At length the new
revelation of ancient life was complete, and the corn stood in living
gold, and men began to put in the sickle, because the time of the
harvest was come.
And with it came the _hairst-play_, the event of school-life both to
master and scholars. But the feelings with which the master watched and
longed for it were sadly different from those of the boys. It was
delight itself to the latter to think of having nothing to do on those
glorious hot days but gather blaeberries, or lie on the grass, or bathe
in the Glamour and dry themselves in the sun ten times a day. For the
master, he only hoped to get away from the six thousand eyes of
Glamerton. Not one allusion had been made in his hearing to his dismal
degradation, but he knew that that was only because it was too dreadful
to be alluded to. Every time he passed a woman with a baby in her arms
at a cottage door, the blind eyes in the back of his head saw her
cuddling her child, and the ears that are always hearing what never was
said, heard her hope that _he_ would never bring such disgrace upon
himself and upon her. The tone of additional kindness and consideraton
with which many addressed him, only made him think of what lay behind,
and refuse every invitation given him.
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