"One of the boys is drowned. Young Rimmer is bringing home his body." And he eyed the old woman like a hawk, with an evil light of hope in his eye.
"Naay!" said she, not to be trapped.
"Old fool!" he said to himself, but kept an unmoved face and opened his snuff-box.
Young Seth came labouring into the courtyard, with Jim on his shoulder and Jack at his heels.
Sir Denzil never looked at them. He had eyes for nothing but old Mrs. Lee's face, which was hard-set and the colour of gray stone.
"What's happen't, Seth Rimmer?" she croaked as he came, peering through half-closed eyes at him and his burden.
"Sand-boat ran i' stick-sand. Nigh got 'im."
"Is hoo gone?"--as Seth laid the limp body on the table.
"Nay, I dunno' think hoo con be dead; but it wur sore wark getting' 'im out--nigh pooed 'im i' two--an' hoo swallowed a lot o' stuff."
"Hoo'll do," she said, after a quick examination. "Yo' leave 'im to me." And she "shooed" them all out of the kitchen and proceeded to maltreat Jim tenderly back to life.