It was an excellent season for a run, for at that silent hour thestreets were deserted, the air was cool, and the flying figurebefore him distinctly visible at a great distance, as it sped away,with a long gaunt shadow following at its heels. But the short-winded locksmith had no chance against a man of Sim"s youth andspare figure, though the day had been when he could have run himdown in no time. The space between them rapidly increased, and asthe rays of the rising sun streamed upon Simon in the act ofturning a distant corner, Gabriel Varden was fain to give up, andsit down on a doorstep to fetch his breath. Simon meanwhile,without once stopping, fled at the same degree of swiftness to TheBoot, where, as he well knew, some of his company were lying, andat which respectable hostelry--for he had already acquired thedistinction of being in great peril of the law--a friendly watchhad been expecting him all night, and was even now on the look-outfor his coming.
"Go thy ways, Sim, go thy ways," said the locksmith, as soon as hecould speak. "I have done my best for thee, poor lad, and wouldhave saved thee, but the rope is round thy neck, I fear."
So saying, and shaking his head in a very sorrowful anddisconsolate manner, he turned back, and soon re-entered his ownhouse, where Mrs Varden and the faithful Miggs had been anxiouslyexpecting his return.
Now Mrs Varden (and by consequence Miss Miggs likewise) wasimpressed with a secret misgiving that she had done wrong; that shehad, to the utmost of her small means, aided and abetted the growthof disturbances, the end of which it was impossible to foresee;that she had led remotely to the scene which had just passed; andthat the locksmith"s time for triumph and reproach had now arrivedindeed. And so strongly did Mrs Varden feel this, and socrestfallen was she in consequence, that while her husband waspursuing their lost journeyman, she secreted under her chair thelittle red-brick dwelling-house with the yellow roof, lest itshould furnish new occasion for reference to the painful theme; andnow hid the same still more, with the skirts of her dress.
But it happened that the locksmith had been thinking of this veryarticle on his way home, and that, coming into the room and notseeing it, he at once demanded where it was.
Mrs Varden had no resource but to produce it, which she did withmany tears, and broken protestations that if she could have known-"Yes, yes," said Varden, "of course--I know that. I don"t mean toreproach you, my dear. But recollect from this time that all goodthings perverted to evil purposes, are worse than those which arenaturally bad. A thoroughly wicked woman, is wicked indeed. Whenreligion goes wrong, she is very wrong, for the same reason. Letus say no more about it, my dear."
So he dropped the red-brick dwelling-house on the floor, andsetting his heel upon it, crushed it into pieces. The halfpence,and sixpences, and other voluntary contributions, rolled about inall directions, but nobody offered to touch them, or to take themup.
"That," said the locksmith, "is easily disposed of, and I would toHeaven that everything growing out of the same society could besettled as easily."
"It happens very fortunately, Varden," said his wife, with herhandkerchief to her eyes, "that in case any more disturbancesshould happen--which I hope not; I sincerely hope not--"
"I hope so too, my dear."
"--That in case any should occur, we have the piece of paper whichthat poor misguided young man brought."
"Ay, to be sure," said the locksmith, turning quickly round.
"Where is that piece of paper?"
Mrs Varden stood aghast as he took it from her outstretched band,tore it into fragments, and threw them under the grate.
"Not use it?" she said.
"Use it!" cried the locksmith. No! Let them come and pull theroof about our ears; let them burn us out of house and home; I"dneither have the protection of their leader, nor chalk their howlupon my door, though, for not doing it, they shot me on my ownthreshold. Use it! Let them come and do their worst. The firstman who crosses my doorstep on such an errand as theirs, had betterbe a hundred miles away. Let him look to it. The others may havetheir will. I wouldn"t beg or buy them off, if, instead of everypound of iron in the place, there was a hundred weight of gold.
Get you to bed, Martha. I shall take down the shutters and go towork."
"So early!" said his wife.
"Ay," replied the locksmith cheerily, "so early. Come when theymay, they shall not find us skulking and hiding, as if we feared totake our portion of the light of day, and left it all to them. Sopleasant dreams to you, my dear, and cheerful sleep!"
With that he gave his wife a hearty kiss, and bade her delay nolonger, or it would be time to rise before she lay down to rest.
Mrs Varden quite amiably and meekly walked upstairs, followed byMiggs, who, although a good deal subdued, could not refrain fromsundry stimulative coughs and sniffs by the way, or from holding upher hands in astonishment at the daring conduct of master.