“Grey hairs cover old brains; and old brains forget what it feels like to have a body full o’ young blood. The best memory can’t keep the feeling of youth fresh in a man.”
“Well, I ban’t the hot-headed twoad Miller Lyddon thinks, or pretends he thinks, anyway. I’ll shaw un! I can wait, an’ Phoebe can wait, an’ now she’ll have to. I’m gwaine away.”
“Going away. Why?”
“To shaw what ’s in me. I ban’t sorry for this for some things. Now no man shall say that I’m a home-stayin’ gaby, tramping up an’ down Teign Vale for a living. I’ll step out into the wide world, same as them Grimbals done. They ’m back again made of money, the pair of ’em.”
“It took them fifteen years and more, and they were marvellously lucky.”
“What then? I’m as like to fare well as they. I’ve worked out a far-reaching plan, but the first step I’ve thought on ’s terrible coorious, an’ I reckon nobody but you’d see how it led to better things. But you ’m book-larned and wise in your way, though I wish your wisdom had done more for yourself than it has. Anyway, you ’m tokened to Chris and will be one of the family some day perhaps when Mother Coomstock dies, so I’ll leave my secret with you. But not a soul else—not mother even. So you must swear you’ll never tell to man or woman or cheel what I’ve done and wheer I be gone.”
“I’ll swear if you like.”
“By the livin’ God.”
“By any God you believe is alive.”
“Say it, then.”
“By the living God, I, Clement Hicks, bee-master of Chagford, Devon, swear to keep the secret of my friend and neighbour, William Blanchard, whatever it is.”
“And may He tear the life out of you if you so much as think to tell.”
Hicks laughed and shook his hair from his forehead.
“You’re suspicious of the best friend you’ve got in the world.”
“Not a spark. But I want you to see what an awful solemn thing I reckon it.”
“Then may God rot me, and plague me, and let me roast in hell-fire with the rogues for ever and a day, if I so much as whisper your news to man or mouse! There, will that do?”
“No call to drag in hell fire, ’cause I knaw you doan’t set no count on it. More doan’t I. Hell’s cold ashes now if all what you ve said is true. But you’ve sworn all right and now I’ll tell ’e.”
He bent forward and whispered in the other’s ear, whereon Hicks started in evident amazement and showed himself much concerned.
“Good Heavens! Man alive, are you mad?”
“You doan’t ’zactly look on ahead enough, Clem,” said Will loftily. “Ban’t the thing itself’s gwaine to make a fortune, but what comes of it. ‘Tis a tidy stepping-stone lead-in’ to gert matters very often, as your books tell, I dare say.”
“It can’t lead to anything whatever in your case but wasted years.”
“I’m best judge of that. I’ve planned the road, and if I ban’t home again inside ten year as good a man as Grimbal or any other I’ll say I was wrong.”