He had no hope in it--no hope of persuading her, least of all of bringing her nearer to him; if he had had that, his dallying would have seemed sinful, because it would have chimed so perfectly with all his natural desires.
Ann took up her theme again fiercely.

"Look here, Bart Toyner; I want to know one thing, honour bright--that is," scornfully, "if you care about honour now that you've got religion." He gave a silent sarcastic smile, such as one would bestow upon a naughty, ignorant child.

"Well, at least as much as I did before," he said.
"Well, then, I want to know if you're a-going to stop spying on me now that father has got well off?
There ain't no cause nor reason for you to hang about me any longer.

You know what my life has been, and you know that through it all I've kept myself like a lady.

It ain't nice, knowing as people do that you came courting once, 'tain't nice to have you hanging round in this way." He knew quite well that the reason she gave for objecting to his spying was not the true one.