“And I hope you’re going to look after that poor girl when her time comes,” she said. Bowden nodded. “Never fear! I’d suner the child was hers than that niece of Steer’s.” The schoolmistress was silent. “Well,” she said at last, “it’s an unchristian state of mind.” “Yu go to Steer, ma’am, an’ see whether he’ll be more Christian-like. He ’olds the plate out Sundays.” This was precisely what the good lady did, more perhaps from curiosity than in proselytizing mood. “What!” said Steer, who was installing a beehive; “when that God-darned feller put his son up to jilting my niece!” “And you a Christian, Mr. Steer!” “There’s a limit to that, ma’am,” said Steer dryly. “In my opinion, not even our Lord could have put up with that feller. Don’t you waste your breath trying to persuade me.” “Dear me!” murmured the schoolmistress. “I don’t know which of you is worst.” The only people, in fact, who did know were Steer and Bowden, whose convictions about each other increased as the spring came in with song and leaf and sunshine, and there was no son to attend to the sowing and the calving, and no niece to make the best butter in the parish. Towards the end of May, on a ‘brave’ day, when the wind was lively in the ash-trees and the buttercups bright gold, the girl Pansy had her hour; and on the following morning Bowden received this letter from his son. “DEAR FATHER, “They don’t let us tell where we are so all I can say is there’s some crumps come over that stop at nothing and you could bury a waggon where they hit. The grub is nothing to complain of. Hope you have done well with calves. The green within sight of here wouldn’t keep a rabbit alive half a day. The thing I wish to say is If I have a son by you know who--call it Edward, after you and me. It makes you think out here. She would like to hear perhaps that I will marry her if I come back so as not to have it on my mind. There is some German prisoners in our section--big fellows and proper swine with their machine-guns I can tell you. Hope you are well as this leaves me. Has that swine Steer given over asking for his money? I would like to see the old farm again. Tell granma to keep warm. No more now from “Your loving son “NED.”