Cousin Phillis Read Free Page B

at home, and Manning
in the office.'
    'Well, Paul, then. Your room is all ready for you, Paul, for, as I said
to the minister, "I'll have it ready whether he comes on Friday or
not." And the minister said he must go up to the Ashfield whether you
were to come or not; but he would come home betimes to see if you were
here. I'll show you to your room, and you can wash the dust off a bit.'
    After I came down, I think she did not quite know what to do with me;
or she might think that I was dull; or she might have work to do in
which I hindered her; for she called Phillis, and bade her put on her
bonnet, and go with me to the Ashfield, and find father. So we set off,
I in a little flutter of a desire to make myself agreeable, but wishing
that my companion were not quite so tall; for she was above me in
height. While I was wondering how to begin our conversation, she took
up the words.
    'I suppose, cousin Paul, you have to be very busy at your work all day
long in general.'
    'Yes, we have to be in the office at half-past eight; and we have an
hour for dinner, and then we go at it again till eight or nine.'
    'Then you have not much time for reading.'
    'No,' said I, with a sudden consciousness that I did not make the most
of what leisure I had.
    'No more have I. Father always gets an hour before going a-field in the
mornings, but mother does not like me to get up so early.'
    'My mother is always wanting me to get up earlier when I am at home.'
    'What time do you get up?'
    'Oh!—ah!—sometimes half-past six: not often though;' for I remembered
only twice that I had done so during the past summer.
    She turned her head and looked at me.
    'Father is up at three; and so was mother till she was ill. I should
like to be up at four.'
    'Your father up at three! Why, what has he to do at that hour?'
    'What has he not to do? He has his private exercise in his own room; he
always rings the great bell which calls the men to milking; he rouses
up Betty, our maid; as often as not he gives the horses their feed
before the man is up—for Jem, who takes care of the horses, is an old
man; and father is always loth to disturb him; he looks at the calves,
and the shoulders, heels, traces, chaff, and corn before the horses go
a-field; he has often to whip-cord the plough-whips; he sees the hogs
fed; he looks into the swill-tubs, and writes his orders for what is
wanted for food for man and beast; yes, and for fuel, too. And then, if
he has a bit of time to spare, he comes in and reads with me—but only
English; we keep Latin for the evenings, that we may have time to enjoy
it; and then he calls in the men to breakfast, and cuts the boys' bread
and cheese; and sees their wooden bottles filled, and sends them off to
their work;—and by this time it is half-past six, and we have our
breakfast. There is father,' she exclaimed, pointing out to me a man in
his shirt-sleeves, taller by the head than the other two with whom he
was working. We only saw him through the leaves of the ash-trees
growing in the hedge, and I thought I must be confusing the figures, or
mistaken: that man still looked like a very powerful labourer, and had
none of the precise demureness of appearance which I had always
imagined was the characteristic of a minister. It was the Reverend
Ebenezer Holman, however. He gave us a nod as we entered the
stubble-field; and I think he would have come to meet us but that he
was in the middle of giving some directions to his men. I could see
that Phillis was built more after his type than her mother's. He, like
his daughter, was largely made, and of a fair, ruddy complexion,
whereas hers was brilliant and delicate. His hair had been yellow or
sandy, but now was grizzled. Yet his grey hairs betokened no failure in
strength. I never saw a more powerful man—deep chest, lean flanks,
well-planted head. By this time we were nearly up to him; and he
interrupted himself and stepped forwards; holding out his hand to me,
but addressing Phillis.
    'Well, my