"We can try!" she said, smiling--"At any rate, while he's living in Wiercombe, we can be friendly to him, and give him a bit of dinner now and then!" "So we can!" agreed Helmsley--"Or rather, so _you_ can!" "_We!_" corrected Mary--"_You're_ helping me to keep house now, David,--remember that!" "Why I haven't paid half or a quarter of my debt to you yet!" he exclaimed. "But you're paying it off every day,"--she answered; "Don't you fear! I mean to have every penny out of you that I can!" She laughed gaily, and taking up the tray upon which she had packed all the tea-things, carried it out of the kitchen. Helmsley heard her singing softly to herself in the scullery, as she set to work to wash the cups and saucers. And bending his old eyes on the fire, he smiled,--and an indomitable expression of energetic resolve strengthened every line of his features. "You mean to have every penny out of me that you can, my dear, do you!" he said, softly--"And so--if Love can find out the way--you will!" CHAPTER XVI The winter now closed in apace,--and though the foliage all about Weircombe was reluctant to fall, and kept its green, russet and gold tints well on into December, the high gales which blew in from the sea played havoc with the trembling leaves at last and brought them to the ground like the painted fragments of Summer's ruined temple. All the fishermen's boats were hauled up high and dry, and great stretches of coarse net like black webs, were spread out on the beach for drying and mending,--while through the tunnels scooped out of the tall castellated rocks which guarded either side of the little port, or "weir," the great billows dashed with a thunderous roar of melody, oftentimes throwing aloft fountains of spray well-nigh a hundred feet in height--spray which the wild wind caught and blew in pellets of salty foam far up the little village street. Helmsley was now kept a prisoner indoors,--he had not sufficient strength to buffet with a gale, or to stand any unusually sharp nip of cold,--so he remained very comfortably by the side of the fire, making baskets, which he was now able to turn out quickly with quite an admirable finish, owing to the zeal and earnestness with which he set himself to the work. Mary's business in the winter months was entirely confined to the lace-mending--she had no fine laundry work to do, and her time was passed in such household duties as kept her little cottage sweet and clean, in attentive guardianship and care of her "father's friend"--and in the delicate weaving of threads whereby the fine fabric which had once perchance been damaged and spoilt by flaunting pride, was made whole and beautiful again by simple patience. Helmsley was never tired of watching her. Whether she knelt down with a pail of suds, and scrubbed her cottage doorstep--or whether she sat quietly opposite to him, with the small "Charlie" snuggled on a rug between them, while she mended her lace, his eyes always rested upon her