Chapter 40 The Last Day of the Year

The last day of the year came on the two-hundred-and-eightieth day, and it came with the rain, and the rain was warm, and the rain was going down, and the sun came through the rain, and the sun was warm, and the lane was wet, and the hedge was green, and the hawthorn was gone, and the chalk was white on the stones, and the yard was the yard. Kessin stood at the yard gate at six, and she had the ledger in her hand, and the ledger was almost full, and she had carried the ledger out to the yard, and she set the ledger on the wheel, and she opened the ledger to the last page, and she took the pen from the cup, and she held the pen, and she did not write anything, and she looked at the yard. Peth came in at the hall door with his case and his chalk, and he stood at the foot of the wheel, and he said, "You have the ledger." "I have the ledger," said Kessin. "The ledger is the ledger," said Peth. "The ledger is the ledger," said Kessin. "The ledger has the debt paid," said Peth. "The ledger has the debt paid," said Kessin. "The ledger has the spring," said Peth. "The ledger has the spring," said Kessin. "The ledger has the tally," said Peth. "The ledger has the tally," said Kessin. "The ledger has the apprentice," said Peth. "The ledger has the apprentice," said Kessin. "The ledger has the year," said Peth. "The ledger has the year," said Kessin. Brin came in through the gate with the cart, and the cart had come from Gillanwick, and the cart was muddy, and Brin took his hat off, and he put it on the wheel, and he said, "I have the cart." "I have the cart," said Kessin. "I have the cart for a year," said Brin. "I have the cart for a year," said Kessin. "He has the lane for a year," said Peth. "He has the lane for a year," said Kessin. "He has the tally for a year," said Peth. "He has the tally for a year," said Kessin. "She has the hall for a year," said Peth. "She has the hall for a year," said Kessin. Turrel came out from the kitchen with the lamp and the cloth and the pot of coffee, and she set the pot on the table, and she took the cloth, and she wiped the wood, and she said, "I have the kitchen for a year." "I have the kitchen for a year," said Kessin. "You have the kitchen for fourteen years," said Kessin. "I have the kitchen for fourteen years," said Turrel. "You have the hall for fourteen years," said Kessin. "I have the hall for fourteen years," said Turrel. "And I have the hall for a year." "Then you have the hall for fifteen years," said Kessin. "Then I have the hall for fifteen years," said Turrel. Gild came in through the gate at half eight, and he had the mud on his boots, and he stood at the wheel, and he said, "I have the watch for a year." "I have the watch for a year," said Kessin. "Wist has the eels for a year," said Kessin. "Wist has the eels for a year," said Turrel. "Dorl has the salt for a year," said Kessin. "Dorl has the salt for a year," said Turrel. "He has the hawthorn for a year," said Kessin. "He has the hawthorn for a year," said Turrel. She wrote on the page, and she wrote: one year, one debt paid, one spring, one tally, one apprentice, one watch, one cart, one lane, one boy, one eels, one salt, one hawthorn, one mill, one wheel, one board, one card, one white card, one seventh card, one hall. She put the pen down, and she looked at the page, and the page was full, and she took a new page, and she did not write anything on the new page, and she set the new page in the ledger, and she closed the ledger, and she took the ledger from the wheel, and she put the ledger on the shelf. Peth stood at the foot of the wheel with his case, and he said, "You have the hall for a year." "I have the hall for a year," said Kessin. "You have the hall for a year," said Peth. "And the hall has you." "Then the hall has me," said Kessin. "Then the hall has you," said Peth. "Then the hall has the year," said Peth. "Then the hall has the year," said Kessin. Nyke came up the lane at noon, and he came with his hat and his pack, and he came to the yard gate, and he stood at the gate, and he said, "I have the road." "I have the road," said Kessin. "I have the road for a year," said Nyke. "I have the road for a year," said Kessin. "I have walked the road for a year," said Nyke. "I have walked the road for a year," said Kessin. "The road is the road," said Nyke. "The road is the road," said Kessin. "The road has me," said Nyke. "The road has you," said Kessin. He took the card from his pocket, and he gave the card to Kessin, and the card was the seventh card, and the card was white, and the card had the market's mark, and the mark was Mistress Ryley's, and he said, "I have the card." "I have the