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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..61a5b68 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54310 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54310) diff --git a/old/54310-0.txt b/old/54310-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fb82917..0000000 --- a/old/54310-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7389 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Kitty Alone (vol 1 of 3), by S. Baring Gould - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Kitty Alone (vol 1 of 3) - A Story of Three Fires - -Author: S. Baring Gould - -Release Date: March 8, 2017 [EBook #54310] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KITTY ALONE (VOL 1 OF 3) *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note: - -This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. -Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. Bold text and -text in blackletter font are delimited with ‘=’. - -Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding -the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. - - - - - KITTY ALONE - - - - - MORRISON AND GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH - - - - - KITTY ALONE - - A STORY OF THREE FIRES - - - - - - - BY - - S. BARING GOULD - - AUTHOR OF - “IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA” “THE QUEEN OF LOVE” - “MEHALAH” “CHEAP JACK ZITA” ETC. ETC. - - - - - IN THREE VOLUMES - - VOL. I - - - - - METHUEN & CO. - 36 ESSEX STREET, W.C. - LONDON - 1894 - - CONTENTS OF VOL. I - - ---------- - - CHAP. PAGE - I. THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE 7 - II. A LUSUS NATURÆ 15 - III. ALL INTO GOLD 25 - IV. THE ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY 35 - V. ON A MUD-BANK 44 - VI. A CAPTURE 55 - VII. A RELEASE 64 - VIII. AN ATMOSPHERE OF LOVE 73 - IX. CONVALESCENCE 83 - X. THE NEW SCHOOLMASTER 90 - XI. DISCORDS 101 - XII. DAFFODILS 112 - XIII. THE SPIRIT OF INQUIRY 122 - XIV. TO THE FAIR 132 - XV. A REASON FOR EVERYTHING 140 - XVI. THE DANCING BEAR 150 - XVII. INSURED 157 - XVIII. BRAZIL NUTS 167 - - KITTY ALONE - - - - - CHAPTER I - THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE - - -With a voice like that of a crow, and singing with full lungs also like -a crow, came Jason Quarm riding in his donkey-cart to Coombe Cellars. - -Jason Quarm was a short, stoutly-built man, with a restless grey eye, -with shaggy, long, sandy hair that burst out from beneath a battered -beaver hat. He was somewhat lame, wherefore he maintained a donkey, and -drove about the country seated cross-legged in the bottom of his cart, -only removed from the bottom boards by a wisp of straw, which became -dissipated from under him with the joltings of the conveyance. Then -Jason would struggle to his knees, take the reins in his teeth, scramble -backwards in his cart, rake the straw together again into a heap, reseat -himself, and drive on till the exigencies of the case necessitated his -going through the same operations once more. - -Coombe Cellars, which Jason Quarm approached, was a cluster of roofs -perched on low walls, occupying a promontory in the estuary of the -Teign, in the south of Devon. A road, or rather a series of ruts, led -direct to Coombe Cellars, cut deep in the warm red soil; but they led no -farther. - -Coombe Cellars was a farmhouse, a depôt of merchandise, an eating-house, -a ferry-house, a discharging wharf for barges laden with coal, a -lading-place for straw, and hay, and corn that had to be carried away on -barges to the stables of Teignmouth and Dawlish. Facing the water was a -little terrace or platform, gravelled, on which stood green benches and -a green table. - -The sun of summer had blistered the green paint on the table, and -persons having leisure had amused themselves with picking the skin off -these blisters and exposing the white paint underneath, and then, with -pen or pencil, exercising their ingenuity in converting these bald -patches into human faces, or in scribbling over them their own names and -those of the ladies of their heart. Below the platform at low water the -ooze was almost solidified with the vast accumulation of cockle and -winkle shells thrown over the edge, together with bits of broken plates, -fragments of glass, tobacco-pipes, old handleless knives, and sundry -other refuse of a tavern. - -Above the platform, against the wall, was painted in large letters, to -be read across the estuary-- - - PASCO PEPPERILL, - HOT COCKLES AND WINKLES, - TEA AND COFFEE ALWAYS READY. - -Some wag with his penknife had erased the capital H from “Hot,” and had -converted the W in “Winkles” into a V, with the object of accommodating -the written language to the vernacular. One of the most marvellous of -passions seated in the human heart is that hunger after immortality -which, indeed, distinguishes man from beast. This deep-seated and awful -aspiration had evidently consumed the breasts of all the “’ot cockle and -vinkle” eaters on the platform, for there was literally not a spare -space of plaster anywhere within reach which was not scrawled over with -names by these aspirants after immortality. - -Jason Quarm was merciful to his beast. Seeing a last year’s teasel by -the wall ten yards from Coombe Cellars’ door, he drew rein, folded his -legs and arms, smiled, and said to his ass-- - -“There, governor, enjoy yourself.” - -The teasel was hard as wood, besides being absolutely devoid of -nutritious juices, which had been withdrawn six months previously. Neddy -would have nothing to say to the teasel. - -“You dratted monkey!” shouted Quarm, irritated at the daintiness of the -ass. “If you won’t eat, then go on.” He knelt up in his cart and whacked -him with a stick in one hand and the reins in the other. “I’ll teach you -to be choice. I’ll make you swaller a holly-bush. And if there ain’t -relish enough in that to suit your palate, I’ll buy a job lot of old -Perninsula bayonets and make you munch them. That’ll be chutney, I -reckon, to the likes of you.” - -Then, as he threw his lame leg over the side of the cart, he said, -“Steady, old man, and hold your breath whilst I’m descending.” - -No sooner was he on his feet, than, swelling his breast and stretching -his shoulders, with a hand on each hip, he crowed forth-- - - “There was a frog lived in a well, - Crock-a-mydaisy, Kitty alone! - There was a frog lived in a well, - And a merry mouse lived in a mill, - Kitty alone and I.” - -The door opened, and a man stood on the step and waved a salutation to -Quarm. This man was powerfully built. He had broad shoulders and a short -neck. What little neck he possessed was not made the most of, for he -habitually drew his head back and rested his chin behind his stock. This -same stock or muffler was thick and folded, filling the space left open -by the waistcoat, out of which it protruded. It was of blue strewn with -white spots, and it gave the appearance as though pearls dropped from -the mouth of the wearer and were caught in his muffler before they fell -and were lost. The man had thick sandy eyebrows, and very pale eyes. His -structure was disproportioned. With such a powerful body, stout nether -limbs might have been anticipated for its support. His thighs were, -indeed, muscular and heavy, but the legs were slim, and the feet and -ankles small. He had the habit of standing with his feet together, and -thus presented the shape of a boy’s kite. - -“Hallo, Pasco--brother-in-law!” shouted Quarm, as he threw the harness -off the ass; “look here, and see what I have been a-doing.” - -He turned the little cart about, and exhibited a plate nailed to the -backboard, on which, in gold and red on black, figured, “The Star and -Garter Life and Fire Insurance.” - -“What!” exclaimed Pepperill; “insured Neddy and the cart, have you? That -I call chucking good money away, unless you have reasons for thinking -Ned will go off in spontaneous combustion.” - -“Not so, Pasco,” laughed Jason; “it is the agency I have got. The Star -and Garter knows that I am the sort of man they require, that wanders -over the land and has the voice of a nightingale. I shall have a policy -taken out for you shortly, Pasco.” - -“Indeed you shall not.” - -“Confiscate the donkey if I don’t. But I’ll not trouble you on this -score now. How is the little toad?” - -“What--Kate?” - -“To be sure, Kitty Alone.” - -“Come and see. What have you been about this time, Jason?” - -“Bless you! I have hit on Golconda. Brimpts.” - -“Brimpts? What do you mean?” - -“Don’t you know Brimpts?” - -“Never heard of it. In India?” - -“No; at Dart-meet, beyond Ashburton.” - -“And what of Brimpts? Found a diamond mine there?” - -“Not that, but oaks, Pasco, oaks! A forest two hundred years old, on -Dartmoor. A bit of the primæval forest; two hundred--I bet you--five -hundred years old. It is not in the Forest, but on one of the ancient -tenements, and the tenant has fallen into difficulties with the bank, -and the bank is selling him up. Timber, bless you! not a shaky stick -among the lot; all heart, and hard as iron. A fortune--a fortune, Pasco, -is to be picked up at Brimpts. See if I don’t pocket a thousand pounds.” - -“You always see your way to making money, but never get far for’ard -along the road that leads to good fortune.” - -“Because I never have had the opportunity of doing more than see my way. -I’m crippled in a leg, and though I can see the road before me, I cannot -get along it without an ass. I’m crippled in purse, and though I can -discern the way to wealth, I can’t take it--once more--without an ass. -Brother-in-law, be my Jack, and help me along.” - -Jason slapped Pasco on the broad shoulders. - -“And you make a thousand pounds by the job?” - -“So I reckon--a thousand at the least. Come, lend me the money to work -the concern, and I’ll pay you at ten per cent.” - -“What do you mean by ‘work the concern’?” - -“Pasco, I must go before the bank at Exeter with money in my hand, and -say, I want those wretched scrubs of oak and holm at Brimpts. Here’s a -hundred pounds. It’s worthless, but I happen to know of a fellow as will -put a five pound in my pocket if I get him some knotty oak for a bit of -fancy-work he’s on. The bank will take it, Pasco. At the bank they will -make great eyes, that will say as clear as words, Bless us! we didn’t -know there was oak grew on Dartmoor. They’ll take the money, and -conclude the bargain right on end. And then I must have some ready cash -to pay for felling.” - -“Do you think that the bank will sell?” - -“Sell? it would sell anything--the soil, the flesh off the moors, the -bones, the granite underneath, the water of heaven that there gathers, -the air that wafts over it--anything. Of course, it will sell the -Brimpts oaks. But, brother-in-law, let me tell you, this is but the -first stage in a grand speculative march.” - -“What next?” - -“Let me make my thousand by the Brimpts oaks, and I see waves of gold -before me in which I can roll. I’ll be generous. Help me to the oaks, -and I’ll help you to the gold-waves.” - -“How is all this to be brought about?” - -“Out of mud, old boy, mud!” - -“Mud will need a lot of turning to get gold out of it.” - -“Ah! wait till I’ve tied up Neddy.” - -Jason Quarm hobbled off with his ass, and turned it loose in a paddock. -Then he returned to his brother-in-law, hooked his finger into the -button-hole of Pepperill, and said, with a wink-- - -“Did you never hear of the philosopher’s stone, that converts whatever -it touches into gold?” - -“I’ve heard some such a tale, but it is all lies.” - -“I’ve got it.” - -“Never!” Pasco started, and turned round and stared at his -brother-in-law in sheer amazement. - -“I have it. Here it is,” and he touched his head. “Believe me, Pasco, -this is the true philosopher’s stone. With this I find oaks where the -owners believed there grew but furze; with this I bid these oaks bud -forth and bear bank-notes. And with this same philosopher’s stone I -shall transform your Teign estuary mud into golden sovereigns.” - -“Come in.” - -“I will; and I’ll tell you how I’ll do it, if you will help me to the -Brimpts oaks. That is step number one.” - - - - - CHAPTER II - A LUSUS NATURÆ - - -The two men entered the house talking, Quarm lurching against his -companion in his uneven progress; uneven, partly because of his lame -leg, partly because of his excitement; and when he wished to urge a -point in his argument, he enforced it, not only by raised tone of voice -and cogency of reasoning, but also by impact of his shoulder against -that of Pepperill. - -In the room into which they penetrated sat a girl in the bay window -knitting. The window was wide and low, for the ceiling was low. It had -many panes in it of a greenish hue. It commanded the broad firth of the -river Teign. The sun was now on the water, and the glittering water cast -a sheen of golden green into the low room and into the face of the -knitting girl. It illumined the ceiling, revealed all its cracks, its -cobwebs and flies. The brass candlesticks and skillets and copper -coffee-pots on the chimney-piece shone in the light reflected from the -ceiling. - -The girl was tall, with a singularly broad white brow, dark hair, and -long lashes that swept her cheek. The face was pale, and when in repose -it could not be readily decided whether she were good-looking or plain, -but all hesitation vanished when she raised her great violet eyes, full -of colour and sparkling with the light of intelligence. - -The moment that Quarm entered she dropped the knitting on which she was -engaged; a flash of pleasure, a gleam of colour, mounted to eyes and -cheeks; she half rose with timidity and hesitation, but as Quarm -continued in eager conversation with Pepperill, and did not notice her, -she sank back into her sitting posture, the colour faded from her cheek, -her eyes fell, and a quiver of the lips and contraction of the mouth -indicated distress and pain. - -“How is it possible to turn mud into gold?” asked Pepperill. - -“Wait till I have coined my oak and I will do it.” - -“I can understand oaks. The timber is worth something, and the bark -something, and the tops sell for firewood; but mud--mud is mud.” - -“Well, it is mud. Let me light my pipe. I can’t talk without my ’baccy.” - -Jason put a spill to the fire, seated himself on a stool by the hearth, -ignited his pipe, and then, turning his eye about, caught sight of the -girl. - -“Hallo, little Toad!” said he; “how are you?” - -Then, without waiting for an answer, he returned to the mud. - -“Look here, Pasco, the mud is good for nothing where it is.” - -“No. It is a nuisance. It chokes the channel. I had a deal of trouble -with the last coal-barge; she sank so deep I thought she’d be smothered -and never got in.” - -“That’s just it. You would pay something to have it cleared--dredged -right away.” - -“I don’t know about that. The expense would be great.” - -“You need not pay a half-crown. It isn’t India only whose shining -fountains roll down their golden sands. It is Devonshire as well, which -pours the river Teign clear as crystal out of its Dartmoor reservoir, -and which is here ready to empty its treasures into my pockets and -yours. But we must dispose of Brimpts oak first.” - -“I’d like to know how you are going to do anything with mud.” - -“What is mud but clay in a state of slobber? Now, hearken to me, -brother-in-law. I have been where the soil is all clay, clay that would -grow nothing but moss and rushes, and was not worth more than five -shillings an acre, fit for nothing but for letting young stock run on. -That is out Holsworthy way. Well, a man with the philosopher’s stone in -his head, Goldsworthy Gurney, he cut a canal from Bude harbour right -through this arrant clay land. With what result? The barges travel up -from Bude laden with sand. The farmers use the sand over their clay -fields, and the desert blossoms as the rose. Land that was worth four -shillings went up to two pound ten, and in places near the canal to five -pounds. The sand on the seashore is worthless. The clay inland is -worthless, but the sand and clay married breed moneys, moneys, my -boy--golden moneys.” - -“That is reasonable enough,” said Pasco Pepperill, “but it don’t apply -here. We are on the richest of red soil, that wants no dressing, so full -of substance is it in itself. Besides, the mud is nothing but our red -soil in a state of paste.” - -“It is better. It is richer, more nutritious; but you do not see what is -to be done with it, because you have not my head and my eyes. I do not -propose to do here what was done at Holsworthy, but to invert the -operation.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Not to carry the sand to the clay, but the mud to the sand. Do you not -know Bovey Heathfield? Do you not know Stover sands? What is there -inland but a desert waste of sand-hill and arid flat that is barren as -my hand, bearing nothing but a little scrubby thorn and thistle and -bramble--sand, that’s not worth half a crown an acre? There is no -necessity for us to cut a canal. The canal exists, cut in order that the -Hey-tor granite may be conveyed along it to the sea. It has not occurred -to the fools that the barges that convey the stone down might come up -laden with Teign mud, instead of returning empty. This mud, I tell you, -is not merely rich of itself, but it has a superadded richness from -seaweed and broken shells. It is fat with eels and worms. Let this be -conveyed up the canal to the sandy waste of Heathfield, and the marriage -of clay and sand will be as profitable there as that marriage has been -at Holsworthy. I would spread this rich mud over the hungry sand, thick -as cream, and the land will laugh and sing. Do you take me now, -brother-in-law? Do you believe in the philosopher’s stone?” - -He touched his head. Pasco Pepperill had clasped his right knee in his -hands. He sat nursing it, musing, looking into the fire. Presently he -said-- - -“Yes; very fine for the owners of the sandy land, but how about you and -me?” - -“We must buy up.” - -“But where is the money to come from?” - -“Brimpts oak.” - -“What! the profit made on this venture?” - -“Exactly. Every oak stick is a rung in my ladder. There has been, for -hundreds of years, a real forest of oaks, magnificent trees, timber -incomparable for hardness--iron is not harder. Who knows about it save -myself? The Exeter Bank knows nothing of the property on which it has -advanced money. The agent runs over it and takes a hasty glance. He -thinks that the trees he sees all up the slopes are thorn bushes or -twisted stumps worth nothing, and when he passes is too eager to get -away from the moor to stay and observe. I have felt my way. A small -offer and money down, and the whole forest is mine. Then I must fell at -once, and it is not, I say, calculable what we shall make out of that -oak. When we have raked our money together, then we will buy up as much -as we can of sandy waste near the canal, and proceed at once to plaster -it over with Teign clay. Pasco, our fortune is made!” - -Jason kept silence for a while, to allow what he had said to sink into -the mind of his brother-in-law. - -Then from the adjoining kitchen came a strongly-built, fair woman, very -tidy, with light hair and pale blue eyes. She had a decided manner in -her movements and in the way in which she spoke. She had been scouring a -pan. She held this pan now in one hand. She strode up to the fireplace -between the men and said in a peremptory tone-- - -“What is this? Speculating again? I’ll tell you what, Jason, you are -bent on ruining us. Here is Pasco as wax in your hands. We’ve already -lost half our land, and that is your doing. I do not wish to be sold out -of house and home because of your rash ventures--you risk nothing, it is -Pasco and I who have to pay.” - -“Go to your scouring and cooking,” said Jason. “Zerah, that is in your -line; leave us men to our proper business.” - -“I know what comes of your brooding,” retorted the woman; “you hatch out -naught but disaster. If Pasco turned a deaf ear, I would not mind all -your tales, but more is the pity, he listens, and listening in his case -means yielding, and yielding, in plain letters, is LOSS.” - -Instead of answering his sister, Jason looked once more in the direction -of the girl, seated in the bay-window. She was absorbed in her thoughts, -and seemed not to have been attending to, or to be affected by, the -prospects of wealth that had been unfolded by her father. When he had -addressed her previously, she had answered, but as he had not attended -to her answer, she had relapsed into silence. - -She was roused by his strident voice, as he sang out-- - - “There was a frog lived in a well - Crock-a-mydaisy, Kitty alone! - There was a frog lived in a well, - And a merry mouse lived in a mill, - Kitty alone and I.” - -Now her pale face turned to him with something of appeal. - -“How is the little worm?” asked Quarm; “no roses blooming in the cheeks. -Wait till I carry you to the moors. There you shall sit and smell the -honeybreath of the furze, and as the heather covers the hillsides with -raspberry-cream, the flush of life will come into your face. I’m not so -sure but that money might be made out of the spicy air of Dartmoor. Why -not condense the scent of the furze-bushes, and advertise it as a -specific in consumption? I won’t say that folks wouldn’t buy. Why not -extract the mountain heather as a cosmetic? It is worth considering. Why -not the juice of whortleberry as a dye for the hair? and pounded -bog-peat for a dentifrice? Pasco, my boy, I have ideas. I say, listen to -me. This is the way notions come flashing up in my brain.” - -He had forgotten about his daughter, so enkindled was his imagination by -his new schemes. - -Once again, discouraged and depressed, the girl dropped her eyes on her -work. - -The sun shining on the flowing tide filled the bay of the room with -rippling light, walls and ceiling were in a quiver, the glisten was in -the glass, it was repeated on the floor, it quivered over her dress and -her pale face, it sparkled and winked in her knitting-pins. She might -have been a mermaid sitting below the water, seen through the restless, -undulatory current. - -Mrs. Pepperill growled, and struck with her fingers the pan she had been -cleaning. - -“What is a woman among men but a helpless creature, who cannot prevent -the evil she sees coming on? Talk of woman as the inferior vessel! It is -she has the common sense, and not man.” - -“It was not you who brought Coombe Cellars to me, but I brought you to -Coombe Cellars,” retorted her husband. “What is here is mine--the house, -the business, the land. You rule in the kitchen, that is your proper -place. I rule where I am lord.” - -Pasco spoke with pomposity, drawing his chin back into his neck. - -“When you married me,” said Zerah, “nothing was to be yours only, all -was to be yours and mine. I am your wife, not your housekeeper. I shall -watch and guard well against waste, against folly. I cannot always save -against both, but I can protest--and I will.” - -On hearing the loud tones of Mrs. Pepperill, Kate hastily collected her -knitting and ball of worsted and left the room. She was accustomed to -passages of arms between Pasco and his wife, to loud and angry voices, -but they frightened her, and filled her with disgust. She fled the -moment the pitch of the voices was raised and their tones became harsh. - -“Look there!” exclaimed Zerah, before the girl had left the room. “There -is a child for you. Her father returns, after having been away for a -fortnight. She never rises to meet him, she goes on calmly knitting, -does not speak a word of welcome, take the smallest notice of him. It -was very different with my Wilmot; she would fly to her father--not that -he deserved her love; she would dance about him and kiss him. But she -had a heart, and was what a girl should be; as for your Kate, brother -Jason, I don’t know what to make of her.” - -“What is the matter with Kitty?” - -“She is not like other girls. Did you not take notice? She was cold and -regardless when you arrived, as if you were a stranger--never even put -aside her knitting, never gave you a word.” - -Zerah was perhaps glad of an excuse for not continuing an angry -discussion with her husband before her brother. She was hot; she could -now give forth her heat upon the head of the girl. - -“I don’t think I gave her much chance,” said Jason; “you see, I was -talking to Pasco about the oaks.” - -“Give her the chance?” retorted Zerah. “As if my Wilmot would have -waited till her father gave her the chance. It is not for the father to -dance after his child, but the child should run to its father. I’ll tell -you what I believe, Jason, and nothing will get me out of the belief. -You know how Jane Simmons’ boy was born without eyelashes; and how last -spring we had a lamb without any tail; and that Bessie Penny hasn’t got -any lobe of ear at all, only a hole in the side of her head; and Ephraim -Tooker has no toe-nails.” - -“I know all that.” - -“Very well. I believe--and you’ll never shake it out of me--that child -of yours was born without a heart.” - - - - - CHAPTER III - ALL INTO GOLD - - -Pasco Pepperill was a man slow, heavy, and apparently phlegmatic, and he -was married to a woman full of energy, and excitable. - -Pasco had inherited Coombe Cellars from his father; he had been looked -upon as the greatest catch among the young men of the neighbourhood. It -was expected that he would marry well. He had married well, but not -exactly in the manner anticipated. Coombe Cellars was a centre of many -activities; it was a sort of inn--at all events a place to which water -parties came to picnic; it was a farm and a place of merchandise. Pasco -had chosen as his wife Zerah Quarm, a publican’s daughter, with, indeed, -a small sum of money of her own, but with what was to him of far more -advantage, a clear, organising head. She was a scrupulously tidy woman, -a woman who did everything by system, who had her own interest or that -of the house ever in view, and would never waste a farthing. - -Had the threads of the business been placed in Zerah’s hands, she would -have managed all, made money in every department, and kept the affairs -of each to itself in her own orderly brain. - -But Pepperill did not trust her with the management of his wool, coal, -grain, straw and hay business. “Feed the pigs, keep poultry, attend to -the guests, make tea, boil cockles--that’s what you are here for, -Zerah,” said Pepperill; “all the rest is my affair, and with that you do -not meddle.” - -The pigs became fat, the poultry laid eggs, visitors came in quantities; -Zerah’s rashers, tea, cockles were relished and were paid for. Zerah had -always a profit to show for her small outlay and much labour. - -She resented that she was not allowed an insight into her husband’s -business; he kept his books to himself, and she mistrusted his ability -to balance his accounts. When she discovered that he had disposed of the -greater portion of his land, then her indignation was unbounded. It was -but too clear that he was going on the high road to ruin, by undertaking -businesses for which he was not naturally competent; that by having too -many irons in the fire he was spoiling all. - -Zerah waited, in bitterness of heart, expecting her husband to explain -to her his motives for parting with his land; he had not even deigned to -inform her that he had sold it. - -She flew at him, at length, with all the vehemence of her character, and -poured forth a torrent of angry recrimination. Pasco put his hands into -his pockets, looked wonderingly at her out of his great water-blue eyes, -spun round like a teetotum, and left the house. - -Zerah became conscious, as she cooled, that she had gone too far, that -she had used expressions that were irritating and insulting, and which -were unjustifiable. On the other hand, Pasco was conscious that he had -not behaved rightly towards his wife, not only in not consulting her -about the sale, but in not even telling her of it when it was -accomplished. - -Neither would confess wrong, but after this outbreak Zerah became -gentle, and Pasco allowed some sort of self-justification to escape him. -He had met with a severe loss, and was obliged to find ready money. -Moreover, the farm and the business could not well be carried on -simultaneously, one detracted from the other. Henceforth his whole -attention would be devoted to commercial transactions. - -To some extent the sharpness of Zerah’s indignation was blunted by the -consciousness that her own brother, Jason, was Pasco’s most trusted -adviser; that if he had met with losses, it was due to the injudicious -speculations into which he had been thrust by Jason. - -The governing feature of Pasco was inordinate self-esteem. He believed -himself to be intellectually superior to everyone else in the parish, -and affected to despise the farmers, because they did not mix with the -world, had not their fingers on its arteries like the commercial man. He -was proud of his position, proud of his means, and proud of the respect -with which he was treated, and which he demanded of everyone. He valued -his wife’s good qualities, and bragged of them. According to him, his -business was extensive, and conducted with the most brilliant success. -For many years one great object of pride with him had been his only -child--a daughter, Wilmot. As a baby, no child had ever before been born -with so much hair. No infant was ever known to cut its teeth with -greater ease. No little girl was more amiable, more beautiful; the -intelligence the child exhibited was preternatural. When, in course of -time, Wilmot grew into a really pretty girl, with very taking if -somewhat forward manners, the exultation of the father knew no bounds. -Nor was her mother, Zerah, less devoted to the child; and for a long -period Wilmot was the bond between husband and wife, the one topic on -which they thought alike, the one object over which they were equally -hopeful, ambitious, and proud. Jason, left a widower with one daughter, -Katherine, had placed the child with his sister. He had a cottage of his -own, small, rarely occupied, as he rambled over the country, looking out -for opportunities of picking up money. He had not married again, he had -engaged no housekeeper; his daughter was an encumbrance, and had, -therefore, been sent to Coombe Cellars, where she was brought up as a -companion and foil to Wilmot. Suddenly the beloved child of the -Pepperills died, and the hearts of the parents were desolate. That of -Zerah became bitter and resentful. Pasco veiled his grief under his -phlegm, and made of the funeral a demonstration that might solace his -pride. After that he spoke of the numbers who had attended, of the great -emotion displayed, of the cost of the funeral, of the entertainment -given to the mourners, of the number of black gloves paid for, as -something for which he could be thankful and proud. It really was worth -having had a daughter whose funeral had cost sixty pounds, and at which -the church of Coombe-in-Teignhead had been crammed. - -The great link that for fifteen years had held Zerah and Pasco together -was broken. They had never really become one, though over their child -they had almost become so. The loss of the one object on whom Zerah had -set her heart made her more sensitive to annoyance, more inclined to -find fault with her husband. Yet it cannot be said that they did not -strive to be one in heart; each avoided much that was certain to annoy -the other, refrained from doing before the other what was distasteful to -the consort; indeed, each went somewhat out of the way to oblige the -other, but always with a clumsiness and lack of grace which robbed the -transaction of its worth. - -Kate had been set back whilst her cousin lived. Nominally the companion, -the playfellow of Wilmot, she had actually been her slave, her -plaything. Whatever Wilmot had done was regarded as right by her father -and mother, and in any difference that took place between the cousins, -Kate was invariably pronounced to have been in the wrong, and was forced -to yield to Wilmot. The child soon found that no remonstrances of hers -were listened to, even when addressed to her father. He had other -matters to occupy him than settling differences between children. It was -not his place to interfere between the niece and her aunt, for, if the -aunt refused to be troubled with her, what could he do with Kate, where -dispose her? - -Kate had not been long out of the room before her father and uncle also -left, that they might talk at their ease, without the intervention of -Zerah. - -Kate had gone with her knitting to the little stage above the water, and -was seated on the wall looking down on the flowing tide that now filled -the estuary. Hither also came the two men, and seated themselves at the -table, without taking any notice of her. - -Kate had been studying the water as it flowed in, covering the mud -flats, rising inch by inch over the refuse mass below the platform, and -was now washing the roots of the herbage that fringed the bank. - -So full was her mind, full, as though in it also the tide had been -rising, that, contrary to her wont, she broke silence when the men -appeared, and said, “Father! uncle! what makes the tide come and go?” - -“The tide comes to bring up the coal-barges, and to carry ’em away with -straw,” answered Pasco. - -“But, uncle, why does it come and go?” - -Pepperill shrugged his shoulders, and vouchsafed no further answer. - -“Look there,” said Jason, pointing to an orchard that stretched along -the margin of the flood, and which was dense with daffodils. “Look -there, Pasco, there is an opportunity let slide.” - -“I couldn’t help it. I sold that orchard. I wanted to -concentrate--concentrate efforts,” said Pasco. - -“I don’t allude to that,” said Quarm. “But as I’ve been through the -lanes this March, looking at the orchards and meadows a-blazing with -Lent lilies, I’ve had a notion come to me.” - -“Them darned daffodils are good for naught.” - -“There you are wrong, Pasco. Nothing is good for naught. What we fellows -with heads have to do is to find how we may make money out of what to -stupids is good for naught.” - -“They are beastly things. The cattle won’t touch ’em.” - -“But Christians will, and will pay for them. I know that you can sell -daffodils in London or Birmingham or Bristol, at a penny a piece.” - -“That’s right enough, but London, Birmingham, and Bristol are a long way -off.” - -“You are right there, and as long as this blundering atmospheric line -runs we can do nothing. But wait a bit, Pasco, and we shall have -steam-power on our South Devon line, and we must be prepared to seize -the occasion. I have been reckoning we could pack two hundred and fifty -daffodils easily without crushing in a maund. Say the cost of picking be -a penny a hundred, and the wear and tear of the hamper another penny, -and the carriage come to ninepence, and the profits to the sellers one -and eleven-pence ha’penny, that makes three shillings; sold at a penny -apiece it is twenty shillings--profit, seventeen and ten; strike off ten -for damaged daffies as won’t sell. How many thousand daffodils do you -suppose you could get out of that orchard and one or two more nests of -these flowers? Twenty-five thousand? A profit of seventeen shillings on -two hundred and fifty makes sixty-eight shillings a thousand. Twenty -times that is sixty-eight pounds--all got out of daffodils--beastly -daffies.” - -“Of course,” said Pasco, “I was speaking of them as they are, not as -what they might be.” - -“Look there,” said Jason, pointing over the glittering flood, “look at -the gulls, tens of hundreds of ’em, and no one gives them a thought.” - -“They ain’t fit to eat,” observed Pasco. “Dirty creeturs.” - -“No, they ain’t, and so no one shoots them. Wait a bit. Trust me. I’ll -go up to London and talk it over with a great milliner or dressmaker, -and have a fashion brought in. Waistcoats for ladies in winter of gulls’ -breasts. They will be more beautiful than satin and warmer than -sealskin. It is only for the fashion to be put on wheels and it will run -of itself. There is reason, there is convenience, there is beauty in it. -How many gulls can we kill? I reckon we can sweep the mouth of the Teign -clear of them, and get ten thousand, and if we sell their breasts at -five shillings apiece, that is, twenty-five pounds a hundred, and ten -thousand makes just two thousand five hundred pounds out of gulls--dirty -creeturs!” - -“Of course, I said that at present they are no good; not fit to eat. -What they may become is another matter.” - -Quarm said nothing for a while. His restless eye wandered over the -landscape, already green, though the month was March, for the rich red -soil under the soft airs from the sea, laden with moisture, grows grass -throughout the year. No frosts parch that herbage whose brilliance is -set forth by contrast with the Indian-red rocks and soil. The sky was of -translucent blue, and in the evening light the inflowing sea, with the -slant rays piercing it, was of emerald hue. - -“Dear! dear! dear!” sighed Quarm; “will the time ever come, think you, -old fellow, that we shall be able to make some use of the sea and -sky--capitalise ’em, eh? Squeeze the blue out of the firmament, and -extract the green out of the ocean, and use ’em as patent dyes. Wouldn’t -there be a run on the colours for ladies’ dresses! What’s the good of -all that amount of dye in both where they are? Sheer waste! sheer waste! -Now, if we could turn them into money, there’d be some good in them.” - -Jason stood up, stretched his arms, and straightened, as far as -possible, his crippled leg. Then he hobbled over to the low wall on -which his daughter was seated, looking away at the emerald sea, the -banks of green shot with golden daffodil, and overarched with the -intense blue of the sky, clapped her on the back, and when with a start -she turned-- - -“Hallo, Kate! What, tears! why crying?” - -“Oh, father! I hate money.” - -“Money! what else is worth living for?” - -“Oh, father, will you mow down the daffodils, and shoot down the gulls, -and take everything beautiful out of sea and sky? I hate money--you will -spoil everything for that.” - -“You little fool, Kitty Alone. Not love money? Alone in that among all -men and women. A fool in that as in all else, Kitty Alone.” - -Then up came Zerah in excitement, and said in loud, harsh tones, “Who is -to go after Jan Pooke? Where is Gale? The train is due in ten minutes.” - -“I have sent Roger Gale after some hides,” said Pasco. - -“We have undertaken to ferry Jan Pooke across, and he arrives by the -train just due. Who is to go?” - -“Not I,” said Pepperill. “I’m busy, Zerah, engaged on commercial matters -with Quarm. Besides, I’m too big a man, of too much consequence to ferry -a fare. I keep a boat, but am not a boatman.” - -“Then Kate must go for him. Kate, look smart; ferry across at once, and -wait at the hard till Jan Pooke arrives by the 6.10. He has been to -Exeter, and I promised that the boat should meet him on his return at -the Bishop’s Teignton landing.” - -The girl rose without a word. - -“She is not quite up to that?” said her father, with question in his -tone. - -“Bless you, she’s done it scores of times. We don’t keep her here to -eat, and dress, and be idle.” - -“But suppose--and the wind is bitter cold.” - -“Some one _must_ go,” said Zerah. “Look sharp, Kate.” - -“Alone?” - -“Of course. The man is away. She can row. Kitty must go alone.” - - - - - CHAPTER IV - THE ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY - - -The engineer Brunel was fond of daring and magnificent schemes, carried -out at other people’s expense. One of these schemes was the construction -of the South Devon Railway, running from Exeter to Plymouth, for some -portion of its way along the coast, breasting the sea, exposed to the -foam of the breaking tide, and worked by atmospheric pressure. Brunel -was an admirer of Prout’s delightful sketches--Prout, the man who taught -the eye of the nineteenth century to observe the picturesque. Brunel, -having other folks’ money to play with, thought himself justified in -providing therewith subjects for sepia and Chinese white studies in the -future. Taking as his model Italian churches, with their campaniles, he -placed engine-houses for the atmospheric pressure at every station, -designed on these models. That they were picturesque no one could deny, -that they were vastly costly the shareholders were well aware. - -For a while the atmospheric railway was worked from these Italian -churches, the campaniles of which contained the exhausting pumps. Then -the whole scheme collapsed, when the pumps had completely exhausted the -shareholders’ pockets. - -The system was ingenious, but it should have been tried on a small scale -before operations were carried on upon one that was large, and in a -manner that was lavish. - -The system was this. A tube was laid between the rails, and the -carriages ran connected with a piston in the tube. The air was pumped -out before the piston, and the pressure of the atmosphere behind was -expected to propel piston and carriages attached to it. The principle -was that upon which we imbibe sherry-cobbler. - -But there was a difficulty, and that was insurmountable. Had the -carriages been within the tube they would have swung along readily -enough. But they were without and yet connected with the piston within; -and it was precisely over this connection that the system broke down. A -complex and ingenious scheme was adopted for making the tubes air-tight -in spite of the long slit through which slid the coulter that connected -the carriages with the piston. The train carried with it a sort of hot -flat-iron which it passed over the leather flap bedded in tallow that -closed the slit. - -But the device was too intricate and too open to disturbance by accident -to be successful. Trains ran spasmodically. The coulter, raising the -flap, let the air rush into the artificially formed vacuum before it, -and so act as a break on the propelling force of the air behind. The -flap became displaced. The tallow under a hot sun melted away. The -trains when they started were attended on their course by a fizzing -noise as of a rocket about to explode, very trying to the nerves. They -had a habit of sulking and stopping in the midst of tunnels, or of -refusing to start from stations when expected to start. By no means -infrequently they arrived at their destination propelled by panting -passengers, and the only exhaustion of atmosphere of which anything -could be spoken, was that of the lungs of those who had paid for their -tickets to be carried along the line, not to shove along the carriages -with their shoulders. - -At the time when our story opens, this unfortunate venture, so ruinous -to many speculators, was in process of demonstrating how unworthy it was -of the Italian churches and campaniles that had been erected for its -use. - -After a while steam locomotives were brought to the stations and held in -readiness to fly to the aid of broken-down atmospheric trains. A little -later, and the atmospheric engines and tubes were broken up and sold for -old iron, and the ecclesiastical edifices that had contained the pumps -were let to whoever would rent them, as cider stores or depôts of guano -and dissolved bone. - -John Pooke, only son of the wealthiest yeoman in the parish of -Coombe-in-Teignhead, had been put across the estuary that morning so -that he might go by train to Exeter, to be fitted for a suit and -suitably hatted for the approaching marriage of his sister. In two or -three parishes beside the Teign the old yeoman has held his own from -before Tudor days. From century to century the land has passed from -father to son. These yeomen families have never extended their estates, -and have been careful not to diminish them. The younger sons and the -daughters have gone into trade or into service, and have looked with as -much pride to the ancestral farms as can any noble family to its -baronial hall. These yeomen are without pretence, do not affect to be -what they are not, knowing what they are, and content, and more than -content, therewith. There are occasions in which they do make some -display, and these are funerals and weddings. - -It was considered at the family gathering of the Pooke clan that, at the -approaching solemnity of the marriage of the daughter of the house, no -village tailor, nay, not even one of the town of Teignmouth, could do -justice to the occasion, and that it would be advisable for the son and -heir to seek the superior skill of an Exeter tradesman to invest his -body in well-fitting and fashionable garments, and an Exeter hatter to -provide him with a hat as worn by the leaders of fashion. - -John Pooke had been ferried over in the morning, and had requested that -the boat might be in waiting for him on his return in the evening by the -last train. - -Kate had often been sent across on previous occasions. She could handle -an oar. The tide was still flowing, and there was absolutely no danger -to be anticipated. At no time was there risk, though there might be -inconvenience, and the latter only when the tide was ebbing and the -mud-banks were becoming exposed. To be stranded on one of these would -entail a tedious waiting in mid-river till return of tide, and with the -flow the refloating of the ferry-boat. - -Kate rowed leisurely across the mouth of the Teign. The evening was -closing in. The sun had set behind the green hills to the west; a cold -wind blew down the river, sometimes whistling, sometimes with a sob in -its breath, and as it swept the tide it crisped it into wavelets. - -Now that the sunlight was no longer on or in the water, the latter had -lost its exquisite greenness, and had assumed a sombre tint. The time of -the year was March; no buds had burst on the trees. The larch -plantations were hesitating, putting forth, indeed, their little -blood-purple “strawberry baskets”--their marvellous flower, and ready at -the first warm shower to flush into emerald green. The limes, the elms, -were red at every spray with rising sap. The meadows, however, were of -an intense brilliancy of verdure. - -At the mouth of the Teign rose the Ness, a very Bardolph’s nose for -rubicundity, and the inflowing tide was warm in colour in places where -it flowed over a loosely compacted bank of sand or mud. Thus the river -was as a piece of shot silk of two tinctures. - -Kate was uncertain whether the train had passed or not. The atmospheric -railway had none of the bluster of the steam locomotive. No puffs of -vapour like white cotton wool rose in the air to forewarn of a coming -train, or, after one had passed, to lie along the course and tell for -five minutes that the train had gone by. It uttered no whistle, its -breaks produced no jar. Its lungs did not pant and roar. It slid along -almost without a sound. - -Consequently, Kate, knowing that the ferry-boat had been despatched -late, almost expected to find John Pooke stamping and growling on the -hard. When, however, she ran the boat aground at the landing-place, she -saw that no one was there in expectation. - -The girl fastened the little vessel to a ring and went up the river bank -in quest of someone who could inform her about the train. - -She speedily encountered a labourer with boots red in dust. He, however, -could say nothing relative to the down train. After leaving -work--“tilling ’taters”--he had been into the public-house at Bishop’s -Teignton for his half-pint of ale, to wash the red dust down the redder -lane; the train might have gone by while he was refreshing himself; but -there was also a probability that it had not. Continuing her inquiries, -Kate met a woman who assured her that the train had passed. She had seen -it, whilst hanging out some clothes; she had been near enough to -distinguish the passengers in the carriages. - -Whilst this woman was communicating information, another came up who was -equally positive in her asseverations that the train had not gone by. -She had been looking out for it, so as to set her clock by it. A lively -altercation ensued between the women, which developed into -personalities; their voices rose in pitch and in volume of tone. A third -came up and intervened. A train had indeed passed, but it was an up and -not a down train. Thus the first woman was right--she had seen the train -and observed the passengers; and the second was right--the down train by -which she had set her clock had not gone by. Far from being satisfied at -this solution of the difficulty, both women who had been in controversy -turned in combined attack upon the third woman who would have reconciled -them. What right had she to interfere? who had asked for her opinion? -Everyone knew about her--and then ensued personalities. The third woman, -hard pressed, covered with abuse, sought escape by turning upon Kate and -rating her for having asked impertinent questions. The other two at once -joined in, and Kate was driven to fly the combined torrent of abuse and -take refuge in her boat. There she could sit and wait the arrival of the -fare, and be undisturbed save by her own uneasy thoughts. The wind was -rising. It puffed down the river, then held its breath, filled its -bellows and puffed more fiercely, more ominously. The evening sky was -clouding over, but the clouds were chopped, and threatened a stormy -night. - -Kate had brought her shawl, and she now wrapped it about her, as she sat -waiting in the boat. When the glow passed away, caused by her exertion -in rowing and her run from the exasperated women, it left her cold and -shivering. - -The tide was beyond the full, and was beginning to ebb. This was -vexatious. Unless John Pooke arrived speedily, there would be difficulty -in traversing the Teign, for the water would warp out rapidly with the -wind driving it seawards. - -She must exercise patience and wait a little longer. What should she do -if the young man did not arrive before the lapse of half an hour? this -was a contingency for which she must be prepared. Her aunt Zerah had -bidden her remain till Pooke appeared. But if he did not appear before -the tide was out, then she would be unable to cross that evening. It -would be eminently unsatisfactory to be benighted, and to have to seek -shelter on the Bishop’s Teignton side. She had no friends there, and to -be rambling about with Pooke in quest of some place where both might be -accommodated was what she could not think of. To await the turn of the -tide in her boat was a prospect only slightly less agreeable. The wind -was from the east, it cut like a knife. She was ill provided for -exposure to it in the night. The sun had set and the light was ebbing -out of the sky as fast as the water was draining out of the estuary. -There was no moon. There would be little starlight, for the clouds as -they advanced became compacted into a leaden canopy that obscured the -constellations. - -Kate looked across the water to Coombe Cellars. Already a light had been -kindled there, and from the window it formed a glittering line on the -running tide. - -She gazed wistfully down the river. All was dark there. She could hear -the murmur of the sea behind the Den, a bar of shingle and sand that -more than half closed the mouth of the river. - -Kate leaned over the side of the boat. The water gulped and curled away; -in a quarter of an hour it would be gone. She thrust her boat farther -out, as already it was being left high and dry. - -She would allow Pooke five minutes longer, ten minutes at the outside; -yet she had no watch by which to measure the time. She shrank from being -benighted on that side of the river. She shrank from the alternative of -a scolding from her aunt should she come across without Pooke. - -What if John Pooke were to arrive at the landing-place one minute after -she had departed? What if she waited for John Pooke one minute over the -moment at which it was possible to cross? Whilst thus tossed in doubt, -the train glided by. There were lights in the carriages, a strong light -in the driving carriage cast forward along the rails. The train did not -travel fast--at a rate not above thirty miles an hour. - -Kate heaved a sigh. “At last! Pooke will be here directly. Oh dear! I -hope not too late.” - -The atmospheric train slipped away into darkness with very little noise, -and then the only sound Kate heard was that of the lapping of the water -against the sides of the boat, like that produced by a dog drinking. - - - - - CHAPTER V - ON A MUD-BANK - - -“Halloa! Ferry, ho!” - -“Here you are, sir.” - -“Who is that singing out?” - -“It is I--Kate Quarm.” - -“What--Kitty Alone? Is that what is to be? Over the water -together--Kitty Alone and I?” - -On the strand, in the gloom, stood a sturdy figure encumbered with a -hat-box and a large parcel, so that both hands were engaged. - -“Are you John Pooke?” - -“To be sure I am.” - -In another moment the young fellow was beside the boat. - -“Here, Kitty Alone! Lend a hand. I’m crippled with these precious -parcels. This blessed box-hat has given me trouble. The string came -undone, and down it went. I have to carry the concern tucked under my -arm; and the parcel’s bursting. It’s my new suit dying to show itself, -and so is getting out of this brown-paper envelope as fast as it may.” - -“We are very late,” said Kate anxiously. “The tide is running out hard, -and it is a chance if we get over.” - -“Right, Kitty. I’ll settle the hat-box and the new suit--brass -buttons--what d’ye think of that? And straps to my trousers. I shall be -fine--a blazer, Kitty--a blazer!” - -“Do sit down, John; it is but a chance if we get across. You are so -late.” - -“The Atmospheric did it, for one--my hat for the other, tumbling in the -darkness out of the box, and in the tunnel too. Fancy if the train had -gone over it! I’d have wept tears of blood.” - -“Do, John Pooke, do sit down and take an oar.” - -“I’ll sit down in a minute, when I’ve put my box-hat where I nor you can -kick it about, and the new suit where the water can’t stain it.” - -“John, you must take an oar.” - -“Right I am. We’ll make her fly--pist!--faster than the blessed -Atmospheric, and no sticking half-way.” - -“I’m not so sure of that.” - -Kate thrust off. She had altered the pegs, and now she gave John an oar. - -“Pull for dear life!” she said; “not a moment is to be lost.” - -“Yoicks away!” shouted Pooke. “So we swim--Kitty Alone and I.” - -Kate, more easy now that the boat was started, said, “You asked me my -name. I said Kate Quarm.” - -“Well, but everyone knows you as Kitty Alone.” - -“And every one knows you as Jan Tottle, but I shouldn’t have the face to -so call you; and I don’t see why you should give me any name than what -properly belongs to me.” - -“Your father always so calls you.” - -“You are not my father, and have no right to take liberties. My father -may call me what he pleases, because he is my father. He is my -father--you my penny fare.” - -“And the penny fare has no rights?” - -“He has right to be ferried over, not to be impudent.” - -Pooke whistled through his teeth. - -The girl laboured hard at the oar; Pooke worked more easily. He had not -realised at first how uncertain was the passage. The tide went swirling -down to the sea with the wind behind it, driving it as a besom. - -“I say, Kate Quarm--no, Miss Catherine Quarm. Hang it! how stiff and -grand we be! Do you know why I have been to Exeter?” - -“I do not, Jan.” - -“There, you called me Jan. You’ll be ’titling me Tottle, next. That -gives me a right to call you Kitty.” - -“Once, but no more; and Kitty only.” - -“I’ve been to Exeter to be rigged out for sister Sue’s weddin’. My word! -it has cost four guineas to make a gentleman of me.” - -“Can they do that for four guineas?” - -“Now don’t sneer. Listen. They’d took my measure afore, and they put me -in my new suit, brass buttons and everything complete, and a new tie and -collars standing to my ears--and a box-hat curling at the sides like the -waves of the ocean--and then they told me to walk this way, please sir! -So I walked, and what should I see but a gentleman stately as a dook -coming towards me, and I took off my hat and said, Your servant, sir! -and would have stepped aside. Will you believe me, Kate! it was just -myself in a great cheval glass, as they call it. You’ll be at the -wedding, won’t you?--if only to see me in my new suit. I do believe -you’ll fall down and worship me, and I shall smile down at you and say, -Holloa! is that my good friend Kitty Alone? And you’ll say, Your very -humble servant, sir!” - -“That I shall never do, Mr. Pennyfare,” laughed Kate, and then, becoming -grave, immediately said, “Do pull instead of talking nonsense. We are -drifting; look over your shoulder.” - -“So we are. There is Coombe Cellars light, right away up stream.” - -“The wind and stream are against us. Pull hard.” - -Jan Pooke now recognised that he must use his best exertions. - -“Hang it!” said he, watching the light; “I don’t want to be carried out -to sea.” - -“Nor do I. That would be a dear penn’orth.” - -Pooke pulled vigorously; looked over his shoulder again and said, “Kate, -give up your place to me. I’m worth more than you and me together with -one oar apiece.” - -She moved the rowlock pins, and Jan took her place with two oars; but -the time occupied in effecting the change entailed loss of way, and the -boat swept fast down the estuary. - -“This is more than a joke,” said Pooke; “we are down opposite Shaldon. I -can see the Teignmouth lights. We shall never get across like this.” - -“We must.” - -“The tide tears between the end of the Den and the farther shore like a -mill-race.” - -“We must cross or run aground.” - -“Kate, can you see the breakers over the bar?” - -“No, but I can hear them. They are nothing now, as wind and tide are -running off shore. When the tide turns then there will be a roar.” - -“I believe we are being carried out. Thunder! I’m not going to be swept -into Kingdom Come without having put on box-hat and new suit, and cut a -figure here.” - -The wind poured down the trough of the Teign valley with such force, -that in one blast it seemed to catch the boat and drive it, as it might -take up a leaf and send it flying over the surface of a hard road. - -The waves were dancing, foaming, uttering their voices about the rocks -of the Ness, mumbling and muttering on the bar. If the boat in the -darkness were to get into the throat of the current, it would be sucked -and carried into the turbulent sea; it might, however, get on the bar -and be buffeted and broken by the waves. - -“Take an oar,” said Pooke; “we must bring her head round. If we can run -behind the Den, we shall be in still water.” - -“Or mud,” said Kate, seating herself to pull. “Anything but to be -carried out to sea.” - -The two young people struggled desperately. They were straining against -wind and tide, heading about to get into shallow water, and out of the -tearing current. - -After a while Kate gasped, “I’m finished!” - -Her hair was blown round her head in the gale; with the rapidity of her -pulsation, lights flashed before her eyes and waves roared in her ears. - -“Don’t give up. Pull away!” - -Mechanically she obeyed. In another minute the strain was less, and -then--the boat was aground. - -“If this be the Den, all right,” said Pooke. “We can get ashore and walk -to Teignmouth.” He felt with the oar, standing up in the boat. It sank -in mud. “Here’s a pretty pass,” said he. “I thought it bad enough to be -stuck in the tunnel when the Atmospheric broke down, but it is worse to -be fast in the mud. From the tunnel we could extricate ourselves at -once, but here--in this mud, we are fast till flow of tide. Kitty,--I -mean Kate,--make up your mind to accept my company for some hours. I -can’t help you out, and I can’t get out myself. What is more, no one on -shore, even if we could call to them, would be able to assist us. Till -the tide turns, we are held as tight as rats in a gin.” - -“I wonder,” said the girl, recovering her breath, “what makes the tides -ebb and flow.” - -“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” said John Pooke; “it is enough for me -that they have lodged us here on a mud bank in a March night with an icy -east wind blowing. By George! I’ve a mind to have out a summons against -the Atmospheric Company.” - -“Why so?” - -“For putting us in this blessed fix. The train came to a standstill in -the tunnel by the Parson and Clerk rock, between Dawlish and Teignmouth. -We had to tumble out of the carriages and shove her along into daylight. -That is how my band-box got loose; as I got out of the carriage the -string gave way and down went the box in the tunnel, and opened, and the -hat came out. There was an east wind blowing like the blast of a -blacksmith’s bellows through the tunnel, and it caught my new hat and -carried it along, as if it were the atmospheric train it had to propel. -I had to run after it and catch it, all in the half-dark, and all the -while the guard and passengers were yelling at me to help and shove -along the train; but I wasn’t going to do that till I had recovered my -hat. I must think of sister Sue’s wedding, and the figure I shall cut -there, before I consider how to get the train out of a tunnel.” - -In spite of discomfort and cold, Kate was constrained to laugh. - -“If you or I am the worse for this night in the cold, and if my box-hat -has had the nap scratched off, and my new suit gets stained with -sea-water, I’ll summons the company, I will. What have you got to keep -you warm, Kate?” - -“A shawl.” - -“Let me feel it.” - -Pooke groped in the dark and caught hold of what the girl had cast over -her head and shoulders. - -“It’s thin enough for a June evening,” said he. “It may keep off dews, -but it will not keep out frost. Please goodness, we shall have neither -hail nor rain; that would be putting an edge on to our misery.” - -Both lapsed into silence. The prospect was cheerless. After about five -minutes Kate said, “I wonder why there are twelve hours and a half -between tides, and not twelve hours.” - -“I am sure I cannot tell,” answered Pooke listlessly; he had his head in -his hand. - -“You see,” remarked Kate, “if the tides were twelve hours exactly apart, -there would always be flow at the same hour.” - -“I suppose so.” Pooke spoke languidly, as if going to sleep. - -“But that extra half-hour, or something like it, throws them out and -makes them shift. Why is it?” - -“How can I say? Accident.” - -“It cannot be accident, for people can calculate and put in the -almanacks when the tides are to be.” - -“I suppose so.” - -“And then--why are some tides much bigger than others? We are having -high tides now.” - -Pooke half rose, seated himself again, and said in a tone of -desperation, “Look here, Kitty! I ain’t going to be catechised. Rather -than that, I’ll jump into the mud and smother. It is bad enough having -to sit here in the wind half the night, without having one’s head split -with thinking to answer questions. If we are to talk, let it be about -something sensible. Shall you be at sister Sue’s wedding?” - -“I do not know. That depends on whether aunt will let me go.” - -“I want you to see and worship me in my new suit.” - -“I may see--I shan’t worship you.” - -“I almost bowed down to myself in the cheval glass, I looked so -tremendous fine; and if I did that--what will you do?” - -“Many a man worships himself whom others don’t think much of.” - -“There you are at me again. Fancy--Kate--ducks”-- - -“And green peas?” - -“No--bottle-green. Ducks is what I am going to wear, with straps under -my boots--lily-white, and a yellow nankeen waistcoat, and a bottle-green -coat with brass buttons,--all here in this parcel,--and the hat. My -honour! I never was so fine before. Four guineas--with the hat.” - -“Do you call this ‘talking sensible’?” asked Kate. - -Again they subsided into silence. It was hard, in the piercing wind, in -the darkness, to keep up an interest in any topic. - -The cold cut like a razor. The wind moaned over the bulwarks of the -ferry-boat. The mud exhaled a dead and unpleasant odour. Gulls fluttered -near and screamed. The clouds overhead parted, and for a while exposed -tracts of sky, thick strewn with stars that glittered frostily. - -Presently the young man said, “Hang it! you will catch cold. Lie in the -bottom of the boat, and I will throw my coat over you.” - -“But you will yourself be chilled.” - -“I--I am tough as nails. But stay. I know something better. I have my -new bottle-green coat, splendid as the day. You shall have that over -you.” - -“But it may become crumpled.” - -“Sister Sue shall iron it again.” - -“Or stained.” - -“You shan’t die of cold just to save my bottle-green. Lie down. I wish -the hat could be made to serve some purpose. There’s no water in the -boat?” - -“None.” - -“And I am glad. It would have gone to my heart like a knife to have had -to bale it out with my box-hat.” - -Kate was now very chilled. After the exertion, and the consequent heat -in which she had been, the reaction had set in, and the blood curdled in -her veins. The wind pierced the thin shawl as though it were a cobweb. -Pooke folded up his garments to make a pillow for her head, insisted on -her lying down, so that the side of the boat might in some measure -screen her from the wind, and then he spread his new coat over her. - -“There, Kitty. Hang it! we are comrades in ill-luck; so there is a -brotherhood of misery between us. Let me call you Kitty, and let me be -Jan to you--Tottle if you will.” - -“Only when you begin to boast about your new suit”-- - -“There, Kitty, don’t be hard on me. I must think of something to keep me -warm, and what else so warming as the thoughts of the ducks, and -nankeen, and bottle-green, and the box-hat. I don’t believe anything -else could make me keep up my spirits. Go to sleep, and when I feel the -boat lift, I will sing out.” - -Kate was touched by the kindness of the soft-headed lad. As she lay in -the bottom of the boat without speaking, and he thought she was dozing, -he put down his hand and touched the clothes about her. He wished to -assure himself that she was well covered. - -Kate was not asleep; she was thinking. She had not met with much -consideration in the short span of her life. Lying in the boat with her -eyes fixed on the stars, her restless mind was working. - -Presently, moved by an uncontrollable impulse, she asked, “John, why do -some of the stars twinkle and others do not?” - -“How should I know? I suppose they were out on a spree when they ought -to ha’ been in bed, and now can’t keep their eyes from winking.” - -“Some, however, burn quite steadily.” - -“Them’s the good stars, that keep regular hours, and go to bed when they -ought. Your eyes’ll be winking no end to-morrow.” - -“John, what becomes of the stars by day?” - -“Kitty--Kate, don’t ask any more questions, or I shall jump overboard. I -can’t bear it; I can’t indeed. It makes my head ache.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI - A CAPTURE - - -Kate Quarm had never felt a mother’s love. She could not recall her -mother, who had died when she was an infant. Her father, encumbered with -a motherless babe, had handed the child over to his sister Zerah, a hard -woman, who resented the infliction upon her in addition to the cares and -solicitudes of her house. From her aunt Kate received no love. Her uncle -paid to her no attention, save when he was provoked to rebuke by some -noise made in childish play, or some damage done in childish levity. - -Thus Kate had grown up to the verge of womanhood with all her affections -buried in her bosom. That dark heart was like a cellar stored with -flower bulbs and roots. They are not dead, they send forth bleached and -sickly shoots without vigour and incapable of bloom. Hers was a tender, -craving nature, one that hungered for love; and as she received none, -wherever she turned, to whomsoever she looked, she had become -self-contained, reserved, and silent. Her aunt thought her sullen and -obstinate. - -As already related, Mrs. Pepperill had not been always childless. She -had possessed a daughter, Wilmot, who had been the joy and pride of her -heart. Wilmot had been a bright, merry girl, with fair hair and -forget-me-not blue eyes, and cheeks in which the lily was commingled -with the rose. Wilmot was a born coax and coquette; she cajoled her -mother to give her what she desired, and she flattered her father into -humouring her caprices. - -Naturally, the reserved, pale Kate was thrown into shadow by the -forward, glowing Wilmot; and the parents daily contrasted their own -child with that of the brother, and always to the disadvantage of the -latter. - -Wilmot had a mischievous spirit, and delighted in teasing and -tyrannising over her cousin. Malevolent she was not, but inconsiderate; -she was spoiled, and, as a spoiled child, capricious and domineering. -She liked--in her fashion, loved--Kate, as she liked and loved a -plaything, that she might trifle with and knock about; not as a -playfellow, to be considered and conciliated. Association with Wilmot -hardly in any degree brightened the existence of Kate; it rather served -to cloud it. Petty wrongs, continuous setting back, repeated slights, -wounded and crushed a naturally expansive and susceptible nature. Kate -hardly ventured to appeal to her father or to her aunt against her -cousin, even when that cousin’s treatment was most unjust and -insupportable; the aunt naturally sided with her own child, and the -father heedlessly laughed at Kate’s troubles as undeserving of -consideration. - -Then, suddenly, Wilmot was attacked by fever, which carried her off in -three days. The mother was inconsolable. The light went out of her life -with the extinction of the vital spark in the bosom of her child. - -The death of Wilmot was of no advantage to Kate. She was no longer, -indeed, given over to the petty tyranny of her cousin, but she was left -exposed to a hardened and embittered aunt, who resented on her the loss -of her own child. Into the void heart of Zerah, Kate had no chance of -finding access; that void was filled with discontent, verjuice, and -acrimony. An unreasonable anger against the child who was not wanted and -yet remained, in place of the child who was the apple of her eye, and -was taken from her, made itself felt in a thousand ways. - -Without being absolutely unkind to her, Zerah was ungracious. She held -Kate at arm’s length, spoke to her in harsh and peremptory tones, looked -at her with contracted pupils and with puckered brow. Filled with -resentment against Providence, she made the child feel her -disappointment and antagonism. The reserve, the lack of -light-heartedness in the child told against her, and Zerah little -considered that this temperament was produced by her own ungenerous -treatment. - -At the time of this story, Kate was of real service in the house. The -Pepperills kept no domestic servant; they required none, having Kate, -who was made to do whatever was necessary. Her aunt was an energetic and -industrious woman, and Kate served under her direction. She assisted in -the household washing, in the work of the garden, in the feeding of the -poultry, in the kitchen, in all household work; and when folk came to -eat cockles and drink tea, Kate was employed as waitress. For all this -she got no wage, no thanks, no forbearance, no kind looks, certainly no -kind words. - -The girl’s heart was sealed up, unread, misunderstood by those with whom -she was brought into contact. She had made no friends at school, had no -comrades in the village; and her father inconsiderately accepted and -applied to her a nickname given her at school by her teacher, a certain -Mr. Solomon Puddicombe,--a nickname derived from the burden of a foolish -folk-song, “Kitty Alone.” - -Now the girl lay in the bottom of the boat, under Pooke’s Exeter -tailor-made clothes, shivering. What would her father think of her -absence? Would he be anxious, and waiting up for her? Would Aunt Zerah -be angry, and give her hard words? - -Her eyes peered eagerly at the stars--into that great mystery above. - -“They are turning,” she said. - -“What are turning?” asked Pooke. “Ain’t you asleep, as you ought to be?” - -“When I was waiting for you at the Hard, I saw them beginning to -twinkle.” - -“What did you see?” - -“Yonder, those stars. There are four making a sort of a box, and then -three more in a curve.” - -“That is the Plough.” - -“Well, it is something like a plough. It is turning about in the sky. -When I was waiting for the Atmospheric, I saw it in one way, and now it -is all turned about different.” - -“I daresay it is.” - -“But why does it turn about?” - -“When I’ve ploughed to one end of a field, I turn the plough so as to -run back.” - -“But this isn’t a real plough.” - -“I know nothing about it,” said Pooke desperately; “and, what is more, I -won’t stand questioning. This is a ferry-boat, not a National School, -and you are Kitty Quarm, not Mr. Puddicombe. I haven’t anything more of -learning to go through the rest of my days, thankful to say.” - -The night crept along, slow, chilly as a slug; the time seemed -interminable. Benumbed by cold, Kate finally dozed without knowing that -she was slipping out of consciousness. Sleep she did not--she was in a -condition of uneasy terror, shivering with cold, cramped by her -position, bruised by the ribs of the boat, with the smell of mud and new -cloth in her nose, and with occasionally a brass button touching her -cheek, and with its cold stabbing as with a needle. The wind, curling -and whistling in the boat as it came over the side, bored into the -marrow of the bones, the muscles became hard, the flesh turned to wax. - -Kate discovered that she had been unconscious only by the confusion of -her intellect when Pooke roused her by a touch, and told her that the -boat was afloat. She staggered to her knees, brushed the scattered hair -out of her dazed eyes, rose to her feet, and seated herself on the -bench. Her wits were as though curdled in her brains. They would not -move. Every limb was stiff, every nerve ached. Her teeth chattered; she -felt sick and faint. Sleepily she looked around. - -No lights were twinkling from the windows on the banks. In every house -candles had long ago been extinguished. All the world slept. - -The clouds overhead had been brushed away, and the lights of heaven -looked down and were reflected in the water. The boat was as it were -floating between two heavens besprent with stars, the one above, the -other below, and across each was drawn the silvery nebulous Milky Way. -The constellation of the Great Bear--the Plough, as Pooke called it--was -greatly changed in position since Kate had commented on it. Cassiopēa’s -silver chair was planted in the great curve of the Milky Way. To the -south the hazy tangle of Berenice’s Hair was faintly reflected in the -inflowing tide. - -Although the boat was lifted from the bank, yet it was by no means -certain that Coombe Cellars could be reached for at least another -half-hour. The tide, that had raced out, seemed to return at a crawl. -Nevertheless, it was expedient to restore circulation by the exercise of -the arms. Kate assumed one oar, John the other, and began to row; she at -first with difficulty, then with ease, as warmth returned and her blood -resumed its flow. The swelling tide carried the boat up with it, and the -oars were leisurely dipped, breaking the diamonds in the water into a -thousand brilliants. - -As they approached the reach where lay Coombe-in-Teignhead, John Pooke -said: “There is a light burning in your house. They are all up, anxious, -watching for you, and in trouble. On my word, will not my father be in a -condition of fright and distress concerning me if he hears that I am -out? I went off without saying anything to anybody. I intended to be -back all right in the evening by the Atmospheric. But there’s no -telling, father may have been asking after me. Then, as I didn’t turn up -at supper, he may have sent about making inquiries, and have heard at -the Cellars that I’d gone over the water, and given command to be met by -the last train. Then they will be in a bad state of mind, father and -sister Sue. Hulloa! what is that light? It comes from our place.” - -John Pooke rested on his oar, and turned. - -From behind an orchard a glow, as of fire, was shining. It had broken -forth suddenly. The light streamed between the trees, sending fiery -arrows shooting over the water, it rose in a halo above the tops of the -trees. - -“Kate! whatever can it be? That is our orchard. There is our rick-yard -behind. It never can be that our ricks are afire, or our house! The -house is just beyond. The blaze is at our place--pull hard!” - -“It’s a chance if there is water enough to carry us ashore.” - -Then, from above the belt of orchard broke lambent flame, and cast up -tufts of ignited matter into the air, to be caught and carried away by -the strong wind. Now there lay a fiery path between the ferry-boat and -the shore. Pooke seated himself. He was greatly agitated. - -“Kate, it is our rick-yard. That chap, Roger, has done it.” - -The words had hardly escaped him before a boat shot past, and his oar -clashed with that of the rower in that boat. As it passed, John saw the -face of the man who was rowing, kindled by the orange blaze from the -shore. The recognition was instantaneous. - -“Redmore, it is you!” Then breathlessly, “Kate, about! we must catch -him. He has set our ricks ablaze.” - -The boat was headed round, and the young arms bent at the oars, and the -little vessel flew in pursuit. The man they were pursuing rowed -clumsily, and with all his efforts made little way, so that speedily he -was overtaken, and Jan ran the ferry-boat against the other, struck the -oar out of the hands of the rower, and flung himself upon the man, and -gripped him. - -“Kate--hold the boats together.” - -Then ensued a furious struggle. Both men were strong. The position in -which both were was difficult--Jan Pooke half in one boat, half in the -other, but Roger Redmore grasped at the seat in his boat, while holding -an oar in his right hand. - -The flaring rick sent a yellow light over them. The boats reeled and -clashed together, and clashing drifted together with the tide up the -river, past Coombe Cellars. Pooke, unable as he was to master his man, -cast himself wholly into his adversary’s boat. Redmore had let go the -oar, and now staggered to his feet. The men, wrestling, tossed in the -rolling boat, fell, were up on their knees, and then down again in the -bottom. - -“Quick, Kate!” shouted Jan. “I have him! Quick!--the string of my -parcel.” - -Kate handed him what he desired. - -In another moment Pooke was upright. “He is safe,” said he, panting. “I -have bound his wrists behind his back. Now--Kate!” - -The boats had run ashore, a little way above the Cellars, drifted to the -strand by the flowing tide. - -“Kate,” said Pooke, jumping out, “you hold that cord--here. I have -fastened it round the rowlock. He can’t release himself. Hold him, -whilst I run for help. We will have him tried--he shall swing for this! -Do you know that, Roger Redmore? What you have done is no joke--it will -bring you to the gallows!” - - - - - CHAPTER VII - A RELEASE - - -Kate sat in her boat holding the string that was twisted round the -rowlock and that held Roger Redmore’s hands bound behind his back. He -was crouched in the bottom of the boat, sunken into a heap, hanging by -his hands. Now and then he made a convulsive effort with his shoulders -to release his arms, but was powerless. He could not scramble to his -feet, held down as he was behind. He turned his face, and from over -Coombe Cellars, where the sky was alight with fire, a glow came on his -countenance. - -“You be Kitty Alone?” said he. - -Kate hardly answered. Her heart was fluttering; her head giddy with -alarm and distress, coming after a night’s exposure in the open boat. As -yet, no sign of dawn in the east; only the flames from the burning -farm-produce lighted up the sky to the south-west, and were reflected in -the in-flowing water. - -The agricultural riots which had filled the south of England with terror -at the close of 1830 were, indeed, a thing of the past, but the -reminiscence of them lay deep in the hearts of the labourers; and for -ten and fifteen years after, at intervals, there were fresh outbreaks of -incendiarism. There was, indeed, no fresh organisation of bodies of men -going about the country, destroying machinery and firing farms, but in -many a district the threat of the firebrand was still employed, and the -revenge of a fire among the stacks and barns was so easy, and so -difficult to bring home to the incendiary, that it was long before the -farmer could feel himself safe. Indeed, nothing but the insurance office -prevented this method of obtaining revenge from being had recourse to -very frequently. When every dismissed labourer or workman who had met -with a sharp reprimand could punish the farmer by thrusting a match -among his ricks, fires were common; but when it became well known that -an incendiary fire hurt not the farmer, but an insurance company, the -malevolent and resentful no longer had recourse to this method of -injury. - -In the “Swing” riots many men had been hung or transported for the -crimes then committed, and the statute against arson passed in the reign -of George IV., making such an offence felony, and to be punished -capitally, was in force, and not modified till much later. When, -therefore, Jan Pooke threatened Redmore with the gallows, he threatened -him with what the unhappy man knew would be his fate if convicted. - -Kate was acquainted with the story of Roger. He had been a labourer on -Mr. Pooke’s farm. He was a morose man, with a sickly wife and delicate -children, occupying a cottage on the farm. At Christmas the man had -taken a drop too much, and had been insolent to his master. The -intoxication might have been forgiven--not so the impertinence. He was -at once discharged, and given notice to quit his cottage at Lady Day. -For nearly three months the man had been out of work. In winter there is -no demand for additional hands; no great undertakings are prosecuted. -All the farmers were supplied with workmen, and had some difficulty in -the frosty weather in finding occupation for them. None were inclined to -take on Roger Redmore. Moreover, the farmers hung together like bees. A -man who had offended one, incurred the displeasure of all. - -Redmore wandered from one farm to another, seeking for employment, only -to meet with refusal everywhere. In a day or two he would be cast forth -from his cottage with wife and family. Whither to go he knew not. He had -exhausted what little money he had saved, and had nowhere found work. -Kate felt pity for the man. He had transgressed, and his transgression -had fallen heavy upon him. He was not an intemperate man; he did not -frequent the public-house. Others who drank, and drank hard, remained -with their masters, who overlooked their weakness. In the forefront of -Roger’s offence stood his insolence; and Pooke, the richest yeoman in -the place, was proud, and would not forgive a wound to his pride. - -As Kate held the string, she felt that the wretched man was shivering. -He shook in his boat, and chattered its side against her boat. - -“Are you very cold?” asked the girl. - -“I’m hungry,” he answered sullenly. - -“You are trembling.” - -“I’ve had nor bite nor crumb for forty-eight hours. That’s enough to -make a man shake.” - -“Nothing to eat? Did you not ask for something?” - -“I went to the Rectory. Passon Fielding gave me a loaf, but I took it -home--wife and little ones were more starving than I, and I cut it up -between ’em.” - -“I think--I almost think I have a piece of bread with me,” said Kate. -She had, in fact, taken some in her pocket the night before, when she -crossed, and had forgotten to eat it, or had no appetite for it. Now she -produced the slice. - -“I cannot take it,” said the bound man. “My hands be tied fast behind -me. You must please put it into my mouth; and the Lord bless you for -it.” - -Holding the cord with her right, Kate extended the bread with the other -hand to the man, whose face was averted, and thrust it between his lips. - -“You must hold your hand to my mouth while I eat,” said he. “I wouldn’t -miss a crumb, and it will fall if you take your hand from me.” - -Consequently, with her hand full of bread much broken, she fed the -unfortunate man, and he ate it out of her palm. He ate greedily till he -had consumed the last particle. - -It moved Kate to the heart to feel the hungry wretch’s lips picking the -crumbs out of her palm. - -“Oh, Roger!” she said in a tone full of compassion and sorrow, rather -than reproach, “why--why did you do it?” - -“Do what, Kitty?” - -“Oh, burn the stack!” - -“I’ll tell you why. I couldn’t help it. Did you know my Joan? Her was -the purtiest little maid in all Coombe. Her’s dead now.” - -“Dead, Roger!” - -“Ay, I reckon; died to-night in her mother’s lap; died o’ want, and -cold, and nakedness. Us had no bread till Pass’n gave me that loaf--and -no coals, and no blankets, and naught but rags. The little maid has been -sick these three weeks. Us can’t have no doctor. I’ve been out o’ work -three months, and now the parish must bury her. Joan, she wor my very -darling, nigh my heart.” - -He was silent. The boat he was in chattered more vigorously against that -of Kate. - -“I knowed,” he pursued, “I knowed what ha’ done it. It wor Farmer Pooke -throwed me out of employ--took the bread out o’ our mouths. Us had a bit -o’ candle-end, and I wor down on my knees beside my wife, and little -Joan lyin’ on her lap; and wife and I neither could speak; us couldn’t -pray; us just watched the poor little maid passin’ away.” - -He was silent, but Kate heard that he was sobbing. Presently he said, -“You’ve been kind. If you’ve got a bit o’ handkercher or what else, wipe -my face with it, will’y. There’s something, the dew or the salt water -from the oars, splashed over it.” - -The girl passed her shawl over the man’s face. - -“Thank’y kindly,” he said. Then he drew a long breath and continued his -story. “Well, now, when wife and I saw as little Joan were gone home, -then her rose up and never said a word, but laid her on our ragged bed; -and I--I had the candle-end in my hand, and I put it into the lantern, -and I went out. My heart were full o’ gall and bitterness, and my head -were burning. I know’d well who’d killed our Joan; it were Farmer Pooke -as turned me out o’ employ all about a bit o’ nonsense I said and never -meant, and when I wor sober never remembered to ha’ said; so, mad wi’ -sorrow and anger, I--I gone and done it with that there bit o’ -candle-end.” - -“Oh, Roger, Roger! you have made matters much worse for yourself, for -all.” - -“I might ha’ made it worser still.” - -“You could not--now. Oh, what will become of you, and what of your poor -wife and little ones?” - -“For me, as Jan Tottle said, there’s the gallows; and I reckon for my -Jane and the childer, there’s the grave.” - -“If you had not fired the rick, Roger!” - -“I tell you I might ha’ done worse than that, and now been a free man.” - -“I cannot see that.” - -“Put your hand down by my right thigh. Do you feel nothing there, -hanging to the strap round my waist?” - -Kate felt a string and a knife, a large knife, as she groped. - -“Do you mean this, Roger?” - -“Yes, I does. As Jan Tottle wor a-wrastlin’ wi’ me here in this boat, -and trying to overmaster me, the thought came into my head as I might -easy take my knife and run it in under his ribs and pierce his heart. -Had I done that, he’d ha’ falled dead here, and I’d a’ gotten scot-free -away.” - -“Roger!” - -Kate shrank away in horror. - -“I didn’t do it, but I might. I’d no quarrel with young Jan. He’s good -enough. It’s the old fayther be the hard and cruel one. I knowed what -was afore me, as young Jan twisted and turned and threw me. I must be -took to Exeter gaol, and there be hanged by the neck till dead--but I -wouldn’t stain my hands wi’ an innocent lad’s blood. I wouldn’t have it -said of my little childer they was come o’ a murderin’ villain.” - -Kate shuddered. Still holding fast the cord that constrained the man, -and kept him in his position of helplessness, she drew back from him as -far as she could without surrendering her hold. - -“I had but to put down my hand and slip open my clasp-knife--and I would -have been free, and Jan lying here in his blood.” - -She hardly breathed. A band as of iron seemed to be about her breast and -tightening. - -“Kitty,” said the man, “you have fed me with bread out of your hand, and -with your hand you have wiped the salt tears from my eyes. With that -hand will you give me over to the gallows? If you do, my death will lie -on you, and those of my Jane and the little ones.” - -“Roger, I am here in trust.” - -“I spared Jan. Can you not spare me?” - -Kate trembled. She hardly breathed. - -“Let me go, and I swear to you--I swear by all those ten thousand eyes -o’ heaven looking down on us--that I will do for you what you have done -for me.” - -“That is an idle promise,” said Kate; “you never can do that.” - -“Who can say what is to be, or is not to be? Let me go, for my wife and -poor children’s sake.” - -She did not answer. - -“Let me go because I spared Jan Pooke.” - -She did not move. - -“Let me go for the little dead Joan’s sake--that when she lies i’ the -churchyard, they may not say of her, ‘Thickey there green mound, wi’ -them daisies on it, covers a poor maid whose father were hanged.’” - -Then Kate let go the string, it ran round the rowlock, and the man -scrambled to his feet. - -“Cut it with my knife,” he said. - -She took the swinging knife, opened the blade, and with a stroke cut -through the cord that held his wrists. - -Then Roger Redmore shook the strings from his hands, and held up his -freed arms to heaven, and cried, “The Lord, who sits enthroned above -thickey shining stars, reward you and help me to do for you as you ha’ -done for me. Amen.” - -He leaped from the boat and was lost in the darkness. - -A minute later, and John Pooke, with a party of men among whom was Pasco -Pepperill, came up. - -“John,” said Kate, “he is gone--escaped.” - -She drew the young man aside. “I will not deceive you--I let him go. He -begged hard. He might have killed you. His little Joan is dead.” - -John Pooke was at first staggered, and inclined to be angry, but he -speedily recovered himself. He was a good-natured lad, and he said in a -low tone, “Tell no one else. After all, it is best. I shouldn’t ha’ -liked to have appeared against him, and been the occasion of his death.” - -Kate returned with her uncle to Coombe Cellars. - -“I hope my new boat is no worse,” said he. “How is it you’ve been out -all night?” - -Kate told her story. - -“The boat is all right, I suppose. She cost me six pounds.” - -“Yes; no harm is done to it. I hope aunt has not been anxious about me.” - -“What, Zerah? Oh, she’s in bed. I waited up, and when there was a cry of -fire ran out.” - -“You waited for me, uncle?” - -“I had my accounts.” - -“And father--was he anxious about me?” - -“Your father? You come in, and you’ll hear his snore all over the house. -He’s a terrible noisy sleeper.” