The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
own to these ploughmen of his, that she had been in the wrong in putting a stop to their
proceedings.
When she arrived, however, at the spot in question, she found the ploughs had
disappeared, and was, moreover, amazed to descry a line of men busily engaged in
replacing the sods, that morning turned over, in their former position. Superintending
the scene was Fleetwood himself; and after a pause of astonishment, not unmixed with
dismay, Rachel made her way towards him. He turned to her with a smile at which her
heart gave a little leap of relief. At least he was not angry.
"Why, what is going forward here, Mr. Fleetwood?" she inquired after the first
greetings. "When I passed this morning your men were busy ploughing, and now they
are busy-”
[205]
"Repairing the damage that they caused” said Simon, finishing the sentence as she
paused.
“But — for what reason?" she stammered, with her eyes on the ground.
"Can you ask? Do you think I would carry on an undertaking which was so unfortunate
as to meet with your displeasure?”
“But," said Rachel raising her eyes timidly, "perhaps I was wrong. I — I know nothing
about farming. My father,” she added, in rather a choked voice, "appears quite content
with your arrangements.”
“Oh, you have been to complain of me?" said Simon, smiling down at her again. "Let us
make a compact. Miss Charnock. In future, when you are displeased with any of my
projects, will you be so good as to make your objections to me in person? They shall be
at once attended to."
"I don't understand," she cried quickly. "I — I thought there was a mistake — I
imagined my father did not know" she broke off in confusion, resuming presently in a
lighter tone. "And, indeed, Mr. Fleetwood, I am a very ignoramus with regard to the
management of land. I did not like to see the park ploughed up — but that was natural."
"It was most natural," cried he. "Truly I should have known better than to institute a
change which could not but be unsightly. My only excuse, Miss Charnock, is that this