"He mun be a queer un, mun Joshua," said German, curiously, to his sister as they went out. Joshua was almost the only stranger of whom he ever heard, and the commodity was too rare, even by name, at Stone Edge for the dissipation of talking of him to be despised. "Hearken by feyther, and he mun hae horns and a tail, and there's a son a bit older nor me as he sends of errands by times. I should like fine for to see un."

"Nay, dunna thee say so," said Cassandra; "They mun be a' bad uns, old and young too, for to do such things. What for would'st thou want to hae any dealings wi' bad folk?" she added, anxiously, with a woman's fear of stepping out of the ancient ways. German was turning into the yard to drive the cart-horses out to water at the great stone troughs in the lane, and she followed him with a jug and a pail, for the water was considered better for tea and the dairy than that of the well in the house. She pulled a green leaf of hartstongue as usual, and put it where the rill trickled over a stone out of the hill-side, making thus a tiny spout for the water, and as she stood waiting for it to fill her cans, and the big cart-horses drank at the lower trough with a loud inspiration, the tips of their noses

daintily set on the surface of the water, German

went on,

"Joshua's lad, Nanny telled me, were goin' up and down at Morehead arter his feyther's business last Wissuntide. Everybody goes i' th' world but me. Feyther mun think my yead's like yon balls upo' th' stone stoups, as I'm never to have an out. There's a firetail," said the boy, interrupting the recital of his wrongs to throw a stone at a redstart.

"I'm main glad thou'st missed the poor bird," said Cassie, smiling. ""Twouldn't ha' mended what's amiss wi' thee to hae broken its wing. I'm a'most sorry that it's I as was ast to aunt Bessie's. I've a big mind to let thee go ithstead."

66

"Nay," said the boy, that would never do;

thee and me's not one for aunt Bessie. Wimen likes wimen mostly for to chatter wi' un. But mebbe thou could'st bring in a word for me, easy like, not all one as a message frae me. There were a cart one fair time, I heerd, at Youlcliffe," he added, with a deep sigh, "wi' a lion and a bear, or summat o' that sort, inside, and a big pictur outside, Buxton's boy telled me. There's a many things to be learnt down i' th' town too, as thou knowest nowt about;-how should a wench?" said German, with

the magnificent contempt of boydom for femality. "Cattle and prices, and ploughs, and sich like ;and I dunno scarce know my own uncle not by sight sin' I were a little un, as could learn me a' them things; and what for ?" he added, bitterly. "Because my grandad left his money as he chused. I dunno care for's money, but 'tis hard as I canna go and see the wild beasts and the world a bit, when, as one mid say, it's a' at one's own aunt's door. And then feyther threeps it at me as if it's my fault!"

CHAPTER II.

GOING TO THE WAKES.

Tell me where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart, or in the head?
How begot, how nourished?
Reply, reply.

It is engendered in the eyes,
'Tis the cradle where it lies.

Merchant of Venice.

"The

THE wakes are a very important institution. In the Puritanic tabooing of amusement among the Methodists in the hills, it is one of the few opportunities for it which has still been left undisturbed. feast" is determined by the saint's day to whom the church of each village is dedicated, although the fierce old Puritan-Protestants who celebrate it would be horrified if they knew that they were keeping a "Papist festival."

On the Saturday before they began, Cassandra, with a beating heart, set out with her bundle in her hand containing her new gown-the admired

spot"-upon this her first outing into the world,

with much the same feelings that a young lady performs her entrance into the same. "After all there is a great deal of human nature in the world."

"Thee mun just get to Youlcliffe as thee can," said her father sulkily.

German, thou'lt put off thy kytle* and carry thee sister's things to th' auld mill, I'll be boun ?" whispered Lydia. "It shall be thy turn next, my lad," she added; "he wunna gie consent for both. yet awhile."

Six miles of the white limestone road, dusty and glaring, made even Cassandra's strong young limbs glad to reach her aunt's door. She had not been to Youlcliffe for nearly six years, as, since the quarrel about the money, her father had never allowed her to go near the place; and it was with a curious feeling of strangeness and knowledge that she made out the little square red house set on to an old grey stone cottage, of which its owners were very proud, with a border of brilliant flowers in front-marigold and stock and larkspur.

Mrs. Broom was leaning over the wicket-gate, and welcomed her niece from afar, loudly and warmly. She was a little round fat woman, with a pleasant

* Kertl-garment, short blouse.