ettle on her. Spak his maind laike a man,
he did, and right happy he were wi' her. Ah, well a day! Ah, God knoweth
best. I never shall zee his laike again. And he were the best judge of a
dung-heap anywhere in this county.'

'Well, Master Snowe,' I answered him, 'it is very handsome of you to
say so. And now I am going to be like my father, I am going to speak my
mind.'

'Raight there, lad; raight enough, I reckon. Us has had enough of
pralimbinary.'

'Then what I want to say is this--I won't have any one courting my
mother.'

'Coortin' of thy mother, lad?' cried Farmer Snowe, with as much
amazement as if the thing were impossible; 'why, who ever hath been
dooin' of it?'

'Yes, courting of my mother, sir. And you know best who comes doing it.'

'Wull, wull! What will boys be up to next? Zhud a' thought herzelf wor
the proper judge. No thank 'ee, lad, no need of thy light. Know the wai
to my own door, at laste; and have a raight to goo there.' And he shut
me out without so much as offering me a drink of cider.

The next afternoon, when work was over, I had seen to the horses, for
now it was foolish to trust John Fry, because he had so many children,
and his wife had taken to scolding; and just as I was saying to myself
that in five days more my month would be done, and myself free to seek
Lorna, a man came riding up from the ford where the road goes through
the Lynn stream. As soon as I saw that it was not Tom Faggus, I went no
farther to meet him, counting that it must be some traveller bound
for Brendon or Cheriton, and likely enough he would come and beg for a
draught of milk or cider; and then on again, after asking the way.

But instead of that, he stopped at our gate, and stood up from his
saddle, and halloed as if he were somebody; and all the time he was
flourishing a white thing in the air, like the bands our parson weareth.
So I crossed the court-yard to speak with him.

'Service of the King!' he saith; 'service of our lord the King! Come
hither, thou great yokel, at risk of fine and imprisonment.'

Although not pleased with this, I went to him, as became a loyal man;
quite at my leisure, however, for there is no man born who can hurry me,
though I hasten for any woman.

'Plover Barrows farm!' said he; 'God only knows how tired I be. Is there
any where in this cursed county a cursed place called Plover Barrows
farm? For last twenty mile at least they told me 'twere only half a mile
farther, or onl