low of a wheat
stook, she saw a tiny child--a baby about a year old, a fair, plump
thing, just waking from sleep.

At sight of the face bending over her, the child set up a louder cry,
which was not angry, however, only forlorn. The tears welled fast into
her blue eyes. She looked piteously at Rachel.

"Mummy, mummy!"

"You poor little thing!" said Rachel. "Whose are you?"

One of the village women who had been helping in the "shocking," she
supposed, had brought the child. She had noticed a little girl playing
about the reapers in the afternoon--no doubt an elder sister brought to
look after the baby. Between the mother and the sister there must have
been some confusion, and one or other would come running back directly.

But meanwhile she took up the child, who at first resisted passionately,
fighting with all its chubby strength against the strange arms. But
Rachel seemed to have a way with her--a spell, which worked. She bent
over the little thing, soothing and cooing to her, and then finding a few
crumbs of cake in the pocket of her overall, the remains of her own lunch
in the field, she daintily fed the rosy mouth, till the sobs ceased and
the child stared upwards in a sleep wonder, her blue eyes held by the
brown ones above her.

"Mummy!" she repeated, still whimpering slightly.

"Mummy's coming," said Rachel tenderly. "What a duck it is!"

And bending, she kissed the soft, downy cheek greedily, with the same
ardour she had just been throwing into her own dreams of success.

She carried the child, now quiet and comforted, towards the house. The
warm weight upon her arms was delicious to her. Only as she neared the
gate in the now moonlit dusk, her lips quivered suddenly, and two tears
rolled down her cheeks.

"I haven't carried a child," she thought, "since--"

Suddenly there was a shout from the farther gate of the harvest field,
and a girl came running at top speed. It was the little one's elder
sister, and with a proper scolding, Rachel gave up her prize.

The two land-girls had finished giving food and water to the cattle and a
special mush to new-born calves. Everything was now in order for the
night, and Janet, standing on the steps of the farm-house, rang a bell,
which meant that supper would be ready in a few minutes. The two partners
and their employees were soon gathered round the table in the kitchen,
which was also the dining-room. It was a cold meal of bacon, with
lettuce, bread and jam