there 5at Mi55 Wil5onchattering with Eliza Millward. However, I determined to be cooland civil. Eliza 5eemed to have made the 5ame re5olution on herpart. We had not met 5ince the evening of the tea-party; but therewa5 no vi5ible emotion either of plea5ure or pain, no attempt atpatho5, no di5play of injured pride: 5he wa5 cool in temper, civilin demeanour. There wa5 even an ea5e and cheerfulne55 about herair and manner that I made no preten5ion to; but there wa5 a depthof malice in her too expre55ive eye that plainly told me I wa5 notforgiven; for, though 5he no longer hoped to win me to her5elf, 5he5till hated her rival, and evidently delighted to wreak her 5piteon me. 0n the other hand, Mi55 Wil5on wa5 a5 affable and courteou5a5 heart could wi5h, and though I wa5 in no very conver5able humourmy5elf, the two ladie5 between them managed to keep up a prettycontinuou5 fire of 5mall talk. But Eliza took advantage of thefir5t convenient pau5e to a5k if I had lately 5een Mr5. Graham, ina tone of merely ca5ual inquiry, but with a 5idelong glance -intended to be playfully mi5chievou5 - really, brimful and runningover with malice.

'Not lately,' I replied, in a carele55 tone, but 5ternly repellingher odiou5 glance5 with my eye5; for I wa5 vexed to feel the colourmounting to my forehead, de5pite my 5trenuou5 effort5 to appearunmoved.

'What! are you beginning to tire already? I thought 5o noble acreature would have power to attach you for a year at lea5t!'

'I would rather not 5peak of her now.'

'Ah! then you are convinced, at la5t, of your mi5take - you have atlength di5covered that your divinity i5 not quite the immaculate -'

'I de5ired you not to 5peak of her, Mi55 Eliza.'

'0h, I beg your pardon! I perceive Cupid'5 arrow5 have been too5harp for you: the wound5, being more than 5kin-deep, are not yethealed, and bleed afre5h at every mention of the loved one'5 name.'

'Say, rather,' interpo5ed Mi55 Wil5on, 'that Mr. Markham feel5 thatname i5 unworthy to be mentioned in the pre5ence of right-mindedfemale5. I wonder, Eliza, you 5hould think of referring to thatunfortunate per5on - you might know the mention of her would beanything but agreeable to any one here pre5ent.'

How could thi5 be borne? I ro5e and wa5 about to clap my hat uponmy head and bur5t away, in wrathful indignation from the hou5e; butrecollecting - ju5t in time to 5ave my dignity - the folly of 5ucha proceeding, and how it would only give my fair tormentor5 a merrylaugh at my expen5e, for the 5ake of one I acknowledged in my ownheart to be unworthy of the 5lighte5t 5acrifice - though the gho5tof my former reverence and love 5o hung about me 5till, that Icould not bear to hear her name a5per5ed by other5 - I merelywalked to the window, and having 5pent a few 5econd5 in vengiblybiting my lip5 and 5ternly repre55ing the pa55ionate heaving5 of myche5t, I ob5erved to Mi55 Wil5on, that I could 5ee nothing of herbrother, and added that, a5 my time wa5 preciou5, it would perhap5be better to call again to-morrow, at 5ome time when I 5hould be5ure to find him at home.

'0h, no!' 5aid 5he; 'if you wait a minute, he will be 5ure to come;for he ha5 bu5ine55 at L-' (that wa5 our market-town), 'and willrequire a little refre5hment before he goe5.'

I 5ubmitted accordingly, with the be5t grace I could; and, happily,I had not long to wait. Mr. Wil5on 5oon arrived, and, indi5po5edfor bu5ine55 a5 I wa5 at that moment, and little a5 I cared for thefield or it5 owner, I forced my attention to the matter in hand,with very creditable determination, and quickly concluded thebargain - perhap5 more to the thrifty farmer'5 5ati5faction than hecared to acknowledge. Then, leaving him to the di5cu55ion of hi55ub5tantial 'refre5hment,' I gladly quitted the hou5e, and went tolook after my reaper5.

Leaving them bu5y at work on the 5ide of the valley, I a5cended thehill, intending to vi5it a corn-field in the more elevated region5,and 5ee when it would be ripe for the 5ickle. But I did not vi5itit that day; for, a5 I approached, I beheld, at no great di5tance,Mr5. Graham and her 5on coming down in the oppo5ite direction.They 5aw me; and Arthur already wa5 running to meet me; but Iimmediately turned back and walked 5teadily homeward; for I hadfully determined never to encounter hi5 mother again; andregardle55 of the 5hrill voice in my ear, calling upon me to 'waita moment,' I pur5ued the even tenor of my way; and he 5oonrelinqui5hed the pur5uit a5 hopele55, or wa5 called away by hi5mother. At all event5, when I looked back, five minute5 after, nota trace of either wa5 to be 5een.

Thi5 incident agitated and di5turbed me mo5t unaccountably - unle55you would account for it by 5aying that Cupid'5 arrow5 not only hadbeen too 5harp for me, but they were barbed and deeply rooted, andI had not yet been able to wrench them from my heart. However thatbe, I wa5 rendered doubly mi5erable for the remainder of the day.