Part 8 (1/2)

”There, now! You may call me fanciful, but I can't help it.

And you've spilled the Fra Angelico! Let me pour you out another gla.s.sful.”

”We must all die,” answered the Doctor inconsequently, not yet master of himself.

”Except a few Bible characters,” said Miss Marty, filling his gla.s.s.

”But what the town would do without _him_ I can't think. In a sense he _is_ the town.”

A moment before the Doctor had all but denied it; but now, overcome by the thought of a world without the Major, he hid his face. For a moment, if but in thought, he had been disloyal to his friend, his hero!

Miss Marty said afterwards that, although not accustomed to prophesy and humbly aware that it was out of her line, she must have spoken under inspiration. She was wont also, when she recalled her forebodings and the events that followed and so signally fulfilled them, to regret that when the Guernsey merchant took his leave, an hour later, she omitted to take note of his boots; it being an article of faith with her that, in his traffic with mortals, the Prince of Darkness could not help betraying himself by his cloven hoof.

In the garden meanwhile the Major and his guest were making very good weather of it, as we say in Troy; the one with his Madeira, the other with the brown sherry. I leave the reader to discern the gist of their talk from its technicalities.

”Three gross of ankers, you say?” queried the Major.

”At four gallons the anker, and six francs the gallon.”

”It is a large venture.”

”And, for that reason, dirt cheap. To my knowledge there is not a firm in Guernsey at this moment doing trade at less than seven francs the gallon in parcels under five hundred gallons.”

”Yes, yes.” The Major lit his pipe and puffed meditatively. ”I am not denying that. Only, you see, on our side these large operations rather heighten the expense than diminish it, while they heighten the risk enormously.”

”I do not see.” M. Dupin crossed his legs and awaited an explanation.

”It is simple. So many more tubs, so many more carriers; so many more carriers, so much the more risk of including an informer.

One hundred carriers, say, I can lay hands on, knowing them all for tried men. Beyond that number I rely on recommendations, often carelessly given. The risk is more than trebled. And then, the fact of my being Mayor--”

”I should have thought it lessened the risk.”

”In a way, yes. But in case of miscarriage, the consequences must be more severe. I will own that you tempt me. The tubs, you say, would be ready slung.”

”Ready slung for carriage, man or horse, whichever you prefer, with ropes, stones and six anchors for sinking in case of emergency.

We will allow for these if they are returned.”

”To tell the truth, since becoming chief magistrate of this borough, I have rather set my face against these operations. It has seemed to me more consonant. . . . And an operation on the scale you propose could not be conducted without some degree of--er--audacity.”

”It means a forced run,” a.s.sented M. Dupin.

”If, on reflection--” the Major hesitated.

”Excuse me, but there is no time. For reasons of our own, my firm must clear the stuff before the end of April; that is why we offer it at the price. Three gross, with six ankers of the colouring stuff gratis--and the tubs ready slung. It must be 'yes' or 'no'; if you decline, then I have another customer on the string.”

”The end of April, you say?” The Major refilled his gla.s.s and mused, holding it up against the last gleam of daylight.

”We could s.h.i.+p it on the 27th or 28th. The moon serves then.

Say that you run it on the night of the 30th?”