Page:Triangles of life, and other stories.djvu/92

 signs of human being in sight when he came home, rather hurriedly, and of whom he inquired the particulars of Billy's accident. Bob went to Halliford that night, and arranged to board and lodge with a silent old couple of whom he'd heard—or, rather, not heard, so to speak. Billy did his best when he recovered, but Bob was never the same to him, and Billy's sorrow for it was deep and sincere."

They was warm, they was. They never had a dry word until d——d cacklin', kack-kak-kakin' ole hags came atween 'em."

And they'd come atween him and Lizzie too, it seemed. She was more careful of the home and Billy than ever in that damnedly pointed way that openhearted little Billy couldn't understand. And his heart began to break with sorrow and anxiety. He was no match for her. Her manner led from "Now, Lizzie, me lass" to dry words; so in the end she wouldn't even tell him that there wasn't nothing in particular the matter with her, and it frightened him as much as when she had told him so, and obstinately refused to enter into details, saying she couldn't be bothered.

Then things began to be hinted to him about Bob's character, and at last plainly, things that he "oughter been told," about Bob and Coxgrave's wife having been seen together in an out-of-the-way place and an out-of-the-way time. And his heart began to change towards Bob. But, God forgive Billy ! never a doubt of Lizzie.

Lizzie had never been able to get on with her mother, so there was no hope for poor Billy in that