"Come, Mrs. Trenchard, don’t be upset. Just tell me all about it. Nothing has happened to Mr. Trenchard, I hope?" "Only a broken heart, sir. Ah! if he’d only telled me afore! We’ve had bad times, as you know, sir; ’twas worse than I knew, and my poor man kep’ it all to himself, so’s not to worrit me. He went and borrowed money of Mr. Noakes, sir, to tide him over harvest. I don’t know the rights of it; ’tis too much for my poor head; but by what I can make of it Trenchard signed a paper to say as if he didn’t pay back the money by a certain time the farm ’ud belong to Mr. Noakes, and a week afore the time Mr. Noakes could put a man in to see as we didn’t rob him. And he’s in now, sir, in there—’tis Ted Smail, a rascal of a man as knocks his poor wife about. And what I’ll do, Them above only knows." "Can’t Mr. Trenchard turn him out?" asked Templeton. "’Tis the law, sir; Trenchard owned it all, poor man, and axed my pardon, he did, for bringing it on me. Ah! if he’d only telled me afore! A week’s such a little time to get all that money. When he telled me, wi’ tears in his eyes, I said, ’Now just you run up along to Lunnon and see your brother, as keeps a public-house and is rolling in money. He’ll help ’ee, and I’ll work myself to skin and bone to pay him back.’ And he’d just time to catch the train at the junction, and if his brother be hard, as some be, there’s nothing but the work’us for us." "Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard. Let’s hope for the best. I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done." "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law. The law be a terrible creature." In the afternoon Eves returned with his purchases. "There you are, old man," he cried, "acid, stoppers, and tubing. You’ve got the balloons?" "No. I say, Tom, this experiment’s off for the time; things here are in a deuce of a mess." He gave an outline of the domestic troubles. "Whew!" Eves whistled. "So that’s old Noakes’s game. That throws a flood of light on the old villain’s doings. But we’ll dish him yet. The first thing is to get this fellow Smail out of the place. That will make the old woman feel a little easier." "I don’t see how we can do that. Trenchard signed the deed or whatever it’s called, and you may be sure that Noakes kept on the right side of the law." "Well, let’s go and see." They opened the door of the farmer’s little room, and beheld Smail lying on his back on the sofa placidly smoking a very rank tobacco. On a chair was a basket of provisions and several bottles of beer. "I say, my man," said Eves, "your boots are rather dirty, you know." Smail closed one eye and said nothing. "Mrs. Trenchard doesn’t like it, you know," Eves went on. "Don’t you think you’d better go?" The man was still silent. Eves mutely consulted Templeton. Smail was a big, thick-set fellow; a physical struggle with him might end in disaster.