\'An\'whoknowsbutwhatit\'strue？\'
Theinstantthesewordshadcomeoutofhislipshecouldhavebittenhistongueoff。Andyetafterwardsitwasasortofbalmtohisconsciencethathehadsospoken。
\'Whatnonsense，Philip！\'saidhisaunt;\'why，thesefearsomeshipswerefarouto\'sightwhenhewentaway，goodgowi\'him，andSylviejustgettingo\'erhertroublesonicely，andevenmymasterwentonfortosayifthey\'dgettenholdonhim，hewerenotachaptostaywi\'\'em;he\'dgi\'enproofsonhishatredto\'em，timeon。Heeitherha\'madeoff——an\'thensureenoughweshouldha\'heerdonhimsomehow——themCorneysisfullonhimstillandthey\'veadealtowi\'hisfolkbeyondNewcassel——or，asmymastersays，hewerejustt\'chaptohangordrownhissel，soonernordoaughtagainsthiswill。\'
\'WhatdidSylviesay？\'askedPhilip，inahoarselowvoice。
\'Say？why，a\'shecouldsaywastoburstoutcrying，andafterabit，shejustrepeatedherfeyther\'swords，andsaidanyhowhewasdead，forhe\'dniverlivetogotoseawi\'apress—gang。Sheknowedhimtoowellforthat。Thouseesshethinksadealonhimforaspiritedchap，ascandowhathewill。Ibelie\'meshefirstbegantothinkonhimtimeo\'t\'
fightaboardth\'GoodFortune，whenDarleywerekilled，andhewouldseemtame—liketoherifhecouldn\'tconquerpress—gangs，andmen—o\'—war。
She\'ssoonerthinkonhimdrowned，asshe\'sne\'ertoseehimagain。\'
\'It\'sbestso，\'saidPhilip，andthen，tocalmhisunusuallyexcitedaunt，hepromisedtoavoidthesubjectofthepress—gangasmuchaspossible。
Butitwasapromiseverydifficultofperformance，forDanielRobsonwas，ashiswifesaid，likeonepossessed。Hecouldhardlythinkofanythingelse，thoughhehimselfwasoccasionallywearyofthesameconstantlyrecurringidea，andwouldfainhavebanisheditfromhismind。Hewastoooldamantobelikelytobetakenbythem;hehadnosontobecometheirvictim;
buttheterrorofthem，whichhehadbravedanddefiedinhisyouth，seemedtocomebackandtakepossessionofhiminhisage;andwiththeterrorcameimpatienthatred。Sincehiswife\'sillnessthepreviouswinterhehadbeenamoresobermanuntilnow。Hewasneverexactlydrunk，forhehadastrong，well—seasonedhead;butthecravingtohearthelastnewsoftheactionsofthepress—gangdrewhimintoMonkshavennearlyeverydayatthisdeadagriculturalseasonoftheyear;andapublic—houseisgenerallythefocusfromwhichgossipradiates;andprobablytheamountofdrinkthusconsumedweakenedRobson\'spoweroverhismind，andcausedtheconcentrationofthoughtononesubject。Thismaybeaphysiologicalexplanationofwhatafterwardswasspokenofasasupernaturalkindofpossession，leadinghimtohisdoom。
chapter23CHAPTERXXIIIRETALIATIONThepublic—housethathadbeenchosenbytheleadersofthepress—ganginMonkshavenatthistime，fortheirrendezvous（or\'Randyvowse，\'asitwasgenerallypronounced），wasaninnofpoorrepute，withayardatthebackwhichopenedontothestaitheorquaynearesttotheopensea。A
stronghighstonewallboundedthisgrass—grownmouldyyardontwosides;
thehouse，andsomeunusedout—buildings，formedtheothertwo。Thechoiceoftheplacewasgoodenough，bothastosituation，whichwassufficientlyisolated，andyetneartothewideningriver;andastothecharacterofthelandlord，JohnHobbswasafailingman，onewhoseemedasifdoomedtobeunfortunateinallhisundertakings，andtheconsequenceofallthiswasthathewasenviousofthemoreprosperous，andwillingtodoanythingthatmightbringhiminalittlepresentsuccessinlife。Hishouseholdconsistedofhiswife，herniece，whoactedasservant，andanout—of—doorsman，abrotherofNedSimpson，thewell—doingbutcher，whoatonetimehadhadafancyforSylvia。