’So let it be. Your rheumatism incapacitates you from attending to your work, and Joyce is sent far off, on an errand. Then Mr. Sampson will employ another man.’ ’He’ll do it hisself. He don’t let no one else into the dodge except me and Joyce.’ ’So much the better. Then we shall catch the prime culprit in the act. Now, Cobbledick, you understand. Not one word of this must be repeated. If you let out what I have told you, then your chance of escape is gone. I shall have you arrested this evening, and you will spend the night in the lock-up. You comprehend this?’ The old man put his dirty finger to his eye and winked. ’My grandfer wasn’t Jonadab the son o’ Rechab. I arn’t a vule, it be them as goes to Ophir as be the vules.’ Herring left him. Then Cobbledick’s face changed. He was fairly frightened. He sought Joyce at once; no suspicion crossed him that she had betrayed the secret. ’Joyce,’ he said in a hoarse whisper, ’the thing’s a’ busted blazes high.’ ’What be, vaither?’ ’Hophir, as they calls it. The young maister hev a found out all about ’n.’ Joyce was alarmed; she looked uneasily at her father, but there was no anger in his face. ’Joyce,’ he went on, ’that old Cap’n Tramplara hev never gived me what he’ve a promised.’ ’What hev he a promised’y?’ ’He sed he’d a give me as many pounds o’ backie as I worked days for he, a salting o’ the water. He arn’t paid me not these three weeks. See here, I ha’ notched it on thicky stone. Now he don’t know nothing o’ this here bust-up. And when he do hear, then he’ll not give me no backie more. And, I reckon, he won’t pay me that he already owes me. So you cut along to Lanson so vast as your legs can carry you.’ ’Vaither, I know nothing o’ the road.’ ’You cut right on end after the tip o’ your nose,’ he said, ’and you cut so vast as you can. You cannot miss ’n. And mind, you must get there afore the news of the bust-up do come to the Cap’n, and you tell ’n this: "Give me the backie in pounds"—that’s just so many pounds as you’ve fingers and toes on your body, and one over for your head. Now don’t you be a jackass and forget that one over. A head is every mite as much consekance to a human cretur as his little toe. And you say to ’n: "Give me as much backie in pounds as I’ve fingers and toes, and a head;" and you hold ’n out all straight afor ’n that he may count mun hisself. And you mind you don’t forget to reckon your head in. Then you go on and say, "I’ll tell’y something mighty partickler about Ophir." Say as vaither sent me lopping all the way, so hard as I could lop. And if he gives you the backie, then you can tell ’n all—how the young maister hev found out all about ’n, and be agoing to lock up him and the young Cap’n Sampson in gaol. But if he don’t give’y the backie, then you can just please yourself and tell ’n nothing. There now, don’t’y bide about, but cut away.’ ’But you, vaither! Will you get into trouble?’