Читать книгу The Watchman of Orsden Moss - J. Monk Foster - Страница 5

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On the morning following the arrival of the stranger at Orsden Green that interesting gentleman had several small commissions to entrust to his now sworn friend and ally, old Dan Coxall. Shortly after half-past 12 on Sunday the ex-gamekeeper and watchman had sauntered into the Black Boar, as was his custom; but instead of lounging into the common room or vault, where beer was served to the miners and the poorer class of villagers at a penny a glass, Dan marched into the bar parlour and called for a "bitter beer."

While he was drinking it with a conscious dignity the landlord entered and told Dan that "Mester Brown" wanted to see him at once in his room. Coxall nodded, tossed off the remainder of his ale, and then, without a question, went to the apartment of Mr. Israel Brown, who was waiting to receive him.

"I saw you enter the house, Dan, and if you are not otherwise engaged I shall be obliged if you will do me a few errands this afternoon."

"Suttinly, Mester Shel——" Dan was saying.

"Brown—Brown! Israel Brown yet, Dan, if you are not too rich already to care for that other yellow 'un I mentioned."

"Brown be it then, Sir!" the old man said with a smile. "An' what is it yo' want me to do neaw?"

"You can read, I think?"

"Oh, yes, I'm a bit o' scholard."

"And you know where Luke and Matthew Shelvocke live, and Levi Blackshaw, too?"

"Ev'ry one on 'em. Young Levi lives wi' his uncle an' his cousin Naomi at th' top eend o' 'th' village theer; and Mat only lives a bit lower deawn here, in lodgin's."

"Well, I want you to take these notes for me at once. This is for Luke Shelvocke, this for young Mat, and this for Blackshaw. You can read the different names?"

"Suttinly, Sir, suttinly! An' beawt specs, too!" Coxall answered, as he turned the three closed and addressed envelopes in his hand.

"An' is there annythin' else, Mester Brown?"

"You will wait for a reply in each case, Dan, and come back with it to me straight away."

"Ay, ay, Sir! An' if they axen me anny questions what am I to say?"

"Tell the truth, Dan; that is all you need to do. These people I am writing to are all near relations of mine, and I have told them what you were smart enough to find out for yourself!"

Dan nodded and went on his errands. An hour or so later the ex-gamekeeper returned to the Black Boar, and that he was the bearer of affirmative replies to the other's notes may be inferred from the fact that "Mr. Brown" had an interview with the landlord shortly afterwards, when he gave orders for the preparation of the most sumptuous tea for five persons that the inn or the resources of the village could furnish.

Shortly after 6 o'clock, when the doors of the village hostelry were thrown open to the public, Miss Naomi Shelvocke, her father, and Levi Blackshaw presented themselves at the bar of the Black Boar. Luke Shelvocke was a thin, sparsely built man of fifty-seven, sharp-eyed and cleanly shaven, sharp-tongued and close-fisted.

Although Mr. Luke Shelvocke had spent all his days—or at least so many of them as had been devoted to work—at Orsden Moss, he had never before crossed the threshold of the village inn. His father had been an unbending teetotaller during the latter half of his days, and the example set him by his parent the miner rigidly followed.

Luke's impulse on receiving that note from the hands of old Dan Coxall was to refuse the invitation of his brother. He was surprised to learn that his long-absent relative was alive and back again in the place of his birth, and was not, perhaps, so mightily over-pleased by the intelligence as one might have expected.

To old Luke and his nephew, Dan had delivered the two notes at the same moment, and while waiting for their answers had heard the young man and the older one discuss the situation in which they found themselves so unexpectedly placed.

"It would have been better, uncle," Levi had said, "if the gentleman had come here to see us. I have decided scruples about entering the house of a publican, even to see a long-missing relative."

"Them's jus' my 'pinions, Levi," Old Luke had replied, proud of the young man, in whom he had inculcated the doctrines of total abstinence. "I think Aaron might ha' known as we would rayther ha' had him come here nor go theer."

"Then suppose we send Mr. Aaron Shelvocke word, through Coxall here, that we had rather he would come here, uncle?" Blackshaw had ventured to suggest.

"Nonsense, Levi!" Naomi Shelvocke had broken in here. "You and my father ought to be ashamed of yourselves. I feel ashamed of you, anyway. Here is my long-lost Uncle Aaron turned up after all these years, and because he asks you to meet him in a respectable public-house your teetotal fads make you consider whether you should go or not. Very kind and brotherly behaviour that, I am sure!"

