I don't believe that even thy
churlishness would have stood such blows if thou hadst known naught
of the idolatrous vessels, and couldst have saved thy skin by saying
so! No answer. Why, what have these malignants done for thee that
thou shouldst hold by them? Slain thy father! Burnt thine house!
No fault of theirs that thou art alive this day! Canst not speak?"
Jeph's temper giving way at the provocation, he forgot his
conciliatory intentions and seizing Stead by the collar shook him
violently. Growler almost broke his chain with rage, Patience
screamed and flew to the rescue, just as she had often done when they
were all children together, and Jeph threw his brother from him so
that he fell on the root of a tree, and lay for a moment or two
still, then picked himself up again evidently with pain, though he
answered Patience cheerfully that it was nought.
"Thou art enough to drive a man mad with thy surly silence,"
exclaimed Jeph, whom this tussle had rendered much more like his old
self, "and after all, knowing that even though thou art not one of
the holy ones, thou wilt not tell a lie, it comes to the same thing.
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