"Certainly you did ought, and you've got the Bible behind you. If you love me, then you did ought to put me afore every damn thing, and cleave to me for ever after. Say you'll do it, like a dear woman. I want to hear you say it, Susan. 'Twill cheer me up a lot, because I've never had the sack afore in my life and don't like the taste of it. I be feeling low, and 'twill be a great thing to get back on farmer afore I go to bed to-night." She was suspicious at once. "You ban't doing this out of revenge, however?" she asked. "For naught but love--that I'll swear." "To be loved by a fine man--a go-by-the-ground creature like me!" "And never no female better fit for it." "I'll take you, Thomas; but if you change your mind after you've slept on it, I shan't think no worse of you. Only this I'll say, I do love you, and I have loved you a longful time, but paid no attention to it, not understanding." "Then praise the Lord for all His blessings, I'm sure." He held her close in his arms and they kissed each other. She clung to him fervently. "Now, if you'll take the basket, I'll go back and buy another bottle of sherry wine," she said. "Not at all. But we mustn't shatter the man at one blow. He'll want more than pretty drinking when he hears about this. I'll traapse down for another bottle, and you go home under my umbrella; and change every stitch on you, and drink something hot, else you might fall ill." "Ah! That's love! That's love!" she said, looking up at him wet-eyed. "No--only sense. I'll show 'e what love be so soon as I know myself. You get home, and say as you dropped your bottle and was just going back for another when I met you, on my way to Ashburton, and offered to get it. And on the whole us'll keep the fearful news for a few days till he's well again. 'Twill be more merciful." "You'm made of wisdom, Tom. 'Tis a great relief to keep it from father a bit till I've got used to the thought." "Kiss me again then," he answered, and put his arms round her once more. "There's a brave lot of 'e to cuddle whether or no." "'Tis all yours I'm sure, if you really want it, dear Thomas." "I be coming to want it so fast as I can, woman!" CHAPTER XXVIII THE LAW For Dinah Waycott the sole difficulty of her position began to clear itself; and since she was now convinced that she and Lawrence saw the future with the same vision, she felt that future approach quickly. It seemed, however, that for her, pure joy could only be reached through sorrow, and on an occasion of meeting Maynard upon the moor, she said so. "Nothing ever do run quite smooth, and out of my misfortune my fortune comes. For it's only a terrible sad thing that be clearing the road for us and leaving nobody in my life to think of but you." She had assumed somewhat more than her lover at this point, and in a sense, taken the lead. "Your foster-father?" he said.