CHAPTER 7.
AN AUCTION What if my house be troubled with a rat, And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducats To have it baned--_Shakespeare_ One evening in March, when the days were lengthening fast, there came a messenger from Dorchester, and brought printed notices for fixing to the shutters of the Why Not?
and to the church door, which said that in a week's time the bailiff of the duchy of Cornwall would visit Moonfleet.
This bailiff was an important person, and his visits stood as events in village history.

Once in five years he made a perambulation, or journey, through the whole duchy, inspecting all the Royal property, and arranging for new leases.

His visits to Moonfleet were generally short enough, for owing to the Mohunes owning all the land, the only duchy estate there was the Why Not?
and the only duty of the bailiff to renew that five-year lease, under which Blocks had held the inn, father and son, for generations.

But for all that, the business was not performed without ceremony, for there was a solemn show of putting up the lease of the inn to the highest bidder, though it was well understood that no one except Elzevir would make an offer.
So one morning, a week later, I went up to the top end of the village to watch for the bailiff's postchaise, and about eleven of the forenoon saw it coming down the hill with four horses and two postillions.
Presently it came past, and I saw there were two men in it--a clerk sitting with his back to the horses, and in the seat opposite a little man in a periwig, whom I took for the bailiff.

Then I ran down to my aunt's house, for Elzevir had asked me to beg one of her best winter candles for a purpose which I will explain presently.