第12章

Nobodymentionedhimthatevening;butonceoldFord，afterstaringalongtimeatPasiance，mutteredaproposofnothing，"Undutifulchildren！"Shewassofterthanusual;listeningquietlytoourtalk，andsmilingwhenspokento。Atbedtimeshewentuptohergrand—

father，withoutwaitingfortheusualcommand，"Comeandkissme，child。"

Dandidnotstaytosupper，andhehasnotbeenheresince。ThismorningIaskedMotherHopgoodwhoZacharyPearsewas。She’satrueDevonian;ifthere’sanythingshehates，itistobecommittedtoadefinitestatement。Sheambledroundheranswer，andatlasttoldmethathewas"sonofoldCap’enJanPearsetoBlackMill。’TesanoldfamilytoDartymouthan’Plymouth，"shewentoninacommunicativeoutburst。"TheydusayFrancisDraketukefiveo’theyPearseswith’entofighttheSpaniards。Atleastthat’swhatI’veheardMr。

Zacharyzay;butHa—apgoodcantellyu。"PoorHopgood，theamountofinformationshesaddleshimwithinthecourseoftheday！Havinggivenmethustounderstandthatshehadrundry，sheatoncewenton:

"Cap’enJanPearsemadeadaleofventures。He’soldnow——theydusaynighan’undred。Ha—apgoodcantellyu。"

"Buttheson，Mrs。Hopgood？"

Hereyestwinkledwithsuddenshrewdness:Shehuggedherselfplacidly。

"An’whatwouldyutakefordinnerto—day？There’sduck;oryumightlike’toadinthehole，’withanappletart;orthen，there’s——Well！

we’llseewhatwecandulike。"Andoffshewent，withoutwaitingformyanswer。

To—morrowisWednesday。Ishan’tbesorrytogetanotherlookatthisfellowPearse……

III

"Friday，29thJuly……Whydoyouaskmesomanyquestions，andeggmeontowriteaboutthesepeopleinsteadofmindingmybusiness？Ifyoureallywanttohear，I’lltellyouofWednesday’sdoings。

Itwasasplendidmorning;andDanturnedup，tomysurprise——thoughImighthaveknownthatwhenhesaysathing，hedoesit。JohnFordcameouttoshakehandswithhim，then，rememberingwhyhehadcome，breathedloudly，saidnothing，andwentinagain。NothingwastobeseenofPasiance，andwewentdowntothebeachtogether。

"Idon’tlikethisfellowPearse，George，"Dansaidtomeontheway;

"IwasfoolenoughtosayI’dgo，andsoImust，butwhat’sheafter？

Notthemantodothingswithoutareason，mindyou。

Iremarkedthatweshouldsoonknow。

"I’mnotsosure——queerbeggar;Ineverlookathimwithoutthinkingofapirate。"

Thecutterlayinthecoveasifshehadnevermoved。TheretoowasZacharyPearseseatedontheedgeofhisdinghy。

"Afive—knotbreeze，"hesaid，"I’llrunyoudowninacoupleofhours。"HemadenoinquiryaboutPasiance，butputusintohiscockleshellandpulledforthecutter。Alantern—Jawedfellow，namedPrawle，withaspiky，prominentbeard，long，clean—shavenupperlip，andtannedcomplexion——aregularhard—weatherbird——receivedus。

Thecutterwasbeautifullyclean;builtforaBrixhamtrawler，shestillhadhernumber——DH113——uneffaced。Wedivedintoasortofcabin，airy，butdark，fittedwithtwobunksandasmalltable，onwhichstoodsomebottlesofstout;therewerelockers，too，andpegsforclothes。Prawle，whoshowedusround，seemedveryproudofasteamcontrivanceforhoistingsails。Itwassomeminutesbeforewecameondeckagain;andthere，inthedinghy，beingpulledtowardsthecutter，satPasiance。

"IfI’dknownthis，"stammeredDan，gettingred，"Iwouldn’thavecome。"Shehadoutwittedus，andtherewasnothingtobedone。

