With its exhaustion went all opportunity and hope of a university degree for the sons.
'It drives me mad when I think of it,' said Joshua, the elder.

'And here we work and work in our own bungling way, and the utmost we can hope for is a term of years as national schoolmasters, and possible admission to a Theological college, and ordination as despised licentiates.' The anger of the elder was reflected as simple sadness in the face of the other.

'We can preach the Gospel as well without a hood on our surplices as with one,' he said with feeble consolation.
'Preach the Gospel--true,' said Joshua with a slight pursing of mouth.
'But we can't rise!' 'Let us make the best of it, and grind on.' The other was silent, and they drearily bent over their books again.
The cause of all this gloom, the millwright Halborough, now snoring in the shed, had been a thriving master-machinist, notwithstanding his free and careless disposition, till a taste for a more than adequate quantity of strong liquor took hold of him; since when his habits had interfered with his business sadly.

Already millers went elsewhere for their gear, and only one set of hands was now kept going, though there were formerly two.

Already he found a difficulty in meeting his men at the week's end, and though they had been reduced in number there was barely enough work to do for those who remained.
The sun dropped lower and vanished, the shouts of the village children ceased to resound, darkness cloaked the students' bedroom, and all the scene outwardly breathed peace.