“Foolish one,” she whispered to Hal as her lips brushed his ear.
Hal watched her go lightly across the room and then returned to his reckoning much comforted, but he reflected as he worked that whether she had paid him back or not Anny Farren had certainly forgotten to kiss him on the night that Dick Delfazio, the Spaniard, first came to the Ship Inn.
Meanwhile, Sue and Anny stood together in the doorway deep in talk.
“But, Anny,” Sue was saying, as she held out the skirt of her gown for the other’s inspection, “think you ’twill serve another winter?”
Anny looked at it for a moment; then she displayed her own. “’Tis much better than mine, Mistress Sue,” she said.
“Oh! but you need not look so neat as I,” Sue spoke quickly and without thinking. But, seeing the other girl’s lip tremble, she put an arm round her slim shoulders.
“Nay, I did not mean to speak so,” she said kindly. “I was thinking but of myself; see, lass, when Master French next goes to Tiptree he shall bring me a new length of flannel from the market, and I will give thee this gown, for, truly, thine is very old.”
Anny looked up and smiled; the gift of one of Sue’s old gowns was an event for her.
“Thank thee kindly, mistress,” she said, as Sue shook out the folds of the faded purple homespun frock and tightened the lacing of the corsage. “’Tis not so bad,” she said.
Anny looked at it with pleasure and she laughed happily. “Nay,” she said, “it will suit me well, I thank you, mistress.”