But he did not neglect his work, the chief of which at the present moment was the care of the farm which he kept in his own hands.  He was making hay at this time in certain meadows down by the river side; and was standing by while the men were loading a cart, when he saw John Crumb approaching across the field.  He had not seen John since the eventful journey to London; nor had he seen him in London; but he knew well all that had occurred,—­how the dealer in pollard had thrashed his cousin, Sir Felix, how he had been locked up by the police and then liberated,—­and how he was now regarded in Bungay as a hero, as far as arms were concerned, but as being very ‘soft’ in the matter of love. ...