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - AN ATMOSPHERE OF LOVE - - -After the fierce north-east wind came one from the south-east, whose -wings were laden with moisture, and which cast cold showers over the -earth. It is said that a breath from this quarter brings a downpour that -continues unintermittently for forty-eight hours. On this occasion, -however, the rain was not incessant. The sky lowered when it did not -send down its showers, and these latter were cold and unfertilising. -“February fill dyke, March dry it up,” is the saying, but March this -year was one of rain, and February had been a month of warmth and -sunshine, which had forced on all vegetation, which March was cutting -with its cruel frosts and beating down with its pitiless rains. - -That had come about in Coombe Cellars which might have been anticipated. -Kate had been sent across the water with the scantiest provision against -cold, and with no instruction as to how to act in the event of delay of -the atmospheric train. She was not a strong child, and the bitter cold -had cut her to the marrow. On the morning following she was unable to -rise, and by night she was in a burning fever. - -Kate had an attic room where there was no grate--a room lighted by a -tiny window that looked east across the river. - -Against the panes the rain pattered, and the water dripped from the -eaves upon the window-ledge with the monotonous sound of the -death-watch. Hard by was the well-head of a fall-pipe, in which birds -had made their nests, and had so choked it that the water, unable to -descend by the pipe, squirted and plashed heavily on the slates below. - -A candle, brought from the kitchen, stood on the window-shelf guttering -in the wind that found its way through the ill-fitting lattice and -cracked diamond panes. It cast but an uncertain shimmer over the face of -the sick girl. - -On the floor stood an iron rushlight-holder, the sides pierced with -round holes. In this a feeble rushlight burned slowly. - -Beside the bed sat Mrs. Pepperill, and the old rector of -Coombe-in-Teignhead stood with bowed head, so as not to knock his crown -against the ceiling, looking intently at the girl. Zerah was uneasy. Her -conscience reproached her. She had acted inconsiderately, if not -wrongly, in sending her niece across the water. She was afraid lest she -should be blamed by the parson, and lest her conduct should be commented -on by the parish. - -She reasoned with herself, without being able thoroughly to still the -qualms of her conscience. What cause had she to suppose that the train -would not arrive punctually? How could she have foreseen that it would -come in so late that it made it impossible for Kate to cross in the then -condition of the tide? Had Jan Pooke arrived but ten minutes earlier -than he did, then, unquestionably, the boat would have come over, if not -at Coombe Cellars, yet somewhat lower down the river. She was not gifted -with the prophetic faculty. She had so many things to occupy her mind -that she could not provide for every contingency. Should the child die, -no blame--no reasonable blame--could attach to her. The fault lay with -Mr. Brunel, who had laid down the atmospheric railway; with the engineer -at the Teignmouth exhausting-pump, who had not done his duty properly; -with the guard of the train, who had not seen that the rollers for -opening and closing the valves did their work properly; with John Pooke, -for delaying over his hat that he had let fall; with Jason Quarm, for -not offering to ferry the boat in the place of his daughter, instead of -staying over the fire with her husband, filling his head with -mischievous nonsense about making money out of mud and sinking capital -which would never come to the surface again. Finally, the fault lay with -Providence, that blind and inconsiderate power, which had robbed her of -Wilmot, and now had not retarded the ebb by ten minutes, which might -easily have been effected by shifting the direction of the wind to the -south-west. - -The feeble light flickered in the window, and almost in the same manner -did the life of the girl flicker, burning itself away as the candle -guttered in the overmuch and irregular heat, now quivering under the -in-rush of draught, hissing blue and faint, and ready to expire, then -flaring up in exaggerated incandescence. The cheeks flushed, the eyes -burned with unnatural light, and the pulse ebbed and flowed. - -“Where do the stars go by day?” asked Kate in delirium; “and why does -the Plough turn in heaven? Is God’s hand on it?” - -“My child,” said the parson, “God’s plough in the earth is the frost, -that cuts deep and turns and crumbles the clods ready for the seed; -and God’s plough on human hearts is great sorrow and sharp -disappointment--to make the necessary furrow into which to drop the -seeds of faith, and love, and patience.” - -“She is not speaking to you, sir,” said Mrs. Pepperill. “She’s talking -rambling like. But she’s terrible at questions--always.” - -The clergyman held his hands folded behind his back, and looked intently -at the fevered face. The eyes were bright, but not with intelligence. -Kate neither recognised him, nor understood what he said. - -“I wonder now where the doctor is?” said Zerah. “I reckon he has gone to -some patient who can pay a guinea where we pay seven shillings and -sixpence. Doctor Mant will be with such twice a day--as we are poor, he -will come to us only now and then.” - -“You judge harshly. You have but just sent for him.” - -“I did not think Kate was bad enough to need a doctor.” - -“God is the Great Physician. Put your trust in Him.” - -“That is what you said when Wilmot was ill. I lost her all the same.” - -“It was the will of Heaven. God’s plough, maybe, was needed.” - -“In what way did I deserve to be so treated? My beautiful child! my own, -very very own child.” Zerah’s eyes filled, but her lips contracted, -making crow-feet at the corners. “I have had left to me instead this -cold-hearted creature, my niece, who can in no way make up to me for -what I have lost. I’ve had a sovereign taken from me and a ha’penny left -in my hand.” - -“God has given you this child to love and care for. For His own wise -purposes He took away Wilmot, whom you were spoiling with over-much -affection and blind admiration. Now He would have you love and cherish -the treasure He has left in your hands.” - -“Treasure?” - -“Ay, treasure. Love her.” - -“Of course I love her! I do my duty by her.” - -“You have done your duty--of that I have no doubt. But how have you done -it? Do you know, Mrs. Pepperill, there are two ways in which everything -may be done--as a duty to God, in the spirit of bondage or in the spirit -of love? So with regard to the image of God in this innocent and -suffering child. You may do your duty perfunctorily or in charity.” - -“I do it in charity. Her father has not paid a penny for her keep.” - -“That is not what I mean; charity is the spirit of love. There are two -minds in which man may stand before God, to everything, to -everyone--there is the servant mind and the filial mind, the duty mind, -and the mind of love. And with what mind have you treated this child?” -The parson put his hand to Kate’s brow and drew back from it the dark -hair, sweeping the locks aside with his trembling fingers. - -“Look,” said he. “What a forehead she has got--what a brow! full, full, -full of thought. This is no common head--there is no vulgar brain in -this poor little skull.” - -“Wilmot had a head and brains,” said Mrs. Pepperill, “and her forehead -was higher and whiter.” - -Zerah’s conscience was stinging her. What the rector said was true, and -the consciousness that it was true made her angry. - -Would she have sent Wilmot across the water insufficiently protected -against the east wind? would she have done this without weighing the -chances of the atmospheric railway breaking down? If death were to -snatch this child from her, she would ever feel that some responsibility -had weighed on her. However much she might shift the blame, some of it -must adhere to her. - -She had not been kind to the motherless girl. It was true she had not -been unkind to her; but then Kate had a right to a share of her heart. -She had valued her niece chiefly as a foil to her daughter; and when the -latter died, her feelings toward Kate had been dipped in wormwood. - -Zerah was not a bad woman, but she was a disappointed woman. She was -disappointed in her husband, disappointed in her child. Her heart was -not congealed, nor was her conscience dead, but both were in a torpid -condition. - -Now, as by the glimmer of the swaling candle she looked on the suffering -girl, the ice about her heart cracked--a warm gush of pity, an ache of -remorse, came upon her; she bowed and kissed the arched brow of her -niece. - -The rector knelt and prayed in silence. He loved the intelligent child -in his Sunday school--the nightingale in his church choir. Zerah obeyed -his example. - -Then both heard the stair creak, and a heavy tread sounded on the -boards. - -Mrs. Pepperill looked round, but the irregular tread would have told her -who had entered the attic chamber without the testimony of her eyes. She -stood up and signed to Jason Quarm to be less noisy in his movements. - -“Pshaw!” said he; “it is nothing. Kitty will get over it. You, Zerah, -are tough. I am tough. Leather toughness is the characteristic of us -Quarms. When she is better, send her to me--to the moor. That will set -her up.” - -The rector rose. - -Jason went to the head of the bed and laid his large hand on the sick -girl’s brow. The coolness of his palm seemed to do her good. - -“You see--it comforts the little toad,” said her father. “There is -nothing to alarm you in the case. Children are like corks. They go under -water and are up again--mostly up. Dipping under is temporary--temporary -and soon over. Parson, do you want to speculate? I am buying oak dirt -cheap--to sell at a tremendous profit. Ten per cent. at the least. What -do you say?” - -The rector shook his head. - -“Well, I shouldn’t go away from Coombe with Kitty ill but that I expect -to make my fortune and hers. She’ll have a dower some day out of the -Brimpts oaks.” - -Then the man stumped out of the room and down the steep stairs. - -Jason Quarm was always sanguine. - -“Do you think Kate will live?” asked Zerah, who did not share his views. - -“I trust so,” answered the rector. “If she does, then regard her as a -gift from heaven. Once before she was put, a frail and feeble object, -into your arms to rear and cherish. You were then too much engrossed in -your daughter to give to this child your full attention. Your own Wilmot -has been taken away. Now your niece has been almost withdrawn from you. -But the hand that holds the issues of life and death spares her; she is -committed to you once more--again helpless, frail, and committed to you -that you may envelop her in an atmosphere of LOVE.” - -“I have loved her,” said Mrs. Pepperill. “This is the second time, sir, -that you have charged me with lack of love towards Kate.” - -“Wilmot,” said the rector, “was one who stormed the heart. She went up -against it, with flags flying and martial music, and broke in at the -point of the bayonet. Kate’s nature is different. She will storm no -heart. She sits on the doorstep as a beggar, and does not even knock and -solicit admission. Throw open your door, extend your hand, and the timid -child will falter in, frightened, yet elate with hope.” - -“I don’t know,” said Zerah meditatively. “You’ll excuse my saying it, -but when a child is heartless”-- - -“Heartless?--who is heartless?” - -“Kate, to be sure.” - -“Heartless?” repeated the rector. “You are in grievous error. No child -is heartless. None of God’s creatures are void of love. God is love -Himself, and we are all made in the image of the Creator. In all of us -is the divine attribute of love. We were made to love and to be loved. -It is a necessity of our nature. This poor little spirit--with how much -love has it been suckled? With how much has its nakedness been clothed? -The cream of your heart’s affection was given to your own daughter, and -only the whey--thin and somewhat acidulated--offered to the niece. Turn -over a new leaf, Mrs. Pepperill. Treat this child in a manner different -from that in which she has been treated. I allow frankly that you have -not been unkind, unjust, ungracious. But such a soul as this cannot -flower in an atmosphere of negatives. You know something about the -principle on which the atmospheric railway acts, do you not, Mrs. -Pepperill? There is a pump which exhausts the air. Now put a plant, an -animal, into a vessel from which the vital air has been withdrawn, and -plant or animal will die at once. It has been given nothing deleterious, -nothing poisonous has been administered. It dies simply because it has -been deprived of that atmosphere in which God ordained that it should -live and flourish. My good friend,” said the rector, and his voice shook -with mingled tenderness of feeling and humour, “if I were to take you up -and set you under the exhausting apparatus, and work at the pump, you -would gasp--gasp and die.” - -The woman turned cold and blank at the suggestion. - -“If I did that,” continued the parson, “the coroner who sat on you would -pronounce that you had been murdered by me. I should be sent to the -assizes, and should infallibly be hung. Very well: there are other kinds -of murder than killing the body. There is the killing of the noble, -divine nature in man, and that not by acts of violence only, but by -denial of what is essential to its existence. Remember this, Mrs. -Pepperill: what the atmosphere is to the lungs, that love is to the -heart. God created the lungs to be inflated with air, and the heart to -be filled with Love.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX - CONVALESCENCE - - -The voice of Pasco was heard shouting up the stairs to his wife. Mrs. -Pepperill, glad to escape the lecture, went to the door and called down, -“Don’t make such a noise, when the girl is ill.” - -“Come, will you, Zerah; there’s some one wants to have a say with you.” - -With a curt excuse to the parson, Mrs. Pepperill descended. She found -her husband at the foot of the stairs, with his hand on the banister. - -“Pasco,” said she, “what do’y think now? The parson has been accusing me -of murdering Kate. If she dies, he says he’ll have me up to Exeter -Assizes and hung for it. I’ll never set foot in church again, -never--I’ll join the Primitive Methodists.” - -“As you please,” said her husband. “But go to the door at once. There is -John Pooke waiting, and won’t be satisfied till he has had a talk with -you about Kate. He wants to know all about Kitty--how she’s doing, -whether she’s in danger, if she wants anything that the Pookes can -supply. He’s hanging about the door like what they call a morbid fly. -He’s in a terrible taking, and won’t be put off with what I can tell.” - -“Well, now,” exclaimed Zerah, “here’s an idea! Something may come of -that night on a mud-bank after all, and more than she deserves. Oh my! -if my Wilmot was alive, and Jan Pooke were to inquire after her! Go up, -Pasco, and send that parson away. I won’t speak to him again--abusing of -me and calling me names shameful, and he an ordained minister. What in -the world are we coming to?” - -When the doctor arrived, he pronounced that he would pull Kate through. - -Presently the delirium passed away, and on the following morning the -light of intelligence returned to her eyes. - -“They are still there,” she said eagerly, raising her head and -listening. - -“What are still there?” asked her aunt. - -“The gulls.” - -In fact, these animated foam-flakes of the ocean were about in vast -numbers, uttering their peculiar cries as they hovered over the mud. - -“Of course they are there--why not?” - -“Father said he was going to make ladies’ waistcoats of them, and I’ve -been fretting and crying--and then, the daffodils”-- - -“Oh, bother the daffodils and the gulls! They may wait a long while -before waistcoats are made of them.” - -“It is not of daffodils father was going to make waistcoats. He said he -would have all the gulls shot.” - -“Never worrit your head about that. The birds can take care of -themselves and fly away to sea.” - -“But the daffodils cannot get away. He was going to have a scythe and -mow them all down and sell them.” - -“Wait till folk are fools enough to buy.” - -There was much to be done in the house. Mrs. Pepperill was unable to be -always in the room with her niece. It was too early in the year for -pleasure parties to come up the river in boats for tea or coffee, -winkles and cockles, in the open air, but the house itself exacted -attention--the cooking, the washing, had to be done. Now that Zerah was -deprived of the assistance of her niece, perhaps for the first time did -she realise how useful the girl had been to her. By night Kate was left -alone; there was no space in the attic chamber for a second bed, nor did -her condition require imperatively that some one should be with her all -night. - -When her consciousness returned, Kate woke in the long darkness, and -watched the circular spots of light that danced on the walls and -careered over the floor, as the rushlight flickered in the draught -between window and door. Above, on the low ceiling, was the circle of -light, broad and yellow as the moon, cast by the candle, its rays -unimpeded in that direction, but all round was the perforated rim, and -through that the rays shot and painted stars--stars at times moving, -wheeling, glinting; and Kate, in a half-torpid condition, thought she -could make out among them the Plough with its curved tail, and wondered -whether it were turning. Then she passed into dreamland, and woke and -saw in the spots of light the white pearls of her uncle’s neckcloth, and -was puzzled why they did not remain stationary. Whilst vexing her mind -with this question she slid away into unconsciousness again, and when -next her eyes opened, it was to see an orchard surrounding her, in which -were daffodils that flickered, and she marvelled what that great one was -above on the ceiling, so much larger than all the rest. Always, whenever -with the ebb the gulls came up the river in thousands, and their laugh -rang into the little room, it was to Kate as though a waft of sea-air -blew over her hot face; and she laughed also, and said to herself, “They -are not yet made into waistcoats.” - -Occasionally she heard under her window a whistle piping, “There was a -frog lived in a well,” and she once asked her aunt if that were father, -and why he did not come upstairs to see her. - -“Your father is on Dartmoor,” answered Zerah. Then, with a twinkle in -her eye, she added, “I reckon it is Jan Pooke. He has taken on terribly -about you. He comes every day to inquire.” - -Whenever Mrs. Pepperill had a little spare time, she clambered up the -steep staircase to see that her niece lacked nothing, to give her food, -to make her take medicine, to shake up her bed. And every time that she -thus mounted, she muttered, “So, I am killing her with cruelty! The only -suitable quarters for me is Exeter gaol; the proper end for me is the -gallows! I have put her into one of the atmospheric engine-towers and -have pumped the life out of her! And yet, I’m blessed if I’m not run off -my legs going up and down these stairs! If I ain’t a ministering angel -to her; if she doesn’t cost me pounds in doctor’s bills; I don’t -begrudge it--but I’m a murderess all the same!” - -Certain persons are mentally incapable of understanding a simile; a good -many are morally unwilling to apply one to themselves. Whether, when it -was spoken, Mrs. Pepperill comprehended or not the bearing of the -rector’s simile relative to the exhausting engine, in the sequel she -came to entirely misconceive it, and to distort it into something quite -different from what the speaker intended. That was easily effected. She -was quite aware that much that the parson had said was true; her -conscience tingled under his gentle reproof; but no sooner was that -unfortunate simile uttered, than her opportunity came for evading the -cogency of his reproach, and for working herself up into resentment -against him for having charged her falsely. That is one of the dangers -that lurk in the employment of hyperbole, and one of the advantages -hyperbole gives to those addressed in reprimand with it. Zerah had -sufficient readiness of wit to seize on the opportunity, and use her -occasion against the speaker, and in self-vindication. - -The rector had not said that Zerah was depriving her niece of vital air; -that mattered not--he had said that she was depriving her of what was as -essential to life as vital air. - -“It is my own blessed self that I am killing,” said Mrs. Pepperill; -“running up these stairs ten hundred times in the day, my heart jumping -furiously, and pumping all the vital air out of my lungs. I’m sure I -can’t breathe when I get up into Kate’s room. And he don’t call that -love! He ought to be unfrocked by the bishop.” - -She came into the girl’s chamber red in the face and puffing, and went -direct to her. - -“There, now; I’m bothered if something does not come of it to your -advantage and mine, Kate, for I’m tired of having to care about you. Jan -Pooke has been here again. That’s the second time to-day; of course -asking after you. There is no one in the family but Jan and his sister, -and she is about to be married. The Pookes have a fine farm and money in -the bank. If you manage matters well, you’ll cut out that conceited -minx, Rose, who has marked him down. Come, you are a precious!” - -She stooped to kiss Kate, but the girl suddenly turned her face with a -flaming cheek to the wall. - -Zerah tossed her head and said to herself, “Love? she won’t love! I was -about to kiss her, and she would not have it.” - -Then she got her needlework and seated herself at the window. Kate -turned round at once to look at her. She had shrunk from her aunt -involuntarily; not from her kiss, but from her words, which wounded her. - -A strange child Kate was. If not asking questions with her lips, she was -seeking solutions to problems with her eyes. She had fixed her great -solemn orbs on her aunt, and they remained on her, not withdrawn for a -moment, till Zerah Pepperill became uneasy, fidgeted in her seat, and -said sharply, “Am I a murderess or an atmospheric pump that you stare at -me? Can’t you find something else to look at?” - -Kate made no reply, but averted her face. Ten minutes later, -nevertheless, Zerah felt again that the eyes were on her, studying her -features, her expression, noting everything about her, seeming to probe -her mind and search out every thought that passed in her head. - -“Really, if this is going on, I cannot stay,” she said, rose and folded -up the sheet she was hemming. “There’s such a thing as manners. I hate -to be looked at--it is as if slugs were crawling over me.” - -As Zerah descended, she muttered, “The girl is certainly born without a -heart. I would have kissed her but that she turned from me. I wish the -parson had seen that!” - -The weather changed, the edge was taken off the east wind, the sun had -gained power. The rooks were in excitement repairing their nests and -wasting sticks about the ground under the trees, making a mess and -disorder of untidiness. The labourers begged a day from their masters, -that they might set their potatoes; after work hours on the farms they -were busy in their gardens. - -In spring the sap of health rises in young arteries as in plants, and -Kate recovered, not perhaps rapidly, but nevertheless steadily. She -continued to be pale, with eyes preternaturally large. - -She was able to leave her chamber, and after a day or two assist in -light housework. - - - - - CHAPTER X - THE NEW SCHOOLMASTER - - -One day, when her uncle was at home busy about his accounts, which -engaged him frequently without greatly enlightening him, but serving -rather to involve his mind in confusion, Kate was assisting her aunt in -preparing for the early dinner, when a tap at the door announced a -caller. - -Pasco shouted to the person outside to come in, and a young man -entered--tall, with fair hair, and clear, steady grey eyes. - -“I am the new schoolmaster,” said he frankly. “I have thought it my duty -to come and see you, as you are church-warden and one of the managers of -the National School.” - -“Quite right; sit down. I have been busy. I am a man of the commercial -world. This is our meal-time. I am disengaged from my accounts; you can -sit and eat, and we will converse whilst eating.” - -Mrs. Pepperill entered, and her hard eye rested on the young man. - -“The new schoolmaster,” she said. “Do you come from these parts?” - -“No; I am a stranger to this portion of England.” - -“That’s a misfortune. If you could be born again, and in the west -country, it would be a mercy for you. From where do you come?” - -“From Hampshire.” - -“That’s right up in the north.” - -The schoolmaster raised his eyebrows. “Of course--in the south of -England.” - -“It doesn’t follow,” said Zerah; “by your speech I took you to be -foreign.” - -“And what may your name be,” said Pasco, “if I may be so bold as to ask? -I have heard it, but it sounded French, and I couldn’t recollect it.” - -“My name is very English--Walter Bramber.” - -“Never heard anyone so called before. Brambles, and Bramptons, and -Branscombes. It don’t sound English to our ears. I may as well tell -you--sit down, and take a fork--that we liked our last schoolmaster -uncommon much. He was just the right sort of man for us; but the rector -took against him.” - -“I thought he was rather given to the”-- - -“Well, what of that? We have, all of us, our failings. A trout is an -uncommon good fish, but it has bones like needles. You have your -failings, my wife has hers. I will say this for Mr. Solomon -Puddicombe--he never got tight in our parish. When he was out for a -spree, he went elsewhere--to Newton, or Teignmouth, and sometimes to -Ashburton. He couldn’t help it. Some folks have fits, others have -bilious attacks. When he wasn’t bad, he was very good; the children -liked him, the parents liked him. I liked him, and I’m the churchwarden. -He had means of his own, beside the school pence and his salary. A man -has a right to spend his money as he chooses. If he had got tight on the -school pence, I can understand that there might have been some kind of -objection; but when it was on his private means, then I don’t see that -we have anything to do with it. Have you means of your own?” - -“I am sorry to say--none.” - -“We always respect those who have means. If you have none, of course you -can’t go on the spree anywhere, and oughtn’t to do so. It would be wrong -and immoral. Take my advice, and call on the old schoolmaster. The -parish will be pleased, as it has been terribly put about at the rector -giving him his dismissal.” - -“But--I thought there had been an unhappy scandal; that, in fact, he had -been committed to”-- - -“Well, well, he was locked up,” said Pasco. “There was a cock-fight -somewhere up country. Not in this country, but at a place called -Waterloo.” - -“There is no such place in England,” said Bramber. “Waterloo is in -Belgium; it lies about five miles from Brussels.” - -“You are a schoolmaster, and ought to know. But of this I am quite -sure--it was in England where he got into trouble, and the name of the -place was Waterloo.” - -“He may have been at some inn called the Waterloo, but positively there -is no place in England so designated,” said Bramber. - -“I know very well the place was Waterloo, and that Mr. Solomon -Puddicombe got into trouble there. We are all liable to troubles. I have -lost my daughter. Troubles are sent us; the parson himself has said so. -Puddicombe got locked up. You see, cock-fighting is a pursuit to which -he was always very partial. You go and call on him, and he’ll sing you -his song. It begins-- - - ‘Come all you cock-fighters from far and near, - I’ll sing you a cock match when and where, - On Aspren Moor, as I’ve heard say, - A charcoal black and a bonny bonny grey.’ - -That is how the song begins. But it is about another cock-fight; not -that at Waterloo. Cock-fighting is Mr. Puddicombe’s pursuit. We have all -got our pursuits, and why not? There’s a man just outside Newton is -wonderful hot upon flowers. His garden is a picture; he makes it blaze -with various kinds of the finest coloured--foreign and English plants: -that’s his pursuit. Then there is a doctor at Teignmouth who goes out -with a net catching butterflies, and he puts ale and treacle on the -trees in the evening for catching moths: that’s his pursuit. And our -parson likes dabbling with a brush and some paints: that’s his pursuit. -And business is mine: that’s my pursuit and my pleasure--and it’s profit -too.” - -“Sometimes; not often,” threw in Zerah. - -“Well, I don’t know what your pursuits be, Mr. Schoolmaster,” said -Pepperill. “Let us hope they’re innocent as those of Mr. Puddicombe.” - -The young man glanced round him, staggered at his reception, and caught -the eye of Kate. She was looking at him intently, and in her look were -both interest and pity. - -“We won’t argue any more,” said Pasco. “I suppose you can eat starigazy -pie?” - -“I am ashamed to say I never heard of it.” - -“Never heard of it? And you set to teach our children! Zerah, tell Mr. -Schoolmaster what starigazy pie is.” - -“There is nothing to tell,” said Zerah ungraciously. It was her way to -be ungracious in all she said and all she did. “It is fish pie--herrings -or pilchards--with their heads out of the crust looking upwards. That is -what they call star-gazing in the fishes, and, in short, starigazy pie. -But if you don’t like it, there is our old stag coming on presently.” - -“Do you know, I shall have made two experiences to-day that are new to -me. In the first place, I shall make acquaintance with starigazy pie, -that promises to be excellent; and in the next place, I may add that it -never has been my luck hitherto to taste venison.” - -“What’s that?” asked Mrs. Pepperill sharply; she thought Bramber was -poking fun at her. - -“I never have had the chance before of tasting venison--the meat of the -rich man’s table.” - -“No means, you know,” said Pasco. “Without private means you can’t -expect to eat chicken.” - -“Our old stag is hardly chicken,” said Zerah. “You see, now we’ve got a -young stag, we didn’t want the old one any more.” - -“Solomon Puddicombe married my second cousin,” observed Pepperill. “Her -name was Eastlake. Are you single?” - -“Yes, that is my forlorn condition.” - -“Well, look sharp and marry into the parish. It’s your only chance. You -see, the farmers are all against you. They were partial to Puddicombe, -and I hear he is intending to set up a private school. The farmers and -better-class folk will send their children to him. They don’t approve of -their sons and daughters associating with the labourers’ children, -though they did send some to the National School so long as Solomon -Puddicombe was there; but that was because he was so greatly respected.” - -“Do you mean to say that Mr. Puddicombe is still in -Coombe-in-Teignhead?” - -“Certainly. When he returned from Waterloo, as the place was called -where was that cock-fight, and he got into some sort of difficulty, he -came back to his own house. He got it through his wife, who was an -Eastlake--my cousin. It is his own now, and he has private means, so he -intends setting up a school. It will be very select; only well-to-do -parents’ children will be admitted. When they let Mr. Puddicombe out of -gaol at Waterloo, which is somewhere in the Midlands,--leastways in -England,--then the people here were for ringing a peal to welcome him -home. The parson put the keys in his pocket and went off. They came to -me. I am churchwarden, and I knocked open the belfry door. We gave -Puddicombe a peal, and the rector wasn’t over-pleased. I am -churchwarden, and that is something. You see, Mr. Puddicombe has means, -and a house he got through my cousin Eastlake. I don’t know how the -school will be kept up now that the rector has had Puddicombe turned out -of it. None of the farmers will subscribe. We have no resident squire. -He will have to make up your salary out of his own pocket. He is not -married, so he can well afford it. If he don’t consult our feelings, I -don’t see why we should consider his pocket. None of us wished to lose -Solomon Puddicombe; everyone trusted him, and he was greatly respected.” - -Again the schoolmaster looked round him. A sense of helplessness had -come over him. Again his eye encountered that of Kate, and he -instinctively understood that this girl felt for him in his difficulties -and humiliation, and understood how trying his position was. - -“Now for a bit of our old stag,” said Pasco. - -“Stag?” exclaimed Bramber; “that is fowl!” - -“What you call fowl, is stag to us. He crowed till his voice cracked. He -may be tough because old, but he’s been long boiling.” - -“Oh, a cock!” Bramber learned that day that a cock in Devonshire is -entitled stag. - -The meal ended, Pasco Pepperill stood up and said, “Mr. -What’s-your-name, I daresay you would like to look over my stores. -You’ll be wanting coals, and I sell coals by the bushel. You drink -cider, I daresay; I can provide you with a hogshead--or half, if that -will do. If you want to do shopping--I speak against my interests--but -Whiteaway deals in groceries; you’ll find his shop up the street. If -there be anything he hasn’t got, and you need to go into Teignmouth, -why, this is the ferry, and we charge a penny to put you across, and it -is a penny back. If you desire to be polite to friends, and would like -to entertain them, there are cockles and winkles, tea or coffee, to be -had here, six-pence a head; but if the number were over twenty, we might -come to an arrangement at fourpence-ha’penny. And if you desire a -conveyance at any time, I have a cob and trap I let out at a shilling a -mile, and something for the driver. And if you smoke and drink, I -have--I mean, I dare-say I could provide for you tobacco and spirits -that--you know--haven’t seen the Customs, and are accordingly cheap. And -if you should happen to know of a timber merchant who wants a lot of -oak, I’ve dropped over a hundred pounds on some prime stuff I shall sell -only to such as know good oak from bad. And if you’ve any friends in the -weaving trade, I do some business in wool, and am getting first-class -fleeces from Dartmoor. If you can oblige me in any way like this--well, -I daresay I shan’t be so prejudiced for Mr. Puddicombe.” - -Pasco Pepperill conducted the schoolmaster about his premises in an -ostentatious manner, showed him his stores, his stable, the platform on -which tea and coffee, winkles and cockles were served. He named the -prices he had paid, and gave the new-comer to understand that he was a -man who had plenty of money at his disposal. - -Then an idea occurred to Pasco. Perhaps this schoolmaster might help him -with his accounts. He himself could not disentangle them and balance his -books. He was shy of letting anyone else see them; but this Bramber was -a complete stranger, a man whom he could reduce to dependence on -himself; he had no private means, no friends in the place; he had given -the man a dinner, and might make of him a very serviceable slave. - -“Look here,” said Pepperill in a haughty tone, “Mr. Schoolmaster, I -suppose you know something of accounts and book-keeping?” - -“Certainly I do.” - -“I shouldn’t mind now and then paying you a trifle, giving you a meal, -and favouring you with my support--I am churchwarden, and consequently -on the committee of the National School. Me and the bishop, and the -archdeacon and rector, and Whiteaway as well. I mean, I’ll stand at your -back, if you will oblige me now and then, and hold your tongue.” - -“I will do anything I can to oblige you,” said Bramber. “And as to -holding my tongue, what is it you desire of me?” - -“Merely to help me with my accounts. My time is so occupied, and I do -business in so many ways, that my books get somewhat puzzling--I mean to -a man who is taken up with business.” - -“I am entirely at your service.” - -“But--you understand--I don’t want my affairs talked about. People say I -have plenty of money, that I’m a man who picks it up everywhere; but I -don’t desire that they should know how much I have, and what my -speculations are, and what they bring in.” - -“I can hold my tongue.” - -“Would you look at my books now?” - -“Certainly.” - -Accordingly, Walter Bramber re-entered the house, and was given the -books in a private sitting-room, and worked away at them for a couple of -hours. The confusion was great: Pepperill might have had a genius for -business, but this was not manifest in his books. Presently Pasco came -in. - -“Well,” said he, “make ’em out, eh?” - -“You must excuse my saying it,” said Bramber; “but--if these are -all--your affairs are in a very unsatisfactory condition.” - -“Unsatisfactory? oh, pshaw! Of course, I have other resources; there’s -the Brimpts forest of oaks. There’s--oh, lots; winkles and cockles, tea -and coffee not entered.” - -“Sixpence a head; over twenty, fourpence ha’penny,” said Walter Bramber -drily. - -“Oh, lots--lots of other things. I haven’t entered all.” - -“I sincerely hope it is so.” - -“It is so, on my word.” - -“Because--you seem to me to be losing seriously on every count.” - -“Losing? You don’t know creditor from debtor account. That comes of -education; it is never of use. Nothing like business for teaching a man. -I don’t believe in your book-learning.” - -“I’ll come again to-morrow and go more carefully into the accounts.” - -“Oh, thank you, not necessary. It is clear to me you do not understand -my system--and mistake sides.” Pasco became red and angry. “Look here, -Mr. Schoolmaster, let me give you a word. You don’t belong to the -labourers--you won’t be able to make friends of them. You don’t belong -to the gentry; there are none here--so you need not think of their -society. You don’t belong to the middle class--you are not a farmer, or -a tradesman, or a merchant; so they will have nothing to do with you. -You make my accounts all right, and the balance on the right side; give -up your foolish book-keeping as learned at college, and set my accounts -right by common sense, and I’ll see what I can do to get you taken up by -some respectable people. And, one thing more. Don’t go contradicting men -of property, and saying that there was no cock-fighting at Waterloo, -because there was; and people don’t like contradictions. When I broke -open the belfry door that the ringers might give Mr. Puddicombe a peal, -I let the world see I wasn’t going to be priest-ridden; and we are not -going to be schoolmaster-ridden neither, and told our accounts are -wrong, and that Waterloo, where the cock-fight was, is not in England.” - - - - - CHAPTER XI - DISCORDS - - -Walter Bramber left Coombe Cellars greatly discouraged. He had -unintentionally ruffled the plumes of the churchwarden by disputing his -knowledge of the situation of Waterloo, and mainly by discovering that -his affairs were in something worse than confusion, that they wore a -complexion which indicated the approach of bankruptcy. And Pasco -Pepperill was one of the magnates of the village, and full of -consciousness that he was a great man. - -Bramber walked to the little village shop belonging to Whiteaway, the -second churchwarden, who was also on the committee of management, and -trustee for the school under the National Society. - -Here also his reception was not cordial. It was intimated to him that -his presence in the village and tenure of the mastership of the school -would be tolerated only on condition that he supplied himself with -groceries, draperies, boots, and lollipops from Whiteaway’s shop. He -walked to his lodgings. - -Such were the men with whom he was thrown. From two instances he -generalised. They were to be gained through their interests. Unless he -got one set of things at one store and another set at another, the two -mighty men who ruled Coombe-in-Teignhead would turn their faces against -him, and make his residence in the place intolerable. - -As he walked slowly along the little street, he encountered a cluster of -children, talking and romping together, composed of boys and girls of -all ages. Directly they saw him, they became silent, and stood with eyes -and mouths open contemplating him. Bramber heard one boy whisper to the -next-- - -“That’s the new teacher--ain’t he a duffer?” - -He nodded, and addressed a few kindly words to the children; expressed -his hope that they would soon be well acquainted and become fast -friends. To which no response was accorded. But no sooner was he past -than the whole crew burst into a loud guffaw, which set the blood -rushing into the young man’s face. - -A moment later a stone was hurled, and hit him on the back. He turned in -anger, and saw the whole pack disappear behind a cottage and down a side -lane. He considered a moment whether to pursue and capture the offender, -but believing that he would have great difficulty in discovering him, -even if he caught the whole gang, he deemed it expedient to swallow the -affront. - -On reaching his lodgings, Bramber unpacked his few goods; and as he did -this, his heart ached for his Hampshire home. Old associations were -connected with the trifles he took out of his box, linked with the -irrevocable past, some sad, others sunny. Then he seated himself at his -window and sank into a brown study. - -Young, generous, he had come to this nook of the West full of enthusiasm -for his task, eager to advance education, to lift the children out of -the slough of ignorance and prejudice in which their fathers and -forefathers had been content to live. That his efforts would meet with -ready and enthusiastic support, would be gratefully hailed by parents -and children alike, by rich and by poor, he had not doubted. - -“There is no darkness but ignorance,” said the fool in “Twelfth Night”; -and who would not rejoice to be himself lifted out of shadows into -light, and to see his children advanced to a higher and better walk than -had been possible for himself? - -But his hopes were suddenly and at once damped. He was a fish out of -water. A youth with a certain amount of culture, and with a mind -thirsting after knowledge, he was pitchforked into a village where -culture was not valued, where the only books seen were, “The Norwood -Gipsy’s Dream-Book” and “The Forty Thieves,” exposed in the grocer’s -window. He had been accustomed to associate with friends who had an -interest in history, travels, politics, scenery, poetry, and art; and -here in this backwater no one, so far as he could see, had interest in -anything save what would fill his pocket or his paunch. Sad and -temporarily discouraged, he took his violin and began to play. This -instrument was to be to him in exile companion, friend, and confidant. -Presently he heard a male voice downstairs talking loudly to his -landlady. He stayed his bow, and in another moment a stout and florid -man stumbled up the staircase. - -“How do’y, schoolmaister?” said this visitor, extending a big and moist -hand. “I’m Jonas Southcott, landlord of the Lamb and Flag. As I was -passing, I heard your fiddle squeak. You’re just the chap us wants. -Peter Adams as played first fiddle at church is dead; he was the man for -you--he could turn you off a country dance, a hornpipe, or a reel.” - -“What, in church?” - -“No, not exact-_ly_ that. At our little hops at the Lamb and Flag; and -on Sunday he was wonderful at an anthem or a psalm. We want someone who -can take his place. You please to come and be sociable when the young -folks want a dance. What can you play--‘Moll in the Wad,’ ‘The Devil -among the Tailors,’ ‘Oil of Barley,’ ‘Johnny, come tie my cravat’? These -were some of Peter Adams’s tunes. And on Sunday you should have heard -him in Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum,’ or at Christmas in ‘While shepherds -watched.’ It was something worth going to church for.” - -“I hardly know what to say,” gasped Walter Bramber. “I am but newly -arrived, and have not as yet shaken into my place.” - -“This is practising night. The instruments will all be in my parlour -this evening at half-past six. If you like to come and be sociable, and -have a glass of spirits and water, and try your hand at Jackson’s -‘Tee-dum,’ I reckon the orchestra will be uncommon gratified.” - -“You are very good, but”-- - -“And when the practice is over, we’ll whip in some young folks and have -a dance, and if you’ll fiddle some of them tunes--‘Moll in the Wad,’ or -‘The Parson among the Peas,’ or ‘The Devil among the Tailors,’ you’ll -get intimate with young and old alike. Then, also, you can keep your -eyes open, and pick out a clean, comely maiden, and keep company with -her, and walk her out on Sundays--and so look to settling among us. You -have a head-wind and a strong tide against you. The old master was -_such_ a favourite, and so greatly respected, that I doubt, unless you -make an effort, you won’t go down here.” - -“This evening you must excuse me; I’m very tired.” - -“Well, this was kindly intended. I thought to put you on good terms with -the parish at once. Perhaps you’re shy of playing Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum’ -till you’ve tried it over privately. I’ll see if I can borrow you the -notes. Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum’”-- - -“I presume you mean the ‘Te Deum.’” - -“We always call it ‘Tee-dum’ here, and if you give it any other name, no -one will understand you. We are English, not French or Chinese, in -Coombe-in-Teignhead.” - -The landlord of the Lamb and Flag descended the stairs, and Bramber, -fearing lest he should have given offence, accompanied him to the street -door. His landlady was a widow. When Jonas Southcott was out of the -house, she beckoned to Walter Bramber, and said-- - -“I be main glad you ain’t going to the practice to-night, for I have -axed Jane Cann in to tea.” - -“Who is Jane Cann?” - -“Her teaches sewing and the infants in the National School. I thought -you’d best become acquainted in a friendly way at the outset. She used -to keep a dame’s school herself, and a very good school it was. But when -the parson set up the new National School, he did not want exactly to -offend folk, and to take the bread out of Jane Cann’s mouth,--you know -she’s akin to me, and to several in the place,--so he appointed her to -the infants. Her’s a nice respectable young woman, but her had a bit o’ -a misfortune as a child; falled and hurt her back, and so is rather -crooked and short. Her may be a trifle older than you, but folk do say -that is always best so; for when the wife is young”-- - -“Goodness preserve us! you don’t suppose I am going to marry her because -she is the sewing-mistress?” - -“You might do worse. Folk are sure to talk anyhow, and it’s best to give -’em some grounds for their talk. You see, she and you must walk together -going to school and coming away, and she lives close by here. As I was -saying, people say that when the wife is much younger than her husband -there comes a long family, and the man is old and past work when some of -the youngest are still no better than babies.” - -Bramber felt a chill down his spinal marrow, as though iced water were -trickling there. - -“I speak against my own interest,” continued the widow, “but it does -seem a pity that you should not put your salaries together and occupy -one house. She gets twenty pounds a year. If you was to marry her, you’d -be twenty pounds the richer. ’Twas unfortunate, though, about that -cricket ball.” - -“What about a cricket ball?” - -“Why, Jane Cann was looking on at a cricket match among the boys, and a -ball came by accident and hit her on the side of her head, so that she’s -hard o’ hearing in her right ear. You’ll please to sit by her on the -left, and then she can hear well enough. Jane Cann is my cousin, and I’d -like to do her a good turn, and as she’s maybe about seven years older -than you, you need not fear a long family.” - -“Preserve me!” gasped the schoolmaster. - -“I’ll set you a stool on her left side, and give her a high chair, then -you’ll be about on a level with her hearing ear.” - -“I--I am going out to tea,” said Bramber, snatching up his hat to fly -the cottage; but was arrested at the door by a burly farmer who entered. - -“This is Mr. Prowse of Wonnacot,” said the widow to Bramber. Then to the -farmer, “This, sir, is the new teacher, who is going to lodge with me.” - -“I’ve heard of him from Southcott,” said Prowse. “I’ve been told you -play the fiddle. Perhaps you know also how to finger the pianer. My -girls, Susanna and Eliza, are tremendously eager to learn the pianer, -and I thought that after school hours you might drop in at my little -place--Wonnacot--and give the young ladies lessons. I’d take it as a -favour, and as I am a not inconsiderable subscriber to the National -School, and”-- - -The widow, in a tone of admiration, threw in an aside to Bramber--“He -subscribes half a sovereign.” - -The farmer inflated his chest, smiled, raised himself in his boots, and, -thrusting his right hand into his pocket, rattled some money. He had -heard the aside, as it was intended that he should. - -“I may say,” continued Mr. Prowse, “that I am a bulwark and a buttress -of the National School, and as such I lay claim to the services of the -teacher; and if, after hours, he can hop over to my little place and -give my girls an hour three times a week, then”--he raised his chin and -smiled down on the schoolmaster--“then I shall not begrudge my -subscription.” - -“It is true,” said Bramber, “that I can play a little on the piano, -but--I am not sure that I am competent to give lessons. Moreover, I -doubt if I shall have the time at my disposal. I am still young, and -must prosecute my studies.” - -“If you expect to remain here in comfort,” said the farmer testily, -“you’ll have to do what you are asked. You don’t expect me to subscribe -to the National School and get no advantage out of it?” - -Thus it was--some made demands on the time, some on the purse, and -others desired to dispose of the person of the new-comer. - -To escape meeting the crooked sewing-mistress, deaf of the right ear, -Walter ran into the street, and walked through the village. - -A labourer came up to him. - -“I want a word with you, Mr. Schoolmaister,” said he. “My boy goes to -the National School, and I gives you fair warning, if you touches him -with your hand or a stick, I’ll have the law of you.” - -“But suppose he be disobedient, rude, disorderly?” - -“My boy is not to be punished. He is well enough if let alone.” - -“But--do you send him to school to be let alone?” - -“I send him to school to be out of the way when my missus is washing or -doing needlework.” - -A little farther on his way, a woman arrested Walter Bramber, and said, -“You be the new teacher, be you not? Please, I’ve five childer in your -school and three at home. Some of the scholars bain’t clean as they -should be. I can’t have my childer come home bringing with them what -they oughtn’t, and never carried to school from my house. So will’y, -now, just see to ’em every day, as they be all right, afore you let ’em -leave school, and I’ll thank’y for it kindly.” - -Presently a mason returning from his work saluted Bramber. - -“Look here, schoolmaister! I want you to take special pains wi’ my -children and get ’em on like blazes. If they don’t seem to get forward -in a week or two, I shall take ’em away and send them to Mr. Puddicombe, -who is going to open a private school.” - -Then another man came up, halted, and, catching hold of the lappet of -Bramber’s coat, said, “My name is Tooker. I’m not a churchman, but I -have several children at your school. I won’t have them taught the -Church Catechism. I’m a Particular Baptist, and I won’t have no childer -of mine taught to say what their godfather and godmother promised and -vowed for them--for they ain’t had no godfathers nor godmothers, and -ain’t a-going to have none. You can’t mistake my childer. One has got a -red head, another is yaller, and the third is a sort of -whitey-brown--and has sunspots, and a mole between the shoulder-blades, -and the boy never had no toe-nails. So mind--no catechism for them.” - -“And there is something,” said again another, “upon which I want to lay -down what I think. I wish you to teach readin’ and writin’ in a rational -manner.” - -“I hope to do that.” - -“Ah! but you’ve been too much at college, and crammed wi’ book-larnin’. -Why should you teach childer, and fret their little heads about the H, -when it’s a thing of no concern whatever. Mr. Puddicombe, he was the -reasonable man. Sez he, ‘Raisin puddin’ is good, and duffy puddin’ -wi’out raisins is good--so is it with the English language--it’s good -all round, and the H’s are just the raisins; you can put ’em in or leave -’em out as you pleases, and stick ’em in by the scores or just a -sprinklin’, and it’s no odds--it’s good anyways.’ Them’s the principles -of spellin’ I expect my little ones to larn at your school.” - -“And I hopes, Mr. Teacher,” said another sententiously, “as you’ll never -forget that it is not enough to teach the children readin’, writing, and -’rithmetic. There is something more”-- - -“There is a great deal more--geography, history, the Elements”-- - -“There is something above all that, and you should make it the first -thing, and readin’ and the rest after.” - -“What’s that?” - -“Temperance--teetotal principles.” - -Bramber walked on. His discouragement was becoming greater at every -moment. - -As he passed the Lamb and Flag, he was greeted by a hideous bray of -instruments both stringed and brazen. This outburst was followed by a -marvellous coruscation of instrumental music, races, leaps, a -helter-skelter of fiddles, flutes, cornets, bass-viol, now together, -more often running ahead or falling behind each other, then one -a-pickaback on the rest. - -At the door of the public-house stood Mr. Jonas Southcott with his face -radiant. - -“Well, Mr. Schoolmaister!” shouted he; “what do you think of this? -You’ve never heard such moosic before, I warrant. That is what I call -moosic of the spears! It’s Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum.’” - - - - - CHAPTER XII - DAFFODILS - - -Unwilling to return to his lodgings, where in vain the net was spread in -his sight, Bramber walked towards Coombe Cellars. There for sixpence he -could have his tea--cockles, winkles, and presumably bread and butter. - -There also would he see that pale-faced girl with the large violet-blue -eyes, which had been fixed on him with so much sympathy. Disappointed in -proportion to the sanguineness of his expectations, Walter felt that he -needed some relief from his discouragement, a word from some one who -could understand him. On that day he had looked straight into many eyes, -into beaming eyes, into irises that were dull with no speech in them, -into stupid eyes, into boastful, into defiant, into insolent eyes. - -Those of his landlady were clear as crystal, and he could see to their -bottom; but what he saw there was but the agglomeration of common -details of everyday life--so many loaves per week, a pint of milk, a -beefsteak or mutton chop for supper, coals at so much a bushel, so much -cleaning, so much washing. As in a revolving slide in a magic lantern, -the same figures, the same trees, the same houses, reappear in endless -iteration; so would it be with the eyes of the landlady, week by week, -year by year, till those eyes closed in death; nought else would be -revealed in their shadows but loaves and milk, and coals and washing, -over and over and over again. There are eyes that are stony and have no -depth in them; such were those of Zerah. Others have profundity, but are -treacherous; such were those of Pasco. In the two glimpses into the eyes -of the pale girl, whose name he did not know, Bramber had seen depths -that seemed unfathomable; wells which had their sources in the heart, -deeps full of mystery and promise. - -The evening might have been one in summer. A light east wind was -playing; the sky was clear. The sun had been hot all day. Marsh -marigolds blazed at the water brim, reflecting their golden faces in the -tide. The orchards were sheeted with daffodils. The evening sky was blue -shot with primrose, and every hue was mirrored in the water. - -Bramber asked to have his tea out of doors on the little platform above -the water, and Mrs. Pepperill bade Kate attend on the schoolmaster, and -remain on the terrace so as to be ready to bring him anything he -required; and, in the event of his desiring company, to be present to -converse with him. She herself was engaged, and could not give him her -attention. - -The evening was so warm, so balmy, that it could do the convalescent no -harm to sit outside the house. Kate took her needlework and planted -herself on the low wall above the water, one foot in a white stocking -and neat shoe touching the gravel. She was at some distance from the -schoolmaster, who opened a book and read whilst taking his tea. He did -not, apparently, require her society, and she had no thought of forcing -herself on him. - -Yet, occasionally, unobserved by her, Bramber looked her way. Behind her -was an orchard-sweep golden with daffodils, and the slant setting sun, -shooting down a gap in the hills, kindled the whole multitude of -flower-heads into a blaze of wavering sunfire. Kate sat, a dark figure -against this luminous background, but her plum-coloured kerchief, bound -round her throat and tied across her breast, was wondrous in contrast -with the brilliant flowers. - -Occasionally, moreover, Kate, who long looked at the flower carpet which -by its radiance threw a golden light into her face, turned her head to -see if the schoolmaster needed more milk or butter; and then her eyes -rested on the book he held with much the same greed with which a child -fastens its eyes on sweets and a miser on gold. - -The setting sun had fired glass windows on the opposite side of the -estuary, and it flashed in every ripple running in from the sea. - -Kate wore a little bunch of celandines in her bosom, pinned into the -purple kerchief. The flowers were open through the warmth of their -position, and when she stooped and a streak of sunlight fell on them and -filled their cups, they sent a golden sheen over her chin. The girl was -looking dreamily with turned head at the sheet of blazing daffodils, -drinking in the beauty of the scene, and sighing, she knew not why, when -she was startled to hear a voice at her ear, and, looking round, saw the -schoolmaster. - -“Are you admiring the daffodils?” he asked. - -“Yes,” answered Kate, too shy, too surprised to say more. - -“And I,” said he, “I also have been looking at them; and then I turned -to familiar lines in Wordsworth, the poet I am reading. Do you know -them?” - -“About lent-lilies? I know nothing.” - -“Listen.” - -Then Bramber read-- - - “I wandered lonely as a cloud - That floats on high o’er vales and hills, - When all at once I saw a crowd, - A host of golden daffodils; - Beside the lake, beneath the trees, - Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. - - Continuous as the stars that shine - And twinkle in the Milky Way, - They stretched in never-ending line - Along the margin of a bay: - Ten thousand saw I at a glance, - Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. - - The waves beside them danced; but they - Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:-- - A poet could not but be gay, - In such a jocund company: - I gazed--and gazed--but little thought - What wealth the show to me had brought: - - For oft when on my couch I lie - In vacant or in pensive mood, - They flash upon that inward eye - Which is the bliss of solitude, - And then my heart with pleasure fills, - And dances with the daffodils.” - -Kate’s dark blue eyes were fixed with intensity on the reader’s face. -Then they became full to overflowing. - -“Why,” exclaimed Bramber, “you are crying!” - -“It is so true, it is so beautiful,” she said, and her voice shook; and -as she spoke the tears ran down her white cheeks. “How did he who wrote -that know about my illness, and that I was thinking about, and troubled -about, the daffodils when I was in my fever? It is all true”; she put -her hands to her bosom; “I feel it--I cannot bear it.” - -Walter Bramber paused in surprise. He was himself a passionate lover of -nature, of flowers, and he was fond of the words of the poet of -nature--words that touched deep chords in his spirit. But here was a -pale, reserved girl, to whom the words of the poet appealed with even -greater force than to himself. - -“Are you fond of poetry?” he asked. - -She hesitated, and slightly coloured before answering. - -“I do not know. Father sings a song or two. There are words, they rhyme, -and they are set to a tune, and sometimes a good tune helps along bad -words; but I never before heard words that had the music in themselves -and wanted nothing to carry them along as on the wings of a bird. When -you read that to me, it was just as though I heard what I had felt in my -heart over and over again, and had never found how I could put it.” - -“Do you know why these flowers are called daffodils?” - -She turned her solemn eyes on him again. - -“Because they are daffodils; why else?” - -“I suppose,” said Bramber, “when the Normans came to England, they -brought these yellow flowers with them, and with the flowers the name by -which they had known them in Normandy--_Fleurs d’Avril_, which means -April flowers.” - -“They do come in April, but also in March, and this year the weather has -been warm, and everything is advanced.” - -“So,” continued Bramber, “when the English tried to pronounce the French -name, _Fleurs d’Avril_, they made daverils, and then slid away into -further difference, and settled down on daffodils. Do you know about the -Conquest by the Normans?” - -Kate shook her head sadly. - -“I know nothing--nothing at all.” Then, after a pause, she asked -timidly, “Will you be very good and kind, and repeat those verses, and -let me learn them by heart? Oh,” she gasped, and expanded, and clasped -her hands, “it would be such a joy to me! and I could repeat them for -ever and ever, and be happy.” - -“I shall be delighted.” - -Kate planted herself on one of the benches by the table, leaned her chin -in her hands, and listened to each line of the poem with concentrated -attention. One or two words she did not understand, and Bramber -explained their meaning to her. When the piece had been read over -slowly, she said-- - -“May I try? Do you mind? I think I know it.” - -Then she recited the poem with perfect accuracy. - -“You are quick at learning,” said Bramber. “I hope I may find my pupils -in the National School as eager to acquire and as ready to apprehend.” - -“I never heard words like these before,” said Kate. - -“May I tell you what they are like to me?” - -“Certainly.” - -“They are like lightning on a still night, without rain, without -thunder. The heavens are open and there is light--that is all. Is there -more in that book?” - -“A great deal,” answered the young man; and, pointing to the celandines -in Kate’s bosom, said, “The poet has something to say about these -flowers.” - -“What, buttercups?” - -“They are not buttercups. Take them out from where they are pinned. I -will teach you a lesson--how to distinguish sorts.” - -As the girl removed the bunch and placed it on the table, he said, “Do -you see the petals? The golden leaves of the flower are called petals. -They are pointed. Now, remember, a buttercup has rounded petals.” - -“You are right, and they come out later. They are more like little -drunkards.” - -“Drunkards? What do you mean?” - -“The large golden cups that grow by the water’s edge--these we call -drunkards, but they drink only water.” - -“You mean the marsh marigold.” - -“Perhaps so, but it is very different from the marigold of the garden. -The leaves”-- - -Bramber laughed. “Now you are going to teach me to distinguish. You are -quite right--that water-drinker is not a marigold at all. But country -people give it that name because it is the great golden flower that -blooms at or about Lady Day, and the lady is the Virgin Mary. Now -consider. The celandine has sharply-pointed petals. Do you see the -difference between them and those of the golden water-drinker?” - -“I see this clearly now.” - -“He who wrote those verses about the daffodils has written three poems -on the celandine.” - -“What! on these little flowers?” - -Kate coloured with delight and surprise. - -“Yes, and very beautiful they are. I will reserve them for another day. -You have enough to think about in the lines on the daffodils.” - -“How did the man who wrote them know of my illness, and how I dreamed -and troubled about the daffodils?” - -“He knew nothing of you.” - -“He must have done so. He says he was lonely as a cloud, and I am Kitty -Alone.” - -“Is that your name?” - -“They call me so because I have no companions and no friends, and -because”--She checked herself and hung her head. - -“But you have relatives.” - -“Yes--my father and Aunt Zerah. But for all that I am alone. They are -grown big and old, and so of course cannot understand me--a child. And -at school I didn’t have friends. Then the man must have been here, for -he says-- - - ‘Beside the lake, beneath the trees, - Fluttering and dancing in the breeze - - Continuous as the stars that shine - And twinkle in the Milky Way, - They stretched in never-ending line - Along the margin of a bay.’ - -There they are--‘in never-ending line.’” - -“There are daffodils elsewhere, as there are solitary spirits elsewhere -than in this little being”--and Walter lightly touched the girl’s brow. - -Both were silent for a minute. Presently Kate said, “When I was looking -at the daffodils, as the sun was on them, they blazed in at my eyes and -I was full of light, and now those beautiful words are like the sun on -the flowers that I shall carry away with me, and as I lie in bed in the -dark I shall think of them, and the golden light will fill my room and -fill my heart-- - - ‘Flashing upon that inward eye, - Which is the bliss of solitude.’ - -That is true of the inward eye. You can see more with that than with the -real eye. The man was a prophet. He knew and wrote of things that are -not known or are not talked about in the world.” - -“So they call you Kitty Alone. You did not give me the second reason. -What is that reason?” - -The girl looked embarrassed. - -“You will laugh at me.” - -“Indeed I will not,” answered Bramber earnestly. - -She still hesitated. - -“You fear me? Surely you can trust me.” - -“You are so good--indeed I can. You speak to me as does no one else, and -that is just why I do not wish to appear ridiculous in your eyes.” - -“That you never will.” - -Then she said, blushing and hanging her head, “It is all along of a song -my father sings.” - -“What song is that?” - -“It is some silly nonsense about a frog that lived in a well--and the -burden is--‘Kitty Alone’--and then ‘Kitty Alone and I.'” - -“Sing me the words.” - -She did as requested. - -“The air is pleasant and very quaint. It deserves better words. Will you -remain here whilst I run for my violin?” - -“Yes, unless my aunt calls me within.” - -Walter Bramber hastened to his lodgings, and brought away his cherished -instrument. He made the girl sing over a few verses of the song, and -then struck in with the violin. - -He speedily caught the melody, and played it, then went off into -variations, returning anon to the pleasant theme, and Kate listened in -surprise and admiration. Never before had she thought that there was -much of air, or of grace and delicacy in the tune as sung by her -father, and cast jeeringly at her in scraps by the youths of -Coombe-in-Teignhead. Zerah looked out at the door and summoned her -niece. - -Kate started as from a dream. - -“My bunch of flowers,” she said. - -Bramber had secured the celandines. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - THE SPIRIT OF INQUIRY - - -Kate entered the house, at the summons of her aunt, and found that John -Pooke was within, standing with his hat in his hand, in front of him, -twirling it about and playing with the string that served to contract -the lining band. - -“I am so glad to see that you are well, Kitty.” - -Kate thanked him. She was not a little vexed at being called away from -conversation with the schoolmaster, whose talk was so unlike that of any -other man she had met. The rector she knew and loved, but she was before -him as a scholar to be instructed in spiritual concerns, and their -conversation never turned on such matters as had been mooted between her -and the schoolmaster. For a little while she had been translated into a -new sphere, and had heard words of another order to those that had -hitherto met her ears. Now she was brought back into the world of -commonplace, and could not at once recover herself and accommodate -herself to it. This made her shy and silent. Pooke also was shy, but he -was awkward to boot. - -“Have you nothing to say to me, Kate?” he asked in suppliant tone. - -“Indeed, I thank you many times, Jan, for inquiring about me when I was -ill. Now, as you see, I am myself again.” - -“I was the cause of your illness.” - -“No indeed, no blame attaches to you. We will not talk of blame--there -is none.” - -“Are you going to Ashburton Fair on Tuesday?” - -“I do not know.” - -“Yes, you do,” threw in Aunt Zerah; then to John Pooke, “She is going to -the moor to her father for a change. It is her father’s wish, so that -she may be soon strong again. He will meet her at Ashburton at the fair, -if we can get her so far.” - -“I am going to the fair,” said Pooke eagerly. “That is to say, sister -Sue and I be going together there. The young man to whom she is about to -be married lives at Ashburton, and will have it that she goes. There is -room for a third in our trap. I should so much like to take you--I mean, -sister Sue would wish it, if you would favour me--I mean sister Sue.” - -“Thank you again, Jan, for another kindness,” said the girl, “but I -shall be driven to Ashburton by my uncle. I really had not considered -that the fair was on Tuesday.” - -“Your uncle can spare you,” thrust in Zerah; “and if Jan Pooke is so -civil as to invite you to go in his conveyance, it is only proper you -should accept.” - -“But, aunt,” said Kate, slightly colouring, “my father has settled that -I am to go with Uncle Pasco, and I do not like”-- - -“Oh, so long as you are got to Ashburton, it doesn’t matter who takes -you,” interrupted Zerah. - -“If it does not matter,” said Kate, “then let me hold to my father’s -arrangement.” - -“That is not kind to me--I mean to sister Sue,” said Pooke dolefully. - -“I intend no unkindness,” answered the girl, “but when my father has -made a plan, I do not like to break it even in little matters.” - -The young man twirled his hat about, and pulled out the string from the -band. He paused, looked ashamed, and said, “You don’t choose to go with -me, that is the long and the short of it. Your aunt will excuse you from -going with Pasco Pepperill.” - -“Do not tease me, Jan,” pleaded Kate, confused and unhappy. She was well -aware that there had been village talk about her having been in the boat -with Jan, that her aunt was desirous of thrusting her upon him. With -maidenly reserve she shrank from his proposal, lest by riding in the -trap with him some colour might be given to the suspicions entertained -in the village, and some food should be supplied to the gossips. - -The lad went to the window, and looked out on the little platform with -moody eyes. - -“Why,” said he, “there is that new schoolmaster there.” He stood -watching him. “He’s a noodle. What do’y think he is about? He has got -three or four faded buttercups, and he is putting them between the -leaves of his note-book, just as though there was something wonderful in -them; just as if they were the rarest flowers in the world. I always -thought he was a fool--now I know it.” - -Kate winced. - -“I say,” pursued Jan, “have you heard about him and Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum’? -The landlord went to him civil-like, and invited him to join the choir. -He bragged about his violin as if he could play finer than anyone -hereabouts. But when the landlord told him our chaps could play -Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum,’ he ran away. I reckon Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum’ is a -piece to find out the corners of a man. He daren’t face it. Kitty, if -you won’t come with me to the fair, I swear I’ll offer the odd seat to -Rose Ash.” - -Then he left the house. - -Kate attempted to fly, for she knew what was coming, but was arrested by -her aunt, who grasped her by the shoulders. - -“You little fool!” she said. “Don’t you see what may come of this if you -manage well, or let me manage for you? Jan Tottle came here every day to -inquire when you were ill, and now you let him slip between your fingers -and into the hands of that designing Rose. He is a ball that has come to -you, and you toss it to her. Don’t think she is fool enough to toss him -back to you. When she has him she will close her fingers on him. What is -going to become of you, I’d like to know, that you should act like this? -Do not reckon on anything your father will bring you; or on your uncle -either. One is helping the other down the road to ruin, and we may all -be nearer the poorhouse than you imagine.” - -She let go her hand, for Bramber came in, and asked what he had to pay. - -“Sixpence,” answered Zerah, “and what you like to the little maid. I -reckon she’ll take a ha’penny.” - -Kate’s head fell, covered with shame, and she thrust her hands behind -her back. - -Walter paid Mrs. Pepperill, and said, without looking at Kate, “The -little maid and I understand each other, and the account between us is -settled.” - -“Now look here,” said Zerah, allowing her niece to escape, and laying -hold of the young man, “I want a word with you, Mr. Schoolmaster. My -husband has let you go through his accounts. I reckon he’d got that -muddled himself, he didn’t know his way out, and thought you’d have led -him, as well as Jack-o’-lantern leads out of a bog. The light is good -enough, but when the mire is there, what can the light do but show it? -It can’t dry it up. If it weren’t for the cockles and coffee as I get a -few sixpences by, I reckon we’d have been stogged (mired) long ago. But -Pasco, he has the idea that he’s a man of business and can manage a -thousand affairs, and as ill-luck will have it, that brother o’ mine -feeds his fancies wi’ fresh meat. Now I want you to tell me exactly what -you found in his books.” - -“I am not justified in speaking of Mr. Pepperill’s private affairs.” - -“What! not to his wife?” - -“Not to anyone. I was taken into confidence.” - -“Bless you! he couldn’t help himself. Set a man as don’t know nothing -about machinery to manage an engine, and he’ll get it all to pieces in -no time. Pasco knows nothing about business, and there he is trying to -run coal stores, wool, timber--all kinds o’ things. I know what it will -come to, though you keep mum.” - -To escape further questioning, Bramber left Coombe Cellars, and walked -towards the village. - -The school was closed for a week. Some painting and plastering had to be -done in it before he could begin his duties. It was as well, he thought; -it allowed him time to find his bearings, to get to understand something -of the people amongst whom he was to be settled, and whose children he -was to instruct. - -As Bramber walked in the dusk, he encountered the rector, Mr. Fielding, -who stopped him. - -“Are you going indoors?” asked the parson; “or have you leisure and -inclination for a stroll?” - -“You do me an honour, sir; I shall be proud.” - -“Let us walk by the water-side. This is a beautiful hour--neither night -nor day--something of one, something of the other, like life. And who -can say of the twilight in which he walks whether it will broaden into -perfect day or deepen into utter night.” - -The rector took the young man’s arm. - -Mr. Fielding belonged to a type that has completely disappeared; -peculiar to its time and necessarily transitory. He belonged to that -school of Churchmen which had been founded by Newman and Keble; of men -cultured, scholarly, refined in thought, steeped in idealism, -unconsciously affected, aiming at what was impossible,--at least, fully -to achieve,--and not knowing practicable methods, not able to -distinguish proportion in what they sought after, ready to contend to -death equally for trifles as for principles. - -Mr. Fielding wore tall white collars and a white tie, a black dress coat -and open black waistcoat. His hat was usually at the back of his head, -and he walked with his head bent forwards and his shoulder against the -wall--a trick caught and copied from Newman, caught when first under his -influence, and now unconsciously followed. - -Mr. Fielding was unmarried, a quiet, studious man, courteous to all, -understood by none. - -They walked together a little way, and talked on desultory matters. Then -Walter Bramber asked the rector, “Would you mind telling me, sir, where -my predecessor got into trouble? Mr. Pepperill says it was at Waterloo.” - -“Waterloo? dear me, no; it was at Wellington.” - -“I knew it could not be at Waterloo, but he insisted on it, and that it -was in England.” - -“There was, you see, a connection of ideas. There is always that, in the -worst blunders. Did you correct him?” - -“Yes; I said Waterloo was not in England.” - -“You should have let it pass, till you knew how to enlighten him as to -where the place really was. Never show a man he is wrong till you can -show him how he can be right. Also, never let a man see you are pulling -him out of a ditch, always let him think he is scrambling out of it -himself. A man’s self-respect is his best governing motive, and should -not be wounded.” - -They paced along together a little way. - -“You are a young man,” said the rector, “and a young man is sanguine.” -He paused, and walked on without saying anything for a minute, then he -added, “I was sanguine once. That arises from confidence in one’s self, -and confidence in one’s cause, and confidence in mankind. You have a -noble cause--the priest and the schoolmaster have the greatest of -missions: to educate what is highest in man, spirit and intellect. You -have no reason to be shaken by any doubt, to feel any hesitation in -adhesion to the cause of education. ‘Let there be light!’ was the first -word God spake. There is the keynote of creation, the moral law laid -down for the whole intelligent world. We walk in the twilight that we -know is brightening into day.” - -He paused again; then after a dozen paces he proceeded, “You have -confidence in yourself. You have enthusiasm, you have ability, you know -what you have to teach, and you long to impart to others what you value -yourself. Is it not so?” - -“It is so indeed.” - -“Discouragement will come, and it is my duty to prepare you for it. You -have confidence in human nature. You think all will be as eager to drink -in instruction as you are eager to dispense it. You may be mistaken, and -will be disappointed. It has taken me some years, Mr. Bramber, to learn -a fact which I will communicate to you, as a caution against losing -heart. You will remember that when the sower went forth to sow, though -all his seed was good, yet only one-fourth part came to anything. We -must work for the work’s sake, and not for results. In your patience -possess ye your souls. That is one of the hardest of lessons to -acquire.” - -“I will try not to expect too much.” - -“Expect nothing. Look to the work, and the work only. One sows, another -reaps, a third grinds, a fourth bakes, but it is the fifth who eats the -loaf and tastes how good it is. Did you ever hear what Mme. de Maintenon -said of the carps, that had been transferred to the marble basins of -Marly, in which they died? ‘Ah!’ said she, ‘they are like me, they -regret their native mud.’ You will find that your pupils do not want to -be translated to purer fountains, that in them there is a hankering -after their native ignorance. That there will be little receptiveness, -no enthusiasm after the light, no hunger after the bread of the -Spirit--that is what you must be prepared to find. I have found it so, -and am now content with the smallest achievements--to make them take a -few crumbs from my palm, to accept the tiniest ray let into their -clouded minds. Be content to do your work, and do not be asking for -results. Do your duty, leave results to another day and to the reapers. -You and I are the humble sowers, enough for us to know that, but for us, -there would be no golden harvest which we shall not see.” - -The rector withdrew his hand from the arm of Bramber. - -“There is a saying, ‘Except ye be as little children’--You know the -rest. What does that mean? Not the simplicity of children--simplicity -springs out of inexperience; not the innocence--which arises from -ignorance--but the inquisitiveness of the child, which is its -characteristic. The child asks questions, it wants to know everything, -often asking what it is inconvenient to answer. Mr. Bramber, unless we -have this spirit of inquiry, we cannot enter into any kingdom above that -of animal life. There is the intellectual kingdom, and when there is -eagerness to know, then there is advance into that realm, and you will -be the great prophet and mystagogue who will lead the young of this -village into that kingdom. Then, secondly, there is the spiritual -kingdom, but of that I will not now speak. I hope you will find some -pupils apt to learn, but the many will, I fear, be listless.” - -“A single swallow does not make a summer,” said the schoolmaster; “but I -have already met with one here who verily hungers and thirsts after -knowledge.” - -“Ah!” Mr. Fielding looked round, and his face lightened. “You have -met--talked to Kitty.” - -“Yes, sir; she is full of eagerness.” - -“Oh that we had many other minds as active! Alas! alas! I fear in that -she is, as they call her, Kitty Alone.