Through the fray Author:George Alfred Henty Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: A VISIT. 41 may have had they were gone now. Wages had fallen greatly and the prices of food risen enormously, and the wolf was at the door of every cottage. ... more »No wonder the men became desperate, and believing that all their sufferings arose from the introduction of the new machinery had bound themselves to destroy it whatever happened. A woman of whom he inquired for John Swinton's cottage told him that it was the last on the left. Although he told himself that he had nothing to be afraid of, it needed all Ned's determination to nerve himself to tap at the door of the low thatched cottage. A young woman opened it. " If you please," Ned said, " I have come to see Bill; the doctor said he would see me. It was I who hurt him, but indeed I didn't mean to do it." " A noice bizness yoi've made of it atween ee," the woman said, but in a not unkind voice. " Who'd ha' thought as Bill would ha' got hurted by such a little un as thou be'st; but coom in, he will be main glad to see ee, and thy feyther ha' been very good in sending up all sorts o' things for him. He's been very nigh agooing whoam, but I believe them things kept un from it." The cottage contained but two rooms. In a comer of the living-room, into which Ned followed the woman, Bill Swinton lay upon a bed which Captain Sankey had .sent up. Ned would not have known him again, and could scarce believe that the thin feeble figure was the sturdy strong-built boy with whom he had struggled on 42 BILL SWINTON. the moor. His eyes filled with tears as he went up to the bedside. "I ain so sorry!" he said; "I have grieved so all the time you have been ill." " It's all roight, young un," the boy said in a low voice, " thar's no call vor to fret. It warn't thy fault; thou couldn't not tell why oi would not let ee pa...« less