NEIGHBOURS. 141 



c But at last the old man did come. Long before 

 he appeared I could hear the grating of his waggon- 

 wheels ; and, blow me if I can tell why, I felt kind 

 of all-overish, half afraid and half modest. So I 

 would have sneaked off, but that I thought the 

 young woman might think such conduct strange. 

 I sat still, therefore, on the fence, whittling away 

 at a stick, and a stranger to have looked at me 

 would have thought me at my own diggings, not in 

 another's, with courting notions in my heart. But 

 I was not long kept waiting. The old man came, 

 and although I heard him I never turned to the 

 left or right, but pretended not to know he was 

 there. At last he spoke, and that in a tone so 

 sharp, and cross, and loud, that with a hop, caused 

 I almost believe by fright, I tumbled off my perch. 

 As soon as I could dust myself a bit, I turned up 

 and looked him in the face ; I could see from the 

 corners of his mouth that he was kind of tickled 

 at what had taken place. So, thinking it was but 

 right to put the best face possible on the matter, 

 I told him we were neighbours, and that I had come 

 out for a hunt ; but never saying a word about what 

 had kept me there. I put that off by telling him, 

 that, being a stranger, I hoped he'd give me some 

 directions that would enable me to find my way 

 back. While I was telling him this, he examined 

 me all over with his eyes. There was not a button 

 on my coat, or a bit of tobacco in the corners of 

 my pockets, he did not see. The look, however, 



