and gloom. The arrival of young Frank
had apparently increased the father's tendency to brood over the darker
problems of his barbarous creed. He talked of young Frank, who would
surely inherit some of the Raeburn joy of life, as if he would grow up
in suspicion, demon-haunted, oppressed with the fear of God's wrath, a
sour and melancholy dreamer of damnable dreams.

Zachary took to groaning aloud over the sins of his fellow-men, would
groan and sweat horribly in the imagination of the unappeasable cruelty
of God. These outbreaks of despair for mankind were the more obnoxious
to Jenny because they were always followed by a monstrous excess of his
privileges, by an utterly abhorred affectionateness. Mr. Champion, the
outspoken, clear-headed old man, would often remonstrate with his
nephew. Once, while Trewhella was in a spasm of misery groaning for his
own sins and the sins of the world, a sick cow died in audible agony on
account of his neglect.

"You ought to be ashamed, you foolish man," said Granfa. "You ought to
be ashamed to leave the poor animal die. Darn 'ee, I believe the devil
_will_ have 'ee!"

"What's a cow," said Trewhella somberly, "beside my own scarlet sins?"

"'Tis one of the worst of 'em," said Granfa positively. "'Tis so scarlet
as wool. Get up, and leave be all your praying and sweating, you foolish
man. You do drive me plum mad with your foolishness. How don't 'ee do
your own work fittee and leave the dear Lord mind his own business? He
don't want to be told at his time of life what to do. Oh, you do drive
me mad."

"Another lost lamb," groaned Trewhella. "Another soul in the pit. Oh, I
do pray wi' all my heart that my poor lill son may find favor in the
Lord's eyes and become a child of grace to preach the Word and confound
the Gentiles."

"Did ever a man hark to such nonsense in his life?" exclaimed Granfa.

"I shouldn't argue with him in one of his moods," advised Jenny, looking
at her husband coldly and distastefully.

"Oh, dear Lord, give me strength to heal the blindness of my family and
make my poor lill son a sword in the side of unbelievers."

Then presently the gloom would pass; he would go out silently to the
fields, and after a day's work come back in a fever of earthly desires
to his wife.

There were shadows in Bochyn, for all the sunlight and birdsong and
sweetpeas blossom.

Chapter XLIII: _Bow Bells_

Summer went by very quickly in the deserted orchard, and in