Dance of the Years by Margery Allingham Page A

as he had men employed. He used a different wood for each man, and cut each twig square so that it had four level sides. For one whole day’s work he cut a corner notch in the wood; for a quarter day’swork he slashed one side; for half a day’s, two sides; for three-quarter’s, three sides; and for a full day and a quarter’s overtime, he cut only one side and a notch as well. At the end of the week he counted all the notches and slashes and paid out by the reckoning. Since the arrangement was apt to become confusing and had led in the past to many arguments, each man on entering Jason’s service was re-christened by the name of the wood of his tally stick as soon as he was hired, and was never called by any other name. As time went on all the commoner trees had their man, and so when the latest lad came to work at the stables, Jason begged a branch of the foreign tree from the Hall glasshouse, and called his new hand Eucalyptus.
    When the young James went down to the stables that day, these were the people who eyed him. They were not stupid people, not serfs, but shrewd, practical folk of great determination.
    After a brief greeting which was friendly, but not respectful, Jason and Larch walked slowly into the stable yard talking together, and James followed them, realizing he was forgotten. At first he was half a mind to go off in a rage and stamp in the field again, but a certain dogged control asserted itself in him. Galantry would just have recognized it, but it was not strong in him.
    James dropped into step behind the two men. He was biding his time. As the third most important person in the world he intended to assert his position as soon as a convenient opportunity should appear. He felt very strong physically, his shoulders and chest felt strong; all his life he kept that awareness of the strength of his body. Other people he found out afterwards were seldom conscious of their bodies at all, unless there was something wrong with them. He was not like this, he knew the whole time. His strength made him laugh sometimes; a little snort of secret pleasure. Even when he grew old he used to snort in the same way at the same thing; but by that time, naturally, his mind was so full that it had no leisure to remark what it was that pleased him.
    Just now, of course, he was at his green best. Adolescence was still far away, and he was fighting fit to tackle the elementary. His senses were beautifully clean and sharp, his emotional nature fearless; and his nice, simple brain new and sweet running. He felt a little god, not proud, just god-like.
    The yard they entered seemed so long that it made him think of the High Street in the town he had once visited, and he was gratified to think he had a third share in owning it. There was a square archway under a loft at the far end, and there the cobbles rose to make a little hill, so that he could only see a strip of green beyond. It looked like a very dull picture in a wooden frame.
    The air reeked of horses; a smell so very strong to his super-sensitivenose that it made his eyes water. But he found it exciting as well as unpleasant. There were horse sounds about, too; these were lumberings, the vicious noise of iron on stone, and vasty breathings and sighings, all horribly lovely. This nice nasty element which was new to his direct mind puzzled him a little. He hoped there was nothing wicked in it, and his next thought was that even so, it was worth it.
    At first he thought the place was deserted by people, but presently he heard voices coming through the archway. These were followed by a terrible sound. He had heard a stallion trumpeting before; no one living near Jason’s yard could have avoided it, but this time it was much nearer and the triumph in it was uppermost. God Almighty, what a sound! His face and head tingled in a sudden network of pain as his nerves jangled, and he squealed aloud.
    Larch turned round very slowly, as old men