Under the Storm

I am exceed

ESPE

he upper story projecting a little, and reached by an outside stair of stone. The farm yard, with the cowsheds, barn, and hay stack were close in front, with only a narrow strip of ga

swaddled up as tightly as a mummy, with only his arms free. He stretched them out with a cry of gladness as he saw his father, and Kenton took

ha answered "No, daddy, though he went ever so

, but the pigs had to be shut up and fed, and the other evening work of the farmyard done; and it was not till a

earthen cups and two small hooped ones of wood, a brown pitcher of small ale, a big barley loaf, and a red crock, lined with yellow glazing, into which Patience presently proceeded to pour from a cauldron, where it had been simmering over the fire, a mess of

d the milkers. Just as Rusha, at her father's sign, had uttered a short Grace, there stood in the doorway a tall, stout, well-made lad of seventeen, with a high-crow

"always in time for meat,

," said Jephthah, "the red c

om the gape-seed, eh! Come, sit d

of them," said J

sh thyself back again

for the fowls and eg

saffron buns which were greeted with such joy that his father had not the heart to say much about wasting pence, though it appeared that the baker woman h

the captains preaching in the Minster, and the market people flocking in to hear him. Jeph had been outside, for there was no room within, but he had scrambled upon an old tombstone with a couple of other lads, and through the broken window had seen the gentleman h

alse woman?" a

evous little jackanapes pulled me down by the leg, and I had to thrash him for it, and

s auditors never knew. The baby began to cry, and Patience to feed him with the milk and water that had been warme

rs! the soldiers!" and in fact three men with steel caps, buff co

, but he soon saw they did not look dangerous, they were dragging along

d-natured looking fellow more like a hostler than a sol

, "we lie out of the

urs agone, marching into Bristo

the drinking of a pottle, and to bathe Jack's foot near there, and w

ross the ferry. You may s

d the other two, who were mere youths, not much older than Jeph, se

in good quarters, and mayhap the goodman here will give

Kenton, making a sign to his sons, who ran off to the hou

the Cause, but all I know is that my Lord of Essex sent to call out five-and-twenty men from our parish, and the squire, he was in a proper rage with being rated t

sit on or to put one's hat on," added one of the youths looking up. "So he was willin

I," muttered

rously, "for thou knowst the s

men ate and drank, and then the tapster returning hearty thanks, called the others on, observing that if they did not mak

agged, as if one foot would

them, "methinks that's enough to take the tas

eph contemptuously, as he nevertheless saun

ong, father?" asked Steadfast, as he

y be against the Church and the King, though they do take the King's name

t there's them as says the

r would have put it to you better than I can, and she knew the Bible from end to end, but s

ed than he, having been born and bred up in the household of one of those gentlemen

ent to reside at Bristol, and there during her marketings,

controversy with Mr. Holworth, she never discovered their diversity, nor saw more than that Elmwood Church had more decoration than the Castle Chapel. Whatever was done by authority she thought was right, and she found good reason for it in the Bible and Prayer-book her good lady had given her. She had named her children

istance, so that though she had died when he was only eleven or twelve years old, Jephthah could do no more than just make out the meaning of a printed sentence, whereas Steadfast and Patience co

nd Wells had been in the neighbourhood. That was only a fortni

have done without Steadfast she could not tell. Jeph would never put a hand to what he called maids' work, but Stead would sweep, or beat the butter, or draw the water, or chop wood,

h in countenance and figure beside Jeph, who was tall, slim, and full of activity and animation. He had often made his mother uneasy by wild talk about g

ing their donkeys hobbled on their own side of the river, being ferr