fetch their daily allowance of water: withered crones, and young maidens, and lads who before they went to their labour in the fields carried their mother's pails to fill, and little children who tottered beneath the yoke they bore on their shoulders. Some, busy or diligent, did their errand, and hastened away; while others less occupied or industrious, lingered to talk over the gossip of the day.
The morning was tolerably bright and fine now; but it happened that the previous day's rain had affected the water, which looking thick and muddy, drew forth many complaints. "Rain or not rain, it never was over good water to my mind," observed a middle aged woman. "We'd much better at Totcombe where I come from, than any to be got here."
"Na, na," said an old crone, putting down her pails, and setting her hands on her hips; "there's no better water at Totcombe than there is at Maningtree, if we had the right use on't, but they took it away from us; and this here pump, I grant you, was never good for nothing. When I was a girl every body in the village fetched their water from the well, at the old house there, over the way; but they were fine people as lived there in those times—mighty