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - TO THE FAIR - - -“Heigh! schoolmaister!” Pasco Pepperill shouted from his tax-cart to -Walter Bramber, who was walking along the road collecting -wild-flowers--the earliest of the year--that showed in a sheltered -hedge. - -In the trap with Pasco was Kate. - -“I say, schoolmaister,” said Pepperill, reining in his grey cob, “be you -inclined for a drive? I’m off to Ashburton Fair, where I may have -business. You have not yet seen much of our country. Jump up! She”--he -indicated Kate with a jerk of his chin--“she can squat behind.” - -The day was lovely, the prospect of a drive engaging; but Bramber -hesitated about dislodging Kate, who had, however, immediately begun to -transfer herself from the seat beside her uncle to the place behind. - -“That is not fair nor right,” said the young man. “Let her keep her -place, and let me accommodate myself in the rear.” - -“Not a bit! not a bit!” exclaimed Pepperill. “I’ve asked you for -company’s sake.” - -“But you have the best company in your niece.” - -“She!”--Pasco uttered a contemptuous sniff,--“she is no company. She -either sits as a log or pesters one with questions. What do you think -she has just asked of me?” Imitating Kate’s voice, he said, “Uncle, why -have horses so many hairs in their ears? Why the dowse does it matter -whether horses have hair in their ears or not? Now, schoolmaister, get -up in front.” - -Bramber still objected. - -“Oh, nonsense!” said Pasco; “I’m taking you up so as to be freed from -these questions. It is catechising, or nothing at all.” - -Bramber looked uneasily at Kate’s face, but her countenance was unmoved; -she was accustomed to contemptuous treatment. She raised her timid eyes -to Walter, and he said hastily, with some earnestness-- - -“You and I, Mr. Pepperill, form very different opinions of what -entertainment is. When I was having tea at your house, she and I had -plenty to say to each other. I found her full of interest”-- - -“In what?” sneered the uncle. - -“Daffodils.” - -“Oh, daffodils!” he laughed. “Any ass likes daffodils.” - -“Pardon me,” answered Bramber warmly; “the ass and animals of like -nature reject or pass them by unnoticed.” - -“Well, I care not. Get up if you are coming with me. I’ll show you a -better sight than daffodils, and something worthier of conversation.” - -Pasco took up the schoolmaster, not solely for his own entertainment, -but because he was somewhat uneasy at having let him into the secrets of -his affairs. In his perplexity and inability to balance his accounts, he -had grasped at the chance offered by the advent of Bramber; but now he -feared he had been too confiding, and that the young man might blab what -he had seen. It was requisite, or advisable, that he should disabuse his -mind of any unfavourable impression that might have been received from -the perusal of his accounts; and, like a stupid, conceited man, he -thought that he could best effect this by ostentation and boastfulness. - -In his pride, Pepperill would not admit that his circumstances were -involved, though an uneasy feeling lay as a sediment at the bottom of -his heart, assuring him that there was trouble in store. - -“Why do horses have hair in their ears?” said Bramber on taking his -seat, turning to the girl in the back of the carriage. “I will tell you -why. If a cockchafer or an earwig were to get into your little pink -shell, in a minute up would go the finger in protection of the organ, -and to relieve you of the intruder. A horse cannot put up his hoof to -clear his ear, therefore he is provided with a natural strainer, which -will guard him from being irritated, and perhaps injured, by anything -penetrating where it should not.” - -“Thank you,” said Kate. “There is a reason for everything.” - -“You don’t happen to know anything about business?” asked Pepperill, -impatient to engross the conversation. “I mean--commercial business.” - -“My mother kept a shop--in quite a small way.” - -“Ah! in _quite_ a small way. I don’t mean anything in a _small_ way,” -said Pasco, swelling. “I refer to buying in gross and retailing coal, -wool, hides, bark, timber. That’s my line. I do nothing myself in a -small way--still, I can understand there are people who do.” - -Pasco nodded to right and left as he drove along, in return to -salutations he received from men driving cattle, from farmers ambling on -their cobs. - -“You observe,” said Pepperill, “I’m pretty well known and respected.” - -Presently he drew up at a wayside inn. - -“I like to step into these publics,” said he apologetically; “not that -I’m a man as takes nips--but one meets one’s fellows; it is all in the -way of business; one hears of bargains. There is more dealing done over -a tavern table than in a market-place. I’ll be with you shortly--unless -you will join me in a glass inside. Kitty will mind the cob.” - -“Thank you; I will await you here, and keep Kitty company.” - -“Ah, you will never be popular as was Puddicombe, unless you take your -glass!” - -Then Pepperill entered the house. - -Bramber turned in his seat, and met Kate’s earnest blue eyes. There was -question in them. - -“Now,” said he, “I know your head is full of notes of interrogation.” - -“I do not understand you.” - -“Your uncle and others do not like to be questioned. I am a -schoolmaster. I delight in answering questions and communicating -information. Put to me any queries you like, and as many as you like, -and I will do my best to satisfy you.” - -“Why do some stars twinkle and others do not?” asked Kate at once. This -difficulty had been troubling her mind ever since the night in the boat. - -“Planets do not twinkle.” - -“What are planets?” - -“Worlds on high. Stars that flash are suns that illumine worlds. They -glitter with their own light; planets shine with borrowed, reflected -light.” - -“The planets are worlds?” - -“Yes.” - -“Very tiny ones?” - -“Not at all. Some are far larger than our globe. They circle round our -sun.” - -Kate looked the young man steadily in the face. The thought was too -great, too awful, to be received at once. She supposed he was joking. -But his countenance was an assurance to her that he spoke the truth. - -“Oh,” said she, with a long breath, “what it is to know!” - -“There is no higher pleasure.” - -“Nothing gives me greater joy than to learn.” - -“But did you not get taught such simple truths as this in school?” asked -Bramber. - -“Mr. Puddicombe did not tell us much,” answered Kate. “We learned our -letters and to cypher--nothing more.” - -“I am glad you can read,” said Bramber. - -“I can read, but I have no books. It is like having thirst and no water. -I have learned how to walk, but may not use my feet. I am always like -one who is hungry; I want to know about this, and about that, and I get -no answer. Why are there tides? Why are some higher than others? What -becomes of the stars by day?” - -“The matter of the tides is beyond you. The stars are in the sky still, -but, owing to the blaze of the sun by day, you cannot discern their -lesser glories. If, however, you were at the bottom of a well, you would -be able, on looking up, to see the stars, pale, indeed, but distinctly -visible, in the heavens.” - -“I should love to go down a well, and see that with my own eyes.” - -“I wish--oh, I wish you were coming to school!” - -Kate heaved a sigh. - -“But as you cannot come to me,” said Walter, “I shall have to come to -you.” - -Kate shook her head. “That means sixpence a time in cockles and tea. It -would ruin you.” - -“Well, I will lend you books.” - -“Mr. Fielding once did that, but Aunt Zerah was angry, and sent them -back to the Rectory. She said that she did not want me to be a scholar, -and have all kinds of book nonsense put into my head. I was to be a -maid-of-all-work.” - -Bramber did not speak. He was very sorry for the girl, craving for -knowledge, gasping for the very air in which her spirit could live--and -denied it. Then he said, pointing to the board above the inn-door-- - -“Do you notice the tavern sign, Kitty?” - -“Yes--‘The Rising Sun.’” - -“Recently repainted and gilt. Now, I will repeat to you the lines I -withheld the other day concerning the celandine; that is to say, such as -I remember: - - ‘I have not a doubt but he - Whosoe’er the man might be, - Who, the first, with painted rays, - (Workman worthy to be sainted,) - Set the signboard in a blaze, - When the risen sun he painted, - Took the fancy from a glance - At thy glittering countenance.’” - -Then a rattle of wheels and a tramp of horse’s hoofs. A dogcart was -approaching rapidly. As it came near, the driver reined in and drew up -alongside. - -Kate recognised John Pooke, with Rose Ash at his side; behind, clinging -uncomfortably to the back rail, was Susan Pooke. The young man -flourished his whip and saluted Kate joyously. - -“We shall meet at the fair. I shall await you, Kitty.” - -Then he lashed the horse, and whirled away. Kate saw Rose’s face turned -towards her, wearing a dissatisfied frown. - -“Who are those?” asked Walter, with a little twinge of displeasure in -his heart. - -“The young man is Jan Pooke, he whose rick was burned; and with him is -Rose Ash, the prettiest girl in all Coombe. Jan’s father has the orchard -in which are the daffodils. It belonged to uncle. Uncle had a bit of -farm, but he gave it up--sold it--to devote himself more to business. -Behind, in the dogcart, is Susan Pooke. She is going to be married at -Easter to someone in Ashburton.” - -Then, wiping his lips and buttoning his pockets, Pasco came from the -tavern. He mounted to his place and resumed the reins and whip. - -“Well,” said he, “got some talk out of the girl?--foolery--rank foolery, -I’ll swear. Never heard her say anything sensible; but you and I will -have a good conversation as we drive along. We will talk about -bullocks.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV - A REASON FOR EVERYTHING - - -Walter Bramber sprang from his seat beside Pasco, on the latter drawing -up outside the inn at Ashburton, and ran to the back of the tax-cart -that he might assist Kate to descend. There was no step at the back. He -held up his arms to receive her; she was standing preparing to spring. - -As he looked up, he exclaimed, “They are planets!” - -“What are planets?” - -“Those blue orbs--their light is so still and true.” - -Then he caught her as she sprang, glad to cover her confusion. A -compliment was something to which Kate was wholly unaccustomed, and one -startled and shamed her. - -“Now, whither?” he asked. - -“To my father.” - -“But where is he?” - -“I do not know.” - -“Come, come!” said Pepperill, who had consigned the reins to the ostler. -“I want you, schoolmaster; I cannot let you go fairing yet. I have -business on my hands and desire your presence. Afterwards, if you will, -and when we have got rid of Kate, I’ll find you some one more agreeable -with whom you can go and see the shows.” - -“But, in the meanwhile, who is to take care of her?” asked Bramber. - -“I will do that,” said John Pooke, who came up, elbowing his way through -the crowd. “Here are several of us Coombe-in-Teignhead folk: there is -sister Sue, but she is off with her sweetheart; and here is Rose Ash, -and here is Noah Flood.” - -There was no help for it; much to his disappointment. Bramber had to -relinquish Kate, and accompany her uncle into the market. - -Kate hesitated about going with John Pooke, but knew not what else to -do. Her uncle shook her off, concerned himself no more about her, and -carried the schoolmaster with him. Alone she was afraid to remain. A shy -girl, unwont to be in a crowd; the noise of the fair, the shouts of -chapmen, the objurgations of drovers sending their cattle through the -thronged street, the braying of horns and beating of drums outside the -shows, the hum of many voices, the incessant shifting of groups, -combined to bewilder and alarm her. But she did not like to attach -herself to Jan Pooke’s party. Tongues had already been set a-wagging -relative to herself and the young man. The adventure in the boat, -followed up by his solicitude during her illness, had attracted -attention in the village, and had become a topic of conversation and -speculation. - -Rose Ash, as was well known, had set her mind on winning John; she was a -handsome girl, of suitable age and position, the miller’s daughter. -Everyone had said that they would make a pair. Jan, in his amiable, -easy-going way, had offered no resistance; he had, perhaps, been a -little proud of being considered the lover of the prettiest girl in the -district; he had made no advances himself, but had submitted to hers -with mild complacency, taking care not to compromise himself -irrevocably. - -Since John had been associated with Kate in that adventure on the -mud-bank, he had been less cordial to Rose, had kept out of her way, and -avoided being left alone with her. Rose was ready-witted enough to see -that a spoke had been put into her wheel, and to discover how that spoke -had been inserted. She felt jealous of, and resentful towards Kate, and -lost no occasion of hinting ill-natured things, and throwing out -wounding remarks both to Kate’s face and behind her back. Kate had every -reason to shrink from joining this party, sure that it would lead to -vexation. But she had no choice. - -“Come along, Kate,” said John; “sister Sue and I and the rest are ready. -What do you wish?” - -“I think I might be consulted,” said Rose sullenly. - -“I know your wishes already--you want to go into the fair,” replied Jan, -turning to the pouting girl. - -“And if she wishes to be out of it,--in the mud, for instance,--are we -all to be dragged in with her?” asked Rose. - -“Tell me, Kitty, what do you desire?” - -“I would like to find my father.” - -“Where is he? do you know? We will go through the fair and look for -him.” - -Kate held back. John came after her and said, “If we cannot find your -father at once, where would you like to go?” - -Half laughing and half crying, the girl answered, “I should like to be -at the bottom of a well; Mr. Bramber says that there one could see the -stars, even in broad daylight.” - -“By all means, put her there and leave her there; we are well content,” -said Rose, who had followed and overheard what was said. - -“There is no well in Ashburton,” said Jan, taking Kate’s arm. “There are -better things to be seen than stars by daylight. Come, we will seek your -father. I will be sworn we shall light on him.” - -Kate withdrew from the young man’s hold, but nevertheless allowed -herself to accompany the little party that now moved in the direction of -the fair. The girl was unaccustomed to be in a crowd. Neither her father -nor her uncle had concerned himself to give her diversion, to take her -out of the monotony and solitude of her life in Coombe Cellars. A -country fair presented to her all the attractions of novelty, at the -same time that the noise and movement alarmed her. Susan Pooke’s -intended husband had hooked her on to his arm, and the two, sufficient -to each other, separated from the rest and took their own way among the -booths. Kate was therefore left with Rose, John Pooke, and Noah Flood. - -Noah was an acquaintance rather than a friend of John, and a cousin of -Rose. Jan did not discourage him. Noah was one of Rose’s many admirers; -a hopeless one hitherto, as he felt his inability to compete with Pooke. -Now, Jan was glad of his presence as likely to relieve him of Rose; and -that girl was also content to have him by, hoping that by showing him -some favour she might rouse the jealousy of the torpid Jan. The little -company, in which prevailed such discordant elements, moved along the -street to the market-place. Every neighbouring parish had sent in a -contingent of farmers to buy and sell, of young folks to gape and amuse -themselves, of servants who sought masters and mistresses, of employers -in quest of servants. All elbowed, pushed their way along, met friends, -laughed, shouted, made merry. Presently Jan arrested his party at a -stall on which numerous articles attractive to the female heart were -exposed for sale. - -“Now, Kate,” said he, “I have long owed you something, and a fairing you -expect as your due.” - -“It is I who have a right to it,” said Rose hastily. “You brought me to -the fair. That is fine manners for a lad to bring a girl, desert her, -and give his fairing to another.” - -“I am going to make presents to both of you,” replied Jan, colouring. “I -invited Kitty before I asked you.” - -“Oh, indeed?” Rose flared up. “I am to come second-best after that frog, -unfortunately, against her wishes, not now in a well. I refuse your -presents. I will take what Noah will give me.” - -“Do not be angry, Rose,” said Jan. “Kitty, you see, has no one with her. -Her uncle and that schoolmaster fellow have deserted her. As for a -fairing--I owe it her. It was all along of me that”-- - -“I know,” scoffed Rose. “She ran you on a mud-bank. It was done on -purpose. A designing hussy.” - -“For shame!” said Jan. - -“No respectable girl would have done it I know what folks say”-- - -Jan boiled up. “You are a spiteful cat, Rose. I will not give you -anything. Kate, what would you like to have? Choose anything on this -stall; it is yours.” - -“I do not wish for anything,” answered the girl timidly. Yet her eyes -had ranged longingly among the treasures exposed. - -“You shall have some present from me,” persisted Pooke. “Here, a dark -blue silk handkerchief--the colour of your eyes.” - -“I am going to have that,” exclaimed Rose. “Noah was about to take it up -when you spoke. It is mine.” - -“There are two, I’ll be bound,” said Jan. - -“No, there are not. Get her a yellow one--the blue is mine.” Rose -snatched at it. - -There actually was no second of the same colour. - -“Yellow becomes you best,” said Jan angrily; “you are so jealous and -spiteful.” - -“Jealous? of whom?” - -“Of Kate.” - -“I!--I!” jeered the handsome, spoiled girl, with an outburst of -laughter. “I jealous of that creature. Cockles and winkles picked off a -mud-bank!” - -“Give up that handkerchief,” exclaimed Jan passionately. - -“I really will not have it. I assure you I will not. Take it,” pleaded -Kate, “I have no right to accept any present.” - -“Nonsense,” said Pooke. “I invited you to the fair, and here you are -with me. I must and I will give you something by which to remember me.” - -He stepped back and pushed his way through the crowd to another stall. -Kate remained where she was with fluttering heart, averting her burning -face from the eyes of Rose, and looking eagerly among the throng for her -uncle or father. - -Presently Jan returned. - -“There,” said he, “now I have something more worthy of you: a really -good and handsome workbox.” - -He held out a polished box with mother-of-pearl shield on the lid, and -scutcheon for the keyhole. - -“Look at it!” he said, and, raising the lid, displayed blue silk lined -and padded compartments, stocked with thimble, scissors, reels, pins, -needles, bodkin, and a tray. “Look!” exclaimed Jan, his cheeks glowing -with mingled anger and pleasure; “underneath a place where you can put -letters--anything; and you can lock the whole up. There, it is yours.” - -Kate was shy about accepting so handsome a gift, yet could not refuse -it. The workbox had been bought and paid for. It was the custom for a -young man to give a damsel a present at the fair, but then, to do so was -tantamount to declaring that he had chosen her as his sweetheart. With -thanks, more in her eyes than on her lips, Kate accepted the offering, -and took it under her arm. Rose had turned away her head with a toss of -the chin, and had pretended not to have seen the transaction. - -“Let us move on,” urged Pooke; “there is a shooting-place beyond, and, -by George! I’ll have a try for nuts and fill your pockets, Kate.” - -Noah and Rose had already drifted from the booth at which the -altercation had taken place. The girl had knotted the blue silk kerchief -about her throat in defiance; her cheeks were flaming, her eyes -glistening, and her mouth quivering. She pretended to be devoted to -Noah, who was vastly elated, but her eyes ever and anon stealthily -returned to Jan and Kate. - -A large tray full of hazel nuts stood before a battered target, and on -the nuts lay a couple of guns. - -“Now then! a penny a shot! only one penny!” yelled the proprietor; and -his wife dipped a tin half-pint measure into the nuts, shook it, poured -them out and echoed, “Only one penny. Half a pint in the red, a pint in -the gold! Only one penny. A dozen nuts for the white. Only one penny.” - -“I’ll have a shy,” said Noah, laid down his coin and fired. He struck -the white, and received a dozen nuts. - -“I’ll do better than that!” shouted Jan, and took the gun from Flood’s -hand, threw down threepence, and said, “I’ll have three shots and stuff -my pockets.” He fired--and missed. - -“By George!” Jan looked astonished. “I always considered myself a crack -shot.” - -He fired again and hit the black. The woman offered him half a dozen -nuts. - -“I won’t have ’em--I’ll clear the stall presently.” - -He aimed carefully and missed again. - -Then Kate touched him on the arm and said, “Do you not see all your -shots have gone one way--to the right, low down. Aim at the right-hand -corner to the left, just outside the black.” - -“You try,” said Jan, and threw down a penny with one hand and passed the -gun to Kate with the other. - -The girl aimed, and put her arrow into the bull’s-eye. - -She handed back the gun, saying to Pooke, “The barrel is crooked, that -is why your shot went wrong.” - -“Try again, Kitty.” - -She shook her head. - -“Well,” said Jan, “I’ll follow your directions.” - -He fired, and his shot flew into space beyond the target. “There!” he -exclaimed reproachfully, turning to the girl. - -“The woman changed the gun,” said Kate. “Now aim at the centre, and I -will soon tell you what is wrong.” - -He did as she directed, and his shot went into the outer green. - -“I see,” said Kate; “this barrel is given a twist in another way. Now -look where your arrow strikes. Draw a line from that across the gold, -and aim at the point in the outer ring exactly opposite.” The young man -did as instructed, and hit the red. - -“Kitty Alone, I have it now!” laughed he; threw down another copper, and -this time his shot quivered in the bull’s-eye. - -“Why, Kate! however did you discover the secret?” he asked in amazement. - -“I watched. I knew you aimed straight, so I was sure the fault lay in -the barrel. There is, you know, a reason for everything.” - -“Lor’, Kitty! I should never have found out that.” - -“I saw it because you went wrong. I considered why you went wrong, and -so considering, I saw that the fault must be in the barrel. There is a -reason for everything, even for our blunders, and if we seek out the -reason where we have blundered, we go right afterwards and blunder no -more.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - THE DANCING BEAR - - -“Have some nuts, Rose?” said Jan Pooke. He had got a large paper-bag -full of those he had earned. - -“I don’t want any of your nuts,” answered the girl. “I hate hazel cobs, -specially when old and dry. I’m going to have some of that sort, and -Noah is bringing me some.” She pointed to some Brazil nuts. - -“They’re like slugs turned to stone,” said Jan. “There can’t be good -eating in such as them.” - -“We shall see. Crack them, Noah.” - -This was easier ordered than done. - -Flood compressed two nuts in his palm, but could not crush them. He -tried his teeth, and they failed. He put a nut under his heel, but in -the throng was thrust aside and lost his nut. - -“I’ll do it presently, Rose, as soon as I can find something hard on -which to crack ’em.” - -“Do, Noah. I’m longing to eat them. I wouldn’t give a straw for them -dried, shrivelled hazel cobs.” - -“I promise you I’ll break ’em--the first occasion.” Then, suddenly, -“Rose! Kate! Jan! Come along this way; there is a man here with a -dancing bear.” - -“A bear? Oh, I do want to see a bear!” exclaimed Kate eagerly. - -“I don’t care for a bear,” said Rose. - -“But he’s dancing--beautiful,” urged Noah. - -“Oh, if he’s dancing, that’s another matter,” said Rose. - -Kate was most desirous to see a bear. She had read of the beast in -Æsop’s Fables--seen pictures of Bruin as he smelt about the traveller -who feigned himself dead whilst his fellow escaped up a tree; also as he -tore himself with his claws after having overset the hives and was -attacked by the bees. She had formed in her own mind an idea of the -beast as very big, and as very stupid. - -A considerable throng surrounded the area in which the bear was being -exhibited, but Jan and Noah were broad-shouldered, and not scrupulous -about forcing a way where they desired to pass, and of thrusting into -the background others less broad and muscular. Following close after the -two young men, dragged along by them, were Rose and Kate, and they were -speedily in the inner ring, in full view of Bruin and his master, an -Italian, who held him by a chain. The bear was muzzled, and had a collar -to which the chain was attached. A woman, in dirty Neapolitan costume, -played a hurdy-gurdy and solicited contributions. - -The bear was made to stand on his hind legs, raise one foot, then the -other, in clumsy imitation of a dance, and then to take a stick and go -through certain evolutions which a lively imagination might figure as -gun practice. - -“De bear--he beg pretty--von penny, shentlemensh!” - -Bruin, instructed by a jerk of the chain and a rap, put his front paws -together. Then, tired of his upright attitude, he went down on -all-fours. - -The brute was not equal to Kate’s anticipations, certainly not as -massive and shaggy as pictured by Bewick in his Æsop’s Fables. About the -neck it was rubbed by the collar, and the hair was gone. Its fur over -the body was patchy and dirty. The beast seemed to be without energy and -to be out of health. Its movements were ungainly, its humour surly. - -Kate soon tired of observing the creature, and would have withdrawn from -the ring had she been able; but the crowd was compact behind, and she -was wedged into her place. - -The passive disposition of Bruin was all at once changed by the -appearance of a dog that had passed between the legs of the spectators, -and which entered the ring and flew at the bear with barks and snaps. - -“De dogue! Take de dogue away!” shouted the Italian. “De bear no like -dogue.” - -But no owner of the dog answered and attempted to call it off, and the -lookers-on were delighted to have the opportunity of seeing sport. - -The dog, apparently a butcher’s brute, sprang about the bear, -endeavouring to bite, and darting out of his way whenever Bruin struck -at it with his fore-paws. - -The woman gave up turning the handle of the hurdy-gurdy, and screamed at -the dog to desist from irritating the bear, but it paid no attention to -her words. Some fellows in the crowd shouted to the assailant to -persevere and take a bite. - -The conductor of the bear shortened the chain so as to obtain a portion -wherewith to lash the dog, but he was as unsuccessful as his wife. These -united attempts to drive it off served only the more to incense the dog -and stimulate it against the bear. The man became angry as the young -fellows encouraged the dog, and as the bear became unruly, and -endeavoured to wrench the end of the chain from his hand, so as to have -more scope for defending himself against his adversary. - -Rose nudged Noah, and said in a whisper, “Knock her workbox from under -her arm.” - -Flood answered, “’Twould be a shame.” - -“I won’t speak to you again if you don’t.” - -“Heigh!” yelled Noah; “go it, Towser!” - -“Is dat your dogue?” shouted the bearward. - -“No, not mine,” answered Noah. “He looks a towser, that’s why I called -him so. Go it, Towser!” - -When the bear made a dash at his tormentor, the dog sprang back, and the -circle that surrounded the area became an ellipse. - -On one of these occasions Kate made an effort to withdraw, but Jan -caught her by the arm and insisted on retaining her. - -“Here comes another!” he said, as a terrier dashed in. “We shall soon -have a proper bear-bait.” - -The Italian woman had stooped and picked up the baton with which the -bear had gone through his drill, and with it she endeavoured to drive -away the dogs. The man swore and kicked with his iron-shod boots at them -when they came near; but if the dogs showed signs of retreat, they were -kicked forward again by the young men in the ring. The owner of Bruin -had lost his temper; he saw that the bystanders were amusing themselves -at his expense, and that the baited beast was getting beyond his -control, being driven wild and desperate by his assailants. - -The yelping of the dogs, the cries of the woman and her husband, the -cheers and laughter of the crowd, formed a combination of noise -frightening to such a girl as Kate. - -The bear, frantic at being unable to reach and maul his tormentors, was -now tearing at his muzzle. The terrier was on his back, snapping, and -the bear rolled over, and with one paw succeeded in forcing the muzzle -aside. - -At that moment a blow was struck behind Kitty’s back at the workbox she -carried, and it was propelled into the arena, where it fell, was broken -open, and its contents were scattered--thimble, scissors, reels of black -and white cotton, pins and pincushion. - -“Who did that? By George, it was you, Noah!” shouted Jan, who happened -to have turned at the moment and saw the movement of Noah’s fist. - -Kate asked no questions as to who had done her this wrong. With a cry of -dismay, regardless of danger, concerned only for her precious workbox -and its contents, she darted forward to pick up what was strewn about. -For the moment she forgot the presence of the bear and the dogs, and, -stooping, began to collect what she could, regardless of the cries of -the bystanders. Bruin had at the same time wrenched himself free from -his guardians, and had fallen upon one of the dogs, which howled, and -bit, and writhed, and rolled over at Kate’s feet. - -Jan Pooke, enraged at the cowardly act of Noah, without looking towards -Kate, without a thought that she was in danger, struck Flood full in the -face with his clenched fist, and Noah, stung by the blow, and already -jealous of Pooke, retaliated. - -Immediately the ring that had been formed about the bear and dogs -dissolved, and re-formed itself into a figure eight about the several -contending parties--some clustering round the bear and dogs, others -about the two burly young men, whose fight promised to give greater -entertainment than that in the other circle. - -Kate was suddenly grasped by a firm hand and drawn away out of danger. -She looked up, and saw that she was held by Walter Bramber. - -“Oh, my workbox!” - -“Never mind your workbox. You were exposed to great risk.” - -He drew her through the throng. - -“Oh, Mr. Bramber, look! look! There is Jan fighting with Noah. It is all -because of the workbox. Do go and separate them.” - -“Not till I have brought you to your father. You cannot be safely -trusted in such a crowd,--at least, not with such reckless and -quarrelsome fellows as Pooke and the other.” - -“Yes,” said Kate, the tears running down her cheeks, “take me to my -father. I wish I had not come here; but indeed--indeed--this is no fault -of mine.” - -“No; of that I am very sure. You are inexperienced, that is all. There -come the constables; they will separate the combatants. Be no further -concerned for them. I will not now leave you till you are safe out of -the fair.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - INSURED - - -Pasco Pepperill had taken the schoolmaster with him through the -market-place. He was greeted on all sides by acquaintances and would-be -dealers. Pasco’s strut became more consequential as he returned the -salutations, and he looked out of the corners of his eyes at his -companion, to see what impression was made on him by the deference with -which he was received. - -“I bought wool--two hundred pounds’ worth--of that man. Coaker is his -name,” said Pasco, indicating a moor farmer jogging in on his cob. “I -bought last Friday. Do you see Ezra Bornagin? There, sneaking behind his -missus. He’s had coals of me all the winter, on tick. Hasn’t paid a -penny, and I’m in doubts whether I shall see the colour of my money. But -I’m not one to be crushed by a few bad debts.” Presently, “There’s the -landlady of the ‘Crown,’ at Newton. She knows where to get good spirits -at a moderate figure--that hasn’t paid duty--tobacco also. Coombe -Cellars is a fine place for a trade in such goods.” - -“How d’ y’ do, Pepperill?” said a bluff farmer, coming up and extending -an immense red hand. “Come here to buy or to sell to-day?” - -“Both,” answered Pasco. “It doesn’t do to let money lie idle.” - -“Ah! if a chap has got money--but when he hasn’t, that’s another matter. -I want to sell.” - -“What?” - -“Hides; will you buy? Had bad luck with my beasts.” - -“Don’t know; I’ll see.” - -“It’s terrible bad times,” said the big man. - -“I suppose it is--for some folks,” answered Pepperill. - -“I say, I hear you’ve got the ‘Swing’ on again down your way.” - -“Not quite that, I hope. There has been an incendiary fire, but it was -the work of one man, not of a gang. I reckon the ‘Swing’ conspiracy was -done with in ’30.” - -“Don’t be too sure. One fire has a fatal knack o’ kindling others, -’specially if the fellow gets off who did the job.” - -“He has escaped,” said Pasco; “but we know pretty well who did the -mischief. It was one Roger Redmore. He’d been turned off for imperence -to his master, and drink, and that’s how he revenged himself. I wish -he’d been caught. A fellow who sets fire a-purpose to rick or barn or -house, if I had my way, would be hung without mercy. No transportation; -that’s too mild. Swing, I say, at a rope’s end, and so put an end to all -incendiarism.” - -“I reckon you’re about right,” said the farmer. “If there comes another -fire, I shall get insured. The fellow is at large.” - -“Ay, but he won’t do any further mischief of this sort. It was a bit o’ -personal revenge, nothing more; not like them old combinations.” - -“Well, but who is safe? If I say a word to one of my men that he doesn’t -like, he may serve me as Redmore has served Pooke.” - -“That’s true,” said Pepperill. “More’s the reason that Roger should be -made an example of. If I see’d him I’d shoot him down as I would a wild -beast, or hang him, as I might a lamb-worrying dog, with my own -hands--that I would!” - -“I know, of those rascals who were sentenced to be hung in ’30, more -than half got off with transportation; and of them as was transported, -most got let off with six or seven years--more’s the pity.” - -“We’re too merciful--that’s our fault,” said Pasco. “Show no pity to the -offender,--chief of all, to the incendiary,--and such crimes will soon -be put a stop to. We encourage criminals by our over-gentleness.” - -“Well, I hope this firing o’ stacks won’t spread; but it’s like scarlet -fever. What business are you on to-day?” - -“I’ve bought the oaks at Brimpts,” said Pepperill. - -“So I’ve heard.” - -“And I’ve a mind to dispose of the bark.” - -“Then here’s your man--Hamley the tanner.” - -The man alluded to came up--a tall, handsome fellow, with a cheery face. - -“Mr. Hamley,” said Pasco, “you’re the chap I want. I shall have tons o’ -bark to sell shortly.” - -“Well, Mr. Pepperill, I’m always ready for bark, if the figure suits. -Tan is my trade, you know.” - -“I shall have stuff the like of which you have not had the chance of -buying, I’ll be bound. I’ve bought the oaks of Brimpts.” - -“What, at Dart-meet?” - -“Yes; bought the lot. The timber is three hundred years old; hard as -iron. And conceive what the bark must be when the timber is so good.” - -“I doubt if we shall come to terms over that.” - -“Why not? You won’t have another chance. What will you give me a ton?” - -“Is the bark running now? It is full early. The sap don’t begin to rise -so soon as this,--leastways, not in timber trees,--and the moor is -always three weeks or a month behind the Hams.” - -“The bark will be all right, if you will buy. What is the market price?” - -“Best bark has been up to seven guineas, but it’s not that now. Five -guineas is an outside price for thirty-year-old coppice.” - -“But Brimpts is not coppice--far from it.” - -“I know, and the value will be according. Sapling, of some forty years, -comes second, at four guineas; then last quality is timber-bark, if not -too old, say three pound ten.” - -“Three pound ten?” echoed Pepperill. “A pretty price, indeed. You do not -understand. Brimpts oaks must be three hundred years old, and so worth -seven guineas a ton.” - -“I won’t give three guineas for this bark. Take off a pound for every -hundred years. If I take it, I don’t mind two guineas.” - -“Two guineas? that’s not worth having. The bark is first-rate--must be, -it is so tremendous old.” - -“That is just what spoils it. We get the tan-juice from the under rind. -We don’t want the crust, or outer bark; that is so much waste. Young -coppice is the best for our purpose, and worth more for tanning than -thrice the value of your old timber. I’ll give you two guineas; not a -penny more. And let me tell you, you’ll have some difficulty in barking -the old trees. The sap is a wonderful ticklish thing to run in them; -it’s like the circulating of blood in old men.” - -“Two guineas! I won’t look at ’em,” said Pepperill, and passed on. He -was angry and disappointed. He had reckoned on making a good price out -of the bark. This meeting with Mr. Hamley would have a bad effect on the -schoolmaster. Pepperill turned to him and said, “He’s a cunning file. He -knows the Brimpts bark is worth seven guineas at least, but he’s trying -to drive a bargain. He’ll come round in time, and be glad to buy at my -price.” - -“Halloo!” - -Pepperill was clapped on the back, and, turning, saw his brother-in-law. - -“Pasco, old boy,” said Jason, “is it true you bought his two years’ -stock of fleeces off Coaker?” - -“Yes, I did.” - -“More fool you. What did you pay?” - -“Thirteenpence.” - -“Done you are. Have you not heard that wool has dropped to tenpence?” - -“Jason! it is not true?” - -“It is. There have come in several cargoes of Australian wool, finer -than ours; and behind, they say, is simply any amount--mountains of -wool. This comes of your not reading the papers. Coaker knew it, and -that made him so eager to sell. I hear we shall have a further drop. You -are done, old boy, in that speculation. Why did you not consult me? Have -you paid Coaker?” - -“I gave him fifty pounds, and a bill at two months.” - -“Try what you can do with the Sloggitts. They may want to buy, but don’t -reckon on making more than tenpence. Lucky if you get that. I dare swear -they will offer no more than ninepence.” - -Pepperill’s face became white, but he quickly rallied, and said to -Bramber, “That is Quarm all over; he loves a joke, and he thought to -frighten me. I’ll go at once to Sloggitt; I know where to find him. He -has a mill at Buckfastleigh.” - -He caught the schoolmaster’s arm, and drew him along with him. He had -not gone many steps before a stranger addressed him-- - -“Mr. Pepperill, I believe?” - -“Certainly.” - -“You were pointed out to me. You have done some business with us--the -wood at Brimpts. I am the agent of the bank. I think we oughtn’t to have -come to so hasty a conclusion. The fact is, we hadn’t any idea there was -so much forest timber there. But as it is, of course, it can’t be -helped; only bank rules, you understand, must be observed.” - -“And what are they?” - -“Well--it is all the same, whether we were dealing with the Duke of -Bedford or with you. Rules are rules, you know.” - -“Of course rules are rules. But what are your rules?” - -“I’m only an underling; I don’t make rules. It is my duty to see they -are carried out. You comprehend?” - -“To be sure; and what are those rules?” - -“Well, you are aware in the bank we always expect payment before -delivery. There is the agreement. Mr. Quarm saw our head clerk, and it -is all settled. I just came along over the moor to Ashburton Fair, and -had a look at Brimpts on my way. They sent me, you know, to see that all -is square, and all that sort of thing. I have nothing more to do than -just see that you comprehend the rules.” - -“What am I to do?” asked Pepperill sharply. - -“Well, well; it is just this. We don’t allow any timber--nothing--to be -removed till full payment has been made, and I see you have already -begun felling.” - -“Yes; I suppose my brother-in-law has begun to cut.” - -“You know, that’s all right and proper; but rules are rules, and I’m not -my own master. I don’t make regulations; I am held to seeing them -carried out. There’s a matter of a couple of hundred pounds you’ll have -to pay into the bank before a stick is disposed of, or a ton of bark -removed.” - -“And when do you demand the money? Will not a bill do?” - -“Rules, you see, are rules! they ain’t india-rubber, that you can pull -about to accommodate as is desired. I daresay you want to get the timber -removed as quickly as you can, but, hang it! rules are rules, and you -can’t till the money is paid in cash. Personally I love bills, but the -bank don’t, that’s a fact. I suppose you, or Mr. Quarm, will be over -next week at the bank, and pay up. Then we’ve nothing to say but clear -away the timber and the bark as you can.” - -When Pepperill had shaken off the agent of the bank, he turned to -Bramber, and said, “Did you catch his admission? He said that the bank -had made a mistake in letting us have Brimpts wood so cheap. Actually it -sold without ever having seen. Of course I shall pay up; and if I don’t -pocket a thousand pounds out of the transaction, call me a fool.” - -A moment later he was touched on the arm, and saw the landlady of the -Crown, Mrs. Fry. She made him a sign, and whispered, “Take care; the -revenue officers have smelt something. Have you a stock by you?” - -Pepperill nodded. - -“That’s bad. Get rid of it as quick as you can, lest they pay you a -visit. I’ve had a hint.” - -“Thanks,” said Pasco, looking uncomfortable. - -His visit to Messrs. Sloggitt was more discouraging than he had been led -to expect. Mr. James Sloggitt, who was in Ashburton, told him bluntly -that the firm was indisposed to buy wool at any price. The importations -from Australia had disturbed the market, and there was no knowing to -what extent wool might fall. They would buy nothing till they had -received advice as to how much more foreign wool was coming in. - -“That won’t touch me,” said Pasco. “Down it goes in a panic, and up it -will swing in a month or two, and then I shall sell. Come with me to the -Red Lion, and have a glass of ale.” - -“Thank you,” said Bramber; “if you will excuse me, I should wish to go -into the fair.” - -“There is time enough,” answered Pepperill; “I shall not let you go yet. -What! Jason--here again?” - -Quarm limped up, and planted himself in front of him. - -“I have hardly had a word with you yet, Pasco. How is my sister--and how -is Kitty?” - -“Both pretty middling. Kate is here--in the fair. I left her with Jan -Pooke and his party. Something may come of this, Zerah thinks. Jan has -been mightily attentive since they were together in the boat.” - -“Pasco,” said Jason, “that fellow, Roger Redmore, is abroad still.” - -“Yes; he has not been caught.” - -“If I was you, I would insure.” - -“Pshaw! I’m not afraid of fire.” - -“There is no telling. You keep such a stock of all kinds of goods in -your place--coals, spirits, wool, hides--and now you are likely to have -bark in. Take my advice and insure, in case of accident.” - -“It is throwing good money away.” - -“Not a bit. If Pooke had insured, he would not now be the loser to the -tune of fifty pounds.” - -“Well; I don’t mind; but if I insure, it shall be for a round sum.” - -“Two or three hundred?” - -“Bah! A thousand.” - -“A thousand?” - -“Why not? My stores are worth it.” - -“Are they? Stores, and house as well?” - -“No, stores alone. I’ll consider about the house.” - -“A thousand pounds! You don’t mean it, Pasco?” - -“Ay. I’ll insure for one thousand two hundred. I shall have all Coaker’s -wool in, and the Brimpts tan which Hamley won’t buy; and I shall be -having coals in during summer when price is down, to sell in winter when -prices are up. Twelve hundred, Jason; not a penny under.” - -“Come on, then, to the office, and have your policy drawn.” - -“We do business in a large way,” said Pepperill, turning to Bramber. -“Twelve hundred would not cover my loss, were that scoundrel Redmore to -set fire to my stores. Now I will let you go; may you enjoy yourself. -Come, Jason--twelve hundred!” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - BRAZIL NUTS - - -The constables, always on the alert for some breach of the law during -the fair, had come down on the combatants, arrested them, and conveyed -them to the courthouse. - -On fair-days a magistrate was ever at hand to dispose of such cases as -might arise, disputes over engagements, quarrels, petty thefts, etc. - -Mr. Caunter, the justice who lived in the town, and who had undertaken -not to absent himself that day, was summoned. Another joined him. - -The two young men presented a somewhat battered and deplorable -condition. Noah, bruised in the face, had his eye darkened and swelling; -but Jan showed the most damaged appearance, as his head had been cut, -and the blood had flowed over his forehead and stained his cheek. -Something had been done to wash his face and to staunch the flow, but -this had been only partially successful. - -The court-house was crowded. Friends and acquaintances had deserted the -bear, that they might see the end of the brawl between the lusty young -men, and to exhibit their sympathy and give evidence in their favour if -required. - -After the constables had recorded their evidence, the magistrate called -on John Pooke to say what he had to state in answer to the charge. It -was a case of affray, and of common assault if one of the parties chose -to complain. - -“You seem to be the one most damaged,” said the justice. “What is your -name?” - -“John Pooke.” - -“Where from?” - -“Coombe-in-Teignhead, sir.” - -“I think I have heard your name. Your father is a most respectable -yeoman, I believe.” - -“Yes, sir, and woundy fat.” - -“Never mind about his obesity. With so respectable a parent, in such a -position, it is very discreditable that you should be brought up before -me as taking a principal part in a vulgar brawl.” - -“Brawl, sir? where?” - -“Here in Ashburton, in the market-place, according to the account of the -constables, you were principal in an affray, and an affray--according to -Lord Coke--is a public offence to the terror of the king’s subjects, so -called because it affrighteth and maketh men afraid.” - -“I, sir? Whom did I affright and make afraid?” - -“The public, before whom you were fighting.” - -“Lor, bless you, sir! they loved it. It was better sport than a little -dog snapping at a mangy bear.” - -“Never mind whether they liked it or not; it was an affray and an -assault. Now tell me your version of the circumstances.” - -“What circumstances?” - -“The brawl. Did you not hear what the constables said?” - -“Oh, that little tittery matter! We was looking at a bear and a dog.” - -“Well--proceed” - -“The dog didn’t understand how to get hold of the bear; he thought he -was wus’ than he was, and the bear could do nothing till he had his -muzzle off. Then up came a little terrier. My word! he was a daring -little dowse of a dog.” - -“I want to hear nothing about the dogs and the bear, but about -yourselves. What was the occasion of your quarrel with your adversary?” - -“Adversary?” - -“Yes; the other--Noah Flood, I believe he is called. You see he has a -swollen eye, and his face is puffed and bruised. I presume you admit you -hit this man Flood?” - -“What!--Noah?” - -“Yes, Noah.” - -“Was that him you called my adversary?” - -“Yes; you were fighting him, so the constable says.” - -“Bless y’! Noah is a right-down good fellow, and a chum o’ mine. He’s no -adversary.” - -“Anyhow, you banged him about, assaulted him, and did him grievous -bodily harm.” - -“Who--I?” - -“Yes, you.” - -“Lawk, sir! Noah and I was at school together with Mr. Puddicombe. That -was before his little misfortune, sir, when he lost the school because -of cock-fighting. Father never approved of his being turned out, nor did -I--nor Noah neither. We got on famous wi’ Puddicombe; didn’t us, Noah?” - -“I want to hear nothing about your school reminiscences,” said the -magistrate sharply. “Moreover, you will please to confine your -observations to the Bench, and not address questions to your fellow -under arrest.” - -“Thank you, sir. What is that?” This last to the constable. “I beg your -pardon, the constable tells me I ought to say ‘your worship,’ and so I -does. Noah and I was in the same class; we left the school together, and -the very last thing we learned was, ‘Vital spark of heavenly flame’; -wasn’t it, Noah?” - -Noah assented. - -“I do not care what the course of instruction was in the school,” -protested Mr. Caunter. “To the point, if you please, and remember, -address yourself to the Bench. There was some sort of affray between you -and Flood. The constables separated you. What led to this?” - -“I believe there was some tittery bit of a thing. I titched Noah, and -Noah titched me, and my hat falled off. You see, your worship, I’d -pomatumed my hair this morning, and so my hat didn’t sit easy. My head -was all slithery like, and a little titch, and away went my hat.” - -“Here is the hat, your worship,” said a constable, producing and placing -on the table a battered and trampled piece of headgear. - -“Is that your hat, John Pooke?” - -“I reckon it may ha’ been. But her’s got terrible knocked about. It wor -a mussy that I hadn’t on my new hat I got at Exeter--that would ha’ been -a pity. I bought she for sister’s Sue’s wedding. Sister Sue be a-going -to be married after Easter, your worship.” - -“I don’t want to hear about sister Sue. So Noah Flood knocked your hat -off, and that occasioned”-- - -“I beg your pardon, sir, I never said that. I said my head was that -slithery wi’ pomatum the hat falled off, and then folks trod on it.” - -“Come, this is trifling with the Bench, and with the majesty of the law. -The people may have trampled on your hat, but not on your head, which is -cut about and battered almost as much as the hat.” - -“No, sir, I don’t fancy nobody trod on my head.” - -“How comes it about that you are so cut and bruised? I see you have had -your wounds plastered.” - -“Yes, your worship. The surgeon, he sewed up the wust place.” - -“And your dear good friend and chum, and school companion, and comrade -in learning ‘Vital spark of heavenly flame,’ did that, I presume?” - -“No, sir, it was the surgeon did it.” - -“What, cut your head open?” - -“No, sir; sewed it up.” - -“Then who cut your head open?” - -“Nobody, sir.” - -“Someone must have done it. This evasion only makes the case worse.” - -“Nobody did it at all. It was the Brazil nuts.” - -“Brazil nuts?” exclaimed the magistrate in astonishment. “I do not -understand you.” - -“Well, your worship, they’re terrible hard, and have got three corners. -Noah! hand over some of them nuts to his honour. Just you try your teeth -on ’em, Mr. Caunter. You can’t do it. It was the Brazil nuts as cut my -head. Not that it matters much. My head be nicely sewed up again, and -right as ever it was.” - -“Explain the circumstances to the Bench, and no meandering, if you -please.” - -“Well, that’s easy done, your worship. Noah, he’d bought thickey nuts at -a stall. What did you give for ’em, Noah?” - -“Tu’pence,” said Flood solemnly. - -“Hish! hish!” from the nearest constable. - -“Twopence he paid, your worship, and then he wanted to crack ’em and -couldn’t do it. He couldn’t wi’ his teeth, nor in his fist. If your -worship will be pleased to try on the desk, you’ll find how hard the -nuts be.” - -“Go on, and to the point.” - -“You see, Rose, she’s got a wonderful fancy for nuts”-- - -“Who may Rose be?” - -“Her’s the beautifullest maid in Coombe-in-Teignhead--red cheeks as she -ought to have, being called Rose; and as for twinkling eyes”-- - -“Never mind a description; what is the other name?” - -“Rose Ash. She is here, sir, looking on and blushing.” - -“We’ll call her presently. Proceed with your story.” - -“Rose, she wanted Noah to crack the nuts, and he hadn’t a hammer, nor a -stone, so”-- - -“He broke them on your head?” - -“No, sir, he broke my head with the nuts.” - -“Oh, that is the rights of the story, is it? You objected, and a fight -ensued?” - -“He’d undertaken to crack the nuts for Rose, sir.” Then, turning to -Flood, “That’s about it, ain’t it, Noah? Shake hands; we’re old -friends.” - -“I agrees with everything as my friend Jan Pooke said. He puts it -beautiful,” said Flood. - -“Step aside, John Pooke,” said the magistrate; “we will now hear what -the other fellow has to say.” - -Nothing, however, was to be extracted from Flood but that he agreed with -Jan, and Jan could speak better than he. He referred himself to Jan. Jan -knew all about it, and he himself was so bewildered that he could not -remember much, but as Jan spoke, all came out clear. As to the Brazil -nuts, he had them in his hand, and it was true he “had knocked Jan on -the head wi’ ’em. If the gentleman would overlook it this time, he hoped -no offence; but he’d buy no more Brazil nuts--never as long as he -lived.” - -“Call Rose Ash!” said the justice. “Perhaps she can throw some light on -this matter.” - -Rose was in court, and was soon in the witness-box, looking very pretty, -and very conscious that the eyes of every one in the place were on her. -She kissed the New Testament with a glance round of her twinkling eyes -that said as plain as words, “Would not every young fellow in this room -like to be in the place of the book?” - -“It was all the fault of Kitty Alone,” said Rose. “We were in peace and -comfort till she came meddling and setting one against another; just -like her--the minx!” - -“And who, if you please, is Kitty Alone?” - -“Kitty Quarm. There never would have been any unpleasantness unless she -had poked her nose in. Me and Jan Pooke drove to the fair, and then up -comes Kitty and will interfere and be disagreeable.” - -“Constable, send for Catherine Quarm,” ordered the magistrate. “I -presume she is not far off. Go on, Miss Ash, and tell us precisely the -cause of the quarrel.” - -“That is more than I can undertake to do. All I know is that Kitty was -at the bottom of it.” - -“How do you know that?” - -“Every one who knows Kitty knows that she is a mischief-maker. Nasty, -meddlesome toad!” - -“Rose, this is spite, and nothing more,” exclaimed Jan. - -“Silence!” ordered the magistrate. “The witness is not to be interfered -with.” - -“Please, your worship, I won’t have her slandering an innocent girl just -because I gave her a workbox as a fairing.” - -The justice endeavoured, but in vain, to get a connected story out of -Rose. That Kitty was at the bottom of the fight, guilty of setting the -young men boxing and belabouring each other: that was the burden of her -evidence. - -“A word with John Pooke,” said the justice, “whilst we are waiting for -the other witness.” - -Jan was put into the dock again. - -“Is it your intention to summons Flood for assault?” - -“What--Noah?” - -“Yes, on account of your head being cut open.” - -“My head is sewn up.” - -“But you have suffered loss of blood.” - -“The nuts did that, not Noah.” - -“Then you forgive him?” - -“Whom?” - -“Noah Flood.” - -“There is nothing to forgive. The nuts were terrible hard. He’ll never -buy any more.” - -Kate Quarm was now brought into court, and placed in the witness-box. -She was bidden to give a succinct account of the quarrel. - -“I was standing looking at the bear,” she said, “and someone knocked my -workbox from under my arm. I do not know who did it, there was such a -crowd, and all were in motion because the bear had got free of his chain -and muzzle. Then I ran to pick up what was fallen, and when next I -looked about me, Jan Pooke and Noah Flood were fighting.” - -“What made them fight?” - -“I do not know, sir. Perhaps Jan thought Noah had knocked my workbox -from under my arm. But I cannot tell. I had gone after my scattered -things, and then I was drawn away to be taken to my father.” - -“You did not hear Pooke say anything to Flood, or _vice versâ_, about -cracking nuts?” - -“Not then, sir; a little before, Rose had asked to have the Brazil nuts -cracked, and Noah had promised to crack them when the opportunity came.” - -“I told you so, your worship,” threw in Pooke. - -“Well,” said the magistrate, “this girl Kate Quarm is the only one among -you who seems to have her wits about her, and can tell a simple tale in -an intelligent way. As for you, John Pooke, and you, Noah Flood, I shall -bind you over to keep the peace, and dismiss you with a caution.” - -END OF VOL. I. - -MORRISON AND GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH. - - A LIST OF NEW BOOKS - AND ANNOUNCEMENTS OF - METHUEN AND COMPANY - PUBLISHERS: LONDON - 36 ESSEX STREET - W.C. - - - - - CONTENTS - - PAGE - - FORTHCOMING BOOKS, 2 - - POETRY, 13 - - GENERAL LITERATURE, 15 - - THEOLOGY, 17 - - LEADERS OF RELIGION, 18 - - WORKS BY S. BARING GOULD, 19 - - FICTION, 21 - - NOVEL SERIES, 24 - - BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, 25 - - THE PEACOCK LIBRARY, 26 - - UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERIES, 26 - - SOCIAL QUESTIONS OF TO-DAY, 28 - - CLASSICAL TRANSLATIONS, 29 - - COMMERCIAL SERIES, 29 - - WORKS BY A. M. M. STEDMAN, M.A., 30 - - SCHOOL EXAMINATION SERIES, 32 - - PRIMARY CLASSICS, 32 - - - - -OCTOBER 1894 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - October 1894. - - - MESSRS. METHUEN’S - - ANNOUNCEMENTS - - ---------- - - Poetry - - [_May_ 1895. - =Rudyard Kipling.= BALLADS. By RUDYARD KIPLING. - _Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s_ - - The announcement of a new volume of poetry from Mr. Kipling will - excite wide interest. The exceptional success of ‘Barrack-Room - Ballads,’ with which this volume will be uniform, justifies the hope - that the new book too will obtain a wide popularity. - -=Henley.= ENGLISH LYRICS. Selected and Edited by W. E. HENLEY. _Crown - 8vo. Buckram. 6s._ - - Also 30 copies on hand-made paper _Demy 8vo. £1, 1s._ - Also 15 copies on Japanese paper. _Demy 8vo. £2, 2s._ - - Few announcements will be more welcome to lovers of English verse than - the one that Mr. Henley is bringing together into one book the - finest lyrics in our language. Robust and original the book will - certainly be, and it will be produced with the same care that made - ‘Lyra Heroica’ delightful to the hand and eye. - -=“Q”= THE GOLDEN POMP: A Procession of English Lyrics from Surrey to - Shirley, arranged by A. T. QUILLER COUCH. _Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s._ - - Also 40 copies on hand-made paper. _Demy 8vo. £1, 1s._ - Also 15 copies on Japanese paper. _Demy 8vo. £2, 2s._ - - Mr. Quiller Couch’s taste and sympathy mark him out as a born - anthologist, and out of the wealth of Elizabethan poetry he has made - a book of great attraction. - -=Beeching.= LYRA SACRA: An Anthology of Sacred Verse. Edited by H. C. - BEECHING, M.A. _Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s._ - - Also 25 copies on hand-made paper. _21s._ - - This book will appeal to a wide public. Few languages are richer in - serious verse than the English, and the Editor has had some - difficulty in confining his material within his limits. - -=Yeats.= AN ANTHOLOGY OF IRISH VERSE. Edited by W. B. YEATS. _Crown 8vo. - 3s. 6d._ - - - Illustrated Books - -=Baring Gould.= A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES retold by S. BARING GOULD. With - numerous illustrations and initial letters by ARTHUR J. GASKIN. - _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - Also 75 copies on hand-made paper. _Demy 8vo._ £1, 1_s._ - Also 20 copies on Japanese paper. _Demy 8vo._ £2, 2_s._ - - Few living writers have been more loving students of fairy and folk - lore than Mr. Baring Gould, who in this book returns to the field in - which he won his spurs. This volume consists of the old stories - which have been dear to generations of children, and they are fully - illustrated by Mr. Gaskin, whose exquisite designs for Andersen’s - Tales won him last year an enviable reputation. - -=Baring Gould.= A BOOK OF NURSERY SONGS AND RHYMES. Edited by S. BARING - GOULD, and illustrated by the Students of the Birmingham Art School. - _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - Also 50 copies on hand-made paper. _4to. 21s._ - - A collection of old nursery songs and rhymes, including a number which - are little known. The book contains some charming illustrations by - the Birmingham students under the superintendence of Mr. Gaskin, and - Mr. Baring Gould has added numerous notes. - -=Beeching.= A BOOK OF CHRISTMAS VERSE. Edited by H. C. BEECHING, M.A., - and Illustrated by WALTER CRANE. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - Also 75 copies on hand-made paper. _Demy 8vo._ £1, 1_s._ - Also 20 copies on Japanese paper. _Demy 8vo._ £2, 2_s._ - - A collection of the best verse inspired by the birth of Christ from - the Middle Ages to the present day. Mr. Walter Crane has designed - some beautiful illustrations. A distinction of the book is the large - number of poems it contains by modern authors, a few of which are - here printed for the first time.. - -=Jane Barlow.= THE BATTLE OF THE FROGS AND MICE, translated by JANE - BARLOW, Author of ‘Irish Idylls’ and pictured by F. D. BEDFORD. - _Small 4to. 6s. net._ - - Also 50 copies on hand-made paper. _4to. 21s. net._ - - This is a new version of a famous old fable. Miss Barlow, whose - brilliant volume of ‘Irish Idylls’ has gained her a wide reputation, - has told the story in spirited flowing verse, and Mr. Bedford’s - numerous illustrations and ornaments are as spirited as the verse - they picture. The book will be one of the most beautiful and - original books possible. - - - =Devotional Books= - _With full-page Illustrations._ - -THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By THOMAS À KEMPIS. With an Introduction by - ARCHDEACON FARRAR. Illustrated by C. M. GERE. _Fcap. 8vo. 5s._ - - Also 50 copies on hand-made paper. 15_s._ - -THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. By JOHN KEBLE. With an Introduction and Notes by W. - LOCK, M.A., Sub-Warden of Keble College, Author of ‘The Life of John - Keble,’ Illustrated by R. ANNING BELL. _Fcap. 8vo. 5s._ - - Also 50 copies on hand-made paper. 15_s._ - - These two volumes will be charming editions of two famous books, - finely illustrated and printed in black and red. The scholarly - introductions will give them an added value, and they will be - beautiful to the eye, and of convenient size. - - - General Literature - -=Gibbon.= THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. By EDWARD GIBBON. A - New Edition, edited with Notes and Appendices and Maps by J. B. - BURY, M.A., Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin. _In seven volumes. - Crown 8vo._ - - The time seems to have arrived for a new edition of Gibbon’s great - work--furnished with such notes and appendices as may bring it up to - the standard of recent historical research. Edited by a scholar who - has made this period his special study, and issued in a convenient - form and at a moderate price, this edition should fill an obvious - void. - -=Flinders Petrie.= A HISTORY OF EGYPT, FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE - HYKSOS. By W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE, D.C.L., Professor of Egyptology at - University College. _Fully Illustrated. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - This volume is the first of an illustrated History of Egypt in six - volumes, intended both for students and for general reading and - reference, and will present a complete record of what is now known, - both of dated monuments and of events, from the prehistoric age down - to modern times. For the earlier periods every trace of the various - kings will be noticed, and all historical questions will be fully - discussed. The volumes will cover the following periods;-- - - I. Prehistoric to Hyksos times. By Prof. Flinders Petrie. II. - xviiith to xxth Dynasties. III. xxist to xxxth Dynasties. IV. - The Ptolemaic Rule. V. The Roman Rule. VI. The Muhammedan Rule. - - The volumes will be issued separately. The first will be ready in - the autumn, the Muhammedan volume early next year, and others at - intervals of half a year. - -=Flinders Petrie.= EGYPTIAN DECORATIVE ART. By W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE, - D.C.L. With 120 Illustrations. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ A book which - deals with a subject which has never yet been seriously treated. - -=Flinders Petrie.= EGYPTIAN TALES. Edited by W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE. - Illustrated by TRISTRAM ELLIS. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - A selection of the ancient tales of Egypt, edited from original - sources, and of great importance as illustrating the life and - society of ancient Egypt. - -=Southey.= ENGLISH SEAMEN (Howard, Clifford, Hawkins, Drake, Cavendish). - By ROBERT SOUTHEY. Edited, with an Introduction, by DAVID HANNAY. - _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - This is a reprint of some excellent biographies of Elizabethan seamen, - written by Southey and never republished. They are practically - unknown, and they deserve, and will probably obtain, a wide - popularity. - -=Waldstein.= JOHN RUSKIN: a Study. By CHARLES WALDSTEIN, M.A., Fellow of - King’s College, Cambridge. With a Photogravure Portrait after - Professor HERKOMER. _Post 8vo. 5s._ - - Also 25 copies on Japanese paper. _Demy 8vo._ 21_s._ - - This is a frank and fair appreciation of Mr. Ruskin’s work and - influence--literary and social--by an able critic, who has enough - admiration to make him sympathetic, and enough discernment to make - him impartial. - -=Henley and Whibley.= A BOOK OF ENGLISH PROSE. Collected by W. E. HENLEY - and CHARLES WHIBLEY. _Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - Also 40 copies on Dutch paper. 21_s._ _net._ - Also 15 copies on Japanese paper. 42_s._ _net._ - - A companion book to Mr. Henley’s well-known ‘Lyra Heroica.’ It is - believed that no such collection of splendid prose has ever been - brought within the compass of one volume. Each piece, whether - containing a character-sketch or incident, is complete in itself. - The book will be finely printed and bound. - -=Robbins.= THE EARLY LIFE OF WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE. By A. F. ROBBINS. - _With Portraits. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A full account of the early part of Mr. Gladstone’s extraordinary - career, based on much research, and containing a good deal of new - matter, especially with regard to his school and college days. - -=Baring Gould.= THE DESERTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL FRANCE. By S. BARING GOULD, - With numerous Illustrations by F. D. BEDFORD, S. HUTTON, etc. _2 - vols. Demy 8vo. 32s._ - - This book is the first serious attempt to describe the great barren - tableland that extends to the south of Limousin in the Department of - Aveyron, Lot, etc., a country of dolomite cliffs, and canons, and - subterranean rivers. The region is full of prehistoric and historic - interest, relics of cave-dwellers, of mediæval robbers, and of the - English domination and the Hundred Years’ War. The book is lavishly - illustrated. - -=Baring Gould.= A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SONG: English Folk Songs with their - traditional melodies. Collected and arranged by S. BARING GOULD and - H. FLEETWOOD SHEPPARD. _Royal 8vo. 6s._ - - In collecting West of England airs for ‘Songs of the West,’ the - editors came across a number of songs and airs of considerable - merit, which were known throughout England and could not justly be - regarded as belonging to Devon and Cornwall. Some fifty of these are - now given to the world. - -=Oliphant.= THE FRENCH RIVIERA. By Mrs. OLIPHANT and F. R. OLIPHANT. - With Illustrations and Maps. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A volume dealing with the French Riviera from Toulon to Mentone. - Without falling within the guide-book category, the book will supply - some useful practical information, while occupying itself chiefly - with descriptive and historical matter. A special feature will be - the attention directed to those portions of the Riviera, which, - though full of interest and easily accessible from many - well-frequented spots, are generally left unvisited by English - travellers, such as the Maures Mountains and the St. Tropez - district, the country lying between Cannes, Grasse and the Var, and - the magnificent valleys behind Nice. There will be several original - illustrations. - -=George.= BRITISH BATTLES. By H. B. GEORGE, M.A., Fellow of New College, - Oxford. _With numerous Plans. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -This book, by a well-known authority on military history, will be an - important contribution to the literature of the subject. All the great - battles of English history are fully described, connecting chapters - carefully treat of the changes wrought by new discoveries and - developments, and the healthy spirit of patriotism is nowhere absent - from the pages. - -=Shedlock.= THE PIANOFORTE SONATA: Its Origin and Development. By J. S. - SHEDLOCK. _Crown 8vo. 5s._ - - This is a practical and not unduly technical account of the Sonata - treated historically. It contains several novel features, and an - account of various works little known to the English public. - -=Jenks.= ENGLISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT. By E. JENKS, M.A., Professor of Law - at University College, Liverpool. _Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - A short account of Local Government, historical and explanatory, which - will appear very opportunely. - -=Dixon.= A PRIMER OF TENNYSON. By W. M. DIXON, M. A., Professor of - English Literature at Mason College. _Fcap. 8vo. 1s. 6d._ - - This book consists of (1) a succinct but complete biography of Lord - Tennyson; (2) an account of the volumes published by him in - chronological order, dealing with the more important poems - separately; (3) a concise criticism of Tennyson in his various - aspects as lyrist, dramatist, and representative poet of his day; - (4) a bibliography. Such a complete book on such a subject, and at - such a moderate price, should find a host of readers. - -=Oscar Browning.= THE AGE OF THE CONDOTTIERI: A Short History of Italy - from 1409 to 1530. By OSCAR BROWNING, M.A., Fellow of King’s - College, Cambridge. _Crown 8vo. 5s._ - - This book is a continuation of Mr. Browning’s ‘Guelphs and - Ghibellines,’ and the two works form a complete account of Italian - history from 1250 to 1530. - -=Layard.= RELIGION IN BOYHOOD. Notes on the Religious Training of Boys. - With a Preface by J. R. ILLINGWORTH. by E. B. LAYARD, M.A. 18_mo._ - 1_s._ - -=Hutton.= THE VACCINATION QUESTION. A Letter to the Right Hon. H. H. - ASQUITH, M.P. by A. W. HUTTON, M.A. _Crown 8vo. 1s._ - - - Leaders of Religion - _NEW VOLUMES_ - _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -LANCELOT ANDREWES, Bishop of Winchester. By R. L. OTTLEY, Principal of - Pusey House, Oxford, and Fellow of Magdalen. _With Portrait._ - -St. AUGUSTINE of Canterbury. By E. L. CUTTS, D.D. _With a Portrait._ - -THOMAS CHALMERS. By Mrs. OLIPHANT. _With a Portrait. Second Edition._ - -JOHN KEBLE. By WALTER LOCK, Sub-Warden of Keble College. _With a - Portrait. Seventh Edition._ - - - English Classics - Edited by W. E. HENLEY. - -Messrs. Methuen propose to publish, under this title, a series of the - masterpieces of the English tongue. - -The ordinary ‘cheap edition’ appears to have served its purpose: the - public has found out the artist-printer, and is now ready for - something better fashioned. This, then, is the moment for the issue of - such a series as, while well within the reach of the average buyer, - shall be at once an ornament to the shelf of him that owns, and a - delight to the eye of him that reads. - -The series, of which Mr. William Ernest Henley is the general editor, - will confine itself to no single period or department of literature. - Poetry, fiction, drama, biography, autobiography, letters, essays--in - all these fields is the material of many goodly volumes. - -The books, which are designed and printed by Messrs. Constable, will be - issued in two editions-- - -(1) A small edition, on the finest Japanese vellum, limited in most - cases to 75 copies, demy 8vo, 21_s._ a volume nett; - -(2) The popular edition on laid paper, crown 8vo, buckram, 3_s._ 6_d._ a - volume. - - The first six numbers are:-- - -THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF TRISTRAM SHANDY. By LAWRENCE STERNE. With an - Introduction by CHARLES WHIBLEY, and a Portrait. 2 _vols._ - -THE WORKS OF WILLIAM CONGREVE. With an Introduction by G. S. STREET, and - a Portrait. 2 _vols._ - -THE LIVES OF DONNE, WOTTON, HOOKER, HERBERT, and SANDERSON. By IZAAK - WALTON. With an Introduction by VERNON BLACKBURN, and a Portrait. - -THE ADVENTURES OF HADJI BABA OF ISPAHAN. By JAMES MORIER. With an - Introduction by E. S. BROWNE, M.A. - -THE POEMS OF ROBERT BURNS. With an Introduction by W. E. HENLEY, and a - Portrait. 2 _vols._ - -THE LIVES OF THE ENGLISH POETS. By SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D. With an - Introduction by JAMES HEPBURN MILLAR, and a Portrait. 3 _vols._ - - - Classical Translations - _NEW VOLUMES_ - _Crown 8vo. Finely printed and bound in blue buckram._ - -LUCIAN--Six Dialogues (Nigrinus, Icaro-Menippus, The Cock, The Ship, The - Parasite, The Lover of Falsehood). Translated by S. T. IRWIN, M.A., - Assistant Master at Clifton; late Scholar of Exeter College, Oxford. - 3_s._ 6_d._ - -SOPHOCLES--Electra and Ajax. Translated by E. D. A. MORSHEAD, M.A., late - Scholar of New College, Oxford; Assistant Master at Winchester. - 2_s._ 6_d._ - -TACITUS--Agricola and Germania. Translated by R. B. TOWNSHEND, late - Scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge. 2_s._ 6_d._ - -CICERO--Select Orations (Pro Milone, Pro Murena, Philippic II., In - Catilinam). Translated by H. E. D. BLAKISTON, M.A., Fellow and Tutor - of Trinity College, Oxford. 5_s._ - - - University Extension Series - _NEW VOLUMES. Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - -THE EARTH. An Introduction to Physiography. By EVAN SMALL, M.A. - _Illustrated._ - -INSECT LIFE. By F. W. THEOBALD, M.A. _Illustrated._ - - - Social Questions of To-day - _NEW VOLUME. Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - -WOMEN’S WORK. By LADY DILKE, MISS BULLEY, and MISS WHITLEY. - - - Cheaper Editions - -=Baring Gould.= THE TRAGEDY OF THE CAESARS: The Emperors of the Julian - and Claudian Lines. With numerous Illustrations from Busts, Gems, - Cameos, etc. By S. BARING GOULD, Author of ‘Mehalah,’ etc. _Third - Edition._ _Royal 8vo._ 15_s._ - - ‘A most splendid and fascinating book on a subject of undying - interest. The great feature of the book is the use the author has - made of the existing portraits of the Caesars, and the admirable - critical subtlety he has exhibited in dealing with this line of - research. It is brilliantly written, and the illustrations are - supplied on a scale of profuse magnificence.’--_Daily Chronicle._ - -=Clark Russell.= THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. By W. CLARK - RUSSELL, Author of ‘The Wreck of the Grosvenor.’ With Illustrations - by F. BRANGWYN. _Second Edition. 8vo. 6s._ - - ‘A most excellent and wholesome book, which we should like to see in - the hands of every boy in the country.’--_St. James’s Gazette._ - - - Fiction - -=Baring Gould.= KITTY ALONE. By S. BARING GOULD, Author of ‘Mehalah,’ - ‘Cheap Jack Zita,’ etc. _3 vols. Crown 8vo._ - - A romance of Devon life. - -=Norris.= MATTHEW AUSTIN. By W. E. NORRIS, Author of ‘Mdle. de Mersai,’ - etc. _3 vols. Crown 8vo._ in 4 A story of English social life by the - well-known author of ‘The Rogue.’ - -=Parker.= THE TRAIL OF THE SWORD. By GILBERT PARKER, Author of ‘Pierre - and his People,’ etc. _2 vols. Crown 8vo._ - - A historical romance dealing with a stirring period in the history of - Canada. - -=Anthony Hope.= THE GOD IN THE CAR. By ANTHONY HOPE, Author of ‘A Change - of Air,’ etc. 2 VOLS. CROWN 8VO. - - A story of modern society by the clever author of ‘The Prisoner of - Zenda.’ - -=Mrs. Watson.= THIS MAN’S DOMINION. By the Author of ‘A High Little - World.’ _2 vols. Crown 8vo._ - - A story of the conflict between love and religious scruple. - -=Conan Doyle.= ROUND THE RED LAMP. By A. CONAN DOYLE, Author of ‘The - White Company,’ ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,’ etc. _Crown - 8vo. 6s._ - - This volume, by the well-known author of ‘The Refugees,’ contains the - experiences of a general practitioner, round whose ‘Red Lamp’ - cluster many dramas--some sordid, some terrible. The author makes an - attempt to draw a few phases of life from the point of view of the - man who lives and works behind the lamp. - -=Barr.= IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS. By ROBERT BARR, Author of ‘From Whose - Bourne,’ etc. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A story of journalism and Fenians, told with much vigour and humour. - -=Benson.= SUBJECT TO VANITY. By MARGARET BENSON. With numerous - Illustrations. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - A volume of humorous and sympathetic sketches of animal life and home - pets. - -=X. L.= AUT DIABOLUS AUT NIHIL, and Other Stories. By X. L. _Crown 8vo. - 3s. 6d._ - - A collection of stories of much weird power. The title story appeared - some years ago in ‘Blackwood’s Magazine,’ and excited considerable - attention. The ‘Spectator’ spoke of it as ‘distinctly original, and - in the highest degree imaginative. The conception, if - self-generated, is almost as lofty as Milton’s.’ - -=Morrison.= LIZERUNT, and other East End Idylls. By ARTHUR MORRISON. - _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A volume of sketches of East End life, some of which have appeared in - the ‘National Observer,’ and have been much praised for their truth - and strength and pathos. - -=O’Grady.= THE COMING OF CURCULAIN. By STANDISH O’GRADY, Author of ‘Finn - and his Companions,’ etc. Illustrated by MURRAY SMITH. _Crown 8vo. - 3s. 6d._ - - The story of the boyhood of one of the legendary heroes of Ireland. - - - New Editions - -=E. F. Benson.= THE RUBICON. By E. F. BENSON, Author of ‘Dodo.’ _Fourth - Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - Mr. Benson’s second novel has been, in its two volume form, almost as - great a success as his first. The ‘Birmingham Post’ says it is - ‘_well written, stimulating, unconventional, and, in a word, - characteristic_’: the ‘National Observer’ congratulates Mr. Benson - upon ‘_an exceptional achievement_,’ and calls the book ‘_a notable - advance on his previous work_.’ - -=Stanley Weyman.= UNDER THE RED ROBE. By STANLEY WEYMAN, Author of ‘A - Gentleman of France.’ With Twelve Illustrations by R. Caton - Woodville. _Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A cheaper edition of a book which won instant popularity. No - unfavourable review occurred, and most critics spoke in terms of - enthusiastic admiration. The ‘Westminster Gazette’ called it ‘_a - book of which we have read every word for the sheer pleasure of - reading, and which we put down with a pang that we cannot forget it - all and start again_.’ The ‘Daily Chronicle’ said that ‘_every one - who reads books at all must read this thrilling romance, from the - first page of which to the last the breathless reader is haled - along_.’ It also called the book ‘_an inspiration of manliness and - courage_.’ The ‘Globe’ called it ‘_a delightful tale of chivalry and - adventure, vivid and dramatic, with a wholesome modesty and - reverence for the highest_.’ - -=Baring Gould.= THE QUEEN OF LOVE. By S. BARING GOULD, Author of ‘Cheap - Jack Zita,’ etc. _Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s._.in 2 - - ‘The scenery is admirable and the dramatic incidents most - striking.’--_Glasgow Herald._ - - ‘Strong, interesting, and clever.’--_Westminster Gazette._ - - ‘You cannot put it down till you have finished it.’--_Punch._ - - ‘Can be heartily recommended to all who care for cleanly, energetic, - and interesting fiction.’--_Sussex Daily News._ - -=Mrs. Oliphant.= THE PRODIGALS. By Mrs. OLIPHANT. _Second Edition. Crown - 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Richard Pryce.= WINIFRED MOUNT. By RICHARD PRYCE. _Second Edition. - Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - The ‘Sussex Daily News’ called this book ‘_a delightful story_’, and - said that the writing was ‘_uniformly bright and graceful_.’ The - ‘Daily Telegraph’ said that the author was a ‘_deft and elegant - story-teller_,’ and that the book was ‘_an extremely clever story, - utterly untainted by pessimism or vulgarity_.’ - -=Constance Smith.= A CUMBERER OF THE GROUND. By CONSTANCE SMITH, Author - of ‘The Repentance of Paul Wentworth,’ etc. _New Edition. Crown 8vo. - 3s. 6d._ - - - School Books - -A VOCABULARY OF LATIN IDIOMS AND PHRASES. By A. M. M. STEDMAN, M.A. - 18_mo._ 1_s._ - -STEPS TO GREEK. By A. M. M. STEDMAN, M.A. 18mo. 1_s._ 6_d._ - -A SHORTER GREEK PRIMER OF ACCIDENCE AND SYNTAX. By A. M. M. STEDMAN, - M.A. _Crown 8vo. 1s. 6d._ - -SELECTIONS FROM THE ODYSSEY. With Introduction and Notes. By E. D. - STONE, M.A., late Assistant Master at Eton. _Fcap. 8vo. 2s._ - -THE ELEMENTS OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. With numerous Illustrations. - By R. G. STEEL, M. A., Head Master of the Technical Schools, - Northampton. _Crown 8vo. 4s. 6d._ - -THE ENGLISH CITIZEN: HIS RIGHTS AND DUTIES. By H. E. MALDEN, M.A. _Crown - 8vo. 1s. 6d._ A simple account of the privileges and duties of the - English citizen. - -INDEX POETARUM LATINORUM. By E. F. BENECKE, M.A. _Crown 8vo. 4s. 6d._ A - concordance to Latin Lyric Poetry. - - - Commercial Series - -A PRIMER OF BUSINESS. By S. JACKSON, M.A. _Crown 8vo. 1s. 6d._ - -COMMERCIAL ARITHMETIC. By F. G. TAYLOR. _Crown 8vo. 1s. 6d._ - - - =New and Recent Books= - - Poetry - -=Rudyard Kipling.= BARRACK-ROOM BALLADS; And Other Verses. By RUDYARD - KIPLING. _Seventh Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A Special Presentation Edition, bound in white buckram, with extra - gilt ornament. 7_s._ 6_d._ - - ‘Mr. Kipling’s verse is strong, vivid, full of character.... - Unmistakable genius rings in every line.’--_Times._ - - ‘The disreputable lingo of Cockayne is henceforth justified before the - world; for a man of genius has taken it in hand, and has shown, - beyond all cavilling, that in its way it also is a medium for - literature. You are grateful, and you say to yourself, half in envy - and half in admiration: “Here is a _book_; here, or one is a - Dutchman, is one of the books of the year.”’--_National Observer._ - - ‘“Barrack-Room Ballads” contains some of the best work that Mr. - Kipling has ever done, which is saying a good deal. “Fuzzy-Wuzzy,” - “Gunga Din,” and “Tommy,” are, in our opinion, altogether superior - to anything of the kind that English literature has hitherto - produced.’--_Athenæum._ - - ‘These ballads are as wonderful in their descriptive power as they are - vigorous in their dramatic force. There are few ballads in the - English language more stirring than “The Ballad of East and West,” - worthy to stand by the Border ballads of Scott.’--_Spectator._ - - ‘The ballads teem with imagination, they palpitate with emotion. We - read them with laughter and tears; the metres throb in our pulses, - the cunningly ordered words tingle with life; and if this be not - poetry, what is?’--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - -=Henley.= LYRA HEROICA: An Anthology selected from the best English - Verse of the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries. By WILLIAM ERNEST - HENLEY, Author of ‘A Book of Verse,’ ‘Views and Reviews,’ etc. - _Crown 8vo. Stamped gilt buckram, gilt top, edges uncut. 6s._ - - ‘Mr. Henley has brought to the task of selection an instinct alike for - poetry and for chivalry which seems to us quite wonderfully, and - even unerringly, right.’--_Guardian._ - -=Tomson.= A SUMMER NIGHT, AND OTHER POEMS. By GRAHAM R. TOMSON. With - Frontispiece by A. TOMSON. _Fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - An edition on hand-made paper, limited to 50 copies. 10_s._ 6_d._ - _net._ - - ‘Mrs. Tomson holds perhaps the very highest rank among poetesses of - English birth. This selection will help her reputation.’--_Black and - White._ - -=Ibsen.= BRAND. A Drama by HENRIK IBSEN. Translated by WILLIAM WILSON. - _Crown 8vo. Second Edition. 3s. 6d._ - - ‘The greatest world-poem of the nineteenth century next to “Faust.” - “Brand” will have an astonishing interest for Englishmen. It is in - the same set with “Agamemnon,” with “Lear,” with the literature that - we now instinctively regard as high and holy.’