The Broad Highway by Jeffery Farnol (ebook reader with highlight function TXT) đ
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And, being come up, I reached out and touched this man upon the arm.
âGeorge!â said I, and held out my hand. He turned swiftly, but, seeing me, started back a pace, staring.
âGeorge!â said I again. âOh, George!â But George only backed still farther, passing his hand once or twice across his eyes.
âPeter?â said he at last, speaking hardly above a whisper; âbut you âm dead, Peter, deadâI killedââee.â
âNo,â I answered, âyou didnât kill me, George indeed, I wish you hadâyou came pretty near it, but you didnât quite manage it. And, GeorgeâIâm very desolateâwonât you shake hands with a very desolate man?âif you can, believing that I have always been your friend, and a true and loyal one, then, give me your hand; if notâif you think me still the despicable traitor you once did, then, let us go into the field yonder, and if you can manage to knock me on the head for good and all this timeâwhy, so much the better. Come, what do you say?â
Without a word Black George turned and led the way to a narrow lane a little distance beyond âThe Bull,â and from the lane into a meadow. Being come thither, I took off my coat and neckerchief, but this time I cast no look upon the world about me, though indeed it was fair enough. But Black George stood half turned from me, with his fists clenched and his broad shoulders heaving oddly.
âPeter,â said he, in his slow, heavy way, ânever clench ye fists to meâdonâtâI canât abide it. But oh, man, Peter! âow may I clasp âands wiâ a chap as Iâve tried to killâI canât do it, Peterâbut donâtâdonât clench ye fists again me no more. I were jealous of âee from the firstâye see, you beat me at thâ âammer-throwinââanâ she took your part again me; anâ then, you be so takinâ in your ways, anâ I be so big anâ clumsyâso very slow anâ âeavy. Theer beanât no choice betwixt us for a maid like Prue she allus was different from the likes oâ me, anâ any lass wiâ half an eye could see as you be a gentleman, ah! anâ a good un. Anâ so Peter, anâ soâI be goinâ awayâa sojerâ pârâaps I shanât love the dear lass quite so much arter a bit âpârâaps it wonât be quite so sharp-like, arter a bit, but whatâs to beâis to be. Iâve larned wisdom, anâ you anâ she was made for each other anâ meant for each other from the first; soâdonât go to clench ye fists again me no more, Peter.â
âNever again, George!â said I.
âUnless,â he continued, as though struck by a bright idea, âunless you âm minded to âave a whack at me; if so beâwhy, takâ it, Peter, anâ welcome. Ye see, I tried so âard to kill âeeâso cruel âard, Peter, anâ I thought I âad. I thought âtwere for that as they took me, anâ so I broke my way out oâ the lock-up, to come anâ say âgood-byâ to Prueâs winder, anâ then I were goinâ back to give myself up anâ let âem hang me if they wanted to.â
âWere you, George?â
âYes.â Here George turned to look at me, and, looking, dropped his eyes and fumbled with his hands, while up under his tanned skin there crept a painful, burning crimson. âPeter!â said he.
âYes, George?â
âI got summâat more to tell âeeâsummâat as I never meant to tell to a soul; when you was downâlyinâ at my feetââ
âYes, George?â
âIâI kicked âeeâonce!â
âDid you, George?â
âAyâIâI were madâmad wiâ rage anâ blood lust, anââoh, man, Peter!âI kicked âee. Theer,â said he, straightening his shoulders, âleastways I can look âee in the eye now that be off my mind. Anâ now, if so be you âm wishful to takâ ye whack at meâwhy, let it be a good un, Peter.â
âNo, I shall never raise my hand to you again, George.â
ââTis likely you be thinkinâ me a poor sort oâ man, arter what âwhat I just told âeeâa coward?â
âI think you more of a man than ever,â said I.
âWhy, then, Peterâif ye do think that, hereâs my handâif yeâll takâ it, anâ Iâbid yeâgood-by!â
âIâll take your handâand gladly, George, but not to wish you goodbyâit shall be, rather, to bid you welcome home again.â
âNo,â he cried. âNoâI couldnâtâI couldnât abide to see you anââPrueâmarried, Peterâno, I couldnât abide it.â
âAnd you never will, George. Prue loves a stronger, a better man than I. And she has wept over him, George, and prayed over him, such tears and prayers as surely might win the blackest soul to heaven, and has said that she would marry that manâah! even if he came back with fetter-marks upon himâeven then she would marry himâif he would only ask her.â
âOh, Peter!â cried George, seizing my shoulders in a mighty grip and looking into my eyes with tears in his own, âoh, man, Peter âyou as knocked me down anâ as I love for itâbe this true?â
âIt is Godâs truth!â said I, âand look!âthere is a sign to prove I am no liarâlook!â and I pointed towards âThe Bull.â
George turned, and I felt his fingers tighten suddenly, for there, at the open doorway of the inn, with the early glory of the morning all about her, stood Prue. As we watched, she began to cross the road towards the smithy, with laggard step and drooping head.
