The pain of my thawing hands would not immediately suffer me to go to sleep, and, just as it was beginning to decrease and I to slumber, the door opened and a woman came in. My fears were again alarmed, for as I listened I heard her weep bitterly. In no long time afterward a man leaned forward, through the door, and said--'Mary! Art thou there?'--To which she replied with a sob--'Yea, Tummas; I be here.' My half frozen blood and my fears again afloat made me tremble through every limb; and there was something in the grief of the woman, and particularly in the voice of the man, which had no tendency to calm my agitation. I could see distinctly, for the moon shone full in at the door. He entered the barn, they sat down together, and after some trifling questions I heard the following dialogue. 'And so, Mary, thou say'st thou beest with child?' 'Yea, Tummas, that I too surely be; the more is my hard hap.' 'And what dost thou mean to do?' 'Nay, Tummas, what doon you mean to do?' 'No matter for that--Thou threatest me, last night, that thou wouldst swear thy bastard to me.' 'For shame, for shame, Tummas, to talk o'that'n! If it mun be a bastard, thou well knowest it is a bastard of thy own begetting.' 'I know better.' 'Oh Christ! Tummas: canst thou look in my face and tell me that?' 'Yea, I can.' 'Thou art a base false man, Tummas!' 'Don't call names.' 'Thou knowest thou art. What canst thou hope for, after swearing so wickedly as thou didst to be true to me and marry me, but that the devil should come for thee alive?' 'No matter for that. If I must go to the devil, it shall not be for nothing. But mayhap thou hadst a better a kept a good tongue in thy head.' 'Thou hadst a better a kept an honest one in thine, Tummas.' 'I'll make thee repent taunting me, as thou hast done, afore folks; and _threaping_ and _threating_ to lay thy bastard at my door.' 'Do thy worst! Thou hast brought me to shame and misery, and hast sworn thyself to the bottomless pit: what canst thou do more?' 'Thou shall see.' As he said this, he deliberately drew a knife from his pocket, and began to whet it upon his shoe--I was breathless: my hair stood on end--The woman exclaimed: 'Jesus God! Tummas; What dost thou mean?' 'Say thy prayers!' 'Merciful Saviour! Why, thou wilt not murder me, Tummas?' 'Thou shalt never go alive out of this place.' 'Christ have mercy upon my sinful soul!' 'I'll do thy business.' 'For the gracious love of the merciful heaven, Tummas, bethink thyself!' 'I'll teach thee to swear thy ugly bastard brat to me!' 'I wunnot, Tummas; I wunnot! For Christ Jesus sake bethink thyself! Dunnot murder me, Tummas! Oh, dunnot murder me! I'll never trouble thee, Tummas, while I have breath; I'll never trouble thee! Indeed, indeed, I wunnot!' 'I know thee better: tomorrow thou would'st tell all; this and all.' 'Never, Tummas: as God shall pardon my sins, never, never, never!'