Itwasaverypleasantsail。Thebreezewaslightfromthesouth—

east，thesunwarm，theairsoft。PresentlyPasiancebegansinging:

"Columbusisdeadandlaidinhisgrave，Oh！heigh—ho！andlaidinhisgrave;

Overhisheadtheapple—treeswaveOh！heigh—ho！theapple—treeswave……

Theapplesareripeandreadytofall，Oh！heigh—ho！andreadytofall;

Therecameanoldwomanandgatheredthemall，Oh！heigh—ho！andgatheredthemall……

Theapplesaregathered，andlaidontheshelf，Oh！heigh—ho！andlaidontheshelf;

Ifyouwantanymore，youmustsingforyourself，Oh！heigh—ho！andsingforyourself。"

Hersmall，highvoicecametousintrillsandspurts，asthewindletit，likethesingingofaskylarklostinthesky。Pearsewentuptoherandwhisperedsomething。Icaughtaglimpseofherfacelikeastartledwildcreature’s;shrinking，tossingherhair，laughing，allinthesamebreath。Shewouldn’tsingagain，butcrouchedinthebowswithherchinonherhands，andthesunfallingononecheek，round，velvety，redasapeach……

WepassedDartmouth，andhalfanhourlaterputintoalittlewoodedbay。Onalowreddishcliffwasahousehedgedroundbypine—trees。

Abitofbrokenjettyranoutfromthebottomofthecliff。Wehookedontothis，andlanded。Anancient，fish—likemancameslouchingdownandtookchargeofthecutter。Pearseledustowardsthehouse，Pasiancefollowingmortallyshyallofasudden。

Thehousehadadark，overhangingthatchoftherushreedsthatgrowinthemarsheshereabouts;Iremembernothingelseremarkable。Itwasneitherold，nornew;neitherbeautiful，norexactlyugly;

neitherclean，norentirelysqualid;itperchedtherewithallitswindowsoverthesea，turningitsbackcontemptuouslyontheland。

Seatedinakindofporch，besideanimmensetelescope，wasaveryoldmaninapanamahat，witharattancane。Hispure—whitebeardandmoustache，andalmostblackeyebrows，gaveaverysingular，piercinglooktohislittle，restless，dark—greyeyes;alloverhismahoganycheeksandneckwasanetworkoffinewrinkles。Hesatquiteupright，inthefullsun，hardlyblinking。

"Dad！"saidZachary，"thisisPasianceVoisey。"Theoldmanturnedhiseyesonherandmuttered，"Howdoyoudo，ma’am？"thentooknofurthernotice。AndPasiance，whoseemedtoresentthis，soonslippedawayandwentwanderingaboutamongstthepines。Anoldwomanbroughtsomeplatesandbottlesandlaidthemcasuallyonatable;andwesatroundthefigureofoldCaptainPearsewithoutaword，asifwewereallunderaspell。

BeforelunchtherewasalittlescenebetweenZacharyPearseandDan，astowhichofthemshouldsummonPasiance。Itendedinbothgoing，andcomingbackwithouther。Shedidnotwantanylunch，wouldstaywhereshewasamongstthepines。

Forlunchwehadchops，wood—pigeons，mushrooms，andmulberrypreserve，anddrankwonderfulMadeiraoutofcommonwine—glasses。I

askedtheoldmanwherehegotit;hegavemeaqueerlook，andansweredwithalittlebow:

"Stoodmeintushillin’thebottle，an’thecountrygotnothingoutofit，sir。IntheearlyThirties;tushillin’thebottle;there’snosuchwinenowadaysand，"headded，lookingatZachary，"nosuchmen。"

Zacharysmiledandsaid:"Youdidnothingsobig，dad，aswhatI’mafter，now！"

Theoldman’seyeshadasortofdisdaininthem。

"You’regoingfar，then，inthePiedWitch，Zack？"

"Iam，"saidZachary。

"Andwheremightyubegoin’inthatoldtrampin’smutfactory？"

"Morocco。"

"Heu！"saidtheoldman，"there’snothingthere;Iknowthatcoast，asIknowthebacko’myhand。"Hestretchedoutahandcoveredwithveinsandhair。

