"Well, if I don’t know what I’m talkin’ about, I’d like to know the reason!" she cried, with the same angry excitement. "You ain’t been like the same man you were before that happened, you know you ain’t. I’ll never be willin’ to claim kin with ’Zeki’l Morgan again, never! Folks may find out for themselves; an’ they’ll do it soon enough—don’t you be pestered—soon enough." But not a suspicion of the truth seemed to occur to Zion Hill settlement. The Morgans were welcomed with great friendliness, and ’Zeki’l alone failed to visit them. Children sat around his brother’s fireside, a wife ministered to him; but he had forfeited all claim to such homely joys. The girls had evidently been informed of his relationship to them, for they looked askance at him as they passed along the road, pity and curiosity in their eyes. Once he came out of the blacksmith shop, and, meeting his sister-in-law in the roadway, stopped her, or she would have passed with averted head. "You needn’t be so careful, Marthy Ann," he said, without the slightest touch of bitterness in his calm tone. "It is for the children’s sake, ’Zeki’l," she said, her sallow face flushing with a feeling akin to shame. "I must think o’ them." He gave her a strange glance, then looked to the ground. "I know; I thought o’ them years ago." "It’s a pity you didn’t think before—" "Yes, so it is; but some deeds aren’t to be accounted for, nor recalled either, no matter how deeply we repent." "We sold out for the children’s sake, but, Lord! I’m pestered now more than ever." "Because I’m here?" "Well, it ain’t reasonable to think we can all go right on livin’ here, an’ folks not find out you an’ ’Lijy are brothers." "What would you like for me to do, Marthy Ann?" She hesitated a moment, then drew a little nearer to him. "Couldn’t you go away? You’ve got nobody but yourself to think about, an’ I know in reason ’Lijy would be glad to buy your place," with a careless, half-contemptuous glance at the cabin. A dull flush passed over his face; his mouth twitched. "Does ’Lijy want me to go?" "He ain’t said so; but—" "I’ll think about it," he said slowly, turning back to the smithy, where a red-hot tool awaited his hammer.