Now and then a sharp, jerky expletive gave expression to his crude doubts and suspicions, but he could not wring from his mother any word to strengthen his suspicions.
'I do not be knowing what to think, Rhys!'--''Deed, Rhys, Evan has served us well, and Mr. Pryse is a bad man, your father said it.'--'Yes, indeed, it is a serious loss, but Evan helped us to get the money.'--'Yes, yes, Rhys, I do be aware you have worked hard too; but Evan, he did teach us new ways--and--after all,' she concluded, rising slowly to replace the depleted stocking in the coffer, 'we may thank God we had the money saved, or our farm would have gone from us, and we should have lost everything. Think of poor Ales, and don't be letting her hear you.'
Poor Ales! William had found her in the dairy, bent down over the tall churn, with her head on her bare brown arms, sobbing as if her heart would break, less for herself than the aspersion cast on her true and faithful Evan. She had shrunk away, not from Mr. Pryse's whip, but from an evil tongue and a threat that cut worse than a whip-lash.
Prisons were horrible dens before John Howard spent his life in dragging their iniquities to light, and purifying their foulness. 'Jail' was a word to daunt the strongest, for everywhere tales were rife how unscrupulous power thrust innocent men within their pestilential walls to perish, for no crime greater than debt or unguarded words.
'Jail, Willem! He said he would send me to _jail_, only for standing up for honest people. But he is a rogue, Willem--a bad, wicked rogue, Willem.' She sobbed and shuddered as she gasped out the words. 'Yes, 'deed! it will be that cruel Mr. Pryse that do be robbing the widow of her money--and--and my poor Evan of his good name. Yes, sure, and me of my dear husband that would have been this day! Oh, Willem _fach_, my poor heart will be breaking.'
'Hush, Ales dear! don't say so,' implored the sympathetic boy, laying his hand tenderly upon her shoulder. 'Unkind words are hard to bear, I know'--and he sighed--'but nobody here will think Evan took our money and yours, and ran away from _you_.' (He might have altered his opinion could he have heard through the stone wall what Rhys was saying.) 'Cheer up; it will all come right when Evan gets back; yes, sure.'