beer;--that as a manufacturer of bad beer he was a fairly honest and useful man;--and they looked upon any change as the work, or rather the suggestion, of a charlatan. "This isn't Staffordshire," they said. "If you want beer like that you can buy it in bottles at Griggs'." "He'll soon find where he'll be if he tries to undersell me," said young Griggs. "All the same, I hope he'll come back, because he has left a little bill at our place." And then to other evil reports was added that special evil report,--that Rowan had gone away without paying his debts. I am inclined to think that Mr. Tappitt can be almost justified in his evil thoughts and his evil words. I cannot make out quite so good a case for Mrs. Tappitt and her two elder daughters;--for even Martha, Martha the just, shook her head in these days when Rowan's name was mentioned;--but something may be said even for them. It must not be supposed that Mrs. Tappitt's single grievance was her disappointment as regarded Augusta. Had there been no Augusta on whose behalf a hope had been possible, the predilection of the young moneyed stranger for such a girl as Rachel Ray would have been a grievance to such a woman as Mrs. Tappitt. Had she not been looking down on Rachel Ray and despising her for the last ten years? Had she not been wondering among her friends, with charitable volubility, as to what that poor woman at Bragg's End was to do with her daughter? Had she not been regretting that the young girl should be growing up so big, and promising to look so coarse? Was it not natural that she should be miserable when she saw her taken in hand by Mrs. Butler Cornbury, and made the heroine at her own party, to the detriment of her own daughters, by the fashionable lady in catching whom she had displayed so much unfortunate ingenuity? Under such circumstances how could she do other than hate Luke Rowan,--than believe him to be the very Mischief,--than prophesying all manner of bad things for Rachel,--and assist her husband tooth and nail in his animosity against the sinner? Augusta was less strong in her feelings than her parents, but of course she disliked the man who could admire Rachel Ray. As regards Martha, her dislike to him,--or rather, her judicial disapproval,--was founded on his social and commercial improprieties. She understood that he had threatened her father about the business,--and she had been scandalized in that matter of the champagne. Cherry was very brave, and still stood up for him before her mother and sisters;--but even Cherry did not dare to say a word in his favour before her father. Mr. Tappitt had been driven to forget himself, and to take a poker in his hand as a weapon of violence! After that let no one speak a word on the offender's behalf in Tappitt's house and within Tappitt's hearing!