"Why?"
"I"m Polly."
"Then I"m Alfred. But I meant to be Polly."
"I was first."
"All right. I"m going to be the ferryman."
"I see. You"ll have to punt better."
"You should have seen me early in the afternoon."
"I can imagine it.... I"ve seen the others."
"What others?" Mr. Polly had landed now and was fastening up the punt.
"What Uncle Jim has scooted."
"Scooted?"
"He comes and scoots them. He"ll scoot you too, I expect."
A mysterious shadow seemed to fall athwart the sunshine and pleasantness of the Potwell Inn.
"I"m not a scooter," said Mr. Polly.
"Uncle Jim is."
She whistled a little flatly for a moment, and threw small stones at a clump of meadow-sweet that sprang from the bank. Then she remarked:
"When Uncle Jim comes back he"ll cut your insides out.... P"raps, very likely, he"ll let me see."
There was a pause.
"_Who"s_ Uncle Jim?" Mr. Polly asked in a faded voice.
"Don"t you know who Uncle Jim is? He"ll show you. He"s a scorcher, is Uncle Jim. He only came back just a little time ago, and he"s scooted three men. He don"t like strangers about, don"t Uncle Jim. He _can_ swear. He"s going to teach me, soon as I can whissle properly."
"Teach you to swear!" cried Mr. Polly, horrified.
"_And_ spit," said the little girl proudly. "He says I"m the gamest little beast he ever came across--ever."
For the first time in his life it seemed to Mr. Polly that he had come across something sheerly dreadful. He stared at the pretty thing of flesh and spirit in front of him, lightly balanced on its stout little legs and looking at him with eyes that had still to learn the expression of either disgust or fear.
"I say," said Mr. Polly, "how old are you?"
"Nine," said the little girl.
She turned away and reflected. Truth compelled her to add one other statement.
"He"s not what I should call handsome, not Uncle Jim," she said. "But he"s a scorcher and no mistake.... Gramma don"t like him."
V
Mr. Polly found the plump woman in the big bricked kitchen lighting a fire for tea. He went to the root of the matter at once.
"I say," he asked, "who"s Uncle Jim?"
The plump woman blanched and stood still for a moment. A stick fell out of the bundle in her hand unheeded.
"That little granddaughter of mine been saying things?" she asked faintly.
"Bits of things," said Mr. Polly.
"Well, I suppose I must tell you sooner or later. He"s--. It"s Jim.
He"s the Drorback to this place, that"s what he is. The Drorback. I hoped you mightn"t hear so soon.... Very likely he"s gone."
"_She_ don"t seem to think so."
""E "asn"t been near the place these two weeks and more," said the plump woman.
"But who is he?"
"I suppose I got to tell you," said the plump woman.
"She says he scoots people," Mr. Polly remarked after a pause.
"He"s my own sister"s son." The plump woman watched the crackling fire for a s.p.a.ce. "I suppose I got to tell you," she repeated.
She softened towards tears. "I try not to think of it, and night and day he"s haunting me. I try not to think of it. I"ve been for easy-going all my life. But I"m that worried and afraid, with death and ruin threatened and evil all about me! I don"t know what to do! My own sister"s son, and me a widow woman and "elpless against his doin"s!"
She put down the sticks she held upon the fender, and felt for her handkerchief. She began to sob and talk quickly.
"I wouldn"t mind nothing else half so much if he"d leave that child alone. But he goes talking to her--if I leave her a moment he"s talking to her, teaching her words and giving her ideas!"
"That"s a Bit Thick," said Mr. Polly.
"Thick!" cried the plump woman; "it"s "orrible! And what am I to do?
He"s been here three times now, six days and a week and a part of a week, and I pray to G.o.d night and day he may never come again.
Praying! Back he"s come sure as fate. He takes my money and he takes my things. He won"t let no man stay here to protect me or do the boats or work the ferry. The ferry"s getting a scandal. They stand and shout and scream and use language.... If I complain they"ll say I"m helpless to manage here, they"ll take away my license, out I shall go--and it"s all the living I can get--and he knows it, and he plays on it, and he don"t care. And here I am. I"d send the child away, but I got nowhere to send the child. I buys him off when it comes to that, and back he comes, worse than ever, prowling round and doing evil. And not a soul to help me. Not a soul! I just hoped there might be a day or so.
Before he comes back again. I was just hoping--I"m the sort that hopes."
Mr. Polly was reflecting on the flaws and drawbacks that seem to be inseparable from all the more agreeable things in life.
"Biggish sort of man, I expect?" asked Mr. Polly, trying to get the situation in all its bearings.