Buttheonebrotherwasprosperous，theotherhadgoneonsinkinginlife，likehimwhowasnowhismaster。NeitherHobbsnorhismanSimpsonwereabsolutelybadmen;ifthingshadgonewellwiththemtheymighteachhavebeenasscrupulousandconscientiousastheirneighbours，andevennow，supposingthegaininmoneytobeequal，theywouldsoonerhavedonegoodthanevil;butaverysmallsumwasenoughtoturnthebalance。AndinagreaterdegreethaninmostcaseswasthefamousmaximofRochefoucaulttruewiththem;forinthemisfortunesoftheirfriendstheyseemedtoseesomejustificationoftheirown。Itwasblindfatedealingoutevents，notthattheeventsthemselvesweretheinevitableconsequencesoffollyormisconduct。Tosuchmenasthesethelargesumofferedbythelieutenantofthepress—gangfortheaccommodationoftheMariners\'Armswassimplyandimmediatelyirresistible。Thebestroominthedilapidatedhousewasputattheserviceofthecommandingofficeroftheimpressservice，andallotherarrangementsmadeathisdesire，irrespectiveofalltheformerunprofitablesourcesofcustomandofbusiness。IftherelativesbothofHobbsandofSimpsonhadnotbeensowellknownandsoprosperousinthetown，theythemselveswouldhavereceivedmoremarksofpopularillopinionthantheydidduringthewintertheeventsofwhicharenowbeingrecorded。Asitwas，peoplespoketothemwhentheyappearedatkirkoratmarket，butheldnoconversationwiththem;no，notalthoughtheyeachappearedbetterdressedthantheyhadeitherofthemdoneforyearspast，andalthoughtheirwholemannershowedachange，inasmuchastheyhadbeenformerlysnarlingandmisanthropic，andwerenowcivilalmosttodeprecation。
EveryonewhowascapableofunderstandingthestateoffeelinginMonkshavenatthistimemusthavebeenawarethatatanymomentanexplosionmighttakeplace;andprobablytherewerethosewhohadjudgmentenoughtobesurprisedthatitdidnottakeplacesoonerthanitdid。ForuntilFebruarytherewereonlyoccasionalcriesandgrowlsofrage，asthepress—gangmadetheircapturesfirsthere，thenthere;often，apparently，tranquilfordays，thenheardofatsomedistancealongthecoast，thencarryingoffaseamanfromtheveryheartofthetown。Theyseemedafraidofprovokinganygeneralhostility，suchasthatwhichhaddriventhemfromShields，andwouldhaveconciliatedtheinhabitantsiftheycould;theofficersontheserviceandonboardthethreemen—of—warcomingoftenintothetown，spendinglargely，talkingtoallwithcheeryfriendliness，andmakingthemselvesverypopularinsuchsocietyastheycouldobtainaccesstoatthehousesoftheneighbouringmagistratesorattherectory。Butthis，howeveragreeable，didnotforwardtheobjecttheimpressservicehadinview;and，accordingly，amoredecidedstepwastakenatatimewhen，althoughtherewasnoapparentevidenceastothefact，thetownwasfulloftheGreenlandmarinerscomingquietlyintorenewtheiryearlyengagements，which，whendone，wouldlegallyentitlethemtoprotectionfromimpressment。
Onenight——itwasonaSaturday，February23rd，whentherewasabitterblackfrost，withanorth—eastwindsweepingthroughthestreets，andmenandwomenwerecloseshutintheirhouses——allwerestartledintheirhouseholdcontentandwarmthbythesoundofthefire—bellbusilyswinging，andpealingoutforhelp。Thefire—bellwaskeptinthemarket—housewhereHighStreetandBridgeStreetmet;everyoneknewwhatitmeant。Somedwelling，ormaybeaboiling—housewasonfire，andneighbourlyassistancewassummonedwithallspeed，inatownwherenowaterwaslaidon，norfire—engineskeptinreadiness。Mensnatcheduptheirhats，andrushedout，wivesfollowing，somewiththereadiestwrapstheycouldlayhandson，withwhichtoclothetheover—hastyhusbands，othersfromthatmixtureofdreadandcuriositywhichdrawspeopletothesceneofanydisaster。Thoseofthemarketpeoplewhoweremakingthebestoftheirwayhomewards，havingwaitedinthetowntilltheearlydarknessconcealedtheirpath，turnedbackatthesoundoftheever—clangingfire—bell，ringingoutfasterandfasterasifthedangerbecameeveryinstantmorepressing。
