Chapter 25
But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied (Psalm 38)
Round about him were dark waters and thick clouds (Psalm 18)
As Pert had suspected, it was impossible to deter Fenestra from accompanying them to the church. It was not so much the adventure she was interested in, but that wherever Billy went, she wanted to go too.
The wind was getting up. As they walked with Septimus up the twilit Canonry, gusts rattled the fences and swooped round the corners, tugging at their clothes and making little whirlpools of litter. Clouds were racing overhead, and the top of Bodrach Nuwl was hidden in them.
“Going to be a storm,” said Pert, “Walter said there would. It's the Twenty Year Storm, probably, the bad one. I hope all the fishers are home. My Grandfather Mascaridus Potts disappeared during the Twenty Year Storm, and the treasure, though that was forty years ago. There's been another since then, and now here it is again.”
“Where do you suppose the treasure is?” asked Fenestra.
“I don't know. If it's not in the angel grave with J.Tench 1833 – 1887, I have no idea where it is. I thought it might be under the vestry, and I still think it might have been once, but it isn't now. And then I thought it might be in the tunnel or in one of the caves, but it isn't. Our father might know something about it, if we knew where he was, but we don't.”
“You talk as though you think he's alive still. Do you?"
"I have a feeling, that's all. It's to do with the person I saw, out on the cliffs when I went through the tunnel before. I don't know what."
"Will we see the person again now?"
"No, we can't go that far in the dark. We're just going to check and see if there's any treasure I missed last time."
"In the dark?"
"It's dark down there anyways,” put in Billy, “so it don’ make no odds."
As they reached the top of the Canonry and were just about to turn in through the lych gate, Septimus stopped. “Quick!” he whispered. “Someone’s coming, a lot of them! We should hide!”
Pert led them over a low place in the wall further up, and over into the churchyard. They crouched behind two gravestones leaning close together. In the twilight they could see the light of a lantern swinging, and harsh footsteps marching, the scrape of a heavily-shod foot on the cobbles, and muttered voices. Fenestra moved closer to Billy.
“Who d'you think it is?” she whispered.
“Pirates,” Pert said shortly. “I think they've come to dig up J.Tench, the dead man out of his mind.”
The men, six or eight of them, walked in through the lych gate and began searching around, reading the graves. Pert tensed himself to run, but there was a low shout and the shadowy figures converged on one spot. They had found the grave.
There was some muttered conversation, and then the clink of shovels. They were digging. The men's lantern cast a pool of light and faces swam in and out of it as they moved. Pert could make out Sabbage, who seemed to stand back in charge of proceedings. Shattock was by his side, but he couldn't put names to the other dark figures that stooped and stood up, stooped and stood up again as they worked. There was the odd muttered oath, and once or twice a man would straighten up and drink from a bottle, then stoop again.
“I think we've seen enough. We can't get into the church now, in case they see us. That door always make a noise,” Pert whispered.
"What about the tunnel?"
"We'll have to do it another day."
“Are they going to find the treasure?” Fenestra said.
“Don't care. I hope they do, really, and then they'll go away and leave us alone.”
“But it wouldn't be fair!”
“Why not? The treasure was no good to us when it was here, and it won't make any difference if it's gone. It's not ours, anyway. Come on.”
They moved at a crouch, placing their feet carefully, back to the wall and clambered quietly over, then walked on tip-toe down the Canonry, past the lych gate and into the Bearward. Once there they could straighten up and walk normally. Billy said he was going to check on the Vicarage while they were there, and slipped noiselessly into the darkness.
Getting home was awkward, finding Mother waiting anxiously and wanting to know where they'd been and what they'd been doing, and not being able to tell her. Fortunately there was a distraction in the shape of Floris. “I've locked Mr.P in 'is study,” she said gleefully, “'e was drunk as a pig an' snorin', and Mistress Grubb an't been near us these four or five days or more so I reckon she be busy elsewhere, so I've took over the 'ouse! No more creepin' about fer me!”
They congratulated her, but she only had eyes for Septimus, who sat beside her.
“What about the girls?” asked Mother.
“Ah, they're smashin'!” Floris said. “They've 'ad their supper an' gone to bed like good 'uns, an' I found the spare keys an' let Mrs.P out, an' she an' me 'ad a nice little chat an' I gave 'er some supper an' she's gone up to sit with the girls while they sleep. An' Mister's out fer the count, and 'e can't get out of the study, so that's 'im done! Floris is in charge now!” She giggled, and Septimus edged his chair a little closer.
