Her words had turned Margaret’s thoughts upon herself and made her sad. "Sometimes there comes an awful fear over me, Dorcas, that I shall have none," she confessed. "’Tis all folly and weakness, yet you’d be astonished how oft I dream I’m to have none. And if it fell out so, I doubt David would break his heart." "Don’t think such nonsense. Dreams never come true, and ’twill be all right," declared Dorcas. "But now I’ll clear out, else he’ll bully you for talking to me so long after what he threatened. And, David or no David, you’ve got to be our friend, Madge; because there never was such a dear, sweet creature afore, and never will be. And if ’tis a girl, Billy have promised me I may call it ’Madge’; and I shall do." Dorcas dried her eyes and prepared to depart, but the other bade her wait a moment. "A drop of milk you must have; and--and--I know ’twill be a dinky darling, and I shall love it only less than you and your husband will," Margaret said. Then Dorcas drank and set off homeward, fearing further trouble; but with her father she had no painful scene, for by the time that Elias returned to the warren, the humorous side of that day’s encounter had struck him. He kept this to himself most firmly however; but, as a result, he indulged in no anger. Instead he merely informed Dorcas that Mr. Screech would marry her at the earliest possible moment on one condition: the bridegroom insisted upon a wedding of ceremony and importance. *CHAPTER IX* *COMMON SENSE AND BEER* Certain persons of local note had gathered together for evening drinking in the bar of ’The Corner House.’ Charles Moses, Bartley Crocker, Mattacott, and Ernest Maunder were there; but interest chiefly centred in one just entered upon the state of matrimony. The truth concerning his marriage was known to none present but Mr. Crocker, and he kept the secret. Mr. Moses chaffed Billy Screech, and Billy, whose wit was nimbler than the shoemaker’s, answered jest for jest. "As for cleverness, we well know you’re clever," declared Mr. Moses. "You’ve got a clever face, Screech--a clever nose, if I may say so--’tis sharp as one of my awls." "My nose has a point, I allow," said Mr. Screech, "and your awl’s got a point; but I’m damned if there’s much point to the things you say, Moses. All the cleverness in your family was used up afore you come into it, I reckon." "I knowed the cleverest man that ever was seen in Sheepstor," said Timothy Mattacott, slowly. "So does Maunder here. So clever he was that he tried to walk faster than his own shadow, and he sowed a barrow-load o’ bricks once, thinking as they’d grow up into a house." "And what became of him?" asked Crocker. "They put him away," said Mattacott. "He was afore the times. He’s up along with the Exeter pauper lunatics to this hour, I believe."