**
Visitors in the Shop
Talking about the weather always helps.
-Harry Finkle
The shop door opened and the bell rang. Jack looked toward the door and spotted Mr. Lowsley.
“Hello again, young man,” Mr. Lowsley said. He grinned as he handed his hat and gloves to his companions, Peter and Paul.
“Hello, Mr. Lowsley,” Jack replied without enthusiasm. Even though he didn’t have any reason beyond a bad feeling, Jack didn’t trust this man.
Before Mr. Lowsley could speak again, the shop door opened and Miss Caroline bustled her way through the door.
“Hello, my dears, hello!” Miss Caroline said in her usual cheery voice.
“Hello, Miss Caroline,” Lizzy said, greeting her with a smile.
“I have brought you my famous pie, just as I said I would,” Miss Caroline declared, setting the pie on the counter. She uncovered just one tiny bit so that Lizzy could whiff the aroma.
“It smells wonderful! Thank you, Miss Caroline! Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome, child. I do hope you enjoy it. I’ll be back in a day or so to gather more supplies. The bakery ordered a dozen of my pies! Isn’t that wonderful?” Miss Caroline beamed. “Everyone loves my pies.”
Robert’s eyes grew large when he noticed the pie on the counter. “I can understand why!”
Miss Caroline giggled with pleasure at being appreciated.
“Oh, and who do we have here?” Miss Caroline asked, turning toward the three men near Jack.
“My apologies. My name is Lowsley. Mr. Lewis Lowsley, that is. And you are?”
“I’m Miss Caroline Florentine.”
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Mr. Lowsley said, nodding pleasantly.
“You aren’t from around here, are you Mr. Lowsley? I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never met you before this day,” Miss Caroline said.
“No, I’m not from these parts,” Mr. Lowsley said. “I am, however, in the market to purchase some land in Finkleton. That is the reason for my visit.”
Miss Caroline giggled, waving her hand in the air. “Oh Mr. Lowsley, please forgive me. I’m not laughing at you, dear sir. It’s just that in all my days I have never known any residents of Finkleton willing to sell their property.”
“Is that so, Miss...Florentine, is it?” Mr. Lowsley asked.
“Yes, indeed. I’m afraid you’ll find your visit a disappointing one. I can assure you that you won’t find anyone willing to part with Finkleton land.”
The shop door opened and the bell rang again, announcing another patron.
“Oh Mr. Cornerly, how very nice to see you again,” Miss Caroline said, beaming with joy.
“Hello, Miss Caroline, nice to see you as well,” Mr. Cornerly grumbled.
“I thought your name was Miss Florentine,” Mr. Lowsley said.
“Either name will do,” Miss Caroline said politely. “What seems to be the problem, Mr. Cornerly? I do hope all is well with your family.”
“My family is quite well, thank you for asking,” he replied.
“Then why the sour face? Something must be amiss.” Miss Caroline stepped closer to Mr. Cornerly. “I could make you one of my famous pies.”
“It’s this blasted rain. It’s going to ruin me!” Mr. Cornerly shook his head. “It stopped raining for a short while, then it started back up again. My crops just can’t take it. They’re all going to drown. I’ll be ruined.”
“Maybe I can be of some sort of assistance, Mr. Cornerly. My name is Mr. Lewis Lowsley.” He held out his hand.
“How can you possibly help me, Mr. Lowsley?” Mr. Cornerly asked.
“I am in the market to purchase land here in Finkleton. If you would like to consider my offer, I can make it worth your while, I assure you,” Mr. Lowsley said, grinning.
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all week. I may just take you up on that offer,” Mr. Cornerly declared.
Miss Caroline interrupted. “Oh, you couldn’t possibly, Mr. Cornerly! How could you sell your farm?”
“Easily, Miss Caroline. I just sell it. I would give up farming and move to another town. If I don’t turn a good crop, I could lose everything. It would be better to sell before I’m in total ruin,” Mr. Cornerly declared. “I’ll think about your offer over a pint, Mr. Lowsley. I’ll have an answer for you at noon today. Good day to you, sir,” Mr. Cornerly said. He paid for the small bag of coffee and left the shop.
Miss Caroline was shocked.
Mr. Lowsley, on the other hand, looked quite pleased. “I’ll be on my way, young man. I’ll be back at noon,” he said. He and his companions took their leave.
“I can’t believe my ears,” Miss Caroline said after they’d left, breaking the silence. It looked as if Miss Caroline wanted to cry. “In all my days I have never, ever known anyone wanting to leave Finkleton. This is the most wonderful place to live in all of England.” She shook her head, looking completely confused. “I must be on my way, children. I do hope Mr. Cornerly changes his mind. I’ll come for a visit soon. About noon, I should think. To purchase supplies and possibly talk some sense into Mr. Cornerly,” Miss Caroline said, and left the shop.
“I think Mr. Lowsley is Mr. Bad Guy,” Robert said out loud.
“Robert!” Lizzy scolded. “You really shouldn’t say such things about people you know nothing about.”
“I don’t have to know anything about Mr. Lowsley to see he’s up to no good. He doesn’t look like a farmer. So why would he want to buy land in Finkleton?” Robert raised his eyebrow, challenging Lizzy. She didn’t answer. He had a good point.
“Robert,” Jack said, interrupting them. “I stacked several sacks of salt and pepper for you to weigh into tin cans. I placed them under the counter for you.”
Jack strolled to the storage room and a look of horror came across Robert’s face. He raced back behind the counter.
“What’s wrong?” Lizzy asked.
Robert ignored her question. He started desperately searching for the lever, but he couldn’t see it. The space beneath the counter was stacked full of sacks of salt, pepper and tin cans.
“Where is it? Where is it?” Robert choked out the words.
“Where is what?” Lizzy asked. She joined him behind the counter, wanting to see the trouble. He was on his hands and knees looking beneath the counter.
“The lever! I can’t see it!” Robert tossed the sacks and tin cans aside, allowing them to tumble.
“You must be careful, Robert. You don’t want the sacks to break open or ruin the tin cans. Father would be furious with you,” Lizzy said. She rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t be silly. I’m sure the lever is still there. It’s not like it moved or anything.”
All of a sudden Robert stopped his frenzied search. He reached under the counter with one hand and found the lever. But instead of being happy, he was horrified. He touched it with one finger and began to cry. Tears ran down his cheeks like a river. He covered his face, weeping into both hands, not knowing what to do.
Lizzy knelt next to Robert. She placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “What’s wrong, Robert? What’s wrong?”
Robert didn’t answer. He just sat there, crying. Lizzy waited, not saying a word.
Robert slowly removed his hands from his face and looked up at Lizzy. “It’s the lever.”
“What about the lever?” Now Lizzy was concerned. She didn’t like to see Robert cry. And when Robert cried it was usually over something of importance, something that meant a lot to him.
“The lever,” Robert managed to say. He pointed under the counter. “The lever is broken.” Robert covered his face and sobbed more.
Lizzy pulled him close and hugged him while he cried in her arms.
“Everything will be okay. You’ll see. Everything will be okay,” she said. She rocked Robert back and forth like their mother did when they cried in her arms. But Robert didn’t feel any better.