“Did he say that?” asked the squire, with satisfaction.
“Yes, he told me so this morning.”
“You are sure he gets no money?”
“Yes; he is paid wholly in vegetables. He said he couldn't find employment anywhere else in the village, so he had to work that way.”
“That boy stands very much in his own light,” said the squire.
“How is that, father?”
“I told him Mr. Banks would give him work if he would agree to sell me his cottage.”
“He doesn't own it, does he?”
“His mother, of course, I mean. It's the boy that keeps her from selling it.”
“Why does he do that?”