Mr Parkes, who was possibly a hard-sleeper himself, replied withsome disdain, "Not a bit on it;" and directed his eyes towards ahandbill pasted over the chimney-piece, which was decorated at thetop with a woodcut representing a youth of tender years runningaway very fast, with a bundle over his shoulder at the end of astick, and--to carry out the idea--a finger-post and a milestonebeside him. Mr Cobb likewise turned his eyes in the samedirection, and surveyed the placard as if that were the first timehe had ever beheld it. Now, this was a document which Mr Willethad himself indited on the disappearance of his son Joseph,acquainting the nobility and gentry and the public in general withthe circumstances of his having left his home; describing his dressand appearance; and offering a reward of five pounds to any personor persons who would pack him up and return him safely to theMaypole at Chigwell, or lodge him in any of his Majesty"s jailsuntil such time as his father should come and claim him. In thisadvertisement Mr Willet had obstinately persisted, despite theadvice and entreaties of his friends, in describing his son as a"young boy;" and furthermore as being from eighteen inches to acouple of feet shorter than he really was; two circumstances whichperhaps accounted, in some degree, for its never having beenproductive of any other effect than the transmission to Chigwellat various times and at a vast expense, of some five-and-fortyrunaways varying from six years old to twelve.
Mr Cobb and Mr Parkes looked mysteriously at this composition, ateach other, and at old John. From the time he had pasted it upwith his own hands, Mr Willet had never by word or sign alluded tothe subject, or encouraged any one else to do so. Nobody had theleast notion what his thoughts or opinions were, connected with it;whether he remembered it or forgot it; whether he had any idea thatsuch an event had ever taken place. Therefore, even while heslept, no one ventured to refer to it in his presence; and for suchsufficient reasons, these his chosen friends were silent now.
Mr Willet had got by this time into such a complication of knots,that it was perfectly clear he must wake or die. He chose theformer alternative, and opened his eyes.
"If he don"t come in five minutes," said John, "I shall have supperwithout him."
The antecedent of this pronoun had been mentioned for the last timeat eight o"clock. Messrs Parkes and Cobb being used to this styleof conversation, replied without difficulty that to be sure Solomonwas very late, and they wondered what had happened to detain him.
"He an"t blown away, I suppose," said Parkes. "It"s enough tocarry a man of his figure off his legs, and easy too. Do you hearit? It blows great guns, indeed. There"ll be many a crash in theForest to-night, I reckon, and many a broken branch upon the groundto-morrow."
"It won"t break anything in the Maypole, I take it, sir," returnedold John. "Let it try. I give it leave--what"s that?"
"The wind," cried Parkes. "It"s howling like a Christian, and hasbeen all night long."
"Did you ever, sir," asked John, after a minute"s contemplation,"hear the wind say "Maypole"?"
"Why, what man ever did?" said Parkes.
"Nor "ahoy," perhaps?" added John.
"No. Nor that neither."
"Very good, sir," said Mr Willet, perfectly unmoved; "then if thatwas the wind just now, and you"ll wait a little time withoutspeaking, you"ll hear it say both words very plain."
Mr Willet was right. After listening for a few moments, they couldclearly hear, above the roar and tumult out of doors, this shoutrepeated; and that with a shrillness and energy, which denoted thatit came from some person in great distress or terror. They lookedat each other, turned pale, and held their breath. No man stirred.
It was in this emergency that Mr Willet displayed something of thatstrength of mind and plenitude of mental resource, which renderedhim the admiration of all his friends and neighbours. Afterlooking at Messrs Parkes and Cobb for some time in silence, heclapped his two hands to his cheeks, and sent forth a roar whichmade the glasses dance and rafters ring--a long-sustained,discordant bellow, that rolled onward with the wind, and startlingevery echo, made the night a hundred times more boisterous--a deep,loud, dismal bray, that sounded like a human gong. Then, withevery vein in his head and face swollen with the great exertion,and his countenance suffused with a lively purple, he drew a littlenearer to the fire, and turning his back upon it, said with dignity:
"If that"s any comfort to anybody, they"re welcome to it. If itan"t, I"m sorry for "em. If either of you two gentlemen likes togo out and see what"s the matter, you can. I"m not curious,myself."
While he spoke the cry drew nearer and nearer, footsteps passed thewindow, the latch of the door was raised, it opened, was violentlyshut again, and Solomon Daisy, with a lighted lantern in his hand,and the rain streaming from his disordered dress, dashed into theroom.
A more complete picture of terror than the little man presented, itwould be difficult to imagine. The perspiration stood in beadsupon his face, his knees knocked together, his every limb trembled,the power of articulation was quite gone; and there he stood,panting for breath, gazing on them with such livid ashy looks, thatthey were infected with his fear, though ignorant of its occasion,and, reflecting his dismayed and horror-stricken visage, staredback again without venturing to question him; until old JohnWillet, in a fit of temporary insanity, made a dive at his cravat,and, seizing him by that portion of his dress, shook him to and frountil his very teeth appeared to rattle in his head.
"Tell us what"s the matter, sir," said John, "or I"ll kill you.
Tell us what"s the matter, sir, or in another second I"ll have yourhead under the biler. How dare you look like that? Is anybody a-following of you? What do you mean? Say something, or I"ll be thedeath of you, I will."