by L. T. Meade
dreams, he and Jill were together. It did not surprise Silas,therefore, when early on that Sunday morning he awoke, to hear some oneknocking at his door.
"Yes, I'm coming," he said, still believing that he was in a dream.
"I want you very badly, Silas Lynn," called Jill from the other side ofthe door.
Then he knew that he was awake, and that she had come to him. All theprudent thoughts of yesterday had flown to the winds. He found himselfabsolutely trembling with eagerness, joy, ecstasy.
"Yes, I'm a-coming; I'll be with yer in a minute, Jill," he called out."For," he said to himself as he tumbled into his clothes, "it's toowonderful for anything. Who'd ha' thought--who _would_ have thoughtthat a dainty bit of a cuttin' like that 'ud go and take root in a roughsoil like this here? It's a fact nevertheless. Nothing less 'ud bringher here at this time o' the morning. `Favour is deceitful and beautyis vain'--not a bit on it--you're wrong for once, King Solomon."
Having dressed himself, Silas quickly unlocked the cottage-door.
Jill was standing outside, leaning wearily against the post of the door.Her neat black dress was covered with dust, her apron was unpinned, hergay-coloured shawl had fallen back from her shapely head, and her blackhair, in some disorder, was tumbled about her face. Jill's face wasvery white. Silas felt himself absolutely colouring crimson as he cameout to her, but not a tinge of shyness or embarrassment were in thewide-open eyes she raised to his.
"I ha' come," she said, speaking in a choking, husky voice, "for theloan of the money. I know wot it means, Silas, but I ha' come all thesame."
"You know what it means?" said Silas Lynn, clasping both her small, coldhands in one enormous palm. "Do you mean to tell me that we are to wedeach other, Jill Robinson? Are we to go afore the pa'son, and take eachother for better and for worse?"
"Ef you like," said Jill wearily. "I ha' come for the money first.That's the first thing. We can talk of t'other later on. The money'sthe first thing."
"Yes, yes. Why, you are all in a tremble! You must want that ere moneybitter bad, Jill Robinson. Look me in the eyes, gel, and say as you'llplay me no tricks arter I have gived it to yer."
"I'll be quite true to you, Mr Lynn."
"Now, don't you speak in them stiff tones. Say `Silas,' my pretty. Say`I'll be quite true to you, Silas.'"
"I'll be quite true to you, Silas," repeated Jill.
"And you love me?"
"I--I'll try."
"Look you yere, Jill--" Silas was getting command of the situation now.His heart was opening out under these full beams of love and rapture."Look you yere," he said, "ef you're true to me, Jill Robinson, and efyou love me even a little, and think nothink of no other feller--why,now I swear as there ain't gel in the land as 'ull have a betterhusband. There'll be love all round you, Jill; and what can't that do?And ef I'm rough to outsiders you'll never see nothink o' it, my littlegel; your wishes 'ull be mine, and your friends 'ull be mine, and yourfancies will be my fancies. Day and night I'll serve yer; and thereain't any gel, no, not even if she's a princess, 'ull have a truer mate.I wor a good son to my mother wots in 'eaven, and I'll be a goodhusband to you, you pretty bit of a dainty flower--ef you'll do yourpart. Faithful and true, that's all I arsk. Is it a bargain, Jill? Asto the money part, I could give yer ten times five pounds, ef yer wantedit--that's neither here nor there; but the other part of the bond I mustha' your promise on. Faithful and true--you'll be that. D'ye hear me,Jill?"
"Yes," said Jill, "I'll do my part. I'll think o' none but you; I'll betrue to you in word and deed."
"Then that's right. I'll ask no more questions. There's a home for yermother in my 'ouse, Jill, and full and plenty for you from this momentforward; and we'll get spliced up as soon as may be, gel."
"But the money," said Jill. "It's part of the bond between us, that Ishould ha' the money and no questions asked."
"You shall ha' the money, and I'll ask no questions, ef you don't wantto tell me."
