THREE:
THREE:
THREE:Reuben did not wait any longerhe dashed out of the room and upstairs to his wife's door.
THREE:Chapter 6
THREE:"The base-born kern," replied Byles, fiercely; "he shall answer"He was as jealous of this strip of earth as of a wifehe would allow nobody to work there but himself. Alone and unhelped he grubbed up the bracken, turned the soil, and scattered rape-dust and midden till they had to shut their windows at Burntbarns. He believed that if the ground was properly manured it would be ready for sowing in the autumn. The only difficulty now was[Pg 41] the trees; they were casting malevolent shadows, and dredging up the goodness out of the earth.
THREE:
THREE:"How am I to know that, Squire? You can't kip the young man in a prammylator. Now if he wur had up before the magistrate and sent to prison, it 'ud be a lesson as he'd never disremember."
THREE:The crowd ebbed back like a wave, carrying Reuben, now screaming and terrified, towards where something unknown burned with horrible crackles and roaring.
THREE:Wells paused a moment, and then added