gorse bushes, mitching from school, and making the boys laugh in
chapel; no wonder the old man turned me away."

"But all boys are naughty boys," said Mrs. Parry, "and that wasn't
enough reason for sending you from home, and shutting the door against
you."

"No," said Gethin, "but I did more than that; I could not do a worse
thing than I did to displease the old man. I was fond of scribbling my
name everywhere. 'Gethin Owens' was on all the gateposts, and on the
saddles and bridles, and once I painted 'G. O.' with green paint on the
white mare's haunch. There was a squall when that was found out, but
it was nothing to the storm that burst upon me when I wrote something
in my mother's big Bible. As true as I am here, I don't remember what
I wrote, but I know it was something about the devil, and I signed it
'Gethin Owens,' and a big 'Amen' after it. Poor old man, he was
shocking angry, and he wouldn't listen to no excuse; so after a good
thrashing I went away, Ann ran after me with my little bundle, and the
tears streaming down her face, but I didn't cry--only when I came upon
little Morva Lloyd sitting on the hillside. She put her arms round my
neck and tried to keep me back, but I dragged myself away, and my tears
were falling like rain then, and all the way down to Abersethin as long
as I could hear Morva crying and calling out 'Gethin! Gethin!'"

"There's glad she'll be to see you."

"Well, I dunno. She was used to be very fond of me; she couldn't bear
Will because he was teazing her, but I was like a slave to her. 'I
want some shells to play,' sez she sometimes, and there I was off to
the shore, hunting about for shells for her. 'Take me a ride,' sez