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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birthright, by Joseph Hocking
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Birthright
+
+Author: Joseph Hocking
+
+Release Date: December 22, 2008 [EBook #27591]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRTHRIGHT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, Martin Pettit and
+the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE BIRTHRIGHT
+
+BY
+
+JOSEPH HOCKING
+
+AUTHOR OF "ALL MEN ARE LIARS"
+
+
+NEW YORK
+DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
+1897
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY JOSEPH HOCKING
+
+BURR PRINTING HOUSE, NEW YORK.
+
+[Illustration: "I MADE A LEAP AT SAM LIDDICOAT."]
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+                                                     PAGE
+TELLS HOW THE PENNINGTONS LOST PENNINGTON               1
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+TELLS HOW I, JASPER PENNINGTON, TRIED TO GET MY OWN    15
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+HOW I WAS ROBBED OF ELMWATER BARTON; HOW I FLOGGED
+THE TRESIDDERS, AND WAS PILLORIED BECAUSE OF IT        28
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+I ESCAPE FROM THE WHIPPING-POST, AND FIND MY WAY
+TO GRANFER FRADDAM'S CAVE                              44
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+I SEE NAOMI PENRYN ON ROCK CALLED THE SPANISH
+CAVALIER, AND RESCUE HER--WE ESCAPE FROM THE
+TRESIDDERS                                             59
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+I DISCOVER ANOTHER CAVE, AND HEAR A CONVERSATION
+BETWEEN RICHARD TRESIDDER AND HIS SON                  74
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+I HEAR RICHARD TRESIDDER TELL NAOMI PENRYN'S
+HISTORY, AND AM IN DANGER OF BEING KILLED BY
+SMUGGLERS                                              87
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+I GO TO KYNANCE COVE WITH CAP'N JACK TRUSCOTT'S
+GANG, AND MEET HIS DAUGHTER TAMSIN                    100
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+WHAT HAPPENED AT CAP'N JACK'S HOUSE--TAMSIN'S
+CONFESSION, AND THE SMUGGLERS' PLANS                  114
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+WHAT BECAME OF THE WRECKERS' LIGHT--HOW I ESCAPED
+AND ENTERED PENNINGTON                                127
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+I SEE NAOMI PENRYN, AND AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED,
+BUT SOON AFTER AM TAKEN PRISONER                      141
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HOW MY LOVE SAVED ME--WHEN FREE I GO TO SEA, AND
+MONTHS LATER COME BACK TO BETSEY'S COTTAGE AND
+HEAR BAD NEWS                                         155
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+BETSEY FRADDAM AND CAP'N JACK MEET--I GO TO
+FALMOUTH AND MEET NAOMI--AFTERWARD I SEE MR.
+JOHN WESLEY                                           170
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+I AM TAKEN PRISONER, AND AFTERWARD EXPERIENCE
+MANY STRANGE THINGS--I AT LENGTH FIND MYSELF IN
+A DUNGEON                                             185
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+MY EXPERIENCE IN MY PRISON--I AM TOLD TERRIBLE
+NEWS ABOUT NAOMI                                      200
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+I HEAR A STRANGE NOISE IN MY PRISON--THE SECRET
+PASSAGE WHICH I FOUND--A WILD STRUGGLE, AND A
+HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE                                    214
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+TELLS OF THE MANNER OF MY ESCAPE, OF THE STRANGE
+MAN I MET, AND OF ELI'S STORY OF A BURIED TREASURE    228
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+HOW I LEFT BEDRUTHEN STEPS AND, AFTER MEETING
+TAMSIN TRUSCOTT, SOUGHT FOR NAOMI                     241
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+TELLS HOW I CLIMBED THE WALL OF THE MANOR HOUSE
+GARDEN, AND WHAT I SAW                                254
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+HOW I FELLED A HORSE WITH MY FIST, AND CARRIED
+NAOMI SOUTHWARD                                       269
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+HOW I TOOK NAOMI TO MULLION PORTH AND THEN STARTED
+WITH ELI TO FIND THE TREASURE                         282
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+HOW I FOUND THE SECRET OF THE TREASURE, AND WENT
+TO THE SCILLY ISLES                                   295
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+HOW WE FOUND THE IRON BOX ON ANNETTE ISLAND, AND
+THE TERRIBLE ENDING TO OUR ADVENTURE                  309
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+TELLS OF THE STRANGE REVELATION MADE BY THE MADMAN
+OF BEDRUTHEN STEPS, AND OF TAMSIN TRUSCOTT'S
+TREACHERY                                             323
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+HOW WE WENT TO PENNINGTON, AND HOW THE TRESIDDERS
+WON THE VICTORY                                       337
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+TELLS OF MY FORTUNES IN WINNING BACK MY
+BIRTHRIGHT, AND FINISHES THE TALE                     351
+
+
+
+
+THE BIRTHRIGHT
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+TELLS HOW THE PENNINGTONS LOST PENNINGTON
+
+
+I am writing this story at the wish of many friends, who tell me it is
+my duty so to do. Certain stories have been afloat, which are anything
+but true, and it has been urged upon me again and again to set down in
+plain terms the true history of events which have set people's tongues
+wagging. I must confess that, in spite of the pleasure I have in
+recalling the memories of past years, it is with great diffidence that I
+at last commence my work. Not because I have any difficulty in
+remembering what took place. My memory, thank God, is as good as ever,
+and the principal scenes in my history are as clear to me as if they
+happened yesterday. It is not that. The truth is I was never clever at
+putting things on paper, and somehow, while the facts are clear enough
+in my mind, I feel a great difficulty in relating those facts in a way
+that is clear and understandable. You see I have lived an open-air life,
+and have spent more hours with the bridle-reins in my hands than the
+pen, and although I had a fair amount of schooling I was never
+considered a quick learner.
+
+Still, as John Major said to me only yesterday, it seems a duty to
+clear up certain matters which are altogether misunderstood, and what is
+more, to clear my name from scandal. Moreover, as he truly insisted,
+there are others besides myself upon whom clouds rest, and one
+especially about whom the truth ought to be told.
+
+"People are saying," asserted John Major, "that the land you call yours
+is not yours by right, and that in order to get your will you were in
+league with the devil. It is also said that you broke the laws of God
+and man in your dealings with your relations, and that Parson Inch
+refuses to give you the right hand of fellowship until you can prove in
+a fair and straightforward way that you are not the man some take you to
+be."
+
+Now I am quite aware that many things have happened to me which happen
+to but few men. I know, too, that I have had experiences which, to say
+the least of them, are strange, neither am I sure that I can explain
+certain matters to Parson Inch's satisfaction. At the same time I am not
+afraid of the light, and so I am determined to set down truthfully, to
+the best of my ability, the true account of those events in my life
+which are misunderstood, so that no stigma shall rest upon those who are
+as dear to me as my own heart's blood.
+
+Let it be understood, however, that I make no pretence at fine writing,
+neither must it be expected that I, who never boasted great learning,
+can explain that which has puzzled Parson Grigg, who was in the parish
+before Mr. Inch came--aye, even puzzled the Bishop himself who came to
+visit the rectory some years since. All I undertake to do is to put down
+in plain, homely words the story of my life, in so far as it affects my
+good name and the good name of those who are associated with me. It may
+be that I shall have to touch upon matters peculiar to the part of the
+country in which I was born and reared, and to which I am proud to
+belong. As far as I can I will make them clear; but even concerning
+these I will make no great promises.
+
+To begin at the beginning then, for I must do this to make everything
+clear, and I desire above everything to make matters plain. My father,
+Jasper Pennington, died when I was nineteen, leaving me as I thought
+Elmwater Barton, a farm of about three hundred acres. I am called Jasper
+too; indeed, for generations back there has always been a Jasper
+Pennington. Elmwater Barton is by no means a bad farm. Nearly all the
+land is under cultivation, and the house is roomy and substantial. You
+must not imagine, however, that the Barton is the principal place in the
+parish of St. Eve. Far from it. The parish contains twelve thousand
+acres, and is, on the whole, the richest parish in Cornwall, and so
+three hundred acres do not count much. Up to the time of my father
+living at Elmwater Barton the place had always been held by a family of
+yeomen by the name of Quethiock, respectable people, of course, but not
+regarded as gentry. No, the principal house in St. Eve is Pennington,
+which, when my father died, was owned by Richard Tresidder. My father
+was born at Pennington, and my grandfather and great-grandfather were
+born there; indeed, the estate, which is a very valuable one, has been
+owned by the Penningtons for many generations.
+
+The question, therefore, naturally arises, How did a Tresidder get into
+the possession of the estate which has always belonged to the
+Penningtons? It is well to explain this because evil tongues have told
+lies concerning it.
+
+My father's mother died soon after his birth, when my grandfather was a
+comparatively young man; and when my father was about five years old,
+his father called him into the library one day, and told him that it was
+his intention to give him a mother.
+
+"A mother?" said my father, "you told me my mother was dead."
+
+"Yes, she is," said my grandfather, "and is in heaven if ever it is
+possible for a woman to get there; that is why I want to give you
+another, Jasper, one who will take care of you better than I can."
+
+"Will she be kind to me?" asked my father.
+
+"That she will," was the reply; "but more than that, she will bring you
+a brother, who is about your own age, and he will be a playfellow for
+you."
+
+My father was greatly pleased at this, and so he welcomed his new mother
+very eagerly, thinking all the time, of course, of his new playfellow.
+
+The lady my grandfather married was a widow. Her husband, Richard
+Tresidder, had been a lawyer in Falmouth, but he had died of cholera
+about four years after my grandmother died. Her little boy, too, was
+called Richard, or Dick, as they named him for short, and in a little
+while the two boys became friends.
+
+Now the widow of lawyer Tresidder brought my grandfather no property at
+all, not a pennypiece, but she brought a great deal of discord instead.
+She was always jealous for her son, and she hated my father. The very
+sight of him used to vex her, especially as after several years she did
+not bear my grandfather a son. There were three daughters born, but no
+son, which greatly disappointed my grandfather, and made his wife
+exceedingly bitter toward my father.
+
+As years went by it seemed to be the great purpose of her life to cause
+quarrels between the father and son, and at the same time to show up the
+excellencies of her own son, Richard Tresidder. I suppose the wisest and
+best men are clay in the hands of women; at any rate, such has been my
+experience in life, especially if that woman is clever, and has a will
+of her own, which latter quality few women are short of. Anyhow, after
+many years, she succeeded in setting my grandfather against his only son
+Jasper. How she managed it I don't know, for my grandfather always had
+the name for being a just man, but then, as I said, what can a man do
+when a woman gets hold of him? Just before my father was twenty-one this
+widow of Tresidder got her husband to make a new will. She persuaded him
+to let her husband's brother be present when Mr. Trefry, the old family
+lawyer, was writing the document, and a good many hard words passed even
+then.
+
+You see, Mr. Trefry couldn't bear to see my father defrauded, and yet he
+had no right to interfere. The upshot was that the will gave my father
+the sum of £500, while all the Pennington estates were to be held in
+trust for Richard Tresidder. This of course seems very strange, but it
+goes to show how a woman can twist a man around her finger when she sets
+out to do it. There was a clause in the will, however, which my
+grandfather, in spite of James Tresidder, who was also a lawyer, would
+have inserted. I think the old man's love for justice, and perhaps his
+love for his son, caused him to have a mind of his own in this case, for
+in the face of lawyer Tresidder's objections and his wife's entreaties
+he stood firm. The clause was to this effect--that if Jasper Pennington
+or his heirs were ever in a position so to do, they could demand to buy
+the Pennington estates, as they existed at the date of the will, at half
+the value of the said estates. And that in the case of such an
+emergency, five representatives of five county families be asked to make
+the valuation. My grandfather further stipulated that none of the
+Pennington lands should be sold at any time for any purpose whatever.
+
+Now, the widow of Tresidder greatly objected to this, and even after it
+was duly signed did her utmost to get my grandfather to have this clause
+expunged. But the Pennington blood asserted itself, and although he had
+given way to his wife in such a degree that he had almost disinherited
+his son, he still held to this clause.
+
+Not that it could be worth anything to my father. How could he, with
+only £500, expect to gain many thousands?
+
+As I said, the will was made some few months before my father was
+twenty-one, and it was stipulated that he was to receive the £500 on his
+twenty-first birthday.
+
+And now comes a stranger part of the business. About a week before my
+father came of age, my grandfather grew angry at what he had done. The
+thought of his only son being disinherited in favour of a stranger just
+because a woman had twisted him around her finger made him nearly mad.
+He saw now what his wife had been aiming at for years; he saw, too, that
+the quarrels he had had with my father were of his wife's making; and
+anxious to do justly, he wrote a letter to Mr. Trefry telling him that
+he desired his presence at Pennington, as he wanted to make a new will,
+which should be duly signed and sealed before his son Jasper's
+twenty-first birthday. This letter was given to a servant to take to
+Truro. Now this servant, like almost every one else she had in the
+house, had become a tool of the solicitor's widow, and there is every
+reason to believe she saw the letter. Be that as it may, before Lawyer
+Trefry reached Pennington, my grandfather, who the day previous had been
+a hale, strong man, was dead, and the doctor who was called said that he
+died of heart disease.
+
+My father, however, believed that his father had been poisoned, or in
+some other way killed, because the woman he had married feared that he
+would make a new will in favour of his son Jasper.
+
+And now I have told why Pennington, which had been in the possession of
+the Penningtons for many generations, passed out of our hands, and
+became the property of the Tresidders.
+
+After my grandfather's funeral £500 were paid to my father, and he was
+ordered with many bitter words to leave the home of his fathers. The
+clause in the will to which I have referred, however, comforted him
+greatly. He was young and strong, and he determined to save up enough
+money to get back the Pennington estates according to the provisions
+laid down. At that time Elmwater Barton was to let. Old Mr. Quethiock,
+who had just died, had left one son who had a shop in Falmouth. This son
+did not like farming, and he willingly agreed to let the Barton to my
+father, who spent nearly the whole of his capital in stocking it.
+Meanwhile, Richard Tresidder lived in state at Pennington, and sneered
+at my father, who toiled hard at the Barton, and thus, if my father
+hated Richard Tresidder, was it to be wondered?
+
+Now, joining the Pennington lands are those belonging to the Lantallick
+estates, which belong to the Archer family, a family as old as the
+Penningtons and as greatly respected. Squire Archer had five sons and
+one daughter, and my father, who was always friendly with the people at
+Lantallick, visited the house often, and all the more because he loved
+Mary Archer. Concerning Mary Archer I will pass no opinion. I will only
+state facts. I have been told that she was a beautiful young woman, and
+that my father loved her dearly. Indeed, it was generally understood
+that he should marry Mary when he came of age. It has been said, too,
+that Mary was simply crazy in her love for my father; but about that I
+have my doubts.
+
+Not long after my father settled down at Elmwater Barton, he asked Mary
+to be his wife, and it was then that Squire Archer told him to leave the
+house, and informed him, moreover, that his daughter would be shortly
+married to Richard Tresidder.
+
+"But," said my father, "Mary has promised to be my wife, promised again
+and again."
+
+"And do you think," asked the Squire, "that I would allow my only
+daughter to marry a tenant farmer, a wild young scamp that his father
+disinherited? Leave the house, I tell you!"
+
+I have heard that Mary pleaded with her father, but I will not vouch for
+the truth of that. Certain it is that some time after she became married
+to Richard Tresidder.
+
+Thus it was that Richard Tresidder robbed Jasper Pennington not only of
+his home and lands, but his love.
+
+Now, my father prospered at Elmwater Barton. He was a clever man, and
+fortune favoured him. He began to lay by money, and he farmed the land
+so well that folks said he would in a few years, by the blessing of
+God, have enough to buy back the Pennington estates, according to the
+terms of his father's will. This was told Richard Tresidder and his
+mother one day, and they both laughed. About this time my father's
+cattle began to die. No one could explain why, but die they did, until
+many rumours were afloat, and people whispered that the cattle were
+bewitched. Anyhow, it was asserted that Richard Tresidder had been seen
+talking with Betsey Fraddam, the witch, while many delicacies had been
+taken to Betsey's cottage from Pennington.
+
+Now, as I said, there will be many things in this narrative which I, an
+unlearned man, cannot explain. Still, I must tell of matters as they
+occurred, this, among others, especially as my relations with Eli
+Fraddam, Betsey's son, have been condemned by Parson Inch. It is said
+that the Fraddam family has witchcraft in its veins. Anyhow, it is well
+known that Betsey was regarded as a witch, while Eli, her son--but of
+the poor gnome I will tell later on.
+
+My father tried everything to cure his cattle, but could not, and what
+was more perplexing was the fact that other people's cattle in fields
+adjoining suffered not at all. In a few months he was driven to
+extremities; he saw his chances of buying back his old home slipping
+through his fingers, and what maddened him most was that whenever he
+passed Richard Tresidder, the man who lived on his estates, laughed him
+in the face.
+
+One day my father was in a field adjoining the Pennington lands when he
+saw Richard Tresidder.
+
+"Well, farmer," said Tresidder, with a sneer, "and how are you getting
+on?"
+
+Whereupon my father accused him of having dealings with Betsey Fraddam,
+and told him he was a black-hearted knave, and other things concerning
+himself, which maddened Richard Tresidder so that he jumped over the
+hedge that divided them and struck my father with his heavy riding-whip.
+
+Now the Penningtons have always been a large-limbed, powerful race, and,
+while they have been slow to anger, they have--thank God--always had a
+strong sense of what is just, and have always been regarded as brave
+men. Richard Tresidder was a slim, wiry man, and, while strong and
+agile, was no match for a man who, when he hadn't an ounce too much
+flesh, weighed over eleven score pounds. What my father would have done
+by him I know not, but while he was in the act of thrashing him two of
+Tresidder's men came up, and thus the business ended, at least for the
+time. A little while later my father was summoned for attempted murder.
+
+The affair was the talk of Cornwall for some time--at least, that part
+of Cornwall--and most people thought my father would be hanged. The
+magistrates, who knew the Penningtons and liked them, however, did not
+allow this; but he had to pay Tresidder a sum of money which, unless he
+were helped, meant his utter ruin.
+
+Again had Richard Tresidder and his mother, who, I believe, was behind
+all this, got the upper hand of my father, and again by unfair means.
+Was it a wonder, then, that Jasper Pennington should regard them as
+enemies? Was it any wonder that I, when I came to know about these
+things, should feel bitterly?
+
+After the sentence was passed my father, wondering what to do, went to
+see Betsey Fraddam, the witch.
+
+"Betsey," said my father, "tell the truth about my cattle. You can't
+harm me, because I'm the oldest son, indeed the only son, but I can
+harm you. Did Tresidder hire you to ill-wish the cattle?"
+
+"Jasper," said Betsey, "ded 'ee bait un--ded 'ee bait un, now, right
+bad? Zay you ded, now."
+
+"Yes, I did," said my father. "I'm glad the two men came up, or I should
+have murder on my conscience, and that's not right, even when the man is
+your enemy."
+
+"But you ded bait un! Aw! aw! Jasper; ther's they that can kill, an'
+ther's they that can cure. Some can do both."
+
+"You can, Betsey."
+
+"P'raps I can, Jasper. Ave 'ee seed my boy Eli, Jasper?"
+
+"No," replied my father.
+
+"Then come in and zee un--come in, Jasper," and she led the way into the
+cottage.
+
+My father, who told me this years after, said he should never forget the
+curious feeling that came over him as he saw Betsey Fraddam's son. He
+looked even as a child like an old man, and he had a wild look in his
+eyes that made him shudder.
+
+"He 'ed'n wot you may call a purty cheeld, es a, then?" asked Betsey.
+
+My father did not reply.
+
+"Well, we ca'ant expect for Betsey Fraddam to 'ave purty cheldern, can
+us, then?"
+
+My father was still silent, for Betsey had a strange way with her that
+made people afraid. Even I can remember that.
+
+"You may have a son some day, Jasper."
+
+"No," said my father.
+
+"But you may," said Betsey, "you may; I do'ant main nothin' wrong,
+Jasper. Margaret Quethiock es well off, and her father do oan the
+Barton. Think about it, Jasper. And then ef you do ever have a son,
+you'll tell 'im to be kind to Eli, wa'ant 'ee now, Jasper?"
+
+"Yes," said my father, wondering all the time why he should give the
+promise. And that was all the conversation they had together at that
+time, for my father told me, and he was always a truthful man. But his
+cattle got better from that time, and as Mr. Quethiock, of Falmouth,
+lent him £300 he was able to tide over his difficulty.
+
+A little while later my father married Margaret Quethiock, and the
+fortune that her father gave her was £200, besides the £300 he had
+borrowed, and Elmwater Barton rent free during her lifetime. If she died
+before my father, the question of rent was to be considered. They had
+been married about two years when I was born; but my mother died at my
+birth, so I never knew a mother's care and love.
+
+My grandfather Quethiock said nothing about rent after my mother's
+death, but my father did not become a rich man. Somehow things were
+constantly going wrong with him, and he was in endless trouble about
+money matters. It was his stepmother, he told me, who was constantly
+persecuting him, because she feared his getting rich, while her son, who
+enjoyed my father's wealth, had all sorts of people ready to do his
+will. Only for him to hint at a thing, and his satellites would do it.
+Thus, one day a herd of cattle would get into a cornfield and destroy
+it; and on another, without any apparent reason, a corn-mow would catch
+fire. We could never trace it to them, but we always knew by the
+jeering laugh on Tresidder's face when he passed us who was the cause of
+our trouble.
+
+All this shortened my father's life. When I was nineteen, at the time
+when he should have been in his prime, he was a worn-out old man; and
+so, when sickness overtook him, he had no strength to fight against it.
+It was during this sickness that he told me some of the things I have
+written, and also informed me of other matters which will be related
+later.
+
+I was with him shortly before he died, and then he said to me very
+earnestly, "I leave you Elmwater Barton, Jasper, for I don't think your
+grandfather Quethiock will ever charge you rent, and he told me it
+should be yours completely at his death; but your real property is
+Pennington, my boy. Now I want you to make me a promise."
+
+"I will promise anything in my power, father," I said.
+
+"Then," he replied, quietly, "I want you to promise me that you will
+never rest until you get back your own. Never rest until you are back at
+Pennington as master and owner. You have been robbed, my son. I have
+tried to get your rights and have failed, but you must not fail."
+
+"No, father, I will not fail," I replied. "I will never rest until I
+have got back Pennington."
+
+"And never trust a Tresidder, Jasper; they are all as deep as the
+bottomless pit, and as cruel as the fiend who rules there."
+
+"I hear, father," was my reply, "and you shall be obeyed."
+
+This was in the month of July, in the year 1737, when I was nineteen
+years of age.
+
+What I have to tell is how I tried to get back my home, of the battles
+I had to fight, of the love which came into my heart, of many mysteries
+which I cannot explain, and of the strange experiences through which I
+passed in seeking to obey my father's will.
+
+Whether I shall be believed or no I cannot tell, but I will tell only
+the truth, strange as it may all seem. Moreover, let God be the judge
+whether my quarrel with the Tresidders was not a just one, and whether I
+did not fight fairly, as every honest man should.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+TELLS HOW I, JASPER PENNINGTON, TRIED TO GET MY OWN
+
+
+I do not think I have as yet mentioned it, but Richard Tresidder--I mean
+the man who entered into my father's possessions--had three sons and one
+daughter, and each of these was brought up with the thought that I was
+their natural enemy. Of course, they were informed that my grandfather's
+will provided the means whereby I, if I were sufficiently fortunate,
+could buy back the estate at half its valued worth. And they were in
+constant suspense about it. If I were to marry a rich wife it could be
+done; if I were to have some stroke of fortune their home might be taken
+from them, they having only a given sum of money. And thus it was to
+their interest to keep me poor, as well as to damage my reputation in
+the neighbourhood.
+
+The eldest son was a year or more older than I, and was, of course,
+respected as the heir to the Pennington lands, for it is strange how
+people's sympathies veer around on the side of the people who are in
+power. My father has told me many times how, when he was thought to be
+the prospective heir of Pennington, people could not make enough of him,
+while Richard Tresidder had but scant courtesy paid him. When it became
+known that my father was disinherited, no matter how unjustly, these
+same folks discovered that Richard Tresidder was a very mine of wit and
+goodness, while my father was made a butt for fools' jokes.
+
+And so I discovered that my being a Pennington counted but for little,
+while it seemed to be forgotten that but for the wiles of a clever,
+selfish woman, I should be the Squire of the parish.
+
+When I was old enough I was sent to Tregony grammar school, my father
+being determined to give me a schooling befitting the position he hoped,
+in spite of his misfortunes, I should some day occupy. Now Nick
+Tresidder had been attending this same school for some months when I
+went. For this I was very glad, because I thought it would give me an
+opportunity for testing him. I had not been in the school a week,
+however, when my father came to fetch me away. The reason was that
+Richard Tresidder had demanded it, as he would not allow his son to be
+educated at the school where the son of a tenant-farmer was admitted. He
+told the schoolmaster that he had two other sons whom he intended to
+send, but that he should immediately withdraw his patronage if I were
+not sent away.
+
+All this angered me as well as my father, but there was no help for it,
+and I was sent to Probus instead, where the education was as good, but
+where I had no chance of meeting the Tresidders.
+
+I have said that Elmwater Barton was a good farm, but I must confess to
+looking longingly at Pennington. This was in the nature of things very
+reasonable on my part, for I always looked upon it as my home. But
+besides this, I doubt if the whole country can present a stretch of land
+so fair, or a house so pleasantly situated. There may be bigger and more
+imposing houses, but there are none more comfortable. Besides,
+Pennington faces a beautiful glen that is about half a mile wide. I know
+of no grass as green as that which grows there, or of trees so fine and
+stately. Besides, the river which winds its way downward, and which
+sometimes runs side by side with the drive leading from the house to the
+main road, is the most beauteous stream of water I ever saw. Then
+sloping away from this glen are wooded hills, the sight of which in the
+early summer time is enough to make a man sing for joy; and in addition
+to all this, while standing at the main entrance of the house you can
+see the blue sea, say a mile and a half away. I, who have seen something
+of the world, say there is nothing finer in the way of green and
+pleasant land, while all the world knows that nowhere are cliffs so fine
+and the sea so blue as that which is to be seen in this part of my
+native county. Besides, all that land from the house where my father was
+born right to the sea belongs to the Pennington estates, while at the
+back of the house it stretches just as far, and just as fair.
+
+One day--it was before my father died--I had climbed Trescowal Tor, just
+to feast my eyes upon so much loveliness, when I saw Richard Tresidder
+walking with his mother toward the Pennington woods. Now a great desire
+came into my heart, not to see Tresidder, but to speak to his mother,
+whom I knew to be the evil genius of my family. And so I made my way to
+the woods, and stood in the pathway as they came up.
+
+They both knew me, not only through my likeness to my father, but
+because of my size, for it is well known that the Pennington family on
+the male side are at least six inches taller than the ordinary run of
+men.
+
+"Do you know you are trespassing?" asked Tresidder.
+
+"My name is Jasper Pennington," I said, proudly.
+
+"Then get off my lands at once," he said, sternly, and with a black
+look.
+
+"Not until I have had a good look on the man and woman who have robbed
+my father and me," I said--and I knew I had aroused the devil in them as
+I spoke. For the woman who had robbed us fairly glared at me, while
+Tresidder grasped his stick as though he would strike me. The woman was
+nearing seventy, but she was strong and hale, and her eyes flashed like
+those of a young girl. I saw, too, that she must have been handsome when
+she was young. I marked the cruel, resolute expression of her mouth, and
+I did not wonder at the difficulty my grandfather had in resisting her.
+
+"I will have you put in the stocks, and then taken to the lockup, if you
+are not gone at once," said Tresidder, savagely.
+
+"I will give your three sons the chance of doing this," I said, with a
+laugh. "Three Tresidders against one Pennington isn't bad in fair fight.
+Of course, where cunning and cheatery comes in I should be nowhere. Or
+perhaps," I continued, "you would like to try yourself. I am only
+eighteen, and you are in the prime of your life; still, I should be
+pleased to give you the chance."
+
+But he laid no hands on me; instead, he put a whistle to his mouth and
+blew.
+
+"Yes," I said, "get some one else to do the work you are afraid to try
+yourself; that's a Tresidder all over. Well, I'll go now; I've had a
+good look at you both, and I shall know you again."
+
+With that I turned and walked away, for, if the truth must be told, I
+did not care about fighting with Tresidder's minions, and my father had
+told me many times to be careful.
+
+The path was very crooked, and the foliage was very thick, so that I had
+not gone more than a few steps before I was out of their sight. Acting
+on the impulse of the moment, I stopped and listened.
+
+"A regular Pennington," I heard the old woman say. "You must be careful,
+Richard, for he has more brains than his father. He has all the good
+looks of the family, too. We must be silent about all our plans, for if
+he knows he will spoil them. Remember the will."
+
+"I do remember; that is why I am anxious about our boys. Still, there
+can be no fear, and it will not be so very long before we shall get her.
+That settled, and Nick will be all right."
+
+I heard no more after that, but I wondered often what he meant. I told
+my father, too, but he could give me no hint toward the solution of
+Tresidder's words.
+
+After my father's death I ceased to think so much of Pennington; for I
+had Elmwater Barton to look after. I was determined to make the farm
+pay, and now that all the responsibility rested on me, I made up my mind
+that the Tresidders should not play fast and loose with me, as they had
+done with my father. In order to do this I looked carefully around me
+for a man in whom I could trust; for, be it remembered, this was a very
+difficult matter. My father had engaged two hinds, and each of these had
+been bribed by the Tresidders to injure his property. You see, his
+enemies had almost supreme power in the parish, and they used it to his
+injury. Still, I knew that the Tresidders must have enemies as well as
+other people, and it was for me to find out who they were. This I had no
+great difficulty in doing. A man named William Dawe had farmed a place
+named Treviscoe, on the Pennington estate, and the poor fellow had
+several seasons of bad luck. One year his turnip crop failed; the next
+the foot and mouth disease got hold of his cattle; and the next, during
+the lambing season, he lost a great number of sheep. Indeed, so bad was
+his luck that he was unable to pay his rent. Perhaps Tresidder would
+have been lenient with him but for two things: one was that he had
+refused to take sides with him against my father, and another was that
+when Nick Tresidder insulted William Dawe's daughter the farmer gave him
+a thrashing. The end of all this was that William Dawe was sold up, and
+even then he was not free from all his difficulties.
+
+One of the first important things I did after my father's death,
+therefore, after a serious conversation with the farmer, was to lure him
+to come to Elmwater Barton, with his wife and son and daughter, in order
+to manage the farm. I do not think in all my life I have ever seen a man
+so grateful.
+
+"Will you come, William?" I asked, when I told him what wages I could
+afford to give.
+
+"Come, Maaster Jasper, come! I reck'n I will! Why--" And then he caught
+at my hand, and behaved in a way that made me think for the time that I
+was serving him only, and not myself at all.
+
+In a few days William was settled down at the Barton, and right well did
+he arrange for the harvest, and right hard did both he and his son work
+for me. Indeed, both William and his son George seemed ready to work
+their arms off for me, and were both anxious to serve me night and day.
+George Dawe was a strapping fellow of twenty-five, nearly as tall and
+strong as myself, though not quite. This was proved one day when we
+wrestled down in the calves' meadow. I had hard work to master him, for
+George had taken the wrestling prize at St. Eve's Feast for three years
+in succession. I was proud to have thrown him, especially as I had not
+yet got my full strength, not being twenty years of age. George had had
+a varied experience. He had been to sea in a trading vessel, and, if the
+truth must be confessed, had done a fair amount of smuggling. Be that as
+it may, George Dawe loved me like a brother, and nothing was too much
+for him to do for me. Thus I regarded myself as very fortunate. Eliza
+Dawe, too, was a careful, sensible woman, while Selina, her daughter,
+was a strapping, healthy wench who could do as much work as two ordinary
+women.
+
+Now, I say this was a great help to me, for they all watched my
+interests closely.
+
+"Lev any ov the Trezidders try any ov their dirty capers now," said
+George to me, "and we'll laive 'em knaw."
+
+Those who know nothing about farming can have no idea what a great
+amount of harm a seemingly little mistake can do. Suppose, for instance,
+there are two ten-acred fields side by side. Suppose the month is early
+July, when the corn has nearly reached its full height, and the heads
+have all bursted ready to ripen. Well, suppose, again, that one of these
+ten-acred fields has barley, or oats, or wheat, while the other is a
+browsing field in which twenty or thirty head of cattle are feeding.
+Then let some evil-disposed person open the gate between these two
+fields, and the thirty head of cattle get into the cornfield--what
+happens? Why, £20 worth of damage can be done in a single night. And
+things like this were often happening in my father's days, and thus he
+was kept poor.
+
+But things changed after I got George Dawe on the Barton. His eyes
+seemed to be everywhere, and always in my interests.
+
+Let me give one example (and then I will soon get on to my story proper)
+how George Dawe saved me a large amount of money, and at the same time
+helped me to teach the Tresidders a lesson.
+
+It was the June after I had got William Dawe's family to live with me.
+We had had several dry weeks, so that the fields had become parched and
+bare, and we were anxious lest the sheep should not have enough grass.
+One field had been planted with vatches, which, as every farmer knows,
+grow quickly and are cut for the horses.
+
+"William," I said to Dawe one day, "I am afraid we shall have to
+sacrifice a hay field. The browsing fields are all brown; the sheep
+can't get enough to eat. We must be careful not to turn them there when
+the dew is on the grass, though, or they'll get vlayed."
+
+"I wudden trouble, Maaster Jasper; ship c'n nibble a lot on a dewy
+mornin', and we sh'll git rain zoon, I reck'n."
+
+"Well, as you think best; but I fancy we'd better turn the biggest lot
+into the 'Sheeps' Close' to-night." The "Sheeps' Close" was the name of
+one of the best meadows, which at this time was very bare owing to the
+long spell of dry, hot weather.
+
+Well, I had to ride to Truro that afternoon, so I did not get home till
+late at night. I found George Dawe waiting up for me.
+
+"Anything the matter, George?" I asked.
+
+"Iss, ther es, Maaster Jasper."
+
+"What?" I asked.
+
+"The Trezidders be up to the ould gaame. When I wos comin' 'ome from St.
+Eve two or dree 'ours agone, I 'eared young Nick plannin' ev it weth
+Buddle."
+
+"Explain, George," I said.
+
+George told his story, with the result that we made our way to the
+"Sheeps' Close" and hid behind the hedge. Just before dawn--that is,
+about three o'clock in the morning--we saw two men coming toward the
+gateway. We saw them unfasten the gate and open it wide, then we heard
+one say to the other, "Now let's fetch up the sheep, and the fool will
+be worth a bit less money in a few hours."
+
+Then they went away, and in a little while we heard them "whishing" up
+the sheep. George closed the gate, and we both waited until they came
+up. There were a hundred and seventy-five sheep in the flock, and they
+brought them up for the purpose of turning them into the vatches. Here
+they would be knee-deep in rank vegetation, and the poor things, glad to
+get to such juicy meat, would eat ravenously. The result of this would
+be that they would get filled with wind and would swell horribly, and if
+not immediately relieved would die a painful death. If the design
+succeeded in this case I should be hundreds of pounds poorer before the
+men would be at their work.
+
+It may be imagined, therefore, that my blood was pretty hot, and that my
+feelings toward the Tresidders were not those of a lover, and I will
+leave it to any fair-minded man whether my anger was not reasonable.
+
+As I said, George and I waited by the gate until they came up. The sheep
+came close to the gate, as if waiting to be let in, and the two men
+stood behind, not knowing, evidently, why the poor creatures did not go
+to their death.
+
+"What's the matter, Jacob?" asked young Nick Tresidder.
+
+"Dunnaw, aw'm zure," answered Jacob, who was the eldest son of
+Tresidder's "head man" and the worst rake in the parish. "Lev us go up
+an' zee."
+
+So they came up, as we expected they would.
+
+"Why, the gaate es cloased and apsed!" cried Jacob. "The devil must 'a
+'bin 'ere."
+
+"Nonsense," said Nick, "you couldn't have opened it; you must have been
+dreaming. There, open it."
+
+"You tackle Nick Tresidder, an' I'll 'ave a go with Buddle," said George
+to me, in a whisper; "he's allays a-braggin' as 'ow 'ee c'n bait me. Now
+then, jump out!"
+
+At this we both leaped forward. I took Nick Tresidder by the scruff of
+the neck, while George gripped Buddle like a blacksmith's vice.
+
+The sheep jumped away frightened, while these two blackguards cried out
+as if the judgment day had come.
+
+"Es et the devil?" asked Buddle.
+
+"No," I roared out, "it isn't the devil; we're not related to you in any
+way, and your master won't help you."
+
+By this time they found out who we were, and began to wriggle finely.
+
+"Look you, Nick Tresidder," I said; "the law will do nothing for us, so
+we are going to take the law in our own hands."
+
+"What do you want?" asked Tresidder.
+
+"Nothing unfair," I said. "We are man to man. You are on my land, and
+you were doing a trick worthy only of the devil, your master. We will
+wrestle fair, as becomes Cornishmen, and you must show no mercy, for as
+God is above me I'll show none."
+
+Now I will do these men justice. They were not afraid of us, and when
+they knew that we were people of this world and not ghosts from the
+other, they showed no desire to run away. Nick Tresidder was a year
+older than I, while Buddle always sneered when folks said that George
+Dawe was a better man than he. Besides, they both saw that we did not
+mean playing at wrestling.
+
+But Nick Tresidder, Tresidder-like, was not fair; he jumped upon me
+before I was ready, a thing always regarded as cowardly at a wrestling
+match. I saw in a minute, too, that he knew the tricks of the art, and
+were I not a wrestler, too, and a strong man to boot, my arm must have
+been broken before I could put forth my strength. This angered me more
+than I like to be angered, for now, when we were to meet man to man, I
+felt not so bitter about the sheep. So I put forth all my strength and
+made him let go his vantage hold, then I put my arm around his chest,
+and right glad was I when I found him a strong man; so I played with him
+for the pleasure of wrestling, just as any true Cornishman will. But I
+was wrong in doing this. My father had told me never to trust a
+Tresidder, and I did trust him to wrestle fairly, even although he had
+tried to kill my sheep. While I wrestled, merely for the pleasure of
+wrestling, I felt a stab at my side, and I knew that a knife had entered
+my flesh just under my arm.
+
+"You are a coward, Nick Tresidder," I said, "a coward in every way;"
+then, not knowing whether I was dangerously wounded or no, I played with
+him no longer, for a man cannot bear everything. I caught him in both my
+arms and lifted him from the ground; then I wrestled in earnest. I heard
+one of his ribs snap, but he did not cry out, then another, and he
+became but a child to me; so I let him go, and he staggered away like a
+drunken man.
+
+"Now go home and tell your father what you have done," I said, "and tell
+him who you found in Elmwater Barton 'Sheeps' Close.'"
+
+Then I turned to George, who was still struggling with Buddle, and who,
+just as I came to him, threw him heavily.
+
+"George," I said, "I have been stabbed. Just tie this cloth tightly
+around my chest."
+
+"The coward!" said George, panting; "but where es a, Maaster Jasper?"
+
+"He won't wrestle any more for a month or two," I replied; "but I would
+not have hurt him so if he had not stabbed me."
+
+So there, in the early morning light, while the birds began to sing, and
+the sheep tried to find food on the dewy ground, George Dawe tied a
+cloth tightly across my naked chest, and I could not help wincing at the
+pain. Just as he was finishing, Jacob Buddle got slowly up from the
+ground. He had been badly stunned, but no bones were broken.
+
+"Look after your master," I said; then I saw the knife with which Nick
+had stabbed me lying on the ground. "There," I said, "you know that
+knife, I expect; your master used it while we wrestled."
+
+But Buddle was dazed, and did not reply. So when I had put on my coat I
+went to Nick Tresidder, who was very faint and unable to walk, so ill
+had he become. Then my heart softened, and together we took him up to
+Pennington, and Buddle, who was by this time better, said he could
+manage him.
+
+The next day I heard that Nick Tresidder had fallen from his horse and
+broken his ribs, and Dr. Hawke, who had been called in, said that he
+must remain in bed many days. But of this I am sure, although neither
+George Dawe nor I said a word, Richard Tresidder knew the truth.
+
+Now I have told this, not because I delight in such things, but because
+I want it to be known how I was treated, and what I had to contend with,
+for this was but a sample of the many ways in which the Tresidders had
+tried to harm me. I have often wondered why they felt so evilly toward
+me, seeing that they were rich at my cost, and I have come to the
+conclusion that it is a law of human nature for a man to hate those whom
+he has treated unjustly. But I am an unlearned man, and the heart of
+man--and woman--is past finding out.
+
+And now I must tell how, in spite of myself, I was drawn more and more
+into contact with the Tresidders, with other matters which strangely
+affected my life later on.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+HOW I WAS ROBBED OF ELMWATER BARTON; HOW I FLOGGED THE TRESIDDERS, AND
+WAS PILLORIED BECAUSE OF IT
+
+
+A month after the event I have just related I was walking down toward
+the sea, for my wound, which was but slight, had healed up, when,
+passing by Betsey Fraddam's cottage, I saw the old woman sitting by the
+door mending a garment.
+
+"'Ere, Maaster Jasper, I want 'ee," said Betsey.
+
+So I went toward her, not caring to offend her. Now I am not a
+superstitious man, neither did I ever believe in some of the stories
+told about Betsey. At the same time, I knew better than to offend her.
+Even Parson Grigg was civil to her, and admitted that she had powers
+which could not be trifled with. It is also a fact that she had cured
+some of my cattle which had been stung by adders, by charming them,
+while, on the other hand, my father believed that she had, at Richard
+Tresidder's bidding, ill-wished his cows. She had on several occasions
+cured terrible diseases which the doctor from Falmouth said were
+incurable, and I have heard it said that when Mr. John Wesley visited
+Cornwall, and was told about her, the great man looked very grave, and
+expressed a belief in her power. This being so, it is no wonder I did
+not like to offend her; neither had I any reason for doing so. She had
+been kind to me, and once, when I had scarlet fever, gave me some stuff
+that cured me even when Dr. Martin said I should be dead in a few hours.
+Besides, according to my father's promise, I had been friendly with Eli,
+her son. Now, Eli was several years older than I, but he never grew to
+be more than about four feet high, and was the most ill-formed creature
+I have ever seen. He had bow legs, a hump back, and was what was called
+"double-chested." His thick black hair grew down close to his eyes,
+which eyes, in addition to being very wild and strange-looking, were
+wrongly set, so that no one could tell which way he was looking. He was
+rather sickly-looking, too, and was thought to be very weak. But this I
+know to be wrong. Eli, ill-formed as he was, was much stronger than most
+men, nature having endowed his sinews with wondrous hardness and powers
+of endurance. Eli did no work, but lived by poaching and begging food at
+the farmhouses. As Betsey's son he was never refused, especially as some
+believed he had inherited his mother's powers.
