menu_book Chapter 15

CHAPTER XV. BINDLE AND THE GERMAN MENACE I. One of the points about this profession, Ginger, Bindle remarked, is that you sometimes gets an all-a-day. The two men were seated on the steps leading up to Homely, a handsome house standing in its own grounds in the village of little compton in suffolk fancy you and me sitting near drinking in the sunshine continued bindle with a grin ginger grunted though ginger sunshine

ain't got no froth and it ain't altogether good for your complexion still it's good for vegetables and most likely for you too ginger here we are edges trees and no temptation the village beauties is nearly as ugly as what you are ginger puts me in mind one of the old arty ems where every prospect pleases an only man who's vile when they wrote that em ginger they must have been thinking of you at little compton well i'm off for a drink i can't eat me dinner dry same's you the further you goes for your beer the more you enjoys it sorry you're too tired old son so long bindle and ginger among others had been selected by the foreman to accompany him on an important moving job a mr henry miller well known throughout the kingdom as possessing one of the most valuable collections of firearms in the country was moving from london into suffolk

he had stipulated that only thoroughly trustworthy men should be permitted to handle his collection and insisted on the contractors supplying all the hands instead of as was usual sending one man and hiring the others locally thus it came about that bindle and the gloomy ginger found themselves quartered for a few days at lozstoft as bindle approached the dove and easel famous as being the only inn in the kingdom so named mr john gandy stood reading a newspaper behind the bar when business was slack mr gandy always read the newspaper and in consequence was the best-informed man upon public affairs in little compton as if sensing a customer mr gandy laid down the paper and gazed severely over the top of his gold-rimmed spectacles at nothing in particular he was a model publican from his velvet skull-cap and immaculate dundreary whiskers to his brilliantly polished and squeaky boots as he pursued his contemplation mr gandy saw the outer doors pushed open admitting a stream of yellow sunshine and with it a little bald-headed man with a red nose and green baize apron it was bindle he approached the counter eyed mr gandy deliberately and ordered a pint of ale

mr gandy drew the beer as if it were a sacred office wheezing the while he was a man with a ponderous manner and a full bar or an empty bar made no difference to the sacred flow of the liquor he had an eye that could cower a drunk more effectually than the muscle of a barman dry work moving said bindle pleasantly mr gandy wheezed i'm a stranger ere bindle continued as he produced some bread and cheese from a piece of pink newspaper funny little ole i calls it nothin to do as far as i can see no street accidents here what and he laughed genially at his own joke you're one of the pantechnicon men from homely cried mr gandy with dignity right first time laughed the irrepressible bindle with his mouth full of bread and cheese i'm up at the fort i am the fort queried mr gandy the fort yes the fort grinned bindle that's what i calls it never saw so many guns in all me puff millions of em bindle was obviously serious and mr gandy became interested at that moment a carter entered bindle immediately proceeded to get into conversation with the newcomer presently he caught mr gandy's eye and read in it curiosity

mr gandy then slowly transferred his gaze to the door of the bar-parlour bindle followed mr gandy's eye and with a nod sauntered towards the door looked round saw that he was right and passed through softly closing it behind him a minute later mr gandy moved in the same direction lifted the flap of the bar and passed into the room also closing the door behind him as he left the bar he touched a bell which produced mrs gandy in black wearing much jewellery and a musical comedy smile as persistent as mr gandy's wheeze when bindle went forth from the bar-parlour it was with a joyous look in his eye and half a crown in his pocket outside the dove and easel he lifted his green baize apron a finger and thumb at each corner and made a few shuffling movements with his feet then he winked grinned and finally laughed i shouldn't be surprised if things was to appen in this funny little ole he remarked as he passed on his way up the road mr gandy left the bar parlor spoke to mrs gandy and disappeared through the glass door into the private parlor two hours later mr gandy reappeared he had made up his mind bindle's mind was working busily he was obviously in possession of a secret that other people thought worth paying for as he walked down the village street he pondered deeply

