She glanced at me in astonishment, frowned, and the colour spread in her
cheeks till they burned. Then with a toss of her head she turned and left
the room. She was very young.

Well, I had done a nice thing now!

Miserable at heart, I sneaked up into the woods to hide. Impertinent fool,
why hadn't I held my tongue! Of all the ridiculous things to say....

The vicarage buildings lay on the slope of a small hill; from the top, the
land stretched away flat and level, with alternating timber and clearing.
It struck me that here would be the proper place to dig the well, and then
run a pipe-line down the slope to the house. Judging the height as nearly
as I can, it seems more than enough to give the pressure needed; on the
way back I pace out the approximate length: two hundred and fifty feet.

But what business was it of mine, after all? For Heaven's sake let me not
go making the same mistake again, and insulting folk by talking above my
station.




V


Grindhusen came out again on Monday morning, and we fell to digging as
before. The old priest came out to look, and asked if we couldn't fix a
post for him on the road up to the church. He needed it badly, that post;
it had stood there before, but had got blown down; he used it for nailing