Meanwhile the girl, a little fluttered by this occurrence, proceeded on her way with thoughts not wholly pleasant; and to her came the leat man, Simon Snell, upon his rounds. His eyes grew large and watered a little when he caught sight of her in the distance. At first, indeed, he was minded to dive off the footpath, hasten away and make as though he had not seen her; but he fortified himself against this pusillanimous instinct, held on boldly, and presently saluted her in his thin, somewhat senseless voice. "Good-day to ’e, Miss Rhoda Bowden. Glad to meet you on the leat path, I’m sure. Don’t often see you this way." "Good-morning, Mr. Snell." "And a very good morning to you. Beautiful spring weather, to be sure. Beautiful dogs, to be sure. Never see you or David without a fine dog. And the dog as I had off your farther would have made a very fine, upstanding dog without a doubt, if her hadn’t have gone and died. Not your fault--I’m not saying that." "I was very sorry to hear it." "Of course you was; and if I’d had enough sense, and put the poor young dog in a basket and carry ’un up over to you, I’ll lay with your dog cleverness as you’d have saved ’un. But, instead, I traapsed off to Walkhampton with him--to Adam Thorpe--and he got the dog underground in a week." "Thorpe don’t know much about dogs." "You’re right there; I quite agree. Would ’e like to see me open a sluice-gate? ’Tis purty to see the water go down all of a tumble, and often a rainbow throwed off when the wind be blowing slantwise across the sun." "Can’t stop, but I’ll see the thing done some other time, if you please." "An’ welcome; and I’m sorry, I’m sure, to have kept ’e with my talk, and you wild to be on your way, no doubt." "If you want a puppy, you can have one next month," said Rhoda. "That yellow collie there, with a bit of Gordon setter in him, be the faither. They’re very nice-looking creatures." "And so I will then, and gladly and thankfully," he said.