A SHEAF OF CORN
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
ROSE AT HONEYPOT THE PATTEN EXPERIMENT OLIVIA'S SUMMER A LOST ESTATE THE PARISH OF HILBY THE PARISH NURSE GRAN'MA'S JANE MRS. PETER HOWARD A WINTER'S TALE ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS THERE WAS ONCE A PRINCE WHEN ARNOLD COMES HOME MOONLIGHT THE MATING OF A DOVE THE FIELDS OF DULDITCH AMONG THE SYRINGAS SUSANNAH THE EGLAMORE PORTRAITS THE MEMORIES OF RONALD LOVE
A SHEAF OF CORN
BY
MARY E. MANN
"I WENT A PILGRIM THROUGH THE UNIVERSE, AND COMMUNED OFT WITH STRANGERS AS I STRAYED, IN EVERY CORNER SOME ADVANTAGE FOUND, AND FROM EACH SHEAF OF CORN I DREW A BLADE."
METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON
_First Published in 1908_
CONTENTS
PAGE
WOMEN O' DULDITCH 1
CLOMAYNE'S CLERK 15
IN A TEA-SHOP 33
A CHALK-MARK ON A GATE--Part I 51
A CHALK-MARK ON A GATE--Part II 63
"AS 'TWAS TOLD TO ME" 77
FREDDY'S SHIP 91
A NERVE CURE 109
THE PRIVATE WARD 135
DORA OF THE RINGOLETS 153
PINK CARNATIONS 167
A LITTLE WHITE DOG 183
IT ANSWERED 195
TO BERTHA IN BOMBAY 209
AUNTIE 223
WILLY AND I 243
A BROKEN BOOT 255
WHEN DEEP SLEEP FALLETH 267
THE EXCELLENT JOYS OF YOUTH 283
CARES OF A CURATE 297
A SHEAF OF CORN
WOMEN O' DULDITCH
Dinah Brome stood in the village shop, watching, with eyes keen to detect the slightest discrepancy in the operation, the weighing of her weekly parcels of grocery.
She was a strong, wholesome-looking woman of three- or four-and-forty, with a clean, red skin, clear eyes, dark hair, crinkling crisply beneath her sober, respectable hat. All her clothes were sober and respectable, and her whole mien. No one would have guessed from it that she had not a shred of character to her back.
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: A Sheaf of Corn by Mary E. Mann
- 2: Mrs Littleproud was not the woman to throw stones
- 3: To the house of the wife of Depper
- 4: When I ha' baked Depper's fourses cake
- 5: Not a mite o' nouragement i' th' house
- 6: Depper he can look arter hisself
- 7: An hour or so later Depper opened it
- 8: Shivering figure beneath the umbrella
- 9: The rain coming on faster and faster
- 10: My uncle doesn't grudge me anything
- 11: And Cicely is waiting outside for me with an umbrella
- 12: My fellow clerks and I have a rattling good time
- 13: Cicely was fond of reading too
- 14: I'll speak about him to Ladell
- 15: Chucking away a life like that
- 16: But the couple who paid the one and fourpence
- 17: She said to Captain Finch as the waitress moved away
- 18: Miss Dawson whispered to Lucilla as she replenished the jug
- 19: It was not the first time Lucilla had heard the argument
- 20: With which Miss Dawson had thoughtfully supplied him
- 21: Bronze coloured chrysanthemums
- 22: Which Lucilla despised as imitation
- 23: Had deposited there for Lucilla
- 24: But Kilbourne was used to such services
- 25: Untidy looking maid of all work who appeared
- 26: And my throat's swelled up with being so parched
- 27: The girl Grantley promised she'd come to day
- 28: The girl Grantley walked with her brother
- 29: There was not a soul to weep for drunken Julia Kilbourne
- 30: Or was the lonely life he was leading
- 31: Alick was a clerk in one of the banks
- 32: Ours has been a long friendship
- 33: Kilbourne turned and confronted the girl
- 34: Small hand towards the vacant sofa
- 35: In search of the lovely primroses said to flourish there
- 36: If Mrs Eddington thought it necessary
- 37: Never would Mrs Eddington leave her child
- 38: Mrs Walsh sprang from the carriage
- 39: When bent on any expedition with Major Walsh
- 40: Mrs Walsh came out of the nursery
- 41: Mrs Macmichel bowed a condescending head as she passed on
- 42: Their fatness was only flabbiness
- 43: Let your master know at once that Mrs Macmichel is here
- 44: Mrs Macmichel remembered the Parish Room
- 45: Two shillings were contributed by Mr Jones and myself
- 46: Mrs Pyman is afraid she can't wait any longer now
- 47: Flora Macmichel had joined the company of the preachers
- 48: Mrs Macmichel stopped her hurriedly
- 49: I am crying because Freddy did not go down in the Doughty
- 50: Miss Ferriman had promised me in one of her letters
- 51: Give Mrs Ragg what orders are necessary
