Nelly was sitting beside her, trimming her bonnet with a new ribbon. Ben had come to tell Sybil of a lad who had got hurt, and wanted her care a bit; and as Sybil would be away for a couple of hours, Ben asked Nelly to take a walk with him. He had put on a handsome suit, and he was not at all a bad-looking fellow, tall and well-made, with a large, pleasant face, a little pock-marked. Nelly was glad of the walk, and she made herself so charming that before they parted Ben had sought and obtained permission to call for her on his way to the chapel the next evening.
"A poor little orphan lass." He was never done making this apology to himself, and taking it as an excuse for going every other night to see if Nelly was comfortable; for going with her to chapel on Sundays, for fear she might neglect her duty; for seeing that she went walking on the moor frequently, lest the hot air in the mills should make the roses in her cheeks fade away; for going with her to Morecambe sands on half-holidays, lest she might go there in company not so good for her as his own. He was completely captive before he even suspected that he was on dangerous ground, and never
