-story-books! Gi' me a cup o' milk; then us'll go to bed."

She obeyed; he piled turf upon the hearth, to keep the fire alight until
morning, then took up the candle and followed Phoebe through another
chamber, half-scullery, half-storehouse, into which descended the
staircase from above. Here hung the pale carcase of a newly slain pig,
suspended by its hind legs from a loop in the ceiling; and Phoebe, many
of whose little delicacies of manner had vanished of late, patted the
carcase lovingly, like the good farmer's wife she was.

"Wish theer was more so big in the sties," she said.

Arrived at her bedside, the woman prayed before sinking to rest within
reach of her child's cot; while Will, troubling Heaven with no petition
or thanksgiving, was in bed five minutes sooner than his wife.

"Gude-night, lad," said Phoebe, as she put the candle out, but her
husband only returned an inarticulate grunt for answer, being already
within the portal of sleep.

A fair morning followed on the tempestuous night, and Winter, who had
surely whispered her coming under the darkness, vanished again at dawn.
The Moor still provided forage, but all light was gone out of the
heather, though the standing fern shone yellow under the sun, and the
recumbent bracken shed a rich russet in broad patches over the dewy
green where Will had chopped it down and left it to dry for winter
fodder. He was very late this year in stacking the fern, and designed
that labour for his morning's occupation.

Ted Chown chanced to be away for a week's holiday, so Will entered his
farmyard early. The variable weather of his mind rarely stood for long
at storm, but, unlike the morning, he had awakened in no happy mood.

A child's voice served for a time to smooth his brow, now clouded from
survey of a broken spring in his market-cart; then came the lesser Will
with a small china mug for his morning drink. Phoebe watched him
sturdily tramp across the yard, and the greater Will laughed to see his
son's alarm before the sudden stampede of a belated heifer, which now
hastened through the open gate to join its companions on the hillside.

"Cooshey, cooshey won't hurt 'e, my li'l bud!" cried Phoebe, as Ship
jumped and barked at the lumbering beast. Then the child doubled round a
dung-heap and fled to his father's arms. From the byre a cow with a full
udder softly lowed, and now small Will had a cup of warm milk; then,
with his red mouth like a rosebud in mist and hi