"She does, and what's a lot rarer even than that, she knows what she means--so far as a human can. Many never do. Many in my experience find the mere fact of being alive such a puzzle to them that they ain't clear about anything--can't see clear and can't speak clear. They go through their days like a man who've had just one drop too much." "Life be a drop too much for some people," said Lawrence. "It is. Keep working, keep working. An hour lost is an hour lost, even though you'd knocked off to help the Queen of England. Oh, my poor side! There's a muscle carried away I'm fearing. Shouldn't wonder if I was in bed to-morrow. What a far-reaching thing a catastrophe may be! Orphan Dinah gets mooning and lets down her pony. Then you, as needs you must, go to the rescue, and drop your work and make a gap in the orderly scheme of things in general. Then I come along, to see how we'm prospering, and forgetting my age and infirmity, rush in to fill the gap. Then once more my rash spirit gets a reminder from the failing flesh, and I'm called to suffer in body as well as pocket. That's the way how things be always happening. Nobody to blame, you understand, but somebody to pay. Somebody's got to pay for every damn thing. Nature's worse than they blasted moneylenders." "I'll put my part right." "Yes, exactly so, Lawrence; and somebody always do offer to put their part right. Good men are always offering. But 'tis in the cranky nature of things that oftener than not the wronger ban't the righter. You can't call home sixty minutes of time, any more than you can order the sun to stay in his tracks. And you can't right my twisted thigh. So the harm's done for all eternity." "The fern will be in to-night before milking." "That's a brave speech, such as I should have spoken at your age," said Joe. "Now I must limp back afore I'm stiff, and see what my daughter can do for me. I dare say a valiant bout of elbow grease on her part may stave off the worst. If you use 'Nicholson's embrocation'---the strength they make it for hosses--it will often save the situation. Many a day when I've been bone-tired after working from dawn till moon-up, I've refreshed the joints with 'Nicholson's'--hoss strength." He left them, going slowly and relying much upon his stick. Then, when he was out of ear-shot, Thomas spoke. "What d'you think of that?" he asked. "Did he do much work?" "Pitched three forks of fern, or it might be four--not a darned one more." "He's a clever old man, however." "I never said he weren't," answered Palk. "He's the cleverest old man ever I saw. I'm only telling you us may find out he's too clever." "We'll get the fern in anyway." Mr. Stockman had sat down two hundred yards from them by the grassy track to the farm. "He's waiting for me to give him a lift home," said Thomas. CHAPTER VI ON HAZEL TOR