SUSAN GRAY. 123

young men spoke to me as if they thought
lightly of me. I, however, went on with my
work, keeping close with the rest of the women,
and saying very little.

Towards mid-day, I became very weary with
my work; my knees trembled, and I had a con-
stant pain in my side. However, I continued
my work till evening.

Yet, tired as I was, I was unable to sleep,
for | felt feverish, and my mouth was parched
with very great thirst.

I went to the farmer's again the next day, al-
though I was fitter far to keep my bed; and,
as 1 behaved with modesty, and returned not
evil-speaking for evil-speaking, my companions,
the hay-makers, began to think better of me.
The women, in particuiar, treated me with
more kindness: I could see, however, that the
young men still continued to think lightly of
me,

The weather being very hot, the hay was
ready to carry by Friday.

1 was worse this day than I had ever been
before, yet I strove to keep up and to do my
work.

I was making up the hay into large hay-
cocks, with two or three more young women,
at the lower end of the meadow, when the
young men came with the waggon in at the gate
which is at the top of the field. Among these
was William Ball, the farmer's nephew, the
young man of whom I have spoken before,
whom I had never seen since I ran away from
him at Mrs, Bennet’s.