第29章 The Rain and the Crossing

The rain came on the hundred-and-third day, and it came at noon, and it came up off the river, and it came down the lane in sheets, and it came to the crossing, and at the crossing the lane crossed the river on a bridge of stone, and the stone was old, and the stone had a hole in the middle, and the rain was in the hole, and the water was in the hole, and the crossing was the crossing. Peth was walking the lane, and the boy had his case, and the boy had his boots, and the boy had his chalk, and the rain was in the boy's face, and the rain was on the boy's hands, and the chalk was in the boy's pocket, and the case was on the boy's back, and the boots were wet, and the mud was cold, and the rain came down and the boy went on. He came to the crossing at the fourth corner, and he looked at the bridge, and the bridge had a stone, and the stone had a notch, and the notch was white, and the chalk was white, and the stone was the stone, and the notch was the notch, and the chalk was the chalk. Then he saw something on the bridge, and he saw it because the rain had stopped for a moment and the sun came through, and on the bridge there was a bundle, and the bundle was wrapped in brown paper, and the brown paper was wet, and the bundle had a cord around it, and the cord was Mistress Ryley's cord. The boy stood at the foot of the bridge and he looked at the bundle, and the bundle was small, and the bundle was wrapped well, and the bundle had no mark, and the bundle had no chalk, and the bundle had no cord that was cut, and the boy said, "What is this." He went up the bridge and he took the bundle, and the bundle was warm, and the bundle was small, and the bundle had the market's cord, and he set the bundle on the stone at the fourth corner, and he sat down on the stone, and he looked at the bundle, and he did not open it. "I have a bundle," he said to the stone. "Then you have a bundle," said the stone, and the stone did not say anything, because a stone does not say anything, and the boy knew that, and the boy sat on the stone with the bundle in his lap, and the rain came back, and the water went into the hole in the bridge, and the rain came down on the bundle, and the bundle was wet, and the boy did not open the bundle. Kessin came up the lane at four, and she had the ledger, and she had her coat, and she had her boots, and she had been walking the lane because the lane was wet, and she came to the crossing, and she saw Peth on the stone with the bundle, and she said, "You have a bundle." "I have a bundle," said Peth. "Where did it come from," said Kessin. "I do not know," said Peth. "I do not know," said Kessin. "I have not seen anyone," said Peth. "I have not seen anyone," said Kessin. "Then someone has put it here," said Peth. "Then someone has put it here," said Kessin. "It has the market's cord," said Peth. "It has the market's cord," said Kessin. "Then it is from the market," said Peth. "Then it is from the market," said Kessin. "It has no mark," said Peth. "It has no mark," said Kessin. "Then it is for no one," said Peth. "Then it is for no one," said Kessin. "Then it is for the hall," said Peth. "Then it is for the hall," said Kessin. They sat on the stone at the fourth corner with the bundle between them, and the rain came down, and the water went into the hole, and the river was under the mist, and the hedge was green, and the mist was going down, and the sun came through the rain, and the rain came back, and the boy did not open the bundle, and Kessin did not open the bundle, and they sat there for an hour, and the bundle was warm, and the rain was cold, and the stone was wet, and the chalk was still white on the notch. "Then we will carry it to the hall," said Peth. "Then we will carry it to the hall," said Kessin. They carried the bundle to the hall, and the bundle was wet, and the bundle was warm, and they set the bundle on the table, and Kessin took the cord and she untied it, and she took the paper off, and inside the paper was a small tin box, and the tin box had a lid, and the lid had a chip in the rim, and the chip was white. "I know that chip," said Kessin. "I know that chip," said Peth. "The kettle had a chip in the rim," said Peth. "The kettle had a chip in the rim," said Kessin. She opened the tin box, and inside the tin box was a card, and the card was white, and the card had no writing on it, and the card had the market's mark on it, and the mark was Mistress Ryley's, and Mistress Ryley's mark was a small fish, and the fish was stamped in the paper. "The seventh card," said Kessin. "The seventh card," said Peth. "The seventh card is white," said Kessin. "The seventh card is white," said Peth. "Then the seventh name is coming," said Peth. "Then the seventh name is coming," said Kessin. She put the card on the table and she took the tin box and she set the tin box on the shelf, and she took the ledger and she wrote on the page, and she wrote: a bundle from the market at Gillanwick, to the crossing, at the fourth corner, with a card, with the market's mark, with no name. She put the pen down, and the rain was going down, and the sun was over the mill, and the hedge was green, and the river was under the mist, and the board had twelve cards on it, and the tenth was white, and the seventh was coming. ---