Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One. Fenn George Manville

he said, rubbing his ear with the stem of his pipe, “it aint that, my dear; I meant figgeratively, as old Jones says.”

      Mrs Jenkles threw the match into the fire, and resumed her work for a few minutes; then glanced at the clock, and put away her work.

      “Yes, Sam, I shall go to Upper Holloway to-morrow, and see what I think.”

      “Do, my lass, do,” said Sam, drearily. Then, in an undertone, as he tapped his pipe-bowl on the hob, “Well, it’s out now, and no mistake. Shall we go to bed?”

      “Our next meeting.”

      Fin Rea stood gazing down for a few moments, and then said – “No, indeed, I can’t, Mr Mervyn. Pray go.”

      “Oh, Mr Mervyn,” said Tiny, softly, “don’t tease her any more.”

      “It is hard to refuse such a request,” said the newcomer; “but, as trespassers, you must leave me to administer punishment. And, besides, I owe Miss Fin here a grudge. She has been laughing at me, I hear.”

      “I’ll never do so any more, Mr Mervyn – I won’t indeed,” cried Fin; “only let me off this time.”

      “Jump, you little gipsy, jump,” cried Mr Mervyn.

      “It’s too high – I daren’t,” cried Fin.

      “I have seen you leap down from a place twice as high, my little fawn. Now, then, jump at once.”

      Fin looked despairingly round for a few moments, then made a piteous grimace, and lastly sprang boldly down into the strong arms, which held her as if she had been a child.

      “Now,” said Mr Mervyn, “about the mistletoe?”

      “Mr Mervyn, pray. Oh, it’s too bad. I…”

      “Don’t be frightened, little one,” he said, tenderly, as he retained her with one hand, to smooth her breeze-blown hair with the other. “There, come along; let me help you down.”

      But Fin started from him, like the fawn he had called her, and sprang down the great bank.

      “Mind my soup,” shouted Mr Mervyn; and only just in time, for it was nearly overset. Then he helped Tiny down, blushing and vexed; but no sooner were they in the lane, than Fin clapped her hands together, and exclaimed —

      “Oh, Mr Mervyn, don’t go and tell everybody what a rude tomboy of a sister Tiny is blessed with. I am so ashamed.”

      “Come along, little ones,” he said, laughing, as he stooped to pick up the tin, and at the same time handed Fin her basket.

      “How nice the soup smells,” said Fin, mischievously.

      “Yes; you promised to come and taste it some day,” said Mr Mervyn; “but you have never been. I’m very proud of my soup, young ladies, and have many a hard fight with Mrs Dykes about it.”

      “Do you?” said Tiny, for he looked seriously at her as he spoke.

      “What about?” said Fin, coming to her sister’s help.

      “About the quantity of water,” said Mr Mervyn. “You know we’ve a big copper for the soup; and Mrs Dykes has an idea in her head that eight quarts of water go to the gallon, mine being that there are only four.”

      “Why, of course,” laughed Fin.

      “So,” said Mr Mervyn, “she says I have the soup too strong, while I say she wants to make it too weak.”

      “And what does old Mrs Trelyan say?”

      “Say?” laughed Mr Mervyn. “Oh, the poor old soul lets me take it to her as a favour, and says she eats it to oblige me.”

      “It’s so funny with the poor people about,” said Fin; “they want things, but they won’t take them as if you were being charitable to them; they all try to make it seem like a favour they are doing you.”

      “Well, I don’t know that I object to that much,” said Mr Mervyn.

      “They’re all pleased enough to see us,” continued Fin; “but when Aunt Matty and papa go they preach at them, and the poor people don’t like it.”

      “Fin!” said Tiny, in a warning voice.

      “I don’t care,” said Fin; “it’s only Mr Mervyn, and we may speak to him. I say, Mr Mervyn, did you hear about old Mrs Poltrene and Aunt Matty?”

      “Fin!” whispered Tiny, colouring.

      “I will tell Mr Mervyn; it isn’t any harm,” cried downright Fin.

      And her sister, seeing that she only made matters worse, remained silent.

      “Mr Mervyn, you know old Mrs Poltrene, of course?”

      “Oh yes, the old fisherman’s wife down by the cliff.”

      “Yes; and Aunt Matty went to see her, and talked to her in her way, and it made the old lady so cross that – that – oh, I mustn’t tell you.”

      “Nonsense, child, go on.”

      “She – she told Aunt Matty to go along and get married,” tittered Fin, “and she could stay at home and mend her husband’s stockings, and leave people alone; and Aunt Matty thought it so horrible that she came home and went to bed.”

      “Ha! ha! ha!” laughed Mr Mervyn. “Mrs Poltrene has a temper; but here we are – you’ll come in?”

      Tiny was for drawing back, but her sister prevailed. They had been walking along the lane, and had now reached a long, low cottage, built after the fashion of the district, with massive blocks of granite, and roofed with slabs of the same. There was a strip of garden, though gardens were almost needless, banked up as the place was on all sides with the luxuriant wild growth of the valley. On one side, though, of the doorway was the simple old fuchsia of bygone days, with a stem here as thick as a man’s wrist – a perfect fuchsia tree, in fact; and on the other side, leafing and flowering right over the roof, a gigantic hydrangea, the flower we see in eastern England in pots, but here of a delicious blue.

      “Any one at home,” said Mr Mervyn, walking straight in. “Here, Mrs Trelyan, I’ve brought you two visitors,” and a very old, white-haired woman, who was making a pilchard net, held her hand over her forehead.

      “Sit down, girls – sit down,” she said, in the melodious sing-song voice of the Cornish people. “I know them – they come and see me sometimes. Eh? How am I? But middling – but middling. It’s been a bad season for me. Oh, soup? Ah, you’ve brought me some more soup; you may empty it into that basin. I didn’t want it; but you may leave it. They’ve brought me up some hake and a few herrings, so I could have got on without. That last soup was too salt, master.”

      “Was it?” said Mr Mervyn, giving a merry glance at Fin. “Well, never mind, I’ll speak to Mrs Dykes about it.”

      “Ay, she’s an east-country woman. Those folks don’t know much about cooking. Well, young ladies, I hear you have been to London.”

      “Yes, Mrs Trelyan.”

      “And you’re glad to come back?”

      “Yes, that we are,” said Fin.

      “Ay, I’ve heard it’s a poor, lost sort of place, London,” said the old lady. “I never went, and I never would. My son William wanted to take me once in his boot; but I wouldn’t go. Your father was a wise man to buy Tolcarne; but it’ll never be such a place as Penreife.”

      “You know young Trevor’s coming back?” said Mr Mervyn.

      “Ay, I know,” said the old lady. “Martha Lloyd came up to tell me, as proud as a peacock, about her young master, talking about his fine this and fine that, till she nearly made me sick. I should get rid of her and her man if I was him.”

      “What, Lloyd, the butler?” said Mr Mervyn, smiling.

      “Yes,” said the old lady, grimly, “they’re Welsh