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Page 12
"Mr. Millet," said Israel, bowing towards the bare-headed gentleman.
"Ha,--who are you, pray?"
"A poor fellow, sir, in want of work."
"A wardrobe, too, I should say," smiled one of the guests, of a very
youthful, prosperous, and dandified air.
"Where's your hoe?" said Sir John.
"I have none, sir."
"Any money to buy one?"
"Only four English pennies, sir."
"_English_ pennies. What other sort would you have?"
"Why, China pennies to be sure," laughed the youthful gentleman. "See
his long, yellow hair behind; he looks like a Chinaman. Some broken-down
Mandarin. Pity he's no crown to his old hat; if he had, he might pass it
round, and make eight pennies of his four."
"Will you hire me, Mr. Millet," said Israel.
"Ha! that's queer again," cried the knight.
"Hark ye, fellow," said a brisk servant, approaching from the porch,
"this is Sir John Millet."
Seeming to take pity on his seeming ignorance, as well as on his
undisputable poverty, the good knight now told Israel that if he would
come the next morning he would see him supplied with a hoe, and moreover
would hire him.
It would be hard to express the satisfaction of the wanderer at
receiving this encouraging reply. Emboldened by it, he now returns
towards a baker's he had spied, and bravely marching in, flings down all
four pennies, and demands bread. Thinking he would not have any more
food till next morning, Israel resolved to eat only one of the pair of
two-penny loaves. But having demolished one, it so sharpened his longing,
that yielding to the irresistible temptation, he bolted down the second
loaf to keep the other company.
After resting under a hedge, he saw the sun far descended, and so
prepared himself for another hard night. Waiting till dark, he crawled
into an old carriage-house, finding nothing there but a dismantled old
phaeton. Into this he climbed, and curling himself up like a
carriage-dog, endeavored to sleep; but, unable to endure the constraint
of such a bed, got out, and stretched himself on the bare boards of the
floor.
No sooner was light in the east than he fastened to await the commands
of one who, his instinct told him, was destined to prove his benefactor.
On his father's farm accustomed to rise with the lark, Israel was
surprised to discover, as he approached the house, that no soul was
astir. It was four o'clock. For a considerable time he walked back and
forth before the portal ere any one appeared. The first riser was a man
servant of the household, who informed Israel that seven o'clock was the
hour the people went to their work. Soon after he met an hostler of the
place, who gave him permission to lie on some straw in an outhouse.
There he enjoyed a sweet sleep till awakened at seven o'clock by the
sounds of activity around him.
Supplied by the overseer of the men with a large iron fork and a hoe,
he followed the hands into the field. He was so weak he could hardly
support his tools. Unwilling to expose his debility, he yet could not
succeed in concealing it. At last, to avoid worse imputations, he
confessed the cause. His companions regarded him with compassion, and
exempted him from the severer toil.
About noon the knight visited his workmen. Noticing that Israel made
little progress, he said to him, that though he had long arms and broad
shoulders, yet he was feigning himself to be a very weak man, or
otherwise must in reality be so.
Hereupon one of the laborers standing by informed the gentleman how it
was with Israel, when immediately the knight put a shilling into his
hands and bade him go to a little roadside inn, which was nearer than
the house, and buy him bread and a pot of beer. Thus refreshed he
returned to the band, and toiled with them till four o'clock, when the
day's work was over.
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