As he stood looking after the vicar, Sim Slee came softly back to wink in a mysterious way, and point with his thumb over his shoulder. "They're all alike," he said--"all alike, parsons and all." "What do you mean?" said Dick, roughly. "I thought you'd gone with that note." "Thowt I wouldn't go yet," said Sim, with another confidential jerk of the thumb over his shoulder. "Joe Banks is sure to be at home now." "I tell you he's down at the foundry, and will stay there all day," cried Dick, angrily. "All raight: I'll go then," said Sim; "but I say, sir, they're all alike." "What do you mean?" "Why that parson--that dreadfully good man." "Well, what about him?" "Don't you know where he's gone?" "Yes, he said: old Bultitude's." "Did he say what for?" said Sim, grinning. "No, of course not." "Ho--ho--ho! Ho--ho--ho!" laughed Sim, stamping on the ground with delight. "Don't you see his game?" "Curse you, speak out," cried Dick, furiously. "What do you mean?" "Only that he's getting all the women under his thumb. He'll be having crosses and candles in the chutch direckly, like the Ranby man." "Curse you for a fool, Slee," cried Richard, impatiently; and he was turning away when Sim exclaimed-- "Don't you know as Miss Eve walked over there half-an-hour ago?" "What?" roared Dick. "Oh! she's only gone over to see Miss Jessie, of course; but if you'll light a cigar, sir, and sit down on yon gate, you'll see if he don't walk home with her. Now I'm off." "Stop a moment, Sim," cried Dick in a husky voice. "Have--have you ever seen anything?" "Who? I? Oh, no! Nowt," said Sim; "leastwise I only saw 'em come out of Ranby wood with a basket of flowers yesterday, that's all." He went off then, chuckling to himself and rubbing his hands, leaving the poison to work, as, with his face distorted with rage, Dick started off at a sharp walk for Bultitude's farm; but, altering his mind, he leaped a stile, lit a cigar, and stood leaning against a tree smoking, unseen by any one who should pass along the lane, but able to command the path on both sides for some distance, up and down. Meanwhile the vicar, enjoying the pleasant walk, had been telling himself that he could always leave the grimy town and its work behind in a few minutes to enjoy the sweets of the country, which were here in all their beauty; and after thinking of Eve Pelly for about five minutes, he made a vigorous effort, uttered the word _taboo_, and began humming a tune. Unfortunately for his peace of mind, the tune he inadvertently began to hum was one of those which Eve sang the other night, so he left off with a hasty "Pish!" and stooping down, began to botanise, picking a flower here and there, and then climbing up the rough side of the lane to cull a pretty little fern, whose graceful fronds drooped from a shadowy niche.