Loving

'An oath?'

'That's right. You're to swear you won't never tell. It'll be special. This is 'ow it goes. While I break a cock's egg over your mouth you say, "My lips is sealed may I drop dead."'

'Cock's eggs?'

'Peacock's softy. I'll fetch me a couple.' As he ran off to that door he had seen Raunce come out of an another occasion he called back as he stumbled with urgency, 'Don't you stir from where you be.' He had picked up countrified expressions when he was evacuated.

'Well it's wicked I know,' Miss Moira said with satisfaction.

'How will you swear so the egg doesn't get in your mouth?' Miss Evelyn asked.

But they waited. In almost no time the lad was back. Then one of the girls objected. She said she wasn't going to stand for having that filthy sticky stuff on her face. The other wanted to know who she considered she was to think she couldn't, when Edith had hundreds of these eggs put away in waterglass against the time she might want them for her skin. And little Albert heard. And then made them both go through with it. They seemed delighted.

Meantime the assessor had been asking questions. Edith did not know so she said. Or she could not tell for certain she was sure. Mike Mathewson was getting nowhere. Albert kept silence. Then Raunce at last arrived, in his dark suit and without the bandage. He came quiet and Mike Mathewson did not hear him. He had to clear his throat to make this man turn round.

'Yes sir?' Charley asked.

'That'th all right my man,' Mike answered. 'Making a few en-quirieth that'th all.'

It might have been Raunce thought Edith looked upset. Not moving from the door he took a line.

'I'm sure Mrs Tennant would not wish for questions asked,' he said.

'Precithely why I wath thent,' Mr Mathewson replied, a green high light following out his nose.

'I'm afraid we can't have this,' Charley said firm. 'Mrs Tennant would never allow it.'

'Is it so?' Mike said grim, not lisping.

'I will have to ask you to leave that's all,' Charley went on and did not call him sir.

'But I have been thent.'

'Who by?'

Then Edith must have forgot herself. She interrupted.

'It's about the ring,' she said in a small voice.

'What ring?' Raunce wanted to know without a sign of any kind.

'Let'th thee,' Mike suggested. 'When Mr Tennant wath alive you uthed to be hith man I take it.'

'No I was not.'

'And you never heard of a ring being gone?' Mike asked in menacing fashion.

'Ow d'you mean?' Raunce enquired in a less educated voice.

'That'th thtrange,' Mathewson said almost genial, 'nobody theemth to know nothing.'

'What's strange about that?' Charley asked and began to squint. 'Come on you tell me. Who might you be for a start?'

'You're the butler?'

'What's that got to do with you? It's you we're talkin' about. Who're you?'

Edith broke in again.

'He's come about the insurance,' she explained and appealed.

'Nobody asked you,' her Charley said sharp but with a soft glance in her direction. 'You don't know nothing,' he added.

'Know nothing?' Mr Mathewson echoed. 'Mark what I'm thaying now. I never inthinuated thith young lady knew anything.' He spoke gently as if to ingratiate.

'In – what?' Charley asked.

'Inferred,' Mike Mathewson explained and now he spoke sharp. 'Don't try and be thmart with me. You'll find it don't work.'

'I wouldn't know what you're referrin' to,' Raunce said a bit daunted.

'The ring,' the assessor replied soft. The thapphire cluthter my company inthured on.'

'Is Mrs Tennant acquainted with you?' Raunce asked.

'She called us in,' the man said very sharp, again without lisping. 'Now is that sufficient?'

'She called you in?' Raunce echoed.

'You do know about the ring then?'

'Know about it? I've 'card Mrs Tennant mislaid one.'

Then why tell me jutht now you never did,' Mike asked him very quiet.

Raunce began to bluster. 'Me?' he cried, 'me tell you that? I never made any such statement and this girl and my lad here's my witnesses. What I very likely said was I didn't know your business an' I say I don't know it now any more than I did at the start. There you are.' He glanced as though for support at Edith. She was gazing at the seat of the armchair. She seemed distracted.

'Will you anthwer a fair quethtion?' Mr Mathewson began again. 'That'th above board ain't it?' he said almost friendly.

'Reply to a question? Well I don't know before you ask me do I?' Raunce replied.

'Then you won't anthwer?'

'I never said that. What are you tryin'? To trap someone?'

'Who mentioned a trap? I'm here to trathe a ring.'

'What's that got to do with me?' Raunce enquired.

'I don't know yet,' Mike replied gentle.

'Well get this then. I don't know nothin' an' I'm not sayin' nothin' without Mrs Tennant gives permission. So now have you got that straight?'

They stared at each other. Edith went down on her knees again. She began to polish the bright steel fire irons with a leather. Catching Charley's eye behind Mike's back she shook her head urgent at him. Albert stood as though transfixed.

'Mithith Tennant thent for me to come over before she got back,' Mr Mathewson began again. This time he appeared to speak to Albert.

'Mrs Tennant's comin' back?' Raunce cried.

'Tho I'm led to underthtand.'

'Then thank God for that,' Raunce said relieved. 'She can clear a whole lot up Mrs Tennant can. But if she don't all I'll say is she can have my notice. Arriving down 'ere to bully the girls, then treatin' me like I was a criminal.'

'Lithten,' Mike began again as if tired. 'A ring'th been mithed. A very valuable thapphire cluthter. My company'th been called on to dithburthe. I've come down to invethtigate. I've driven a hundred mileth. Now do you underthtand?'

'O. K.,' Raunce answered. 'And now you can tell me somethin What's all this to do with me?'

'I'm asking you that's all,' the assessor said with sudden venor Again they stood and stared at one another. Then Raunce Albert spoke.

'I got it,' he confessed.

'You what?' Raunce shouted. Edith jumped to her feet. Raunc swallowed three times and began an, 'I tell you,' when Mike Matl ewson brought him up sharp, fairly hissing.

'I've had about enough d'you hear me? Now then my lad we'i getting placeth. You got it?'

Albert was trembling but he stood his ground.

'Come on then,' Mike continued. 'Nothing to be afraid o Where've you got what?'

The boy was silent in a palsy. There was a sort of lull. Edith wei over and knelt by him, arms by her sides, as though he was vei small and was to tie the scarf over her eyes. Until she turned on th assessor, blushing dark.

'He got an idea he meant an' who may you be to come scarii honest folk that earn a living?' She spoke loud. 'You get off h'ou there's the best place for you. We don't want none of your sort hen frightenin' his wits out of the lad. How should we care about her ol ring? If I was a man I'd show him off the premises,' she said pam ing to Raunce.

'That's an idea,' this man replied. He began to move slowly ove to the assessor who started to say, 'What idea did the young cha have?' Only to break off with a 'now then,' as he moved backwarc to the open french windows away from Charley.

'Plantin' words into people's mouths like it was evidence,' Raunc almost chanted as he advanced. 'When a lad says he got an ide makin' out he got the ring.'

'Well what wath the idea?'

'It's a disgrace that's all,' Charley said, now very close. 'You g‹ on off see?'

'All right I'm on my way,' Mr Mathewson announced. Then h had the last word. 'But get this. We're not paying,' he said and went.

'Wait till 'e's gone,' Raunce warned the others.

And Mike Mathewson drove off quick.

As soon as the car had cleared the ha-ha Raunce rounded on Albert. He was shouting in passion, dead white with a wild squint.