SEEKING PRIORS DEAN 207 



well know the direction. The boy when asked shook 

 his head. A middle-aged man was digging about 

 thirty yards away, and to him one of the women now 

 called, " Can you tell them the way to Priors Dean ? " 



The man left off digging, straightened himself, and 

 gazed steadily at us for some moments. He was one 

 of the usual type nine in every ten farm labourers 

 in this corner of Hampshire are of it thinnish, of 

 medium height, a pale, parchment face, rather large 

 straightish nose, pale eyes with little speculation in 

 them, shaved mouth and chin, and small side whiskers 

 as our fathers wore them. The moustache has not yet 

 been adopted by these conservatives. The one change 

 they have made is, alas ! in their dress the rusty 

 black coat for the smock frock. 



When he had had his long gaze, he said, "Priors 

 Dean ? " 



" Yes, Priors Dean," repeated the woman, raising her 

 voice. 



He turned up ,two spadefuls of earth, then asked 

 again, " Priors Dean ? " 



"Priors Dean!" shouted the woman. "Can't you 

 tell 'em how to get to it?" Then she laughed. 

 She had perhaps come from some other part of the 

 country where minds are not quite so slow, and where 

 the slow-minded person is treated as being deaf and 

 shouted at. 



Then, at last, he stuck his spade into the soil, and 

 leaving it, slowly advanced to the gate and told us to 



