s. Bester wept as she talked,
and, if the truth must be told, enjoyed the situation. She was the first
to tell the story to her ladyship's sister herself, as well as to Mrs.
Welden and old Doby.

"It's Tom as brought it in," she said. "He's my brother, miss, an' he's
one of the ringers. He heard it from Jem Wesgate, an' he heard it at
Toomy's farm. They've been keepin' it hid at the Mount because the
people that's ill hangs on his lordship so that the doctors daren't let
them know the truth. They've been told he had to go to London an' may
come back any day. What Tom was sayin', miss, was that we'd all know
when it was over, for we'd hear the church bell toll here same as it'd
toll at Dunstan, because they ringers have talked it over an' they're
goin' to talk it over to-day with the other parishes--Yangford an'
Meltham an' Dunholm an' them. Tom says Stornham ringers met just now at
The Clock an' said that for a man that's stood by labouring folk like he
has, toll they will, an' so ought the other parishes, same as if he was
royalty, for he's made himself nearer. They'll toll the minute they hear
it, miss. Lord help us!" with a fresh outburst of crying. "It don't seem
like it's fair as it should be. When we hear the bell toll, miss----"

"Don't!" said her ladyship's handsome sister suddenly. "Please don't say
it again."

She sat down by the table, and resting her elbows on the blue and white
checked cloth, covered her face with her hands. She did not speak at
all. In this tiny room, with these two old souls who loved her, she need
not explain. She sat quite still, and Mrs. Welden after looking at her
for a few seconds was prompted by some sublimely simple intuition, and
gently sidled Mrs. Bester and her youngest into the little kitchen,
where the copper was.

"Her helpin' him like she did, makes it come near," she whispered.
"Dessay it seems as if he was a'most like a relation."

Old Doby sat and looked at his goddess. In his slowly moving old brain
stirred far-off memories like long-dead things striving to come to life.
He did not know what they were, but they wakened his dim eyes to a new
seeing of the slim young shape leaning a little forward, the soft cloud
of hair, the fair beauty of the cheek. He had not seen anything like
it in his youth, but--it was Youth itself, and so was that which the
ringers were so soon to toll for; and for some remote and unformed
reason, to his scores of years they were pitiful and s