“It was nought but a parcel of nonsense,” said Rose evasively.
“There must have been something,” persisted Zerah.
“Well, I don’t mind saying,” Rose replied,’“that is, if you will hear’but it was fancy, I reckon.”
“What was fancy?”
“Thinking we saw him. I had told Noah to propose to Kate, and to get her into proper humour for accepting, first by making her cry, and then I told him he could make her cry by speaking in a sort of sympathising way about her father; and like an old buffle-head he went and said he had seen his ghost.”
“His ghost?” exclaimed Zerah, and Pasco drew back in the settle with a scared expression on his face.
“We were coming down the road from Noah’s, and before us was the fork of the lane,” said Rose. “Well, then, if you will hear all, Noah and me, us thought us see’d someone in the lane as went towards Jane Redmore’s cottage. The night was dark, but there was light at the end of the lane because of the Teign, which was full of the tide; and there was, sure enough, someone walking down that road. Us see’d him, whoever he was. He walked like a lapwing.”
“’Twas Jones Maker, the roadman,” said Pasco in a voice that was not firm. “He’s lame.”
“He goes on a crutch,” answered Rose. “What we saw was different, was it not so, Noah?”
“Yes,” assented the young man. “He walked lop o’ this side like, just the same as Jason Quarm.”