Essential Novelists - R. D. Blackmore. R. D. Blackmore

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      The wheat, oh the wheat, and the golden, golden wheat!

      Here's to the wheat, with the loaves upon the board!

      We've been reaping all the day, and we never will be beat,

      But fetch it all to mow-yard, and then we'll thank the Lord.

      3

      The barley, oh the barley, and the barley is in prime!

      All the day it has been rustling, with its bristles brown,

      Waiting with its beard abowing, till it can be mown!

      'Tis the harvest and the barley must abide its time.

      (Chorus)

      The barley, oh the barley, and the barley ruddy brown!

      Here's to the barley, with the beer upon the board!

      We'll go amowing, soon as ever all the wheat is down;

      When all is in the mow-yard, we'll stop, and thank the Lord.

      4

      The oats, oh the oats, 'tis the ripening of the oats!

      All the day they have been dancing with their flakes of white,

      Waiting for the girding-hook, to be the nags' delight:

      'Tis the harvest, let them dangle in their skirted coats.

      (Chorus)

      The oats, oh the oats, and the silver, silver oats!

      Here's to the oats with the blackstone on the board!

      We'll go among them, when the barley has been laid in rotes:

      When all is home to mow-yard, we'll kneel and thank the Lord.

      5

      The corn, oh the corn, and the blessing of the corn!

      Come unto the door, my lads, and look beneath the moon,

      We can see, on hill and valley, how it is yelloon,

      With a breadth of glory, as when our Lord was born.

      (Chorus)

      The corn, oh the corn, and the yellow, mellow corn!

      Thanks for the corn, with our bread upon the board!

      So shall we acknowledge it, before we reap the morn,

      With our hands to heaven, and our knees unto the Lord.

      Now we sang this song very well the first time, having the parish choir to lead us, and the clarionet, and the parson to give us the time with his cup; and we sang it again the second time, not so but what you might praise it (if you had been with us all the evening), although the parson was gone then, and the clerk not fit to compare with him in the matter of keeping time. But when that song was in its third singing, I defy any man (however sober) to have made out one verse from the other, or even the burden from the verses, inasmuch as every man present, ay, and woman too, sang as became convenient to them, in utterance both of words and tune.

      And in truth, there was much excuse for them; because it was a noble harvest, fit to thank the Lord for, without His thinking us hypocrites. For we had more land in wheat, that year, than ever we had before, and twice the crop to the acre; and I could not help now and then remembering, in the midst of the merriment, how my father in the churchyard yonder would have gloried to behold it. And my mother, who had left us now, happening to return just then, being called to have her health drunk (for the twentieth time at least), I knew by the sadness in her eyes that she was thinking just as I was. Presently, therefore, I slipped away from the noise, and mirth, and smoking (although of that last there was not much, except from Farmer Nicholas), and crossing the courtyard in the moonlight, I went, just to cool myself, as far as my father's tombstone.

      CHAPTER XXX

      ANNIE GETS THE BEST OF IT

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      I HAD LONG OUTGROWN unwholesome feeling as to my father's death, and so had Annie; though Lizzie (who must have loved him least) still entertained some evil will, and longing for a punishment. Therefore I was surprised (and indeed, startled would not be too much to say, the moon being somewhat fleecy), to see our Annie sitting there as motionless as the tombstone, and with all her best fallals upon her, after stowing away the dishes.

      My nerves, however, are good and strong, except at least in love matters, wherein they always fail me, and when I meet with witches; and therefore I went up to Annie, although she looked so white and pure; for I had seen her before with those things on, and it struck me who she was.

      “What are you doing here, Annie?” I inquired rather sternly, being vexed with her for having gone so very near to frighten me.

      “Nothing at all,” said our Annie shortly. And indeed it was truth enough for a woman. Not that I dare to believe that women are such liars as men say; only that I mean they often see things round the corner, and know not which is which of it. And indeed I never have known a woman (though right enough in their meaning) purely and perfectly true and transparent, except only my Lorna; and even so, I might not have loved her, if she had been ugly.

      'Why, how so?' said I; 'Miss Annie, what business have you here, doing nothing at this time of night? And leaving me with all the trouble to entertain our guests!'

      'You seem not to me to be doing it, John,' Annie answered softly; 'what business have you here doing nothing, at this time of night?'

      I was taken so aback with this, and the extreme impertinence of it, from a mere young girl like Annie, that I turned round to march away and have nothing more to say to her. But she jumped up, and caught me by the hand, and threw herself upon my bosom, with her face all wet with tears.

      'Oh, John, I will tell you. I will tell you. Only don't be angry, John.'

      'Angry! no indeed,' said I; 'what right have I to be angry with you, because you have your secrets? Every chit of a girl thinks now that she has a right to her secrets.'

      'And you have none of your own, John; of course you have none of your own? All your going out at night—'

      'We will not quarrel here, poor Annie,' I answered, with some loftiness; 'there are many things upon my mind, which girls can have no notion of.'

      'And so there are upon mine, John. Oh, John, I will tell you everything, if you will look at me kindly, and promise to forgive me. Oh, I am so miserable!'

      Now this, though she was behaving so badly, moved me much towards her; especially as I longed to know what she had to tell me. Therefore I allowed her to coax me, and to kiss me, and to lead me away a little, as far СКАЧАТЬ