The Broad Highway by Jeffery Farnol (ebook reader with highlight function TXT) đ
- Author: Jeffery Farnol
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At this juncture there appeared a man in a cart, ahead of us, who flourished his whip and roared a greeting, a coarse-visaged, loud-voiced fellow, whose beefy face was adorned with a pair of enormous fiery whiskers that seemed forever striving to hide his ears, which last, being very large and red, stood boldly out at right angles to his head, refusing to be thus ambushed, and scorning all concealment.
âWâatâbe that the Old Unâbe you alive anâ kickinâ yet?â
âAy, God be thanked, John!â
âAnd wâat be all this I âear about that theer Black Jargeââe never were much goodâbut wâat be all this?â
âLies, mostly, you may takâ your oath!â nodded the Ancient.
âBut âeâve been took for poachinâ, ah! anâ locked up at the âAllââ
âAnâ we âm goinâ to fetch unâwe be goinâ to see Squireââ
âWâatâyou, Old Un? You see Squireâhaw! haw!â
âAh, me!âanâ Peter, anâ Simon, âereâwhy not?â
âYou see âis Worship Sir Peregrine Beverley, Baronet, anâ Justice oâ the Peaceâyou? Ecod! thatâs a good unâdanged if it ainât! Anâ what might you be wishful to do when ye see âimâwhich ye wonât?â
âFetch back Jarge, oâ course.â
âOld Un, you must be crazed in your lead, arter Jarge killinâ four keepersâSir Peregrineâs own keepers tooâshootinâ âem stone dead, anâ three more a-dyinâââ
âJohn,â said the Ancient, shaking his head, âthatâs the worst oâ beinâ cursed wiâ ears like yournââ
âMy ears is all right!â returned John, frowning.
âOh, ah!â chuckled the old man, âyour ears is all right, John âprize ears, ye might call âem; I never seed a pair better growâdânever, no!â
âA bit large, they may be,â growled John, giving a furtive pull to the nearest ambush, âbutââ
âLarge as ever was, John!â nodded the Ancientââoncommon large! anâ, consequent, they ketches a lot too much. Iâve kepâ my eye on them ears oâ yourn for thirty year anâ more, Johnâif so be as they grows any bigger, youâll be âearinâ things afore theyâre spoke, anâââ
John gave a fierce tug to the ambush, muttered an oath, and, lashing up his horse, disappeared down the road in a cloud of dust.
ââTwere nigh on four year ago since Black Jarge thrashed John, werenât it, Simon?â
âAh!â nodded Simon, âJohn were in âThe Ringâ then, Peter, anâ a pretty tough chap âe were, too, though a bit too fond oâ swinginâ wiâ âis ârightâ to please me.â
ââE were very sweet on Prue then, werenât âe, Simon?â
âAh!â nodded Simon again; ââe were allus âanging round âThe Bullââtill I warned âim offââ
âAnâ-âe laughed at âee, Simon.â
âAh! âe did that; anâ I were going to âave a go at âim myself; anâ the chances are âeâd âave beat me, seeinâ I âadnât been inside of a ring for ten year, whenââ
âUp comes Jarge,â chuckled the Ancient. âWhatâs all this?â say Jarge. âI be goinâ to teach John âere to keep away from my Prue,â says Simon. âNo, no,â says Jarge, âJohnâs young, anâ you beanât the man you was ten years agoâlet me,â says Jarge. âYou?â says John, âyou get back to your bellersâyou be purty big, but Iâve beat the âeads off better men nor you!â âWhy, then, âave a try at mine,â says Jarge; anâ wiâ the word, bang! comes Johnâs fist againâ âis jaw, anâ they was at it. Oh, Peter! that were a fight! Iâve seed a few in my time, but nothinâ like that âere.â
âAnd when âtwere all over,â added Simon, âJarge went back to âis âammer anâ bellers, anâ we picked John up, and I druv âim âome in this âere very cart, anâ nobodyâs cared to stand up to Jarge since.â
âYou have both seen Black George fight, then?â I inquired.
âManyâs the time, Peter.â
âAnd have you everâseen him knocked down?â
âNo,â returned the Ancient, shaking his head, âIâve seed âim all blood from âead to foot, anâ once a gert, big sailor-man knocked âim sideways, arter which Jarge got fuârus-like, anâ put âim to sleepââ
âNo, Peter!â added Simon, âI donât think as there be a man in all England as could knock Black Jarge off âis pins in a fair, stand-up fight.â
âHum!â said I.
âYe seeââe be that âard, Peter!â nodded the Ancient. âWhy, look!â he criedââlook âee theer!â
Now, looking where he pointed, I saw a man dart across the road some distance away; he was hidden almost immediately, for there were many trees thereabouts, but there was no mistaking that length of limb and breadth of shoulder.
ââTwere Black Jarge âisself!â exclaimed Simon, whipping up his horses; but when we reached the place George was gone, and though we called and sought for some time, we saw him no more.
So, in a while, we turned and jogged back towards Sissinghurst.
âWhat be you a-shakinâ your âead over, Old Un?â inquired Simon, after we had ridden some distance.
