第15章 The Substitution

Barsham came to the Saltwyke house on the third morning, at eight, with the substitution over his shoulder. He did not come in. He stood on the shingle with the bundle in his hand. The bundle was straw, nine lengths of it, folded tight and tied with a cord of flannel. The flannel was the flannel of the schoolhouse linens, the kind Barsham had used for the third ledger's binding. The cord was Barsham's. The straw was the straw of the marsh. Nissa looked at the bundle. She did not take it. She stood in the doorway with her hand on the frame, and the door stood open, and the room behind her was cold, and the slate was on the kitchen table, and the slate was warm. "Barsham," she said. "Where is the child." Barsham looked at her. He did not answer. He looked at the bundle. He did not put it down. He did not offer it. "The child," Nissa said. Barsham did not answer. He looked at the marsh. He looked at the sky. He put his hand on the bundle. He did not put it down. "The boy," Nissa said. Barsham did not answer. He put his hand on his chest. He put his hand off his chest. He looked at Nissa. He did not say anything. "I am going to walk out to the marsh," Nissa said. "I am going to walk to the ninth step. I am going to walk to Ashenholt. I am going to find the child and bring her back, and I am going to keep the account, and I am going to send the substitution, and I am going to say a prayer, and the account is going to be kept, and nothing else is going to be done." Barsham did not move. He did not answer. He did not come in. He did not leave. He stood on the shingle with the bundle in his hand. Nissa took the bundle from him. She did not ask. She put her hands around the straw, and Barsham's hand came off the bundle, and the bundle was warm, and the straw was dry, and the straw was the marsh, and the marsh was going to Barsham. "Barsham," Nissa said. "You came to give me the substitution." "I came to give you the substitution." "You did not come to say where the child is." Barsham did not answer. He put his hand on his chest. He put his hand off his chest. He did not come in. He did not leave. He stood on the shingle. "The boy," Nissa said. Barsham did not answer. He put his hand off his chest. He stepped back. He looked at the marsh. He did not move. He did not say anything. "Barsham," Nissa said. "Is the boy at Ashenholt." Barsham did not answer. "Is the boy at Ashenholt." Barsham did not answer. He did not move. He put his hand on his chest. He put his hand off his chest. He did not say anything. He did not leave. He stood on the shingle with the marsh behind him. Nissa did not ask again. She took the bundle. She went into the Saltwyke house. She put the bundle on the kitchen table beside the slate. She did not ask Barsham to come in. She did not ask Barsham to leave. She did not ask Barsham where the boy was, or where the child was, or where the account was, or where the marsh was. She put her hand on the slate. She put her hand on the bundle. She stood at the kitchen table with her hand on the slate and her hand on the bundle, and the slate was warm, and the bundle was warm, and the slate had the seventh line on it, and the seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham. Barsham did not come in. He did not leave. He stood on the shingle. Nissa stood in the doorway. She did not close the door. She did not open it any wider. She stood with her hand on the frame, and Barsham stood with his hands on his chest, and the bundle was on the kitchen table, and the slate was on the kitchen table, and the Ledger was on the shelf. At nine, Barsham went away. He did not say anything. He did not come in. He did not leave the bundle on the shingle. He took the bundle with him. Nissa did not take it back. She let him take it. She stood in the doorway with her hand on the frame, and the door stood open, and the room behind her was cold, and the slate was on the table, and the slate was warm, and the slate had the seventh line on it. At ten, Timea came to the door. She did not come in. She stood on the shingle with her notebook in her hand, and she did not give Nissa the notebook, and she did not leave it, and she did not come in, and she did not leave, and she did not say anything. At eleven, Cuthbert came to the door. He did not come in. He stood on the shingle with his coat buttoned, and he did not give Nissa the prayer, and he did not take the prayer, and he did not say anything. At noon, Isaac came to the door. He did not come in. He stood on the shingle with his coat unbuttoned, and he did not give Nissa the rope, and he did not take the rope, and he did not say anything. At one, the child came to the door. She did not come in. She stood on the shingle with her slate in her hand, and she did not give Nissa the slate, and she did not take the slate, and she did not say anything, and she did not look at Nissa, and she did not look at the marsh, and she did not look at the slate, and she did not look at the door, and she stood on the shingle, and Nissa stood in the doorway, and the door stood open, and the room behind her was cold. "She heard the bell," the child said. "Yes," Nissa said. "She heard it on the second day." "Yes." "She heard it on the third day." "Yes." "She heard it on the morning of the Long Ebb." "Yes." "She heard it at three in the morning." "Yes." "She heard it at six in the morning." "Yes." "She heard it at nine in the morning." "Yes." "She heard it at noon." "Yes." "She heard it at one in the afternoon." "Yes." "She heard it at two in the afternoon." "Yes." "She is here," the child said. "She is here, and the slate is here, and the bell is here, and the marsh is here, and the marsh is going to Barsham." ---