CHAPTER XXIV
HOW I MET ONE JESSAMY TODD, A SNATCHER OF SOULS
Diogenes the sturdy pony trotted at such good pace that where the wayswere rough the Tinker's light cart creaked and lurched until the tinswherewith it was festooned rattled and clinked and I, perchedprecariously on the tailboard, legs a-swing, was fain to hold on lestI be precipitated into the ditch, yet felt myself ridiculously happynotwithstanding.
Thus we bumped and jingled through shady lanes and pleasant byways, Ifor one, seldom speaking, content to watch tree and hedge flit by andthe ever-changing prospect beyond, though often turning to glimpseDiana's shapely back where she sat on the driving seat beside theTinker; and at such times often it would happen she would glance roundalso, and thus our glances would meet and as we gazed, slowly butsurely the colour would deepen in her cheek, her long lashes wouldflicker and droop, and she would turn away and I full of wonder and aninfinite joy, marvelling that I could ever have thought such eyeshard, bold and unfeminine. Thus, albeit perched so precariously on theswaying tailboard I was none the less marvellously content.
O Diogenes of the plodding hoofs! O creaking wheels, O tinkling potsand pans, had I but possessed the wisdom to understand youroft-repeated message, how much of doubt, of grief and pain I mighthave spared myself.
Suddenly Diana hailed and waved her hand, the Tinker checked Diogenesin full career, and with a jingling clank the cart pulled up as a mansprang lightly forth of the dry ditch wherein he had been sitting, aman of no great stature but clean-limbed and shapely, despite roughand dusty clothes,--a keen-eyed, short-nosed, square-jawed fellowwhose mouth had a humorous twist.
"Why, Jessamy," said Diana, leaning down to give him her hand, "'t isgood t' see you!"
"And so it is, lad!" nodded the Tinker. "How goeth the good work?"
"Fairish, Jeremy, fairish!" answered Jessamy, in a sweet voicepeculiarly rich and mellow. "Old Nick's a toughish customer d'ye see,and a glutton for punishment; wind him, cross-buttock him or floor himwi' a leveller amidships, but he'll come up smiling next round, readyand willin' for more, an' fight back at you 'ard as ever, alas!"
Here I got down from the cart that I might better behold the speaker,who now turned to glance at me with a pair of the kindliest blue eyesI had ever seen.
"Jessamy," said Diana, "this is my--my friend Peregrine as do want youto teach him the game."
"The game," repeated Jessamy, shaking his head a little ruefully, "thegame's all vanity and vexation o' spirit! Besides, your young frienddon't look cut out for the ring--"
"Lord, Jess, he don't want to be a fighter! Peregrine only wants toknow how--"
"Why, that's different," sighed the ex-pugilistic champion, "though Iain't got the heart nor yet the time to teach any one--"
"But I want you to, Jessamy," said Diana imperiously.
"Why, that's different again, Anna, and so I don't mind showing him athing or two if time and opportoonity offer."
"Are ye for Tonbridge Fair, Jessamy?" enquired the Tinker.
"I am so, Jerry. I'm a-marching, comrade, wi' royals and studden-sailsset, messmate, and all for the glory o' the Lord, brother."
"Then if you'm be minded for a lift, Jessamy, there be room for yealongside Peregrine!" Up we mounted forthwith, the Tinker gaveDiogenes his head, and we bumped and jingled on our way.
"Pray, Mr. Todd," I gasped, as we clutched and swayed together, "may Ienquire if you have been a soldier or a sailor?"
"Both, brother," he answered, "I was a powder-boy aboard the old_Bully-Sawyer_--a powder-monkey and sat on my tub?"
"But why on a tub?"
"In case o' sparks from the guns--broadside agin' the wind--"
"What--have you been in action?"
"For sure, brother--"
"Ah!" I exclaimed eagerly. "Tell me about it."
"I can't, brother--all as I remember is sparks and flame--the roar ofthe guns--screams and cries--blood and--things as no eyes should seeand bad to think on--and me squatting on my tub amidst it all--wantingmy mother. Later on I turned soldier and didn't find that life a bedo' roses either; to-day I'm a soldier o' the Lord ready to fight, singand preach to His glory, and ever ready to cheat Old Nick o' whatdon't belong to him--"
"What do you mean?"
"Souls, brother. I plucks brands from the burning with j'y and gathersheaves with gratitood. You've 'eard o' body-snatchers, I suppose?"
"I have."
"Well, I'm a soul-snatcher. I snatches 'em to the Lord whensoever andwheresoever I can, brother."
