Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) IN A QUIET VILLAGE _First Edition, April 1900_ _Reprinted, May 1900_ IN A QUIET VILLAGE BY S. BARING GOULD AUTHOR OF “MEHALAH” “PERPETUA” ETC. ETC. LONDON ISBISTER AND COMPANY LIMITED 15 & 16 TAVISTOCK STREET COVENT GARDEN 1900 Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. At the Ballantyne Press CONTENTS PAGE DAN’L COOMBE 7 TIMOTHY SLOUCH 19 DOBLE DREWE 35 MARY TREMBATH 47 THE OLD POST-BOY 57 AUNTIE 67 BROTHER AUGUSTINE 87 HAROUN THE CARPENTER 97 SHONE EVANS 109 HENRY FROST 131 MILK-MAIDS 145 THE BRIDE’S WELL 157 JACK HANNAFORD 171 FROM DEATH TO LIFE 187 CICELY CROWE 207 THE WEATHERCOCK 231 A PLUM-PUDDING 249 A CHRISTMAS TREE 267 FOLK-PRAYERS 285 CRAZY JANE 301 DAN’L COOMBE DAN’L COOMBE Old Dan’l was a character indeed, and for many years a mystery as well. He was a man of one object in life, and what that object was no one knew for thirty-five years. He was by trade a tailor, and throughout the hours of daylight he sat cross-legged on his table near a very large window, viewed by all who passed along the road, but scarce looking away from his work to exchange a nod with a passer-by. He shaved his face clean, that is to say he shaved it occasionally clean, but this was once a week only, on Saturday, and during the ensuing week a dusky shadow stole over cheek and chin that made Dan’l look anything but clean-shaved. He wore his hair short, but had thick and very protruding eyebrows. He was a reticent man. The tailor’s shop is often a place where many villagers congregate to have a chat, and the tailor is able to go on with his needlework in a mechanical fashion whilst conversing. But Daniel Coombe did not affect gossip and prattle; what he undertook he carried through with an almost grim persistency. As the gamekeeper said: “Bless you, old Coombe, he do lay hold on and stick to a job just as a ferret do to a rabbit. There ain’t no gettin’ him to quit it.”