she called houses with stones, sometimes trotted to look down the
lane to see whether father and the lads were coming home from market.

Presently she brought word, "Stead is coming. He is leading
Whitefoot, but I don't see father and Jeph."

Patience jumped up to put her wheel out of the way, and soon she saw
that it was only Steadfast leading the old mare with the large crooks
or panniers on either side. She ran to meet him, and saw he looked
rather pale and dazed.

"What is it, Stead? Where's daddy?"

"Gone up to Elmwood! They told us in town that some of the soldiers
and the folk of that sort were gone out to rabble cur church and our
parson, and father is Churchwarden, you know. So he said he must go
to see what was doing. And he bade me take Whitefoot home and give
you the money," said Steadfast, producing a bag which Patience took
to keep for her father.

She watched very anxiously, and so did Stead, while relieving
Whitefoot of her panniers and giving her a rub down before turning
her out to get her supper.

It was not long however before Kenton and Jeph both appeared, the one
looking sad, the other sulky. "Too late," Jeph muttered, "and father
won't let me go to see the sport."

"Sport, d'ye call it?" said Kenton. "Aye, Stead, you may well gape
at what we have seen--our good parson with his feet tied to his