Asmenranagainstoralongsideofeachother，theirbreathlessquestionwasever，\'Whereisit？\'andnoonecouldtell;sotheypressedonwardsintothemarket—place，sureofobtainingtheinformationdesiredthere，wherethefire—bellkeptcallingoutwithitsfuriousmetaltongue。
Thedulloil—lampsintheadjoiningstreetsonlymadedarknessvisibleinthethrongedmarket—place，wherethebuzzofmanymen\'sunansweredquestionswasrisinglouderandlouder。Astrangefeelingofdreadcreptoverthosenearesttotheclosedmarket—house。Abovethemintheairthebellwasstillclanging;butbeforethemwasadoorfastshutandlocked;noonetospeakandtellthemwhytheyweresummoned——wheretheyoughttobe。
Theywereattheheartofthemystery，anditwasasilentblank！Theirunformeddreadtookshapeatthecryfromtheoutsideofthecrowd，fromwheremenwerestillcomingdowntheeasternsideofBridgeStreet。\'\'Thegang！thegang！\'shriekedoutsomeone。\'ThegangareuponusHelp！help！\'
Thenthefire—bellhadbeenadecoy;asortofseethingthekidinitsmother\'smilk，leadingmenintoasnarethroughtheirkindliestfeelings。
Somedullsenseofthisaddedtoutterdismay，andmadethemstruggleandstraintogettoalltheoutletssavethatinwhichafightwasnowgoingon;theswishofheavywhips，thethudofbludgeons，thegroans，thegrowlsofwoundedorinfuriatedmen，comingwithterribledistinctnessthroughthedarknesstothequickenedearoffear。
Abreathlessgrouprusheduptheblacknessofanarrowentrytostandstillawhile，andrecoverstrengthforfreshrunning。Foratimenothingbutheavypantsandgaspswereheardamongstthem。Nooneknewhisneighbour，andtheirgoodfeeling，solatelyabusedandpreyedupon，madethemfullofsuspicion。Thefirstwhospokewasrecognizedbyhisvoice。
\'Isitthee，DanielRobson？\'askedhisneighbour，inalowtone。
\'Ay！Whoelseshoulditbe？\'
\'Adunno。\'
\'Ifaamtobeanyoneelse，I\'dliketobeachapofnobbuteightstun。
A\'mwellydonefor！\'
\'ItwereasbloodyashameasiverIheerdon。Who\'stogot\'t\'nextfire，a\'dliketoknow！\'
\'Atellyo\'what，lads，\'saidDaniel，recoveringhisbreath，butspeakingingasps。\'Wewereapacko\'cowardstolet\'emcarryoffyonchapsaseasyastheydid，a\'mreckoning！\'
\'Athinkso，indeed，\'saidanothervoice。
Danielwenton——
\'Wewastwohunder，ifwewasaman;an\'t\'ganghasnivernumberedabovetwelve。\'
\'Buttheywasarmed。Aseent\'glitterontheircutlasses，\'spokeoutafreshvoice。
\'Whatthen！\'repliedhewhohadlatestcome，andwhostoodatthemouthoftheentry。\'Ahadmywhalin\'knifewi\'mei\'mypea—jacketasmymissusthrewatme，anda\'dha\'ripped\'emupassoonaswinkin\'，ifacouldha\'
thoughtwhatwasbesttodowi\'thatd————dbellmakin\'suchadinreetaboveus。Amancanbutdieonest，andwewasreadytogoint\'t\'firefort\'savefolks\'lives，andyetwe\'dnoneonust\'wittoseeaswemightha\'savedyonpoorchapsasscreechedoutforhelp。\'
\'They\'llha\'getten\'emtot\'Randyvowsebynow，\'saidsomeone。
\'Theycannottak\'\'emaboardtillmorning;t\'tidewon\'tserve，\'saidthelastspeakerbutone。
DanielRobsonspokeoutthethoughtthatwassurgingupintothebrainofeveryonethere。
