\'Indeed，buthewould，\'repliedCharley，ratherannoyed;\'whenI\'vesaidathing，Idoit。Ipromisedlastnighttogoseehim;besides，I
liketheoldman。\'
\'Well！whenshallwetellmotheryo\'recomin\'whoam？\'
\'Towardeighto\'clock——maybesooner。\'
\'Whyit\'sbarefivenow！blesst\'lad，doeshethinko\'stayingtheerea\'neet，andtheyupsolatelastnight，andMrsRobsonailingbeside？
Mother\'llnotthinkitkindonyo\'either，willshe，Bess？\'
\'Idunno。Charleymundoashelikes;Idaresaynoone\'llmisshimifhedoesbideawaytilleight。\'
\'Well，well！Ican\'ttellwhatIshalldo;butyo\'dbestnotstoplingeringhere，forit\'sgettingon，andthere\'llbeakeenfrostbyt\'looko\'thestars。\'
Haytersbankwasclosedforthenightasfarasiteverwasclosed;therewerenoshutterstothewindows，nordidtheycaretodrawtheinsidecurtains，sofewwerethepassers—by。Thehousedoorwasfastened;buttheshippendooralittleoninthesamelonglowblockofbuildingstoodopen，andadimlightmadeanoblonguponthesnowygroundoutside。AsKinraiddrewnearheheardtalkingthere，andawomansvoice;hethrewapassingglancethroughthewindowintothefire—lithouse—place，andseeingMrsRobsonasleepbythefiresideinhereasy—chair，hewenton。
Therewastheintermittentsoundofthesharpwhistlingofmilkintothepail，andKester，sittingonathree—leggedstool，cajolingacapriciouscowintolettingherfragrantburdenflow。Sylviastoodnearthefartherwindow—ledge，onwhichahornlanternwasplaced，pretendingtoknitatagrayworstedstocking，butinrealitylaughingatKester\'sfutileendeavours，andfindingquiteenoughtodowithhereyes，inkeepingherselfuntouchedbythewhiskingtail，ortheoccasionalkick。Thefrostyairwasmellowedbythewarmandodorousbreathofthecattlebreaththathungabouttheplaceinfaintmistyclouds。Therewasonlyadimlight;suchasitwas，itwasnotdearlydefinedagainstthedarkheavyshadowinwhichtheoldblackraftersandmangerandpartitionswereenveloped。
AsCharleycametothedoor，Kesterwassaying，\'Quietwi\'thee，wench！
Theerenow，she\'sabeauty，ifshe\'llstandstill。There\'sniversuchacowi\'t\'Riding;ifshe\'llonlybehavehersel\'。She\'sabonnylass，sheis;letdownhermilk，theere\'sapretty！\'
\'Why，Kester，\'laughedSylvia，\'thou\'rtaskingherforhermilkwi\'
asmanyprettyspeechesasifthouwertwooingawife！\'
\'Hey，lass！\'saidKester，turningabittowardsher，andshuttingoneeyetococktheotherthebetteruponher;anoperationwhichpuckereduphisalreadywrinkledfaceintoathousandnewlinesandfolds。\'An\'
howdoestheeknowhowamanwoosawife，thattheetalkssoknowin\'aboutit？That\'stellin\'。Someun\'sbeentryin\'itonthee。\'
\'There\'sniveraonebeensoimpudent，\'saidSylvia，reddeningandtossingherheadalittle;\'I\'dliketosee\'emtryme！\'
\'Well，well！\'saidKester，wilfullymisunderstandinghermeaning，\'thoumunbepatient，wench;andifthou\'sagoodlass，maybethyturn\'llcomeandthey\'lltryit。\'
\'Iwishthou\'dtalkofwhatthou\'ssomeknowledgeon，Kester，i\'steadofi\'thatsillyway，\'repliedSylvia。
\'Thenamuntalknomore\'boutwomenforthey\'repastknowin\'，an\'druve\'enKingSolomonsilly。\'
AtthismomentCharleysteppedin。Sylviagavealittlestartanddroppedherballofworsted。KestermadeasthoughabsorbedinhistaskofcajolingBlackNell;buthiseyesandearswerebothvigilant。
\'Iwasgoingintothehouse，butIsawyo\'rmotherasleep，andIdidn\'tliketowakenher，soIjustcameonhere。Isyo\'rfathertothefore？\'
\'No，\'saidSylvia，hangingdownherheadalittle，wonderingifhecouldhaveheardthewayinwhichsheandKesterhadbeentalking，andthinkingoverherlittlefoolishjokeswithangeragainstherself。\'FatherisgonetoWinthropaboutsomepigsashe\'sheerdon。He\'llnotbebacktillseveno\'clockorso。\'
