Then, all at once, his mood changed. It occurred to him that very probably Honor stayed away just for the purpose of showing him she did not care for him. If that were so, he would let her know that he was not to be put out of heart by her slights. He would not afford her the gratification of hearing through her sister that he was dispirited and unhappy. Then he dashed into the midst of the girls, snatched a partner, and thenceforth danced and laughed and was uproariously merry. At ten o’clock the dancing was over. Country folk kept early hours then; the cider barrel was run out, the basket of cakes emptied, and the tallow lights in the lanterns burnt down to a flicker in a flood of melted grease. The young men prepared to escort their partners home. Hillary saw that Samuel was going with Kate. He was exasperated to the last degree. He did not care particularly for Kate, but he did care that it should not be talked of in the village that Sam Voaden had plucked her away from under his very nose. Gossip gave her to him as a sweetheart, and gossip would make merry over his discomfiture. Besides, he wanted an excuse for going to the cottage and having an explanation with Honor about the kerchief. As Voaden’s dog passed in front of him at a call from his master, Larry kicked it. ’Leave my dog alone, will you!’ shouted Samuel. ’That is the second time you have kicked Punch. The dog don’t hurt you, why should you hurt him?’ ’I shall kick the brute if I choose,’ said Hillary. ’It has no right here in the barn.’ ’What harm has Punch done? And now, what is against his leaving?’ ’You had no right to bring the dog here. It has been in the plantation after young game.’ ’Punch is wrong whether in the barn or out of it. The guinea you got for shooting Rover has given you a set against dogs seemingly,’ said young Voaden. ’The dog took your lambs at Swaddledown, and you were too much a lie-a-bed to stop it,’ sneered Hillary. ’Some folk,’ answered Samuel, ’have everything in such first-rate order at home they can spare time to help their neighbours.’ ’No more!’ exclaimed Kate; ’you shall not quarrel.’ Hillary looked round. Near him were two women who had been in the van when he returned from Tavistock with the kerchief. They, no doubt, recognised it over Kate’s shoulders. They made sure it was his love-token to her, and, wearing it, she was about to affront him in their eyes. His wounded vanity made him blind to what he said or did. ’Here, Kate,’ he said, thrusting himself forward, ’I am going to take you home. You cannot go with Samuel. His cursed Punch is an ill-conditioned brute, and will kill your chickens.’ ’Nonsense,’ laughed Kate, ’our chickens are all under cover.’ ’I’ll fight you,’ said Hillary, turning to Samuel. ’Kate was engaged to me for the Tank,[1] and you carried her off without asking leave. I will not be insulted by you on my father’s land, and under my own roof. If you are a man you will fight me.’