Page:Mehalah 1920.djvu/39

Rh "Besides, my mother never left her seat whilst he was here. Did you, mother?" The old woman shook her head. "What are we to do?" she asked; "we have no money now for the rent; and that must be paid next Thursday." "Have you none at all?"

"None but a trifle which we need for purchases against the winter. There was more in the bag than was needed for the rent, and how we shall struggle through the winter without it, heaven alone can tell." "You have no more sheep to sell?" "None but ewes, which cannot be parted with." "Nor a cow?" "It would be impossible for us to spare her."

"Then I will lend you the money," said George. "I have something laid by, and you shall have what you need for the rent out of it. Mehalah will repay me some day." "I will, George! I will!" said the girl vehemently, and her eyes filled. She took the two hands of her lover in her own, and looked him full in the face. Her eyes expressed the depth of her gratitude which her tongue could not utter. "Now that is settled," said De Witt, "let us talk of something else."

"Come along, George," said Mehalah, hastily interrupting him. "If you want to be put across on Fresh Marsh, you must not stay talking here any longer." "All right. Glory! I am ready to go with you, anywhere, to the world's end." As she drew him outside, she whispered, "I was afraid of your speaking about the two shots to-night. I do not wish my mother to hear of that; it would alarm her."

"But I want to talk to you about them," said De Witt. "Have you any notion who it was that fired at us?" "Have you?" asked Mehalah, evading an answer. "I have a sort of a notion."

"So have I. As I was going down the Rhyn to fetch you, I was stopped by Elijah Rebow." "Well, what did he want?"

"He wanted me to take some curlew he had shot; but