Stories with a Vengeance — page 33: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AT THE TUNNEL’S MOUTH. he turned once more to the two bargemen, and httle by little it leaked out that there was to be an encounter to-morrow evening between Brindley and the young miller. Mayfair shook his h appreciatively, and said, “ We are the only nation, sir, m which men wil!, in a friendly and obliging way, stand up and get hammered, sir, an hammer back again for the sake of good fellowship. Itis a long time since I saw a fair go in. May I ask is the affair pwblic P” “No,” said Brindley, with a dark frown; “‘and the less that’s said about it, the better.” “Beg pardon, I’m sure!” said Mayfair. “TI did not mean to intrude. I am a stranger, so I hope you w'll excuse me.” “We didn’t know you wanted to keep it dark, Tom. If we did, we shouldn’t have said anything about it. But as the gen- tleman is a stranger, tlere’s no harm done.” ‘If you want to keep it quiet,” said May- fair, addressing Brindley, “Tl tell you what I'll do. I don’t.know either of you, and I shouldn’t show fear or favour if I did. I used to be a bit of a bruiser when I was young. If you want to have it on the quiet, suppose go with you and see fair 99 “That’s a fair offer, Tom,” said one of the bargemen. ‘“There’s a nice quiet place at this end of the tunnel; a lord couldn’t want a better place for a licking. What do you say, Tom P” “Td rather have it private than with a crowd,” said Brindley, still sulkily ; “and if the gentleman will do what he says, and Will ttyland is agreeable, I’m agreeable too.” x It was settled that nothing more was to be spoken of the fight by any of the fdor men in that room for the present, and that things were to be left as they stood until Will Ryland came over the next evening. CHAPTER III. TWO MEN MISSING. WHEN Mary got to her father’s cottage, she found he was busy in the garden. He had left her to watch the lock while he took a spell at the hoe. He saw at once that something was amiss with the girl. “What is it, Mary?” said he. “Oh,” she said, ‘“‘ Will is vexed with Tom Brindley, Eben Dray’s man, and I am afraid there is going to be bad work be- tween them.” She then explained, at some length, all the facts of the case; how Tom Brindley had spoken to her in the lane, how she had Google 29 told Will Ryland of the matter, and how the latter had bidden her go into the house while he spoke to the young smith. She also told her father that Tom Brindley had. come from the other end of the tunnel in an empty barge, and that he was now at the harbour, where she left Will, who said he would speak to him then and there. The father made hght of the matter, and to show her how Jittle importance he at- tached to it, went on with his work for a few minutes longer. When he came to the harbour to lock the barge down, he found she did not intend going on that night, that Will Ryland had fallen accidentally into the water, and that Tom Brindley had gone in his homeward direction through the tunnel. He also was told that a hostile meeting was arranged for the next even- ing. As the barge was to remain in tbe harbour that night, and not be locked down, he had nothing particular to do, so he went over to the mill-house, and asked for young Ryland. The young man was busy changing his clothes, and the other had to wait some time before he could see him. When at last he appeared, the two men walked out in the dark July night, along a rising path that skirted the Stream which fed the mill- pond. “Mary tells me,” said Menton, “that you are going to call Tom Brindley to ac. count for some nonsense he spoke to Mary in the Jane. The men told me about your ducking, and that you and Brindley are to meet to-morrow evening and have it out. Now, what’s the good of that? What’s the good of you anil Brindley bashing and mashing one another for half an hour, only for foolishness ?” “It will teach him manners, and to let what belongs to other people alone.” “If you take my advice,” said Menton, “you'll let the thing be, and not get talked about all over the parish for a hot-headed ool !”’ “ They may talk of me as they said Ryland, “all over the parish ; shut his mouth, any way. prate, if I have to choke him with his own teeth !” “And you won’t take advice from a man old enough to be your father ?” “Ay, that’s where it is. You are old enough to be my father, and you can’t have my feelings in the matter. It’s best for us to have it over, and be done with it,” said Ryland. ‘“ We'll. know all about it at eight o’clock to-morrow evening, and then it won't trouble us again.” * The subject was not further proceeded with, and in a short time both men re- Ill stop his | CY, JOO S CO)