--_Daily Chronicle._ - -=“Q.”= GREEN BAYS: Verses and Parodies. By “Q.,” Author of ‘Dead Man’s - Rock’ etc. _Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - ‘The verses display a rare and versatile gift of parody, great command - of metre, and a very pretty turn of humour.’--_Times._ - -=“A. G.”= VERSES TO ORDER. By “A. G.” _Cr. 8vo. 2s.6d. net._ - - A small volume of verse by a writer whose initials are well known to - Oxford men. - - ‘A capital specimen of light academic poetry. These verses are very - bright and engaging, easy and sufficiently witty.’--_St. James’s - Gazette._ - -=Hosken.= VERSES BY THE WAY. By J. D. HOSKEN. _Crown 8vo. 5s._ - - A small edition on hand-made paper. _Price 12s. 6d. net._ - - A Volume of Lyrics and Sonnets by J. D. Hosken, the Postman Poet. Q, - the Author of ‘The Splendid Spur,’ writes a critical and - biographical introduction. - -=Gale.= CRICKET SONGS. By NORMAN GALE. _Crown 8vo. Linen. 2s. 6d._ - - Also a limited edition on hand-made paper. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d. net._ - - ‘They are wrung out of the excitement of the moment, and palpitate - with the spirit of the game.’--_Star._ - - ‘As healthy as they are spirited, and ought to have a great - success.’--_Times._ - - ‘Simple, manly, and humorous. Every cricketer should buy the - book.’--_Westminster Gazette._ - - ‘Cricket has never known such a singer.’--_Cricket._ - -=Langbridge.= BALLADS OF THE BRAVE: Poems of Chivalry, Enterprise, - Courage, and Constancy, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. - Edited, with Notes, by Rev. F. LANGBRIDGE. _Crown 8vo. Buckram 3s. - 6d._ School Edition, _2s. 6d._ - - ‘A very happy conception happily carried out. These “Ballads of the - Brave” are intended to suit the real tastes of boys, and will suit - the taste of the great majority.’--_Spectator._ - - ‘The book is full of splendid things.’--_World._ - - - General Literature - -=Collingwood.= JOHN RUSKIN: His Life and Work. By W. G. COLLINGWOOD, - M.A., late Scholar of University College, Oxford, Author of the ‘Art - Teaching of John Ruskin,’ Editor of Mr. Ruskin’s Poems. _2 vols. - 8vo. 32s. Second Edition._ - - This important work is written by Mr. Collingwood, who has been for - some years Mr. Ruskin’s private secretary, and who has had unique - advantages in obtaining materials for this book from Mr. Ruskin - himself and from his friends. It contains a large amount of new - matter, and of letters which have never been published, and is, in - fact, a full and authoritative biography of Mr. Ruskin. The book - contains numerous portraits of Mr. Ruskin, including a coloured one - from a water-colour portrait by himself, and also 13 sketches, never - before published, by Mr. Ruskin and Mr. Arthur Severn. A - bibliography is added. - - ‘No more magnificent volumes have been published for a long - time....’--_Times._ - - ‘This most lovingly written and most profoundly interesting - book.’--_Daily News._ - - ‘It is long since we have had a biography with such varied delights of - substance and of form. Such a book is a pleasure for the day, and a - joy for ever.’--_Daily Chronicle._ - - ‘Mr. Ruskin could not well have been more fortunate in his - biographer.’--_Globe._ - - ‘A noble monument of a noble subject. One of the most beautiful books - about one of the noblest lives of our century.’--_Glasgow Herald._ - -=Gladstone.= THE SPEECHES AND PUBLIC ADDRESSES OF THE RT. HON. W. E. - GLADSTONE, M.P. With Notes and Introductions. Edited by A. W. - HUTTON, M.A. (Librarian of the Gladstone Library), and H. J. COHEN, - M.A. With Portraits. _8vo. Vols. IX. and X. 12s. 6d. each._ - -=Clark Russell.= THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. By W. CLARK - RUSSELL, Author of ‘The Wreck of the Grosvenor.’ With Illustrations - by F. BRANGWYN. _Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - ‘A really good book.’--_Saturday Review._ - - ‘A most excellent and wholesome book, which we should like to see in - the hands of every boy in the country.’--_St. James’s Gazette._ - -=Clark.= THE COLLEGES OF OXFORD: Their History and their Traditions. By - Members of the University. Edited by A. CLARK, M.A., Fellow and - Tutor of Lincoln College. _8vo. 12s. 6d._ - - ‘Whether the reader approaches the book as a patriotic member of a - college, as an antiquary, or as a student of the organic growth of - college foundation, it will amply reward his attention.’--_Times._ - - ‘A delightful book, learned and lively.’--_Academy._ - - ‘A work which will certainly be appealed to for many years as the - standard book on the Colleges of Oxford.’--_Athenæum._ - -=Wells.= OXFORD AND OXFORD LIFE. By Members of the University. Edited by - J. WELLS, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Wadham College. _Crown 8vo. 3s. - 6d._ - - This work contains an account of life at Oxford--intellectual, social, - and religious--a careful estimate of necessary expenses, a review of - recent changes, a statement of the present position of the - University, and chapters on Women’s Education, aids to study, and - University Extension. - - ‘We congratulate Mr. Wells on the production of a readable and - intelligent account of Oxford as it is at the present time, - written by persons who are, with hardly an exception, possessed of - a close acquaintance with the system and life of the - University.’--_Athenæum._ - -=Perrens.= THE HISTORY OF FLORENCE FROM THE TIME OF THE MEDICIS TO THE - FALL OF THE REPUBLIC. By F. T. PERRENS. Translated by HANNAH LYNCH. - _In Three Volumes. Vol. I. 8vo. 12s. 6d._ - - This is a translation from the French of the best history of Florence - in existence. This volume covers a period of profound - interest--political and literary--and is written with great - vivacity. - - ‘This is a standard book by an honest and intelligent historian, who - has deserved well of his countrymen, and of all who are interested - in Italian history.’--_Manchester Guardian._ - -=Browning.= GUELPHS AND GHIBELLINES: A Short History of Mediæval Italy, - A.D. 1250-1409. By OSCAR BROWNING, Fellow and Tutor of King’s - College, Cambridge. _Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 5s._ - - ‘A very able book.’--_Westminster Gazette._ - - ‘A vivid picture of mediæval Italy.’--_Standard._ - -=O’Grady.= THE STORY OF IRELAND. By STANDISH O’GRADY, Author of ‘Finn - and his Companions.’ _Cr. 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - ‘Novel and very fascinating history. Wonderfully alluring.’--_Cork - Examiner._ - - ‘Most delightful, most stimulating. Its racy humour, its original - imaginings, its perfectly unique history, make it one of the - freshest, breeziest volumes.’--_Methodist Times._ - - ‘A survey at once graphic, acute, and quaintly written.’--_Times._ - -=Dixon.= ENGLISH POETRY FROM BLAKE TO BROWNING. By W. M. DIXON, M.A. - _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - A Popular Account of the Poetry of the Century. - - ‘Scholarly in conception, and full of sound and suggestive - criticism.’--_Times._ - - ‘The book is remarkable for freshness of thought expressed in graceful - language.’--_Manchester Examiner._ - -=Bowden.= THE EXAMPLE OF BUDDHA: Being Quotations from Buddhist - Literature for each Day in the Year. Compiled by E. M. BOWDEN. With - Preface by Sir EDWIN ARNOLD. _Third Edition. 16mo. 2s. 6d._ - -=Flinders Petrie.= TELL EL AMARNA. By W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE, D.C.L. With - chapters by Professor A. H. SAYCE, D.D.; F. LL. GRIFFITH, F.S.A.; - and F. C. J. SPURRELL, F.G.S. With numerous coloured illustrations. - _Royal 4to. 20s. net._ - -=Massee.= A MONOGRAPH OF THE MYXOGASTRES. By GEORGE MASSEE. With 12 - Coloured Plates. _Royal 8vo. 18s. net._ - - ‘A work much in advance of any book in the language treating of this - group of organisms. It is indispensable to every student of the - Myxogastres. The coloured plates deserve high praise for their - accuracy and execution.’--_Nature._ - -=Bushill.= PROFIT SHARING AND THE LABOUR QUESTION. By T. W. BUSHILL, a - Profit Sharing Employer. With an Introduction by SEDLEY TAYLOR, - Author of ‘Profit Sharing between Capital and Labour.’ _Crown 8vo. - 2s. 6d._ - -=John Beever.= PRACTICAL FLY-FISHING, Founded on Nature, by JOHN BEEVER, - late of the Thwaite House, Coniston. A New Edition, with a Memoir of - the Author by W. G. COLLINGWOOD, M.A. Also additional Notes and a - chapter on Char-Fishing, by A. and A. R. SEVERN. With a specially - designed title-page. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - A little book on Fly-Fishing by an old friend of Mr. Ruskin. It has - been out of print for some time, and being still much in request, is - now issued with a Memoir of the Author by W. G. Collingwood. - - - Theology - -=Driver.= SERMONS ON SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT. By S. R. - DRIVER, D.D., Canon of Christ Church, Regius Professor of Hebrew in - the University of Oxford. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - ‘A welcome companion to the author’s famous ‘Introduction.’ No man can - read these discourses without feeling that Dr. Driver is fully alive - to the deeper teaching of the Old Testament.’--_Guardian._ - -=Cheyne.= FOUNDERS OF OLD TESTAMENT CRITICISM: Biographical, - Descriptive, and Critical Studies. By T. K. CHEYNE, D.D., Oriel - Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at Oxford. _Large - crown 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - This important book is a historical sketch of O.T. Criticism in the - form of biographical studies from the days of Eichhorn to those of - Driver and Robertson Smith. It is the only book of its kind in - English. - - ‘The volume is one of great interest and value. It displays all the - author’s well-known ability and learning, and its opportune - publication has laid all students of theology, and specially of - Bible criticism, under weighty obligation.’--_Scotsman._ - - ‘A very learned and instructive work.’--_Times._ - -=Prior.= CAMBRIDGE SERMONS. Edited by C. H. PRIOR, M.A., Fellow and - Tutor of Pembroke College. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A volume of sermons preached before the University of Cambridge by - various preachers, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop - Westcott. - - ‘A representative collection. Bishop Westcott’s is a noble - sermon.’--_Guardian._ - - ‘Full of thoughtfulness and dignity.’--_Record._ - -=Beeching.= BRADFIELD SERMONS. Sermons by H. C. BEECHING, M.A., Rector - of Yattendon, Berks. With a Preface by CANON SCOTT HOLLAND. _Crown - 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - Seven sermons preached before the boys of Bradfield College. - -=James.= CURIOSITIES OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY PRIOR TO THE REFORMATION. By - CROAKE JAMES, Author of ‘Curiosities of Law and Lawyers.’ _Crown - 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - ‘This volume contains a great deal of quaint and curious matter, - affording some “particulars of the interesting persons, episodes, - and events from the Christian’s point of view during the first - fourteen centuries.” Wherever we dip into his pages we find - something worth dipping into.’--_John Bull._ - -=Kaufmann.= CHARLES KINGSLEY. By M. KAUFMANN, M.A. _Crown 8vo. Buckram. - 5s._ - - A biography of Kingsley, especially dealing with his achievements in - social reform. - - ‘The author has certainly gone about his work with conscientiousness - and industry.’--_Sheffield Daily Telegraph._ - - - Leaders of Religion - Edited by H. C. BEECHING, M.A. _With Portraits, crown 8vo._ - - 2/6 & 3/6 - A series of short biographies of the most prominent - leaders of religious life and thought of all ages and countries. - - The following are ready-- =2s. 6d.= - -CARDINAL NEWMAN. By R. H. HUTTON. _Second Edition._ - - ‘Few who read this book will fail to be struck by the wonderful - insight it displays into the nature of the Cardinal’s genius and the - spirit of his life.’--WILFRID WARD, in the _Tablet_. - - ‘Full of knowledge, excellent in method, and intelligent in criticism. - We regard it as wholly admirable.’--_Academy._ - -JOHN WESLEY. By J. H. OVERTON, M.A. - - ‘It is well done: the story is clearly told, proportion is duly - observed, and there is no lack either of discrimination or of - sympathy.’--_Manchester Guardian._ - -BISHOP WILBERFORCE. By G. W. DANIEL, M.A. - -CARDINAL MANNING. By A. W. HUTTON, M.A. - -CHARLES SIMEON. By H. C. G. MOULE, M.A. - - 3s. 6d. - -JOHN KEBLE. By WALTER LOCK, M.A. _Seventh Edition._ - -THOMAS CHALMERS. By Mrs. OLIPHANT. _Second Edition._ - - Other volumes will be announced in due course. - - - Works by S. Baring Gould - -OLD COUNTRY LIFE. With Sixty-seven Illustrations by W. PARKINSON, F. D. - BEDFORD, and F. MASEY. _Large Crown 8vo, cloth super extra, top edge - gilt, 10s. 6d. Fourth and Cheaper Edition. 6s._ - - ‘“Old Country Life,” as healthy wholesome reading, full of breezy life - and movement, full of quaint stories vigorously told, will not be - excelled by any book to be published throughout the year. Sound, - hearty, and English to the core.’--_World._ - -HISTORIC ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. _Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - ‘A collection of exciting and entertaining chapters. The whole volume - is delightful reading.’--_Times._ - -FREAKS OF FANATICISM. _Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - ‘Mr. Baring Gould has a keen eye for colour and effect, and the - subjects he has chosen give ample scope to his descriptive and - analytic faculties. A perfectly fascinating book.’--_Scottish - Leader._ - -SONGS OF THE WEST: Traditional Ballads and Songs of the West of England, - with their Traditional Melodies. Collected by S. BARING GOULD, M.A., - and H. FLEETWOOD SHEPPARD, M.A. Arranged for Voice and Piano. In 4 - Parts (containing 25 Songs each), _Parts I., II., III., 3s. each. - Part IV., 5s. In one Vol., French morocco, 15s._ - - ‘A rich and varied collection of humour, pathos, grace, and poetic - fancy.’--_Saturday Review._ - -YORKSHIRE ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. _Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -STRANGE SURVIVALS AND SUPERSTITIONS. With Illustrations. By S. BARING - GOULD. _Crown 8vo. Second Edition. 6s._ - - A book on such subjects as Foundations, Gables, Holes, Gallows, - Raising the Hat, Old Ballads, etc. etc. It traces in a most - interesting manner their origin and history. - - ‘We have read Mr. Baring Gould’s book from beginning to end. It is - full of quaint and various information, and there is not a dull page - in it.’--_Notes and Queries._ - -_THE TRAGEDY OF THE CAESARS_: The Emperors of the Julian and Claudian - Lines. With numerous Illustrations from Busts, Gems, Cameos, etc. By - S. BARING GOULD, Author of ‘Mehalah,’ etc. _Third Edition. Royal - 8vo. 15s._ - - ‘A most splendid and fascinating book on a subject of undying - interest. The great feature of the book is the use the author has - made of the existing portraits of the Caesars, and the admirable - critical subtlety he has exhibited in dealing with this line of - research. It is brilliantly written, and the illustrations are - supplied on a scale of profuse magnificence.’--_Daily Chronicle._ - - ‘The volumes will in no sense disappoint the general reader. Indeed, - in their way, there is nothing in any sense so good in English.... - Mr. Baring Gould has presented his narrative in such a way as not to - make one dull page.’--_Athenæum._ - - _MR. BARING GOULD’S NOVELS_ - -‘To say that a book is by the author of “Mehalah” is to imply that it - contains a story cast on strong lines, containing dramatic - possibilities, vivid and sympathetic descriptions of Nature, and a - wealth of ingenious imagery.’--_Speaker._ - -‘That whatever Mr. Baring Gould writes is well worth reading, is a - conclusion that may be very generally accepted. His views of life are - fresh and vigorous, his language pointed and characteristic, the - incidents of which he makes use are striking and original, his - characters are life-like, and though somewhat exceptional people, are - drawn and coloured with artistic force. Add to this that his - descriptions of scenes and scenery are painted with the loving eyes - and skilled hands of a master of his art, that he is always fresh and - never dull, and under such conditions it is no wonder that readers - have gained confidence both in his power of amusing and satisfying - them, and that year by year his popularity widens.’--_Court Circular._ - - =SIX SHILLINGS EACH= - - IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA: A Tale of the Cornish Coast. - MRS. CURGENVEN OF CURGENVEN. - CHEAP JACK ZITA. - THE QUEEN OF LOVE. - - =THREE SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE EACH= - - ARMINELL: A Social Romance. - URITH: A Story of Dartmoor. - MARGERY OF QUETHER, and other Stories. - JACQUETTA, and other Stories. - - - Fiction - - SIX SHILLING NOVELS - -=Corelli.= BARABBAS: A DREAM OF THE WORLD’S TRAGEDY. By MARIE CORELLI, - Author of ‘A Romance of Two Worlds,’ ‘Vendetta,’ etc. _Eleventh - Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - Miss Corelli’s new romance has been received with much disapprobation - by the secular papers, and with warm welcome by the religious - papers. By the former she has been accused of blasphemy and bad - taste; ‘a gory nightmare’; ‘a hideous travesty’; ‘grotesque - vulgarisation’; ‘unworthy of criticism’; ‘vulgar redundancy’; - ‘sickening details’--these are some of the secular flowers of - speech. On the other hand, the ‘Guardian’ praises ‘the dignity of - its conceptions, the reserve round the Central Figure, the fine - imagery of the scene and circumstance, so much that is elevating and - devout’; the ‘Illustrated Church News’ styles the book ‘reverent and - artistic, broad based on the rock of our common nature, and - appealing to what is best in it’; the ‘Christian World’ says it is - written ‘by one who has more than conventional reverence, who has - tried to tell the story that it may be read again with open and - attentive eyes’; the ‘Church of England Pulpit’ welcomes ‘a book - which teems with faith without any appearance of irreverence.’ - -=Benson.= DODO: A DETAIL OF THE DAY. By E. F. BENSON. _Crown 8vo. - Fourteenth Edition. 6s._ - - A story of society by a new writer, full of interest and power, which - has attracted by its brilliance universal attention. The best - critics were cordial in their praise. The ‘Guardian’ spoke of ‘Dodo’ - as _unusually clever and interesting_; the ‘Spectator’ called it _a - delightfully witty sketch of society_; the ‘Speaker’ said the - dialogue was _a perpetual feast of epigram and paradox_; the - ‘Athenæum’ spoke of the author as _a writer of quite exceptional - ability_; the ‘Academy’ praised his _amazing cleverness_; the - ‘World’ said the book was _brilliantly written_; and half-a-dozen - papers declared there _was not a dull page in the book_. - -=Baring Gould.= IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA: A Tale of the Cornish Coast. By - S. BARING GOULD. _New Edition. 6s._ - -=Baring Gould.= MRS. CURGENVEN OF CURGENVEN. By S. BARING GOULD. _Third - Edition. 6s._ - - A story of Devon life. The ‘Graphic’ speaks of it as _a novel of - vigorous humour and sustained power_; the ‘Sussex Daily News’ says - that _the swing of the narrative is splendid_; and the ‘Speaker’ - mentions _its bright imaginative power_. - -=Baring Gould.= CHEAP JACK ZITA. By S. BARING GOULD. _Third Edition. - Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A Romance of the Ely Fen District in 1815, which the ‘Westminster - Gazette’ calls ‘a powerful drama of human passion’; and the - ‘National Observer’ ‘a story worthy the author.’ - -=Baring Gould.= THE QUEEN OF LOVE. By S. BARING GOULD. _Second Edition. - Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - The ‘Glasgow Herald’ says that ‘the scenery is admirable, and the - dramatic incidents are most striking.’ The ‘Westminster Gazette’ - calls the book ‘strong, interesting, and clever.’ ‘Punch’ says that - ‘you cannot put it down until you have finished it.’ ‘The Sussex - Daily News’ says that it ‘can be heartily recommended to all who - care for cleanly, energetic, and interesting fiction.’ - -=Norris.= HIS GRACE. By W. E. NORRIS, Author of ‘Mademoiselle de - Mersac.’ _Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - ‘The characters are delineated by the author with his characteristic - skill and vivacity, and the story is told with that ease of manners - and Thackerayean insight which give strength of flavour to Mr. - Norris’s novels. No one can depict the Englishwoman of the better - classes with more subtlety.’--_Glasgow Herald._ - - ‘Mr. Norris has drawn a really fine character in the Duke of - Hurstbourne, at once unconventional and very true to the - conventionalities of life, weak and strong in a breath, capable of - inane follies and heroic decisions, yet not so definitely portrayed - as to relieve a reader of the necessity of study on his own - behalf.’--_Athenæum._ - -=Parker.= MRS. FALCHION. By GILBERT PARKER, Author of ‘Pierre and His - People.’ _New Edition. 6s._ - - Mr. Parker’s second book has received a warm welcome. The ‘Athenæum’ - called it _a splendid study of character_; the ‘Pall Mall Gazette’ - spoke of the writing as _but little behind anything that has been - done by any writer of our time_; the ‘St. James’s’ called it _a very - striking and admirable novel_; and the ‘Westminster Gazette’ applied - to it the epithet of _distinguished_. - -=Parker.= PIERRE AND HIS PEOPLE. By GILBERT PARKER. _Crown 8vo. Buckram. - 6s._ - - ‘Stories happily conceived and finely executed. There is strength and - genius in Mr. Parker’s style.’--_Daily Telegraph._ - -=Parker.= THE TRANSLATION OF A SAVAGE. By GILBERT PARKER, Author of - ‘Pierre and His People,’ ‘Mrs. Falchion,’ etc. _Crown 8vo. 5s._ - -‘The plot is original and one difficult to work out; but Mr. Parker has - done it with great skill and delicacy. The reader who is not - interested in this original, fresh, and well-told tale must be a - dull person indeed.’--_Daily Chronicle._ - -‘A strong and successful piece of workmanship. The portrait of - Lali, strong, dignified, and pure, is exceptionally well - drawn.’--_Manchester Guardian._ - -‘A very pretty and interesting story, and Mr. Parker tells it with much - skill. The story is one to be read.’--_St. James’s Gazette._ - -=Anthony Hope.= A CHANGE OF AIR: A Novel. By ANTHONY HOPE, Author of - ‘The Prisoner of Zenda,’ etc. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A bright story by Mr. Hope, who has, the _Athenæum_ says, ‘a decided - outlook and individuality of his own.’ - - ‘A graceful, vivacious comedy, true to human nature. The characters - are traced with a masterly hand.’--_Times._ - -=Pryce.= TIME AND THE WOMAN. By RICHARD PRYCE, Author of ‘Miss Maxwell’s - Affections,’ ‘The Quiet Mrs. Fleming,’ etc. New and Cheaper Edition. - _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - ‘Mr. Pryce’s work recalls the style of Octave Feuillet, by its - clearness, conciseness, its literary reserve.’--_Athenæum._ - -=Marriott Watson.= DIOGENES OF LONDON and other Sketches. By H. B. - MARRIOTT WATSON, Author of ‘The Web of the Spider.’ _Crown 8vo. - Buckram. 6s._ - - ‘By all those who delight in the uses of words, who rate the exercise - of prose above the exercise of verse, who rejoice in all proofs of - its delicacy and its strength, who believe that English prose is - chief among the moulds of thought, by these Mr. Marriott Watson’s - book will be welcomed.’--_National Observer._ - -=Gilchrist.= THE STONE DRAGON. By MURRAY GILCHRIST. _Crown 8vo. Buckram. - 6s._ - - ‘The author’s faults are atoned for by certain positive and admirable - merits. The romances have not their counterpart in modern - literature, and to read them is a unique experience.’--_National - Observer._ - - =THREE-AND-SIXPENNY NOVELS= - -=Baring Gould.= ARMINELL: A Social Romance. By S. BARING GOULD. _New - Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Baring Gould.= URITH: A Story of Dartmoor. By S. BARING GOULD. _Third - Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - ‘The author is at his best.’--_Times._ - - ‘He has nearly reached the high water-mark of “Mehalah.”’--_National - Observer._ - -=Baring Gould.= MARGERY OF QUETHER, and other Stories. By S. BARING - GOULD. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Baring Gould.= JACQUETTA, and other Stories. By S. BARING GOULD. _Crown - 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Gray.= ELSA. A Novel. By E. M’QUEEN GRAY. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -‘A charming novel. The characters are not only powerful sketches, but - minutely and carefully finished portraits.’--_Guardian._ - -=Pearce.= JACO TRELOAR. By J. H. PEARCE, Author of ‘Esther Pentreath.’ - _New Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - A tragic story of Cornish life by a writer of remarkable power, whose - first novel has been highly praised by Mr. Gladstone. - - The ‘Spectator’ speaks of Mr. Pearce as _a writer of exceptional - power_; the ‘Daily Telegraph’ calls the book _powerful and - picturesque_; the ‘Birmingham Post’ asserts that it is _a novel of - high quality_. - -=Edna Lyall.= DERRICK VAUGHAN, NOVELIST. By EDNA LYALL, Author of - ‘Donovan,’ etc. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Clark Russell.= MY DANISH SWEETHEART. By W. CLARK RUSSELL, Author of - ‘The Wreck of the Grosvenor,’ etc. _Illustrated. Third Edition. - Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Author of ‘Vera.’= THE DANCE OF THE HOURS. By the Author of ‘Vera.’ - _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Esmè Stuart.= A WOMAN OF FORTY. By ESMÈ STUART, Author of ‘Muriel’s - Marriage,’ ‘Virginié’s Husband,’ etc. _New Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. - 6d._ - - ‘The story is well written, and some of the scenes show great dramatic - power.’--_Daily Chronicle._ - -=Fenn.= THE STAR GAZERS. By G. MANVILLE FENN, Author of ‘Eli’s - Children,’ etc. _New Edition. Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - ‘A stirring romance.’--_Western Morning News._ - - ‘Told with all the dramatic power for which Mr. Fenn is - conspicuous.’--_Bradford Observer._ - -=Dickinson.= A VICAR’S WIFE. By EVELYN DICKINSON. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Prowse.= THE POISON OF ASPS. By R. ORTON PROWSE. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -=Grey.= THE STORY OF CHRIS. By ROWLAND GREY. _Crown 8vo. 5s._ - -=Lynn Linton.= THE TRUE HISTORY OF JOSHUA DAVIDSON, Christian and - Communist. By E. LYNN LINTON. Eleventh Edition. _Post 8vo. 1s._ - - =HALF-CROWN NOVELS= - - 2/6 - - - _A Series of Novels by popular Authors, tastefully bound in cloth._ - - 1. THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN. By F. MABEL ROBINSON. - 2. DISENCHANTMENT. By F. MABEL ROBINSON. - 3. MR. BUTLER’S WARD. By F. MABEL ROBINSON. - 4. HOVENDEN, V.C. By F. MABEL ROBINSON. - 5. ELI’S CHILDREN. By G. MANVILLE FENN. - 6. A DOUBLE KNOT. By G. MANVILLE FENN. - 7. DISARMED. By BETHAM EDWARDS. - 8. A LOST ILLUSION. By LESLIE KEITH. - 9. A MARRIAGE AT SEA. By W. CLARK RUSSELL. - 10. IN TENT AND BUNGALOW. By the Author of ‘Indian Idylls.’ - 11. MY STEWARDSHIP. By E. M’QUEEN GRAY. - 12. A REVEREND GENTLEMAN. By J. M. COBBAN. - 13. A DEPLORABLE AFFAIR. By W. E. NORRIS. - 14. JACK’S FATHER. By W. E. NORRIS. - - Other volumes will be announced in due course. - - - Books for Boys and Girls - -=Baring Gould.= THE ICELANDER’S SWORD. By S. BARING GOULD, Author of - ‘Mehalah,’ etc. With Twenty-nine Illustrations by J. MOYR SMITH. - _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A stirring story of Iceland, written for boys by the author of ‘In the - Roar of the Sea.’ - -=Cuthell.= TWO LITTLE CHILDREN AND CHING. By EDITH E. CUTHELL. Profusely - Illustrated. _Crown 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 3s. 6d._ - - Another story, with a dog hero, by the author of the very popular - ‘Only a Guard-Room Dog.’ - -=Blake.= TODDLEBEN’S HERO. By M. M. BLAKE, Author of ‘The Siege of - Norwich Castle.’ With 36 Illustrations. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - A story of military life for children. - -=Cuthell.= ONLY A GUARD-ROOM DOG. By Mrs. CUTHELL. With 16 Illustrations - by W. PARKINSON. _Square Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - ‘This is a charming story. Tangle was but a little mongrel Skye - terrier, but he had a big heart in his little body, and played - a hero’s part more than once. The book can be warmly - recommended.’--_Standard._ - -=Collingwood.= THE DOCTOR OF THE JULIET. By HARRY COLLINGWOOD, Author of - ‘The Pirate Island,’ etc. Illustrated by GORDON BROWNE. _Crown 8vo. - 3s. 6d._ - - ‘“The Doctor of the Juliet,” well illustrated by Gordon Browne, is one - of Harry Collingwood’s best efforts.’--_Morning Post._ - -=Clark Russell.= MASTER ROCKAFELLAR’S VOYAGE. By W. CLARK RUSSELL, - Author of ‘The Wreck of the Grosvenor,’ etc. Illustrated by GORDON - BROWNE. _Second Edition, Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - ‘Mr. Clark Russell’s story of “Master Rockafellar’s Voyage” will be - among the favourites of the Christmas books. There is a rattle and - “go” all through it, and its illustrations are charming in - themselves, and very much above the average in the way in which they - are produced.’--_Guardian._ - -=Manville Fenn.= SYD BELTON: Or, The Boy who would not go to Sea. By G. - MANVILLE FENN, Author of ‘In the King’s Name,’ etc. Illustrated by - GORDON BROWNE. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - ‘Who among the young story-reading public will not rejoice at the - sight of the old combination, so often proved admirable--a story by - Manville Fenn, illustrated by Gordon Browne? The story, too, is one - of the good old sort, full of life and vigour, breeziness and - fun.’--_Journal of Education._ - - - The Peacock Library - - 3/6 - _A Series of Books for Girls by well-known Authors, - handsomely bound in blue and silver, and well illustrated. Crown - 8vo._ - - 1. A PINCH OF EXPERIENCE. By L. B. WALFORD. - 2. THE RED GRANGE. By Mrs. MOLESWORTH. - 3. THE SECRET OF MADAME DE MONLUC. By the Author of ‘Mdle Mori.’ - 4. DUMPS. By Mrs. PARR, Author of ‘Adam and Eve.’ - 5. OUT OF THE FASHION. By L. T. MEADE. - 6. A GIRL OF THE PEOPLE. By L. T. MEADE. - 7. HEPSY GIPSY. By L. T. MEADE. _2s. 6d._ - 8. THE HONOURABLE MISS. By L. T. MEADE. - 9. MY LAND OF BEULAH. By Mrs. LEITH ADAMS. - - - University Extension Series - - A series of books on historical, literary, and scientific subjects, - suitable for extension students and home reading circles. Each - volume is complete in itself, and the subjects are treated by - competent writers in a broad and philosophic spirit. - - Edited by J. E. SYMES, M.A., - Principal of University College, Nottingham. - - _Crown 8vo. Price (with some exceptions) 2s. 6d._ - - _The following volumes are ready_:-- - -THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND. By H. DE B. GIBBINS, M.A., late - Scholar of Wadham College, Oxon., Cobden Prizeman. _Third Edition._ - With Maps and Plans. _3s._ - - ‘A compact and clear story of our industrial development. A study of - this concise but luminous book cannot fail to give the reader a - clear insight into the principal phenomena of our industrial - history. The editor and publishers are to be congratulated on this - first volume of their venture, and we shall look with expectant - interest for the succeeding volumes of the series.’--_University - Extension Journal._ - -A HISTORY OF ENGLISH POLITICAL ECONOMY. By L. L. PRICE, M.A., Fellow of - Oriel College, Oxon. - -PROBLEMS OF POVERTY: An Inquiry into the Industrial Conditions of the - Poor. By J. A. HOBSON, M.A. - -VICTORIAN POETS. By A. SHARP. - -THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. By J. E. SYMES, M.A. - -PSYCHOLOGY. By F. S. GRANGER, M.A., Lecturer in Philosophy at University - College, Nottingham. - -THE EVOLUTION OF PLANT LIFE: Lower Forms. By G. MASSEE, Kew Gardens. - With Illustrations. - -AIR AND WATER. Professor V. B. LEWES, M.A. Illustrated. - -THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE AND HEALTH. By C. W. KIMMINS, M.A. Camb. - Illustrated. - -THE MECHANICS OF DAILY LIFE. By V. P. SELLS, M.A. Illustrated. - -ENGLISH SOCIAL REFORMERS. H. DE B. GIBBINS, M.A. - -ENGLISH TRADE AND FINANCE IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. By W. A. S. - HEWINS, B.A. - -THE CHEMISTRY OF FIRE. The Elementary Principles of Chemistry. By M. M. - PATTISON MUIR, M.A. Illustrated. - -A TEXT-BOOK OF AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. By M. C. POTTER, M.A., F.L.S. - Illustrated. _3s. 6d._ - -THE VAULT OF HEAVEN. A Popular Introduction to Astronomy. By R. A. - GREGORY. With numerous Illustrations. - -METEOROLOGY. The Elements of Weather and Climate. By H. N. DICKSON, - F.R.S.E., F.R. Met. Soc. Illustrated. - -A MANUAL OF ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. By GEORGE J. BURCH, M.A. With numerous - Illustrations. _3s_. - - - Social Questions of To-day - - Edited by H. DE B. GIBBINS, M.A. - - _Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d_. - - 2/6 - A series of volumes upon those topics of social, - economic, and industrial interest that are at the present moment - foremost in the public mind. Each volume of the series is written by - an author who is an acknowledged authority upon the subject with - which he deals. - - _The following Volumes of the Series are ready:_-- - -TRADE UNIONISM--NEW AND OLD. By G. HOWELL, M.P., Author of ‘The - Conflicts of Capital and Labour.’ _Second Edition_. - -THE CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT TO-DAY. By G. J. HOLYOAKE, Author of ‘The - History of Co-operation.’ - -MUTUAL THRIFT. By Rev. J. FROME WILKINSON, M.A., Author of ‘The Friendly - Society Movement.’ - -PROBLEMS OF POVERTY: An Inquiry into the Industrial Conditions of the - Poor. By J. A. HOBSON, M.A. - -THE COMMERCE OF NATIONS. By C. F. BASTABLE, M.A., Professor of Economics - at Trinity College, Dublin. - -THE ALIEN INVASION. By W. H. WILKINS, B.A., Secretary to the Society for - Preventing the Immigration of Destitute Aliens. - -THE RURAL EXODUS. By P. ANDERSON GRAHAM. - -LAND NATIONALIZATION. By HAROLD COX, B.A. - -A SHORTER WORKING DAY. By H. DE B. GIBBINS and R. A. HADFIELD, of the - Hecla Works, Sheffield. - -BACK TO THE LAND: An Inquiry into the Cure for Rural Depopulation. By H. - E. MOORE. - -TRUSTS, POOLS AND CORNERS: As affecting Commerce and Industry. By J. - STEPHEN JEANS, M.R.I., F.S.S. - -THE FACTORY SYSTEM. By R. COOKE TAYLOR. - -THE STATE AND ITS CHILDREN. By GERTRUDE TUCKWELL. - - - Classical Translations - - Edited by H. F. FOX, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Brasenose - College, Oxford. - - Messrs. 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STEDMAN, M.A. _1s. 6d._ - -EASY SELECTIONS FROM CAESAR--THE HELVETIAN WAR. Edited by A. M. M. - STEDMAN, M.A. _1s._ - -EASY SELECTIONS FROM LIVY--THE KINGS OF ROME. Edited by A. M. M. - STEDMAN, M.A. _1s. 6d._ - -EASY SELECTIONS FROM HERODOTUS--THE PERSIAN WARS. Edited by A. G. - LIDDELL, M.A. _1s. 6d._ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note - - The few errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been - corrected, and are noted here. The minor errors in the section of - advertisments have been corrected with no further notice. - - The references are to the page and line in the original. The - following issues should be noted, along with the resolutions. - - 52.3 Shall you be at sister Sue’s wedding?[’/”] Replaced. - - 132.21 “Not a bit! not a bit!” exclaimed Pepperill. Restored. - “I[’]ve - - 158.23 been turned off for [imperence] to his master, _sic_: - impertinence? - - 161.8 [“]That is just what spoils it. 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border-bottom: thin dotted gray; } - span.floatright { text-align: right; float: right; width: 9em; min-width: 9em; - max-width: 9em; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Kitty Alone (vol 1 of 3), by S. Baring Gould - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Kitty Alone (vol 1 of 3) - A Story of Three Fires - -Author: S. Baring Gould - -Release Date: March 8, 2017 [EBook #54310] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KITTY ALONE (VOL 1 OF 3) *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Transcriber’s Note:</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s <a href='#endnote'>note</a> at the end of this text -for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered -during its preparation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The cover image has been enhanced to include the volume number and, as -amended, is added to the public domain.</p> -<div class='htmlonly'> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>KITTY ALONE</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>MORRISON AND GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_I'>I</span> - <h1 class='c003'><span class='xlarge'>KITTY ALONE</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='large'>A STORY OF THREE FIRES</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>BY</div> - <div class='c000'><span class='large'>S. BARING GOULD</span></div> - <div class='c000'><span class='small'>AUTHOR OF</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>“IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA” “THE QUEEN OF LOVE”</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>“MEHALAH” “CHEAP JACK ZITA” ETC. ETC.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='sc'>In Three Volumes</span></div> - <div class='c000'><span class='sc'>Vol. I</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>METHUEN & CO.</div> - <div>36 ESSEX STREET, W.C.</div> - <div>LONDON</div> - <div>1894</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_v'>v</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CONTENTS OF VOL. I</h2> -</div> - -<hr class='c006' /> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='13%' /> -<col width='76%' /> -<col width='9%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='small'>CHAP.</span></td> - <td class='c008'> </td> - <td class='c009'>PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>I.</td> - <td class='c008'>THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_7'>7</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>II.</td> - <td class='c008'>A LUSUS NATURÆ</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_15'>15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>III.</td> - <td class='c008'>ALL INTO GOLD</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_25'>25</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>IV.</td> - <td class='c008'>THE ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_35'>35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>V.</td> - <td class='c008'>ON A MUD-BANK</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_44'>44</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>VI.</td> - <td class='c008'>A CAPTURE</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_55'>55</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>VII.</td> - <td class='c008'>A RELEASE</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_64'>64</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>VIII.</td> - <td class='c008'>AN ATMOSPHERE OF LOVE</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_73'>73</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>IX.</td> - <td class='c008'>CONVALESCENCE</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_83'>83</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>X.</td> - <td class='c008'>THE NEW SCHOOLMASTER</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_90'>90</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>XI.</td> - <td class='c008'>DISCORDS</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_101'>101</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>XII.</td> - <td class='c008'>DAFFODILS</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_112'>112</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>XIII.</td> - <td class='c008'>THE SPIRIT OF INQUIRY</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_122'>122</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>XIV.</td> - <td class='c008'>TO THE FAIR</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_132'>132</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>XV.</td> - <td class='c008'>A REASON FOR EVERYTHING</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_140'>140</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>XVI.</td> - <td class='c008'>THE DANCING BEAR</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_150'>150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>XVII.</td> - <td class='c008'>INSURED</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>XVIII.</td> - <td class='c008'>BRAZIL NUTS</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_167'>167</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span><span class='xlarge'>KITTY ALONE</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER I <br /> <span class='small'>THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>With a voice like that of a crow, and singing with -full lungs also like a crow, came Jason Quarm -riding in his donkey-cart to Coombe Cellars.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jason Quarm was a short, stoutly-built man, with a restless -grey eye, with shaggy, long, sandy hair that burst out -from beneath a battered beaver hat. He was somewhat -lame, wherefore he maintained a donkey, and drove about -the country seated cross-legged in the bottom of his cart, -only removed from the bottom boards by a wisp of straw, -which became dissipated from under him with the joltings -of the conveyance. Then Jason would struggle to his -knees, take the reins in his teeth, scramble backwards in -his cart, rake the straw together again into a heap, reseat -himself, and drive on till the exigencies of the case necessitated -his going through the same operations once more.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Coombe Cellars, which Jason Quarm approached, was a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>cluster of roofs perched on low walls, occupying a promontory -in the estuary of the Teign, in the south of Devon. A -road, or rather a series of ruts, led direct to Coombe Cellars, -cut deep in the warm red soil; but they led no farther.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Coombe Cellars was a farmhouse, a depôt of merchandise, -an eating-house, a ferry-house, a discharging wharf for -barges laden with coal, a lading-place for straw, and hay, -and corn that had to be carried away on barges to the -stables of Teignmouth and Dawlish. Facing the water -was a little terrace or platform, gravelled, on which stood -green benches and a green table.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sun of summer had blistered the green paint on the -table, and persons having leisure had amused themselves -with picking the skin off these blisters and exposing the -white paint underneath, and then, with pen or pencil, -exercising their ingenuity in converting these bald patches -into human faces, or in scribbling over them their own -names and those of the ladies of their heart. Below the -platform at low water the ooze was almost solidified with -the vast accumulation of cockle and winkle shells thrown -over the edge, together with bits of broken plates, fragments -of glass, tobacco-pipes, old handleless knives, and sundry -other refuse of a tavern.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Above the platform, against the wall, was painted in large -letters, to be read across the estuary--</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>PASCO PEPPERILL,</span></div> - <div><span class='sc'>Hot Cockles and Winkles,</span></div> - <div><span class='sc'>Tea and Coffee Always Ready</span>.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>Some wag with his penknife had erased the capital H -from “Hot,” and had converted the W in “Winkles” into -a V, with the object of accommodating the written language -to the vernacular. One of the most marvellous of passions -seated in the human heart is that hunger after immortality -which, indeed, distinguishes man from beast. This deep-seated -and awful aspiration had evidently consumed the -breasts of all the “’ot cockle and vinkle” eaters on the -platform, for there was literally not a spare space of plaster -anywhere within reach which was not scrawled over with -names by these aspirants after immortality.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jason Quarm was merciful to his beast. Seeing a last -year’s teasel by the wall ten yards from Coombe Cellars’ -door, he drew rein, folded his legs and arms, smiled, and -said to his ass--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There, governor, enjoy yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The teasel was hard as wood, besides being absolutely -devoid of nutritious juices, which had been withdrawn six -months previously. Neddy would have nothing to say to -the teasel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You dratted monkey!” shouted Quarm, irritated at the -daintiness of the ass. “If you won’t eat, then go on.” -He knelt up in his cart and whacked him with a stick in -one hand and the reins in the other. “I’ll teach you to be -choice. I’ll make you swaller a holly-bush. And if there -ain’t relish enough in that to suit your palate, I’ll buy a job -lot of old Perninsula bayonets and make you munch them. -That’ll be chutney, I reckon, to the likes of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then, as he threw his lame leg over the side of the cart, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>he said, “Steady, old man, and hold your breath whilst -I’m descending.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>No sooner was he on his feet, than, swelling his breast -and stretching his shoulders, with a hand on each hip, he -crowed forth--</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“There was a frog lived in a well,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Crock-a-mydaisy, Kitty alone!</div> - <div class='line'>There was a frog lived in a well,</div> - <div class='line'>And a merry mouse lived in a mill,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Kitty alone and I.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>The door opened, and a man stood on the step and -waved a salutation to Quarm. This man was powerfully -built. He had broad shoulders and a short neck. What -little neck he possessed was not made the most of, for he -habitually drew his head back and rested his chin behind -his stock. This same stock or muffler was thick and folded, -filling the space left open by the waistcoat, out of which it -protruded. It was of blue strewn with white spots, and it -gave the appearance as though pearls dropped from the -mouth of the wearer and were caught in his muffler before -they fell and were lost. The man had thick sandy eyebrows, -and very pale eyes. His structure was disproportioned. -With such a powerful body, stout nether limbs -might have been anticipated for its support. His thighs -were, indeed, muscular and heavy, but the legs were slim, -and the feet and ankles small. He had the habit of standing -with his feet together, and thus presented the shape of -a boy’s kite.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hallo, Pasco--brother-in-law!” shouted Quarm, as he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>threw the harness off the ass; “look here, and see what I -have been a-doing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He turned the little cart about, and exhibited a plate -nailed to the backboard, on which, in gold and red on -black, figured, “The Star and Garter Life and Fire Insurance.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What!” exclaimed Pepperill; “insured Neddy and the -cart, have you? That I call chucking good money away, -unless you have reasons for thinking Ned will go off in -spontaneous combustion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not so, Pasco,” laughed Jason; “it is the agency I -have got. The Star and Garter knows that I am the sort -of man they require, that wanders over the land and has -the voice of a nightingale. I shall have a policy taken out -for you shortly, Pasco.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed you shall not.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Confiscate the donkey if I don’t. But I’ll not trouble -you on this score now. How is the little toad?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What--Kate?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To be sure, Kitty Alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come and see. What have you been about this time, -Jason?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bless you! I have hit on Golconda. Brimpts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Brimpts? What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t you know Brimpts?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never heard of it. In India?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; at Dart-meet, beyond Ashburton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what of Brimpts? Found a diamond mine -there?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>“Not that, but oaks, Pasco, oaks! A forest two hundred -years old, on Dartmoor. A bit of the primæval forest; two -hundred--I bet you--five hundred years old. It is not in -the Forest, but on one of the ancient tenements, and the -tenant has fallen into difficulties with the bank, and the -bank is selling him up. Timber, bless you! not a shaky -stick among the lot; all heart, and hard as iron. A fortune--a -fortune, Pasco, is to be picked up at Brimpts. See if I -don’t pocket a thousand pounds.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You always see your way to making money, but never -get far for’ard along the road that leads to good fortune.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I never have had the opportunity of doing -more than see my way. I’m crippled in a leg, and -though I can see the road before me, I cannot get along it -without an ass. I’m crippled in purse, and though I can -discern the way to wealth, I can’t take it--once more--without -an ass. Brother-in-law, be my Jack, and help me -along.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jason slapped Pasco on the broad shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you make a thousand pounds by the job?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So I reckon--a thousand at the least. Come, lend me -the money to work the concern, and I’ll pay you at ten per -cent.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean by ‘work the concern’?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pasco, I must go before the bank at Exeter with money -in my hand, and say, I want those wretched scrubs of oak -and holm at Brimpts. Here’s a hundred pounds. It’s -worthless, but I happen to know of a fellow as will put a -five pound in my pocket if I get him some knotty oak for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>a bit of fancy-work he’s on. The bank will take it, Pasco. -At the bank they will make great eyes, that will say as -clear as words, Bless us! we didn’t know there was oak -grew on Dartmoor. They’ll take the money, and conclude -the bargain right on end. And then I must have some -ready cash to pay for felling.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think that the bank will sell?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sell? it would sell anything--the soil, the flesh off the -moors, the bones, the granite underneath, the water of -heaven that there gathers, the air that wafts over it--anything. -Of course, it will sell the Brimpts oaks. But, -brother-in-law, let me tell you, this is but the first stage in -a grand speculative march.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What next?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let me make my thousand by the Brimpts oaks, and I -see waves of gold before me in which I can roll. I’ll be -generous. Help me to the oaks, and I’ll help you to the -gold-waves.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How is all this to be brought about?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Out of mud, old boy, mud!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mud will need a lot of turning to get gold out of it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! wait till I’ve tied up Neddy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jason Quarm hobbled off with his ass, and turned it -loose in a paddock. Then he returned to his brother-in-law, -hooked his finger into the button-hole of Pepperill, -and said, with a wink--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you never hear of the philosopher’s stone, that -converts whatever it touches into gold?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ve heard some such a tale, but it is all lies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>“I’ve got it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never!” Pasco started, and turned round and stared -at his brother-in-law in sheer amazement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have it. Here it is,” and he touched his head. -“Believe me, Pasco, this is the true philosopher’s stone. -With this I find oaks where the owners believed there grew -but furze; with this I bid these oaks bud forth and bear -bank-notes. And with this same philosopher’s stone I -shall transform your Teign estuary mud into golden sovereigns.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will; and I’ll tell you how I’ll do it, if you will help -me to the Brimpts oaks. That is step number one.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER II <br /> <span class='small'>A LUSUS NATURÆ</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>The two men entered the house talking, Quarm lurching -against his companion in his uneven progress; -uneven, partly because of his lame leg, partly because of -his excitement; and when he wished to urge a point in his -argument, he enforced it, not only by raised tone of voice -and cogency of reasoning, but also by impact of his shoulder -against that of Pepperill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the room into which they penetrated sat a girl in the -bay window knitting. The window was wide and low, for -the ceiling was low. It had many panes in it of a greenish -hue. It commanded the broad firth of the river Teign. -The sun was now on the water, and the glittering water -cast a sheen of golden green into the low room and into -the face of the knitting girl. It illumined the ceiling, revealed -all its cracks, its cobwebs and flies. The brass -candlesticks and skillets and copper coffee-pots on the -chimney-piece shone in the light reflected from the -ceiling.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl was tall, with a singularly broad white brow, -dark hair, and long lashes that swept her cheek. The face -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>was pale, and when in repose it could not be readily decided -whether she were good-looking or plain, but all hesitation -vanished when she raised her great violet eyes, full of colour -and sparkling with the light of intelligence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The moment that Quarm entered she dropped the knitting -on which she was engaged; a flash of pleasure, a gleam -of colour, mounted to eyes and cheeks; she half rose -with timidity and hesitation, but as Quarm continued in -eager conversation with Pepperill, and did not notice -her, she sank back into her sitting posture, the colour -faded from her cheek, her eyes fell, and a quiver of the -lips and contraction of the mouth indicated distress and -pain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How is it possible to turn mud into gold?” asked -Pepperill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wait till I have coined my oak and I will do it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can understand oaks. The timber is worth something, -and the bark something, and the tops sell for firewood; but -mud--mud is mud.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, it is mud. Let me light my pipe. I can’t talk -without my ’baccy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jason put a spill to the fire, seated himself on a stool by -the hearth, ignited his pipe, and then, turning his eye about, -caught sight of the girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hallo, little Toad!” said he; “how are you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then, without waiting for an answer, he returned to the -mud.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look here, Pasco, the mud is good for nothing where -it is.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>“No. It is a nuisance. It chokes the channel. I had -a deal of trouble with the last coal-barge; she sank so deep -I thought she’d be smothered and never got in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s just it. You would pay something to have it -cleared--dredged right away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know about that. The expense would be -great.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You need not pay a half-crown. It isn’t India only -whose shining fountains roll down their golden sands. It -is Devonshire as well, which pours the river Teign clear as -crystal out of its Dartmoor reservoir, and which is here -ready to empty its treasures into my pockets and yours. -But we must dispose of Brimpts oak first.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’d like to know how you are going to do anything with -mud.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is mud but clay in a state of slobber? Now, -hearken to me, brother-in-law. I have been where the soil -is all clay, clay that would grow nothing but moss and -rushes, and was not worth more than five shillings an acre, -fit for nothing but for letting young stock run on. That is -out Holsworthy way. Well, a man with the philosopher’s -stone in his head, Goldsworthy Gurney, he cut a canal -from Bude harbour right through this arrant clay land. -With what result? The barges travel up from Bude laden -with sand. The farmers use the sand over their clay fields, -and the desert blossoms as the rose. Land that was worth -four shillings went up to two pound ten, and in places near -the canal to five pounds. The sand on the seashore is -worthless. The clay inland is worthless, but the sand and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>clay married breed moneys, moneys, my boy--golden -moneys.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is reasonable enough,” said Pasco Pepperill, -“but it don’t apply here. We are on the richest of red -soil, that wants no dressing, so full of substance is it in -itself. Besides, the mud is nothing but our red soil in a -state of paste.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is better. It is richer, more nutritious; but you do -not see what is to be done with it, because you have not -my head and my eyes. I do not propose to do here what -was done at Holsworthy, but to invert the operation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not to carry the sand to the clay, but the mud to the -sand. Do you not know Bovey Heathfield? Do you not -know Stover sands? What is there inland but a desert -waste of sand-hill and arid flat that is barren as my hand, -bearing nothing but a little scrubby thorn and thistle and -bramble--sand, that’s not worth half a crown an acre? -There is no necessity for us to cut a canal. The canal -exists, cut in order that the Hey-tor granite may be conveyed -along it to the sea. It has not occurred to the fools -that the barges that convey the stone down might come up -laden with Teign mud, instead of returning empty. This -mud, I tell you, is not merely rich of itself, but it has a -superadded richness from seaweed and broken shells. It -is fat with eels and worms. Let this be conveyed up the -canal to the sandy waste of Heathfield, and the marriage of -clay and sand will be as profitable there as that marriage -has been at Holsworthy. I would spread this rich mud -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>over the hungry sand, thick as cream, and the land will -laugh and sing. Do you take me now, brother-in-law? -Do you believe in the philosopher’s stone?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He touched his head. Pasco Pepperill had clasped his -right knee in his hands. He sat nursing it, musing, looking -into the fire. Presently he said--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; very fine for the owners of the sandy land, but -how about you and me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We must buy up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But where is the money to come from?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Brimpts oak.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! the profit made on this venture?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Exactly. Every oak stick is a rung in my ladder. -There has been, for hundreds of years, a real forest of oaks, -magnificent trees, timber incomparable for hardness--iron -is not harder. Who knows about it save myself? The -Exeter Bank knows nothing of the property on which it -has advanced money. The agent runs over it and takes a -hasty glance. He thinks that the trees he sees all up the -slopes are thorn bushes or twisted stumps worth nothing, -and when he passes is too eager to get away from the moor -to stay and observe. I have felt my way. A small offer -and money down, and the whole forest is mine. Then I -must fell at once, and it is not, I say, calculable what we -shall make out of that oak. When we have raked our -money together, then we will buy up as much as we can -of sandy waste near the canal, and proceed at once to -plaster it over with Teign clay. Pasco, our fortune is -made!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>Jason kept silence for a while, to allow what he had said -to sink into the mind of his brother-in-law.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then from the adjoining kitchen came a strongly-built, -fair woman, very tidy, with light hair and pale blue eyes. -She had a decided manner in her movements and in the -way in which she spoke. She had been scouring a pan. -She held this pan now in one hand. She strode up to -the fireplace between the men and said in a peremptory -tone--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is this? Speculating again? I’ll tell you what, -Jason, you are bent on ruining us. Here is Pasco as wax -in your hands. We’ve already lost half our land, and that -is your doing. I do not wish to be sold out of house and -home because of your rash ventures--you risk nothing, it -is Pasco and I who have to pay.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go to your scouring and cooking,” said Jason. -“Zerah, that is in your line; leave us men to our proper -business.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know what comes of your brooding,” retorted the -woman; “you hatch out naught but disaster. If Pasco -turned a deaf ear, I would not mind all your tales, but more -is the pity, he listens, and listening in his case means yielding, -and yielding, in plain letters, is <span class='fss'>LOSS</span>.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Instead of answering his sister, Jason looked once more -in the direction of the girl, seated in the bay-window. She -was absorbed in her thoughts, and seemed not to have been -attending to, or to be affected by, the prospects of wealth -that had been unfolded by her father. When he had -addressed her previously, she had answered, but as he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>had not attended to her answer, she had relapsed into -silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was roused by his strident voice, as he sang out--</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“There was a frog lived in a well</div> - <div class='line in2'>Crock-a-mydaisy, Kitty alone!</div> - <div class='line'>There was a frog lived in a well,</div> - <div class='line'>And a merry mouse lived in a mill,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Kitty alone and I.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>Now her pale face turned to him with something of -appeal.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How is the little worm?” asked Quarm; “no roses -blooming in the cheeks. Wait till I carry you to the -moors. There you shall sit and smell the honeybreath of -the furze, and as the heather covers the hillsides with raspberry-cream, -the flush of life will come into your face. I’m -not so sure but that money might be made out of the spicy -air of Dartmoor. Why not condense the scent of the furze-bushes, -and advertise it as a specific in consumption? I -won’t say that folks wouldn’t buy. Why not extract the -mountain heather as a cosmetic? It is worth considering. -Why not the juice of whortleberry as a dye for the hair? -and pounded bog-peat for a dentifrice? Pasco, my boy, I -have ideas. I say, listen to me. This is the way notions -come flashing up in my brain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He had forgotten about his daughter, so enkindled was -his imagination by his new schemes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once again, discouraged and depressed, the girl dropped -her eyes on her work.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sun shining on the flowing tide filled the bay of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>the room with rippling light, walls and ceiling were in a -quiver, the glisten was in the glass, it was repeated on the -floor, it quivered over her dress and her pale face, it sparkled -and winked in her knitting-pins. She might have been a -mermaid sitting below the water, seen through the restless, -undulatory current.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Pepperill growled, and struck with her fingers the -pan she had been cleaning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is a woman among men but a helpless creature, -who cannot prevent the evil she sees coming on? Talk of -woman as the inferior vessel! It is she has the common -sense, and not man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was not you who brought Coombe Cellars to me, but -I brought you to Coombe Cellars,” retorted her husband. -“What is here is mine--the house, the business, the land. -You rule in the kitchen, that is your proper place. I rule -where I am lord.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pasco spoke with pomposity, drawing his chin back into -his neck.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When you married me,” said Zerah, “nothing was to -be yours only, all was to be yours and mine. I am your -wife, not your housekeeper. I shall watch and guard well -against waste, against folly. I cannot always save against -both, but I can protest--and I will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>On hearing the loud tones of Mrs. Pepperill, Kate hastily -collected her knitting and ball of worsted and left the room. -She was accustomed to passages of arms between Pasco -and his wife, to loud and angry voices, but they frightened -her, and filled her with disgust. She fled the moment the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>pitch of the voices was raised and their tones became -harsh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look there!” exclaimed Zerah, before the girl had left -the room. “There is a child for you. Her father returns, -after having been away for a fortnight. She never rises to -meet him, she goes on calmly knitting, does not speak a -word of welcome, take the smallest notice of him. It was -very different with my Wilmot; she would fly to her father--not -that he deserved her love; she would dance about -him and kiss him. But she had a heart, and was what a -girl should be; as for your Kate, brother Jason, I don’t -know what to make of her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the matter with Kitty?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is not like other girls. Did you not take notice? -She was cold and regardless when you arrived, as if you -were a stranger--never even put aside her knitting, never -gave you a word.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Zerah was perhaps glad of an excuse for not continuing -an angry discussion with her husband before her brother. -She was hot; she could now give forth her heat upon the -head of the girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t think I gave her much chance,” said Jason; -“you see, I was talking to Pasco about the oaks.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Give her the chance?” retorted Zerah. “As if my -Wilmot would have waited till her father gave her the -chance. It is not for the father to dance after his child, -but the child should run to its father. I’ll tell you what I -believe, Jason, and nothing will get me out of the belief. -You know how Jane Simmons’ boy was born without eyelashes; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>and how last spring we had a lamb without any tail; -and that Bessie Penny hasn’t got any lobe of ear at all, -only a hole in the side of her head; and Ephraim Tooker -has no toe-nails.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know all that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well. I believe--and you’ll never shake it out of -me--that child of yours was born without a heart.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER III <br /> <span class='small'>ALL INTO GOLD</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>Pasco Pepperill was a man slow, heavy, and -apparently phlegmatic, and he was married to a -woman full of energy, and excitable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pasco had inherited Coombe Cellars from his father; he -had been looked upon as the greatest catch among the -young men of the neighbourhood. It was expected that -he would marry well. He had married well, but not exactly -in the manner anticipated. Coombe Cellars was a centre -of many activities; it was a sort of inn--at all events a place -to which water parties came to picnic; it was a farm and -a place of merchandise. Pasco had chosen as his wife -Zerah Quarm, a publican’s daughter, with, indeed, a small -sum of money of her own, but with what was to him -of far more advantage, a clear, organising head. She -was a scrupulously tidy woman, a woman who did -everything by system, who had her own interest or that -of the house ever in view, and would never waste a -farthing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Had the threads of the business been placed in Zerah’s -hands, she would have managed all, made money in every -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>department, and kept the affairs of each to itself in her own -orderly brain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Pepperill did not trust her with the management of -his wool, coal, grain, straw and hay business. “Feed the -pigs, keep poultry, attend to the guests, make tea, boil -cockles--that’s what you are here for, Zerah,” said Pepperill; -“all the rest is my affair, and with that you do not -meddle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The pigs became fat, the poultry laid eggs, visitors came -in quantities; Zerah’s rashers, tea, cockles were relished -and were paid for. Zerah had always a profit to show for -her small outlay and much labour.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She resented that she was not allowed an insight into her -husband’s business; he kept his books to himself, and she -mistrusted his ability to balance his accounts. When she -discovered that he had disposed of the greater portion of his -land, then her indignation was unbounded. It was but too -clear that he was going on the high road to ruin, by undertaking -businesses for which he was not naturally competent; -that by having too many irons in the fire he was spoiling -all.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Zerah waited, in bitterness of heart, expecting her husband -to explain to her his motives for parting with his land; he -had not even deigned to inform her that he had sold it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She flew at him, at length, with all the vehemence of her -character, and poured forth a torrent of angry recrimination. -Pasco put his hands into his pockets, looked wonderingly -at her out of his great water-blue eyes, spun round like a -teetotum, and left the house.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>Zerah became conscious, as she cooled, that she had -gone too far, that she had used expressions that were -irritating and insulting, and which were unjustifiable. On -the other hand, Pasco was conscious that he had not -behaved rightly towards his wife, not only in not consulting -her about the sale, but in not even telling her of it when it -was accomplished.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Neither would confess wrong, but after this outbreak -Zerah became gentle, and Pasco allowed some sort of self-justification -to escape him. He had met with a severe loss, -and was obliged to find ready money. Moreover, the farm -and the business could not well be carried on simultaneously, -one detracted from the other. Henceforth his whole attention -would be devoted to commercial transactions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To some extent the sharpness of Zerah’s indignation was -blunted by the consciousness that her own brother, Jason, -was Pasco’s most trusted adviser; that if he had met with -losses, it was due to the injudicious speculations into which -he had been thrust by Jason.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The governing feature of Pasco was inordinate self-esteem. -He believed himself to be intellectually superior to everyone -else in the parish, and affected to despise the farmers, -because they did not mix with the world, had not their -fingers on its arteries like the commercial man. He was -proud of his position, proud of his means, and proud of -the respect with which he was treated, and which he demanded -of everyone. He valued his wife’s good qualities, -and bragged of them. According to him, his business was -extensive, and conducted with the most brilliant success. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>For many years one great object of pride with him had -been his only child--a daughter, Wilmot. As a baby, no -child had ever before been born with so much hair. No -infant was ever known to cut its teeth with greater ease. -No little girl was more amiable, more beautiful; the intelligence -the child exhibited was preternatural. When, in -course of time, Wilmot grew into a really pretty girl, with -very taking if somewhat forward manners, the exultation of -the father knew no bounds. Nor was her mother, Zerah, -less devoted to the child; and for a long period Wilmot -was the bond between husband and wife, the one topic on -which they thought alike, the one object over which they -were equally hopeful, ambitious, and proud. Jason, left a -widower with one daughter, Katherine, had placed the child -with his sister. He had a cottage of his own, small, rarely -occupied, as he rambled over the country, looking out for -opportunities of picking up money. He had not married -again, he had engaged no housekeeper; his daughter was -an encumbrance, and had, therefore, been sent to Coombe -Cellars, where she was brought up as a companion and foil -to Wilmot. Suddenly the beloved child of the Pepperills -died, and the hearts of the parents were desolate. That -of Zerah became bitter and resentful. Pasco veiled his -grief under his phlegm, and made of the funeral a demonstration -that might solace his pride. After that he spoke -of the numbers who had attended, of the great emotion -displayed, of the cost of the funeral, of the entertainment -given to the mourners, of the number of black gloves paid -for, as something for which he could be thankful and proud. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>It really was worth having had a daughter whose funeral -had cost sixty pounds, and at which the church of Coombe-in-Teignhead -had been crammed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The great link that for fifteen years had held Zerah and -Pasco together was broken. They had never really become -one, though over their child they had almost become -so. The loss of the one object on whom Zerah had set her -heart made her more sensitive to annoyance, more inclined -to find fault with her husband. Yet it cannot be said that -they did not strive to be one in heart; each avoided much -that was certain to annoy the other, refrained from doing -before the other what was distasteful to the consort; indeed, -each went somewhat out of the way to oblige the other, -but always with a clumsiness and lack of grace which robbed -the transaction of its worth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate had been set back whilst her cousin lived. Nominally -the companion, the playfellow of Wilmot, she had -actually been her slave, her plaything. Whatever Wilmot -had done was regarded as right by her father and mother, -and in any difference that took place between the cousins, -Kate was invariably pronounced to have been in the -wrong, and was forced to yield to Wilmot. The child -soon found that no remonstrances of hers were listened -to, even when addressed to her father. He had other -matters to occupy him than settling differences between -children. It was not his place to interfere between the -niece and her aunt, for, if the aunt refused to be troubled -with her, what could he do with Kate, where dispose -her?</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>Kate had not been long out of the room before her father -and uncle also left, that they might talk at their ease, without -the intervention of Zerah.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate had gone with her knitting to the little stage above -the water, and was seated on the wall looking down on the -flowing tide that now filled the estuary. Hither also came -the two men, and seated themselves at the table, without -taking any notice of her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate had been studying the water as it flowed in, covering -the mud flats, rising inch by inch over the refuse mass -below the platform, and was now washing the roots of the -herbage that fringed the bank.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So full was her mind, full, as though in it also the tide -had been rising, that, contrary to her wont, she broke -silence when the men appeared, and said, “Father! uncle! -what makes the tide come and go?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The tide comes to bring up the coal-barges, and to -carry ’em away with straw,” answered Pasco.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, uncle, why does it come and go?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pepperill shrugged his shoulders, and vouchsafed no -further answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look there,” said Jason, pointing to an orchard that -stretched along the margin of the flood, and which was -dense with daffodils. “Look there, Pasco, there is an -opportunity let slide.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I couldn’t help it. I sold that orchard. I wanted to -concentrate--concentrate efforts,” said Pasco.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t allude to that,” said Quarm. “But as I’ve been -through the lanes this March, looking at the orchards and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>meadows a-blazing with Lent lilies, I’ve had a notion come -to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Them darned daffodils are good for naught.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There you are wrong, Pasco. Nothing is good for -naught. What we fellows with heads have to do is to find -how we may make money out of what to stupids is good -for naught.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are beastly things. The cattle won’t touch ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But Christians will, and will pay for them. I know -that you can sell daffodils in London or Birmingham or -Bristol, at a penny a piece.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s right enough, but London, Birmingham, and -Bristol are a long way off.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are right there, and as long as this blundering -atmospheric line runs we can do nothing. But wait a bit, -Pasco, and we shall have steam-power on our South Devon -line, and we must be prepared to seize the occasion. I -have been reckoning we could pack two hundred and fifty -daffodils easily without crushing in a maund. Say the cost -of picking be a penny a hundred, and the wear and tear of -the hamper another penny, and the carriage come to -ninepence, and the profits to the sellers one and eleven-pence -ha’penny, that makes three shillings; sold at a penny -apiece it is twenty shillings--profit, seventeen and ten; -strike off ten for damaged daffies as won’t sell. How many -thousand daffodils do you suppose you could get out of -that orchard and one or two more nests of these flowers? -Twenty-five thousand? A profit of seventeen shillings on -two hundred and fifty makes sixty-eight shillings a thousand. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>Twenty times that is sixty-eight pounds--all got out of -daffodils--beastly daffies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course,” said Pasco, “I was speaking of them as -they are, not as what they might be.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look there,” said Jason, pointing over the glittering -flood, “look at the gulls, tens of hundreds of ’em, and no -one gives them a thought.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They ain’t fit to eat,” observed Pasco. “Dirty -creeturs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, they ain’t, and so no one shoots them. Wait a bit. -Trust me. I’ll go up to London and talk it over with a -great milliner or dressmaker, and have a fashion brought -in. Waistcoats for ladies in winter of gulls’ breasts. They -will be more beautiful than satin and warmer than sealskin. -It is only for the fashion to be put on wheels and it will -run of itself. There is reason, there is convenience, there -is beauty in it. How many gulls can we kill? I reckon -we can sweep the mouth of the Teign clear of them, and -get ten thousand, and if we sell their breasts at five shillings -apiece, that is, twenty-five pounds a hundred, and ten -thousand makes just two thousand five hundred pounds -out of gulls--dirty creeturs!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course, I said that at present they are no good; not -fit to eat. What they may become is another matter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Quarm said nothing for a while. His restless eye -wandered over the landscape, already green, though the -month was March, for the rich red soil under the soft airs -from the sea, laden with moisture, grows grass throughout -the year. No frosts parch that herbage whose brilliance is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>set forth by contrast with the Indian-red rocks and soil. -The sky was of translucent blue, and in the evening light -the inflowing sea, with the slant rays piercing it, was of -emerald hue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear! dear! dear!” sighed Quarm; “will the time -ever come, think you, old fellow, that we shall be able to -make some use of the sea and sky--capitalise ’em, eh? -Squeeze the blue out of the firmament, and extract the -green out of the ocean, and use ’em as patent dyes. -Wouldn’t there be a run on the colours for ladies’ dresses! -What’s the good of all that amount of dye in both where -they are? Sheer waste! sheer waste! Now, if we could -turn them into money, there’d be some good in them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jason stood up, stretched his arms, and straightened, as -far as possible, his crippled leg. Then he hobbled over to -the low wall on which his daughter was seated, looking -away at the emerald sea, the banks of green shot with -golden daffodil, and overarched with the intense blue of the -sky, clapped her on the back, and when with a start she -turned--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hallo, Kate! What, tears! why crying?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, father! I hate money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Money! what else is worth living for?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, father, will you mow down the daffodils, and shoot -down the gulls, and take everything beautiful out of sea and -sky? I hate money--you will spoil everything for that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You little fool, Kitty Alone. Not love money? Alone -in that among all men and women. A fool in that as in all -else, Kitty Alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>Then up came Zerah in excitement, and said in loud, -harsh tones, “Who is to go after Jan Pooke? Where is -Gale? The train is due in ten minutes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have sent Roger Gale after some hides,” said Pasco.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We have undertaken to ferry Jan Pooke across, and he -arrives by the train just due. Who is to go?