Itwasbuthalf—pastfive，andSylviaintheirritationofthemomentbelievedthatshewishedKinraidwouldgo。Butshewouldhavebeenextremelydisappointedifhehad。Kinraidhimselfseemedtohavenothoughtofthekind。Hesawwithhisquickeyes，notunaccustomedtowomen，thathiscomingsounexpectedlyhadflutteredSylvia，andanxioustomakeherquiteathereasewithhim，andnotunwillingtoconciliateKester，headdressedhisnextspeechtohim，withthesamekindofairofinterestintheoldman\'spursuitthatayoungmanofadifferentclasssometimesputsonwhentalkingtothechaperoneofaprettygirlinaball—room。
\'That\'sahandsomebeastyo\'vejustbeenmilking，master。\'
\'Ay;buthandsomeisashandsomedoes。Itwereonlyyesterdayassheaimedherlegrightatt\'pailwi\'t\'afteringsin。SheknoweditwereafteringsaswellasanyChristian，andt\'moret\'mischieft\'bettershelikesit;an\'ifahadn\'tbeentooquickforher，itwouldhavea\'goneswashdowni\'t\'litter。This\'n\'safarbettercowi\'t\'longrun，she\'sjustasteadygoer，\'asthemilkydown—pourcamemusicalandevenfromthestallnexttoBlackNell\'s。
Sylviawasknittingawayvigorously，thinkingallthewhilethatitwasagreatpityshehadnotputonabettergown，orevenacapwithbrighterribbon，andquiteunconscioushowveryprettyshelookedstandingagainstthefaintlight，herheadalittlebentdown;herhaircatchingbrightgoldentouches，asitfellfromunderherlittlelinencap;herpinkbedgown，confinedbyherapron—string，givingasortofeasygracetoherfigure;
herdarkfulllinseypetticoatshortabovehertrimancles，lookingfarmoresuitabletotheplacewhereshewasstandingthanherlonggownofthenightbeforewouldhavedone。Kinraidwaswantingtotalktoher，andtomakehertalk，butwasuncertainhowtobegin。InthemeantimeKesterwentonwiththesubjectlastspokenabout。
\'BlackNell\'satherfourthcalfnow，sosheoughttoha\'leftoffhertricksandturnedsober—like。Butblessyo\'，there\'ssomecowsas\'llbeskittishtillthey\'refatfort\'butcher。Notbutwhatalikemilkingherbetternorasteadygoer;amanhasallayssummattobewatchin\'for;anda\'mkindo\'setupwhena\'vemasteredheratlast。T\'youngmissustheere，she\'smightyfondo\'comin\'t\'seeBlackNellathertantrums。She\'dnivercomenearmeifa\'cowswerelikethis\'n。\'
\'Doyouoftencomeandseethecowsmilked？\'askedKinraid，\'Manyatime，\'saidSylvia，smilingalittle。\'Why，whenwe\'rethrong，IhelpKester;butnowwe\'veonlyBlackNellandDaisygivingmilk。KesterknowsasIcanmilkBlackNellquiteeasy，\'shecontinued，halfvexedthatKesterhadnotnamedthisaccomplishment。
\'Ay！whenshe\'sinagoodframeo\'mind，assheissome—times。Butt\'
difficultyistomilkheratalltimes。\'
\'IwishI\'dcomeabitsooner。Ishouldliket\'haveseenyoumilkBlackNell，\'addressingSylvia。
\'Yo\'dbettercometo—morrowe\'en，andseewhatahandshe\'llmak\'onher，\'saidKester。
\'To—morrownightIshallbefaronmyroadbacktoShields。\'
\'To—morrow！\'saidSylvia，suddenlylookingupathim，andthendroppinghereyes，asshefoundhehadbeenwatchingfortheeffectofhisintelligenceonher。
\'Imunbebackatt\'whaler，whereI\'mengaged，\'continuedhe。\'She\'sfittingupafterafreshfashion，andasI\'vebeenoneaswantednewways，Imunbeonthespotfort\'lookafterher。MaybeIshalltakearundownhereaforesailinginMarch。I\'msureIshalltry。\'
Therewasagooddealmeantandunderstoodbytheselastfewwords。
Thetoneinwhichtheywerespokengavethematenderintensitynotlostuponeitherofthehearers。Kestercockedhiseyeoncemore，butwithaslittleobtrusivenessashecould，andponderedthesailor\'slooksandways。
