clothe him for the year, came to do his
share of raking, and any other who could find some evening hours to
spare. The whole was cut and carried in three days of glorious weather.

The lovers were too tired the last evening of hay harvest to go rambling,
and sat in the orchard watching the moon slide up through the coppice
behind the church. They sat on Tod's log, deliciously weary, in the
scent of the new-mown hay, while moths flitted gray among the blue
darkness of the leaves, and the whitened trunks of the apple-trees
gleamed ghostly. It was very warm; a night of whispering air, opening
all hearts. And Derek said:

"You'll know to-morrow, Nedda."

A flutter of fear overtook her. What would she know?

CHAPTER XXVII

On the 13th of June Sir Gerald Malloring, returning home to dinner from
the House of Commons, found on his hall table, enclosed in a letter from
his agent, the following paper:

"We, the undersigned laborers on Sir Gerald Malloring's estate, beg
respectfully to inform him that we consider it unjust that any laborer
should be evicted from his cottage for any reason connected with private
life, or social or political convictions. And we respectfully demand
that, before a laborer receives notice to quit for any such reason, the
case shall be submitted to all his fellow laborers on the estate; and
that in the future he shall only receive such notice if a majority of his
fellow laborers record their votes in favor of the notice being given.
In the event of this demand being refused, we regretfully decline to take
any hand in getting in the hay on Sir Gerald Malloring's estate."

Then followed ninety-three signatures, or signs of the cross with names
printed after them.

The agent's letter which enclosed this document mentioned that the hay
was already ripe for cutting; that everything had been done to induce the
men to withdraw the demand, without success, and that the farmers were
very much upset. The thing had been sprung on them, the agent having no
notion that anything of the sort was on foot. It had been very secretly,
very cleverly, managed; and, in the agent's opinion, was due to Mr.
Freeland's family. He awaited Sir Gerald's instructions. Working double
tides, with luck and good weather, the farmers and their families might
perhaps save half of the hay.

Malloring read this letter twice, and the enclosure three times, and
crammed them deep down into his pocket.

It was pre-em