"But surely," I demurred, "the soul, which is an abstraction, a partof the Infinite and thus of God Himself, is therefore imperishable.Socrates taught this, Pantheism is based on this, the arguments of thePeripatetic Philosophers all trend to this belief, and Christ preachedthe Soul's immortality and life after death. Thus, if the Soul isimmortal and cannot perish, how may it be saved?"
"By the Blood o' the Lamb, brother; otherwise ye shall be cast intoouter darkness to weep and gnash."
"But why?"
"For sins, committed in the flesh and unrepented."
"Supposing a man sins daily for threescore years and ten and diesunrepentant, must he go down to hell and be tormented for ever andever for so short a time of sinning?"
"He must, brother, alas!"
"Horrible!" I cried. "Horrible, and most unjust."
"Why, it do seem a bit 'ard to the likes o' we, brother, but then weonly see as through a glass darkly. God is a just God, a jealous Godand a God o' Vengeance; 't is in the Book--"
"Then this is not Christ's Heavenly Father, but Jehovah, theblood-spattered deity of the Jews, a God of battles, of sacrifices anddeath, a God pitiless and without mercy. But man's soul, beingconceived of the Infinite Mind, may never utterly perish even thoughcorrupt with sin or debased by ignorance, for even then that divineSpark which is the very life of the soul shall sooner or later grow toa flame, burning up the evil, lighting the gloom of ignorance until incourse of time, years, ages, or aeons, the soul purified and perfectedshall win back to the God whence it came!"
For a full minute after I had ended Jessamy Todd was silent, staringfrom me to the cloudless sky and back again with a look of growingperplexity; at length he spoke:
"You've seen better days, brother, I'm thinking."
"No, indeed," I answered, "never so good as these."
"I'm likewise thinkin' as your speech and talk don't rightly matchyour rig-out, brother."
"Which, on the whole, is just as well," I answered.
"And you've read and learned a lot from books, brother."
"But you have read a better book, friend Todd, and much more of it."
"Ah, you mean this, brother?" said he, taking out a small, well-wornBible.
"I mean the Book of Life," I answered; "you have lived while I haveonly dreamed, so far."
"Why, to be sure, I've seen a good deal o' life and something o'death, one way or another. I've known friendship and loneliness,plenty and poverty, been hooted and cheered and had a prince shake myfist--"
"What for?"
"'T was arter I'd beat the Chelsea Snob, him as licked the BristolSlasher; they thought the Snob would eat me but--ah, well these weredays o' vanity, brother, and no grace about me--no, not a ha'porth."
"Please tell me of it."
"Well, I was fighting for Sir Jervas then, him they call 'TheFirebrand'--"
"Do you mean Sir Jervas Vereker?"
"Aye, I do--one o' the bang-up nobs, a tip o' the tippies, but thebest sportsman and truest friend ever man fought for--"
"Good!" quoth I.
"D'ye happen to know him, brother?" enquired Jessamy, with anotherlook of mild surprise.
"I begin to think I do not," I answered. "Pray, why is he called 'TheFirebrand'?"
"Because he's allus so precious cool, I reckon."
"Well, pray continue," I urged.
But at this moment we became aware of a confused uproar, a ribaldry oflaughter and shouting. Round I star
ted, to see we were approaching asmall inn, with a sign bearing the legend "The Ring o' Bells," beforewhich inn stood a number of vehicles and a rough crowd of merrymakerswho danced and sang and flourished ale-pots. Beholding this unholycompany, my alarm grew, for it seemed their vociferations weredirected at us.
"Pull up, Tinker--pull up and drink wi' us!" roared one.
"Aye--a drink, a drink, come down an' drink!" cried another.
"And bring the gal along wi' ye!" cried a third.
Suddenly, seeing Jeremy heeded them no whit, a big, swaggering fellowstepped forward, a flashily dressed herculean figure in tops andcords, his high-collared, brass-buttoned coat moulding a mighty chestand spread of shoulder; which formidable person now advanced upon usflourishing a quart pot and with divers of the riotous company at hisheels. No honest, sun-burned rustics these, but pallid, narrow-eyedfolk whose half-furtive, half-hectoring air gave me a sense of evilstreets, of dark alleys and dens where iniquity lurked, and my alarmand abhorrence waxed acute, finding vent in words:
"What vile wretches!"
"Not so, brother!" answered Jessamy, viewing them with his kindly eyeswhere they had halted across the road, barring our advance. "No,brother, these are all souls to be snatched to the Lord, one way or t'other, brands to be plucked from the--"
"Pull up, Tinker!" roared the big fellow threateningly. "You've got alass there as I likes the looks on; pull up, d'ye hear! Look at theshape of 'er!" quoth he, pointing out Diana to his companions. "A tidypiece--eh, my bucks an' pippins?"
