“Ay, it’ll keep me, missus—it bain’t that. But I do ’low it’ll be main hard to go up on pay-day wi’ ’em all, an’ take laiss nor any of ’em—me that has always took the most. They’ll all be castin’ eyes at me an’ talkin’ small o’ me. They’ll be sayin’, ‘Shepherd be takin’ bwoy’s wage. He bain’t worth his salt now, shepherd bain’t.’ It’s the notion o’ that, missus, as I can’t stand—nohow.” “Oh, that’s what it be,” returned his mistress thoughtfully. The excitement which rendered Robbins so unusually garrulous had flushed his cheeks and given light to his eyes. The woman’s heart was touched as she looked at him. “Ay, ma’am, an’ another thing—the lad as I be to have help me, he’ll be a cheeky un very like—the ruck o’ lads be. He’ll think himself as good as me—better mayhap. He’ll be gettin’ same money as me, ye know. What’ll he think o’ me at my time o’ life? Adam Blanchard and Eddard Boyt they be gettin’ same as their grandsons I d’ ’low, but there! the boys be their grandsons, an’ if they don’t treat ’em respectful-like they can give ’em the stick.” Mrs. Joyce was silent for a moment, her brows were knit and her lips compressed; she seemed to be turning over a problem in her mind. Suddenly her face lit up. “Abel,” she said, “I’m o’ your mind arter all. I think instead o’ your master cuttin’ off your wages he ought to raise you. You ought to have some reward for your long years of faithful service. In my opinion your master ought to raise you to sixteen shillin’.” Shepherd Robbins looked as though he scarcely heard aright. “Why, missus!” he exclaimed, and paused overcome. “Yes; if master raises you, nobody couldn’t vex you, an’ yet nobody couldn’t find aught amiss. The master ’ud tell ’em all ’twas but nat’ral after ye bein’ wi’ us so long an’ so punished wi’ rheumatics. It’s time he should do something more for ’ee. An’ so, he’d say, he’s goin’ to raise you an’ you be goin’ to keep a lad.” Robbins still stared, astonishment and delight vying with each other in his face. “That ’ud be a different story!” he ejaculated. “An’, you see, you could pick your own bwoy easy then—he’d be your bwoy; you could choose en for yourself, an’ send en away if he didn’t behave hisself. Would that do ye?” she asked with modest triumph. “Do me!—ah, that it would! I did never expect so much. But master won’t hear on it, sure!” “He will, though—I’ll see to that. ’Tis but your due, shepherd. I d’ ’low you deserve some reward; we bain’t onreasonable!” She turned quickly, and went into the house, leaving Robbins radiant but still half incredulous. He was forced to believe in his own good fortune, however, when at pay time Farmer Joyce announced the intended promotion of Shepherd Robbins, who, in view of his long service and failing health, was now to receive an increase of wages amounting to four shillings a week.