what they are
born or I should not be here, should I?"

This was an argument to which John's slow mind could not supply an
answer. Conservative to the backbone in all his notions, like most
Sussex people, be their politics what they may, the law of progress was
no law to him, but rather rebellion to the divine appointments, and that
Jack should wish to be anything else but a shepherd like his ancestors
was to him as inexplicable and incomprehensible as it was profane and
wicked.

Fairy's presence among them had often been an enigma to him. Accustomed
to work in a groove himself, his mind never travelling beyond the downs
on which his life was spent, he could not fathom the divine purpose in
placing her under his care, but yet being quite clear in his own mind it
was God's will for her at present, he did his duty towards her without
questioning; but the idea of Jack rising out of his own sphere of life
into a higher was another matter altogether.

"I don't know," said John, at last, as Fairy repeated her question.

"By the bye, how long have I been here exactly?" asked Fairy.

"Let me see; twelve years last shearing-time," said the shepherd, whose
dates were few and simple, sheep-washing, shearing, lambing, and next
and last sheepfair being the principal.

"But I want to know the day of the month; and I'll tell you why. You all
have birthdays except me, and no one knows when mine was, so I am going
to keep mine for the future on the day I was brought here, so I shall
be like the sheep; you count their age from their first shearing, not
from the day they are born, and I am going to count mine from the day I
was found. Now try and remember when it was, will you?"

"Twelve years ago last shearing; it was on a Friday, the day before the
shearing ended, somewhere about this time, for we finished shearing last
Saturday week," said John.

"It was earlier, John; it was the twenty-sixth of June; I wrote it down
in my Bible the night you found her; but come into supper; the smock is
finished at last," said Mrs. Shelley, folding up the ugly garment with a
sigh.

"Jack's smock? I am glad of that, he must put it on to-morrow; he will
look every inch a shepherd then," said John.

"Indeed, he won't wear it to-morrow; we are all going to have a holiday,
and going to the seaside for the day; but where is Jack? I wish he would
come into tea. I want him to help me with my lessons; I shall be much
too tired to do them to-morrow