he paused and slapped his green baize apron-covered leg he walked over to where mrs grinder was standing at the door of her little general shop a remark of mr gandy's had set him thinking mornin mother he called out in salutation good-m'ning responded mrs grinder with a smile who's the biggest bug ere the what the swells them as grind you and me down and make us unappie bindle explained there's sir charles custance at the towers up on the left where the poplars are and mr greenhales at the home farm and that's enough i'm stayin in this neighbourhood and if i wasn't to call on the nobs they might be irt in their private feelin's glad to see you're lookin so merry and bright mornin and cap in hand bindle made an elaborate bow and passed on his way leaving the buxom mrs grinder wreathed in smiles half an hour later he walked down the drive of the towers the residence of sir charles custance j p a sovereign richer than when he entered at the gates of the towers he paused

coming towards him was a dog-cart driven by a small fierce-looking little man it was mr roger greenhales who farmed as a hobby at a considerable yearly loss to prove that the outcry against the unprofitableness of english land culture was ridiculous bindle spoke to mr greenhales and in ten minutes received the shillings he then proceeded to holmley where he found his foreman and also that he had extended his dinner hour into two two it's a national affair i tell you rannock sir charles custance j p leaned back in his library chair and surveyed the impassive features of sergeant rannock as if searching for some contradiction but sergeant rannock of the suffolk county constabulary merely shuffled his feet and said yes sir i'll call at the house this afternoon and see if there's anything to be discovered i'll go now damn me if i don't we'll both go sir charles jumped up forthwith he was a short stout man with bushy magisterial eyebrows a red complexion a bald head a monocle and a fierce don't-argue-with-me-sir manner

he was a man who had but one topic of conversation the coming german invasion it would not be his fault if the germans found little compton unprepared he had pointed out that being an east coast village it lay in the very centre of the battle-ground at first little compton had felt uncomfortable but later it had apparently become reconciled to its fate it did nothing no village in england knew better what invasion would mean sir charles had drawn a vivid picture of what would be the fate of the women of little compton unless their men-folk repelled the invaders with the result that the dorcas society with the full approval of the vicar wrote to sir charles protesting against such things being said on a public platform as he trotted towards the door sir charles turned to the sergeant and said this is a big business rannock a big business we'll find out more before we communicate with headquarters see and sir charles glared fiercely at the sergeant sergeant rannock did see he saw many things including promotion for himself and he replied it is indeed sir and the two men went out from the towers to homely is not more than half a mile sir charles went first leaving the sergeant to follow on his bicycle

if they were seen together it might arouse suspicion sir charles was to go to holmley making the best excuse he could think of and spy out the land and the sergeant who fortunately was not in uniform was to follow half an hour later at six o'clock they were to meet at the towers and compare notes on his way up the drive of holmley sir charles met mr gandy coming away with a flushed and angry face for the first time in history his look had failed he had been insulted and that by a foreman pantechnicon man sir charles acknowledged mr gandy's salute attaching no significance to the presence of the host of the dove and easel in the grounds of homely most probably he had called to solicit the new tenant's custom so mr gandy passed down the drive with a stormy face and sir charles walked up with a determined one the hall door was open and men were passing to and fro carrying various articles of furniture sir charles's eyes greedily devoured all that was to be seen in particular some long coffin-like wooden cases he stood at the door for a minute it seemed unnecessary to ring with so many men about presently a man came up and stared at him rather offensively sir charles thought but remembering the delicate nature of his mission he adjusted his monocle and said politely

i er want to see one of the er er moving men certainly sir responded the man have you any choice sir charles fixed his monocle more firmly in his left eye and stared at the man in astonishment we've got em from twenty-three to sixty-five i'm forty-eight myself but p'raps you like a young un fair or dark sir tall or short sir charles gazed at the man as if dazed and went very red but controlling his wrath he replied i do not know his name i'm afraid he has a green baize apron and is er bald and er has a rather red nose the man smiled broadly insolently intolerably sir charles thought that won't help us much sir blessed if you haven't described the old blessed profession hi ginger this to ginger who was passing he approached this is rather a tasty little lot sir he's got a red head as well as a red nose not im well let me see tell bindle to come ere i think bindle may be your man sir he's got some pals in these ere parts i think

