United States or Israel ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Aye, that's so, Muster Grange," said old Tummus, carefully removing the scythe, and placing it in safety by hooking the blade high up in a dense yew-tree. "No well here, but I thought it best any way to stop you." "To stop me? Why?" cried Grange. "'Cause some one as ought to be kicked out o' the place left his scythe lying across the grass ready for you to chop your shins. It's all right now."
"I couldn't make out that anything was gone out of his room, sir," said old Hannah, clapping her apron to her eyes. "Poor dear: it's very, very sad." "Aye, it's sad enough," said old Tummus; "not as it matters much, what's the good o' going on living?" "Tummus!" cried his wife. "Well, what are yow shoutin' at?
Tummus works in the garden or about the pigsty and stable; Thomas wears a page's costume of eruptive buttons. When anybody calls, and Stripes is out of the way, Tummus flings himself like mad into Thomas's clothes, and comes out metamorphosed like Harlequin in the pantomime. To-day, as Mrs.
"You're too fond of settling other people's business." "Yes, Mr Ellis, sir, that's what I tell him," said old Hannah anxiously. "Tchah!" growled old Tummus, giving his body a jerk. "Very well then, sir, he thowt he were, and it got on his mind like that he were all in the darkness, and it's my belief as he couldn't bear it, and went and made a hole in the water so as to be out of his misery."
But there was not "an end of it," for Daniel Barnett's life was made a misery to him by the thoughts of how Grange had suffered, and how he had treated him, till in despair "Yes; that's it," Tummus would whisper to him; "he went and walked into the river, or "
For the verdict had been passed by the profession who had seen him that they could do nothing, and Mrs Mostyn had sent word that Grange was to be fetched back, old Tummus and his wife gladly acceding to the proposal that the young man should lodge with them for a few weeks, till arrangements could be made for his entrance to some asylum, or some way hit upon for him to get his living free from the misery of having nothing to do.
"But you, sir," she cried, turning upon old Tummus, "how dare you make such horrible charges against my gardener?" "Begging your pardon, my lady, Mrs Mostyn," said old Tummus, "I'm as much your gardener as Dan Barnett, mum. What I says I sticks to. He was allus agin' poor John Grange, and if he arn't made an end on him, what I says is this here wheer is he?"
"Oh, Tummus, you shouldn't!" "No, no; he was not the man to do such a thing," said Ellis, whose voice sounded husky, and who looked limp and not himself. "I dunno," growled Tummus; "they say when a man's in love and can't get matters settled, he's ready to do owt. I never weer in love, so I doan't know for sure." "Oh, Tummus!" cried old Hannah reproachfully.
Daniel Barnett does not like me, and he resents my being here, but he could not have been guilty of so cowardly, so contemptible an act." "Burr-urr!" growled old Tummus; "wouldn't he? I know." "Whatever you know," said John Grange sternly, "you must keep to yourself." "What, and let the missus think you done it?" "The truth comes to the surface some time or another," said John Grange very firmly.
Old Hannah's sobs grew piteous, and in the silence which followed, James Ellis stole on tiptoe towards the window, unable to be a witness of the agony which convulsed the young man's face. "Then it is true!" said Grange. "Blind blind from that awful shock." "Ah, here you are, Master Barnett," cried the voice of old Tummus outside. "The doctor. Is he coming over? 'Cause he needn't now."
Word Of The Day