第20章 The Seventh Line

Nissa came home from the marsh at seven in the evening on the third day of the Long Ebb. The marsh was behind her, dry and white, and she walked up the shingle lane with her hands empty. She did not carry the Ledger. She did not carry the slate. She did not carry the rope or the straw or the notebook. She did not carry the substitution. She did not carry the boy. She did not carry the child. She did not carry Barsham. She did not carry the marsh. She went into the Saltwyke house. She put her hand on the door. She did not close the door behind her. She went into the kitchen. She put her hand on the slate. The slate was on the kitchen table. The slate was warm. The slate had the seventh line on it. The seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham. She did not take the slate off the table. She did not put her hand off the slate. She stood at the kitchen table with her hand on the slate. Cuthbert came to the door at eight. He did not come in. He stood on the shingle with his coat buttoned to the neck. "Nissa," he said. "Yes." "The account is kept." "Yes." "The book is kept." "Yes." "The substitution is sent." "Yes." "The child is saved." Nissa did not answer. She put her hand on the slate. She did not come to the door. She did not come to Cuthbert. She did not speak. "The boy is saved," Cuthbert said. Nissa did not answer. She put her hand on the slate. She did not come to Cuthbert. "Barsham is saved," Cuthbert said. Nissa did not answer. She put her hand on the slate. She did not come to Cuthbert. "Where is the child," Cuthbert said. Nissa did not answer. She did not come to Cuthbert. "Where is the boy." Nissa did not answer. "Where is Barsham." Nissa did not answer. She did not come to Cuthbert. She did not speak. Cuthbert did not move. He did not come in. He did not speak. He went away. Timea came to the door at nine. She did not come in. She stood on the shingle with the notebook in her hand. "Timea," Nissa said. "Yes." "Give me the notebook." Timea did not give Nissa the notebook. She did not leave it. She did not come in. She put the notebook down on the shingle. She did not give it. She did not leave it. She did not speak. She went away. Barsham came to the door at ten. He did not come in. He stood on the shingle with his coat buttoned to the neck. He held the slate in his hand. "Barsham," Nissa said. "Yes." "Give me the slate." Barsham did not give Nissa the slate. He did not leave it. He did not come in. He did not speak. He put the slate down on the shingle. He did not give it. He did not leave it. He did not speak. He went away. Isaac came to the door at eleven. He did not come in. He stood on the shingle with his coat unbuttoned. He held the rope in his hand. "Isaac," Nissa said. "Yes." "Give me the rope." Isaac did not give Nissa the rope. He did not leave it. He did not come in. He did not speak. He put the rope down on the shingle. He did not give it. He did not leave it. He did not speak. He went away. The child came to the door at twelve. She did not come in. She stood on the shingle with 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 shingle with her slate in her hand. "Where is Barsham." The child did not answer. She did not move. She did not come in. She did not speak. "Where is the seventh line." The child did not answer. She stood on the shingle with her slate in her hand, and the slate was empty, and the slate was warm. "The seventh line is Barsham," Nissa said. The child did not answer. She did not move. She did not come in. She did not speak. She put her hand on the slate. She put her hand off the slate. She went away. At one, Nissa walked to the marsh. She walked with her hands empty. Her hands were hers, and her hands were the marsh, and the marsh was hers, and the marsh was Barsham, and Barsham was the marsh. She walked to the first step. She walked to the second. She walked to the third. She walked to the fourth. She walked to the fifth. She walked to the sixth. She walked to the seventh. She walked to the eighth. She walked to the ninth. She did not walk to Ashenholt. She stood on the ninth step with her hands empty. The water was gone. The marsh was dry. The marsh was white. The marsh was flat. The marsh was Barsham. Barsham was the marsh. The marsh was going to Barsham. She stood on the ninth. She did not move. She did not walk further. She did not walk to Ashenholt. She did not walk to the village. She stood on the ninth with her hands empty. She took the Ledger out of her coat. She did not have the Ledger. She did not have the Ledger. She did not have the Ledger. She did not have the Ledger. She did not have the Ledger. She opened the Ledger. She read the second column. She read the six lines. She did not read the seventh line. She closed the Ledger. She put the Ledger on the ninth step. She put her hand on the Ledger. She did not move. She did not walk further. 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 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 three, Nissa walked home from the marsh. She walked home from the marsh with her hands empty, and her hands were hers, and her hands were the marsh, and the marsh was hers. She went into the Saltwyke house. She put her hand on the door. She did not close the door behind her. She went into the kitchen. She put her hand on the slate. The slate was on the kitchen table. The slate was warm. The slate had the seventh line on it. The seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham. She opened the Ledger. She put the Ledger on the kitchen table. She put the Ledger under the slate. She put her hand on the Ledger. She put her hand on the slate. She put her hand on the seventh line. She put her hand on the marsh. She put her hand on Barsham. She put her hand on the marsh. She put her hand on the seventh line. She wrote on the seventh line of the Ledger, in her own hand, in the ink Merle had used, in the ink that was the colour of dried blood. She wrote on the seventh line of the Ledger. She did not write the seventh line. She wrote the seventh line. She wrote the seventh line, and the seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham, and the seventh line was in the Ledger, and the seventh line was on the slate, and the seventh line was on the marsh, and the seventh line was Barsham, and Barsham was the marsh, and the marsh was Barsham, and the marsh was going to Barsham. She wrote the seventh line on the Ledger, and the seventh line was for the next Tidewarden, and the next Tidewarden was going to read the seventh line, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the account, and the next Tidewarden was going to send the substitution, and the next Tidewarden was going to say a prayer, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the book, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the slate, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the marsh, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the boy, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the child, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep Barsham, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the Ledger, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the Tide, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep the Tidewarden, and the next Tidewarden was going to keep Nissa. She closed the Ledger. She put the Ledger on the shelf with its back to the wall. She put her hand on the slate. She put her hand on the seventh line. She put her hand on the marsh. She put her hand on Barsham. She did not move. She did not speak. She did not say anything. She stood at the kitchen table with her hand on the slate, and the slate was warm, and the slate had the seventh line on it, and the seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham. 