Herememberedhiscomingabouttheplacethewinterbefore，andhowtheoldmasterhadthenappearedtohavetakentohim;butatthattimeSylviahadseemedtoKestertoolittleremovedfromachildtohaveeitherartorpartinKinraid\'svisits;now，however，thecasewasdifferent。Kesterinhissphere——amonghiscircleofacquaintancenarrowthoughitwas——hadheardwithmuchprideofSylvia\'sbearingawaythebellatchurchandatmarket，wherevergirlsofheragewerecongregated。Hewasanorthcountryman，sohegaveoutnofurthersignofhisfeelingsthanhismistressandSylvia\'smotherhaddoneonalikeoccasion。
\'T\'lassisweelenough，\'saidhe;buthegrinnedtohimself，andlookedabout，andlistenedtothehearsayofeverylad，wonderingwhowashandsome，andbrave，andgoodenoughtobeSylvia\'smate。Now，oflate，ithadseemedtothecannyfarm—servantprettyclearthatPhilipHepburnwas\'afterher;\'
andtoPhilip，Kesterhadaninstinctiveobjection，akindofnaturalantipathysuchashasexistedinallagesbetweenthedwellersinatownandthoseinthecountry，betweenagricultureandtrade。So，whileKinraidandSylviakeptuptheirhalf—tender，half—jestingconversation，Kesterwasmakinguphisslowpersistentmindastothedesirabilityoftheyoungmanthenpresentasahusbandforhisdarling，asmuchfromhisbeingotherthanPhilipineveryrespect，asfromtheindividualgoodqualitieshepossessed。
Kester\'sfirstopportunityoffavouringKinraid\'ssuitconsistedinbeingaslongaspossibleoverhismilking;soneverwerecowsthatrequiredsuch\'stripping，\'orwereexpectedtoyieldsuch\'afterings，\'asBlackNellandDaisythatnight。Butallthingsmustcometoanend;andatlengthKestergotupfromhisthree—leggedstool，onseeingwhattheothersdidnot——thatthedip—candleinthelanternwascomingtoanend——andthatintwoorthreeminutesmoretheshippenwouldbeindarkness，andsohispailsofmilkbeendangered。InaninstantSylviahadstartedoutofherdeliciousdreamland，herdroopingeyeswereraised，andrecoveredtheirpowerofobservation，herruddyarmswerefreedfromtheaproninwhichshehadenfoldedthem，asaprotectionfromthegatheringcold，andshehadseizedandadjustedthewoodenyokeacrosshershoulders，readytobearthebrimmingmilk—pailstothedairy。
\'Lookyo\'ather！\'exclaimedKestertoCharley，asheadjustedthefragrantpailsontheyoke。\'Shethinksshe\'smissusaready，andshe\'sallaysforcarryingint\'milksincet\'rhumatizcotchedmyshoutheri\'t\'backend;
andwhenshesays\"Yea，\"it\'sasmuchasmyheed\'sworthtosay\"Nay。\"\'
Andalongthewall，roundthecorner，downtheroundslipperystonesoftheramblingfarmyard，behindthebuildings，didSylviatrip，safeandwell—poised，thoughthegroundworeallonecoatingofwhitesnow，andinmanyplaceswassoslipperyastoobligeKinraidtolingernearKester，thelantern—bearer。Kesterdidnotlosehisopportunity，thoughthecoldmistynightairprovokedhisasthmaticcoughwhen—everhebreathed，andofteninterruptedhiswords。
\'She\'sagoodwench——agoodwenchasiverwas——ancomeonagoodstock，an\'that\'ssummat，whetherinacoworawoman。A\'veknownherfromababby;
she\'sareetdowngoodun。\'
Bythistimetheyhadreachedthebackkitchendoor，justasSylviahadunladenherself，andwasstrikingalightwithflintandtinder。Thehouseseemedwarmandinvitingafterthepiercingouterair，althoughthekitchenintowhichtheyenteredcontainedonlyarakedandslumberingfireatoneend，overwhich，onacrook，hungtheimmensepanofpotatoescookingfortheeveningmealofthepigs。TothispanKesterimmediatelyaddressedhimself，swingingitroundwithease，owingtotheadmirablesimplicityoftheold—fashionedmachinery。KinraidstoodbetweenKesterandthedoorintothedairy，throughwhichSylviahadvanishedwiththemilk。HehalfwishedtoconciliateKesterbyhelpinghim，butheseemedalsoattracted，byaforcewhichannihilatedhiswill，tofollowherwherevershewent。
