"The children hereabout seem to take to her as little as I do, for I had to drive away some who were molesting her.

I am sorry I interfered now." "I can tell you why they t'nead her," replied the doctor, and he repeated the little that was known in Thrums of the Painted Lady, "And you see the womenfolk are mad because they can find out so little about her, where she got her money, for instance, and who are the 'gentlemen' that are said to visit her at Double Dykes.

They have tried many ways of drawing Grizel, from heckle biscuits and parlies to a slap in the face, but neither by coaxing nor squeezing will you get an egg out of a sweer hen, and so they found.

'The dour little limmer,' they say, 'stalking about wi' all her blinds down,' and they are slow to interfere when their laddies call her names.

It's a pity for herself that she's not more communicative, for if she would just satisfy the women's curiosity she would find them full of kindness.