CHAPTER XII. 



Summers preceded his guests and led the way into the 

 parlour ; here he motioned them to be seated, and placed 

 a brass tobacco box and three long clay pipes upon the 

 table ; then he passed through a doorway and returned in 

 a few minutes bearing a large brown jug upon which was 

 depicted a stag with enormous antlers carried erect, three 

 hounds and a hump-backed figure on a dray horse in close 

 pursuit. (What was pursuing what depended upon where 

 you began.) 



" It's warm," Summers said. He was a man of few 

 words. 



Each man filled his pipe, the box of matches was passed 

 round, but still silence reigned ; each waited for the other. 



Perhaps of the three, Grimes the bailiff was the most 

 nervous, hence his echo of the remark that '* it was warm," 

 intended to be conciliatory. 



Summers sucked meditatively at his pipe, but his eyes 

 searched the faces of his guests. 



" Well, anyway, I don't suppose you came to talk of the 

 weather," he said at length. 



" No, you are right, Mr. Summers," they both said to- 

 gether. 



" It's this here business," the stud-groom continued. 



What are we going to do ? " 



That depends," Summers replied, looking round as 

 though he had a beaten fox before him and wasn't quite 

 certain how to make his cast. 



" I don't hold with womenfolk when it comes to farmin'," 

 Grimes remarked with boldness, seeing that his fellows 



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