d black and keen like the eyes of a hawk. She raised the man
gently to his feet, and then turned round fiercely upon the ring of
women and children about her.

"Now," she said imperiously, "cease your bawling, and let mun go. The
poor soul a'nt done no harm to you, I'll warrant mun. Let mun go, and
shame upon 'ee."

The man rose to his feet still blubbering, and the squirrel moved back
from his face. Then she saw the blood on his cheek, and her eyes
glowed like fire as she said in a voice that trembled with rage:

"Who's been a drowing stones at my boy?"

"He stole our ale," shouted Tommy Fry boldly, and the rest of the
children took up the chorus--"He stole our ale!" And Tommy Fry ended
the cry with the word, "Thafe."

The strange woman turned upon him instantly. "_You_ drowed the stone,"
she said, quivering with rage. "_You_ dare to call mun thafe. You
don't spake again till I tell 'ee--mind that. I'll tache 'ee to call
my boy names." And Tommy Fry shrank back with staring eyes, appalled
at her fury, while she put her arm again tighter round that of the
ragged man and began to lead him away.

"No, no, no," broke in a village woman who came up breathless at this
moment: "You'm too fast by half. 'Tis the like of he that we want to
catch, taking our linen off the hedges. I lost some but two months
agone, and I'll be bound 'twas he that did it. What was it was taked
away, Mary?" she asked, turning to one of the little girls. "Two pair
of stockings and a chimase or one pair of stockings and two chimases?
No, no, no; run, my dear, and fetch father home quick. No, stop! Here
comes Mr. Brimacott."

And as she spoke there was a sound of hoofs and the Corporal appeared
leading a brown horse with a little wreath of laurel hung round his
ears and the white rubber spread over his back, on which were seated
Dick and Elsie, Dick riding in front brandishing his toffee, while
Elsie with her arm round his waist sat quietly behind him.

"What's all this?" said the Corporal, as the horse pricked up his ears
over the hubbub before him; and without waiting for a moment he lifted
the two children to the ground. Then all the women came clamouring
round him with their complaints; and the Corporal frowned, for he loved
a tramp as little as any of them.

"'Tain't true," said the strange woman firmly, "'tain't true. He's but
a poor harmless lad. Sarch mun, if you will, maister; ye won't find
nought."

The Corporal