within a month honor haycraft and avisa mogridge were the closest of friends, for, despite the water-bailiff’s caution and the younger man’s attempt to profit by it, their wives took the matter into their own hands. both husbands were away all day at work; their cottages stood half a mile distant from any others, and the two lonely women soon struck up a close and intimate relation. mrs. mogridge was honourable, truthful, warm-hearted and affectionate; she had two young children, both girls; she loved her elderly husband dearly; she knew the life-history of every man and woman in postbridge; and she related the affairs of the village with full detail for the benefit of honor, who was an exeter girl, and did not know the people of the moor.
“i can talk straight to ’e,” said mrs. mogridge, “for you come without one particle of feeling against anybody or for anybody. so i’ll tell you what they all be like down-along, an’ who you can trust an’ who you can’t trust, so far as i know ’em. you’ll go your own way, but ’tis never any harm to hear another opinion.”
thus mrs. haycraft, instead of forming p. 305independent conclusions from experience, took her view of the new neighbours and environment from another woman; and this was a happier circumstance than might be guessed, because avisa mogridge possessed plenty of good sense and a kindly heart, whereas, though the red girl’s heart was warm enough, her head was rather weak, and of sense, or patience, or knowledge of human nature she had none to name. she was a superstitious woman, full of old saws and sayings. if she met a single magpie, she went in fear for a week. her husband tried to laugh her out of such folly, but he never succeeded.
and so the friendship ripened and the men looked on. in secret henry mogridge prophesied a catastrophe, as sure as women were women all the world over; while abel haycraft listened and nodded, but hoped the water-bailiff might be mistaken.
avisa and honor worked side by side at the same wash-tub when their husbands were away, compared notes, listened to each other’s wisdom and opinions. honor petted her friend’s little girls, and made sugar-plums and cakes for them; avisa took the deepest interest in honor’s approaching motherhood.
a boy was born to the young wife—a flaxen, saxon atom, with a first crop of hair the colour of straw, blue eyes, a flat nose like his father’s, red cheeks, and very fat limbs.
p. 306then came winter, and henry mogridge, catching a chill in the night watches by the river, passed away, a victim to his duty beside dart.
honor comforted her friend as much as might be, and postbridge showed sympathy also, until it was announced that mrs. mogridge had been left with £40 a year. thereupon, feeling that commiseration would be wasted, the village turned to more interesting matters.
time sped, and when her child was a year old, honor haycraft followed avisa into the state of widowhood. an accident at vitifer mine ended the burly abel’s life; and with him there also perished another man and a boy.
