82 Turnaside Cottage.

I stopped to rest a minute and draw breath, I
could see him glance scornfully at me, and I knew
he was observing me all the time, and despising me
for being so weak and girlish. This roused me,
and, collecting all my cnergics, I strove to shew
him that I could push together as big a tump of
hay as he, and in nearly as short atime. I saw
his look of surprise, and then he too redoubled his
efforts, and on we went madly under the burning
July sun. My head seemed about to burst, and
my arms to drop off, when a halt was called, and
the men gathered round the pitcher of beer. I
refused it, but one of the men, seeing, I suppose,
that I was fagged, followed me to the bank under
which I lay, and pressed a draught on me, assuring
me that it would set me up onmy legsagain. And
so it did for ten minutes or so, during which the
chase went more madly than ever, and then Simon
Williams and his mocking smile were lost in a
tumbling mist. An odd, cold heat came over me;
I was sure that he was getting ahead, and made
a wild effort to keep on; and then I fell, or rather
the ground seemed to come up to meet me; and
there was an end to my haymaking.

When I came to mysclf, my head and hair were
wet through, with sousings administered by the
good-natured hands of the women; and they were