Page:Lorna Doone - a romance of Exmoor (IA lornadooneromanc691blac).pdf/138

 something unrighteous about it. But what can a poor widow do? John Fry would have taken it, but for our Jack. Our Jack was a little too sharp for him."

Ay, that I was; John Fry had got it, like a billet under his apron, going away in the grey of the morning, as if to kindle his fireplace. "Why, John," I said, "what a heavy log! Let me have one end of it." "Thank 'e, Jan, no need of thiccy;" he answered, turning his back to me; "waife wanteth a log as will last all day, to kape the crock a zimmerin." And he banged his gate upon my heels to make me stop and rub them. "Why, John," said I, "you'm got a log with round holes in the end of it. Who has been cutting gun-wads? Just lift your apron, or I will."

But, to return to Tom Faggus—he stopped to sup that night with us, and took a little of everything; a few oysters first, and then dried salmon, and then ham and eggs, done in small curled rashers, and then a few collops of venison toasted, and next to that a little cold roast-pig, and a woodcock on toast to finish with, before the Scheidam and hot-water. And having changed his wet things first, he seemed to be in fair appetite, and praised Annie's cooking mightily, with a kind of noise like a smack of his lips, and a rubbing of his hands together, whenever he could spare them.

He had gotten John Fry's best small-clothes on, for he said he was not good enough to go into my father's (which mother kept to look at), nor man enough to fill them. And in truth my mother was very glad that he refused, when I offered them. But John was over-