Zacharybegansuddenlytopouroutafloodofwords:

"BelowMogador——afellowthere——friendofmine——twoyearsagonow。

Concessions——trade—gunpowder——cruisers——feuds——money——chiefs——Gatlingguns——Sultan——rifles——rebellion——gold。"Hedetailedareckless，sordid，boldscheme，which，onthepivotofatradingventure，wasintendedtospinawholewheelofpoliticalconvulsions。

"They’llneverletyougetthere，"saidoldPearse。

"Won’tthey？"returnedZachary。"Ohyes，theywill，an’whenI

leave，there’llbeanotherdynasty，andI’llbearichman。"

"Yu’llneverleave，"answeredtheoldman。

Zacharytookoutasheetofpapercoveredwithfigures。Hehadworkedthewholethingout。Somuch——equipment，somuch——trade，somuch——concessions，somuch——emergencies。"Mylastmag！"heended，"athousandshort;theship’sready，andifI’mnottherewithinamonthmychanceisasgoodasgone。"

Thiswasthepithofhisconfidences——anappealformoney，andwealllookedasmenwillwhenthatcropsup。

"Mad！"mutteredtheoldman，lookingatthesea。

"No，"saidZachary。Thatonewordwasmoreeloquentthanalltherestofhiswordsputtogether。Thisfellowisnovisionary。Hisschememaybedaring，andunprincipled，but——heknowsverywellwhathe’sabout。

"Well！"saidoldPearse，"youshallhavefive’undredofmymoney，ifit’sonlytolearnwhatyu’remadeof。Wheelmein！"Zacharywheeledhimintothehouse，butsooncameback。

"Theoldman’schequeforfivehundredpounds！"hesaid，holdingitup。"Mr。Treffry，givemeanother，andyoushallhaveathirdoftheprofits。"

IexpectedDantogiveapoint—blankrefusal。Butheonlyasked:

"Wouldthatclearyouforstarting？"

"Withthat，"saidZachary，"Icangettoseainafortnight。"

"Good！"Dansaidslowly。"Givemeawrittenpromise！Toseainfourteendaysandmyfairshareonthefivehundredpounds——nomore——

noless。"

AgainIthoughtPearsewouldhavejumpedatthis，butheleanedhischinonhishand，andlookedatDan，andDanlookedathim。Whiletheywerestaringateachotherlikethis，Pasiancecameupwithakitten。

"See！"shesaid，"isn’titadarling？"Thekittencrawledandclaweditswayupbehindherneck。Isawbothmen’seyesastheylookedatPasiance，andsuddenlyunderstoodwhattheywereat。ThekittenrubbeditselfagainstPasiance’scheek，overbalanced，andfell，clawing，downherdress。Shecaughtitupandwalkedaway。Someone，Idon’tknowwhichofus，sighed，andPearsecried"Done！"

Thebargainhadbeendriven。

"Good—bye，Mr。Pearse，"saidDan;"Iguessthat’sallI’mwantedfor。I’llfindmyponywaitinginthevillage。George，you’llseePasiancehome？"

Weheardthehoofsofhisponygallopingdowntheroad;Pearsesuddenlyexcusedhimself，anddisappeared。

Thisventureofhismaysoundromanticandabsurd，butit’smatter—

of—factenough。He’safterL。s。d。！ShadesofDrake，Raleigh，Hawkins，Oxenham！Thewormofsuspiciongnawsattheroseofromance。Whatifthosefellows，too，wereonlyafterL。s。d……？

Istrolledintothepine—wood。Theearththerewascoveredlikeabee’sbodywithblackandgoldstripes;therewastheblueseabelow，andwhite，sleepyclouds，andbumble—beesboomingabovetheheather;

itwasallsoftness，asummer’sdayinDevon。SuddenlyIcameonPearsestandingattheedgeofthecliffwithPasiancesittinginalittlehollowbelow，lookingupathim。Iheardhimsay:

"Pasiance——Pasiance！"Thesoundofhisvoice，andthesightofhersoft，wonderingfacemademefurious。Whatbusinesshasshewithlove，atherage？Whatbusinesshavetheywitheachother？