card," said Kessin. "The card is the seventh card," said Nyke. "The card is the seventh card," said Kessin. "Then the seventh name is coming," said Nyke. "Then the seventh name is coming," said Kessin. "Then I am not the seventh name," said Nyke. "Then you are not the seventh name," said Kessin. "Then who is the seventh name," said Nyke. "I do not know," said Kessin. "I do not know," said Nyke. "Then the hall will wait," said Nyke. "Then the hall will wait," said Kessin. "Then the hall will wait until the seventh name comes," said Nyke. "Until the seventh name comes," said Kessin. "And the seventh name will come," said Nyke. "The seventh name will come," said Kessin. "And the hall will write on the card," said Nyke. "The hall will write on the card," said Kessin. "Or the hall will not write on the card," said Nyke. "Or the hall will leave the card blank," said Kessin. "Then the hall will wait," said Nyke. "Then the hall will wait," said Kessin. He put his hat on, and he took his pack, and he said, "I will walk the road." "You will walk the road," said Kessin. "I will walk the road to the north," said Nyke. "You will walk the road to the north," said Kessin. "I will walk the road to the south," said Nyke. "You will walk the road to the south," said Kessin. "I will walk the road to the east," said Nyke. "You will walk the road to the east," said Kessin. "I will walk the road to the west," said Nyke. "You will walk the road to the west," said Kessin. "I will walk the road to the seventh name," said Nyke. "You will walk the road to the seventh name," said Kessin. "And the seventh name is not at the hall," said Nyke. "Then the seventh name is not at the hall," said Kessin. "Then the seventh name is at the road," said Nyke. "Then the seventh name is at the road," said Kessin. "Then the seventh name is at the north," said Nyke. "Then the seventh name is at the north," said Kessin. He went out through the gate, and the gate opened and closed behind him, and the sound of it went out into the lane, and the lane was the lane, and the chalk was white on the stones, and the hedge was green, and the sun was over the mill, and the board had thirteen cards on it, and the tenth was white, and the seventh was on the road. The bread was on the table, and the bread was warm, and the coffee was hot, and the donkey was at the foot of the stove, and the boy was at the bench with his case, and Turrel was at the stove, and Brin was at the wheel with his hat off, and Gild was at the hall table, and Wist was at the wheel with the eels, and Dorl was at the yard wall with the cart, and Kessin was at the table with the ledger closed, and the board had thirteen cards on it, and the tenth was white, and the hall was the hall. She took the white card from the board, and she held the white card in her hand, and the white card was the white card, and the white card had no mark, and the white card had no writing, and she looked at the card, and she did not write on the card, and she put the card back on the board, and the board had thirteen cards on it, and the tenth was white, and the card was white. "That is the white card," said Turrel. "That is the white card," said Kessin. "That is the seventh name's card," said Turrel. "That is the seventh name's card," said Kessin. "That is the card that will be filled," said Turrel. "That is the card that will be filled," said Kessin. "Or the card that will be white," said Turrel. "Or the card that will be white," said Kessin. "The card will be white," said Turrel. "The card will be white," said Kessin. "And the seventh name will come." "Then the seventh name will come," said Turrel. "And the seventh name is on the road," said Kessin. "The seventh name is on the road," said Turrel. "And the seventh name is at the north," said Kessin. "The seventh name is at the north," said Turrel. "And the hall will wait," said Kessin. "Then the hall will wait," said Turrel. She put the card on the board, and the board had thirteen cards on it, and the tenth was white, and the hall was the hall, and the year was the year, and the last day of the year was the last day, and the rain was going down, and the sun was over the mill, and the hedge was green, and the chalk was white on the stones, and the bread was warm, and the coffee was hot, and the donkey slept at the foot of the stove, and the boy was at the bench with his case, and the board was the board, and the hall was the hall. Nyke was on the road, and the road was the road, and the seventh name was at the north, and the seventh name was coming, and the hall had the card, and the hall had the white card, and the hall had the year, and the hall was the hall, and the hall would go on.