ed as does it."--TROLLOPE.

"Stead, Stead," cried Rusha, running up to him, as he was slowly digging
over his stubble field to prepare it for the next crop, "the soldiers
are in Elmwood."

"Yes," said Emlyn, coming up at the same time, "they are knocking about
everything in the church and pulling up the floor."

"Patience sent us to get some salt," explained Rusha, "and we saw them
from Dame Redman's door. She told us we had better be off and get home
as fast as we could."

"But I thought we would come and tell you," added Emlyn, "and then
you could get out the long gun and shoot them as they come into the
valley--that is if you can take aim--but I would load and show you how,
and then they would think it was a whole ambush of honest men."

"Aye, and kill us all--and serve us right," said Stead. "They don't
want to hurt us if we don't meddle with them. But there's a good wench,
Rusha, drive up the cows and sheep this way so that I can have an eye on
them, and shew Captain Venn's paper, if any of those fellows should take
a fancy to them."

"They are digging all over old parson's garden," said Rusha, as she
obeyed.

"Was Jeph there?" asked Stead.

"I didn't see him," said the child.

Steadfast was very uneasy. That turning up the parson's garden looked
as if they might be in search of the silver belonging to the Church, but
after all they were unlikely to connect him with it, and it was wiser
to go on with his regular work, and manifest no interest in the matter;
besides that, every spadeful he heaved up, every chop he gave the
stubble, seemed to be a comfort, while there was a prayer on his soul
all the time that he might be true to his trust.

By-and-by he saw Tom Oates running and beckoning to him, "Stead, Stead
Kenton, you are to come."

"What should I come for?" said Stead, gruffly.

"The soldiers want you."

"What call have they to me?"

"They be come to cleanse the steeple house, they says, and take the
spoil thereof, and they've been routling over the floor and parson's
garden like so many hogs, and are mad because they can't find nothing,
and Thatcher Jerry says, says he, 'Poor John Kenton as was shot was
churchwarden and was very great with Parson. If anybody knows where the
things is 'tis Steadfast Kenton.' So the corporal says, 'Is this so,
Jephthah Kenton?' and Jeph, standing up in his big boots, says, 'Aye,
corporal, my father was yet in the darkness of prelacy, and was what in
their bl