"Before the wag o' dog's tail. Hurry up!"
"The wind'll blow it all over again."
"Leave it blow. Come by. Here's more trouble even nor cobwebs, avick! First need is first served."
This summoned Hallam and Amy out to see what was going on, and after learning the difficulty and peering into the depths of the old pit they offered their suggestions. Said Amy:—
"We might draw it up, bucket by bucket, and throw it away. Then I suppose it would fill with clean water, wouldn't it?"
"If we did, 'twould break all our backs an' there's more to do than empty old wells. Master Hal, what's your say?"
"Hmm, we might rig up some sort of machinery and stir it all up, and with chemicals we could clear it and—"
"Troth we could, if we'd a month o' Sundays to do it in an' slathers o' time an' money spoilin' to be spent."
Hallam was disgusted. Already he had blamed himself for his haughty refusal of Mr. Wingate's offer, on the previous day, to send a practical man to look over the premises and "set them going," as any landlord would.