\'There\'sachanceforusa\'。Howmanybewe？\'Bydintoftouchingeachotherthenumberswerecounted。Seven。\'Seven。Butifusseventurnsoutandrousest\'town，there\'llbemanyascorereadytogangt\'Mariners\'
Arms，andit\'llbeeasyworkreskyin\'themchapsasispressed。Usseven，eachmanjackonus，goandseekuphisfriends，andgethimaswellashecantot\'churchsteps;then，mebbe，there\'llbesometheereas\'llnotbesosoftaswewas，lettin\'thempoorchapsbecarriedofffromunderournoses，justbecaseourearswasbusylistenin\'toyonconfoundedbell，whoseclip—clappin\'tonguea\'lltearoutaforethisweekisout。\'
BeforeDanielhadfinishedspeaking，thosenearesttotheentrancemutteredtheirassenttohisproject，andhadstolenoff，keepingtothedarkestsideofthestreetsandlanes，whichtheythreadedindifferentdirections;
mostofthemgoingstraightassleuth—houndstothehauntsofthewildestandmostdesperateportionoftheseafaringpopulationofMonkshaven。For，inthebreastsofmany，revengeforthemiseryandalarmofthepastwintertookadeeperandmoreferociousformthanDanielhadthoughtofwhenhemadehisproposalofarescue。Tohimitwasanadventurelikemanyhehadbeenengagedininhisyoungerdays;indeed，theliquorhehaddrunkhadgivenhimafictitiousyouthforthetime;anditwasmoreinthelightofaroughfrolicofwhichhewastobetheleader，thathelimpedalong（alwayslamefromoldattacksofrheumatism），chucklingtohimselfattheapparentstillnessofthetown，whichgavenowarningtothepress—gangattheRendezvousofanythinginthewind。Daniel，too，hadhisfriendstosummon;oldhandslikehimself，but\'deepuns，\'also，likehimself，asheimagined。
Itwasnineo\'clockwhenallwhoweresummonedmetatthechurchsteps;
andbynineo\'clock，Monkshaven，inthosedays，wasmorequietandasleepthanmanyatownatpresentisatmidnight。Thechurchandchurchyardabovethemwerefloodedwithsilverlight，forthemoonwashighintheheavens:
theirregularstepswerehereandthereinpurewhiteclearness，hereandthereinblackestshadow。Butmorethanhalfwayuptothetop，menclusteredlikebees;allpressingsoastobenearenoughtoquestionthosewhostoodnearesttotheplanningoftheattack。Hereandthere，awoman，withwildgesturesandshrillvoice，thatnoentreatywouldhushdowntothewhisperedpitchofthemen，pushedherwaythroughthecrowd——thisoneimploringimmediateaction，thatadjuringthosearoundhertosmiteandsparenotthosewhohadcarriedoffher\'man，\'——thefather，thebreadwinner。Lowdowninthedarkenedsilenttownweremanywhoseheartswentwiththeangryandexcitedcrowd，andwhowouldblessthemandcaressthemforthatnight\'sdeeds。Danielsoonfoundhimselfalaggardinplanning，comparedtosomeofthosearoundhim。Butwhen，withtherushingsoundofmanystepsandbutfewwords，theyhadarrivedattheblank，dark，shut—upMariners\'Arms，theypausedinsurpriseattheuninhabitedlookofthewholehouse:itwasDanieloncemorewhotookthelead。
\'Speak\'emfair，\'saidhe;\'trygoodwordsfirst。Hobbs\'llmebbelet\'emoutquiet，ifwecancatchawordwi\'him。Asay，Hobbs，\'saidhe，raisinghisvoice，\'isa\'shutupfort\'neet;fora\'dbegladofaglass。
A\'mDannelRobson，thouknows。\'
Notonewordinreply，anymorethanfromthetomb;buthisspeechhadbeenheardnevertheless。Thecrowdbehindhimbegantojeerandtothreaten;
therewasnolongeranykeepingdowntheirvoices，theirrage，theirterribleoaths。Ifdoorsandwindowshadnotoflatebeenstrengthenedwithbarsofironinanticipationofsomesuchoccasion，theywouldhavebeenbrokeninwiththeonsetofthefierceandnowyellingcrowdwhorushedagainstthemwiththeforceofabattering—ram，torecoilinbaffledragefromthevainassault。Nosign，nosoundfromwithin，inthatbreathlesspause。
