Friarswood Post-Office

his mother the night before, and he checked himself several times when he felt as if he could not bear it any longer without waking her, and to remember his old experience

egun to think no phrase so tiresome, hopeless, or provoking. People always told him to be patient when they had no comfort to give him, and did not know what he was suffering. He would not have minded it so much if only he could have got it out of his head. Somehow it would not let him call to his mother, if it was only because very likely all he should ge

ds,' thought Alfred. 'I don't want

hought about patience returned on him; he had mercy on her regular breathing, though it made him quite envious to hear it, and he said to himself that he would let her alone, at least till the next time the clock struck. It would be three o'clock next time. Oh dear, would the night never be over? How often such a round of weary thought

gged her to let in a little more air, she went to open the window wider, and relieve the closeness of the little room. She had learnt while living with Lady Jane that night air is not so dangerous as

over everything; the tanned hay-cocks rising up all over the field, the morning star and waning moon glowing pale as light of morning spread over the sky

he farmer will get in his hay!' and then she stoo

see, Mother?'

hay-cock,' said Mrs. King; 'and I do

ay it is the boy that would n

ng; 'I don't like to have tramps about so near. I

money,' said Alfred. 'How nice and cool it must be sleeping in

his mother, sighing; then yawning, she said, 'I must go back to bed. Mind

tened the door on him. Not that he thought this individual lad at all likely to be a thief, nor did he care much for Farmer Shepherd, who was a hard man and no favourite; but to catch a thief would be a grand feat. And while sett

and washed his face and hands; and then he had his little book, and said his prayers; and somehow to-day he felt so mu

t it to him, he had not one complaint to make, but ate it almost with a relish.

here he is, speaking to the

r work, mo

e he's getting it. I fancy they are short of hands for the hay. Yes,

fast,' said Alfred. 'Do you know

e a dog this morning,-never so much as washed himself at

e l

the f

was falling, and his hay in capital order, and his hands short, and asking whether her boy Harold would come and help in the hay-field between the post times. Mrs. King gav

engaged with her sick brother, and besides-had her work for Mrs. Price, which must be finished off. The farmer

refined in her quietness and maidenly modesty, and there was no need for her to undertake any of those kinds of tasks which, by removing young girls from home shelter, do sometimes help to make them rude and indecorous; but she was fine, when she gave herself a little mincing air of contempt, as if she despised the work and those who did it. Lydia Grant, who

at once began to make a little fun of his sister, and tell her it would be a famous thing for her, he believed she had quite forgotten h

so to entertain himself, to think of anything but pleasing him, so she answered good-humoured

e hitched up the pony at the gate, and ran in with the letter

family at reading handwriting; but he was often too ill to attend to it, and more often the weary fretfulnes

, and his bread-and-butter in the other. 'If you find a letter for that there Raggl

coat off, he looked as if he had red gloves and a red mask on, so much whiter was his skin where it was covered; and he was very strong for his age, and never had known what illness was. The brothers were very fond of each other, but since Alfred had been laid up, they had often been a great trial to each other-the one see

their own neat little leathern case with the padlock, and sorting out the rest, with some hope there might be one from Matilda, who was a very good one to write home. There was none from her, but then there was none for Ragglesford, and that was unexpected good luck. If the old houseke

d, near Elbury,' read Alfred; 'one, two, three letters, and a news

r mother's bed, and had not heard at the first moment,

e,' repeated Alfred. 'Is

unday? Mr. Cope, so that's his name. I wonder if he is come to stay.-Mother,' she ran

ried Harold, who regarded any one at the

said Ellen. 'You'll have to f

old impatiently. 'He must have his letters left here till he

s letters, and they'll be sure to know at the Park, or at the Rectory, or at the

ut the gentleman and his last Sunday's sermon, and then Ellen went to dust the shop, and put out the

stood out in the road and met me, and asked for his letters, and he's to be at the Parsonage, and he asked my name, and then he laughed and said, "Oh! I perceive it is the royal ma

ive; and Alfred did nothing w

have preached on Sunday, and now it should be Tuesday, without anything having been heard of him, not even from Miss Jane; but then t

ar, and no one had settled down long enough to know the people or do much good in visiting them. My Lady, as they all called Lady Jane, was as sorry as any one could be, and she tried what she could do by paying a very good school-master and mistress, and giving plenty of rewards; but nothing could be like the constant care of a real good

, the ten women, with their old straw bonnets poked down over their faces, and deep curtains sewn on behind to guard their necks; the farm men come in from their other work to lend a hand, three or four boys, among whom he could see Harold's white shirt sleeves, and sometimes hear his merry laugh, and he

! We shall have you nodding to him next! You are a

ignificant,' said Ellen. 'All I wish is, that

r the meadows in the morning, and the farmer walking over it, and smelling it, and spying up to guess what would come of t

; Alfred knew how much better that dinner would taste to him than the best with the table-cloth neatly spread in his mother's kitchen; and well did Alfred remember how much more enjoyment there was in such a meal as that, than in any one of the dainties that my Lady sent down to tempt his sickly appetite. And what must pies and beer be to the wanderer who had eaten the crust so greedily t

wife, reported that the Rectory servants said he was come to stay till their master came back. All this and much more Mrs. King heard and rehearsed to Ellen, while Alfred lay, sometimes reading the 'Swiss Robinson,' sometimes watching the loading of the wains, as they creaked slowly through the fields, the horses s

Nothing but his mother's orders and the necessity of the case could have made him go at all. At last he walked off, as if he had lead in his feet, muttering that he wished he

p of the letter-bag round his neck, and gave such a re-echoing switch to the poor p

r beast all the way to Elbury. Alfred had given a great deal of his heart to that pony, and it made him feel helpless and indignant to think that it was ill-used.

after that boy there! I wish mother had never let him go into the hay-field to meet bad company! Depend upon it, that boy has

said Mrs. King. 'He is the dirtiest boy that ever I did

he thought it better to keep him apart. She was a spirited woman, who would be minded, and Harold knew he must submit, and that he had behaved very ill. Ellen told him too how much Alfred had been distressed about the pony, and though h

ough for my voic

to vex a chap-wasn't it?-to have Mother coming and lugging one off from the ca

ucky you that could make hay at all! And what made you so taken up with t

at again!' cried Harold; 'no

hen? Where doe

eerest chap I ever came across. Why, he knew no more what to

he come from?'

got's turnpike yesterday,' said

efore

somewhere, I forgot where, but i

e not said who h

ll you, he's Pa

had a father and m

said H

d Alfred cried

said Harold composedly, as if th

g with him like born brothers

ow. And he's such a comical fellow! he said Mr. Shepherd was like a big pig on his hind legs; and when Mrs. Shepherd came out to c

ling points as fathers, mothers, and respectability. Alfred laughed; but Ellen thought it no

'an old skinflint like Far

ll Mother of you, that

would do no such thing. She had made the t

rison, and is no better than a thief; and if our place isn't broken into before to-morrow morning,

Alfred asked why he had

ely he wanted to see the way about the pla

w,' said Alfred, laughing again. 'All com

said Harold mischievously; 'it's all for Ellen's

nd told him everything valuab

be a very odd sort of thief to come here,

ve told him of that when I was abo

n, teased into anger, 'you'll be robbi

e boy. 'Come, Ellen, don't be so foolish; I tell you h

ng: 'a boy that comes from nowhere and nobody knows, and sl

wish him no ill, I'm sure, but he'll be gone by to-morrow, so you may

st were not much wiser the one than th