CATHERINE COOKSON

Chap two

Even when he was well past the village to the stench of it still clung to his nostrils. He had ridden a further two miles or more before he came in sight of his destination. It was a thatched cottage, and it lay just off the bridle-path sheltered in a flat bottomed hollow, and within the boundary of the sopwith estate. It had a large square of cultivated garden in front and paddock behind, all neatly railed in. Away to the left of him the land dropped slightly before rising to a grass-covered hill which halfway up levelled itself into a narrow plateau, then rose upwards again and on to an apparently flat head.

He rode down to the cottage, dismounted and tied his horse to the gatepost. When he unlatched the gate and went up the path the geese in the paddock, and this seemed to be the signal for a door open. When he reached it he spoke to the old woman's standing there, saying, They're good as watch dogs those two.'

'Oh, hello, Simon. "Tis good to see you. Come away in, Come away in. Isn't it a beautiful day?'

'it is annie. It is,' he said, following her inside.

'I was just saying to William there'- she thrust her hand out towards the bed that was insert in the wall at the far end of the room-' give us one or two more days like this an' we'll have him outside.'

'Why not. Why not indeed.... How are you, William?'

The man in the bed pulled himself up out of the feather tick and leant forward, holding out his hand.' As you see me, as you see me, Simon; no better, no worse.

'Well, that's something.'

As Simon Bentwood spoke he opened the buttons of his double-breasted coat and inserted his finger in his high neckerchief as he exclaimed, 'its been a hot ride.'

'I've got something for that. And take your coat off. Ginger or herb?'

Simon was on the point of saying, ' Ginger, when he remembered that the last pint of ginger beer he'd drunk here had filled him with wind and he'd been up half the night. She had put so much root ginger into it it had burnt his innards.

'Herb,' She repeated; i thought you liked ginger.'

' I like them both, but i can have a change, can't I?' He flapped his hand towards her, and, laughing, she turned from him and hurried across the long stone-floored room, her humped hips swinging her faded serge skirt.

When she disappeared through a door at the far end of the room Simon took a seat by the bed and, looking at the old man, he asked quietly,' And how goes it?'

'Aw.' William Trotter now lay back into the denseness of the feather-filled pillows and muttered slowly, 'Not so good at times, Simon.'

'Pain worse?'

'i can't say it is, it's always been worse.' he gave a wry smile now through his bewhiskered face.

'I might be able to come by a bottle of the real stuff shortly; i understand the lads are going out again.'

'That would be good, simon. Aw, that would be really good. There's nothing like a drop of the real stuff. But it's funny that the real stuff has to come from foreign parts, now isn't it?

'Aye, it is when you come to think of it, william; yes, it is. But then of course brandy has to come from foreign parts.'

'Aye, aye; yes, i remember the last lot, i slept like a baby for nights.' The old man now turned and looked towards Simon, and his words slow and meaningful, he said ,' sleep's a wonderful thing you know, Simon, it's the best thing that God has giving us, sleep. I think He bestowed it on us as an apprenticeship to death, 'cos that's what it will be, death, just a long sleep.'

'Yes, William, yes, i.... I agree with you there, just a long sleep. Ah ....! He turned, on a forced laugh, and greeted annie trotter as she came back into the room carrying a grey hen by the handle: "There you are then. Mind, you've taken your time.'

'Away with you. Taken me time! Am not as young as i used to be; it's difficult to get under the house, Tilly usually does the crawling."

'Oh, out gathering wood as usual. She's for ever sawing branches off and sawing them up. I'd like to bet there's no cleaner line of trees in the county than those in Sop's wood. It's a good job Mr Mark doesn't mind her stripping the trees head high. But i must say this for her she does it properly, as good as any man, for there's no sap runs after she's finished; she tars every spot.'

'I'm worried.'