Dickon's swelled quite loud and beautiful -- and
at the second line Ben Weatherstaff raspingly
cleared his throat and at the third he joined in with
such vigor that it seemed almost savage and when
the "Amen" came to an end Mary observed that
the very same thing had happened to him which
had happened when he found out that Colin was
not a cripple -- his chin was twitching and he
was staring and winking and his leathery old
cheeks were wet.

"I never seed no sense in th' Doxology afore,"
he said hoarsely, "but I may change my mind i'
time. I should say tha'd gone up five pound this
week, Mester Colin -- five on 'em!"

Colin was looking across the garden at something
attracting his attention and his expression
had become a startled one.

"Who is coming in here?" he said quickly.
"Who is it?"

The door in the ivied wall had been pushed
gently open and a woman had entered. She had
come in with the last line of their song and she had
stood still listening and looking at them. With
the ivy behind her, the sunlight drifting through
the trees and dappling her long blue cloak, and
her nice fresh face smiling across the greenery she
was rather like a softly colored illustration in
one of Colin's books. She had wonderful affectionate

[[345]]

p344b _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p345w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p346

v?