She watched him steadily with an astonishingly limpid pair of old eyes. They were old and young at the same time; old because they held deeps of wisdom, young because they were so alive and full of question. “I don’t know whether I ought to have come to see you or not,” he said. “Well, tha’st coom,” she replied, going on with her knitting. “Sit thee doun and have a bit of a chat.” “Say!” he broke out. “Ain’t you going to shake hands with me?” He held his hand out impetuously. He knew he was all right if she’d shake hands. “Theer’s nowt agen that, surely,” she answered, with a shrewd bit of a smile. She gave him her hand. “If I was na stiff in my legs, it’s my place to get up an’ mak’ thee a curtsey, but th’ rheumatics has no respect even for th’ lord o’ th’ manor.” “If you got up and made me a curtsey,” Tembarom said, “I should throw a fit. Say, Mrs. Hutchinson, I bet you know that as well as I do.” The shrewd bit of smile lighted her eyes as well as twinkled about her mouth. “Sit thee doun,” she said again. So he sat down and looked at her as straight as she looked at him. “Tha’d give a good bit,” she said presently, over her flashing needles, “to know how much Little Ann’s tow’d me about thee.” “I’d give a lot to know how much it’d be square to ask you to tell me about _her_,” he gave back to her, hesitating yet eager. “What does tha mean by square?” she demanded. “I mean ‘fair.’ Can I talk to you about her at all? I promised I’d stick it out here and do as she said. She told me she wasn’t going to write to me or let her father write. I’ve promised, and I’m not going to fall down when I’ve said a thing. I’m going to be as good as I know how.” “So tha coom to see her grandmother?” He reddened, but held his head up. “I’m not going to ask her grandmother a thing she doesn’t want me to be told. But I’ve been up against it pretty hard lately. I read some things in the New York papers about her father and his invention, and about her traveling round with him and helping him with his business.” “In Germany they wur,” she put in, forgetting herself. “They’re havin’ big doin’s over th’ invention. What Joe’d do wi’out th’ lass I canna tell. She’s doin’ every bit o’ th’ managin’ an’ contrivin’ wi’ them furriners--but he’ll never know it.” Her face flushed and she stopped herself sharply. “I’m talkin’ about her to thee!” she said. “I would na ha’ believed it o’ mysen.” He got up from his chair. “I guess I oughtn’t to have come,” he said restlessly. “But you haven’t told me more than I got here and there in the papers. That was what startled me. It was like watching her. I could hear her talking and see the way she was doing things till it drove me half crazy. All of a sudden I just got wild and made up my mind I’d come here. I’ve wanted to do it many a time, but I’ve kept away.”