Smuggler's Moon Read Free Page B

importance than he had previously supposed. And so it proved to be.
    As we bumped toward the residence of the Lord Chief Justice in Bloomsbury Square, it occurred to me that this might be the moment to raise this embarrassing matter of the implied promise of consideration made to Mr. Henry Curtin. Yet soon as it had entered my mind, I dismissed it: no, this was emphatically
not
the right moment. I recognized that, after all, I should have to confess to him what had been done and said, embarrassing though it be, but with him now in this odd state of upset, the matter could and should wait.
    The hackney driver reined in the horses before the residence of William Murray, Earl of Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice. It was an imposing structure by any standard, the largest of any of the grand houses in the square. As I paid the driver, Sir John sought to find his bearings that he might reach the front door without assistance. Alas, he could not. He wandered, looking somewhat befuddled, awaiting my assistance.
    By the time I caught him up, the door to the residence had opened, and there stood two men, obviously saying their goodbyes. One of them I recognized immediately as Lord Mansfield; the second I had never seen before. Both seemed to catch sight of Sir John at the same time; it was Lord Mansfield, however, who waved to him.
    “Sir John!” he called out. ”How fortunate you’ve come!”
    They were together in a moment’s time; Lord Mansfield introduced him to George Eccles, who had just been taking his leave. Mr. Eccles, it seemed, was Chief Customs Officer for eastern Kent. He explained that he would be unable to stay longer, much as he would like to, for he had, at the last moment, been given an appointment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
    ”And it’s either take it when it is offered or wait a week or a month for another bit of time to come open.”
    “Never having had dealings direct with the Chancellor of the Exchequer,” said Sir John, ”I must take your word for it, but from what I have heard, Mr. Eccles, I can well imagine your difficulty.”
    “Though I should like to stay on and explain the situation to you, I cannot. Yet in any practical way, it is of no matter, for Lord Mansfield here has all the details—at least all those which do pertain to the judiciary’s part of the problem.”
    “Oh?” said Sir John. ”And what is the problem?”
    “I shall explain it all,” said the Lord Chief Justice.
    “Very well, Lord Mansfield, I shall look forward to a more complete explanation from you.”
    Taking that as the proper moment to depart, Mr. Eccles inclined his head sharply in a precise little bow, seemed to wait for Sir John’s answering bob of the head, and then scampered off to claim the hackney in which we had arrived from Bow Street. Somewhere between the door of Lord Mansfield’s residence and the door to the coach, he called out a goodbye. I did not like the fellow.
    “Was I tardy?” Sir John asked Lord Mansfield.
    “By no means,” said the Chief Justice. ”I was given to understand that he wished to come and discuss a matter at length. As it happened, I had the day without cases, and so I was willing to devote the entire afternoon to it. That was how I framed my invitation to you, was it not?”
    “Yes, but for some reason, about half an hour past I suddenly felt a great sense of urgency in getting over here.”
    “Hmmm,” said Lord Mansfield, looking at him a bit queerly, ”that would probably have been about the time that he arrived. He came in, blurted out an accusation, and explained that he must get on to an appointment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He certainly lets one knowwhere he stands in relative importance to members of the government, does he not?”
    “Yes, I see what you mean.”
    This brief conversation took place at the open door to the residence. It concluded there when the host offered an invitation to ”come along to my study, and we shall talk this