“It’s Master Jim I’m thinking of,” said Young Billy. “It ’ud be a good thing to let him know what folk are saying.”
“It would that,” said Old Billy.
Young Billy turned again to John and Susan.
“Shall you be seeing those lasses again?” he asked.
“Yes,” said John, “as soon as ever there’s a wind for sailing. But we can’t do anything in a calm like this.”
“Well, you tell them to tell their Uncle Jim …”
“They can’t,” Titty broke in, “they’re at war with him.”
“They’ll tell him right enough,” said Young Billy. “You tell them to tell their Uncle Jim that Young Billy, that’s me, sent him word to put a good padlock on that houseboat of his if he leaves it at nights. Down in the pub at Bigland yonder there was a deal too much talk going about that houseboat and what he has in it. Nobody in these parts would touch it, but when talk gets going as far as Bigland, you never know who hears it. There’s more than plenty of wild young lads that are up to anything without thinking twice.
“Maybe nowt’ll come of it,” he went on, “but if anything did happen, I wouldn’t like to think we hadn’t told him. I was going down to see him myself, but I can’t leave the fire for a day or two yet, and if you’ll tell the lasses, that’s as good.”
“We’ll tell them,” said John.
“You won’t forget?” said Young Billy.
“No,” said Susan, pulling out her handkerchief. “Not with this.” She tied a big knot in one corner of it.