nater intil him, nowther back nor end. He's
now't but riffraff," said Matthew. Ralph Ray's peril and escape were
incidents too unimportant to break the spell of the accident to the
body of his father.

Robbie Anderson turned in late in the evening.

"Here's a sorry home coming," he said as he entered.

It was easy to see that Robbie was profoundly agitated. His eyes were
aflame; he rose and sat, walked a pace or two and stood, passed his
fingers repeatedly through his short curly beard, slapped his knee,
and called again and again for ale. When he spoke of the accident on
the fell, he laughed with a wild effort at a forced and unnatural
gayety.

"It's all along of my being dintless, so it is," he muttered, after
little Reuben Thwaite had repeated for some fresh batch of inquirers
the story, so often told, of how the mare took to flight, and of how
Ralph leaped on to the young horse in pursuit of it.

"All along of you, Robbie; how's that, man?"

"If I'd chained the young horse at the bottom of the hill there would
have been no mare to run away, none."

"It's like that were thy orders, then, Robbie?"

"It were that, damn me, it were--the schoolmaster there, he knows it."

"Ralph told him to do it; I heard him myself," said Monsey, from his
place in the chimney-nook, where he sat bereft of his sportive spirit,
yet quite oblivious of the important part which his own loquacity had
unwittingly played in the direful tragedy.

"But never bother now. Bring me more ale, mistress: quick now, my
lass."

Robbie had risen once more, and was tramping across the floor in his
excitement. "What's come over Robbie?" whispered Reuben to Matthew.
"What fettle's he in--doldrums, I reckon."

"Tak na note on him. Robbie's going off agen I'm afeart. He's broken
loose. This awesome thing is like to turn the lad's heed, for he'd the
say ower it all."

"Come, lass, quick with the ale."

"Ye've had eneuf, Robbie," said the hostess. "Go thy ways home. Thou
findst the beer very heady, lad. Thou shalt have more in the morning."

"To-night, lass; I must have some to-night, that I must."

"Robbie _is_ going off agen, surely," whispered Reuben. "It's a sorry
sight when yon lad takes to the drink. He'll be deed drunk soon."

"Say nowt to him," answered Matthew. "He's fair daft to-neet."

The evening was far advanced when the dalesmen rose to go.

"Our work's cut out for us in the morning, men." said John Jackson.
"Let's off to ou