“Nothing disagreeable,” he assured her. “It’s too long a story to tell you now, but you have no longer anything to dread, my brave girl! I’ll tell you later, but I think I had better first get rid of this waspish fellow who wants my blood, don’t you?”
An involuntary chuckle escaped her. “Poor Mr. Babbacombe tried his best to fob him off, and I did, too, but there was no getting him to listen to a word we said. And then Tisbury came, with his cow, and they quarrelled over him! Mr. Babbacombe told Willitoft that if he knew so much about tolls he might mind the pike himself, and welcome! I thought Willitoft was going into convulsions, he was so angry!”
Mr. Willitoft appeared still to be in this condition. As John limped back to him, he stabbed an accusing finger at him, and said: “You have no right here! You are an improper person to be in charge of the gate! You have no authority! You are an interloper, and an impostor, and I shall have you arrested!”
“Well, I have no authority,” admitted John, “but I don’t think I deserve to be arrested! I haven’t robbed the trustees, you know! In fact, if you like to take the strong-box I’ll fetch it out to you.”
“Look ’ee here, Mr. Willipop!” said Stogumber severely. “I wouldn’t advise you to say no more about improper persons being in charge of this here gate, because your trustees took and authorized a cove as was very highly improper indeed to mind it for ’em. He’s snuffed it now, but p’raps you’d like to know as he was hand-in-glove with them as committed a daring robbery in these parts not so long ago—which I shall set down in my report!”
Mr. Willitoft looked quite dumbfounded by this intelligence, but having stared first at the Runner, then at John, and lastly, and with loathing, at Babbacombe, he said that he should require proof of the accusation. “And I fail to understand what that may have to do with my finding that dandy here! I won’t permit him to remain, I say!”
“Well, I don’t want to remain,” said Mr. Babbacombe. “And if you call me a dandy again, you antiquated old fidget, I’ll dashed well take off my coat, and show you how much of a dandy I am!”
“Officer!” cried Mr. Willitoft. “I call on you to witness that this fellow has offered me violence!”
“Well, you hadn’t better,” responded Stogumber. “I never heard him offer you no violence! Nice thing if a cove can’t take his coat off without a silly nodcock calling on us Runners to stop him!”
“That’s the barber!” said Chirk approvingly. “Dang me if you ain’t a great gun, Redbreast!”