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not I,” said Pepperill. “I’m busy, Zerah, engaged on -commercial matters with Quarm. Besides, I’m too big a -man, of too much consequence to ferry a fare. I keep a -boat, but am not a boatman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then Kate must go for him. Kate, look smart; ferry -across at once, and wait at the hard till Jan Pooke arrives -by the 6.10. He has been to Exeter, and I promised that -the boat should meet him on his return at the Bishop’s -Teignton landing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl rose without a word.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is not quite up to that?” said her father, with -question in his tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bless you, she’s done it scores of times. We don’t -keep her here to eat, and dress, and be idle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But suppose--and the wind is bitter cold.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Some one <em>must</em> go,” said Zerah. “Look sharp, Kate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alone?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course. The man is away. She can row. Kitty -must go alone.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IV <br /> <span class='small'>THE ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>The engineer Brunel was fond of daring and magnificent -schemes, carried out at other people’s expense. -One of these schemes was the construction of the South -Devon Railway, running from Exeter to Plymouth, for -some portion of its way along the coast, breasting the sea, -exposed to the foam of the breaking tide, and worked by -atmospheric pressure. Brunel was an admirer of Prout’s -delightful sketches--Prout, the man who taught the eye of -the nineteenth century to observe the picturesque. Brunel, -having other folks’ money to play with, thought himself -justified in providing therewith subjects for sepia and -Chinese white studies in the future. Taking as his model -Italian churches, with their campaniles, he placed engine-houses -for the atmospheric pressure at every station, -designed on these models. That they were picturesque no -one could deny, that they were vastly costly the shareholders -were well aware.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a while the atmospheric railway was worked from -these Italian churches, the campaniles of which contained -the exhausting pumps. Then the whole scheme collapsed, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>when the pumps had completely exhausted the shareholders’ -pockets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The system was ingenious, but it should have been -tried on a small scale before operations were carried -on upon one that was large, and in a manner that was -lavish.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The system was this. A tube was laid between the rails, -and the carriages ran connected with a piston in the tube. -The air was pumped out before the piston, and the pressure -of the atmosphere behind was expected to propel piston -and carriages attached to it. The principle was that upon -which we imbibe sherry-cobbler.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But there was a difficulty, and that was insurmountable. -Had the carriages been within the tube they would have -swung along readily enough. But they were without and -yet connected with the piston within; and it was precisely -over this connection that the system broke down. A -complex and ingenious scheme was adopted for making the -tubes air-tight in spite of the long slit through which slid -the coulter that connected the carriages with the piston. -The train carried with it a sort of hot flat-iron which it -passed over the leather flap bedded in tallow that closed -the slit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the device was too intricate and too open to -disturbance by accident to be successful. Trains ran -spasmodically. The coulter, raising the flap, let the air -rush into the artificially formed vacuum before it, and so -act as a break on the propelling force of the air behind. -The flap became displaced. The tallow under a hot sun -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>melted away. The trains when they started were attended -on their course by a fizzing noise as of a rocket about to -explode, very trying to the nerves. They had a habit of -sulking and stopping in the midst of tunnels, or of refusing -to start from stations when expected to start. By no means -infrequently they arrived at their destination propelled by -panting passengers, and the only exhaustion of atmosphere -of which anything could be spoken, was that of the lungs -of those who had paid for their tickets to be carried along -the line, not to shove along the carriages with their -shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the time when our story opens, this unfortunate -venture, so ruinous to many speculators, was in process of -demonstrating how unworthy it was of the Italian churches -and campaniles that had been erected for its use.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a while steam locomotives were brought to the -stations and held in readiness to fly to the aid of broken-down -atmospheric trains. A little later, and the atmospheric -engines and tubes were broken up and sold for old iron, -and the ecclesiastical edifices that had contained the pumps -were let to whoever would rent them, as cider stores or -depôts of guano and dissolved bone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>John Pooke, only son of the wealthiest yeoman in the -parish of Coombe-in-Teignhead, had been put across the -estuary that morning so that he might go by train to Exeter, -to be fitted for a suit and suitably hatted for the approaching -marriage of his sister. In two or three parishes beside -the Teign the old yeoman has held his own from before -Tudor days. From century to century the land has passed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>from father to son. These yeomen families have never -extended their estates, and have been careful not to -diminish them. The younger sons and the daughters have -gone into trade or into service, and have looked with as -much pride to the ancestral farms as can any noble family -to its baronial hall. These yeomen are without pretence, -do not affect to be what they are not, knowing what they -are, and content, and more than content, therewith. There -are occasions in which they do make some display, and -these are funerals and weddings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was considered at the family gathering of the Pooke -clan that, at the approaching solemnity of the marriage of -the daughter of the house, no village tailor, nay, not even -one of the town of Teignmouth, could do justice to the -occasion, and that it would be advisable for the son and -heir to seek the superior skill of an Exeter tradesman to -invest his body in well-fitting and fashionable garments, and -an Exeter hatter to provide him with a hat as worn by the -leaders of fashion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>John Pooke had been ferried over in the morning, and -had requested that the boat might be in waiting for him on -his return in the evening by the last train.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate had often been sent across on previous occasions. -She could handle an oar. The tide was still flowing, and -there was absolutely no danger to be anticipated. At no -time was there risk, though there might be inconvenience, -and the latter only when the tide was ebbing and the -mud-banks were becoming exposed. To be stranded on -one of these would entail a tedious waiting in mid-river -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>till return of tide, and with the flow the refloating of the -ferry-boat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate rowed leisurely across the mouth of the Teign. -The evening was closing in. The sun had set behind the -green hills to the west; a cold wind blew down the river, -sometimes whistling, sometimes with a sob in its breath, -and as it swept the tide it crisped it into wavelets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now that the sunlight was no longer on or in the water, -the latter had lost its exquisite greenness, and had assumed a -sombre tint. The time of the year was March; no buds -had burst on the trees. The larch plantations were -hesitating, putting forth, indeed, their little blood-purple -“strawberry baskets”--their marvellous flower, and ready -at the first warm shower to flush into emerald green. The -limes, the elms, were red at every spray with rising sap. The -meadows, however, were of an intense brilliancy of verdure.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the mouth of the Teign rose the Ness, a very Bardolph’s -nose for rubicundity, and the inflowing tide was warm in -colour in places where it flowed over a loosely compacted -bank of sand or mud. Thus the river was as a piece of -shot silk of two tinctures.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate was uncertain whether the train had passed or not. -The atmospheric railway had none of the bluster of the -steam locomotive. No puffs of vapour like white cotton wool -rose in the air to forewarn of a coming train, or, after one -had passed, to lie along the course and tell for five minutes -that the train had gone by. It uttered no whistle, its -breaks produced no jar. Its lungs did not pant and roar. -It slid along almost without a sound.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>Consequently, Kate, knowing that the ferry-boat had -been despatched late, almost expected to find John Pooke -stamping and growling on the hard. When, however, she -ran the boat aground at the landing-place, she saw that no -one was there in expectation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl fastened the little vessel to a ring and went up -the river bank in quest of someone who could inform her -about the train.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She speedily encountered a labourer with boots red in -dust. He, however, could say nothing relative to the down -train. After leaving work--“tilling ’taters”--he had been -into the public-house at Bishop’s Teignton for his half-pint -of ale, to wash the red dust down the redder lane; the train -might have gone by while he was refreshing himself; but -there was also a probability that it had not. Continuing -her inquiries, Kate met a woman who assured her that the -train had passed. She had seen it, whilst hanging out -some clothes; she had been near enough to distinguish the -passengers in the carriages.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whilst this woman was communicating information, -another came up who was equally positive in her asseverations -that the train had not gone by. She had been looking -out for it, so as to set her clock by it. A lively altercation -ensued between the women, which developed into personalities; -their voices rose in pitch and in volume of tone. -A third came up and intervened. A train had indeed -passed, but it was an up and not a down train. Thus the -first woman was right--she had seen the train and observed -the passengers; and the second was right--the down train -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>by which she had set her clock had not gone by. Far from -being satisfied at this solution of the difficulty, both women -who had been in controversy turned in combined attack -upon the third woman who would have reconciled them. -What right had she to interfere? who had asked for her -opinion? Everyone knew about her--and then ensued -personalities. The third woman, hard pressed, covered -with abuse, sought escape by turning upon Kate and -rating her for having asked impertinent questions. The -other two at once joined in, and Kate was driven to fly the -combined torrent of abuse and take refuge in her boat. -There she could sit and wait the arrival of the fare, and be -undisturbed save by her own uneasy thoughts. The wind -was rising. It puffed down the river, then held its breath, -filled its bellows and puffed more fiercely, more ominously. -The evening sky was clouding over, but the clouds were -chopped, and threatened a stormy night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate had brought her shawl, and she now wrapped it -about her, as she sat waiting in the boat. When the glow -passed away, caused by her exertion in rowing and her -run from the exasperated women, it left her cold and -shivering.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The tide was beyond the full, and was beginning to ebb. -This was vexatious. Unless John Pooke arrived speedily, -there would be difficulty in traversing the Teign, for the -water would warp out rapidly with the wind driving it -seawards.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She must exercise patience and wait a little longer. -What should she do if the young man did not arrive before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>the lapse of half an hour? this was a contingency for which -she must be prepared. Her aunt Zerah had bidden her -remain till Pooke appeared. But if he did not appear -before the tide was out, then she would be unable to cross -that evening. It would be eminently unsatisfactory to be -benighted, and to have to seek shelter on the Bishop’s -Teignton side. She had no friends there, and to be -rambling about with Pooke in quest of some place where -both might be accommodated was what she could not -think of. To await the turn of the tide in her boat was a -prospect only slightly less agreeable. The wind was from -the east, it cut like a knife. She was ill provided for -exposure to it in the night. The sun had set and the light -was ebbing out of the sky as fast as the water was draining -out of the estuary. There was no moon. There would be -little starlight, for the clouds as they advanced became -compacted into a leaden canopy that obscured the -constellations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate looked across the water to Coombe Cellars. -Already a light had been kindled there, and from the -window it formed a glittering line on the running tide.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She gazed wistfully down the river. All was dark there. -She could hear the murmur of the sea behind the Den, a -bar of shingle and sand that more than half closed the -mouth of the river.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate leaned over the side of the boat. The water -gulped and curled away; in a quarter of an hour it would -be gone. She thrust her boat farther out, as already it was -being left high and dry.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>She would allow Pooke five minutes longer, ten minutes -at the outside; yet she had no watch by which to measure -the time. She shrank from being benighted on that side -of the river. She shrank from the alternative of a scolding -from her aunt should she come across without Pooke.</p> - -<p class='c001'>What if John Pooke were to arrive at the landing-place -one minute after she had departed? What if she waited -for John Pooke one minute over the moment at which it -was possible to cross? Whilst thus tossed in doubt, the -train glided by. There were lights in the carriages, a -strong light in the driving carriage cast forward along the -rails. The train did not travel fast--at a rate not above -thirty miles an hour.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate heaved a sigh. “At last! Pooke will be here -directly. Oh dear! I hope not too late.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The atmospheric train slipped away into darkness with -very little noise, and then the only sound Kate heard was -that of the lapping of the water against the sides of the -boat, like that produced by a dog drinking.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER V <br /> <span class='small'>ON A MUD-BANK</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>“Halloa! Ferry, ho!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here you are, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who is that singing out?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is I--Kate Quarm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What--Kitty Alone? Is that what is to be? Over the -water together--Kitty Alone and I?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the strand, in the gloom, stood a sturdy figure encumbered -with a hat-box and a large parcel, so that both hands -were engaged.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you John Pooke?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To be sure I am.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In another moment the young fellow was beside the -boat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here, Kitty Alone! Lend a hand. I’m crippled -with these precious parcels. This blessed box-hat has -given me trouble. The string came undone, and down it -went. I have to carry the concern tucked under my arm; -and the parcel’s bursting. It’s my new suit dying to show -itself, and so is getting out of this brown-paper envelope as -fast as it may.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>“We are very late,” said Kate anxiously. “The tide is -running out hard, and it is a chance if we get over.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Right, Kitty. I’ll settle the hat-box and the new -suit--brass buttons--what d’ye think of that? And straps -to my trousers. I shall be fine--a blazer, Kitty--a -blazer!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do sit down, John; it is but a chance if we get across. -You are so late.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Atmospheric did it, for one--my hat for the other, -tumbling in the darkness out of the box, and in the tunnel -too. Fancy if the train had gone over it! I’d have wept -tears of blood.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do, John Pooke, do sit down and take an oar.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll sit down in a minute, when I’ve put my box-hat -where I nor you can kick it about, and the new suit where -the water can’t stain it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“John, you must take an oar.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Right I am. We’ll make her fly--pist!--faster than -the blessed Atmospheric, and no sticking half-way.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m not so sure of that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate thrust off. She had altered the pegs, and now she -gave John an oar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pull for dear life!” she said; “not a moment is to be -lost.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yoicks away!” shouted Pooke. “So we swim--Kitty -Alone and I.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate, more easy now that the boat was started, said, -“You asked me my name. I said Kate Quarm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, but everyone knows you as Kitty Alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>“And every one knows you as Jan Tottle, but I shouldn’t -have the face to so call you; and I don’t see why you -should give me any name than what properly belongs to -me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your father always so calls you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are not my father, and have no right to take -liberties. My father may call me what he pleases, because -he is my father. He is my father--you my penny fare.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the penny fare has no rights?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He has right to be ferried over, not to be impudent.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pooke whistled through his teeth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl laboured hard at the oar; Pooke worked more -easily. He had not realised at first how uncertain was the -passage. The tide went swirling down to the sea with the -wind behind it, driving it as a besom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I say, Kate Quarm--no, Miss Catherine Quarm. Hang -it! how stiff and grand we be! Do you know why I have -been to Exeter?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not, Jan.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There, you called me Jan. You’ll be ’titling me Tottle, -next. That gives me a right to call you Kitty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Once, but no more; and Kitty only.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ve been to Exeter to be rigged out for sister Sue’s -weddin’. My word! it has cost four guineas to make a -gentleman of me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can they do that for four guineas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now don’t sneer. Listen. They’d took my measure -afore, and they put me in my new suit, brass buttons and -everything complete, and a new tie and collars standing to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>my ears--and a box-hat curling at the sides like the waves -of the ocean--and then they told me to walk this way, -please sir! So I walked, and what should I see but a -gentleman stately as a dook coming towards me, and I -took off my hat and said, Your servant, sir! and would -have stepped aside. Will you believe me, Kate! it was -just myself in a great cheval glass, as they call it. You’ll -be at the wedding, won’t you?--if only to see me in my -new suit. I do believe you’ll fall down and worship me, -and I shall smile down at you and say, Holloa! is that my -good friend Kitty Alone? And you’ll say, Your very -humble servant, sir!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That I shall never do, Mr. Pennyfare,” laughed Kate, -and then, becoming grave, immediately said, “Do pull instead -of talking nonsense. We are drifting; look over -your shoulder.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So we are. There is Coombe Cellars light, right away -up stream.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The wind and stream are against us. Pull hard.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jan Pooke now recognised that he must use his best -exertions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hang it!” said he, watching the light; “I don’t want to -be carried out to sea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nor do I. That would be a dear penn’orth.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pooke pulled vigorously; looked over his shoulder again -and said, “Kate, give up your place to me. I’m worth -more than you and me together with one oar apiece.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She moved the rowlock pins, and Jan took her place -with two oars; but the time occupied in effecting the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>change entailed loss of way, and the boat swept fast down -the estuary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is more than a joke,” said Pooke; “we are down -opposite Shaldon. I can see the Teignmouth lights. We -shall never get across like this.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We must.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The tide tears between the end of the Den and the -farther shore like a mill-race.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We must cross or run aground.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kate, can you see the breakers over the bar?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, but I can hear them. They are nothing now, as -wind and tide are running off shore. When the tide turns -then there will be a roar.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I believe we are being carried out. Thunder! I’m not -going to be swept into Kingdom Come without having put -on box-hat and new suit, and cut a figure here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The wind poured down the trough of the Teign valley -with such force, that in one blast it seemed to catch the -boat and drive it, as it might take up a leaf and send it -flying over the surface of a hard road.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The waves were dancing, foaming, uttering their voices -about the rocks of the Ness, mumbling and muttering on -the bar. If the boat in the darkness were to get into the -throat of the current, it would be sucked and carried into -the turbulent sea; it might, however, get on the bar and be -buffeted and broken by the waves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take an oar,” said Pooke; “we must bring her head -round. If we can run behind the Den, we shall be in still -water.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>“Or mud,” said Kate, seating herself to pull. “Anything -but to be carried out to sea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two young people struggled desperately. They were -straining against wind and tide, heading about to get into -shallow water, and out of the tearing current.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a while Kate gasped, “I’m finished!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her hair was blown round her head in the gale; with -the rapidity of her pulsation, lights flashed before her eyes -and waves roared in her ears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t give up. Pull away!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mechanically she obeyed. In another minute the strain -was less, and then--the boat was aground.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If this be the Den, all right,” said Pooke. “We can -get ashore and walk to Teignmouth.” He felt with the -oar, standing up in the boat. It sank in mud. “Here’s a -pretty pass,” said he. “I thought it bad enough to be -stuck in the tunnel when the Atmospheric broke down, -but it is worse to be fast in the mud. From the tunnel we -could extricate ourselves at once, but here--in this mud, -we are fast till flow of tide. Kitty,--I mean Kate,--make -up your mind to accept my company for some hours. I -can’t help you out, and I can’t get out myself. What is -more, no one on shore, even if we could call to them, -would be able to assist us. Till the tide turns, we are held -as tight as rats in a gin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder,” said the girl, recovering her breath, “what -makes the tides ebb and flow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” said John Pooke; “it -is enough for me that they have lodged us here on a mud -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>bank in a March night with an icy east wind blowing. By -George! I’ve a mind to have out a summons against the -Atmospheric Company.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why so?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For putting us in this blessed fix. The train came to -a standstill in the tunnel by the Parson and Clerk rock, -between Dawlish and Teignmouth. We had to tumble -out of the carriages and shove her along into daylight. -That is how my band-box got loose; as I got out of the -carriage the string gave way and down went the box in the -tunnel, and opened, and the hat came out. There was an -east wind blowing like the blast of a blacksmith’s bellows -through the tunnel, and it caught my new hat and carried it -along, as if it were the atmospheric train it had to propel. -I had to run after it and catch it, all in the half-dark, and -all the while the guard and passengers were yelling at me -to help and shove along the train; but I wasn’t going to do -that till I had recovered my hat. I must think of sister -Sue’s wedding, and the figure I shall cut there, before I -consider how to get the train out of a tunnel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In spite of discomfort and cold, Kate was constrained to -laugh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you or I am the worse for this night in the cold, and -if my box-hat has had the nap scratched off, and my new -suit gets stained with sea-water, I’ll summons the company, -I will. What have you got to keep you warm, -Kate?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A shawl.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let me feel it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>Pooke groped in the dark and caught hold of what the -girl had cast over her head and shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s thin enough for a June evening,” said he. “It -may keep off dews, but it will not keep out frost. Please -goodness, we shall have neither hail nor rain; that would -be putting an edge on to our misery.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Both lapsed into silence. The prospect was cheerless. -After about five minutes Kate said, “I wonder why there -are twelve hours and a half between tides, and not twelve -hours.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am sure I cannot tell,” answered Pooke listlessly; he -had his head in his hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You see,” remarked Kate, “if the tides were twelve -hours exactly apart, there would always be flow at the same -hour.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose so.” Pooke spoke languidly, as if going to -sleep.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But that extra half-hour, or something like it, throws -them out and makes them shift. Why is it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How can I say? Accident.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It cannot be accident, for people can calculate and put -in the almanacks when the tides are to be.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And then--why are some tides much bigger than -others? We are having high tides now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pooke half rose, seated himself again, and said in a tone -of desperation, “Look here, Kitty! I ain’t going to be -catechised. Rather than that, I’ll jump into the mud and -smother. It is bad enough having to sit here in the wind -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>half the night, without having one’s head split with thinking -to answer questions. If we are to talk, let it be about -something sensible. Shall you be at sister Sue’s <a id='corr52.3'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='wedding?’'>wedding?”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_52.3'><ins class='correction' title='wedding?’'>wedding?”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know. That depends on whether aunt will -let me go.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I want you to see and worship me in my new suit.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I may see--I shan’t worship you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I almost bowed down to myself in the cheval glass, I -looked so tremendous fine; and if I did that--what will -you do?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Many a man worships himself whom others don’t think -much of.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There you are at me again. Fancy--Kate--ducks”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And green peas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No--bottle-green. Ducks is what I am going to wear, -with straps under my boots--lily-white, and a yellow nankeen -waistcoat, and a bottle-green coat with brass buttons,--all -here in this parcel,--and the hat. My honour! I never -was so fine before. Four guineas--with the hat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you call this ‘talking sensible’?” asked Kate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Again they subsided into silence. It was hard, in the -piercing wind, in the darkness, to keep up an interest in -any topic.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The cold cut like a razor. The wind moaned over the -bulwarks of the ferry-boat. The mud exhaled a dead -and unpleasant odour. Gulls fluttered near and screamed. -The clouds overhead parted, and for a while exposed tracts -of sky, thick strewn with stars that glittered frostily.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>Presently the young man said, “Hang it! you will catch -cold. Lie in the bottom of the boat, and I will throw my -coat over you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you will yourself be chilled.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I--I am tough as nails. But stay. I know something -better. I have my new bottle-green coat, splendid as the -day. You shall have that over you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But it may become crumpled.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sister Sue shall iron it again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or stained.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You shan’t die of cold just to save my bottle-green. -Lie down. I wish the hat could be made to serve some -purpose. There’s no water in the boat?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“None.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I am glad. It would have gone to my heart like -a knife to have had to bale it out with my box-hat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate was now very chilled. After the exertion, and the -consequent heat in which she had been, the reaction had -set in, and the blood curdled in her veins. The wind -pierced the thin shawl as though it were a cobweb. Pooke -folded up his garments to make a pillow for her head, -insisted on her lying down, so that the side of the boat -might in some measure screen her from the wind, and then -he spread his new coat over her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There, Kitty. Hang it! we are comrades in ill-luck; -so there is a brotherhood of misery between us. Let me -call you Kitty, and let me be Jan to you--Tottle if you -will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Only when you begin to boast about your new suit”--</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>“There, Kitty, don’t be hard on me. I must think of -something to keep me warm, and what else so warming as -the thoughts of the ducks, and nankeen, and bottle-green, -and the box-hat. I don’t believe anything else could make -me keep up my spirits. Go to sleep, and when I feel the -boat lift, I will sing out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate was touched by the kindness of the soft-headed -lad. As she lay in the bottom of the boat without speaking, -and he thought she was dozing, he put down his hand -and touched the clothes about her. He wished to assure -himself that she was well covered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate was not asleep; she was thinking. She had not -met with much consideration in the short span of her life. -Lying in the boat with her eyes fixed on the stars, her -restless mind was working.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Presently, moved by an uncontrollable impulse, she asked, -“John, why do some of the stars twinkle and others do -not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How should I know? I suppose they were out on a -spree when they ought to ha’ been in bed, and now can’t -keep their eyes from winking.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Some, however, burn quite steadily.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Them’s the good stars, that keep regular hours, and go -to bed when they ought. Your eyes’ll be winking no end -to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“John, what becomes of the stars by day?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kitty--Kate, don’t ask any more questions, or I shall -jump overboard. I can’t bear it; I can’t indeed. It -makes my head ache.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VI <br /> <span class='small'>A CAPTURE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>Kate Quarm had never felt a mother’s love. She -could not recall her mother, who had died when -she was an infant. Her father, encumbered with a motherless -babe, had handed the child over to his sister Zerah, -a hard woman, who resented the infliction upon her in -addition to the cares and solicitudes of her house. From -her aunt Kate received no love. Her uncle paid to her -no attention, save when he was provoked to rebuke by -some noise made in childish play, or some damage done in -childish levity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus Kate had grown up to the verge of womanhood -with all her affections buried in her bosom. That dark -heart was like a cellar stored with flower bulbs and roots. -They are not dead, they send forth bleached and sickly -shoots without vigour and incapable of bloom. Hers was -a tender, craving nature, one that hungered for love; and -as she received none, wherever she turned, to whomsoever -she looked, she had become self-contained, reserved, and -silent. Her aunt thought her sullen and obstinate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As already related, Mrs. Pepperill had not been always -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>childless. She had possessed a daughter, Wilmot, who -had been the joy and pride of her heart. Wilmot had -been a bright, merry girl, with fair hair and forget-me-not -blue eyes, and cheeks in which the lily was commingled with -the rose. Wilmot was a born coax and coquette; she -cajoled her mother to give her what she desired, and she -flattered her father into humouring her caprices.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Naturally, the reserved, pale Kate was thrown into -shadow by the forward, glowing Wilmot; and the parents -daily contrasted their own child with that of the brother, -and always to the disadvantage of the latter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wilmot had a mischievous spirit, and delighted in teasing -and tyrannising over her cousin. Malevolent she was not, -but inconsiderate; she was spoiled, and, as a spoiled child, -capricious and domineering. She liked--in her fashion, -loved--Kate, as she liked and loved a plaything, that she -might trifle with and knock about; not as a playfellow, to -be considered and conciliated. Association with Wilmot -hardly in any degree brightened the existence of Kate; it -rather served to cloud it. Petty wrongs, continuous setting -back, repeated slights, wounded and crushed a naturally -expansive and susceptible nature. Kate hardly ventured to -appeal to her father or to her aunt against her cousin, even -when that cousin’s treatment was most unjust and insupportable; -the aunt naturally sided with her own child, -and the father heedlessly laughed at Kate’s troubles as -undeserving of consideration.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then, suddenly, Wilmot was attacked by fever, which -carried her off in three days. The mother was inconsolable. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>The light went out of her life with the extinction of the -vital spark in the bosom of her child.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The death of Wilmot was of no advantage to Kate. She -was no longer, indeed, given over to the petty tyranny of -her cousin, but she was left exposed to a hardened and -embittered aunt, who resented on her the loss of her own -child. Into the void heart of Zerah, Kate had no chance -of finding access; that void was filled with discontent, -verjuice, and acrimony. An unreasonable anger against -the child who was not wanted and yet remained, in place -of the child who was the apple of her eye, and was taken -from her, made itself felt in a thousand ways.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Without being absolutely unkind to her, Zerah was -ungracious. She held Kate at arm’s length, spoke to her -in harsh and peremptory tones, looked at her with contracted -pupils and with puckered brow. Filled with -resentment against Providence, she made the child feel her -disappointment and antagonism. The reserve, the lack of -light-heartedness in the child told against her, and Zerah -little considered that this temperament was produced by -her own ungenerous treatment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the time of this story, Kate was of real service in the -house. The Pepperills kept no domestic servant; they -required none, having Kate, who was made to do whatever -was necessary. Her aunt was an energetic and industrious -woman, and Kate served under her direction. She assisted -in the household washing, in the work of the garden, in the -feeding of the poultry, in the kitchen, in all household -work; and when folk came to eat cockles and drink tea, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>Kate was employed as waitress. For all this she got no -wage, no thanks, no forbearance, no kind looks, certainly -no kind words.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl’s heart was sealed up, unread, misunderstood -by those with whom she was brought into contact. She -had made no friends at school, had no comrades in the -village; and her father inconsiderately accepted and -applied to her a nickname given her at school by her -teacher, a certain Mr. Solomon Puddicombe,--a nickname -derived from the burden of a foolish folk-song, “Kitty -Alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now the girl lay in the bottom of the boat, under Pooke’s -Exeter tailor-made clothes, shivering. What would her -father think of her absence? Would he be anxious, and -waiting up for her? Would Aunt Zerah be angry, and give -her hard words?</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her eyes peered eagerly at the stars--into that great -mystery above.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are turning,” she said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are turning?” asked Pooke. “Ain’t you asleep, -as you ought to be?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When I was waiting for you at the Hard, I saw them -beginning to twinkle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What did you see?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yonder, those stars. There are four making a sort of -a box, and then three more in a curve.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is the Plough.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, it is something like a plough. It is turning -about in the sky. When I was waiting for the Atmospheric, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>I saw it in one way, and now it is all turned about -different.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I daresay it is.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But why does it turn about?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When I’ve ploughed to one end of a field, I turn the -plough so as to run back.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But this isn’t a real plough.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know nothing about it,” said Pooke desperately; -“and, what is more, I won’t stand questioning. This -is a ferry-boat, not a National School, and you are Kitty -Quarm, not Mr. Puddicombe. I haven’t anything more of -learning to go through the rest of my days, thankful to say.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The night crept along, slow, chilly as a slug; the time -seemed interminable. Benumbed by cold, Kate finally -dozed without knowing that she was slipping out of consciousness. -Sleep she did not--she was in a condition of -uneasy terror, shivering with cold, cramped by her position, -bruised by the ribs of the boat, with the smell of mud and -new cloth in her nose, and with occasionally a brass button -touching her cheek, and with its cold stabbing as with a -needle. The wind, curling and whistling in the boat as it -came over the side, bored into the marrow of the bones, -the muscles became hard, the flesh turned to wax.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate discovered that she had been unconscious only by -the confusion of her intellect when Pooke roused her by -a touch, and told her that the boat was afloat. She -staggered to her knees, brushed the scattered hair out of -her dazed eyes, rose to her feet, and seated herself on the -bench. Her wits were as though curdled in her brains. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>They would not move. Every limb was stiff, every nerve -ached. Her teeth chattered; she felt sick and faint. -Sleepily she looked around.</p> - -<p class='c001'>No lights were twinkling from the windows on the banks. -In every house candles had long ago been extinguished. -All the world slept.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The clouds overhead had been brushed away, and the -lights of heaven looked down and were reflected in the -water. The boat was as it were floating between two -heavens besprent with stars, the one above, the other -below, and across each was drawn the silvery nebulous -Milky Way. The constellation of the Great Bear--the -Plough, as Pooke called it--was greatly changed in position -since Kate had commented on it. Cassiopēa’s silver chair -was planted in the great curve of the Milky Way. To the -south the hazy tangle of Berenice’s Hair was faintly -reflected in the inflowing tide.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Although the boat was lifted from the bank, yet it was -by no means certain that Coombe Cellars could be reached -for at least another half-hour. The tide, that had raced -out, seemed to return at a crawl. Nevertheless, it was -expedient to restore circulation by the exercise of the arms. -Kate assumed one oar, John the other, and began to row; -she at first with difficulty, then with ease, as warmth returned -and her blood resumed its flow. The swelling tide carried -the boat up with it, and the oars were leisurely dipped, -breaking the diamonds in the water into a thousand -brilliants.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As they approached the reach where lay Coombe-in-Teignhead, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>John Pooke said: “There is a light burning in -your house. They are all up, anxious, watching for you, -and in trouble. On my word, will not my father be in a -condition of fright and distress concerning me if he hears -that I am out? I went off without saying anything to -anybody. I intended to be back all right in the evening -by the Atmospheric. But there’s no telling, father may -have been asking after me. Then, as I didn’t turn up -at supper, he may have sent about making inquiries, and -have heard at the Cellars that I’d gone over the water, -and given command to be met by the last train. Then -they will be in a bad state of mind, father and sister Sue. -Hulloa! what is that light? It comes from our place.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>John Pooke rested on his oar, and turned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>From behind an orchard a glow, as of fire, was shining. -It had broken forth suddenly. The light streamed between -the trees, sending fiery arrows shooting over the water, it -rose in a halo above the tops of the trees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kate! whatever can it be? That is our orchard. -There is our rick-yard behind. It never can be that our -ricks are afire, or our house! The house is just beyond. -The blaze is at our place--pull hard!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s a chance if there is water enough to carry us -ashore.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then, from above the belt of orchard broke lambent -flame, and cast up tufts of ignited matter into the air, to be -caught and carried away by the strong wind. Now there -lay a fiery path between the ferry-boat and the shore. -Pooke seated himself. He was greatly agitated.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>“Kate, it is our rick-yard. That chap, Roger, has done -it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The words had hardly escaped him before a boat shot -past, and his oar clashed with that of the rower in that -boat. As it passed, John saw the face of the man who was -rowing, kindled by the orange blaze from the shore. The -recognition was instantaneous.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Redmore, it is you!” Then breathlessly, “Kate, -about! we must catch him. He has set our ricks -ablaze.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boat was headed round, and the young arms bent at -the oars, and the little vessel flew in pursuit. The man -they were pursuing rowed clumsily, and with all his efforts -made little way, so that speedily he was overtaken, and Jan -ran the ferry-boat against the other, struck the oar out of -the hands of the rower, and flung himself upon the man, -and gripped him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kate--hold the boats together.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then ensued a furious struggle. Both men were strong. -The position in which both were was difficult--Jan Pooke -half in one boat, half in the other, but Roger Redmore -grasped at the seat in his boat, while holding an oar in his -right hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The flaring rick sent a yellow light over them. The -boats reeled and clashed together, and clashing drifted -together with the tide up the river, past Coombe Cellars. -Pooke, unable as he was to master his man, cast himself -wholly into his adversary’s boat. Redmore had let go the -oar, and now staggered to his feet. The men, wrestling, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>tossed in the rolling boat, fell, were up on their knees, and -then down again in the bottom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quick, Kate!” shouted Jan. “I have him! Quick!--the -string of my parcel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate handed him what he desired.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In another moment Pooke was upright. “He is safe,” -said he, panting. “I have bound his wrists behind his -back. Now--Kate!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boats had run ashore, a little way above the Cellars, -drifted to the strand by the flowing tide.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kate,” said Pooke, jumping out, “you hold that -cord--here. I have fastened it round the rowlock. He -can’t release himself. Hold him, whilst I run for help. -We will have him tried--he shall swing for this! Do you -know that, Roger Redmore? What you have done is no -joke--it will bring you to the gallows!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VII <br /> <span class='small'>A RELEASE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>Kate sat in her boat holding the string that was -twisted round the rowlock and that held Roger -Redmore’s hands bound behind his back. He was -crouched in the bottom of the boat, sunken into a heap, -hanging by his hands. Now and then he made a convulsive -effort with his shoulders to release his arms, but was -powerless. He could not scramble to his feet, held down -as he was behind. He turned his face, and from over -Coombe Cellars, where the sky was alight with fire, a glow -came on his countenance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You be Kitty Alone?” said he.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate hardly answered. Her heart was fluttering; her -head giddy with alarm and distress, coming after a night’s -exposure in the open boat. As yet, no sign of dawn in the -east; only the flames from the burning farm-produce lighted -up the sky to the south-west, and were reflected in the -in-flowing water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The agricultural riots which had filled the south of -England with terror at the close of 1830 were, indeed, a -thing of the past, but the reminiscence of them lay deep in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>the hearts of the labourers; and for ten and fifteen years -after, at intervals, there were fresh outbreaks of incendiarism. -There was, indeed, no fresh organisation of bodies of men -going about the country, destroying machinery and firing -farms, but in many a district the threat of the firebrand was -still employed, and the revenge of a fire among the stacks -and barns was so easy, and so difficult to bring home to the -incendiary, that it was long before the farmer could feel -himself safe. Indeed, nothing but the insurance office -prevented this method of obtaining revenge from being had -recourse to very frequently. When every dismissed labourer -or workman who had met with a sharp reprimand could -punish the farmer by thrusting a match among his ricks, -fires were common; but when it became well known that -an incendiary fire hurt not the farmer, but an insurance -company, the malevolent and resentful no longer had -recourse to this method of injury.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the “Swing” riots many men had been hung or -transported for the crimes then committed, and the statute -against arson passed in the reign of George IV., making -such an offence felony, and to be punished capitally, was in -force, and not modified till much later. When, therefore, -Jan Pooke threatened Redmore with the gallows, he -threatened him with what the unhappy man knew would -be his fate if convicted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate was acquainted with the story of Roger. He had -been a labourer on Mr. Pooke’s farm. He was a morose -man, with a sickly wife and delicate children, occupying a -cottage on the farm. At Christmas the man had taken -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>a drop too much, and had been insolent to his master. -The intoxication might have been forgiven--not so the -impertinence. He was at once discharged, and given -notice to quit his cottage at Lady Day. For nearly three -months the man had been out of work. In winter there is -no demand for additional hands; no great undertakings -are prosecuted. All the farmers were supplied with workmen, -and had some difficulty in the frosty weather in -finding occupation for them. None were inclined to take -on Roger Redmore. Moreover, the farmers hung together -like bees. A man who had offended one, incurred the -displeasure of all.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Redmore wandered from one farm to another, seeking -for employment, only to meet with refusal everywhere. In -a day or two he would be cast forth from his cottage with -wife and family. Whither to go he knew not. He had -exhausted what little money he had saved, and had nowhere -found work. Kate felt pity for the man. He had transgressed, -and his transgression had fallen heavy upon him. -He was not an intemperate man; he did not frequent the -public-house. Others who drank, and drank hard, remained -with their masters, who overlooked their weakness. In -the forefront of Roger’s offence stood his insolence; and -Pooke, the richest yeoman in the place, was proud, and -would not forgive a wound to his pride.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Kate held the string, she felt that the wretched man -was shivering. He shook in his boat, and chattered its -side against her boat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you very cold?” asked the girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>“I’m hungry,” he answered sullenly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are trembling.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ve had nor bite nor crumb for forty-eight hours. -That’s enough to make a man shake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing to eat? Did you not ask for something?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I went to the Rectory. Passon Fielding gave me a loaf, -but I took it home--wife and little ones were more starving -than I, and I cut it up between ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think--I almost think I have a piece of bread with -me,” said Kate. She had, in fact, taken some in her -pocket the night before, when she crossed, and had -forgotten to eat it, or had no appetite for it. Now she -produced the slice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot take it,” said the bound man. “My hands be -tied fast behind me. You must please put it into my -mouth; and the Lord bless you for it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Holding the cord with her right, Kate extended the -bread with the other hand to the man, whose face was -averted, and thrust it between his lips.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must hold your hand to my mouth while I eat,” -said he. “I wouldn’t miss a crumb, and it will fall if you -take your hand from me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Consequently, with her hand full of bread much broken, -she fed the unfortunate man, and he ate it out of her -palm. He ate greedily till he had consumed the last -particle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It moved Kate to the heart to feel the hungry wretch’s -lips picking the crumbs out of her palm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Roger!” she said in a tone full of compassion -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>and sorrow, rather than reproach, “why--why did you do -it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do what, Kitty?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, burn the stack!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll tell you why. I couldn’t help it. Did you know -my Joan? Her was the purtiest little maid in all Coombe. -Her’s dead now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dead, Roger!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ay, I reckon; died to-night in her mother’s lap; died -o’ want, and cold, and nakedness. Us had no bread -till Pass’n gave me that loaf--and no coals, and no -blankets, and naught but rags. The little maid has been -sick these three weeks. Us can’t have no doctor. I’ve -been out o’ work three months, and now the parish must -bury her. Joan, she wor my very darling, nigh my heart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was silent. The boat he was in chattered more -vigorously against that of Kate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I knowed,” he pursued, “I knowed what ha’ done it. -It wor Farmer Pooke throwed me out of employ--took -the bread out o’ our mouths. Us had a bit o’ candle-end, -and I wor down on my knees beside my wife, and little -Joan lyin’ on her lap; and wife and I neither could speak; -us couldn’t pray; us just watched the poor little maid -passin’ away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was silent, but Kate heard that he was sobbing. -Presently he said, “You’ve been kind. If you’ve got a -bit o’ handkercher or what else, wipe my face with it, -will’y. There’s something, the dew or the salt water from -the oars, splashed over it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>The girl passed her shawl over the man’s face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank’y kindly,” he said. Then he drew a long -breath and continued his story. “Well, now, when wife -and I saw as little Joan were gone home, then her rose up -and never said a word, but laid her on our ragged bed; -and I--I had the candle-end in my hand, and I put it into -the lantern, and I went out. My heart were full o’ gall -and bitterness, and my head were burning. I know’d well -who’d killed our Joan; it were Farmer Pooke as turned -me out o’ employ all about a bit o’ nonsense I said and -never meant, and when I wor sober never remembered to -ha’ said; so, mad wi’ sorrow and anger, I--I gone and -done it with that there bit o’ candle-end.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Roger, Roger! you have made matters much worse -for yourself, for all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I might ha’ made it worser still.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You could not--now. Oh, what will become of you, and -what of your poor wife and little ones?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For me, as Jan Tottle said, there’s the gallows; and -I reckon for my Jane and the childer, there’s the grave.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you had not fired the rick, Roger!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I tell you I might ha’ done worse than that, and now -been a free man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot see that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Put your hand down by my right thigh. Do you feel -nothing there, hanging to the strap round my waist?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate felt a string and a knife, a large knife, as she -groped.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you mean this, Roger?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>“Yes, I does. As Jan Tottle wor a-wrastlin’ wi’ me -here in this boat, and trying to overmaster me, the thought -came into my head as I might easy take my knife and run -it in under his ribs and pierce his heart. Had I done that, -he’d ha’ falled dead here, and I’d a’ gotten scot-free away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Roger!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate shrank away in horror.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I didn’t do it, but I might. I’d no quarrel with young -Jan. He’s good enough. It’s the old fayther be the hard -and cruel one. I knowed what was afore me, as young -Jan twisted and turned and threw me. I must be took -to Exeter gaol, and there be hanged by the neck till dead--but -I wouldn’t stain my hands wi’ an innocent lad’s blood. -I wouldn’t have it said of my little childer they was come -o’ a murderin’ villain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate shuddered. Still holding fast the cord that constrained -the man, and kept him in his position of helplessness, -she drew back from him as far as she could without -surrendering her hold.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I had but to put down my hand and slip open my -clasp-knife--and I would have been free, and Jan lying -here in his blood.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She hardly breathed. A band as of iron seemed to be -about her breast and tightening.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kitty,” said the man, “you have fed me with bread -out of your hand, and with your hand you have wiped -the salt tears from my eyes. With that hand will you give -me over to the gallows? If you do, my death will lie on -you, and those of my Jane and the little ones.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>“Roger, I am here in trust.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I spared Jan. Can you not spare me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate trembled. She hardly breathed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let me go, and I swear to you--I swear by all those -ten thousand eyes o’ heaven looking down on us--that I -will do for you what you have done for me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is an idle promise,” said Kate; “you never can -do that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who can say what is to be, or is not to be? Let me -go, for my wife and poor children’s sake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She did not answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let me go because I spared Jan Pooke.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She did not move.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let me go for the little dead Joan’s sake--that when -she lies i’ the churchyard, they may not say of her, -‘Thickey there green mound, wi’ them daisies on it, covers -a poor maid whose father were hanged.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Kate let go the string, it ran round the rowlock, -and the man scrambled to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cut it with my knife,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She took the swinging knife, opened the blade, and with -a stroke cut through the cord that held his wrists.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Roger Redmore shook the strings from his hands, -and held up his freed arms to heaven, and cried, “The -Lord, who sits enthroned above thickey shining stars, reward -you and help me to do for you as you ha’ done for me. -Amen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He leaped from the boat and was lost in the darkness.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>A minute later, and John Pooke, with a party of men -among whom was Pasco Pepperill, came up.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“John,” said Kate, “he is gone--escaped.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She drew the young man aside. “I will not deceive -you--I let him go. He begged hard. He might have -killed you. His little Joan is dead.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>John Pooke was at first staggered, and inclined to be -angry, but he speedily recovered himself. He was a good-natured -lad, and he said in a low tone, “Tell no one else. -After all, it is best. I shouldn’t ha’ liked to have appeared -against him, and been the occasion of his death.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate returned with her uncle to Coombe Cellars.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope my new boat is no worse,” said he. “How is -it you’ve been out all night?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate told her story.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The boat is all right, I suppose. She cost me six -pounds.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; no harm is done to it. I hope aunt has not been -anxious about me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What, Zerah? Oh, she’s in bed. I waited up, and -when there was a cry of fire ran out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You waited for me, uncle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I had my accounts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And father--was he anxious about me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your father? You come in, and you’ll hear his snore -all over the house. He’s a terrible noisy sleeper.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VIII <br /> <span class='small'>AN ATMOSPHERE OF LOVE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>After the fierce north-east wind came one from the -south-east, whose wings were laden with moisture, -and which cast cold showers over the earth. It is said -that a breath from this quarter brings a downpour that -continues unintermittently for forty-eight hours. On this -occasion, however, the rain was not incessant. The sky -lowered when it did not send down its showers, and these -latter were cold and unfertilising. “February fill dyke, -March dry it up,” is the saying, but March this year was -one of rain, and February had been a month of warmth -and sunshine, which had forced on all vegetation, which -March was cutting with its cruel frosts and beating down -with its pitiless rains.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That had come about in Coombe Cellars which might -have been anticipated. Kate had been sent across the -water with the scantiest provision against cold, and with no -instruction as to how to act in the event of delay of the atmospheric -train. She was not a strong child, and the bitter cold -had cut her to the marrow. On the morning following she -was unable to rise, and by night she was in a burning fever.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>Kate had an attic room where there was no grate--a room -lighted by a tiny window that looked east across the river.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Against the panes the rain pattered, and the water -dripped from the eaves upon the window-ledge with the -monotonous sound of the death-watch. Hard by was the -well-head of a fall-pipe, in which birds had made their -nests, and had so choked it that the water, unable to -descend by the pipe, squirted and plashed heavily on the -slates below.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A candle, brought from the kitchen, stood on the -window-shelf guttering in the wind that found its way -through the ill-fitting lattice and cracked diamond panes. -It cast but an uncertain shimmer over the face of the sick -girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the floor stood an iron rushlight-holder, the sides -pierced with round holes. In this a feeble rushlight -burned slowly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Beside the bed sat Mrs. Pepperill, and the old rector of -Coombe-in-Teignhead stood with bowed head, so as not -to knock his crown against the ceiling, looking intently -at the girl. Zerah was uneasy. Her conscience reproached -her. She had acted inconsiderately, if not wrongly, in -sending her niece across the water. She was afraid lest -she should be blamed by the parson, and lest her conduct -should be commented on by the parish.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She reasoned with herself, without being able thoroughly -to still the qualms of her conscience. What cause had -she to suppose that the train would not arrive punctually? -How could she have foreseen that it would come in so late -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>that it made it impossible for Kate to cross in the then -condition of the tide? Had Jan Pooke arrived but ten -minutes earlier than he did, then, unquestionably, the boat -would have come over, if not at Coombe Cellars, yet -somewhat lower down the river. She was not gifted with -the prophetic faculty. She had so many things to occupy -her mind that she could not provide for every contingency. -Should the child die, no blame--no reasonable blame--could -attach to her. The fault lay with Mr. Brunel, who -had laid down the atmospheric railway; with the engineer -at the Teignmouth exhausting-pump, who had not done -his duty properly; with the guard of the train, who had -not seen that the rollers for opening and closing the -valves did their work properly; with John Pooke, for -delaying over his hat that he had let fall; with Jason -Quarm, for not offering to ferry the boat in the place of -his daughter, instead of staying over the fire with her -husband, filling his head with mischievous nonsense about -making money out of mud and sinking capital which would -never come to the surface again. Finally, the fault lay -with Providence, that blind and inconsiderate power, which -had robbed her of Wilmot, and now had not retarded the -ebb by ten minutes, which might easily have been effected -by shifting the direction of the wind to the south-west.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The feeble light flickered in the window, and almost -in the same manner did the life of the girl flicker, burning -itself away as the candle guttered in the overmuch and -irregular heat, now quivering under the in-rush of draught, -hissing blue and faint, and ready to expire, then flaring up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>in exaggerated incandescence. The cheeks flushed, the -eyes burned with unnatural light, and the pulse ebbed and -flowed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where do the stars go by day?” asked Kate in -delirium; “and why does the Plough turn in heaven? Is -God’s hand on it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My child,” said the parson, “God’s plough in the -earth is the frost, that cuts deep and turns and crumbles -the clods ready for the seed; and God’s plough on human -hearts is great sorrow and sharp disappointment--to make -the necessary furrow into which to drop the seeds of faith, -and love, and patience.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is not speaking to you, sir,” said Mrs. Pepperill. -“She’s talking rambling like. But she’s terrible at questions--always.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The clergyman held his hands folded behind his back, -and looked intently at the fevered face. The eyes were -bright, but not with intelligence. Kate neither recognised -him, nor understood what he said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder now where the doctor is?” said Zerah. “I -reckon he has gone to some patient who can pay a guinea -where we pay seven shillings and sixpence. Doctor Mant -will be with such twice a day--as we are poor, he will come -to us only now and then.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You judge harshly. You have but just sent for him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did not think Kate was bad enough to need a -doctor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“God is the Great Physician. Put your trust in -Him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>“That is what you said when Wilmot was ill. I lost her -all the same.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was the will of Heaven. God’s plough, maybe, was -needed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In what way did I deserve to be so treated? My -beautiful child! my own, very very own child.” Zerah’s -eyes filled, but her lips contracted, making crow-feet at -the corners. “I have had left to me instead this cold-hearted -creature, my niece, who can in no way make up -to me for what I have lost. I’ve had a sovereign taken -from me and a ha’penny left in my hand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“God has given you this child to love and care for. -For His own wise purposes He took away Wilmot, whom -you were spoiling with over-much affection and blind -admiration. Now He would have you love and cherish -the treasure He has left in your hands.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Treasure?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ay, treasure. Love her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course I love her! I do my duty by her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have done your duty--of that I have no doubt. -But how have you done it? Do you know, Mrs. Pepperill, -there are two ways in which everything may be done--as a -duty to God, in the spirit of bondage or in the spirit of -love? So with regard to the image of God in this innocent -and suffering child. You may do your duty perfunctorily -or in charity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do it in charity. Her father has not paid a penny -for her keep.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is not what I mean; charity is the spirit of love. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>There are two minds in which man may stand before God, -to everything, to everyone--there is the servant mind and -the filial mind, the duty mind, and the mind of love. And -with what mind have you treated this child?” The parson -put his hand to Kate’s brow and drew back from it the -dark hair, sweeping the locks aside with his trembling -fingers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look,” said he. “What a forehead she has got--what -a brow! full, full, full of thought. This is no common -head--there is no vulgar brain in this poor little skull.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wilmot had a head and brains,” said Mrs. Pepperill, -“and her forehead was higher and whiter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Zerah’s conscience was stinging her. What the rector -said was true, and the consciousness that it was true made -her angry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Would she have sent Wilmot across the water insufficiently -protected against the east wind? would she have done -this without weighing the chances of the atmospheric -railway breaking down? If death were to snatch this -child from her, she would ever feel that some responsibility -had weighed on her. However much she might shift the -blame, some of it must adhere to her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She had not been kind to the motherless girl. It was -true she had not been unkind to her; but then Kate had -a right to a share of her heart. She had valued her niece -chiefly as a foil to her daughter; and when the latter died, -her feelings toward Kate had been dipped in wormwood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Zerah was not a bad woman, but she was a disappointed -woman. She was disappointed in her husband, disappointed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>in her child. Her heart was not congealed, nor -was her conscience dead, but both were in a torpid -condition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now, as by the glimmer of the swaling candle she looked -on the suffering girl, the ice about her heart cracked--a -warm gush of pity, an ache of remorse, came upon her; -she bowed and kissed the arched brow of her niece.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rector knelt and prayed in silence. He loved the -intelligent child in his Sunday school--the nightingale in -his church choir. Zerah obeyed his example.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then both heard the stair creak, and a heavy tread -sounded on the boards.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Pepperill looked round, but the irregular tread -would have told her who had entered the attic chamber -without the testimony of her eyes. She stood up and -signed to Jason Quarm to be less noisy in his movements.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pshaw!” said he; “it is nothing. Kitty will get over -it. You, Zerah, are tough. I am tough. Leather toughness -is the characteristic of us Quarms. When she is -better, send her to me--to the moor. That will set her -up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rector rose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jason went to the head of the bed and laid his large -hand on the sick girl’s brow. The coolness of his palm -seemed to do her good.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You see--it comforts the little toad,” said her father. -“There is nothing to alarm you in the case. Children are -like corks. They go under water and are up again--mostly -up. Dipping under is temporary--temporary and soon -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>over. Parson, do you want to speculate? I am buying -oak dirt cheap--to sell at a tremendous profit. Ten per -cent. at the least. What do you say?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rector shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I shouldn’t go away from Coombe with Kitty ill -but that I expect to make my fortune and hers. She’ll -have a dower some day out of the Brimpts oaks.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then the man stumped out of the room and down the -steep stairs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jason Quarm was always sanguine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think Kate will live?” asked Zerah, who did -not share his views.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust so,” answered the rector. “If she does, then -regard her as a gift from heaven. Once before she was -put, a frail and feeble object, into your arms to rear and -cherish. You were then too much engrossed in your -daughter to give to this child your full attention. Your -own Wilmot has been taken away. Now your niece has -been almost withdrawn from you. But the hand that -holds the issues of life and death spares her; she is committed -to you once more--again helpless, frail, and committed -to you that you may envelop her in an atmosphere -of <span class='sc'>Love</span>.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have loved her,” said Mrs. Pepperill. “This is the -second time, sir, that you have charged me with lack of -love towards Kate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wilmot,” said the rector, “was one who stormed the -heart. She went up against it, with flags flying and martial -music, and broke in at the point of the bayonet. Kate’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>nature is different. She will storm no heart. She sits on -the doorstep as a beggar, and does not even knock and -solicit admission. Throw open your door, extend your -hand, and the timid child will falter in, frightened, yet -elate with hope.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know,” said Zerah meditatively. “You’ll -excuse my saying it, but when a child is heartless”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Heartless?--who is heartless?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kate, to be sure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Heartless?” repeated the rector. “You are in grievous -error. No child is heartless. None of God’s creatures are -void of love. God is love Himself, and we are all made -in the image of the Creator. In all of us is the divine -attribute of love. We were made to love and to be loved. -It is a necessity of our nature. This poor little spirit--with -how much love has it been suckled? With how -much has its nakedness been clothed? The cream of -your heart’s affection was given to your own daughter, and -only the whey--thin and somewhat acidulated--offered to -the niece. Turn over a new leaf, Mrs. Pepperill. Treat -this child in a manner different from that in which she -has been treated. I allow frankly that you have not been -unkind, unjust, ungracious. But such a soul as this cannot -flower in an atmosphere of negatives. You know something -about the principle on which the atmospheric railway -acts, do you not, Mrs. Pepperill? There is a pump which -exhausts the air. Now put a plant, an animal, into a -vessel from which the vital air has been withdrawn, and -plant or animal will die at once. It has been given nothing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>deleterious, nothing poisonous has been administered. It -dies simply because it has been deprived of that atmosphere -in which God ordained that it should live and flourish. -My good friend,” said the rector, and his voice shook with -mingled tenderness of feeling and humour, “if I were to -take you up and set you under the exhausting apparatus, -and work at the pump, you would gasp--gasp and die.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The woman turned cold and blank at the suggestion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If I did that,” continued the parson, “the coroner who -sat on you would pronounce that you had been murdered -by me. I should be sent to the assizes, and should infallibly -be hung. Very well: there are other kinds of -murder than killing the body. There is the killing of the -noble, divine nature in man, and that not by acts of -violence only, but by denial of what is essential to its -existence. Remember this, Mrs. Pepperill: what the -atmosphere is to the lungs, that love is to the heart. God -created the lungs to be inflated with air, and the heart to -be filled with Love.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IX <br /> <span class='small'>CONVALESCENCE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>The voice of Pasco was heard shouting up the stairs -to his wife. Mrs. Pepperill, glad to escape the -lecture, went to the door and called down, “Don’t make -such a noise, when the girl is ill.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, will you, Zerah; there’s some one wants to -have a say with you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>With a curt excuse to the parson, Mrs. Pepperill descended. -She found her husband at the foot of the stairs, -with his hand on the banister.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pasco,” said she, “what do’y think now? The parson -has been accusing me of murdering Kate. If she dies, he -says he’ll have me up to Exeter Assizes and hung for it. -I’ll never set foot in church again, never--I’ll join the -Primitive Methodists.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As you please,” said her husband. “But go to the -door at once. There is John Pooke waiting, and won’t be -satisfied till he has had a talk with you about Kate. He -wants to know all about Kitty--how she’s doing, whether -she’s in danger, if she wants anything that the Pookes can -supply. He’s hanging about the door like what they call -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>a morbid fly. He’s in a terrible taking, and won’t be put -off with what I can tell.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, now,” exclaimed Zerah, “here’s an idea! Something -may come of that night on a mud-bank after all, and -more than she deserves. Oh my! if my Wilmot was alive, -and Jan Pooke were to inquire after her! Go up, Pasco, -and send that parson away. I won’t speak to him again--abusing -of me and calling me names shameful, and he an -ordained minister. What in the world are we coming -to?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the doctor arrived, he pronounced that he would -pull Kate through.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Presently the delirium passed away, and on the following -morning the light of intelligence returned to her eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are still there,” she said eagerly, raising her head -and listening.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are still there?” asked her aunt.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The gulls.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In fact, these animated foam-flakes of the ocean were -about in vast numbers, uttering their peculiar cries as they -hovered over the mud.