Jose chuckled, as if he could tell much but would not, and Hiram Hey grew more and more disquieted as he wondered if, after all, he had gone too slow with the first and last great courtship of his life. While Hiram sat nursing his mug, and while the shepherd kept a quizzing eye upon his moodiness, the inn door was thrown open and three rough-headed fellows stamped noisily into the bar. "It smells foul," said one, stopping at sight of Hiram and the shepherd, and holding his nostrils between a dirt-stained thumb and forefinger. "Ay," said another, "it’s th’ Wayne smell—ye can wind ’em like foxes wheriver ye leet on their trail." "Yond’s Wildwater talk," said Hiram to the shepherd, not shifting his position on the settle. "They’re reared on wind up yonder, an’ it gets into their tongues, like." "Thee shut thy mouth, Hiram Hey; tha’rt ower owd to gi’e lip-sauce to lusty folk," said the foremost of the Wildwater trio, coming to the back of the settle and leaning threateningly over the old man. Hiram lifted himself slowly into a sitting-posture. "There’s _breed_ i’ us owd uns," he said; "th’ race weakened by th’ time it got to sich as thee." "We’ll see about that," said his assailant, and stooped quickly, his hands toward Hiram’s throat. But Hiram shot out his arms with unlooked-for vigour, and gripped his man under the arm-pits, and pulled him like a kitten over the high back of the lang-settle. Then he got to his feet, still hugging the other close, and gave a steady swing, and landed him clean over his left shoulder on to the sanded floor-stones. "If awther o’ ye others hes owt to say, I’m noan stalled yet," said Hiram, dropping to his seat again. The fallen man did not move for a space; and then he clapped a hand to one knee with an oath. "There’s summat broken," he groaned. "Likely," put in Hiram Hey. "I’ve hed chaps mell on me afore, an’ it mostly ends th’ same way." The two who were still unhurt helped their comrade to the door, and turned for a sour look at Hiram. "Turn an’ turn about," said one; "there’s summat i’ bottle for all ye Wayne chaps, an’ I’ll look to thee myseln, Hiram Hey, when th’ chance comes." "Summat i’ bottle, is there?" said the shepherd, after they had gone. "Th’ Lean Man hes been fearful quiet lately; I feared he war hatching weasel-eggs. Ay, an’ his men hev been quiet, an’ all; ’tis mony a week sin’ we hed ony sort o’ moil wi’ ’em." "Well, I’m stalled o’ wondering what’s to happen next," said Hiram, yawning with great content. "I war all a-shiver when th’ feud first broke out, an’ ivery day I looked to be shotten at th’ least, if not sliced up wi’ a sword at after. But th’ days jog on somehow, an’ there’s nowt mich comes to cross th’ farm-wark." "Yond war a shrewd lift o’ thine, Hiram," said the shepherd presently, seating himself at the other side of the hearth.