2 THE LIFE OF THE FIELDS. 



posed from so small a place. She put her lips to it to 

 suck it away, as folk do in all quarters of the earth yet 

 discovered, being one of those instinctive things which 

 come without teaching. A red dot of blood stained 

 her soft white cheek, for, in brushing back her hair with 

 her hand, she forgot the wounded finger. With red 

 blood on her face, a thorn and a rose in her bosom, and 

 a hurt on her hand, she reached the chorus of rakers. 



The farmer and the sun are the leading actors, and 

 the hay-makers are the chorus, who bear the burden 

 of the play. Marching, each a step behind the other, 

 and yet in a row, they presented a slanting front, and 

 so crossed the field, turning the " wallows." At the 

 hedge she took her place, the last in the row. There 

 were five men and eight women ; all flouted her. The 

 men teased her for being late again at work ; she said 

 it was so far to come. The women jeered at her 

 for tearing her dress — she couldn't get through a 

 " thornin' " hedge right. There was only one thing 

 she could do, and that was to " make a vool of zum 

 veller " (make a fool of some fellow). Dolly did not 

 take much notice, except that her nervous tempera- 

 ment showed slight excitement in the manner she 

 used her rake, now turning the hay quickly, now 

 missing altogether, then catching the teeth of the rake 

 in the buttercup-runners. The women did not fail to 

 tell her how awkward she was. By-and-by Dolly 

 bounced forward, and, with a flush on her cheek, took 

 the place next to the men. They teased her too, you 

 see, but there was no spiteful malice in their tongues. 

 There are some natures which, naturally meek, if 

 much condemned, defy that condemnation, and will- 



