"'Nancy, you needn't mind letting it out, though 'tis kept back in
kindness. And he didn't come out of the church again: I know it as well
as you.'

"Nancy did not answer yes or no to that, and no more was said. But three
days after, William Privett was mowing with John Chiles in Mr Hardcome's
meadow, and in the heat of the day they sat down to their bit o' nunch
under a tree, and empty their flagon. Afterwards both of 'em fell asleep
as they sat. John Chiles was the first to wake, and, as he looked
towards his fellow-mower, he saw one of those great white miller's-souls
as we call 'em--that is to say, a miller moth--come from William's open
mouth while he slept and fly straight away. John thought it odd enough,
as William had worked in a mill for several years when he was a boy. He
then looked at the sun, and found by the place o't that they had slept a
long while, and, as William did not wake, John called to him and said it
was high time to begin work again. He took no notice, and then John went
up and shook him and found he was dead.

"Now on that very day old Philip Hookhorn was down at Longpuddle Spring,
dipping up a pitcher of water; and, as he turned away, who should he see
coming down to the spring on the other side but William, looking very
pale and old? This surprised Philip Hookhorn very much, for years before
that time William's little son--his only child--had been drowned in that
spring while at play there, and this had so preyed upon William's mind
that he'd never been seen near the spring afterwards, and had been known
to go half a mile out of his way to avoid the place. On enquiry, it was
found that William in body could not have stood by the spring, being in
the mead two miles off; and it also came out that at the time at which
he was seen at the spring was the very time when he died."