on to be forced to talk."

Festing's annoyance vanished. "I mustn't make too much of it. I really
don't object to talking when I've finished my work."

"When do you finish your work, Stephen?"

"That's a fair shot! In summer, I stop when it's too dark to see. The
annoying thing wasn't so much the stopping as Bob's attitude. He lay
there with his pipe, looking as if nothing would persuade him to work,
and his smile hinted that he thought delaying me an excellent joke. I
believe I was polite, but certainly hope he won't come back."

Helen thought it was not the proper time to tell him about the
invitation she had given Sadie, and she said, "Idleness seems to jar
you."

"It does. I dislike the man who demands the best to eat and drink and
won't use his brain or muscle if he can help. In this country, the
thing's immoral; the fellow's obviously a cheat. We live by our labor,
raising grain and cattle--"

"But what about the people in the towns?"

"A number of them handle our products and supply us with tools. Of
course, there are speculators and real-estate boomsters who gamble with
our earnings, but their job is not as easy as it looks. They run big
risks and bear some strain. Still, if it was left to me, I'd make them
plow."

Helen laughed. "You're rather drastic, Stephen; but if one takes the
long view, I dare say you are right."

"Then let's take the narrowest view we can. When a farmer who hasn't
much money loafs about the poolroom and lies on his back, smoking, it's
plain that he's taking advantage of somebody else. Perhaps the thing's
shabbiest when he puts his responsibilities on his wife. That's what Bob
does."

"I'm afraid he does," Helen admitted, and mused, while Festing lighted
his pipe.

Stephen was not a prig and she recognized the justice of his arguments,
but he was rather hard and his views were too clear-cut. He saw that
a thing was good or bad, but could not see that faults and virtues
sometimes merged and there was good in one and bad in the other.

"Well," she said, "I like Mrs. Charnock, and she is certainly energetic
and practical. She went over the house and suggested some improvements.
For example, you are building a windmill pump for the cattle, and it
wouldn't cost very much to bring a pipe to the house. A tap is a great
convenience and would save Jules' time filling up the tank."

"It will need a long pipe and cost more than Sadie thinks, but I'll have
it done. However, I wish I