+
+Well I entered the cottage and sat on a wooden stool while Eli sat in a
+corner of the open fireplace and looked at me steadfastly with one eye,
+and with the other saw what was going on out in the road.
+
+"Well," said Betsey, "and so you found out what Nick Tresidder wanted to
+do, then? An' I 'ear as 'ow you've nearly killed 'im."
+
+"How do you know?" I asked.
+
+"How do I knaw? How do I knaw everything? But you'll be paid out,
+Maaster Jasper! Tell y' Dick Tresidder 'll pay 'ee out. I c'n zee et
+comin'."
+
+"See what coming?" I asked.
+
+"Look 'ee, Maaster Jasper; 'ave 'ee bin to zee yer Granfer Quethiock
+lately?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then you be a vool, Jasper--tell y' you be a vool. Wy, 'ee's nearly
+dead; he may be dead by now. What 'bout the Barton, Jasper? 'Ave 'a
+willed et to 'ee?"
+
+At this my heart became heavy. Up to now no rent had been charged, and I
+hoped that my grandfather would make it over to me. My uncles, I knew,
+did not like me.
+
+"Old Mester Quethiock es dead, es dead, es dead," said Eli, in his
+funny, grunting kind of voice.
+
+"How do 'ee knaw, Eli?" asked his mother.
+
+"I knaw, I knaw," grunted Eli, and then he laughed in his funny way, but
+he would tell nothing more.
+
+"What ought I to do?" I asked, for I felt a great fear come into my
+heart, although my father had told me that my Grandfather Quethiock
+meant to give me the Barton.
+
+"Go and zee, go and zee," said Betsey.
+
+So I went back home and saddled my mare and rode to Falmouth. When I got
+into Falmouth town I saw an ironmonger whom I knew, and he looked as
+though he would speak, so I stopped my horse.
+
+"Well, and so yer poor gran'father is gone," he said.
+
+"Is he?" I replied; "I did not know till now."
+
+"Iss, he's gone, and a good man he wos, too. His two sons, yer uncles,
+'ave been waitin' a long time to git into his shoes. Ah, there'll be a
+change now! Th' ould man was the soul of generosity; but the sons, Peter
+and Paul, nobody'll be able to rob one to pay the other of they two. But
+I 'ear as 'ow you'm safe, Maaster Jasper. The Barton es yours, I'm
+told."
+
+This cheered me, so I rode on toward my grandfather's house. Just
+before I got there I saw my two uncles coming down the street, and with
+them was Richard Tresidder. I checked my horse and watched them, and saw
+that they entered a lawyer's office, and the lawyer who owned it was the
+son of the man who was present when Lawyer Trefry drew up my
+grandfather's will.
+
+I got to know nothing by going to my grandfather's house, save to find
+out the day of the funeral, which was fixed for three days later, and
+which I attended. After the funeral was over the will was read, and the
+lawyer who read it was Nicholas Tresidder, a bachelor after whom young
+Nick was called.
+
+Now, I do not pretend to be a learned man, but I do love honesty, and I
+do say that the will was drawn up to defraud me. Neither do I believe
+that my grandfather ever intended the words written down, to read as the
+lawyer said they read, for he had told my father that Elmwater Barton
+was to be left to me. According to Lawyer Tresidder, however, the whole
+of my grandfather's property was left to his two sons, Peter and Paul
+Quethiock, and it was left to their generosity as to whether I, his
+grandson, Jasper Pennington, should remain at the Barton free of all
+rent, and whether the land should be eventually mine. Thus, according to
+the lawyer's explanation, it was left to my uncles' generosity and
+judgment as to whether my grandfather's desire should be carried out. I
+desired that this part of the will should be read again, but so many
+words were used that I had difficulty in making head or tail of it. All
+the time I noticed that my uncles looked very uneasy.
+
+Now, I know that my grandfather was very fond of me, and in spite of
+the fact that I had been robbed of my rightful heritage, he was proud
+that he had a Pennington for a grandson. Thus I am sure that it was his
+will that I should have the Barton for my own. But during the last few
+years he had been very feeble and infirm, and thus in the hands of a
+clever lawyer he could easily be deceived as to what was legal.
+
+I will not attempt to give a lengthy account of what followed. Indeed, I
+have not a very distinct remembrance. I was not long in seeing what was
+in the minds of my two uncles, and I quickly realised that they had been
+in league with the Tresidders; and so, feeling that it was their
+intention to defraud me, I became dazed and bewildered. I have a
+confused recollection of asking some questions, and of the replies
+given, and after hearing them I left the house, with the consciousness
+that I was not the owner of Elmwater Barton, but a tenant liable to be
+dismissed by my uncles, both of whom were, I was sure, tools of Richard
+Tresidder.
+
+Still, I determined not to give up without a struggle, so I rode to
+Truro that same day and saw Lawyer Trefry, the son of the old lawyer who
+drew up my grandfather's will. He listened to my story very attentively,
+and when I had finished declared that Nicholas Tresidder was a clever
+fellow.
+
+"I think it is possible you may have a case though, Jasper," he said; "I
+think you may have a case. I will see to it at once. I will examine the
+will, and if there is a chance you may depend that I will seize on it.
+But remember this: Nicholas Tresidder is a clever fellow, and when he
+sets his mind on a thing it's a difficult thing to find him napping."
+
+That night I went back to the Barton with a sad heart, speaking not a
+word to any one. I longed to ease my pain by denouncing the people who
+sought to work my ruin, but in spite of William Dawe's anxious
+solicitations I held my peace. It is true Lawyer Trefry gave me some
+little hope, but I did not sleep that night, and for the next few days I
+wandered around the farm like one demented. Presently I saw Lawyer
+Trefry again, and I knew directly I caught the look on his face that my
+case was hopeless.
+
+"Nicholas Tresidder is a smart fellow," he said, with a grunt, "a very
+smart fellow. There is no doubt but that your grandfather meant you to
+have the Barton--not the slightest doubt; but then, you see, it is not
+legally yours. Let us hope that your uncles will abide by your
+grandfather's evident desire and make it yours."
+
+But I had no hope of that, and I shook my head sadly. "As well expect
+water from a stone," I said. "For a long time I have wondered why
+Richard Tresidder should be so friendly with Peter and Paul Quethiock;
+now I know. He has been for years trying to ruin me, and now he has
+accomplished it."
+
+"How old are you?" asked Lawyer Trefry, suddenly, as though a new
+thought had struck him.
+
+"Twenty next month," I replied.
+
+"Bah! why did not old Quethiock live a month longer?" grunted the
+lawyer.
+
+"Why, what would have been the use?" I asked.
+
+"Use? Why, if you could prove that you had held the land for twenty
+years, you could lawfully claim it as yours."
+
+And thus everything was against me, and although we talked over a dozen
+things together, no ray of light came to cheer the darkness.
+
+The next thing that happened was the event of a letter which I got from
+Nicholas Tresidder, the Falmouth lawyer. This letter was to the effect
+that as I was neither a lawful tenant of Elmwater Barton, nor the owner
+thereof, I must immediately vacate the place, as Paul Quethiock intended
+to take possession thereof immediately. I had expected this, and had
+been for days trying to value the stock on the place. As I have before
+stated, I was barely twenty years of age, and although my father had
+appointed as my guardians two neighbouring farmers, they took but little
+interest in my affairs--indeed, I do not think they understood what
+their duties were. Anyhow, they took no steps to help me, neither did
+they interfere with me in any way.
+
+On the receipt of this letter, which was brought from Falmouth by
+messenger, I saddled my mare, and immediately rode to see Lawyer Trefry.
+
+He read the letter very carefully, and then asked me if I had received
+nothing else.
+
+"Nothing," I replied; "what is there else to receive? They have taken
+away the farm, they have ordered me to leave it; now I am come to you to
+arrange with James Trethewy and John Bassett about selling the stock. I
+suppose the crops will have to be valued, too, and a lot of other
+matters before I can realise on my property."
+
+He looked very grave, but said nothing for some time.
+
+"I will do what I can at once," he grunted, at length; "but believe me,
+Jasper, my boy, Nicholas Tresidder is a clever dog--a very clever dog.
+He's been set to work on this bone, and he'll leave nothing on it--mark
+my words, he'll leave nothing on it."
+
+"He _has_ left nothing," I replied; "I doubt if the stock will fetch
+very little more than the £500 my father spent when he took Elmwater
+Barton from my Grandfather Quethiock."
+
+Lawyer Trefry shook his head and grunted again; but he made no remark,
+and so I left, thinking that I knew the worst. I imagined that when the
+stock was sold I should be worth several hundred pounds, and with this
+as a nucleus, I should have something to give me a fair start.
+
+And so the day of the sale of the stock on the Barton was fixed, but
+before that day came another letter was brought by a messenger of Lawyer
+Nicholas Tresidder from Falmouth. This letter stated that as no rent had
+been paid since the death of Margaret Pennington, the heirs of the late
+Peter Quethiock claimed six years' rent, as they were entitled to do by
+the law of the land.
+
+I knew now what Lawyer Trefry meant when he said that Lawyer Tresidder
+would pick the bone clean. He had seen this coming, while I, young and
+ignorant of the law, had never dreamed of it. Old Betsey Fraddam had
+said that Richard Tresidder would pay me out, and he had done so now.
+Six years' rent would swallow up the value of the stock, and would take
+every penny I possessed. Thus at twenty I, who, but for the fraud and
+deceit of the Tresidders, would be the owner of Pennington, would be
+absolutely homeless and penniless. Then for the first time a great
+feeling of hate came into my heart, and then, too, I swore that I would
+be revenged for the injury that was done to me.
+
+Again I went to Lawyer Trefry, and again he grunted.
+
+"I expected this," he said; "I knew it would come. Nick Tresidder is a
+clever dog; I was sure he would pick the bone clean."
+
+"And there is no hope for me?" I asked, anxiously.
+
+"You will have your youth, your health and strength, and your liberty,"
+he replied. "I do not see how they can rob you of that; no, even Nick
+Tresidder can't rob you of that!"
+
+"But the rest?"
+
+"It will have to go, it must all go; there is no hope for it--none at
+all," and the lawyer grunted again.
+
+I will not describe what took place during the next few weeks--there is
+no need; enough to say that all I had was taken, that I was stripped of
+all I possessed, and was left a homeless beggar.
+
+As Lawyer Trefry told me, they had done their worst now, at least for
+that time. Richard Tresidder had been undoubtedly working in the dark
+for years to accomplish this, and in his kinsman the lawyer he had found
+a willing helper. It was plain to see, too, that it would be to Peter
+and Paul Quethiock's advantage to try and take the Barton from me. It
+was a valuable piece of land, and would enrich them considerably. There
+was no difficulty, either, in seeing Richard Tresidder's motives. He had
+wronged me, and, as I said, it seems a law of life that a man shall feel
+bitterly toward one he has wronged; and besides all that, his safety lay
+in keeping me poor, and to this end he brought all his energies to bear.
+
+When it was all over I think I became mad. While there was a straw to
+which I could hold I managed to restrain myself, but when the last was
+broken I think I gave myself over to the devil. I behaved in a way that
+frightened people, until even those who were inclined to be friendly
+avoided me. By and bye only one house was open to me, and that was old
+Betsey Fraddam's. It was true I visited the taverns and beershops in the
+neighbourhood, and formed companionships with men who years before I
+despised; but Betsey Fraddam's house was the only one open to me which I
+could regard as anything like a home. Even Betsey grew angry with me,
+and would, I think, have bidden me leave her doors but for her son Eli,
+who seemed to love me in a dumb, dog-like sort of way.
+
+"Why doan't 'ee roust yerzelf up, Jasper?" she would say. "Spoase you be
+put upon, spoase Squire Trezidder 'ave chaited 'ee--that ed'n to zay you
+shall maake a maazed noodle of yerzelf. Roust yerzelf up, an' begin to
+pay un back."
+
+"How can I do it, Betsey?"
+
+"'Ow? Better do a bit a smugglin' than do nothin'."
+
+"Yes; and isn't that what Tresidder wants? If he can get me in the
+clutches of the law that way it will just please him. Mad I am, I know,
+but not mad enough for that."
+
+"Then go to Plymouth, or go to Falmouth, my deear cheeld. Git on board a
+shep there, an' go off to some furrin country and make a fortin."
+
+"There are no fortunes to be made that I know of, Betsey; besides, I
+don't want to get away from St. Eve. I want to stay here and keep my eye
+upon Tresidder."
+
+"And what good will that do? You ca'ant 'urt 'ee by stayin' 'ere. 'E's
+too clever for you; he c'n allays bait 'ee while you stay 'ere,
+especially when you do behave like a maazed noodle."
+
+"Very well, Betsey. I will leave your house," I said after she had been
+talking to me in this fashion one day; "I can manage to live somewhere."
+
+"Jasper mus'n't go 'way," said Eli; "Jasper stay with me. Ef Jasper go
+'way, I go 'way. I help Jasper. I knaw! I knaw!" and then the poor gnome
+caught my hands and laughed in a strange way which was half a cry.
+
+And so, because Betsey loved Eli with a strange love, and because Eli
+clung to me with a dog-like devotion, I made Betsey's cottage my home.
+Plan after plan did I make whereby I might be able to make Richard
+Tresidder and all his family suffer for their behaviour to me, but I saw
+no means. What could I do? I had no friends, for when I left Elmwater
+Barton William Dawe and his family left the parish. For a long time I
+could not make up my mind to ask for work as a common labourer in a
+parish where I had been regarded as the owner of a barton. It seemed
+beneath me, and my foolish pride, while it did not forbid me to idle
+away my days and live in anything but a manly way, forbade me to do
+honest manual work. But it would have made no difference even if I had
+been less foolish, for when I on one occasion became wiser, and sought
+work among the farmers, I was refused on every hand. The fact was, every
+one was afraid to offend Richard Tresidder, and as every tenant farmer
+in the parish was in his power, perhaps their conduct was reasonable.
+
+And thus it came about that my manhood slipped away from me, and I
+became a loafing outcast. I would have left the parish but for a
+seemingly unreasonable desire to be near Richard Tresidder, who day by
+day I hated more and more. I know I was mad, and forgot what was due to
+my name in my madness.
+
+When a year had gone, and I was nearly twenty-one years of age, there
+were few more degraded sights in the parish than I. My clothes had
+become worn out, and my whole appearance was more that of a savage than
+of anything else. People said, too, that the look of a devil shone from
+my eyes, and I saw that people avoided me. And as I brooded over this,
+and remembered that I owed it all to the Tresidders, I vowed again and
+again that I would be revenged, and that all the Tresidder brood should
+suffer a worse hell than that through which I passed.
+
+Nothing cheered me but the strange love of Eli Fraddam, who would follow
+me just as a dog follows its master. When I could get a few pence I
+would go to the alehouse and try and forget my sorrow, but I nursed my
+anger all the time, and never once did I give up my dreams of harming
+the Tresidders. I write all this because I want to tell my story
+faithfully, and because I will give no man the chance to say that I
+tried to hide the truth about my feelings toward my enemies.
+
+The day before my twenty-first birthday I was loafing around the lanes
+when I saw Richard Tresidder and his son Nick drive past me. They took
+the Falmouth road, and, divining their destination, I followed them in a
+blind, unreasoning sort of way. As I trudged along plans for injuring
+them formed themselves in my mind, one of which I presently determined I
+would carry into effect. It was the plan of a savage, and perhaps a
+natural one. My idea was to wait outside the town of Falmouth, to waylay
+them, and then to thrash them both within an inch of their lives. I
+remember that I argued with myself that this would be fair to them. They
+would be two to one, and I would use nothing but my fists.
+
+When I got into Falmouth I spent the few pence I possessed in food, and
+then I made inquiries about the time they would return. I discovered
+that they intended to leave the George Inn about five o'clock in the
+evening, so I spent the time loafing around the town, and repeating to
+myself what I would do with them both that night.
+
+About three o'clock in the afternoon, however, my plans became altered.
+As I stood at a street corner, I saw Richard Tresidder, with his son
+Nick, besides several other gentlemen, coming down the street. Scarcely
+realising what I did, for the very sight of him made me mad, I went
+toward them, and as Richard Tresidder came up I spat in his face.
+
+"Who's a thief? Who's a cheat? Who got Pennington by cheatery and
+lying?" I shouted.
+
+"Get out of the way, you blackguard," cried Nick Tressider, the lawyer.
+
+"I'll not get out of the way," I cried; "I'll tell what's the truth. He
+killed my grandfather; he hocussed him into making a false will, and he
+and you have robbed me. Ah, you lying cowards, you know that what I say
+is true!"
+
+Then Richard Tresidder lifted his heavy stick and struck me, and before
+the bystanders knew what had happened there was a street brawl; for I
+struck Richard Tresidder a heavy blow on the chin which sent him reeling
+backward, and when his son Nick sprang upon me I threw him from me with
+great force, so that he fell to the ground, and I saw the blood gush
+from his nose. After that I remember nothing distinctly. I have a dim
+recollection of fighting madly, and that I was presently overpowered and
+taken to the lock-up.
+
+I remained in the lock-up till the next morning, when I was taken
+before the magistrates. I don't know what was said, and at the time I
+did not care. I was angry with myself for not biding my time and
+flogging the Tresidders in the way I had planned, and yet I was pleased
+because I had disgraced Tresidder--at least, I thought I had--before the
+whole town. I have an idea that questions were asked about me, and that
+one of the magistrates who knew my grandfather said it was a pity that a
+Pennington should come to such a pass. Richard Tresidder and his friends
+tried to get an extreme sentence passed upon me, but the end of it all
+was that I was sentenced to be pilloried for six hours, and then to be
+publicly flogged.
+
+Soon after I was taken to the market-place, where the pillory was set
+up, and I, in face of the jeering crowd, was tied to a pole. Then on the
+top of this pole, about six feet from the platform on which I stood, a
+stout piece of board was placed, which had three hollow places cut out.
+My neck was pressed into one socket and my wrists in the two others.
+Then another stout piece of board, with hollow places cut out to
+correspond with the other, was placed on the top of it. This pressed my
+neck very hardly, and strained it so that I could hardly breathe; it
+also fastened my hands, and hurt my wrists badly. I know of nothing
+nearer crucifixion than to be pilloried, for the thing was made
+something like a cross, and my head and arms were crushed into the piece
+of board which corresponds with the arms of a cross in such a way that
+to live was agony.
+
+And there I stood while the jeering crowd stood around me, some howling,
+some throwing rotten eggs at me, and others pelting me with cabbage
+stumps and turnips. After I had stood there about three hours some one
+came and made the thing easier, or I should not have lived through the
+six hours, and after that time, the mob having got tired of pelting me,
+I was left a little time in peace.
+
+When the six hours were nearly up, I saw Nick Tresidder come to the
+market-place with two maidens. One I saw was his sister, the other was a
+stranger to me. I knew they had come to add to my shame, and the sight
+of them made me mad again. I tried to speak, but the socket was too
+small, and I could not get enough breath to utter a word. Still, anger,
+I am sure, glared from my eyes as I looked at Nick and his sister; but
+when I looked at the other maiden, a feeling which I cannot describe
+came over me. She was young--not, I should think, quite eighteen--and
+her face was more beautiful than anything I have ever seen. Her eyes
+were large and brown, while her hair was also brown, and hung in curls
+down her back. Her face, thank God! was not like that of the Tresidders;
+it was kind and gentle, and she looked at me in a pitying way.
+
+"What has he done?" she asked, in a voice which, to me, was as sweet as
+the sound of a brook purling its way through a dell in a wood.
+
+"Done!" said Nick Tresidder. "He is a blackguard; he nearly killed both
+me and my father."
+
+She looked at me steadfastly, and as she did so my heart throbbed with a
+new feeling, and tears came into my eyes in spite of myself.
+
+"Surely no," she replied; "he has a kind, handsome face, and he looks as
+though he might be a gentleman."
+
+"Gentleman!" cried Nick. "He will be flogged presently, then you will
+see what a cur he is."
+
+"Flogged! Surely no."
+
+"But he will be, and I wish that I were allowed to use the whip. Why, he
+belongs to the scum of the earth."
+
+By this time I felt my degradation as I had never felt it before, for I
+felt that I would give worlds, did I possess them, to tell her the whole
+truth. I wondered who she was, and I writhed at the thought of Nick
+poisoning her mind against me.
+
+Seeing them there others came up, and I heard one ask who this beauteous
+maiden was.
+
+"Don't you know?" was the reply. "She is Mistress Naomi Penryn."
+
+"What is his name?" asked this maiden, presently.
+
+"Can't you see?" replied Nick. "Ah! the eggs have almost blotted out the
+name. It is Jasper Pennington, street brawler and vagabond."
+
+And this was the way I first met Naomi Penryn.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+I ESCAPE FROM THE WHIPPING-POST, AND FIND MY WAY TO GRANFER FRADDAM'S
+CAVE
+
+
+No words can describe the shame I felt at the time. Before Naomi Penryn
+came there and looked upon me I was mad with rage and desire for
+vengeance. I longed to get to a place where I could meet the whole
+Tresidder brood face to face. But now a new feeling came to me. Had I
+not after all been a brute, and had I not acted like a maniac? For the
+look on her face made me love goodness and beauty. I could do nothing,
+however; my hands were numb, and my tongue was dry and parched. All I
+was capable of at this moment was to listen and to look into the fair
+maid's face, and feel a great longing that she might not despise me as
+Nick Tresidder evidently intended that she should.
+
+The crowd did not pelt me while she stood there; I think it was because
+there was something in her presence that hindered them. Every one could
+see at a glance that she was different from the host of laughing things
+that cared nothing for my disgrace.
+
+I waited eagerly for her to speak again; her words seemed to ease my
+pain, and to make me feel that I, too, was a man in spite of all I had
+suffered.
+
+"Jasper Pennington," she said, presently; "why, Pennington is the name
+of your house, Nick!"
+
+"Yes," replied Nick, savagely.
+
+"He's young, too," she continued, looking at me curiously, and yet with
+a pitying look in her eyes.
+
+Then I remembered I was twenty-one that day, and that my father had been
+dead barely two years. Thus, on my twenty-first birthday, I was
+pilloried as a vagabond and a street brawler, while this beauteous girl
+looked at me.
+
+"Where does he live?" she asked again, as though she were interested in
+me.
+
+"Up to a year ago he lived in St. Eve's parish," replied Nick. "He
+managed to stay by fraud on Elmwater Barton; he was a brute then, and
+tried to kill me. He would have succeeded, too, but for Jacob Buddle. I
+hope the man who flogs him will lay it on hard."
+
+She gave me one more look, and in it I saw wonder and pity and fear.
+Then she said, "Let us go away, Nick. I do not care to stay longer."
+
+"No, we will not go yet!" cried Nick; "let us see him get his lashes. He
+will be taken down in a few minutes. There, the constables are coming."
+
+I saw the tears start to her eyes, while her lips trembled, and at that
+moment I did not feel the sting of the lies Nick had told.
+
+The whipping-post was close to the place where the pillory had been set
+up, and I saw that the constable held the rope with which I was to be
+tied. Then two men came and unfastened the piece of wood which had
+confined my head and hands. At first I felt no strength either to hold
+up my head or to move my hands, but while they were untying my legs the
+blood began to flow more freely, and I knew that my strength was coming
+back. The ropes being removed I was allowed to stand a minute, so that
+my numbed body might become sensitive to the lash of the whip, but I
+thought not of it. I kept my eyes steadily on Naomi Penryn, and fed upon
+the look of pity on her face. I knew that she must think of me as a
+savage brute, and yet she felt kindly toward me. She did not ask to go
+away again; she seemed to be held by a strange fascination, and watched
+while the rope was fastened to the ring in the whipping-post. Then I saw
+Richard Tresidder come up. He had a scar on his cheek, and from his eyes
+flashed a look of anger, as though he gloated over the thought of my
+shame and suffering. No sooner did she see him than she came to him and
+asked that I might be spared the whipping, but Tresidder would not
+listen to her.
+
+"He deserves to be hanged, my dear," he said; "if such low fellows as he
+are allowed to bully gentlemen in the streets, what is to become of us?"
+
+Now this was hard to bear, for as all the world knows the Pennington
+family is one of the best in the county, but I saw that he wanted to
+embitter her mind against me.
+
+Then I saw Lawyer Trefry come up, and two justices with him, and while
+my old friend did not speak to me, I knew that he thought of me kindly.
+
+"The lad hath been much provoked," he said. "I have known him as a good
+lad for years, and but for unfair treatment, matters would be reversed."
+
+At this two of the justices nodded their heads, while Richard Tresidder
+called out for the constables to do their work, for he saw that people
+began to sympathise with me.
+
+Again I turned to Naomi Penryn, and as I saw the look on her face I
+determined that I would not bear the lash. Not that I feared the pain of
+body, but I could bear the degradation no longer. Then they lifted me
+from the platform on which I had been standing, and the people could see
+that my neck was cruelly discoloured, while my hands were blue.
+
+"He hath suffered much," I heard it whispered, "and Squire Tresidder
+hates him. He's a Pennington, and his father was robbed. Isn't he a
+fine, strapping fellow; no wonder they are afraid of him."
+
+This and other things I heard, until I knew that Lawyer Trefry had been
+making the mob friendly; for I have noticed again and again that
+ignorant people are easily changed from one state of feeling to another.
+
+Now when I came to the whipping-post I began to look around for a means
+of escape, and to think how I should deal with the two constables that
+held me.
+
+"Fasten him tight!" cried Richard Tresidder; then, just as the
+constables released my hands in order to put the rope on me, I gave a
+desperate struggle, and feeling great strength at that moment, I threw
+the constables from me, and made a great leap through the crowd. Not a
+man laid hands on me in spite of Richard Tresidder's commands, for which
+I knew I had to thank Lawyer Trefry, who with others had changed the
+feelings of the people. So I quickly got away from the town, and ran as
+hard as I was able to the River Fal. I knew that I should be followed,
+for I had not undergone my full penalty, and the law was on Richard
+Tresidder's side, so I determined that I would get among the woods that
+slope up westward from the river, and hide as best I might.
+
+I knew I should be safe for the night, for the woods there were very
+thick, and night would soon be upon me. My only fear was that my
+strength would not hold out, for having eaten nothing for many hours I
+was hungry and faint.
+
+After more than an hour's running I reached the woods, and, as far as I
+knew, little trouble had been taken to follow me, so having hidden
+myself among some very thick branches I laid down and rested. Could I
+have obtained some food I think I should have been fairly contented, for
+I felt neither so angry nor friendless as I had felt in the morning.
+Presently I heard a rustling among the bushes, and I fancied that my
+pursuers must be near me, so I lay very quiet and listened, but could
+hear no sound of human voices. So I became curious to know what made the
+noise, and to my delight I saw a cow that had evidently strayed away
+from its field, having probably got into the wood to be under the shade
+of the trees, and away from wasp-flies. At first she was frightened at
+me, but I had been used to cattle all my life, so I soon quieted her,
+and she let me approach her. I saw that it was time for her to be
+milked, so, making the palm of my hand into a cup, I got enough milk to
+refresh me considerably and to give me strength to carry out any plans I
+could make.
+
+Scheme after scheme passed through my mind, but every one of them was
+driven away by the memory of Naomi Penryn's face and the kind words she
+had spoken. I knew that in going back to St. Eve I was going back to
+danger, and yet I determined I would go. I wanted to be close to the
+Pennington lands. I wanted to watch Richard Tresidder. Besides, I
+remembered that Naomi Penryn was probably a guest at Pennington. Then I
+began to ask myself why she should be with the Tresidders, and what
+relationship she bore to them. For I did not know her at all. The name
+of Penryn was well known in the county, but I did not know to what
+branch of the family she belonged. What connection had she with Nick
+Tresidder? Why should he bring her to see me that day? And what were the
+Tresidders' plans concerning her?
+
+It came to me suddenly. She was intended for Nick Tresidder. I
+remembered the conversation I had heard between Richard Tresidder and
+his mother, and I thought I understood its meaning. Then my heart gave a
+wild leap, while hot blood rushed madly into my head, for I knew then
+that a new life had entered mine. I felt that I loved Naomi Penryn with
+a great love, and that this love would never leave me while my heart
+continued to beat. For I had not been given to walking out with maidens;
+my life had been filled with other things, and so the love I felt was
+new to me--it filled my whole life, and every breath I drew increased
+it.
+
+For a long time I lay and dreamed of my love; I did not think of the way
+in which she must have regarded me, neither did I for a long while
+remember my degradation. I lived in happy forgetfulness of everything,
+save the love-joy that filled my life. The birds fluttered hither and
+thither on the twigs which grew so thickly around, and finally settled
+to rest, while the insects ceased to hum as the night descended, but I
+scarcely heeded them. I lay among the ferns, my head pillowed on a
+moss-covered stone, and thought of Naomi Penryn. I did not care who she
+was; I did not think. Why should I? For I believe that when God sends
+love into our hearts, it does not matter as to name and lineage. I had
+seen the flash of her eyes, and remembered the tear drops that
+glistened. I had seen the beauteous face, so full of tenderness and
+truth; I had heard her voice, sweeter than the sighing of the night wind
+as it played among the wild flowers, and I cared for nothing else. Hour
+after hour passed away, the woods became darker and darker, but I could
+still see Naomi's face. Then the eastern sky became streaked with golden
+light, and the birds sang to welcome the advent of day, but their songs
+were not so sweet as the memory of Naomi's voice. For my love was the
+gift of God, and I thought then only of what was beautiful and true.
+
+But with the dawn of day other memories came to me. I thought of my
+shame; I remembered that she had been told to regard me as a vagabond
+and a street brawler. I knew that Nick Tresidder would seek to poison
+her mind against me, and that even now I was being searched for that I
+might be degraded by the lash of a whip; and then a great pain and
+bitterness filled my heart, for I felt that my love was hopeless. While
+I had rejoiced in loving I thought not of this, but after a time my love
+became a desire, an overmastering desire to woo Naomi Penryn, to make
+her love me as I loved her.
+
+And this was hopeless. Had she not seen me pilloried as a shameful
+vagrant? Had she not seen me persecuted, tormented--the byeword, the
+laughing-stock for the offals of Falmouth town? Had I not been pelted by
+refuse? Was I not made hideous by disfigurement? How could I win her
+love? Then I hated the Tresidder tribe more than ever. They had robbed
+me of my home, my heritage, my all, and now through them I must be
+loathed by the one, the light of whose eyes burned into my heart like
+fire. But more than all this she would be with Nick Tresidder day by
+day. He would walk with her, ride with her, talk with her. They would
+roam among the woods and pluck the wild flowers that should be mine,
+while I--I was hiding from the men who held a whip to lash me.
+
+These thoughts kept me from lying still any longer, so I got up and
+walked along under the great trees until I came down to the river.
+Perhaps the world can show more beauteous sights than the river which
+runs between Truro and Falmouth, but I have my doubts. Nature here is at
+the height of her loveliness and spreads her riches with no niggard
+hand. For the clear water coils its way through a rich countryside,
+where green woods and rich meadows slope down to the river's bank. Here
+the flowers come early in the springtime, and scent the air through the
+summer; and here, too, winter is tardy in making its appearance, as if
+loth to shrivel the shining leaf, or to cause the gaily-painted flower
+to wither and die.
+
+Even I, as I stood by the river's bank at early sunrise, torn as my mind
+and heart were with conflicting passions, was soothed by the blessedness
+of the scene, for my heart lost something of its bitterness and love
+became triumphant. But the feeling was not for long. As I stood by the
+still water I saw the reflection of myself, and the sight made me more
+hopeless than ever. I saw in the water a tall, wild-looking youth, with
+bare head, save for a mass of unkempt hair; a face all scratched and
+bruised, and made to look savage and repulsive by vindictiveness; the
+clothes were dirty, bedraggled and torn, while the riding boots were
+torn and muddy.
+
+And Naomi Penryn had seen me thus--ay worse. I went to the river and
+washed, and then looked at myself again. My face was still scratched and
+bruised, but I had the Pennington features. After all, there was nothing
+mean and cunning about them. The eyes were wild, and perhaps fierce, but
+they were honest and frank still. The clothes were much worn and torn,
+but the body they covered was strong and shapely. There was nothing weak
+or shambling in those six feet three inches.
+
+Then I remembered what I had been a year before, and what I had become
+through injustice. Could I not make myself worthy? But how? I faced, or
+tried to face, facts truthfully. I was without home or friends, if I
+except the friendship of Eli Fraddam the gnome, who was at once despised
+and feared on every hand. I had no money, I had no clothes. Moreover, I
+had no means of getting any. I had no trade; I had no thorough knowledge
+of anything save farming, and no farmer dared to hire me. It was true I
+had some little experience of fishing, and could manage a boat fairly
+well, but not well enough to gain a livelihood by such work.
+
+And yet a love had come into my life for one who was tenderly nurtured,
+one doubtless accustomed to abundant riches; I, who was an outcast, a
+beggar. And I owed my poverty, my disgrace, to the Tresidders. Let God
+who knows all hearts judge whether there was not an excuse for my
+hatred. And yet, although the Tresidders had made my very love a seeming
+madness, that same love made me see beauty, and led me to hope with a
+great hope.
+
+I turned my face toward Pennington, wondering all the while if I should
+see Naomi again. For I called her Naomi in my own heart, and to me it
+was the sweetest name on earth. I repeated it over to myself again and
+again, and the birds, who sang to me overhead, sang to me songs about
+her. And as I trudged along, I tried to think again how I should buy
+back Pennington, not for revenge, but because of my love. But no ray of
+light shone to reveal to me the way. I could see nothing for it but that
+I, poor and friendless, must forever remain poor and friendless still.
+And yet all the while birds sang love songs and told me of Naomi Penryn.
+
+When I at length saw Elmwater Barton, I began to think of the steps I
+must take for my immediate future. I had determined that I would live
+within sight of Pennington, but how? Even Betsey Fraddam would be afraid
+to give me shelter when she had heard the truth, for Betsey knew Richard
+Tresidder's power. For let me tell here that while Betsey was much
+sought after, she was hated by many. Betsey admitted to being a witch,
+but claimed only to be a white witch. Now as all Cornish folks know,
+there is a difference between a white witch and a black witch. A white
+witch is one who is endowed by nature to cure by means of charms, and
+passes and strange signs. She can also read the future, and find out
+secrets about those who do evil. Thus a white witch is looked up to, and
+her calling is regarded as lawful, even by the parsons, save of a very
+few who are narrow in their notions. A black witch, on the other hand,
+is said to have dealings with the evil one, and her power is only gained
+by a signed compact with the king of darkness.
+
+Now if Betsey were suspected of the evil eye, and of being a black
+witch, her life might be in danger, and if Richard Tresidder as the
+chief man in the parish were to turn against her, 'twould go hard with
+her. Thus I knew that while Betsey did not love Tresidder she would do
+nothing to offend him. Only her love for Eli caused her to give me a
+home during the past months, and I knew that now she would not dare to
+have me in her house.
+
+Thus I made many plans as to what I should do, and presently I had made
+up my mind. My plan was to go into a cave which I knew of, and spend my
+days there, and by night I would go to Betsey's house and get food. I
+should thus have shelter and food, and I should be near Pennington. I
+should also have means of finding out whether Naomi Penryn stayed at
+Pennington, as well as other matters which lay near to my heart. What I
+should do when winter came on I knew not, neither could I tell how I
+could make myself worthy of my love. I felt sure that Richard
+Tresidder's great desire was to drive me from Cornwall, and thus be
+freed from the sight of one who must always remind him of his fraud. As
+for my getting back the home of my fathers, it was out of all question.
+
+So I made my way to the cave. It was called Granfer Fraddam's Cave,
+because he died there. Granfer Fraddam had been a smuggler, and it was
+believed that he used it to store the things he had been able to obtain
+through unlawful means. He was Betsey Fraddam's father, and was reported
+to be a very bad man. Rumours had been afloat that at one time he had
+sailed under a black flag, and had ordered men to walk a plank
+blindfolded. But this was while he was a young man, and no one dared to
+reproach him with it even when he grew old. When Granfer was alive the
+cave was a secret one, and none of the revenue officers knew of its
+existence. Only a few of Granfer's chosen friends knew how to find it.
+It was said, too, that he died there while hiding from the Preventive
+officers, and that ever since he had haunted the place, and that his
+voice might be heard at night calling for food and water, and praying
+for vengeance on the King's servants. Rumour also reported that he died
+a terrible death, because no clergyman or man of God could get near to
+help him from the clutches of the Evil One. As far as I was aware, its
+whereabouts was a secret when I was young, although it was generally
+supposed to be in what was known as Granfer's Cove, although some said
+it fell in at Granfer's death. Anyhow, no one visited it--indeed, such
+was my belief at the time, neither was it a pleasant place to reach.
+When the tide was up it was difficult to reach by water because of the
+great rocks which abounded; besides, you might be within six feet of it
+and not see it, because its mouth was so curiously covered.
+
+Eli Fraddam, who seemed to know everything, took me to it by the upper
+way; by that I mean the way of the cliff. He also showed me how I might
+know it from the beach, and by what rocks I could distinguish it. I did
+not enter the cave at the time, at least very far; but I remember that
+it was large, and that my voice echoed strangely when I spoke. I
+remember, too, that a strange fear was upon me, especially as in the dim
+light I saw Eli's strange form and face, and caught the gleams of his
+wild cross eyes.
+
+It was to this spot that I determined to go now, and for the time, at
+least, rest free from Richard Tresidder's persecutions. I think I should
+have gone away altogether at this time, and perchance have tried to
+obtain a post as a common sailor, but I remembered Naomi Penryn; and the
+yearning that was in my heart to see her again and, if possible, to
+speak to her, was so strong, that I was willing to brave anything to be
+near her.
+
+Granfer Fraddam's Cave was very lonely. There was not a house within a
+long distance of it, and, with the exception of two cottages, Pennington
+was the nearest dwelling. I was, therefore, able to get there
+unmolested. No one had seen me on my journey, because I had kept to the
+woods and fields. I took with me some swede turnips to eat, and when I
+had eaten, not thinking of the strange stories told about Granfer's
+Cave, I lay down on the shingle and fell asleep and dreamt that I was
+the owner of Pennington, and that I went to an old house on the cliffs
+to woo Naomi Penryn.
+
+When I awoke I knew not where I was. My mind was strangely confused, and
+there was a sound like unto many thunders roaring in my ears. I had a
+choking sensation, too, and felt it hard to breathe. Then I felt myself
+to be covered with water, while pebbles pelted my face. I struggled to
+my feet, and my senses coming to me, I understood the reason. I had not
+thought of the tide, which was now rushing into the cave with terrific
+force. A great fear got hold of me, and, as fast as I was able, I fled
+into the interior of the cavern. It was very dark, but in the darkness I
+fancied I saw strange, moving creatures; and at that moment all the
+stories told about Granfer Fraddam's evil spirit were true to me. A mad
+desire to escape possessed me, but how to do so I did not know. I heard
+the waves thundering up the cave, while a terrible wind blew, which
+drove me further into the darkness. I dared not venture to go seaward,
+so, keeping my hand against the side of the cavern, I allowed myself to
+follow the strong current of air. Presently the cave began to get
+smaller; indeed, so narrow was it that I could feel both sides at the
+same time by stretching out my hands. All the while the wind blew
+tremendously. At this I wondered much, for it seemed strange to me that
+I should feel the wind when I was so far away from the mouth of the
+cave. As I became calmer, I began to understand this. I knew that the
+waves as they rushed into the aperture must carry with them a great
+force of wind, and that naturally they would force the air inward. Thus
+the strong current which blew me further from the sea would indicate
+that there was an outlet somewhere. So, unmindful of danger, I followed
+the wind-current, and shortly I found myself ascending. The road was
+slimy and hard to climb; but I struggled on, and erelong found myself in
+a coppice. I looked around me, and remembered the place well. On one
+side of the coppice was a meadow which belonged to a fisherman named
+Ikey Trethewy--a strange, silent man who spoke but little, and who
+possessed a fast-trotting horse. On the other side the coppice sloped up
+to the spongy headland, where a curious kind of grass grew, and where
+rabbits dug their holes, and frolicked on summer nights.
+
+I had passed by the place often, and had never thought much of it. The
+little patch of trees and thick undergrowth which grew in a kind of
+sheltered gully seemed of no importance; but now the place possessed a
+strong interest for me.
+
+The coppice was much sheltered, but the wind, as it came up the hole
+through which I had passed, made a wild, moaning sound, which explained
+many of the stories I had heard. It was very dark by this time, and,
+although it was summer, the sky was covered with black clouds, and I
+heard the wind and sea roaring furiously. By the time I got to the
+headland I knew that a storm of great violence was raging. For some time
+a feeling of indecision possessed me; then I made my way toward Betsey
+Fraddam's cottage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+I SEE NAOMI PENRYN ON ROCK CALLED THE SPANISH CAVALIER, AND RESCUE
+HER--WE ESCAPE FROM THE TRESIDDERS
+
+
+When I entered Betsey's cottage, she was sitting with her son beside the
+open fireplace, watching a crock which steamed over a wood fire, and
+from which came a strange smell.
+
+"'Twas cowld and wet at Granfer's caave, I spoase?" was her first
+greeting, after looking at me very carefully.
+
+Now how she knew I had been in the cave I know not, neither will I
+pretend to explain; at the same time, I felt rather fearful at the
+thought that she should have been aware of the place where I had spent
+the day, when no one had told her.
+
+"How do you know where I have been?" I asked.
+
+"How do I knaw?" sneered Betsey; "how do I knaw everything?"
+
+So I said no more, but looked toward a loaf of bread which lay on the
+table.
+
+"Iss, you've 'ad nothin' but a swede turmut, and that ed'n rastlin'
+mait," said Betsey. "You do look vine and faint, too. 'Ere's summin
+that'll do 'ee good, my deear," and going to a cupboard, she took a
+two-gallon jar, and poured out a tumbler full of liquor. "There, drink
+that," she said, putting it before me.
+
+It was raw spirits, and when I had swallowed one mouthful I could take
+no more, it was too strong for me.
+
+"Aw, aw!" laughed Betsey; "'tes nearly as strong as the broth I do make,
+ed'n et, then? Here, Eli, put some milk in the pan, and het it for 'un.
+He was in the pillory yesterday, and he seed Richard Trezidder and Neck
+Trezidder and Emily Trezidder, and another maid, a very purty one. Then
+'ee runned away, and after that he got to Granfer Fraddam's Cave. Make a
+good quart of eggiot for 'un, Eli. That'll be better'n sperrits. He's
+too waik for that."
