He was wrapped in a faded dressing-gown. His livid
face, with the bushy eyebrows and immense protruding
underhp, was swathed in linen bandages. There were
horrid stains upon the bandages. His wicked eyes shot
fire.
" Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! " he said : there was no laugh in the
sound. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" For a
moment he seemed incapable of any other utterance.
" My poor relations ! " he said at length. " My poor, poor
— ^relations ! Are you all there, my relations ? Has
nobody forgotten to come ? "

They stood in a furious Jialf-circle. But nobody
minded his sarcasm, except the girl, who shrank behind
her mother.
" Walk in, ladies and gentlemen," continued Jan,
standing aside with a swift profusion of bows. The ends
of linen on his bald head went bobbing to and fro;

13



JAN HUNKUM'S MONEY

"Walk in, pray, and inspect the property! A very
desirable property ! " Then, as nobody moved, he
burst out —

" Come here — do you mind me ? — you white-livered
cowards ! What are you afraid of, you skulking thieves ?
Is it a dead man you fear, you robbers ? Afraid he's not
dead enough — ha ! " And now he really laughed — a
discordant twang. " Come in and see what there's left
of Jan Hunkum's money ! Each of you may keep what
he finds and be welcome to waste it ! — ^ha ! " By sheer
force of passion he dragged them towards him : slowly
the whole troop crept forward into the narrow passage
and, pushed from behind, all over the two little
rooms.
The cottage presented a scene of the wildest disorder.