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course they are there--why not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Father said he was going to make ladies’ waistcoats of -them, and I’ve been fretting and crying--and then, the -daffodils”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, bother the daffodils and the gulls! They may -wait a long while before waistcoats are made of them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is not of daffodils father was going to make waistcoats. -He said he would have all the gulls shot.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>“Never worrit your head about that. The birds can -take care of themselves and fly away to sea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But the daffodils cannot get away. He was going to -have a scythe and mow them all down and sell them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wait till folk are fools enough to buy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was much to be done in the house. Mrs. -Pepperill was unable to be always in the room with her -niece. It was too early in the year for pleasure parties -to come up the river in boats for tea or coffee, winkles -and cockles, in the open air, but the house itself exacted -attention--the cooking, the washing, had to be done. -Now that Zerah was deprived of the assistance of her -niece, perhaps for the first time did she realise how useful -the girl had been to her. By night Kate was left alone; -there was no space in the attic chamber for a second bed, -nor did her condition require imperatively that some one -should be with her all night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When her consciousness returned, Kate woke in the -long darkness, and watched the circular spots of light that -danced on the walls and careered over the floor, as the -rushlight flickered in the draught between window and -door. Above, on the low ceiling, was the circle of light, -broad and yellow as the moon, cast by the candle, its rays -unimpeded in that direction, but all round was the perforated -rim, and through that the rays shot and painted -stars--stars at times moving, wheeling, glinting; and Kate, -in a half-torpid condition, thought she could make out -among them the Plough with its curved tail, and wondered -whether it were turning. Then she passed into dreamland, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>and woke and saw in the spots of light the white pearls of -her uncle’s neckcloth, and was puzzled why they did not -remain stationary. Whilst vexing her mind with this -question she slid away into unconsciousness again, and -when next her eyes opened, it was to see an orchard -surrounding her, in which were daffodils that flickered, -and she marvelled what that great one was above on the -ceiling, so much larger than all the rest. Always, whenever -with the ebb the gulls came up the river in thousands, -and their laugh rang into the little room, it was to Kate -as though a waft of sea-air blew over her hot face; and -she laughed also, and said to herself, “They are not yet -made into waistcoats.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Occasionally she heard under her window a whistle -piping, “There was a frog lived in a well,” and she once -asked her aunt if that were father, and why he did not -come upstairs to see her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your father is on Dartmoor,” answered Zerah. Then, -with a twinkle in her eye, she added, “I reckon it is Jan -Pooke. He has taken on terribly about you. He comes -every day to inquire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whenever Mrs. Pepperill had a little spare time, she -clambered up the steep staircase to see that her niece -lacked nothing, to give her food, to make her take medicine, -to shake up her bed. And every time that she thus mounted, -she muttered, “So, I am killing her with cruelty! The -only suitable quarters for me is Exeter gaol; the proper -end for me is the gallows! I have put her into one of -the atmospheric engine-towers and have pumped the life out -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>of her! And yet, I’m blessed if I’m not run off my legs -going up and down these stairs! If I ain’t a ministering -angel to her; if she doesn’t cost me pounds in doctor’s -bills; I don’t begrudge it--but I’m a murderess all the -same!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Certain persons are mentally incapable of understanding -a simile; a good many are morally unwilling to apply one -to themselves. Whether, when it was spoken, Mrs. -Pepperill comprehended or not the bearing of the rector’s -simile relative to the exhausting engine, in the sequel she -came to entirely misconceive it, and to distort it into -something quite different from what the speaker intended. -That was easily effected. She was quite aware that much -that the parson had said was true; her conscience tingled -under his gentle reproof; but no sooner was that unfortunate -simile uttered, than her opportunity came for -evading the cogency of his reproach, and for working herself -up into resentment against him for having charged her -falsely. That is one of the dangers that lurk in the -employment of hyperbole, and one of the advantages -hyperbole gives to those addressed in reprimand with it. -Zerah had sufficient readiness of wit to seize on the -opportunity, and use her occasion against the speaker, and -in self-vindication.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rector had not said that Zerah was depriving her -niece of vital air; that mattered not--he had said that she -was depriving her of what was as essential to life as vital air.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is my own blessed self that I am killing,” said Mrs. -Pepperill; “running up these stairs ten hundred times in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>the day, my heart jumping furiously, and pumping all the -vital air out of my lungs. I’m sure I can’t breathe when I -get up into Kate’s room. And he don’t call that love! He -ought to be unfrocked by the bishop.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She came into the girl’s chamber red in the face and -puffing, and went direct to her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There, now; I’m bothered if something does not come -of it to your advantage and mine, Kate, for I’m tired of -having to care about you. Jan Pooke has been here again. -That’s the second time to-day; of course asking after you. -There is no one in the family but Jan and his sister, and -she is about to be married. The Pookes have a fine farm -and money in the bank. If you manage matters well, you’ll -cut out that conceited minx, Rose, who has marked him -down. Come, you are a precious!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She stooped to kiss Kate, but the girl suddenly turned her -face with a flaming cheek to the wall.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Zerah tossed her head and said to herself, “Love? she -won’t love! I was about to kiss her, and she would not -have it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then she got her needlework and seated herself at the -window. Kate turned round at once to look at her. She -had shrunk from her aunt involuntarily; not from her kiss, -but from her words, which wounded her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A strange child Kate was. If not asking questions with -her lips, she was seeking solutions to problems with her eyes. -She had fixed her great solemn orbs on her aunt, and they -remained on her, not withdrawn for a moment, till Zerah -Pepperill became uneasy, fidgeted in her seat, and said -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>sharply, “Am I a murderess or an atmospheric pump that -you stare at me? Can’t you find something else to look -at?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate made no reply, but averted her face. Ten minutes -later, nevertheless, Zerah felt again that the eyes were on -her, studying her features, her expression, noting everything -about her, seeming to probe her mind and search out every -thought that passed in her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Really, if this is going on, I cannot stay,” she said, rose -and folded up the sheet she was hemming. “There’s such -a thing as manners. I hate to be looked at--it is as if slugs -were crawling over me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Zerah descended, she muttered, “The girl is certainly -born without a heart. I would have kissed her but that she -turned from me. I wish the parson had seen that!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The weather changed, the edge was taken off the east -wind, the sun had gained power. The rooks were in excitement -repairing their nests and wasting sticks about the -ground under the trees, making a mess and disorder of -untidiness. The labourers begged a day from their masters, -that they might set their potatoes; after work hours on the -farms they were busy in their gardens.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In spring the sap of health rises in young arteries as in -plants, and Kate recovered, not perhaps rapidly, but nevertheless -steadily. She continued to be pale, with eyes preternaturally -large.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was able to leave her chamber, and after a day or -two assist in light housework.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER X <br /> <span class='small'>THE NEW SCHOOLMASTER</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>One day, when her uncle was at home busy about his -accounts, which engaged him frequently without -greatly enlightening him, but serving rather to involve his -mind in confusion, Kate was assisting her aunt in preparing -for the early dinner, when a tap at the door announced a caller.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pasco shouted to the person outside to come in, and a -young man entered--tall, with fair hair, and clear, steady -grey eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am the new schoolmaster,” said he frankly. “I have -thought it my duty to come and see you, as you are church-warden -and one of the managers of the National School.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quite right; sit down. I have been busy. I am a -man of the commercial world. This is our meal-time. I -am disengaged from my accounts; you can sit and eat, and -we will converse whilst eating.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Pepperill entered, and her hard eye rested on the -young man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The new schoolmaster,” she said. “Do you come from -these parts?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I am a stranger to this portion of England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>“That’s a misfortune. If you could be born again, and -in the west country, it would be a mercy for you. From -where do you come?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“From Hampshire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s right up in the north.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The schoolmaster raised his eyebrows. “Of course--in -the south of England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It doesn’t follow,” said Zerah; “by your speech I took -you to be foreign.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what may your name be,” said Pasco, “if I may be -so bold as to ask? I have heard it, but it sounded French, -and I couldn’t recollect it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My name is very English--Walter Bramber.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never heard anyone so called before. Brambles, and -Bramptons, and Branscombes. It don’t sound English to -our ears. I may as well tell you--sit down, and take a fork--that -we liked our last schoolmaster uncommon much. -He was just the right sort of man for us; but the rector took -against him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought he was rather given to the”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, what of that? We have, all of us, our failings. -A trout is an uncommon good fish, but it has bones like -needles. You have your failings, my wife has hers. I will -say this for Mr. Solomon Puddicombe--he never got tight -in our parish. When he was out for a spree, he went elsewhere--to -Newton, or Teignmouth, and sometimes to Ashburton. -He couldn’t help it. Some folks have fits, others -have bilious attacks. When he wasn’t bad, he was very -good; the children liked him, the parents liked him. I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>liked him, and I’m the churchwarden. He had means of -his own, beside the school pence and his salary. A man -has a right to spend his money as he chooses. If he had -got tight on the school pence, I can understand that there -might have been some kind of objection; but when it was -on his private means, then I don’t see that we have anything -to do with it. Have you means of your own?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am sorry to say--none.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We always respect those who have means. If you have -none, of course you can’t go on the spree anywhere, and -oughtn’t to do so. It would be wrong and immoral. Take -my advice, and call on the old schoolmaster. The parish -will be pleased, as it has been terribly put about at the rector -giving him his dismissal.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But--I thought there had been an unhappy scandal; -that, in fact, he had been committed to”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, well, he was locked up,” said Pasco. “There -was a cock-fight somewhere up country. Not in this country, -but at a place called Waterloo.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no such place in England,” said Bramber. -“Waterloo is in Belgium; it lies about five miles from -Brussels.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are a schoolmaster, and ought to know. But of -this I am quite sure--it was in England where he got into -trouble, and the name of the place was Waterloo.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He may have been at some inn called the Waterloo, but -positively there is no place in England so designated,” said -Bramber.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know very well the place was Waterloo, and that Mr. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>Solomon Puddicombe got into trouble there. We are all -liable to troubles. I have lost my daughter. Troubles are -sent us; the parson himself has said so. Puddicombe got -locked up. You see, cock-fighting is a pursuit to which he -was always very partial. You go and call on him, and he’ll -sing you his song. It begins--</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Come all you cock-fighters from far and near,</div> - <div class='line'>I’ll sing you a cock match when and where,</div> - <div class='line'>On Aspren Moor, as I’ve heard say,</div> - <div class='line'>A charcoal black and a bonny bonny grey.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>That is how the song begins. But it is about another -cock-fight; not that at Waterloo. Cock-fighting is Mr. Puddicombe’s -pursuit. We have all got our pursuits, and why -not? There’s a man just outside Newton is wonderful hot -upon flowers. His garden is a picture; he makes it blaze -with various kinds of the finest coloured--foreign and -English plants: that’s his pursuit. Then there is a doctor -at Teignmouth who goes out with a net catching butterflies, -and he puts ale and treacle on the trees in the evening for -catching moths: that’s his pursuit. And our parson likes -dabbling with a brush and some paints: that’s his pursuit. -And business is mine: that’s my pursuit and my pleasure--and -it’s profit too.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sometimes; not often,” threw in Zerah.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I don’t know what your pursuits be, Mr. Schoolmaster,” -said Pepperill. “Let us hope they’re innocent as -those of Mr. Puddicombe.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man glanced round him, staggered at his -reception, and caught the eye of Kate. She was looking -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>at him intently, and in her look were both interest and -pity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We won’t argue any more,” said Pasco. “I suppose -you can eat starigazy pie?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am ashamed to say I never heard of it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never heard of it? And you set to teach our -children! Zerah, tell Mr. Schoolmaster what starigazy -pie is.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is nothing to tell,” said Zerah ungraciously. It -was her way to be ungracious in all she said and all she did. -“It is fish pie--herrings or pilchards--with their heads out -of the crust looking upwards. That is what they call star-gazing -in the fishes, and, in short, starigazy pie. But if you -don’t like it, there is our old stag coming on presently.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know, I shall have made two experiences to-day -that are new to me. In the first place, I shall make -acquaintance with starigazy pie, that promises to be excellent; -and in the next place, I may add that it never has been -my luck hitherto to taste venison.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What’s that?” asked Mrs. Pepperill sharply; she thought -Bramber was poking fun at her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I never have had the chance before of tasting venison--the -meat of the rich man’s table.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No means, you know,” said Pasco. “Without private -means you can’t expect to eat chicken.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Our old stag is hardly chicken,” said Zerah. “You see, -now we’ve got a young stag, we didn’t want the old one any -more.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Solomon Puddicombe married my second cousin,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>observed Pepperill. “Her name was Eastlake. Are you -single?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, that is my forlorn condition.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, look sharp and marry into the parish. It’s your -only chance. You see, the farmers are all against you. -They were partial to Puddicombe, and I hear he is intending -to set up a private school. The farmers and better-class -folk will send their children to him. They don’t approve -of their sons and daughters associating with the labourers’ -children, though they did send some to the National School -so long as Solomon Puddicombe was there; but that was -because he was so greatly respected.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you mean to say that Mr. Puddicombe is still in -Coombe-in-Teignhead?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly. When he returned from Waterloo, as the -place was called where was that cock-fight, and he got into -some sort of difficulty, he came back to his own house. He -got it through his wife, who was an Eastlake--my cousin. -It is his own now, and he has private means, so he intends -setting up a school. It will be very select; only well-to-do -parents’ children will be admitted. When they let Mr. -Puddicombe out of gaol at Waterloo, which is somewhere -in the Midlands,--leastways in England,--then the people -here were for ringing a peal to welcome him home. The -parson put the keys in his pocket and went off. They -came to me. I am churchwarden, and I knocked open the -belfry door. We gave Puddicombe a peal, and the rector -wasn’t over-pleased. I am churchwarden, and that is something. -You see, Mr. Puddicombe has means, and a house -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>he got through my cousin Eastlake. I don’t know how the -school will be kept up now that the rector has had Puddicombe -turned out of it. None of the farmers will subscribe. -We have no resident squire. He will have to make up -your salary out of his own pocket. He is not married, so -he can well afford it. If he don’t consult our feelings, I -don’t see why we should consider his pocket. None of us -wished to lose Solomon Puddicombe; everyone trusted -him, and he was greatly respected.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Again the schoolmaster looked round him. A sense of -helplessness had come over him. Again his eye encountered -that of Kate, and he instinctively understood that this girl -felt for him in his difficulties and humiliation, and understood -how trying his position was.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now for a bit of our old stag,” said Pasco.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Stag?” exclaimed Bramber; “that is fowl!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What you call fowl, is stag to us. He crowed till his -voice cracked. He may be tough because old, but he’s -been long boiling.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, a cock!” Bramber learned that day that a cock in -Devonshire is entitled stag.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The meal ended, Pasco Pepperill stood up and said, -“Mr. What’s-your-name, I daresay you would like to look -over my stores. You’ll be wanting coals, and I sell coals -by the bushel. You drink cider, I daresay; I can provide -you with a hogshead--or half, if that will do. If you want -to do shopping--I speak against my interests--but Whiteaway -deals in groceries; you’ll find his shop up the street. -If there be anything he hasn’t got, and you need to go into -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>Teignmouth, why, this is the ferry, and we charge a penny -to put you across, and it is a penny back. If you desire to -be polite to friends, and would like to entertain them, there -are cockles and winkles, tea or coffee, to be had here, six-pence -a head; but if the number were over twenty, we -might come to an arrangement at fourpence-ha’penny. And -if you desire a conveyance at any time, I have a cob and -trap I let out at a shilling a mile, and something for the -driver. And if you smoke and drink, I have--I mean, I dare-say -I could provide for you tobacco and spirits that--you -know--haven’t seen the Customs, and are accordingly -cheap. And if you should happen to know of a timber -merchant who wants a lot of oak, I’ve dropped over a -hundred pounds on some prime stuff I shall sell only to -such as know good oak from bad. And if you’ve any -friends in the weaving trade, I do some business in wool, -and am getting first-class fleeces from Dartmoor. If you -can oblige me in any way like this--well, I daresay I shan’t -be so prejudiced for Mr. Puddicombe.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pasco Pepperill conducted the schoolmaster about his -premises in an ostentatious manner, showed him his stores, -his stable, the platform on which tea and coffee, winkles -and cockles were served. He named the prices he had -paid, and gave the new-comer to understand that he was a -man who had plenty of money at his disposal.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then an idea occurred to Pasco. Perhaps this schoolmaster -might help him with his accounts. He himself -could not disentangle them and balance his books. He -was shy of letting anyone else see them; but this Bramber -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>was a complete stranger, a man whom he could reduce to -dependence on himself; he had no private means, no -friends in the place; he had given the man a dinner, and -might make of him a very serviceable slave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look here,” said Pepperill in a haughty tone, “Mr. -Schoolmaster, I suppose you know something of accounts -and book-keeping?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly I do.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shouldn’t mind now and then paying you a trifle, -giving you a meal, and favouring you with my support--I -am churchwarden, and consequently on the committee of -the National School. Me and the bishop, and the archdeacon -and rector, and Whiteaway as well. I mean, I’ll -stand at your back, if you will oblige me now and then, and -hold your tongue.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will do anything I can to oblige you,” said Bramber. -“And as to holding my tongue, what is it you desire of -me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Merely to help me with my accounts. My time is so -occupied, and I do business in so many ways, that my books -get somewhat puzzling--I mean to a man who is taken up -with business.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am entirely at your service.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But--you understand--I don’t want my affairs talked -about. People say I have plenty of money, that I’m a man -who picks it up everywhere; but I don’t desire that they -should know how much I have, and what my speculations -are, and what they bring in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can hold my tongue.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>“Would you look at my books now?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Accordingly, Walter Bramber re-entered the house, and -was given the books in a private sitting-room, and worked -away at them for a couple of hours. The confusion was -great: Pepperill might have had a genius for business, but -this was not manifest in his books. Presently Pasco -came in.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well,” said he, “make ’em out, eh?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must excuse my saying it,” said Bramber; “but--if -these are all--your affairs are in a very unsatisfactory -condition.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Unsatisfactory? oh, pshaw! Of course, I have other -resources; there’s the Brimpts forest of oaks. There’s--oh, -lots; winkles and cockles, tea and coffee not entered.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sixpence a head; over twenty, fourpence ha’penny,” said -Walter Bramber drily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, lots--lots of other things. I haven’t entered all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I sincerely hope it is so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is so, on my word.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because--you seem to me to be losing seriously on every -count.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Losing? You don’t know creditor from debtor account. -That comes of education; it is never of use. Nothing like -business for teaching a man. I don’t believe in your book-learning.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll come again to-morrow and go more carefully into -the accounts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, thank you, not necessary. It is clear to me you do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>not understand my system--and mistake sides.” Pasco -became red and angry. “Look here, Mr. Schoolmaster, let -me give you a word. You don’t belong to the labourers--you -won’t be able to make friends of them. You don’t -belong to the gentry; there are none here--so you need not -think of their society. You don’t belong to the middle -class--you are not a farmer, or a tradesman, or a merchant; -so they will have nothing to do with you. You make my -accounts all right, and the balance on the right side; give -up your foolish book-keeping as learned at college, and set -my accounts right by common sense, and I’ll see what I can -do to get you taken up by some respectable people. And, -one thing more. Don’t go contradicting men of property, -and saying that there was no cock-fighting at Waterloo, -because there was; and people don’t like contradictions. -When I broke open the belfry door that the ringers might -give Mr. Puddicombe a peal, I let the world see I wasn’t -going to be priest-ridden; and we are not going to be -schoolmaster-ridden neither, and told our accounts are -wrong, and that Waterloo, where the cock-fight was, is not -in England.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XI <br /> <span class='small'>DISCORDS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>Walter Bramber left Coombe Cellars greatly -discouraged. He had unintentionally ruffled the -plumes of the churchwarden by disputing his knowledge of -the situation of Waterloo, and mainly by discovering that -his affairs were in something worse than confusion, that -they wore a complexion which indicated the approach of -bankruptcy. And Pasco Pepperill was one of the magnates -of the village, and full of consciousness that he was a great man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber walked to the little village shop belonging to -Whiteaway, the second churchwarden, who was also on the -committee of management, and trustee for the school -under the National Society.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Here also his reception was not cordial. It was intimated -to him that his presence in the village and tenure of the -mastership of the school would be tolerated only on condition -that he supplied himself with groceries, draperies, -boots, and lollipops from Whiteaway’s shop. He walked -to his lodgings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Such were the men with whom he was thrown. From -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>two instances he generalised. They were to be gained -through their interests. Unless he got one set of things at -one store and another set at another, the two mighty men -who ruled Coombe-in-Teignhead would turn their faces -against him, and make his residence in the place intolerable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he walked slowly along the little street, he encountered -a cluster of children, talking and romping together, composed -of boys and girls of all ages. Directly they saw him, -they became silent, and stood with eyes and mouths open -contemplating him. Bramber heard one boy whisper to -the next--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s the new teacher--ain’t he a duffer?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He nodded, and addressed a few kindly words to the -children; expressed his hope that they would soon be well -acquainted and become fast friends. To which no response -was accorded. But no sooner was he past than the whole -crew burst into a loud guffaw, which set the blood rushing -into the young man’s face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A moment later a stone was hurled, and hit him on the -back. He turned in anger, and saw the whole pack disappear -behind a cottage and down a side lane. He considered -a moment whether to pursue and capture the -offender, but believing that he would have great difficulty -in discovering him, even if he caught the whole gang, he -deemed it expedient to swallow the affront.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On reaching his lodgings, Bramber unpacked his few -goods; and as he did this, his heart ached for his Hampshire -home. Old associations were connected with the trifles he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>took out of his box, linked with the irrevocable past, some -sad, others sunny. Then he seated himself at his window -and sank into a brown study.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Young, generous, he had come to this nook of the West -full of enthusiasm for his task, eager to advance education, -to lift the children out of the slough of ignorance and prejudice -in which their fathers and forefathers had been -content to live. That his efforts would meet with ready and -enthusiastic support, would be gratefully hailed by parents -and children alike, by rich and by poor, he had not doubted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no darkness but ignorance,” said the fool in -“Twelfth Night”; and who would not rejoice to be himself -lifted out of shadows into light, and to see his children -advanced to a higher and better walk than had been possible -for himself?</p> - -<p class='c001'>But his hopes were suddenly and at once damped. He -was a fish out of water. A youth with a certain amount of -culture, and with a mind thirsting after knowledge, he was -pitchforked into a village where culture was not valued, -where the only books seen were, “The Norwood Gipsy’s -Dream-Book” and “The Forty Thieves,” exposed in the -grocer’s window. He had been accustomed to associate -with friends who had an interest in history, travels, politics, -scenery, poetry, and art; and here in this backwater no -one, so far as he could see, had interest in anything save -what would fill his pocket or his paunch. Sad and temporarily -discouraged, he took his violin and began to play. -This instrument was to be to him in exile companion, friend, -and confidant. Presently he heard a male voice downstairs -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>talking loudly to his landlady. He stayed his bow, and in -another moment a stout and florid man stumbled up the -staircase.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do’y, schoolmaister?” said this visitor, extending -a big and moist hand. “I’m Jonas Southcott, landlord of -the Lamb and Flag. As I was passing, I heard your fiddle -squeak. You’re just the chap us wants. Peter Adams as -played first fiddle at church is dead; he was the man for -you--he could turn you off a country dance, a hornpipe, or -a reel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What, in church?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, not exact-<em>ly</em> that. At our little hops at the Lamb -and Flag; and on Sunday he was wonderful at an anthem -or a psalm. We want someone who can take his place. -You please to come and be sociable when the young folks -want a dance. What can you play--‘Moll in the Wad,’ -‘The Devil among the Tailors,’ ‘Oil of Barley,’ ‘Johnny, -come tie my cravat’? These were some of Peter Adams’s -tunes. And on Sunday you should have heard him in -Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum,’ or at Christmas in ‘While shepherds -watched.’ It was something worth going to church for.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hardly know what to say,” gasped Walter Bramber. -“I am but newly arrived, and have not as yet shaken into -my place.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is practising night. The instruments will all be -in my parlour this evening at half-past six. If you like to -come and be sociable, and have a glass of spirits and -water, and try your hand at Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum,’ I reckon -the orchestra will be uncommon gratified.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>“You are very good, but”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And when the practice is over, we’ll whip in some -young folks and have a dance, and if you’ll fiddle some -of them tunes--‘Moll in the Wad,’ or ‘The Parson -among the Peas,’ or ‘The Devil among the Tailors,’ you’ll -get intimate with young and old alike. Then, also, you -can keep your eyes open, and pick out a clean, comely -maiden, and keep company with her, and walk her out on -Sundays--and so look to settling among us. You have a -head-wind and a strong tide against you. The old master -was <em>such</em> a favourite, and so greatly respected, that I doubt, -unless you make an effort, you won’t go down here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This evening you must excuse me; I’m very tired.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, this was kindly intended. I thought to put you -on good terms with the parish at once. Perhaps you’re shy -of playing Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum’ till you’ve tried it over -privately. I’ll see if I can borrow you the notes. Jackson’s -‘Tee-dum’”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I presume you mean the ‘Te Deum.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We always call it ‘Tee-dum’ here, and if you give it -any other name, no one will understand you. We are -English, not French or Chinese, in Coombe-in-Teignhead.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The landlord of the Lamb and Flag descended the -stairs, and Bramber, fearing lest he should have given -offence, accompanied him to the street door. His landlady -was a widow. When Jonas Southcott was out of the house, -she beckoned to Walter Bramber, and said--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I be main glad you ain’t going to the practice to-night, -for I have axed Jane Cann in to tea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>“Who is Jane Cann?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Her teaches sewing and the infants in the National -School. I thought you’d best become acquainted in a -friendly way at the outset. She used to keep a dame’s -school herself, and a very good school it was. But when -the parson set up the new National School, he did not want -exactly to offend folk, and to take the bread out of Jane -Cann’s mouth,--you know she’s akin to me, and to several -in the place,--so he appointed her to the infants. Her’s a -nice respectable young woman, but her had a bit o’ a -misfortune as a child; falled and hurt her back, and so is -rather crooked and short. Her may be a trifle older than -you, but folk do say that is always best so; for when the -wife is young”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Goodness preserve us! you don’t suppose I am going -to marry her because she is the sewing-mistress?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You might do worse. Folk are sure to talk anyhow, -and it’s best to give ’em some grounds for their talk. You -see, she and you must walk together going to school and -coming away, and she lives close by here. As I was saying, -people say that when the wife is much younger than her -husband there comes a long family, and the man is old and -past work when some of the youngest are still no better -than babies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber felt a chill down his spinal marrow, as though -iced water were trickling there.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I speak against my own interest,” continued the widow, -“but it does seem a pity that you should not put your -salaries together and occupy one house. She gets twenty -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>pounds a year. If you was to marry her, you’d be twenty -pounds the richer. ’Twas unfortunate, though, about that -cricket ball.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about a cricket ball?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, Jane Cann was looking on at a cricket match -among the boys, and a ball came by accident and hit her -on the side of her head, so that she’s hard o’ hearing in her -right ear. You’ll please to sit by her on the left, and then -she can hear well enough. Jane Cann is my cousin, and -I’d like to do her a good turn, and as she’s maybe about -seven years older than you, you need not fear a long family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Preserve me!” gasped the schoolmaster.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll set you a stool on her left side, and give her a high -chair, then you’ll be about on a level with her hearing -ear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I--I am going out to tea,” said Bramber, snatching up -his hat to fly the cottage; but was arrested at the door by -a burly farmer who entered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is Mr. Prowse of Wonnacot,” said the widow to -Bramber. Then to the farmer, “This, sir, is the new -teacher, who is going to lodge with me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ve heard of him from Southcott,” said Prowse. “I’ve -been told you play the fiddle. Perhaps you know also how -to finger the pianer. My girls, Susanna and Eliza, are -tremendously eager to learn the pianer, and I thought that -after school hours you might drop in at my little place--Wonnacot--and -give the young ladies lessons. I’d take it -as a favour, and as I am a not inconsiderable subscriber to -the National School, and”--</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>The widow, in a tone of admiration, threw in an aside to -Bramber--“He subscribes half a sovereign.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The farmer inflated his chest, smiled, raised himself in -his boots, and, thrusting his right hand into his pocket, -rattled some money. He had heard the aside, as it was -intended that he should.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I may say,” continued Mr. Prowse, “that I am a -bulwark and a buttress of the National School, and as such -I lay claim to the services of the teacher; and if, after -hours, he can hop over to my little place and give my girls -an hour three times a week, then”--he raised his chin and -smiled down on the schoolmaster--“then I shall not begrudge -my subscription.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is true,” said Bramber, “that I can play a little on -the piano, but--I am not sure that I am competent to give -lessons. Moreover, I doubt if I shall have the time at my -disposal. I am still young, and must prosecute my studies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you expect to remain here in comfort,” said the -farmer testily, “you’ll have to do what you are asked. You -don’t expect me to subscribe to the National School and -get no advantage out of it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus it was--some made demands on the time, some on -the purse, and others desired to dispose of the person of -the new-comer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To escape meeting the crooked sewing-mistress, deaf of -the right ear, Walter ran into the street, and walked through -the village.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A labourer came up to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I want a word with you, Mr. Schoolmaister,” said he. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>“My boy goes to the National School, and I gives you fair -warning, if you touches him with your hand or a stick, I’ll -have the law of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But suppose he be disobedient, rude, disorderly?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My boy is not to be punished. He is well enough if -let alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But--do you send him to school to be let alone?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I send him to school to be out of the way when my -missus is washing or doing needlework.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A little farther on his way, a woman arrested Walter -Bramber, and said, “You be the new teacher, be you not? -Please, I’ve five childer in your school and three at home. -Some of the scholars bain’t clean as they should be. I -can’t have my childer come home bringing with them what -they oughtn’t, and never carried to school from my house. -So will’y, now, just see to ’em every day, as they be all -right, afore you let ’em leave school, and I’ll thank’y for it -kindly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Presently a mason returning from his work saluted -Bramber.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look here, schoolmaister! I want you to take special -pains wi’ my children and get ’em on like blazes. If they -don’t seem to get forward in a week or two, I shall take ’em -away and send them to Mr. Puddicombe, who is going to -open a private school.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then another man came up, halted, and, catching hold of -the lappet of Bramber’s coat, said, “My name is Tooker. -I’m not a churchman, but I have several children at your -school. I won’t have them taught the Church Catechism. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>I’m a Particular Baptist, and I won’t have no childer of -mine taught to say what their godfather and godmother -promised and vowed for them--for they ain’t had no godfathers -nor godmothers, and ain’t a-going to have none. -You can’t mistake my childer. One has got a red head, -another is yaller, and the third is a sort of whitey-brown--and -has sunspots, and a mole between the shoulder-blades, -and the boy never had no toe-nails. So mind--no catechism -for them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And there is something,” said again another, “upon -which I want to lay down what I think. I wish you to -teach readin’ and writin’ in a rational manner.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope to do that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! but you’ve been too much at college, and crammed -wi’ book-larnin’. Why should you teach childer, and fret -their little heads about the H, when it’s a thing of no concern -whatever. Mr. Puddicombe, he was the reasonable -man. Sez he, ‘Raisin puddin’ is good, and duffy puddin’ -wi’out raisins is good--so is it with the English language--it’s -good all round, and the H’s are just the raisins; -you can put ’em in or leave ’em out as you pleases, -and stick ’em in by the scores or just a sprinklin’, and -it’s no odds--it’s good anyways.’ Them’s the principles -of spellin’ I expect my little ones to larn at your -school.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I hopes, Mr. Teacher,” said another sententiously, -“as you’ll never forget that it is not enough to teach the -children readin’, writing, and ’rithmetic. There is something -more”--</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>“There is a great deal more--geography, history, the -Elements”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is something above all that, and you should -make it the first thing, and readin’ and the rest after.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What’s that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Temperance--teetotal principles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber walked on. His discouragement was becoming -greater at every moment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he passed the Lamb and Flag, he was greeted by -a hideous bray of instruments both stringed and brazen. -This outburst was followed by a marvellous coruscation of -instrumental music, races, leaps, a helter-skelter of fiddles, -flutes, cornets, bass-viol, now together, more often running -ahead or falling behind each other, then one a-pickaback -on the rest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the door of the public-house stood Mr. Jonas Southcott -with his face radiant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, Mr. Schoolmaister!” shouted he; “what do you -think of this? You’ve never heard such moosic before, I -warrant. That is what I call moosic of the spears! It’s -Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum.’”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XII <br /> <span class='small'>DAFFODILS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>Unwilling to return to his lodgings, where in vain -the net was spread in his sight, Bramber walked -towards Coombe Cellars. There for sixpence he could have -his tea--cockles, winkles, and presumably bread and butter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There also would he see that pale-faced girl with the -large violet-blue eyes, which had been fixed on him with -so much sympathy. Disappointed in proportion to the -sanguineness of his expectations, Walter felt that he needed -some relief from his discouragement, a word from some one -who could understand him. On that day he had looked -straight into many eyes, into beaming eyes, into irises that -were dull with no speech in them, into stupid eyes, into -boastful, into defiant, into insolent eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Those of his landlady were clear as crystal, and he could -see to their bottom; but what he saw there was but the -agglomeration of common details of everyday life--so -many loaves per week, a pint of milk, a beefsteak or -mutton chop for supper, coals at so much a bushel, so -much cleaning, so much washing. As in a revolving slide -in a magic lantern, the same figures, the same trees, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>same houses, reappear in endless iteration; so would it be -with the eyes of the landlady, week by week, year by year, -till those eyes closed in death; nought else would be -revealed in their shadows but loaves and milk, and coals -and washing, over and over and over again. There are -eyes that are stony and have no depth in them; such -were those of Zerah. Others have profundity, but are -treacherous; such were those of Pasco. In the two -glimpses into the eyes of the pale girl, whose name he did -not know, Bramber had seen depths that seemed unfathomable; -wells which had their sources in the heart, deeps full -of mystery and promise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The evening might have been one in summer. A light -east wind was playing; the sky was clear. The sun had -been hot all day. Marsh marigolds blazed at the water -brim, reflecting their golden faces in the tide. The -orchards were sheeted with daffodils. The evening sky -was blue shot with primrose, and every hue was mirrored -in the water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber asked to have his tea out of doors on the little -platform above the water, and Mrs. Pepperill bade Kate -attend on the schoolmaster, and remain on the terrace so -as to be ready to bring him anything he required; and, in -the event of his desiring company, to be present to converse -with him. She herself was engaged, and could not give -him her attention.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The evening was so warm, so balmy, that it could do the -convalescent no harm to sit outside the house. Kate took -her needlework and planted herself on the low wall above -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>the water, one foot in a white stocking and neat shoe -touching the gravel. She was at some distance from the -schoolmaster, who opened a book and read whilst taking -his tea. He did not, apparently, require her society, and -she had no thought of forcing herself on him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yet, occasionally, unobserved by her, Bramber looked -her way. Behind her was an orchard-sweep golden with -daffodils, and the slant setting sun, shooting down a gap in -the hills, kindled the whole multitude of flower-heads into -a blaze of wavering sunfire. Kate sat, a dark figure against -this luminous background, but her plum-coloured kerchief, -bound round her throat and tied across her breast, was -wondrous in contrast with the brilliant flowers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Occasionally, moreover, Kate, who long looked at the -flower carpet which by its radiance threw a golden light -into her face, turned her head to see if the schoolmaster -needed more milk or butter; and then her eyes rested on -the book he held with much the same greed with which a -child fastens its eyes on sweets and a miser on gold.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The setting sun had fired glass windows on the opposite -side of the estuary, and it flashed in every ripple running -in from the sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate wore a little bunch of celandines in her bosom, -pinned into the purple kerchief. The flowers were open -through the warmth of their position, and when she stooped -and a streak of sunlight fell on them and filled their cups, -they sent a golden sheen over her chin. The girl was -looking dreamily with turned head at the sheet of blazing -daffodils, drinking in the beauty of the scene, and sighing, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>she knew not why, when she was startled to hear a voice at -her ear, and, looking round, saw the schoolmaster.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you admiring the daffodils?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” answered Kate, too shy, too surprised to say more.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I,” said he, “I also have been looking at them; -and then I turned to familiar lines in Wordsworth, the -poet I am reading. Do you know them?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About lent-lilies? I know nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Listen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Bramber read--</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I wandered lonely as a cloud</div> - <div class='line in2'>That floats on high o’er vales and hills,</div> - <div class='line'>When all at once I saw a crowd,</div> - <div class='line in2'>A host of golden daffodils;</div> - <div class='line'>Beside the lake, beneath the trees,</div> - <div class='line'>Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Continuous as the stars that shine</div> - <div class='line in2'>And twinkle in the Milky Way,</div> - <div class='line'>They stretched in never-ending line</div> - <div class='line in2'>Along the margin of a bay:</div> - <div class='line'>Ten thousand saw I at a glance,</div> - <div class='line'>Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The waves beside them danced; but they</div> - <div class='line in2'>Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:--</div> - <div class='line'>A poet could not but be gay,</div> - <div class='line in2'>In such a jocund company:</div> - <div class='line'>I gazed--and gazed--but little thought</div> - <div class='line'>What wealth the show to me had brought:</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>For oft when on my couch I lie</div> - <div class='line in2'>In vacant or in pensive mood,</div> - <div class='line'>They flash upon that inward eye</div> - <div class='line in2'>Which is the bliss of solitude,</div> - <div class='line'>And then my heart with pleasure fills,</div> - <div class='line'>And dances with the daffodils.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>Kate’s dark blue eyes were fixed with intensity on the -reader’s face. Then they became full to overflowing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why,” exclaimed Bramber, “you are crying!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is so true, it is so beautiful,” she said, and her voice -shook; and as she spoke the tears ran down her white -cheeks. “How did he who wrote that know about my -illness, and that I was thinking about, and troubled about, -the daffodils when I was in my fever? It is all true”; -she put her hands to her bosom; “I feel it--I cannot -bear it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Walter Bramber paused in surprise. He was himself a -passionate lover of nature, of flowers, and he was fond of -the words of the poet of nature--words that touched deep -chords in his spirit. But here was a pale, reserved girl, to -whom the words of the poet appealed with even greater -force than to himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you fond of poetry?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She hesitated, and slightly coloured before answering.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know. Father sings a song or two. There -are words, they rhyme, and they are set to a tune, and -sometimes a good tune helps along bad words; but I -never before heard words that had the music in themselves -and wanted nothing to carry them along as on the wings of -a bird. When you read that to me, it was just as though -I heard what I had felt in my heart over and over again, -and had never found how I could put it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know why these flowers are called daffodils?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She turned her solemn eyes on him again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because they are daffodils; why else?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>“I suppose,” said Bramber, “when the Normans came -to England, they brought these yellow flowers with them, -and with the flowers the name by which they had known -them in Normandy--<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>Fleurs d’Avril</em></span>, which means April -flowers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They do come in April, but also in March, and this -year the weather has been warm, and everything is -advanced.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So,” continued Bramber, “when the English tried to -pronounce the French name, <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>Fleurs d’Avril</em></span>, they made -daverils, and then slid away into further difference, and -settled down on daffodils. Do you know about the Conquest -by the Normans?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate shook her head sadly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know nothing--nothing at all.” Then, after a pause, -she asked timidly, “Will you be very good and kind, and -repeat those verses, and let me learn them by heart? -Oh,” she gasped, and expanded, and clasped her hands, -“it would be such a joy to me! and I could repeat them -for ever and ever, and be happy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall be delighted.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate planted herself on one of the benches by the table, -leaned her chin in her hands, and listened to each line of -the poem with concentrated attention. One or two words -she did not understand, and Bramber explained their -meaning to her. When the piece had been read over -slowly, she said--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“May I try? Do you mind? I think I know it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then she recited the poem with perfect accuracy.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>“You are quick at learning,” said Bramber. “I hope I -may find my pupils in the National School as eager to -acquire and as ready to apprehend.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I never heard words like these before,” said Kate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“May I tell you what they are like to me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are like lightning on a still night, without rain, -without thunder. The heavens are open and there is light--that -is all. Is there more in that book?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A great deal,” answered the young man; and, pointing -to the celandines in Kate’s bosom, said, “The poet has -something to say about these flowers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What, buttercups?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are not buttercups. Take them out from where -they are pinned. I will teach you a lesson--how to distinguish -sorts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As the girl removed the bunch and placed it on the -table, he said, “Do you see the petals? The golden -leaves of the flower are called petals. They are pointed. -Now, remember, a buttercup has rounded petals.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are right, and they come out later. They are -more like little drunkards.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Drunkards? What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The large golden cups that grow by the water’s edge--these -we call drunkards, but they drink only water.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You mean the marsh marigold.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps so, but it is very different from the marigold -of the garden. The leaves”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber laughed. “Now you are going to teach me to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>distinguish. You are quite right--that water-drinker is not -a marigold at all. But country people give it that name -because it is the great golden flower that blooms at or -about Lady Day, and the lady is the Virgin Mary. Now -consider. The celandine has sharply-pointed petals. Do -you see the difference between them and those of the -golden water-drinker?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I see this clearly now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He who wrote those verses about the daffodils has -written three poems on the celandine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! on these little flowers?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate coloured with delight and surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, and very beautiful they are. I will reserve them -for another day. You have enough to think about in the -lines on the daffodils.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did the man who wrote them know of my -illness, and how I dreamed and troubled about the -daffodils?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He knew nothing of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He must have done so. He says he was lonely as a -cloud, and I am Kitty Alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that your name?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They call me so because I have no companions and no -friends, and because”--She checked herself and hung -her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you have relatives.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes--my father and Aunt Zerah. But for all that I -am alone. They are grown big and old, and so of course -cannot understand me--a child. And at school I didn’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>have friends. Then the man must have been here, for he -says--</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Beside the lake, beneath the trees,</div> - <div class='line'>Fluttering and dancing in the breeze</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Continuous as the stars that shine</div> - <div class='line in2'>And twinkle in the Milky Way,</div> - <div class='line'>They stretched in never-ending line</div> - <div class='line in2'>Along the margin of a bay.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>There they are--‘in never-ending line.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There are daffodils elsewhere, as there are solitary -spirits elsewhere than in this little being”--and Walter -lightly touched the girl’s brow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Both were silent for a minute. Presently Kate said, -“When I was looking at the daffodils, as the sun was on -them, they blazed in at my eyes and I was full of light, and -now those beautiful words are like the sun on the flowers -that I shall carry away with me, and as I lie in bed in the -dark I shall think of them, and the golden light will fill my -room and fill my heart--</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Flashing upon that inward eye,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Which is the bliss of solitude.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>That is true of the inward eye. You can see more with -that than with the real eye. The man was a prophet. He -knew and wrote of things that are not known or are not -talked about in the world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So they call you Kitty Alone. You did not give me -the second reason. What is that reason?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl looked embarrassed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will laugh at me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed I will not,” answered Bramber earnestly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She still hesitated.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>“You fear me? Surely you can trust me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are so good--indeed I can. You speak to me as -does no one else, and that is just why I do not wish to -appear ridiculous in your eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That you never will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then she said, blushing and hanging her head, “It is all -along of a song my father sings.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What song is that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is some silly nonsense about a frog that lived in a -well--and the burden is--‘Kitty Alone’--and then ‘Kitty -Alone and I.'”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sing me the words.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She did as requested.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The air is pleasant and very quaint. It deserves better -words. Will you remain here whilst I run for my violin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, unless my aunt calls me within.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Walter Bramber hastened to his lodgings, and brought -away his cherished instrument. He made the girl sing over -a few verses of the song, and then struck in with the violin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He speedily caught the melody, and played it, then went -off into variations, returning anon to the pleasant theme, -and Kate listened in surprise and admiration. Never before -had she thought that there was much of air, or of grace and -delicacy in the tune as sung by her father, and cast jeeringly -at her in scraps by the youths of Coombe-in-Teignhead. -Zerah looked out at the door and summoned her niece.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate started as from a dream.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My bunch of flowers,” she said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber had secured the celandines.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIII <br /> <span class='small'>THE SPIRIT OF INQUIRY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>Kate entered the house, at the summons of her aunt, -and found that John Pooke was within, standing -with his hat in his hand, in front of him, twirling it about and -playing with the string that served to contract the lining band.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am so glad to see that you are well, Kitty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate thanked him. She was not a little vexed at being -called away from conversation with the schoolmaster, -whose talk was so unlike that of any other man she had -met. The rector she knew and loved, but she was before -him as a scholar to be instructed in spiritual concerns, and -their conversation never turned on such matters as had -been mooted between her and the schoolmaster. For a -little while she had been translated into a new sphere, and -had heard words of another order to those that had hitherto -met her ears. Now she was brought back into the world -of commonplace, and could not at once recover herself and -accommodate herself to it. This made her shy and silent. -Pooke also was shy, but he was awkward to boot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Have you nothing to say to me, Kate?” he asked in -suppliant tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>“Indeed, I thank you many times, Jan, for inquiring -about me when I was ill. Now, as you see, I am myself -again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was the cause of your illness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No indeed, no blame attaches to you. We will not -talk of blame--there is none.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you going to Ashburton Fair on Tuesday?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, you do,” threw in Aunt Zerah; then to John -Pooke, “She is going to the moor to her father for a -change. It is her father’s wish, so that she may be soon -strong again. He will meet her at Ashburton at the fair, if -we can get her so far.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am going to the fair,” said Pooke eagerly. “That -is to say, sister Sue and I be going together there. The -young man to whom she is about to be married lives at -Ashburton, and will have it that she goes. There is room -for a third in our trap. I should so much like to take you--I -mean, sister Sue would wish it, if you would favour me--I -mean sister Sue.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you again, Jan, for another kindness,” said the -girl, “but I shall be driven to Ashburton by my uncle. -I really had not considered that the fair was on Tuesday.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your uncle can spare you,” thrust in Zerah; “and if -Jan Pooke is so civil as to invite you to go in his conveyance, -it is only proper you should accept.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, aunt,” said Kate, slightly colouring, “my father -has settled that I am to go with Uncle Pasco, and I do not -like”--</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>“Oh, so long as you are got to Ashburton, it doesn’t -matter who takes you,” interrupted Zerah.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If it does not matter,” said Kate, “then let me hold -to my father’s arrangement.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is not kind to me--I mean to sister Sue,” said -Pooke dolefully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I intend no unkindness,” answered the girl, “but when -my father has made a plan, I do not like to break it even -in little matters.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man twirled his hat about, and pulled out the -string from the band. He paused, looked ashamed, and -said, “You don’t choose to go with me, that is the long -and the short of it. Your aunt will excuse you from going -with Pasco Pepperill.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do not tease me, Jan,” pleaded Kate, confused and -unhappy. She was well aware that there had been village -talk about her having been in the boat with Jan, that her -aunt was desirous of thrusting her upon him. With -maidenly reserve she shrank from his proposal, lest by -riding in the trap with him some colour might be given to -the suspicions entertained in the village, and some food -should be supplied to the gossips.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The lad went to the window, and looked out on the -little platform with moody eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why,” said he, “there is that new schoolmaster there.” -He stood watching him. “He’s a noodle. What do’y -think he is about? He has got three or four faded buttercups, -and he is putting them between the leaves of his -note-book, just as though there was something wonderful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>in them; just as if they were the rarest flowers in the world. -I always thought he was a fool--now I know it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate winced.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I say,” pursued Jan, “have you heard about him and -Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum’? The landlord went to him civil-like, -and invited him to join the choir. He bragged about his -violin as if he could play finer than anyone hereabouts. -But when the landlord told him our chaps could play -Jackson’s ‘Tee-dum,’ he ran away. I reckon Jackson’s -‘Tee-dum’ is a piece to find out the corners of a man. -He daren’t face it. Kitty, if you won’t come with me to -the fair, I swear I’ll offer the odd seat to Rose Ash.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then he left the house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate attempted to fly, for she knew what was coming, -but was arrested by her aunt, who grasped her by the -shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You little fool!” she said. “Don’t you see what may -come of this if you manage well, or let me manage for -you? Jan Tottle came here every day to inquire when -you were ill, and now you let him slip between your -fingers and into the hands of that designing Rose. He -is a ball that has come to you, and you toss it to her. -Don’t think she is fool enough to toss him back to you. -When she has him she will close her fingers on him. -What is going to become of you, I’d like to know, that you -should act like this? Do not reckon on anything your -father will bring you; or on your uncle either. One is -helping the other down the road to ruin, and we may all -be nearer the poorhouse than you imagine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>She let go her hand, for Bramber came in, and asked -what he had to pay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sixpence,” answered Zerah, “and what you like to the -little maid. I reckon she’ll take a ha’penny.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate’s head fell, covered with shame, and she thrust -her hands behind her back.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Walter paid Mrs. Pepperill, and said, without looking at -Kate, “The little maid and I understand each other, and -the account between us is settled.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now look here,” said Zerah, allowing her niece to -escape, and laying hold of the young man, “I want a word -with you, Mr. Schoolmaster. My husband has let you go -through his accounts. I reckon he’d got that muddled -himself, he didn’t know his way out, and thought you’d -have led him, as well as Jack-o’-lantern leads out of a bog. -The light is good enough, but when the mire is there, what -can the light do but show it? It can’t dry it up. If it -weren’t for the cockles and coffee as I get a few sixpences -by, I reckon we’d have been stogged (mired) long ago. -But Pasco, he has the idea that he’s a man of business and -can manage a thousand affairs, and as ill-luck will have it, -that brother o’ mine feeds his fancies wi’ fresh meat. Now -I want you to tell me exactly what you found in his books.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not justified in speaking of Mr. Pepperill’s private -affairs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! not to his wife?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not to anyone. I was taken into confidence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bless you! he couldn’t help himself. Set a man as -don’t know nothing about machinery to manage an engine, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>and he’ll get it all to pieces in no time. Pasco knows -nothing about business, and there he is trying to run coal -stores, wool, timber--all kinds o’ things. I know what it -will come to, though you keep mum.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>To escape further questioning, Bramber left Coombe -Cellars, and walked towards the village.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The school was closed for a week. Some painting and -plastering had to be done in it before he could begin his -duties. It was as well, he thought; it allowed him time to -find his bearings, to get to understand something of the -people amongst whom he was to be settled, and whose -children he was to instruct.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Bramber walked in the dusk, he encountered the -rector, Mr. Fielding, who stopped him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you going indoors?” asked the parson; “or have -you leisure and inclination for a stroll?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You do me an honour, sir; I shall be proud.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let us walk by the water-side. This is a beautiful -hour--neither night nor day--something of one, something -of the other, like life. And who can say of the twilight in -which he walks whether it will broaden into perfect day or -deepen into utter night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rector took the young man’s arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Fielding belonged to a type that has completely -disappeared; peculiar to its time and necessarily transitory. -He belonged to that school of Churchmen which had been -founded by Newman and Keble; of men cultured, -scholarly, refined in thought, steeped in idealism, unconsciously -affected, aiming at what was impossible,--at least, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>fully to achieve,--and not knowing practicable methods, -not able to distinguish proportion in what they sought -after, ready to contend to death equally for trifles as for -principles.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Fielding wore tall white collars and a white tie, a -black dress coat and open black waistcoat. His hat -was usually at the back of his head, and he walked -with his head bent forwards and his shoulder against the -wall--a trick caught and copied from Newman, caught when -first under his influence, and now unconsciously followed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Fielding was unmarried, a quiet, studious man, -courteous to all, understood by none.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They walked together a little way, and talked on desultory -matters. Then Walter Bramber asked the rector, -“Would you mind telling me, sir, where my predecessor -got into trouble? Mr. Pepperill says it was at Waterloo.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Waterloo? dear me, no; it was at Wellington.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I knew it could not be at Waterloo, but he insisted on -it, and that it was in England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There was, you see, a connection of ideas. There is -always that, in the worst blunders. Did you correct him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I said Waterloo was not in England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You should have let it pass, till you knew how to -enlighten him as to where the place really was. Never -show a man he is wrong till you can show him how he -can be right. Also, never let a man see you are pulling -him out of a ditch, always let him think he is scrambling -out of it himself. A man’s self-respect is his best governing -motive, and should not be wounded.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>They paced along together a little way.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are a young man,” said the rector, “and a young -man is sanguine.” He paused, and walked on without -saying anything for a minute, then he added, “I was -sanguine once. That arises from confidence in one’s self, -and confidence in one’s cause, and confidence in mankind. -You have a noble cause--the priest and the schoolmaster -have the greatest of missions: to educate what is highest -in man, spirit and intellect. You have no reason to be -shaken by any doubt, to feel any hesitation in adhesion to -the cause of education. ‘Let there be light!’ was the -first word God spake. There is the keynote of creation, -the moral law laid down for the whole intelligent world. -We walk in the twilight that we know is brightening into -day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He paused again; then after a dozen paces he proceeded, -“You have confidence in yourself. You have enthusiasm, -you have ability, you know what you have to teach, and -you long to impart to others what you value yourself. -Is it not so?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is so indeed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Discouragement will come, and it is my duty to prepare -you for it. You have confidence in human nature. You -think all will be as eager to drink in instruction as you are -eager to dispense it. You may be mistaken, and will be -disappointed. It has taken me some years, Mr. Bramber, -to learn a fact which I will communicate to you, as a -caution against losing heart. You will remember that -when the sower went forth to sow, though all his seed was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>good, yet only one-fourth part came to anything. We -must work for the work’s sake, and not for results. In -your patience possess ye your souls. That is one of the -hardest of lessons to acquire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will try not to expect too much.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Expect nothing. Look to the work, and the work -only. One sows, another reaps, a third grinds, a fourth -bakes, but it is the fifth who eats the loaf and tastes how -good it is. Did you ever hear what Mme. de Maintenon -said of the carps, that had been transferred to the marble -basins of Marly, in which they died? ‘Ah!’ said she, -‘they are like me, they regret their native mud.’ You -will find that your pupils do not want to be translated to -purer fountains, that in them there is a hankering after -their native ignorance. That there will be little receptiveness, -no enthusiasm after the light, no hunger after the -bread of the Spirit--that is what you must be prepared to -find. I have found it so, and am now content with the -smallest achievements--to make them take a few crumbs -from my palm, to accept the tiniest ray let into their -clouded minds. Be content to do your work, and do -not be asking for results. Do your duty, leave results to -another day and to the reapers. You and I are the humble -sowers, enough for us to know that, but for us, there would -be no golden harvest which we shall not see.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rector withdrew his hand from the arm of Bramber.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is a saying, ‘Except ye be as little children’--You -know the rest. What does that mean? Not the -simplicity of children--simplicity springs out of inexperience; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>not the innocence--which arises from ignorance--but -the inquisitiveness of the child, which is its characteristic. -The child asks questions, it wants to know everything, -often asking what it is inconvenient to answer. Mr. -Bramber, unless we have this spirit of inquiry, we cannot -enter into any kingdom above that of animal life. There -is the intellectual kingdom, and when there is eagerness to -know, then there is advance into that realm, and you will -be the great prophet and mystagogue who will lead the -young of this village into that kingdom. Then, secondly, -there is the spiritual kingdom, but of that I will not now -speak. I hope you will find some pupils apt to learn, but -the many will, I fear, be listless.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A single swallow does not make a summer,” said the -schoolmaster; “but I have already met with one here who -verily hungers and thirsts after knowledge.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah!” Mr. Fielding looked round, and his face lightened. -“You have met--talked to Kitty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, sir; she is full of eagerness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh that we had many other minds as active! Alas! -alas! I fear in that she is, as they call her, Kitty Alone.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIV <br /> <span class='small'>TO THE FAIR</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>“Heigh! schoolmaister!” Pasco Pepperill shouted -from his tax-cart to Walter Bramber, who was -walking along the road collecting wild-flowers--the earliest -of the year--that showed in a sheltered hedge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the trap with Pasco was Kate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I say, schoolmaister,” said Pepperill, reining in his -grey cob, “be you inclined for a drive? I’m off to Ashburton -Fair, where I may have business. You have not yet -seen much of our country. Jump up! She”--he indicated -Kate with a jerk of his chin--“she can squat behind.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The day was lovely, the prospect of a drive engaging; -but Bramber hesitated about dislodging Kate, who had, -however, immediately begun to transfer herself from the -seat beside her uncle to the place behind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is not fair nor right,” said the young man. “Let -her keep her place, and let me accommodate myself in the -rear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not a bit! not a bit!” exclaimed Pepperill. “<a id='corr132.21'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Ive'>I’ve</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_132.21'><ins class='correction' title='Ive'>I’ve</ins></a></span> -asked you for company’s sake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you have the best company in your niece.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>“She!”--Pasco uttered a contemptuous sniff,--“she is -no company. She either sits as a log or pesters one with -questions. What do you think she has just asked of me?” -Imitating Kate’s voice, he said, “Uncle, why have horses -so many hairs in their ears? Why the dowse does it -matter whether horses have hair in their ears or not? -Now, schoolmaister, get up in front.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber still objected.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, nonsense!” said Pasco; “I’m taking you up so -as to be freed from these questions. It is catechising, or -nothing at all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber looked uneasily at Kate’s face, but her countenance -was unmoved; she was accustomed to contemptuous -treatment. She raised her timid eyes to Walter, and -he said hastily, with some earnestness--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You and I, Mr. Pepperill, form very different opinions -of what entertainment is. When I was having tea at your -house, she and I had plenty to say to each other. I found -her full of interest”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In what?” sneered the uncle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Daffodils.