for nearly half a minute sir charles glared at the man before him who grinned back with perfect self-possession dis him sir he queried as bindle approached damn your insolence burst out sir charles i'll report you to your employers but the foreman had disappeared to give an order and bindle also had slipped away sir charles raged back down the drive striving to think of some means of punishing the insolence of the foreman pantechnicon man a quarter of an hour later mr greenhales arrived at the hall door of holmley the foreman was there to receive him good afternoon said mr greenhales pleasantly you want to see one of our men you don't know his name but he's a rather bald little man with a green baize apron and a red nose replied the foreman blandly exactly responded mr greenhales genially exactly kindly tell him i'm sorry sir it was his reception day but he's been took ill he asked me to apologize he's got a lot of pals about ere

i shouldn't be surprised if that was the cause of his illness good arternoon sir i'll tell him you called the foreman shut the door in mr greenhale's face and for the third time that afternoon anger strode down the drive of holmley in the hall the much-wanted bindle was listening intently to his foreman you seem to be holding a levee to-day bindle seem to ave a lot of blinkin pals ere too didn't know you was a society man bindle they're all so fond of you so it pears hadn't you better give up this line of business you at your gifts and take to squiring it you'd look fine following the ounds you would now it's about time you decided what you really are two hours you take for your dinner and spend the arternoon receivin callers me a-opin the scarlet door now you get back to the brilliant furniture removin and give up your stutterin ambitions if i was you bindle was never to know what the foreman would do if in his place at that moment a loud peal at the bell caused the foreman to pause he gazed from bindle to the door from the door to bindle and back again to the door

during the two seconds that his superior's eyes were off him bindle slipped stealthily away the foreman went slowly to the door and opened it he found there a middle-aged rather stout man dressed in tweeds with trousers clipped for cycling behind him he held a bicycle it was sergeant the foreman eyed the caller aggressively his hands moving convulsively there was that about his appearance which caused his caller to step suddenly back the bicycle overturned with a clatter and the sergeant sat down with great suddenness on the front wheel the foreman eyed him indifferently the tears were streaming from the sergeant's eyes for he had sat with considerable force upon one of the coasters when he had picked himself up and replaced the bicycle the foreman spoke if you've come ere to show me that trick you've bloomin well wasted yer time you ain't no cinccavallee ole son if however you're a lookin for a bald little man with a green apron an a red nose the sergeant's eyes brightened beneath the tears well he's been took ill and his mother's took him ome now you'd better go cocky for i set the dog on yer i'm pretty damn well sick of the sight of yer comin ere with yer bicycle tricks interruptin of the day's work

here bindle whar's bindle he shouted into the house but the sergeant did not wait he mounted his machine and disappeared down the drive before bindle came and bindle was uneager to respond he was a quarter of a mile up the road sergeant rannock was stunned at the treatment he had received from such men he was accustomed to respect deference and blind obedience to be called cocky by a workman astonished him soon he became annoyed in time his annoyance crystallized into anger and eventually passing through the alembic of professional discretion it became distilled into a determination to teach this man a lesson he had no intention of letting him know that it was a police sergeant whom he had thus rudely treated as if he were some ordinary person he could not quite understand the reference to the bald little man with a green apron and a red nose the particulars seemed however to tally with the description of the man of whom sir charles had spoken at six o'clock he presented himself at the towers told his story and was bidden by sir charles to leave the matter until morning when it would probably be better to report the whole affair to the superintendent at lowestoft

sir charles had his reasons for suggesting delay chapter fifteen read by don w jenkins rancho san diego california shaggybark blogspot dot com