"I would turn my back on Marsden and
never come back again, were it not for the little ones. Besides,"
he added after a pause, "father's last words were, 'Be kind to
mother;' and she will want it more than he ever dreamed of."
"She will that," Bill agreed; "leastways unless oi be mistaken.
And what be'st going to do now, lad? Be'st agoing whoam?"
"No, I won't go home tonight," Ned replied. "I must think it over
quietly, and it would be worse to bear there than anywhere else.
No, I shall just walk about."
"Thou canst not walk abowt all night, Maister Ned," Bill said
positively; "it bain't to be thowt of. If thou don't mind thou
canst have moi bed and oi can sleep on t' floor."
"No, I couldn't do that," Ned said, "though I do feel awfully
tired and done up; but your brothers would be asking me questions
and wondering why I didn't go home. I could not stand that."
"No, Maister Ned, oi can see that wouldn't do; but if we walk
about for an hour or two, or--no, I know of a better plan. We can
get in at t' window of the school; it bain't never fastened, and
bain't been for years, seeing as thar bain't been neither school
nor schoolers since auld Mother Brown died. Oi will make a shift
to light a fire there. There be shutters, so no one will see the
light. Then oi will bring ee up some blankets from our house, and
if there bain't enough Polly will lend me some when oi tell her
who they are for.
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