“Oh, Lord! no.  I’m going off, my dear.  I’ve had sleep enough for forty.  I—­” he turned his mouth to Rhoda’s ear, “I don’t want t’ see th’ old farmer.”  And, as if he had given a conclusive reason for his departure, he bored towards the door, repeating it, and bawling additionally, “in the morning.”

“You have seen him, uncle.  You have seen him.  It’s over,” said Rhoda.

Anthony whispered:  “I don’t want t’ see th’ old farmer.”

“But, you have seen him, uncle.”

“In the morning, my dear.  Not in the morning.  He’ll be looking and asking, ‘Where away, brother Tony?’ ’Where’s your banker’s book, brother Tony?’ ‘How’s money-market, brother Tony?’ I can’t see th’ old farmer.”

It was impossible to avoid smiling:  his imitation of the farmer’s country style was exact.

She took his hands, and used every persuasion she could think of to induce him to return to his bed; nor was he insensible to argument, or superior to explanation.

“Th’ old farmer thinks I’ve got millions, my dear.  You can’t satisfy him.  He...  I don’t want t’ see him in the morning.  He thinks I’ve got millions.  His mouth’ll go down.  I don’t want...  You don’t want him to look...  And I can’t count now; I can’t count a bit.  And every post I see ’s a policeman.  I ain’t hiding.  Let ’em take the old man.  And he was a faithful servant, till one day he got up on a regular whirly-go-round, and ever since...such a little boy!  I’m frightened o’ you, Rhoda.”

“I will do everything for you,” said Rhoda, crying wretchedly.

“Because, the young squire says,” Anthony made his voice mysterious.

“Yes, yes,” Rhoda stopped him; “and I consent:”  she gave a hurried half-glance behind her.  “Come, uncle.  Oh! pity! don’t let me think your reason’s gone.  I can get you the money, but if you go foolish, I cannot help you.”

Her energy had returned to her with the sense of sacrifice.  Anthony eyed her tears.  “We’ve sat on a bank and cried together, haven’t we?” he said.  “And counted ants, we have.  Shall we sit in the sun together to-morrow?  Say, we shall.  Shall we?  A good long day in the sun and nobody looking at me ’s my pleasure.”

Rhoda gave him the assurance, and he turned and went upstairs with her, docile at the prospect of hours to be passed in the sunlight.

Yet, when morning came, he had disappeared.  Robert also was absent from the breakfast-table.  The farmer made no remarks, save that he reckoned Master Gammon was right—­in allusion to the veteran’s somnolent observation overnight; and strange things were acted before his eyes.