Chapter 19 The Ninth Step

The last ebb came at seven in the morning on the third day of the Long Ebb, and Nissa was already on the marsh. She had not gone to sleep. She had not gone home. She had walked out at four, with the Ledger under her arm and the slate in her hand and the straw at her feet, and she had walked to the first step and the second and the third and the fourth and the fifth and the sixth and the seventh and the eighth and the ninth. The ninth was dry under her boot. The salt was under her hand. The marsh was warm. She stood on the ninth. She did not walk further. She did not walk to Ashenholt. She did not walk to the village. She stood on the ninth with the Ledger under her arm, and the slate in her hand, and the slate had the seventh line on it, and the seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham. The water came in at seven. It came from the flat, brown and still, and did not come past the ninth. Nissa did not move. She put the Ledger down on the ninth step. She opened it. She read the second column. She read the six lines. She did not read the seventh, because the seventh line was not in the Ledger. The seventh line was on the slate, and the seventh line was gone from the slate, and the seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham. She closed the Ledger. She put it on the ninth step. She put her hand on it. The bell rang. It came from the direction of Ashenholt, and from behind her, and from inland, and from the village, and from under her boots. It was not the church bell, and it was not the Ashenholt bell. It was something older than either. It rang for an hour, and Nissa did not move, and the substitution lay on the mud beyond the ninth step, and the marsh was going to Barsham. When the bell stopped, Cuthbert came to the marsh. He walked to the eighth step and stood there. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not come to Nissa. He did not speak. "Nissa," he said at last. "Yes." "You have sent the substitution." "Yes." "To the marsh." "Yes." "To the ninth step." "Yes." "You have not sent it to Ashenholt." "No." "You have not sent the child to Ashenholt." "No." "You have not sent the boy to Ashenholt." "No." "You have not sent Barsham to Ashenholt." "No." "You have not sent the marsh to Barsham." Nissa did not answer. She put her hand on the Ledger. She stood on the eighth step. "The account," Cuthbert said. "Yes." "The account is kept." "Yes." Cuthbert looked at Nissa. He did not move. He did not come to the ninth. He stood on the eighth with his coat buttoned. "Where is the child," he said. Nissa did not answer. "Where is the boy." Nissa did not answer. "Where is Barsham." Nissa did not answer. She put her hand on the Ledger. She did not come to Cuthbert. She did not come to the ninth step. Cuthbert did not move. He did not speak. He went away. Timea came to the marsh at eleven. She walked to the eighth and stood there. She did not walk to the ninth. She did not come to Nissa. She did not speak. She held the notebook in her hand. "Timea," Nissa said. "Yes." "Give me the notebook." Timea did not give Nissa the notebook. She did not leave the notebook. She did not come to the ninth. She did not come to Nissa. She put the notebook down on the eighth step. She did not give it. She did not leave it. She did not move. She did not speak. She went away. Barsham came at noon. He walked to the eighth and stood there. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not come to Nissa. He did not speak. He held the slate in his hand, though where the slate had come from Nissa did not know, and the slate was empty, and the slate was warm. "Barsham," Nissa said. "Yes." "Give me the slate." Barsham did not give Nissa the slate. He did not leave it. He did not come to the ninth. He did not come to Nissa. He put the slate down on the eighth step. He did not give it. He did not leave it. He did not speak. He went away. Isaac came at one. He walked to the eighth and stood there. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not come to Nissa. He did not speak. He held the rope in his hand, and the rope was dry, and the rope was Barsham's, though Barsham had given the rope to Isaac some years ago. "Isaac," Nissa said. "Yes." "Give me the rope." Isaac did not give Nissa the rope. He did not leave it. He did not come to the ninth. He did not come to Nissa. He put the rope down on the eighth step. He did not give it. He did not leave it. He did not speak. He went away. The child came at two. She walked to the eighth and stood there. She did not walk to the ninth. She did not come to Nissa. She did not speak. She held her slate in her hand, and the slate was empty, and the slate was warm. "Where have you been," Nissa said. "At the marsh," the child said. "Yes." "Where is the boy." The child did not answer. She stood on the eighth with her slate in her hand. "Where is the boy." The child did not answer. She stood on the eighth. "Where is Barsham." The child did not answer. She stood on the eighth. "Where is the seventh line." The child did not answer. She stood on the eighth with her slate in her hand, and the slate was empty. "The seventh line is Barsham," Nissa said. The child did not answer. She did not move. She did not come to the ninth. She did not come to Nissa. She put her hand on the slate. She put her hand off the slate. She did not move. She did not speak. She went away. Nissa walked to the ninth step at three. She put the Ledger down on the ninth. She put her hand on it. She did not open it. She did not read it. She did not walk further. She did not walk to Ashenholt. She stood on the ninth with her hand on the Ledger, and the Ledger was on the ninth, and the ninth was the marsh. The water came in. The water came in from the flat. The flat was white and dry and gone. The water was brown and warm. The water was the marsh. The marsh was the water. The water was the account. The account was the book. The book was the Ledger. The Ledger was the Tidewarden. The Tidewarden was Nissa. Nissa was the marsh. She put her hand on the Ledger. She opened it. She read the second column. She read the six lines. She did not read the seventh line. She closed the Ledger. She put it on the ninth step. She put her hand on it. She did not move. She did not walk further. The bell rang. It came from the direction of Ashenholt. It came from the marsh. It came from inland. It came from the village. It did not stop. At six, the water was gone. The marsh was dry. The marsh was white. The marsh was flat. At seven, Nissa walked home from the marsh. She did not take the Ledger. She did not take the slate. She did not take the rope. She did not take the straw. She did not take the notebook. She did not take the substitution. She did not take the account. She did not take the book. She did not take the marsh. She did not take Barsham. She walked home with her hands empty, and her hands were hers, and her hands were the marsh, and the marsh was hers. ---