y piled over the rent,
and so sealed it with a cromlech of stone.

II

That, in the heat of rage and of terror, we had gone farther than we had
at first designed, our gloom and our silence on the morrow attested. True
we were quit of our incubus, but on such terms as not even the severity
of the times could excuse. For the man had but chastised us to our
improvement; and to destroy the scourge is not to condone the offence.
For myself, as I bore up the little Margery to my shoulder on my way to
the reaping, I felt the burden of guilt so great as that I found myself
muttering of an apology to the Lord that I durst put myself into touch
with innocence. "But the walk would fatigue her otherwise," I murmured;
and, when we were come to the field, I took and carried her into the
upper or little meadow, out of reach of the scythes, and placed her to
sleep amongst the corn, and so left her with a groan.

But when I was come anew to my comrades, who stood at the lower extremity
of the field--and this was the bottom of the hour-glass, so to speak--I
was aware of a stir amongst them, and, advancing closer, that they were
all intent upon the neighbourhood of the field I had left, staring like
distraught creatures, and holding well together, as if in a panic.
Therefore, following the direction of their eyes, and of one that pointed
with rigid finger, I turned me about, and looked whence I had come; and
my heart went with a somersault, and in a moment I was all sick and
dazed.

For I saw, at the upper curve of the meadow, where the well lay in gloom,
that a man had sprung out of the earth, as it seemed, and was started
reaping; and the face of this man was all in shadow, from which his beard
ran out and down like a stream of gall.

He reaped swiftly and steadily, swinging like a pendulum; but, though the
sheaves fell to him right and left, no swish of the scythe came to us,
nor any sound but the beating of our own hearts.

Now, from the first moment of my looking, no doubt was in my lost soul
but that this was him we had destroyed come back to verify his prophecy
in ministering to the vengeance of the Lord of Hosts; and at the thought
a deep groan rent my bosom, and was echoed by those about me. But
scarcely was it issued when a second terror smote me as that I near
reeled. Margery--my babe! put to sleep there in the path of the Black
Reaper!

At that, though they called to me, I sprang forward like a madman, and
run