“I told her not to be afraid of you. I told her that if she threw you over you might go altogether to the devil; that she might even be responsible for some crime. I told her that if she married you and was faithful—if she loved you—I’d answer for it you’d never go wrong.
“She was too frightened to listen to me. Then I told her to think over what I’d said before she did anything. You heard me say that.”
“Aye. That’s what I heard you say. I didn’ knaw. I didn’ knaw. I thought you’d set her agen me.”
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask her, Steven.”
“That’s what she said t’ other night. That you navver coom between her and me. Navver.”
“Never,” the phantasm said. “And you don’t hate me now.”
“Naw. Naw. I should navver ’a hated ’ee. I should navver ’a laid a finger on thee, ef I’d knawn.”
“It’s not your laying fingers on me, it’s your hatred that matters. If that’s done with, the whole thing’s done with.”
“Is it? Is it? Ef it was knawn, I should have to hang for it. Maunna I gie mysen oop? Tell me, maun I gie mysen oop?”
“You want me to decide that for you?”