of the poor, such as the old Pucklechurches, Widow
Mole and her father, the George Hewletts, and poor Judith Grey, besides
all the better children, who were easily won.

It made the more difficulty that though Captain Carbonel was a patient
man in _deed_, did not set his expectations too high, and bore, in fact,
with an amazing amount of disappointment and misunderstanding; yet he
was not patient in word, and was apt to speak very sharply when
indignant with cruelty, shuffling, or what was more unlucky, with
stupidity. The men used to declare that he swore at them, which was
perfectly untrue, for a profane word never crossed his lips, but when he
was very angry, he spoke in a tone that perhaps might excuse them for
thinking that his reproofs were flavoured, as had been the abuse to
which they were only too well accustomed.

The tormentors of poor Softy Sam always slunk out of reach at the most
distant report of the approach of the captain, the curate, or the
ladies, but the men never understood their objections to the sport that
had hitherto been freely afforded by the idiot, and had a general idea
that the gentlefolk disliked whatever afforded them amusement.

George Hewlett, indeed, knew better; but then he had never joined in
baiting Softy Sam, and, indeed, had more than once sheltered him from
his enemies, and given him a bit of food. But George in his own line
was dull and unapt to learn; or the whole adventure of the Greenhow
drawing-room paper would never have happened. He might have had it put
up wrongly, for that was wholly the defect of his perceptions, but Dan
would not have been able to secure his unlawful gains. In fact, Dan had
traded on his cousin's honest straightforward blindness and stupidity a
good many times already.

Captain Carbonel stormed at George when he failed to understand
directions, or cut a bit of wood to waste; but without loss of
confidence, and before long, Master Hewlett came to accept it as the
captain's way, and to trust him as a really kind and liberal employer.
And, unluckily, he did not always heed the rating so loudly given, or
rather he did not set his mind to comprehend what lay a little out of
his usual beat, and thus gave additional provocation, though still
Captain Carbonel bore with him, and would not have rejected him in
favour of the far smarter carpenter at Downhill, on any of these
provocations.

Dan, who was a much sharper fellow, could have helped a great de