VC -- A Chronicle of Castle Barfield and of the Crimea | Page 8

seemed incapable of answer, and his
cousin, laying a hand anew upon the decanter, filled the glass almost to
the brim, and held it out to him.
'Get a heart into you,' he said gruffly, 'and speak out!'
The timider of the guilty pair drank unwarily, not knowing what was
offered to him, and fell into a fit of coughing. The rest awaited him in a
tense expectation. At last he controlled himself, and spoke, sipping
from time to time to moisten his dry lips.
'You know,' he said, glancing at the floor and at the faces round him
alternately, 'you know that when old General Airey died, that young
cub De Blacquaire came into the Droitwich property.'
'Well,' said John Jervase, 'we know that. Go on. What about it?'
'You know,' said James, 'that his property and ours neighboured each
other. The young skunk has trumped up a charge against us of having
tapped his brine, and having lived on the property of his estate for
twenty years past.'
'Well,' said--John Jervase, 'that's a pretty cool piece of impudence, to be

sure! But what is there to make a howl about?'
'He has got some suborned evidence from somewhere,' James answered,
'some scoundrels who pretend that they were employed by you and me
to do the work.'
'Well,' said John once more, 'what is there in that to make a howl about?
Is there no law in England--is there no way of making a fool and a
knave smart for it, if they see fit to assail the reputation of two honest
men like you and me, James? 'His voice began to take something of its
old ring. 'I wonder at you--tearin' up like a madman at this time o' night,
and in this weather, with a yam like that. Why, man, what's come to
you? Missus,' he turned towards his wife, 'tell one of the wenches to get
James a change, and when he's done that well sit down in quiet, and
talk this matter over.'
'De Blacquaire!' he went on, as his wife left the room to obey his order.
'De Blacquaire, indeed! Who's De Blacquaire?
It'll go pretty hard with you and me, James, if we can't put down a
pound between us where he can put down twenty shillings. And libel's
libel in this country, James, and them as chooses to talk it can be made
to pay for it And any man as assaults the honest fame of Jack Jervase
has got Jack Jervase to tackle, my lad. I've fowt the Queen's enemies,
and I've fowt my own, and I'll stand fightin' till I die.'
'My dear Jervase,' said the General. 'My dear Mr. James! I need not tell
you, I am sure, how entirely certain I am that a very grievous error has
been made in this matter. But I can't understand--I really cannot
understand--why an absurd charge of that sort should be at all
disturbing to you.' He turned upon Mr. James with an air of mild
remonstrance, and laid a friendly hand upon his shoulder. 'Really,
really, really,' he said, 'I thought you had more courage.'
Mr. James was for the moment entirely deprived of that most useful
quality. What with the chill which was coming upon him after a hasty
and dangerous ride in that pelting rain and bitter wind through which he
had travelled, and what with the perturbation of his spirit, he trembled

like a shaken jelly, and his eyes were full of terror. John Jervase,
obviously with the intent to make a diversion, turned upon him with a
question.
'Didn't you come on horseback? 'he asked. His cousin stared at him
with an idiotic want of apprehension of the question's meaning. 'Didn't
you come on horseback?' Jervase asked more loudly than before.
'I--I suppose so,' stammered James.
'Suppose so! 'his cousin snarled at him, laying an unfriendly hand upon
him and jolting him roughly to and fro. 'You came on a horse, didn't
you? And if you didn't, how the devil did you get here?'
'Yes, yes, John,' the trembling rascal answered. 'I came on horseback,
to be sure--of course I came on horseback. How else,' he asked feebly,
'could I have got here on a night like this?'
'Then where's the horse? 'Jervase demanded.
'I don't know,' said James. 'He has been here before, he knows his way
to the stables. I--I heard him clattering off in that direction, I am almost
sure.' He made a pitiable attempt to collect himself, and prattled on. 'Oh,
yes, I am quite sure now--he clattered off towards the stables--I
remember--he has been here before, and he would know his way. He's
in the grounds in any case, for I know that the gate closed behind him.'
'Why didn't you stop for