by L. T. Meade
then, look yere," said Silas, "s'pose as we has a tea-drinkin'out o' it."
"Silas!" Aunt Hannah dropped her lower jaw and her small eyes grewbeady bright in their glance.
"S'pose," continued Silas, "we had a tea-drinkin' out of it, and weasked Jill down, and one or two o' the neighbours to meet her, and youcome and spend the night here, Aunt Hannah, and you ondertake thetea-drinkin'--s'pose now you do that, eh?"
"Well," said Aunt Hannah, "it seems like encouraging of you, Silas, inyour mad folly."
"Not a bit on it," said Lynn, "for whether you come or whether you go,Jill and me we'll be married at the church in the village come nextThursday. You can please yerself, Aunt Hannah, but I thought as _we_might have our tea-drinkin' on Tuesday, and you'd see with your owneyes, and the neighbours 'ud see, what sort of a little gel were cominghome to me to cheer up my life."
"Well," said Aunt Hannah, "I don't go fer to deny that there's somethingin your idee, Silas. I own as I'd like to say a word to that gel on thesubject of chaney like this. Ef I found her teachable and humble in hernotions, I don't _promise_, mind, but I _might_ give her three crackeddelf cups of my own--white they was once, but they has turned yeller--she could use 'em for common and keep this chaney for best, forchristenings, and sech-like, and the delf cups 'ud be a very suitablepresent from your aunt to her, Silas."
"You can do that as you please," said Silas. "Air we to have thetea-drinkin', or air we not, Aunt Hannah?"
"I think, hall things considerin', that it 'ud be right to have it,"said Aunt Hannah, in a solemn voice. "In a matter o' this sort it'sright to consider the waluables, and this chaney is altogether out ofthe common. The first thing to be done is to scald it, and that I'llmanage for yer on Monday morning, Silas, for I'll bring over my ownwooden pail, and gradually heat each cup and each saucer in hot water,until it'll bear the heat when it comes to the bile. It's wonderfulcareless of gels in these days, they'll crack the finest chaney for notknowing how properly to scald it afore usin'."
"That's settled then," said Silas. "I'll speak to Jill to-morrow, andwe'll ask Mr Hibberty Jones and his wife, and Mary Ann Hatton to cometo tea, and ef Mr Peters 'ud honour us as well we'd be proud to seehim. You'll see to the victuals, won't you, Aunt Hannah?"
"Yes, you leave that to me," said Aunt Hannah. "That girl 'ull eat acake worth eating for the first time in _her_ life--and now I must begoin' 'ome."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
Jill was quite willing to accompany Silas home for the tea-drinking. Hetold her about it on Sunday when he went to see her in her little flat.
"Yer to come down looking as peart as you can. Jill," he said to her."The folks in Newbridge beats all folks livin' for contrariness. Theythink that God Almighty did right when He made a lovely flower, andmortal wrong when He made a lovely woman. They think as sweetness andbeauty can go together in flowers but not in gels, so I want you to lookyour werry beat, my dainty little cuttin', and show 'em as they are allhout for once in their reckonin's. I'm thinkin' as maybe yer would likea new bit of a gownd; what do yer say to a yaller cotton now, made werrystylish? I don't mind paying a real good dressmaker to put it together.Come, now, would you like it, ah?"
"No, thank you, Silas," said Jill. "I'll feel more at home like in myold black gownd, which has in a sort of a way growed to me. I'd likebest to wear that with a bit of a posy that you'll pick out of thegarden fresh for me when I get down."
"You're to stay for the night, mind, when you do come," said Silas. "Anaunt o' mine, a Mrs Royal, a werry decent body, can share my bed withyer, and I'll go and have a shake-down at Peters's. You'll be sure tocome in good time, and a-lookin' yer best; Jill."
"Yes, Silas," she replied, with a meekness which would have puzzled himvery much had he known her better. He was too happy and content,however, for even the faintest suspicion of anything not being quiteright to enter his mind.
Jill Robinson was like the mignonette and the lavender and thecherry-pie for sweetness of character, while she resembled the crimsonrose-bud in the richness of her beauty.
Yes, surely the Lord had given up chastening Silas when so great a prizeas Jill was to be his.