+
+Then Eli got the milk, and began to beat up eggs in a basin, grunting
+strangely, while he watched me with his strange, wild-looking eyes. But
+I did not speak, for Betsey made me afraid; besides, I felt cold and
+ill.
+
+"I knaw what you be thinking," said Betsey; "you be wonderin' how I got
+so much sperrits. Well, p'raps I shall tell 'ee zoon. We sh'll zee,
+Jasper, we sh'll zee." And with that the old crone chuckled.
+
+Then Eli came to me, and felt me, and fondled me. He smoothed my wrists
+where they had been bruised the day before, and got some ointment which
+he rubbed around my neck. Then, when the milk and egg was ready, he
+poured it in a huge basin, and put it before me.
+
+"I'd 'a killed 'un ef you wos dead," he repeated many times, until I
+wondered at his apparent love for me.
+
+When I had drunk what Eli had prepared I felt better. My head began to
+get clear again, and my strength came back to me.
+
+"Naow," wheedled Betsey, when I had finished, "tell me oal about et.
+Tell me, Jasper, my deear."
+
+"You know everything," I replied.
+
+"No, not everything; tell me, for ould Betsey'll ave to 'elp 'ee, my
+deear."
+
+So I told her everything, save my love for Naomi Penryn; of that I could
+not speak to her, it was a secret for my own heart, and I vowed that I
+would never tell of it until I poured the words in the sweet maid's own
+ears. At that time I felt sure that the story of my love would remain
+forever untold.
+
+"Do 'ee knaw what this do main, Jasper?" said Betsey, when I had
+finished.
+
+"He bait 'em boath, boath!" laughed Eli, gleefully.
+
+"Now, Eli," said Betsey, "hark to Jasper, and hark to me. Now tell me,
+Jasper."
+
+"I think I know," I said.
+
+"He mustn't knaw that you've come back to St. Eve," said Betsey. "I tell
+'ee, you musn't show yer faace. 'Ee'll never rest till you'm out ov the
+way. You'll jist be found dead some day, tha's wot'll 'appen. Ef 'ee
+caan't do et with the law 'ee'll do et wi'out."
+
+"Yes," I said.
+
+"Well, wot be 'ee goin' to do?"
+
+"I'll go back to Granfer Fraddam's Cave. No one can find me there."
+
+"Tha's true, but what 'bout yer mait?"
+
+"I'll bring 'un mait," said Eli. "I'll bring 'un mait. I knaw, I knaw!"
+And the poor gnome laughed joyfully.
+
+"But that caan't last," said Betsey. "Two months more an' winter'll be
+'ere. Besides, you caan't git back Pennington by stayin' in a cave. You
+knaw what you promised your vather, Jasper; you zaid you wudden rest
+night nor day 'till you got back Pennington."
+
+"I remember," I said.
+
+"Bezides," cried Betsey--then she stopped, and looked at me steadily.
+She had keen, whitey-gray eyes, which shone very brightly. "Do'ee knaw
+who thicky maid wos that you zeed in Fa'muth 'esterday?"
+
+I shook my head.
+
+"Purty, ed'n she?" sniggered Betsey. "She's for Nick Trezidder, my
+deear, tha's wot she's for. Her vather an' mawther's dead, my deear, and
+she've got piles o' money, an' Richard Trezidder es 'er guardian, an'
+they main 'er to marry Nick. Her vather was Squire Penryn, my deear, an'
+'ee was killed, an' 'er mawther died a bit agone, so the Trezidders 'ev
+got 'er body and soul."
+
+"How do you know?" I asked.
+
+"'Ow do I knaw!" sneered Betsey. "'Ow do I knaw everything?" and this
+was the way she always answered when I asked her such a question.
+
+"Where is her home?" I asked.
+
+"Where? Up the country somewhere on the north coast. A big 'ous cloas to
+the say, my deear."
+
+"But Penryn is close to Falmouth."
+
+"'Nother branch ov the fam'ly, my deear; but ther', she nothin' to you.
+She's good, she's purty, an' she's rich, but she's for Nick Trezidder.
+Thews Trezidders do bait the Penningtons, don't 'em?" And Betsey laughed
+again.
+
+But I held my tongue. I determined that I would not tell the secret of
+my heart, although Betsey's words hurt me like knife-stabs.
+
+"Well, an' when winter do come, what be 'ee goin' to do then, Jasper,
+an' 'ow be 'ee goin' to git 'nough to buy back Pennington?"
+
+"I must think, Betsey," I said. "I must think. But I'll do it--I'll do
+it!"
+
+"Aisy spok, but not so aisy done. How?"
+
+"I'll help 'un," said Eli.
+
+"You! 'Ow can you 'elp 'un?"
+
+But Eli only hugged himself and laughed, as though he were tickled.
+After that but little was said that I can remember.
+
+Before daylight came I went back to the cave. I was sure that neither
+Betsey nor Eli would tell of my hiding-place. I was glad for this,
+because I knew that if Dick Tresidder knew where I was I should be taken
+back to the whipping-post, and perhaps imprisoned. Besides, I was sure
+that he feared me, and that he would do everything in his power to make
+me suffer. So I determined to stay in Granfer Fraddam's Cave as long as
+I could, and I knew that Eli would find out everything about what went
+on at Pennington and tell me. Looking back now, my conduct seems foolish
+in the extreme. I could do no good by staying in the cave, I could not
+get an inch nearer my purpose. It would have been far more sensible to
+have sailed to some distant land and sought for fortune. And I will
+admit that I was tempted to do this, and should have left St. Eve, but
+for a strange longing to stay near Pennington, knowing as I did that
+Naomi Penryn was there, and that, although I had never spoken to her, I
+loved the dear maid every hour of my life more and more.
+
+One day, I think it was about a week after I had taken up my abode in
+the cave, I was sitting at its mouth and looking across the narrow bay,
+and watching the tide come up, when I was strangely startled. I remember
+that in dreaming of Naomi Penryn a feeling of despair had come into my
+heart, for I saw no chance whatever of ever seeing her again, much less
+speaking to her. Besides, even if it were possible for me to win her
+love I had no right to do so. Pennington seemed further from my grasp
+than ever, while Richard Tresidder's hold on it grew stronger day by
+day. I was thinking of these things when I saw, two or three hundred
+yards out at sea, standing on a rock, a woman's form. The rock was a
+large one, and went by the name of "The Spanish Cavalier." It rose from
+the beach to the height of fifteen feet, and was never covered save at
+high tides. There was, moreover, a curious place in the rock, not unlike
+an arm-chair, in which one might sit and watch the shining waves. All
+around it was grouped a number of smaller rocks, which boatmen always
+avoided, because driving on them was dangerous.
+
+As I said, I saw on "The Spanish Cavalier" a woman's form, and above the
+sound of the breakers I heard a cry for help. I did not hurry to the
+rescue, for the delay of a few seconds could make no difference, the
+rock was now several feet under water; besides, I was not sure what it
+meant. At first I could not discern who the woman was, and fancied it
+might be one of the Misses Archer, or perhaps Richard Tresidder's
+daughter. But then, I thought, they would know the coast, and would not
+allow themselves to be caught by the tide in such a way. On looking
+again, however, my heart gave a great leap--the woman on the rock was
+Naomi Penryn. A feeling of joy surged through me. At last I had my
+chance, I should be able to speak to her without let or hindrance. As I
+have before stated, the cave had but few houses near. Ikey Trethewy's
+cottage stood at some little distance away from the coppice where the
+land entrance to the cave had been made, but it was not visible from
+"The Spanish Cavalier;" another cottage stood further along the coast,
+but that was more than a mile away; while the other house was
+Pennington, which was nearly two miles off. Seemingly, there was no
+other help than my own near, and I rejoiced that it was so. There was no
+real danger, but she needed my help, and that was all I cared for. So I
+plunged into the water and was able to wade nearly all the way to the
+rock. She saw me coming toward her, and I think my presence gave her
+confidence.
+
+"Do not be afraid," I said, as I came up; "there is no danger. I can
+easily take you to the shore."
+
+By this time, only my head was visible above the water, but she
+recognised me. I saw that she shrank from me, too, as though she were
+afraid. At this a coldness crept into my heart, for I remembered where I
+stood at the only time she had seen me before.
+
+"I will not hurt you," I said; "I know my way among the rocks, and I can
+take you easily."
+
+She looked at me again, doubtfully. Most likely she remembered what the
+Tresidders had said about me.
+
+"I will be very careful," I went on; "and you had better come quickly,
+for the tide is rising every minute. I know you distrust me, for the
+Tresidders hate me; but if I did not desire to help you I should not
+have let you see me, for when they know where I am I shall be in
+danger."
+
+She lifted her head proudly as though I had angered her, then she looked
+at me again steadily, and came toward me.
+
+"Is the water very deep?" she asked.
+
+"It is over five feet here," I replied, "but it is shallower a few
+yards nearer the shore."
+
+"You are sure you can swim with me to shore?" she said.
+
+"I shall not try," I said. "If you will let me, I will hold you above my
+head. You are not heavy and I--" Then I hesitated, for I did not want to
+boast.
+
+"Yes, I know you are very strong," she laughed, half fearfully I
+thought; "but how can you do this?"
+
+"Look," I said; "if you will stand on my shoulders so"--and I placed my
+back against the rock. "I am afraid your feet will have to be wet, just
+a little, for my shoulders are in the water. There, that is it; now hold
+my hands," and I lifted my hands as high above my head as I could.
+
+She did as I bade her; thus we both stood with our faces toward the
+shore, she standing on my shoulders and stooping a little in order to
+hold my hands tightly.
+
+It was joy unspeakable to feel the little fingers in mine, for this was
+the first time that my flesh touched hers, and with the touch a thrill
+of gladness, the like of which I had never felt before, passed through
+my whole being.
+
+I carried her safely. At that time rocks and roaring breakers were
+nothing to me, the buffeting of the waves against my body I felt not one
+whit! I think she must have felt my great strength, for when I had
+carried her a few yards she laughed, and the laugh had no fear.
+
+"You feel quite safe?" I asked presently, when I had got away from the
+rocks.
+
+"Quite safe," she said, and so I carried her on until I stood on the
+smooth yellow sands, and although the waves still broke, I felt their
+force not at all, for the thought of her trusting me made my sinews
+like willow thongs.
+
+Right sorry was I when the water no longer touched my feet, and I must
+confess that I lingered over the last part of the journey, so pleasant
+was my burden, and so glad a thing was it to feel her fingers fastening
+themselves around mine. Perhaps she regarded me as she might regard a
+fisherman who might have rendered her a similar service, but it did not
+matter. I, whom she had seen pilloried as a vagrant and a street
+brawler, held her fast, and my love grew stronger minute by minute.
+
+When I put her on the sands, only her feet were wet, and no one could
+tell of the position in which she had been.
+
+I shook myself after I had put her down, and I was almost sorry I had
+done so immediately afterward, for I could see that my condition made
+her sorry for me, and I did not want to be pitied.
+
+"You must get dry clothes at once," she said.
+
+"I have none," I said, unthinkingly, "save my jacket and waistcoat,
+which lie on yon rock."
+
+"But you will be very cold."
+
+I laughed gaily. "It is nothing," I said, "the sun will not go down for
+three hours yet, and before that time my rags will be dry."
+
+"I am very thankful to you," she said; "I cannot swim, and but for you I
+should have been drowned."
+
+"Oh, no," I replied; "you could have climbed to the top of the rock, and
+waited till the tide went out again."
+
+"No, I should have been afraid. You have been very kind and very good to
+me. I was very foolish to get there, but it was very tempting to climb
+on the rock and sit and watch the sea. I must have fallen asleep in the
+sun, for I remembered nothing until I felt the cold water beat on me."
+
+"I was not kind or good," I said, roughly. "I thought first it was Emily
+Tresidder. Had it been, I should not have gone."
+
+"Yes, you would," she said; "you have a kind face. Besides, you should
+not hate the Tresidders. Mr. Tresidder is my guardian."
+
+"I am sorry for you," I said.
+
+She looked at me steadily, but did not speak.
+
+"I know what you are thinking about," I said. "I was pilloried at
+Falmouth when you saw me before, and I just escaped being flogged before
+the crowd. Even now, I suppose, I am being searched for."
+
+"Indeed you are. Do you think you are safe in staying here?"
+
+"It doesn't matter, I suppose; I shall soon be taken."
+
+"Why do you think so?"
+
+"You will, of course, tell Tresidder where I am, and then my liberty
+must soon come to an end."
+
+I hated myself for speaking so, for I saw her lips tremble, as though I
+had pained her.
+
+"Is not that unkind?" she said, presently, "and do you not judge the
+Tresidders wrongly? Have you not provoked them to anger?"
+
+"They have told you about me, then; they have told you that I am a
+thief, a vagabond, a bully?"
+
+She did not reply, but I knew from the look on her face that I had
+spoken the truth.
+
+For a second there was a silence between us, then she said, "I thank you
+very much, and now I must go back to Pennington."
+
+"Not until you hear my story," I said, eagerly.
+
+"Why should you tell me?" she asked.
+
+"Because I do not wish you to judge me wrongly," I said; "because you
+have known me only as one who is evil and revengeful. Let me tell you
+the truth."
+
+She did not speak, but she looked at me as if expecting me to go on. So
+I told her my story eagerly, told it truly, as I have tried to tell it
+here, only in fewer words.
+
+"And this is true?" she asked, eagerly. "That is," she said, correcting
+herself, "you are sure you are not mistaken?"
+
+"As God lives, it is true," I replied. "Is it any wonder, then, that I
+hate the Tresidders, is it any wonder that I should thrash them as I
+would thrash a yelping, biting cur?"
+
+"Is it brave for a strong man to pounce upon a weaker one?" she asked.
+
+"They were two to one," I replied; "besides, the street was full of
+people, and he has everything on his side, and I am alone, an outcast, a
+beggar in my own parish."
+
+"But he has the law on his side."
+
+"Yes; and he has twisted the law to serve his own ends. He and his
+mother have used vile tools to cheat me."
+
+"And if you could save up half the worth of Pennington you could buy it
+back."
+
+"I could demand to buy it back. Lawyer Trefry has the copy of the will.
+I have seen it. That is why they have tried to ruin me."
+
+"And do you say that Nick tried to stab you?" she asked, anxiously.
+
+"I have the knife yet," I replied. "His name is on it. I trusted him to
+wrestle fair, even though he sought to ruin me. Perhaps I was wrong to
+hurt him, but I was mad with pain. The mark of the wound is on my chest
+now. Look," and I showed her the scar.
+
+She shuddered, then she said, "Hate always brings misery, and love
+always brings joy. You should love your enemies."
+
+"Yes; if a man will fight openly and fairly, I will not hate him. If I
+wanted to touch an adder with my hand I would not catch him by the tail
+so that it could curl around and sting my hand; I would catch it just
+behind the head. It might writhe and wriggle, but I should know that it
+could not bite me. That is how I want to treat the Tresidders. You
+despise me," I went on; "you see me now a thing that has to hide like a
+rabbit in burrow. Well, perhaps it is natural--you live with the
+Tresidders."
+
+"No, I do not despise you," she said. "I feel for you; I am an orphan
+just as you are. Of course, Mr. Tresidder is very kind to me, but
+Pennington is not like home--that is--" Then she stopped as though she
+had said more than she had intended. "I felt sorry for you when I saw
+you in Falmouth. Did--did you see me?"
+
+"I saw you--I--I--look, there is Nick Tresidder and his father coming
+now. I must away!"
+
+We were only partially hidden by the rock, at the side of which we
+stood. I could see them with sufficient clearness for me to recognise
+them. They could see us, but I did not think it would be possible for
+them to tell who we were.
+
+"They are searching for me," she cried. "I have been away from the house
+a long time."
+
+"Well, go to them," I said.
+
+"But they have seen that there are two of us. Do you think they know us
+from this distance?"
+
+"No, we have been partly hidden."
+
+"But if I go, they will ask who has been with me."
+
+"Do you not wish to tell them?"
+
+"If I do you will be in danger. If they know you are near you will be
+hunted down. They think you have left the country."
+
+"You can save me if you will," I cried, eagerly.
+
+"I will do what I can!"
+
+"Come, then--there, keep behind these rocks until we get to the cliffs.
+Go quickly."
+
+She obeyed me eagerly, and a few seconds later we stood behind a great
+jagged promontory.
+
+"Did they see us, do you think?"
+
+"Yes, they saw us, but they could not have recognised us; or I fancy
+not," I added, for I had my fears; "but come, walk on the shingle so
+that they cannot trace your footsteps. That is it."
+
+We came close to the cave where my clothes lay. These I picked up with a
+feeling of relief.
+
+"We are safe now," I said.
+
+"No," she cried; "they will soon come up, and can easily find us."
+
+For she had not seen the mouth of Granfer Fraddam's Cave, although it
+was close to her. I was glad of this, for it told me how safe my
+hiding-place was, and showed that the opening was so curiously hidden
+that a stranger might pass it a hundred times and not see it. So I
+helped her to climb up the cliff until I got to a small platform, and
+afterward passed along the fissure between the rocks and drew her after
+me, and then, when she had followed me a few steps, she saw how
+cunningly Nature had concealed the place, and fearful as she was, she
+uttered a low exclamation of pleased surprise. For from this place we
+could see without being seen, even although we were not inside the cave
+itself.
+
+Excited as I was, for my heart was beating fast and my head throbbed at
+the same rate, I wondered at my good fortune in making her my friend.
+For her willingness to come with me, rather than to expose me to the
+Tresidders, showed that she was my friend, and my gladness at the
+thought was beyond all words. At the same time I could not help fearing
+for her. If either Nick Tresidder or his father had recognised her, she
+would be exposed to many awkward questionings, which would be hard for
+her to answer; neither did I desire that she should have to suffer for
+me. I marvelled greatly, too, that she should have understood the
+situation so easily, and that, in spite of all my enemies must have
+said, she seemed to trust me so implicitly. I remembered, however, that
+she would, perhaps, feel grateful to me for rescuing her from her
+awkward position on "The Spanish Cavalier," and that she would be
+anxious that my action should not bring any harm to me. And while this
+thought did not bring me so much pleasure as it ought, it showed me that
+the Tresidders had not altogether poisoned her mind against me.
+
+Although it has taken me some minutes to write down these thoughts, they
+passed through my mind very rapidly.
+
+"They cannot see us here," she said, questioningly, "neither can they
+find us?"
+
+"Not unless they know the cave," I replied.
+
+"Oh, I hope not," was her response, and although Tresidder was her
+guardian and Pennington was her home, it did not feel strange at that
+moment that she should be hiding with me, who was being sought for by
+the minions of the law.
+
+The sea was by this time getting nearer the foot of the cliff, and there
+was now only twenty feet of shingle between water and land. So I stood
+and watched, but I could not as yet see them, for the promontory, behind
+which we had first hidden, stood between us and them.
+
+"Do you see them?"
+
+"Not yet," I replied, "they have had scarcely time to get here yet, but
+I think they will soon be here."
+
+As I spoke I looked on her face, the most beauteous I had ever seen, and
+when I remembered what she had done to shield me my love grew more
+fervent. For I had no claim on her, who was a stranger, save that I had
+carried her to the shore, which of course was nothing. By that I mean to
+say it was nothing for which she should serve me; rather it was I who
+owed gratitude to her, for my joy at serving her made my heart leap in
+my bosom, until I could even then have sung aloud for gladness.
+
+"Are they coming?" she asked again, presently.
+
+"Yes, they are close to us," I replied, for at that moment they had
+passed the rock by which we had at first stood.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+I DISCOVER ANOTHER CAVE, AND HEAR A CONVERSATION BETWEEN RICHARD
+TRESIDDER AND HIS SON
+
+
+"I am sure I saw a man and woman," I heard Nick Tresidder say.
+
+"I thought I did, too," replied his father; "but we must have been
+mistaken, I suppose. Of course, they could have got behind Great Bear
+and then kept along under the cliff."
+
+"Then they must have gone past, for they are nowhere to be seen."
+
+"Perhaps they wanted to hurry to be before the tide."
+
+"Yes; I suppose that must be it," replied Nick, doubtfully.
+
+"Still, I don't know that it matters. We should not have troubled at all
+if we hadn't thought it might be Naomi."
+
+"No; where can she be, I wonder?"
+
+"She's a strange girl, Nick. She doesn't seem to feel happy at
+Pennington, neither does she make friends with Emily. She's always
+roaming among the woods or along the beach. I shouldn't wonder at all if
+she hasn't lost herself among the woods. You must be careful, my lad."
+
+"Oh, it's all right, there's no danger. I say, do you know that Jacob
+Buddie told me he believed he saw Jasper Pennington in the lane outside
+Betsey Fraddam's house last night?"
+
+"I don't believe it; we've got rid of him effectually. But we must hurry
+on, Nick, we've just time to get to Granfer Fraddam's path before the
+tide gets in."
+
+"Yes, it's a good way on. Isn't Granfer Fraddam's Cave here somewhere?"
+
+"I've my doubts whether there is such a place. There may have been such
+a cave in the old man's time, but lots of ground has fallen in during
+the past fifty years. Anyhow, I've often searched along the coast and
+could never find it."
+
+"But it's around here that the noises have been heard. You know people
+say it's haunted by the old man's ghost."
+
+"Well, I've never been able to find it."
+
+They hurried on, and I gave a sigh of relief.
+
+"Are they gone?" asked Naomi.
+
+"Yes, they are gone; they don't know anything. It will take them a long
+while to get home. It's a long way to Pennington by Granfer Fraddam's
+path. The cliff is steep, too."
+
+"But I must go now," she said, anxiously.
+
+"You shall get home before they can," I said, eagerly.
+
+"I will take you through another opening. You will know another secret
+of this cave then. You see, I trust you wholly, and you will know my
+hiding-place almost as well as I know it myself."
+
+"But do you live here?"
+
+Then I told her what I had to do, and how Eli Fraddam brought food to
+me, and how when winter came I should have to make other plans.
+
+She listened quietly, and said no word, but allowed me to lead her up
+the cave until we reached the copse of which I have spoken. We were
+still hidden from sight, for the bushes grew thick, and the trees were
+large and had abundant foliage. She held out her hand to say good-bye.
+
+"I shall remember your kindness," she said.
+
+"And do not think too hardly about me," I pleaded, "remember what I have
+had to suffer."
+
+"I shall think of you very kindly," was her response; "not that it
+matters to you," she added. "We are strangers, most probably we shall
+never meet again, and the opinion of a stranger cannot help you."
+
+"It is more than you can think," I answered, eagerly. "When I saw that
+look of sympathy on your face when I stood in the pillory at Falmouth it
+made everything easier to bear. Besides, you say you will stay at
+Pennington, and I look upon Pennington as my home."
+
+"Yes; but surely you will not stay here. It cannot be right for a man to
+idle away his time as you are idling it; besides, you can never win back
+Pennington thus. If I were you I would find work, and I would honourably
+make my way back to fortune."
+
+"But the Tresidders will not allow me," I replied, stung into shame by
+her words, "they have always put obstacles in my path."
+
+"Then I would go where the Tresidders could not harm me," she cried, and
+then she went away, as though I were the merest commonplace stranger, as
+indeed I was.
+
+I mused afterward that she did not even tell me her name, although she
+had no means of knowing that I had found it out, neither did she tell me
+that she would keep the secret of my hiding-place from my enemies. And
+more than all this, she bade me leave St. Eve, where I should be away
+from her, although my longings grew stronger to stay by her side. All
+this made me very weary of life, and I went back to the mouth of the
+cave and sat watching the sea as it rose higher and higher around "The
+Spanish Cavalier," and wondered with a weary heart what I should do.
+
+When night came on Eli Fraddam brought me food, and sat by me while I
+ate it, looking all the while up into my face with his strange wild
+eyes.
+
+"Jasper missuble," he grunted, presently.
+
+"Yes, Eli," I said, "everything and everybody is against me."
+
+"I knaw! I knaw!" cried Eli, as though a new thought had struck him,
+"I'll 'elp 'ee, Jasper; I'll vind out!"
+
+"Find out what, Eli?"
+
+But he would not answer. He hugged himself as though he were vastly
+pleased, and laughed, in his low guttural way, and after a time took his
+departure.
+
+When I was left alone, I tried to think of my plans for the future, for
+Naomi's words kept ringing in my ears, "If I were you I would find work,
+and I would honourably make my way back to fortune." I saw now that for
+a year I had acted like a madman. Instead of meeting my reverses
+bravely, I had acted like a coward. I had sunk in the estimation of
+others as well as in my own. I had loafed around the lanes, and had made
+friends with the idle and the dissolute. Even my plans for vengeance
+were those of a savage. I, Jasper Pennington, could think of no other
+way of punishing my enemies than by mastering them with sheer brute
+force. Besides, all the time I had made no step toward winning back my
+home, and thus obeying my father's wishes. I felt this, too; I had
+deservedly lost the esteem of the people. I had become what the
+Tresidders said I was. I saw myself a vagrant and a savage, and although
+my fate had been hard, I deserved the punishment I was then suffering. I
+had forgotten that I was a Pennington, forgotten that I was a gentleman.
+
+But what could I do? Houseless, homeless, friendless, except for the
+friendship of Eli Fraddam and his mother, and practically outlawed, what
+was there that I, Jasper Pennington, could put my hand to? I could not
+tell. The possibility of honourably making my way back to fortune seemed
+a dream impossible to be fulfilled.
+
+For a long time I sat brooding, while the candle which Eli had brought
+burnt lower and lower, and finally went out. The darkness stirred new
+thoughts within me. Hitherto I had not troubled about Granfer Fraddam's
+ghost haunting the cave. The wind which wailed its way up through the
+cave till it found vent in the copse above explained the sounds which
+had been heard. But now all the stories which I had heard came back to
+me. Did Granfer Fraddam die there? and did his ghost haunt this dreary
+cavern? Even then I might be sitting on the very spot where he had died.
+
+I started up and lit another candle. I looked around me, and shuddered
+at the black, forbidding sides of the cavern, then leaving the candle to
+cast its ghostly light around I crept toward the entrance. I saw the sea
+lapping the black rocks around, and heard its dismal surge. Then I heard
+a rushing noise whir past me, and it seemed as though a ghostly hand had
+struck my face. Directly afterward I heard a cry which made the blood
+run cold in my veins. Most likely it was only a seagull which I had
+frightened from its resting-place among the rocks, but to me it was the
+shriek of a lost soul.
+
+Trembling, I found my way back to the cave again, where the candle still
+burnt, and cast its flickering light around. I was afraid to stay there
+any longer, and determined to get out by way of the copse. I had gone
+but a few steps in this direction, when I saw what had hitherto escaped
+my notice. It was a hole in the side of the cave, large enough for
+anybody to pass easily. For a moment curiosity overcame my fears, and I
+made my way toward it. Holding my candle close to the hole, I found that
+I was out of the current of air, and I saw that this was the entrance to
+another cave. But it was different from the one in which I had been
+hiding. It looked as though it had been hollowed out by the hands of man
+rather than by nature. This fact lessened my ghostly fears, and I
+entered it, and in doing so thought I detected a strange smell. A minute
+later, and my astonishment knew no bounds. Lying at my feet in this
+inner cave were casks of spirits and wines. There were, I afterward
+discovered, many other things there too. There were great packages of
+tobacco, and bales of stuff which at that time I did not understand. It
+was evident that Granfer Fraddam's trade was not abandoned, although it
+was thought that smuggling was not carried on to any extent in the
+neighbourhood of St. Eve. It is true that many things were obtained in
+the neighbourhood which the Preventive officers could not account for,
+but that was understood to be owing to Jack Truscott's gang, who defied
+the law, and did many wild deeds down by the Lizard and at Kynance. At
+Polventor the Preventive men were very keen, so keen were they that the
+dozen or two fishermen who lived there were not, as far as I knew, in
+any way suspected of unlawful deeds. And Polventor was the only fishing
+village within three miles of our parish where it seemed possible for
+smuggling to be carried on.
+
+Not that we thought hardly of the smugglers, even of Jack Truscott and
+his men. We all regarded the law as very unjust, and owing to the fact
+that many things were obtained in the parish very cheaply by them, we
+winked at their doings, and looked sourly on the Preventive men and
+their doings. At the same time, as far as I knew, no one dreamed of
+smuggling being carried on near the coast of St. Eve. Thus it was that
+Granfer Fraddam's Cave was a mere tradition, and many people thought
+that the King's officers ought to be removed to some other part of the
+coast, where there would be some necessity for their existence.
+
+I thought long of these things, and presently came to the conclusion
+that this cave was used as a kind of storage-place by some smuggler's
+gang. Probably this was one of Jack Truscott's many hiding-places, and
+would be used by him when the Government spies were busy watching
+elsewhere.
+
+Anyhow, my discovery made me think of the cave more as the home of the
+living than the dead, and thus fears were dispelled. It is true my
+solitude might at any time be broken by a gang of desperate men, but
+that did not trouble me. So I fetched the blanket which old Betsey had
+lent me and took it into this inner cave, and after a while went to
+sleep.
+
+Eli Fraddam brought some food to me again in the morning, but I did not
+tell him what I had discovered through the night, neither did I
+encourage him to stay. Usually he had sat with me for hours, and had
+talked with me in his strange disconnected way, but this morning he saw
+that I wanted to be alone, so, after patting and fondling my hands
+lovingly, he left me. All through the day I tried to make up my mind
+what to do, but no feasible plan came into my mind. I did not fear any
+difficulty in getting food and clothes, but how to raise money to buy
+back Pennington I knew not.
+
+Toward evening I left the cave and clambered down the rocks until I got
+to the beach. I had scarcely done so when a package lying by a rock
+caught my eye. I tore off the wrapper, wondering what it was, and soon
+discovered that it contained food. I eagerly examined it, and presently
+saw a scrap of clean white paper. On it was written these words:
+
+
+     "To stay where you are must be useless. Search has not been
+     abandoned, for you have been seen. There can be no hope of success
+     while you remain in St. Eve. You saved me, and I would help you.
+     Good-bye."
+
+
+Now this comforted me greatly, for it told me that Naomi Penryn had not
+forgotten me, and that she felt friendly toward me. The food, delicate
+as it was compared with what I had been eating, I cared not for, except
+only because she had brought it. My excitement took away all desire to
+eat, and again I went back to the cave to think of what I should do. For
+this thought came constantly into my mind, the Tresidders intended her
+for Nick, and my determination was that she should never marry a
+Tresidder. Moreover, I fancied, from her own words, and from what I had
+heard Richard Tresidder say to his son, she was not happy at Pennington.
+If I went away I should be powerless to help her if she needed help.
+She was but a girl of eighteen, and she was wholly under the control of
+the Tresidders. Yet how could I help her by remaining where I was; nay,
+rather, it was impossible for me to do this.
+
+After some time I settled on a plan; I would leave my cave before it was
+light, and would walk to Fowey. When there, I would try and get a place
+as a sailor. I thought I knew enough of a sailor's duties to satisfy the
+captain of a trading ship. Then, by the time the first voyage was over,
+I should no longer be sought by the Tresidders, and the affair at
+Falmouth would be forgotten. I would then come back and see if Naomi
+Penryn needed help. I should not be away more than a few months, and I
+did not think that Nick Tresidder or his father would seek to carry out
+their plans concerning her for at least a year.
+
+I had scarcely settled this in my mind when I heard voices outside the
+cave. Wondering what it might mean I crept to the opening, and, looking
+out, saw Richard Tresidder and his son, Nick, standing and talking with
+two Preventive men. A great rock hid me from their sight, besides which
+I was at least twelve feet above them.
+
+"You say you've searched all around here for a cave?" asked Richard
+Tresidder.
+
+"All round, sur," replied one of the officers. "Ther's smugglin' done
+'long 'ere right 'nough, but I've my doubts 'bout Granfer Fraddam's
+Caave as et es called. Ther's not an inch 'long the coast here that we
+'ain't a-seed; we've found lots of caaves, but nothin' like people do
+talk about. As for this cove, where people say et es, why look for
+yerself, sur, ther's no sign of it. We can see every yard of the little
+bay here, but as fer Granfer Fraddam's Caave, well, that's all wind,
+I'm a-thinkin'."
+
+"I'm of the same opinion myself. Still, I thought we'd better come and
+make sure, that was why I asked you to come."
+
+"That's oal right, sur, glad are we to do anything to 'elp 'ee. But
+ther's plaaces furder down, sur, and they must be watched."
+
+"Do you not think you are mistaken?" I heard Richard Tresidder say;
+"there has been no smuggling done here since Granfer Fraddam's days.
+There is plenty of it done at the Lizard, and at Kynance, and right down
+to St. Michael's Mount to Penzance Harbour, but there is none here."
+
+"But there es, Maaster Tresidder. Not a week agone a boat-load of
+sperits was landed at Polventor."
+
+"At Polventor! Why, I thought you kept a sharp look-out there. Besides,
+only fisher folk live there."
+
+"'Iss, but tes they fishermen that do do et. Ye see, they go out so they
+zay to catch fish, and then afore mornin' they do come across the big
+smugglers' boats, and taake the things to the coves they do know 'bout.
+They be all of a piece, Maaster Tresidder."
+
+"Well, keep a sharp look-out, Grose, and bring them before me, and I'll
+see that they don't do any more smuggling for a few months."
+
+"I'm glad we've 'ad this 'ere talk, sur, you bein' a majistraate. But we
+must be off, sur."
+
+"Good-afternoon. By the way, if you call at Pennington to-night about
+ten I shall be glad to see you. You will perhaps be able to report
+progress by that time."
+
+"Thank 'ee kindly, sur. Good afternoon."
+
+Richard Tresidder and his son Nick then sat down on a rock near, and
+both began to smoke, and then, when the Preventive officers were out of
+sight, they laughed merrily.
+
+"I wonder if they know that the grog they have drunk at Pennington was
+made of smuggled brandy?" asked the father.
+
+"Not they. Why, you are noted for your hardness on law-breakers."
+
+"Just so. By the way, you have heard no more about Jasper, I suppose? I
+heard last night he was hiding in Granfer Fraddam's Cave, that was why I
+got those fellows to search for the place."
+
+"Nothing definite. It's believed that he's around here somewhere, but
+where I don't know. The fellow is mad, I think. It would be better for
+him to clear off altogether. The sentence is a flogging and then another
+trial, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes; but nothing is being done. I believe if he were caught he would be
+allowed to go free. I don't believe they want to catch him."
+
+"You see, the people think he's been badly treated, and Lawyer Trefry
+has blabbed about old Pennington's will. Everybody says now that you've
+done your utmost to keep him poor. Why in the world didn't grandmother
+get him to give it you out and out? If the beggar should have a stroke
+of luck he might get it for a few thousands."
+
+"But where can he get them now? His last chance is gone. What can a lad,
+without money, home, or friends, do? That's settled all right."
+
+"I don't know about that. He's clever and he's determined. Why did he
+continue to stay around here? He must have something in his mind."
+
+"He's a fool, that's all. He has a savage sort of idea that by watching
+me he's taking care of his own interests. That shows what a
+short-sighted fellow he is. If he'd brains he'd have acted otherwise.
+You will see, he'll get himself in the clutches of the law again, and
+then--I'll manage him."
+
+"But if we can't find him? I tell you Jasper isn't a fool, and he knows
+our purposes by this time."
+
+"Well, Nick, you've got your chance. A rich wife and three years to win
+her in, my boy. I'm her guardian till she's twenty-one, and I'll take
+care no one else gets her. A pretty girl is Naomi, too; rather awkward
+to manage, and a bit fiery, but all the better to suit you."
+
+"And she doesn't like me," replied Nick.
+
+"Make her like you, my boy. Be a bit diplomatic, and play to win.
+Besides, you must win!"
+
+"Did you notice how funny she was last night? I asked her where she had
+been, and she seemed to regard my question as a liberty. And did you see
+how eager she was when we were talking about Jasper afterward?"
+
+"But she knows nothing about him. She never saw him."
+
+"Yes, she saw him pilloried in Falmouth. She thinks him treated badly.
+She has all sorts of funny ideas about justice."
+
+"Of course, all silly girls have; that's nothing. At the same time,
+Nick, this shows you must play carefully. I don't want any complications
+in getting her money, and mind you, that money I must have, or we are
+all in deep water."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"This. We can't raise sixpence, that is legally, on Pennington. There
+are simply the rents. Well, this split up into several parts is very
+little. So--" he hesitated.
+
+"So what?" asked Nick, eagerly.
+
+"I've speculated."
+
+"On what?"
+
+"On mines. So far, they've turned out badly. I'm involved in a heavy
+outlay. At first the affair seemed certain. It may turn out all right
+now, I don't know, but I tell you I'm neck deep--neck deep. I can hold
+on for a year or so, and you must get Naomi's money, or I'm done for."
+
+"But you've got her money?"
+
+"Yes, and, as her guardian, I'll have to give an account of it."
+
+"Look here, father, tell me all about it. I don't like acting in the
+dark. How and why did Naomi come to Pennington, and what is the true
+condition of affairs? I want to know."
+
+"Another time, Nick."
+
+"No, now."
+
+"Very well, I may as well tell you now."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+I HEAR RICHARD TRESIDDER TELL NAOMI PENRYN'S HISTORY, AND AM IN DANGER
+OF BEING KILLED BY SMUGGLERS
+
+
+Richard Tressider slowly filled his pipe again, and seemed to be
+collecting his thoughts before telling his son what was in his mind.
+
+"Her home, as you know, is at Trevose, not far from Trevose Head," he
+said, presently. "The house is a funny old place--as lonely as a
+churchyard and as bleak as a mountain peak. It seems a strange idea to
+build a big house like that on a rocky eminence, but the Penryns have
+always been a strange people. However, it is said that the Penryn who
+built the house back in Oliver Cromwell's days kept ships for strange
+purposes, and that he had curious dealings with 'gentlemen of fortune.'"
+
+"Pirates do you mean?"
+
+"Better let them be unnamed. Anyhow, from the tower of the house you can
+see many miles up and down the coast--as far as Bude Harbour on the one
+hand, and Gurnard's Head on the other. There is some very good land
+belonging to the estate, too."
+
+"Much?" asked Nick.
+
+"More than belongs to Pennington by a long way, my boy. The rents are
+handsome, I can assure you."
+
+"Well, go on."
+
+"The Penryns have always been a hot-tempered, impatient race, and
+Naomi's father was no exception to the rule. He was the only child, too,
+and from what I can gather spoiled. Well, he waited until he was over
+thirty before he got married; indeed, both his parents were dead before
+he saw Naomi's mother. By the time a man is thirty his habits are
+settled, and he's generally unfit for marriage; people should marry at
+twenty-five at latest."
+
+"And who was Naomi's mother?"
+
+"She was a widow of a cousin of mine, George Tresidder of Lelant."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Well, she had what most women possess, a nasty, rasping, irritating
+tongue, and a temper that would have done credit to Beelzebub's wife, if
+there is such a lady. I know that, because I've had several interviews
+with her. I've managed a good many women in my day, but never one who
+was so difficult as she. Anyhow, John Penryn and she lived a cat-and-dog
+life. John, I suppose, was a fine fellow in his way, but imperious,
+impatient, and at times unreasonable. He couldn't bear being crossed,
+and she was everlastingly crossing him. He was the soul of generosity,
+and directly after his marriage made a most generous will. He left
+everything unconditionally to his wife."
+
+"Go on, you are awfully slow," cried Nick.
+
+"They had been married about seven months when a terrible thing
+happened. You were very young at the time, and would, of course, know
+nothing about it. Penryn had a fearful quarrel with his wife. It was
+simply terrible, and the servants were very much frightened, especially
+as John's wife was expected to become a mother. Anyhow, she taunted him
+with being unfaithful to her, and irritated him so with invective and
+abuse that, forgetting everything, he tried to crush her by brute force.
+Of course, in her state this was a mad thing to do, especially as she
+was very weak and delicate; anyhow, she fell like one dead on the floor.
+A doctor was sent for, and he declared that life was extinct. I suppose
+the poor fellow's anguish was terrible; anyhow, when he heard of the
+doctor's words, he seemed to lose his senses altogether. That night he
+committed suicide."
+
+"Suicide! Whew!" cried Nick.
+
+"Yes; he threw himself over the cliffs at Trevose Head. When his body
+was discovered it was much bruised and battered. Of course the affair
+was hushed up, and it was made out to be an accident, but no one was
+deceived."
+
+"But about the woman?"
+
+"Well, I suppose she lay like one in a trance for some considerable
+time, and it is said that all arrangements were made for her funeral.
+Presently, however, she gave signs of life, and in course of time Naomi
+was born."
+
+"And the mother lived?"
+
+"My dear Nick, you'll find that it'll take a great deal to kill a woman.
+Yes, she lived and enjoyed a fair amount of health. I suppose, too, that
+her conduct improved, at least I was told so; still, as I said, I found
+her difficult to manage."
+
+"But you did manage her?"
+
+"When I set my mind on a thing I generally do get my own way; but I
+think it would have been impossible in this case but for mother."
+
+"What, granny?"
+
+"Yes, she took the matter in hand, and together we got on fairly well."
+
+"Yes, but by what means did you establish a claim on her sympathies? She
+had other relations!"
+
+"It would take a long time to tell. Indeed, it has been a work of years.
+I've had to visit Trevose many times, and have suffered more abuse than
+I care to tell about. However, before she died the will was made all
+right."
+
+"How?" asked Nick, eagerly.
+
+"Well, in this way. Everything is given to Naomi, and I am constituted
+her sole guardian. She cannot marry until she's twenty-one without my
+consent."
+
+"I see."
+
+"If she dies everything comes to me."
+
+"What!"
+
+"Yes, mother worked that. I despaired of reaching that point; but you
+know what your granny is. She pleaded that I was a cousin, and a hundred
+other things. Besides, mother has a strange power over people."
+
+"Then it seems to me everything is safe."
+
+"Yes, if matters go right. She is now eighteen; if you marry her before
+she's twenty-one all's well, but if not, then when she arrives at that
+age the lawyer who has to do with the estates will naturally want
+everything accounted for. Naomi's a sharp girl, and I shall have to give
+an account of my stewardship."
+
+"Her mother was a Catholic, I suppose?"
+
+"Yes, that was a difficult point. Still we promised that Naomi's
+religious views should not be interfered with, and also that a priest
+shall visit the house occasionally."
+
+"He will want her to marry a Catholic."
+
+"Undoubtedly; but, honestly, I don't believe Naomi troubles about the
+fine distinction in religious beliefs. The priest wanted to persuade her
+mother that the child ought to be placed in Mawgan Convent, and her
+property given to the Church. I thought once the wily rascal would have
+succeeded, but fortunately mother was in the house at the time."
