"Well, don't go and make a day's work of it," commanded Mrs. Stephen. "There's a sight o' things a-waiting to be done." "I can't be back afore two, hasten as I 'ool," returned Jim, giving the horse his head and clattering off. "I wonder what the master sent him to-day for, when he's away himself?" cried Becca to her sister, returning to the table in the kitchen. "Well, he got a message last night to say that if he didn't send for it away to-day it wouldn't be kept for him," said Eunice. "It's a precious long way to have to go for a load o' manure!" "But then we get it for the fetching; there's naught to pay," returned Becca. She had begun to wash up the breakfast-things, and when that was done she put the kitchen to rights. Eunice seemed to be at all sorts of jobs, indoors and out, and went stalking about in pattens. The furnace had been lighted in the brewhouse, for Eunice had a day's washing before her. Becca went up to make the beds, and brought down sundry armfuls of clothes for the wash. About ten o'clock she appeared in the brewhouse with her bonnet and shawl on. Eunice was standing at the tub in her pattens, rubbing away at the steaming soap-suds. "Why, where be you going?" she exclaimed in evident surprise. "I'm a-going over to Dick's to fetch Beccy," replied Mrs. Stephen. "It's a long while since she was here. Ste don't care to see children about the place. The child shall stop to dinner with us and can go home by herself in the afternoon. What's the matter now, Eunice Gibbon? Don't it please ye?" "Oh, it pleases me well enough," returned Eunice, who was looking anything _but_ pleased, and splashing both hands desperately about in the water, over one of Stephen's coloured cotton handkerchiefs. "The child can come, and welcome, for me. 'Tain't that." "It's some'at else then," remarked Becca. "Well, I'd wanted to get a bit o' talk with ye," said Eunice. "That's what it is. The master's safe off, and it was a good opportunity for it." "What about?" Eunice Gibbon took her hands out of the soap-suds and rested them on the sides of the tub, while she answered--coming to the point at once. "I've been a-thinking that I can't stop on here, Becca. I bain't at ease. Many a night lately I have laid awake over it. If anything comes out about--you know what--we might all of us get into trouble." "No fear," said Becca. "Well, I says there is fear. Folks have talked long enough; but it strikes me they won't be satisfied with talking much longer: they'll be searching out. Only yesterday morning when I was waiting at Duffham's while he mixed up the stuff, he must begin upon it. 'Did ye hear the cries last night?' says he--or something o' that. 'No,' says I in answer; 'there was none to hear, only the wind.' Them two young gents from the Manor was there, cocking up their ears at the words. _I_ see 'em."