My half frozen blood and my fears again afloat made me tremble through every limb; and there was something in the grief of the woman, and particularly in the voice of the man, which had no tendency to calm my agitation. I could see distinctly, for the moon shone full in at the door. He entered the barn, they sat down together, and after some trifling questions I heard the following dialogue.
'And so, Mary, thou say'st thou beest with child?'
'Yea, Tummas, that I too surely be; the more is my hard hap.'
'And what dost thou mean to do?'
'Nay, Tummas, what doon you mean to do?'
'No matter for that—Thou threatest me, last night, that thou wouldst swear thy bastard to me.'
'For shame, for shame, Tummas, to talk o'that'n! If it mun be a bastard, thou well knowest it is a bastard of thy own begetting.'
'I know better.'
'Oh Christ! Tummas: canst thou look in my face and tell me that?'
'Yea, I can.'