Harvest

ful of harvests, that the gods had not yet forgotten their old jealousy of men, and men's prosperity. Whenever a fine day came the early ploughing and see

coming of October, the pressure began again. The thought of the coming frost and of all those greedy mouths of cattle, sheep, and horses to be filled through the winter, drove and hunted the workers on Great End Farm, as they have driven and hunted the children of earth since tilling and stock-keeping began. Under the hedges near the house, the long potato caves had been filled a

new beauty. Her labourers and her land girls admired and obeyed her, while-perhaps!-Janet Leighton had their hearts. Rachel's real self seemed to be something that no one knew; her

o put the animals to bed, and then stay talking with Rachel in the sitting-room, while Janet tidied up in the kitchen. Janet, the warm-hearted, had become much attached to him. He had been at no pains to hide the state of his feelings from her. Indeed, though he had said nothing explicit, his whole attitude to Rachel's friend and partner was now one of tacit appeal for sympathy. And she was more than ready to give it. Her uprightness, and the touch of austerity in her, reached out to similar qualities in him; and the intellectual dissent which she derived from her East

t on her best frocks for him; she was delighted to laugh and talk with him. But she watched for Mr. Shenstone, too, and would say something caustic or impatient if he were two or three days without calling. And when he called, Rachel very seldom snubbed him, as at first. She was all smiles; the best frocks came out for him, too; and Janet, seeing the growing beatitud

ous and rather sinister impression, which she could hardly explain to herself. She seemed to see that Ellesborough's suit steadily advanced; that Rachel made no real attempt to resist his power over her. But all the same there was no happy, spontaneous growth in it. Rachel seemed to take her increasing subjection hardly, to be fighting obscurely against it all the time, a

e in the fields "clamping" potatoes. She herself left a vegetable stew ready for supper, safely simmering in a hay-box, and walked towards the

t old fool Halsey

t in "fagging" or sickling beaten-down corn, as a thatcher of roofs or ricks, as a setter of traps for moles, or snares for rabbits. Ha

We raised his wages last week-and we

shook h

. He says he's

d, and Ellesbo

defunct g

ngs n

ho was like nobody he had ever seen before-and the man took no notice, but went along, all hunched up-as they say the ghost is-and talking to himself-ti

ne home?"

In the lane he met me, and gave notice. Such a cock-and-bull s

Janet at once. "We can't lose h

to the house. The others, watching, saw her emerg

She's always managed to get the right side of him so far. But I'm nearly beat, captain! Things are gettin

sborough with a smile as they walked on together. "But all the

s made

tain. And how's it

work with their hands are going to get a bit of their own back from the people who work with their heads-or their cheque

looked

of the man that was suspected sixty years ago-John Dempsey. And some people tell me that this lad had

nd has owned up to it, why on ea

shook h

when they get talking, they'll believe anythi

him." He was certain we should lose the war, and the rush of the September victories did not affect him. And if we didn't lose it, no matter-prices and wages would still be enough to ruin us. Rachel grew impatient under the constant drench of pessimism. Janet remembered that the man was a delicate man, nearing the sixties, with, as she suspected, but small provision laid up for old ag

rand massing of rosy cloud along the edge of the down, and windy lights over the valley. Rachel, busy with the covering of the potato "clamps," laid down the bundle of bracken she had been handing to Peter Betts, and c

at six this morning-lifting and sorting. It was so important to get

er, and her eyes wavered

ard! Haven't you done

ed. "I'l

word to the other

ss, and Ellesborough put the fire together, and shut the windows. For the sun had sunk behind the hill, and a bitter wind was rising. When Rac

h hurriedly

ater in the kettle, and

eeps he

ht us tea to

st now. You looked cold. Be good, and take it easy!" He pointed

lly, as she sank into her chair, her eyes d

r cooks than women when they give their minds to it!" He brought her the cup, hot and fragrant, an

ders. Let's see. This is October. I shall have just a month. They've fo

said Rachel

and even in rural Brookshire there was a thrilling sense of opening skies, of

ith sudden energy, "so long as there is a sin

e of avenging will that suddenly possessed him. The male looke

ey don't a

he said briefly, "and I sha

he put down her cup and bent o

n, it will be fi

ellows set the pace th

's whit

u'll be

o," he sa

merely the result of the new freedom of women? Gradually but surely his mounting passion had idealized her. Not only her personal ways and looks had become delightful to him, but the honourable, independent self in him had come to feel a deep admiration for and sympathy with her honourable independence, for these new powers in women that made them so s

d-the firelight, the curtained room, the tea-things, her

He bent over her, and spoke

che

was in

had gone wandering-far away. And they seemed to have brought back-not the happy

He could not find words, but his eyes s

e drew

't say any

he disturbance in him deepened. For in the face she raised to him there was no flood of maiden

!" she said

trying to command herself, to steady her voice. One of those forebodings which are the

d. But she drew it away, and sat up in her chair. S

m a coward, and-and-it was all so horrible. I am not what you suppose me. I'm-a married woman-at least I was. I divorced my husband-eighteen months ago. I'm quite free n

weeping of a child who was yet a woman. The mingled immaturity and intens

. His thoughts rushed back over the six weeks of their friendship-rec

of her brother in Ontario, his children and his letters. Once she had handed him a letter from this brother to read, and he had been struck by the refined and affectionate tone of it. Her

e her-she had been already married-and divorced! Another man had loved and possessed her-and e

sness seemed to be bruised and in pain. He could only

so, dear-

rment how-in a moment-their respective at

g peremptorily to a seat oppos

e is

t to the

ith trembling hands smoothed

l it shortly. It'

el able to

er pallor-the alterati

n't you-weren't you just go

ion!-strange

gravely. "Didn't

eously. "I was never sure-till you lo

as ice-bound till he had

bought the next section to us, and we began to know him. He was a gentleman-he'd been to Cambridge-his father had some land and a house in Lincolnshire. But he was the third son, and he'd been taught land agency, he said, as a training for the colonies. That was all we knew. He was very good-looking, and he began courting me. I suppose I was proud of his being a University man-a publi

ently unconscious of what she was doing. Ellesborough waited. His lean, sharply-cut face revealed a miserable, perhaps an agonized suspense. This crisis into w

ent-who presently seemed to me vile all through-in what he said-or what he did. And I was at his mercy. I had married him in such a hurry he had a right to despise me, and he used it! And when

er child had given her back her dignity and strength to go on. She became visibly more compo

aken up with an Italian girl. There was a large camp of Italians on the C.P.R., quite close to us. She was the daughter of one of the foremen. So then my brother made me go to his la

oved away to the window looking on the down, and stood gazing

t defended?" he as

hout speaking. But aft

ow you th

antelpiece, and buried his face on them. Presently she approached hi

t you loved me. And then-somehow-when you looked down on me like that, I felt-that I cared-much more than I had thought I cared-too much to let you speak-before you knew-before I'd told you. It's always been my way-to-put off disagreeable things. And so I thought I could put this off. B

ainst her will. He ra

n't say good-bye. But you must let me

e that now. Because I'm keen about this work, and I can run this farm, you think-perhaps-I'm a strong char

incoherent, out of touch somehow even with their tragic conversation. But his first passing bew

n she dr

she said, "we can

of Janet in the farm-ya

ening-on the Common?" he said

wned a

worth

u!" he sa

me. We shall be ju

I'll tell you m

never remembered. When they were over, he found himself rushing through the cool and silence of the a