"And didn't you go to join him?"
"Yes, Sir Francis."
"To get a lot of my pears?"
"No, Sir Francis."
"Then why did you go?" he thundered.
I was silent.
"Do you hear, sir?"
"Yes, Sir Francis."
"Then speak, sir."
I remained silent.
"Will you tell me why you went down the garden to join that man?"
I looked at poor Ike, and felt that if I spoke it would be to get him
discharged, so I preferred to remain silent, and said not a word.
"Will you speak, sir?" cried Sir Francis, beating the table with his
fist.
"I can't tell you, Sir Francis."
"You mean you won't, sir?"
"Yes, Sir Francis."
"Why not tell the whole truth, Grant?" said Mr Solomon, reproachfully.
"Because I can't, sir," I replied sadly.
"Be silent, Brownsmith," cried Sir Francis fiercely.
"He's too good a mate to tell," said Ike stoutly. "Here, I may as well
make a clean breast of it, and here it is. I'm an old soldier, sir,
and--well, theer, it got hold of me at dinner-time. 'Stead of having
anything to eat I had a lot to drink, having had some salt herrin' for
breakfast, and I suppose I took too much."
"Herring, my man?"
"No, your worship, beer; and I went to sleep down among the bushes.
There, that's the honest truth, Mr Brownsmith's brother. Fact as
fact."
"I believe you, Ike," said Mr Solomon. "He's a very honest workman,
Sir Francis."
"Thank ye; I call that handsome, I do," said Ike.
"Stop! this is getting very irregular," cried Sir Francis. "Now, Grant,
once more. Did you not go down the garden thinking you would get some
of those pears?"
"No, Sir Francis."
"To meet that man, and let him take them away?"
"No, Sir Francis."
"Do you mean to tell me, sir, that you did not go down to join that
man?"
"I did go down to join him, Sir Francis," I replied. "I saw him asleep
and tipsy in among the black currants and I left him there, and took
this key to-night to wake him up and let him out by the gate in the
wall."
"Why not through the coach-yard?"
"Because I was afraid he would meet Mr Solomon Brownsmith, and get into
disgrace for drinking."
"Thankye, Mars Grant, thankye kindly," said Ike.
"Silence!"
Plop!
"A nice tale?" said Sir Francis. "We are getting to the bottom of a
pretty state of things."
Just then I saw Courtenay look at Philip as if he were uneasy. Then I
glanced at Sir Francis and saw him gnawing at his moustache.
"Lookye here, sir," said Ike sturdily. "Is it likely as we two would
take the fruit? Why, we're always amongst it, and think no more of it
than if it was so much stones and dirt. We ain't thieves."