It was more than suspected that the carrier's
cart was really Luke's--that is, he found the money for horsing it, and
could take possession if he liked. The carrier's cart took his rabbits,
and the game he purchased of poachers, to the railway, and the
vegetables from the gardens to the customers in town.
At least one cottage besides his own belonged to him; and some would
have it that this was one of the reasons of his success with the
'quality.' The people at the great house, anxious to increase their
influence, wished to buy every cottage and spare piece of land. This was
well known, and many small owners prided themselves upon spiting the big
people at the great house by refusing to sell, or selling to another
person. The great house was believed to have secured the first 'refuse'
of Luke's property, if ever he thought of selling. Luke, in fact, among
the lower classes was looked upon as a capitalist--a miser with an
unknown hoard. The old man used to sit of a winter's evening, after he
had brought down the rabbits, by the hearth, making rabbit-nets of
twine. Almost everybody who came along the road, home from the market
town, stopped, lifted the latch without knocking, and looked in to tell
the news or hear it. But Luke's favourite manoeuvre was to take out his
snuff-box, tap it, and offer it to the person addressing him. This he
would do to a farmer, even though it were the largest tenant of all.
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