The Toll-Gate (5 page)

When this was accomplished, there was Beau to be watered, fed, and groomed, his bit to be cleaned, the saddle-girths to be brushed free of mud, by which time the morning was considerably advanced. While he performed all these labours John tried to think of some solution to Ben's problem. He thought of several, but not one that was likely to meet with any sort of approval. It began to seem as though he would be obliged, instead of continuing his journey to Leicestershire, to spend the day in making discreet enquiries into the gatekeeper's possible whereabouts.

He went back into the gatehouse, a crease between his brows. This did not escape Ben's notice. He made haste to point out that he had thoroughly swept the kitchen; and as this was productive of nothing more than a nod ventured to ask if the Captain was angry.

John, who was rather absently ladling water into the iron kettle which hung from a hook above the old-fashioned fireplace, paused, dipper in hand, and looked down at him. "Angry? No. Why should I be?"

"I thought you looked as if you was in a tweak—a bit cagged, like," explained Ben.

"I was wondering what's to be done with you, if your dad doesn't come back today. Can you think of any place where he might have had business? Did he ever visit anyone in Sheffield, for instance?"

"He don't visit nobody, me dad don't. And if he was going to town, he'd put his best toge on, and a shap on his head, and he didn't," replied Ben shrewdly. "He loped off just like he was going down to the Blue Boar. P'raps he's been pressed, like Simmy!"

Since this solution did not seem in any way to disturb Ben, the Captain refrained from trying to convince him that the Press Gang neither operated in remote inland districts, nor pressed such persons as gatekeepers. He went on ladling water into the kettle; and Ben, suddenly remembering that he had not fed the pig, which led a somewhat restricted life in a sty at the bottom of the ground, took himself off to repair this omission.

As soon as the kettle began to sing the Captain poured some of the water into a tin mug, and bore it off to the gatekeeper's bedroom. He had just set out his shaving tackle, and was about to lather his face, when he heard the sound of a vehicle approaching down the road. A shout of
Gate!
was raised, and John was obliged to put down his brush. Collecting the tickets on his way, he strolled out of the toll-house, and saw that a gig had drawn up to the east of it. A cursory glance showed him that the reins were being handled by a woman, and that a middle-aged groom sat beside her; and a rapid scrutiny of the list of tolls set up on a board beside the house informed him that the charge at this pike for a one-horse vehicle was threepence. He walked up to the gig, and the groom, who had been looking at him in some surprise, said: "Well, shake your shambles, can't you? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

John raised his eyes from the book of tickets. "Gatekeeping. The charge is——"

The words died on his lips. He stood perfectly still, gazing not at the groom, but at the girl beside him.

A very tall girl, and nobly-proportioned, she was dressed in a green pelisse that was serviceable rather than fashionable. A pair of tan gloves, not in their first youth, covered her capable, well-shaped hands; and a plain bonnet with no other trimming than a bow of ribbon was set on a head of thick chestnut hair, which showed tawny gleams in the sunlight. Humorous grey eyes looked down into John's, the arched brows above them lifting slightly; an amused smile hovered about a mouth too generous for beauty. But this faded as John stood looking up at her.

She stared down at him, seeing an unshaven young giant, in stained leathers and a shirt unbuttoned at the throat, with curly fair hair ruffled by the breeze, and the bluest of eyes fixed unwaveringly on her face.

"Church!" said the groom impatiently. "Open up, my lad!"

If John heard him he paid no heed. He stood as though stunned, for he had received his leveller at last.

A flush crept into the lady's cheeks; she said, with an uncertain laugh: "I suppose you must be Brean's elder son. You are certainly a big fellow! Please open the gate! Churchgoers, you know, are exempt from tax."

Her voice recalled John to his senses. Colour flooded his face; he uttered an inarticulate apology, and made haste to open the gate. It was a single [garbled] and he stood holding it at the side of the road while the gig passed beyond it. The lady nodded to him, quite kindly, but in the manner of one immeasurably his superior; and drove away at a brisk trot.

