Aunt Rachel / A Rustic Sentimental Comedy

eman, with red-rimmed eyes, broad cheek-bones, and a projecting chin. He had a very sharp nose, and his close-cropped hair was of a harsh, sandy tone and texture. He was altog

se for convenience' sake. He was over eighty, and his head nodded and shook involuntarily with the palsy of old age, but his figure was still fairly upright, and seemed to promise an activity unusual for his years. He rested one hand on the rung of a ladder which leaned aga

and nowadays a young man attired after his fashion would be laughable, but for his day he looked all over like a lady-killer, from his tassell

" said his lordship, in a tone of

Your man hasn't arrived yet?" He cast a glance of lazy amu

orthless scoundrel. Ah! here he comes. Go

turning once or twice to look at his lordship and a

haking his hand at the lop-sided man, "you ar

ollow mumble which was difficult to follow. Joseph was content to pass as the harmless lunatic of the parish, but th

y," his lordship answered, tartly. "Take up t

Joseph, shambling by the noblem

said the earl, "h

What I said yesterday was, 'Why doesn't thee set thy watch by the parish church?' Thee'st g

man twinkled a

ip, "I am going to make a

nsibly to shift the ladder from one shoulder t

epence a da

ing a little nearer. "A sinful sight too much.

the second, and you will carry it from the second to the third; then I shall carry it again, and then you will car

betrayed the shortcomings of character. His smile wa

face fell into a look of ludicrous consternation. "I shall be generous, however-I shall be gen

Joseph, resolutely stopping short, an

rned to face him wi

mpertinent

assistant mumbled, thrusting his

Joseph," return

voice and manner when he had rebuked Joseph a seco

pounds sixteen. That is interest at three per cent, on a sum of two hundred and fifty-nine pounds ten shillings. That is a great amount to lie waste. While I pay you sixpence a day I am

," suggested Joseph,

is lordship, "is really

betraying a sudden inclination to whimper.

oseph!" cried his

whimpering outright. "I'd be a

I shall give you a suit of clothes. I shall give you a pair

gain, but cloude

mble the back," he said, rubbing his bristly chin on a rung of the ladder as he spoke. "What

"sixpence a day is a great deal of money.

ydon Hay, 'Is Lord Barfield the man to rob a poor chap of his bit o' bacon?' they'd say, 'No.' T

fidgeted an

is head through the ladder, and waving the billhook and the saw gently in either hand, "'ud be to say as a poor chap as wanted

lordship's face as he watched for the effect of his spe

And now and then-now and then, Joseph, you may go and ask Dewson for a little cold meat. The

seph should carry the ladder all the long distances, while he himself should carry it all the short ones. Joseph on his side was equally satisfied with the arrangement, so far as he knew it, and gave himself up to the sweet influences of fancy. He saw a glorified edition of himself, attired in my lord's cast-off ga

n eyesore this many a day. We must be resolute, Joseph. I shall expect you to gu

llin'-pin last time, governor," said Joseph. "But her

Mother Duk

y. There's a little old maid as lives

he air of a man who finds consolation in disappointment, "we'll trim the laburnum this time. At all events, we'll make a fight for it, Joseph

ed Joseph. "Her's no higher than sixpenn'

the earl; "wrong reckoning. The smaller

s lordship eyed him askance with a twinkle of rich enjoyment, and took snuff with infinite relish, as if he took Joseph'

tenant's name, Joseph?" his

n-very straight up. Goes about on her h

pping shears. It gave his lordship an odd kind of shock when this little personage arose and turned. The face was old. There was youth in the eyes and the delicate dark-brown arch of the eyebrows, but the old-fashioned ringlet which hung at either cheek beneath the cottage bonnet she wore was almost white. The cheeks were sunken from what had once been a charming contour, the delicate aquiline nose was pinched ever so little, the lips were dry, and there were fine wrinkles everywhe

The movement with which she had arisen and the attitude she took were full of life and vivacity. His lordship was so taken aback by the extraordinar

e of the shears, he propped it against the stout limb of a well-pruned apple-tree. His lordship, somewhat ostentatiously avoiding the eye of the inmate of the cottage, tucked his saw and his billhook under his left arm and mounted slowly, while Joseph made a great s

and age matched strangely with the speaker's aspect, "this tenement and its surrounding g

lordship. "That's Rachel Blyth

ed a curt little courtesy, at once as young and as old as everything about her,

, advanced and proffered a tremulous white hand. Miss Blythe accepted it with a second curt little courtesy, shook it once up and down and dropped it.

ed it as a mockery. She drew up her small figure in exaggerated dignity, a

nswered. "My good man," turning upon Joseph, "you may rem

al rights, manorial rights. This laburnum overhangs the r

I must ask your lordship to sec

ocking my hat off." He illustrated this statement by walking under the boughs. Hi

e average height," said Mi

protested. "Not a

as not profoundly disloyal would venture to describe the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty as undersized. I am bu

ship began, with hands raised i

y, "if I say that at my age-forgive me if I say at your lordsh

there peeped so obvious a satisfaction in rebuking him upon such a theme, that hi

y in the service of a family of the loftiest nobility. I am not unacquainted with the airs and graces of the hig

rought the tears to his eyes. Most people might have thought that the cough bor

ith suppressed mirth, but he contained himself heroically. "I beg your pardon, and I promise that I will not again transgress in

orch of the cottage that she became aware of the fact that the earl was following her. "Your lordship's pardon," she said then; "I will bri

h she planted on the gravelled pathway. The old nobleman sat do

ft us?" he asked. "It looks

y for more than a quarter of a cen

r forlornly. He recovered himself with a slight shake and resumed

Miss Blythe, with a transparent p

emember a disturbance-a disturbance." He rapped with the knuckles of his left hand on his white

she said, with decision, "should precl

m a monument of old age, and I forget, but I fancy I used to think otherwise.

ent quiet again, and again stared straight before him with a somewhat forlorn expression. The little old lady reminded him of her mother, and the r

e by my dear mistress," said the little old lady

together in unity. Miss Blythe-we must dwell together in unity. I have my hands pre

Miss Blythe, with decision, "your l

otway clear-really must. Besides, it improves the aspect of the garde

and had re-entered the roadway, but the little old lady

trees," she said, "your lordshi

ph, handing over the little old la

ed upon him with

ake up that ladder, Joseph Beaker. If you should ever dare again to place it against a tree upon my freehold property I shall call the policem

ided fashion down the road. "I should ha' thought you could ha' done what you liked

, satisfied that the retreat was real,