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He remained marvellously quiet under this attack, but amazement chiefly marked his attitude. Miller Lyddon, encouraged by this unexpected reasonableness, spoke again more sternly. "The thing looks bad to a wife an' mother, an' 'tis my duty to ax 'e for a plain, straightforward answer 'pon it. Human nature's got a ugly trick of repeatin' itself in this matter, as we all knaws.
Wouldn't 'e reckon that grey hairs knawed better than to fancy words can keep lovers apart?" "Grey hairs cover old brains; and old brains forget what it feels like to have a body full o' young blood. The best memory can't keep the feeling of youth fresh in a man." "Well, I ban't the hot-headed twoad Miller Lyddon thinks, or pretends he thinks, anyway. I'll shaw un!
"'T is natural in wan who's gwaine to say gude-bye to maidenhood so soon," declared Mr. Lyddon. "I've thought 'bout her tears a deal. God knaws they hurt me more 'n they do her, or you either; but such sad whims and cloudy hours is proper to the time. Love for me's got a share in her sorrow, tu.
Well, my son, and how can I serve you?" asked the master of Monks Barton, kindly enough. He recrossed his legs, settled in his leather chair, and continued the smoking of a long clay pipe. "Just this, Mr. Lyddon," began Will abruptly. "You calls me your 'son' as a manner o' speech, but I wants to be no less in fact." "You ban't here on that fool's errand, bwoy, surely?
Lyddon reflected and showed an evident disposition to scoff at the whole story. "'Tis stuff an' rubbish!" he said. "You might as well find a mare's nest t'other side an' say 'twas Will's sister's child. 'Tis almost so like her as him, an' got her brown eyes in the bargain." "God forbid!" answered Billy, in horror. "That's flat libel, an' I'd be the last to voice any such thing for money.
'T was such a miz-maze o' crooked words he let fly 'pon us, that perhaps us misread un." "I wish I thought so. Come. Us can ax that much." A few minutes later they stood at Mrs. Blanchard's door and knocked. The widow herself appeared, fully dressed, wide awake, and perfectly collected. Her manner told Mr. Lyddon nothing. "What might you want, Miller?" "'T is Will.
He broke off, was silent for a moment, then strode out of the room towards the staircase. Mr. Lyddon heard him and rushed after him with Billy. They scrambled past and stood at the stair-foot while Grimbal glanced up in the direction of Phoebe's room, and then glared at the two old men. "Why not, you doddering fools? Can you still stand by her, cursed jade of lies? My work's only half done!
With infinite labour and some difficulty they explored the stream, then, wet and weary, returned by the southern bank to their starting-point at Rushford Bridge. Here Billy found a cloth cap by the water's edge, and that was the only evidence of Will's downfall. As they clambered up from the river Mr. Lyddon noted bright eyes shining across the night, and found that the windows of Mrs.
Then he recorded a protest against Providence in one eerie bark, and so vanished, before the weird sound had died. Phoebe Lyddon and her lover, having given the others some vantage of ground, followed them to their destination Mr. Lyddon's famous orchard in Teign valley.
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