+
+They sat for some little time without speaking; then Richard Tresidder
+spoke again.
+
+"You are a bit in love with her, arn't you, Nick?"
+
+"More than a little bit, and she knows it, too."
+
+"Well, be careful, my boy, be very careful. If we can get Trevose--well,
+it's a nice thing, isn't it? But we must be careful. You are no fool,
+Nick; Naomi has her little weaknesses like other folks; find 'em out and
+humour 'em. Now you know how things are, and we must be going or we
+shall be caught by the tide. There'll be a high tide to-night, too."
+
+Then they went away, leaving me to think over what they had said, and I
+must confess that my mind was much disturbed by their words. I do not
+pretend to have the lawyer-like power of seeing where many things lead
+to, but I did see, or rather I fancied I saw, the meaning of the
+conversation I had heard, and which, according to the best of my
+ability, I have faithfully described. I saw that Naomi was brought to
+this house because of her money. I saw, too, that every sort of pressure
+would be brought to bear upon her to make her marry Nick Tresidder, and
+I felt assured that did not fair means succeed, foul ones would be used.
+And what troubled me most was that I could do nothing. Evidently the
+Tresidders were still searching for me, and, if I were caught, they
+would, in spite of the friends I still possessed, try to render me more
+helpless than ever.
+
+Besides, how would the poor, helpless maid be able to resist the
+pleadings of Nick Tresidder, backed up as they would be by the cunning
+and stratagem of the woman who had caused my grandfather to disinherit
+his own son? These questions, as may be imagined, greatly exercised my
+mind, so much so that I forgot all about my plans to travel through the
+night to Fowey and to try and get a berth as a sailor on a trading
+vessel.
+
+Presently night came on, and I felt faint and weak. Then I remembered
+that I had eaten nothing for many hours, and so I turned with great
+gladness of heart to the food which I believe Naomi had brought with her
+own hands to the rocks which stood at the foot of the cliff under the
+mouth of my hiding-place. When I had eaten I went into the inner cave,
+and lay a-thinking again and again of what I must do. I recalled to mind
+the words that had passed between Naomi and me, of the joy I had felt
+when she was by my side, and especially of the time when I held her
+hands in mine; and then I thought of what I had heard spoken between
+Tresidder and his son, and not being, as I have said, quick at thinking,
+my mind presently became a blank, and I fell asleep.
+
+How long I slept I know not, but I was awoke by the sound of voices, and
+of footsteps near me, but the first thing of which I have a clear
+recollection was a kick on the shin, and a voice saying, "Bless my soul
+'n body, what es this?"
+
+I jumped to my feet and saw two men before me in rough seamen's clothes,
+and with high jack-boots. I did not know them at all, and so I concluded
+that they were strangers to our part of the county. They were not
+altogether ill-favoured men, although I could not help feeling that
+there was a kind of reckless expression on their faces which was not
+common among Cornish fisherfolk.
+
+"And who might you be?" asked one presently, after staring at me for
+some time as if in blank astonishment.
+
+By this time I had mastered the amazement which for the moment had
+overcome me, and had surmised who they were. Undoubtedly they were the
+smugglers who infested the coast, and who knew the secret of Granfer
+Fraddam's Cave. Probably they belonged to Jack Truscott's famous gang,
+and had brought a cargo of goods that very night. I heard the swish of
+the waves rushing up the cave, so I knew the tide was high.
+
+I measured the men, too, from a wrestler's standpoint, and calculated
+their strength from the size of their bare arms, and the breadth of
+their chests. All the fear that had come into my heart left me. Living
+men did not frighten me.
+
+"I might as well ask who you are," I replied coolly.
+
+"Oh, tha's yer soarts, es et? Well, I think we may, so we'll tell 'ee,
+es you'll never go out of this 'ere place a livin' man."
+
+"Never go out a living man. Why, pray?"
+
+"Well, 'cos you do knaw too much, tha's why. This caave es wot you call
+convainient. See, matey? Well, ef other people wos to knaw 'bout et,
+twudden be convainient."
+
+"I quite understand. You are smugglers, and wreckers most likely.
+Perhaps even worse than that. Perhaps you belong to Jack Truscott's
+gang. Ah, I see you do. Well, your idea is to kill me because I have
+found your hiding-place."
+
+"That's ev et. Generally we be'ant cruel men, we be'ant. But some things
+must be done. You zee, dead men kip their saicrets well; livin' ones
+do'ant. You be a curyus-looking cove, ragged 'nough for a vuss cutter,
+but you be'ant owr soart."
+
+"No," I said, coolly, "I'm not your sort."
+
+"And you'd splet on us the fust fair chance you got, I spect?"
+
+"Probably."
+
+"Well, that settles et, and so--" He drew his finger across his throat
+significantly.
+
+I must confess that a curious sensation came into my heart; but I did
+not betray any fear, and after a few seconds I was able to speak
+steadily.
+
+"You've done that kind of thing before, I expect?" I said, watching the
+spokesman's face closely.
+
+"Sam have done et a vew times," he said, looking significantly at his
+companion, "I do'ant do et oftener than I can 'elp."
+
+The man called Sam grinned, as though he was proud of his distinction.
+
+"In cold blood?" I queried. I kept on asking these questions, because I
+wanted to gain time. I had heard of many bloody deeds being done off the
+Lizard, but, as I said, the coast of St. Eve had been regarded as quiet
+and free from violent men and violent deeds ever since Granfer Fraddam
+died.
+
+"We'd ruther do et in hot fight," said the man, with a curious twitch of
+his lips, "a good bit ruther. Et _do_ come aisier that way; but there,
+we ca'ant allays pick and choose."
+
+I have not inserted the epithets with which they garnished their words,
+neither can I describe the careless way in which they spoke of murder.
+But in my heart came a great loathing for them, and a desire to be even
+with them.
+
+Both of them stood between me and the outer cave, one of them holding a
+smuggler's lantern in his hand, and the man called Sam whispered
+something in the other's ear.
+
+"Do you knaw what Sam's bin sayin'?" said the smuggler to me presently.
+
+"No."
+
+"He ses, 'Bill Lurgy,' ses 'ee, 'tha's a daicent fella, an' we do'ant
+want to cut hes windpipe. Git 'im to jine us.'"
+
+"To join you!" I said with a sneer, for I thought of Naomi just then.
+
+"Oh, I zee. I thot zo. Well, then, that settles et."
+
+"Settles what?"
+
+"This business. You zee, we mus' be olf. I spoase you knaw oal 'bout
+this caave?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Saicret way out?"
+
+I nodded.
+
+Sam took a huge knife which hung in a sheath by his side.
+
+"I'm right sorry for this, matey," said Bill Lurgy. "If you'd a promist
+to jine us, we cud a kipt 'ee ere till the Cap'n comed, an' then 'ee
+might 'ave tooked 'ee on. Besides, ther's a special cargo comin' in
+d'reckly, defferent to this," he added, looking at the ankers of spirits
+in the cave; "in fact, it's a fortin to we pore chaps."
+
+"And I'm to be killed?" I said.
+
+"You mus' be. Sam Liddicoat 'll 'ave to do et," he said, as coolly as
+though I were a chicken he intended to kill for a dinner.
+
+"Then I tell you, I'm not," I said, quietly.
+
+"How be 'ee goin' to git away, my sonny? It's 'bout wawn o'clock in the
+mornin' now. Nobody 'll come 'ere but chaps like we."
+
+I made a leap at Sam Liddicoat suddenly, and struck him a stunning blow,
+which sent him with great force against the side of the cave. Then I
+turned to Bill Lurgy. My idea was to master him before Sam should
+recover, and then escape up the secret way to the copse. Bill leapt on
+me like a mad bull. "Oa, tha's yer soarts, es et?" he cried. "Well, I
+zed I'd ruther do et in 'ot fight."
+
+I had not been struggling with Bill Lurgy more than a few seconds before
+I had mastered him. As I said, the Penningtons are a large race, and
+Bill Lurgy, strong man as he was, became but a child in my hands. He
+went on the floor of the cave with a thud, and then I fastened my hands
+around his throat. I felt mad at the moment, and, remembering that time,
+I can quite understand how men, when driven to extremities, can forget
+the sacredness of human life. But in mastering Bill I had forgotten Sam
+Liddicoat, whom I had struck down before he was aware of my intentions.
+
+Hearing a sound behind me, I turned, and saw Sam with his knife
+uplifted. Whether I should have been able to save myself or no, I know
+not; I have sometimes thought it would have been impossible. Anyhow, Sam
+did not strike. He was startled, as I was, by a voice in the cave.
+
+"No, Sam, no!"
+
+We both turned and saw a man about fifty years of age. He was below the
+medium height, and although hardy and agile, apparently possessed no
+physical strength above the average. He had a large head, well shaped,
+while his features were clearly cut and, I thought, pleasing. His face,
+too, was cleanly shaved, and he was dressed with some amount of care.
+The only thing that was strange about him was the curious colour of his
+eyes. They were light gray, so light that sometimes they looked white.
+
+He entered the inner cave as though he knew it well, and spoke very
+quietly.
+
+"What, Sam," he said, in a honeyed voice, "wud you 'ave done a thing
+like that? Strick un down in a moment wethout givin' ev'n a chance to
+say hes prayers and to make hes paice, so to spaik? No, Sam; that wud
+never do!"
+
+"He nearly killed me, cap'n," grunted Sam.
+
+"Iss, an' what ef a did? Remember the Scripters, an' turn the other
+cheek, so to spaik."
+
+By this time Bill Lurgy had got up, and, seeming to understand the
+situation, slunk to the entrance of the inner cave.
+
+"An' wad'n you to blaame, too?" he said, turning to me. "Never be rash,
+young man, an' remember that a soft answer turneth away wrath."
+
+I must confess that I was at a loss to understand this mild-spoken man,
+and had not Sam called him "Cap'n," I should have thought him one of
+those foolish people converted by the Methodists.
+
+"Are you Cap'n Jack Truscott?" I asked.
+
+"Well, and what if I be, sonny? Law, I bean't pertikler, ye knaw.
+Spoase some people do call me Cap'n Jack Truscott, or spoase others do
+call me Jack Fraddam, what do I care? I'm a man as es friends weth
+everybody, my deear--tha's what I be. An' you, you be Jasper Pennington,
+who've been robbed of yer rights, my deear."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"How do I knaw? Oa, I pick up things goin' about. I do--lots ov things.
+I knawed 'ee as soon as I zee'd 'ee tackle they two chaps. Why, 'twud
+'a' gone to my 'art for Sam to 'ave knifed 'ee, my deear. You was born
+to live a good ould age, and die in bed at Pennington, in the best room,
+my deear, with yer cheldern and grancheldern cal around 'ee, ould an'
+well stricken in eres. Tha's your lot, Maaster Jasper. Besides, I'm a
+man of paice, I be: I love paice 'n' quietness; I like love an'
+brotherly 'fection, I do!"
+
+I looked at him again in amazement, for I had heard of deeds which
+Captain Jack Truscott had done that were terrible enough to make one's
+blood run cold. It was reported that he had a house in a gully which
+runs up from Kynance Cove, which was the meeting-place for the wildest
+outlaws of the county. Folks said, moreover, that he owned a vessel
+which hoisted a black flag.
+
+"Ah, I zee, my deear," said Captain Jack, pathetically; "people 'ave bin
+'busin' me. I allays 'ave bin 'bused, my deear, but I do comfort myself,
+I do, for what do the Scripters say?--'Blessed are they that are
+abused.' I ain't a-got the words zackly, but the mainin', my deear, the
+mainin' es right, and that's the chief thing, ed'n et, then?"
+
+In spite of myself the man fascinated me. There was a mixture of mockery
+and sincerity in his voice, as though he half believed in his pious
+sayings; moreover, he was very cool and collected. His white eyes
+wandered all over the cave, and exchanged meaning glances with the two
+men with whom I had been struggling, but I knew that he was watching me
+all the time. He must have known that he was in danger of being taken by
+the Preventive men, but he spoke with the calm assurance of an innocent
+man.
+
+"Well," I said, "what do you intend doing with me? You are three to one,
+and I am unarmed."
+
+"There you be spaikin' vexed now. Wha's the use of that?"
+
+"No wonder, when your men were trying to kill me, and would, perhaps, if
+you hadn't come just then."
+
+"No; they wouldn't, my deear. I was watching; I zeed the man they'd got
+to dail weth--fresh as paint, my deear, and shinin' like a makerl's
+back. Plenty of rail good fight; and I like that, though I be a man of
+paice, Jasper Pennington, my deear."
+
+I waited for him to go on, and although I was much excited, and scarcely
+expected to live until morning, I managed to meet his white eyes without
+shrinking.
+
+"Spoasing you go out, Bill and Sam, my sonnies," said Cap'n Jack. "Don't
+go fur away, my deears; we cudden bear that, could us, Jasper? Do 'ee
+smok' then, Jasper? I zee you do. Lots of baccy 'ere, an' pipes too.
+Well, this es oncommon lucky. Well, lev us load up, I zay."
+
+Thinking it well to agree with him, I filled a pipe with tobacco and lit
+it while Cap'n Jack, with evident satisfaction, smoked peacefully. He
+sat opposite me, and I waited for him to speak.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+I GO TO KYNANCE COVE WITH CAP'N JACK TRUSCOTT'S GANG, AND MEET HIS
+DAUGHTER TAMSIN
+
+
+"This ed'n bad bacca, es it, then?" remarked Cap'n Jack, after he had
+smoked peacefully for a few seconds.
+
+"No," I replied; "as far as I'm a judge, it's very good." I spoke as
+coolly as I could, although to be truthful I might as well have been
+smoking dried oak leaves. I could not help realising that my case might
+be desperate. I had heard that Cap'n Jack's gang were governed by no
+laws, legal or moral, save those which this man himself made. If I
+failed, therefore, to fall in with his plans, in all probability Sam
+Liddicoat and Bill Lurgy would be called in to complete the work which
+they had attempted a little while before. I could not understand a
+smuggler, a wrecker, and probably a pirate with pious words upon his
+lips; the idea of a man whose hands were red with crime talking about
+peace, mercy, and loving-kindness was, to say the least, strange, and I
+could not repress a shudder.
+
+After his remark about the quality of the tobacco Cap'n Jack continued
+puffing away in silence, occasionally casting furtive glances at me. The
+place was very silent, save for the swish of the waves, as they poured
+into the outer cave, and rolled the pebbles as they came. It was now
+past midnight, but the month being September, there would be no light
+for several hours.
+
+At length Cap'n Jack looked at a huge silver watch, which he had taken
+from his pocket, and seemed to be making some mental calculations.
+
+"Fine and loanly, ed'n et, Jasper?" he remarked.
+
+"Very."
+
+"This es a very loanly caave. I thot nobody knawed anything 'bout et,
+'ciptin' our chaps and Betsey and Eli."
+
+"Betsey?"
+
+"Iss, aw Betsey do knaw everything. Besides, Granfer Fraddam was--you
+zee et do run in the family!"
+
+I said nothing, but I called to mind many things I had heard Betsey say.
+
+"Anything might be done 'ere, an' nobody the wiser," he said with a
+leer.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"But I'm a man of paice, I be. A stiddy, thinkin' sort ov man as you may
+zay. I shudden like for nothin' to 'appen to you, Jasper. Tha's wy I
+stopped 'em jist now. 'ow be 'ee thinkin' to git the money to buy back
+Pennington, Jasper? 'T'll be a stiff job, I tell 'ee."
+
+I did not reply.
+
+"I've 'eerd oal 'bout et, Jasper. Ah, I've knowd they Tresidders for a
+good long while. Deep, deep, sonny, you ca'an't git 'em nohow. Besides,
+'twas 'ard that you shud zee thicky purty maid for the fust time when
+you was covered with mud, and egg yuks, and fastened on to that gashly
+thing, wad'n et then?"
+
+I gave a start, and I felt my face crimson.
+
+"I shud like to be a friend to 'ee, Jasper, I shud. Betsey 'ave told me
+'bout 'ee, and I like 'ee, Jasper. Besides, I'm allays a friend to the
+oppressed I be, allays. I shud like to put 'ee in the way of spitin'
+they Tresidders, and buyin' back the 'ome that es rightfully yours,
+that I shud. Now, Jasper, my sonny, I could put 'ee in the way of
+gittin' 'nough in a year or two to get yer oan. A clain off chap like
+you, with schullership, one as can read ritin' an' knows figures like,
+why, you could, with a bit of tittivatin', git on anywhere, that is,
+with the blessin' of Providence, so to spaik."
+
+"How?" I asked.
+
+"Put yerself in my 'ands, Jasper."
+
+"You mean become a smuggler, a wrecker, and a general law-breaker."
+
+"Law?" cried Cap'n Jack. "Now what's law, Jasper? Es et fair now? The
+law 'ave put you in a nice pickle, and tho' Pennington ought to be
+yours, an' the Barton ought to be yours, an' shud be yours ef I, a fair
+an' honest man, cud 'ave the arrangin' ov things, they've been tooked
+from 'ee by law. An' you might wait till you was black an' blue, and the
+law wudden give et back. What 'ave you got to do with law? Well, dodgin'
+the Preventive men is 'ginst the law, I know et, but what ov that? You
+c'n make a bit ov money that way--a good bit, Jasper. In three year or
+so, with me to 'elp 'ee, you cud git 'nough to buy back Pennington,
+there now."
+
+"And what do you offer?" I asked.
+
+"I'll take 'ee on, tha's what I'll do. I'll taich 'ee a vew things. I'll
+make a man ov 'ee, Jasper. You are a vine big man, sonny, a match for
+two ord'nary men, with schullership, an' a knowledge of figgers thrawed
+in. You'd zoon be my 'ead man, an' do a big traade."
+
+"If smuggling were all," I stammered.
+
+"Tha's oal I ask ov 'ee, Jasper. A bit ov smugglin'. But spoase you
+doan't. Well, look at that now. Spoase you doan't now. Nick Tresidder
+'ll git that maid es sure as eggs--while you--"
+
+"I shall be murdered, I suppose."
+
+"Jasper, I never like violence on a eldest son. It do main bad luck, my
+deear, es a rule; still we've got to go 'ginst bad luck, sometimes. But
+for the fact of your bein' the third of the family of the same naame--"
+
+"More than the third," I interrupted.
+
+"More than the third ef you like, my deear, but you be the third, an'
+oal the world do knaw it's a bad thing to kill a man who's the third of
+the same naame. But for that I mightn't 'ave come in time. You zee,
+Jasper, I'm a religious man, do send a present to the passon every year
+for tithes, I do."
+
+At that time I did not believe in Cap'n Jack's words, but afterward I
+found that all his gang were afraid to do that which was considered
+unlucky. All Cornish people, I suppose, have heard the rhyme about
+killing an eldest son who is the third in succession to bear the same
+christened name. I know, too, that Cap'n Jack believed implicitly in the
+legend, and I have heard him repeat it very solemnly, as though he were
+repeating a prayer at a funeral, while his gang became as solemn as
+judges. And I have little doubt now that the jargon which I will write
+down--for I who have had a fair lot of schooling do call it jargon--had
+a great deal to do with saving me from Sam Liddicoat's knife.
+
+
+     "For if a man shall strike him dead,
+     His blood shall be on the striker's head,
+     And while ever he draws his breath,
+     His days shall be a fearful death;
+     And after death to hell he'll go,
+     With pain and everlasting woe."
+
+
+"An' so, you zee," said Cap'n Jack, "I do'ant want no violence weth
+'ee, being a merciful and religious man."
+
+Now I must confess that I was in sore straits what to do; for be it
+remembered all my plans seemed poor and almost worthless, and at the
+same time I loathed the thought of accepting Cap'n Jack's offer. Had I
+been sure I should have to do nothing but help in the smuggling I would
+not have minded so much, for it is well known that smuggling is not
+regarded by many as wrong, even the parsons at St. Mawes, and
+Tresillian, and Mopus having bought smuggled goods. Besides, I knew that
+many had gained wealth in this way, and were thought none the worse of
+for doing it. But Cap'n Jack was known to be worse than a smuggler, and
+almost desperate as I was this hindered me. For I remembered that in
+spite of everything I was still a Pennington, and I thought of what
+Naomi Penryn would think of me.
+
+"Besides," went on Cap'n Jack, "you needn't 'ave nothin' to do with this
+part of the country. I do a biggish traade down the coast, Jasper, my
+deear. Ther's Kynance, now, or a cove over by Logan Rock, and another by
+Gurnard's Head. Nobody 'ere need to knaw where you be."
+
+"Let me have time!" I stammered.
+
+"To be sure, Jasper, my deear," wheedled Cap'n Jack; "then it's settled.
+You shall come to my plaace at Kynance this very night, you shall. The
+boys 'll soon be 'ere now. A special cargo, Jasper, 'nough to make yer
+lips water. Things I bot from a Injun marchant, my deear--cheap. And
+this es a clain off plaace to put et for a vew days."
+
+"Are you sure it's safe here, Cap'n Jack?" I said, for already I began
+to be interested in the smuggler's plans.
+
+"Saafe, who do knaw about this plaace?"
+
+"Betsey Fraddam and Eli."
+
+"Iss, for sure--I knaw they do, else _you_ wudden a knawed. But who
+besides?"
+
+"Do you think Ikey Trethewy hasn't found out, living where he has lived
+all these years?"
+
+"Ikey! Iss, Ikey do knaw. Aw, aw!"
+
+I saw his meaning, and suspected then what I afterward found to be true.
+Cap'n Jack's business was very extensive, and he employed people up and
+down the coast on both sides of the county. Moreover, several pedlars
+who carried jewelry, laces, and fine silks, obtained their supplies from
+Cap'n Jack.
+
+"The Preventive men are busy watching you," I said.
+
+"The Preventive men, aw, my deear. Iss, they be watchin', but how do you
+knaw?"
+
+I told him what I had heard between them and Richard Tresidder.
+
+"Iss, iss," said Cap'n Jack, with a grunt of satisfaction; "tha's all
+right, and they'll never vind out, no, they'll never vind out, and now
+you've zaid oal, my booy?"
+
+"No, I haven't; there's another who knows."
+
+"Who?"
+
+He looked at me in such a way, that before I had time to think his white
+eyes seemed to drag the words from me.
+
+"Miss Naomi Penryn," I said.
+
+Never did I see such a change in any one. He no longer had the
+appearance of a mild and inoffensive man. The look of harmless
+indecision was gone, and all his pious sentiments were flung to the
+wind. He burst out with a string of oaths such as I had never heard
+before, and which made my flesh creep.
+
+"Tell me all you know of this, Jasper Pennington," he said, presently,
+"everything."
+
+I could not disobey him at that time, and I told him what I have written
+here, save but for the story of my love--that I kept in my own heart.
+
+"She came in here to keep you from bein' found, did she?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+Then he became a little mild-mannered man again. He had grasped the
+situation in a minute, and he had seen more than had come into my mind.
+He commenced smoking again and continued for a few minutes, then he
+started up suddenly.
+
+"Sam, Bill, sonnies, come in there."
+
+Instantly the two men entered.
+
+"They're comin', be'ant 'em?"
+
+"Iss, Cap'n."
+
+A few seconds later I heard the sound of voices, and presently I knew
+that several men were entering the cave.
+
+"All safe, sonnies?" asked Cap'n Jack.
+
+"Iss, Cap'n."
+
+"Ah, Providence es very good. It's a vallyable cargo ef I did buy et
+cheap."
+
+The men laughed.
+
+A number of bales of goods were brought into the inner cave, but I could
+not discover what they were. I could see that the men were eyeing me
+keenly, and I thought unpleasantly; but no word was spoken until the
+cargo was unloaded, and safely stowed away.
+
+"Nobody seed, I spoase."
+
+"A dark night, Cap'n. No moon, no stars."
+
+"Ah, Providence es very good, sonnies," repeated Cap'n Jack, then,
+turning to me, he said, "You'll be wantin' to know who this es?"
+
+There was an expression of assent.
+
+"Some ov 'ee do knaw un, I reckon. Ah, Ikey Trethewy, I see you do, and
+so do you, Zacky Bunny. This, sonnies, is Maaster Jasper Pennington.
+You've 'eerd me spaik about un. Well, 'ee's a-goin' to jine us,
+laistways, 'ee's a-goin' to Kynance to-night jist to zee, ya knaw.
+There, you'd better be off, 'cipt Ikey Trethewy. He's near 'ome, 'ee is.
+Wait outside a minnit, my deears, we'll be out in a minnit."
+
+All left the inner cave except Ikey Trethewy, who stood watching us as
+if in wonder.
+
+Cap'n Jack hunted around the cave for a few seconds until he found an
+inkhorn and a pen. "I do like to kip things handy," he said; "nobody do
+knaw what'll 'appen." Then, turning to Ikey Trethewy, he said, "You do
+knaw of a young woman who do live up to Pennington--a young woman jist
+come there, called Penryn, I speck, Ikey, my deear?"
+
+Ikey nodded.
+
+"Have 'ee got a bit ov paper, sonny?"
+
+"No, Cap'n."
+
+"Ah, tha's awkard. This 'll do, I 'spect--a bit of the prayer-book. I
+allays like to carry a prayer-book weth me, 'tes oncommon lucky. There,
+Jasper Pennington, write."
+
+I dipped the pen into the inkhorn, and put the paper which he had torn
+from the prayer-book on a flat, smooth piece of slatestone. "What?" I
+asked.
+
+"Write what I shall tell 'ee, now then:
+
+"_To Miss Naomi Penryn. If you breathe one word about, or come near
+Granfer Fraddam's Cave, I am a dead man!_"
+
+I wrote the words as he spoke them. "Is that all?" I asked.
+
+"Sign yer naame, sonny."
+
+I did as he told me.
+
+He took the paper from me and spelt out the words carefully. "Ah, 'tes a
+grand thing to be a schullard," he said, admiringly. Then he turned to
+Ikey Trethewy. "This must be put in that young woman's hands at once,
+an' nobody must knaw 'bout et. Mind!"
+
+"Iss, Cap'n," responded Ikey.
+
+"Now we'll go," said Cap'n Jack. "Good-night, Ikey. Ah, 'tes a good
+thing to be a man of paice, and full of love for one's fella cretters.
+Now then, Jasper."
+
+Two men waited for us in the outer cave, and a few seconds later I was
+in a boat bound for Kynance Cove.
+
+Morning was breaking as we passed the Lizard, and, strangely
+circumstanced as I was, I could not help feeling awed as I looked upon
+the great headland. Little wind blew, but the long lines of white
+breakers thundered on the hard yellow sands, while the low-lying rocks
+churned the sea into foam.
+
+"Purty, ed'n et, Jasper?" remarked Cap'n Jack. "'Ave 'ee ever zeed the
+Lizard afore, Jasper?"
+
+"Never, Cap'n Jack."
+
+"Ah, I'll make a man ov 'ee. I've a cutter ov my oan, sonny; not sa big,
+but a purty thing. She do want a cap'n, Jasper; one as knaws figgers,
+an' can larn navigation. I do want a gen'lman by birth, an' a great
+lashin' chap like you, Jasper--wawn as can taake a couple ov andy-sized
+men and knock their heads together. Oa, ther's providence in things,
+Jasper."
+
+I said nothing, but my heart felt sad. I felt as if I were drifting away
+from Naomi, and that in spite of myself I was cutting the rope that held
+me to her.
+
+Meanwhile the boats skirted the headland, and I saw the rocky coves of
+Kynance in the near distance.
+
+"Well, we be near 'ome, sonnies," said the captain, "after a safe
+journey. Spoasin' somebody stricks up a bit of song now. Fishermen
+agoin' 'ome ov a mornin', we be. We've toiled oal night an' caught
+nothin', as the scripters say. Strik up now, 'Lijah Lowry, you've a fine
+and purty voice. Now, then, sweet and stiddy, my booy."
+
+So Elijah Lowry started a song, and the rest joined in the chorus.
+
+"Zing, Jasper," cried Cap'n Jack, when one verse was completed. "Jine in
+the cheerful song; let the people zee wot a contented, 'appy,
+law-abidin' lot we fishermen be. Now, then, chorus:
+
+
+     "Thrice the thunderin' seas did roar,
+       Thrice the thunderin' winds did blow,
+     While the brave sailors were rockin' on the top,
+       And the landlubbers layin' down below.
+     Below, below, below, below, bel--o--o--o--w!
+       And the landlubbers layin' down below!"
+
+
+"Now, then, peart and stiddy oal," cried Cap'n Jack. "An' seein' as 'ow
+Providence 'ave bin sa kind, I do want 'ee to come up to my 'ouse
+to-night for supper. Ya knaw wot a good cook my maid Tamsin es. Well,
+she'll do 'er best fur to-night. Hake an' conger pie, roast beef and
+curney puddin', heave to an' come again, jist like kurl singers at
+Crismas time, my deears. Now, then, Jasper, you come long wi' me."
+
+I walked with Cap'n Jack up a deep gully. On either hand the sides of
+the chasm shot up, steeper than the roof of a house, while in some
+places they were perpendicular.
+
+"Nice'n lew 'ere, Jasper, my deear. Zee 'ow the things do graw. See the
+'sparagus twigs, my deear. Like little fir-trees, be'ant 'em then. Aw,
+'tes a keenly plaace, this es. Do 'ee zee thicky 'ouse up there, Jasper.
+Tha's mine--an' Tamsin 'll be waitin' for me. Providence took away 'er
+mawther, but left Tamsin; an' Providence was kind, Jasper, for her
+mawther _'ad_ a tongue, my deear. Jaw! ah, but Tamsin's mawther 'ad a
+speshul gift for jawin'! I caan't zay as 'ow I liked et, but I caan't
+deny that she was a gifted woman."
+
+I could not but admit that Cap'n Jack spoke the truth about his house.
+It was situated on the side of the gorge, well sheltered from the winds,
+yet so placed that from the gable windows a broad expanse of sea could
+be seen. It was a well-built house, too, substantial and roomy. In the
+front was a garden, well stocked with flowers and vegetables. In this
+garden were two figureheads, supposed to represent Admiral Blake and Sir
+Walter Raleigh.
+
+"Godly men, both of 'em," remarked Cap'n Jack; "an' both of 'em down on
+Popery. I be oal for a sound, solid religion, I be. Sir Walter brought
+baccy, and the Admiral, well 'ee polished off the Spaniards and took a
+lot of treasure from the Spanish ships. Some would call 'im a pirate,
+Jasper, my deear, but I be'ant that kind of a man. No, no, thews furrin
+chaps ca'ant 'spect we to laive 'em go wethout payin' toll. 'Ere we be,
+Tamsin, my deear!"
+
+The latter remark was addressed to a stout, buxom girl of twenty, who
+greeted her father warmly, looking at me curiously all the while.
+
+"Now, Tamsin, my deear, we waant some breakfast. Wot'll 'ee 'ave,
+Jasper? 'Am rasher, my deear, or a few pilchers? Or p'raps Tamsin 'ave
+got some vowl pie? This es my maid, Tamsin, this es, by the blessin' of
+Providence--my one yaw lamb, tha's wot she es. As spruce a maid as there
+es in the country, my deear. An' I forgot, you dunnaw Jasper, do 'ee,
+Tamsin? This es Jasper Pennington, a godly young man who, like Esau of
+ould, 'ave bin rubbed of his birthright an' hes blessin'. He's a-goin'
+to jine us, Tamsin, 'n' then 'ee'll git back the birthright, an' laive
+Nick Trezidder 'ave the blessin'. Aw! Aw! Now, then, Jasper, haive too,
+my deear."
+
+We sat down to breakfast, and I must confess to eating with a good
+appetite. When I lifted my eyes from my plate I saw that Tamsin was
+watching me curiously, as though she could not quite make me out.
+Certainly I was not very presentable. My clothes were stained and torn,
+and my appearance altogether unkempt. I felt ill at ease, too, and did
+not care to talk much. Besides, in spite of my strange position, I was
+tired and sleepy. This Cap'n Jack presently noted.
+
+"You'll want to slaip, Jasper. Well, Tamsin shall give 'ee a bed, oal
+down, my deear--make 'ee sleep when you do'ant want to. I do veel like
+that, too. After we've 'ad a slaip, Jasper, we'll talk a bit avore the
+booys do come up to supper. A slap-bang supper now, Tamsin, mind that!"
+
+Tamsin left the room to prepare a bed for me, while Cap'n Jack pulled
+off his boots.
+
+"A clain off maid, Jasper, clain off. Spruce as a new pin, an' fresh as
+a new painted boat. Temper like a lamb, Jasper. Ah! she'll be a grand
+wife fur somebody, an' not short of a fortin neither. I've been a savin'
+man, sonny, an' 'ave bin oncommon lucky in traade. I spoase Israel
+Barnicoat do want 'er, an' Israel's a braavish booy, but Tamsin doan't
+take to 'im. No, she doan't. Ah, there she es. Es Jasper's bed ready?
+That's yer soarts."
+
+He gave his daughter a sounding kiss, and went upstairs singing:
+
+
+     "Her eyes be as blue as the sea,
+       Her 'air like goulden grain,
+     An' she'll stick to me, and only me
+       Till I come back again.
+       Again, again, again,
+       Till I come back again."
+
+
+"There, Jasper, thicky's the room, and tha's the bed, oal clain an'
+purty, my deear."
+
+How long I slept I do not know, but it was a long time, for I was very
+tired. It was a long time since I had slept in a soft clean bed, and I
+did not fail to appreciate the one Tamsin had prepared. I awoke at
+length, however, and heard a tap at the door.
+
+"Your new clothes are at the door." It was Tamsin who spoke.
+
+On getting up and opening the door, I found a pile of clothes lying, and
+on examining them I found them to be well made, and of good material.
+They fitted me, too, and I must confess that I looked at myself with
+considerable satisfaction when I had dressed myself. I saw, too, on
+entering the kitchen that Tamsin approved of my changed appearance.
+
+"Father's gone down to the cove," she said.
+
+She spoke correctly, and her voice was low and musical.
+
+"He'll not be back for half an hour," she continued; "when he comes I
+expect he'll bring the men back to supper. I want us to have a talk now.
+I want you to tell me why you are here. I want to know if you realise
+what you are doing. Father will tell me nothing; but I cannot believe
+you know what joining his gang means."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+WHAT HAPPENED AT CAP'N JACK'S HOUSE--TAMSIN'S CONFESSION, AND THE
+SMUGGLERS' PLANS
+
+
+As I looked into Tamsin Truscott's eyes, I could not help thinking what
+a good-looking maid she was. I was sure she spoke earnestly, too.
+Evidently she regarded me as different from the gang of men of which her
+father was captain, and wanted to know the reason of my coming among
+them.
+
+Now I have before said I have never regarded myself as a clever
+man--none of my race have ever been. Honest men the Penningtons have
+always been; brave men, too, although I, perhaps, am not the man to say
+it, but not men who understand things quickly. Often after I have had
+dealings with people, it has come to my mind what I might have said and
+done, how I might have left some questions unanswered while others I
+could have answered differently. Lawyer Trefry once told me I should
+never get a living with my brains; I had too much body, he said. I am
+not ashamed to say this. Nay, I have no faith in men who are clever
+enough to give lying answers instead of true ones. Give me a man who
+speaks out straight, and who knows nothing of crooked ways. The men that
+the country wants are not clever, scheming men, who wriggle out of
+difficulties by underhanded ways, but those who see only the truth, and
+speak it, and fight for it if needs be. I am glad I had a fair amount of
+schooling, as becomes one who ought to have been the squire of a parish,
+but I am more thankful because I stand six feet four inches in my
+stockings, and measured forty-six inches around the naked chest even at
+twenty-one, and that I know next to nothing of sickness or bodily pain.
+But more than everything, I am proud that although I have been badly
+treated I have told no lies in order that truth may prevail, neither do
+I remember striking an unfair blow. No doubt, I shall have many things
+to answer for on the Judgment Day, but I believe God will reckon to my
+account the fact that I tried to fight fairly when sorely tempted to do
+otherwise.
+
+I say this, because it may seem to many that I was foolish in telling
+Tamsin Truscott the truth about myself. But as I said just now, I am not
+clever at answering people, neither could I frame answers to her
+questions which would hide the truth from her. Before we had been
+talking ten minutes I had told her all about myself, except my love for
+Naomi. I dared not speak about that, for I felt I was not worthy to
+speak of her, whose life was far removed from unlawful men and their
+ways. Moreover I could not bear that the secret of my heart should be
+known. It should be first told to the one who only had a right to hear
+it, even although she should refuse that which I offered her.
+
+"And so," said Tamsin, "my father has promised that you shall win enough
+money to buy Pennington if you will work with him."
+
+"That he has," was my reply.
+
+"And do you know the kind of life he lives?"
+
+"I have heard," I replied.
+
+"And would you feel happy, Jasper Pennington, if you bought back your
+home, got by such means?"
+
+"As for that," I replied, for I did not feel comfortable under her
+words, "what harm is there in smuggling? I know of several parsons who
+buy smuggled goods."
+
+"If smuggling were all!" she said, significantly.
+
+"But is it not all?" I queried. "Your father told me that this was all
+he required."
+
+"Do you think you could gain enough by smuggling? Bill Lurgy has been
+with my father for years; does he look like one who could buy back
+Pennington?"
+
+"He is but a paid man," I replied. "Your father has promised that I
+shall have shares in his profits."
+
+A look of scorn flashed from her eyes, which I could not understand, and
+she seemed to be about to say some words which caused her much feeling,
+when her eyes looked straight into mine, and I saw the blood course up
+into her face, until her very brow became crimson. Her hands trembled,
+too, while her lips twitched so that she was unable to speak.
+
+Now, I could not understand this, especially as a few seconds before she
+had been so eager to talk.
+
+"Would you advise me to ask your father to release me of my promise,
+then?" I asked. "I cannot go at once without his consent, for I have
+given my word I will stay with him for one month."
+
+For answer she caught my hands eagerly. "No, no, stay!" she said. "I
+will see to it that you are fairly treated. You must not go away!"
+
+This puzzled me much, but I had no time to ask her what she meant, for
+just then her father and several of his men came into the room.
+
+There was great carousing that night at Cap'n Jack's house. A great
+deal of grog was drunk, and many strange things said, and yet I could
+not help feeling that a kind of reserve was upon the party. I noticed
+that when some story was being told Cap'n Jack coughed, whereupon the
+eyes of the story-teller were turned upon me, and the yarn remained
+unfinished. I could see, too, that many of the men did not like me, and
+I grew uneasy at the ugly looks they gave me. Moreover, I could not help
+remembering that in spite of all I was a Pennington, and was no fit
+company for such as they. And yet I could not escape, for I was hemmed
+in on every side.
+
+At the end of a month I began to feel more at home among my
+surroundings, and up to that time was not asked to do anything
+particularly objectionable. It is true I helped to bring several cargoes
+of smuggled goods ashore, but that did not trouble me. Moreover, I
+learnt many things about the coast of which I had hitherto been
+ignorant. At the end of two months I knew the coast from Gurnard's Head
+to Kynance Cove, and had also spent a good deal of time in learning
+navigation, which Cap'n Jack assured me would be essential to my getting
+back Pennington. I had no rupture with any of the men, and yet I saw
+they did not like me. Especially did Israel Barnicoat regard me with a
+great deal of disfavour. I thought at the time that he was jealous of
+the favour which Cap'n Jack showed me, for I knew no other reason why he
+should dislike me. It was true that until I came he was regarded as the
+strongest man in Cap'n Jack's gang, and was angry when he heard some one
+say that I could play with two such as he.
+
+"I would like to try a hitch with you, Squire," he said one day, when
+Cap'n Jack had been chaffing him.
+
+We were standing on the little green outside the Cap'n's house, and
+several of us were together. I did not want to wrestle with him, for it
+is ill playing a game of strength with a man who cannot keep his temper.
+So I told him I would rather let him be regarded as the strongest man
+that Cap'n Jack had. Whereupon he swore loudly and called me a coward,
+so that I was obliged to accept his challenge. I had no sooner thrown
+off my coat than Tamsin came to the door, and when Israel saw her his
+arms became hard, and a strange light shone from his eyes.
+
+"Throw off your shoes, Israel," I said. "We won't go in for kicking like
+the up-country fellows, let's play like true Cornish lads."
+
+Then I took off my heavy boots, and he did likewise, although I could
+see he was not pleased. After that I waited quietly and let him get his
+hitch on me first. But he was no match for me; try as he would, he could
+not throw me, although he could see I did not put forth my strength.
+Then, when I had let him do his utmost, I slipped from his grasp, put my
+loins under his body, and threw him on the sward.
+
+"Bravo!" cried Tamsin. "Ah, Israel, you are but a baby in his hands,"
+and she laughed gleefully.
+
+"It was a coward's throw," shouted Israel. "He struck me in the wind
+with his knee--a coward's kick!"
+
+"Coward!" I cried. "Nay, Israel Barnicoat, I could play with two such as
+you. Let your brother come with you, and I'll throw you both."
+
+With that Micah Barnicoat came up, and both together they leaped upon
+me; but I caught them like I have seen the schoolmaster at Tregorny
+catch two boys, and knocked their heads together; then with a little
+trick I laid them both on the sward.
+
+I do not write this boastingly, because I had nothing to do but to use
+the strength which God gave me. I could not help it that I came of a
+large-boned, strong race. My forefathers had been mighty men, and
+although I am told I am far smaller and weaker than they, Israel
+Barnicoat and his brother seemed like children in my hands. Neither
+would I have written this save that it has to do with the story of my
+life, which I am trying to tell truthfully, although, I am afraid, with
+but little skill.
+
+Israel looked at me more evilly than ever as he rose to his feet, but he
+said no word, even though the men laughed loudly, and Tamsin rejoiced at
+my success. I liked it not, however, when that same evening I saw Israel
+eagerly talking with a group of men, each of whom held their peace as I
+came up. This set me thinking, and finally a conviction laid hold of me
+that Israel was my enemy, and that he would do me evil if he had the
+chance.
+
+After I had gone to bed that night I heard the sound of voices in the
+garden, and presently, as if by arrangement, Cap'n Jack went to them.
+
+"Where's the Squire?" I heard Israel Barnicoat say--they had called me
+Squire from the first.
+
+"Been in bed more'n an hour," was the reply.
+
+"Look 'ere, Cap'n Jack," said Israel; "we want to spaik plain. Why is he
+to be put afore we? Here 'ee es, livin' at your 'ouse as ef 'ee was yer
+son. He ain't got to do no dirty work. Oal we want es fair play. Laive
+'ee do loustrin' jobs same as we do."
+
+"Anything else?" asked Cap'n Jack.
+
+"I do'ant bleeve in makin' fish o' waun and flesh of t'other. All
+alike, I zay."
+
+"Be I cap'n?" asked Cap'n Jack.
