“Why, here’s Sir Jasper!” cried an obsequious voice. “Three cheers for Sir Jasper, lads!”
Perhaps because his appearance had been as unexpected as his disappearance, perhaps because the sight of his dreadful face of wrath, flamingly illumined by the red glare of a torch was enough to choke off any demonstration, perhaps because he was too unpopular a landlord even for so many glasses of negus and so many mince-pies to counterbalance—however it may have been, there was but a poor response; a faint cry, that rose and quavered away. It was almost more deadly in its effect than an execration. Sir Jasper rolled a bloodshot eye upon his tenants and neighbours.
“Blast you all!” he cried huskily, let himself drop from his seat, and reeled towards the house.
On New Year’s day Pamela returned to London, and, on the day after, a summons to Yeoman Pounce to attend at Mr. Grinder’s office in Canterbury caused some perturbation to the inmates of Little Pitfold. But when he returned he brought astounding intelligence.
“You’ll never believe it, wife!” he cried from the threshold, “but the mortgage is paid off! Buss me, mother, we’re free of our own again!”
“Oh, ’tis our Pam! ’Tis that best of children! Oh, the surprise, father! Oh, the slyness of it, never telling us a word! Oh, was there ever so good a girl?”
“Lawyer Grinder,” said the farmer, letting himself drop heavily in a chair, “kept a close mouth. He wasn’t at liberty, those were his words, to say who it was as had paid it off. ‘But paid off it is, and that’s enough for you, farmer,’ says he. ‘I reckon I know whom I’m beholden to,’ I says, ‘and I’ll tell you plain, lawyer,’ says I, ‘I’m not a man as ’ud be beholden without it was to one who, so to speak, be but paying back what’s due to a parent.’ At that he smiles on the wrong side of his mouth, after his fashion, wife, none best pleased, I can tell you. As for Sir Jasper—well, he won’t get hold o’ Little Pitfold nohow now!”
When Mrs. Pounce wrote to Pamela in London the letter was very full of blessings on a good daughter.
“And your father is so out of himself with joy, my dear, ’tis a new lease of life.”