"Then don't be civil to her. Marriage is folly. My brother married Jane Mullion there, and she worried his life out with being so stupid, and then he died and left her and her child paupers." "Hang that word!" cried Geoffrey, warmly. "How I do hate it." "Then don't go and make a race of paupers," said the old man. "Bah! A young fellow has his work cut out in life, and starts on his journey by sticking a load of woman on his back. Then she sticks a load of baby on her back, and most likely goes on banging children all over him till the burthen gets too heavy to be borne, when the poor wretch breaks down and dies. Look at me, sir. I never married; but saved enough to live on, and keep other people. Follow my example." "And grow as cantankerous." "Do you want to quarrel, puppy?" "Not I. I haven't time." "What are you crying about?" said the old man, roughly, as he found that Mrs Mullion, attracted by his loud voice, had come to see what was the matter, and had heard a part of his last speech. "At what you said, dear," sobbed the poor woman. "Don't you mind what he says, Mrs Mullion," said Geoffrey; "he doesn't mean it. I'll be bound to say he's got a very soft spot in his heart somewhere." As he spoke Geoffrey walked out of the garden, whistling, and made for the cliff path, drinking in the deliciously-fresh sea-breeze as he went along. "This place keeps one from having the dumps," he said to himself, "it is so fresh and bright; but really, in spite of my vainglorious boasting, I'm afraid I am wasting time here. _Nil des_, though; I'm not beaten yet. Old Paul is glorious as a dose of bitters, if he didn't give one quite so much about Brown Maudlin. Pretty girl, very; but wants ballast horribly. Hang the old man, he goes just the way to make a fellow think about her. But he's a fine old boy. Now I'll go and have a dose of resignation from poor old Mrs Prawle. "That old lady always does me good," he said, as he went on. "What sane man could grumble who has all his faculties, just because he cannot make filthy lucre, when he has that patient old lady ready to face him with her calm, subdued ways. Hang it, there's a very pathetic side to her life!" He did not see that he, too, was watched, as he went swinging along; but went right ahead in his thorough way, setting his mind on a certain goal, and hardly heeding any thing else; but he had not passed one clump of rocks far, when Amos Pengelly came out, and stood watching him till he disappeared, and then followed slowly, to make sure that Geoffrey went down to the Cove.