The boys told him. Reuben listened in silence save for one ejaculation of "the dirty bitch!"He mildly scandalised his neighbours by blastingprivately this timethe tree stumps yet in the ground. According to their ethics he should have accepted Harry's accident as the voice of Providence and abstained from his outlandish methodsalso some felt that it was a matter of delicacy and decent feeling not to repeat that which had had such dire consequences for his brother. "I wonder he can bear to do it," said Ginner, when 'Bang! Bang!' came over the hummocks to Socknersh."Yes," replied Byles; but as he spoke, he looked wistfully round, in evident trepidation.
ONE:"But I owe you a grudge, Mr. Backfield, for you have entirely spoilt one of the finest commons in Sussex. The records of Boarzell go back to the twelfth century, and in the Visitations of Sussex it is referred to as a fine piece of moorland three hundred acres in extent and grown over with heather and gorse. I went to see it yesterday, and found only a tuft of gorse and firs at the top."They parted uneasily, without any arrangement to meet again.
"Aye," said Rugge, "that is as it should beI know where I could carry all the hats I could make, and sell them for a good price, if I were but free of the place.""I did, my lord," returned the monk firmly.Passing through Winchcombe, he arrived at a small neat dwelling, in a little sequestered valley, about a quarter of a mile from the townthe tenant of which lowly abode is of no small consequence to our story.