Nearer, nearer came the sounds, till at last a line of men and boys,
full fifty carrying torches and lanterns, came up, and lighted up the
dew-spangled leaves, and made the mother's heart leap with joyful hope
at succor so powerful.
Oh, she could have kissed the stout village blacksmith, whose deep
sonorous lungs rang close to her. Never had any man's voice sounded to
her so like a god's as this stout blacksmith's "hilloop! hilloop!"
close and loud in her ear, and those at the end of the line hallooed
"hillo-op; hillo-op!" like an echo; and so they passed on, through bush
and brier, till their voices died away in the distance.
A boy detached himself from the line, and ran to Lady Bassett with a
traveling rug. It was Reginald.
"You put on this," said he. He shook it, and, standing on tiptoe, put
it over her shoulders.
"Thank you, dear," said she. "Where is papa?"
"Oh, he is in the line, and the Highmore swell and all."
"Mr. Richard Bassett?"
"Air, his kid is out on the loose, as well as ours."
"Oh, Reginald, if they should quarrel!"
"Why, our governor can lick him, can't he?"
CHAPTER XL.
"OH, don't talk so. I wouldn't for all the world they should quarrel."
"Well, we have got enough fellows to part them if they do."
"Dear Reginald, you have been so good to me, and you are so clever;
speak to some of the men, and let there be no more quarreling between
papa and that man.
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