A month after the "hay home" a gaily dressed party passed through the
fields towards the village church. Absalom and Madge went first,
arm-in-arm; followed by Roaring Billy, who was to give the bride away,
with his lady beside him. Behind these came two or three more couples,
and last of all, toiling along by herself, an old woman, bent nearly
double; it was Madge's mother. With laugh and light jest they pushed on
merrily over the stiles and through the brown autumn grass, covered with
a lacework of cobwebs. The ceremony passed off well enough, except that
Billy, as best-man, made the old arches of the church echo again with
his response.
Absalom had taken a cottage of Farmer Humphreys. "I'd 'ave sooner had
'un of anybody else," said he, "but thur war nur anuther to be had, and
it bean't such a bad 'un nither, only Measter Humphreys be hardish in
the mouth." By the which he meant that Humphreys had the reputation of
being rather harsh in his dealings with his workpeople. The cottage
itself, however, was pleasant enough to look upon, half thatched and
half slated, with a narrow strip of flower-garden in front full of
hollyhocks, sun-flowers, and wall-flowers, enclosed in a high
elder-hedge. Besides which, the occupier had a prescriptive right, by
custom, to a patch of potato ground in the allotments about a mile up
the road. And half-a-dozen damson-trees overshadowed the back of the
cottage, their branches coquetting with the roof when the wind blew.
Here the bridal party made a hearty dinner, and grew jolly and genial
afterwards over several gallons of beer ordered from the "Good Woman"
inn: a sign which represented a woman minus a head, and therefore
silent. It was the end of the harvest, and Absalom had plenty of money
in his pocket: a week's holiday was therefore indispensable. The
imbibing so much beer left a taste in the mouth next morning: this must
be washed away by a visit to the barrel. Then there was a stroll to the
top of a high hill in the neighbourhood, and as it was very hot, the
party was obliged to "wet their whistles" and "wash the dust out of
their throats" at every sign on the road, there and back; always backed
up with a second glass for the "good of the house." The week wore on,
and by Saturday Absalom had thoroughly emancipated himself from the
traces of control. Saturday evening brought a company together at the
"Good Woman," whom it behoved him to treat. Gallon after gallon was
disposed of; Absalom, as the hero of the evening, rising higher and
higher in his own estimation with every glass. At length a rude jest led
to a blow. Absalom had his coat off in an instant, and felled Roaring
Billy like an ox. A row began. The landlord, jealous of his license,
turned them all out into the road, when one or two, overcome by the
fresh air on top of so much liquor, quietly laid down in the dust.
Absalom, mad with drink and vanity, hit out right and left, and piled up
three half-stupefied fellows on top of each other, then, shouting--
"I'm the king of the castle!"
stood up in the middle of the road, and brandishing his arms, challenged
all comers.
At that moment a pair of ponies dashed round the corner and suddenly
stopped--obstructed by half-a-dozen men lying in the way. A tall
gentleman, with a very broad forehead, a very small nose, and a
profusion of grey beard, sprang out, and went up to the landlord, who
stood at the door.
"Johnson," said he sharply, "this is disgraceful. What's that fellow's
name?" pointing to Absalom.
The landlord of course didn't know--was very sorry.
"I can tell 'ee, zur," said a voice, almost a childish treble, and old
Tim crept out from whence he had been sipping up the forsaken goblets.
"It be Absalom White--it be."
"Very good," said the Reverend J. Horton, and resuming his seat, drove
on; while Absalom, shouting and staggering, marched down the road,
imagining he had carried all before him.
The Reverend J. Horton was the owner of the allotment grounds, which he
had broken up from the glebe land with the idea of benefiting the poor.
Every tenant received a circular of rules which were to be observed.
Foremost amongst these was a rule against fighting and drinking. Absalom
next week received an intimation that he must give up his allotment. He
swore, and said it didn't matter a "cuss," it was autumn, and the crop
was up, and he'd warrant he'd get another piece before spring somewhere.
But Madge cried, for her mother had prophesied evil from this offending
of the "gentle-folk." Absalom kissed her and went to his work.
Madge, despite these things, was happy enough. Her education had not
taught her to expect great things. She went forth to her work in the
morning with a light heart. Merry as a cricket, she forgot in the
sunshine all the ominous forebodings of her feeble old mother. It so
chanced, however, that Absalom's master could not find her employment at
that season, and she therefore worked on a farm at a little distance.
Madge saw little of Absalom, except at night, and then he was tired and
went early to bed. Her restless spirit could not be satisfied with so
little companionship. Naturally fond of admiration, she thought no harm
of talking and joking with the men, and her gossips encouraged her in
it. The very same "gossips" reported her freedom to Absalom--very much
exaggerated. Absalom said nothing. He was slow to understand any new
idea. On her road home from her work Madge had to come down a lane with
but one solitary cottage in it. It belonged to an itinerant tinker, his
own property, only paying quit-rent of a shilling a year. He was a
bachelor, a gipsy sort of fellow, full of fun and rollicksome mirth,
better educated than the labourers, and with a store of original ideas
which he had acquired in travelling about. This fellow--"Bellows," as
he was called--admired Madge exceedingly, and had tried to win her for
himself, but failed. Still, what pretty woman was ever displeased with
the attentions of a smart young fellow? After her marriage "Bellows"
courted her more and more. It became a "talk," as the country people
call it. Madge, thinking her title as wife exonerated her from all
remarks, perhaps allowed him to go further than she ought, but, in
strict earnestness, meant no harm. These things came to Absalom's ears.
He grew fonder and fonder of the public-house. Still, at home he said
nothing.
It grew to be winter. One cold, frosty, but beautiful moonlight night
Absalom came home late from his work. He had been sent up on the hills
with some sheep, and did not return till two hours after his usual time.
Weary and hungry, and not in the best of tempers, he walked in. The door
was ajar, and there were some embers on the hearth, but Madge was
neither in sight nor call. Eager for his supper, Absalom went out, and
soon learned that she had gone up to the "Good Woman." Madge indeed,
finding he did not come home, had gone up there to look for him.
"Bellows" was there, and the landlord and he had been drinking pretty
freely. No sooner did Madge come in than the landlord blew out the
candle, slipped out, and locked the door with a loud guffaw, leaving the
pair alone in the dark. Unable to escape, Madge sat down, and they
chatted away gaily enough.
It was thus that Absalom found them. He said nothing when he learnt
where Madge was, but left the house and walked back to the cottage.
Alarmed at his sullen demeanour, the landlord unlocked the door. Madge
flew back to the cottage.
"Ab," said she, rushing in with an armful of sticks to make a blaze,
"you'll want your supper."
The reply was a blow which doubled her up in a corner senseless.
Absalom sat for a while sullenly glowering over the embers, and then
went to bed, leaving Madge sobbing on the bare, hard earthen floor. It
was midnight before she crept to his side.
Early in the morning Absalom got up and dressed. Madge was sleeping
soundly, a dark circle under each eye; she had cried herself to sleep.
He went out and left her.