Part 37 (1/2)

”Here I be,” said the voice.

”I knows yew be there,” said Peter, somewhat sharply. The old gentleman was not so intellectual as he could have wished. ”I wants to know how yew be telling to I?”

”Same as yew,” said Grandfather.

”Yew ain't got no tongue.”

”I've got a pendulum,” said the clock, with a malevolent sort of t.i.tter.

”Yew'm sick?” asked Peter.

”I be that. 'Tis your doing,” came the answer.

”I've looked after ye fine, Gran'vaither,” said Peter crossly.

”'Tis that there thing on the hearthstone makes me sick,” said the voice.

”That be a mommet,” said Peter.

”I know 'tis. A mommet of Farmer Pendoggat.”

”What du'ye know 'bout Varmer Pendoggat?” asked Peter suspiciously.

”Heard you talk about 'en,” Grandfather answered. ”Don't ye play wi'

witchery, Peter. Smash the mommet up, and throw 'en away.” The voice was talking quickly and becoming hoa.r.s.er. ”Undo what you've done if you can, and whatever you du don't ye put 'en in the fire again. If ye du I'll be telling to ye all night and will scare ye proper. I wun't give ye any sleep, Peter.”

”You'm an old vule, Gran'vaither,” said Peter.

”I'll get the pixies to fetch ye a crock o' gold if you leaves off witching Pendoggat. I'll mak' 'em fetch ye sovereigns, brave golden sovereigns, Peter.”

”Where will 'em put the gold?” cried Peter with the utmost greediness.

”Bottom o' the well. Let the bucket down to-night, and when you pulls 'en up in the morning the gold will be in the bucket. If it ain't there to-night, look the night after. But it wun't be no good looking, Peter, if you ain't done what I told ye, and you mun put the broken bits o'

mommet by the well, so as the pixies can see 'em.”

”I'll du it,” chuckled Peter.

”Swear you'll do it?”

”Sure 'nuff I'll du it. You'm a brave old Gran'vaither if yew can fetch a crock o' gold into the well.”

”Good-bye, Peter. I wun't be telling to you again just yet.”

”Good-bye, Gran'vaither. You'm welcome. I hopes you'll soon be better.”

The voice did not come again, and Peter was left in the strange light and eerie silence to recover, which he did slowly, with a feeling that he had undergone a queer dream. It was not long before he was telling himself he had imagined it all. Superst.i.tious little savage as he was, he could hardly believe that Grandfather had been chatting with him as one man might have talked to another. As he went on thinking suspicious features presented themselves to his mind. Grandfather's language had not always been correct. He had not talked like a true Gubbings, but more as a man of better education trying to bring himself down to his listener's mode of speech. Then what interest could he feel in Pendoggat that he should plead for the destruction of the mommet?

Peter addressed a number of questions to Grandfather upon these subjects, but the old clock had not another word to say. That was another suspicious feature; why should the clock be unable to talk then when it had chatted so freely a few minutes before? Peter rubbed his eyes, declared he was mazed, lighted his lamp, and scribbled the wonderful story in his diary until Mary came back.

”Peter,” she called at once. ”Aw, man, come and look! Us be going to judgment.”