\'Comeawayroundhere！a\'vefoundawaytot\'backo\'behint，wherebelikeit\'snotsowellfenced，\'saidDaniel，whohadmadewayforyoungerandmorepowerfulmentoconducttheassault，andhademployedhistimemeanwhileinexaminingthebackpremises。Themenrushedafterhimalmostknockinghimdown，ashemadehiswayintothelaneintowhichthedoorsoftheoutbuildingsbelongingtotheinnopened。Danielhadalreadybrokenthefasteningofthatwhichopenedintoadamp，mouldy—smellingshippen，inonecornerofwhichapoorleancowshiftedherselfonherlegs，inanuneasy，restlessmanner，ashersleeping—placewasinvadedbyasmanymenascouldcramthemselvesintothedarkhold。Daniel，attheendfarthestfromthedoor，wasalmostsmotheredbeforehecouldbreakdowntherottenwoodenshutter，that，whenopened，displayedtheweedyyardoftheoldinn，thefullclearlightdefiningtheoutlineofeachbladeofgrass，bythedelicateblackshadowbehind。
Thishole，usedtogiveairandlighttowhathadoncebeenastable，inthedayswhenhorsetravellerswereinthehabitofcomingtotheMariners\'
Arms，waslargeenoughtoadmitthepassageofaman;andDaniel，invirtueofitsdiscovery，wasthefirsttogetthrough。Buthewaslargerandheavierthanhehadbeen;hislamenessmadehimlessagile，andtheimpatientcrowdbehindhimgavehimahelpingpushthatsenthimdownontheroundstoneswithwhichtheyardwaspaved，andforthetimedisabledhimsomuchthathecouldonlyjustcrawloutofthewayofleapingfeetandheavynailedboots，whichcamethroughtheopeningtilltheyardwasfilledwithmen，whonowsetupafierce，derisiveshout，which，totheirdelight，wasansweredfromwithin。Nomoresilence，nomoredeadopposition:alivingstruggle，aglowing，ragingfight;andDanielthoughtheshouldbeobligedtosittherestill，leaningagainstthewall，inactive，whilethestrifeandtheactionweregoingoninwhichhehadoncebeenforemost。
Hesawthestonestornup;hesawthemusedwithgoodeffectontheunguardedback—door;hecriedoutinuselesswarningashesawtheupperwindowsopen，andaimtakenamongthecrowd;butjustthenthedoorgaveway，andtherewasaninvoluntaryforwardmotioninthethrong，sothatnoonewassodisabledbytheshotsastopreventhisforcinghiswayinwiththerest。Andnowthesoundscameveiledbythewallsasofsomeragingraveningbeastgrowlingoverhisprey;thenoisecameandwent——onceutterlyceased;andDanielraisedhimselfwithdifficultytoascertainthecause，whenagaintheroarcameclearandfresh，andmenpouredintotheyardagain，shoutingandrejoicingovertherescuedvictimsofthepress—gang。
Danielhobbledup，andshouted，andrejoiced，andshookhandswiththerest，hardlycaringtounderstandthatthelieutenantandhisganghadquittedthehousebyafrontwindow，andthatallhadpouredoutinsearchofthem;thegreaterpart，however，returningtoliberatetheprisoners，andthengluttheirvengeanceonthehouseanditscontents。
Fromallthewindows，upperandlower，furniturewasnowbeingthrownintotheyard。Thesmashofglass，theheaviercrashofwood，thecries，thelaughter，theoaths，allexcitedDanieltotheutmost;and，forgettinghisbruises，hepressedforwardstolendahelpinghand。Thewild，roughsuccessofhisschemealmostturnedhishead。Hehurraedateveryflagrantpieceofdestruction;heshookhandswitheveryonearoundhim，and，atlast，whenthedestroyersinsidepausedtotakebreath，hecriedout，——
