human
Oh, Mr. Templeton, she cried, bursting into tears,
gpt
Why, what’s the matter, Mrs. Trenchard?
human
He’s there, sir, she nodded towards her husband’s little den,
gpt
Come, Mrs. Trenchard, don’t be upset. Just tell me all about it. Nothing has happened to Mr. Trenchard, I hope?
human
Only a broken heart, sir. Ah! if he’d only telled me afore! We’ve had bad times, as you know, sir; ’twas worse than I knew, and my poor man kep’ it all to himself, so’s not to worrit me. He went and borrowed money of Mr. Noakes, sir, to tide him over harvest. I don’t know the rights of it; ’tis too much for my poor head; but by what I can make of it Trenchard signed a paper to say as if he didn’t pay back the money by a certain time the farm ’ud belong to Mr. Noakes, and a week afore the time Mr. Noakes could put a man in to see as we didn’t rob him. And he’s in now, sir, in there—’tis Ted Smail, a rascal of a man as knocks his poor wife about. And what I’ll do, Them above only knows.
gpt
Can’t Mr. Trenchard turn him out?
human
Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard. Let’s hope for the best. I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done.
gpt
Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law. The law be a terrible creature.
human
There you are, old man, he cried,
gpt
No. I say, Tom, this experiment’s off for the time; things here are in a deuce of a mess.
human
Whew! Eves whistled.
gpt
So that’s old Noakes’s game. That throws a flood of light on the old villain’s doings. But we’ll dish him yet. The first thing is to get this fellow Smail out of the place. That will make the old woman feel a little easier.
human
I don’t see how we can do that. Trenchard signed the deed or whatever it’s called, and you may be sure that Noakes kept on the right side of the law.
gpt
Well, let’s go and see.