âI were wonderinâ what that old fule Amosâll say when we drive back wiâout Jarge.â
Being come to the parting of the ways, I descended from the cart, for my head was strangely heavy, and I felt much out of sorts, and, though the day was still young I had no mind for work. Therefore I bade adieu to Simon and the Ancient, and turned aside towards the Hollow, leaving them staring after me in wonderment.
CHAPTER XXXIII
IN WHICH I FALL FROM FOLLY INTO MADNESS
It was with some little trepidation that I descended into the Hollow, and walked along beside the brook, for soon I should meet Charmian, and the memory of our parting, and the thought of this meeting, had been in my mind all day long.
She would not be expecting me yet, for I was much before my usual time, wherefore I walked on slowly beside the brook, deliberating on what I should say to her, until I came to that large stone where I had sat dreaming the night when she had stood in the moonlight, and first bidden me in to supper. And now, sinking upon this stone, I set my elbows upon my knees, and my chin in my hands, and, fixing my eyes upon the ever-moving waters of the brook, fell into a profound meditation.
From this I was suddenly aroused by the clink of iron and the snort of a horse.
Wondering, I lifted my eyes, but the bushes were very dense, and I could see nothing. But, in a little, borne upon the gentle wind, came the sound of a voice, low and soft and very sweet âwhose rich tones there was no mistakingâfollowed, almost immediately, by anotherâdeeper, grufferâthe voice of a man.
With a bound, I was upon my feet, and had, somehow, crossed the brook, but, even so, I was too late; there was the crack of a whip, followed by the muffled thud of a horseâs hoofs, which died quickly away, and was lost in the stir of leaves.
I ground my teeth, and cursed that fate which seemed determined that I should not meet this man face to faceâthis man whose back I had seen but onceâa broad-shouldered back clad in a blue coat.
I stood where I was, dumb and rigid, staring straight before me, and once again a tremor passed over me, that came and went, growing stronger and stronger, and, once again, in my head was the thud, thud, thud of the hammer.
ââIn Scarlet town, where I was born, There was a fair maid dwellinâ, Made every youth cry Well-a-way! Her name was Barbara Allen.ââShe was approaching by that leafy path that wound its way along beside the brook, and there came upon me a physical nausea, and ever the thud of the hammer grew more maddening.
ââAll in the merry month of May, When green buds they were swellinâ, Young Jemmy Grove on his death-bed lay, For love of Barbara Allen.ââNow, as she ended the verse, she came out into the open, and saw me, and, seeing me, looked deliberately over my head, and went on singing, while Iâstood shivering:
ââSo, slowly, slowly rase she up And slowly she came nigh him, And when she drew the curtain byâ âYoung man, I think youâre dyinâ!âââAnd suddenly the trees and bushes swung giddily roundâthe grass swayed beneath my feetâand Charmian was beside me with her arm about my shoulders; but I pusbed her from me, and leaned against a tree near by, and hearkened to the hammer in my brain.
âWhyâPeter!â said she. âOhâPeter!â
âPlease, Charmian,â said I, speaking between the hammer-strokes, âdo notâtouch me againâit isâtoo soon afterââ
âWhat do you meanâPeter? What do you mean?â
âHe hasâbeen with youâagainââ
âWhat do you mean?â she cried.
âI know ofâhis visitsâif he wasâthe same asâlast timeâin a âblue coatâno, donât, donât touch me.â
But she had sprung upon me, and caught me by the arms, and shook me in a grip so strong that, giddy as I was, I reeled and staggered like a drunken man. And still her voice hissed: âWhat do you mean?â And her voice and hands and eyes were strangely compelling.
âI mean,â I answered, in a low, even voice, like one in a trance, âthat you are a Messalina, a Julia, a Joan of Naples, beautiful as theyâand as wanton.â
Now at the word she cried out, and struck me twice across the face, blows that burnt and stung.
âBeast!â she cried. âLiar! Oh, that I had the strength to grind you into the earth beneath my foot. Oh! you poor, blind, self-deluding fool!â and she laughed, and her laughter stung me most of all. âAs I look at you,â she went on, the laugh still curling her lip, âyou stand thereâwhat you areâa beaten hound. This is my last look, and I shall always remember you as I see you nowâscarlet-cheeked, shamefacedâa beaten hound!â And, speaking, she shook her hand at me, and turned upon her heel; but with that word, and in that instant, the old, old demon leapt up within me, and, as he leapt, I clasped my arms about her, and caught her up, and crushed her close and high against my breast.
âGo?â said I. âGoânoâno, not yet!â
And now, as her eyes met mine, I felt her tremble, yet she strove to hide her fear, and heaped me with bitter scorn; but I only shook my head and smiled. And now she struggled to break my clasp, fiercely, desperately; her long hair burst its fastenings, and enveloped us both in its rippling splendor; she beat my face, she wound her fingers in my hair, but my lips smiled on, for the hammer in my brain had deadened all else.
And presently she lay still. I felt her body relax and grow suddenly pliable and soft, her head fell back across my arm, and, as she lay, I saw the tears of her helplessness ooze out beneath her drooping lashes; but still I
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