“Did I not caution thee not to provoke him, friend Toft?” said Plant; “it’s ill playing with edge tools; but don’t let him fly off in that tantrum—one of ye go after him.”
“That will I,” replied Burtenshaw; and he departed in search of the sexton.
“I’d advise thee to make it up with Peter so soon as thou canst, neighbour,” continued Plant; “he’s a bad friend, but a worse enemy.”
“Why, what harm can he do me?” returned Toft, who, however, was not without some misgivings. “If I must die, I can’t help it—I shall go none the sooner for him, even if he speak the truth, which I don’t think he do; and if I must, I shan’t go unprepared—only I think as how, if it pleased Providence, I could have wished to keep my old missis company some few years longer and see those bits of lasses of mine grow up into women, and respectably provided for. But His will be done. I shan’t leave ’em quite penniless, and there’s one eye at least, I’m sure, won’t be dry at my departure.” Here the stout heart of Toft gave way, and he shed some few “natural tears”; which, however, he speedily brushed away. “I tell you what, neighbours,” continued he; “I think we may all as well be thinking of going to our own homes, for, to my mind, we shall never reach the churchyard to-night.”
“That you never will,” exclaimed a voice behind him; and Toft turning round, again met the glance of Peter.
“Come, come, Master Peter,” cried the good-natured farmer, “this be ugly jesting—ax pardon for my share of it—sorry for what I did—so give us thy hand, man, and think no more about it.”
Peter extended his claw, and the parties were, apparently, once more upon terms of friendship.
| Contents |
CHAPTER II
THE FUNERAL ORATION
A SUPPLY of spirits was here introduced; lights were brought at the same time, and placed upon a long oak table. The party gathering round it, ill-humour was speedily dissipated, and even the storm disregarded, in the copious libations that ensued. At this juncture, a loiterer appeared in the hall. His movements were unnoticed by all excepting the sexton, who watched his proceedings with some curiosity. The person walked to the window, appearing, so far as could be discovered, to eye the storm with great impatience. He then paced the hall rapidly backwards and forwards, and Peter fancied he could detect sounds of disappointment, in his muttered exclamations. Again he returned to the window, as if to ascertain the probable duration of the shower. It was a hopeless endeavour; all was pitch dark without; the lightning was now only seen at long intervals, but the rain still audibly descended in torrents. Apparently, seeing the impossibility of controlling the elements, the person approached the table.
“What think you of the night, Mr. Palmer?” asked the sexton of Jack, for he was the anxious investigator of the weather.
“Don’t know—can’t say—set in, I think—cursed unlucky—for the funeral, I mean—we shall be drowned if we go.”
“And drunk if we stay,” rejoined Peter. “But never fear, it will hold up, depend upon it, long before we can start. Where have they put the prisoner?” asked he, with a sudden change of manner.
“I know the room, but can’t describe it; it’s two or three doors down the lower corridor of the eastern gallery.”
“Good. Who are on guard?”
“Titus Tyrconnel, and that swivel-eyed quill-driver, Coates.”
“Enough.”
“Come, come, Master Peter,” roared Toft, “let’s have a stave. Give us one of your old snatches. No corpse-candles, or that sort of thing. Something lively—something jolly—ha, ha!”
“A good move,” shouted Jack. “A lively song from you—Lillibullero from a death’s head—ha, ha!”
“My songs are all of a sort,” returned Peter; “I am seldom asked to sing a second time. However, you are welcome to the merriest I have.” And preparing himself, like certain other accomplished vocalists, with a few preliminary hems and haws, he struck forth the following doleful ditty:
THE OLD OAK COFFIN
In a churchyard, upon the sward, a coffin there was laid,
And leaning stood, beside the wood, a sexton on his spade.
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143