Oakhurst.



CHAPTER XII



Mrs Caffyn's house was a roomy old cottage near the church, with a
bow-window in which were displayed bottles of 'suckers,' and of Day &
Martin's blacking, cotton stuffs, a bag of nuts and some mugs, cups
and saucers. Inside were salt butter, washing-blue, drapery,
treacle, starch, tea, tobacco and snuff, cheese, matches, bacon, and
a few drugs, such as black draught, magnesia, pills, sulphur, dill-
water, Dalby's Carminative, and steel-drops. There was also a small
stock of writing-paper, string and tin ware. A boy was behind the
counter. When Mrs Caffyn was out he always asked the customers who
desired any article, the sale of which was in any degree an art, to
call again when she returned. He went as far as those things which
were put up in packets, such as what were called 'grits' for making
gruel, and he was also authorised to venture on pennyworths of
liquorice and peppermints, but the sale of half-a-dozen yards of
cotton print was as much above him as the negotiation of a treaty of
peace would be to a messenger in the Foreign Office. In fact,
nobody, excepting children, went into the shop when Mrs Caffyn was
not to be seen there, and, if she had to go to Dorking or Letherhead
on business, she always chose the middle of the day, when the folk
were busy at their homes or in the fields. Poor woman! she was much
tried. Half the people who dealt with her were in her debt, but she
could not press them for her money. During winter-time they were