'Yes, you are hand and glove with them. And now you are acting as their spokesman and their leader. Take my money—twenty pounds, and take Zita's ten pounds—thirty pounds in all, the plunder of this house. Mind you, I give it on compulsion. I do not find meat and liquor for the rioters; I do this to save my ricks of corn. And I give it to you, Mark Runham, acting for the rioters.' Drownlands turned to those present. 'I call upon you all to witness, you, Leehanna Tunkiss, you, Sarah, you, Tom Easy, and you, Zita, that I pay over my twenty pounds against my will. Open your hand, Mark Runham. Let them see that you have there my twenty pounds and Zita's ten pounds. There are the sovereigns all in gold. They are well spent—well spent—they rid me of you.' A few moments later a shout rang from the crowd without—'Tiger Ki has shelled out. For the Union, for the Cause! for the fen-labourers! Twenty pounds! Twenty pounds for liberty and right! The cheap loaf and the big wage! Hurrah! hurrah, boys! Forward to Ely! On to the banks. On to the mills!' Drownlands looked after the retreating mob from his window, and said, with a sneer, 'Go on—to the gallows, Mark Runham; I am clear of you now. Cheap at twenty pounds.' CHAPTER XXIII TEN POUNDS Notwithstanding the call of 'On to Ely!' the mob was not at once in motion. Something delayed it. Zita went to the window and looked out. She saw that which excited and angered her, and, turning her head to Drownlands, said— 'It is a shame! It is disgraceful! They have taken my ten pounds, and yet they are carrying off my van. They have put Jewel into the shafts. They might as well have harnessed the Archbishop! He's stiffening his legs and setting back his ears. Look how he's cocking his tail. They will have to drag on van and Jewel together. What a thing the general public is! I never knew it in this mood before, and yet I thought I knew it pretty well. I'll clear the public out of my van. There are a dozen inside, and a score on the roof. They have no right to do this after accepting my money.' She left the window. 'Zita, where are you going?' asked Drownlands. 'Going to send the general public skipping,' she answered. 'You cannot do it. It is not safe to leave the house.' 'Trust me. I've swept the poultry off, and I'm not afraid of the public. I know how to deal with them as I do with fowls.' Before Drownlands had time to offer further remonstrance, she had darted out of the office, run to her own room, taken a pair of fencing foils from the stores, had descended the stairs two steps at a time, had unbarred the door and was out in the yard, making for the van. 'Stand still—don't move,' she said to Jewel, as she passed his head; and he turned one of his eyes at her and winked. 'Clear away at once,' she shouted to those around the van. 'You have taken my money, and must let the conveyance alone.' 'Who are you? We've no money of yours.'