Hetoldmepresentlythatshehadstartedoffforhome，anddrovemetotheferry，behindanoldgreypony。Onthewayhecamebacktohisofferoftheotherday。

"Comewithme，"hesaid。"Itdoesn’tdotoneglectthePress;youcanseethepossibilities。It’soneofthefewcountriesleft。IfI

oncegetthisbusinessstartedyoudon’tknowwhereit’sgoingtostop。You’dhavefreepassageeverywhere，andwhateveryoulikeinreason。"

IansweredasrudelyasIcould——butbynomeansasrudelyasI

wanted——thathisschemewasmad。Asamatteroffact，it’smuchtoosaneforme;for，whateverthebodyofascheme，itssoulisthefibreoftheschemer。

"Thinkofit，"heurged，asifhecouldseeintome。"Youcanmakewhatyoulikeofit。Pressparagraphs，ofcourse。Butthat’smechanical;why，evenIcoulddoit，ifIhadtime。Asfortherest，you’llbeasfree——asfreeasaman。"

There，infivewordsofonesyllable，isthekernelofthisfellowPearse——"Asfreeasaman！"Norule，nolaw，noteventhemysteriousshacklesthatbindmentotheirownself—respects！"Asfreeasaman！"Noideals;noprinciples;nofixedstarforhisworship;nocoilhecan’tslideoutof！ButthefellowhasthetenacityofoneoftheoldDevonmastiffs，too。Hewouldn’ttake"No"forananswer。

"Thinkofit，"hesaid;"anydaywilldo——I’vegotafortnight……

Look！theresheis！"IthoughtthathemeantPasiance;butitwasanoldsteamer，sluggishandblackintheblazingsunofmid—stream，withayellow—and—whitefunnel，andnosignoflifeonherdecks。

"That’sher——thePiedWitcb！Dohertwelveknots;youwouldn’tthinkit！Well！good—evening！You’dbettercome。Awordtomeatanytime。I’mgoingaboardnow。"

AsIwasbeingferriedacrossIsawhimlollinginthestern—sheetsofalittleboat，thesuncrowninghisstrawhatwithglory。

IcameonPasiance，aboutamileuptheroad，sittinginthehedge。

Wewalkedontogetherbetweenthebanks——Devonshirebanks，ashighashouses，thickwithivyandferns，brambleandhazelboughs，andhoneysuckle。

"DoyoubelieveinaGod？"shesaidsuddenly。

"Grandfather’sGodissimplyawful。WhenI’mplayingthefiddle，I

canfeelGod;butgrandfather’sissuchastuffyGod——youknowwhatI

mean:thesea，thewind，thetrees，colourstoo——theymakeonefeel。

ButIdon’tbelievethatlifewasmeantto’begood’in。Isn’tthereanythingbetterthanbeinggood？WhenI’m’good，’Isimplyfeelwicked。"Shereachedup，caughtaflowerfromthehedge，andslowlytoreitspetals。

"Whatwouldyoudo，"shemuttered，"ifyouwantedathing，butwereafraidofit？ButIsupposeyou’reneverafraid！"sheadded，mockingme。IadmittedthatIwassometimesafraid，andoftenafraidofbeingafraid。

"That’snice！I’mnotafraidofillness，norofgrandfather，norofhisGod;but——Iwanttobefree。Ifyouwantathingbadly，you’reafraidaboutit。"

IthoughtofZacharyPearse’swords，"freeasaman。"

"Whyareyoulookingatmelikethat？"shesaid。

Istammered:"Whatdoyoumeanbyfreedom？"

"DoyouknowwhatIshalldoto—night？"sheanswered。"Getoutofmywindowbytheapple—tree，andgotothewoods，andplay！"

Weweregoingdownasteeplane，alongthesideofawood，wherethere’salwaysasmellofsappyleaves，andthebreathofthecowsthatcomeclosetothehedgetogettheshade。