John remained where he was, still holding the gate, and looking after the gig until it passed round the bend in the road, and was gone from his sight.

He became aware of Ben, who had emerged from the toll-house, and was regarding him in mild surprise. He shut the gate, and said: "Did you see that gig, Ben?"

"Ay. I give that big prancer of yours a carrot. Coo, he——"

"Who was the lady driving it? Do you know?"

"'Course I does! When I gives a carrot to Mr. Chirk's Mollie, she——"

"Well, who is she?"

"I'm a-telling of you! She's Mr. Chirk's mare, and she shakes hands for carrots! You arsts her what she'll do for it, and she lifts up her right fore——"

"The devil fly away with Mr. Chirk's mare! Who was the lady in that gig?"

"Oh, her!" said Ben, losing interest. "That was only Miss Nell. She'll be going to Church."

"Where does she live? Will she be coming back?"

"Ay, out of course she will! There ain't no other way she can get home from Crowford, not with the gig there ain't."

"Where is her home?"

Ben jerked his chin, vaguely indicating an easterly direction. "Over there. Mr. Chirk's learnt Mollie to do all sorts of tricks. She——"

"He had best sell her to Astley, then. Does Miss Nell live nearby?"

"I telled you!" said Ben impatiently. "At the Manor!"

"What Manor? Where is it?"

It was plain that Ben thought poorly of persons who were so ignorant that they were unaware of the locality of the largest house in the vicinity. "Everyone knows where Squire's house is!" he said scornfully.

"The Squire, eh? Is he Miss Nell's father?"

"Squire? No! He's her granfer. He's an old gager. No one ain't set eyes on him since I dunno when. They do say he's as queer as Dick's hatband, ever since he was took bad all on a sudden. He can't walk no more. Folks say it's Miss Nell as is Squire these days."

"How far is it from here to the Squire's place?"

"Kellands? A mile, I dessay."

"Who is he? What is his name?"

Tired of this catechism, Ben sighed, and answered: "Sir Peter Stornaway, out of course!"

"Do you see her—do you see Miss Nell often?"

"Ay, most days," replied Ben indifferently.

The Captain drew a breath, and stood for a few moments gazing down the road to where he had last seen the gig. Emerging suddenly from this trance, he ejaculated: "Good God, I must shave!" and strode into the toll-house.

Miss Stornaway, returning homewards, was not obliged to summon the new gatekeeper to open for her. Captain Staple was on the watch, and came out of the toll-house as soon as he heard the sound of carriage-wheels.

He was still in his shirtsleeves, but he now sported a neatly tied neck-cloth, and had pulled on his top-boots. He had recovered from his stupefaction, too, so that Miss Stornaway, pulling up, found herself looking down, not at a gigantic hobbledehoy, as tongue-tied as he was handsome, but at a perfectly assured man who smiled up at her without a vestige of shyness, and said: "Forgive me for having unlawfully demanded toll of you! I'm a new hand—shockingly green!"

Miss Stornaway's eyes widened. She exclaimed involuntarily: "Good heavens! you can't be Brean's son!"

"No, no, I fancy he's at sea. The poor fellow was pressed, you know."

"But what are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Keeping the gate," he replied promptly.

She was bewildered, but amused too. "Nonsense! How could you be a gatekeeper?"

"If you mean that I'm a bad one you must remember that I'm a novice. I shall learn."

"Nothing of the sort! I mean—— Oh, I believe you're hoaxing me!"

"Indeed I'm not!"

"Where is Brean?" she demanded.

"Well, there you have me," he confessed. "Like Ben—are you acquainted with Ben?—I dunno! That's why I'm here."

She wrinkled her brow. "Do you mean that Brean has gone away? But why should you take his place? Are you doing it for a wager?"

"No, but now that you come to suggest it I see that that might not be at all a bad notion," he said.

"I wish you will be serious!" she begged, trying to frown and succeeding only in laughing.

