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again Into dripping icy darkness.
There was little that the men could do in this weather, so they
stayed indoors and sat about in Sarah’s road. Hamilton nursed the fire
in his lap, as Sarah said crossly, whittling eternally with his knife.
He cut teeth for the new-fangled horse rake and then he made a butter-
print for the girl, e cow in relief on a shamrock. She scoffed at the
crude figures, but he was content for he saw that she was pleased. Frank
lay sacking ell day, turning the yellowed leaves of a natural history
book. Sometimes he threw himself fully clothed on his bed, and Sarah
found rinds of mud on the blankets. ..hen she scolded him he threw the
book away, fluttering and shedding leaves, and went outside. He came
back in a few minutes and lounged about in a hangdog way. "I’m going
down tae Sampson's - is there anything ye want?" he asked at last.
Sarah lifted the paraffin jar and shook it. There is" she answered,
thrusting it Into his hand. "And ask Agnes tae get me half-a-dozen
candles and a loaf o’ baker’s bread from Skillen’s shop." He put on his
hat and drew a sack over his shoulders and went out.
They were seated at their evening meal when he came back. Sarah
rose when she heard his feet on the close, and lifting his plate from the
hearth, blew the embers from the rim with her breath. They heard him
fumbling at the latch, and then he came in with a little rush, regaining
his balance, he stared at them foolishly for a moment, blinking his eyes
in the light. He lurched again as he set t! oil-jar in the corner.
Skimming his sodden hat across the room where it left a mark on the
crocus—yellow wall, he crossed over to the table a id sat down. His
lips were wet and quivering, and his hair, darkened with the rain,
