He acted cruel and wrong by me.

But I've said my words to him hissel', and I'm noane going to make any plaint to others; only them as knows should judge.

And it's not fitting, it's not' (almost sobbing), 'to go on wi' talk like this afore me.' The two--for Hester, who was aware that her presence had only been desired by Sylvia as a check to an unpleasant _tete-a-tete_ conversation, had slipped back to her business as soon as her mother came in--the two looked with surprise at Sylvia; her words, her whole manner, belonged to a phase of her character which seldom came uppermost, and which had not been perceived by either of them before.
Alice Rose, though astonished, rather approved of Sylvia's speech; it showed that she had more serious thought and feeling on the subject than the old woman had given her credit for; her general silence respecting her husband's disappearance had led Alice to think that she was too childish to have received any deep impression from the event.

Molly Brunton gave vent to her opinion on Sylvia's speech in the following words:-- 'Hoighty-toighty! That tells tales, lass.

If yo' treated steady Philip to many such looks an' speeches as yo'n given us now, it's easy t' see why he took hisself off.