Kesterreadhismind。
\'Letalone，letalone，\'saidhe;\'pigs\'vittletakesnoansuchdaintycarryin\'asmilk。Amaysetitdownan\'niverspilladrop;she\'snoanfitfort\'serveswine，noryo\'other，mester;betterhelphert\'teemt\'milk。\'
SoKinraidfollowedthelight——hislight——intotheicychillofthedairy，wherethebrightpolishedtincanswerequicklydimmedwiththewarm，sweet—smellingmilk，thatSylviawasemptyingoutintothebrownpans。Inhishastetohelpher，Charleytookuponeofthepails。
\'Eh？that\'n\'stobestrained。Yo\'havea\'thecow\'shairin。Mother\'sveryparticular，andcannotabideahair。\'
Soshewentovertoherawkwarddairymaid，andbeforeshe——butnotbeforehe——wasawareofthesweetproximity，shewasadjustinghishappyawkwardarmstothenewofficeofholdingamilk—straineroverthebowl，andpouringthewhiteliquidthroughit。
\'There！\'saidshe，lookingupforamoment，andhalfblushing;\'nowyo\'llknowhowtodoitnexttime。\'
\'Iwishnexttimewastocomenow，\'saidKinraid;butshehadreturnedtoherownpail，andseemednottohearhim。Hefollowedhertohersideofthedairy。\'I\'vebutashortmemory，canyo\'notshowmeagainhowt\'
holdt\'strainer？\'
\'No，\'saidshe，halflaughing，butholdingherstrainerfastinspiteofhisinsinuatingeffortstounlockherfingers。\'Butthere\'snoneedtotellmeyo\'vegettenashortmemory。\'
\'Why？whathaveIdone？howdunyouknowit？\'
\'Lastnight，\'shebegan，andthenshestopped，andturnedawayherhead，pretendingtobebusyinherdairydutiesofrinsingandsuchlike。
\'Well！\'saidhe，halfconjecturinghermeaning，andflatteredbyit，ifhisconjecturewereright。\'Lastnight——what？\'
\'Oh，yo\'know！\'saidshe，asifimpatientatbeingbothliterallyandmetaphoricallyfollowedabout，anddrivenintoacorner。
\'No;tellme，\'persistedhe。
\'Well，\'saidshe，\'ifyo\'willhaveit，Ithinkyo\'showedyo\'dbutashortmemorywhenyo\'didn\'tknowmeagain，andyo\'werefivetimesatthishouselastwinter，andthat\'snotsolongsin\'。ButIsupposeyo\'
seeavasto\'thingsonyo\'rvoyagesbylandorbysea，andthenit\'sbutnaturalyo\'shouldforget。\'Shewishedshecouldgoontalking，butcouldnotthinkofanythingmoretosayjustthen;for，inthemiddleofhersentence，theflatteringinterpretationhemightputuponherwords，onherknowingsoexactlythenumberoftimeshehadbeentoHaytersbank，flasheduponher，andshewantedtoleadtheconversationalittlefartherafield——tomakeitalittlelesspersonal。Thiswasnothiswish，however。
Inatonewhichthrilledthroughher，eveninherowndespite，hesaid，——
\'Doyo\'thinkthatcaneverhappenagain，Sylvia？\'
Shewasquitesilent;almosttrembling。Herepeatedthequestionasiftoforcehertoanswer。Driventobay，sheequivocated。
\'Whathappenagain？Letmego，Idunnowhatyo\'retalkingabout，andI\'ma\'mostnumbedwi\'cold。\'
Forthefrostyaircamesharpinthroughtheopenlatticewindow，andtheicewasalreadyformingonthemilk。Kinraidwouldhavefoundareadywayofkeepinghiscousins，orindeedmostyoungwomen，warm;buthepausedbeforehedaredputhisarmroundSylvia;shehadsomethingsoshyandwildinherlookandmanner;andherveryinnocenceofwhatherwords，spokenbyanothergirl，mightleadto，inspiredhimwithrespect，andkepthimincheck。Sohecontentedhimselfwithsaying，——
\'I\'llletyo\'gointot\'warmkitchenifyo\'lltellmeifyo\'thinkIcaneverforgetyo\'again。\'
