“If you can help yourself, sir, you can help me. But I have no right to say so. Only, if a pair of old eyes be not blind, a man may pray to God about anything he sees. I was prayin’ hard about you in there, sir, while you was on your knees o’ the other side o’ the door.”
I could partly guess what the old man meant, and I could not ask him for further explanation.
“What did you want to see me about?” I inquired.
He hesitated for a moment.
“I daresay it was very foolish of me, sir. But I just wanted to tell you that—our Jane was down here from the Hall this arternoon——”
“I passed her on the bridge. Is she quite well?”
“Yes, yes, sir. You know that’s not the point.”
The old man’s tone seemed to reprove me for vain words, and I held my peace.
“The captain’s there again.”
An icy spear seemed to pass through my heart. I could make no reply. The same moment a cold wind blew on me from the open door of the mill.