ill now he had respected on account of the
flavouring--and kicked so hard at the bed-clothes that he hurt his
gouty foot, and uttered a roar of rage and pain which caused his sons
to lower their voices to a discreet whisper.

Next morning news came that Martin Tyrer had been taken very bad, and
that the doctor had a poor opinion of him. When Doctor Craddock,
indeed, called later in the day to see Bob Wainwright, he confirmed
the report with a sigh and a shake of the head:

"I am afraid the poor old fellow has done for himself," he said
gravely. "It is astonishing how obstinate some of these people are. I
am glad that you at least have had more sense, Wainwright"--turning
with a smile to Bob.

"I sh'd ha' gone if I could ha' getten foot to th' ground," returned
Bob, glowering at him.

"Well, well, luckily for you you couldn't, though it might not have
been quite so serious with you. But Tyrer was very ill indeed when he
went, and now naturally he is very much worse."

"Raly, it looks like a judgment," observed Mrs. Wainwright, with an
air of pious regret, "soom people might say it was, ye know, Doctor.
Martin, he's been goin' on awful to my husband--that set up he were--"

"Howd thy din!" interposed Bob, wrathfully; whereupon Mrs. Wainwright
retired outside the door, waiting to pursue the conversation till the
doctor should be ready to go downstairs.

When, a day or two after, Martin Tyrer died, Mrs. Wainwright received
the tidings with the same mournful satisfaction. It was what she had
looked for, she remarked; she "couldn't but feel that Martin was
callin' down a judgment on hissel! Well, it was to be 'oped that th'
A'mighty wouldn't be 'ard with him, not but what he was 'ard enough,
Martin was, wi' other folks. A body would ha' thought that when he see
the Gaffer laid up in's chamber on Club Day he wouldn't 'ave 'ad it
in's 'eart to go castin' up at him, same's he did." But Mrs.
Wainwright would say no more, Martin Tyrer was gone, poor man, an' it
did not become her to judge him. Upon which she proceeded to say a
great deal more, in exactly the same strain, until her Gaffer hammered
on the floor with his stick, and requested her to stop that.

The whole family were much astonished on receiving invitations to
Martin Tyrer's funeral. They had, indeed, heard that Mrs. Tyrer was
going to give him a very nice burying--that all Upton folks were going
and a good many from Thornleigh too--it was to be "summat gradel