At the next moment, as in a flash of light, she sprang upon his breast, and at the next her arms were about his neck, his own were around her waist, her mouth was to his mouth, and the world had melted away. Ten minutes later, with faces aflame, they went, hand in hand, into the smoking-room. The Governor wheeled about on his revolving chair to look at them. "Well," he said, "it's easy to see what you two have come about. But not for six months! I won't agree to a day less, remember." CHAPTER SIXTEEN AT THE SPEAKER'S Before Alick Gell reached his father's house another had been there on the same errand. Earlier in the afternoon Dan Baldromma, while running his hands through the ground flour in the mill, with the wheel throbbing and the stones groaning about him, had been struck by a new idea. "Liza," he said, returning to the dwelling house and standing with his back to the fire and his big hands behind him, "that young wastrel ought to be freckened into marrying the girl, and I'm thinking I know the way to do it, too." "It's like thou do, Dan," said Mrs. Collister. Dan's device was of the simplest. It was that of sending the mother of Bessie Collister to the mother of Alick Gell to threaten and intimidate her. "But sakes alive, man, that's an ugly job, isn't it?" "It's got to be done, woman, or there'll be worse to do next, I tell thee. Thou don't want to see thy daughter where her mother was before her." "Well, well, if I must, I must," said Mrs. Collister. "But, aw dear, aw dear! If thou hadn't thrown the girl into the way of temptation by shutting the door on her...." "Hould thy whist, woman, and do as I tell thee, and that will be the best night's work I ever done for her." Half an hour later, having swept the earthen floor, hung the kettle on its sooty chain, and laid the table for Dan's tea, Mrs. Collister toiled upstairs to dress for her journey, and came down in the poke bonnet and satin mantle which she wore to chapel on Sunday. Meantime Dan had harnessed the old mare to the stiff cart and brought it round to the door. Having helped his wife over the wheel and put the rope reins in her hands, he gave her his parting instructions. "See thou stand up for thy rights, now! This is thy chance and thou's got to make the best of it!" "Aw well, we'll see," said the old woman, and then the stiff cart rattled over the cobbled "street" on its way to the Speaker's. In her comfortable sitting-room, thickly carpeted and plentifully cushioned, Mrs. Gell was awakened from her afternoon nap by the scream of the peacocks. "It's Mistress Daniel Collister of Baldromma to see you, ma'am," said the maid. At the next moment, Mrs. Collister, with a timid air, hobbled into the room on her stick, and the two mothers came face to face. "You wish to speak to me," said Mrs. Gell. "If you plaze, ma'am," said Mrs. Collister, huskily.