Tombland

Though struggling under the load, the boy picked up his pace. Someone from inside the building approached the man with a list, and he turned away. At that moment three other boys, in apprentices’ robes, who had been loitering near the cart, ran across to the boy, one of them kicking his feet from under him so that he fell forward. The bale, despite the boy’s frantic attempt to grab it, landed in the mud of a puddle drying after the rains. The three boys shouted, ‘Sooty Scambler’s done it again!’ The man in the doorway turned round, frowned mightily, and walked rapidly over. He looked with dismay at his bale of cloth. He dragged it from the mud, then stood over the boy, who was rising to his feet, a puzzled expression on his face. The three apprentices who had caused his fall stood around, serious-faced now. One shook his head disapprovingly.

Scambler’s employer shouted, ‘Look what you’ve done now, you shanny, buffle-headed—’

Nicholas marched over to him. ‘If you please, sir! Those three tripped him, we saw it!’

Toby sighed. ‘I’ve said before, we need to keep the peace.’

‘Those boys should not be allowed to get away with that,’ I answered, going to join Nicholas. Toby followed reluctantly.

The stallholder was glowering at Nicholas. ‘You keep your nose out, young master lawyer! I’ve had six weeks of Sooty Scambler’s nonnying about and I’ve had enough. Get out, Scambler! If you had any family left, I’d sue them in the mayor’s court for damage to my cloth!’

‘Excuse me, sir,’ I said firmly. ‘But my assistant is right. Those boys tripped your employee. All three of us saw it.’

‘We did not,’ the apprentices chorused in outraged unison. The boy Scambler stared at them, the startled expression on his face turning slowly to a frown. ‘Did they?’ he asked quietly.

I looked at him more closely, wondering if he was a wantwit, but his eyes, though full of perplexity, did not have the vacancy of a fool.

The stallholder was still furious. ‘You think my poor Norfolk wit not up to knowing my own workers?’ He pointed a shaking finger at the three boys. ‘Those lads are apprenticed to respectable Norwich freemen. Scambler’s a careless fool without the concentration of a sheep. His own father, that was a chimbly sweep, had to sack him because, little bag of bones though he is, he kept getting stuck up people’s flues.’ That explained the nickname Sooty.

One of the apprentices heaved up the muddy bundle of cloth and handed it to the stallholder. He nodded thanks. Scambler, tears in his eyes now, said, ‘They must have tripped me. I was watching my footing, master!’

In reply, the stallholder smacked him hard round the face. ‘Get out! Don’t come near my stall again!’ He glared at us. ‘Lawyers! Furriners!’ He spat viciously on the ground, then went into the warehouse and slammed the door. The three apprentices ran off, laughing. As they disappeared into one of the alleyways, one sang tunelessly, ‘Soo-ty Scambler, Soo-ty Scambler! Li-ttle buffle-headed cunt.’ Scambler stared after them with tears coursing down his face. I said gently, ‘I did my best, lad, I’m sorry.’

‘It was kind, sir, I thank you.’

I felt in my purse and handed the lad a shilling. ‘Why did those boys do that?’ I asked. Scambler shook his head, then blinked, the tears flowing faster now. ‘People do things like that to me,’ he said quietly. ‘I don’t know why.’

Toby said impatiently, ‘Come, lad, stop weeping. Be a man.’

Scambler looked at him, then suddenly turned and ran off, up towards the castle. We stared after him.

‘Little wretches,’ Nicholas said. ‘Why torment the boy so? Losing him his job.’

I said feelingly, remembering my own childhood, ‘Because he’s different. People don’t like difference, children even less than adults. The preachers are right about one thing, mankind is fallen from grace.’ I looked at Toby. ‘You might have backed us up.’

‘I said, sir, it is better not to attract attention. Master Copuldyke said that was Master Parry’s instruction.’

‘Come,’ I said sharply, ‘we are due at the castle.’ As I turned away I thought, So there are limits to Toby’s sympathy for the oppressed.

Chapter Thirteen