Far from the Madding Crowd

"My heart died within me, that time; but I kneeled down and said the Lord's Prayer, and then the Belie right through, and then the Ten Commandments, in earnest prayer. But no, the gate wouldn't open; and then I went on with Dearly Beloved Brethren, and, thinks I, this makes four, and 'tis all I know out of book, and if this don't do it nothing will, and I'm a lost man. Well, when I got to Saying After Me, I rose from my knees and found the gate would open -- yes, neighbours, the gate opened the same as ever."

A meditation on the obvious inference was indulged in by all, and during its continuance each directed his vision into the ashpit, which glowed like a desert in the tropics under a vertical sun, shaping their eyes long and liny, partly because of the light, partly from the depth of the subject discussed.

Gabriel broke the silence. "What sort of a place is this to live at, and what sort of a mis'ess is she to work under?" Gabriel's bosom thrilled gently as he thus slipped under the notice of the assembly the innermost subject of his heart.

"We d' know little of her -- nothing. She only showed herself a few days ago. Her uncle was took bad, and the doctor was called with his world-wide skill; but he couldn't save the man. As I take it, she's going to keep on the farm.

"That's about the shape o't, 'a b'lieve." said Jan uncle was a very fair sort of man. Did ye know en, be under 'em as under one here and there. Her uncle was a very fair sort of man. Did ye know 'en, shepherd -- a bachelor-man?"

"Not at all."

"I used to go to his house a-courting my first wife, Charlotte, who was his dairymaid. Well, a very goodhearted man were Farmer Everdene, and I being a respectable young fellow was allowed to call and see her and drink as much ale as I liked, but not to carry away any -- outside my skin I mane of course."

"Ay, ay, Jan Coggan; we know yer meaning."

"And so you see 'twas beautiful ale, and I wished to value his kindness as much as I could, and not to be so ill-mannered as to drink only a thimbleful, which would have been insulting the man's generosity -- -- "

"True, Master Coggan, 'twould so." corroborated Mark Clark.

" -- -- And so I used to eat a lot of salt fish afore going, and then by the time I got there I were as dry as a lime-basket -- so thorough dry that that ale would slip down -- ah, 'twould slip down sweet! Happy times! heavenly times! Such lovely drunks as I used to have at that house! You can mind, Jacob?