+
+"Iss, you be; but we chaps 'ave got our rights, tha's wot I zay. Wot's
+ee more'n we?"
+
+"Be I a fool, Israel Barnicoat?" asked Cap'n Jack. "Caan't I zee wot's
+good fur us oal? He's larnin' navigation--wot fur? Ain't us got a ship
+that 'll need navigation? We want a man as knaws figgers an's got
+schoolin'; 'ave you got et? We want somebody as can play the genleman;
+can you do et? Billy Coad es too ould to taake command ov the _Flyin'
+Swan_ much longer; well, wot then? Who's to do et? You knaw we caan't
+'ford to 'ave outsiders. 'Sides, ef 'ee once gits in weth we--well,
+we've got un, ain't us?"
+
+"Well, wot then?"
+
+"He'll buy back Pennington."
+
+"Wot's the use o' that to we?"
+
+"Be 'ee a fool, Israel Barnicoat? Caan't 'ee zee that eff he's one o'
+we, and he gits back his rights, that we'm as safe as eggs, an' shell
+allays have a squire an' a magistrate on our side? Tha's wot I be
+humourin' 'im for. I do'ant want to drive un away fust thing."
+
+A good deal of murmuring followed this, some of the men evidently
+agreeing with their captain, others feeling with Israel that I had had
+too many favours shown me. Then they talked too low for me to hear,
+except now and then fragments of sentences about the "queer-coloured
+flag on the _Flying Swan_," and "Billy Coad makin' many a man walk the
+plank."
+
+All this opened my eyes to many things which had not hitherto been plain
+to me, and I listened more eagerly than ever, in order to understand
+their plans concerning me; but I could make nothing out of the orders
+which Cap'n Jack was giving. At last, just before they left him, one
+asked a question in a low voice: "When is the _Flying Swan_ expected?"
+
+"A couple ov months, sonny. We must humour un a bit, and git un in our
+ways. We ca'ant 'ford to be fullish jist now."
+
+Presently they all left with the exception of Israel Barnicoat, who
+spoke to Cap'n Jack eagerly.
+
+"'Tes oal very well to talk, Cap'n," he said, "but 'ee's stailin' away
+Tamsin from me."
+
+"Did you ever 'ave Tamsin to stail, sonny?" asked the Cap'n.
+
+"Well, I 'ad a chance at wawn time, but now she's tooked on weth he.
+Mind, Cap'n, ef he do git Tamsin ther'll be somebody missin'!"
+
+"Doan't be a fool, Israel," replied Cap'n Jack. "Go away 'ome, sonny,
+and be ready for yer work in the mornin'."
+
+"But mind, Cap'n, the Squire must obey oarders saame as we, else ther'll
+be mutiny."
+
+"Well, 'ee shell, ther' now. Good-night, Israel; good-night, sonny, and
+by the blessing of Providence you'll be a rich man yet."
+
+I turned over all this many times in my mind, and, as may be imagined, I
+was sore driven what to think. Up till now I had not been asked, beyond
+smuggling, to do anything unlawful, but now I saw that I was intended
+for wild work. Moreover, I knew not how to get out of it, for Cap'n Jack
+had, in a way, got me in his power. I had heard of several who had once
+belonged to his gang, and who had come to an untimely end, and this not
+by means of the law, but by unknown ways. I also called to mind one of
+his stories concerning one Moses Rowse, who, because he wanted to "turn
+religious," was found on the beach one day with his head broken, while
+another went away from home and never came back again.
+
+All this, I say, wrought upon me strangely--so much so that I did not
+sleep that night, and I formed many plans as to how I might escape,
+until my brain was weary.
+
+The next day I noticed that Cap'n Jack was eagerly looking at the sea,
+as though he saw something of interest, although I, who looked in the
+direction toward which his eyes were turned, could see nothing.
+
+"I reckon ther'll be some work to-night, Jasper, my sonny," he remarked,
+after looking steadily a long time. "It do come dark early thaise
+November days, an' it'll be a baisly muggy night to-night, tha's wot
+'t'll be. I must go down to the cove and zee the booys."
+
+When he was gone Tamsin came to me.
+
+"What are you so stand-offish for?" she asked.
+
+I did not reply, for my heart was sad.
+
+"And what did you think of the talk between father and the men last
+night?" she asked.
+
+"What do you know about it?" I asked.
+
+"I know you were listening," she replied; "but never mind, it's all safe
+with me; and, Jasper, you mustn't think that I care about Israel
+Barnicoat, I don't like un a bit."
+
+"He's the strongest man in your father's gang," I said.
+
+"No, Jasper, he's no man at all when you are near. How could I look on
+Israel Barnicoat now I've seen you?" She said this with a sob, and then
+I knew that Tamsin Truscott loved me. She caught my great brown hand
+and kissed it. "Jasper," she cried, "I know where father keeps his
+money, love me, and I will get it for you; more than enough to buy back
+Pennington. No one knows how rich father is. I know, I know!"
+
+The maid spoke like one demented, and, for the moment, I knew not how to
+answer her. Not that I despised her for saying what always ought to be
+said by the man, for I believe that her heart was as clean as a
+wind-swept sky. For a moment, too, wild, unnatural thoughts came into my
+mind which I will not here set down. But even as they came the picture
+of Naomi's face came before me, and they departed with the swiftness of
+lightning. For I have found this to be true: a true love ever destroys
+baser and poorer loves. Let a man love truly a true, pure woman, and all
+womanhood is sacred to him. And because I loved Naomi truly no other
+love could come into my life.
+
+So I did not reply to Tamsin's words, but walked away toward the cove
+instead. Still her words had their effect--they determined me to leave
+Cap'n Jack's gang as soon as possible. I saw now that it would be wrong
+to stay at Kynance Cove, wrong to Tamsin, wrong to myself. It would be
+unworthy of my love for Naomi. For two months I had not realised what
+lay before me, now I understood. How could I go to her with words of
+love upon my lips, when I sought to win back the home of my fathers by
+such means as Cap'n Jack hinted in his talk with his followers the night
+before? And so again and again I planned how I might get away.
+
+Early in the afternoon Cap'n Jack came to me. "I want us to crake a bit,
+sonny," he said. I did not reply, but I sat down near him in the open
+chimney.
+
+"It's time we come to bisness," he said. "You've bin loppin' 'bout for
+two months, doin' nothin' much. Well, the booys be jillus, Jasper, and
+they want things clear."
+
+"I've done all you've asked me," I replied.
+
+"Iss, so you 'ave, sonny, but I want to maake a man ov 'ee. I've got a
+purty boat, Jasper, called _The Flying Swan_. She'll be 'ome soon from
+what I 'ope will be a prosperous voyage. I want you to go on 'er as a
+soart of maate, to taake command laater on."
+
+"What do you mean?" I asked. "What is this _Flying Swan_ of which you
+are the owner? Is she a trading vessel? What does she carry? Besides,
+why choose me? I know nothing about sea life."
+
+"I'll tell 'ee," he said. "The _Flyin' Swan_ is used for smugglin' on a
+biggish scale. She's manned by as braave a lot of chaps as ever clained
+the seams of a deck. Her cap'n es Billy Coad, a man you may 'ave 'eer'd
+on, and wawn you would like to knaw. A man of rare piety, Jasper. He and
+me be the main owners, by the blessin' of Providence. Ah, it would do
+yer 'art good to hear 'im give his Christian experience."
+
+"Smuggling on a biggish scale. What do you mean by that?" I asked.
+
+"Well, dailin' direct weth the furrin' poarts, and at times, when Billy
+do see a vessel in the open say, wot do carry the flag of a Papist
+country, say the Spanish, well, I doan't deny--but there."
+
+"You mean that the _Flying Swan_ is but little better than a pirate
+ship."
+
+"Never call things by ugly naames," replied Cap'n Jack; "besides, I do
+look upon this as your main chance of buyin' back Pennington."
+
+"Suppose I refuse?" I suggested.
+
+"You wa'ant refuse, sonny."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Well, twudden pay 'ee. We doan't never have that sort wi' we. I'm a man
+of paice, I be; but thaise be loanely paarts, my sonny. Nearer than
+Lezard Town ther's 'ardly a 'ouse. You wudden be missed much."
+
+"But suppose I were to leave you?"
+
+"Laive us; no, sonny, you ca'ant do that now. You knaw too much."
+
+"How can you keep me? Suppose I were to leave the house now, ay, leave
+the county, who could stop me?"
+
+"I could, sonny. Do you think I'm a cheeld? I've got the county
+ringed--I've got men everywhere. Cap'n Jack Truscott's gang is a big
+affair, my son, an' I telly this, ef you tried to git away to-night
+you'd be a dead man afore to-morrow, for oal I'm a man of paice, and
+send presents to the passon in place of tithes; I doan't stand no
+nonsense, mind that, my son."
+
+His white eyes shone with a strange light, and I knew he had his fears
+about my loyalty.
+
+"The truth es, Jasper," went on Cap'n Jack, "you've come wi' we, and wi'
+we you must stay; that es, till you git 'nough to buy back Pennington.
+Aw, aw!"
+
+"And if I do?"
+
+"I shell 'ave a squire for my friend, and--well, you'll still be one o'
+we. You see, my sonny, we've got many ways o' doin' things, an' when I
+once gits 'old ov a chap, well, I sticks. But theer, sonny, wot's the
+use ov angry words. I'm a paicable man, and wen you knaw us better,
+you'll knaw 'ow we stick to aich other through thick and thin. I like
+'ee, Jasper, an' I've got need ov 'ee. A strong fella you be--Israel
+Barnicoat and his brother Micah was just like little babbies to 'ee. A
+schullard, too, and knaw figgers. Iss, a year on the _Flyin' Swan_ on an
+expedishan I'm a thinkin' on will buy back Pennington, and then, well,
+we shall see, Jasper. Why shudden I be the squire's father-in-law, eh,
+sonny? An' Tamsin es a grand maid, ed'n she then?"
+
+Slowly my mind grasped his meaning, but I did not speak.
+
+"Still, tho' you be a fav'rite ov mine, Jasper, the booys be jillus,
+that ev it. An' ther's a bit of work on to-night, sonny. There's a craft
+a few miles out, an' to-night will be baisly and black. Well, the booys
+insist on your takin' our ould mare, an' tyin' a lantern on to her neck,
+an' leadin' 'er on the cliff toward the Lizard. It'll do thou'll mare
+good, and be a light to the vessel."
+
+"Such a light would lure her on to the rocks!" I cried.
+
+"Wud et, Jasper? Well, some wud blaame Providence for these things. But
+it must be done."
+
+"And suppose the Preventive men see me?"
+
+"Wot be a couple of sich chaps to you? You could knack their 'eads
+together like you ded by Micah and Israel."
+
+"And if I refuse?"
+
+He looked at me steadily for a minute with his white eyes gleaming
+strangely in the firelight; then he said, slowly, "Ef you refuse this
+time, my sonny, you'll never refuse no more in this world."
+
+All the same I made up my mind that I would escape from Cap'n Jack's
+gang that very night, and that I would take no part in luring a vessel
+on to destruction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+WHAT BECAME OF THE WRECKERS' LIGHT--HOW I ESCAPED AND ENTERED PENNINGTON
+
+
+An hour later a number of men were in the kitchen of Cap'n Jack's house,
+and from the way they talked I knew they meant that the vessel which
+they had been watching should that night be destroyed. Never until then
+did I realise the utter heartlessness of the gang. They seemed to care
+nothing for the lives of those on the ship which they had decided to
+wreck. In their lust for gain nothing was sacred to them. As far as I
+could gather, their plan was that I should lead Cap'n Jack's horse along
+the edge of the cliffs with a lantern fastened to its neck. This to a
+ship at sea would seem like the light of another ship. The false light
+would thus lead the captain to steer his vessel straight upon the rocks.
+Outside was a wild, high sea, the clouds overhead were black as ink, and
+not a star appeared, thus the doomed vessel would be at the mercy of the
+wreckers. It was Cap'n Jack's plan to have his men in readiness to seize
+upon all the valuables of the ship, and that the crew should be drowned.
+They had made out that the vessel was bound for Falmouth, but that in
+the blackness of the night the crew would lose their whereabouts, and
+would eagerly steer toward what they would believe to be the light of
+another vessel.
+
+Why I had been chosen to show the false light I knew not, except that
+such a deed, by exposing me to the vigilance of the Preventive men,
+would bind me more securely. They did not seem to think that I should
+fail in doing this. As Cap'n Jack had said, to fail to obey the commands
+of the gang meant an untimely death, while to try and escape would bring
+upon me the same punishment.
+
+Every man was well primed with brandy, and Cap'n Jack saw that while
+each one had enough to excite him to wild deeds, no man was allowed to
+drink to such a degree that he became in any way incapacitated for the
+work before him.
+
+During the conversation, however, I noticed that Israel Barnicoat spoke
+no word. Instead, he kept his eyes upon me. When the conference was
+ended, however, and all their plans, which I have barely hinted at,
+because in my ignorance and excitement I could only dimly understand
+them, Israel spoke aloud.
+
+"Cap'n," he said; "the Squire have never done a job like this afore,
+he'll need somebody weth un."
+
+"We ca'ant spare more'n one man for sich a job," was the response.
+
+"It'll need another, I tell 'ee," replied Israel.
+
+"Then thee c'n kip un company," was Cap'n Jack's reply.
+
+"Oal right," cried Israel, but he kept his eyes away from me as he
+spoke.
+
+"Tell 'ee where we'll begin," continued Israel, still looking away from
+me. "We'll take old Smiler right to the Lizard, jist off Carligga Rocks,
+we'll kip on cloase by Polpeor, an' on to Bumble. I reckon by that time
+she'll be on the rocks. You c'n board 'er there, ef needs be, and we'll
+mit you in the saicret caave in Honsel Cove."
+
+"Iss, that'll do very well, sonny," was Cap'n Jack's reply. "By coose we
+mayn't git 'er afore she do git to the Devil's Fryin' Pan or Cadwith,
+and ef you fail theer, you must git to Black Head as fast as yer legs
+can car'ee. But kip away from Ruan Minor, Israel, my sonny. The
+Preventive men be strong there."
+
+"Trust me," laughed Israel.
+
+Cap'n Jack went out and looked seaward, anxiously. "You must start in a
+'our or a 'our and haalf, Israel, my sonny, and the rest of us must git
+doun to the Cove to once," he said, when he came back.
+
+"Oal right, Cap'n," replied Israel, "I jist want to go and spaik to
+mauther, while the Squire do git the oull mare ready."
+
+I went out as he spoke, and then acting on sudden impulse, determined to
+follow him. A minute later I was glad I had done so, for I saw that he
+was going away from his mother's house. He hurried rapidly along the
+Helston road until he came to a little beer-house, or as the folks
+called it a kiddleywink, which he entered. When I had arrived at the
+door of this kiddleywink, I was at a loss what to do, neither could I
+make out why he had come here. I had barely time to think, however,
+before Israel came out again, and I saw that he was accompanied by a
+Preventive man.
+
+"I've got a job for 'ee," said Israel.
+
+"What?"
+
+"A chap showin' a false light to-night."
+
+"But I'd arranged weth the Cap'n to kip away, an' to kip our chaps
+away."
+
+"Never mind that. I c'n maake et wuth yer while."
+
+"Well, what es et?"
+
+"Be jist off The Stags at twelve o'clock to-night. A young fella will be
+laidin' an ould gray mare."
+
+"But wot about the Cap'n?"
+
+"I tell 'ee 't'll be for your good. You do as I tell 'ee, Ellic, or,
+well, you'll knaw what!"
+
+"But et'll spoil yer plans!"
+
+"Never mind. Look 'ere--" Then he talked earnestly in low tones so that
+I could not hear. Evidently, however, he satisfied the officer, for I
+heard him say, "Clain off. A reglar feather in my cap, and the Cap'n
+wa'ant knaw."
+
+When Israel returned to Cap'n Jack's house I had the mare all ready.
+
+"We'll go stright to Carn Barrow," he said, shortly.
+
+"That wasn't Cap'n Jack's plan," was my reply.
+
+"Look 'ere, Squire, I'm to work this. You'm new to this work. I tell 'ee
+we must git to the Devil's Fryin' Pan by ten o'clock, and then git back
+to The Stags 'bout twelve."
+
+"Very well," I replied, "I'm ready."
+
+"'Tes a good two mile by road to the Fryin' Pan," he remarked. "And 'tes
+oppen downs nearly oal the way to The Stags." He seemed to think a
+minute, then he said, "No, we wa'ant go so far as that, we'll jist go to
+Bumble Rock, and then kip on the top by Poltream Cove. That'll taake us
+oal our time."
+
+He led the horse and I carried the lantern, which he said should not be
+lit until we came to Bumble Rock, which stands by a gully in the
+headland, where the seas roar with a terrible noise as they break upon
+the coast.
+
+Not a word was spoken as we went along in the darkness. As well as I
+could I kept watch on him, for I knew he hated me. He was jealous of me
+for several reasons. For one thing, since I had come, Tamsin Truscott
+had ceased to notice him, and for another, he was no longer regarded as
+the strongest man in the gang. For years he had been proud of this, and
+now the men laughed at him because I was able to play with both him and
+his brother. Perhaps the wrestling match at which I had mastered him so
+easily had more to do with his enmity than the fact that Tamsin no
+longer smiled on him. For his pride in his strength was greater than his
+love.
+
+As I have said, it was a wild dark night. A great sea hurled itself on
+the coast, although ordinarily it could not be called dangerous. As we
+drew near the rocks, however, we could hear the waves roaring like a
+thousand angry beasts. Bumble Rock rose up like a great giant, and
+seemed to laugh at the black waves which it churned into foam. The rocks
+which we could dimly see, for our eyes had become used to the darkness,
+seemed like the teeth of a hideous monster, which would cruelly tear any
+ship that the waves should dash upon them. The thought of the vessel,
+evidently bound for Falmouth Harbour, being lured to destruction, with
+all hands on board, was horrible to me, and at that moment a great anger
+rose in my heart toward the gang among whom I had lived for two months.
+Hitherto, however, my hands had been unstained by crime, and I
+determined that for the future, even although I should be hunted down by
+the men into whose hands I had fallen, I would escape from them that
+night.
+
+"I've got the tinder and the flint and steel," remarked Israel, "we must
+git to a lew plaace an' light the candle. Come over 'ere. Ther's a
+'ollow behind the rocks, it'll do zackly."
+
+I followed him without a word until we reached a spot that was sheltered
+from the sea, although we could still hear the waves surging and
+moaning, while flecks of foam often beat upon our faces.
+
+Perhaps there is no more lonely place on God's earth than this. That
+night the genius of desolation seemed to reign, while the roaring sea
+told me of mad spirits playing with the angry waters. In the dim light I
+could see the long line of foam, while above the dark cliffs loomed;
+landward nothing was visible, save a suggestion of the outline of the
+hills.
+
+"'Tes a gashly night and this es a gashly job to be done," said Israel.
+"By agor, 'ow the waaves do roar," he continued, after a minute.
+
+"Yes, 'tis a wild night," I responded, and as if in confirmation of my
+words, a great wave broke on Bumble Rock with a mighty roar, while a
+shower of spray and flecks of foam fell upon us.
+
+"Well, 'tes as lew 'ere as we can git it anywhere," he said; "ther now,
+you hould the lantern while I strick the light."
+
+"No," I replied.
+
+"Wot do 'ee main?" he queried.
+
+"Simply this," I answered; "no false light shall shine on this cliff
+to-night." As I spoke I took the lantern and threw it over the cliffs.
+Then I sprang upon him and caught his hands in mine.
+
+"Look you, Israel Barnicoat," I said, "I know what your plans are. I
+followed you as you went to the Preventive man to-night; but it is no
+use. The wreckers' light will not shine to-night, neither will I be off
+The Stags at twelve o'clock."
+
+He struggled to be free, but I held him tight.
+
+"You'll suffer for this," he screamed; "when Cap'n Jack knaws you'll
+die."
+
+"I must take chance of that," I said. Then I threw him heavily on the
+sward. Taking some cord from my pocket, with which I had provided myself
+before starting, I bound his hands securely behind him. Then I bound his
+legs.
+
+"Wot be 'ee goin' to do weth me now?" he shrieked.
+
+"Nothing more."
+
+"But you bean't goin' to laive me lie 'ere oal night, be 'ee? Why, I
+sh'll die ov the cowld."
+
+"No, you won't," I said; "as you mentioned, this is a lew place, and you
+are not one who will die so easily. You may be a bit cramped by the
+morning, and perhaps you may get a twinge of rheumatics, but that'll be
+all. Besides, it's far better for you to suffer a bit than that yon
+vessel shall be wrecked. Now I'll leave you to your sins; I'm off."
+
+"Off where?"
+
+"Off where you'll never see me again. You'll have company to-night,
+perhaps. It's said that Peter Crowle's ghost comes here on windy nights.
+I wish you pleasant company."
+
+"Oh, doan't 'ee go," he screamed; "I'm 'fraid of sperrits, I be. Let me
+free, Squire, 'n I'll never tell where you'm gone; I'll zay you'm
+drowned, or tumbled ovver the cleffs or anything, onnly do cut the
+ropes, and lev me be free."
+
+"No," I said; "while you are here Cap'n Jack will think the false
+lights are showing, and perhaps the vessel will be safe. As for the
+spirits, you are the strongest, bravest man in the gang, and, of course,
+you are not afraid of spirits."
+
+"But you bean't agoin' to take th'oull mare?"
+
+"Yes; Smiler will come with me. Good luck to you, Israel Barnicoat."
+
+I sprang upon Smiler's back and rode away, leaving him in the sheltered
+hollow. The night was cold and threatened rain, but I was sure that,
+hardy and used to exposure as he was, he would not be hurt. When morning
+came he would be searched for and found. Of course he would tell his
+story to Cap'n Jack, but by that time I hoped to be out of harm's way.
+
+At first I rode slowly, especially until I got to Ruan Major. Arrived
+there, however, and having struck into the road over Goonhilly Downs, I
+went faster. I felt strangely happy, for it seemed as though a weight
+were rolled from my shoulders. Once more I was a free man, and I
+imagined that for some hours I should not be pursued. Besides, all the
+time I had been with Cap'n Jack's gang I felt that I was doing what was
+unworthy of a Pennington, and worse still, what was unworthy of my love
+for Naomi. But more than all, a wild scheme had come into my mind; I
+would that night go to Pennington and try to see Naomi. The thought
+acted upon me like some strange elixir; to hear Naomi's voice, to feel
+her hand in mine, were a joy beyond all words. How I was to do this I
+did not know; what difficulties I should meet I did not consider. The
+thought that I should see her was enough for me, and I shouted for very
+joy. The hour was not yet late, and I calculated that by hard riding I
+could get to Pennington by midnight. Thus at the very hour when Israel
+Barnicoat had planned for me to be taken by the Preventive men, I hoped
+to be speaking to my love.
+
+In looking back I can see that my hopes were very unreasonable. How
+could I get Naomi to speak to me? At best she could only regard me as a
+landless outcast, whom she had once seen pilloried in Falmouth town and
+pelted by hooting boys. It is true I had told her my story in Granfer
+Fraddam's Cave, and she had shown a desire to shield me from Richard
+Tresidder, but she must probably have forgotten all about it. Besides,
+if she had not forgotten me, she would think me either dead or far away.
+The letter which I had written at Cap'n Jack's dictation would tell her
+that I was in his power. During my two months' stay at Kynance Cove, I
+had asked Cap'n Jack concerning Granfer Fraddam's Cave, but he always
+evaded my questions, and I did not know whether she had received the
+letter I had written.
+
+At the same time my heart beat high with hope, and I was happy. For a
+true love, even although difficulties beset it, is always beautiful and
+joyous. As I rode along through the night, even the wild winds sang love
+songs to me, while I could see the light of Naomi's eyes shining in the
+darkness, revealing her face to me, pure and beautiful.
+
+I am told that my days of romance are over, that I have reached that
+stage in life when the foolishness of young lovers is impossible to me.
+And yet even now I cannot see a boy and a maid together without my heart
+beating faster; for there is nothing more beautiful on God's green earth
+than the love of lovers, and I know that when a lad feels a girl's first
+kisses on his lips, he lives in heaven, if he loves her as I loved
+Naomi. There are those, even in this parish, who sneer at the bliss of
+boy and girl sweethearts, but I, who remember the night when I rode from
+Bumble Rock to Pennington, cannot sneer; nay, rather, the tears start to
+my eyes, and I find myself fighting my battles again and dreaming of
+love, even as I dreamed then.
+
+Smiler was a better steed than I had hoped. Saddle I had none, nor
+bridle, but the halter which had been placed on her head was sufficient
+for me to guide her. Moreover, I had been used to horses all my life,
+and felt as much at ease on a horse's back as on my feet. Thus it came
+about that before midnight I had reached the parish of St. Eve, and was
+making my way toward Pennington. When within sight of the house,
+however, I was in a dilemma, and never until then did I realise how
+difficult was the task I had set myself. The whole family was a-bed, at
+least I imagined so, neither did I know the part of the house where
+Naomi Penryn was. Most likely, too, dogs would be prowling around, and I
+did not wish to place myself in the power of Richard Tresidder or his
+son Nick. At the same time I vowed that I would see Naomi, even though I
+waited there until morning.
+
+So, tying Smiler to a tree, I crept quietly up to the house and looked
+anxiously around. At first all seemed to be in darkness, but presently I
+saw a light shining from one of the windows in the back part of the
+house. Wondering what it might mean, I went toward it and looked through
+the window. A blind had been drawn, but it did not fit the window well,
+and there was an inch of glass between the window-frame and the blind
+that was not covered. At first I could only see the room in a blurred
+sort of way, for the leaded panes of glass were small, but presently I
+saw more clearly. The room into which I looked was the kitchen, and by
+the table sat a man and a woman. The man was Ikey Trethewy, whom I had
+last seen in Granfer Fraddam's Cave, and who had promised to take my
+letter to Naomi; the woman was the Pennington cook. The latter was a
+sour and rather hard-featured woman of forty years of age. It had been a
+joke of the parish that Tryphena Rowse never had a sweetheart in her
+life, that she was too ugly, too cross-tempered. It was also rumoured,
+however, that this was not Tryphena's fault, and that her great desire
+was to get married and settle down. I soon saw that Ikey Trethewy was
+there as Tryphena's sweetheart. The table was covered with tempting
+eatables, of which Ikey partook freely, stopping between sups of ale and
+mouthfuls of chicken pie to salute the object of his affections. I saw,
+too, that these attentions were by no means disagreeable to the cook,
+although she gave Ikey several admonitory taps. It was evident, too,
+that Ikey's visit was clandestine. I knew that, except on special
+occasions, it was the rule for Pennington doors to be closed at ten
+o'clock, while it was now past midnight. Probably Ikey, who had the
+reputation of being a woman-hater, did not care for his courtship to be
+known, for I knew that he did not like being laughed at or joked in any
+way.
+
+I had not waited long when Ikey began to make preparations for his
+departure, while Tryphena seemed to be trying to persuade him to stay a
+little longer. No sound reached me, however, and I imagined that all
+their conversation was carried on in whispers for fear the noise thereof
+might reach the master or mistress of the establishment. He succeeded at
+length, however, in breaking away from the embraces of the fair cook,
+while two huge dogs which lay by the kitchen fire watched them solemnly.
+Presently the door opened, and Ikey and Tryphena stood together outside.
+They were quite close to me, so that I could hear their every word.
+
+"You wa'ant be long afore you come again, Ikey?" asked Tryphena.
+
+"Not long, my buty. P'raps you c'n git a bit a pigin pie next time."
+
+"That I will, Ikey. But doan't 'ee think, Ikey, 'tes time for 'ee to be
+puttin' in th' baans? We've bin a-courtin' like this now for more'n vive
+yer."
+
+"Well, tha's nothin', Tryphena. Jim Jory ded court Mary Hicks thirteen
+yer afore they wur spliced."
+
+"Iss; but I ca'ant kip comp'ny weth 'ee like other maids. An' ted'n
+vitty fur we to be mittin' every week like this 'ere."
+
+"Well, Tryphena, my buty, you do knaw I do love 'ee deerly. An' you be a
+clain off cook, too. I niver taasted sich a vowl pie in my life, ther
+now. An' yer zay 't shell be a pigin pie next week."
+
+"Iss, Ikey; but 'twud be purty to 'ave a 'ome of our oan."
+
+"Mawther wa'ant 'eer of et it, nor Cap'n Jack nuther. 'Nother yer or
+two, Tryphena, and then I'll go to the passen. Ther, I mus' be goin'."
+
+Another sounding kiss, and Ikey crept away very quietly, while Tryphena
+began to put away the supper things. In a minute my mind was made up. I
+had heard enough to settle me on my plan of action. I thought I saw the
+means whereby I could see Naomi.
+
+I waited until Tryphena had cleared away the remains of Ikey's repast,
+and was evidently preparing to go to her room, and then I gave the
+kitchen door a slight knock, and, imitating Ikey's voice as well as I
+could, I said, "Tryphena, my buty, laive me in a minait."
+
+She came and opened the door quickly.
+
+"'Ave 'ee forgot summin', Ikey, deear?" she said; and then before she
+recognised me I slipped in.
+
+The dogs rose up with a low, suppressed growl, as though they were in
+doubt what to do; but Tryphena, who was as anxious as I that the
+household might not be disturbed, quieted them.
+
+"Maaster Jasper Pennington!" she gasped as she looked into my face.
+
+"That's right, Tryphena," I said. "Sit down, I want to talk with you,
+and I want you to do something for me."
+
+"No, I mustn't, I daren't. They do oal hate 'ee 'ere, Maaster Jasper. Ef
+they wos to knaw you was 'ere, I dunnaw wot wud 'appen."
+
+For a moment a great bitterness came into my heart, for I remembered
+that this was the first time I had ever entered the home of my fathers.
+And it galled me beyond measure that I should have to enter at midnight
+at the kitchen door like a servant who came courting the servant maids.
+I quickly realised my position, however, and acted accordingly.
+
+"Yes, you must do what I ask you, Tryphena," I said.
+
+"I tell 'ee I ca'ant."
+
+"Then Ikey Trethewy will be in the hands of the Preventive men by
+to-morrow," I replied, "and Richard Tresidder will know that a man has
+come to his house for years at midnight on the sly."
+
+I did not want to frighten the poor woman, but it had to be done. I
+saw, too, that I had said sufficient to make Tryphena afraid to thwart
+me.
+
+"What do 'ee want me to do?" she asked.
+
+"I suppose no one can hear us?" I said.
+
+"No, oal the family, 'ciptin' Miss Naomi, do slaip in another paart ov
+the 'ouse."
+
+I listened intently, but could hear no sound; evidently all the family
+was asleep.
+
+"You remember about two months ago that Ikey brought a letter to Miss
+Naomi Penryn?" I said.
+
+"Iss."
+
+"Well, I wrote that letter."
+
+"I knaw; Ikey tould me."
+
+"Well, I want to see Miss Naomi."
+
+"When?"
+
+"To-night. I want you to go to her room now, and tell her that I want to
+see her."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+I SEE NAOMI PENRYN, AND AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED, BUT SOON AFTER AM TAKEN
+PRISONER
+
+
+Tryphena looked at me like one dazed. "No, Maaster Jasper," she replied,
+"it caan't be done."
+
+"It must be done."
+
+"And what if I do?"
+
+"I will leave the house in an hour," I replied, "and no one shall know
+of what you have done, not even Ikey."
+
+"No, Ikey musn't knaw you've been 'ere."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Why, e'ed be jillus as cud be. E'ed be afraid you'd come to try and cut
+un out. You zee, you be a 'andsome young man, Master Jasper."
+
+"Well, you must do as I ask you, or Ikey will know," I said, for I saw
+that Tryphena needed a good deal of pressure. At the same time I could
+not help smiling at the thought of Ikey being jealous, for surely one
+look at her face were enough to dispel such a thought. "You see," I went
+on, "a fine-looking woman like you must be careful, if you wish to keep
+such a man as Ikey. However, you do as I ask you, and some day you'll be
+glad."
+
+I believe my flattery had more to do with making Tryphena my friend than
+any threats I might offer, for a smile of satisfaction came on her
+lips, and she asked me how she was to do what I asked her.
+
+"What I want," I said, "is for you to go quietly to Miss Naomi, and tell
+her that Jasper Pennington is in great danger, and that he must see her
+before he leaves this part of the world."
+
+"Wot, be 'ee goin' away, then?" cried Tryphena.
+
+"I must," I said; "now go quickly."
+
+When she had gone I saw how unreasonable my request was. Would not Naomi
+be justified in arousing the house, and would she not at the least
+refuse to come and see me? And yet all the while I waited with a great
+hope in my heart, for love gives hope, and I loved Naomi like my own
+life. For all this, I worried myself by thinking that I did not tell
+Tryphena anything whereby she could induce Naomi to come to me. For what
+should she care about my danger, save as she might care about the danger
+of a thousand more for whom she could do nothing?
+
+And so I waited with an anxious heart, and when at length I heard
+footsteps my bosom seemed too small for the mighty beating of my heart.
+But it was not my love's footsteps that I heard, but Tryphena's. Perhaps
+fellow-feeling had made her kind, for she told me in a kind, sympathetic
+way that "Miss Naomi would be down d'reckly."
+
+Now this was more than I had seriously dared to hope. No sooner did I
+hear her telling me this joyful news than I felt amazed that I had ever
+dreamed of asking for such a thing, while my heart grew heavy at the
+thought that I had no sufficient reason for asking to see Naomi.
+
+In less than five minutes later Naomi came into the kitchen. She looked
+pale, and thin, I thought, but she was beauteous beyond all words. I am
+not going to try and describe her. I am not gifted in writing fine
+things, for the pen was nearly a stranger to my hands until I began to
+write this history, besides I doubt if any man, great as he may be,
+could do justice to Naomi's beauty. I think my heart ceased to beat for
+a while, and I know that I stood looking at her stupidly, my tongue
+refusing to move.
+
+As for Tryphena, I am sure she understood my feelings, for she went into
+the dairy, for the which I determined even then that I would some day
+reward her.
+
+"You said you were in danger," said Naomi, speaking first, "and that you
+wanted to see me. You have asked a hard thing, but I have come."
+
+"Miss Naomi," I said, in a low, hoarse voice, "forgive my forwardness,
+for truly I am unworthy this honour, yet believe me I could not help it.
+Will you sit down, so that I may try and tell you what is in my heart?"
+
+She sat down on the old kitchen settle, and I could not help noticing
+how beautifully her dark dress fitted her graceful form. At the same
+time I knew not what to say. I had come because my heart hungered for
+her, and because love knows no laws. Yet no words came to me, except to
+say, "Naomi Penryn, I love you more than life," and those I dared not
+utter, so much was I afraid of her as she sat there.
+
+"Are you in great danger?" she asked. "I have breathed no word about
+that cave, no word to any one. What did it mean?"
+
+This gave me an opening, and then I rapidly told her what I have written
+in these pages.
+
+"And will they try and find you?" she asked when I had told my story.
+
+"They will hunt me like dogs hunt a fox!" I replied, "so I must find my
+way to Falmouth, and try and get to sea."
+
+Her face was full of sympathy, and my heart rejoiced because she did not
+seem to think it strange that I should come to her.
+
+"And will you have to go soon?"
+
+"I must go now," I replied, and then my sorrow and despair, at the
+thought, dragged my confession from my tongue.
+
+"But before I go," I said, "I must tell you that I love you, Naomi
+Penryn. It is madness, I know; but I loved you when I was in the pillory
+at Falmouth, and I have loved you ever since, and my love has been
+growing stronger each day. That is why I have come here, to-night. My
+heart is hungry for you, and my eyes have been aching for a sight of
+your face, and I felt I could not go away without telling you, even
+though I shall never see you again."
+
+Her face seemed to grow paler than ever as I spoke, but her eyes grew
+soft.
+
+"I know I am wrong, I ought not to have come in this way," I went on,
+for my tongue was unloosed now, "but I could not help it; and I am glad
+I have come, for your eyes will nerve me, and the thought that you do
+not scorn me will be a help to me in the unknown paths which I have to
+tread. For you do not scorn me, do you?"
+
+"Scorn you?" she asked. "Why should I scorn you?"
+
+And then a great hope came into my heart, greater than I had ever dared
+to dream of before, the hope that she might care for me! Wild I know it
+was, but my own love filled me with the hope. If I loved her, might she
+not, even although I were unworthy, love me? Yet I dared not ask her if
+it was so; only I longed with a longing which cannot be uttered that she
+should tell me, by word or look.
+
+"And must you go soon, go now to Falmouth?" she said like one dazed.
+
+"Yes; I must e'en go now," I said. "It is like heaven to be near you,
+better than any heaven preached about by parsons, but I must go. Can you
+give me no word of encouragement before I leave?"
+
+But she made no reply, and then my heart became heavy again, so I held
+out my hand, trying to appear brave.
+
+Without hesitation, she put her hand in mine, and I felt it tremble,
+just as I have felt little chicks not a week old tremble when I have
+caught them. I fancied that she was afraid of me, so I said, "Thank you
+for speaking to me. This meeting will help me for many a long day, and I
+am afraid I have a dreary future before me."
+
+"I hope you will come to no harm," she said, "and I hope you will obtain
+what is justly yours."
+
+"Can you say nothing else?" I cried, "not just one word?"
+
+But just then Tryphena came in from the dairy. "Ther's a noise in
+Maaster Nick's bedroom," she cried. "Git out, Maaster Jasper. Miss
+Naomi, we must go up by the back stairs. Maake 'aaste, Maaster Jasper!"
+And then she blew out the light, leaving us in darkness.
+
+And then I could contain my feelings no longer, and I caught Naomi's
+fingers to my mouth, and kissed them. She drew her hand away, but not as
+I thought then, angrily.
+
+"You'll be careful to let no one hurt you, will you?" she said, and I
+heard a tremor in her voice, and then, before I could answer, she had
+gone.
+
+And that was all we said to each other at Pennington, and although I
+hungered to keep her near me longer, and although the night into which I
+went was black and stormy, my heart thumped aloud for joy. Her words
+rung in my ears as I found my way among the trees, and they were sweeter
+to me than the singing of birds on a summer morning. The winds blew
+wildly, while in the near distance I heard the roar of the waves. The
+rain fell heavily, too, but I did not care. What heeded I wind and
+weather! Neither did I fear danger. I knew that I could play with men
+even as others play with children, for hope stirred in my heart, hope
+made the black sky as beautiful as a rainbow.
+
+There be many joys that come into a man's life, the joy of possession,
+the joy of fame, the joy of victory in battle; but I know of no joy as
+great as that which comes because of the hope that his love loves him,
+unless it be that which never comes to us but once, the joy of the first
+kiss of love. And this to me seems the will of God, and thus love should
+always be regarded as sacred, and never be spoken of save with
+reverence. For I know that, although Naomi had spoken but few words to
+me, and that I had only a hope of her loving me in some far-off time,
+yet the thought that she cared for me ever so little made me rich in
+spite of my poverty, and caused the wailing winds to sing glad songs to
+me. No man is poor while his love loves him, and even a hope of that
+love is the life of God surging in the heart of a man.
+
+And so I came up to the spot where I had fastened my horse, glad at
+heart, although I knew not where to go or what to do. I rode a mile or
+two, and then I remembered that if I were discovered with Cap'n Jack's
+mare I should be in danger of being hanged for horse stealing. So I
+jumped from her back, tied the halter around her neck, and told her to
+go home. She sniffed around for two or three minutes, and then started
+to trot steadily along the road toward Kynance, and over which I had
+rode her hours before.
+
+This done, I started to walk to Falmouth; as I trudged along I had to
+pass close to Elmwater Barton, but my heart felt no bitterness, for it
+was filled with love. When I came to Betsey Fraddam's cottage I stopped,
+intending to go in; but thinking better of it I made no sound, and a few
+minutes later was on the main road to Falmouth Town.
+
+I did not walk rapidly, for a great peace was in my heart. I did not
+fear Cap'n Jack's gang, although I felt sure they would follow me, and I
+knew that Israel Barnicoat would do all in his power to embitter Cap'n
+Jack against me. I felt strong enough to overcome everything, so great
+is the power of hope.
+
+So slowly did I walk that I did not get near Falmouth Harbour until the
+gray morning began to dawn. I looked eagerly among the vessels, thinking
+of the fate of the craft Cap'n Jack's gang had intended to wreck. I
+wondered, too, whether Israel Barnicoat had been discovered, and if
+Cap'n Jack knew of what I had done. As I drew nearer I determined that I
+would speak to the first person I should meet, and ask what vessels had
+arrived, but scarcely had the thought formed itself in my mind when I
+felt my arms pinioned.
+
+I struggled like a mad man for my liberty, because I saw that two
+Preventive men had attacked me, and I believe I should have freed myself
+from them had not a third come to the help of the other two.
+
+"What is the meaning of this?" I said, when they had tied my hands.
+
+"Hanging," was the reply.
+
+"What for?"
+
+"Showing a false light by the Lizard."
+
+"It's a lie."
+
+"Why have we got you, then?"
+
+I was almost dazed by astonishment. Presently, however, I saw that one
+of the men was the officer to whom Israel Barnicoat had spoken in the
+kiddleywink. This set me thinking. These men would be the tools of Cap'n
+Jack. This was the step he had taken to accomplish his purposes
+concerning me. If I were convicted of showing a false light on the
+headland, I should be punished by death; at least, I imagined so.
+
+"Anyhow," continued the man, "you must go along wi' me."
+
+"Where?"
+
+"To the lockup."
+
+Now, if there was anything I desired it was to keep clear of the
+magistrates. I knew that Richard Tresidder would be among my judges, and
+that I should receive no mercy. But more than all this, while smuggling
+was lightly regarded, there was a strong feeling against the wrecker. It
+is true people were glad of a wreck along the coast, and many a valuable
+thing had been obtained thereby, but the whole countryside cried out
+against those who sought to lure a vessel on to destruction, even while
+they did not object to share in the wreckage.
+
+"But why must I go?"
+
+"Because we seed you carr'in' a false light along the coast."
+
+"When?"
+
+"Laast night."
+
+There were three to one, and I could do nothing. So I let them lead me
+to the lockup, where I had to wait until the magistrates were ready to
+try me.
+
+What happened while I was there I know not. I was too dazed, too
+bewildered to tell. While I had been with Naomi Penryn I seemed to be
+lifted into heaven, and then within a few hours of our parting all my
+hopes were destroyed. I saw nothing before me but cruel imprisonment or
+possible death, for I knew that Richard Tresidder would do his worst.
+
+When the time of my trial came on and I entered the court-house, I saw
+that several justices sat upon the bench, and among them was Richard
+Tresidder, who looked at me triumphantly, as though he rejoiced to see
+me there, which I have no doubt he did.