Here rose an answering chorus of laughing profanity and worse, amongstwhich I caught the words, "Pretty filly!" "A dainty tit!" "A kiss allround, Tom! Share an' share, Tom!" "Oho, Tinker, pull an' be damned t'ye!"
Instead of complying, Jeremy touched the pony to faster pace and witha jingling clash of tinware we bore down upon this lewd-tonguedcompany which, howling obscenity, scattered promptly right andleft--all except the big man Tom who, with a dexterous leap, caughtthe rein, jerking and wrenching at the bit with hand so cruelly strongthat the poor animal reared up, snorting with fright and pain and thecart came to a lurching standstill.
"Didn't ye hear me tell ye to pull up?" demanded the man Tom,scowling. "When I says a thing, I means it. And now, first of all Iwants a kiss from the gal an' then--"
"Stand off, ye vermin!" quoth Jeremy and, reaching down beneath theseat, whipped out a long-barrelled pistol and levelled it full intoTom's big, evil face, whereupon my trembling hand loosed the saucepanI had clutched as a weapon and I stared from the tense features of thetwo men to the calm, coldly contemptuous face of Diana. Then spakeJessamy Todd:
"All right, Jerry! Put up your barker; here's where I climb into thering for a round wi' Old Nick," and taking off his frayed hat he sentit spinning through the air to the big man's feet, who promptly kickedit into the ditch.
"Open your trap an' I'll serve ye the same!" snarled the fellow.
"Good!" answered Jessamy cheerily, and alighting from the cart hewalked slowly towards the speaker, viewing the big man over withkindly eyes, though his square chin jutted somewhat.
"Friends and brothers," quoth he, throwing out his arms, "I'm a man o'peace as cometh afore you wi' peace in his heart and the Word o' theLord upon his tongue--" Now at this, some laughed, some cursedblasphemously, and one began a song so unspeakably vile that my earstingled, and hot with shame I stole a glance at Diana, who satwatching Jessamy's good-tempered face, calmly serene and apparentlyutterly unconscious.
"And I love ye, friends and brothers," continued Jessamy, "because yoube all tabernacles o' the Lord, 'spite o' your beastly ways, andformed in His image, for all your ugly mugs. Why therefore will yedesecrate the tabernacle and debase His image--"
The cheery, musical voice was drowned by shouts and obsceneobjurgations, while the big fellow, seeing the Tinker had laid by hispistol, clenched brawny fists, shot out brutal jaw and glared atJessamy in murderous fashion, whereupon the excited crowd, swollen nowconsiderably, hooted and clamoured, pushed and jostled all about us ina very threatening manner, so that my hand instinctively clencheditself on the saucepan again and I crept nearer to Diana.
"Set about 'im, Tom! Ah, break 'is nob, lad!" bellowed the swayingcrowd. "Show 'im 'ow you laid out the 'North-country Collier,' Tom.Knock out 'is ivories--choke 'im wi' your famble!"
"Hark 'ee, friend Tom," said Jessamy, apparently quite unmoved by thegrowing hostility of the rabble, "I love ye, Tom! And I love ye, firstbecause you're a child o' God, though to be sure ye don't look it,Tom!" Here Tom unbuttoned and tossed aside his tight-fitting coat."And secondly," pursued Jessamy, "I love ye because somewhere insideo' ye you've got an immortal soul--of a kind, Tom, that the Lordholdeth precious and beyond rubies--though only the Lord knoweth why,Tom." Here the big man tightened his belt and proceeded to roll up hissleeves. "Therefore, Tom," continued Jessamy, watching thesepreparations with kindly interest, "therefore, 't is your soul as I'mafter and the souls of all these pals o' yours--these poor lost lambsas look so uncommonly like wolves, Tom. Howbeit--"
Uttering a scornful oath, Tom snatched an ale mug from one near by anddashed its contents into Jessamy's face, whereupon rose a yell offierce laughter and acclaim.
"And now, Tom lad," sighed Jessamy, his blue eyes mild as ever, whilethe liquid dripped from the great jut of his chin, "now, dear friend,let's you an' me pray together!" Then, lifting his face to thecloudless sky, Jessamy began thus, while Tom and his fellows staredmute with amazement or perhaps awed by something in that shapely,patient, yet grimly alert figure:
"O Lord who looketh into all hearts and in every heart can findsomething good among the evil--aye, Lord, even in this Tom's heart,since he is child o' Thine--grant that I, Thy humble instrument, mayrouse the good within Thy Tom's heart one way or t' other, either byreason and gentleness or force and--"
I uttered a gasping, inarticulate cry of warning but in that instantJessamy moved his head an inch or so and the heavy pewter tankard thatshould have brained him flew harmlessly by and rolled clattering agood twenty paces behind him.
