He'd been over to see Simon; and when he came back he walked into the kitchen and sat down, never saying a word, but just shaking his head over and over again.

'What's the matter, Jacob ?' I said.

'Matter ?' said he.

'Matter enough, Marm Lucy' (he's always called me Marm Lucy, my dear, since the very day we were married, though I wasn't _very_ much older than you then).

'Simon's married,' he said, 'and I've seen his wife.' Of course I was surprised, and I wanted to know all about it.