FORE:"What! impious man! Do you thirst so for innocent blood that you harass the last moments of the dying! Retire, or I curse theedepart, ere I invoke heaven's wrath on thine head!"
FORE:Reuben tottered to his feet. His face was black, and he was still half stunned by the explosion.'Tis that he may gain some more hundreds this way in,
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Manure was his great idea at that moment. He had carefully tilled and turned the soil, and he fed it with manure as one crams chickens. It was of poor quality marl, mostly lime on the high ground, with a larger proportion of clay beside the ditch. Reuben's plan was to fatten it well before he sowed his seed. Complaints of his night-soil came all the way from Grandturzel; Vennal, humorously inclined, sent him a bag of rotten fish; on the rare occasions his work allowed him to meet other farmers at the Cocks, his talk was all of lime, guano, and rape-cake, with digressions on the possibilities of seaweed. He was manure mad."Never mind that," replied the galleyman; "but as for your mother, she was a good, and a holy woman; but I say she was proud! You are proud, or you would not think so much of being a villein. And is it not likely that your boy will be as proud as either?"Reuben could not understand how his sons could care so little about that which was all things to him. He had brought them up to his ambitionsthey were not like Naomi, thrust into them in later, less-impressionable years. He had not been weak with them, and not been cruelyet only Pete was at all satisfactory. However, he was not the man to sit down and despair before his obstacles. He made the best of things as they wereground[Pg 138] work out of his lads, since he could not grind enthusiasm, and trusted to the future to stir up a greater hope. He somehow could not believe that his boys could go through all their lives not caring for Odiam.A quick knock aroused Mary from her seat at the fire. She approached the door on tiptoe, and hesitated a moment ere she unclosed it; but the rapid breathings of Byles relieved her alarm, and she opened it hastily. A pale, haggard look met her eyes as her husband rushed in. "Fasten the door, Mary," said he"haste, quench the fire. Here, put these wet clothes in the hiding place"stripping himself of his garments"and when you have done, hasten to bed. I am afraid they have overtaken poor Sam.""Nonsenseit's only funwe'll make a bet on it. If I fail, I'll give you my new white petticoat with the lace edging. And I'll allow myself ten minutes to do it in; that's quite fair, for it usually takes me longer."