He was too nonplussed to go on immediately.

Then he supposed it was part of the joke, and proceeded to give the other details.
'Mr.Howitt,'-- a tremulous pause,--'it is very strange about poor Trilium, she has always been such a good, dear cow; the children are very fond of her, and my mother was very fond of her when she was a heifer.

The last summer before she died, Trilium fed out of mother's hand, and now--she's in perfect health as far as we can see, but father says that if she keeps on refusing to give her milk he will be obliged to sell her.' Miss Torrance, who was usually strong and dignified, spoke now in a very appealing voice.
'Couldn't you get an old farmer to look at her, or a vet ?' 'But why do you think she has suddenly stopped giving milk ?' persisted the girl.
'I am very sorry, but I really don't know anything about animals,' said he.
'Oh, then if you don't know anything about them----' She paused.

There had been such an evident tone of relief in her voice that he wondered much what would be coming next.

In a moment she said, 'I quite agreed with you the other night when you said the superstition about witchcraft was degrading.' 'No one could think otherwise.' He was much puzzled at the turn of her thought.
'Still, of course, _about animals_, old people like Mistress Betty M'Leod may know something.' As they talked they were walking down the street in the calm of the summer evening to the prayer meeting.