"I can't tell you, Mr Lynn. The money were give to me in trust, and itgot lost, although no one stole it. I must give it back to the onewot's lent it to me this werry arternoon."
"You shall have it, my gel. Now come into the house, and I'll get yer acup of tea. 'Ow did yer come to me, Jill? And how did you find my bitof a shanty?"
"It were this way," said Jill. "I found last night, quite late lastnight, that the lost money must be gived back to--And I thought of you,and I 'membered how real kind you were. It worn't that I loved you,Silas Lynn. I'll try to in future, but it wornt with any thought oflove that I 'membered you last night. But as I sat all in desolation, Isee your face, kind and smiling, and tender-like, a-looking at me, and Isaid I'll go to Silas, and he'll save me fro' my misery."
"That wor right--that wor a good thought," interposed the man.
"I went out then, and I came to a shop just close to the market, where Iguessed as they'd know 'bout you. It wor a flower-shop; the man's nameis Thomson. And Thomson said, as good luck 'ud have it, he were juststarting an empty waggon back into Kent, to be ready for a load ofstrawberries for Monday's market. And ef I liked, he said, I could havea lift in it.
"So I spent the night in the waggon, Silas, and in the morning thewaggon set me down nigh upon four miles off, and I walked the rest ofthe way.
"That's all," continued Jill, heaving a sigh, and sinking down into theold straw chair which had remained empty in Silas's house since hismother's death.
"There you be," said Silas, clasping his hands in ecstasy. "You mind meo' the lavender, as well as t'other and gayer flowers. There'ssomething wondrous subtle and sweet about yer--mignonette, too, you takearter, and I shouldn't be a bit surprised ef I found cherry-pie flavourin yer before long. Verbeny and sweet-briar you air, and no mistake.But there, I must see and get yer a cup o' tea, for you're sore spent,my poor little cuttin', and you won't strike into this yere honestbreast, ef I don't see arter the watering."
The members of the Wesleyan chapel to which Silas belonged wouldscarcely have known him this morning. The fact that he was expected tolead their choir was absolutely obliterated from his mind. It is verymuch to be doubted if he even remembered that the day on which Jill cameto him was Sunday.
Jonathan, his factotum, and one servant, appeared presently on thescene, and nearly jumped when he saw his rough, fierce-looking mastertenderly offering tea, minus milk and sugar, to the prettiest picture ofa girl Jonathan's eyes had ever rested on.
"You there!" shouted the master, "make yerself useful. Go round toFarmer Ladd's, and bring in a pint o' cream and a slab o' butter, andask ef the missis has a plump spring chicken ready plucked for roasting.And go on to Dawson's in the village, and get a loaf of white bread.Quick! D'ye hear! Wot are ye staring at?"
"But it's the Sawbath," said Jonathan, dropping his jaws.
"Ef it's fifty Sawbaths, go and do my biddin'. D'ye hear!"
Jonathan flew off, and strange whispers soon after began to circulate inthe village with regard to that soberest and soundest of men, SilasLynn.
But all the time Silas himself was in the Garden of Eden, for surely noSunday like this had ever dawned before in his austere life.
"Ain't the flowers purtty?" he said to Jill. "Never did I see anythinklike 'em. Seems as if they knowed. Do look at the perky airs o' thempansies! Sauce is no name for 'em--staring up at us two in thatunblushing fashion. Eh, Jill, did you speak, my gel?"
"The flowers are like picters, Silas. I never see flowers like this alla-growin' before. It's very soothin' to look on. They seem to stillthe 'eart."
"Well, my 'eart's a-bobbing and a-banging," said Silas. "There's nostilling o' it to-day, nor for many another day, I guess. My word, wenyou speak of yer 'eart being stilled, sounds as ef you were in pain ofsome sort."
"No, Silas, I'm werry 'appy. But there's a deal of pain in the world,you knows; and it's comfortin' to think as the flowers is meant for themas suffers. I must be asking yer for the money now, Silas,
for I ha'got to take the next train back to Lunnon."
"I'll come with yer, my gel."
"No, please don't. It's a bargain