"No harm!" said the gentleman. "No. No harm. No harm, ye oldrebel, not a bit of harm. If my clerk was here, I"d set ye in thestocks, I would, or lay ye in jail for prowling up and down, on thelook-out for petty larcenies, ye limb of a gipsy. Here, Simon, putthese pilferers out, shove "em into the road, out with "em! Yedon"t want to sell the bird, ye that come here to beg, don"t ye?
If they an"t out in double-quick, set the dogs upon "em!"
They waited for no further dismissal, but fled precipitately,leaving the gentleman to storm away by himself (for the poor ladyhad already retreated), and making a great many vain attempts tosilence Grip, who, excited by the noise, drew corks enough for acity feast as they hurried down the avenue, and appeared tocongratulate himself beyond measure on having been the cause of thedisturbance. When they had nearly reached the lodge, anotherservant, emerging from the shrubbery, feigned to be very activein ordering them off, but this man put a crown into the widow"shand, and whispering that his lady sent it, thrust them gently fromthe gate.
This incident only suggested to the widow"s mind, when they haltedat an alehouse some miles further on, and heard the justice"scharacter as given by his friends, that perhaps something more thancapacity of stomach and tastes for the kennel and the stable, wererequired to form either a perfect country gentleman, a thoroughbredEnglishman, or a genuine John Bull; and that possibly the termswere sometimes misappropriated, not to say disgraced. She littlethought then, that a circumstance so slight would ever influencetheir future fortunes; but time and experience enlightened her inthis respect.
"Mother," said Barnaby, as they were sitting next day in a waggonwhich was to take them within ten miles of the capital, "we"regoing to London first, you said. Shall we see that blind manthere?"
She was about to answer "Heaven forbid!" but checked herself, andtold him No, she thought not; why did he ask?
"He"s a wise man," said Barnaby, with a thoughtful countenance. "Iwish that we may meet with him again. What was it that he said ofcrowds? That gold was to be found where people crowded, and notamong the trees and in such quiet places? He spoke as if he lovedit; London is a crowded place; I think we shall meet him there."
"But why do you desire to see him, love?" she asked.
"Because," said Barnaby, looking wistfully at her, "he talked to meabout gold, which is a rare thing, and say what you will, a thingyou would like to have, I know. And because he came and went awayso strangely--just as white-headed old men come sometimes to mybed"s foot in the night, and say what I can"t remember when thebright day returns. He told me he"d come back. I wonder why hebroke his word!"
"But you never thought of being rich or gay, before, dear Barnaby.
You have always been contented."
He laughed and bade her say that again, then cried, "Ay ay--ohyes," and laughed once more. Then something passed that caught hisfancy, and the topic wandered from his mind, and was succeeded byanother just as fleeting.
But it was plain from what he had said, and from his returning tothe point more than once that day, and on the next, that the blindman"s visit, and indeed his words, had taken strong possession ofhis mind. Whether the idea of wealth had occurred to him for thefirst time on looking at the golden clouds that evening--and imageswere often presented to his thoughts by outward objects quite asremote and distant; or whether their poor and humble way of lifehad suggested it, by contrast, long ago; or whether the accident(as he would deem it) of the blind man"s pursuing the current ofhis own remarks, had done so at the moment; or he had beenimpressed by the mere circumstance of the man being blind, and,therefore, unlike any one with whom he had talked before; it wasimpossible to tell. She tried every means to discover, but invain; and the probability is that Barnaby himself was equally inthe dark.
It filled her with uneasiness to find him harping on this string,but all that she could do, was to lead him quickly to some othersubject, and to dismiss it from his brain. To caution him againsttheir visitor, to show any fear or suspicion in reference to him,would only be, she feared, to increase that interest with whichBarnaby regarded him, and to strengthen his desire to meet him onceagain. She hoped, by plunging into the crowd, to rid herself ofher terrible pursuer, and then, by journeying to a distance andobserving increased caution, if that were possible, to live againunknown, in secrecy and peace.
They reached, in course of time, their halting-place within tenmiles of London, and lay there for the night, after bargaining tobe carried on for a trifle next day, in a light van which wasreturning empty, and was to start at five o"clock in the morning.
The driver was punctual, the road good--save for the dust, theweather being very hot and dry--and at seven in the forenoon ofFriday the second of June, one thousand seven hundred and eighty,they alighted at the foot of Westminster Bridge, bade theirconductor farewell, and stood alone, together, on the scorchingpavement. For the freshness which night sheds upon such busythoroughfares had already departed, and the sun was shining withuncommon lustre.