But Mary, oh! my children, you will never know what my cousin Mary was like in those days, with her brown eyes, so warm and soft, and her brown hair all wavy, and with little love ringlets about the neck and her little hands not white but creamy brown, and her rosebud mouth, and her voice so musical, and her smile so sweet. And so, I say, thinking, perhaps, too much of these things, and wondering, too, at the marvellous skill of the potter, and opining, belike, that there must be a difference in the clay, but quite certain that Mary was not fashioned in iniquity, and the day being hot and the air very heavy, and two suet dumplings I had eaten for dinner sitting heavy on me, I fell into a sort of doze as Mr. Webster reached his twelfthly. Now, Mary, seeing this, and being ever full of mischief, having looked to see that my father was intent on the discourse, and that my mother's eyes were closed--in thought--did lean over the pew and put into my mouth a lump of good-stuff and, I chancing at the moment to throw back my head, the sweet rolled into my gullet and had gone nigh to choke me. I had much ado to stifle my coughing, and all the congregation did look hard at me, save only Mary herself, who listened with sweet gravity as Mr. Webster proceeded with his twelfthly. I walked home that evening with 'Siah, for Mary dallied behind with Martha, and father and mother had gone on before with Mr. Webster, who was to take his supper at our house, as was now his almost weekly custom of a Sunday. 'Siah was a silent man, and was a good servant, loving his beasts and careful for them, but over fond of ale, and much to be feared when overtaken with drink, and noted that he had fought a great fight at the Feast with one arm tied behind his back. "Aw believe awn getten it, Ben," said 'Siah, as we went across the fields in the wintry gloom, homewards. "What's ta getten, 'Si?" I asked. "Th' conviction," said 'Siah. "Conviction, what conviction?" "Why, th' conviction o' sin to be sure. How many convictions does ta' think there are?" said 'Siah, in a pet. "Why, 'Siah, th' last conviction tha' had were afore Justice Ratcliffe at th' Brigg, and more by token if my father hadn't sent me wi' th' fine, in th' stocks tha'd ha sat for six mortal hours by Huddersfield Church clock." "That were a different sort o' conviction all together, Ben, that were for feightin', and this aw mean naa is th' conviction o' sin." "Well, fighting's a sin," I said. "Aw dooan't know as it is--not if it be for feightin' such a thing as th' ostler at th' Pack Horse for sayin' Martha's bow-legged, when aw know better, but aw do believe at aw gat my conviction o' sin much i' t' same way." "How does ta' mean, 'Siah," I asked, for I saw our teamer was in deadly earnest.