THRESHING 53 



shoot, which would be ruinous. He will pull in 

 again directly he has finished with Haynes. But it's 

 hard luck having the bother twice over as it were 

 in your first experience of threshers." 



" I don't know that I am so very sorry," said 

 Hilaria. " It's a respite at least. And they are all 

 very kind and nice, and really no trouble. As for 

 bucking wood and drawing water, why two of them 

 bucked enough for a week in an hour. And when 

 I think of those harvest worthies looking on with 

 their hands in their pockets, I feel one can't be too 

 decent to them." 



" Oh, they are pleasant enough," I allowed, " but 

 it's the eternal cooking and smell of cooking. And 

 then one's so awfully afraid that there shouldn't 

 be enough when they come trooping in. Lai says 

 it's a point of honour to do them magnificently — 

 the farmers' wives do anything to outrival the 

 reputation of each other. Every kind of iced cake 

 beneath the sun — stewed fruit — canned fruit 

 — whipped cream — junket and heaven knows 

 what ! " 



" Don't take the slightest notice of Lai's fussi- 

 ness," advised Hilaria. " He is either ' pulling our 

 leg ' or doesn't know any more than we do. Yester- 

 day just half an hour before dinner he came in 

 with the tale that three of the men were Jews and 

 wouldn't touch pork under any condition. I had 

 two joints of pork in the oven, and of course there 

 was no more room, so I had to draw on the beef-steak 

 I had in reserve for supper — to say nothing of the 

 extra annoyance and trouble at the last moment. 

 And to crown it all — did not those three Jews eat 

 pork ? You should have seen them ! " 