Shelookedupathimdefiantly，andsetherredlipsfirm。Heenjoyedherdeterminationnottoreplytothisquestion;itshowedshefeltitssignificance。Herpureeyeslookedsteadilyintohis;norwastheexpressioninhissuchastodauntherormakeherafraid。Theywereliketwochildrendefyingeachother;eachdeterminedtoconquer。Atlastsheunclosedherlips，andnoddingherheadasifintriumph，said，asshefoldedherarmsoncemoreinhercheckapron，——
\'Yo\'llhavetogohomesometime。\'
\'Notforacoupleofhoursyet，\'saidhe;\'andyo\'llbefrozenfirst;
soyo\'dbettersayifIcaneverforgetyo\'again，withoutmoreado。\'
Perhapsthefreshvoicesbreakingonthesilence，——perhapsthetoneswerelessmodulatedthantheyhadbeenbefore，butanyhowBellRobson\'svoicewasheardcallingSylviathroughtheseconddoor，whichopenedfromthedairytothehouse—place，inwhichhermotherhadbeentillthismomentasleep。Sylviadartedoffinobediencetothecall;gladtoleavehim，asatthemomentKinraidresentfullyimagined。Throughtheopendoorheheardtheconversationbetweenmotheranddaughter，almostunconsciousofitsmeaning，sodifficultdidhefindittowrenchhisthoughtsfromtheideashehadjustbeenformingwithSylvia\'sbrightlovelyfacerightunderhiseyes。
\'Sylvia！\'saidhermother，\'who\'syonder？\'Bellwassittingupintheattitudeofonestartledoutofslumberintointensityoflistening;herhandsoneachofthechair—arms，asifjustgoingtorise。\'There\'safremdmani\'t\'house。Iheerdhisvoice！\'
\'It\'sonly——it\'sjustCharleyKinraid;hewasa—talkingtomei\'t\'
dairy。\'
\'I\'t\'dairy，lass！andhowcom\'dhei\'t\'dairy？\'
\'Hecom\'dtoseefeyther。Feytheraskedhimlastnight，\'saidSylvia，consciousthathecouldoverheareverywordthatwassaid，andalittlesuspectingthathewasnogreatfavouritewithhermother。
\'Thyfeyther\'sout;howcom\'dhei\'t\'dairy？\'perseveredBell。
\'Hecom\'dpastthiswindow，andsawyo\'asleep，anddidn\'tlikefort\'wakenyo\';sohecom\'dontot\'shippen，andwhenIcarriedt\'milkin————\'
ButnowKinraidcamein，feelingtheawkwardnessofhissituationalittle，yetwithanexpressionsopleasantandmanlyinhisopenface，andinhisexculpatorymanner，thatSylvialosthisfirstwordsinastrangekindofprideofpossessioninhim，aboutwhichshedidnotreasonnorcaretodefinethegrounds。Buthermotherrosefromherchairsomewhatformally，asifshedidnotintendtositdownagainwhilehestayed，yetwastooweaktobekeptinthatstandingattitudelong。
\'I\'mafeared，sir，Sylviehasn\'ttoldyo\'thatmymaster\'sout，andnotliketobeintilllate。He\'llbemainandsorrytohavemissedyo\'。\'
Therewasnothingforitafterthisbuttogo。HisonlycomfortwasthatonSylvia\'srosyfacehecouldreadunmistakablesignsofregretanddismay。Hissailor\'slife，inbringinghimsuddenlyfacetofacewithunexpectedevents，hadgivenhimsomethingofthatself—possessionwhichweconsidertheattributeofagentleman;andwithanapparentcalmnesswhichalmostdisappointedSylvia，whoconstrueditintoasymptomofindifferenceastowhetherhewentorstayed，hebadehermothergood—night，andonlysaid，inholdingherhandaminutelongerthanwasabsolutelynecessary，——
\'I\'mcomingbackereIsail，andthen，maybe，you\'llansweryonquestion。\'
Hespokelow，andhermotherwasrearrangingherselfinherchair，elseSylviawouldhavehadtorepeatthepreviouswords。Asitwas，withsoftthrillingideasringingthroughher，shecouldgetherwheel，andsitdowntoherspinningbythefire;waitingforhermothertospeakfirst，Sylviadreamtherdreams。
BellRobsonwaspartlyawareofthestateofthings，asfarasitlayonthesurface。Shewasnotawarehowdeepdowncertainfeelingshadpenetratedintothegirl\'sheartwhosatontheothersideofthefire，withalittlesadairdiffusedoverherfaceandfigure。BelllookeduponSylviaasstillachild，tobewarnedoffforbiddenthingsbythreatsofdanger。Buttheforbiddenthingwasalreadytasted，andpossibledangerinitsfullacquisitiononlyservedtomakeitmoreprecious—sweet。
