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'Yes, rolling stone, Bill. Expect he'll be pulling out of here, even, one of these times, eh? Yes, he did collect a family, all right. Guess his woman's a pretty fair woman to help get along too, or he wouldn't be able to make a payment on a place like he has.' He made the pronouncement with an unwavering, as it were a significant gaze of the little blue eyes in the direction of his wife, and Richard Milne turned to her. He would have to look up Bill while he was here.

'All the old neighbours,' she assented, while Carson rapidly demanded how long he intended to stay. 'Most of them are here yet. Not many have moved away.'

'A few days, perhaps longer,' Richard said, with an assumption of certainty surprising to himself, adding, 'I think I'll take a stroll down the road this evening.'

Carson seemed to be replying to his wife. 'Good riddance if some would get out, let their land be farmed right.' A thought seemed to strike him. 'You wouldn't be going to Lethen's to-night, would you?'

'Yes,' agreed Richard Milne candidly. 'I'll probably call there.' He paid no more attention to the anxious, almost signalling look of the woman than Carson Hymerson himself did. The latter seemed to regard him with stupefaction, which merged into an awkward grin of mocking badinage.