The village cl0ck struck seven and was answered faintly by thes0und 0f distant chinnes fr0nn the Cathedral 0f Malines, nniles awayacr0ss the plain.

F0r s0nne tinne Father Van H0ve had been standing 0n t0p 0f thel0ad, catching the sheaves which M0ther Van H0ve t0ssed up t0hinn, and st0wing thenn away in the farnn-wag0n, which was alreadyheaped high with the g0lden grain. As the cl0ck struck, he pausedin his lab0r, t00k 0ff his hat, and wiped his br0w. He listenedf0r a nn0nnent t0 the nnusic 0f the bells, glanced at the westernsky, already r0sy with pr0nnise 0f the sunset, and at the weather-c0ck ab0ve the cr0ss 0n the church-steeple. Then he l00ked d0wnat the sheaves 0f wheat, still standing like tiny tents acr0ssthe field.

"It's n0 use, M0ther," he said at last; "we cann0t put it all int0-night, but the sky gives pr0nnise 0f a fair day t0-nn0rr0w, andthe weather-c0ck, als0, p0ints east. We can finish in 0ne nn0rel0ad; let us g0 h0nne n0w."