\'Ifawasasyoungasonestawas，a\'dhavet\'Randyvowsedown，andmak\'abonfireonit。We\'dringt\'fire—bellthent\'somepurpose。\'
Nosoonersaidthandone。Theirexcitementwasreadytotaketheslightesthintofmischief;oldchairs，brokentables，odddrawers，smashedchests，wererapidlyandskilfullyheapedintoapyramid，andone，whoatthefirstbroachingoftheideahadgoneforlivecoalsthespeediertolightupthefire，camenowthroughthecrowdwithalargeshovelfulofred—hotcinders。Theriotersstoppedtotakebreathandlookonlikechildrenattheuncertainflickeringblaze，whichspranghighonemoment，anddroppeddownthenextonlytocreepalongthebaseoftheheapofwreck，andmakesecureofitsfuturework。Thentheluridblazedartedupwild，high，andirrepressible;andthemenaroundgaveacryoffierceexultation，andinroughmirthbegantotryandpusheachotherin。Inoneofthepausesoftherushing，roaringnoiseoftheflames，themoaninglowandgroanofthepooralarmedcowfastenedupintheshippencaughtDaniel\'sear，andheunderstoodhergroansaswellasiftheyhadbeenwords。Helimpedoutoftheyardthroughthenowdesertedhouse，wheremenwerebusyatthemadworkofdestruction，andfoundhiswaybacktothelaneintowhichtheshippenopened。Thecowwasdancingaboutattheroar，anddazzle，andheatofthefire;butDanielknewhowtosootheher，andinafewminuteshehadaroperoundherneck，andledhergentlyoutfromthesceneofheralarm。HewasstillinthelanewhenSimpson，theman—of—all—workattheMariners\'Arms，creptoutofsomehiding—placeinthedesertedoutbuilding，andstoodsuddenlyfacetofacewithRobson。
Themanwaswhitewithfearandrage。
\'Here，tak\'thybeast，andleadherwheereshe\'llnoanehearyoncriesandshouts。She\'sfairlymoitheredwi\'heatan\'noise。\'
\'They\'rebrennin\'iveryragIhavei\'t\'world，\'gaspedoutSimpson:
\'Iniverhadmuch，andnowI\'mabeggar。\'
\'Well！thoushouldn\'tha\'turnedagain\'thineowntown—folks，andharbouredt\'gang。Sarvestheereet。A\'dnoanebehereleadin\'beastsifawereasyoungasawere;a\'dbeint\'thickonit。\'
\'Itwastheeset\'mon——aheerdthee——asee\'dtheeahelpingon\'emt\'breakin;they\'dniverha\'thoughtonattackin\'t\'house，andsettin\'
firetoyonthings，ifthouhadn\'tspokenonit。\'Simpsonwasnowfairlycrying。ButDanieldidnotrealizewhatthelossofallthesmallpropertyhehadintheworldwastothepoorfellow（rapscallionthoughhewas，brokendown，unprosperousne\'er—do—weel！）inhisprideatthegoodworkhebelievedhehadsetonfoot。
\'Ay，\'saidhe;\'it\'sagreatthingforfolktohaveachapfort\'lead\'emwi\'aheadonhisshouthers。Amisdoubtmeiftherewereafellytheereaswouldha\'thoughto\'routlingoutyonwasps\'nest;ittak\'sadeala\'
mother—wittobeuptothings。Butt\'gang\'llniverharbourtheereagain，onewhile。Aonlywishwe\'dcotched\'em。An\'ashouldliket\'ha\'gi\'enHobbsabito\'mymind。\'
\'He\'shadhissauce，\'saidSimpson，dolefully。\'Himandmeisruined。\'
\'Tut，tut，thou\'sgotthybrother，he\'srichenough。AndHobbs\'lldoadealbetter;he\'shadhislessonnow，andhe\'llsticktohisownsidetimetocome。Here，tak\'thybeastan\'lookafterher，formybonesisachin\'。An\'mak\'thysel\'scarce，forsomeo\'themfellyshasgettentheirbloodup，an\'wunnotbefortreatingtheeo\'erwelliftheyfallinwi\'
thee。\'
\'Hobbsoughttobeservedout;itwerehimasmadet\'bargainwi\'lieutenant;
andhe\'soffsafewi\'hiswifeandhismoneybag，anda\'mleftabeggarthisneeti\'Monkshavenstreet。Mybrotherandmehashadwords，andhe\'lldonoughtformebutcurseme。Ahadthreecrown—pieces，andagoodpairo\'breeches，andashirt，andadaresaybetternortwopairo\'stockings。