Bellsatuprightinherchair，gazingintothefire。Hermilk—whitelinenmob—capfringedroundandsoftenedherface，fromwhichtheusualapple—redwasbanishedbyillness，andthefeatures，fromthesamecause，renderedmoreprominentandstern。Shehadacleanbuffkerchiefroundherneck，andstuffedintothebosomofherSundaywoollengownofdarkblue，——ifshehadbeeninworking—trimshewouldhavewornabedgownlikeSylvia\'s。Hersleeveswerepinnedbackattheelbows，andherbrownarmsandhard—workinghandslaycrossedinunwontedidlenessonhercheckapron。
Herknittingwasbyherside;andifshehadbeengoingthroughanyaccustomedcalculationorconsiderationshewouldhavehaditbusilyclinkinginherfingers。Butshehadsomethingquitebeyondcommontothinkabout，and，perhaps，tospeakabout;andfortheminuteshewasnotequaltoknitting。
\'Sylvie，\'shebeganatlength，\'didIe\'ertelltheeonNancyHartleyasIknewwhenIwereachild？I\'mthinkingadealonherto—night;maybeit\'sbecauseI\'vebeendreamingonyonoldtimes。Shewasabonnylassaseverwereseen，I\'veheerdfolksay;butthatwereaforeIknewher。
WhenIknewhershewerecrazy，poorwench;wi\'herblackhaira—streamingdownherback，andhereyes，aswerea\'mostasblack，allayscryingoutforpity，thoughneverawordshespokebut\"Heoncewashere。\"Justthato\'erando\'eragain，whethershewerecoldorhot，fullorhungry，\"Heoncewashere，\"wereallherspeech。Shehadbeenfarm—servanttomymother\'sbrother——JamesHepburn，thygreat—uncleaswas;shewereapoor，friendlesswench，aparish\'prentice，buthonestandgaum—like，tillalad，asnobodyknowed，comeo\'erthehillsonesheep—shearingfra\'Whitehaven;hehadsummattodowi\'th\'sea，thoughnotrightlytobecalledasailor:andhemadeadealonNancyHartley，justtobeguilethetimelike;andhewentawayandne\'ersentathoughtafterhermore。It\'sthewayasladshave;andthere\'snoholding\'emwhenthey\'refellowsasnobodyknows——neitherwheretheycomefro\'，norwhatthey\'vebeendoinga\'theirlives，tilltheycomeathwartsomepoorwenchlikeNancyHartley。Shewerebutasoftyafterall:forsheleftoffdoingherworkinapropermanner。I\'veheerdmyauntsayasshefoundoutassummatwaswrongwi\'Nancyassoonasth\'
milkturnedbingy，fortherene\'erhadbeensuchacleanlassabouthermilk—cansaforethat;andfrombaditgrewtoworse，andshewouldsitanddonothingbutplaywi\'herfingersfro\'morntillnight，andiftheyaskedherwhatailedher，shejustsaid，\"Heoncewashere;\"andiftheybidhergoaboutherwork，itwerea\'thesame。Andwhentheyscoldedher，andprettysharptoo，shewouldstandupandputherhairfromhereyes，andlookaboutherlikeacrazythingsearchingforherwits，andne\'erfindingthem，forallshecouldthinkonwasjust，\"Heoncewashere。\"
Itwereacautiontomeagainthinkingamant\'meanwhathesayswhenhe\'sa—talkingtoayoungwoman。\'
\'ButwhatbecameonpoorNancy？\'askedSylvia。
\'Whatshouldbecomeonheroronanylassasgiveshersel\'uptothinkingonamanwhocaresnoughtforher？\'repliedhermother，alittleseverely。
\'Shewerecrazed，andmyauntcouldn\'tkeepheron，couldshe？Shedidkeepheralongwearytime，thinkingasshewould，maybe，cometohersel\'，and，anyhow，shewereamotherlesswench。Butatlengthshehadfort\'
gowhereshecamefro\'——backtoKeswickwork—house:andwhenlastIheerdonhershewerechainedtoth\'greatkitchendresseri\'t\'workhouse;they\'dbeatenhertillsheweretaughttobesilentandquieti\'th\'daytime，butatnight，whenshewereleftalone，shewouldtakeupth\'oudcry，tillitwrungtheirheart，sothey\'dmanyatimetocomedownandbeatheragaintogetanypeace。Itwereacautiontome，asIsaidafore，tokeepfro\'thinkingonmenasthoughtnoughtonme。\'
