He seemed to have thought a good deal in those lonely watches; but he passed it off by referring to the malting.

Barn barley was best for malting--_i.e._ that which had been stored in a barn and therefore kept perfectly dry, for ricks sometimes get wet before they can be thatched.

But barn barley was not often come by nowadays, as one by one the old barns disappeared: burned perhaps, and not rebuilt.

He had ceased to brew for some time; Cicely could, however, remember sipping the sweet wort, which is almost too sweet for the palate after childhood.
They still baked a batch of bread occasionally, but not all that was required.

Cicely superintended the baking, passing the barm through a sieve with a wisp of clean hay in it.