riously. "I,
only hope it hasn't fractured the skull. However, all this swelling and
suffusion of blood is a good sign. Give me that hot water. I shall put
a lancet in here and get it to bleed freely. That will be a relief to
him."

While he was doing this an exclamation of pleasure from Polly showed
that Bill was showing signs of returning to life. His eyes presently
opened. Polly bent over him.

"Lie quiet, Bill, dear; you have been hurt, but the doctor says you
will soon be well again. Yes; Master Ned is all right too. Don't worry
yourself about him."

An hour later both were sleeping quietly.

"They will sleep till morning," Dr. Green said, "perhaps well on into
the day; it is no use my waiting any longer. I will be up the first
thing."

So he drove away, while Polly took her work and sat down to watch the
sleepers during the night, and Luke, taking his stick and hat, set off
to guard the mill till daylight.

Ned woke first just as daylight was breaking; he felt stupid and heavy,
with a splitting pain in his head. He tried to rise, but found that he
could not do so. He accordingly told George to go down in an hour's
time to Marsden, and to leave a message at the house saying that he was
detained and should not be back to breakfast, and that probably he
might not return that night. The doctor kept his head enveloped in wet
bandages all day, and he was on the following morning able to go down to
Marsden, although still terribly pale and shaken. His appearance excited
the liveliest wonder and commiseration on the part of Charlie, Lucy,
and Abijah; but he told them that he had had an accident, and had got a
nasty knock on the back of his head. He kept his room for a day or two;
but at the end of that time he was able to go to the mill as usual.
Bill Swinton was longer away, but broths and jellies soon built up his
strength again, and in three weeks he was able to resume work, although
it was long before the ugly scar on his face was healed. The secret was
well kept, and although in time the truth of the affair became known in
Varley it never reached Marsden, and Ned escaped the talk and comment
which it would have excited had it been known, and, what was worse, the
official inquiry which would have followed.

The Huddersfield men naturally kept their own council. They had hastily
buried their dead comrade on the moor, and although several of them were
so severely knocked about that they were unable to go to wor