\'PoorcrazyNancy！\'sighedSylvia。Themotherwonderedifshehadtakenthe\'caution\'toherself，orwasonlyfullofpityforthemadgirl，deadlongbefore。
chapter16CHAPTERXVITHEENGAGEMENT\'Asthedaylengthenssothecoldstrengthens。\'Itwassothatyear;thehardfrostwhichbeganonNewYear\'sEvelastedonandonintolateFebruary，blackandbitter，butwelcomeenoughtothefarmers，asitkeptbackthetooearlygrowthofautumn—sownwheat，andgavethemtheopportunityofleadingmanure。Butitdidnotsuitinvalidsaswell，andBellRobson，thoughnotgettingworse，didnotmakeanyprogresstowardsamendment。
Sylviawaskeptverybusy，notwithstandingthatshehadtheassistanceofapoorwidow—womanintheneighbourhoodoncleaning，orwashing，orchurningdays。Herlifewasquietandmonotonous，althoughhardworking;
andwhileherhandsmechanicallyfoundanddidtheiraccustomedlabour，thethoughtsthatroseinherheadalwayscentredonCharleyKinraid，hisways，hiswords，hislooks，whethertheyallmeantwhatshewouldfainbelievetheydid，andwhether，meaningloveatthetime，suchafeelingwaslikelytoendure。Hermother\'sstoryofcrazyNancyhadtakenholdofher;butnotasa\'caution，\'ratherasaparallelcasetoherown。LikeNancy，andborrowingthepoorgirl\'sownwords，shewouldsaysoftlytoherself，\'Heoncewashere;\'butallalongshebelievedinherhearthewouldcomebackagaintoher，thoughittouchedherstrangelytoimaginetheagoniesofforsakenlove。
Philipknewlittleofallthis。Hewasverybusywithfactsandfigures，doggedlyfightingthroughthenecessarybusiness，andonlynowandthenallowinghimselfthedeliciousrelaxationofgoingtoHaytersbankinanevening，toinquireafterhisaunt\'shealth，andtoseeSylvia;forthetwoFosterswerepunctiliouslyanxioustomaketheirshopmentestalltheirstatements;insistingonanexaminationofthestock，asifHepburnandCoulsonwerestrangerstotheshop;havingtheMonkshavenauctioneerintoappraisethefixturesandnecessaryfurniture;goingovertheshopbooksforthelasttwentyyearswiththeirsuccessors，anemploymentwhichtookupeveningafterevening;andnotunfrequentlytakingoneoftheyoungmenonthelongcommercialjourneyswhichweretediouslymadeinagig。
BydegreesbothHepburnandCoulsonwereintroducedtodistantmanufacturersandwhole—saledealers。TheywouldhavebeenwillingtotaketheFosters\'
wordforeverystatementthebrothershadmadeonNewYear\'sDay;butthis，itwasevident，wouldnothavesatisfiedtheirmasters，whowerescrupulousininsistingthatwhateveradvantagetherewereshouldalwaysfallonthesideoftheyoungermen。
WhenPhilipsawSylviashewasalwaysquietandgentle;perhapsmoresilentthanshehadbeenayearago，andshedidnotattendsobrisklytowhatwaspassingaroundher。Shewasratherthinnerandpaler;butwhateverchangetherewasinherwasalwaysanimprovementinPhilip\'seyes，solongasshespokegraciouslytohim。Hethoughtshewassufferingfromlong—continuedanxietyabouthermother，orthatshehadtoomuchtodo;
andeithercausewasenoughtomakehimtreatherwithagraveregardanddeferencewhichhadarepressedtendernessinit，ofwhichshe，otherwiseoccupied，wasquiteunaware。Shelikedhimbetter，too，thanshehaddoneayearortwobefore，becausehedidnotshowheranyoftheeagerattentionwhichteasedherthen，althoughitsmeaningwasnotfullyunderstood。
Thingsweremuchinthisstatewhenthefrostbroke，andmilderweathersucceeded。Thiswasthetimesolonglookedforwardtobytheinvalidandherfriends，asfavouringthedoctor\'srecommendationofchangeofair。