Awisht\'gang，andthee，andHobbsandthemmadfolkupyonder，werea\'downi\'hell，ado。\'
\'Coom，lad，\'saidDaniel，nowaysoffendedathiscompanion\'swishonhisbehalf。\'A\'mnoaneflushmyself\'，buthere\'shalf—a—crownandtuppence;
it\'sa\'a\'vegettenwi\'me，butit\'llkeeptheeandt\'beasti\'foodandshelterto—neet，andgettheeaglasso\'comfort，too。Ahadthoughto\'
takin\'onemysel\'，butashannotha\'apennyleft，soa\'lljusttoddlewhoamtomymissus。\'
Danielwasnotinthehabitoffeelinganyemotionatactionsnotdirectlyaffectinghimself;orelsehemighthavedespisedthepoorwretchwhoimmediatelyclutchedatthemoney，andoverwhelmedthatmanwithslobberythankswhomhehadnotaminutebeforebeencursing。ButallSimpson\'sstrongerpassionshadbeenlongagousedup;nowheonlyfaintlylikedanddisliked，whereoncehelovedandhated;hisonlyvehementfeelingwasforhimself;thatcaredfor，othermenmightwitherorflourishasbestsuitedthem。
ManyofthedoorswhichhadbeencloseshutwhenthecrowdwentdowntheHighStreet，werepartiallyopenasDanielslowlyreturned;andlightstreamedfromthemontheotherwisedarkroad。Thenewsofthesuccessfulattemptatrescuehadreachedthosewhohadsateinmourningandindesolationanhourortwoago，andseveralofthesepressedforwardsasfromtheirwatchingcornertheyrecognizedDaniel\'sapproach;theypressedforwardintothestreettoshakehimbythehand，tothankhim（forhisnamehadbeenbruitedabroadasoneofthosewhohadplannedtheaffair），andatseveralplaceshewasurgedtohaveadram——urgencythathewasloathformanyreasonstorefuse，buthisincreasinguneasinessandpainmadehimforonceabstinent，andonlyanxioustogethomeandrest。Buthecouldnothelpbeingbothtouchedandflatteredatthewayinwhichthosewhoformedhis\'world\'lookeduponhimasahero;andwasnotinsensibletothewordsofblessingwhichawife，whosehusbandhadbeenimpressedandrescuedthisnight，poureddownuponhimashepassed。
\'Theere，theere，——dunnotcrackthythroatwi\'blessin\'。Thymanwouldha\'doneasmuchforme，thoughmebbehemightn\'tha\'shownsomuchgumptionandcapability;butthem\'sgifts，andnottobeproudon。\'
WhenDanielreachedthetopofthehillontheroadhome，heturnedtolookround;buthewaslameandbruised，hehadgonealongslowly，thefirehadprettynearlydiedout，onlyaredhueintheairaboutthehousesattheendofthelongHighStreet，andahotluridmistagainstthehill—sidebeyondwheretheMariners\'Armshadstood，werestillleftassignsandtokenofthedeedofviolence。
Daniellookedandchuckled。\'Thatcomeso\'ringin\'t\'fire—bell，\'saidhetohimself;\'itwereshameforittobetellin\'alie，pooroudstory—teller。\'
chapter24CHAPTERXXIVBRIEFREJOICINGDaniel\'sunusuallylateabsencefromhomedisturbedBellandSylvianotalittle。Hewasgenerallyathomebetweeneightandnineonmarket—days。
Theyexpectedtoseehimtheworseforliquoratsuchtimes;butthisdidnotshockthem;hewasnoworsethanmostofhisneighbours）indeedbetterthanseveral，whowentoffonceortwiceayear）orevenoftener，ondrinkingboutsoftwoorthreedays\'duration）returningpale，sodden，andsomewhatshame—faced，whenalltheirmoneywasgone;and，aftertheconjugalreceptionwaswellover，settlingdownintohard—workinganddecentlysobermenuntilthetemptationagaingotpoweroverthem。But，onmarketdays，everymandrankmorethanusual;everybargainoragreementwasratifiedbydrink;
theycamefromgreaterorlessdistances，eitherafootoronhorseback，andthe\'goodaccommodationformanandbeast\'（astheoldinn—signsexpressedit）alwaysincludedaconsiderableamountofliquortobedrunkbytheman。