Therewasacottageinthebottom，andasmallboysatoutsideplayingwithaheapofdust。

"Hallo，Johnny！"saidPasiance。"Holdyourlegoutandshowthismanyourbadplace！"Thesmallboyundidabandageroundhisbareanddirtylittleleg，andproudlyrevealedasore。

"Isn’titnasty？"criedPasianceruefully，tyingupthebandageagain;"poorlittlefeller！Johnny，seewhatI’vebroughtyou！"Sheproducedfromherpocketastickofchocolate，thesemblanceofasoldiermadeofsealing—waxandworsted，andacrookedsixpence。

Itwasanewglimpseofher。AllthewayhomeshewastellingmethestoryoflittleJohnny’sfamily;whenshecametohismother’sdeath，sheburstout:"Abeastlyshame，wasn’tit，andthey’resopoor;itmightjustaswellhavebeensomebodyelse。Ilikepoorpeople，butIhaterichones——stuck—upbeasts。"

Mrs。Hopgoodwaslookingoverthegate，withhercapononeside，andoneofPasiance’scatsrubbingitselfagainstherskirts。Atthesightofusshehuggedherself。

"Where’sgrandfather？"askedPasiance。Theoldladyshookherhead。

"Isitarow？"Mrs。Hopgoodwriggled，andwriggled，andoutcame:

"Didyougetyuretay，mypretty？No？Well，that’sapity;yu’llbefalin’low—like。"

Pasiancetossedherhead，snatchedupthecat，andranindoors。I

remainedstaringatMrs。Hopgood。

"Dear—dear，"sheclucked，"poorlamb。Sotospakeit’s——"andsheblurtedoutsuddenly，"chuckin’fullofwra—ath，heis。Well，there！"

Mycouragefailedthatevening。Ispentitatthecoastguardstation，wheretheygavemebreadandcheeseandsomeawfulcider。I

passedthekitchenasIcameback。Afirewasstillburningthere，andtwofigures，mistyinthedarkness，flittedaboutwithstealthylaughterlikespiritsafraidofbeingdetectedinacarnal—meal。

TheywerePasianceandMrs。Hopgood;andsocharmingwasthesmellofeggsandbacon，andtheyhadsuchanairoftenderenjoymentofthisdarkrevel，thatIstifledmanypangs，asIcrepthungryuptobed。

InthemiddleofthenightIwokeandheardwhatIthoughtwasscreaming;thenitsoundedlikewindintrees，thenlikethedistantshakingofatambourine，withthehighsingingofahumanvoice。

Suddenlyitstopped——twolongnotescamewailingoutlikesobs——thenutterstillness;andthoughIlistenedforanhourormoretherewasnoothersound……

IV

"4thAugust……ForthreedaysafterIwrotelast，nothingatallhappenedhere。Ispentthemorningsonthecliffreading，andwatchingthesun—sparksrainingonthesea。It’sgranduptherewiththegorseallround，thegullsbaskingontherocks，thepartridgescallinginthecorn，andnowandthenayounghawkoverhead。TheafternoonsI

spentoutintheorchard。Theusualroutinegoesonatthefarmallthetime——cow—milking，bread—baking，JohnFordridinginandout，Pasianceinhergardenstrippinglavender，talkingtothefarmhands;

andthesmellofclover，andcowsandhay;thesoundofhensandpigsandpigeons，thesoftdrawlofvoices，thedullthudofthefarmcarts;anddaybydaytheapplesgettingredder。Then，lastMonday，Pasiancewasawayfromsunrisetillsunset——nobodysawhergo——nobodyknewwhereshehadgone。Itwasawonderful，strangeday，askyofsilver—greyandblue，withadriftofwind—clouds，allthetreessighingalittle，theseaheavinginalong，lowswell，theanimalsrestless，thebirdssilent，exceptthegullswiththeiroldman’slaughterandkitten’smewing。

