aightened
himself up, and brought his fist down on the table. "Come," he cried,
"let us have done with this fencing. You want me to pay you five
hundred pounds. Is that it?"

"For the letter--that's it," said Jacob.

"And if I refuse to do so you mean to publish it abroad that I have
married a wicked woman?"

"Aw, when did we say so?" said Jacob.

"No matter what you say. You want five hundred pounds?"

"For the letter."

"Answer. You want five hundred pounds?"

"For the letter."

"Then you shall not have one sixpence. Do you think I would pay you
for a thing like that? Listen to me. I would give you all the wealth
of the world, if I had it, never to have heard your evil news."

"That won't pass, master," said Jacob. "It's easy said now the
letter's gone, and no danger left. But five hundred pounds I'll have
or I'll not leave Iceland till Iceland knows something more than she
knows to-day."

"Say what you like, do what you like," cried Michael Sunlocks; "but
if ever you set foot in this house again, I'll clap every man of you
in jail for blackmailing."

III.

Out again in the chilly dusky air, with the hard snow under foot, the
Fairbrothers trudged along. Jacob gloomed as dark as any pitch, and
Thurstan's red eyes, like fire of ice, probed him with a burning
delight.

"I always said so," Asher whimpered; and then over Jacob's stooping
shoulder he whispered, "I'll take half of what you offered me, and
leave you to it."

Hearing that Thurstan laughed fiercely, and repeated his hot
christenings of two days before--"Numskull! tomfool! blatherskite!"
and yet choicer names beside. Jacob bore all and showed no rancor,
but trampled along ahead of the others, crestfallen, crushed, and
dumb. And, left to themselves for conversation and comfort, his
brethren behind compared notes together.

"Strange! He doesn't seem to care what is thought of his wife," said
John.

"Aw, what's disgrace to a craythur same as that? Like mother like
son," said Ross.

"She had better have married the other one," said Asher, "and I
always said so."

"It's self, self, self, with a man like yonder," said Stean.

"Curse him for a selfish brute," said John.

"Aw, an unfeeling monster," said Ross.

And with such heat of anger these generous souls relieved themselves
on the name of Michael Sunlocks.

"Boys," said Thurstan, "maybe he has no feeling for the girl, but
I'll go bail he has some for himself, and I wouldn't trust