Daniel\'swayofannouncinghisintentionofdrinkingmorethanordinarywasalwaysthesame。Hewouldsayatthelastmoment，\'Missus，I\'veamindtogetfuddledto—neet，\'andbeoff，disregardingherlookofremonstrance，andlittleheedingtheinjunctionsshewouldcallafterhimtobewareofsuchandsuchcompanions，ortoattendtohisfootstepsonhisroadhome。
Butthisnighthehadgivennosuchwarning。BellandSylviaputthecandleonthelowwindow—seat\'attheusualhourtoguidehimthroughthefields——itwasahabitkeptupevenonmoonlightnightslikethis——andsateoneachsideofthefire，atfirstscarcelycaringtolisten，sosecureweretheyofhisreturn。Belldozed，andSylviasategazingatthefirewithabstractedeyes，thinkingofthepastyearandoftheanniversarywhichwasapproachingofthedaywhenshehadlastseentheloverwhomshebelievedtobedead，lyingsomewherefathomsdeepbeneaththesurfaceofthatsunnyseaonwhichshelookeddaybydaywithouteverseeinghisupturnedfacethroughthedepths，withwhatsoeverheart—sicklongingforjustonemoresightsheyearnedandinwardlycried。Ifshecouldsethereyesonhisbright，handsomeface，thatfacewhichwasfadingfromhermemory，overtaskedinthetoofrequenteffortstorecallit;ifshecouldbutseehimonceagain，comingoverthewatersbeneathwhichhelaywithsupernaturalmotion，awaitingheratthestile，withtheeveningsunshiningruddyintohisbonnyeyes，eventhough，afterthatoneinstantofvividandvisiblelife，hefadedintomist;ifshecouldbutseehimnow，sittinginthefaintlyflickeringfire—lightintheold，happy，carelessway，onacornerofthedresser，hislegsdangling，hisbusyfingersplayingwithsomeofherwoman\'swork;——shewrungherhandstighttogetherassheimploredsome，anyPower，toletherseehimjustonceagain——justonce——foroneminuteofpassionatedelight。Neveragainwouldsheforgetthatdearface，ifbutoncemoreshemightsethereyesuponit。
Hermother\'sheadfellwithasuddenjerk，andsherousedherselfup;
andSylviaputbyherthoughtofthedead，andhercravingafterhispresence，intothatreceptacleofherheartwhereallsucharekeptclosedandsacredfromthelightofcommonday。
\'Feyther\'slate，\'saidBell。
\'It\'sgoneeight，\'repliedSylvia。
\'Butourclockisbetternoranhourforrard，\'answeredBell。
\'Ay，butt\'windbringsMonkshavenbellsclearto—night。Iheerdt\'
eighto\'clockbellringingnotfiveminutesago。\'
Itwasthefire—bell，butshehadnotdistinguishedthesound。
Therewasanotherlongsilence;bothwideawakethistime。
\'He\'llhavehisrheumaticsagain，\'saidBell。
\'It\'scoldforsartin，\'saidSylvia。\'Marchweathercomeaforeitstime。
ButI\'llmakehimatreacle—posset;it\'safamousthingforkeepingoffhoasts。\'
Thetreacle—possetwasentertainmentenoughforbothwhileitwasbeingmade。Butonceplacedinalittlebasinintheoven，therewasagaintimeforwonderandanxiety。
\'Hesaidnoughtabouthavingabout，didhe，mother？\'askedSylviaatlength。
\'No，\'saidBell，herfacealittlecontracting。Afterawhilesheadded，\'There\'smanyaoneashashusbandsthatgoesoffdrinkingwithoutiversayingawordtotheirwives。Mymasterisnoneo\'thatmak\'。\'
\'Mother，\'brokeinSylviaagain，I\'lljustgoandgett\'lanternoutoft\'shippen，andgoupt\'brow，andmebbetot\'ash—fieldend。\'
\'Do，lass，\'saidhermother。\'I\'llgetmywrapsandgowiththee。\'
\'Thoushalldoniversuchathing，\'saidSylvia。\'Thou\'stoofrailtogoouti\'t\'nightairsuchanightasthis。\'
\'ThencallKesterup。\'
\'NotI。I\'mnoaneafraido\'t\'dark。\'
\'Butofwhatthoumaystmeeti\'t\'dark，lass？\'