Hannah left the room, after placing the paper as she was bid.
“You will all be put out that trust to an arm of flesh, all of ye, master or man, Dick Messenger,” said the disciple of John Wesley somewhat grimly. “Ay, and be put out of the kingdom of heaven, too, if ye don't take heed.”
“Is that the news I'm to take back to Farnborough, missus?” said Messenger with quiet, rustic irony.
The old woman wrote a few lines reminding Meadows that the pursuit of earthly objects could never bring any steady comfort, and telling him that she should be lost in his great house--that it would seem quite strange to her to go into the town after so many years' quiet--but that if he was minded to come out and see her she would be glad to see him and glad of the opportunity to give him her advice, if he was in a better frame for listening to it than last time she offered it to him, and that was two years come Martinmas.
Then the old woman paused, next she reflected, and afterward dried her unfinished letter. And as she began slowly to fold it up and put it in her pocket--“Hannah,” cried she thoughtfully.
“I dare say--you may fetch--my cloak and bonnet. Why, if the wench hasn't got them on her arm. What, you made up your mind that I should go, then?”
“That I did,” replied Hannah. “Your warm shawl is in the cart, Mrs. Meadows.”
“Oh! you did, did you. Young folks are apt to be sure and certain. I was in two minds about it, so I don't see how the child could be sure,” said she, dividing her remark between vacancy and the person addressed--a grammatical privilege of old age.
“Oh! but _I_ was sure, for that matter,” replied Hannah firmly.
“And what made the little wench so sure, I wonder?” said the old woman, now in her black bonnet and scarlet cloak.
“Why, la!” says Hannah, “because it's your son, ma'am--and you're his mother, Dame Meadows!”
JOHN MEADOWS had always been an active man, but now he was indefatigable. He was up at five every morning, and seemed ubiquitous; added a gray gelding to his black mare, and rode them both nearly off their legs. He surveyed land in half a dozen counties--he speculated in grain in half a dozen markets, and did business in shares. His plan in dealing with this ticklish speculation was simple. He listened to nothing anybody said, examined the venture himself, and, if it had a sound basis, bought when the herd was selling, and sold wherever the herd was buying. Hence, he bought cheap and sold dear.