Part 10 (2/2)

Helmsley smiled. He was amused;--his ”adventures,” he thought, were beginning. To be called ”a poor old chuckle-headed gammer” was a new and almost delightful experience.

”Portland's an oncommon friendly place,” went on his uninvited companion. ”Once they gits ye, they likes ye to stop. 'Taint like the fash'nable quality what says to their friends: 'Do-ee come an' stay wi'

me, loveys!' wis.h.i.+n' all the while as they wouldn't. Portland takes ye willin', whether ye likes it or not, an' keeps ye so fond that ye can't git away nohow. Oncommon 'ospitable Portland be!”

And he broke into a harsh laugh. Then he glanced at Helmsley again with a more confiding and favourable eye.

”Ye seems a 'spectable sort,” he said. ”What's wrong wi' ye? Out o'

work?”

Helmsley nodded.

”Turned off, eh? Too old?”

”That's about it!” he answered.

”Well, ye do look a bit of a s.h.i.+very-shake,--a kind o'

not-long-for-this-world,” said the man. ”Howsomiver, we'se be all 'elpless an' 'omeless soon, for the Lord hisself don't stop a man growin' old, an' under the new ways o' the world, it's a reg'lar crime to run past forty. I'm sixty, an' I gits my livin' my own way, axin'

n.o.body for the kind permission. _That's_ my fortin!”

And he pointed to the basket of weedy stuff which he had just set down.

Helmsley looked at it with some curiosity.

”What's in it?” he asked.

”What's in it? What's _not_ in it!” And the man gave a gesture of mingled pride and defiance. ”There's all what the doctors makes their guineas out of with their purr-escriptions, for they can't purr-escribe no more than is in that there basket without they goes to minerals. An'

minerals is rank poison to ivery 'uman body. But so far as 'erbs an'

seeds, an' precious stalks an' flowers is savin' grace for man an'

beast, Matthew Peke's got 'em all in there. An' Matthew Peke wouldn't be the man he is, if he didn't know where to find 'em better'n any livin'

soul iver born! Ah!--an' there aint a toad in a hole hoppin' out between Quantocks an' Cornwall as hasn't seen Matthew Peke gatherin' the blessin' an' health o' the fields at rise o' sun an' set o' moon, spring, summer, autumn, ay, an' even winter, all the year through!”

Helmsley became interested.

”And you are the man!” he said questioningly--”You are Matthew Peke?”

”I am! An' proud so ter be! An' you--'ave yer got a name for the arskin'?”

”Why, certainly!” And Helmsley's pale face flushed. ”My name is David.”

”Chrisen name? Surname?”

”Both.”

Matthew Peke shook his head.

”'Twon't fadge!” he declared. ”It don't sound right. It's like th' owld Bible an' the Book o' Kings where there's nowt but Jews; an' Jews is the devil to pay wheriver you finds 'em!”

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