The sisters saw nothing odd in his use of the word ‘tedious,’ as strangers would have done; they knew it merely meant ‘not at all particular.’ They were soon in active talk. As he had told them who he was, he asked them in their turn if they worked at the mills there. They replied in the affirmative, and the young man said:— ‘I thought so. I’ve seen you sometimes going along together. I noticed you because you seemed so sisterly like, and you are sisters, I reckon.’ They said ‘Yes.’ ‘I’ve a good spanking horse, you seen,’ said James Cheshire. ‘I shall get over th’ ground rayther faster nor you done a-foot, eh? My word, though, it must be nation cold on these bleak hills i’ winter.’ The sisters assented, and thanked the young farmer for taking them up. ‘We are rather late,’ said they, ‘for we looked in on a friend, and the rest of the mill-hands were gone on.’ ‘Well,’ said the young farmer, ‘never mind that. I fancy Bess, my mare here, can go a little faster nor they can. We shall very likely be at Tidser as soon as they are.’ ‘But you are not going to Tidser,’ said Jane, ‘your farm is just before us there.’ ‘Yay, I’m going to Tidser though. I’ve a bit of business to do there before I go hom.’ On drove the farmer at what he called a spanking rate; presently they saw the young mill-people on the road before them. ‘There are your companions,’ said James Cheshire, ‘we shall cut past them like a flash of lightning.’ ‘Oh,’ exclaimed Jane Dunster, ‘what will they say at seeing us riding here?’ and she blushed brightly. ‘Say?’ said the young farmer, smiling, ‘never mind what they’ll say; depend upon it, they’d like to be here theirsens.’ James Cheshire cracked his whip. The horse flew along. The party of the young mill-hands turned round, and on seeing Jane and Nancy in the cart, uttered exclamations of surprise. ‘My word, though!’ said Mary Smedley, a fresh buxom lass, somewhat inclined to stoutness. ‘Well, if ever!’ cried smart little Hannah Bowyer. ‘Nay, then, what next?’ said Tetty Wilton, a tall, thin girl of very good looks. The two sisters nodded and smiled to their companions; Jane still blushing rosily, but Nancy sitting as pale and as gravely as if they were going on some solemn business. The only notice the farmer took was to turn with a broad smiling face, and shout to them, ‘Wouldn’t you like to be here too?’ ‘Ay, take us up,’ shouted a number of voices together; but the farmer cracked his whip, and giving them a nod and a dozen smiles in one, said, ‘I can’t stay. Ask the next farmer that comes up.’ With this they drove on; the young farmer very merry and full of talk. They were soon by the side of his farm. ‘There ’s a flock of sheep on the turnips there,’ he said, proudly; ‘they’re not to be beaten on this side Ashbourne. And there are some black oxen, going for the night to the straw-yard. Jolly fellows, those—eh? But I reckon you don’t understand much of farming stock?’