"Peat's terrible messy stuff and
bad to dry at back end o' year."

"It can be dried," said an old man. "I mind the time when iver a load o'
coals went past Allerby. Aw t' folk clubbed togedder to cut and haul t'
peat from Malton. Browt it doon on stane-boats by the oad green road.
Howiver, I reckon it cost them summat, counting their time"

Kit gave him a paper. "This is what our peat has cost us; I've charged
our labor and what the horses would have earned if we had been paid
for plowing."

They studied the figures, passing the paper around, and then one said,
"But peat costs you nowt. Malton moor is yours and I ken nea ither peat
worth cutting. Mayhappen yan could find some soft trash on the back moor,
but I doot if Osborn would let yan bring it doon."

"Osborn does what his agent says, and it's weel kent Hayes is a friend o'
Bell's," another agreed.

Peter smiled and gave Kit a warning glance. He suspected the agent had a
private understanding that was not to his employer's benefit with Bell;
but this was another matter. Peter had taught his son to concentrate on
the business in hand.

"Weel," he said, "you can have aw t' peat you want and we willunt fratch
if you pay me nowt. There's acres o' good stuff on Malton moor, and the
value o' peat t' labor it costs to cut. Aw t' same, it willunt pay to
send a man or two noo and then. You must work in a gang; ivery man at his
proper job."

"It was done like that in oad days," said one.

Peter looked at Kit, who did not speak, for both knew when enough was
said. Indeed, although he was hardly conscious of it yet, Kit had
something of a leader's talent. For a few minutes the others smoked and
thought. They were independent and suspicious about new plans, but it
was obvious that the best defense against a monopoly was a combine. In
fact, they began to see it was the only defense they had. Then one
turned to Peter.

"If you're for stopping Bell robbing us and starving poor folk at
Allerby, I'm with you."

One after another promised his support, a plan was agreed upon, and Peter
was satisfied when his neighbors went away. They were patient, cautious,
and hard to move; but he knew their obstinacy when they were roused. Now
they had started, they would go on, stubbornly taking a road that was new
to them. Bell, of course, would make a cunning fight, but Peter doubted
if he would win.

"I reckon your plan will work," he said to Kit, with a nod of
satisfaction.

Ki