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. The bell did not stop. It kept ringing through the whole hour. Nissa did not move. She did not speak. She stood at the kitchen table with her hand on the slate. The bell stopped. Nissa did not move. She did not speak. She stood at the kitchen table with her hand on the slate. Cuthbert came to the door. He did not come in. He did not speak. He did not say anything. He went away. Timea came to the door. She did not come in. She did not speak. She did not say anything. She went away. Barsham came to the door. He did not come in. He did not speak. He did not say anything. He went away. Isaac came to the door. He did not come in. He did not speak. He did not say anything. He went away. The child came to the door. She did not come in. She did not speak. She did not say anything. She went away. The bell did not ring again. The marsh was quiet. The marsh was dry. The marsh was white. The marsh was flat. The marsh was Barsham. Barsham was the marsh. The marsh was going to Barsham. Outside the window, on the marsh, the boy walked out of the flat. He walked across the mud to the first step. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not walk to Ashenholt. He did not come to Nissa. He did not come to the Saltwyke house. He stood on the first step with his slate in his hand, and the slate was empty, and the slate was warm, and the slate had the seventh line on it, and the seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham. Nissa did not move. She did not speak. She did not come to the door. She did not come to the marsh. She did not come to the boy. She stood at the kitchen table with her hand on the slate. The boy walked to the second. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not walk to Ashenholt. He did not come to Nissa. He did not come to the Saltwyke house. He walked to the second step with his slate in his hand. The boy walked to the third. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not walk to Ashenholt. He did not come to Nissa. He walked to the third step with his slate in his hand. The boy walked to the fourth. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not walk to Ashenholt. He did not come to Nissa. He walked to the fourth step with his slate in his hand. The boy walked to the fifth. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not walk to Ashenholt. He did not come to Nissa. He walked to the fifth step with his slate in his hand. The boy walked to the sixth. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not walk to Ashenholt. He did not come to Nissa. He walked to the sixth step with his slate in his hand. The boy walked to the seventh. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not walk to Ashenholt. He did not come to Nissa. He walked to the seventh step with his slate in his hand. The boy walked to the eighth. He did not walk to the ninth. He did not walk to Ashenholt. He did not come to Nissa. He walked to the eighth step with his slate in his hand. The boy walked to the ninth step. He put his slate on the ninth step. He did not put his hand on the slate. He did not put his hand on the marsh. He did not put his hand on the tide. He did not put his hand on the account. He did not put his hand on the book. He did not put his hand on the Ledger. He put his slate on the ninth step. The boy walked away from the ninth step. He walked back to the eighth. He walked back to the seventh. He walked back to the sixth. He walked back to the fifth. He walked back to the fourth. He walked back to the third. He walked back to the second. He walked back to the first. He walked back to the shingle. He walked back to the Saltwyke house. He did not come to the door. He did not come to Nissa. He did not come to the kitchen. He did not come to the slate. He did not come to the Ledger. He walked back to the shingle with his hands empty, and his hands were empty, and his hands were his, and his hands were the marsh, and the marsh was his. He stood on the shingle in front of the Saltwyke house. He did not come in. He did not speak. He did not say anything. He did not come to the door. He did not come to Nissa. He stood on the shingle with his hands empty, and his hands were empty, and his hands were his, and his hands were the marsh, and the marsh was his. 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. The bell did not stop. The bell rang for an hour. Nissa did not move. She did not speak. She did not come to the door. She did not come to the marsh. She did not come to the boy. She stood at the kitchen table with her hand on the slate. The bell stopped. Nissa did not move. She did not speak. She did not come to the door. She did not come to the marsh. She did not come to the boy. She stood at the kitchen table with her hand on the slate, and the slate was warm, and the slate had the seventh line on it, and the seventh line read that the marsh was going to Barsham. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the account. The next Tidewarden was going to send the substitution. The next Tidewarden was going to say a prayer. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the book. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the slate. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the marsh. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the boy. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the child. The next Tidewarden was going to keep Barsham. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the Ledger. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the Tide. The next Tidewarden was going to keep the Tidewarden. The next Tidewarden was going to keep Nissa. The marsh was going to Barsham. Barsham was going to the marsh. The marsh was going to Barsham. Barsham was going to the marsh. The marsh was going to Barsham. Barsham was going to the marsh.