There was a pause, during which she heard the shuffling of Mat’s feet upon floor as he prepared himself, with many throes, for another rhetorical effort. As she at last turned towards him and again held out her hand, he found his courage, and began—
“An’ wan moor thing Ah’d loike to say, Miss: doan’t you be afreeaid o’ parson Brander, for all they may say. Of coorse, ye’ve heard t’ story; t’ ill aboot a mon always cooms oot first. Maybe t’ story’s true; Ah knaw nowt about that. But Ah do knaw that there’s ne’er a heart loike his in t’ coontry side. An’ he’s done all t’ harm he’ll ever do to anybody. An’—an’ he give me this note for ye, Miss, and Ah’ve given it, and noo Ah’m going. Good-night, Miss.”
With which abrupt farewell he made a countryman’s obeisance to her, and sheered off with great promptitude.
“Good-night. I shan’t forget what you’ve said,” Olivia called after him, smiling.
She sat down again to muse by the fire, holding the open letter still in her hand; and after a few minutes, being utterly tired out with the day’s work, she fell asleep. When she woke up she could not resist an exclamation of horror, for she saw confronting her, in the dim firelight, an ugly, grinning face, the owner of which broke into a peal of hoarse laughter in enjoyment of the shock his presence caused her. Starting to her feet, Olivia woke up to the full consciousness that the ill-favored intruder was no other than her persecutor of two nights before. While she was gathering up her forces for a withering speech, Mr. Williams gave her a smile and a nod of friendly greeting.
“You didn’t expect to see me, did you?” he began, in a perfectly amicable tone.
“I certainly did not. Nor can I say that I wished for that—honor,” answered Olivia, with what ought to have been withering sarcasm.
But Mr. Williams grinned on, entirely unmoved.
“No; you thought you’d shut me up—choked me off for good, didn’t you? Why, I’ve got brambles and splinters in every finger still. But I liked you for it. Oh, I do like a girl of spirit! Why, there isn’t a girl about the place I haven’t tried to annoy, and not one of them has had the pluck to round on me as you did. But, then, look at your muscle, you know,” he added, admiringly.
“I’m exceeding grateful for your admiration, and I will try to deserve it,” answered Olivia, briefly.