ther.
He longed for school, for when boys were not obliged to learn, some of
them wished to do so. There was a free grammar school about three
miles off to which he wanted to go, and Patience, who was proud of his
ability, wished to send him, neither of them thinking anything of the
walk.

Stead, however, could see no use in more learning than he had himself.
Neither he nor Jeph had been to school. Why should the child go? He
could not be spared just as he was getting old enough to be of some use
and save time, which was money.

And when the little fellow showed his disappointment, Stead was even
surly in telling him "they wanted no upstarts."

It was a hard winter, and the frost was followed by a great deal of wet.
One of the sheep was swept away by the flood; three or four lambs
died; and Stead, for about the first time in his life, caught a severe
feverish cold in looking after the flock, and was laid by for a day or
two, very cross and fretful at everything going wrong without him.

Poor little Ben was more railed at for those few days than ever he had
been before, and next he broke down and had to be nursed; and then came
Patience's turn. She was ill enough to frighten her brothers; and Goody
Grace, who came to see to her, finding how thin her blanket was, and how
long it was since she had had any food but porridge, gave Steadfast
a thorough good scolding, told him he would be the death of a better
sister than he deserved, and set before him how only for his sake
Patience might be living on the fat of the land at the mill.

To all appearance, Stead listened sulkily enough, but by-and-by Goody
found a fowl killed and laid ready for use. It was an old hen, whose
death set Patience crying in her weakness. Nevertheless, it was stewed
down into broth which heartened her up considerably, and a blanket that
came home rolled up on the donkey's back warmed her heart as much as her
limbs.

Mrs. Elmwood spared Rusha for a week, and it was funny to see how the
girl wondered at its having been possible to live in such a den. She
absolutely cried when Ben told her how hard they had been living, and
said she did not think Stead would ever have used Patience so.

"Then why did she make as if she liked it?" said Stead, gruffly.

But for all that Stead was too sound-hearted not to be grieved at
himself, and to see that his love and impatience had led him into
unkindness to those who depended on him; and when Master Woodley