Mrs. Bumpkin was holding her apron to her eyes, and for a long while
could say nothing.

"Who be he, Nancy?"

"I don't know, Tom--but he held a paper in his hand writ all over as
close as the stubble-rows in the field, and he said thee had signed un."

"Lord! lord!" exclaimed Mr. Bumpkin, and then sat down on the settle and
looked at the fire as though it threw a light over his past actions. He
couldn't speak for a long time, not till Mrs. Bumpkin went up to him and
laid her hand upon his shoulder, and said:

"Tom! Tom! thee ha winned the case."

"Aye, aye," said Bumpkin, starting up as from a reverie. "I ha winned,
Nancy. I ha beat thic there Snooks; ur wont snigger now when ur gooes
by--lor, lor,--our counsellor put it into un straight, Nancy."

"Did ur, Tom?--well, I be proud."

"Ah!" said Bumpkin, "and what d'ye think?--it wornt our counsellor, that
is the Queen's Counsellor nuther; he wornt there although I paid un, but
I spoase he'll gie up the money, Nancy?"

"Were it much, Tom?"

"Farty guineas!"

"Farty guineas, Tom! Why, it wur enough to set up housekeepin wi--and
thee only winned twenty-five, Tom; why thic winnin were a heavy loss I
think."

"Now, lookee ere," said Bumpkin; "I oughter had five undered, as Laryer
Prigg said, our case were that good, but lor it baint sartain: gie I a
little gin and water, Nancy--thee ain't asked I to have a drap since I
bin oame."

"Lor, Tom, thee knows I be all for thee, and that all be thine."

"It beant much, it strikes me; lor, lor, whatever shall us do wirout pigs
and sheep, and wirout thic bull. I be fit to cry, Nancy, although I
winned the case."

Tom had his gin and water and smoked his pipe, and went to bed and
dreamed of all that had taken place. He rose with the lark and went into
the fields and enjoyed once again the fresh morning air, and the sweet
scent of the new hayrick in the yard; and, without regarding it, the song
of the lark as it shot heavenward and poured down its stream of glad
music: but there was amidst all a sadness of spirit and a feeling of
desolation. It was not like the old times when everything seemed to
welcome him about the farm wherever he went. The work of "the man" was
everywhere. But the harvest was got in, and a plentiful harvest it was:
the corn was threshed, and one day Mr. Bumpkin went to market with his
little bags of samples of the newly-housed grain. Everybody was glad to
see him, for he was known everywh