+
+Old Admiral Trefry was the one who spoke to me, however. "It is not long
+since you were here, Jasper Pennington," he said, "and I am grieved to
+see you."
+
+Then the Clerk read out the charge against me, which was a string of
+lies from beginning to end, for, as I have told in these pages, I threw
+the lantern over the cliff, and thus kept the light from being shown. I
+discovered afterward, too, that the vessel Cap'n Jack had intended to
+wreck had landed safe in Falmouth Harbour.
+
+I cannot remember very distinctly what took place at the trial, or
+rather the first part of it is to me a very confused memory. I know,
+however, that things looked very black against me, for each of the
+Preventive men swore that he had seen me at eleven o'clock on the
+previous night showing the false light on the coast.
+
+I declared this to be a lie with very great vehemence, and swore that I
+had shown no false light.
+
+Presently Richard Tresidder spoke, and his voice made my blood gallop
+through my veins, and my heart full of bitterness.
+
+"Will the prisoner give an account of his actions since he escaped from
+the whipping-post more than two months ago?" he asked.
+
+Now if I did this I should indeed criminate myself, for a confession
+that I had been with Cap'n Jack's gang would be to ally myself with the
+sturdiest set of rogues on the coast, and would enable Richard Tresidder
+to get me hanged at the next assizes.
+
+"You hear the question, Jasper Pennington," said Admiral Trefry; "will
+you tell what you have been doing these last two months and more?"
+
+But I held my peace, and seeing this the justices conversed one with
+another. Had they all been of Richard Tresidder's way of thinking I
+should have been sent to Bodmin Gaol to wait the next assizes without
+further ado; but Admiral Trefry, who was uncle to Lawyer Trefry, wanted
+to befriend me, and so I was allowed opportunities for befriending
+myself which would not have been given to me had my enemy been allowed
+his way.
+
+Presently a thought struck me which at the time seemed very feasible,
+and I wondered that I had not thought of it in the earlier part of the
+trial.
+
+"May I be allowed to ask the Preventive men a few questions?" I asked.
+
+"You may," replied the Admiral. "You can ask them questions as to their
+evidence by which you are accused of attempting to lure a vessel on to
+destruction."
+
+"I would like to ask, first of all, what I should gain by doing this?
+What would it profit me to wreck a vessel?"
+
+The Preventive man who had been the chief spokesman seemed a little
+confused, then he said, with a great deal of assurance, "I believe, your
+worship, that he is one of a gang of desperadoes and wreckers who live
+over by Kynance."
+
+"May I ask," I said, "what reason he has for believing this?"
+
+"Your worship," said the officer, "we know that there is a gang of men
+who infest the coast. For a long time we have tried to lay hands on them
+in vain. They are very cunning, and, although we have suspicions, we as
+yet have not been able to bring any positive evidence against them, and
+we believe that he is associated with them."
+
+"But we cannot condemn Jasper Pennington without evidence," said Admiral
+Trefry.
+
+"At the same time I submit," said the magistrate's clerk, after Richard
+Tresidder had spoken to him, "that the fact of his carrying a false
+light goes to prove that he is associated with some gang of wreckers."
+
+"But there is no proof," remarked the Admiral.
+
+On this there was a stir in the room, and I heard a voice with which I
+was familiar claiming to give evidence.
+
+A minute later Israel Barnicoat was sworn.
+
+"Do you know this man?" asked the Admiral of the Preventive men.
+
+"Very well," was the reply, "a most respectable, well-behaved
+fisherman."
+
+Then Israel gave his evidence. He said that he had seen me in company
+with two men at Kynance who were well-known free-traders. These two men
+went by the name of "Brandy Bill" and "Fire the Poker." They had on
+several occasions been punished, but were still a terror to honest
+fishermen who wanted to get a living in a lawful way.
+
+After this a great many questions were asked and answered, and I saw
+that my case looked blacker than ever. I could see that Cap'n Jack had
+used this means of getting rid of me, and that Israel Barnicoat had
+volunteered, for reasons that were apparent, to try and get me hanged.
+
+Then I asked another question.
+
+"What time do you say it was that you saw me showing the false light?" I
+asked.
+
+"Half-past eleven," was the reply.
+
+"I should say that it was nearer twelve," replied another. "It was a
+most desperate affair, your worship. He throwed the lantern over the
+cliff and took to his heels. We followed a goodish bit afore we could
+catch un, and when we ded lay hould ov un he ded fight like a mazed
+dragon. It was as much as three ov us could do to maaster un."
+
+Now this put another thought in my mind. I was in Pennington kitchen at
+the very time they said they were struggling with me, and I was about to
+say so, when I remembered what it would mean. If I told them where I was
+I should have most likely to mention Naomi Penryn's name, and that I
+did not like to do. Still I did not want to be sent to Bodmin Gaol
+without a struggle.
+
+"You say you followed me some distance?" I said.
+
+"Yes; we ded."
+
+"How far before you caught me?"
+
+"Nigh pon an hour."
+
+"It was very dark that night."
+
+"Iss, it was."
+
+"Did you ever lose sight of me?"
+
+"Iss; once or twice."
+
+"Then how can you be sure that I, the man you captured, was the same man
+you say you saw showing the light on the headland?"
+
+At this the man looked confused, and then I wished that I had tried to
+get a lawyer to defend me, for I saw how much better he could have done
+it than I could defend myself. For my mind was in a very confused state
+all the while, so confused that my remembrance of it now is by no means
+clear. Indeed, I know I have described my trial with anything but
+clearness as to the order of events, although I have set down,
+truthfully, the general facts of the whole business.
+
+I do remember, however, that Admiral Trefry asked the Preventive men
+some questions upon this very point which upset them very considerably;
+and I also remember, seeing that for the moment things looked a little
+brighter for me, I said to the Admiral that I was a good many miles from
+the Lizard at the very time these men had declared they were pursuing
+me.
+
+"Where were you, then?" asked the Admiral.
+
+"I was in St. Eve."
+
+"Where there?"
+
+"At Pennington."
+
+At this Richard Tresidder started up in astonishment.
+
+"Did any one see you at Pennington?" asked the Admiral.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Who saw you?"
+
+At this I was silent, and I was wishing I had not said so much, when I
+heard a voice that thrilled me asking to give evidence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HOW MY LOVE SAVED ME--WHEN FREE I GO TO SEA, AND MONTHS LATER COME BACK
+TO BETSEY'S COTTAGE AND HEAR BAD NEWS
+
+
+As I turned my heart seemed to stand still, for I saw Naomi Penryn, but
+when for a moment her eyes met mine it started thumping against my side
+as though it had been set at liberty from bondage. I saw, too, that
+Richard Tresidder was as surprised as I, and I was afraid lest my love
+should be taken to task for what she had done. For a few minutes
+everything seemed to swim before my eyes, and my head whirled so that I
+thought I was going to faint; but presently as I heard Naomi in sweet,
+steady tones answering questions my strength came back to me again.
+
+"You say," said Admiral Trefry, "that Jasper Pennington was in
+Pennington kitchen at midnight last Wednesday?"
+
+"He was," replied Naomi, clearly.
+
+After that a lawyer asked her concerning many things. So impudent was he
+that I had a difficulty in keeping myself from jumping from the place
+where I stood and throttling him on the spot.
+
+"Were you alone in the kitchen?" asked this lawyer.
+
+"I was not."
+
+"Who was with you?"
+
+"Tryphena, the cook."
+
+"How do you know it was midnight?"
+
+"I heard the kitchen clock strike."
+
+"What did Jasper Pennington say to you?"
+
+"You need not answer that question," remarked Admiral Trefry.
+
+"Why did Jasper Pennington come into the house that night?" again
+queried the lawyer.
+
+"Need I answer that?" asked Naomi.
+
+"No," answered the Admiral, and I saw that he was anxious to save Naomi
+from awkward questions, for which I blessed him. "All we want to know is
+whether you are sure Jasper Pennington was at Pennington on the night in
+question at the time you state. We have nothing to do as to why he was
+there or what was said."
+
+I saw, too, that Richard Tresidder did not wish the lawyer to ask any
+more questions, although I was sure the poor girl would suffer when she
+returned to Pennington, and I wondered then how I could save her from
+pain.
+
+And so very few questions were asked after that, and a little later I
+was a free man; for it was clear that if I was at Pennington I could not
+be rushing along the headland by the Lizard, and so it must have been
+some other man that the Preventive men had chased, and I had been
+captured by mistake.
+
+It all seemed so wonderful to me that I could hardly believe that my
+danger was past; at the same time I longed greatly to speak to Naomi and
+thank her for what she had done. But nowhere could I see her.
+
+As I walked down Falmouth Street I seemed to be treading on air. If I
+had loved my love before, it seemed to have increased a thousandfold
+now; besides, I knew that she must care for me, or she would not have
+braved so much to save me from danger. I had difficulty in keeping from
+shouting aloud, so great was my joy. I felt that my strength had come
+back to me, and I cared no more for the threats of Cap'n Jack than for
+the anger of a puling child. I knew that Israel Barnicoat was somewhere
+lying in wait to do me harm, but I was not afraid. I saw this, too:
+Richard Tresidder would desire to have as little as possible said about
+my visit to Pennington, especially as he hoped that Naomi Penryn would
+be his son's wife. I was sure he would seek other means to harm me, but
+not in a public way; if I was struck it would be in the dark; but, as I
+said, I was not afraid, for had not my love come boldly to my aid, and
+saved me from the enmity of evil men?
+
+I had got nearly to the end of the crooked street which makes Falmouth
+town, when I felt a hand laid upon my shoulder.
+
+"Well, Jasper," I heard a familiar voice say, and, turning, I saw Lawyer
+Trefry.
+
+"If I were you, Jasper, I would get out of this part of the country. You
+have escaped this time, but, as I have told you, the Tresidders are
+hungry dogs. They will never leave a bone till it's clean picked."
+
+I told him I knew this, but I did so with a laugh.
+
+"I tell you they'll make you laugh on the other side of your mouth, my
+lad. I know more than you think--more than I can tell you just now. Get
+out of Falmouth as soon as you can, my lad. Cap'n Jack Truscott hasn't
+done with you yet--yes, I know about him--neither has Nick Tresidder.
+I'll let you have a few pounds, my boy; a vessel will leave the harbour
+for Plymouth, and then on to London within twenty-four hours. Get on
+board now in the daylight and don't leave her. When once you land at
+London Bridge you'll be safe."
+
+Now I must confess that the thought of seeing London was very dear to
+me, but I remembered Naomi, and as I thought of the way her eyes flashed
+upon me I could not make up my mind to go far away.
+
+"Come and have some dinner with me for old acquaintance' sake, Jasper,"
+he said, "and let's talk about things."
+
+So I went with him, for I felt he was my true friend, although all the
+time I longed to be trying to find Naomi, longed to tell her how I
+thanked her for doing what she had done.
+
+Lawyer Trefry asked me many questions when we were together, and when I
+had told him my story he persuaded me to take some money, which he told
+me he was sure I should repay, and I promised him that I would do as he
+had bidden me, and would go to Plymouth and, if possible, to London. I
+did this sorely against my will, for it grieved me exceedingly to be
+away from Cornwall at a time when hope filled my heart. Besides, I could
+not help thinking that Richard Tresidder would take steps to render
+Naomi's life miserable. She would be asked many questions as to my
+visit, while Tryphena would be severely catechised. At first I did not
+think of the sacrifice my love would have to make in order to serve me,
+but as I thought more and more of what I had escaped I realised that she
+would probably have to suffer much persecution. For she had no friends
+other than those who sought her wealth, and she was in their power until
+she was twenty-one. Besides, as I recalled to memory the conversation I
+had heard between Richard Tresidder and his son, I knew that no stone
+would be left unturned in order to make her comply with their wishes.
+All this made me long to stay near her; but I also realised that there
+was another side to the question. How could I help her by staying in the
+district? Moreover, was I not in great danger myself? Was not Cap'n
+Jack's gang on the look-out for me? They would know that I should be a
+danger to them, and would seek to serve me as they had served others who
+they had thought were unfaithful to them. In addition to this Richard
+Tresidder would do his utmost to harm me; especially was this apparent
+in the light of what Naomi had done. Moreover, I could do nothing to
+help her; indeed, she would probably suffer less persecution from the
+Tresidders if they knew I had left that part of the country.
+
+So I kept my promise to Lawyer Trefry, and went on board the _White
+Swan_ which lay in Falmouth Harbour, and a few hours later was on my way
+to Plymouth.
+
+While we were sailing along the coast I tried to think of my future, for
+never had it looked so black and hopeless as now. It is true I rejoiced
+at the thought of Naomi Penryn's kindness, and dreamed glad things of
+the days to come; but when I began to face facts, and saw my condition
+as it really was, my case looked hopeless indeed.
+
+On our way to Plymouth I proved to Captain Maynard that I was not
+altogether ignorant of the duties of a sailor, and so pleased was he
+with me that he offered me a berth on the _White Swan_. Knowing of
+nothing better that I could do I accepted, and for the next few months
+worked as a common sailor. During that time we visited several ports on
+the coast. I saw Weymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Dover and London,
+but I will not write of my experiences at this time. Nothing of
+importance happened, neither does that time affect the history I am
+trying to write.
+
+Of course, I was greatly moved with what I saw in London; at the same
+time, even as I mingled with the throng of people who threaded London
+streets, I longed for the quiet of St. Eve, and thought much of the maid
+to whom I had given my heart. At the same time, I saw no means whereby I
+could get back to Pennington, although I thought long and earnestly of
+many plans.
+
+I stayed with Captain Maynard seven months, and then made up my mind to
+go back to Cornwall again. I felt sure that Cap'n Jack and his gang must
+have practically forgotten me, and I could not help thinking that Naomi
+Penryn needed me. I dreamed often that she was persecuted by the
+Tresidders, and that they were using many cruel means to make her marry
+Nick. I was afraid, too, that she, friendless and alone as she was,
+would at length be forced to yield to their wishes. And so although I
+had not moved one inch forward in the direction of winning back what was
+rightly my own, and although I could seemingly do no good by so doing, I
+determined that I would go back to Pennington again, and if possible
+obtain another interview with Naomi. My heart was very sad, for every
+day my love seemed to grow more hopeless. I had told her the desire of
+my heart, but although she had been kind to me, and had sacrificed much,
+she had not told me with her own lips that she cared for me more than
+she might care for any man who she thought was unjustly treated.
+
+And thus the old proverb that "actions speak louder than words" is not
+true. For actions may be misinterpreted and misunderstood. Often I tried
+to comfort myself with the thought that had she not cared for me more
+than she cared for any other, she would not have granted me an interview
+that night when I escaped from Cap'n Jack's gang. Again I told myself
+many hundreds of times that did her heart not beat for me she would
+never have braved her uncle's anger, braved the cruel questions at
+Falmouth, and bore what must be hard for a shrinking maiden to bear. But
+for all this I could not believe that her heart was mine. How could it
+be? Who was I that I should be so blessed? A landless wanderer, who had
+been pilloried as a vagabond, and hooted at by the scum of the earth.
+No, actions did not speak loud enough for me. Nothing but the words from
+her own dear lips, saying, "Jasper, I love you," could convince me,
+unworthy as I was, that I could be aught to her.
+
+All the same I determined to go to her, I determined to see her, for my
+heart ached in my hunger to be near her, and my eyes would not be
+satisfied until they again feasted on her beauty.
+
+It was early in July when I landed in Falmouth Harbour. I think it was
+on the first of the month. It was late in the afternoon when I set foot
+on solid earth, but I did not stay in the town. Like one possessed I
+hurried toward St. Eve, and about half past nine at night I stood in
+front of Betsey Fraddam's cottage.
+
+"Come in, Maaster Jasper," said the old woman; "supper es zet fur three.
+I knawed you wos a-comin', and zo ded Eli."
+
+So I entered the hut, and there surely I saw three plates placed on the
+little table.
+
+The old woman seemed to regard my coming as a matter of course, and made
+no more ado than if I had left her cottage that morning. Eli, on the
+other hand, made much of me. He caught my hands and fondled them, he
+rubbed them against his poor distorted face, and looked up into my eyes
+as though he were overjoyed at my coming.
+
+"Jasper, I love 'ee--love 'ee!" he cried. "Eli zo glad you'm back. Eli
+do knaw, Eli got a lot to tell 'ee!"
+
+"I think we'll shut the door," crooned Betsey as she looked anxiously
+around the cottage. "Nobody do knaw who's 'bout. Ah, Maaster Jasper, you
+ded a bad thing when you made an enemy of Jack Fraddam. But ther, you be
+'ungry, and you aan't 'ad nothin' to ait for a long time. When I knawed
+you wos a-comin' I maade a conger pie. I knaw you like that. Conger,
+baaked in milk and parsley, Jasper, my deear. That ed'n bad fur a
+witches' supper, es et?"
+
+"How did you know I was coming?" I asked. "I had not made up my mind to
+come here to-night until I landed in Falmouth. And no one knew I was
+coming to Falmouth. How did you know?"
+
+"How ded I knaw?" asked Betsey, scornfully. "How do I knaw everything?
+Ef you'd a traited me vitty, Jasper, I'd a done more fur 'ee. You'd be
+in Pennington now ef you'd come and axed me; but you wudden. 'Ow ded 'ee
+git on at Jack Fraddam's then?"
+
+"Who's Jack Fraddam?"
+
+"Oa, Cap'n Jack Truscott, seein' you're so partikler. The Fraddam family
+es a big wawn, my deear."
+
+"What relation is Cap'n Jack to the Fraddams and to you?" I asked.
+
+"Ef I was to tell 'ee you'd knaw, wudden 'ee. But I bean't a-goin' to
+tell 'ee, cheeldrean. No, I bean't, but zet up to supper. Then I've got
+sum things to tell 'ee 'bout somebody at Penninton, and arterwards I'll
+tell yer fortin, my deear. I bean't a gipsy, but I c'n do that."
+
+As I sat at the table with Eli opposite me on the little window-seat,
+and Betsey near me, it seemed as though I had not been away at all.
+Neither did the old woman show any interest in what I had been doing.
+
+"Why 'ave 'ee come back, Jasper?" she asked, presently, looking at me
+with her light, piercing eyes, while she kept on munching with her
+toothless gums, until the white stiff hairs which grew on the tip of her
+nose almost touched those on her chin.
+
+I did not speak.
+
+"No, you caan't tell," said she; "you dunnaw why yerzelf. You've cum
+'cause you caan't 'elp et, my deear. Yer 'art kipt achin' and longin' so
+that you cudden stay away."
+
+I continued silent, for I knew she told the truth.
+
+"But 'tes no use, Jasper, my deear. You aa'nt a got the money to buy
+back Penninton, and besides the job's done."
+
+"What job's done?" I asked, eagerly.
+
+"Neck Trezidder, and thicky purty maid."
+
+"How? What do you mean? Tell me?" I cried, starting from the seat.
+
+"Ther' was no Penninton ever born that's a match for a Trezidder,"
+chuckled Betsey.
+
+"Tell me!"
+
+"Th' baans (banns) 'll be cried in the church next Sunday," said Betsey.
+
+"Whose?" I cried.
+
+"Neck Trezidder's an' the young laady called Penryn," laughed the old
+dame.
+
+"How do you know?" I asked, feeling my knees tremble and my heart grow
+cold.
+
+"It doan't need a white witch to know that," cried Betsey. "'Tes in
+everybody's mouth. Ef you stayed a month longer, they'd 'a bin married
+by now."
+
+I did not stop to consider how Betsey knew of my love for Naomi Penryn.
+It was evident she did know as she seemed to know everything else.
+Besides, I was in a state of torment at the news she had told me.
+
+"Have the banns been called in church?" I asked.
+
+"Iss," cried Betsey.
+
+"No," said Eli; "I went ther' laast Zunday to heer fur myzelf, but the
+passon ded'n zay nothin' 'bout et."
+
+"Aw," grunted Betsey, angry that she had been discovered to have made a
+mistake, yet looking lovingly toward her son. "Then they'll be cried
+nex' Zunday."
+
+"No they won't," I cried.
+
+"Tell 'ee ther's no chance fur 'ee, Jasper. Ther'v bin oal soarts ov
+taales 'bout you. She's awful vexed now that she saaved 'ee from
+'angin'."
+
+By this time I had somewhat mastered my excitement, and I knew that the
+best way to learn all Betsey knew was to be silent.
+
+"'Tes like this," said Betsey. "Tryphena, Penninton's cook, 'ev got the
+sack for laivin' you git into the kitchin."
+
+"And what's become of her?"
+
+"She's livin' in Fammuth. Where she do git 'er money I dunnaw. I aan't a
+took the trouble to vind out. As fur the purty maid she've 'ad a offul
+life. And she've promised to marry young Maaster Nick. Es fur you,
+Jasper, my deear, why Israel Barnicoat, who do live ovver to Kynance, do
+zay that 'ee zeed you in Plemmouth weth a maid thet you wos a-goin' to
+marry. Others 'ave zeed 'ee, too. Anyhow, the purty maid es a-goin' to
+marry Nick."
+
+I tried to understand what this meant. And in spite of everything my
+heart grew light. Why should Israel Barnicoat concoct a story about my
+being married in Plymouth, and tell it at Pennington? Why should the
+story be used as a reason why Naomi should marry Nick?
+
+"It shall never be," I cried, gladly.
+
+"We sh'll zee," grunted Betsey, "we sh'll zee this very minnit. Ould
+Betsey 'll tell 'ee yer fortin, Jasper Penninton, and Eli sh'll git the
+broth. Ther, Eli, my deear, taake out the brandis."
+
+Now a brandis, as all Cornish folk know, is a three-legged stand made of
+iron. It is generally placed on the ground over a fire, and supports
+crocks, frying-pans, boilers, or anything that may be used.
+
+Eli put this brandis in the middle of the kitchen on the stone floor.
+
+"Now bring the crock," crooned Betsey, and Eli brought the crock and
+placed it on the brandis.
+
+"Put in the broth," commanded Betsey, and Eli obeyed her. I thought he
+grew smaller and uglier as he did her bidding, while his eyes grew
+larger and shone with a more unearthly light than ever.
+
+"What time es et?" asked Betsey.
+
+"Elev'n a'clock."
+
+"In twenty minuits the moon 'll be vull," muttered the old dame.
+
+Betsey made nine circles around the brandis, then she made nine passes
+over the crock, and all the time she munched and munched with her
+toothless jaws. Presently she began to repeat words, which to me had no
+meaning,
+
+
+     "A first born son, a first born son,
+     Is this young Jasper Pennington,
+     And he is here on a moonlit night
+     To see the spirits of the light.
+     And I have made my potions fine,
+     And traced my circles nine times nine.
+     So mists depart, Tregeagle come
+     And show the lad his own true home.
+     Spirits black and spirits white,
+     Spirits bad and spirits bright,
+     Come to Betsey's house to-night,
+     And we shall see the things of light."
+
+
+All this time she kept blowing on the liquid in the crock, while Eli set
+up the most unearthly cries as though he were in pain.
+
+A great terror seized me, for to me Betsey's form seemed to dilate.
+
+"No, Betsey," I cried, "I'll have nothing to do with this wickedness."
+
+"Stop yer noise!" she snarled. "There they come:
+
+
+                  "'Join all hands
+                     Might and main,
+                   Weave the sands,
+                     Form a chain.
+                   Spirits black
+                     And spirits white,
+     Let the first-born know the truth to-night.'"
+
+
+Now whether I was carried away by superstitious fear or no I will not
+say. I simply put down in simple words that which I saw and heard. For a
+few seconds all was still, and then the room seemed full of strange,
+wailing sounds, while Betsey continued to blow the liquid in the crock
+and utter meaningless words.
+
+"Look in the crock, Jasper Pennington," she said.
+
+[Illustration: "'LOOK IN THE CROCK, JASPER PENNINGTON,' SHE SAID."]
+
+I looked on the dark liquid, but I could see nothing.
+
+She blew again. "Now look," she repeated.
+
+As I looked something dark and formless seemed to rise in the crock, but
+I saw nothing distinctly.
+
+"Git away," she snarled; "I'll look."
+
+"A rollin' say, Jasper. Waves like mountains; then a black hole, black
+as pitch, and great high walls. After that--I'll tell 'ee dreckly. As
+for the maid, laive me zee.
+
+
+           'Priests all shaved
+           Clothed in black.
+           Convent walls,
+           Screws and rack.
+     Women walkin' in procession,
+     Cravin' for a dead man's blessin'.
+     Weepin' eyes, wailing cries,
+     Lonely, lonely, oal alone,
+     A heart as cold as any stone
+     Cryin' for a hopeless love.
+     Helpless, harmless as a dove,
+     Others spend the damsel's gold,
+     And only half the taale is told.'"
+
+
+Now, as I said when I commenced writing this history, there are many
+things which happened to me that I cannot understand. For my own part, I
+have tried to explain away what Betsey told me even in the light of
+after events, which I shall tell presently. I have tried again and again
+to show that her words were very vague, and could have no definite
+meaning. I maintained this to Mr. John Wesley when I told him the story,
+but he shook his head, and said something about dreaming dreams and
+seeing visions. Not that I attach any undue weight to Mr. Wesley's
+words. I have nothing against this man; but, for my own part, the old
+religion of the parish church and the Prayer-book is good enough for me.
+These Methodists, who have grown very mighty these last few years, who
+claim a sort of superior religion, and tell a man he's going to hell
+because he's fond of wrestling, are nothing in my way. The Penningtons
+have been wrestlers for generations, and never threw a man unfairly;
+besides, they always shook hands before and after the hitch as honest,
+kindly men should, and when I'm told that they were on the wrong road
+because of this I say the new religion does not suit me. At the same
+time, Mr. John Wesley, who is doubtless a good man, although some folks
+call him a Papist and others a madman, did believe Betsey Fraddam had
+powers which the common run of folks do not possess. Not that he
+believed that those powers were good; concerning that the great man was
+very reserved.
+
+But I am going away from my story, and that I must not do, for I have
+many things to tell, so many that it will not be well for me to stray
+away from the track of the tale.
+
+I must confess that the words which I heard Betsey say impressed me very
+much, so much that they were engraved on my memory. Besides, I had
+become more and more interested in what she was doing, and was now eager
+to hear more.
+
+"What is the half of the tale which is not told?" I asked, eagerly.
+
+But she did not reply.
+
+"Eli, Eli, you hear?" she cried.
+
+"Iss, iss," grunted Eli. "'Tes the smugglin' gang."
+
+"'Tes Jack! Jasper, you mus'n be seed. Git out in the gar'n."
+
+"He caan't," laughed Eli. "The spence, Jasper. Run to the spence."
+
+I entered a door which opened into a small compartment, in the which
+Betsey's firewood, a box of tools, and many household utensils were
+hidden.
+
+I had scarcely closed the door when I heard the voices of Cap'n Jack
+Truscott and others of his gang.
+
+I kept very quiet, for I knew that if I were discovered my life would
+not be worth an hour's purchase. I was very anxious, too, for I was not
+quite sure of Betsey's feelings toward me. All the same I listened very
+intently.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+BETSEY FRADDAM AND CAP'N JACK MEET--I GO TO FALMOUTH AND MEET
+NAOMI--AFTERWARD I SEE MR. JOHN WESLEY
+
+
+"Well, Betsey, my deear," I heard Cap'n Jack say, "still on yer ould
+gaame. I hop' we've brok' the spell, my deear. Ted'n vitty, I tell 'ee.
+A pious man like me do nat'rally grieve over the sins of the flesh. But
+'ere's Cap'n Billy Coad; you ain't a spoke to 'ee 'et."
+
+I wished that there had been a hole in the door, for I had a great
+desire to see Billy Coad, of whom I had heard Cap'n Jack speak so often.
+I heard his voice, however. It was softer even than Cap'n Jack's, and
+was of a wheedling tone, as though he wanted to get on comfortably with
+every one.
+
+"Hope you be braave, Cap'n Billy," croaked Betsey. "Eli, put away this
+broth; thews booys doan't want none of that soort."
+
+"No, Betsey, it do grieve me, yer nearest blood relation, to zee 'ee
+follin' in such ways."
+
+"You've bin glad ov me, though," retorted Betsey.
+
+"Iss, you be a gifted woman. You got et from Granfer. He tould 'ee a lot
+ov things, ded'na then?"
+
+"Mor'n I shell tell."
+
+"Come now, Betsey, laive us be oal comfortable like. You've got your
+gifts, and I've got mine. I doan't care 'bout sperrits to-night, Betsey;
+but you've got some good wine--that I knaw. Ah! Cap'n Billy ded some
+good trade on his laast voyage."
+
+"Good traade," sneered Betsey. "What's your traade nowadays? Zee wot
+Granfer ded."
+
+"Iss, I've wanted to talk to 'ee 'bout et, Betsey, my deear. I've bin
+very good to you."
+
+I heard some clinking of glass, and I knew they were drinking. I had
+heard only two voices, but by the footsteps I judged that more than two
+might have entered the cottage. In this, however, I was mistaken, for
+the others who had come with him left at the door.
+
+"Iss, I've bin very good to you and Eli," repeated Cap'n Jack. "You've
+never wanted summin' warm to drink."
+
+"A fat lot I've 'ad from 'ee," retorted Betsey, "and I ain't a wanted
+nothin' nuther. I've got my 'ouse, and I've got summin' to ait, so've
+Eli."
+
+"Iss. I sh'll make a man o' Eli."
+
+I heard Eli laugh in his strange, gurgling way.
+
+"I've made money, more'n Tamsin 'll want; well, and why sha'ant Eli 'ave
+some ov it?"
+
+"What 'ee'll git from you'll be good for sore eyes," snarled the old
+woman. "Ugh, ef I wanted money--aw, aw!--well, I knaw!"
+
+"You'm thinkin' 'bout the treasure. But you caan't git et, Betsey. Ef
+ould Granfer ded bury it some where out to say--well, you caan't git et.
+But ded a bury a treasure, Betsey, ef 'ee ded, why ded a die so poor?"
+
+Betsey did not reply.
+
+"Doan't you think 'tes oal lies, Betsey? Where's the paper weth the
+dreckshuns? I knaw 'ee sailed weth Cap'n Blackbeard, everybody do knaw
+that, and it's zed that the Cap'n was very rich--took oal soarts of
+things from the Spaniards and the Portugeese; but then where ded a put
+et? Zum zay on Lundy Island, others that he found a caave in Annette
+Island, and others that he found a place on the South Says; but ed'n et
+oal a taale, Betsey, my deear?"
+
+Betsey remained silent, while Eli grunted.
+
+"Granfer zaid that he stailed the dreckshuns," continued Cap'n Jack; "ef
+a ded, where be um?"
+
+"'Spoase I was to tell 'ee?" sneered Betsey. "Well, you'd git et. As fur
+Eli, 'ee cud go a-beggin'."
+
+"Eli shud 'ave aaf," said Cap'n Jack, with a most terrible oath, "and
+Billy and we'd 'ave the other aaf far our share. Tha's fair, Betsey."
+
+"No, no, no!" cried Eli, "it's oal lies, oal lies!" And there was, I
+thought, a note of fear in his voice.
+
+"Mind, Betsey," cried Cap'n Jack, "whether you tell me or no, we'll vind
+out. Ef you've eed away they dreckshuns, we'll vind um, mind that!"
+
+"You've zaid zo afore," sneered Betsey.
+
+"'Ave us? Zo we 'ave," replied Cap'n Jack, "but I be a religious man. I
+want to trait my relaashuns fair, I do; everybody that do knaw me, do
+knaw that, doan't 'em, Cap'n Billy? An' Billy is a religious man, too;
+hes religious experience es a powerful sermon. Well, I've talked oal
+soarts of ways 'bout that treasure, Betsey--I 'ave. I've zaid I doan't
+bleeve in et, zo I 'ave. But wot then? Well, I'm a-goin' to vind et!"
+
+"Aw, aw!" chuckled Betsey.
+
+"I'm a man to my word, zo's Billy. Whenever I've zaid a thing I've done
+it."
+
+"Aw, tha's ev et es et. I've 'eerd you zay that any man who runned away
+from your gang you'd kill. I've 'eerd you zay you'd do fur Jasper
+Penninton. 'Ave 'ee, Jack Fraddam? Why, 'ee got off bootiful--jist
+through a maid--iss, and went to say, and no one stopped un!"
+
+"And why, Betsey, why? 'Cos I am a fond and lovin' vather, that's why.
+Tamsin made a vool ov me, tha's why. I maade a mistake in takin' Jasper
+to Kynance, 'cos Tamsin got to like un. Well, I lowed un to git away. I
+promist Tamsin that while he kipt his tongue 'atween hes teeth I'd laive
+un go. But laive un tell things, laive un tell anybody where our caaves
+be, laive un split 'bout other things he do know--well!" and Cap'n Jack
+grunted significantly.
+
+"Aw, aw," sneered Betsey, "he strangled Israel Barnicoat, and thrawed
+the lantern ovver the cliff. An' ther' was no wreck that night. Aw, aw!
+You be a man, you be!"
+
+"A merciful, pious man, tha's wot I be. But doan't 'ee laugh, Betsey. Do
+'ee think I dunnaw that Jasper landed in Fammuth to-day? He's watched, I
+tell 'ee."
+
+At this the sweat streamed out over every part of my body, and I
+hardened my muscles to fight for dear life. I felt that Cap'n Jack's was
+no vain threat, and that I owed my life to Tamsin.
+
+"Where es a now, then?" queried Betsey.
+
+"He's lyin' luff in Fammuth town, my deear; but 'ee must be very
+careful."
+
+At this I breathed more freely again.
+
+"I'm a kind man," continued Cap'n Jack; "I've bin kind to you, Betsey. I
+knaw that ef you've got they dreckshuns you've kipt 'em for Eli. But,
+Betsey, my deear, 'ee caan't do nothin' by hisself. We'll share fair,
+Betsey; I'll give my Bible oath to that."
+
+"I taake no noatice ov yur Bible oaths," snarled Betsey, "but I knaw
+you'd kipt to what yer promised. Ef you ded'n, I'd make yer flesh drop
+off yer boans bit by bit; I'd make yer joints twist wrong way 'bout; I'd
+make 'ee suffer pains wuss'n the fires ov the bottomless pit; I'd raise
+the sperrits of--"
+
+"Doan't 'ee, Betsey," cried Cap'n Jack, and his voice trembled with
+fear. "I knaw you be a gifted woman; I knaw you can do terrible things.
+Ef there's a treasure, Betsey, laive me vind et, and Eli sh'll live in
+the finest state o' land in this blessed county."
+
+"I'll think 'bout it. I caan't raid, that you knaw--but, but come out
+'ere in the gar'n, Jack."
+
+With that, Billy Coad, Cap'n Jack, and Betsey went into the garden,
+while Eli sat by the chimney and chuckled as though a great joy had come
+into his heart.
+
+They did not stay long, and I suspected that Betsey told them something
+she did not wish me to know. When they came back again I heard Betsey
+tell Eli to fetch the crock and brandis into the middle of the room.
+
+After that Betsey blew on the pot again, as I had seen her blow, and she
+made the two men repeat things after her which I did not hear
+distinctly, and all the time I heard Eli chuckling and grunting as
+though he enjoyed himself vastly.
+
+After this all the four went into the garden, and they stayed there a
+long while, leaving me to muse over the strange things I had heard. Not
+that it came altogether as a surprise to me, for I had often heard of
+Granfer Fraddam knowing something about a treasure. I do not think any
+one had taken much notice of it, for there were scores of meaningless
+stories about lost treasures that passed from lip to lip among the
+gossips in the days when I was young.
+
+Now, however, that which I had heard caused me much food for thought,
+and I wondered whether there was any truth in the story. I determined,
+too, that I would ask Eli, for I believed that what Betsey knew he would
+know. I saw, too, that he loved me, and I was sure that he was anxious
+to serve me.
+
+When Betsey and Eli came back the two men had gone, and then I came from
+my hiding-place, and began to ply them with questions. But neither of
+them would give me answers. Betsey seemed very thoughtful, while Eli
+pulled some sacks from under the settle, so that I might have a bed.
+
+Before Betsey climbed the creaky stairs which led to the room where she
+slept, she fixed her whitey, shining eyes upon me, and, holding up her
+hand, she bade me be silent about what I had seen and heard.
+
+"Ef you tell, Jasper Penninton," she croaked, "ef you tell--you've eerd
+ov fallin' flesh a'ant 'ee? Well, think ov it."
+
+"I shall say nothing," I replied.
+
+"No," she said, continuing to look steadily on me, "no, you wa'ant. I
+c'n zee you wa'ant."
+
+Then she left me, while I lay down on the sacks fearing nothing living,
+but fearing the dead terribly. For it seemed to me as though Betsey had
+been doing that which was unlawful, and that I was a party to her plans.
+And so I could not sleep for a long time; not, indeed, until the light
+of morning began to stream through the cottage window, and then I felt
+to laugh at it all. Betsey's signs and Betsey's words were so much
+foolery, while the conversation about the buried treasure was no more
+true than the stories which were believed in superstitious days.
+Besides, thoughts of Naomi drove away all else, although everything came
+back to me afterward. When my fears went, however, sleep came to my
+eyes, and I did not awake until I felt Eli fondling my hands, and heard
+him telling me that breakfast was ready.
+
+Then I arose, upbraiding myself for having slept so long, for I had
+intended finding my way to Pennington in the early morning. I know this
+seemed very foolish, for if the Tresidders found me on the land they
+called theirs all my purposes would be frustrated.
+
+"Breakfas', breakfas', Jasper," said Eli.
+
+"No, I'm going out," I replied.
+
+"Ted'n no use, ted'n no use," grunted the poor dwarf, "she ed'n there."
+
+"Where is she, then?"
+
+"Jist agone by, ridin' to Fammuth town."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I zeed um. She and Maaster Tresidder, and Maaster Nick Tresidder, and
+Miss Em'ly."
+
+"Are you sure, Eli?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+Then I quickly ate what had been prepared for me, and when I had given
+Betsey a guinea out of the few I had been able to earn during the time I
+had been away, I tramped to Falmouth. I arrived there in less than two
+hours from the time I had left Betsey's cottage, trying to make plans as
+I went. I walked up and down Falmouth street several times, all the time
+looking around in the hopes of finding her, not because I could do
+anything if I found her, but because I longed greatly to see her, longed
+more than words can tell. At length noonday came and still my eyes
+continued to ache for a sight of her, while my heart grew heavy. I
+found, too, that the streets became more and more crowded every minute,
+until I asked myself if it were a fair. But such was not the case. The
+reason of the crowd was that Mr. John Wesley had come to Falmouth, and
+his coming had caused a great uproar. I heard all sorts of stories about
+him, and many were the threats that were made. Some said he was a
+Papist, who wanted to bring back Popery to the country, while others
+declared that he wanted to raise a rebellion against the king and crown.
+Several clergymen from distant parishes had come into the town, and
+these, almost without exception, were very bitter toward him; while the
+publicans, who did a very big trade that day because of his coming,
+cried out against him very loudly. On the other hand, I heard that many
+people had come because of the great good he had done, and because
+through him they had been led, to use their own language, to become new
+creatures. This I will say, those who befriended Mr. Wesley seemed very
+steady folks. They used no bad language, neither were they mad with
+drink as many of the others were.
+
+I did not pay as much heed to the state of the town as I might have paid
+under other circumstances, for I cared for little but the sight of
+Naomi's face, while to hear her voice I felt I would give anything.
+
+Now as I walked disconsolately along the street, finding my way among
+the crowd that grew greater and greater, I stopped outside a
+linen-draper's shop, which was kept by one Humphry Bolitho, and to my
+great joy I saw Naomi coming therefrom. By her side was Emily Tresidder,
+and I was wondering how I could speak to my love, when the woman in the
+shop called Richard Tresidder's daughter back just as Naomi's eyes met
+mine.
+
+She gave no start of surprise at seeing me, so that even then I was sure
+that the Tresidders knew of my return, but she seemed, I thought, in
+doubt as to whether she should speak to me. But I had found my
+opportunity, and I determined not to be baulked in my purpose,
+especially as Emily Tresidder had gone back into the shop again. And yet
+at that moment I knew not what was fitting to say, for my heart seemed
+in my mouth, and every inch of my body quivered with a strange joy.
+
+"Miss Naomi," I stammered, hardly knowing the words that came from my
+mouth, "thank you for what you did months ago. I loved you then, I love
+you a thousand times more now."
+
+I saw the blood mount to her brow, and for a moment I could not tell
+whether she was angry or no. She looked anxiously back into the shop,
+then up and down the street.
+
+"You are in danger here," she said.
+
+"I care not, now I see you," I cried. "I have done nothing wrong, except
+that I am doing wrong in loving you. I have not won back Pennington yet,
+but I will do it, God helping, I will, if--if you will give me just one
+word of promise."
+
+I spoke in a low tone so that no one could hear, and indeed the crowd
+seemed too much bent on other things to notice me.
+
+"It is no use," she said--"it is no use. Do not try any more, it is
+hopeless."
+
+"I shall never give up hope," I said.
+
+"Even now my guardian is seeking to do you harm," she cried. "This I
+know."
+
+"I am not afraid of him," I cried. "You know what I told you--that
+night--last November. You did not scorn me then. I hoped then that some
+day you might care for me; it is my hope still."
+
+"It is no use," she cried again, looking anxiously around her--"it is
+no use. I am to be married to Nick Tresidder; at least they all want me
+to marry him."
+
+"No!" I cried. "No!"
+
+"I cannot help myself," she said, piteously.
+
+"Do you love him?" I asked.
+
+"No," she said, again looking eagerly around.
+
+"Then!" I cried, "you shall not marry him. I will keep you from that,
+even if I found you by his side at the church communion-rails."
+
+Then my heart jumped for joy, for I saw a look of gladness flash into
+her eyes.
+
+"Come with me," I continued; "come away where it is quiet. No one will
+notice us among all this crowd."
+
+"No, no, I dare not; I am watched everywhere, and you are watched. We
+may be safe here for a few minutes longer, for when Emily is talking
+about finery she is forgetful of all else, but I must not leave here."
+
+"Look here," I cried, "Betsey Fraddam told me last night that all sorts
+of lying stories have been told about me."
+
+"I have believed none of them," she cried.
+
+"Also that Nick Tresidder has told the parson to have your banns called
+at the parish church."
+
+"But not with my consent," she said, eagerly, and again my heart thumped
+aloud because of my joy.
+
+"Naomi Penryn," I cried, "I know I seem a worthless, thriftless sort of
+fellow, for as yet I have done nothing to get back Pennington, but if
+you could love me just a little"--and I looked toward her appealingly.
