ht, and they've only got to
split the difference and make themselves even."

The farrier was puffing his pipe rather fiercely, in some contempt at
this trivial discussion. He had no ear for music himself, and never
went to church, as being of the medical profession, and likely to be in
requisition for delicate cows. But the butcher, having music in his
soul, had listened with a divided desire for Tookey's defeat and for
the preservation of the peace.

"To be sure," he said, following up the landlord's conciliatory view,
"we're fond of our old clerk; it's nat'ral, and him used to be such a
singer, and got a brother as is known for the first fiddler in this
country-side. Eh, it's a pity but what Solomon lived in our village,
and could give us a tune when we liked; eh, Mr. Macey? I'd keep him in
liver and lights for nothing--that I would."

"Aye, aye," said Mr. Macey, in the height of complacency; "our family's
been known for musicianers as far back as anybody can tell. But them
things are dying out, as I tell Solomon every time he comes round;
there's no voices like what there used to be, and there's nobody
remembers what we remember, if it isn't the old crows."

"Aye, you remember when first Mr. Lammeter's father come into these
parts, don't you, Mr. Macey?" said the landlord.

"I should think I did," said the old man, who had now gone through that
complimentary process necessary to bring him up to the point of
narration; "and a fine old gentleman he was--as fine, and finer nor the
Mr. Lammeter as now is. He came from a bit north'ard, so far as I
could ever make out. But there's nobody rightly knows about those
parts: only it couldn't be far north'ard, nor much different from this
country, for he brought a fine breed o' sheep with him, so there must
be pastures there, and everything reasonable. We heared tell as he'd
sold his own land to come and take the Warrens, and that seemed odd for
a man as had land of his own, to come and rent a farm in a strange
place. But they said it was along of his wife's dying; though there's
reasons in things as nobody knows on--that's pretty much what I've made
out; yet some folks are so wise, they'll find you fifty reasons
straight off, and all the while the real reason's winking at 'em in the
corner, and they niver see't. Howsomever, it was soon seen as we'd got
a new parish'ner as know'd the rights and customs o' things, and kep a
good house, and was well looked on by eve