Part 4 (1/2)

'Kind sir, I warn ye not to trifle; I have no ti, and he who makes offers in sport will have to stand to them in earnest'

But there was no lack of earnest in one at least of the men that he had before him, and the voice hich Elzevir said 30 was still sturdy Maskew called 31 and 41, and Elzevir 40 and 50, and then I looked at the candle, and saw that the head of the pin was no longer level, it had sunk a little-a very little The clerk awoke fro notes of the bids with a squeaking quill, the bailiff frowned as being puzzled, and thinking that none had a right to puzzle hiot on ht better bear the suspense; for I understood now that Maskew had hting for his home His home, and had he not made it my home too, and e both to be made outcasts to please the spite of this mean little man?

There were so 91, and saw the head of the pin was lower; the hard lu The bailiff struck in: 'Are ye mad, sirs, and you, Master Block, save your breath, and spare your entleman must become innkeeper at any price, let hiive thee the Mer parlour, and ten times the trade of this'

Elzevir seemed not to hear what he said, but only called out 100, with his face still looking out to sea, and the sa, and went to 120, and Elzevir capped him with 130, and 140, 150, 160, 170 followed quick My breath caiddy, and I had to clenchon The bidders too were breathing hard, Elzevir had taken his head from his hands, and the eyes of all were on the pin The lump of talloorn do; it was hard to say why the pin did not fall Maskew gulped out 180, and Elzevir said 190, and then the pin gave a lurch, and I thought the Why Not? was saved, though at the price of ruin No; the pin had not fallen, there was a film that held it by the point, one second, only one second Elzevir's breath, which was ready to outbid whatever Maskew said, caught in his throat with the catching pin, and Maskew sighed out 200, before the pin pattered on the bottoot his ratulate you, sir,' says he, quite pert to Maskew; 'you are the landlord of the poorest pothouse in the Duchy at 200 a year'

The bailiff paid no heed to what hisoff and wiped his head 'Well, I'ed,' he said; and so the Why Not? was lost

Just as the last bid was given, Elzevir half-rose fro like a wild beast on Maskew; but he said nothing, and sat down again with the same stolid look on his face And, indeed, it was perhaps well that he thus thought better of it, for Maskew stuck his hand into his bosoain when Elzevir got back to his chair, yet the front of his waistcoat was a little bulged, and, looking sideways, I saw the silver-shod butt of a pistol nestling far down against his white shi+rt The bailiff was vexed, I think, that he had been betrayed into such strong words; for he tried at once to put on as indifferent an air as entlemen, there seems to be here some personal matter into which I shall not attempt to spy Two hundred pounds more or less is but a flea-bite to the Duchy; and if you, sir,' turning to Maskeish later on to change your ain, I shall not be the ine 'twill be tih to seal the lease if I send it from London'

I knew he said this, and hinted at delay as wishi+ng to do Elzevir a good turn; for his clerk had the lease already made out pat, and it only wanted the naned But, 'No,' says Maskew, 'business is business, Mr Bailiff, and the post uncertain to parts so distant from the capital as these; so I'll thank you to make out the lease to me now, and on May Day place me in possession'

'So be it then,' said the bailiff a little testily, 'but blaains; for the Duchy, whose servant I ahter of the horse-leech Fill in the figures, Mr Scrutton, and let us away'

So Mr Scrutton, for that was Mr Clerk's name, scratches a bit with his quill on the parchment sheet to fill in the money, and then Maskew scratches his name, and Mr Bailiff scratches his naain to witness Mr Bailiff's nareen case, and out fro seal of the Duchy

There was ht, for no one had taken any thought to put it out; and Mr Bailiff -wax falls into the grease andof the parchned, sealed, and delivered,' says Mr Clerk, rolling up the sheet and handing it to Maskew; and Maskew takes and thrusts it into his bosom underneath his waistcoat front-all cheek by joith that silver-hafted pistol, whose butt I had seen before

