'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？'