"I shan't hurt her." She could hear that he too was now calm. The voice that spoke from the darkness was a man's voice. "Connie, I want to ask you something."
"Well?" Still she was defiant. "What do you want?"
"When did you last see—yon—yon fellow?"
"Eric Fennington?"
"Ay."
"In the summer. Before I went on leave, but——"
"I thowt so. You fooled me properly, didn't you?"
"But——" Connie rose slowly to her feet. She stood now facing her husband. He raised the lantern and flashed it full upon her. "Ben," she said.
"Have ye anything to say? Ye laughed an' mocked at me. Ye treated me like a boy without pride, or honour. Then, when yon fellow let ye down, you found that I was man enough to give his child my name." He spoke now without bitterness. His steady, even voice was strange to them. They stood before him, afraid of his new dignity. Then Connie said:
"Ben, that's not true."