"Come along!" I said, "I can't wait any longer: I must go back to the
house."
"I'll follow you directly," says Sergeant Cuff.
For the second time, I went to the door; and, for the second time, try
as I might, I couldn't cross the threshold.
"It's a delicate matter, ma'am," I heard the Sergeant say, "giving money
back. You charged her cheap for the things, I'm sure?"
"Cheap!" says Mrs. Yolland. "Come and judge for yourself."
She took up the candle and led the Sergeant to a corner of the kitchen.
For the life of me, I couldn't help following them. Shaken down in
the corner was a heap of odds and ends (mostly old metal), which the
fisherman had picked up at different times from wrecked ships, and which
he hadn't found a market for yet, to his own mind. Mrs. Yolland dived
into this rubbish, and brought up an old japanned tin case, with a cover
to it, and a hasp to hang it up by--the sort of thing they use, on board
ship, for keeping their maps and charts, and such-like, from the wet.
"There!" says she. "When Rosanna came in this evening, she bought
the fellow to that. 'It will just do,' she says, 'to put my cuffs
and collars in, and keep them from being crumpled in my box.' One and
ninepence, Mr. Cuff. As I live by bread, not a halfpenny more!"
"Dirt cheap!" says the Sergeant, with a heavy sigh.
He weighed the case in his hand. I thought I heard a note or two of "The
Last Rose of Summer" as he looked at it. There was no doubt now! He
had made another discovery to the prejudice of Rosanna Spearman, in the
place of all others where I thought her character was safest, and all
through me! I leave you to imagine what I felt, and how sincerely I
repented having been the medium of introduction between Mrs. Yolland and
Sergeant Cuff.
"That will do," I said. "We really must go."
Without paying the least attention to me, Mrs. Yolland took another dive
into the rubbish, and came up out of it, this time, with a dog-chain.
"Weigh it in your hand, sir," she said to the Sergeant. "We had three of
these; and Rosanna has taken two of them. 'What can you want, my dear,
with a couple of dog's chains?' says I. 'If I join them together they'll
do round my box nicely,' says she. 'Rope's cheapest,' says I. 'Chain's
surest,' says she. 'Who ever heard of a box corded with chain,' says
I. 'Oh, Mrs. Yolland, don't make objections!' says she; 'let me have
my chains!' A strange girl, Mr. Cuff--good as gold, and kinder than a
sister to my Lucy--but always a little strange. There! I humoured her.
Three and sixpence. On the word of an honest woman, three and sixpence,
Mr. Cuff!"