"Ah, Peregrine," said Diana in sighing whisper, "O Peregrine--watchJessamy--watch!" And as she spoke the big fellow rushed. On he came,head lowered, mighty fists whirling, to butt and smite, but Jessamymoved also, slightly, but enough, and as his terrible assailantblundered past, smote him lightly on the crown with open palm.
"Lord, Tom lad," he admonished in his clear, ringing tones, "that's afool's way to set about harming your brother. Give over, Tom, giveover and let's pray instead." Uttering a furious oath, Tom swung aboutand smote fiercely with right and left. But ducking the blows, Jessamyslipped nimbly aside, shaking his head in mild reproof.
"Come, come, Tom," said he; "can't ye see you're as harmless as ableatin' lamb or cooin' dove? I've no wish to hurt ye, so let's ha'done and get on with our prayers--"
"Fight!" roared Tom, beside himself with fury. "Stand up an' fight,you--" and here followed a torrent of foulest invective and abuse.
"So be it!" said Jessamy. "Though I warned ye, and Lord knows I'vebeen patient. But if ye will, ye will, so, being a man o' peace, I'llfinish ye comfortable and quick--come on, my poor lad!"
Tom came; with a rush that it seemed nothing might withstand, hehurled himself upon that quiet figure, mighty shoulders hunched, hugebody quivering, eager for the fray; ensued a quick, brief trample offeet, the swift play of merciless arms, of mighty fists that smote theair, and then I saw the upward flash of Jessamy's left, heard theimpact of a dreadful blow, and as Tom's head and shoulders jerkedviolently up, I saw the flash of Jessamy's right and the great body ofhis assailant, rocked and shaken by these two unerring, terribleblows, shrank horribly upon itself, rolled a limp and twisted heap inthe dust, and lay still, with Jessamy poised above him, his kindlyfeatures transfigured with a wild and terrible joy. For a long,breathless moment Jessamy stood thus above the great, huddled form ofhis insensible antagonist, and for that moment no one moved, itseemed, and never a word spoken; then Jessamy
sighed, shook his head,clasped his hands and looking up to heaven, prayed thus, none daringto interrupt:
"Lord, seeing force and conflict was needful, let it not be in vainbut forgive, I beseech Thee, my unholy joy therein. As Thy servant'sfist smote this Thy son's flesh, so may Thy Truth smite his heart andhe come to Thy grace thereby!"
This supplication ended, he turned to a pale-faced, gaping individualwho stood near by, a slopping tankard grasped in nerveless hand.
"Friend," says Jessamy, "I'll trouble you for your ale." The man gaveit eagerly:
"Lord, sir," said he, grinning ingratiatingly, "you did Tom up inproper style and no mistake." Stern-faced, Jessamy turned, and,stooping above his prostrate and still unconscious antagonist, dashedthe ale into his bloody face, whereupon Tom groaned and stirredfeebly.
"Ale be good stuff--sometimes, took externally, which is a Latin wordmeaning not in the stomach!" said Jessamy, and setting an arm beneathTom's battered head, lifted him to a sitting posture. "How are ye now,Tom?" he enquired.
"Bad, damned bad!" groaned Tom. "To hit a man--wi' a brick--ain't theChristian way to fight; it ain't Johnny Bull."
"Here's your brick, friend Tom," said Jessamy, showing his brawnyfist.
"Why, then--who--who are ye?" stammered Tom.
"I'm Jessamy Todd, preacher, man o' peace--and your friend, if you'llha' me, Tom."
"Jessamy--Jessamy Todd? You? O Lord, I'm bit! Jessamy Todd--why, then,no wonder."
And now the crowd caught up the name, speeding it from lip to lip.
"Jessamy Todd! It be Jessamy Todd!"
"Can ye walk, friend Tom?"
"I think so."
"Then up wi' you and along o' me into the 'Ring o' Bells'; I'll soonmake ye comfortable, an' then you an' me will pray together, shall us,friend?"
"As ye will!" mumbled Tom. So, having aided his late antagonist torise, Jessamy turned to nod and smile at us.
"Drive on, brothers," said he, "I must bide here awhile on the Lord'sbusiness, so drive on. I'll look for ye at the fair."
My stiffened fingers loosed the saucepan handle, for now all about uswere faces that smiled and nodded cheerily, and as we jingled on ourway again, the fickle crowd, their animosity quite forgotten, salutedus with ringing cheer.
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