Both the old man and the young one winced a little under the whip of the merciless young maiden's tongue. She was hot-tempered and fearless, and never spared either her father or her cousin, whose joint weakness and personal failings were obvious to her. At this juncture old Dan Coxall joined in the discussion.

"If yo' dunnot care to goo to th' Black Boar, Mester Shelvocke, I'll tell yore brother," said Dan. "But you needn't ax me to tell 'im to come here, for he connut."

"How's that?" Levi demanded.

"Cause he's some'dy else to meet at the inn."

"Who has Aaron to see, Dan, besides eawrsels?" old Luke enquired.

"Young Mat Shelvocke."

"Tell Mr. Aaron Shelvocke," said the girl with deliberation, "that we shall all be pleased to accept his kind invitation. And you needn't tell him, Dan, that my cousin and my father had to consider seriously whether they would accept his hospitality or not."

Dan laughed at the girl's sarcastic sally, nodded to her, and went his way, for neither Luke nor Levi had ventured a word in opposition to Naomi's definite statement. Probably both of them desired to go to the Black Boar, and were willing that the girl should afford them an excuse for doing so.

And thus it came about that shortly after the hour of 6 p.m. Mr. Aaron Shelvocke found himself sitting at tea with the whole of his surviving relations—his brother, his niece, and two nephews. Of Luke Shelvocke and his handsome daughter some description has been given, and a few words may be devoted to the two young men.

The cousins, Mat Shelvocke and Levi Blackshaw, were as dissimilar in appearance and nature as their uncles. As old Dan Coxall had shrewdly declared, Mat took after his Uncle Aaron; was wild, hot-tempered and reckless, but generous withal, and for the rest was a handsome brown-faced and blue-eyed young chap of twenty, with crisp, reddish-brown curls. Levi Blackshaw was many shades darker than his cousin Mat, and not by any means so good-looking or attractive, despite his being much better dressed, and having a suaver and more polished tongue. Levi had a certain curious resemblance to his Uncle Luke, which even old Dan Coxall had been quick enough to notice. Levi, like his uncle, was sparely built, and somewhat undersized; had black piercing eyes, that reminded one of a cunning and fierce animal, dark eyebrows that met on the bridge of the nose, a thin, highly arched nose, and thin lips that could be drawn tight and white when passion moved their owner.

In spite of these trifling personal shortcomings Levi was not what one would call a bad-looking youngster. At the first glance his dark face did not repel, and when he cared to ingratiate himself his smooth tones were musical enough. He was a few months older than Mat, and was supposed to be a much more reputable character in every way. Perhaps this supposition was due to the fact that he shunned the public-house and attended the Sunday-school and the village Church with decent regularity.

A sumptuous tea was awaiting the old and the new generation of Shelvockes when the party of five entered the room set apart for the repast, and after a few words of grace, which Aaron had insisted upon his brother saying, they all fell-to upon the comestibles mine hostess had provided.

Not before the meal had been done full justice to did Aaron Shelvocke turn to the business which he had in his mind when he decided upon that family gathering. He had greeted all his four relatives in an easy manner on their arrival; they had professed to be pleased beyond words to meet him—one after an interval of many years—the others for the first time in their lives, and Aaron had received the greeting of each one with a curious look in his clear, bluish-grey eyes.

There had been no mistaking the genuineness of the pleasure that filled his face when the returned wanderer wrung the hands of the frank, open-faced, sturdily built Mat, and that of his sprightly gipsy-faced niece; but the pressure of his fingers when they clasped his brother's palm, and Levi's also, was only that of the man who scarcely cares to veil his indifference.

"I daresay, Luke," Aaron Shelvocke began, as he toyed with his half-empty teacup, "that you and all these youngsters have been wondering what caused me to bring you all here to-day?"

"That's true, Aaron!" the elder answered,

"'Twould ha' bin more seemly lakke if tha'd come to thi tay at ewer heawse."

"Perhaps it would," was the half-smiling answer. "But I had a fancy, brother, to entertain you all when we met. The usual thing is, I know, for the rambler to ask forgiveness for his ramblings when he gets back home again—especially if he has to fly for life as I had to do—but that sort of thing wouldn't suit me. But for one of two things, Luke, I should perhaps never have left Australia after spending more than one-half of my life there."

"An' what were those things, Aaron?" the elder brother queried, with his eyes watching the other closely.

"I am going to tell you all. That is why I wanted to get you all together to-day. Now, listen!"

Four pairs of eager eyes were fixed upon the speaker, who, after the last word, coolly proceeded to drain his cup. But no one spoke; each one was waiting for Aaron to explain.