He hoped that the snow and ice would hold off until his plan could be carried out, but he held his face to the keen cold breeze and looked at the mottled surface of the lake with irritable anxiety.

It was not his way to confide his anxiety to any one; he was bearing it alone when the girl, who had been sauntering aimlessly about, came to him.
"If I don't go with the boat to-morrow," she said, "I'll walk across as soon as the ice'll bear." With that he turned upon her.

"And if I was a worse man than I am I'd let ye.

It would be a comfort to me to be rid of ye.

Where would ye go, or what would ye do?
Ye ought to be only too thankful to have a comfortable home where ye're kept from harm.