Part 44 (1/2)
”Be it so,” replied the squire; ”my shoulders are broad enough to bear the burthen. You may ride with us, master reeve.”
”May I inquire your name, friend?” said Potts, as the stranger fell back to the rear of the party.
”Thomas Potts, at your service, sir,” replied the reeve.
”What!-Thomas Potts!” exclaimed the astonished attorney.
”That is my name, sir,” replied the reeve, quietly.
”Why, zounds!” exclaimed Nicholas, who overheard the reply, ”you do not mean to say your name is Thomas Potts? This is more wonderful still. You must be this gentleman's twin brother.”
”The gentleman certainly seems to resemble me very strongly,” replied the reeve, apparently surprised in his turn. ”Is he of these parts?”
”No, I am not,” returned Potts, angrily, ”I am from London, where I reside in Chancery-lane, and practise the law, though I likewise attend as clerk of the court at the a.s.sizes at Lancaster, where I may possibly, one of these days, have the pleasure of seeing you, my pretended namesake.”
”Possibly, sir,” said the reeve, with provoking calmness. ”I myself am from Chester, and like yourself was brought up to the law, but I abandoned my profession, or rather it abandoned me, for I had few clients; so I took to an honester calling, and became a forester, as you see. My father was a draper in the city I have mentioned, and dwelt in Watergate-street-his name was Peter Potts.”
”Peter Potts your father!” exclaimed the attorney, in the last state of astonishment-”Why, he was mine! But I am his only son.”
”Up to this moment I conceived myself an only son,” said the reeve; ”but it seems I was mistaken, since I find I have an elder brother.”
”Elder brother!” exclaimed Potts, wrathfully. ”You are older than I am by twenty years. But it is all a fabrication. I deny the relations.h.i.+p entirely.”
”You cannot make me other than the son of my father,” said the reeve, with a smile.
”Well, Master Potts,” interposed Nicholas, laughing, ”I see no reason why you should be ashamed of your brother. There is a strong family likeness between you. So old Peter Potts, the draper of Chester, was your father, eh? I was not aware of the circ.u.mstance before-ha, ha!”
”And, but for this intrusive fellow, you would never have become aware of it,” muttered the attorney. ”Give ear to me, squire,” he said, urging Flint close up to the other's side, and speaking in a low tone, ”I do not like the fellow's looks at all.”
”I am surprised at that,” rejoined the squire, ”for he exactly resembles you.”
”That is why I do not like him,” said Potts; ”I believe him to be a wizard.”
”You are no wizard to think so,” rejoined the squire. And he rode on to join Roger Nowell, who was a little in advance.
”I will try him on the subject of witchcraft,” thought Potts. ”As you dwell in the forest,” he said to the reeve, ”you have no doubt seen those two terrible beings, Mothers Demdike and Chattox.”
”Frequently,” replied the reeve, ”but I would rather not talk about them in their own territories. You may judge of their power by the appearance of the village you have just quitted. The inhabitants of that unlucky place refused them their customary tributes, and have therefore incurred their resentment. You will meet other instances of the like kind before you have gone far.”
”I am glad of it, for I want to collect as many cases as I can of witchcraft,” observed Potts.
”They will be of little use to you,” observed the reeve.
”How so?” inquired Potts.
”Because if the witches discover what you are about, as they will not fail to do, you will never leave the forest alive,” returned the other.
”You think not?” cried Potts.
”I am sure of it,” replied the reeve.