"D?an't cry," he said slowly"I'm only looking in at the window.""Then, my lord, you will not comply with the mandate of my superior?""This is the handwriting of a retainer called Oakley."
ONE:"Because it wur meant so. If we'd bin meant fur masters d'you think we'd have bin made so liddle and dentical like?"Should you leave me too, O my faithless ladie?"
ONE:Of course Reuben himself would rather have wandered[Pg 423] roofless for the rest of his life than live as a hireling on the farm which had once been his own. But he hardly thought Realf would take such a standhe would consider his wife and children, and accept for their sakes. "If he's got the sperrit to refuse I'll think better of him than I've ever thought in my life, and offer him a thousand fur the pl?acebut I reckon I'm purty safe."This would have been bad enough in any year, but in times when he bore the burden of his yet profitless milk-round it was only a little short of catastrophe. Making every allowance for a first year, that milk-round had[Pg 265] disappointed him. He found private custom hard to win, and even the ceasing of French dairy supplies, owing to the Franco-Prussian war, did not bring him the relief he had hoped. One or two small farms on the borders of Rye catered in dairy stuff for its inhabitants, and he found them hard to outbid or outwit. Also, owing to the scarcity of grass feed, it was a bad milk year, and poor supplies were put down by consumers to the new milkman, and in more than one case custom was withdrawn.
"Hold, hold," said Wells, starting up, and covering his eyes with his hands; "as you hope for mercy, say no moreI cannot bear it."Oakley, on the other hand, although, perhaps, equally arrogant when invested with this novel and temporary power, was more plausible, and managed to keep up a better understanding among his followers than Tyler. This sort of conciliatory conduct was, in a great measure, forced upon him by the circumstance of Leicester being immediately next him in command, and by the wish he had that no ill feelings against himself might weaken his authority when any favourable opportunity offered of reaping a golden harvest."He's worked like the Old Un fur the last five year," said Dunn, the new man at Socknersh.