- 52: It was very thoughtful of Mrs Ragg to lie so still
- 53: Then Mrs Ragg came back for the tablecloth
- 54: Mrs Ragg hurriedly rejected the insinuation
- 55: This is the Mrs Ragg about whose desirability we disagree
- 56: Undoubtedly Mrs Ragg was a helpless creature
- 57: Of Mrs Ragg when next we encountered
- 58: For my dream was a nightmare of toiling over it with Julia
- 59: Someone flung something at a window
- 60: The form of Mrs Ragg came slowly back again
- 61: Mrs Ragg rose with a wavering cry that was like a whine
- 62: You repeated at three the dose I ordered
- 63: Although his tone was not less authoritative
- 64: Sobbed long with a tearless sobbing
- 65: This gentleman had a penknife under his pillow
- 66: Glaring at me with your Gorgon stare
- 67: Holding the penknife before his eyes
- 68: Sister Marion stood before her
- 69: Sister Marion pushed the nurse away from her
- 70: Yu ha'n't got ter put none o' them parts on
- 71: She ha'n't got th' mander o' them sort o' truck
- 72: Ef so bein' as yu'd ondertake ter carl my gal's ringolets
- 73: An' I want my ringolets carled
- 74: The schoolmistress waited for another minute
- 75: Whose ugly little face Dora's was said to resemble
- 76: My ringolets ain't no good to me no more
- 77: Daphne was to rest for a certain number of hours
- 78: Took Marston and never poked into their histories
- 79: And what will it be for Daphne if it goes on
- 80: Oh so much more cruel than the messenger of Death
- 81: Sent specially to meet Jack Marston
- 82: Mrs Mavor and I were left alone
- 83: Mrs Mavor spent the night in Daphne's room
- 84: Ruefully collecting the fragments of the broken vase
- 85: You know about mother's Cousin Harold
- 86: Elinor was back in memories of the event
- 87: Elinor accompanied him to the gate
- 88: Elinor did not share the expedition to Wenderling
- 89: Wheeled round and bicycled back
- 90: Vera seems to be generally full of complaints
- 91: I will go in and see Vera to morrow
- 92: You might take a few grapes to Vera
- 93: Everard remembered the occasion with resentment
- 94: Lucilla would say I have such and such a thing to do
- 95: Billy's mummy loves her precious boy
- 96: She and I she Lucilla nodded
- 97: He called for a carte and ordered porridge and a sole
- 98: Not the ghost of a terrified man
- 99: I suppose the beach is free to all
- 100: But that is a matter of precaution
- 101: Those prejudices don't affect my sister
- 102: What are you gnashing your teeth about
- 103: Don't know the luxurious sort of life Auntie leads
- 104: I do hope you and Gussie will like each other
- 105: He's about as clever as they're made
- 106: Auntie liked Grace well enough
- 107: Auntie nodded gloomy affirmation
- 108: Mellish has got into a scrape forgery
- 109: Auntie preferred her own company
- 110: Let Auntie banish the ever recurring picture
- 111: The train was slackening still
- 112: But the window exactly opposite our own
- 113: I told him that Willy and I often had secrets
- 114: And we so longed for the precious kitten
- 115: Was furious with the policeman
- 116: May hell fire blister your feet as mine are blistered
- 117: The first crack in his last pair of boots
- 118: He had asked his brother at length
- 119: Presently he put up his boot upon his knee
- 120: The dog had been in incurable pain
- 121: He would fall so blessedly asleep so blessedly
- 122: She had made confidantes of all who would listen
- 123: Her own poor toilette so soon made
- 124: Through the chords she was softly touching
- 125: The invaluable maid with her slanting eyes
- 126: The Bride rose heavily from her bed
- 127: Difficult voice of the sleeper
- 128: Unwilling voice came the response I swear
- 129: Upon which Polly snuffled loudly
- 130: Dan seized the cheque from her hand
- 131: When the landlady issued therefrom
- 132: Sufficiently pleasing in poor Ted
- 133: Ted had spoken of this mother of his
- 134: The ladies of the parish were in favour of a celibate curate
- 135: I thought I was safe with Mrs Carter
- 136: Jessica is not in the least that kind of woman
- 137: 'Married to Jessica you will find yourself a mere man
- 138: And says Carter was quite annoyed
- 139: Laid beside the pulpit cushion
- 140: If it were not for Jessica good