“I don’t understand—”
“No,” said Fleda, whose amusement seemed
to be increased by the gentleman’s want of understanding,—“and
neither did we till we came up to him. The silly
fellow had been sent up for more wood, and splitting
a log he had put his hand in to keep the cleft, instead
of a wedge, and when he took out the axe the wood
pinched him; and he had the fate of Milo before his
eyes, I suppose, and could do nothing but roar.
You should have seen the supreme indignation with
which Barby took the axe and released him with ‘You’re
a smart man, Mr. Skillcorn!’”
“What was the fate of Milo?” said Mr.
Olmney presently.
“Don’t you remember,—the famous
wrestler that in his old age trying to break open
a tree found himself not strong enough; and the wood
closing upon his hands held him fast till the wild
beasts came and made an end of him. The figure
of our unfortunate wood-cutter though, was hardly so
dignified as that of the old athlete in the statue.—Dr.
Quackenboss, and Mr. Douglass,—you will
come in and see us when this troublesome business
is done?”
“It’ll be a pretty spell yet,” said
Earl;—“but the doctor, he can go
in,—he ha’n’t nothin’
to do. It don’t take more’n half a
dozen men to keep one pot a bilin’.”
“Ain’t there ten on ’em, Mr. Douglass?”
said Philetus.
He that has light within his own clear
breast,
May sit i’ the centre and enjoy
bright day.
Milton.
The farming plan succeeded beyond Fleda’s hopes;
thanks not more to her wisdom than to the nice tact
with which the wisdom was brought into play.
The one was eked out with Seth Plumfield’s; the
other was all her own. Seth was indefatigably
kind and faithful. After his own day’s work
was done he used to walk down to see Fleda, go with
her often to view the particular field or work just
then in question, and give her the best counsel dictated
by great sagacity and great experience. It was
given too with equal frankness and intelligence, so
that Fleda knew the steps she took and could maintain
them against the prejudice or the ignorance of her
subordinates. But Fleda’s delicate handling
stood her yet more in stead than her strength.
Earl Douglass was sometimes unmanageable, and held
out in favour of an old custom or a prevailing opinion
in spite of all the weight of testimony and light
of discovery that could be brought to bear upon him.
Fleda would let the thing go. But seizing her
opportunity another time she would ask him to try
the experiment, on a piece of the ground; so pleasantly
and skilfully that Earl could do nothing but shut
his mouth and obey, like an animal fairly stroked into
good humour. And as Fleda always forgot to remind
him that she had been right and he wrong, he forgot
it too, and presently took to the new way kindly.
In other matters he could be depended on, and the
seed-time and harvest prospered well. There was
hope of making a good payment to Dr. Gregory in the
course of a few months.