With a sharp rap on the door Billy fell into the room. “Guv, guv!” he gasped, “they done it! They moved Rosella! The Vicar's got 'er now!”
Everyone leaped to their feet in alarm. Floris grabbed Septimus's arm and clung there, and he did not shake her off. Mother had her hands over her mouth, and Fenestra ran to Billy and took his hand.
“When? Is she all right?” Pert said. “Have they hurt her?”
“Not yet, guv,” said Billy, sinking into a chair. He drew a long breath and began to tell his story. "I'm comin' past the Vicarage an' I thought I'd jus' pop roun' the back, like, an' see what's what. An' I'm sittin' on their fence at the back, an' that girl comes out, the skinny one.”
“Vera,” said Floris.
“Yeah, that Vera. So I calls out, quiet like, and speaks to 'er. An' she says was I to do with you, Miss Floris, an' if I was, could I tell yer that the boots is on the right feet, an' the person attached to them feet is locked up in the scullery and 'as practically demolish-ised the door already wiv kickin', and is in a right ol' temper.”
There was a sigh of relief round the room. “That sounds like the old Rosella,” said Pert.
“Vera said they brought 'er up strugglin' an' scratchin' this afternoon, Grubb an' two of the Bunts an' Fisty Marrow, an' quite a job they 'ad of it. They'd wrapped 'er in an old rug to keep 'er still, but she was wrigglin' an' kickin', an' once she got 'er 'ead out of the rug an' bit Fisty in the arm, an' didn't 'e yell!”
Billy paused for breath, and Mother put a glass of milk in front of him.
“Cor, thanks, mum!” He drank deeply and went on. “So Vera lets 'em in the back door, and Vicar comes and says they're to take 'er up to 'is study, but when they took the rug off she stood an' give 'im such a mouthful of abuse an' swearin' that he come over all discombobulated, an' changes 'is mind. So now she's in the scullery shoutin' an' carryin' on an' Vicar's upstairs wiv 'is 'ead in a bottle. Vera says she ain't never 'eard such language as that girl knows!”
“And she's got her boots back?” said Pert.
“Yeah. Good little girl, that Vera. She 'ates the Vicar with a passion, she do. She says one day she's goin' to wait till 'e's drunk and creep up and slit 'is throat wiv a kitchen knife, an' sit an' watch 'im bleed!”
“That's how I feel about Grubb,” said Floris quietly. “I could do that.”
Septimus had his arms round her waist. “Goodness, that would never do,” he told her. “A curate's wife couldn't ... oh!”
Floris pulled away and looked at him. “Did I 'ear that right?” she said, eyes bright.
“Oh my goodness! It just ... popped out! I opened my mouth and there it was, bold as brass!” Septimus said, his face scarlet with embarrassment.
Floris was mistress of the occasion. She gathered the quaking
curate up and pushed him towards the stairs. “If you'll all excuse us,” she said over her shoulder, “I think we need to go up to 'is room and sort a few things out.”
“Cor,” said Billy, “didn't see that coming!”
“I did,” said Fenestra, looking smug.
Floris left ten minutes later, stepping lightly down the stairs, saying that she didn't ought to leave the little darlings alone too long even if their mother was with them, and she ought to check that Mr.P was all right and hadn't thrown up on the Persian carpet.
Pert and Fenestra ran to Septimus' room and looked in. He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. His face was still deeply flushed, and he was muttering, over and over, “I do ... I do ... I do ... I do ...”
When he noticed them at the door he broke off. “Oh, there you are! I ... er ... I appear to be engaged. To be married, you know. I feel very strange. I think I'd like to be alone, now, thank you. I do ... I do ...”
Fenestra closed the door quietly. “Weird,” she muttered, and went up to bed.
Pert returned to the kitchen. Mother was pottering around, clearing up. He sat next to Billy.
“Septimus says he's going to be married.”
“Good,” said Mother. “Just what he needs, a girl who knows her own mind.”
“Bit sudden, though,” said Billy.
“Oh, I think that when it happens, you just know,” said Mother, and looked at Pert for a moment. “And when you do, you might as well get on with it.”
The Black Joke Page 26