es, and our light had gone out-after midnight I heard by my father's breathing that
y weak body and timid mind became strong and active, able to com
at an end. I left him, and crept down-stairs into Sally Watkins' kitchen. It was silent, only the faithful warde
pering; for Jem, a big lad of fifteen, was the most tender-hearted fellow ima
is Mr.
, though-on'y he says: 'Jem, you stop 'ere wi' they'" (point
vident nothing would move him thence: so he was as safe a guard over my poor old father's slumber as the mas
oat and hat-I'm goin
took the said garments from him, and unbolted the door. At
, Mr. Hal
to look for
y did not strike the faithful Jem. He stood on the doo
sir; but Mr. Halifax said, 'Jem,
h a sullen determination, as if he would have kep
ioters. There was no sign of any such, except that under one of the three oil-lamps that lit the night-darkness at Norton Bury lay a few smouldering hanks
ere was no one in the street-no one except the Abbey-watchman lounging in
riot
s mill; they may b
think t
in the town help him;
er; the law don'
ere idle names to Nonconformists of every kind; and all they knew of the glori
rch-yard, until I saw, shining against the boles of the chestnut-trees, a red light. It was one of
und. But they were desperate; they had come up the Coltham road so quietly, that, except this faint murmur, neither I nor any one in the town could have told
an bean't there."-"Nobody know
s well then that I appeared as Jem Watkins. But no one noticed me, except one man, who skul
w for the rosin!
med to know; but I missed my man from behind the tree-nor found him till after the angry throng had rushed on to the nearest lamp. One of them was left be
oh
eside me in a bound
you are safe; no one has harmed you
my friend, whom I had m
heart felt as mine,
te's time. I must have you sa
is th
s; she has braved the fellows once to-night,
the m
ur father did not know. I have been going to and fro all night, between there and here, wait
again securely, mounting guard behind it with something that looked very like my father's pisto
se, and heard the threatening murmur of voices and feet outside. "Br
nd followed John obedie
-thee art a sensible lad, John H
cure against fire? For th
mean it," repeated John, as the cry of
house,-but it fell harmless against the staunch oaken door, and blazed itself out on our stone steps. All it did wa
I, recoiled at th
window, Jael;" and before I could hinder,
oice a wave of up-turned fac
u are about? To burn down a
h, and then a s
dy'll get hanged for
eeth. "We must e'en fight, as Mordecai's people fo
ow-closed window, against which more than one blazing torch b
e house she would have taken under less critical circum
ad, as day after day, and year after year, we Christians generally do read, such plain words as these-"Lov
is hand on the Book, thinking. Th
t new. Whether it succeeds or no, you'll bear me witness to your father tha
rew up the window w
want to spe
sed their aim. The rioters were too far off-our spiked iron railings, eight feet high or more, being
he was not hurt. Terrified, I i
aid he, gently. "Don't be afraid-I shall come to no harm
ar him for the bellowings outside
rn 'em out! They
lose-stop-let me think-
him with a kind of stern delight. Certa
purpose, had unbolted the hall-door, and stood
I followed. A pillar sheltered me-I do not th
ticed, or clearly understood it, till the next lighted torch showed them
felt that for the moment he was safe. The
lulled, except for one brief minute.
akers."-"No, he bean't."-"Burn 'un
big man, who had made himself very prominent
ught he was going to hurl it back again, but he did not; he only threw it down, and sta
ed to the gate and ca
b Baines? I am sor
ye,
do you
We wants Abel Flet
rtainly not
arose, and again Jacob Baines seem
as "Don't hurt the lad."-"He were kind to my lad, he were."-"No, he be a real gentleman."-"No, he com
ever know what it was to
any a
ed, struck a great hush into the
e won't hurt 'ee!
e ashamed to come in the night
tened, as it were by compulsion, to the clear,
d not sell you, or give you, his wheat. Even so-it was HIS wh
ere is always a lurking sense of rude
ats, too. Now you all know Mr. Fletcher; you are hi
grily; but John went on speaking,
o Mr. Fletcher's house I should most certainly have shot. But I'd rather not shoot you, poor, star
compassionate accent, nor
ried Jacob Baines: "us be starved a'm
d shake his hair back, with that pleased gesture I rem
thing to eat, would you
re fighting for no principle, true or false, only for bare life.
could obtain a hearing. "You are Norton Bury folk, I know you. I could get every o
to eat; give us
to him out of the parlour-window. She obeyed-I marvel now to think of it-but she implicitly obeyed. Only I heard h
ome in!" and he
magined, in spite of the noise they had made. But two score of
at, cooked or raw, loaves, vegetables, meal; all came alike, and were clutched, gnawed, an
el; bring
shoute
but water. I'll have no drunkar
stol. But it was hardly needed. They were all cowed by a mightier wea
turned sick and faint, and dropped down even with bread in their mouths, unable to swallow it. Others gorged themselves to the full, and then lay along the steps, supine as satisfied
ed, and for the fir
wrong of you; but th
l Fletcher's son. I stood safe by J
oking round with a smile, "
" they a
added-"Tha
his summer morning"-and he pointed to the dawn just reddening in the sky-"this quiet, blessed summer
thankee for it; but what'll become o' the little 'uns at home? I say, Mr. Ha
nce very sad. Another of the m
p on; I doan't grudge 'ee getting on; you was born for a
? If you had come to him and said, 'Master, times are hard, we can't live upon our wages,' he
savage fellow, who had been the ringleader-the same, too, who had
hese days. Oh! Mr. Halifax, may 'ee ne'er want a meal o' good meat for the mi
n, I'l
letcher's son, to a plan that had come into his mind. It was to write orders, w
your father
nk he
oes not give some, he may lose all. But he would not do it for fear of
on, concentrativeness, and quickness, with which he first seemed to arrange and then execute his ideas. He possessed to the full that "business" faculty, so frequ
ders, John suddenly stopp
y s
our father might th
on? after
e the pen. It is your pa
bey
hy, there isn't another gentleman in Norton Bury, who, if you had come to burn HIS house down, would not have had the constables or the soldiers, have shot down one-half of you
" said Jacob B
e Abel Fletcher is a Q
waking up the echoes down Norton Bury streets; which, of a suret
d a chair for him-worthy soul! she was wiping her old eyes. He sat down, shiver
d, I'm glad; gla
than
eed; tha
nute or two, then rose up pa
and fetch you
woke. The daylight shone on his face-it looked ten years older
emember. Where is my s
nd almost as if it had been a child's feeble h
ot hurt? No
or is either the house
azed. "How h
. Or, stay-better wait
ts on John's behaviour; he would not have liked it; and, besides, the f
broad brim close down over his eyes. Not even when I told him of the flour we had promised in his name, the
asked him if he
satis
his knees, and his hat drawn down, hiding all the face except the ri
ntly, almost as a so
still? Could I help
up, and slowly
d lad, and a kind lad
all the words in the world coul
one, two years back, when we two had stood, exhausted and trembling, before that
down in the very seat, in the very room, w
ss rankled in the young man's spirit
aid my fathe
lcome; not
art we
ers closed and unclosed nervously. My father, too, sat leaning his head on his two han
ess. "What I once did, was only justice-or I then believed so. What I have d
ent
thee wilt be able to set up for thyself, or I may take thee into partnership-we'll see. But"-and he looked at me, then sternly, nay, fiercely, into Joh
s the sole
erhaps, not so far apart as some may deem-He