Part 34 (1/2)
”Ded Maaster Roger tell 'ee that, sur? Well, everybody thought so.
She would go out a walking with Wilfred, but 'ardly ever with Roger; but wimmin be curus critters, and it 'pears that all the time she wur a dyin' for 'im, only she wur too proud to let 'im know it.”
In spite of myself my heart gave a great bound. I saw it now. I had been the tool of my mother and Wilfred. I had spent long years of grief because of them; my life was perhaps wrecked, but I kept calm before Bill, and bade him go on with his story.
”Well, sur,” Bill continued, ”while everyone was talkin' 'bout Maaster Roger, and was wonderin' what 'ad become ov him, the body of a man wur found at the bottom of the headland oal bruised and battered. Of course, everybody said 'twas Maaster Roger. In fact, Mrs. Trewinion, and the pa.s.son, and Maaster Inch swore to him, an' 'cordingly it was took into the house, and in a day or two was buried in the Trewinion vault, under the Communion in the church there,” pointing to the grey tower, which we could just see between the trees.
”But were proper steps taken to indentify it?” I asked.
”Well, sur, you see, when a young fella's mawther sweers to 'im there can't be much more zed. Anyhow, everybody believed it but Miss Ruth.
She stuck out that 'twadn' Maaster Roger, and wudd'n go to the funeral.
Of course, there were a lot of talk, but we people only heerd jist bits of gossip like. For my oan paart, I 'greed with her. I knawed that Maaster Roger knawed too much 'bout the cliffs not to vall over um, while as fur killin' hisself, he wadn't the sort of chap to do that.”
”Did you say so?”
”'Course I did, but people laughed at me, and zed I wors.h.i.+pped Maaster Roger, which wur purty nigh true. But what vollied wur strange.
People zed as ow a strange figure wur seed in the churchyard, and that it went wailin' up an' down, and then went in through the church door, and then up to the Trewinion vault, where it vanished.”
”But how could anyone see it go through the door, and then up to the vault?”
”Dunnaw, sir; but sperrits be curse things. Any-rate, thur wur lots of talk, fur 'twas seed not only in the church, and churchyard, but up at the house.”
”Who was it supposed to be?”
”Well, some do say as 'twas this man that was buried that wasn't Maaster Roger. Some do say as 'twas th' oull squire hisself, who come back to tell un that they didn' bury his son; while others do say that the squire com back to tell Miss Ruth to marry Wilfred. Anyhow, things went on like that for a week till the pa.s.son was called up to the house, and was tould to lay the ghost.”
”How do you know if that is true?”
”Well, sur, that es what people do say. They say that Mrs. Trewinion and the pa.s.son went first into the library and then to the church, and there the pa.s.son ded read the funeral service over again, and took care to turn the Prayer-book upside down so that the ghost couldn't rise any more.”
”And was it seen afterwards?”
”No sur, it weren't; but some don't think 'twas the pa.s.son laid the ghost, but 'cause Debrah Teague had summin to do wi' it, and the pa.s.son had a row wi' her.”
”Well, what happened afterwards?”
”Things went on quiet for a bit, sur; then we heerd as 'ow Maaster Wilfred, who took 'pon him the place ov squire, was plagin' Miss Ruth to marry un, and she wudden, then it laiked out that she said she wudden marry un 'till ten year after Maaster Roger 'ad gone.”
”My dream, my dream!” I thought. Surely the hand of G.o.d was in this; but I did not know all then!
”Well, are the ten years up yet?” I said, as quietly as I could.
”'Twas up 'bout a month ago, sur; and then, sur we've heerd as 'ow a strange thing happened.”
”What?”
”I have to go up to the house a goodish bit, sur. I take fish there, and I'm friendly weth the sarvents, too, and so I heer more'n anybody else.”
”Well?”
”They do say as 'ow Mrs. Trewinion and Maaster Wilfred went botherin'