Godfrey Cass, indeed, entering the Rainbow during one of Mr Snell's
frequently repeated recitals of his testimony, had treated it lightly,
stating that he himself had bought a pen-knife of the pedlar, and
thought him a merry grinning fellow enough; it was all nonsense, he
said, about the man's evil looks. But this was spoken of in the
village as the random talk of youth, 'as if it was only Mr Snell who
had seen something odd about the pedlar!' On the contrary, there
were at least half-a-dozen who were ready to go before Justice
Malam, and give in much more striking testimony than any the
landlord could furnish. It was to be hoped Mr Godfrey would not go
to Tarley and throw cold water on what Mr Snell said there, and so
prevent the justice from drawing up a warrant. He was suspected of
intending this, when, after mid-day, he was seen setting off on
horseback in the direction of Tarley.
But by this time Godfrey's interest in the robbery had faded before
his growing anxiety about Dunstan and Wildfire, and he was going,
not to Tarley, but to Batherley, unable to rest in uncertainty about
them any longer. The possibility that Dunstan had played him the
ugly trick of riding away with Wildfire, to return at the end of a
month, when he had gambled away or otherwise squandered the price of
the horse, was a fear that urged itself upon him more, even, than
the thought of an accidental injury; and now that the dance at Mrs
Osgood's was past, he was irritated with himself that he had trusted
his horse to Dunstan.
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