âDo you know where she is going, George? I can tell youâshe is going to your smithyâto pray for youâdo you hear, to pray for you? Come!â and I seized his arm.
âNo, Peter, noâI durstnâtâI couldnât.â But he suffered me to lead him forward, nevertheless. Once he stopped and glanced round, but the village was asleep about us. And so we presently came to the open doorway of the forge.
And behold! Prue was kneeling before the anvil with her face hidden in her arms, and her slender body swaying slightly. But all at once, as if she felt him near her, she raised her head and saw him, and sprang to her feet with a glad cry. And, as she stood, George went to her, and knelt at her feet, and raising the hem of her gown, stooped and kissed it.
âOh, my sweet maid!â said he. âOh, my sweet Prue!âI beanât worthyâI beanâtââ But she caught the great shaggy head to her bosom and stifled it there.
And in her face was a radianceâa happiness beyond words, and the manâs strong arms clung close about her.
So I turned, and left them in paradise together.
CHAPTER XXXVI
WHICH SYMPATHIZES WITH A BRASS JACK, A BRACE OF CUTLASSES, AND DIVERS POTS AND PANS
I found the Ancient sunning himself in the porch before the inn, as he waited for his breakfast.
âPeter,â said he, âI be turâble cold sometimes. It comes a-creepinâ on me all at once, even if I be sittinâ before a roarinâ fire or a-baskinâ in this good, warm sunâa cold as reaches down into my poor old âeartâgrave-chills, I calls âem, Peterâah! grave-chills. Ketches me by the âeart they do; ye see I be that old, Peter, that old anâ wore out.â
âBut youâre a wonderful man for your age!â said I, clasping the shrivelled hand in mine, âand very lusty and strongââ
âSo strong as a bull I be, Peter!â he nodded readily, âbut then, even a bull gets old anâ wore out, anâ these grave-chills ketches me oftener anâ oftener. âTis like as if the Angel oâ Death reached out anâ touched meâjust touched me wiâ âis finger, soft-like, as much as to say: ââEre be a poor, old, wore-out creeter as I shall be wantinâ soon.â Well, I be ready; âtis only the young or the fule as fears to die. Threescore years anâ ten, says the Bible, anâ I be years anâ years older than that. Oh! I shanât be afeared to answer when Iâm called, Peter. ââEre I be, Lord!â Iâll say. ââEre I be, thy poor old servantâ âbut oh, Peter! if I could be sure oâ that theer old rusty stapil beinâ took first, why then Iâd go jâyfulâjâyful, butâ why theer be that old fule AmosâLord! what a dodderinâ old fule âe be, anâ theer be Job, anâ Duttonâthey be cominâ to plague me, Peter, I can feel it in my bones. Jest reach me my snuff-box out oâ my âind pocket, anâ you shall see me smite they Amalekites âip anâ thigh.â
âGaffer,â began Old Amos, saluting us with his usual grin, as he came up, âwe be wishful to ax âee a questionâwe be wishful to know wheer be Black Jarge, which you âavinâ gone to fetch âim, anâ bring âim âome againâthem was your words.â
âAh!â nodded Job, âthem was your very words, âbring âim âome again,â says youââ
âBut you didnât bring âim âome,â continued Old Amos, âleastways, not in the cart wiâ you. Dutton âereâJames Dutton see you come drivinâ âome, but âe didnât see no Jarge along wiâ youâno, not so much as you could shake a stick at, as you might say. Speak up, James Dutton you was a-leaninâ over your front gate as Gaffer come drivinâ âome, wasnât you, anâ you see Gaffer plain as plain, didnât you?â
âWâich, me wishinâ no offense, anâ no one objectinââI did,â began the Apology, perspiring profusely as usual, âbut I takes the liberty to say as it were a spade, anâ not a gateâleastwaysââ
âBut you didnât see no signs oâ Jarge, did ye?â demanded Old Amos, âas ye might say, neither âide nor âair of âimâspeak up, James Dutton.â
âWâich, since you axes me, I makes so bold as to answerâanâ very glad Iâm sureâno; though as to âide anâ âair, I arenât wishinâ to swear to, me not beinâ near enoughâwâich could only be expected, anâ very much obliged, Iâm sure.â
âYe see, Gaffer,â pursued Amos, âif you didnât bring Jarge back wiâ youâwâich you said you wouldâthe question we axes isâwheer be Jarge?â
âAh!âwheer?â nodded Job gloomily. Here the Ancient was evidently at a loss, to cover which, he took a vast pinch of snuff.
ââOw be we to know as âe beanât pininâ away in a dungeon cell wiâ irons on âis legs, anâ strapped in a straitjacket anââ
Old Amos stopped, open-mouthed and staring, for out from the gloom of the smithy issued Black George himself, with Prue upon his arm. The Ancient stared also, but, dissembling his vast surprise, he dealt the lid of his snuffbox two loud, triumphant knocks.
âPeter,â said he, rising stiffly, âPeter, lad, I were beginninâ to think as Jarge were never cominâ in to breakfusâ at all. Iâve waited and waited till I be so ravenous as a lion anâ tigerâbut âere âe be at last,
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