IMMENSE LIABILITIES”
It was enough. The name of John Clegg met his gaze on the first line and he threw the paper from him and sank back into his chair with a groan. Keturah’s apron was to her eyes and she was weeping volubly when the door of the parlour opened and Nancy appeared.
Before she had time to speak Baldwin turned round and vented his wrath upon her.
“Curse you and all your —— lot!” he said savagely. “Thieves and robbers, that’s what you are! You might well pay your brass into t’ bank, you sly ratten—when you knew your uncle was naught no better nor a pick-purse. Honour among thieves! I don’t doubt but what he warned you, —— him....”
Keturah had sunk into a chair and was holding her apron to her ears in the usual way, but Nancy turned her white face away from the angry man and moved towards the table where the paper was lying. All the time a torrent of coarse abuse which nobody heeded was pouring from Baldwin’s lips.
Maniwel laid his hand on the paper.
“Wait a minute, lass,” he said kindly. “There’s news there ’at’ll cut you like a knife. Your uncle John’s missing, and things look black again’ him there’s no denying. But it’ll happen all turn out better than like, and anyway it’s not for us to judge him over hard ’at doesn’t know all. There’s One above ’at’ll judge both him and us.”
“And you’ve lost all?” she said calmly, though her hands shook and her face was colourless.
“We shall see,” he replied soothingly. “It’s early days yet to talk about ‘all’. That’s what I want to say to Baldwin.” He turned his head in the direction of the fireplace again. “We’ve got to keep up wer hearts and wer heads, and see ’at we make t’ best of a bad job. There’ll be summat left to share out, surely.”
Another volley of coarse abuse from Baldwin was the only reply he received. Nancy was reading the report,—steadily—but with mouth firmly closed; and Keturah had covered her head and was rocking her chair, consoling herself with groans. Maniwel went over to the hearth where Baldwin’s feet were on the ruins of his pipe.