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Gordon, of course, knows as much your uncle does of the troubles of the Wescott family. He has even been the one to walk the man home some nights, when taken by drunkenness. Mrs. Wescott may have succumbed to the human weakness of synecdoche, taking Gordon, by mere association, to represent the evil of drunkenness as a whole. But it is poor justification enough, and she must be in dire straits to do it.
Mrs. Wescott has asked for thirty pieces of silver, an ominous sum which also happens to be the remainder of Wescotts' debts. Gordon does not ask it of you, not for pride, but out of embarrassment. If he had the money himself, it is certain the matter would never have reached your ears. His father keeps a strict allowance with him (much of which, in recent times, has passed on to the hands of Mabel--which he would rather not admit to you). Unfortunately, you do not have the money either. What you did not give to the reeve is only enough to maintain your own house.
You suggest an alternate course: go to the house of the Wescotts and work for them, taking the place of their eldest son. The Wescotts would welcome his help. And Gordon has ever had something of a green thumb.
Gordon is overjoyed with this solution, for it lets him avoid his father's wrath--that is, until you suggest that he tell his father anyway.
His broad grin slowly vanishes. He knows you seldom jest and that you are usually right in your advice, and he sits down heavily on the steps of your house to contemplate. You offer to go with him and explain everything yourself if that will lessen the blow, and he considers this for a moment, but finally dismisses it. He knows it is something he must do himself, though he does "respect the thought, Jan boy", calling you a "mighty one" for daring to stand before his father such. He clasps your hand and thanks you for your counsel. Then he goes to meet his fate. You hope this will cool his passion for Mabel, for you can't help but feel she had some hand in this development.
The next day, mooring the boat after a hard day's work, you find the reeve waiting for you at the pier. He wishes to conclude the business from the day before. Being a man of his word, he will not take back his offer to rent you more boats but hopes you will consider an alternative. He plans on buying up as much excess grain as he can get his hands on this year, which he believes he'll be able to obtain at a pittance. This grain he will store in a granary (in the process of construction) for a lean year, when he will resell to the lord for an enormous markup. He offers to bring you into this scheme, if only to avoid the bet his "stubborn daughter" has made with the equally stubborn Lord Royce.
You choose to:
>Accept the original offer, simply lending out the money on your behalf.
>Accept the offer to rent the boats. The reeve's personal affairs are his own problem.
>Take this new offer, accepting the risks of grain speculation.
>Write-in
