Page:Joan, the curate.djvu/293

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A Very Woman.
287

village; and on inquiry as to the reason, he learnt that it was the day of Ann Price's funeral and that they were waiting for the body to be brought out.

Tregenna lingered, on hearing this, and hoped that he might have an opportunity of meeting Tom, and of questioning him as to the mischief he had done.

When the coffin, covered with a deep black pall, was brought out of the house, however, the lieutenant found no one he recognized among the four bearers.

They were all rough-looking men, of the rather sinister type he had begun to know so well, but neither Bill Plunder, nor Robin Cursemother, Ben the Blast, Jack Price, nor Gardener Tom, was among them.

"How comes it her brother is not one of the bearers?" asked he of a bystander.

"Sure, sir, 'tis you should know the reason of that better than anybody," returned the woman, saucily.

For the person of the lieutenant was now well known in the neighborhood, and there was a sort of lively warfare carried on between him on the one side, and the women of the