Asomethingwildwasintheair;itseemedtosweepacrossthedownsandcombe，intotheveryhouse，likeapassionatetunethatcomesdriftingtoyourearswhenyou’resleepy。Butwhowouldhavethoughttheabsenceofthatgirlforafewhourscouldhavewroughtsuchhavoc！Wewerelikeuneasyspirits;Mrs。Hopgood’sapplecheeksseemedpositivelytowitherbeforeone’seyes。Icameacrossadairymaidandfarmhanddiscussingitstolidlywithverydowncastfaces。EvenHopgood，ahard—bittenfellowwithimmenseshoulders，forgothisimperturbabilitysofarastoharnesshishorse，anddepartonwhatheassuredmewas"justawild—gusechaace。"ItwaslongbeforeJohnFordgavesignsofnoticingthatanythingwaswrong，butlateintheafternoonIfoundhimsittingwithhishandsonhisknees，staringstraightbeforehim。Heroseheavilywhenhesawme，andstalkedout。Intheevening，asIwasstartingforthecoastguardstationtoaskforhelptosearchthecliff，Pasianceappeared，walkingasifshecouldhardlydragonelegaftertheother。Hercheekswerecrimson;shewasbitingherlipstokeeptearsofsheerfatigueoutofhereyes。Shepassedmeinthedoorwaywithoutaword。Theanxietyhehadgonethroughseemedtoforbidtheoldmanfromspeaking。Hejustcameforward，tookherfaceinhishands，gaveitagreatkiss，andwalkedaway。Pasiancedroppedonthefloorinthedarkpassage，andburiedherfaceonherarms。

"Leavemealone！"wasallshewouldsay。Afterabitshedraggedherselfupstairs。PresentlyMrs。Hopgoodcametome。

"Notawordoutofher——an’notabitewillsheate，an’Ihadapieallready——scrumptious。ThegoodLordknowsthetruth——sheaskedforbrandy;haveyouanybrandy，sir？Ha—apgood’edon’tdrinkit，an’

MisterFord’edon’tallaowforanythingbutcaowslipwine。"

Ihadwhisky。

Thegoodsoulseizedtheflask，andwentoffhuggingit。Shereturnedittomehalfempty。

"Lappeditlikeakittenlapsmilk。Imisdaoubtit’sstraong，poorlamb，itlusened’ertonguepraaperly。’I’vea—doneit，’shesaystome，’Mums—I’vea—doneit，’an’shelaughedlikeamadthing;andthen，sir，shecried，an’kissedme，an’pusshedmethruthedoor。

GudeLard！Whatis’tshe’sa—done……？"

Itrainedallthenextdayandthedayafter。Aboutfiveo’clockyesterdaytherainceased;IstartedofftoKingswearonHopgood’snagtoseeDanTreffry。Everytree，bramble，andferninthelaneswasdrippingwater;andeverybirdsingingfromthebottomofhisheart。IthoughtofPasianceallthetime。Herabsencethatdaywasstillamystery;oneneverceasedaskingoneselfwhatshehaddone。

Therearepeoplewhonevergrowup——theyhavenorighttodothings。

Actionshaveconsequences——andchildrenhavenobusinesswithconsequences。

Danwasout。Ihadsupperatthehotel，androdeslowlyhome。Inthetwilightstretchesoftheroad，whereIcouldtoucheitherbankofthelanewithmywhip，IthoughtofnothingbutPasianceandhergrandfather;therewassomethinginthehalflightsuitedtowonderanduncertainty。IthadfallendarkbeforeIrodeintothestraw—

yard。Twoyoungbullockssnuffledatme，asleepyhengotupandranoffwithatremendousshrieking。Istabledthehorse，andwalkedroundtotheback。Itwaspitchblackundertheapple—trees，andthewindowswerealldarkened。Istoodtherealittle，everythingsmelledsodeliciousaftertherain;suddenlyIhadtheuncomfortablefeelingthatIwasbeingwatched。Haveyoueverfeltlikethatonadarknight？Icalledoutatlast:"Isanyonethere？"Notasound！