The invited guests were only too eager to come to the tea-drinking.Notwithstanding the disapproval of the congregation at Silas's choice,those of them who were favoured with an invitation to see his bride wereby no means slow of availing themselves of it.
Mrs Hibberty Jones and Miss Mary Ann Hatton went, it is true, under aprotest, but Hibberty Jones himself and Peters owned that they did notobject to seeing beauty when they could do so in a good cause. It wasdistinctly to Silas's advantage that the foremost members of thecongregation should support him at this critical juncture, and ifpossible take early steps to convert Jill to her future husband's faith.So, dressed in their best, the homely village folk walked across thefields, on this lovely summer's evening, to Silas Lynn's tea-drinking.
Silas had ordered a new suit of strong rough frieze for his wedding.The suit had been made in a great hurry by the village tailor, and wassombre both in its cut and its colour. But the gloomy effect of coatand trousers was much relieved by a gay waistcoat of white with acoloured sprig bedecking it all over. This waistcoat had belonged toSilas's father, and was regarded in the family as a very preciousheirloom. He wore in his button-hole three large crimson carnations,and altogether made an imposing spectacle as he stood in the porch ofthe little cottage to receive his visitors.
Aunt Hannah was busy inside the house. She wore a dark plum-coloureddress, and a little tight black net cap, tied under her chin with a bowof yellow ribbon.
Jill had not yet arrived, and Silas, while he held out his great handsin hearty greeting to his visitors, could not help letting his eyeswander anxiously up the path which led from the railway station directto the cottage.
"How do you do, Mr Lynn?" said Miss Mary Ann Hatton in an acrid voice."Allow me to congratulate you. Oh, pray don't let us keep yourhattention. Where the heyes stray is where the 'eart is to be found.Ain't that so, Mrs Jones?"
"It ain't modest to speak o' them sort of things aloud," said MrsJones, in a hushed voice to the spinster. "Don't let yer feelin's getthe better of yer, Mary Ann--you're disappointed, but keep it dark, forthe sake of feminine modesty. Well, Mr Lynn, we're proud to come andmeet this young gel what is soon to be yer wife. Have she come yet? Orare you looking for 'er over the brow of the 'ill, that you keep youreye fixed on that one pint so constant?"
"She ain't come, but I'm expectin' of her every minute," said Silas."I'm real proud to welcome yer, neighbours. Come in, come in. My aunt,Mrs Royal, is in the house a-brewing the tea. Come in, neighbours, andmake yerselves at home."
Mr and Mrs Hibberty Jones and Miss Hatton stepped immediately acrossthe threshold, but old Mr Peters stood still, and put one of hiswrinkled hands, with marked solemnity, on Silas Lynn's shoulder.
"Wanity of wanity, Silas," he said in a mournful tone. "I didn't thinkas you'd have been tuk in by a bit of a gel to the extent of wearin' aflowered waistcoat. You has had a sudden fall, Silas."
"Go right into the house, Mr Peters," said Silas. "There Jill a-comingdown the field. You look at her, and tell me arterwards ef you thinkshe wor worthy of a sprigged waistcoat or not."
When Jill and Silas entered the little cottage side by side, the rest ofthe visitors were seated in some impatience round the tea-table. Theboard was well supplied with a large brown cake in the centre, a freshlycooked ham at one end, and the tea equipage, containing the delicatewhite and gold tea-service, at the other. Bread in great junks, hotcake, butter in several fancy devices, and a large dish of honeycompleted the repast.
Hibberty Jones had placed himself as near that end of the table wherethe ham stood as possible. Miss Hatton sat pensively where she couldkeep control of the honey, and Mrs Hibberty Jones made up her mind thatshe would act as cutler of the cake.
When Silas and Jill entered the whole company arose, and each in turnoffered a cold handshak
e to the London flower girl. Room was made forher to sit down beside Silas at the end of the board, and Aunt Hannah,with a loud "a-hem," lifted the teapot to dispense the tea.
"May I ask, Mrs Jones," she inquired, "'ow you like your tea sarved, oref you has no wishes on the subjec'? Some folk ain't particular, butit's best to know."
"I ain't
