"He'll make her a good husband," he said to himself. "She don't fancy it, perhaps, at first; but a father must be the best judge of what is for his child's happiness." He was down at one of his powder-sheds, busying himself, and thinking that the Pool-house would soon be no longer the same, when he came upon Croftly, who, on the strength of his old service, said what he pleased. "Oh, look here, Tom," said the founder, "Thursday's to be the wedding-day; you ought to set the men to work getting ready something in honour of the event. It's a busy time, but I shall not take any notice if some of you stop to rig up a sort of arch." "Rig up!" said Tom Crofty. "Hadn't you better ask some of the Captain's men? It's more in their way." "No, no," said the founder, hastily. "Make an arch of green boughs and flowers, and that sort of thing. You know better than I do; go up to the village and bid the men get the case of viols, and let there be a dance--the girls will be pleased. Tell the men they shall have their shilling and plenty of ale; and you can get some powder--a keg of coarse black--and the two little old guns, and fire 'em off. You can have what wood you like, too, for a bonfire at night. Do the thing well, my lad, and take a holiday all of you. I'll find the ale." Tom Croftly took off his cap, and wiped his grimy brow with a blacker hand, as he seated himself on the bottom of an empty keg. "We had a girt meeting 'bout it in the 'ood last night, master," said Croftly; "and talked it all over." "Oh, you did?" said the founder, looking pleased. "Well, and what did you settle?" "First find foremost, master, we sattled that we'd muffle the three bells up in the tower o' the church." "Why, it's two miles away, man, and the sound wouldn't hardly be heard here." "And then we'd toll 'em all day long." "Toll them?" cried the founder. "Ay, master, for it be like to us as if young mistress had been put in her grave." "Nonsense, my lad. She'll come back sometimes. And it's a happy day for her." "Happy, eh, master?" said Croftly roughly. "Look here, you asked for this, so you may as well have it slap i' th' mooth. I talked to the boys, and they talked to me; and at last of all they, swore as they'd be damned, every man Jack of 'em, if they didn't treat the whole thing as a fun'ral, and that, if any of Sir Mark's chaps tried to get up an ale shouting, they'd shove 'em in the Pool." "But you musn't take it like that, Tom," cried the founder. "It's very good of the lads to take on so about losing their young mistress, but you must rejoice. It's to be a happy day."