When he saw two more hours go
by in work of which he could judge, his furrowed old brow grew less
puckered, and he came out again to request Mr. Harold to partake of
the mid-day meal. I fancy Harold's going up to Phil's room, to make
himself respectable for Mrs. Ogden's society, was as strange to the
farmer as were to the Australian the good wife's excuses for making
him sit down with the family in the kitchen; but I believe that
during the meal he showed himself practical farmer enough to win
their respect; and when he worked harder than ever all the afternoon,
even till the last moment it was possible to see, and came back with
the light the next morning, he had won his cause; above all, when the
hunt swept by without disturbing the labour.
The farmer not only turned in his scanty supply of men to help to
finish off the labour, and seconded contrivances which the day before
he would have scouted, but he gave his own bowed back to the work. A
pavement of the court which had not seen the day for forty years was
brought to light; and by a series of drain tiles, for which a
messenger was dispatched to the pottery, streams were conducted from
the river to wash these up; and at last, when Harold appeared, after
Eustace had insisted on waiting no longer for dinner, he replied to
our eager questions, "Yes, it is done."
"And Ogden?"
"He thanked me, shook hands with me, and said I was a man.
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