“Go buy a good, meat dinner to-day, son, and have plenty of meat hash for supper, and perhaps the little one will sleep so soundly that the lady mother can’t disturb her. Take good heart. As Eli, here, says: ‘The harder you have to dig after a woodchuck, the better your appetite is when you get him.’ We’ll see what can be done. Now straighten up. Throw back your shoulders. Cock your knee every time you step, just like your best livery horse--the best ‘letter,’ you know--the one all the folks ask for. Hold up your chin and show ’em it’s natural and not a check-rein habit. Remember all the time that you’re young, life’s ahead of you, and the prettiest girl in Palermo is your wife. That’s the way to face the world. Tail over the dasher. Now out and at it!” And seizing the youth by the arm, he marched him to the door, thwacking his broad palm between his shoulders at every step. When Squire Phin turned and came back to his table he knotted his eyebrows and glared at the two old men. “Now wipe those Chessy cat grins off your faces,” he snapped. “I see through your hectoring scheme. But you watch me. I’ll sooner or later put that marriage along with the others I’ve pigeon-holed under the label ‘Successes.’” Amazeen turned to Buck. “The Squire wants to have all his marriage certificates hold up like his title deeds, Lys--legal, binding, and good for all time. But you mustn’t get touchy with us, Phin. It isn’t very often that you marry a fool tumble-bug to a butterfly. Howsomever, you’ve done it this trip, and it ain’t goin’ to be a success--and it ain’t your fault. There’s something worse than what’s showed yet goin’ to drop in that quarter or I’m no prophet. You’d better not be mixed too close in it.” “Go along with your tattling gossip,” cried the lawyer. “If you and Uncle Lys haven’t anything better to do, go out and take a sun bath. I want to study.” “You know more law already than you need. You know it better than you do some kinds of human nature, and I’m going to post you a little on the last-named,” pursued Amazeen, cheerfully disregarding the rebuff. “There’s more’n lady mothers and visions that’s makin’ Rissy Mayo discontented.” “Huh-huh!” grunted Look, without apparent interest, taking down a volume of reports and spatting the dust from it.