"`Good job,' he says, `as Sir Francis ain't at home, for he thought a

deal of that boy.' "`Warn't my fault,' I says; but he shook his head, and took me in, and

there sat Old Brownsmith's brother's wife, with a white face and red

eyes as if she had been crying, and Old Brownsmith himself.

"Well, he gives me a long talking to, and I told him everything about

it; and when I'd done I says again as it warn't my fault, and Old

Brownsmith turns to his brother and he says, as fair as a man could

speak, `It warn't his fault, Solomon; and if it's as he says, Grant's

that sort o' boy as'll repent and be very sorry, and if he don't come

back before, you'll get a letter begging your pardon for what he's done,

or else I shall. You wait a couple of days.' "I dunno why, but I was reg'lar uncomf'table about you, my lad, and I

didn't understand Juno stopping away so, for next day she was gone

again, but next night she was back. Next day she was gone again, and

didn't come back, and on the fourth, when I was down the garden

digging--leastwise, I wasn't digging, for I was leaning on my spade

thinking, up comes Old Brownsmith's brother with his mouth open, and

before he could say a word I says to him, `Stop!' I says; `I've got

it,' for it come to me like a flash o' lightning.

"`What?' he says.

"`Them boys is in that sand-pit, covered over!' I says.

"`That's it!' he says. `I was coming to say I thought so, and that we'd

go over directly.' "Bless your heart, my boy, I was all of a shiver as I got into the light

cart alongside Old Brownsmith's brother and six shovels and four spades

in the bottom of the cart as I felt we should want, and I see as Old

Brownsmith's brother had got a flask o' something strong in his

breast-pocket. Then I just looked and saw that Juno warn't there, and

we were off.

"My hye, how that there horse did go till we got to the little public.

We stopped once to give her mouth a wash out and a mouthful of hay, and

then we were off again, never hardly saying a word, but as we got to the

public we pulls up, and Old Brownsmith's brother shouts to the landlord,

`Send half-a-dozen men up to the sand-pit directly. Boys buried.' "You see he felt that sure, my lad, that he said that, and then we drove

on up the hill, with the horse smoking, and a lot of men after us.




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