They Hanged My Saintly Billy (25 page)
I
asked
George
Bate:
'Are
you
on
good
terms
with
Dr
Palmer?'
'Oh,
yes,
Sir!'
he
answered.
'He
never
did
me
no
injury,
and is
always
ready
to
do
me
a
service;
so
if
I'm
behind-hand
with
the rent,
it's
not
his
fault.
Nor
he
don't
mind
my
doing
a
bit
of
work here,
on
the
side,
while
the
beasts
are
a-grazing.
But
I
get
dead-drunk
every
Saturday
and
Sunday
night
and
Lord,
how
the
money
flics!'
'So
you
dined
at
his
house
the
next
week?'
I
asked.
'Indeed,
Sir,
that
I
did!'
George
answered.
'I'll
never
forget
it. Mr
Cook
was
th
ere,
and
Cheshire
the
Postmaster,
and
Will Saunders,
the
trainer
from
Hednesford.
When
Jerry
Smith
brought me
into
the
dining-room,
Dr
Palmer
seemed
surprised,
but
Jerry, he
says:
"You
invited
this
gentl
eman
here,
Billy—surely
you've not
forgotten?
He's
been
looking
forward
to
a
good
dinner
all week."
Well,
the
Doctor
makes
me
welcome,
and
that
was
the first
time
I
ever
sat
down
at
a
gentleman's
table,
with
silver
spoons and
forks
and
fancy
china,
and
port
poured
from
a
decanter.
Jerry Smith
told
Saunders,
who
didn't
recognize
me:
"This
is
George Bate,
Esq.,
a
gentleman
of
property.
His
cellar
is
the
best
in Rugeley.
You'll
excuse
his
rough
appearance,
but
he's
something of
an
eccentric:
can't
be
bothered
to
dress
for
dinner,
nor
even change
his
shirt.
He's
worth
a
mint
of
money,
however."
Saunders shook
hands
with
me,
and
I
was
grateful
to
Jerry
for
putting
me at
my
ease;
but,
not
to
make
a
fool
of
myself,
I
watched
carefully how
the
other
gentlemen
handled
their
knives
and
forks.
I
kept mum,
as
you
can
guess,
except
when
a
discussion
came
up
about Lord
George
Bentinck's
victory
with
Elis
in
the
1836
St
Leger.
It happened
that
nobody
present
could
remember
the
name
of
her companion
whom
Lord
George
brought
along
with
him
travelling
from
Goodwood
to
Doncaster
in
a
six-horse
van—the
bookmakers
laid
heavily
against
Elis,
th
inking
him
a
non-runner,
for it's
a
good
two
hundred
and
fifty
miles
from
Goodwood
to Doncaster.
The
horses
got
there
in
time,
you
know,
after
stopping
over
at
Litchfield
for
a
gallop
to
loosen
them
up,
and
Elis
wasn't dead
meat
after
all—not
by
half,
he
wasn't!
So
at
last
I
opens
my trap.
"Drummer
was
the
horse
in
Lord
George's
van,"
I
says— just
that!
And
everyone
admitted
I
was
right.'
George
Bate
rambled
on
of
the
sporting
talk
heard
at
table
on that
occasion,
but
I
brought
him
quietly
back
to
the
matter
of
his life
insurance.
'Why,
for
sure,'
he
said,
'Jerry
Smith
reminded
the Doctor
about
it
after
dinner;
and
the
Doctor
protested:
"Can't
we leave
this
in
pickle
for
another
day
or
two,
lad?"
"Oh,
no,"
says Jerry,
"you
pledged
your
word
that
you'd
do
something
for George.
Now
I've
taken
the
trouble
to
get
the
papers
from
The Midland,
and
suggested
Sam
Cheshire
and
Mr
Cook
and
you
to vouch
for
him;
so
what
do
you
say?"
The
Doctor
answers:
"Very well,
Jerry,
as
you
please.
But
I've
promised
Will
Saunders
a
bit of
sport,
and
we
mustn't
waste
the
afternoon."
"True
enough," says
Jerry.
"Then
permit
me
to
take
Will
out
to
the
warren,
while you
and
Cook
show
George
how
to
sign
the
paper."
At
this, Jerry
and
Saunders
take
their
guns
and
go
out.
The
Doctor
stays, and
says
to
Mr
Cook:
"I'm
not
sure
that
the
wording's
in
order. Let's
leave
it
for
a
day
or
two."
"I'm
a
qualified
solicitor,
Billy, you
forget,"
says
Mr
Cook.
"I
think
George
had
better
sign
that paper,
here
and
now,
and
take
his
first
step
towards
prosperity." They
showed
me
where
to
sign,
and
when
Dr
Palmer
had
vouched for
my
being
healthy
and
sober,
Mr
Cook
witnessed
the
paper, and
sanded
it,
and
folded
it
away.
I
never
asked
what
amount
had been
fixed
for
the
value
of
my
life,
but
Mr
Cook,
he
looks
steadily at
Dr
Palmer,
and
says:
"We
can
fix
the
amount
later,
but
let
it be
sufficient
to
pay
George
his
advance
of
two
thousand
guineas." The
Doctor
answers
in
an
offhand
manner:
"Yes,
the
amount's
of no
consequence
for
so
long
and
valuable
a
life
as
George's.
Any sum
between
five
and
twenty-five
thousand
pounds
will
do. Come,
Johnny,
stop
fooling
and
let's
be
off!
Where's
your
rabbiting
piece?"
Then
he
asked
me:
"Will
you
join
us,
George?" But
I
shook
my
head
and
went
home.