e tacit detection of his
abstraction of the paper at Greenhow, going through his dismissal from
working there, aggravated by the endeavour to remove Judith, embittered
by the convictions as a poacher, and, perhaps, brought to a height by
the influence over his eldest son. He hated the captain enough to be
willing to direct the attack upon Greenhow, especially as it was known
that the master was absent and engaged in summoning the yeomanry "to
ride down the poor chaps," as it was said, "who only wanted bread for
their children's mouths."

There were men both at Uphill and Downhill, and even at Poppleby, who
were quite willing to listen. The Poppleby folk, some of them, believed
that riot was the only way to get reform, more of the villagers thought
it was the only way of getting rid of the machines, the object of
mysterious dread for the future, and more still, chiefly ne'er-do-wells
and great idle lads, were ready for any mischief that might be going;
and full of curiosity and delight at what Jack Swing might be about to
do.

These youths, some of them at work and some not, dispersed the news
through the village and fields that there was to be a great rising of
the people's friends, and that Gobbleall's machine was to be
_somewhere_. All were to meet at the randygo--supposed to mean
rendezvous--at the cross-road, and as for those who did not, it would be
the worse for them, and worse than all for them that told clacking women
who might carry the tale up to Greenhow.

The summons was indeed not given till the men were well out of reach of
their clacking women, but at work in the fields, and then a party
began--not to march--they could not have done that to save their lives,
but to tramp out of Poppleby, shouting to any one whom they saw in the
fields to come with them and stand up for the people's rights. At
Downhill their numbers increased by all the noisy fellows, and some who
fancied great good was to be gained somehow, though some wiser wives
called out to them not to get into a row, nor let themselves be drawn
into what they would be sorry for. At the "Fox and Hounds" they tarried
and demanded a glass of beer all round, which Mr Oldfellow was really
afraid to refuse. He was a timid man, half on their side, half on that
of the gentry, and he saw there were enough of them to sack his cellars
if he demurred.

There, too, amid much laughter, they all disguised themselves, some
blackening their faces with soot