"I am terribly afeard o' these same bogarts," replied his companion. "T'owd an—'ll come sure enough among us, sure as my name's Tim, some time or another."
"Never fear, nunkey; thee knows what a lump I've promised thee; an' as for the old one, trust me for that, I can lay him in the Red Sea at any time. Haven't I and that old silly Doctor, who pretends forsooth to have conscience qualms when there's aught to be gotten, though as fond o' the stuff as any of us,—haven't we, I say, by conjurations and fumigations, raised and laid a whole legion o' them? Why, man, I'm as well acquainted with the kingdom of Beelzebub, and his ministers to boot, as I am with my own."
"Don't make sich an ugly talk about 'em, prithee, good sir. I thought I heard some'at there i' the passage, an' I think i' my heart I dar na face 'em again for a' th' gowd i' th' monks' cellar."
"Tush, fool! If we get hold on't now, it shall be ours, and none o' the rest of our brethren o' the Red Cross need share, thee knows. But thou be'st but newly dubbed, an' hardly initiated yet in our sublime mysteries. Nevertheless, I will be indifferent honest too, and for thy great services to us and to our cause, I do promise thee a largess, when it comes to our fingers,—that is to say, one-fifth to thee, and one-fifth to me; the other three shares do go to the general treasure-house of the community, of which I take half."
"A goodly portion, marry—but I'd liefer t' not gang ony further."
"Villain! thou art bent on treachery; if thou draw back, I'll ha' thee hanged, or otherwise punished for what thou hast done. Remember, knave, thou art in my power."
The guilty victim groaned piteously, but he was irretrievably entangled. The toils had been spread by a master hand. He saw the gulf to which he was hurried, but could not extricate himself.
"Yonder women, plague take 'em," said Tim; "what's up now? I know this owd witch who's sold hersel' to—to—black face I'm afeard, is th' owner o' many a good rood o' land hereabout, an' t'owd Ha' too, wi' its 'purtenances. But she's brought fro' Spain or Italy, as I be tou'd, a main lot o' these same priest gear; an' they're lurkin' hereabout like, loike rabbits in a warren, till she can get rid o' these Ashtons. Mony a year long past I've seen her prowling about, but she never could get her ends greadly till now."
"By my help, she shall," said Kelly; "it's a bargain between us. She's brought her grandchildren too, who left England in their youth, being educated in a convent o'er seas. They're just ready to drop into possession."
"But poor Grace Ashton, she's gi'en me mony a dish of hot porritch an' bannocks. She shauna be hurt, if I can help it."