Mrs Chadwick invited him to inspect the farm and the model dairy, and, because Robert interested her, she personally conducted his tour and explained things to him, and listened to his comments attentively, approving when he made a wise suggestion, which was seldom, and maintaining silence before his cavilling remarks. One proposal which she made out of the kindness of her heart threw Robert into such a fever of angry trepidation that for the time his admiration for Mrs Chadwick was seriously jeopardised--the proposal being that she should offer Bob's young woman a position in the model diary. Robert stood still in the path and eyed her stonily. "Don't you do it, mum," he said, with such earnestness of manner, so much angry opposition in his eyes, that Mrs Chadwick showed the surprise she felt. "Don't you do it," he repeated. "But why?" she asked. "I hoped I might be doing you, through Bob, a little service." "You'll be doin' me a much greater service in leavin' Bob's young woman where 'er be," he replied. "If 'er comes yere Bob'll follow." "I should have thought you and Hannah would be pleased at that," she said. "Maybe Hannah would. I don't doubt 'er would, 'cause 'er knows I'd be vexed. Do you suppose," he added reproachfully, "that 'aving to go to church more'n once o' Sundays, and sometimes in the week, I want to be kep' awake o' nights listenin' to Bob 'ollering to the Lord? Hannah don't mind, 'cause it isn't 'er profession; but when a man makes 'is livin' through the Church 'e wants 'is off-time free o' it." "I see," she said. "Yes; I had forgotten that. We will leave Bob's young woman where she is." "Don't think I'm not obliged to you, mum," Robert hastened to say, relenting before her amiable reasonableness, "for thinking of it. But it wouldn' be to your interest nohow. Bob's young woman would give more time to 'er prayers than to your dairy. It's all soul wi' they, and nothin' o' conscience. I wouldn' like you to be cheated like that there; no, I wouldn'. A lady wot is so generous as you be ought to 'ave 'er interests studied." Robert's zeal, like the zeal of many conscientious objectors to the self-seeking of others, placed him beyond the proscribed limits of profiting through Mrs Chadwick's generosity. He had profited handsomely during the Christmas week; he profited again on that crisp sunny morning when he parted from her after his inspection of the farm, and left her walking leisurely across the fields with the pekinese disporting itself beside her, running ahead of her in pursuit of imaginary rabbits and running back again for approbation of its sporting proclivities.