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, daffodils!” he laughed. “Any ass likes daffodils.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pardon me,” answered Bramber warmly; “the ass and -animals of like nature reject or pass them by unnoticed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I care not. Get up if you are coming with me. -I’ll show you a better sight than daffodils, and something -worthier of conversation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pasco took up the schoolmaster, not solely for his own -entertainment, but because he was somewhat uneasy at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>having let him into the secrets of his affairs. In his perplexity -and inability to balance his accounts, he had -grasped at the chance offered by the advent of Bramber; -but now he feared he had been too confiding, and that -the young man might blab what he had seen. It was -requisite, or advisable, that he should disabuse his mind -of any unfavourable impression that might have been -received from the perusal of his accounts; and, like a -stupid, conceited man, he thought that he could best effect -this by ostentation and boastfulness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In his pride, Pepperill would not admit that his circumstances -were involved, though an uneasy feeling lay as a -sediment at the bottom of his heart, assuring him that -there was trouble in store.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why do horses have hair in their ears?” said Bramber -on taking his seat, turning to the girl in the back of the -carriage. “I will tell you why. If a cockchafer or an -earwig were to get into your little pink shell, in a minute -up would go the finger in protection of the organ, and to -relieve you of the intruder. A horse cannot put up his -hoof to clear his ear, therefore he is provided with a -natural strainer, which will guard him from being irritated, -and perhaps injured, by anything penetrating where it -should not.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you,” said Kate. “There is a reason for everything.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You don’t happen to know anything about business?” -asked Pepperill, impatient to engross the conversation. -“I mean--commercial business.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>“My mother kept a shop--in quite a small way.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! in <em>quite</em> a small way. I don’t mean anything in -a <em>small</em> way,” said Pasco, swelling. “I refer to buying in -gross and retailing coal, wool, hides, bark, timber. That’s -my line. I do nothing myself in a small way--still, I -can understand there are people who do.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pasco nodded to right and left as he drove along, -in return to salutations he received from men driving -cattle, from farmers ambling on their cobs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You observe,” said Pepperill, “I’m pretty well known -and respected.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Presently he drew up at a wayside inn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I like to step into these publics,” said he apologetically; -“not that I’m a man as takes nips--but one meets one’s -fellows; it is all in the way of business; one hears of -bargains. There is more dealing done over a tavern table -than in a market-place. I’ll be with you shortly--unless -you will join me in a glass inside. Kitty will mind the cob.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you; I will await you here, and keep Kitty -company.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you will never be popular as was Puddicombe, -unless you take your glass!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Pepperill entered the house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber turned in his seat, and met Kate’s earnest blue -eyes. There was question in them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now,” said he, “I know your head is full of notes of -interrogation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not understand you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your uncle and others do not like to be questioned. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>I am a schoolmaster. I delight in answering questions -and communicating information. Put to me any queries -you like, and as many as you like, and I will do my best -to satisfy you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why do some stars twinkle and others do not?” asked -Kate at once. This difficulty had been troubling her -mind ever since the night in the boat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Planets do not twinkle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are planets?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Worlds on high. Stars that flash are suns that illumine -worlds. They glitter with their own light; planets shine -with borrowed, reflected light.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The planets are worlds?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very tiny ones?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not at all. Some are far larger than our globe. They -circle round our sun.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate looked the young man steadily in the face. The -thought was too great, too awful, to be received at once. -She supposed he was joking. But his countenance was an -assurance to her that he spoke the truth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh,” said she, with a long breath, “what it is to know!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no higher pleasure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing gives me greater joy than to learn.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But did you not get taught such simple truths as this -in school?” asked Bramber.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mr. Puddicombe did not tell us much,” answered -Kate. “We learned our letters and to cypher--nothing -more.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>“I am glad you can read,” said Bramber.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can read, but I have no books. It is like having -thirst and no water. I have learned how to walk, but may -not use my feet. I am always like one who is hungry; -I want to know about this, and about that, and I get no -answer. Why are there tides? Why are some higher -than others? What becomes of the stars by day?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The matter of the tides is beyond you. The stars are -in the sky still, but, owing to the blaze of the sun by day, -you cannot discern their lesser glories. If, however, you -were at the bottom of a well, you would be able, on looking -up, to see the stars, pale, indeed, but distinctly visible, in -the heavens.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I should love to go down a well, and see that with my -own eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish--oh, I wish you were coming to school!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate heaved a sigh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But as you cannot come to me,” said Walter, “I shall -have to come to you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate shook her head. “That means sixpence a time in -cockles and tea. It would ruin you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I will lend you books.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mr. Fielding once did that, but Aunt Zerah was angry, -and sent them back to the Rectory. She said that she did -not want me to be a scholar, and have all kinds of book -nonsense put into my head. I was to be a maid-of-all-work.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bramber did not speak. He was very sorry for the girl, -craving for knowledge, gasping for the very air in which her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>spirit could live--and denied it. Then he said, pointing to -the board above the inn-door--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you notice the tavern sign, Kitty?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes--‘The Rising Sun.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Recently repainted and gilt. Now, I will repeat to -you the lines I withheld the other day concerning the -celandine; that is to say, such as I remember:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘I have not a doubt but he</div> - <div class='line'>Whosoe’er the man might be,</div> - <div class='line'>Who, the first, with painted rays,</div> - <div class='line in2'>(Workman worthy to be sainted,)</div> - <div class='line'>Set the signboard in a blaze,</div> - <div class='line in2'>When the risen sun he painted,</div> - <div class='line'>Took the fancy from a glance</div> - <div class='line'>At thy glittering countenance.’”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>Then a rattle of wheels and a tramp of horse’s hoofs. A -dogcart was approaching rapidly. As it came near, the -driver reined in and drew up alongside.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate recognised John Pooke, with Rose Ash at his side; -behind, clinging uncomfortably to the back rail, was Susan -Pooke. The young man flourished his whip and saluted -Kate joyously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We shall meet at the fair. I shall await you, Kitty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then he lashed the horse, and whirled away. Kate saw -Rose’s face turned towards her, wearing a dissatisfied -frown.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who are those?” asked Walter, with a little twinge of -displeasure in his heart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The young man is Jan Pooke, he whose rick was -burned; and with him is Rose Ash, the prettiest girl in all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>Coombe. Jan’s father has the orchard in which are the -daffodils. It belonged to uncle. Uncle had a bit of farm, -but he gave it up--sold it--to devote himself more to -business. Behind, in the dogcart, is Susan Pooke. She -is going to be married at Easter to someone in Ashburton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then, wiping his lips and buttoning his pockets, Pasco -came from the tavern. He mounted to his place and -resumed the reins and whip.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well,” said he, “got some talk out of the girl?--foolery--rank -foolery, I’ll swear. Never heard her say anything -sensible; but you and I will have a good conversation as -we drive along. We will talk about bullocks.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XV <br /> <span class='small'>A REASON FOR EVERYTHING</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>Walter Bramber sprang from his seat beside -Pasco, on the latter drawing up outside the inn -at Ashburton, and ran to the back of the tax-cart that he -might assist Kate to descend. There was no step at the -back. He held up his arms to receive her; she was -standing preparing to spring.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he looked up, he exclaimed, “They are planets!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are planets?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Those blue orbs--their light is so still and true.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then he caught her as she sprang, glad to cover her -confusion. A compliment was something to which Kate -was wholly unaccustomed, and one startled and shamed -her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, whither?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To my father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But where is he?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, come!” said Pepperill, who had consigned the -reins to the ostler. “I want you, schoolmaster; I cannot -let you go fairing yet. I have business on my hands and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>desire your presence. Afterwards, if you will, and when we -have got rid of Kate, I’ll find you some one more agreeable -with whom you can go and see the shows.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, in the meanwhile, who is to take care of her?” -asked Bramber.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will do that,” said John Pooke, who came up, elbowing -his way through the crowd. “Here are several of us -Coombe-in-Teignhead folk: there is sister Sue, but she is off -with her sweetheart; and here is Rose Ash, and here is -Noah Flood.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was no help for it; much to his disappointment. -Bramber had to relinquish Kate, and accompany her uncle -into the market.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate hesitated about going with John Pooke, but knew -not what else to do. Her uncle shook her off, concerned -himself no more about her, and carried the schoolmaster -with him. Alone she was afraid to remain. A shy girl, -unwont to be in a crowd; the noise of the fair, the shouts -of chapmen, the objurgations of drovers sending their cattle -through the thronged street, the braying of horns and beating -of drums outside the shows, the hum of many voices, -the incessant shifting of groups, combined to bewilder and -alarm her. But she did not like to attach herself to Jan -Pooke’s party. Tongues had already been set a-wagging -relative to herself and the young man. The adventure in -the boat, followed up by his solicitude during her illness, -had attracted attention in the village, and had become a -topic of conversation and speculation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Rose Ash, as was well known, had set her mind on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>winning John; she was a handsome girl, of suitable age -and position, the miller’s daughter. Everyone had said -that they would make a pair. Jan, in his amiable, easy-going -way, had offered no resistance; he had, perhaps, -been a little proud of being considered the lover of the -prettiest girl in the district; he had made no advances himself, -but had submitted to hers with mild complacency, -taking care not to compromise himself irrevocably.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Since John had been associated with Kate in that adventure -on the mud-bank, he had been less cordial to Rose, -had kept out of her way, and avoided being left alone with -her. Rose was ready-witted enough to see that a spoke -had been put into her wheel, and to discover how that -spoke had been inserted. She felt jealous of, and resentful -towards Kate, and lost no occasion of hinting ill-natured -things, and throwing out wounding remarks both to Kate’s -face and behind her back. Kate had every reason to -shrink from joining this party, sure that it would lead to -vexation. But she had no choice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come along, Kate,” said John; “sister Sue and I and -the rest are ready. What do you wish?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think I might be consulted,” said Rose sullenly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know your wishes already--you want to go into the -fair,” replied Jan, turning to the pouting girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And if she wishes to be out of it,--in the mud, for -instance,--are we all to be dragged in with her?” asked -Rose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tell me, Kitty, what do you desire?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I would like to find my father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>“Where is he? do you know? We will go through the -fair and look for him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate held back. John came after her and said, “If -we cannot find your father at once, where would you like -to go?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Half laughing and half crying, the girl answered, “I -should like to be at the bottom of a well; Mr. Bramber -says that there one could see the stars, even in broad daylight.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By all means, put her there and leave her there; we -are well content,” said Rose, who had followed and overheard -what was said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no well in Ashburton,” said Jan, taking Kate’s -arm. “There are better things to be seen than stars by -daylight. Come, we will seek your father. I will be sworn -we shall light on him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate withdrew from the young man’s hold, but nevertheless -allowed herself to accompany the little party that now -moved in the direction of the fair. The girl was unaccustomed -to be in a crowd. Neither her father nor her uncle -had concerned himself to give her diversion, to take her -out of the monotony and solitude of her life in Coombe -Cellars. A country fair presented to her all the attractions -of novelty, at the same time that the noise and movement -alarmed her. Susan Pooke’s intended husband had hooked -her on to his arm, and the two, sufficient to each other, -separated from the rest and took their own way among the -booths. Kate was therefore left with Rose, John Pooke, -and Noah Flood.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>Noah was an acquaintance rather than a friend of John, -and a cousin of Rose. Jan did not discourage him. Noah -was one of Rose’s many admirers; a hopeless one hitherto, -as he felt his inability to compete with Pooke. Now, Jan -was glad of his presence as likely to relieve him of Rose; and -that girl was also content to have him by, hoping that by -showing him some favour she might rouse the jealousy of -the torpid Jan. The little company, in which prevailed -such discordant elements, moved along the street to the -market-place. Every neighbouring parish had sent in a -contingent of farmers to buy and sell, of young folks to -gape and amuse themselves, of servants who sought masters -and mistresses, of employers in quest of servants. All -elbowed, pushed their way along, met friends, laughed, -shouted, made merry. Presently Jan arrested his party at -a stall on which numerous articles attractive to the female -heart were exposed for sale.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, Kate,” said he, “I have long owed you something, -and a fairing you expect as your due.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is I who have a right to it,” said Rose hastily. -“You brought me to the fair. That is fine manners for -a lad to bring a girl, desert her, and give his fairing to -another.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am going to make presents to both of you,” replied -Jan, colouring. “I invited Kitty before I asked you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, indeed?” Rose flared up. “I am to come second-best -after that frog, unfortunately, against her wishes, -not now in a well. I refuse your presents. I will take -what Noah will give me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>“Do not be angry, Rose,” said Jan. “Kitty, you see, -has no one with her. Her uncle and that schoolmaster -fellow have deserted her. As for a fairing--I owe it her. -It was all along of me that”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know,” scoffed Rose. “She ran you on a mud-bank. -It was done on purpose. A designing hussy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For shame!” said Jan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No respectable girl would have done it I know what -folks say”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jan boiled up. “You are a spiteful cat, Rose. I will -not give you anything. Kate, what would you like to have? -Choose anything on this stall; it is yours.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not wish for anything,” answered the girl timidly. -Yet her eyes had ranged longingly among the treasures -exposed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You shall have some present from me,” persisted -Pooke. “Here, a dark blue silk handkerchief--the colour -of your eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am going to have that,” exclaimed Rose. “Noah -was about to take it up when you spoke. It is mine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There are two, I’ll be bound,” said Jan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, there are not. Get her a yellow one--the blue is -mine.” Rose snatched at it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There actually was no second of the same colour.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yellow becomes you best,” said Jan angrily; “you are -so jealous and spiteful.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Jealous? of whom?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of Kate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I!--I!” jeered the handsome, spoiled girl, with an outburst -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>of laughter. “I jealous of that creature. Cockles -and winkles picked off a mud-bank!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Give up that handkerchief,” exclaimed Jan passionately.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I really will not have it. I assure you I will not. -Take it,” pleaded Kate, “I have no right to accept any -present.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense,” said Pooke. “I invited you to the fair, -and here you are with me. I must and I will give you -something by which to remember me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He stepped back and pushed his way through the crowd -to another stall. Kate remained where she was with fluttering -heart, averting her burning face from the eyes of Rose, -and looking eagerly among the throng for her uncle or -father.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Presently Jan returned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There,” said he, “now I have something more worthy -of you: a really good and handsome workbox.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He held out a polished box with mother-of-pearl shield on -the lid, and scutcheon for the keyhole.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look at it!” he said, and, raising the lid, displayed blue -silk lined and padded compartments, stocked with thimble, -scissors, reels, pins, needles, bodkin, and a tray. “Look!” -exclaimed Jan, his cheeks glowing with mingled anger and -pleasure; “underneath a place where you can put letters--anything; -and you can lock the whole up. There, it is -yours.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate was shy about accepting so handsome a gift, yet -could not refuse it. The workbox had been bought and -paid for. It was the custom for a young man to give a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>damsel a present at the fair, but then, to do so was tantamount -to declaring that he had chosen her as his sweetheart. -With thanks, more in her eyes than on her lips, -Kate accepted the offering, and took it under her arm. -Rose had turned away her head with a toss of the chin, -and had pretended not to have seen the transaction.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let us move on,” urged Pooke; “there is a shooting-place -beyond, and, by George! I’ll have a try for nuts and -fill your pockets, Kate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Noah and Rose had already drifted from the booth at -which the altercation had taken place. The girl had -knotted the blue silk kerchief about her throat in defiance; -her cheeks were flaming, her eyes glistening, and her mouth -quivering. She pretended to be devoted to Noah, who -was vastly elated, but her eyes ever and anon stealthily -returned to Jan and Kate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A large tray full of hazel nuts stood before a battered -target, and on the nuts lay a couple of guns.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now then! a penny a shot! only one penny!” yelled -the proprietor; and his wife dipped a tin half-pint measure -into the nuts, shook it, poured them out and echoed, -“Only one penny. Half a pint in the red, a pint in the -gold! Only one penny. A dozen nuts for the white. -Only one penny.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll have a shy,” said Noah, laid down his coin and -fired. He struck the white, and received a dozen -nuts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll do better than that!” shouted Jan, and took the -gun from Flood’s hand, threw down threepence, and said, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>“I’ll have three shots and stuff my pockets.” He fired--and -missed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By George!” Jan looked astonished. “I always considered -myself a crack shot.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He fired again and hit the black. The woman offered -him half a dozen nuts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I won’t have ’em--I’ll clear the stall presently.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He aimed carefully and missed again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Kate touched him on the arm and said, “Do you -not see all your shots have gone one way--to the right, low -down. Aim at the right-hand corner to the left, just outside -the black.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You try,” said Jan, and threw down a penny with one -hand and passed the gun to Kate with the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl aimed, and put her arrow into the bull’s-eye.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She handed back the gun, saying to Pooke, “The barrel -is crooked, that is why your shot went wrong.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Try again, Kitty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well,” said Jan, “I’ll follow your directions.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He fired, and his shot flew into space beyond the target. -“There!” he exclaimed reproachfully, turning to the -girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The woman changed the gun,” said Kate. “Now aim -at the centre, and I will soon tell you what is wrong.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He did as she directed, and his shot went into the outer -green.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I see,” said Kate; “this barrel is given a twist in -another way. Now look where your arrow strikes. Draw -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>a line from that across the gold, and aim at the point in -the outer ring exactly opposite.” The young man did as -instructed, and hit the red.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kitty Alone, I have it now!” laughed he; threw down -another copper, and this time his shot quivered in the -bull’s-eye.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, Kate! however did you discover the secret?” he -asked in amazement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I watched. I knew you aimed straight, so I was sure -the fault lay in the barrel. There is, you know, a reason -for everything.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lor’, Kitty! I should never have found out that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I saw it because you went wrong. I considered why -you went wrong, and so considering, I saw that the fault -must be in the barrel. There is a reason for everything, -even for our blunders, and if we seek out the reason where -we have blundered, we go right afterwards and blunder no -more.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVI <br /> <span class='small'>THE DANCING BEAR</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>“Have some nuts, Rose?” said Jan Pooke. He had -got a large paper-bag full of those he had earned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t want any of your nuts,” answered the girl. “I -hate hazel cobs, specially when old and dry. I’m going to -have some of that sort, and Noah is bringing me some.” -She pointed to some Brazil nuts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They’re like slugs turned to stone,” said Jan. “There -can’t be good eating in such as them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We shall see. Crack them, Noah.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was easier ordered than done.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Flood compressed two nuts in his palm, but could not -crush them. He tried his teeth, and they failed. He put -a nut under his heel, but in the throng was thrust aside and -lost his nut.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll do it presently, Rose, as soon as I can find something -hard on which to crack ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do, Noah. I’m longing to eat them. I wouldn’t give -a straw for them dried, shrivelled hazel cobs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I promise you I’ll break ’em--the first occasion.” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>Then, suddenly, “Rose! Kate! Jan! Come along this -way; there is a man here with a dancing bear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A bear? Oh, I do want to see a bear!” exclaimed -Kate eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t care for a bear,” said Rose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But he’s dancing--beautiful,” urged Noah.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, if he’s dancing, that’s another matter,” said Rose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate was most desirous to see a bear. She had read of -the beast in Æsop’s Fables--seen pictures of Bruin as he -smelt about the traveller who feigned himself dead whilst -his fellow escaped up a tree; also as he tore himself with -his claws after having overset the hives and was attacked -by the bees. She had formed in her own mind an idea of -the beast as very big, and as very stupid.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A considerable throng surrounded the area in which the -bear was being exhibited, but Jan and Noah were broad-shouldered, -and not scrupulous about forcing a way where -they desired to pass, and of thrusting into the background -others less broad and muscular. Following close after the -two young men, dragged along by them, were Rose and -Kate, and they were speedily in the inner ring, in full view -of Bruin and his master, an Italian, who held him by a -chain. The bear was muzzled, and had a collar to which -the chain was attached. A woman, in dirty Neapolitan -costume, played a hurdy-gurdy and solicited contributions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The bear was made to stand on his hind legs, raise one -foot, then the other, in clumsy imitation of a dance, and -then to take a stick and go through certain evolutions which -a lively imagination might figure as gun practice.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>“De bear--he beg pretty--von penny, shentlemensh!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bruin, instructed by a jerk of the chain and a rap, put -his front paws together. Then, tired of his upright attitude, -he went down on all-fours.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The brute was not equal to Kate’s anticipations, certainly -not as massive and shaggy as pictured by Bewick in his -Æsop’s Fables. About the neck it was rubbed by the collar, -and the hair was gone. Its fur over the body was patchy -and dirty. The beast seemed to be without energy and to -be out of health. Its movements were ungainly, its humour -surly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate soon tired of observing the creature, and would -have withdrawn from the ring had she been able; but the -crowd was compact behind, and she was wedged into her -place.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The passive disposition of Bruin was all at once changed -by the appearance of a dog that had passed between the -legs of the spectators, and which entered the ring and flew -at the bear with barks and snaps.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“De dogue! Take de dogue away!” shouted the Italian. -“De bear no like dogue.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But no owner of the dog answered and attempted to call -it off, and the lookers-on were delighted to have the opportunity -of seeing sport.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The dog, apparently a butcher’s brute, sprang about the -bear, endeavouring to bite, and darting out of his way -whenever Bruin struck at it with his fore-paws.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The woman gave up turning the handle of the hurdy-gurdy, -and screamed at the dog to desist from irritating the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>bear, but it paid no attention to her words. Some fellows -in the crowd shouted to the assailant to persevere and take -a bite.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The conductor of the bear shortened the chain so as to -obtain a portion wherewith to lash the dog, but he was as -unsuccessful as his wife. These united attempts to drive it -off served only the more to incense the dog and stimulate -it against the bear. The man became angry as the young -fellows encouraged the dog, and as the bear became unruly, -and endeavoured to wrench the end of the chain from his -hand, so as to have more scope for defending himself -against his adversary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Rose nudged Noah, and said in a whisper, “Knock her -workbox from under her arm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Flood answered, “’Twould be a shame.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I won’t speak to you again if you don’t.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Heigh!” yelled Noah; “go it, Towser!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is dat your dogue?” shouted the bearward.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, not mine,” answered Noah. “He looks a towser, -that’s why I called him so. Go it, Towser!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the bear made a dash at his tormentor, the dog -sprang back, and the circle that surrounded the area became -an ellipse.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On one of these occasions Kate made an effort to withdraw, -but Jan caught her by the arm and insisted on -retaining her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here comes another!” he said, as a terrier dashed in. -“We shall soon have a proper bear-bait.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Italian woman had stooped and picked up the baton -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>with which the bear had gone through his drill, and with it -she endeavoured to drive away the dogs. The man swore -and kicked with his iron-shod boots at them when they -came near; but if the dogs showed signs of retreat, they -were kicked forward again by the young men in the ring. -The owner of Bruin had lost his temper; he saw that the -bystanders were amusing themselves at his expense, and -that the baited beast was getting beyond his control, being -driven wild and desperate by his assailants.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The yelping of the dogs, the cries of the woman and her -husband, the cheers and laughter of the crowd, formed a -combination of noise frightening to such a girl as Kate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The bear, frantic at being unable to reach and maul his -tormentors, was now tearing at his muzzle. The terrier was -on his back, snapping, and the bear rolled over, and with -one paw succeeded in forcing the muzzle aside.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At that moment a blow was struck behind Kitty’s back -at the workbox she carried, and it was propelled into the -arena, where it fell, was broken open, and its contents were -scattered--thimble, scissors, reels of black and white cotton, -pins and pincushion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who did that? By George, it was you, Noah!” shouted -Jan, who happened to have turned at the moment and saw -the movement of Noah’s fist.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate asked no questions as to who had done her this -wrong. With a cry of dismay, regardless of danger, concerned -only for her precious workbox and its contents, she -darted forward to pick up what was strewn about. For the -moment she forgot the presence of the bear and the dogs, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>and, stooping, began to collect what she could, regardless -of the cries of the bystanders. Bruin had at the same time -wrenched himself free from his guardians, and had fallen -upon one of the dogs, which howled, and bit, and writhed, -and rolled over at Kate’s feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jan Pooke, enraged at the cowardly act of Noah, without -looking towards Kate, without a thought that she was in -danger, struck Flood full in the face with his clenched fist, -and Noah, stung by the blow, and already jealous of Pooke, -retaliated.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Immediately the ring that had been formed about the -bear and dogs dissolved, and re-formed itself into a figure -eight about the several contending parties--some clustering -round the bear and dogs, others about the two burly young -men, whose fight promised to give greater entertainment -than that in the other circle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate was suddenly grasped by a firm hand and drawn -away out of danger. She looked up, and saw that she was -held by Walter Bramber.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, my workbox!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never mind your workbox. You were exposed to great -risk.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He drew her through the throng.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Mr. Bramber, look! look! There is Jan fighting -with Noah. It is all because of the workbox. Do go and -separate them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not till I have brought you to your father. You cannot -be safely trusted in such a crowd,--at least, not with such -reckless and quarrelsome fellows as Pooke and the other.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>“Yes,” said Kate, the tears running down her cheeks, -“take me to my father. I wish I had not come here; but -indeed--indeed--this is no fault of mine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; of that I am very sure. You are inexperienced, -that is all. There come the constables; they will separate -the combatants. Be no further concerned for them. I will -not now leave you till you are safe out of the fair.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVII <br /> <span class='small'>INSURED</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>Pasco Pepperill had taken the schoolmaster with -him through the market-place. He was greeted on -all sides by acquaintances and would-be dealers. Pasco’s -strut became more consequential as he returned the salutations, -and he looked out of the corners of his eyes at his -companion, to see what impression was made on him by -the deference with which he was received.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I bought wool--two hundred pounds’ worth--of that -man. Coaker is his name,” said Pasco, indicating a moor -farmer jogging in on his cob. “I bought last Friday. -Do you see Ezra Bornagin? There, sneaking behind his -missus. He’s had coals of me all the winter, on tick. -Hasn’t paid a penny, and I’m in doubts whether I shall -see the colour of my money. But I’m not one to be -crushed by a few bad debts.” Presently, “There’s the -landlady of the ‘Crown,’ at Newton. She knows where to -get good spirits at a moderate figure--that hasn’t paid duty--tobacco -also. Coombe Cellars is a fine place for a trade -in such goods.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How d’ y’ do, Pepperill?” said a bluff farmer, coming up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>and extending an immense red hand. “Come here to buy -or to sell to-day?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Both,” answered Pasco. “It doesn’t do to let money -lie idle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! if a chap has got money--but when he hasn’t, that’s -another matter. I want to sell.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hides; will you buy? Had bad luck with my -beasts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t know; I’ll see.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s terrible bad times,” said the big man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose it is--for some folks,” answered Pepperill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I say, I hear you’ve got the ‘Swing’ on again down -your way.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not quite that, I hope. There has been an incendiary -fire, but it was the work of one man, not of a gang. I -reckon the ‘Swing’ conspiracy was done with in ’30.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t be too sure. One fire has a fatal knack o’ -kindling others, ’specially if the fellow gets off who did -the job.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He has escaped,” said Pasco; “but we know pretty well -who did the mischief. It was one Roger Redmore. He’d -been turned off for <a id='corr158.23'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sic: impertinence?'>imperence</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_158.23'><ins class='correction' title='sic: impertinence?'>imperence</ins></a></span> to his master, and drink, and -that’s how he revenged himself. I wish he’d been caught. -A fellow who sets fire a-purpose to rick or barn or house, -if I had my way, would be hung without mercy. No -transportation; that’s too mild. Swing, I say, at a rope’s -end, and so put an end to all incendiarism.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I reckon you’re about right,” said the farmer. “If -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>there comes another fire, I shall get insured. The fellow -is at large.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ay, but he won’t do any further mischief of this sort. -It was a bit o’ personal revenge, nothing more; not like -them old combinations.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, but who is safe? If I say a word to one of my -men that he doesn’t like, he may serve me as Redmore has -served Pooke.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s true,” said Pepperill. “More’s the reason that -Roger should be made an example of. If I see’d him I’d -shoot him down as I would a wild beast, or hang him, as -I might a lamb-worrying dog, with my own hands--that I -would!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know, of those rascals who were sentenced to be hung -in ’30, more than half got off with transportation; and of -them as was transported, most got let off with six or seven -years--more’s the pity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We’re too merciful--that’s our fault,” said Pasco. “Show -no pity to the offender,--chief of all, to the incendiary,--and -such crimes will soon be put a stop to. We encourage -criminals by our over-gentleness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I hope this firing o’ stacks won’t spread; but it’s -like scarlet fever. What business are you on to-day?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ve bought the oaks at Brimpts,” said Pepperill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So I’ve heard.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I’ve a mind to dispose of the bark.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then here’s your man--Hamley the tanner.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The man alluded to came up--a tall, handsome fellow, -with a cheery face.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>“Mr. Hamley,” said Pasco, “you’re the chap I want. I -shall have tons o’ bark to sell shortly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, Mr. Pepperill, I’m always ready for bark, if the -figure suits. Tan is my trade, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall have stuff the like of which you have not had -the chance of buying, I’ll be bound. I’ve bought the oaks -of Brimpts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What, at Dart-meet?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; bought the lot. The timber is three hundred -years old; hard as iron. And conceive what the bark must -be when the timber is so good.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I doubt if we shall come to terms over that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why not? You won’t have another chance. What will -you give me a ton?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is the bark running now? It is full early. The sap -don’t begin to rise so soon as this,--leastways, not in timber -trees,--and the moor is always three weeks or a month -behind the Hams.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The bark will be all right, if you will buy. What is the -market price?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Best bark has been up to seven guineas, but it’s not -that now. Five guineas is an outside price for thirty-year-old -coppice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But Brimpts is not coppice--far from it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know, and the value will be according. Sapling, of -some forty years, comes second, at four guineas; then last -quality is timber-bark, if not too old, say three pound ten.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Three pound ten?” echoed Pepperill. “A pretty price, -indeed. You do not understand. Brimpts oaks must be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>three hundred years old, and so worth seven guineas a -ton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I won’t give three guineas for this bark. Take off a -pound for every hundred years. If I take it, I don’t mind -two guineas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Two guineas? that’s not worth having. The bark is -first-rate--must be, it is so tremendous old.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr161.8'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='That'>“That</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_161.8'><ins class='correction' title='That'>“That</ins></a></span> is just what spoils it. We get the tan-juice from -the under rind. We don’t want the crust, or outer bark; -that is so much waste. Young coppice is the best for our -purpose, and worth more for tanning than thrice the value -of your old timber. I’ll give you two guineas; not a penny -more. And let me tell you, you’ll have some difficulty in -barking the old trees. The sap is a wonderful ticklish -thing to run in them; it’s like the circulating of blood in -old men.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Two guineas! I won’t look at ’em,” said Pepperill, and -passed on. He was angry and disappointed. He had -reckoned on making a good price out of the bark. This -meeting with Mr. Hamley would have a bad effect on the -schoolmaster. Pepperill turned to him and said, “He’s a -cunning file. He knows the Brimpts bark is worth seven -guineas at least, but he’s trying to drive a bargain. He’ll -come round in time, and be glad to buy at my price.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Halloo!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pepperill was clapped on the back, and, turning, saw his -brother-in-law.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pasco, old boy,” said Jason, “is it true you bought his -two years’ stock of fleeces off Coaker?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>“Yes, I did.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“More fool you. What did you pay?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thirteenpence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Done you are. Have you not heard that wool has -dropped to tenpence?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Jason! it is not true?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is. There have come in several cargoes of Australian -wool, finer than ours; and behind, they say, is simply any -amount--mountains of wool. This comes of your not -reading the papers. Coaker knew it, and that made him -so eager to sell. I hear we shall have a further drop. You -are done, old boy, in that speculation. Why did you not -consult me? Have you paid Coaker?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I gave him fifty pounds, and a bill at two months.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Try what you can do with the Sloggitts. They may want -to buy, but don’t reckon on making more than tenpence. -Lucky if you get that. I dare swear they will offer no more -than ninepence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pepperill’s face became white, but he quickly rallied, and -said to Bramber, “That is Quarm all over; he loves a joke, -and he thought to frighten me. I’ll go at once to Sloggitt; -I know where to find him. He has a mill at Buckfastleigh.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He caught the schoolmaster’s arm, and drew him along -with him. He had not gone many steps before a stranger -addressed him--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mr. Pepperill, I believe?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You were pointed out to me. You have done some -business with us--the wood at Brimpts. I am the agent -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>of the bank. I think we oughtn’t to have come to so hasty -a conclusion. The fact is, we hadn’t any idea there was so -much forest timber there. But as it is, of course, it can’t -be helped; only bank rules, you understand, must be -observed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what are they?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well--it is all the same, whether we were dealing with the -Duke of Bedford or with you. Rules are rules, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course rules are rules. But what are your rules?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m only an underling; I don’t make rules. It is my -duty to see they are carried out. You comprehend?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To be sure; and what are those rules?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you are aware in the bank we always expect -payment before delivery. There is the agreement. Mr. -Quarm saw our head clerk, and it is all settled. I just -came along over the moor to Ashburton Fair, and had a -look at Brimpts on my way. They sent me, you know, to -see that all is square, and all that sort of thing. I have -nothing more to do than just see that you comprehend the -rules.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What am I to do?” asked Pepperill sharply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, well; it is just this. We don’t allow any timber--nothing--to -be removed till full payment has been made, -and I see you have already begun felling.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I suppose my brother-in-law has begun to cut.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You know, that’s all right and proper; but rules are -rules, and I’m not my own master. I don’t make regulations; -I am held to seeing them carried out. There’s a -matter of a couple of hundred pounds you’ll have to pay -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>into the bank before a stick is disposed of, or a ton of bark -removed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And when do you demand the money? Will not a -bill do?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Rules, you see, are rules! they ain’t india-rubber, that -you can pull about to accommodate as is desired. I daresay -you want to get the timber removed as quickly as you -can, but, hang it! rules are rules, and you can’t till the -money is paid in cash. Personally I love bills, but the -bank don’t, that’s a fact. I suppose you, or Mr. Quarm, -will be over next week at the bank, and pay up. Then -we’ve nothing to say but clear away the timber and the -bark as you can.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Pepperill had shaken off the agent of the bank, he -turned to Bramber, and said, “Did you catch his admission? -He said that the bank had made a mistake in letting us -have Brimpts wood so cheap. Actually it sold without ever -having seen. Of course I shall pay up; and if I don’t pocket -a thousand pounds out of the transaction, call me a fool.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A moment later he was touched on the arm, and saw the -landlady of the Crown, Mrs. Fry. She made him a sign, -and whispered, “Take care; the revenue officers have smelt -something. Have you a stock by you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pepperill nodded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s bad. Get rid of it as quick as you can, lest -they pay you a visit. I’ve had a hint.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thanks,” said Pasco, looking uncomfortable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His visit to Messrs. Sloggitt was more discouraging than -he had been led to expect. Mr. James Sloggitt, who was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>in Ashburton, told him bluntly that the firm was indisposed -to buy wool at any price. The importations from Australia -had disturbed the market, and there was no knowing to -what extent wool might fall. They would buy nothing till -they had received advice as to how much more foreign wool -was coming in.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That won’t touch me,” said Pasco. “Down it goes in -a panic, and up it will swing in a month or two, and then I -shall sell. Come with me to the Red Lion, and have a -glass of ale.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you,” said Bramber; “if you will excuse me, I -should wish to go into the fair.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is time enough,” answered Pepperill; “I shall -not let you go yet. What! Jason--here again?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Quarm limped up, and planted himself in front of -him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have hardly had a word with you yet, Pasco. How is -my sister--and how is Kitty?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Both pretty middling. Kate is here--in the fair. I -left her with Jan Pooke and his party. Something may -come of this, Zerah thinks. Jan has been mightily attentive -since they were together in the boat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pasco,” said Jason, “that fellow, Roger Redmore, is -abroad still.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; he has not been caught.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If I was you, I would insure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pshaw! I’m not afraid of fire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no telling. You keep such a stock of all kinds -of goods in your place--coals, spirits, wool, hides--and now -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>you are likely to have bark in. Take my advice and insure, -in case of accident.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is throwing good money away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not a bit. If Pooke had insured, he would not now be -the loser to the tune of fifty pounds.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well; I don’t mind; but if I insure, it shall be for a -round sum.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Two or three hundred?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bah! A thousand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A thousand?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why not? My stores are worth it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are they? Stores, and house as well?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, stores alone. I’ll consider about the house.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A thousand pounds! You don’t mean it, Pasco?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ay. I’ll insure for one thousand two hundred. I -shall have all Coaker’s wool in, and the Brimpts tan which -Hamley won’t buy; and I shall be having coals in during -summer when price is down, to sell in winter when prices -are up. Twelve hundred, Jason; not a penny under.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come on, then, to the office, and have your policy -drawn.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We do business in a large way,” said Pepperill, turning -to Bramber. “Twelve hundred would not cover my loss, -were that scoundrel Redmore to set fire to my stores. Now -I will let you go; may you enjoy yourself. Come, Jason--twelve -hundred!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVIII <br /> <span class='small'>BRAZIL NUTS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_4_0_4 c010'>The constables, always on the alert for some breach of -the law during the fair, had come down on the combatants, -arrested them, and conveyed them to the courthouse.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On fair-days a magistrate was ever at hand to dispose of -such cases as might arise, disputes over engagements, -quarrels, petty thefts, etc.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Caunter, the justice who lived in the town, and -who had undertaken not to absent himself that day, was -summoned. Another joined him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two young men presented a somewhat battered and -deplorable condition. Noah, bruised in the face, had his -eye darkened and swelling; but Jan showed the most -damaged appearance, as his head had been cut, and the -blood had flowed over his forehead and stained his -cheek. Something had been done to wash his face and -to staunch the flow, but this had been only partially -successful.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The court-house was crowded. Friends and acquaintances -had deserted the bear, that they might see the end of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>the brawl between the lusty young men, and to exhibit their -sympathy and give evidence in their favour if required.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the constables had recorded their evidence, the -magistrate called on John Pooke to say what he had to state -in answer to the charge. It was a case of affray, and of -common assault if one of the parties chose to complain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You seem to be the one most damaged,” said the -justice. “What is your name?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“John Pooke.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where from?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Coombe-in-Teignhead, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think I have heard your name. Your father is a most -respectable yeoman, I believe.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, sir, and woundy fat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never mind about his obesity. With so respectable a -parent, in such a position, it is very discreditable that you -should be brought up before me as taking a principal part -in a vulgar brawl.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Brawl, sir? where?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here in Ashburton, in the market-place, according to -the account of the constables, you were principal in an -affray, and an affray--according to Lord Coke--is a public -offence to the terror of the king’s subjects, so called because -it affrighteth and maketh men afraid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I, sir? Whom did I affright and make afraid?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The public, before whom you were fighting.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lor, bless you, sir! they loved it. It was better sport -than a little dog snapping at a mangy bear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never mind whether they liked it or not; it was an -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>affray and an assault. Now tell me your version of the -circumstances.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What circumstances?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The brawl. Did you not hear what the constables -said?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, that little tittery matter! We was looking at a -bear and a dog.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well--proceed”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The dog didn’t understand how to get hold of the bear; -he thought he was wus’ than he was, and the bear could do -nothing till he had his muzzle off. Then up came a little -terrier. My word! he was a daring little dowse of a dog.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I want to hear nothing about the dogs and the bear, -but about yourselves. What was the occasion of your -quarrel with your adversary?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Adversary?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; the other--Noah Flood, I believe he is called. -You see he has a swollen eye, and his face is puffed and -bruised. I presume you admit you hit this man Flood?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What!--Noah?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, Noah.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Was that him you called my adversary?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; you were fighting him, so the constable says.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bless y’! Noah is a right-down good fellow, and a -chum o’ mine. He’s no adversary.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Anyhow, you banged him about, assaulted him, and -did him grievous bodily harm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who--I?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>“Lawk, sir! Noah and I was at school together with Mr. -Puddicombe. That was before his little misfortune, sir, -when he lost the school because of cock-fighting. Father -never approved of his being turned out, nor did I--nor -Noah neither. We got on famous <a id='corr170.5'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='wi'>wi’</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_170.5'><ins class='correction' title='wi'>wi’</ins></a></span> Puddicombe; didn’t -us, Noah?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I want to hear nothing about your school reminiscences,” -said the magistrate sharply. “Moreover, you will please -to confine your observations to the Bench, and not address -questions to your fellow under arrest.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you, sir. What is that?” This last to the -constable. “I beg your pardon, the constable tells me I -ought to say ‘your worship,’ and so I does. Noah and I -was in the same class; we left the school together, and the -very last thing we learned was, ‘Vital spark of heavenly -flame’; wasn’t it, Noah?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Noah assented.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not care what the course of instruction was in the -school,” protested Mr. Caunter. “To the point, if you -please, and remember, address yourself to the Bench. -There was some sort of affray between you and Flood. -The constables separated you. What led to this?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I believe there was some tittery bit of a thing. I -titched Noah, and Noah titched me, and my hat falled -off. You see, your worship, I’d pomatumed my hair this -morning, and so my hat didn’t sit easy. My head was -all slithery like, and a little titch, and away went my -hat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here is the hat, your worship,” said a constable, producing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>and placing on the table a battered and trampled -piece of headgear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that your hat, John Pooke?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I reckon it may ha’ been. But her’s got terrible -knocked about. It wor a mussy that I hadn’t on my new -hat I got at Exeter--that would ha’ been a pity. I bought -she for sister’s Sue’s wedding. Sister Sue be a-going to be -married after Easter, your worship.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t want to hear about sister Sue. So Noah Flood -knocked your hat off, and that occasioned”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I beg your pardon, sir, I never said that. I said my -head was that slithery wi’ pomatum the hat falled off, and -then folks trod on it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, this is trifling with the Bench, and with the -majesty of the law. The people may have trampled on -your hat, but not on your head, which is cut about and -battered almost as much as the hat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, sir, I don’t fancy nobody trod on my head.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How comes it about that you are so cut and bruised? -I see you have had your wounds plastered.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, your worship. The surgeon, he sewed up the -wust place.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And your dear good friend and chum, and school -companion, and comrade in learning ‘Vital spark of -heavenly flame,’ did that, I presume?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, sir, it was the surgeon did it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What, cut your head open?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, sir; sewed it up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then who cut your head open?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>“Nobody, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Someone must have done it. This evasion only makes -the case worse.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nobody did it at all. It was the Brazil nuts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Brazil nuts?” exclaimed the magistrate in astonishment. -“I do not understand you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, your worship, they’re terrible hard, and have got -three corners. Noah! hand over some of them nuts to his -honour. Just you try your teeth on ’em, Mr. Caunter. -You can’t do it. It was the Brazil nuts as cut my head. -Not that it matters much. My head be nicely sewed up -again, and right as ever it was.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Explain the circumstances to the Bench, and no -meandering, if you please.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, that’s easy done, your worship. Noah, he’d -bought thickey nuts at a stall. What did you give for ’em, -Noah?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tu’pence,” said Flood solemnly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hish! hish!” from the nearest constable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Twopence he paid, your worship, and then he wanted -to crack ’em and couldn’t do it. He couldn’t wi’ his teeth, -nor in his fist. If your worship will be pleased to try on -the desk, you’ll find how hard the nuts be.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go on, and to the point.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You see, Rose, she’s got a wonderful fancy for nuts”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who may Rose be?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Her’s the beautifullest maid in Coombe-in-Teignhead--red -cheeks as she ought to have, being called Rose; and as -for twinkling eyes”--</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>“Never mind a description; what is the other name?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Rose Ash. She is here, sir, looking on and blushing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We’ll call her presently. Proceed with your story.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Rose, she wanted Noah to crack the nuts, and he hadn’t -a hammer, nor a stone, so”--</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He broke them on your head?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, sir, he broke my head with the nuts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, that is the rights of the story, is it? You objected, -and a fight ensued?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He’d undertaken to crack the nuts for Rose, sir.” Then, -turning to Flood, “That’s about it, ain’t it, Noah? Shake -hands; we’re old friends.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I agrees with everything as my friend Jan Pooke said. -He puts it beautiful,” said Flood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Step aside, John Pooke,” said the magistrate; “we will -now hear what the other fellow has to say.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nothing, however, was to be extracted from Flood but -that he agreed with Jan, and Jan could speak better than -he. He referred himself to Jan. Jan knew all about it, -and he himself was so bewildered that he could not -remember much, but as Jan spoke, all came out clear. As -to the Brazil nuts, he had them in his hand, and it was -true he “had knocked Jan on the head wi’ ’em. If the -gentleman would overlook it this time, he hoped no offence; -but he’d buy no more Brazil nuts--never as long as he -lived.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Call Rose Ash!” said the justice. “Perhaps she can -throw some light on this matter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Rose was in court, and was soon in the witness-box, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>looking very pretty, and very conscious that the eyes of -every one in the place were on her. She kissed the New -Testament with a glance round of her twinkling eyes that -said as plain as words, “Would not every young fellow in -this room like to be in the place of the book?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was all the fault of Kitty Alone,” said Rose. “We -were in peace and comfort till she came meddling and -setting one against another; just like her--the minx!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And who, if you please, is Kitty Alone?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kitty Quarm. There never would have been any unpleasantness -unless she had poked her nose in. Me and -Jan Pooke drove to the fair, and then up comes Kitty and -will interfere and be disagreeable.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Constable, send for Catherine Quarm,” ordered the -magistrate. “I presume she is not far off. Go on, Miss -Ash, and tell us precisely the cause of the quarrel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is more than I can undertake to do. All I know -is that Kitty was at the bottom of it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you know that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Every one who knows Kitty knows that she is a mischief-maker. -Nasty, meddlesome toad!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Rose, this is spite, and nothing more,” exclaimed Jan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Silence!” ordered the magistrate. “The witness is not -to be interfered with.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Please, your worship, I won’t have her slandering an -innocent girl just because I gave her a workbox as a -fairing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The justice endeavoured, but in vain, to get a connected -story out of Rose. That Kitty was at the bottom of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>fight, guilty of setting the young men boxing and belabouring -each other: that was the burden of her evidence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A word with John Pooke,” said the justice, “whilst we -are waiting for the other witness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jan was put into the dock again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is it your intention to summons Flood for assault?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What--Noah?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, on account of your head being cut open.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My head is sewn up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you have suffered loss of blood.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The nuts did that, not Noah.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you forgive him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Whom?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Noah Flood.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is nothing to forgive. The nuts were terrible -hard. He’ll never buy any more.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kate Quarm was now brought into court, and placed in -the witness-box. She was bidden to give a succinct account -of the quarrel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was standing looking at the bear,” she said, “and -someone knocked my workbox from under my arm. I do -not know who did it, there was such a crowd, and all were -in motion because the bear had got free of his chain and -muzzle. Then I ran to pick up what was fallen, and when -next I looked about me, Jan Pooke and Noah Flood were -fighting.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What made them fight?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know, sir. Perhaps Jan thought Noah had -knocked my workbox from under my arm. But I cannot -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>tell. I had gone after my scattered things, and then I was -drawn away to be taken to my father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You did not hear Pooke say anything to Flood, or <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><em>vice -versâ</em></span>, about cracking nuts?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not then, sir; a little before, Rose had asked to have -the Brazil nuts cracked, and Noah had promised to crack -them when the opportunity came.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I told you so, your worship,” threw in Pooke.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well,” said the magistrate, “this girl Kate Quarm is the -only one among you who seems to have her wits about her, -and can tell a simple tale in an intelligent way. As for you, -John Pooke, and you, Noah Flood, I shall bind you over to -keep the peace, and dismiss you with a caution.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>END OF VOL. I.</p> - -<p class='c001'>MORRISON AND GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a1'>a1</span><span class='large'>A LIST OF NEW BOOKS</span></div> - <div>AND ANNOUNCEMENTS OF</div> - <div>METHUEN AND COMPANY</div> - <div>PUBLISHERS: LONDON</div> - <div>36 ESSEX STREET</div> - <div>W.C.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>CONTENTS</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='88%' /> -<col width='11%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c008'> </td> - <td class='c009'><span class='small'>PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>FORTHCOMING BOOKS,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a1'>2</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>POETRY,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a13'>13</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>GENERAL LITERATURE,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a15'>15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>THEOLOGY,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a17'>17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>LEADERS OF RELIGION,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a18'>18</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>WORKS BY S. BARING GOULD,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a19'>19</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>FICTION,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a21'>21</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>NOVEL SERIES,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a24'>24</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a25'>25</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>THE PEACOCK LIBRARY,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a26'>26</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERIES,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a26'>26</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>SOCIAL QUESTIONS OF TO-DAY,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a28'>28</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>CLASSICAL TRANSLATIONS,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a29'>29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>COMMERCIAL SERIES,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a29'>29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>WORKS BY A. M. M. STEDMAN, M.A.,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a30'>30</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>SCHOOL EXAMINATION SERIES,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a32'>32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'>PRIMARY CLASSICS,</td> - <td class='c009'><a href='#Page_a32'>32</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p class='c013'>OCTOBER 1894</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='c014'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a2'>a2</span>October 1894.</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c015'> - <div><span class='xlarge'><span class='sc'>Messrs. Methuen’s</span></span></div> - <div class='c000'><span class='large'>ANNOUNCEMENTS</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>Poetry</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><span class='floatright'>[<em>May</em> 1895.</span> -<b>Rudyard Kipling.</b> BALLADS. By <span class='sc'>Rudyard Kipling</span>. -<em>Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>The announcement of a new volume of poetry from Mr. Kipling will excite wide -interest. The exceptional success of ‘Barrack-Room Ballads,’ with which this -volume will be uniform, justifies the hope that the new book too will obtain a -wide popularity.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Henley.</b> ENGLISH LYRICS. Selected and Edited by <span class='sc'>W. E. Henley</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 30 copies on hand-made paper <em>Demy 8vo. £1, 1s.</em></div> - <div class='line'>Also 15 copies on Japanese paper. <em>Demy 8vo. £2, 2s.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>Few announcements will be more welcome to lovers of English verse than the one -that Mr. Henley is bringing together into one book the finest lyrics in our -language. Robust and original the book will certainly be, and it will be produced -with the same care that made ‘Lyra Heroica’ delightful to the hand and -eye.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>“Q”</b> THE GOLDEN POMP: A Procession of English Lyrics -from Surrey to Shirley, arranged by <span class='sc'>A. T. Quiller Couch</span>. <em>Crown -8vo. Buckram. 6s.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 40 copies on hand-made paper. <em>Demy 8vo. £1, 1s.</em></div> - <div class='line'>Also 15 copies on Japanese paper. <em>Demy 8vo. £2, 2s.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>Mr. Quiller Couch’s taste and sympathy mark him out as a born anthologist, and -out of the wealth of Elizabethan poetry he has made a book of great attraction.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Beeching.</b> LYRA SACRA: An Anthology of Sacred Verse. -Edited by <span class='sc'>H. C. Beeching</span>, M.A. <em>Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c020'>Also 25 copies on hand-made paper. <em>21s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This book will appeal to a wide public. Few languages are richer in serious verse -than the English, and the Editor has had some difficulty in confining his material -within his limits.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Yeats.</b> AN ANTHOLOGY OF IRISH VERSE. Edited by -<span class='sc'>W. B. Yeats</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a3'>a3</span><span class='xlarge'>Illustrated Books</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES retold by <span class='sc'>S. -Baring Gould</span>. With numerous illustrations and initial letters by -<span class='sc'>Arthur J. Gaskin</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 75 copies on hand-made paper. <em>Demy 8vo.</em> £1, 1<em>s.</em></div> - <div class='line'>Also 20 copies on Japanese paper. <em>Demy 8vo.</em> £2, 2<em>s.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>Few living writers have been more loving students of fairy and folk lore than Mr. -Baring Gould, who in this book returns to the field in which he won his spurs. -This volume consists of the old stories which have been dear to generations of -children, and they are fully illustrated by Mr. Gaskin, whose exquisite designs -for Andersen’s Tales won him last year an enviable reputation.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> A BOOK OF NURSERY SONGS AND -RHYMES. Edited by <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>, and illustrated by the -Students of the Birmingham Art School. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c020'>Also 50 copies on hand-made paper. <em>4to. 21s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A collection of old nursery songs and rhymes, including a number which are little -known. The book contains some charming illustrations by the Birmingham -students under the superintendence of Mr. Gaskin, and Mr. Baring Gould has -added numerous notes.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Beeching.</b> A BOOK OF CHRISTMAS VERSE. Edited -by <span class='sc'>H. C. Beeching</span>, M.A., and Illustrated by <span class='sc'>Walter Crane</span>. -<em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 75 copies on hand-made paper. <em>Demy 8vo.</em> £1, 1<em>s.</em></div> - <div class='line'>Also 20 copies on Japanese paper. <em>Demy 8vo.</em> £2, 2<em>s.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A collection of the best verse inspired by the birth of Christ from the Middle Ages -to the present day. Mr. Walter Crane has designed some beautiful illustrations. -A distinction of the book is the large number of poems it contains by modern -authors, a few of which are here printed for the first time.</span>.</p> -<p class='c017'><b>Jane Barlow.</b> THE BATTLE OF THE FROGS AND MICE, -translated by <span class='sc'>Jane Barlow</span>, Author of ‘Irish Idylls’ and pictured -by <span class='sc'>F. D. Bedford</span>. <em>Small 4to. 6s. net.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 50 copies on hand-made paper. <em>4to. 21s. net.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This is a new version of a famous old fable. Miss Barlow, whose brilliant volume -of ‘Irish Idylls’ has gained her a wide reputation, has told the story in spirited -flowing verse, and Mr. Bedford’s numerous illustrations and ornaments are as -spirited as the verse they picture. The book will be one of the most beautiful -and original books possible.</span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c022'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a4'>a4</span><span class="blackletter"><span class='large'>Devotional Books</span></span></div> - <div><em>With full-page Illustrations.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By <span class='sc'>Thomas À Kempis</span>. -With an Introduction by <span class='sc'>Archdeacon Farrar</span>. Illustrated by -<span class='sc'>C. M. Gere</span>. <em>Fcap. 8vo. 5s.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 50 copies on hand-made paper. 15<em>s.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. By <span class='sc'>John Keble</span>. With an Introduction -and Notes by <span class='sc'>W. Lock</span>, M.A., Sub-Warden of Keble College, -Author of ‘The Life of John Keble,’ Illustrated by <span class='sc'>R. Anning -Bell</span>. <em>Fcap. 8vo. 5s.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 50 copies on hand-made paper. 15<em>s.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>These two volumes will be charming editions of two famous books, finely illustrated -and printed in black and red. The scholarly introductions will give them -an added value, and they will be beautiful to the eye, and of convenient size.</span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>General Literature</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>Gibbon.</b> THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN -EMPIRE. By <span class='sc'>Edward Gibbon</span>. A New Edition, edited with -Notes and Appendices and Maps by <span class='sc'>J. B. Bury</span>, M.A., Fellow of -Trinity College, Dublin. <em>In seven volumes. Crown 8vo.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>The time seems to have arrived for a new edition of Gibbon’s great work--furnished -with such notes and appendices as may bring it up to the standard of recent historical -research. Edited by a scholar who has made this period his special study, -and issued in a convenient form and at a moderate price, this edition should fill -an obvious void.