The grey figure kept Phoebe in sight, but followed a path of his own
choosing. When she entered the woods he drew a little nearer, and thus
followed, passing from shadow to shadow, scarce fifty yards behind.

Meanwhile the main procession approached the scene of its labours.
Martin Grimbal, attracted by the prospect of reading this page from an
old Devonian superstition, was of the company. He walked with Billy Blee
and Gaffer Lezzard; and these high priests, well pleased at their
junior's attitude towards the ceremony, opened their hearts to him upon
it.

"'T is an ancient rite, auld as cider--maybe auld as Scripture, to, for
anything I've heard to the contrary," said Mr. Lezzard.

"Ay, so 't is," declared Billy Blee, "an' a custom to little observed
nowadays. But us might have better blooth in springtime an' braaver
apples come autumn if the trees was christened more regular. You doan't
see no gert stock of sizable apples best o' years now--li'l scrubbly
auld things most times."

"An' the cider from 'em--poor roapy muck, awnly fit to make 'e thirst
for better drink," criticised Gaffer Lezzard.

"'Tis this way: theer's gert virtue in cider put to apple-tree roots on
this particular night, accordin' to the planets and such hidden things.
Why so, I can't tell 'e, any more 'n anybody could tell 'e why the moon
sails higher up the sky in winter than her do in summer; but so 't is.
An' facts be facts. Why, theer's the auld 'Sam's Crab' tree in this very
orchard we'm walkin' to. I knawed that tree three year ago to give a
hogshead an' a half as near as damn it. That wan tree, mind, with no