Two on a Tower

ine birds of the plantation, already recovering from their midwi

a uniform hue of shade quite suddenly. The one or two stars that appeared were quickly clouded over, and it was soon obvious that there would be no sweeping the heavens that night. Afte

traces, by keeping in the same furrow all the way on tiptoe. In a few minutes he reached a little dell, which occurred quite unexpectedly on the other side of the field-fence, and descended to a venerable thatched hou

woman of eighty, in a large mob cap, under which she wore a little cap to keep the other clean, retained faculties but little blunted. She was gazing into the flames, with her hands upon her knees, quietly re-enactin

ave waited for me

n I left it — e’en just threescore years ago! All the folks and my old aunt were there, as when I was a child — yet I suppose if I were really to set out and go there, hardly a

. When the meal was nearly over Mrs. Martin produced the contents of the mysterious vessel by the fire, saying that she had caused

f your special puddings.’ At sight of it, ho

uries — a little scrap pared off here, and a little piece broken away there; the general aim being, nevert

d Swithin, ‘the pud

’ pleaded granny Martin, with wounded feelings. ‘I said to Hannah when she took it u

ble, pushed away his chair, and went up-stairs; the ‘other station of life that was in h

nder ground sixty long years ago, instead of leaving my own county to come here!’ mourned old Mrs. Martin. ‘But I to

ate all the pudding, with the aspect of a person undertaking a deed of great magnanimity. The relish

to-night for practice. They who live at this end of the parish won’t go to his house to try over the tunes, because ’tis so

I had not so

s cloudy

ranny. Now, don’t you tell him I’m in the ho

ust I then tell a li

es. Not a word about the astronomy to any of them, whatev

. Why can’t ye do som

ustrative of celestial phenomena. In a corner stood a huge pasteboard tube, which a close inspection would have shown to be intended for a telescope. Swithin hung a thick cloth over the window, in additi

of her feet, was a maiden young and blithe. Mrs. Martin welcomed her by the title of Miss Tabitha Lark, and

nny. ‘And do you still go to

getting my lady to hearken, that’s more than

uent utterance, which was probably a c

ory, then?’ said

ring this book and that book, till the bed is heaped up with immense volumes that half bury her, making her look, as she leans upon her elbow, like the stoning of Stephen. She yawns; then she looks towards the tall glass; then she looks out a

g, “Would God it were evening,” and in the evening, “Would God

y local representatives of the bass and tenor voice, who lent a cheerful and well-known personality to the names Sammy Blore, Nat Chapman, Hezekiah Biles, and Haymoss Fry (the latter being one wit

‘No — I see we be here afore him. And how i

tle Freddy, you don’t wish in the morning that ’twere evening, and a

that, Mrs Martin? — nobody in this

wishing it,’ spoke

that onnatural tribe of mankind. Not but that the wom

wife, nor widow, as you may say — is not the primest form of life for keeping

might be, three St. Martin’s days back. I can mind it, because ’twas my birthday. An

in a barley-mow,’ said Hezekiah. ‘He’

mrades

ay by Lornton Copse, and the hounds runned en all but past her carriage wheels. If I were she I’d see a l

s under solemn oath

uch oath! But here’s the pa’so

utter, a creaking of the door on its hinges, and a voice which Swithin recognized as Mr. Torkingham’s. He gree

jints. I assure ye, Pa’son Tarkenham, that in the clitch o’ my knees, where the rain used to come through when I was cutting clots for the new lawn, in old my lady’s

e I thought, when hay-pitching, and the small of my back seeming no stouter than a harnet’s, “The devil send that I had but the mak

kbones,’ said Ha

For you want one in front for breast-ploughing and such like, one at the r

pipe, so that at harvest time he could fetch breath in ‘s drinking, without bei

ngham, his mind returning to this world a

f by going on tiptoe across the floor above, and putting sheets of paper over knot-holes in the boarding at points where carpet was lacking, that

ice burst forth with ‘Onward, Christian s

nd boys, the men furnishing but an accompaniment of ahas

alking, my throat’s as rough as a grater; and not knowing you were going to hit up tha

ugh ready, that’s t

ngham. ‘Don’t mind explaining; we are here for pract

and scrapers, and the bass contingent at

Christen

onunciation,’ interrupted the parson. ‘Now rep

n exaggerative echo: ‘On-

not very perceptible to other people. ‘But it should not be given with quite so extreme an accent; or we may be called affected by other pari

t, thank God, I’m not so mean as to lessen old fokes’ chances by bei

haps we had better sol-fa the tune. Eyes o

mnatory astonishment. ‘I can sing genuine music, like F and G

g psalm, when Pa’son Wilton brought home his bride (you can mind the time, Sammy?- -when we sung “His wife, like a fair fertile vine, her lovely fruit shall bring,” when the young woman t

but this is a mo

th yet deeper conviction that Mr. Torkingham was getting off his head. ‘Now sound A, neighbo

before pianoforte builders had sent up the pitch to make their instruments brilliant, was nearly a note flat

e door!’ said a l

knock before!’ said

man asked from the darknes

s. What do

he parso

antine wants to see you very particular, sir, and could you call on her after dinner, if you ben’t

the parson cut short the practising, and, naming another night for meeting, he withdrew. All the singers a