Part 16 (1/2)
I' of your own co hard This et rid of hihbourhood had to be cleared for some black business The tinklers had been deputed to drive out the Gorbals Die-Hards, and as for Heritage they seemed to have lost track of him He, dickson, was now the chief object of their care But what could Dobson do if he refused? He dared not show his true hand Yet he ht, if sufficiently irritated It becaet the innkeeper to reveal hi his temper He did not stop to consider the policy of this course; he is cleared up and the issue ed to you for thinking so much about my comfort,” he said in a voice into which he hoped he had insinuated a sneer ”But I'm bound to say you're awful suspicious folk about here
You needn't be feared for your old policies There's plenty of nice walks about the roads, and I want to explore the sea-coast”
The last words seemed to annoy the innkeeper ”That's no' allowed either,” he said ”The shore's as private as the policies Well, I wish ye joy tra,” said dickson meditatively, ”that you should keep an hotel and yet be set on discouraging people frohbourhood I tell you what, I believe that hotel of yours is all shaekeepers, and in my opinion it's not a very creditable one”
”What d'ye mean?” asked Dobson sharply
”Just what I say You must expect a body to be suspicious, if you treat hi me” Loudon must have told this man the story hich he had been fobbed off about the half-witted Kennedy relative Would Dobson refer to that?
The innkeeper had an ugly look on his face, but he controlled his temper with an effort ”There's no cause for suspicion,” he said ”As far as I'm concerned it's all honest and aboveboard”
”It doesn't look like it It looks as if you were hiding so up in the House which you don't want me to see”
Dobson juer Adoes not feel at his bravest, and dickson quailed under the expectation of assault But even in his fright he realised that Loudon could not have told Dobson the tale of the half-witted lady The last ree and reached the quick
”What the hell d' ye mean?” he cried ”Ye're a spy, are ye? Ye fat little fool, for two cents I'd wring your neck”
Now it is an odd trait of certain , will rouse some unsuspected obstinacy deep down in their souls The insolence of the man's speech woke a quiet but efficient little devil in dickson
”That's a bonny tone to adopt in addressing a gentle to hide ay are you so touchy? I can't be a spy unless there's soether He was apparently acting on instructions, and had not yet come to the end of the your pardon if I spoke too hot But it nettled me to hear ye say that I'll be quite frank with ye, Mr McCunn, and, believe ive yeup at the House I'm on the side of the law, and when I tell ye the whole story ye'll admit it But I can't tell it ye yet This is a wild, lonely bit and very few folk bide in it And these are wild tiet into the papers I tell ye it's for your own good to leave Dalquharter for the present More I can't say, but I ask ye to look at it as a sensible man Ye're one that's accustoh work Ye'll do no good if you stay, and, maybe, ye'll land yourself in bad trouble”
”Mercy on us!” dickson exclai? Sinn Fein?”
The innkeeper nodded ”So like that”
”Did you ever hear the like? I never did think o home? Tell ye what, I'll drive ye to the station”
dickson got up froan to strop it ”No, I think I'll bide If you're right there'll beye, fair and honest Yecan'tbeallowedtostayhere!”
”Well, I never!” said dickson ”Is there any law in Scotland, think you, that forbids a man to stop a day or tith his auntie?”
”Ye'll stay?”
”Ay, I'll stay”
”By God, we'll see about that”
For a ht that he would be attacked, and hewhence hung his waterproof with the pistol in its pocket But the man restrained himself and moved to the door There he stood and cursed him with a violence and a venom which dickson had not believed possible The full hand was on the table now
”Ye wee pot-bellied, pig-heided Glasgow grocer,” (I paraphrase), ”would _you_ set up to defy me? I tell ye, I'llwords were a brilliant sketch of the maltreatment in store for the body of the defiant one