“And your choice was a very wise one. But listen: if you are faithful to me in the service you have undertaken to perform, you shall live in a first-floor front of any such a house as this, until I shall be better able to provide for you—which I certainly shall be, if you should be successful and faithful.”
“Bless your honor! I will be faithful as faithful. But you haven’t told me yet what the service is agoing to be.”
“I came here to-night to tell you, and I will tell you now—but, is the coast clear?” anxiously inquired Everage, looking around and seeing that the girl, Meg, at least had disappeared, and that himself and the crone were alone or seemed to be so.
“Yes,” answered Mrs. Rooter, “the coast is clear. My brothers have not left the house though, because I hinted to ’em as they might light upon a job.”
“Where are they, then?”
“Up on the leads. I sent them there to wait your honor’s pleasure. And there they shall stay till your honor bids me call them down. If so be you would rather trust the business to me alone, I will, if I can, do it alone and they shall never know anything of it; but if your honor chooses to trust ’em, which I make bold to say—they are just trusty as trusty—why I’ll go call them.”
“Go and call them—I will take a look at them, at all events,” said Everage.
The beldam went out into the passage, and climbed a ladder leading to the open trap-door of the roof, and summoned her brothers; and presently their heavy steps came lumbering down the ladder; and she brought them into the presence of Everage.
They were two ill-looking fellows enough, somewhere between forty and fifty years of age.
The elder was tall, sallow, black-haired and black-eyed.