At length, however, he spoke.  He’d felt surprised to hear Jack was a moneyed man, for the general conclusion ran that he’d come back with nought; then, being hopeful, Mr. Bewes jumped to the other extreme and guessed perhaps that Cobley was rich after all and keeping his savings hid.

“Of course,” he said, “I’ve thought of that, and there’s more than one would make me a price to-morrow if I felt minded to sell.”

“I’m sure there is,” answered Jack.  “It’s a very handy little property if it was attended to.”

“And more than an acre of good ground to it.”

“Just over an acre—­ground that be run to waste for years, but could be made good.”

“And what would you feel like paying, Jack, if I was to see your point about my boy?” asked Bewes.

“You do see that point, master,” answered Cobley, “because you’re clever and straight, else you wouldn’t stand where you do.  When you was young, you wouldn’t have drove no woman into a corner for love, nor yet married her on a sacrifice.  And I dare swear, if Dicky saw it like that, he’d be a lot too proud to carry on, but start again and start fair.  As to what I’ll pay, if you’re a seller, the price lies with you.”

“I’ve thought to auction it,” answered Mr. Bewes, which was true, because he had done so.

Jack nodded.

“I’d like none the less to buy it at a fair figure and save you the trouble.  You’ll be knowing, I expect, what would satisfy you in money down.”

Then they talked for another solid hour, farmer trying to get Jack to name a price so as he might run it up, and Jacky determined not to do so.

In despair, at last, Nicholas said ’twas Cobley’s for seven hundred pounds, well knowing the price ran about three hundred too high.  In fact, Jack told him so; and then Bewes fetched his whisky bottle and they went at it again; and then they closed, and a good bit to farmer’s astonishment, Cobley fetched a cheque-book out of his pocket and wrote a cheque on the spot as though to the manner born.

Four hundred and seventy-five pounds he paid, and as Nicholas Bewes confessed to Jack, ’twas only the money in his pocket put enough iron into him to stand up to his son, afterwards.

But what Nicholas might have to say to Richard didn’t trouble Cobley over much.  He got his receipt and Bewes promised the deed should be drawn when he saw his lawyer to Moreton next market-day.

So they parted tolerable good friends, and it was understood between ’em that Jack should tell Mrs. Pedlar how things stood at his own time and nobody should be told who the purchaser was.

It happened, however, that he did not tell Jane after all, for, going down from Bewes in the red of the sunset, Jack fell in with Milly Boon, whose gait was set for the farm.  He passed her a good evening, then marked a world of woe in her face and the smudge of tears upon it, clear to see in the last of the light, so he bade her stand a moment and tell him why for she was going up the hill.