From our height we could
more than once see blazing ricks, and were glad that the home farm
was not in our own hands, and that our only stack of hay was a good
way from the house. When the onset came at last, it was December,
and the enemy only consisted of about thirty dreary-looking men and
boys in smock-frocks and chalked or smutted faces, armed only with
sticks and an old gun diverted from its purpose of bird-scaring.
They shouted for food, money, and arms; but my father spoke to them
from the hall steps, told them they had better go home and learn
that the public-house was a worse enemy to them than any machine
that had ever been invented, and assured them that they would get no
help from him in breaking the laws and getting themselves into
trouble. A stone or two was picked up, whereupon he went back and
had the hall door shut and barred, the heavy shutters of the windows
having all been closed already, so that we could have stood a much
more severe siege than from these poor fellows. One or two windows
were broken, as well as the glass of the conservatory, and the
flower beds were trampled; but finding our fortress impregnable they
sneaked away before dark. We fared better than our neighbours, some
of whom were seriously frightened, and suffered loss of property.
Old Mr. Fordyce had for many years past been an active magistrate--
that a clergyman should be on the bench having been quite correct
according to the notions of his younger days; and in spite of his
beneficence he incurred a good deal of unpopularity for withstanding
the lax good-nature which made his brother magistrates give orders
for parish relief refused to able-bodied paupers by their own
Vestries.
Pages:
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145