“You can’t sell coal when the Askews are giving peat away,” she said.

“Looks like that,” Bell agreed.  “I’d ha’ broke the others before noo if I hadn’t had Peter and Kit against me.  Hooiver, if I canna sell coal, I canna pay the rent and landlord will have to do something.  Mayhappen it will be easier for him if he kens the Askews started the plot.  Osborn’s none too fond of them.”

“He wouldn’t like them any better if he knew what I know,” Janet remarked with a malicious smile.

“What do you ken about them?” Bell asked scornfully.

“I don’t imagine Osborn wants Kit for his son-in-law.”

Bell started and then laughed harshly.

“Old wives’ crack!  Kit’s not such a fool!”

“You know best,” said Janet.  “If you like, I’ll tell you what I’ve seen.”

She did so and Bell’s mean face got thoughtful.  On the whole, Janet did not exaggerate much, although she now and then made a rather unwarranted implication.  She threw a fresh light on matters the gossips already talked about; among others were Grace’s visit to Mireside the morning Railton’s sheep were counted and her meeting with Kit before he went to look for the Herdwicks.  When she stopped Bell knitted his brows.

“If it was used right, I might mak’ some use o’ this,” he observed.  “We’ll see what Osborn says about coal yards and the alterations at mill.”

He went to his office and Janet sat quietly by the fire.  Her plot would work; Miss Osborn should not have Kit.

Bell made some calculations.  His money was getting short; he had bills to pay, and his stock of coal was large.  He could not hold it much longer, and since the Askews were bringing down large quantities of peat, there was no ground for imagining the dalesfolk would give way.  It looked as if he must meet them and he wrote a notice that coal would be delivered by the trailer lurry at a reduction of two-and-six a ton.

When he had put this in an envelope for the printers, Bell knitted his brows.  Although his neighbors would sooner burn coal than peat, he was not sure the reduction would stimulate the demand for the former and he must look for relief in some other direction.  He paid a high rent for the yards and the landlord ought to help.  Osborn would, no doubt, be reluctant, but he might be forced.  Bell’s lease of the mill would soon run out; nobody else could pay as much as he paid, and he would demand certain expensive alterations.  Furthermore, Osborn did not like the Askews, and Bell imagined he saw how to strike a blow at Kit; Janet had shown him the way.  It would be some satisfaction to punish the meddlesome fellow.

Two days afterwards the notice was fixed on the gateposts, but a week went by without its attracting fresh customers.  Then a bill from the colliery arrived and Bell put down his price another two-and-six.  For a day or two, no orders came in, and he resolved to wait until the week was out and then, if needful, get Hayes to arrange for a meeting with Osborn.