Peggy understood her young mistress's sorrow full well, and respected
it by her silence on the subject. Willie seemed happier now that the
irritation of Michael's presence was removed; for the poor idiot had
a sort of antipathy to Michael, which was a kind of heart's echo to
the repugnance in which the latter held him. Altogether, just at
this time, Willie was the happiest of the three.
As Susan went into Coniston, to sell her butter, one Saturday, some
inconsiderate person told her that she had seen Michael Hurst the
night before. I said inconsiderate, but I might rather have said
unobservant; for any one who had spent half-an-hour in Susan Dixon's
company might have seen that she disliked having any reference made
to the subjects nearest her heart, were they joyous or grievous. Now
she went a little paler than usual (and she had never recovered her
colour since she had had the fever), and tried to keep silence. But
an irrepressible pang forced out the question -
"Where?"
"At Thomas Applethwaite's, in Langdale. They had a kind of harvest-
home, and he were there among the young folk, and very thick wi'
Nelly Hebthwaite, old Thomas's niece. Thou'lt have to look after him
a bit, Susan!"
She neither smiled nor sighed.
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