The Stokesley Secret | Page 6

next Saturday," cried Hal.
"And I've eightpence," quoth Annie.
"And I've a whole shilling," said David.
"I've fourpence," said Johnnie.
"I've not much, I'm afraid," said Susan, feeling in her pocket, with
rather black looks.
"Oh!" said Sam, "everybody knows simple Sukey never has a farthing
in her pocket by any chance!"
"Yes, but I have, Sam;" and with an air of great triumph, Susan held up
three-halfpence, whereat all the party screamed with laughter.
"Well, but Bessie always has lots! She's as rich as a little Jew. Come,
Bet, Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess, what will you give?-- what
have you got?"--and one hand came on her shoulder, and another on
her arm but she shook herself free, and answered rather crossly,
"Don't--I can't--I've got something else to do with my money."
"Oh! you little stingy avaricious crab!" was the outcry beginning; but
Miss Fosbrook stopped it before Elizabeth had time to make the angry
answer that was rising on her lips.
"No, my dears, you must not tease her. Each of you has a full right to
use your own money as you may think best; and it is not right to force
gifts in this manner."
"She's a little affected pussy-cat," said Hal, much annoyed; "I know

what she wants it for--to buy herself a ridiculous parasol like Ida
Greville, when she would see poor Hannah Higgins starving at her
feet."
Elizabeth bit her lip, and tossed up her head; the tears were in her eyes,
but she made no answer.
"Come, never mind," said Sam; "she's as obstinate as a male when she
gets a thing into her head. Let's see what we've got without her. I've
only sevenpence: worse luck that I bought ball of string yesterday."
The addition amounted to three shillings and elevenpence halfpenny: a
sum which looked so mighty when spread out, chiefly in coppers, on
the window-seat, that Annie and David looked on it as capable of
buying any amount of swine; but Sam looked rather blank at it, and
gazing up and down, said, "But what does a pig cost?"
"Miss Fosbrook, what does a pig cost?"
Miss Fosbrook shook her head and laughed, saying that she knew much
less of pigs than they did; and Susan exclaiming, "There's Purday in the
court," they all tumbled to the window, one upon the top of the other.
The window was a large heavily-framed sash, with a deep window-seat,
and a narrow ledge within the sill--as if made on purpose, the first for
the knees the second for the elbows of the gazers therefrom.
As to the view, it was into a walled kitchen court, some high chestnut
and lime trees just looking over the grey roofs of the offices. On the
ground lay a big black Newfoundland dog, and a couple of graceful
greyhounds, one of them gnawing a bone, cunningly watched by a
keen-looking raven, with his head on one side; while peeping out from
the bars of the bottle-rack was the demure face of the sandy cat, on the
watch for either bones or sparrows.
A stout, stumpy, shrewd-looking labourer, in a short round frock, high
buskins, an old wide-awake, short curly hair, and a very large nose,
stood in front of the dairy door, mixing a mess of warm milk for the
young calves.
"Purday! Master Purday!" roared nearly the whole young population
above; but he was so intent on his mixture, that he went on as if he
were deaf, till a second explosion of "Purday! Purday! I say!" made
him turn up his face in an odd half-awake kind of manner.
"Purday, what's the price of a pig?" and, "What does a pig cost,
Purday?"

"What d'ye all holler at once for? A body can't hear a word," was all the
answer they got; whereupon they all started together again, and Purday
went on with his mixture as if they had been so many hens cackling.
Then Sam got up his breath again and called alone, "Purday!" and Hal
and Susan by pats and pinches strangled the like outcry from Annie and
John, so as to leave the field clear for the great question, "Purday, what
does a pig cost?"
"More than your voices up there, sir," growled Purday, making some
laugh; but Henry cried impatiently,
"Now, Purday, we really do want to know what is the price of pigs."
"They was high last market," began Purday.
"I don't care if they were high or low," said Hal; "I want to know what
money they cost."
"Different pigs cost different prices," quoth the oracle, so sententiously,
that Miss Fosbrook's shoulders shook with laughing as she stood a little
in the background of the eager heap in the window.
"A nice little pig, such as you'd give--"
"Hush, hush,