Iwalkedtothegate—nothing！Thetreesstilldrippedwithtiny，soft，hissingsounds，butthatwasall。Islippedroundtothefront，wentin，barricadedthedoor，andgropeduptobed。ButI

couldn’tsleep。Ilayawakealongwhile;dozedatlast，andwokewithajump。Astealthymurmurofsmotheredvoiceswasgoingonquiteclosesomewhere。Itstopped。Aminutepassed;suddenlycamethesoftthudasofsomethingfalling。Isprangoutofbedandrushedtothewindow。Nothing——butinthedistancesomethingthatsoundedlikefootsteps。Anowlhooted;thenclearascrystal，butquitelow，IheardPasiancesinginginherroom:

"Theapplesareripeandreadytofall。

Oh！heigh—ho！andreadytofall。"

Irantoherdoorandknocked。

"Whatisit？"shecried。

"Isanythingthematter？"

"Matter？"

"Isanythingthematter？"

"Ha—ha—ha—ha！Good—night！"thenquitelow，Iheardhercatchherbreath，hard，sharply。Nootheranswer，noothersound。

Iwenttobedandlayawakeforhours……

ThiseveningDancame;duringsupperhehandedPasiancearollofmusic;hehadgotitinTorquay。Theshopman，hesaid，hadtoldhimthatitwasa"corker。"

ItwasBach’s"Chaconne。"Youshouldhaveseenhereyesshine，herfingersactuallytremblewhilesheturnedoverthepages。SeemsoddtothinkofherworshippingattheshrineofBachasoddastothinkofawildcoltrunningofitsfreewillintotheshafts;butthat’sjustitwithheryoucannevertell。"Heavenly！"shekeptsaying。

JohnFordputdownhisknifeandfork。

"Heathenishstuff！"hemuttered，andsuddenlythunderedout，"Pasiance！"

Shelookedupwithastart，threwthemusicfromher，andresumedherplace。

Duringeveningprayers，whichfolloweverynightimmediatelyonfood，herfacewasastudyofmutiny。Shewenttobedearly。Itwasratherlatewhenwebrokeup——foronceoldFordhadbeentalkingofhissquatter’slife。Aswecameout，Danhelduphishand。Adogwasbarking。"It’sLass，"hesaid。"She’llwakePasiance。"

Thespanielyelpedfuriously。Danranouttostopher。Hewassoonback。

"Somebody’sbeenintheorchard，andgoneoffdowntothecove。"Heranondownthepath。I，too，ran，horriblyuneasy。Infront，throughthedarkness，camethespaniel’sbark;thelightsofthecoastguardstationfaintlyshowed。Iwasfirstonthebeach;thedogcametomeatonce，hertailalmostinhermouthfromapology。Therewasthesoundofoarsworkinginrowlocks;nothingvisiblebutthefeatheryedgesofthewaves。Dansaidbehind，"Nouse！He’sgone。"

Hisvoicesoundedhoarse，likethatofamanchokingwithpassion。

"George，"hestammered，"it’sthatblackguard。IwishI’dputabulletinhim。"Suddenlyalightburnedupinthedarknessonthesea，seemedtoswinggently，andvanished。Withoutanotherwordwewentbackupthehill。JohnFordstoodatthegatemotionless，indifferent——nothinghaddawnedonhimasyet。IwhisperedtoDan，"Letitalone！"

"No，"hesaid，"I’mgoingtoshowyou。"Hestruckamatch，andslowlyhuntedthefootstepsinthewetgrassoftheorchard。"Look——

here！"

HestoppedunderPasiance’swindowandswayedthematchovertheground。Clearasdaylightwerethemarksofsomeonewhohadjumpedorfallen。Danheldthematchoverhishead。

"Andlookthere！"hesaid。Theboughofanapple—treebelowthewindowwasbroken。Heblewthematchout。

Icouldseethewhitesofhiseyes，likeanangryanimal’s。

"Dropit，Dan！"Isaid。

Heturnedonhisheelsuddenly，andstammeredout，"You’reright。"

ButhehadturnedintoJohnFord’sarms。

Theoldmanstoodtherelikesomegreatforce，darkerthanthedarkness，staringupatthewindow，asthoughstupefied。Wehadnotawordtosay。Heseemedunconsciousofourpresence。Heturnedround，andleftusstandingthere。

"Followhim！"saidDan。"Followhim——byGod！it’snotsafe。"