lair
he had lighted. Uglier persons than gipsies were known to cross Egdon at
times, and a reddleman was one of them.

"How I wish 'twas only a gipsy!" he murmured.

The man was by this time coming back from the horses. In his fear of
being seen the boy rendered detection certain by nervous motion. The
heather and peat stratum overhung the brow of the pit in mats, hiding
the actual verge. The boy had stepped beyond the solid ground; the
heather now gave way, and down he rolled over the scarp of grey sand to
the very foot of the man.

The red man opened the lantern and turned it upon the figure of the
prostrate boy.

"Who be ye?" he said.

"Johnny Nunsuch, master!"

"What were you doing up there?"

"I don't know."

"Watching me, I suppose?"

"Yes, master."

"What did you watch me for?"

"Because I was coming home from Miss Vye's bonfire."

"Beest hurt?"

"No."

"Why, yes, you be--your hand is bleeding. Come under my tilt and let me
tie it up."

"Please let me look for my sixpence."

"How did you come by that?"

"Miss Vye gied it to me for keeping up her bonfire."

The sixpence was found, and the man went to the van, the boy behind,
almost holding his breath.

The man took a piece of rag from a satchel containing sewing materials,
tore off a strip, which, like everything else, was tinged red, and
proceeded to bind up the wound.

"My eyes have got foggy-like--please may I sit down, master?" said the
boy.

"To be sure, poor chap. 'Tis enough to make you feel fainty. Sit on that
bundle."

The man finished tying up the gash, and the boy said, "I think I'll go
home now, master."

"You are rather afraid of me. Do you know what I be?"

The child surveyed his vermilion figure up and down with much misgiving
and finally said, "Yes."

"Well, what?"

"The reddleman!" he faltered.

"Yes, that's what I be. Though there's more than one. You little
children think there's only one cuckoo, one fox, one giant, one devil,
and one reddleman, when there's lots of us all."

"Is there? You won't carry me off in your bags, will ye, master? 'Tis
said that the reddleman will sometimes."

"Nonsense. All that reddlemen do is sell reddle. You see all these bags
at the back of my cart? They are not full of little boys--only full of
red stuff."

"Was you born a reddleman?"

"No, I took to it. I should be as white as you if I were to give up the
trade--that is, I should be white in time--perhaps six months;