+"Anyhow, trust me," I continued, "and be not afraid. Remember I shall
+love you till I die, and I will be always near you to be your friend."
+
+I said this in the heat of my love and youth, for nothing seemed
+impossible to me then. Somehow, I knew not how, a greater strength had
+seemed to come into my life, and I laughed at difficulty and danger.
+
+"Go!" she cried--"go; Emily Tresidder is coming. Go!"
+
+"Not yet, the woman is showing her something else," and I felt thankful
+because of this girl's love for finery. "Promise me," I continued, "that
+you will not yield to those Tresidders. Stand firm, and they will be
+afraid to force you. Remember, I will be always near, if I can, and that
+they dare not harm you. Besides--oh, if you knew all you are to me!"
+
+She looked at me eagerly while a film seemed to come over her eyes, and
+I thought she was about to say something. Then a look of terror flashed
+across her face. "Go!" she cried--"go! There is my guardian! Oh, take
+care of yourself!" and then she rushed into the shop, leaving me
+standing by the door, and only partially hidden from the crowd by some
+things which had been placed by the door.
+
+I quickly got among the crowd, but I know that both Nick Tresidder and
+his father saw me, and I knew, too, that if they went into Humphry
+Bolitho's shop they would find out that Naomi had spoken to me. And yet
+I felt very joyous. I knew, although Naomi had not told me she loved me,
+that she thought of me with more than passing kindness, while the flash
+of her eyes told me that she could not be moulded at will, even by such
+men as the Tresidders and such a woman as Richard Tresidder's mother.
+Naturally I felt afraid for her, and for all she would have to suffer,
+and yet the remembrance of the fact that she would speak to me kindly,
+and had told me to take care of myself, as though she were anxious for
+my welfare, filled me with a great hope, and hope giveth wings of
+strength to those who are weighted with great burdens.
+
+I had not been in the crowd above a minute before I felt myself carried
+along the street, as if by the force of a mighty torrent. I was hemmed
+in on every side by a seething mass of men and women, some of whom were
+praying and singing, while others used many profane words, and uttered
+threats which would not be seemly for me to write down. I quickly
+learned that the people were making their way toward the house of a lady
+who, I was told, was called Mrs. Bennetto, although I am not sure that
+this was the correct name. I asked why they wanted to get there, and was
+told that Mr. John Wesley was there, and that many were determined to
+kill him. Most of the crowd, as I have said before, seemed exceedingly
+bitter toward him, but others were loud in their praises of the great
+man, and although they were severely buffeted they kept singing the
+hymns he had composed, some of which seemed very fine in their
+sentiment, although I must confess that the meaning of some of the
+verses I could not understand.
+
+When we arrived at the house where he was there was a great amount of
+shouting, so great that had a storm been raging at sea close by I do not
+think we could have heard it.
+
+"Laive us git to un, laive us git to un!" shouted the crowd, eagerly and
+angrily.
+
+Now I have always loved fair play, and so I asked why they wanted to get
+to Mr. Wesley, and at that moment there being a lull, and my voice being
+deep and strong, my question was heard.
+
+"He's a Canorum," they shouted; "he's a Papist, he drives men and women
+maazed, he keeps 'em from goin' to church, he destroys honest trade!"
+These among other things I heard as I struggled to get to the door.
+
+There was no law or order in the place. Not a single constable seemed to
+be near, and for the moment the friends of the preacher seemed to be
+afraid to act in his defence.
+
+Presently I got to the door of the house, and I think my great
+proportions frightened some of them.
+
+"Look you," I said, "he is one and you are many. I do not know this man,
+but I have heard up and down the country that he hath done much good. If
+any man dares molest him, I will strike him down as I would strike down
+a yelping cur."
+
+For a moment there was a quiet, and the friends of Mr. Wesley took
+heart, for although it seems like boasting to say so, I think the sight
+of one strong, courageous man, as I thank God I have ever been, always
+has a tendency to quell the anger of an unreasoning mob.
+
+"He's not a friend to the people," they cried. "He's destroyed the trade
+of Jemmy Crowle, who do kip a kiddleywink over to Zennor. Ted'n no use
+kippin' a public 'ouse after he've bin to a plaace. He do turn people
+maazed. He do convert 'em, and then they waan't zing songs, nor git
+drunk, nor do a bit of smugglin', nor nothin'."
+
+This was said not as I have written it down, but came to me in confused,
+excited ejaculations from many quarters.
+
+"If that is all he has done," I said, "there is no reason for anger."
+
+For a moment there was a silence among the crowd, and I heard voices
+from within the house.
+
+Said a woman, "Oh, sir, what must we do?"
+
+"We must pray," was the reply. This was in a man's voice, and was
+strangely sweet and strong, and even then it thrilled me greatly.
+
+I believe that many, angry as they had been, would have turned away at
+that moment, but some drunken privateers were among the mob, and one of
+them came and pushed me savagely. I caught the man up and lifted him
+above my head and threw him from me. This angered the privateers
+greatly, and they smashed down the door while others swore great oaths
+at me.
+
+"What will em do weth the Canorum?" I heard the people cry, and then
+there was a silence again. I think they were subdued, as I was subdued,
+by the sound of a man's voice.
+
+"Here I am," I heard Mr. Wesley say, "which of you has anything to say
+to me? To whom have I done wrong? To you, to you?"
+
+At this the people seemed eager beyond measure to catch sight of him,
+and they shouted, "Come out, come out. Lev us zee 'ee."
+
+Others again shouted, "Ef we can git to un, we'll kill un. We doan't
+want no Canorums, we doan't want no new sort ov religion. We like our
+beer and wrastlin', we do."
+
+"Look," I shouted, "give every man fair play. Let him speak for himself.
+If he has anything to tell us, let him tell it."
+
+"Iss, iss," shouted the crowd; "lev un spaik."
+
+With that I heard the same voice speaking which I had heard inside the
+house, only this time it was louder. It was not panic-stricken, it was
+perfectly calm and fearless. It was strangely sweet, too, and it
+reached, I should think, to the very outskirts of the crowd. A strange
+hush fell upon the people as they heard it. It was like a stormy sea
+which had suddenly become calm.
+
+"Neighbours and countrymen," said the voice, "do you desire me to
+speak?"
+
+"No, no," shouted some; "put un in stocks, throw un in the say."
+
+Then I spoke again. "Fair play, Cornishmen," I said, "give the stranger
+fair play, let him speak."
+
+"Iss, iss," cried the larger part of the crowd; "he sh'll 'ave fair
+play, he sh'll spaik."
+
+With that a gangway was made, and then I turned and saw the man who had
+created such a great commotion in the country come bareheaded into the
+middle of the street, while the surging crowd hustled each other, some
+eager to do him injury, but many more anxious to hear what he had to
+say.
+
+As for myself, I was silent, for the sight of him impressed me greatly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+I AM TAKEN PRISONER, AND AFTERWARD EXPERIENCE MANY STRANGE THINGS--I AT
+LENGTH FIND MYSELF IN A DUNGEON
+
+
+There was nothing at first sight very striking about Mr. John Wesley's
+appearance. He was, I thought, rather undersized, and I at that moment
+failed to see what there was about him to cause so much commotion. And
+yet as I looked again I could not help being impressed with the calm
+strength which shone from his eyes. He seemed to possess a power unknown
+to most men. Had I, Jasper Pennington, been brought face to face with
+such a crowd, I should have challenged the strongest man there to come
+out and let us fight a fair battle, but Mr. Wesley seemed only desirous
+to do good. He spoke calmly and with much assurance about our being
+sinners, and being children of hell, but that we could be saved from
+everlasting perdition by believing in Christ, who had appeased God's
+anger toward us.
+
+Now, I am not a critical man, but even at that moment I could not quite
+see his meaning, for it seemed as though God were divided against
+Himself, and that God the Son felt differently toward us from what God
+the Father felt, and this, to an unlearned man like myself, brought only
+confusion. Moreover, as he spoke, while I could not help admiring his
+courage, and vowing in my heart that all one man could do to defend him
+I would do, I felt that he was not altogether a lovable man. He spoke
+with a sort of superiority which I did not admire, while he seemed to
+think greatly of himself. I know it sounds like presumption for me, an
+obscure, ignorant man, to write this, especially when I think of the
+good he has done; nevertheless, such thoughts came into my mind as I
+watched him. Perhaps his consciousness of his power over the multitudes
+merely gave him a confidence which I did not understand, or perhaps the
+fact that he was one of the principal men of the age made him feel his
+importance, for I think a man must be more than human if, talked about
+as Mr. Wesley has been, he does not become possessed of great esteem for
+himself.
+
+After he had been talking a few minutes, however, I forgot all this. His
+little form seemed to dilate with a strange life, and many evil men
+groaned, as if with anguish. His voice became more and more resonant,
+and presently a touch of tenderness, which was at first absent, mingled
+with his tones.
+
+Before long that great crowd became subdued, and then I realised the
+power of the human voice, of true courage, and of a good life; for I
+believe that the mob realised, although they might not be able to put
+their thoughts into words, that this man was gifted with an influence
+which can only come by means known to those who live with God.
+
+After he had been speaking some time a clergyman, accompanied by some of
+the principal people of the town, spoke to the people, and he so angered
+them that I believe injury would have been done had not the town
+officials been present. Even with their presence Mr. Wesley seemed in
+great danger, and so, in my anxiety to help him, for he had stirred my
+heart greatly during the latter part of his address, I came to his side.
+
+"No man shall touch Master Wesley," said I.
+
+He looked up at me, for I think I was about a foot taller than he, and
+he said, "Thank you, young man."
+
+"Whither would you go?" I said. "I will walk by your side, and will let
+no man harm you."
+
+"I thank you," he repeated. "God hath evidently gifted you with great
+strength. Use it for His glory. I will accept your escort to Mrs.
+Maddern's house, but I have a strength which is omnipotent on my side. I
+will trust and not be afraid."
+
+Even as he spoke I felt how true were his words, and then we walked down
+the street toward the sea, he continuing to preach most of the time.
+
+When we reached the door of Mrs. Maddern's he said, "What is your name,
+young man?"
+
+"Jasper Pennington," I replied.
+
+"It is an old Cornish name," he replied, and then, looking into my eyes,
+he said, "Is your heart at peace with God and man--especially with man?"
+This he asked meaningly.
+
+I did not answer him, for it occurred to me that the town officials who
+walked with him had told him who I was, although I had not heard.
+
+"Trust in the Lord and do good, Jasper Pennington," he said, quietly,
+"_so_ shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
+Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of
+thine heart."
+
+Then he went into the house, and I felt as though a benediction rested
+upon me.
+
+I waited outside with the crowd, expecting him to come out again, but
+after a time they heard that he had got into a boat from the back of the
+house, for the sea came up close to the back of the house, and by this
+means he was able to escape, mingling with the crowd again.
+
+It was now well on to six o'clock in the evening, but being summertime
+the light was still bright; indeed, the sun was yet high in the heavens.
+So I left the people who wanted to have a last look at Mr. Wesley, and
+who found their way to the seashore in great numbers. I went slowly
+toward Humphry Bolitho's shop, musing upon what the great man had said
+to me, but thinking far more of my meeting with Naomi. It is true I was
+too excited to understand its real significance, but the impression left
+upon me was gladsome, and, although my prospects seemed dark, my heart
+beat high with hope. Perhaps the peaceful words that Mr. Wesley had
+spoken to me made me rejoice, but the fact that Naomi had spoken kindly
+to me was that upon which my mind rested most fondly.
+
+When I got to Humphry Bolitho's shop I looked eagerly inside, as though
+I expected to see Naomi there, but only strangers were within the
+building, and then I came to the spot where, a year before, I had been
+publicly degraded, and where I had first seen my love. Then my mind and
+heart were full of bitterness, and yet perhaps the piteousness of my
+condition had caused her to think kindly of me. And so, even at the
+place of my degradation, I hoped that my enemies' deeds might work out
+for me an exceeding great reward. Neither did I feel so bitterly toward
+the Tresidder family. I still determined to win back my own and to
+fulfil my promise to my father, but I wished my enemies no harm. Even
+then I wondered whether John Wesley's words were not a prophecy,
+providing I would fulfil the conditions.
+
+But this feeling did not last long. I began to picture the danger Naomi
+was in; I thought of Nick Tresidder trying to persuade her to marry him;
+I thought of the threats that might be used; I called to mind the power
+of the woman who had persuaded my grandfather to be unkind to his only
+son, and then I was afraid, for if Naomi married Nick, what joy should I
+have in life; ay, what would Pennington be to me? It would seem only an
+empty tomb, while my heart would be eaten out with vain longings even to
+the end of my days; for such is the mystery of life, and such is the
+value of a woman's life to the man who loves her. I had seen Naomi only
+a few times, while I had had but little intercourse with her, and yet
+she was more to me than aught else. But for her I think I should have
+given up hope, and when hope is gone all is gone.
+
+I went back toward the sea again, musing over my hopes and my
+difficulties, when I saw Israel Barnicoat stumbling along the street,
+seemingly intoxicated. Not wishing to be seen by him, I went into an inn
+to escape him and to get some refreshments, for I remembered that I had
+eaten nothing since morning. The landlord of the inn, John Snell by
+name, had known me in my more prosperous days, and he asked me to come
+into the parlour, which he assured me was empty. So, desiring quiet, I
+accepted his invitation. I had been there perhaps an hour, and I was
+planning what I should do that night when John Snell came into the room
+and brought me a letter.
+
+"A booy 'ave jist brought it, Maaster Jasper," he said.
+
+"A letter for me!" I cried, in astonishment.
+
+"Iss; ther's your naame top of it, edn't et?"
+
+I read the inscription--"Jasper Pennington, Esquire."
+
+Now the word "Esquire" set me wondering; moreover, it set my heart
+a-beating hard, for I thought I recognised the writing, and yet I was
+not sure.
+
+I did not break the seal because, although John Snell seemed friendly
+toward me, I did not wish him to be present when I read the missive, for
+I hoped that Naomi was the writer.
+
+Presently John left me alone, and then I anxiously read and re-read the
+words which had been written. They were very few, but they made my heart
+burn with great joy, for they told me that I might soon see my love
+again. This is what was written:
+
+
+     "If you would help me, meet me to-night at Pendennis Castle gates
+     at the hour of ten. I would then tell you what was impossible for
+     me to say at Humphry Bolitho's shop. If you love me, do not fail; I
+     am in greater danger than you think. If you fail our only hope is
+     gone."
+
+
+Now, as I said, I read this letter many times, and pondered greatly over
+its contents. I made up my mind I would not fail, for the letter told me
+of Naomi's love and Naomi's danger. The thought of speaking to her
+without hindrance was joy beyond all words; so much joy did I feel,
+indeed, that I thought not of where Naomi was when she wrote it, or how
+she was to escape her guardian while she spoke to me. Enough that her
+own hands had penned these lines to me, while the joy coming from the
+thought that she sought my help made me incapable of thinking clearly. I
+was sure that her hands had traced these lines, for I compared them
+with the other letter I had received from her, and which I carried with
+me wherever I went; and so long before the hour of ten I made my way
+toward Pendennis Castle. The little town was nearly asleep. No sounds
+reached me save those of revellers in some kiddleywinks near the shore.
+As I walked along many doubts came to me. By what means would Naomi
+reach the castle gates? Who would accompany her? for I could not think
+she would come alone. What was the reason she was staying in Falmouth
+over night? And, above all, how would she elude the vigilance of those
+who guarded her?
+
+Had I long to wait I have no doubt that many more questions would have
+arisen in my mind, for in spite of my joyful anticipations my mind began
+to clear, and I thought of many things which did not come to me as I
+read the letter. Besides, try as I might to throw off the feeling, a
+great dread laid hold of me, and I began to look anxiously around me, as
+if fearful of my surroundings.
+
+Below me, in the near distance, the waves swished on the shore, while
+out at sea, perhaps a mile, I could see the lights of a ship twinkling.
+But for the musical sound of the waves all was silent; the night was
+clear and bright; the moon's beams played with the sea, making the waves
+shine like diamonds. Even although my mind was filled with many doubts,
+I felt that I had seldom seen a fairer night, and I dreamed of leading
+Naomi to the lanes outside the town and telling her again of my love.
+
+Presently I came to the drawbridge near the castle gates. I knew it was
+nearly ten o'clock, but it might want a few minutes to the hour, so I
+went and leaned against the castle walls.
+
+I thought I heard a whisper, for my ears were eager to catch the sound
+of my love's footsteps; so I went back to the gates again; then I heard
+a quick shuffling of feet, and before I could turn around my arms were
+pinioned, my eyes were bandaged, and some woollen substance was thrust
+into my mouth.
+
+I saw now what the letter meant. It was not written by Naomi at all, and
+in my heart I cursed myself as a blockhead for being so easily duped. I
+heard the gruff voices of men, and among others I felt sure I heard that
+of Israel Barnicoat. For some few minutes, although my hands were
+pinioned, I struggled fiercely, but it was of no use; besides, I heard a
+threatening voice near me saying, "You be quiet, Jasper Pennington, or
+you'll be thrawed over the cliff. Doan't 'ee make no mistake now!"
+
+I could not speak, neither could I see, so I became passive, and they
+led me along a road which I knew descended. The sound of the waves
+became nearer and nearer, so I judged we were going to the sea. In this
+I was correct. A few seconds later I heard the sound of paddles, and
+then I was half led, half lifted into a boat.
+
+I tried to get the woollen material with which I had been gagged out of
+my mouth, for it made me sick; moreover, I found it hard to breathe, but
+I tried in vain. So I bore up as well as I could, wondering where I was
+to be taken and what was to become of me. I did not think they meant to
+kill me, or they would have thrown me over the cliff at Pendennis Point,
+so I came to the conclusion that Cap'n Jack Truscott's gang had got hold
+of me, and that they would take me to Kynance. I listened eagerly to
+hear the sound of his voice, but could not; but I felt sure I had heard
+Israel Barnicoat's, and this confirmed me in my opinion.
+
+I was angry at this, not so much for myself as for Naomi. Never until
+then did I feel how much she was in Richard Tresidder's power; never did
+I feel so certain as then that every means would be used to marry her to
+his son. And I had vainly thought that I would stay near to help her,
+and that I would save her from the power of my enemies. Now, however, a
+few hours after I had come back to Cornwall, I was taken a prisoner.
+
+I sat upright in the boat. On each side of me sat a man holding me,
+while two men rowed. There were others near me, as I knew by the sound
+of their voices; how many I did not know. After I had sat thus for
+perhaps half an hour the rowing ceased, and I felt our boat thump
+against some hard substance, and by the movement of the men I knew that
+some new steps were to be taken.
+
+A few seconds later I heard sounds above me; then my hands were loosed,
+but the bandage was not taken away from my eyes.
+
+"Stand upright," said a voice.
+
+I stood upright.
+
+"Lay 'old ov this."
+
+A piece of rope was put in my hand.
+
+"You've got 'old of a rope ladder. Now climb."
+
+I felt with my hands, and discovered that the man had spoken truly. I
+knew it was useless to disobey, so I started to climb. In a few seconds
+I felt my arms grasped by hard hands, and I was dragged on to the deck
+of a vessel.
+
+I made no sound; I could not, for I was still gagged.
+
+"Come weth wee."
+
+I knew by the dialect that Cornishmen still spoke, and a few seconds
+later I felt myself descending a stairway with two men holding me.
+
+By the motion I judged that I was on a pretty large vessel, and this
+caused me to wonder greatly, for a large vessel would not be needed to
+take me to Kynance, neither would Cap'n Jack use one for such a purpose.
+I then thought I must be in the hands of the press-gang, and this was
+not altogether unpleasant, for I thought I might be able to escape, or
+use means whereby I should be able to communicate with Naomi.
+
+A few seconds later I knew that I was enclosed in some sort of a cabin,
+and then I felt a great relief, for my gag was pulled from my mouth. I
+tried to speak, but I could not; my tongue seemed swollen and my throat
+was parched, but it was pleasant to me to be able to breathe freely.
+
+At length I made a great effort.
+
+"Why am I taken here?" I asked.
+
+No one spoke.
+
+"What have I done that I should be treated thus?" I asked. "I have
+harmed no man. I arrived in Falmouth only yesterday. What is your will
+with me?"
+
+Still no one spoke.
+
+"Pull the bandage from my eyes and let me see, I cried. I said this
+because two men still held my arms firmly, but no one moved to do my
+bidding.
+
+"Then give me something to drink," I cried--"water; my throat is
+parched, and burns like fire."
+
+"Yes, you shall drink," said a voice.
+
+A few seconds later I heard the sound of bottles clinking, and then the
+gurgle of something being poured therefrom.
+
+"Here is something to cool your mouth. Here it is--fine stuff. Drink it
+quickly, drink it all."
+
+I felt a goblet placed against my lips, and a strange odour rise to my
+nostrils. I thought it smelt like rum, and a sickly feeling came over
+me.
+
+"Drink quickly," said the same man who had spoken before; "it will do
+you good."
+
+I feared to drink, and I shut my teeth firmly, but a great sickness came
+over me, and I could not keep my mouth closed, and some of the liquid
+was poured on my tongue. It was pleasant to the taste and delightfully
+cooling to my tongue, and so thirsty was I that I drank the contents of
+the goblet, thankful for such a refreshing beverage.
+
+"You feel better now, don't you?"
+
+"Yes," I said; "take away the bandage, and I shall be all right."
+
+No sooner had I spoken than I staggered, and should have fallen had not
+I been kept up by the men who still held my arms.
+
+"You are not so well, after all," I heard some one say. "You had better
+lie down."
+
+I yielded to the pressure upon my body, and felt myself falling; a great
+roaring sound came into my ears, and then I realised that I was lying on
+some sort of couch.
+
+My senses, I was sure, were departing from me, and I had a vague idea
+that I was falling through unlimited space, while wild winds and loud
+thunders were all around me; then all became a great blank.
+
+How long I remained unconscious I do not know, neither can I tell
+whether the experiences through which I thought I went had any objective
+reality.
+
+This was what I thought or dreamed happened to me. For a long time all
+was a perfect blank, except that I was left alone in darkness and
+allowed to rest in peace. Even now I have a vague remembrance of a
+delicious restfulness that came to me; every particle of my body seemed
+to be in repose, while all desire departed. By-and-by light seemed to
+come to me--a strange, weird light. I was moving, not by any action of
+my own, but unknown forces were carrying me through balmy air. Strange,
+shadowy creatures flitted around me, while I thought I heard the sound
+of distant music, as though ten thousand voices were singing.
+
+This, I said, is death.
+
+My eyes, I knew, were closed, and yet I could see. By an inward power of
+sight I could plainly discern the shadowy creatures around, and I
+remember interesting myself in trying to discern their faces. Presently
+one more than all the rest became plain. At first I thought it was
+Naomi's, so fair was it, but I soon discovered that I was mistaken. The
+woman was cast in a larger mould than Naomi, and looked more matronly.
+
+She looked at me with infinite tenderness, and kept close to my side all
+the time.
+
+"Speak," I said to her; "tell me who you are."
+
+But she shook her head.
+
+Then it seemed to me as though dark, evil forms came near, and a man
+with a face like Richard Tresidder's said, "Let him die; we shall never
+be safe while he is alive." But the woman seemed to surround me like a
+mantle of light, and lo! my enemies were powerless to touch me. Time
+after time did murderous weapons seem to come close to me, but the form
+of the woman received every blow, and yet they did not harm her.
+
+"This woman bears a charmed life," was the thought that came into my
+mind, and I longed greatly to know who she was.
+
+Then another form came near. I saw my father.
+
+"Jasper," he said, "this is your mother. She is always near you. This is
+a mother's joy, ever to be near her loved ones. She will protect you."
+
+"Mother," I cried, "kiss me."
+
+Her face came closer and closer to mine, and then for the first time I
+knew of a mother's love and felt a mother's kiss.
+
+"Be brave, and pure and true, Jasper, my son," she said; "fear not even
+in the valley of the shadow of death. Delight thyself in the Lord, and
+He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
+
+After that a great darkness fell upon me again, yet through the darkness
+I could see the luminous form of my mother, with love shining from her
+eyes, and her hand pointing upward.
+
+After that I felt as though I were on a stormy sea. The ship in which we
+sailed tossed like a cork, while the waves, foam-crested, hurled
+themselves furiously on our bark. A great panic seized the ship's crew,
+and they gave themselves up for lost. But for myself I had no fear. A
+great benign influence was around me, and I felt as safe as a babe
+rocked on its mother's breast, while the wild winds that roared seemed
+as sweet as the lullaby of a mother to a tired child.
+
+For a long time the darkness continued, and then, when all hope seemed
+to have departed from the ship's crew, I saw a twinkling light. Then I
+felt rough hands around my body, while evil eyes gleamed; but I still
+saw the love-light shining from my mother's eyes, and I heard a voice
+saying, "He must not suffer harm."
+
+Then all was a perfect blank.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When I awoke to consciousness I found myself in a small room. It was
+dimly lighted, and the air seemed cold and clammy. As my eyes became
+accustomed to my surroundings I saw that the walls were rough and
+unplastered. Above my head were huge beams, covered with thick, unplaned
+boards. Only one window was in the room. It was very small, and through
+the glass I could see iron bars. The window, I judged, was eighteen
+inches wide, and perhaps two feet high.
+
+I was lying on a bed which was made of rough deal, and had evidently
+been knocked together hurriedly. But the clothes were clean and dry.
+Beside me was a table on which was a basin and some cups.
+
+"Where am I, and how did I get here?" I asked myself.
+
+For some time I had no remembrance of the past. Then events came to me
+in a dim, vague way. I remembered the letter which I thought was written
+by Naomi, and my journey to Pendennis Castle. But it seemed a long way
+off. It might have been years; I could not tell.
+
+I tried to lift myself from my bed, but I could not, I was too weak. I
+looked at my hands; they were white like a woman's, and very thin.
+
+"I must have been ill," I said; "but why am I here, and where am I?"
+
+I listened intently, but all was silent as death. I longed for human
+voices, but I could hear none. No sound reached me but the roar of
+distant surf, but it was a strangely muffled sound.
+
+"I am by the sea somewhere," I muttered; "but where?"
+
+Then my heart gave a bound, for I heard the echo of distant footsteps.
+They sounded strangely, just as one's footsteps sound at night when
+walking through an empty church. They came nearer and nearer, until they
+came close to where I lay. Then I was sure that some one was coming to
+me.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+MY EXPERIENCE IN MY PRISON--I AM TOLD TERRIBLE NEWS ABOUT NAOMI
+
+
+I looked eagerly toward the direction from which I had heard the sound,
+and saw a door opening. A little old man entered. Evidently he was a
+serving-man, just as one sees in most old houses. Even then I concluded
+that he was one who had spent most of his life in some well-ordered
+house. His clothes were spotlessly clean, the buckles on his shoes
+shone, his stockings were without blemish. His wig, too, was powdered
+carefully, and all his linen was faultless.
+
+All this made me wonder the more greatly as to where I was.
+
+He met my questioning look calmly, and looked at me critically.
+
+"Ah, you are better," he remarked, quietly.
+
+"Would you tell me where I am?" I asked.
+
+"You are safe from harm," he replied, vaguely.
+
+"And why am I here?" I asked.
+
+"To be kept from harm."
+
+"And how long have I been here?"
+
+"It is not for me to tell you. You have been very ill."
+
+"What has been the matter with me?"
+
+"You have had fever. Once I thought you would have died; but you have
+been nursed safely through it, and I have doctored you successfully."
+
+"Are you a doctor, then?"
+
+"I have some knowledge of the human system and of medicines. It is well,
+otherwise you would never have lived through your sickness."
+
+His face showed no emotion whatever, neither did it in the slightest
+degree indicate his thoughts. He spoke in perfectly measured tones, and
+each word was enunciated clearly. Many thoughts flashed through my mind,
+and many questions rose to my lips, but the old man's presence seemed to
+check them. Moreover, I felt very weak.
+
+"I shall be well and strong soon," I said.
+
+He came to me, felt my pulse, examined me in various ways, and said,
+quietly, "Yes, I think you will soon be well. You are a very strong
+man."
+
+"What will become of me then?"
+
+"You will stay here."
+
+"How long?"
+
+"I do not know."
+
+"But why was I brought here?"
+
+"To be kept from harm."
+
+"What harm?"
+
+"It is not for me to say."
+
+"By whose command was I brought here?"
+
+"I shall not tell you."
+
+"But you can tell me where I am. This seems a part of a big house, an
+old house. Whose is it, and where is it?"
+
+"I shall not tell you. You will receive nothing but kindness while you
+behave seemingly, if not, means will be used to check you."
+
+"I am a prisoner, then?"
+
+"Yes, you are a prisoner, if you are pleased to call it so."
+
+"But am I to have no liberty? Am I not to leave this room? I cannot live
+penned up here."
+
+"I shall speak no further to you. Food will be brought, and no harm will
+happen to you."
+
+With that he left the room as quietly as he came, and I heard his
+footsteps echoing again as I had heard them when he came to me. For a
+time my brain seemed to grow weak again, and in spite of my anxiety I
+dropped into a fitful sleep, from which I was aroused by the chinking of
+crockery near me.
+
+My sleep made me feel stronger; I felt far better than when the old man
+had visited me. I looked around the room again, and saw a hard-featured
+woman. She, too, was elderly, fast beating on toward sixty. She placed a
+basin of gruel at my side.
+
+"'Ere," she said, "ait this."
+
+"Ah," I thought, "I am still in Cornwall. Anyhow, the woman speaks with
+a Cornish accent."
+
+I thought I might fare better with her than with the old man, so I tried
+to gain some information from her.
+
+"Let's see," I said, "what part of Cornwall are we in?"
+
+"Ait yer mait, an' ax no questions," was her response.
+
+I ate the gruel with a good appetite. It was carefully made, and seemed
+to be seasoned with some pleasant-tasting cordial. When I had finished
+the old woman grunted with satisfaction.
+
+"It is very nice," I said--"very nice. Whoever made it knows her work.
+Did you make it?"
+
+"Who es ther' that knaweth how to make sich stuff as that but me?" she
+said.
+
+Her answer set me thinking, and I drew two conclusions. One was that the
+old woman was vulnerable to flattery, the other was that she did not
+hail from that part of the county in which I was reared. The word
+"knaweth" told me that she belonged to the northern part of the county.
+
+I put another question in order to test the truth of both these
+conclusions.
+
+"You look too much of a lady to be the cook," I said, "and yet I thought
+the cook would naturally make such things."
+
+"Ther's no cook. Her's gone. I'm in charge."
+
+She said this proudly, but although her answer was brief, it confirmed
+me in my suspicions. People in the western part of the county would say
+"She's gone," so when she said, "Her's gone," I was sure that she hailed
+from either Devon or from somewhere in the region of Tintagel and
+Boscastle.
+
+"It must be a place of importance," I said. "Have you lived here long?"
+
+"I was born in this parish."
+
+"Let's see, this is near St. Minver, isn't it?"
+
+"Ax me no questions and I'll tell 'ee no lies," was the reply.
+
+But she had let me know more than she imagined. She had told me that she
+was born in the parish where my prison was situated, and I knew by her
+brogue that the parish was situated a good many miles north of St. Eve.
+
+I asked her many more questions, but she would answer none that gave me
+any further information concerning my whereabouts. As to why I was
+there she seemed as ignorant as myself.
+
+After this I lay many days on my bed--how many I do not know. The
+mornings dawned and the daylight departed by; I did not pay much heed.
+From the remarks of the little man, who constantly visited me, I judged
+that some complication had arisen in my case, and so my recovery was
+delayed. At length, however, I felt myself grow stronger again, and then
+daily health came to my blood and vitality to my being.
+
+By and by I was able to rise from my bed, and a suit of clothes of
+antiquated cut was given me to wear.
+
+"What month is this?" I asked one day of the old man when he came to see
+me.
+
+"It would do you no good to know," he replied.
+
+"Yes it would," I replied; "I should have got better before this if I
+had not been harassed by so many doubts and questionings."
+
+"Well, then, it is October."
+
+"October! What part of the month?"
+
+"Yes, October. To-day is the fifteenth of the month."
+
+"Then I have been here three months."
+
+He was silent.
+
+"What is the year?" I asked, eagerly.
+
+The little man smiled. "Oh, you need not fear. This is the year 1745.
+You have been here three months. I see you wish to ask more questions,
+but I shall not answer them."
+
+For several days after that I asked no questions, for a great despair
+laid hold of me. Although I had not been told, I was sure I knew why I
+had been kidnapped and made a prisoner. I believed, too, that my illness
+was not a natural one, and I could have sworn that I was kept out of
+the way because Richard Tresidder feared me. This thought was not
+altogether unpleasant. It could not be because of the Pennington
+estates--there was no immediate danger concerning that--it was because
+of Naomi. He had discovered that she and I had met, and I believed that
+he had concluded what I fondly hoped, although the foundation seemed
+poor, that Naomi loved me. If this were so, I could understand why he
+should want to keep me away from Pennington, for if Naomi loved me, and
+was willing to wed me, even although she could not marry until she was
+twenty-one, the position was a constant menace to Richard Tresidder; for
+if, when she came of age, she became my wife, Trevose Estate would at
+once be wrested from his hands, while I should be able to buy back
+Pennington.
+
+I considered these matters many times as I lay there. They came to me
+not clearly, but in a vague way; not quickly, but slowly and at rare
+intervals, while my strength came gradually back to me.
+
+All this time I knew not where I was, for I was not allowed to go
+outside the room in which I had been imprisoned. Neither had my strength
+been sufficient to climb to the little window I have mentioned in order
+to look out. I was kindly treated, my food was good, and brought
+regularly; my room was kept clean, and I was carefully attended to. But
+not one of my attendants would tell me anything. Moreover, as I became
+stronger they seemed to watch me more closely.
+
+One morning after breakfast, I judged that the sky was bright by the
+light which streamed into my room, and as I felt very much better, and
+knowing that no one would come to my prison for an hour or two, I
+decided to try and climb to the window, so that I might see what my
+surroundings were. This proved to be a harder task than I anticipated,
+but after many vain endeavours I at length reached the little aperture
+and looked out.
+
+My head became almost dizzy as I looked. Outside a great sea was
+running. I saw the breakers lash themselves into foam upon the rocks,
+and I saw a bold, ragged cliff stretching, as I judged, southward as far
+as my eyes could reach. Then I looked beneath me, and I saw that my
+prison had been built on the edge of the cliff. So high was I above the
+beach beneath that at first I could not measure the distance, but
+presently, as my eyes became accustomed to the sight, I was able to make
+my calculation. As far as I could judge I was at least two hundred feet
+above the roaring, rushing torrent beneath--probably the distance was
+greater. Escape by that means, then, was an impossibility.
+
+I looked long and eagerly at the boiling surf and the weather-beaten
+cliffs which stretched far away in each direction. I watched the
+breakers as they hurled themselves on the rocks far, far down beneath
+me. The sight filled me with dull despair.
+
+I tried to open the window, but it was fastened firmly. After repeated
+efforts, however, I managed to remove it about three inches from the
+frame, but I could not move it more owing to the iron bars that had been
+placed across. The fresh air blew in from the sea, which gave me great
+pleasure; it also cleared my mind somewhat, and acting on the impulse of
+the moment I tied my handkerchief to the iron bar. I did not see how it
+could do any good, but it could do no harm, and might possibly attract
+attention.
+
+I looked again at the great waste of water, and marked the tumultuous
+tossing of the waves, and then I closed the window again, feeling that I
+could do nothing to effect my liberty.
+
+I went back to my bed again and began to consider my condition. My mind
+for the moment seemed clear, and I was able to understand my position,
+and all the events I have related came back to my memory. Then I
+remembered that I always became dazed and drowsy after drinking the
+medicine which was given me. A torpor always crept over me, and I was
+incapable of definite action. This made me wonder still more.
+
+I heard the sound of footsteps echoing along a passage, and a minute
+later the little old man I have mentioned came to me.
+
+"It is time for you to have your medicine," he said.
+
+Hitherto I had drunk it without demur; now I determined to avoid taking
+it.
+
+"I will attend to it presently," I said, "but for the present I want us
+to talk together. I suppose you know you are placing yourself in great
+danger by keeping me here?"
+
+He was silent.
+
+"Of course," I went on, "I know that you are only the tool of others. My
+enemy's name begins with T, doesn't it?"
+
+He gave a start, but did not speak.
+
+"This cannot last much longer," I said; "I have friends who will be
+searching for me. Hanging's a serious matter. I shall take serious steps
+when I get away from here."
+
+"When you do," he replied, significantly.
+
+"Do you think I shall stay here always?" I retorted.
+
+"How can you get away? This morning you climbed up and looked out of
+that window. You did not know I saw you, but I did. Well, what did you
+see? You know you are on the top of a cliff, and it is nearly three
+hundred feet to the beach. Well, you cannot escape that way; if you
+tried you would break your neck. Very well; the only other way to escape
+is to try and escape through that door. Well, what would happen then?
+You would not get up the passage a dozen steps before you would be
+shot."
+
+"By whom?"
+
+"By those who guard a dangerous madman."
+
+"Oh, I see. I'm mad, am I?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"And is this an asylum?"
+
+"It's not for you to know."
+
+"Still it would go hard with Richard Tresidder if his perfidy should
+come out."
+
+"It can never come out. Yes, I know what is in your mind. Well,
+supposing you get well enough to be set at liberty? You would be taken
+to Pendennis Castle as mysteriously as you have been taken here. But
+where are you? You cannot tell. Are you in England, Ireland, or
+Scotland? You do not know."
+
+"How long shall I be kept here, then?"
+
+"Not, I should think, more than a week. You seem to be very much
+improved in your health."
+
+Now this set me wondering greatly, for I did not expect such a
+revelation. Still I managed to remain calm.
+
+"You know why I am here, then?"
+
+"Certainly. You have been a madman; as such you have been a constant
+menace to Miss Naomi Penryn. She has been much afraid of you, and has
+dreaded the thought of your being at liberty."
+
+"Little man," I said, "you know this is a lie."
+
+"I wish it were. I have nothing whatever against you; on the contrary, I
+rather like you."
+
+He spoke this kindly, and I detected, as I thought, a friendly look in
+his face, so acting on the impulse of the moment I said to him, "Will
+you listen to what I have to tell you?"
+
+"Yes," he said, "I will listen."
+
+Then I told him briefly all I thought necessary to tell, and yet I felt
+that I had not the power to tell the truth well.
+
+"Your history seems very plausible, young man," he said, "but I have
+been warned against you."
+
+"But Miss Naomi Penryn knows that I am not a madman, neither have I
+annoyed her in any way."
+
+"You lie. I myself received a letter from her before you were brought
+here."
+
+"Let me see that letter."
+
+"No. Enough that I have told the truth. She fears you; she pleaded that
+you might be guarded until such time as it should be safe for you to be
+at liberty."
+
+"Are you sure the letter was written by her own hand? Do you know her
+handwriting?"
+
+"Know her handwriting! Why?" Then he added, quietly, "Yes, I know her
+handwriting."
+
+"But why do you think I shall be set at liberty in a week?"
+
+"Because she will have a protector."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"I mean that to-day she is being married to Master Nicholas Tresidder."
+
+"To-day?"
+
+"Yes, to-day."
+
+"Go away," I said--"go away, for the sake of God. I want to be alone to
+think."
+
+He looked at me I thought pitifully and kindly; then he heaved a sigh
+and went away.
+
+When he was gone I lay for hours like one stunned. Food was brought to
+me, but I took no notice. Had poison been left in the room I believe I
+should have taken it, so weary of life was I. They had worked their
+will, then, and Naomi had been forced into an unholy marriage with the
+man who I was sure she did not love.
+
+I thought of trying to climb to the window, of breaking the glass,
+wrenching the iron bars from the wall, and falling headlong upon the
+rocks below, but I was too weak. I made a score of futile plans, each
+madder than the other.
+
+Presently I became more calm. Might not this be all lies? Or, again,
+even if it were true, ought I not, instead of contemplating suicide, to
+be brave and watchful, so that I might be able to protect her? Would she
+not as Nick Tresidder's wife need a friend? Besides--and then a score of
+conflicting thoughts seethed in my brain.
+
+Presently I began to try and understand the meaning of the old man's
+words about being set at liberty in a week. What did it mean? If she was
+to be married that day, why was I not set at liberty at once? Then I
+came to the conclusion that the man who was my gaoler would have to wait
+for orders. Richard Tresidder would wait until the marriage was
+consummated before he would communicate with him.
+
+But I will not try and recount all my thoughts. Many of them were
+doubtless wild and foolish, neither would they interest those who may
+chance read this narrative.
+
+For the next week, in spite of my despairing thoughts, I looked forward
+to my being set at liberty. I counted the days eagerly, and daily did I
+ask questions of the little old man who came to see me when my captivity
+should be ended. But he always shook his head, neither could I get from
+him any other answer.
+
+When the week ended I expected something to happen. I should be probably
+blindfolded, pinioned, and conveyed to the walls of Pendennis Castle.
+But I was disappointed. A fortnight passed away, and still there was no
+change in my condition.
+
+"What is the meaning of this?" I asked. "Why am I not liberated as you
+promised?"
+
+But he gave no reply. Once I thought he would have spoken, for he seemed
+strangely moved, as though his mind were filled with doubts, but he left
+me without telling me the doubts which were in his mind.
+
+Another week passed away, and in spite of myself I began to hope. If my
+captivity were to continue until Naomi was wedded to Nick Tresidder, did
+not my continued imprisonment show that the marriage had not taken
+place? I remembered Naomi's words. I thought of the look she gave me
+when she bade me good-bye. Yes, I felt sure she loved me, and that she
+had refused to wed my enemy! I still fretted and fumed at my
+imprisonment; I longed with a longing beyond words to be free, but this
+thought was like a beacon light to a shipwrecked sailor. It gave me
+strength, too. In spite of everything health surged back into my being.
+
+But my release did not come.
+
+The days began to grow very cold, and I asked for a fire, but none was
+given me, and my captivity was hard to bear. I think I should have gone
+mad but for a Bible that had been given me. I read again and again the
+Book of Job; especially did my mind rest upon his latter days when the
+sun shone upon him again.
+
+One day the little man, who had told me to call him Jonathan, came into
+my cell weeping.
+
+"What ails you, Jonathan?" I said.
+
+"Alas!" was his reply.
+
+"What?" I cried eagerly.
+
+"My little Naomi is dead!" he said.
+
+"Your little Naomi--dead!" I repeated, like one dazed. "What do you
+mean?"
+
+He started as though he had told me too much.
+
+But I was not to be trifled with. I caught him and held him fast.
+
+"You have made me desperate," I said; "I must know all now. Who told you
+that she was dead? What do you mean by calling her your Naomi? I must
+know everything."
