“I shall manage to get away in a few minutes,” she said.
“If you’re goin’ to see Mester Vernon, you’ll let me see ye seafe across t’ fields?”
“Yes; I shall be very glad if you will.”
With the rapidity of a butterfly, in order to avoid the unlucky Fred Williams, Olivia sped across the scattered hay to the tent where she had left Ned Mitchell and Mr. Williams the elder. They were conversing as earnestly as ever, and certain words which fell upon the girl’s ears as she stood waiting for a chance of catching Ned’s attention showed her that they were still on the old subject.
“You will scarcely believe me, Mr. Mitchell, when I assure you that nothing but the dissuasions of Mr. Meredith Brander and his brother have prevented my doing it long before. However, I have made up my mind not to put up with this sort of thing any longer. I have no doubt their motives were good—perfectly good. But they are certainly mistaken in letting a private fad for antiquities interfere with the comfort of the parishioners.”
“And they won’t find on every bush a parishioner rich enough and generous enough to rebuild a church at his own expense,” added Ned.
“Oh, well, perhaps not,” allowed Mr. Williams, modestly. “Anyhow, I’ll get Lord Stannington’s permission at once, and the new St. Cuthbert’s tower shall be an object of admiration in the neighborhood before the winter comes.”
Ned Mitchell was satisfied; he had sowed the seed well. Having now leisure to look round him, he perceived that Olivia, standing by herself, with her eyes fixed earnestly upon him, was waiting for speech with him. With her feminine grace, her high spirit and her devotion, she was a girl after his own heart; what little of amiability there was in his character always appeared in his face and manner when he addressed her.
“Oh, Mr. Mitchell,” she said, in a low, pleading voice, as he nodded to Mr. Williams and walked out of the tent with her, “I want to ask you not to be hard.”
“Too late—too late by fifteen years, Miss Denison,” said he, not harshly, however. “But what particular proof of hardness have I given you just now?”