ever before,
from walking through that prickly furze, and now you must make 'em
worse with these vlankers!"

The vagary of Timothy Fairway was infectious. The turf-cutter seized
old Olly Dowden, and, somewhat more gently, poussetted with her
likewise. The young men were not slow to imitate the example of their
elders, and seized the maids; Grandfer Cantle and his stick jigged in
the form of a three-legged object among the rest; and in half a minute
all that could be seen on Rainbarrow was a whirling of dark shapes
amid a boiling confusion of sparks, which leapt around the dancers
as high as their waists. The chief noises were women's shrill
cries, men's laughter, Susan's stays and pattens, Olly Dowden's
"heu-heu-heu!" and the strumming of the wind upon the furze-bushes,
which formed a kind of tune to the demoniac measure they trod.
Christian alone stood aloof, uneasily rocking himself as he murmured,
"They ought not to do it--how the vlankers do fly! 'tis tempting the
Wicked one, 'tis."

"What was that?" said one of the lads, stopping.

"Ah--where?" said Christian, hastily closing up to the rest.

The dancers all lessened their speed.

"'Twas behind you, Christian, that I heard it--down there."

"Yes--'tis behind me!" Christian said. "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John, bless the bed that I lie on; four angels guard--"

"Hold your tongue. What is it?" said Fairway.

"Hoi-i-i-i!" cried a voice from the darkness.

"Halloo-o-o-o!" said Fairway.

"Is there any cart track up across here to Mis'ess Yeobright's,
of Blooms-End?" came to them in the same voice, as a long, slim
indistinct figure approached the barrow.

"Ought we not to run home as hard as we can, neighbours, as 'tis
getting late?" said Christian. "Not run away from one another, you
know; run close together, I mean."

"Scrape up a few stray locks of furze, and make a blaze, so that we
can see who the man is," said Fairway.

When the flame arose it revealed a young man in tight raiment, and red
from top to toe. "Is there a track across here to Mis'ess Yeobright's
house?" he repeated.

"Ay--keep along the path down there."

"I mean a way two horses and a van can travel over?"

"Well, yes; you can get up the vale below here with time. The track
is rough, but if you've got a light your horses may pick along wi'
care. Have ye brought your cart far up, neighbour reddleman?"

"I've left it in the bottom, about half a mile back. I stepped on in
front to