The household on the Moss were early astir on the morning appointed
for the funeral of Angus Ray. Matthew Branthwaite's wife and daughter
were bustling about the kitchen of the old house soon after daybreak.

Mrs. Branthwaite was a fragile little body, long past her best, with
the crow's feet deeply indented about her eyes, which had the timid
look of those of a rabbit, and were peculiarly appropriate to a good
old creature who seemed to be constantly laboring against the idea
that everything she did was done wrongly. Her daughter Liza was a neat
little thing of eighteen, with the bluest of blue eyes, the plumpest
of plump cheeks, and the merriest of merry voices. They had walked
from their home in the gray dawn in order to assist at the
preliminaries to the breakfast which had to be eaten by a large
company of the dalesmen before certain of them set out on the long
journey across the fells.

The previous day had been the day of the "winding," a name that
pointed to the last offices of Abraham Strong, the Wythburn carpenter.
In the afternoon of the winding day the mistresses of the houses
within the "warning" had met to offer liberal doses of solace and to
take equally liberal doses of sweet broth, a soup sweetened with
raisins and sugar, which was reserved for such melancholy occasions.

According to ancient custom, the "maister men" of the dale were to
assemble at nine o'clock on the morning following the winding, and it
was to meet their needs that old Mrs. Branthwaite and her daughter had
walked over to assist Rotha. The long oak table had to be removed from
the wall before the window, and made to stand down the middle of the
floor. Robbie Anderson had arrived early at the Moss in order to
effect this removal. After his muscles had exercised themselves upon
the ponderous article of furniture, and had placed the benches called
skemmels down each side and chairs at each end, he went into the
stable to dress down the mare and sharpen her shoes preparatory to her
long journey.

The preliminaries in the kitchen occupied a couple of hours, and
during this time Mrs. Ray and Willy sat together in a room above. The
reason of Ralph's absence had been explained to his mother by Rotha,
who had received her information from Robbie Anderson. The old dame
had accepted the necessity with characteristic resignation. What Ralph
thought well to do she knew would be best. She did not foresee evil
consequences.

Willy had exhi