And from another quarter she brought out a pie. Being made of
dried apples, it was not too juicy to cut; and being cut into
huge pieces they were stowed into the basket, lapping over
each other, till little room was left; and cheese and
gingerbread went in to fill that. And then as her hands
pressed the lid down and his hands took the basket, the eyes
met, and a quick little smile of great brilliancy, that
entirely broke up the former calm lines of his face, answered
her; for he said nothing. And the mother's "Now go!" -- was
spoken as if she had enough of him left at home to keep her
heart warm for the rest of the day.

The two ploughmen set forth with their teams. Or ploughboys
rather; for the younger of them as yet had seen not sixteen
years. His brother must have been several in advance of him.

The farmhouse was placed on a little woody and rocky
promontory jutting out into a broad river from the east shore.
Above it, on the higher grounds of the shore, the main body of
the farm lay, where a rich tableland sloped back to a mountainous
ridge that framed it in, about half a mile from the water.
Cultivation had stretched its hands near to the top of this
ridge and driven back the old forest, that yet stood and
looked over from the other side. One or two fields were but
newly cleared, as the black stumps witnessed. Many another
told of good farming, and of a substantial reward for the
farmer; at what cost obtained they did not tell.

Towards one of these upland fields, half made ready for a crop
of spring grain, the boys took their way. On first leaving the