Page:Hornung - Fathers of Men.djvu/306

 Mulberry lurched a little nearer. Jan shook his head with a grin.

"It may come in useful, Mulberry, if you ever get drunk enough to do as you threaten." "Useful, may it?"

If the red eyes fixed on Jan had been capable of flashing, they would have done so now. They merely watered as though with blood. Till this moment man and boy had been only less preoccupied with the flies than with each other. Mulberry with the battered hat had vied with Jan and his handkerchief in keeping the little brutes at bay. But at this point the swollen sot allowed the flies to cover his hideousness like a spotted veil. It was only for seconds, yet to Jan it was almost proof that the scamp had something to fear, that his pressure on Evan was rather more than extortionate. His expressionless stare had turned suddenly expressive. That could not be the flies. Nor was it only what Jan thought it was.

"I've seen you before, young feller!" exclaimed Mulberry.

"You've had chances enough of seeing me these four years."

"I don't mean at school. I don't mean at school," repeated Mulberry, racking his muddled wits for whatever it might be that he did mean. Jan was under no such necessity; already he was back at the fair, that wet and fateful night in March—but he did not intend Mulberry to join him there again.

"It's no good you trying to change the subject, Mulberry! I've got your letter to Mr. Devereux, and you'll hear more about it if you go making trouble at the school. If you want trouble, Mulberry, you shall have all the trouble you want, and p'r'aps we'll give the police a bit more to make 'em happy! See? But I came to