"
"I suppose you did not hear him make any enquiries regarding us?" asked
the dominie.
"But I did, and it was only when he hard that you hadn't been past the
meetin'-house, that he stopped and said 'ee'd 'ave a lark. Do you know
him?"
"Yes," said Coristine, "he is the Grinstun man," whereat they all
laughed; and the old lady, coming in with her milking, expressed her
pleasure at seeing them such good friends.
After prayers and breakfast, the pedestrians prepared to leave, much to
the regret of the household.
"Where are you bound for now?" asked Mr. Hill, to which Wilkinson
replied, with the air of a guide-book, "for the Beaver River." The Baby,
nothing the worse of last night's wakefulness, volunteered to show them
the way by a shorter and pleasanter route than the main road, and they
gladly availed themselves of his services. As the party walked on, the
guide said to Coristine, "I hard fayther say that you were a lawyer, is
that true?" Coristine answered that he was.
"Then, sir, you ought to know something about that man Rodden; he's a
bad lot."
"What makes you think so?"
"He knows all the doubtfullest and shadiest settlers about, and has long
whispers with them, and gets a lot of money from them.
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