, so arranged that
they did not work properly; in fact, he could only use one at a time.
If he brought one to bear upon an object, that eye dragged its fellow
round so that the pupil dived under the man's thick nose; and if he made
an effort to see with the eclipsed one, it served its fellow in the same
way.

"You must have heard too, Ram Jennings."

"Yoss, I heared," said the other man, a dark, rather villainous-looking
fellow, whose face could not be called troubled with yellow specks, but
streaked here and there with a little whitish red, the rest being one
enormous freckle, which covered brow, cheeks, and chin.

"Then why didn't you answer?"

"Both on us stopped," said the first man addressed.

"Ay, that's so," said the other.

"Why didn't you come back, then?"

"'Cause we see you running. Didn't we, mate?"

"Ay, that's so."

"It's your duty to come to me when your called," said Ralph hotly. "The
man to the master, not the master to the man."

"Allus do," said Nick, looking insolently at the lad first with one eye,
and then with the other.

"Don't be impertinent, sir. Now then, where are you two going?"

"Over yonder," said the first man surlily.

"Ay, over yonder," said the other.

"What for?"

"Fads."

"What?"

"Fads. Young missus wants some o' they softy stones cut to build up in
the yard, round a bit o' drain pipe, to make a puddle to keep fishes
in."

"Oh!" said the lad, cooling down. "Go and do it then; I'll wait till
the afternoon."

The men grinned, shouldered their picks, and went off, while the lad
took a few paces in another direction; but turned sharply, and called
the men again, with the same result--that is, they stood still and
waited for him to join them.

"They're a pair of thick-headed fools, that's what they are," muttered
the lad. "I could teach a dog to be more dutiful. Here, Nick--Ram--did
you see those soldiers who came the other day?"

"Nay, only one o' their cloak things as they left behind."

"Left a cloak behind?"

"Ay," said the second man. "I fun' it."

"What did you do with it?"

"Burnt it. Warn't good for nothing else."

"Do you know where they went?"

"Summun said they went to Black Tor, and old Eden set 'em to work in the
mine, and keeps 'em there," said Nick, moving his head from side to
side, so as to bring his eyes alternately to bear upon his young master.

"Oh!" said Ralph softly to himself. Then aloud: "That will do."

The men