"If you two men
had any feelin's, you'd offer to see me home."
"The pair of us?" asked Mr. Jope suavely.
"I scale over seventeen stone," murmured Mr. Coyne, still with his
eyes closed; "an' a weight like that is no joke."
Mr. Jope nodded.
"You're right there; so you'd best give it over. Sorry to seem
heartless, sir, but 'tis for your good: an' to walk home in your
state would be a sin, when we can fix you up a bed in the house."
Mr. Coyne opened his eyes, and they were twinkling vindictively.
"Sleep in this house?" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't do it, not for a
thousand pound!"
"W'y not?"
"You'll find out 'why not,' safe enough, afore the mornin'!
Why 'twas in kindness--pure kindness--I asked the pair of ye to see
me home. I wouldn't be one to stay in this house alone arter
nightfall--no, or I wouldn't be one to leave a dog alone here, let be
a friend. My daughter didn't tell, I reckon, as this place was
ha'nted?"
"Ha'nted?"
"Aye. By females too."
"O--oh!" Mr. Adams, who had caught his breath, let it escape in a
long sigh of relief. "Like Symonds's," he murmured.
"Not a bit like Symonds's," his friend corrected snappishly.
Pages:
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199