The Bachelors 
and spent the evening at a public-house, heavily 
drinking. After that little more was told me 
about him for a long time. He came no more 
to Farnham market. By and by it was said 
that he and his brother were under notice to quit. 
This state of things lasted a longish time— 
I don’t know how long; then word began to 
go round that Andrew, the younger brother, 
was dying. He was probably nearly seventy 
years old then, and nobody paid much heed. 
Only John Smith, as an old friend, took or made 
an opportunity of calling at the house to inquire. 
He heard somebody come to the door: it was 
opened—an inch or two, just enough for him 
to see that it was Silas who had answered his 
knock; and then, without a word spoken, it 
was shut again. At that Mr. Smith left, sup- 
posing that Andrew must be dead, to account 
for such strange behaviour. 
Near the house was a neighbour named Ship, 
working in his garden. Him Mr. Smith accosted, 
asking, “‘ Is the old chap dead, then ?” and related 
what had happened. “No, Mr. Ship didn’t 
think he was dead. He wasn’t dead an hour 
or two ago, and he didn’t think,” etc., etc. But 
of course he couldn’t speak quite certainly; so 
Mr. Smith went home. 
That evening, however, or perhaps the next 
day, a messenger (probably Ship himself) came 
89 
