"We are very much honoured," said the widow, "but you do not consider how poor Mehalah is; she has nothing."
Elijah laughed. "Not so very poor neither, I fancy. You lost the price of your sheep, and yet you had money in store wherewith to pay the rent."
"Indeed, indeed we had not."
"Where then did you get the money?"
"It was lent us."
"Lent you, who by?" asked Elijah sharply.
"George De Witt was so good"
Elijah uttered a horrible curse.
"Tell me," he said furiously, coming up close to the old woman and scowling at her—into her eyes. "Answer me without a lie; why, by what right did De Witt lend, or give you, the money? What claim had you on him?"
"Well, Elijah, I must tell you. Mehalah"
"Here I am," said the girl throwing open the door. "Why am I the subject of your talk?" A couple of shepherds followed her.
"Look here," she said, counting the coin; "there is a guinea on the floor. Pick it up and try it, if it be good."
"That's all right," said one of the men, ringing the coin and then trying it between his teeth.
"This is the sum due for our half-year's rent," she went on. "Is it not so, Master Rebow? Is not this the sum in full?"
He sullenly gave an affirmative.
"You see that I pay this over to him. I don't want a written receipt. I pay before witnesses."
Rebow signed to the men to leave, and then with knitted brow collected the money and put it in his pocket. The widow went on with the frying of the bacon.
"Come along with me, mother, to the boat. We cannot stay to eat."
"You shall eat with me. You have come for the first time under my roof to-day, and you shall not go from under it without a bite."
"I have no appetite."
"But I have," said the widow testily. "I don't see why you are in such a hurry, Mehalah; and what is more, I don't see why you should behave so unpolitely to Master Rebow when he fares to be so civil."
