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 mood. He stood watching Elisabeth as she cleared his table. Life with her, he thought, would suit all his tastes and inclinations. Why not tell her of all that was in his heart?

"What did you think of the old women, Elisabeth?" he asked. Elisabeth looked up from the table and smiled.

"I thought them very amusing, sir," she answered.

"It is a custom they have hereabouts," he said. "They come every St. Thomas's Day. You never heard it spoken of, perhaps?"

"No, sir."

"That shows you are not a countrywoman," he said, smiling at her.

"No, sir, I am not—I never saw much of the country until I came here."

"Well, how do you like the country now that you do see it? Is it lonely and quiet?"

"I think it is both quiet and lonely, sir. But then—"

"Well?"