And lo and behold! before he had well opened his mouth, he had been ordered to shut it by the very being whom he had at his mercy.

It passed Jonah's comprehension.
Jeffreys waited a minute to give him a chance of accepting his former alternative.

Then, concluding he had decided on the latter, he betook himself to his own room and remained there.
Jonah, as soon as he could recover himself sufficiently to think at all, made up his mind that, come what would, he had had enough of this sort of life.

With which conviction he crushed his hat on his head, and sallied forth into the open air.
His feet almost instinctively turned in the direction of Ash Lane; but on this occasion they went past the fatal bank and brought their owner to a halt at the door of Ash Cottage.
"Is Mr Rosher at home ?" inquired he of the servant.
Mr Rosher was at home--a jovial, well-to-do farmer, with a hearty Yorkshire voice and a good-humoured grin on his broad face.
"Well, lad, what is't ?" he asked, as Trimble, hat in hand, was shown into the little parlour.

"Man, it's the little school-maister." "Yes, Mr Rosher," said Trimble; "I should like five minutes' talk with you if you can spare the time." "Blaze away, lad.