The postchaise stood before the door, the horses were staled Mr Clerk had carried out histhe travelling cloak about his shoulders to say to Elzevir, 'Tut, s not too hardly Thou shalt have the Mermaid at 20 a year, which will be worth ten times as much to thee as this dreary place; and canst send thy son to Bryson's school, where they will make a scholar of hiave me a kindly look as he passed

'I thank your worshi+p', said Elzevir, 'for all your goodness; but when I quit this place, I shall not set up ain at any inn door'

Mr Bailiff seemed nettled to see his offer made so little of, and left the rooood day'

Maskew had slipped out before hireat roup to see the start, but it quickly melted; and before the clatter of hoofs died away, the report spread through the village that Maskew had turned Elzevir out of the Why Not?

For a long tione, Elzevir sat at the table with his head between his hands, and I kept quiet also, both because I was myself sorry that ere to be sent adrift, and because I wished to show Elzevir that I felt for hi cannot enter fully into their elders' sorrows, however much they may wish to, and after a ti dusk, and the candle which bore itself so bravely through auction and lease-sealing burnt low in the socket A s, and sputters, and then the wick tottered, and out popped the fla creeping up in the corners of the rooer, but ht danced ruddy across pewter and porcelain on the dresser 'Coh before May Day to think e shall do, so let us take a cup of tea, and after that I will play you a gaa; and as chance would have it, though I wished to let hiet cheered, yet do what I would that night I could not lose So as his luck greorse his , saying, in reference to that a worse throws, or made so little of them as I'

CHAPTER 8

THE LANDING

Let h lonely tower-Milton Maskew got ugly looks froh the village that afternoon, for all knehat he had done, and for many days after the auction he durst not show his face abroad Yet Dastave and some others of the landers' men, who made it their business to keep an eye upon his, and held converse there with Mr Luckha, who corees it got about, but how I do not know, that he had persuaded the Revenue to strike hard at the s posse was to be held in readiness to take the landers in the act the next tio Why Maskew should so put himself about to help the Revenue I cannot tell, nor did anyone ever certainly find out; but some said 'twas out of sheer wantonness, and a desire to hurt his neighbours; and others, that he sahat an apt place this was for landing cargoes, and wished first to et the whole of the contraband trade into his own hands However that ue with the Revenue men, and lass in his hand, and guessed that he was looking for the lugger in the offing Noas ht on which a cargo should be run, and then in the h the land to be ain out of sight till nightfall The nights chosen for such ithoutas there ind enough to fill the sails; and often the lugger could be nal with flares, though they were used as little as h weather, and a cargo had to be run at all hazards, I have known the boats coht and take their risk, for 'twas said the Excise slept sounder round us than anywhere in all the Channel

These tales of Maskew's doings failed not to reach Elzevir, and for soo on the other side that wanted landing badly But one evening when he had won at backgammon, and was in an opendown the dice box on the table, and saying-

'There is word coo, for that they cannot keep the stuff by theer at St Malo Noith this devil at the Manor prowling round, I dare not risk the job on Moonfleet beach, nor yet stow the liquor in the vault; so I have told the Bonaventure to put her nose into this bay tomorrow afternoon that Maskew ain to sea, as she has done a hundred ti, she will le underneath hoar Head' I nodded to show I knew the place, and he went on-'Men used to choose that spot in good old ti; and there is a worked-out quarry they called Pyegrove's Hole, not too far off up the down, and choked with bras So we'll be under hoar Head at five tomorrow morn with the pack-horses I e could be earlier, for the sun rises thereabout, but the tide will not serve before'

It was at that moment that I felt a cold touch on ht beside I had a whiff of salt seaweed from the beach So round I looked to see if door orstood ajar The as tight enough, and shuttered to boot, but the door was not to be seen plainly for a wooden screen, which parted it frohts Yet I could just see a top corner of the door above the screen and thought it was not fast So up I got to shut it, for the nights were cold; but co round the corner of the screen found that 'twas closed, and yet I could have sworn I saw the latch fall to its place as I walked towards it Then I dashed forward, and in a trice had the door open, and was in the street But the night was , save the gentle sea-wash on Moonfleet beach beyond the salt meadows