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At this Mary’s joy was abounding. “Put you up the banns,” she said.

“Lots of days there is. Wait until I’ve bought the place.”

Mary tightened her inner garments and loosened her outer garments, and every evening she came to the shop to prepare food for Evan, to make his bed, and to minister to him as a woman.

Now the daily custom at the shop was twelve gallons of milk, and the tea packets and flour bags which were on shelves were empty. Evan’s anger was awful. He upbraided Mary, and he prayed to be shown how to worst Dai. His prayer was respected: at the end of the second week he gave Dai two pounds more than he had given him the week before.

“Brisk is trade,” said Dai.

“I took into stock flour, tea, and four tins of job biscuits,” replied Evan. “Am I not your servant?”

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

It was so that Evan bought more than he would sell, and each week he held a little money by fraud; and matches also and bundles of firewood and soap did he buy in Dai’s name.

In the middle of the eighth week Dai came down to the shop.

“How goes it?” he asked in English.

“Fine, man. Fine.” Changing his language, Evan said: “Keep her will I, and give you the money as I pledged. Take you the sum and sign you the paper bach.”

Having acted accordingly, Dai cast his gaze on the shelves and on the floor, and he walked about judging aloud the value of what he saw: “Tea, three-pound-ten; biscuits, four-six; flour, four-five; firewood, five shillings; matches, one-ten; soap, one pound. Bring you these to Petersham. Put you them with the bed and the dishes I kindly lent you.”

“For sure me, fulfil my pledge will I,” Evan said.

He assembled Dai’s belongings and placed them in a cart which he had borrowed; and on the back of the cart he hung a Chinese lantern which had in it a lighted candle. When he arrived at Dai’s house, he cried: “Here is your ownings. Unload you them.”

Dai examined the inside of the cart. “Mistake there is, Evan. Where’s the stock?”

“Did I not pay you for your stock and shop? Forgetful you are.”

Dai’s wrath was such that neither could he blaspheme God nor invoke His help. Removing the slabber which was gathered in his beard and at his mouth, he shouted: “Put police on you will I.”

“Away must I now,” said Evan. “Come, take your bed.”

“Not touch anything will I. Rachel, witness his roguery. Steal he does from the religious.”

Evan drove off, and presently he became uneasy of the evil that might befall him were Dai and Rachel to lay their hands on him; he led his horse into the unfamiliar and hard and steep road which goes up to the Star and Garter, and which therefrom falls into Richmond town. At what time he was at the top he heard the sound of Dai and Rachel running to him, each screaming upon him to stop. Rachel seized the bridle of the horse, and Dai tried to climb over the back of the cart. Evan bent forward and beat the woman with his whip, and she leaped aside. But Dai did not release his clutch, and because the lantern swayed before his face he flung it into the cart.

Evan did not hear any more voices, and misdeeming that he had got the better of his enemies, he turned, and, lo, the bed was in a yellow flame. He strengthened his legs and stretched out his thin upper lip, and pulled at the reins, saying: “Wo, now.” But the animal thrust up its head and on a sudden galloped downwards. At the railing which divides two roads it was hindered, and Evan was thrown upon the ground. Men came forward to lift him, and he was dead.