第58章 A FEW CRUSTED CHARACTERS(3)

"Unity,"says he,as mild as he could,"here's Milly coming.Now Ishall catch it mightily if she sees 'ee riding here with me;and if you get down she'll be turning the corner in a moment,and,seeing 'ee in the road,she'll know we've been coming on together.Now,dearest Unity,will ye,to avoid all unpleasantness,which I know ye can't bear any more than I,will ye lie down in the back part of the waggon,and let me cover you over with the tarpaulin till Milly has passed?It will all be done in a minute.Do!--and I'll think over what we've said;and perhaps I shall put a loving question to you after all,instead of to Milly.'Tisn't true that it is all settled between her and me."'Well,Unity Sallet agreed,and lay down at the back end of the waggon,and Tony covered her over,so that the waggon seemed to be empty but for the loose tarpaulin;and then he drove on to meet Milly.

"My dear Tony!"cries Milly,looking up with a little pout at him as he came near."How long you've been coming home!Just as if Ididn't live at Upper Longpuddle at all!And I've come to meet you as you asked me to do,and to ride back with you,and talk over our future home--since you asked me,and I promised.But I shouldn't have come else,Mr.Tony!""Ay,my dear,I did ask ye--to be sure I did,now I think of it--but I had quite forgot it.To ride back with me,did you say,dear Milly?""Well,of course!What can I do else?Surely you don't want me to walk,now I've come all this way?""O no,no!I was thinking you might be going on to town to meet your mother.I saw her there--and she looked as if she might be expecting 'ee.""O no;she's just home.She came across the fields,and so got back before you.""Ah!I didn't know that,"says Tony.And there was no help for it but to take her up beside him.

'They talked on very pleasantly,and looked at the trees,and beasts,and birds,and insects,and at the ploughmen at work in the fields,till presently who should they see looking out of the upper window of a house that stood beside the road they were following,but Hannah Jolliver,another young beauty of the place at that time,and the very first woman that Tony had fallen in love with--before Milly and before Unity,in fact--the one that he had almost arranged to marry instead of Milly.She was a much more dashing girl than Milly Richards,though he'd not thought much of her of late.The house Hannah was looking from was her aunt's.

"My dear Milly--my coming wife,as I may call 'ee,"says Tony in his modest way,and not so loud that Unity could overhear,"I see a young woman alooking out of window,who I think may accost me.The fact is,Milly,she had a notion that I was wishing to marry her,and since she's discovered I've promised another,and a prettier than she,I'm rather afeard of her temper if she sees us together.Now,Milly,would you do me a favour--my coming wife,as I may say?""Certainly,dearest Tony,"says she.

"Then would ye creep under the empty sacks just here in the front of the waggon,and hide there out of sight till we've passed the house?

She hasn't seen us yet.You see,we ought to live in peace and good-will since 'tis almost Christmas,and 'twill prevent angry passions rising,which we always should do.""I don't mind,to oblige you,Tony,"Milly said;and though she didn't care much about doing it,she crept under,and crouched down just behind the seat,Unity being snug at the other end.So they drove on till they got near the road-side cottage.Hannah had soon seen him coming,and waited at the window,looking down upon him.

She tossed her head a little disdainful and smiled off-hand.

"Well,aren't you going to be civil enough to ask me to ride home with you!"she says,seeing that he was for driving past with a nod and a smile.

"Ah,to be sure!What was I thinking of?"said Tony,in a flutter.

"But you seem as if you was staying at your aunt's?""No,I am not,"she said."Don't you see I have my bonnet and jacket on?I have only called to see her on my way home.How can you be so stupid,Tony?""In that case--ah--of course you must come along wi'me,"says Tony,feeling a dim sort of sweat rising up inside his clothes.And he reined in the horse,and waited till she'd come downstairs,and then helped her up beside him.He drove on again,his face as long as a face that was a round one by nature well could be.

'Hannah looked round sideways into his eyes."This is nice,isn't it,Tony?"she says."I like riding with you."'Tony looked back into her eyes."And I with you,"he said after a while.In short,having considered her,he warmed up,and the more he looked at her the more he liked her,till he couldn't for the life of him think why he had ever said a word about marriage to Milly or Unity while Hannah Jolliver was in question.So they sat a little closer and closer,their feet upon the foot-board and their shoulders touching,and Tony thought over and over again how handsome Hannah was.He spoke tenderer and tenderer,and called her "dear Hannah"in a whisper at last.

"You've settled it with Milly by this time,I suppose,"said she.

"N-no,not exactly."

"What?How low you talk,Tony."

"Yes--I've a kind of hoarseness.I said,not exactly.""I suppose you mean to?"

"Well,as to that--"His eyes rested on her face,and hers on his.

He wondered how he could have been such a fool as not to follow up Hannah."My sweet Hannah!"he bursts out,taking her hand,not being really able to help it,and forgetting Milly and Unity,and all the world besides."Settled it?I don't think I have!""Hark!"says Hannah.

"What?"says Tony,letting go her hand.

"Surely I heard a sort of little screaming squeak under those sacks?

Why,you've been carrying corn,and there's mice in this waggon,Ideclare!"She began to haul up the tails of her gown.