potting without replying except by a
carefully measured grunt, sufficient to show that he had heard
the remark, and was not much impressed by it.

Tom saw that he must change his attack; so, after watching Simon
for a minute, he began again.

"I wonder why it is that the men of your time of life are so much
stronger than the young ones in constitution. Now, I don't
believe there are three young men in Englebourn who would have
got over that fall you had at Farmer Groves' so quick as you
have; most young men would have been crippled for life by it."

"Zo 'em would, the young wosbirds. I dwont make no account on
'em," said Simon.

"And you don't feel any the worse for it, Simon?"

"Narra mossel," replied Simon; but presently he seemed to
recollect something, and added, "I wun't saay but what I feels it
at times when I've got to stoop about much."

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that, Simon. Then you oughtn't to have so
much stooping to do; potting, and that sort of thing, is the work
for you, I should think, and just giving an eye to everything
about the place. Anybody could do the digging and setting out
cabbages, and your time is only wasted at it."--Tom had now found
the old man's weak point.

"Ees, sir, and so I tells miss," he said, "but wi' nothin' but a
bit o' glass no bigger'n a cowcumber frame, 'tis all as a man can
do to keep a few plants alive droo' the winter."

"Of course," said Tom, looking round at the very respectable
greenhouse which Simon had contemptuously likened to a
cucumber-frame, "you ought to have at least another house as big
as this for forcing."

"Master ain't pleased, he ain't," said Simon, "if he dwon't get
his things, his spring wegetables, and his strawberries, as early
as though we'd a got forcin' pits and glass like other folk. 'Tis
a year and mwore since he promised as I sh'd hev glass along that
ther' wall, but 'tis no nigher comin' as I can see. I be to spake
to miss about it now, and, when I spakes to her, 'tis, 'oh,
Simon, we must wait till the 'spensary's 'stablished,' or 'oh,
Simon, last winter wur a werry tryin wun, and the sick club's
terrible bad off for funds,'--and so we gwoes on, and med gwo on
for aught as I can see, so long as there's a body sick or bad off
in all the parish. And that'll be all us. For, what wi' wisitin'
on 'em, and sendin' on 'em dinners, and a'al the doctor's stuff
as is served out o' the 'spensary--wy, 'tis enough to keep 'em
bad a'al ther' lives.