The earnest eyes of the boy filled with tears, and his mother sighed as she stroked his head—

"And what does his father say, Philip? I think he is a good man."

"Yes, mother, and Will is fond of him; but she tells such things of him-I think Will does not mean to let his father know."

"Oh! I am indeed sorry to hear that. Philip, when you meet Will Darby again ask him to come in with to his tea; we will talk to him, and see if we cannot persuade him to do better."

you

"Thank you, mother! I like Will, he is so good to Rose-to-morrow, mother ?"

"Yes."

Away ran Philip, glad indeed to think he had interested one so all-powerful in his friend's behalf. Will had not enjoined him to secrecy; and it came so natural to tell mother everything. "How glad," thought he, "Will will be to have his tea with mother and Rose to-morrow!"

"To-morrow-shall I reach Liverpool to-morrow I wonder, if I walk all night ?" said Will Darby to himself, as he trudged along the by-paths and fieldroads he knew so well; while

The stars came forth to listen

To the music of the sea.

CHAPTER EIGHTH.

THE GOOD SHIP'S FREIGHT.

"Of dying groans,

And widows' tears, and orphans' moans;
And all that misery's hand bestows,

To fill the catalogue of human woes."

SCOTT,

MR. THOM was a right up-and-down man, without much consideration or beating about the bush in him he was a man, too, of hasty feelings and sharp conclusions-or he would not have taken the course he did with one who, as one instant of thought or one grain of discrimination would have told him, required a treatment the very opposite.

In the mood Steyne remained after his interview with Crichton, a little sober reasoning and recalling of facts, a judicious rousing of his sense of honour, and a calm exposition of the side on which his own interest lay, would most probably have effectually turned the scale; but he was not prepared for the sudden and almost defiant challenge which greeted him a few days after, when, if his mind were not actually made up, the balance decidedly inclined for the right side; since he had avoided Crichton from that evening, in spite of his promise to let him know his determination; and that he had not given the publican a

decided negative may be ascribed to his fear of being dissuaded from what he had resolved upon.

With this consciousness of his own good intentions, and by no means insufficient sense of the meritoriousness of his resolve, it certainly was hard to be taxed with desertion, with underhand proceedings, double dealing, and the like. But the warm-hearted, hot-headed Welshman, having got his own steam up, and being fully aware of the evanescent nature of the commodity, made the most of it; and, meeting with no interruption, thoroughly exhausted the supply. Unaccustomed as he was to any very remarkable results of such efforts, he might rather have congratulated himself upon the effect visible in this case; when, having concluded a very voluble harangue with the rather ineffective words-" The idea, sir! he became aware that Steyne had quitted his work, packed his tools together, and, in fact, was apparently waiting only for the peroration, to leave his presence. "And now you've done, sir, I'd be glad to know who told you such a lie, as that I thought of leaving the buildings at all?"

"Lie! why it's no lie, you are going."

"I should think I was, sir! If there was never a stroke to be got in the place, it's queer to me if I stopped here after all you've said. But I had no more thought, Mr. Thom, of leaving you this morning as I came here, than I have of dying this moment. I'm very glad, sir, you can get as good men any day, and I'm sorry you think I'm ungrateful to your brother, who certainly has been kind to me; but I hope he'll not think so. And as for Crichton, if he is a scamp,' why I expect his money's as good as another man's;

and I suppose he thinks I'm worth it, or he wouldn't offer it."

If Mr. Thom was hasty, George was vain; if the employer was impetuous, the workman was obstinate; his vanity had been hurt, his obstinacy aroused; and he had been too lately flattered and sued to for the wound to be light. At that moment, if he had been offered double the money to stay, he would have refused. Steyne was not a passionate man, and could the less pardon or understand it in another: Mr. Thom could not appreciate the coolness, so took it as a sign that the whole affair was preconcerted.

"You meant to go, sir, that's plain; it's all true enough!" said the gentleman, warming again.

"Before I do go, I shall be glad if you'll let me have the name of the man who told you so," said George, quietly.

"Oh, its known well enough; they all know it! Hinton told me."

George walked away, made his own inquiries, and found, as he expected, that no one had even heard of ; and all were taken by surprise as much as he had been so with Hinton the mischief had originated.

He left the buildings, where he had spent a good many pleasant hours-the pleasantest almost a man can know; certainly the most satisfactory-at work in which he delighted, and of which he was, perhaps excusably, proud.

And now what should he do?-He could ill bear to think how vexed Harriette would be, when she heard what had happened: and yet she must know it sooner or later. Well, at least he would get other work firsthe knew what she would say though-want him to

make it up with Thom again, and that he would not; so the best way would be to make sure of the new work, and there would be an end of it.

His step was very slow, as he took the road which led from the new town to Crichton's "Good Ship,”he did not feel right at all.

"The fact is," said George to himself, "I've got into a mess; I wish to Heaven I'd told him no, at once :-and that confounded fellow, Hinton, to do me such a bad turn. What business had Crichton to tell him so, when I had given him no answer ?"

There were not many at the "Good Ship;" it was the quiet time; and the landlord was gone up to the "Bluebottle" to look after the interests of that thriving establishment. George had nothing better to do than to wait for him; and waiting for him, he must of course order something. But he cared so little for it that it stood before him almost untasted; while he went over in his mind the stormy interview of the morning, and thought what he would say to Hinton, and almost resolving to give them all the lie, by not working for Crichton at all, and leaving Birdiethorn aud Stillhaven at once.

"I'd do that if it wasn't for vexing her," he said, half to himself, as he looked up and down the columns of the London paper, without even seeing the letters.

"Well, Mr. Steyne!" cried a voice, entering the tap-room; "so you're here; and I'm glad to see you, though you've been rather long about your answer too;" and he shook hands with Steyne.

"It seems you'd got my answer before I knew it myself, Mr. Crichton," said George. "There has been piece of work between Thom and myself over it.