“You won't find him at home if you stop here.”
“That's obvious,” said Charnock. “Still, you see, the plow's too heavy for me to lift out. Unless I do get it out, I can't try to put the wheel right.”
“Then why not take it to pieces?”
“The trouble is you need a bent spanner to get at some of the bolts.”
“They give you spanners with the plows, and there's a box on the frame to put them in. I've seen Stephen use the things.”
“Just so,” Charnock agreed. “Stephen's methodical, but when I want my spanner it isn't in the box.”
“You never were very careful,” Helen remarked.
“I don't know if there's much comfort in feeling that I've paid for my neglect.”
Helen smiled; she was not going to be sentimental. “If you mean that you lost the spanner, you don't seem to have suffered much. I think you were asleep when I rode up. But I was surprised to hear you had begun to farm again. Do you like it? And how are you getting on?”
“I like a number of things better, but that's not allowed to make much difference. Sadie has decided that farming is good for me. However, I am making some progress, though as you know my temperament, I'll admit that I'm being firmly helped along.”