The Toll-Gate Read Online Free Page A

protection of shepherds. It was dusk when the Captain, leading Beau, dropped off the moor into a small village, which boasted not only a forge, but an alehouse as well. The smith had gone home, and by the time he had been fetched from his cottage, and the fire had been blown up again, not only had the last of the daylight vanished, but the rain, which had held off all day, had begun to fall. There was no possibility of racking up for the night at the alehouse, but bait was forthcoming for man and beast. Captain Staple ate a hearty meal of ham and eggs, lit one of his Spanish cigarillos, and went out to see what hope there might be of the weather's clearing. There was plainly none. The rain was falling with persistent steadiness, and not a star was to be seen. The Captain resigned himself to a wet ride, and sought counsel of the landlord. This was his undoing. The worthy man not only knew of a comfortable inn a few miles distant, but, anxious to be helpful, directed the Captain to it by what he assured him was the shortest route. He said that the Captain could not miss it, and no doubt the Captain would not have missed it if the landlord had not omitted to tell him that when he bade him take the first lane on the right he did not mean the track which, as every native of those parts knew, led winding upwards to the moor, and ended at a small farmstead. It was an hour later when the Captain, trusting his instinct, and riding steadily southward, found a lane which, rough though it was, seemed likely to lead to some village, or pike road. He followed this, noting with satisfaction that it ran slightly downhill, and within a short space of time knew that his guess had been correct. The lane ran into a broader road, which crossed it at right angles. Captain Staple had no very certain idea where he was, but he was reasonably sure that Sheffield lay to the east, probably at no great distance, so he turned left-handed into the larger road. The rain dripped from the brim of his hat, and mud generously splashed his top-boots, but the heavy frieze cloak had so far kept him fairly dry. He leaned forward to pat Beau's streaming neck, saying encouragingly: "Not much farther now, old chap!"
    A bend in the road brought into view an encouraging sight. A small light glowed ahead, which, from its position, the Captain judged to be the lantern hung upon a toll-gate. "Come, now, Beau!" he said, in heartening accents. "We're on the right track, at all events! If this is a pike road, it must lead to some town!"
    He rode on, and soon saw that he had indeed reached a pike. The light, though very dim, enabled him to see that it was shut, and guarded, on the northern side of the road, by a gatehouse. No light was visible in the house, and the door was shut. "Cross-country road, not much used," the Captain informed Beau. He raised his voice, shouting imperatively: "Gate!"
    Nothing happened. "Do I dismount, and open it for myself?" enquired the Captain. "No, I'll be damned if I do! Gate, I say! Gate! Turn out, there, and be quick about it!"
    The door in the centre of the gatehouse opened a little way, and a feeble glimmer of lantern-light was cast across the road. "Well, come along!" said the Captain impatiently. "Open up, man!"
    After a moment's hesitation, this summons was obeyed. The gatekeeper came out into the road, and revealed himself, in the light of the lantern he carried, to be of diminutive stature. The Captain, looking down at him in some surprise, as he stood fumbling with the gate-tickets, discovered him to be a skinny urchin, certainly not more than thirteen years old, and probably less. The lantern's glow revealed a scared young face, freckled, and slightly tear-stained. He said: "Hallo, what's this? Are you the gatekeeper?"
    "N-no, sir. Me dad is," responded the youth, with a gulp.
    "Well, where is your dad?"
    Another gulp. "I dunno." A ticket was held up. "Frippence, please, your honour, an' it opens the next two gates."
    But the Captain's