So then my neighbours they said I had better come to you." And
down went his head again.
"Well, but," said Mr. Hardie, "you cannot expect me to go against the
other magistrates."
"Why not, sir? You have had a hatful o' money of me: the other gentlemen
han't had a farthing. They owes me no service, but you does: nine hundred
pounds' worth, if ye come to that."
There was no malice in this; it was a plain broken-hearted man's notion
of give and take; but it was a home-thrust all the same; and Mr. Hardie
was visibly discountenanced, and Alfred more so.
Mr. Osmond, to relieve a situation so painful, asked Maxley rather
hastily what were the curious things he saw.
Maxley shuddered. "The unreasonablest beasts, sir, you ever saw or heard
tell on: mostly snakes and dragons. Can't stoop my head to do no work for
them, sir. Bless your heart, if I was to leave you gentlemen now, and go
and dig for five minutes in my garden, they would come about me as thick
as slugs on cabbage. Why 'twas but yester'en I tried to hoe a bit, and up
come the fearfullest great fiery sarpint: scared me so I heaved my hoe
and laid on un' properly: presently I seemed to come out of a sort of a
kind of a red mist into the clear: and there laid my poor missus's
favourite hen; I had been and killed her for a sarpint!" He sighed, then,
after a moment's pause, lowered his voice to a whisper: "Now suppose I
was to go and take some poor Christian for one of these gre-at bloody
dragons I do see at odd times, I might do him a mischief, you know, and
not mean him no harm neither.
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