The next day I was sitting stupified and heavy, trying once more to meet the necessity of thinking about my mother’s funeral; but again and again, the weakness of sorrow fell away from the subject. The people of the house kept from me. Mrs. Huxtable had done her best, but they knew I would rather be alone. The door was opened quietly, and some one entered in a stealthy manner. Regarding it as an intrusion, I would not look that way. "Miss Clara dear," began the farmer, standing behind me, and whispering, "I humbly ask your pardon, Miss, for calling you that same. But we have had a wonderful fine season, sure enough." I made him no answer, being angry at his ill-timed common-place. "If you please, Miss, such a many lambs was never known afore, and turnips fine last winter, and corn, and hay, and every kind of stock, a fetching of such prices. The farmers about here has made their fortune mainly." "I am glad to hear that you are so prosperous, Mr. Huxtable," I answered, very coldly. "Yes fie, good times, Miss, wonderful good times, we don’t know what to do with our money a’rnost." "Buy education and good taste," I said, "instead of thrusting your happiness upon such as I." How little I knew him! Shall I ever forgive myself that speech? "Ah, I wish I could," he answered, sadly, "I wish with all my heart I could. But we must be born to the like of that, I am afeared, Miss Vaughan." Poor fellow! he knew nothing of irony, as we do, who are born to good taste, otherwise I might have suspected him of it then. He suddenly wished me "good evening," although it was middle-day, and then he made off for the door, but came back again with a desperate resolve, and spoke, for him, very quickly, looking all the time at his feet. "There, I can’t make head or tail of it, Miss Clara, but wife said I was to do it so. Take the danged money, that’s a dear, and for good now don’t be offended, for I cas’n help it." He opened his great hand, which was actually shaking, and hurriedly placed on the sofa a small packet tied in the leaf of a copy book; then suddenly put in mind of something, he made a dive, and snatching it up, flung it upon a Windsor chair. It fell with a chink, the string slipped off, and out rolled at least forty sovereigns and guineas, and a number of crown-pieces. Peremptorily I called him back, for he was running out of the door. "Mr. Huxtable, what is the meaning of this?" "Meaning, Miss! Lord bless you, Miss Clara, there bain’t no meaning of it; only it corned into my head last night, as I was laying awake, humbly asking your pardon, Miss, for that same, that if so be you should desire, that the dear good lady herself might like, if I may make so bold, meaning that it isn’t fitly like, that she should lay nowhere else, but alongside of her own husband, till death do them part, Mr. Henry Valentine Vaughan, Esquire, Vaughan Park, in the county of Gloucestershire. There I be as bad as Beany Dawe."