IV. WHO WERE PRESENT AT THE MILLER'S LITTLE ENTERTAINMENT
When the group entered the presence of the company a lull in theconversation was caused by the sight of new visitors, and (of course) bythe charm of Anne's appearance; until the old men, who had daughters oftheir own, perceiving that she was only a half-formed girl, resumed theirtales and toss-potting with unconcern.
Miller Loveday had fraternized with half the soldiers in the camp sincetheir arrival, and the effect of this upon his party was striking--bothchromatically and otherwise. Those among the guests who first attractedthe eye were the sergeants and sergeant-majors of Loveday's regiment,fine hearty men, who sat facing the candles, entirely resigned tophysical comfort. Then there were other non-commissioned officers, aGerman, two Hungarians, and a Swede, from the foreign hussars--young menwith a look of sadness on their faces, as if they did not much likeserving so far from home. All of them spoke English fairly well. Oldage was represented by Simon Burden the pensioner, and the shady side offifty by Corporal Tullidge, his friend and neighbour, who was hard ofhearing, and sat with his hat on over a red cotton handkerchief that waswound several times round his head. These two veterans were employed aswatchers at the neighbouring beacon, which had lately been erected by theLord-Lieutenant for firing whenever the descent on the coast should bemade. They lived in a little hut on the hill, close by the heap offaggots; but to-night they had found deputies to watch in their stead.
On a lower plane of experience and qualifications came neighbour JamesComfort, of the Volunteers, a soldier by courtesy, but a blacksmith byrights; also William Tremlett and Anthony Cripplestraw, of the localforces. The two latter men of war were dressed merely as villagers, andlooked upon the regulars from a humble position in the background. Theremainder of the party was made up of a neighbouring dairyman or two, andtheir wives, invited by the miller, as Anne was glad to see, that she andher mother should not be the only women there.
The elder Loveday apologized in a whisper to Mrs. Garland for thepresence of the inferior villagers. 'But as they are learning to bebrave defenders of their home and country, ma'am, as fast as they canmaster the drill, and have worked for me off and on these many years,I've asked 'em in, and thought you'd excuse it.'
'Certainly, Miller Loveday,' said the widow.
'And the same of old Burden and Tullidge. They have served well and longin the Foot, and even now have a hard time of it up at the beacon in wetweather. So after giving them a meal in the kitchen I just asked 'em into hear the singing. They faithfully promise that as soon as ever thegunboats appear in view, and they have fired the beacon, to run down herefirst, in case we shouldn't see it. 'Tis worth while to be friendly with'em, you see, though their tempers be queer.'
'Quite worth while, miller,' said she.
Anne was rather embarrassed by the presence of the regular military insuch force, and at first confined her words to the dairymen's wives shewas acquainted with, and to the two old soldiers of the parish.
'Why didn't ye speak to me afore, chiel?' said one of these, CorporalTullidge, the elderly man with the hat, while she was talking to oldSimon Burden. 'I met ye in the lane yesterday,' he added reproachfully,'but ye didn't notice me at all.'
'I am very sorry for it,' she said; but, being afraid to shout in such acompany, the effect of her remark upon the corporal was as if she had notspoken at all.
'You was coming along with yer head full of some high notions or other nodoubt,' continued the uncompromising corporal in the same loud voice.'Ah, 'tis the young bucks that get all the notice nowadays, and old folksare quite forgot! I can mind well enough how young Bob Loveday used tolie in wait for ye.'
Anne blushed deeply, and stopped his too excursive discourse by hastilysaying that she always respected old folks like him. The corporalthought she inquired why he always kept his hat on, and answered that itwas because his head was injured at Valenciennes, in July, Ninety-three.'We were trying to bomb down the tower, and a piece of the shell struckme. I was no more nor less than a dead man for two days. If it hadn't abeen for that and my smashed arm I should have come home none the worsefor my five-and-twenty years' service.'
'You have got a silver plate let into yer head, haven't ye, corpel?' saidAnthony Cripplestraw, who had drawn near. 'I have heard that the waythey morticed yer skull was a beautiful piece of workmanship. Perhapsthe young woman would like to see the place? 'Tis a curious sight,Mis'ess Anne; you don't see such a wownd every day.'
'No, thank you,' said Anne hurriedly, dreading, as did all the youngpeople of Overcombe, the spectacle of the corporal uncovered. He hadnever been seen in public without the hat and the handkerchief since hisreturn in Ninety-four; and strange stories were told of the ghastlinessof his appearance bare-headed, a little boy who had accidentally beheldhim going to bed in that state having been frightened into fits.
'Well, if the young woman don't want to see yer head, maybe she'd like tohear yer arm?' continued Cripplestraw, earnest to please her.
'Hey?' said the corporal.
'Your arm hurt too?' cried Anne.
'Knocked to a pummy at the same time as my head,' said Tullidgedispassionately.
'Rattle yer arm, corpel, and show her,' said Cripplestraw.
'Yes, sure,' said the corporal, raising the limb slowly, as if the gloryof exhibition had lost some of its novelty, though he was willing tooblige. Twisting it mercilessly about with his right hand he produced acrunching among the bones at every motion, Cripplestraw seeming to derivegreat satisfaction from the ghastly sound.
'How very shocking!' said Anne, painfully anxious for him to leave off.
'O, it don't hurt him, bless ye. Do it, corpel?' said Cripplestraw.
'Not a bit,' said the corporal, still working his arm with great energy.
'There's no life in the bones at all. No life in 'em, I tell her,corpel!'
'None at all.'
'They be as loose as a bag of ninepins,' explained Cripplestraw incontinuation. 'You can feel 'em quite plain, Mis'ess Anne. If ye wouldlike to, he'll undo his sleeve in a minute to oblege ye?'
'O no, no, please not! I quite understand,' said the young woman.
'Do she want to hear or see any more, or don't she?' the corporalinquired, with a sense that his time was getting wasted.
Anne explained that she did not on any account; and managed to escapefrom the corner.