"I am very serious. On the whole, I believe I shall do better to announce myself to be a cousin of Brean's."

"No one would credit such a tale, I assure you!"

"Don't you think so? I can talk cant with the best, you know."

She made a despairing gesture. "I don't understand a word of this!"

The groom, who had been staring very hard at John, said: "Seems to me there's something smoky going on here. If you ain't playing a May-game, sir; nor cutting a sham——"

"I'm not, but I agree with you that there's something smoky going on," John interrupted. "The gatekeeper went off two nights ago, and hasn't been seen since."

"Well, that's very bad," acknowledged Miss Stornaway. "But I do not see why you should take his place!"

"But you must see that Ben is a great deal too young to remain here alone!" John pointed out.

"You are the oddest creature! How do you come here? Why—— Oh, I wish you will explain it to me!"

"I will," he promised. "It is quite a long story, however. Won't you step down from your gig? I shan't invite you to come into the toll-house, for although I have induced Ben to sweep out the kitchen it is not at all tidy, but we could sit on the bench."

Her eyes danced; it seemed as if she were half inclined to fall in with this suggestion, but at that moment the groom said something to her in a low voice, directing her attention to the road ahead.

Coming towards the gate, on a showy-looking hack, was a thickset man, rather too fashionably attired for his surroundings. He wore white hunting-tops, a florid waistcoat with several fobs and seals depending from it, a blue coat with long tails and very large buttons, and a beaver hat with a exaggeratedly curled brim.

The laughter went out of Miss Stornaway's eyes; she said rather hurriedly: "Some other time, perhaps. Please to open the gate now!"

John went to it immediately. It had a fifteen foot clearance, and the man on the grey hack reined in short of its sweep towards him. He looked rather narrowly at John for a moment, but rode forward as soon as the gate stood wide enough, and reined in alongside the gig. The beaver was doffed with a flourish, revealing exquisitely pomaded and curled black locks.

"Ah, Miss Nell, you stole a march on us, did you not?" challenged the gentleman jovially. "But I have found you out, you see, and come to meet you!"

"I have been to Church, sir, if that is what you mean," Miss Stornaway replied coldly.

"Sweet piety! You will allow me to escort you home!"

"I cannot prevent you from doing so, sir, but I am sorry you should have put yourself to the trouble of coming to meet me. It was unnecessary," said Miss Stornaway, whipping up her horse.

John shut the gate, and went back into the toll-house. A strong aroma of onions assailed him, from which he inferred that Ben considered it was time to start cooking dinner. He went into the kitchen, and said abruptly: "Ben, did you tell me that there is a woman who comes here to clean the place?"

"Ay, Mrs. Skeffling. She comes Wednesdays. She washes the duds too," replied Ben. "We has a roast, Wednesdays, and a pudden, and all. Coo, she's a prime cook, she is!"

"We must have her every day," John said decidedly.

"Every day?" gasped Ben, nearly upsetting the pan he was holding over the fire. "Whatever for, gov'nor?"

"To keep the house clean, and cook the dinner, of course. Where does she live?"

"Down the road. But she has to have a sow's baby every time!"

"In that case, I shall have to go to market and buy a litter of pigs," said John. He perceived that Ben was looking quite amazed, and laughed. "Never mind! How much is a sow's baby?"

"A half-horde—sixpence! Properly turned-up we'd be!"

"Don't bother your head about that!" recommended John.

Ben eyed him with considerable respect. "You got a lot of mint-sauce, gov'nor?"

"I'm tolerably well-blunted," responded John gravely. "Now, listen, Ben! I'm going to remain here——"

"You are?" cried Ben joyfully.

"Until your dad comes back, or, at any rate——"

"Coo, I hope he don't never come back!"

"Quiet, you unnatural brat! If he doesn't come back—lord, I'm dashed if I know what I'm to do with you, but I won't throw you on the Parish, at all events! The thing is, if I'm to stay here I must make some purchases. How far off is the nearest town, and what is it?"