He was at times a man of many words, and at times a man of few words--and when he said little, he meant most.
"Aye!" said he.

"Well, that's a fine prospect, Hugh, my man, and I wish you well in it.

But there'll be no talk of any wedding for two years--so get that notion out of your heads, both of you! In two years you'll just have got settled to your new job, and you'll be finding out how you suit your master and how he suits you--we'll get the preliminaries over, and see how things promise in that time.

And we'll see, too, how much money you've saved out of your salary, my man--so you'll just not hear the wedding-bells calling for a couple of twelvemonths, and'll behave yourselves like good children in the meanwhile.

There's a deal of things may happen in two years, I'm thinking." He might have added that a deal of things may happen in two weeks--and, indeed, he would have had good reason for adding it, could he have looked a few days ahead..