May laughed again, but there was less confidence in the laugh. She waited to speak again until Simon had moved away, the dog leaping and barking under the horse’s nose. "It’s a shame," she said cheerfully, "to bother you so late, but I just couldn’t bring myself to wait. It was you as brought it all back, Mrs. Thornthet, come to that, with yon talk at the doctor’s of Geordie coming home!" "There’s no talk of him coming," Sarah said coldly, "and never was." With one magnificent sweep she disposed of the fallacy of the afternoon. "You ought to ha’ more sense than to go fancying things like that!" "But you’d a letter, you said, begging his fare?" May was slightly bewildered, but went pressing on. "You said he was keen to come, if he had the brass." "Ay, and there wasn’t no brass; so yon’s finished and by wi’," Sarah said. "Ay, but there is," May pleaded. "Plenty o’ brass!" She faltered a little before the other’s lack of response. "Nay, Mrs. Thornthet, don’t you look like that! What does it matter where it comes from if it makes folks glad?" "I’ll buy no gladness o’ mine from you, my lass, as I said before." "I can spare the brass right enough,--if it’s only that." "Ay, but I can’t spare the pride to take it," Sarah said. "Ay, well, then, think as you’re buying my happiness!" May begged. "I’d be real proud to think as I’d brought him back, even if he never looked aside at me again." "You’d have lile or nowt to be proud on, I’ll be bound!" There was a touch of weary impatience in Sarah’s voice. "And what-like happiness would it be for you in the end? Nay, May, my girl, we’ve thrashed the matter out, and I’m over-tired to be fret wi’ it to-night." May sighed, and stood looking at her with troubled eyes, but she was unable to let the whole of her hope go. "I’m right sorry to have put you about," she said sadly. "It’s a real shame! Can’t you promise to think it over a bit? I’ll come over to-morrow for another talk." "I want neither talking nor thinking, so that’s flat!" Sarah snapped. "I’ll promise to turn key in the door when I see you coming, and that’s all!" The tears came into May’s eyes. "You’ve no call to go telling me off like that," she said, with a little break in her voice. "I haven’t done anything that’s wrong, I’m sure." "You’ve shoved your nose into other folks’ business," Sarah said roughly,--"that’s what you’ve done! I’ll thank you to leave us to do for our lad as’ll suit us best!" "He was mine, too!" May flung at her suddenly, roused at last. "Long ago, maybe,--years on years,--but he was mine as well!" Sarah gave a sneering laugh. "There’ll be more than one lass, I reckon, setting up to think that!" May uttered a little cry, wounded to the heart.