'Father,' she said, in a tone of gentle gravity, which sometimes
came like a sadder, slower cadence across her playfulness, 'we shall
take the furze bush into the garden; it'll come into the corner, and
just against it I'll put snowdrops and crocuses, 'cause Aaron says
they won't die out, but'll always get more and more.'
'Ah, child,' said Silas, always ready to talk when he had his
pipe in his hand, apparently enjoying the pauses more than the
puffs, 'it wouldn't do to leave out the furze bush; and there's
nothing prettier, to my thinking, when it's yallow with flowers. But
it's just come into my head what we're to do for a fence- mayhap Aaron
can help us to a thought; but a fence we must have, else the donkeys
and things 'ull come and trample everything down. And fencing's hard
to be got at, by what I can make out.'
'Oh, I'll tell you, daddy,' said Eppie, clasping her hands
suddenly, after a minute's thought. 'There's lots o' loose stones
about, some of 'em not big, and we might lay 'em atop of one another
and make a wall. You and me could carry the smallest, and Aaron 'ud
carry the rest- I know he would.'
'Eh, my precious un,' said Silas, 'there isn't enough stones to
go all round; and as for you carrying, why wi' your little arms you
couldn't carry a stone no bigger than a turnip. You're dillicate made,
my dear,' he added, with a tender intonation- 'that's what Mrs
Winthrop says.
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