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Flinders Petrie.</b> A HISTORY OF EGYPT, <span class='sc'>from the -Earliest Times to the Hyksos</span>. By <span class='sc'>W. M. Flinders Petrie</span>, -D.C.L., Professor of Egyptology at University College. <em>Fully Illustrated. -Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This volume is the first of an illustrated History of Egypt in six volumes, intended -both for students and for general reading and reference, and will present a complete -record of what is now known, both of dated monuments and of events, from -the prehistoric age down to modern times. For the earlier periods every trace of -the various kings will be noticed, and all historical questions will be fully discussed. -The volumes will cover the following periods;--</span></p> -<p class='c023'><span class='small'>I. Prehistoric to Hyksos times. By Prof. Flinders Petrie. II. xviiith to xxth -Dynasties. III. xxist to xxxth Dynasties. IV. The Ptolemaic Rule. -V. The Roman Rule. VI. The Muhammedan Rule.</span></p> -<p class='c024'><span class='small'>The volumes will be issued separately. The first will be ready in the autumn, the -Muhammedan volume early next year, and others at intervals of half a year.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a5'>a5</span><b>Flinders Petrie.</b> EGYPTIAN DECORATIVE ART. By -<span class='sc'>W. M. Flinders Petrie</span>, D.C.L. With 120 Illustrations. <em>Crown -8vo. 3s. 6d.</em> -<span class='small'>A book which deals with a subject which has never yet been seriously treated.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Flinders Petrie.</b> EGYPTIAN TALES. Edited by <span class='sc'>W. M. -Flinders Petrie</span>. Illustrated by <span class='sc'>Tristram Ellis</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. -3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c024'><span class='small'>A selection of the ancient tales of Egypt, edited from original sources, and of great -importance as illustrating the life and society of ancient Egypt.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Southey.</b> ENGLISH SEAMEN (Howard, Clifford, Hawkins, -Drake, Cavendish). By <span class='sc'>Robert Southey</span>. Edited, with an -Introduction, by <span class='sc'>David Hannay</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This is a reprint of some excellent biographies of Elizabethan seamen, written by -Southey and never republished. They are practically unknown, and they deserve, -and will probably obtain, a wide popularity.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Waldstein.</b> JOHN RUSKIN: a Study. By <span class='sc'>Charles Waldstein</span>, -M.A., Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. With a Photogravure -Portrait after Professor <span class='sc'>Herkomer</span>. <em>Post 8vo. 5s.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 25 copies on Japanese paper. <em>Demy 8vo.</em> 21<em>s.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c024'><span class='small'>This is a frank and fair appreciation of Mr. Ruskin’s work and influence--literary -and social--by an able critic, who has enough admiration to make him sympathetic, -and enough discernment to make him impartial.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Henley and Whibley.</b> A BOOK OF ENGLISH PROSE. -Collected by <span class='sc'>W. E. Henley</span> and <span class='sc'>Charles Whibley</span>. <em>Cr. 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<div class='lg-container-l c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Also 40 copies on Dutch paper. 21<em>s.</em> <em>net.</em></div> - <div class='line'>Also 15 copies on Japanese paper. 42<em>s.</em> <em>net.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c024'><span class='small'>A companion book to Mr. Henley’s well-known ‘Lyra Heroica.’ It is believed that -no such collection of splendid prose has ever been brought within the compass of -one volume. Each piece, whether containing a character-sketch or incident, is -complete in itself. The book will be finely printed and bound.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Robbins.</b> THE EARLY LIFE OF WILLIAM EWART -GLADSTONE. By <span class='sc'>A. F. Robbins</span>. <em>With Portraits. Crown -8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c024'><span class='small'>A full account of the early part of Mr. Gladstone’s extraordinary career, based on -much research, and containing a good deal of new matter, especially with regard -to his school and college days.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> THE DESERTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL -FRANCE. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>, With numerous Illustrations by -<span class='sc'>F. D. Bedford</span>, <span class='sc'>S. Hutton</span>, etc. <em>2 vols. Demy 8vo. 32s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This book is the first serious attempt to describe the great barren tableland that -extends to the south of Limousin in the Department of Aveyron, Lot, etc., a -country of dolomite cliffs, and canons, and subterranean rivers. The region is -full of prehistoric and historic interest, relics of cave-dwellers, of mediæval -robbers, and of the English domination and the Hundred Years’ War. The -book is lavishly illustrated.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a6'>a6</span><b>Baring Gould.</b> A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SONG: -English Folk Songs with their traditional melodies. Collected and -arranged by <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span> and <span class='sc'>H. Fleetwood Sheppard</span>. -<em>Royal 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>In collecting West of England airs for ‘Songs of the West,’ the editors came across -a number of songs and airs of considerable merit, which were known throughout -England and could not justly be regarded as belonging to Devon and Cornwall. -Some fifty of these are now given to the world.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Oliphant.</b> THE FRENCH RIVIERA. By Mrs. <span class='sc'>Oliphant</span> -and <span class='sc'>F. R. Oliphant</span>. With Illustrations and Maps. <em>Crown 8vo. -6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A volume dealing with the French Riviera from Toulon to Mentone. Without falling -within the guide-book category, the book will supply some useful practical -information, while occupying itself chiefly with descriptive and historical matter. -A special feature will be the attention directed to those portions of the Riviera, -which, though full of interest and easily accessible from many well-frequented -spots, are generally left unvisited by English travellers, such as the Maures -Mountains and the St. Tropez district, the country lying between Cannes, Grasse -and the Var, and the magnificent valleys behind Nice. There will be several -original illustrations.</span></p> -<p class='c025'><b>George.</b> BRITISH BATTLES. By <span class='sc'>H. B. George</span>, M.A., -Fellow of New College, Oxford. <em>With numerous Plans. Crown -8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c026'><span class='small'>This book, by a well-known authority on military history, will be an important -contribution to the literature of the subject. All the great battles of English -history are fully described, connecting chapters carefully treat of the changes -wrought by new discoveries and developments, and the healthy spirit of patriotism -is nowhere absent from the pages.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Shedlock.</b> THE PIANOFORTE SONATA: Its Origin and -Development. By <span class='sc'>J. S. Shedlock</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 5s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This is a practical and not unduly technical account of the Sonata treated historically. -It contains several novel features, and an account of various works little -known to the English public.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Jenks.</b> ENGLISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT. By <span class='sc'>E. Jenks</span>, -M.A., Professor of Law at University College, Liverpool. <em>Crown -8vo. 2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A short account of Local Government, historical and explanatory, which will appear -very opportunely.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a7'>a7</span><b>Dixon.</b> A PRIMER OF TENNYSON. By <span class='sc'>W. M. Dixon</span>, -M. A., Professor of English Literature at Mason College. <em>Fcap. 8vo. -1s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This book consists of (1) a succinct but complete biography of Lord Tennyson; -(2) an account of the volumes published by him in chronological order, dealing with -the more important poems separately; (3) a concise criticism of Tennyson in his -various aspects as lyrist, dramatist, and representative poet of his day; (4) a -bibliography. Such a complete book on such a subject, and at such a moderate -price, should find a host of readers.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Oscar Browning.</b> THE AGE OF THE CONDOTTIERI: A -Short History of Italy from 1409 to 1530. By <span class='sc'>Oscar Browning</span>, -M.A., Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. <em>Crown 8vo. 5s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This book is a continuation of Mr. Browning’s ‘Guelphs and Ghibellines,’ and the -two works form a complete account of Italian history from 1250 to 1530.</span></p> -<p class='c025'><b>Layard.</b> RELIGION IN BOYHOOD. Notes on the Religious -Training of Boys. With a Preface by <span class='sc'>J. R. Illingworth</span>. -by <span class='sc'>E. B. Layard</span>, M.A. 18<em>mo.</em> 1<em>s.</em></p> -<p class='c025'><b>Hutton.</b> THE VACCINATION QUESTION. A Letter to -the Right Hon. <span class='sc'>H. H. Asquith</span>, M.P. by <span class='sc'>A. W. Hutton</span>, -M.A. <em>Crown 8vo. 1s.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c027'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Leaders of Religion</span></div> - <div><em>NEW VOLUMES</em></div> - <div><em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c025'>LANCELOT ANDREWES, Bishop of Winchester. By <span class='sc'>R. L. -Ottley</span>, Principal of Pusey House, Oxford, and Fellow of Magdalen. -<em>With Portrait.</em></p> -<p class='c025'>St. AUGUSTINE of Canterbury. By <span class='sc'>E. L. Cutts</span>, D.D. -<em>With a Portrait.</em></p> -<p class='c025'>THOMAS CHALMERS. By Mrs. <span class='sc'>Oliphant</span>. <em>With a -Portrait. Second Edition.</em></p> -<p class='c025'>JOHN KEBLE. By <span class='sc'>Walter Lock</span>, Sub-Warden of Keble -College. <em>With a Portrait. Seventh Edition.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c027'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a8'>a8</span><span class='xlarge'>English Classics</span></div> - <div>Edited by <span class='sc'>W. E. Henley</span>.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c026'><span class='small'>Messrs. Methuen propose to publish, under this title, a series of the masterpieces of -the English tongue.</span></p> -<p class='c026'><span class='small'>The ordinary ‘cheap edition’ appears to have served its purpose: the public has -found out the artist-printer, and is now ready for something better fashioned. -This, then, is the moment for the issue of such a series as, while well within the -reach of the average buyer, shall be at once an ornament to the shelf of him that -owns, and a delight to the eye of him that reads.</span></p> -<p class='c026'><span class='small'>The series, of which Mr. William Ernest Henley is the general editor, will confine -itself to no single period or department of literature. Poetry, fiction, drama, -biography, autobiography, letters, essays--in all these fields is the material of -many goodly volumes.</span></p> -<p class='c026'><span class='small'>The books, which are designed and printed by Messrs. Constable, will be issued in -two editions--</span></p> -<p class='c025'>(1) A small edition, on the finest Japanese vellum, limited in most -cases to 75 copies, demy 8vo, 21<em>s.</em> a volume nett;</p> -<p class='c026'>(2) The popular edition on laid paper, crown 8vo, buckram, 3<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em> a -volume.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c028'> - <div><span class='small'>The first six numbers are:--</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF TRISTRAM SHANDY. -By <span class='sc'>Lawrence Sterne</span>. With an Introduction by <span class='sc'>Charles -Whibley</span>, and a Portrait. 2 <em>vols.</em></p> -<p class='c029'>THE WORKS OF WILLIAM CONGREVE. With an Introduction -by <span class='sc'>G. S. Street</span>, and a Portrait. 2 <em>vols.</em></p> -<p class='c029'>THE LIVES OF DONNE, WOTTON, HOOKER, HERBERT, -and SANDERSON. By <span class='sc'>Izaak Walton</span>. With an Introduction -by <span class='sc'>Vernon Blackburn</span>, and a Portrait.</p> -<p class='c029'>THE ADVENTURES OF HADJI BABA OF ISPAHAN. -By <span class='sc'>James Morier</span>. With an Introduction by <span class='sc'>E. S. Browne</span>, M.A.</p> -<p class='c029'>THE POEMS OF ROBERT BURNS. With an Introduction -by <span class='sc'>W. E. Henley</span>, and a Portrait. 2 <em>vols.</em></p> -<p class='c029'>THE LIVES OF THE ENGLISH POETS. By <span class='sc'>Samuel -Johnson</span>, LL.D. With an Introduction by <span class='sc'>James Hepburn -Millar</span>, and a Portrait. 3 <em>vols.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c027'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Classical Translations</span></div> - <div><em>NEW VOLUMES</em></div> - <div><span class='small'><em>Crown 8vo. Finely printed and bound in blue buckram.</em></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>LUCIAN--Six Dialogues (Nigrinus, Icaro-Menippus, The Cock, -The Ship, The Parasite, The Lover of Falsehood). Translated by <span class='sc'>S. -T. Irwin</span>, M.A., Assistant Master at Clifton; late Scholar of Exeter -College, Oxford. 3<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em></p> -<p class='c029'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a9'>a9</span>SOPHOCLES--Electra and Ajax. Translated by <span class='sc'>E. D. A. -Morshead</span>, M.A., late Scholar of New College, Oxford; Assistant -Master at Winchester. 2<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em></p> -<p class='c029'>TACITUS--Agricola and Germania. Translated by <span class='sc'>R. B. -Townshend</span>, late Scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge. 2<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em></p> -<p class='c029'>CICERO--Select Orations (Pro Milone, Pro Murena, Philippic II., -In Catilinam). Translated by <span class='sc'>H. E. D. Blakiston</span>, M.A., Fellow -and Tutor of Trinity College, Oxford. 5<em>s.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c027'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>University Extension Series</span></div> - <div><em>NEW VOLUMES. Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c026'>THE EARTH. An Introduction to Physiography. By <span class='sc'>Evan -Small</span>, M.A. <i>Illustrated.</i></p> -<p class='c025'>INSECT LIFE. By <span class='sc'>F. W. Theobald</span>, M.A. <em>Illustrated.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c027'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Social Questions of To-day</span></div> - <div><em>NEW VOLUME. Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c029'>WOMEN’S WORK. By <span class='sc'>Lady Dilke</span>, <span class='sc'>Miss Bulley</span>, and -<span class='sc'>Miss Whitley</span>.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Cheaper Editions</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c029'><b>Baring Gould.</b> THE TRAGEDY OF THE CAESARS: The -Emperors of the Julian and Claudian Lines. With numerous Illustrations -from Busts, Gems, Cameos, etc. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>, -Author of ‘Mehalah,’ etc. <em>Third Edition.</em> <em>Royal 8vo.</em> 15<em>s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A most splendid and fascinating book on a subject of undying interest. The great -feature of the book is the use the author has made of the existing portraits of the -Caesars, and the admirable critical subtlety he has exhibited in dealing with this -line of research. It is brilliantly written, and the illustrations are supplied on a -scale of profuse magnificence.’--<em>Daily Chronicle.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Clark Russell.</b> THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. -By <span class='sc'>W. Clark Russell</span>, Author of ‘The Wreck -of the Grosvenor.’ With Illustrations by <span class='sc'>F. Brangwyn</span>. <em>Second -Edition. 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A most excellent and wholesome book, which we should like to see in the hands of -every boy in the country.’--<em>St. James’s Gazette.</em></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a10'>a10</span><span class='xlarge'>Fiction</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> KITTY ALONE. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>, -Author of ‘Mehalah,’ ‘Cheap Jack Zita,’ etc. <em>3 vols. Crown 8vo.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A romance of Devon life.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Norris.</b> MATTHEW AUSTIN. By <span class='sc'>W. E. Norris</span>, Author of -‘Mdle. de Mersai,’ etc. <em>3 vols. Crown 8vo.</em> -in 4 -<span class='small'>A story of English social life by the well-known author of ‘The Rogue.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Parker.</b> THE TRAIL OF THE SWORD. By <span class='sc'>Gilbert -Parker</span>, Author of ‘Pierre and his People,’ etc. <em>2 vols. Crown 8vo.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A historical romance dealing with a stirring period in the history of Canada.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Anthony Hope.</b> THE GOD IN THE CAR. By <span class='sc'>Anthony -Hope</span>, Author of ‘A Change of Air,’ etc. <span class='sc'>2 vols. Crown 8vo.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A story of modern society by the clever author of ‘The Prisoner of Zenda.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Mrs. Watson.</b> THIS MAN’S DOMINION. By the Author -of ‘A High Little World.’ <em>2 vols. Crown 8vo.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A story of the conflict between love and religious scruple.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Conan Doyle.</b> ROUND THE RED LAMP. By <span class='sc'>A. Conan -Doyle</span>, Author of ‘The White Company,’ ‘The Adventures of Sherlock -Holmes,’ etc. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This volume, by the well-known author of ‘The Refugees,’ contains the experiences -of a general practitioner, round whose ‘Red Lamp’ cluster many dramas--some -sordid, some terrible. The author makes an attempt to draw a few phases of life -from the point of view of the man who lives and works behind the lamp.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Barr.</b> IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS. By <span class='sc'>Robert Barr</span>, -Author of ‘From Whose Bourne,’ etc. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A story of journalism and Fenians, told with much vigour and humour.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Benson.</b> SUBJECT TO VANITY. By <span class='sc'>Margaret Benson</span>. -With numerous Illustrations. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A volume of humorous and sympathetic sketches of animal life and home pets.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>X. L.</b> AUT DIABOLUS AUT NIHIL, and Other Stories. -By X. L. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A collection of stories of much weird power. The title story appeared some years -ago in ‘Blackwood’s Magazine,’ and excited considerable attention. The -‘Spectator’ spoke of it as ‘distinctly original, and in the highest degree imaginative. -The conception, if self-generated, is almost as lofty as Milton’s.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Morrison.</b> LIZERUNT, and other East End Idylls. By -<span class='sc'>Arthur Morrison</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A volume of sketches of East End life, some of which have appeared in the ‘National -Observer,’ and have been much praised for their truth and strength and pathos.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>O’Grady.</b> THE COMING OF CURCULAIN. By <span class='sc'>Standish -O’Grady</span>, Author of ‘Finn and his Companions,’ etc. Illustrated -by <span class='sc'>Murray Smith</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>The story of the boyhood of one of the legendary heroes of Ireland.</span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a11'>a11</span><span class='xlarge'>New Editions</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>E. F. Benson.</b> THE RUBICON. By <span class='sc'>E. F. Benson</span>, Author -of ‘Dodo.’ <em>Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>Mr. Benson’s second novel has been, in its two volume form, almost as great a -success as his first. The ‘Birmingham Post’ says it is ‘<em>well written, stimulating, -unconventional, and, in a word, characteristic</em>’: the ‘National Observer’ -congratulates Mr. Benson upon ‘<em>an exceptional achievement</em>,’ and calls the -book ‘<em>a notable advance on his previous work</em>.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Stanley Weyman.</b> UNDER THE RED ROBE. By <span class='sc'>Stanley -Weyman</span>, Author of ‘A Gentleman of France.’ With Twelve Illustrations -by R. Caton Woodville. <em>Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A cheaper edition of a book which won instant popularity. No unfavourable review -occurred, and most critics spoke in terms of enthusiastic admiration. The ‘Westminster -Gazette’ called it ‘<em>a book of which we have read every word for the sheer -pleasure of reading, and which we put down with a pang that we cannot forget -it all and start again</em>.’ The ‘Daily Chronicle’ said that ‘<em>every one who reads -books at all must read this thrilling romance, from the first page of which to the -last the breathless reader is haled along</em>.’ It also called the book ‘<em>an inspiration -of manliness and courage</em>.’ The ‘Globe’ called it ‘<em>a delightful tale of chivalry -and adventure, vivid and dramatic, with a wholesome modesty and reverence -for the highest</em>.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> THE QUEEN OF LOVE. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring -Gould</span>, Author of ‘Cheap Jack Zita,’ etc. <em>Second Edition. -Crown 8vo, 6s.</em>.in 2</p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The scenery is admirable and the dramatic incidents most striking.’--<em>Glasgow -Herald.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Strong, interesting, and clever.’--<em>Westminster Gazette.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘You cannot put it down till you have finished it.’--<em>Punch.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Can be heartily recommended to all who care for cleanly, energetic, and interesting -fiction.’--<em>Sussex Daily News.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Mrs. Oliphant.</b> THE PRODIGALS. By Mrs. <span class='sc'>Oliphant</span>. -<em>Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Richard Pryce.</b> WINIFRED MOUNT. By <span class='sc'>Richard Pryce.</span> -<em>Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>The ‘Sussex Daily News’ called this book ‘<em>a delightful story</em>’, and said that the -writing was ‘<em>uniformly bright and graceful</em>.’ The ‘Daily Telegraph’ said that the -author was a ‘<em>deft and elegant story-teller</em>,’ and that the book was ‘<em>an extremely -clever story, utterly untainted by pessimism or vulgarity</em>.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Constance Smith.</b> A CUMBERER OF THE GROUND. -By <span class='sc'>Constance Smith</span>, Author of ‘The Repentance of Paul Wentworth,’ -etc. <em>New Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a12'>a12</span><span class='xlarge'>School Books</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>A VOCABULARY OF LATIN IDIOMS AND PHRASES. -By <span class='sc'>A. M. M. Stedman</span>, M.A. 18<em>mo.</em> 1<em>s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>STEPS TO GREEK. By <span class='sc'>A. M. M. Stedman</span>, M.A. 18mo. -1<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>A SHORTER GREEK PRIMER OF ACCIDENCE AND -SYNTAX. By <span class='sc'>A. M. M. Stedman</span>, M.A. <em>Crown 8vo. 1s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>SELECTIONS FROM THE ODYSSEY. With Introduction -and Notes. By <span class='sc'>E. D. Stone</span>, M.A., late Assistant Master at Eton. -<em>Fcap. 8vo. 2s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>THE ELEMENTS OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. -With numerous Illustrations. By <span class='sc'>R. G. Steel</span>, M. A., Head Master -of the Technical Schools, Northampton. <em>Crown 8vo. 4s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>THE ENGLISH CITIZEN: <span class='sc'>His Rights and Duties</span>. By -<span class='sc'>H. E. Malden</span>, M.A. <em>Crown 8vo. 1s. 6d.</em> -<span class='small'>A simple account of the privileges and duties of the English citizen.</span></p> -<p class='c017'>INDEX POETARUM LATINORUM. By <span class='sc'>E. F. Benecke</span>, -M.A. <em>Crown 8vo. 4s. 6d.</em> -<span class='small'>A concordance to Latin Lyric Poetry.</span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Commercial Series</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>A PRIMER OF BUSINESS. By <span class='sc'>S. Jackson</span>, M.A. <em>Crown -8vo. 1s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>COMMERCIAL ARITHMETIC. By <span class='sc'>F. G. Taylor</span>. <em>Crown -8vo. 1s. 6d.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a13'>a13</span><span class="blackletter"><span class='large'>New and Recent Books</span></span></div> - <div class='c000'><span class='xlarge'>Poetry</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>Rudyard Kipling.</b> BARRACK-ROOM BALLADS; And -Other Verses. By <span class='sc'>Rudyard Kipling</span>. <em>Seventh Edition. Crown -8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c023'>A Special Presentation Edition, bound in white buckram, with -extra gilt ornament. 7<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Mr. Kipling’s verse is strong, vivid, full of character.... Unmistakable genius -rings in every line.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The disreputable lingo of Cockayne is henceforth justified before the world; for a -man of genius has taken it in hand, and has shown, beyond all cavilling, that in -its way it also is a medium for literature. You are grateful, and you say to -yourself, half in envy and half in admiration: “Here is a <em>book</em>; here, or one is a -Dutchman, is one of the books of the year.”’--<em>National Observer.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘“Barrack-Room Ballads” contains some of the best work that Mr. Kipling has -ever done, which is saying a good deal. “Fuzzy-Wuzzy,” “Gunga Din,” and -“Tommy,” are, in our opinion, altogether superior to anything of the kind that -English literature has hitherto produced.’--<em>Athenæum.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘These ballads are as wonderful in their descriptive power as they are vigorous in -their dramatic force. There are few ballads in the English language more -stirring than “The Ballad of East and West,” worthy to stand by the Border -ballads of Scott.’--<em>Spectator.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The ballads teem with imagination, they palpitate with emotion. We read them -with laughter and tears; the metres throb in our pulses, the cunningly ordered -words tingle with life; and if this be not poetry, what is?’--<em>Pall Mall Gazette.</em></span></p> - -<p class='c017'><b>Henley.</b> LYRA HEROICA: An Anthology selected from the -best English Verse of the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries. By -<span class='sc'>William Ernest Henley</span>, Author of ‘A Book of Verse,’ ‘Views -and Reviews,’ etc. <em>Crown 8vo. Stamped gilt buckram, gilt top, -edges uncut. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Mr. Henley has brought to the task of selection an instinct alike for poetry and for -chivalry which seems to us quite wonderfully, and even unerringly, right.’--<em>Guardian.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Tomson.</b> A SUMMER NIGHT, AND OTHER POEMS. By -<span class='sc'>Graham R. Tomson</span>. With Frontispiece by <span class='sc'>A. Tomson</span>. <em>Fcap. -8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'>An edition on hand-made paper, limited to 50 copies. 10<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em> <em>net.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Mrs. Tomson holds perhaps the very highest rank among poetesses of English birth. -This selection will help her reputation.’--<em>Black and White.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a14'>a14</span><b>Ibsen.</b> BRAND. A Drama by <span class='sc'>Henrik Ibsen</span>. Translated by -<span class='sc'>William Wilson</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. Second Edition. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The greatest world-poem of the nineteenth century next to “Faust.” “Brand” -will have an astonishing interest for Englishmen. It is in the same set with -“Agamemnon,” with “Lear,” with the literature that we now instinctively regard -as high and holy.’--<em>Daily Chronicle.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>“Q.”</b> GREEN BAYS: Verses and Parodies. By “Q.,” Author -of ‘Dead Man’s Rock’ etc. <em>Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The verses display a rare and versatile gift of parody, great command of metre, and -a very pretty turn of humour.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>“A. G.”</b> VERSES TO ORDER. By “A. G.” <em>Cr. 8vo. 2s.6d. -net.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A small volume of verse by a writer whose initials are well known to Oxford men.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A capital specimen of light academic poetry. These verses are very bright and -engaging, easy and sufficiently witty.’--<em>St. James’s Gazette.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Hosken.</b> VERSES BY THE WAY. By <span class='sc'>J. D. Hosken</span>. -<em>Crown 8vo. 5s.</em></p> - -<p class='c030'>A small edition on hand-made paper. <em>Price 12s. 6d. net.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A Volume of Lyrics and Sonnets by J. D. Hosken, the Postman Poet. Q, the -Author of ‘The Splendid Spur,’ writes a critical and biographical introduction.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Gale.</b> CRICKET SONGS. By <span class='sc'>Norman Gale</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. -Linen. 2s. 6d.</em></p> - -<p class='c030'>Also a limited edition on hand-made paper. <em>Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d. -net.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘They are wrung out of the excitement of the moment, and palpitate with the spirit -of the game.’--<em>Star.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘As healthy as they are spirited, and ought to have a great success.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Simple, manly, and humorous. Every cricketer should buy the book.’--<em>Westminster -Gazette.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Cricket has never known such a singer.’--<em>Cricket.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Langbridge.</b> BALLADS OF THE BRAVE: Poems of Chivalry, -Enterprise, Courage, and Constancy, from the Earliest Times to the -Present Day. Edited, with Notes, by Rev. <span class='sc'>F. Langbridge</span>. -<em>Crown 8vo. Buckram 3s. 6d.</em> School Edition, <em>2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A very happy conception happily carried out. These “Ballads of the Brave” are -intended to suit the real tastes of boys, and will suit the taste of the great majority.’--<em>Spectator.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The book is full of splendid things.’--<em>World.</em></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a15'>a15</span><span class='xlarge'>General Literature</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>Collingwood.</b> JOHN RUSKIN: His Life and Work. By -<span class='sc'>W. G. Collingwood</span>, M.A., late Scholar of University College, -Oxford, Author of the ‘Art Teaching of John Ruskin,’ Editor of -Mr. Ruskin’s Poems. <em>2 vols. 8vo. 32s. Second Edition.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This important work is written by Mr. Collingwood, who has been for some years -Mr. Ruskin’s private secretary, and who has had unique advantages in obtaining -materials for this book from Mr. Ruskin himself and from his friends. It contains -a large amount of new matter, and of letters which have never been published, -and is, in fact, a full and authoritative biography of Mr. Ruskin. The book -contains numerous portraits of Mr. Ruskin, including a coloured one from a -water-colour portrait by himself, and also 13 sketches, never before published, by -Mr. Ruskin and Mr. Arthur Severn. A bibliography is added.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘No more magnificent volumes have been published for a long time....’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘This most lovingly written and most profoundly interesting book.’--<em>Daily News.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘It is long since we have had a biography with such varied delights of substance -and of form. Such a book is a pleasure for the day, and a joy for ever.’--<em>Daily -Chronicle.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Mr. Ruskin could not well have been more fortunate in his biographer.’--<em>Globe.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A noble monument of a noble subject. One of the most beautiful books about one -of the noblest lives of our century.’--<em>Glasgow Herald.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Gladstone.</b> THE SPEECHES AND PUBLIC ADDRESSES -OF THE RT. HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, M.P. With Notes -and Introductions. Edited by <span class='sc'>A. W. Hutton</span>, M.A. (Librarian of -the Gladstone Library), and <span class='sc'>H. J. Cohen</span>, M.A. With Portraits. -<em>8vo. Vols. IX. and X. 12s. 6d. each.</em></p> -<p class='c029'><b>Clark Russell.</b> THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. -By <span class='sc'>W. Clark Russell</span>, Author of ‘The Wreck -of the Grosvenor.’ With Illustrations by <span class='sc'>F. Brangwyn</span>. <em>Second -Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A really good book.’--<em>Saturday Review.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A most excellent and wholesome book, which we should like to see in the hands of -every boy in the country.’--<em>St. James’s Gazette.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Clark.</b> THE COLLEGES OF OXFORD: Their History and -their Traditions. By Members of the University. Edited by <span class='sc'>A. -Clark</span>, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Lincoln College. <em>8vo. 12s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Whether the reader approaches the book as a patriotic member of a college, as an -antiquary, or as a student of the organic growth of college foundation, it will amply -reward his attention.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A delightful book, learned and lively.’--<em>Academy.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A work which will certainly be appealed to for many years as the standard book on -the Colleges of Oxford.’--<em>Athenæum.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a16'>a16</span><b>Wells.</b> OXFORD AND OXFORD LIFE. By Members of -the University. Edited by <span class='sc'>J. Wells</span>, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of -Wadham College. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This work contains an account of life at Oxford--intellectual, social, and religious--a -careful estimate of necessary expenses, a review of recent changes, a statement -of the present position of the University, and chapters on Women’s Education, -aids to study, and University Extension.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘We congratulate Mr. Wells on the production of a readable and intelligent account -of Oxford as it is at the present time, written by persons who are, with hardly an -exception, possessed of a close acquaintance with the system and life of the -University.’--<em>Athenæum.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Perrens.</b> THE HISTORY OF FLORENCE FROM THE -TIME OF THE MEDICIS TO THE FALL OF THE -REPUBLIC. By <span class='sc'>F. T. Perrens</span>. Translated by <span class='sc'>Hannah -Lynch</span>. <em>In Three Volumes. Vol. I. 8vo. 12s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This is a translation from the French of the best history of Florence in existence. -This volume covers a period of profound interest--political and literary--and -is written with great vivacity.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘This is a standard book by an honest and intelligent historian, who has deserved -well of his countrymen, and of all who are interested in Italian history.’--<em>Manchester -Guardian.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Browning.</b> GUELPHS AND GHIBELLINES: A Short History -of Mediæval Italy, <span class='fss'>A.D.</span> 1250-1409. By <span class='sc'>Oscar Browning</span>, Fellow -and Tutor of King’s College, Cambridge. <em>Second Edition. Crown -8vo. 5s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A very able book.’--<em>Westminster Gazette.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A vivid picture of mediæval Italy.’--<em>Standard.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>O’Grady.</b> THE STORY OF IRELAND. By <span class='sc'>Standish -O’Grady</span>, Author of ‘Finn and his Companions.’ <em>Cr. 8vo. 2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Novel and very fascinating history. Wonderfully alluring.’--<em>Cork Examiner.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Most delightful, most stimulating. Its racy humour, its original imaginings, its -perfectly unique history, make it one of the freshest, breeziest volumes.’--<em>Methodist -Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A survey at once graphic, acute, and quaintly written.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Dixon.</b> ENGLISH POETRY FROM BLAKE TO BROWNING. -By <span class='sc'>W. M. Dixon</span>, M.A. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> - -<p class='c030'>A Popular Account of the Poetry of the Century.</p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Scholarly in conception, and full of sound and suggestive criticism.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The book is remarkable for freshness of thought expressed in graceful language.’--<em>Manchester -Examiner.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Bowden.</b> THE EXAMPLE OF BUDDHA: Being Quotations -from Buddhist Literature for each Day in the Year. Compiled -by <span class='sc'>E. M. Bowden</span>. With Preface by Sir <span class='sc'>Edwin Arnold</span>. <em>Third -Edition. 16mo. 2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a17'>a17</span><b>Flinders Petrie.</b> TELL EL AMARNA. By <span class='sc'>W. M. Flinders -Petrie</span>, D.C.L. With chapters by Professor <span class='sc'>A. H. Sayce</span>, D.D.; -<span class='sc'>F. Ll. Griffith</span>, F.S.A.; and <span class='sc'>F. C. J. Spurrell</span>, F.G.S. With -numerous coloured illustrations. <em>Royal 4to. 20s. net.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Massee.</b> A MONOGRAPH OF THE MYXOGASTRES. By -<span class='sc'>George Massee</span>. With 12 Coloured Plates. <em>Royal 8vo. 18s. net.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A work much in advance of any book in the language treating of this group of -organisms. It is indispensable to every student of the Myxogastres. The -coloured plates deserve high praise for their accuracy and execution.’--<em>Nature.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Bushill.</b> PROFIT SHARING AND THE LABOUR QUESTION. -By <span class='sc'>T. W. Bushill</span>, a Profit Sharing Employer. With an -Introduction by <span class='sc'>Sedley Taylor</span>, Author of ‘Profit Sharing between -Capital and Labour.’ <em>Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>John Beever.</b> PRACTICAL FLY-FISHING, Founded on -Nature, by <span class='sc'>John Beever</span>, late of the Thwaite House, Coniston. A -New Edition, with a Memoir of the Author by <span class='sc'>W. G. Collingwood</span>, -M.A. Also additional Notes and a chapter on Char-Fishing, by A. -and <span class='sc'>A. R. Severn</span>. With a specially designed title-page. <em>Crown -8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A little book on Fly-Fishing by an old friend of Mr. Ruskin. It has been out of -print for some time, and being still much in request, is now issued with a Memoir -of the Author by W. G. Collingwood.</span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Theology</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>Driver.</b> SERMONS ON SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH -THE OLD TESTAMENT. By <span class='sc'>S. R. Driver</span>, D.D., Canon of -Christ Church, Regius Professor of Hebrew in the University of -Oxford. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A welcome companion to the author’s famous ‘Introduction.’ No man can read these -discourses without feeling that Dr. Driver is fully alive to the deeper teaching of -the Old Testament.’--<em>Guardian.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Cheyne.</b> FOUNDERS OF OLD TESTAMENT CRITICISM: -Biographical, Descriptive, and Critical Studies. By <span class='sc'>T. K. Cheyne</span>, -D.D., Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at -Oxford. <em>Large crown 8vo. 7s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>This important book is a historical sketch of O.T. Criticism in the form of biographical -studies from the days of Eichhorn to those of Driver and Robertson Smith. -It is the only book of its kind in English.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The volume is one of great interest and value. It displays all the author’s well-known -ability and learning, and its opportune publication has laid all students of -theology, and specially of Bible criticism, under weighty obligation.’--<em>Scotsman.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A very learned and instructive work.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a18'>a18</span><b>Prior.</b> CAMBRIDGE SERMONS. Edited by <span class='sc'>C. H. Prior</span>, -M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Pembroke College. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A volume of sermons preached before the University of Cambridge by various -preachers, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop Westcott.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A representative collection. Bishop Westcott’s is a noble sermon.’--<em>Guardian.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Full of thoughtfulness and dignity.’--<em>Record.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Beeching.</b> BRADFIELD SERMONS. Sermons by <span class='sc'>H. C. -Beeching</span>, M.A., Rector of Yattendon, Berks. With a Preface by -<span class='sc'>Canon Scott Holland</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>Seven sermons preached before the boys of Bradfield College.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>James.</b> CURIOSITIES OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY PRIOR -TO THE REFORMATION. By <span class='sc'>Croake James</span>, Author of -‘Curiosities of Law and Lawyers.’ <em>Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘This volume contains a great deal of quaint and curious matter, affording some -“particulars of the interesting persons, episodes, and events from the Christian’s -point of view during the first fourteen centuries.” Wherever we dip into his pages -we find something worth dipping into.’--<em>John Bull.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Kaufmann.</b> CHARLES KINGSLEY. By <span class='sc'>M. Kaufmann</span>, -M.A. <em>Crown 8vo. Buckram. 5s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A biography of Kingsley, especially dealing with his achievements in social reform.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The author has certainly gone about his work with conscientiousness and industry.’--<em>Sheffield -Daily Telegraph.</em></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Leaders of Religion</span></div> - <div>Edited by H. C. BEECHING, M.A. <em>With Portraits, crown 8vo.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c031'><span class='floatright'><span class='xxlarge'>2/6 & 3/6</span></span> -A series of short biographies of the most prominent -leaders of religious life and thought of -all ages and countries.</p> - -<p class='c031'>The following are ready-- <b>2s. 6d.</b></p> -<p class='c017'>CARDINAL NEWMAN. By <span class='sc'>R. H. Hutton</span>. <em>Second Edition.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Few who read this book will fail to be struck by the wonderful insight it displays -into the nature of the Cardinal’s genius and the spirit of his life.’--<span class='sc'>Wilfrid -Ward</span>, in the <em>Tablet</em>.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Full of knowledge, excellent in method, and intelligent in criticism. We regard it -as wholly admirable.’--<em>Academy.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'>JOHN WESLEY. By <span class='sc'>J. H. Overton</span>, M.A.</p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘It is well done: the story is clearly told, proportion is duly observed, and there is -no lack either of discrimination or of sympathy.’--<em>Manchester Guardian.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a19'>a19</span>BISHOP WILBERFORCE. By <span class='sc'>G. W. Daniel</span>, M.A.</p> -<p class='c017'>CARDINAL MANNING. By <span class='sc'>A. W. Hutton</span>, M.A.</p> -<p class='c017'>CHARLES SIMEON. By <span class='sc'>H. C. G. Moule</span>, M.A.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div>3s. 6d.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>JOHN KEBLE. By <span class='sc'>Walter Lock</span>, M.A. <em>Seventh Edition.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>THOMAS CHALMERS. By Mrs. <span class='sc'>Oliphant</span>. <em>Second Edition.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c033'> - <div><span class='small'>Other volumes will be announced in due course.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Works by S. Baring Gould</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>OLD COUNTRY LIFE. With Sixty-seven Illustrations by -<span class='sc'>W. Parkinson</span>, <span class='sc'>F. D. Bedford</span>, and <span class='sc'>F. Masey</span>. <em>Large Crown -8vo, cloth super extra, top edge gilt, 10s. 6d. Fourth and Cheaper -Edition. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘“Old Country Life,” as healthy wholesome reading, full of breezy life and movement, -full of quaint stories vigorously told, will not be excelled by any book to be -published throughout the year. Sound, hearty, and English to the core.’--<em>World.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'>HISTORIC ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. <em>Third -Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A collection of exciting and entertaining chapters. The whole volume is delightful -reading.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'>FREAKS OF FANATICISM. <em>Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Mr. Baring Gould has a keen eye for colour and effect, and the subjects he has -chosen give ample scope to his descriptive and analytic faculties. A perfectly -fascinating book.’--<em>Scottish Leader.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'>SONGS OF THE WEST: Traditional Ballads and Songs of -the West of England, with their Traditional Melodies. Collected -by <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>, M.A., and <span class='sc'>H. Fleetwood Sheppard</span>, -M.A. Arranged for Voice and Piano. In 4 Parts (containing 25 -Songs each), <em>Parts I., II., III., 3s. each. Part IV., 5s. In one -Vol., French morocco, 15s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A rich and varied collection of humour, pathos, grace, and poetic fancy.’--<em>Saturday -Review.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'>YORKSHIRE ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. -<em>Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a20'>a20</span>STRANGE SURVIVALS AND SUPERSTITIONS. With -Illustrations. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. Second Edition. -6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A book on such subjects as Foundations, Gables, Holes, Gallows, Raising the Hat, Old -Ballads, etc. etc. It traces in a most interesting manner their origin and history.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘We have read Mr. Baring Gould’s book from beginning to end. It is full of quaint -and various information, and there is not a dull page in it.’--<em>Notes and Queries.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><em class='gesperrt'>THE TRAGEDY OF THE CAESARS</em>: The -Emperors of the Julian and Claudian Lines. With numerous Illustrations -from Busts, Gems, Cameos, etc. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>, -Author of ‘Mehalah,’ etc. <em>Third Edition. Royal 8vo. 15s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A most splendid and fascinating book on a subject of undying interest. The great -feature of the book is the use the author has made of the existing portraits of the -Caesars, and the admirable critical subtlety he has exhibited in dealing with this -line of research. It is brilliantly written, and the illustrations are supplied on a -scale of profuse magnificence.’--<em>Daily Chronicle.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The volumes will in no sense disappoint the general reader. Indeed, in their way, -there is nothing in any sense so good in English.... Mr. Baring Gould has -presented his narrative in such a way as not to make one dull page.’--<em>Athenæum.</em></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c033'> - <div><span class='large'><i>MR. BARING GOULD’S NOVELS</i></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c025'><span class='small'>‘To say that a book is by the author of “Mehalah” is to imply that it contains a -story cast on strong lines, containing dramatic possibilities, vivid and sympathetic -descriptions of Nature, and a wealth of ingenious imagery.’--<em>Speaker.</em></span></p> -<p class='c026'><span class='small'>‘That whatever Mr. Baring Gould writes is well worth reading, is a conclusion that -may be very generally accepted. His views of life are fresh and vigorous, his -language pointed and characteristic, the incidents of which he makes use are -striking and original, his characters are life-like, and though somewhat exceptional -people, are drawn and coloured with artistic force. Add to this that his -descriptions of scenes and scenery are painted with the loving eyes and skilled -hands of a master of his art, that he is always fresh and never dull, and under -such conditions it is no wonder that readers have gained confidence both in his -power of amusing and satisfying them, and that year by year his popularity -widens.’--<em>Court Circular.</em></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c034'> - <div><b>SIX SHILLINGS EACH</b></div> - </div> -</div> - - <ul class='ul_1 c000'> - <li>IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA: A Tale of the Cornish Coast. - </li> - <li>MRS. CURGENVEN OF CURGENVEN. - </li> - <li>CHEAP JACK ZITA. - </li> - <li>THE QUEEN OF LOVE. - </li> - </ul> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c035'> - <div><b>THREE SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE EACH</b></div> - </div> -</div> - - <ul class='ul_1'> - <li>ARMINELL: A Social Romance. - </li> - <li>URITH: A Story of Dartmoor. - </li> - <li>MARGERY OF QUETHER, and other Stories. - </li> - <li>JACQUETTA, and other Stories. - </li> - </ul> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c036'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_a21'>a21</span><span class='xlarge'>Fiction</span></div> - <div class='c000'>SIX SHILLING NOVELS</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c037'><b>Corelli.</b> BARABBAS: A DREAM OF THE WORLD’S TRAGEDY. By <span class='sc'>Marie Corelli</span>, Author of ‘A Romance of Two -Worlds,’ ‘Vendetta,’ etc. <em>Eleventh Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>Miss Corelli’s new romance has been received with much disapprobation by the -secular papers, and with warm welcome by the religious papers. By the former -she has been accused of blasphemy and bad taste; ‘a gory nightmare’; ‘a hideous -travesty’; ‘grotesque vulgarisation’; ‘unworthy of criticism’; ‘vulgar redundancy’; -‘sickening details’--these are some of the secular flowers of speech. -On the other hand, the ‘Guardian’ praises ‘the dignity of its conceptions, the -reserve round the Central Figure, the fine imagery of the scene and circumstance, -so much that is elevating and devout’; the ‘Illustrated Church News’ styles the -book ‘reverent and artistic, broad based on the rock of our common nature, and -appealing to what is best in it’; the ‘Christian World’ says it is written ‘by one -who has more than conventional reverence, who has tried to tell the story that it -may be read again with open and attentive eyes’; the ‘Church of England -Pulpit’ welcomes ‘a book which teems with faith without any appearance of -irreverence.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Benson.</b> DODO: A DETAIL OF THE DAY. By <span class='sc'>E. F. -Benson</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. Fourteenth Edition. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A story of society by a new writer, full of interest and power, which has attracted -by its brilliance universal attention. The best critics were cordial in their -praise. The ‘Guardian’ spoke of ‘Dodo’ as <em>unusually clever and interesting</em>; -the ‘Spectator’ called it <em>a delightfully witty sketch of society</em>; the ‘Speaker’ -said the dialogue was <em>a perpetual feast of epigram and paradox</em>; the -‘Athenæum’ spoke of the author as <em>a writer of quite exceptional ability</em>; -the ‘Academy’ praised his <em>amazing cleverness</em>; the ‘World’ said the book was -<em>brilliantly written</em>; and half-a-dozen papers declared there <em>was not a dull page -in the book</em>.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA: A Tale of -the Cornish Coast. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>. <em>New Edition. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> MRS. CURGENVEN OF CURGENVEN. -By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>. <em>Third Edition. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A story of Devon life. The ‘Graphic’ speaks of it as <em>a novel of vigorous humour and -sustained power</em>; the ‘Sussex Daily News’ says that <em>the swing of the narrative -is splendid</em>; and the ‘Speaker’ mentions <em>its bright imaginative power</em>.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> CHEAP JACK ZITA. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>. -<em>Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A Romance of the Ely Fen District in 1815, which the ‘Westminster Gazette’ calls -‘a powerful drama of human passion’; and the ‘National Observer’ ‘a story -worthy the author.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> THE QUEEN OF LOVE. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring -Gould</span>. <em>Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>The ‘Glasgow Herald’ says that ‘the scenery is admirable, and the dramatic incidents -are most striking.’ The ‘Westminster Gazette’ calls the book ‘strong, -interesting, and clever.’ ‘Punch’ says that ‘you cannot put it down until you -have finished it.’ ‘The Sussex Daily News’ says that it ‘can be heartily recommended -to all who care for cleanly, energetic, and interesting fiction.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a22'>a22</span><b>Norris.</b> HIS GRACE. By <span class='sc'>W. E. Norris</span>, Author of -‘Mademoiselle de Mersac.’ <em>Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The characters are delineated by the author with his characteristic skill and -vivacity, and the story is told with that ease of manners and Thackerayean insight -which give strength of flavour to Mr. Norris’s novels. No one can depict -the Englishwoman of the better classes with more subtlety.’--<em>Glasgow Herald.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Mr. Norris has drawn a really fine character in the Duke of Hurstbourne, at once -unconventional and very true to the conventionalities of life, weak and strong in -a breath, capable of inane follies and heroic decisions, yet not so definitely portrayed -as to relieve a reader of the necessity of study on his own behalf.’--<em>Athenæum.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Parker.</b> MRS. FALCHION. By <span class='sc'>Gilbert Parker</span>, Author of -‘Pierre and His People.’ <em>New Edition. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>Mr. Parker’s second book has received a warm welcome. The ‘Athenæum’ called -it <em>a splendid study of character</em>; the ‘Pall Mall Gazette’ spoke of the writing as -<em>but little behind anything that has been done by any writer of our time</em>; the -‘St. James’s’ called it <em>a very striking and admirable novel</em>; and the ‘Westminster -Gazette’ applied to it the epithet of <em>distinguished</em>.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Parker.</b> PIERRE AND HIS PEOPLE. By <span class='sc'>Gilbert -Parker</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Stories happily conceived and finely executed. There is strength and genius in Mr. -Parker’s style.’--<em>Daily Telegraph.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Parker.</b> THE TRANSLATION OF A SAVAGE. By <span class='sc'>Gilbert -Parker</span>, Author of ‘Pierre and His People,’ ‘Mrs. Falchion,’ etc. -<em>Crown 8vo. 5s.</em></p> -<p class='c029'><span class='small'>‘The plot is original and one difficult to work out; but Mr. Parker has done it with -great skill and delicacy. The reader who is not interested in this original, fresh, -and well-told tale must be a dull person indeed.’--<em>Daily Chronicle.</em></span></p> -<p class='c029'><span class='small'>‘A strong and successful piece of workmanship. The portrait of Lali, strong, dignified, -and pure, is exceptionally well drawn.’--<em>Manchester Guardian.</em></span></p> -<p class='c029'><span class='small'>‘A very pretty and interesting story, and Mr. Parker tells it with much skill. The -story is one to be read.’--<em>St. James’s Gazette.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Anthony Hope.</b> A CHANGE OF AIR: A Novel. By -<span class='sc'>Anthony Hope</span>, Author of ‘The Prisoner of Zenda,’ etc. -<em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A bright story by Mr. Hope, who has, the <em>Athenæum</em> says, ‘a decided outlook and -individuality of his own.’</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A graceful, vivacious comedy, true to human nature. The characters are traced -with a masterly hand.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Pryce.</b> TIME AND THE WOMAN. By <span class='sc'>Richard Pryce</span>, -Author of ‘Miss Maxwell’s Affections,’ ‘The Quiet Mrs. Fleming,’ -etc. New and Cheaper Edition. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Mr. Pryce’s work recalls the style of Octave Feuillet, by its clearness, conciseness, -its literary reserve.’--<em>Athenæum.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a23'>a23</span><b>Marriott Watson.</b> DIOGENES OF LONDON and other -Sketches. By <span class='sc'>H. B. Marriott Watson</span>, Author of ‘The Web -of the Spider.’ <em>Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘By all those who delight in the uses of words, who rate the exercise of prose above -the exercise of verse, who rejoice in all proofs of its delicacy and its strength, who -believe that English prose is chief among the moulds of thought, by these -Mr. Marriott Watson’s book will be welcomed.’--<em>National Observer.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Gilchrist.</b> THE STONE DRAGON. By <span class='sc'>Murray Gilchrist</span>. -<em>Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The author’s faults are atoned for by certain positive and admirable merits. The -romances have not their counterpart in modern literature, and to read them is a -unique experience.’--<em>National Observer.</em></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div><b>THREE-AND-SIXPENNY NOVELS</b></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> ARMINELL: A Social Romance. By <span class='sc'>S. -Baring Gould</span>. <em>New Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c029'><b>Baring Gould.</b> URITH: A Story of Dartmoor. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring -Gould</span>. <em>Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The author is at his best.’--<em>Times.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘He has nearly reached the high water-mark of “Mehalah.”’--<em>National Observer.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> MARGERY OF QUETHER, and other Stories. -By <span class='sc'>S. Baring Gould</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> JACQUETTA, and other Stories. By <span class='sc'>S. Baring -Gould</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Gray.</b> ELSA. A Novel. By <span class='sc'>E. M’Queen Gray</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. -3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c029'><span class='small'>‘A charming novel. The characters are not only powerful sketches, but minutely -and carefully finished portraits.’--<em>Guardian.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Pearce.</b> JACO TRELOAR. By <span class='sc'>J. H. Pearce</span>, Author of -‘Esther Pentreath.’ <em>New Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A tragic story of Cornish life by a writer of remarkable power, whose first novel has -been highly praised by Mr. Gladstone.</span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>The ‘Spectator’ speaks of Mr. Pearce as <em>a writer of exceptional power</em>; the ‘Daily -Telegraph’ calls the book <em>powerful and picturesque</em>; the ‘Birmingham Post’ -asserts that it is <em>a novel of high quality</em>.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Edna Lyall.</b> DERRICK VAUGHAN, NOVELIST. By -<span class='sc'>Edna Lyall</span>, Author of ‘Donovan,’ etc. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Clark Russell.</b> MY DANISH SWEETHEART. By <span class='sc'>W. -Clark Russell</span>, Author of ‘The Wreck of the Grosvenor,’ etc. -<em>Illustrated. Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a24'>a24</span><b>Author of ‘Vera.’</b> THE DANCE OF THE HOURS. By -the Author of ‘Vera.’ <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Esmè Stuart.</b> A WOMAN OF FORTY. By <span class='sc'>Esmè Stuart</span>, -Author of ‘Muriel’s Marriage,’ ‘Virginié’s Husband,’ etc. <em>New -Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘The story is well written, and some of the scenes show great dramatic power.’--<em>Daily -Chronicle.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Fenn.</b> THE STAR GAZERS. By <span class='sc'>G. Manville Fenn</span>, -Author of ‘Eli’s Children,’ etc. <em>New Edition. Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A stirring romance.’--<em>Western Morning News.</em></span></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Told with all the dramatic power for which Mr. Fenn is conspicuous.’--<em>Bradford -Observer.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Dickinson.</b> A VICAR’S WIFE. By <span class='sc'>Evelyn Dickinson</span>. -<em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Prowse.</b> THE POISON OF ASPS. By <span class='sc'>R. Orton Prowse</span>. -<em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Grey.</b> THE STORY OF CHRIS. By <span class='sc'>Rowland Grey</span>. -<em>Crown 8vo. 5s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Lynn Linton.</b> THE TRUE HISTORY OF JOSHUA DAVIDSON, -Christian and Communist. By <span class='sc'>E. Lynn Linton</span>. Eleventh -Edition. <em>Post 8vo. 1s.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div><b>HALF-CROWN NOVELS</b></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c030'><span class='floatright'><span class='xxlarge'>2/6</span></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div><i>A Series of Novels by popular Authors, tastefully bound in cloth.</i></div> - </div> -</div> - - <ul class='ul_1'> - <li>1. THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN. By <span class='sc'>F. Mabel Robinson</span>. - </li> - <li>2. DISENCHANTMENT. By <span class='sc'>F. Mabel Robinson</span>. - </li> - <li>3. MR. BUTLER’S WARD. By <span class='sc'>F. Mabel Robinson</span>. - </li> - <li>4. HOVENDEN, V.C. By <span class='sc'>F. Mabel Robinson</span>. - </li> - <li>5. ELI’S CHILDREN. By <span class='sc'>G. Manville Fenn</span>. - </li> - <li>6. A DOUBLE KNOT. By <span class='sc'>G. Manville Fenn</span>. - </li> - <li>7. DISARMED. By <span class='sc'>Betham Edwards</span>. - </li> - <li>8. A LOST ILLUSION. By <span class='sc'>Leslie Keith</span>. - </li> - <li>9. A MARRIAGE AT SEA. By <span class='sc'>W. Clark Russell</span>. - </li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_a25'>a25</span>10. IN TENT AND BUNGALOW. By the Author of ‘Indian Idylls.’ - </li> - <li>11. MY STEWARDSHIP. By <span class='sc'>E. M’Queen Gray</span>. - </li> - <li>12. A REVEREND GENTLEMAN. By <span class='sc'>J. M. Cobban</span>. - </li> - <li>13. A DEPLORABLE AFFAIR. By <span class='sc'>W. E. Norris</span>. - </li> - <li>14. JACK’S FATHER. By <span class='sc'>W. E. Norris</span>. - </li> - </ul> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div><span class='small'>Other volumes will be announced in due course.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Books for Boys and Girls</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><b>Baring Gould.</b> THE ICELANDER’S SWORD. By <span class='sc'>S. -Baring Gould</span>, Author of ‘Mehalah,’ etc. With Twenty-nine -Illustrations by <span class='sc'>J. Moyr Smith</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 6s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A stirring story of Iceland, written for boys by the author of ‘In the Roar of the Sea.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Cuthell.</b> TWO LITTLE CHILDREN AND CHING. By -<span class='sc'>Edith E. Cuthell</span>. Profusely Illustrated. <em>Crown 8vo. Cloth, -gilt edges. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>Another story, with a dog hero, by the author of the very popular ‘Only a Guard-Room -Dog.’</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Blake.</b> TODDLEBEN’S HERO. By <span class='sc'>M. M. Blake</span>, Author of -‘The Siege of Norwich Castle.’ With 36 Illustrations. <em>Crown -8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>A story of military life for children.</span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Cuthell.</b> ONLY A GUARD-ROOM DOG. By Mrs. <span class='sc'>Cuthell</span>. -With 16 Illustrations by <span class='sc'>W. Parkinson</span>. <em>Square Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'> -‘This is a charming story. Tangle was but a little mongrel Skye terrier, but he had a -big heart in his little body, and played a hero’s part more than once. The book -can be warmly recommended.’--<em>Standard.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Collingwood.</b> THE DOCTOR OF THE JULIET. By <span class='sc'>Harry -Collingwood</span>, Author of ‘The Pirate Island,’ etc. Illustrated by -<span class='sc'>Gordon Browne</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘“The Doctor of the Juliet,” well illustrated by Gordon Browne, is one of Harry -Collingwood’s best efforts.’--<em>Morning Post.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a26'>a26</span><b>Clark Russell.</b> MASTER ROCKAFELLAR’S VOYAGE. By -<span class='sc'>W. Clark Russell</span>, Author of ‘The Wreck of the Grosvenor,’ etc. -Illustrated by <span class='sc'>Gordon Browne</span>. <em>Second Edition, Crown 8vo. -3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Mr. Clark Russell’s story of “Master Rockafellar’s Voyage” will be among the -favourites of the Christmas books. There is a rattle and “go” all through it, and -its illustrations are charming in themselves, and very much above the average in -the way in which they are produced.’--<em>Guardian.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'><b>Manville Fenn.</b> SYD BELTON: Or, The Boy who would not -go to Sea. By <span class='sc'>G. Manville Fenn</span>, Author of ‘In the King’s -Name,’ etc. Illustrated by <span class='sc'>Gordon Browne</span>. <em>Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘Who among the young story-reading public will not rejoice at the sight of the old -combination, so often proved admirable--a story by Manville Fenn, illustrated -by Gordon Browne? The story, too, is one of the good old sort, full of life and -vigour, breeziness and fun.’--<em>Journal of Education.</em></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>The Peacock Library</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c038'><span class='floatright'><span class='xxlarge'>3/6</span></span> -<em>A Series of Books for Girls by well-known Authors, -handsomely bound in blue and silver, and well illustrated. -Crown 8vo.</em></p> - - <ul class='ul_2'> - <li>1. A PINCH OF EXPERIENCE. By <span class='sc'>L. B. Walford</span>. - </li> - <li>2. THE RED GRANGE. By Mrs. <span class='sc'>Molesworth</span>. - </li> - <li>3. THE SECRET OF MADAME DE MONLUC. By the Author of ‘Mdle Mori.’ - </li> - <li>4. DUMPS. By Mrs. <span class='sc'>Parr</span>, Author of ‘Adam and Eve.’ - </li> - <li>5. OUT OF THE FASHION. By <span class='sc'>L. T. Meade</span>. - </li> - <li>6. A GIRL OF THE PEOPLE. By <span class='sc'>L. T. Meade</span>. - </li> - <li>7. HEPSY GIPSY. By <span class='sc'>L. T. Meade</span>. <em>2s. 6d.</em> - </li> - <li>8. THE HONOURABLE MISS. By <span class='sc'>L. T. Meade</span>. - </li> - <li>9. MY LAND OF BEULAH. By Mrs. <span class='sc'>Leith Adams</span>. - </li> - </ul> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>University Extension Series</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c030'><span class='small'>A series of books on historical, literary, and scientific subjects, suitable -for extension students and home reading circles. Each volume is complete -<span class='pageno' id='Page_a27'>a27</span>in itself, and the subjects are treated by competent writers in a -broad and philosophic spirit.</span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div>Edited by J. E. SYMES, M.A.,</div> - <div>Principal of University College, Nottingham.</div> - <div class='c000'><em>Crown 8vo. Price (with some exceptions) 2s. 6d.</em></div> - <div class='c000'><em>The following volumes are ready</em>:--</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND. By <span class='sc'>H. de -B. Gibbins</span>, M.A., late Scholar of Wadham College, Oxon., Cobden -Prizeman. <em>Third Edition.</em> With Maps and Plans. <em>3s.</em></p> -<p class='c018'><span class='small'>‘A compact and clear story of our industrial development. A study of this concise -but luminous book cannot fail to give the reader a clear insight into the principal -phenomena of our industrial history. The editor and publishers are to be congratulated -on this first volume of their venture, and we shall look with expectant -interest for the succeeding volumes of the series.’--<em>University Extension Journal.</em></span></p> -<p class='c017'>A HISTORY OF ENGLISH POLITICAL ECONOMY. By -<span class='sc'>L. L. Price</span>, M.A., Fellow of Oriel College, Oxon.</p> -<p class='c017'>PROBLEMS OF POVERTY: An Inquiry into the Industrial -Conditions of the Poor. By <span class='sc'>J. A. Hobson</span>, M.A.</p> -<p class='c017'>VICTORIAN POETS. By <span class='sc'>A. Sharp</span>.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. By <span class='sc'>J. E. Symes</span>, M.A.</p> -<p class='c017'>PSYCHOLOGY. By <span class='sc'>F. S. Granger</span>, M.A., Lecturer in Philosophy -at University College, Nottingham.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE EVOLUTION OF PLANT LIFE: Lower Forms. By -<span class='sc'>G. Massee</span>, Kew Gardens. With Illustrations.</p> -<p class='c017'>AIR AND WATER. Professor <span class='sc'>V. B. Lewes</span>, M.A. Illustrated.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE AND HEALTH. By <span class='sc'>C. W. -Kimmins</span>, M.A. Camb. Illustrated.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE MECHANICS OF DAILY LIFE. By <span class='sc'>V. P. Sells</span>, M.A. -Illustrated.</p> -<p class='c017'>ENGLISH SOCIAL REFORMERS. <span class='sc'>H. de B. Gibbins</span>, M.A.</p> -<p class='c017'>ENGLISH TRADE AND FINANCE IN THE SEVENTEENTH -CENTURY. By <span class='sc'>W. A. S. Hewins</span>, B.A.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE CHEMISTRY OF FIRE. The Elementary Principles of -Chemistry. By <span class='sc'>M. M. Pattison Muir</span>, M.A. Illustrated.</p> -<p class='c017'>A TEXT-BOOK OF AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. By <span class='sc'>M. C. -Potter</span>, M.A., F.L.S. Illustrated. <em>3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a28'>a28</span>THE VAULT OF HEAVEN. A Popular Introduction to -Astronomy. By <span class='sc'>R. A. Gregory</span>. With numerous Illustrations.</p> -<p class='c017'>METEOROLOGY. The Elements of Weather and Climate. -By <span class='sc'>H. N. Dickson</span>, F.R.S.E., F.R. Met. Soc. Illustrated.</p> -<p class='c017'>A MANUAL OF ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. By <span class='sc'>George -J. Burch</span>, M.A. With numerous Illustrations. <em>3s</em>.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Social Questions of To-day</span></div> - <div class='c000'>Edited by <span class='sc'>H. de B. GIBBINS</span>, M.A.</div> - <div class='c000'><em>Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d</em>.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c030'><span class='floatright'><span class='xxlarge'>2/6</span></span> -A series of volumes upon those topics of social, economic, -and industrial interest that are at the present moment foremost -in the public mind. Each volume of the series is written by an -author who is an acknowledged authority upon the subject with which -he deals.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div><span class='small'><em>The following Volumes of the Series are ready:</em>--</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>TRADE UNIONISM--NEW AND OLD. By <span class='sc'>G. Howell</span>, -M.P., Author of ‘The Conflicts of Capital and Labour.’ <em>Second -Edition</em>.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT TO-DAY. By <span class='sc'>G. J. -Holyoake</span>, Author of ‘The History of Co-operation.’</p> -<p class='c017'>MUTUAL THRIFT. By Rev. <span class='sc'>J. Frome Wilkinson</span>, M.A., -Author of ‘The Friendly Society Movement.’</p> -<p class='c017'>PROBLEMS OF POVERTY: An Inquiry into the Industrial -Conditions of the Poor. By <span class='sc'>J. A. Hobson</span>, M.A.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE COMMERCE OF NATIONS. By <span class='sc'>C. F. Bastable</span>, -M.A., Professor of Economics at Trinity College, Dublin.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE ALIEN INVASION. By <span class='sc'>W. H. Wilkins</span>, B.A., Secretary -to the Society for Preventing the Immigration of Destitute Aliens.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE RURAL EXODUS. By <span class='sc'>P. Anderson Graham</span>.</p> -<p class='c017'>LAND NATIONALIZATION. By <span class='sc'>Harold Cox</span>, B.A.</p> -<p class='c017'>A SHORTER WORKING DAY. By <span class='sc'>H. de B. Gibbins</span> -and <span class='sc'>R. A. Hadfield</span>, of the Hecla Works, Sheffield.</p> -<p class='c017'>BACK TO THE LAND: An Inquiry into the Cure for Rural -Depopulation. By <span class='sc'>H. E. Moore</span>.</p> -<p class='c017'><span class='pageno' id='Page_a29'>a29</span>TRUSTS, POOLS AND CORNERS: As affecting Commerce -and Industry. By <span class='sc'>J. Stephen Jeans</span>, M.R.I., F.S.S.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE FACTORY SYSTEM. By <span class='sc'>R. Cooke Taylor</span>.</p> -<p class='c017'>THE STATE AND ITS CHILDREN. By <span class='sc'>Gertrude -Tuckwell</span>.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Classical Translations</span></div> - <div class='c000'>Edited by H. F. FOX, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Brasenose</div> - <div>College, Oxford.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c030'>Messrs. Methuen propose to issue a New Series of Translations from -the Greek and Latin Classics. They have enlisted the services of some -of the best Oxford and Cambridge Scholars, and it is their intention that -the Series shall be distinguished by literary excellence as well as by -scholarly accuracy.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div><em>Crown 8vo. Finely printed and bound in blue buckram.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>CICERO--De Oratore I. Translated by <span class='sc'>E. N. P. Moor</span>, M.A., -Assistant Master at Clifton. <em>3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>ÆSCHYLUS--Agamemnon, Chöephoroe, Eumenides. Translated -by <span class='sc'>Lewis Campbell</span>, LL.D., late Professor of Greek at St. -Andrews. <em>5s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>LUCIAN--Six Dialogues (Nigrinus, Icaro-Menippus, The Cock, -The Ship, The Parasite, The Lover of Falsehood). Translated by -<span class='sc'>S. T. Irwin</span>, M.A., Assistant Master at Clifton; late Scholar of -Exeter College, Oxford. <em>3s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>SOPHOCLES--Electra and Ajax. Translated by <span class='sc'>E. D. A. -Morshead</span>, M.A., late Scholar of New College, Oxford; Assistant -Master at Winchester. <em>2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>TACITUS--Agricola and Germania. Translated by <span class='sc'>R. B. -Townshend</span>, late Scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge. <em>2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>CICERO--Select Orations (Pro Milone, Pro Murena, Philippic <span class='fss'>II.</span>, -In Catilinam). Translated by <span class='sc'>H. E. D. Blakiston</span>, M.A., Fellow -and Tutor of Trinity College, Oxford. <em>5s.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Methuen’s Commercial Series</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>BRITISH COMMERCE AND COLONIES FROM ELIZABETH -TO VICTORIA. By <span class='sc'>H. de B. 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Taylor</span>, -M.A. <em>1s. 6d.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Works by A. M. M. Stedman, M.A.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>INITIA LATINA: Easy Lessons on Elementary Accidence. -<em>Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 1s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>FIRST LATIN LESSONS. <em>Fourth Edition Crown 8vo. 2s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>FIRST LATIN READER. With Notes adapted to the Shorter -Latin Primer and Vocabulary. <em>Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 1s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>EASY SELECTIONS FROM CAESAR. Part 1. The Helvetian -War. <em>18mo. 1s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>EASY SELECTIONS FROM LIVY. Part 1. The Kings of -Rome. <em>18mo. 1s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>EASY LATIN PASSAGES FOR UNSEEN TRANSLATION. -<em>Third Edition. 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For the use of -Schools. <em>Third Edition.</em> With Introduction, Notes, and Vocabulary. -<em>Fcap. 8vo. 2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>GREEK EXAMINATION PAPERS IN MISCELLANEOUS -GRAMMAR AND IDIOMS. <em>Third Edition.</em> <span class='sc'>Key</span> (issued as -above). <em>6s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>STEPS TO FRENCH. <em>18mo. 8d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>FIRST FRENCH LESSONS. <em>Crown 8vo. 1s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>EASY FRENCH PASSAGES FOR UNSEEN TRANSLATION. -<em>Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 1s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>EASY FRENCH EXERCISES ON ELEMENTARY SYNTAX. -With Vocabulary. <em>Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>FRENCH VOCABULARIES FOR REPETITION: Arranged -according to Subjects. <em>Third Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 1s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>FRENCH EXAMINATION PAPERS IN MISCELLANEOUS -GRAMMAR AND IDIOMS. <em>Seventh Edition. 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Stedman</span>, M.A. -<em>Fourth Edition.</em> <span class='sc'>Key</span> (issued as above). <em>6s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>APERS IN MISCELLANEOUS -GRAMMAR AND IDIOMS. By <span class='sc'>A. M. M. Stedman</span>, M.A. -<em>Third Edition.</em> <span class='sc'>Key</span> (issued as above). <em>6s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>PAPERS IN MISCELLANEOUS -GRAMMAR AND IDIOMS. By <span class='sc'>R. J. Morich</span>, Manchester. -<em>Third Edition.</em> <span class='sc'>Key</span> (issued as above). <em>6s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>HY EXAMINATION PAPERS. -By <span class='sc'>C. H. Spence</span>, M.A., Clifton College.</p> -<p class='c017'> PAPERS. By <span class='sc'>R. E. Steel</span>, M.A., -F.C.S., Chief Natural Science Master Bradford Grammar School. -<em>In three vols. Part I.</em>, Chemistry; <em>Part II.</em>, Physics.</p> -<p class='c017'>XAMINATION PAPERS. -By <span class='sc'>A. M. M. Stedman</span>, M.A. <em>Second Edition.</em> <span class='sc'>Key</span> (issued as -above). <em>7s.</em></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Primary Classics</span></div> - <div class='c000'>With Introductions, Notes, and Vocabularies. <em>18mo. 1s. and 1s. 6d.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c017'><span class='sc'>A. M. M. Stedman</span>, M.A. <em>1s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>EASY SELECTIONS FROM CAESAR--THE HELVETIAN -WAR. Edited by <span class='sc'>A. M. M. Stedman</span>, M.A. <em>1s.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>EASY SELECTIONS FROM LIVY--THE KINGS OF -ROME. Edited by <span class='sc'>A. M. M. Stedman</span>, M.A. <em>1s. 6d.</em></p> -<p class='c017'>EASY SELECTIONS FROM HERODOTUS--THE PERSIAN -WARS. Edited by <span class='sc'>A. G. Liddell</span>, M.A. <em>1s. 6d.</em></p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<p class='c030'><a id='endnote'></a></p> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c032'> - <div><span class='large'>Transcriber’s Note</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c030'>The few errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been -corrected, and are noted here. The minor errors in the section -of advertisments have been corrected with no further notice.</p> - -<p class='c030'>The references are to the page and line in the original. -The following issues should be noted, along with the resolutions.</p> - -<table class='table2' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='12%' /> -<col width='69%' /> -<col width='18%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c008'><a id='c_52.3'></a><a href='#corr52.3'>52.3</a></td> - <td class='c008'>Shall you be at sister Sue’s wedding?[’/”]</td> - <td class='c040'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'><a id='c_132.21'></a><a href='#corr132.21'>132.21</a></td> - <td class='c008'>“Not a bit! not a bit!” exclaimed Pepperill. “I[’]ve</td> - <td class='c040'>Restored.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'><a id='c_158.23'></a><a href='#corr158.23'>158.23</a></td> - <td class='c008'>been turned off for [imperence] to his master,</td> - <td class='c040'><em>sic</em>: impertinence?</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'><a id='c_161.8'></a><a href='#corr161.8'>161.8</a></td> - <td class='c008'>[“]That is just what spoils it.</td> - <td class='c040'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c008'><a id='c_170.5'></a><a href='#corr170.5'>170.5</a></td> - <td class='c008'>We got on famous wi[’] Puddicombe;</td> - <td class='c040'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> -</table> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Kitty Alone (vol 1 of 3), by S. 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