‘Despise them! Look down on them!’ echoed Nell. ‘Oh, dad, you don’t know what you are talking of. It is London that I hate and despise and look down upon. It is the people there who are false and cold and cruel. I want to forget it all. I want to forget I ever went there. I hate service. It is degrading and despicable, and oh! so lonely to be far away from home and mother and you. When I heard Hetty speak of you both I could stand it no longer. I was obliged to come straight back to you all again.’ ‘And now we’ve got you we sha’n’t let you go again in a hurry, Nell. You must stay and be the comfort of our old age. But you had better be handing round your wine and cakes, wife. It’s getting on for ten o’clock, and our friends here have a matter of a couple of miles to walk to Dale Farm. I’ll have the mare put in the cart in two minutes, farmer, and drive you home myself, if you’ll only say the word.’ ‘Not for us, sir,’ replied Owen. ‘My missus here likes a walk, and as for the young ’uns it does them good. Come on, Hetty. You’ll be main proud and happy now you’ve got your sister back again, and I expect we shall have a job to keep you at Dale Farm. There’ll a be message or a summat for Panty-cuckoo most days of the week _I_ know.’ Meanwhile Hugh Owen had drawn near to Nell Llewellyn. ‘I am glad to find you haven’t quite forgotten me,’ he said, as he held her hand, ‘and I hope you will let me come sometimes and pay you a visit at Panty-cuckoo Farm as I used to do.’ ‘Why, surely. You are often here with Hetty and Will I suppose?’ ‘Not often. My duties take up so much of my time. But sometimes I have an hour to spare in the evening, and I shouldn’t like to let our friendship drop now it has been renewed. Are you fond of reading?’ ‘It depends on what I have to read. I’m not over fond of sermons, such as you used to give me in the old days, Hugh.’ The young man coloured. ‘Used I to give you sermons? It must have been very presumptuous of me. I will promise to give you no more--at least in private. But I have a very fair library of books, and they are all at your service if you should require them.’ ‘Thank you. I will tell you if I should want something to amuse me, but for the present I shall be too busy helping mother, and getting my hand in for dairy and laundry work.’ ‘You will never come back to that now. You have grown above it,’ replied the young man, gazing admiringly at her smooth, pallid complexion and white hands. ‘What do you know about it?’ said Nell curtly. ‘Don’t bet against me, Hugh, or you’ll lose your money. Good-night. Mother says you preach out in the fields, and some day I’ll come with her to hear you, just for old times’ sake. But if you are very prosy I shall walk straight home again, so I give you fair warning.’ ‘Only tell me when you’re coming, and I’ll not be prosy,’ cried Hugh eagerly.