‘I got victuals you don’t know e’er thing about,’ she said. And then she added out of some dreaming state, as if she forgot her anger, ‘I reckon you’d think I was a-lyen if I said I haven’t seen Phillips in four months or over, not even laid eyes on Phillips.’

‘Well, you can see the fine rich man all you want after a little spell. I aim to go right soon. I reckon he’s afeared of me.’

‘You’ll never get off, Jasper Kent. You’re tied a heap tighter’n you know for. You are wedded up tight, Jasper Kent.’

‘I already told Phillips I aim to be off.’

‘All right, but you won’t go unwedded. You’ll see.’

‘I’ll go. And I’ll take the four youngones, my youngones. You can keep the balance for yourself.’

She laughed at him. ‘You think you can ever get Hen and Nannie and Dick and Joe away from me? God knows, you’re simple, Jasper Kent. And you yourself are wedded deep. Not even Hester Shuck could unwed you.’

‘Hester she’s got ne’er thing to do about this.’

‘How you know Joe is your youngone?’ She could not let him be.

‘Nohow, you’ll find me gone some day soon. I aim to be gone afore March. I already got a place to go to. And afore I go I aim to make Joe Phillips feel the whole weight of my strength in his face. I’ll gouge his heart outen his chest and more, afore I go. I aim to wait till I get ready to leave here. That’s my aim, but I might not hold out to wait. Let me get a hold on his entrails, for God’s sake.’

‘What a fool he is. In the law again, he’ll be, in the jail, maybe. I’ll sell my cow maybe to pay you out.’

‘But I’ll keep my hands offen you. I’m no brute nohow. I’ll not touch you, but I ought.’

‘I’ll sell my cow Wakefield gave me and put alongside the money my trifle I saved for the machine. To bail you outen jail, Jasper.’

‘I’ll gouge his heart outen his body and empty out his body of his guts. My whole strength in his face.’

‘And Joe Phillips, he’ll go on your bond. Sign your papers that you won’t run off. God knows.’

‘God knows!’

‘Wedded deep, you are.’

‘I’ll tear his brains outen his skull. Afore I go. Any day now.’