Herhusbandwastotakehertospendafortnightwithakindlyneighbour，wholivednearthefarmtheyhadoccupied，fortymilesorsoinland，beforetheycametoHaytersbank。Thewidow—womanwastocomeandstayinthehouse，tokeepSylviacompany，duringhermother\'sabsence。Daniel，indeed，wastoreturnhomeafterconveyinghiswifetoherdestination;buttherewassomuchtobedoneonthelandatthistimeoftheyear，thatSylviawouldhavebeenalonealldayhaditnotbeenforthearrangementjustmentioned。
TherewasactivestirringinMonkshavenharbouraswellasonshore。
Thewhalerswerefinishingtheirfittings—outfortheGreenlandseas。Itwasa\'close\'season，thatistosay，therewouldbedifficultyinpassingthebarrieroficewhichlaybetweentheshipsandthewhaling—grounds;
andyetthesemustbereachedbeforeJune，ortheyear\'sexpeditionwouldbeoflittleavail。Everyblacksmith\'sshoprungwiththerhythmicalclangofbusyhammers，beatingoutoldiron，suchashorseshoes，nailsorstubs，intothegreatharpoons;thequayswerethrongedwithbusyandimportantsailors，rushinghitherandthither，consciousofthedemandinwhichtheywereheldatthisseasonoftheyear。Itwaswartime，too。ManycaptainsunabletoprocuremeninMonkshavenwouldhavetocompletetheircrewsintheShetlands。Theshopsinthetownwereequallybusy;storeshadtobepurchasedbythewhaling—masters，warmclothingofallsortstobeprovided。
Thesewerethelargerwholesaleorders;butmanyaman，andwoman，too，broughtouttheirsmallhoardstopurchaseextracomforts，orpreciouskeepsakesforsomebelovedone。Itwasthetimeofthegreathalf—yearlytrafficoftheplace;anotherimpetuswasgiventobusinesswhenthewhalersreturnedintheautumn，andthemenwereflushofmoney，andfullofdelightatoncemoreseeingtheirhomesandtheirfriends。
TherewasmuchtobedoneinFosters\'shop，andlaterhourswerekeptthanusual。SomeperplexityorotherwasoccupyingJohnandJeremiahFoster;
theirmindswerenotsomuchonthealertasusual，beingengagedonsomeweightymatterofwhichtheyhadasyetspokentonoone。Butitthushappenedthattheydidnotgivethepromptassistancetheywereaccustomedtorenderatsuchtimes;andCoulsonhadbeenawayonsomeofthenewexpeditionsdevolvingonhimandPhilipasfuturepartners。Oneeveningaftertheshopwasclosed，whiletheywereexaminingthegoods，andcomparingthesaleswiththeentriesintheday—book，Coulsonsuddenlyinquired——
\'Bytheway，Hester，doestheeknowwheretheparcelofbestbandanasisgone？Therewasfourleft，asI\'mprettysure，whenIsetofftoSandsend;
andto—dayMarkAldersoncamein，andwouldfainhavehadone，andIcouldfindnonenowhere。\'
\'Isoldt\'lastto—day，toyonsailor，thespecksioneer，whofoughtthepress—gangsametimeaspoorDarleywerekilled。Hetookit，andthreeyardsofyonpinkribbonwi\'t\'blackandyellowcrossesonit，asPhilipcouldneverabide。Philiphasgot\'emi\'t\'book，ifhe\'llonlylook。\'
\'Ishehereagain？\'saidPhilip;\'Ididn\'tseehim。Whatbringshimhere，wherehe\'snoanwanted？\'
\'T\'shopwerethrongwi\'folk，\'saidHester，\'andheknewhisownmindaboutthehandkercher，anddidn\'ttarrylong。Justashewasleaving，hiseyecaughtont\'ribbon，andhecamebackforit。Itwerewhenyo\'wereservingMaryDarbyandtherewasavasto\'folkaboutyo\'。\'
\'IwishI\'dseenhim，\'saidCoulson。\'I\'dha\'gi\'enhimawordandalookhe\'dnotha\'forgotteninahurry。\'
\'Why，what\'sup？\'saidPhilip，surprisedatWilliam\'sunusualmanner，and，atthesametime，rathergratifiedtofindareflectionofhisownfeelingsaboutKinraid。Coulson\'sfacewaspalewithanger，butforamomentortwoheseemeduncertainwhetherhewouldreplyornot。