Cheap Jack Zita

Name: Cheap Jack Zita
Author: Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

Great Britain -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Peddlers -- Fiction; Riots -- England -- Fens, The -- Fiction

'I will remain with you,' continued Zita, 'on the clear understanding
that Kainie is to be your heir, and I would wish this understanding to
be generally made known. Some day, when I am old and ugly, and you are
dead and gone, then, when the new folks come into Prickwillow, I'll
harness the horse and start as a Cheap Jack once more. Then I can take
a man to mind the horse, when I do the business of a Cheap Jack. No one
can say wrong of me then. When Mark Runham comes into this place'—

'Mark Runham will never be here.'

'He must be here, if this falls some day to Kainie.'

'That does not follow.'

'Of course it follows, if he marries Kainie.'

'Mark—marry Kainie? What do you mean?'

'I told you that Mark would have nothing more to say to me, because he
was bound to another. I would not say to whom, for that was his secret.
But now he has let it out himself. He is going to take Kainie home to
Crumbland this evening.'

Drownlands started and threw over a chair.

'You are mistaken. You do not know.' He paced the room in agitation.

'I do know,' answered Zita. 'It is because he was bound to Kainie that
he gave me up. Now he is going to take her to him for better for worse.
Lawk! how dull men are in these matters—where girls see clear.'

'You are greatly mistaken.'

'No, I am not mistaken. How can you fail to understand when he speaks
so plain?'

Drownlands folded his arms and walked hurriedly up and down the room.
Presently he turned to Zita and said, 'You are serious when you say you
will not have me make you my heir?'

'I am truly resolved,' answered the girl. 'Then he can no more say that
I have sold myself body and soul for profits.'

'Let no will be made.'

'That will not do. You must rewrite it, and it must make Kainie your
heir. Only on that condition will I remain in this house with you.'

'And you believe her to be your rival, who has snatched Mark from your
arms?'

'I know it is so. He could not help himself. He was tied to her.'

'Mark is a Runham. A Runham may betray a woman, but never marry one who
has no fortune.'

'More is the reason why you should give one to Kainie.'

'Were I to make you my heir,—there is no saying,—he might take you
for the sake of this place and my savings; and, by Heaven, I will have
no Runham own acres of mine, if I can prevent it!'

'He would not do that—he could not take me. He is too just and true to
throw over Kainie. He may think ill of me, but I do not think so badly
of him. I tried to buy of her the rights she had in him, but she would
not sell them. Then I saw it was all up between Mark and me.'

'This is strange—this is very strange!' said Drownlands, turning a
perplexed face on the girl as he paced the room. 'I know what is in
a Runham better than you. The Runhams marry for money, not for love.
Come here, Zita. What would you say were you to discover that you were
mistaken about Mark and Kainie?'

'I am not mistaken.'

'Suppose, some day, that you found that he was free?'

She was silent.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Cheap Jack ZitaBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

History

Cheap Jack Zita

Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

Great Britain -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Peddlers -- Fiction; Riots -- England -- Fens, The -- Fiction

'I will remain with you,' continued Zita, 'on the clear understanding
that Kainie is to be your heir, and I would wish this understanding to
be generally made known. Some day, when I am old and ugly, and you are
dead and gone, then, when the new folks come into Prickwillow, I'll
harness the horse and start as a Cheap Jack once more. Then I can take
a man to mind the horse, when I do the business of a Cheap Jack. No one
can say wrong of me then. When Mark Runham comes into this place'—

'Mark Runham will never be here.'

'He must be here, if this falls some day to Kainie.'

'That does not follow.'

'Of course it follows, if he marries Kainie.'

'Mark—marry Kainie? What do you mean?'

'I told you that Mark would have nothing more to say to me, because he
was bound to another. I would not say to whom, for that was his secret.
But now he has let it out himself. He is going to take Kainie home to
Crumbland this evening.'

Drownlands started and threw over a chair.

'You are mistaken. You do not know.' He paced the room in agitation.

'I do know,' answered Zita. 'It is because he was bound to Kainie that
he gave me up. Now he is going to take her to him for better for worse.
Lawk! how dull men are in these matters—where girls see clear.'

'You are greatly mistaken.'

'No, I am not mistaken. How can you fail to understand when he speaks
so plain?'

Drownlands folded his arms and walked hurriedly up and down the room.
Presently he turned to Zita and said, 'You are serious when you say you
will not have me make you my heir?'

'I am truly resolved,' answered the girl. 'Then he can no more say that
I have sold myself body and soul for profits.'

'Let no will be made.'

'That will not do. You must rewrite it, and it must make Kainie your
heir. Only on that condition will I remain in this house with you.'

'And you believe her to be your rival, who has snatched Mark from your
arms?'

'I know it is so. He could not help himself. He was tied to her.'

'Mark is a Runham. A Runham may betray a woman, but never marry one who
has no fortune.'

'More is the reason why you should give one to Kainie.'

'Were I to make you my heir,—there is no saying,—he might take you
for the sake of this place and my savings; and, by Heaven, I will have
no Runham own acres of mine, if I can prevent it!'

'He would not do that—he could not take me. He is too just and true to
throw over Kainie. He may think ill of me, but I do not think so badly
of him. I tried to buy of her the rights she had in him, but she would
not sell them. Then I saw it was all up between Mark and me.'

'This is strange—this is very strange!' said Drownlands, turning a
perplexed face on the girl as he paced the room. 'I know what is in
a Runham better than you. The Runhams marry for money, not for love.
Come here, Zita. What would you say were you to discover that you were
mistaken about Mark and Kainie?'

'I am not mistaken.'

'Suppose, some day, that you found that he was free?'

She was silent.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Cheap Jack Zita

Cheap Jack Zita

No reviews yet