+
+"I dare not!" he cried, distractedly--"I dare not, I am afraid."
+
+"Afraid of whom?"
+
+"Richard Tresidder. He will be master of--" He stopped, and then he wept
+bitterly.
+
+My hands dropped from him, for my strength had gone.
+
+"Tell me," I said--"tell me, Jonathan, all you know."
+
+He kept sobbing, and this made me pity him, but no tears came to my own
+eyes. My heart became cold and seemed as hard as a stone.
+
+"She did not wed Master Nicholas Tresidder," he said; "and--and, oh,
+God forgive me, but since then she has died."
+
+For a time I could not collect my thoughts, the news seemed to have
+unhinged my mind, but presently I remembered. I thought of what I had
+heard Richard Tresidder say, and many wild thoughts came into my mind.
+
+"If she is dead," I said at length, "you can set me free."
+
+"No, no, I--" He got up from the stool on which he had been sitting and
+left the room. I heard him lock the door behind him, and I had no
+strength to hinder him. At that moment I cared for nothing.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+I HEAR A STRANGE NOISE IN MY PRISON--THE SECRET PASSAGE WHICH I FOUND--A
+WILD STRUGGLE, AND A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE
+
+
+I have said many times that I am not a man of quick understanding,
+neither was I ever clever at explaining puzzles. At that time, however,
+my brain seemed more than ordinarily active, and I saw things with a
+clearness that I had never seen before. Besides, I was sure that in the
+past I had been rendered partially incapable by the drugs which had been
+given me. Anyhow, the sudden shock seemed to have given me greater
+clearness of vision, so that I was able to comprehend things far more
+clearly than in the past. Hitherto, with the exception of occasional
+flashes of light, all had been dull, now I seemed to see the truth
+plainly. That which had come to me as vague conjectures now appeared as
+certainties, and in spite of the old man's dread news, I had more hope
+than in the past. I felt sure there were many things as yet unexplained.
+With my greater mental activity came also more physical vigour. I felt
+myself capable of trying to escape. I wondered at myself, Jasper
+Pennington, being kept so long a prisoner without making any attempt at
+escaping, and I determined that very day to take some definite steps to
+obtain my liberty. I therefore ate my dinner eagerly when it was
+brought, for I felt that I should need all my strength, but within half
+an hour from the time the meal was ended a feeling of torpor again crept
+over me, and I fell asleep, neither did I wake for several hours. After
+I awoke some two or three hours passed before my vision was again clear.
+I saw then that if I were to take any definite action, I must refrain
+from the food provided for me, and this also placed me in a dilemma, for
+if I ate no food how could I retain my strength? What was done must be
+done quickly. Not only had my medicine contained a powerful narcotic,
+but my food also was drugged.
+
+Consequently I did not partake of my night meal, but instead I feigned
+illness when it was brought, and afterward thought of many things which
+I hoped to do.
+
+Presently, by the great silence which prevailed, I concluded that the
+inhabitants of my prison house had gone to rest, so I got up and tried
+the door. It was built strongly, but I believed it could be wrenched
+open if I had something in the shape of a crowbar. I thought of every
+article in the room, but could fasten on nothing suitable for the
+purpose, when I remembered the iron bars which had been placed outside
+the window. I climbed to the little opening in the wall, and opened the
+window as far as I was able. The cold air came rushing in, giving
+strength to my resolution. I seized one of the bars, but it did not
+move. Then I put forth my strength, which had been slowly coming back to
+me, and in a few minutes had torn it from the wall.
+
+"It will act as a weapon as well as a crowbar," I mused; then I got back
+to the door and began to try and place the iron between the door and the
+hinges. I had no light, and so I had to find out the crevice with my
+fingers. While trying to do this I gave a start. I was sure I heard a
+noise under my feet. At first it sounded like footsteps, then I heard a
+scraping against the floor. I listened intently, and presently I was
+able to locate the sound. It was just under the bed on which I had been
+lying.
+
+As quickly as I was able I removed the bed, and then listened again. For
+a time all was silent, then I heard a sound again, only this time it was
+different. Three knocks followed each other in quick succession, and I
+heard the boards vibrate under my feet.
+
+"Is it a friend or enemy, I wonder?" I asked myself, and I grasped the
+iron bar more firmly.
+
+I heard the boards creak as though something were pressed against them,
+but I could see nothing. Only a very faint light crept through the
+window which I had partially opened. Presently the boards began to give
+way. I knew this by a light which streamed into the room. Then I saw the
+floor move, and I heard a voice say, "Maaster Jasper."
+
+I knew the voice immediately. There was only one person in the world who
+could speak in such a tone.
+
+"Eli!" I cried, joyfully.
+
+"Doan't 'ee holla, Maaster Jasper," said Eli, in his hoarse, croaking
+voice, "but come to once."
+
+"Where?"
+
+"Away from 'ere. Ther's some steps down to the say. Come on."
+
+I needed no second bidding. I knew that Eli was thoroughly trustworthy,
+and so I lifted the boards, which proved to be a trap-door, and then,
+putting one foot through, I realised that I stood on a stone step.
+
+"Come after me, Maaster Jasper," said Eli; "maake 'aste, they may come
+after us."
+
+So I squeezed my body through the trap-doorway, and prepared to follow
+him.
+
+"Cloase thickey trap, Maaster Jasper," said Eli, and I saw his strange
+eyes shining in the dim light.
+
+In my eagerness to do this I made the thing drop heavily, and the noise
+echoed and re-echoed through the building.
+
+"That'll waake 'em up," cried Eli. "Come on, come vast, Maaster Jasper!"
+
+With an agility of which no man would have thought him capable, he
+hurried down the steps, mumbling fiercely to himself all the time. I
+soon found that this stairway was very crooked and often small. I
+imagined then, what I have since found to be true, that the house in
+which I had been imprisoned had been used as a place of storage for
+smuggled goods, while the way by which I was trying to escape was a
+secret way to it.
+
+We had not descended many yards before I heard voices above, while I
+knew that feet were tramping on the floor of my late prison. Evidently
+the noise I had made in closing the trap-door had aroused my warders,
+and they would now do their utmost to capture me.
+
+My senses were now fully alive, and I determined that it should go hard
+with those who tried to hinder my escape. To my dismay I discovered that
+I had left my iron bar behind, and that I had no weapons, save my two
+hands, which had naturally been weakened by my long imprisonment.
+However, there was no time for despair, so I followed close on Eli's
+heels, who wriggled his way down the crooked and often difficult
+descent.
+
+We must have got down perhaps one hundred feet, when, turning a corner,
+a current of air came up, blowing out Eli's light and leaving us in
+darkness.
+
+"Can 'ee zee, Maaster Jasper?" cried Eli.
+
+"Just a little. Can you?"
+
+"I cud allays zee in the dark," he grunted, but his statement was not
+altogether borne out, for his speed was much lessened. Still we managed
+to get on fairly well, for Eli could see in places which to most people
+would be impenetrable darkness, and I had been so much accustomed to the
+dark that I was not altogether helpless.
+
+After all I suppose it is difficult to find perfect darkness. Light is
+only a relative term, and depends very much on the nature of our eyes.
+Thus it was that while we could not go nearly so fast as we had been
+going, we could still with difficulty find our way.
+
+Presently we heard the sound of footsteps, and I knew by their rapid
+movement that our pursuers would gain upon us. Eagerly we hurried on,
+and each minute the sound of the footsteps behind us became plainer.
+
+"How much farther, Eli?" I panted.
+
+"A long way yet, and a hard job when we git to the end," he replied.
+
+"How?"
+
+"The mouth of this 'ere addit es fathoms above the say," he replied.
+
+"How did you get here?" then I asked.
+
+"I'll tell 'ee when we git away," he said, impatiently.
+
+Then I chided myself for asking so much, for even these few words must
+have somewhat lessened our speed.
+
+Meanwhile, the steps came nearer and nearer.
+
+"Stop!" cried Eli, presently.
+
+We stopped suddenly, while we both listened eagerly.
+
+"There be three on 'em," he grunted.
+
+"Yes, or more."
+
+"No, only three--we caan't git away--"
+
+"We must, we will!" I cried.
+
+"Only by fightin' 'em."
+
+"Well, then, we'll fight them," I cried.
+
+"Come on then--there es a big place down 'ere. Furder down tes awful to
+git along, and we caan't go wi'out a light."
+
+A few seconds later we stood in an open place. It was almost round, and
+might have been twenty feet across. I saw this by the light which Eli
+managed to fit as soon as we got there. It took him some few seconds to
+fit it, however, and by that time our pursuers were upon us.
+
+I saw in a second that two of them looked like serving-men, the third
+was dressed as a gentleman. I could not see his face, however, but I
+thought he looked a strong man. To my joy none appeared to be armed. Eli
+stood by my side, but his head was no higher than my loins. Thus I and
+the dwarf had to battle with the three. I did not wait a second. I dared
+not, for my liberty, perhaps my life, were at stake. Besides, I
+believed, in spite of what I had heard, that Naomi was not dead. Had she
+been I should have been removed from my prison, if not set at liberty;
+at least, such was my belief.
+
+Without hesitation, therefore, before a word could be spoken, I struck
+one of the serving-men a tremendous blow. He staggered against the side
+of the cave with a thud, and fell like a lump of lead. For a little
+while at all events we should be two to two, for Eli, insignificant as
+he seemed, was a formidable opponent, although at that time I did not
+believe him to be a match for a well-grown man.
+
+Encouraged by the success of my blow, I made a leap on the man I took to
+be a gentleman. My blow was, however, warded off, and I received a
+stunning blow behind the ear.
+
+Now during the time I had been imprisoned I had, as I have stated, been
+kept in a half-dazed condition, and although my strength had been slowly
+coming back to me, I was weak compared with the time when I had been
+taken a prisoner at Pendennis Castle. My food had been drugged, and my
+enforced inactivity had made my sinews soft like a woman's. Besides, I
+felt I had met with a skilled fighter, and I knew by the blow he gave me
+that he was a strong man. Moreover, I doubted Eli's ability to engage
+with the other serving-man, and this made me doubtful about the result
+of our struggle.
+
+All this passed through my mind in a second, but I did not yield, for
+while the want of hope takes away strength, despair makes men desperate,
+and I was desperate. Somehow, although I could not tell why, I felt I
+was fighting for Naomi as well as myself. So, reckless of consequences,
+I made a second leap on my opponent and caught him by the collar, and
+then some wrappings which had partially obscured his face fell off, and
+I saw Nick Tresidder.
+
+He writhed and struggled in my hands, but I held him fast.
+
+"Ah, Nick Tresidder," I cried, "we meet face to face, then. Well, I've
+got an adder by the throat, and I mean to hold him there."
+
+"Yes," he said, "we meet face to face." Then with a sudden twist he made
+himself free.
+
+For a second I looked hastily around the cave. A torch was lying on the
+floor which lit up our strange meeting-place, and near it I saw Eli
+struggling with the serving-man.
+
+He looked at me scornfully, while I, panting and partially exhausted,
+tried to harden my sinews for a second attack. I determined to be
+careful, however. I knew Nick Tresidder of old; I knew he would fight
+with all the cunning of a serpent, and that he had as many tricks as a
+monkey, so that, while he would be no match for me had my strength been
+normal, he would now possibly be my master in my comparative weakness.
+
+He took no notice of Eli, who struggled with the serving-man, but kept
+his eyes on me.
+
+"You fool, Jasper Pennington," he said. "I had come here to set you
+free; now you will never leave this place alive."
+
+"Why?" I panted, for want of better words.
+
+"Because you know now who imprisoned you, and if you escaped you would
+tell it to the world. I dare not let the world know this, so you and Eli
+will have to die."
+
+I felt sure there was some trick in this, although I could not tell what
+it was.
+
+"But if I had been set free the world would have known," I replied.
+
+"No, you would have been taken to a far-off spot, and you would never
+have known where your prison was, nor could you have sworn who
+imprisoned you."
+
+"But I am going to escape," I said, still keeping my eyes on him, while
+I could hear Eli grunting as he struggled with the serving-man.
+
+"No," he said, "you are as weak as a baby. Your strength even now has
+gone. You thought bodily strength everything; I, on the other hand, know
+that brains is more than bodily strength. Do you think I did not know
+who I was dealing with? You are a fool. Every mouthful of food you have
+been eating while you have been here has kept you weak. Now you are no
+match for me. And I am going to kill you! Shall I tell you where you
+are? You are at Trevose, the house that was Naomi's. Shall I tell you
+something else?" and he laughed mockingly. "Naomi Penryn loved you--but
+she's dead; and now Trevose House and lands belong to the Tresidders, do
+you see?"
+
+Then, I know not how, but a great strength came to me, an unnatural
+strength. My heart grew cold, but my hands and arms felt like steel. His
+bitter, mocking words seemed to dry up all the milk of human kindness in
+my nature. At that moment I ceased to be a man. I was simply an
+instrument of vengeance. His words gave me a great joy on the one hand,
+for I knew he would not have told me she loved me, did he not believe it
+to be true, but this only intensified my feeling of utter despair caused
+by those terrible words, "But she's dead." I felt sure, too, that she
+had been persecuted; I knew instinctively of all that she had had to
+contend with, how they brought argument after argument to persuade her
+to marry Nick, and how, because she had refused, they had slowly but
+surely killed her.
+
+And Nick gloated over the fact that Trevose lands belonged to him as
+though that were the result of good luck rather than as the outcome of
+systematic cruelty and murder.
+
+I was very calm I remember, but it was an unnatural calm. I looked
+around me, and Eli was still struggling with the serving-man, and to my
+delight he was slowly mastering him.
+
+"Nick Tresidder," I said, "you and your brood robbed my father, you have
+robbed me, robbed me of everything I hold dear. I am going to kill you
+now with these hands."
+
+He laughed scornfully, as though I had spoken vain words; but he knew
+not that there is a passion which overcomes physical weakness.
+
+"I know it is to be a duel to the death," he laughed, "for I could not
+afford to allow you to leave here alive."
+
+"God Almighty is tired of you," I said; "He has given me the power to
+crush the life out of you," and all the time I spoke I felt as though my
+sinews were like steel bands.
+
+He leapt upon me as quickly as a flash of light, but it did not matter.
+In a minute I caught him in what the wrestlers call the cross-hitch. I
+put forth my strength, and his right arm cracked like a rotten stick,
+but he did not cry out. Then I put my arm around him and slowly crushed
+the breath out of his body. I think he felt the meaning of my words
+then.
+
+"Stop, Jasper," he gasped, "she's not dead--she's--"
+
+"What?" I asked.
+
+But he did not speak. I do not think he could. I relaxed my hold, but he
+lay limp in my arms like a sick child. Never in my life could I hurt an
+unresisting man, so I let him fall, and he lay like a log of wood. But
+he was still breathing, and I knew that he would live. But my passion
+had died away, and so had my strength.
+
+I turned around and I saw that Eli had mastered the serving-man. He had
+placed his hands around his neck, and had I not pulled the dwarf away
+the man would have died.
+
+"Eli," I said, picking up the torch, "they will not follow us now.
+Come."
+
+But Eli did not want to come. He looked at the men we had mastered, and
+his eyes glared with an unearthly light, and like a lion who has tasted
+blood he did not seem satisfied.
+
+"An eye for an eye," he said; "tha's what mawther do zay. Iss, an' a
+tooth for a tooth."
+
+"Lead the way to the sea, Eli," I said, and like a dog he obeyed. Taking
+the torch from me he crawled down the passage, laughing in a strange
+guttural way as he went. All the time my mind was resting on Nick
+Tresidder's words, "She's not dead. She's--" and in spite of myself hope
+came into my heart again, while a thousand wild thoughts flashed through
+my mind.
+
+A few minutes later we felt the sea-spray dashing against our faces,
+while the winds beat furiously upon us. Below us, perhaps twenty feet
+down, the sea thundered on the rocky cliff.
+
+"What are we to do now, Eli?" I asked.
+
+He looked anxiously around him like one in doubt; then he put his
+fingers in his mouth, and gave a long piercing whistle.
+
+"Who are you whistling to?"
+
+"He's coming," he answered, looking out over the wild waters.
+
+"Who's coming?"
+
+"The man that told me."
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"I'll tell 'ee, Maaster Jasper. I've bin 'ere fer days, I have. I was
+loppin 'round 'cawse I knawed you was 'ere."
+
+"How did you know?"
+
+"I'll tell 'ee as zoon as we git away, Maaster Jasper. Well, as I was
+loppin' round I zeed a man, he looked oal maazed. He spoked to me, and I
+spoked to 'ee. Then we got a talkin' 'bout lots o' things. He seemed
+afraid to meet anybody, but axed scores ov questions. Oal he tould me
+about hisself was that he was an ould smuggler that used to land cargoes
+round 'ere. One day I seed a hankerchuff 'angin' from thickey winder,
+an' I knawed 'twas yours. I was wonderin' 'ow I cud git to 'ee, and I
+axed the man ef he knawed anything 'bout the 'ouse. After a bit he tould
+me that there was a sacret passage a-goin' from the cliff to the room
+where the winder was. Tha's 'ow 'twas. I'll tell 'ee more zoon. There he
+es, look."
+
+I saw something dark moving on the water, and presently discerned a man
+in a boat.
+
+Eli whistled again, and the whistle was answered.
+
+"How did you get from the sea up here?" I asked.
+
+"I climbed up, Maaster Jasper, but I can't go down that way."
+
+The boat came nearer.
+
+"Es et saafe to plunge?" shouted Eli.
+
+"Yes," was the reply underneath.
+
+"No rocks?"
+
+"Dive as far out to sea as you can, and you'll go into twenty feet of
+water."
+
+"All right," shouted Eli, then turning to me, he said, "I'll dive first,
+Maaster Jasper."
+
+"Can you swim?" I asked.
+
+"Swem!" he sneered; "ed'n my mawther a witch?"
+
+He plunged into the sea, and I heard the splash of his body as it fell
+into the water, then I saw him get into the boat, which was rocked to
+and fro with the great waves.
+
+"All right," I heard a voice from beneath say, "now then!"
+
+I gathered myself together for the dive, and I think my heart failed me.
+My strength seemed to have entirely left me, and it looked an awful
+distance between me and the frothy waves beneath. Besides, might I not
+strike against a rock? Then I think my senses left me, although I am not
+sure. It seemed as though the sea became calm, and a great silence fell
+upon everything. After that I heard a voice which seemed like Naomi's.
+
+"Help, Jasper!" it said.
+
+Then all fear, all hesitation left me, and I plunged into the sea
+beneath. I felt my body cutting the air, then an icy feeling gripped me
+as I sunk in the waters. When I rose to the surface I saw the boat a few
+yards from me rising on the crest of a wave.
+
+I could hear nothing, however, save a roar which seemed like ten
+thousand thunders. I struck out boldly for the boat, but Eli and the
+other man seemed to mock me with jeering menaces. I struggled hard and
+long, but the boat seemed to get no nearer, and presently I thought I
+heard unearthly laughter above the wild roar of the breakers.
+
+"Ha, ha," I thought I heard them saying, "now we've got you; this is
+Granfer Fraddam's phantom boat, this is. Swim, Jasper Pennington, swim!"
+
+I tried to swim, but my legs seemed to be weighted, while around me
+floated thousands of hideous jabbering things which I thought tried to
+lure me on to the rocks.
+
+I looked landward and the house in which I had been imprisoned appeared
+to shine in a strange ruddy light, until it looked like one of those
+enchanted houses which one sees in dreams.
+
+Then I thought I heard Naomi's voice again, "Help, Jasper, help!"
+
+But all my struggles seemed of no avail. I fancied I was being carried
+by the force of the waves farther and farther out to sea, while all the
+time Eli and the other man beckoned me onward, their boat rising and
+falling on the bosom of the ever-heaving waters.
+
+Then I felt cold hands grip me, and I was dragged I knew not whither,
+while everything was engulfed in impenetrable darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+TELLS OF THE MANNER OF MY ESCAPE, OF THE STRANGE MAN I MET, AND OF ELI'S
+STORY OF A BURIED TREASURE
+
+
+The next thing I can remember was a sensation of choking, of trying in
+vain to get my breath; then a weight seemed to be slowly rolled from me,
+and I felt myself free.
+
+I opened my eyes and found myself in a cave. At first I thought it was
+the one in which I had fought with Nick Tresidder, but I soon found
+myself to be mistaken. I lay upon coarse, dry sand, while close to me a
+fire burned. Its grateful light and warmth caused a pleasant sensation;
+then I realised that my wet clothes had been taken from me, and that I
+was rolled in a warm, dry blanket.
+
+"You be better now, Maaster Jasper, be'ant 'ee, then?" I looked up and
+saw Eli Fraddam bending over me.
+
+"How did I get here?" I asked, in a dazed kind of way, "and where am I?"
+
+"You be cloase to Bedruthan Steps, an tha's where you be, Maaster
+Jasper; you be in one of the caaves. 'Tes oal lew and coasy 'ere, and
+you'll be oal right again. But you've bin as sick as a shag, and as
+cowld as a coddle."
+
+I tried to call to memory what had passed. Then I said, "But how did I
+get here, Eli, and how long is it since we came?"
+
+"We brought 'ee 'ere, Maaster Jasper, in the booat, ya knaw. You tumbled
+in the say, and we was a goodish bit afore we cud git 'ee on boaard. We
+was feard for a long time that you was dead, but you're oal right now.
+Yer things 'll zoon be dry, and then you c'n dress up oal spruce and
+purty."
+
+Slowly my mind became clear; then I remembered the man who had been in
+the boat while Eli and I had been together in the secret passage.
+
+"Where is the man who helped you with the boat?" I asked.
+
+"Here 'ee es. Come 'ere, maaster."
+
+Then I saw a strange-looking man who, as far as I could judge, might be
+any age between fifty and seventy. I looked at him steadily for some
+time. Somehow his face seemed familiar. I could not call to mind where I
+had seen it, however. He had a long gray beard, while his hair was also
+long and unkempt. His eyes shone with a wild brilliancy, and he seemed
+to be always eagerly watching.
+
+"Thank you for helping me," I said; "it was very good of you."
+
+"Was it?" he replied. "Do you really think it was good of me?"
+
+"It was, indeed," I responded. "I wish I could repay you somehow. Some
+time I hope to have the power."
+
+He looked at me eagerly.
+
+"I'm glad you think it was good of me," he said; "so very glad. Will you
+tell me something?"
+
+"If I can I will," I replied.
+
+"Do you think it possible that many good deeds--many, many, many--can
+atone for wild, bad, murderous actions?"
+
+"God takes everything into account," I replied.
+
+"Do you think He does--do you? I'll tell you something," and he drew
+closer to me. "Years ago--long years ago--oh! so long, so long!--well,
+say I was a smuggler, a wrecker--oh, what you like! Well, say in
+self-defence, in passion, in frenzy, I killed a King's officer--do you
+think God will forgive me? And say, too, that since then I've roamed and
+roamed, all over the world, always trying to do good deeds, kind
+deeds--do you think God takes them into account?"
+
+"I'm sure He does," I answered.
+
+"I only wanted to know your opinion," he replied, as though trying to
+speak carelessly. "Of course I only imagined a case, only imagined
+it--that's all."
+
+Now this kind of talk set me wondering about the man, and imagining who
+he might be. Wildly as he looked, strangely as he spoke, curiously as he
+was dressed, he still spoke like an educated man. I watched him as he
+continued to cast glances around the cave, and I came to the conclusion
+that he was mad. I opened my mouth to ask him questions, but the
+remembrance that Eli might be able to tell me what I wanted to know
+about the Tresidders restrained me.
+
+"How did you know how to find me?" I asked of Eli. "Tell me everything
+that happened since I left you that morning."
+
+Eli, who had continued to look at me all the time I had been speaking to
+the stranger, gave a start as I asked the question.
+
+"Wondered why you did'n come back from Fammuth," he grunted, "so I went
+and axed 'bout 'ee. Cudden vind out nothin'. Then I beginned to worm
+around. I vound out that Neck Trezidder 'ad tould the passon not to cry
+the banns at church. Then I got the new cook at Pennington to come to
+mawther and 'ave 'er fortin tould; then mawther an' me wormed out oal
+she knawed 'bout the things up to Pennington."
+
+"What?" I asked, while all the time the strange man seemed to be eagerly
+devouring Eli's words.
+
+"The Trezidders and the purty maid ev quaruled about you."
+
+"Are you sure?"
+
+"Iss. Neck wanted the purty maid to marry un, and she wudden, and they
+axed 'er 'bout you, and she wudden tell nothin'."
+
+"How did the new cook know this?"
+
+"She 'arkened at the door."
+
+I did not feel then, neither do I feel now, that I did wrong in trying
+to find out the actions of the Tresidders even by such means as this. My
+heart was torn by a great anxiety, and my love for Naomi seemed to grow
+every hour.
+
+"Well, what then?"
+
+"The cook cudden maake it oal out, but the purty maid axed to go to some
+plaace called a convent."
+
+"Ah! a convent--yes," I cried, my mind reverting back to the
+conversation I had heard between Richard Tresidder and his son.
+
+"Well, she went; tha's oal I do knaw 'bout she."
+
+"You are sure?" I asked, eagerly.
+
+Eli hung his head.
+
+"Tell me is that all?" I gasped. "Tell me all you know--everything."
+
+"Poor Jasper, deear Jasper!" crooned Eli, patting my hands. "Eli loves
+Jasper."
+
+"But tell me everything, Eli."
+
+"You wa'ant go maazed?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then I heerd she was dead; but I dunnaw. There, do'ant 'ee give way,
+Maaster Jasper."
+
+For a few seconds I was stunned, but I called to mind Nick's words, and
+I was comforted; at any rate, there was hope.
+
+"And the rest, Eli?" I asked. "How did you find out where I was?"
+
+"It took me a long time. I went to Kynance, and I 'arkened round
+Pennington, but I cudden 'eer nothin'. Then wawn day I seed Israel
+Barnicoat talkin' with Maaster Trezidder, then I beginned to wonder."
+
+"Yes; what then?"
+
+"I tried to pump un, but I cudden."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Then wawn day I got'n home to mawther's, and we maade un nearly drunk,
+and then I vound out. He'd bin 'ired by Maaster Trezidder to taake 'ee
+to Trevawse 'Ouse. Little by little I vound out where it was, then I
+comed to 'ee."
+
+I did not ask him any more questions. I knew nearly all he could tell me
+now; besides, the presence of the stranger kept me from entering into
+further details. My imagination filled up what was not related.
+
+"Eli got summin to tell Maaster Jasper when we git aloane," grunted Eli
+presently.
+
+The man with whom I had been speaking walked out of the cave, and I
+could not but think he had been brought up as a gentleman in spite of
+his wild, unkempt appearance.
+
+"What is it?" I asked. "Where is the convent to which Miss Penryn was
+taken? Can you tell me that?"
+
+"No, I ca'ant; ted'n 'bout that."
+
+"What then?"
+
+"You reckleck thicky night when you comed 'ome from say--that night when
+mawther brought out the crock and brandis, and tould yer fortin?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And you do mind to that Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy Coad comed to 'ee?"
+
+"I remember."
+
+"Well, you eerd 'em axin mawther 'bout the saicret paaper that tould 'em
+'bout a treasure?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well"--and Eli put his mouth close to my ear--"I do knaw where thicky
+paaper es. I've vound un out, an' saved un for Maaster Jasper."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"Eli do love Maaster Jasper"--and again the poor gnome began fondling
+and caressing my hands--"so Eli have wormed around and around, and ev
+vound out where et es. Aw, aw, when Cap'n Jack an' Cap'n Billy cudden
+vind et they ded swear they ded, but Eli do knaw, an' Eli'll give ut to
+Maaster Jasper, 'ee will, then Maaster Jasper c'n pay 'em oal out. Turn
+out Maaster Trezidder, my deear, and live at Pennington."
+
+"Tell me more about it, Eli?" I cried.
+
+"Hush, we mus'n tell nobody. Aw, aw!" and again the dwarf laughed
+gleefully.
+
+"There's no witchcraft, no wizard's charms about the treasure, is
+there? It wasn't made in hell, was it?"
+
+"No, no; tes oal right. Granfer Fraddam was once a pirut on the 'igh
+says."
+
+"Yes; I know he was once a pirate on the high seas, but what of that?"
+
+"Well, he got the paaper from another pirut. Some do zay he ded kill un,
+but that ed'n true. Well, 'ee got et."
+
+"Yes; but if he got a paper telling where the treasure was, why did he
+not take it away?"
+
+"Well, Granfer cudden raid, fur wawn thing, and fur another, 'ee wos
+feared."
+
+"Afraid of what?"
+
+"Several things. For wawn thing, he was tould that 'twas onlucky to git
+a treasure that was got through killin' people; but that wudden stop
+Granfer, I do knaw."
+
+"Then what was it?"
+
+"Well, Granfer cudden raid the direckshuns, and 'ee cud never maake up
+his mind to shaw et to anybody that cud. Now, they do zay that when 'ee
+talked 'bout et 'ee was awful feared. He zed ef 'ee shawed et to anybody
+they'd kill un. I spoase Granfer was a wisht ould man after 'ee 'ad a
+accident, and was too ould to live out to say. He repented and turned
+religious. That was why 'ee ded'n do nothin' but smugglin'. Well, so 'ee
+did eed away the paper wot 'ee got from the man, and waited till 'ee cud
+vind somebody to trust. But he cudden vind nobody--nobody toal. Besides,
+everybody was frad to 'ave anything to do wi' Granfer. People did
+believe 'ee was a wizard, and 'ad dailins weth the devil. Mawther do
+zay that nobody would go out mor'n seven mile out to say weth Granfer."
+
+"And where is this paper?"
+
+"Aw, aw. I vound out I did. Granfer tould mawther, and mawther did tell
+me. I vound et, and did eed it in another plaace. Aw, aw, you shud a
+eerd Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy swear when they cudden vind et. Aw, aw.
+But I did love Maaster Jasper, and I'll take 'ee to et, Maaster Jasper,
+my deear."
+
+All the time Eli was speaking he kept fondling my hands and caressing
+me, just as a man would caress a maid whom he loves.
+
+"But does your mother know what you have done?"
+
+"No, she doan't. She do believe it have been sperrited away."
+
+"Spirited away; what do you mean?"
+
+"Mawther do knaw. Aw, aw. But she ed'n right this time, and yet she is
+oal the time."
+
+As I have before mentioned, it was no uncommon thing to hear about
+hidden treasures along our coast. Indeed, from earliest childhood I have
+heard of gangs of pirates burying treasures in many of our secret
+hiding-places; so common were such stories that we had ceased to pay
+attention to them. Consequently I had given but little attention to the
+conversation I had heard between Cap'n Jack and Betsey, neither did I
+attach much value to what Eli had been telling me. If such a treasure
+existed, and if Granfer Fraddam knew of it, he would have found means to
+have obtained it. I knew that during Granfer Fraddam's later years he
+was said to have tried to get religion, and wanted very hard to break
+away from a compact he made with the evil one in his young days. There
+were also stories telling how he pleaded with Betsey to give up all
+connection with witchcraft, and that because she would not agree to this
+he died in his secret cave rather than have her near him. But all these
+were stories to which I, who had had a fair amount of schooling, had
+paid but little attention.
+
+Besides, at this time I was thinking about the sweet maid that I loved
+rather than the treasure that Eli spoke about. What were treasures to me
+if she were dead? What was Pennington, the home of my fathers even, if
+she had been slowly killed by the Tresidder brood? I asked myself many
+times what Nick Tresidder had meant by his words; I wondered, too, where
+the convent was in which she had been placed, and as I wondered my heart
+was torn with anguish, for all the world was nothing to me without
+Naomi.
+
+And so for a long time I did not talk to Eli concerning that about which
+he had spoken. I seemed rather to be eating my heart away, and almost
+wished that I had died when I had plunged into the sea a few hours
+before, for what could I do? Where was the convent in which she was
+placed? How could I get to her? And if I tried, what steps would the
+Tresidders take to hinder me? From the fact that Nick Tresidder had come
+to Trevose, would it not suggest that he had come to claim the land as
+his? And would he not take steps even now to get me out of the way?
+
+These and a hundred other questions I asked myself, until my brain
+became weary again, and my heart was sick with disappointment, sorrow,
+and despair.
+
+"Will Maaster Jasper go with poor little Eli?" grunted my companion
+presently. "I knaw where the paper es, Maaster Jasper. 'Tes covered weth
+ritin' and funny lines; but Maaster Jasper es clever, he can vind et
+out. Spanish money, Maaster Jasper--'eaps and 'eaps ov et. You could buy
+back Pennington, Maaster Jasper, and pay out the Trezidders--pay 'em
+out; iss, an' turn 'em out, neck and crop!"
+
+Why is it, I wonder, that the human heart turns so naturally to revenge?
+In my despair it came to me as a comfort, this thought of driving the
+Tresidders from Pennington. For the moment I became eager about Eli's
+story of the treasure, and asked many questions--foolish as the whole
+business might be--as to what Granfer Fraddam had told his mother, and
+what she had told him.
+
+After a while I remembered the man who had been our companion, and I
+sent Eli to try and find him.
+
+When Eli had gone I examined my clothes and found them dry. So I put
+them on, wondering all the time as to whose they might be, and who had
+worn them prior to the time the man had given them to me.
+
+No sooner had I finished dressing than Eli and the man came in. I
+thought the latter looked more calm and self-possessed. He brought some
+bread, too, and some salted fish. Then for the first time I saw some
+simple cooking utensils in the cave.
+
+"Have you been living in this cave?" I asked.
+
+"Yes," he replied; "I have been living here for a month. But you are
+welcome. I want to do good deeds if I may. I want to atone."
+
+"Have you done anything so bad, then," I asked, "else why do you wish to
+atone?"
+
+He looked at me eagerly for a few seconds; then, without speaking, he
+put two pans on the fire, first of all filling them with water. After
+this he placed the fish in one of the pans, and waited while the water
+boiled.
+
+"What is your name, young man?" he asked presently.
+
+"Jasper Pennington."
+
+"Of Pennington?"
+
+"Yes; what do you know about it?"
+
+"I knew of a family of that name long years ago. Pennington of
+Pennington. Why are you in this plight?"
+
+"Because I have been robbed of my birthright," I replied, bitterly.
+
+"By whom?"
+
+"The Tresidder family."
+
+"The Tresidder family--ah!" He said this with great bitterness and
+passion. After a few seconds he grew calm again. "And have you sought to
+be revenged?"
+
+"I have sought rather to win back my own. But what do you know of the
+Tresidders?"
+
+"Nothing--oh, nothing, nothing, nothing! What could I, a poor
+shipwrecked sailor, know about a great family?" This he said hurriedly,
+almost fearfully, I thought. Presently he continued, "And you have done
+no rash deeds, Jasper Pennington?"
+
+"No."
+
+"You have not killed any of their men, their women?"
+
+"No; not yet."
+
+"Oh, be careful. Do you know"--and he heaped some driftwood on the
+fire--"that one moment of madness drives a man to hell? I've been in
+hell now for--oh, nigh upon twenty years. Hell, Jasper Pennington, a
+burning hell! Suffer anything, anything rather than--than--oh, it's
+nothing. I'm only imagining still; but there--" And he became silent
+again.
+
+In spite of my many doubts and fears I became interested in the man, and
+I watched him closely.
+
+"Look, Jasper Pennington," he said presently, "anything got through
+evil, through bloodshed, through murder carries a curse with it. I've
+had the curse of Cain upon me now for many a year. I have been a
+wanderer on the face of the earth, but I have kept my eyes open.
+Everywhere it has been the same. Blood money, hate money, money evilly
+got, always carries a curse. Don't touch it, don't touch it! It does not
+burn the hands--oh, but it burns the heart, the soul! Oh, I have seen! I
+know!"
+
+"But supposing your father had his home stolen from him by lies,
+treachery, fraud--suppose your father said to you with his dying breath,
+'Get back that land; it is yours, it is your birthright, your true
+possession,' what would you do?"
+
+"Jasper Pennington, there be other birthrights than those of law--there
+be those of God. There is the birthright of clean, bloodless hands and a
+pure heart; there is the birthright of an easy conscience, and the power
+to pray! It is more than money."
+
+"You do not know everything," I said, "or you would speak differently."
+
+"I not know!" he cried; "I not know! My God! my God!"
+
+For a few seconds I thought him mad again, but presently he became calm.
+"The food is ready," he said; "we will eat of it. I got it from a
+cottage yonder. After we have eaten you may like to tell me all about
+yourself. Perchance I could help you; perchance, too, I am not what I
+seem."
+
+Something about the man charmed me. As I have mentioned, he spoke
+correctly, and in spite of his strange attire he looked like a
+gentleman. So when I had eaten I told him my story.
+
+"Is that all?" he said, when I had finished. "There is something else.
+Your eyes would never shine so at the thought of being robbed of lands."
+
+"Yes, there is more," I cried, for I had not told him of my love; and
+then--and I wondered at myself as I did so--I told him of my love for
+Naomi, but only in barest outline. I did not tell her name, I did not
+speak of her as coming from Trevose, I did not relate how Richard
+Tresidder hoped through her to gain Trevose.
+
+When I had finished he sat for many minutes looking steadfastly into the
+fire, while his eyes grew as red as the red coals into which he looked.
+
+"You have not told me all yet, Jasper Pennington," he said; "there is
+much behind. Why do you think they have ill-treated if not killed the
+fair maid you love? Why should they seek to put her into the convent?
+Ay, more, how and by what right were you taken to yon house on the
+cliffs? Tell me that, Jasper Pennington."
+
+He spoke slowly, but with terrible intensity, and for a moment a feeling
+which I cannot describe passed through my heart.
+
+"There is something else, Jasper Pennington," he continued. "What is the
+name of the fair maid you love, and whose child is she?"
+
+On saying this he caught my hand with a hard, tight grasp, and looked
+eagerly into my eyes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+HOW I LEFT BEDRUTHEN STEPS AND, AFTER MEETING TAMSIN TRUSCOTT, SOUGHT
+FOR NAOMI
+
+
+I know not why, but when the stranger acted in this way he seemed to put
+a bridle on my tongue. The name of my love was on my lips, but I could
+not utter it.
+
+"Are you afraid to tell, Jasper Pennington?" he asked, eagerly.
+
+"It is not for you to know," I replied; "besides, she may be dead. I
+have been told that she--" Then I stopped, for my heart seemed to grow
+too big for my bosom.
+
+"Died of a broken 'art," mumbled Eli. "The Trezidders killed 'er."
+
+"Tell me more!" cried the stranger, excitedly. Then he added, in calmer
+tones, "I may be able to help you."
+
+But I did not speak, whereupon he walked to and fro the cave, making all
+sorts of ejaculations, and at times looking savagely at me, as though I
+were his enemy.
+
+Presently, however, he grew calm and thoughtful; he seemed to be musing
+over what I had told him, as though he had an interest in it. This
+surprised me greatly, and set me thinking who he could be, until plans
+of action for myself began to form themselves in my brain.
+
+After I had thought awhile I went out of the cave and stood in the bay
+called Bedruthen Steps. Accustomed as I had been all my life to the
+sight of a fine rock-bound coast, I could not help being awed at the
+scene. The great rocks which lift their mighty heads in Kynance Cove
+were not equal to these. Often while living at Cap'n Jack's house I had
+wandered along the many-coloured cliffs which stretch from Kynance to
+the Lizard, and had seen the waves leap on them, sometimes playfully,
+sometimes in mad anger, while thousands of streamlets ran down their
+rugged sides afterward, as if to laugh at the anger of the sea; but
+never had I seen anything so fine, so awe-inspiring as this. For a
+moment it made me forget the objects dearest to my heart. The tide was
+not high enough to reach the mouth of the cave at which I stood; at the
+same time the angry seas rolled madly along the sand, and were churned
+into foam by the great rocks along the beach. I had heard about rocks
+standing as sentinels, but never until then did I realise the meaning of
+the words. That day, however, the meaning of such language was quite
+plain. The cliffs stood from three to four hundred feet high, almost
+perpendicular, save here and there where some narrow gully sloped
+somewhat. These cliffs were dark gray, rough, jagged and forbidding, and
+seemed to quietly mock the roving, rushing sea which beat upon them.
+
+Along the beach, perhaps a hundred yards or more from the cliffs, a
+number of huge rocks stood alone. I suppose at some time they must have
+slipped from the mainland, but that was undoubtedly in the far-back
+past. One of them, I remember, was shaped like a spire, and seemed to
+look with derision on the foaming waters that sometimes nearly covered
+it, and at others left it standing ill all its majesty on the white,
+hard sand.
+
+"Surely," I thought, "God has been lavish of His grandeur here," and
+even as this came into my mind the relentlessness and the cruelty of the
+sea impressed me. Everything made me feel my littleness, my impotence. A
+strong man would be but as a bit of rotten wood if he were thrown into
+it; those cliffs would beat the life out of him, while the white foam,
+which looked so soft and inviting, covered that which would smash the
+sides of a boat as easily as a man snaps a piece of wood across his
+knee.
+
+A feeling of despair possessed me again, for I was utterly lonely. It is
+true Eli stood by my side saying loving words and fondling me, while the
+stranger walked to and fro the cave; but no one felt my grief or
+understood it. By-and-by, however, my mood began to change; the roaring
+sea, the gray, leaden sky, the mighty cliffs inspired me, they urged me
+to action. I must find out the truth about Naomi; ay, I must find her,
+for, standing there that morning, I could not believe that she was dead.
+
+A few minutes later I had made preparations to leave the cave and go
+away from the neighbourhood of Bedruthen Steps.
+
+"Where do you go, Jasper Pennington, and what are your plans?" asked the
+stranger.
+
+"That is a matter which concerns myself," I replied, not very
+graciously. A moment later, however, I felt I had acted like a cur, for
+this man had endangered his life to save mine, and but for him I might
+not have been alive. "Forgive me," I continued; "my mind is much
+distracted, and I scarcely know what I say."
+
+"Perchance I could help you, if you would trust me," he said.
+
+"I can scarcely trust myself," I replied, "much less a stranger."
+
+"Am I stranger?" he cried, with an hysterical laugh, just as though he
+were a madman.
+
+"If you are not, who and what are you?" I asked. "What is your name?"
+
+"Name!" he said, wildly. "Esau is my name, my true name."
+
+"Why your true name?"
+
+"Because I have sold my birthright."
+
+"Your birthright! To whom did you sell it?"
+
+"To the devil!" he cried, his eyes glittering. "My birthright was my
+manhood; it was a clear conscience, it was the power to fearlessly think
+of the past, and to--" He stopped suddenly, then he went on again:
+"Perhaps Cain is the truer name, but I know not; call me Esau."
+
+"Yes, he's mad," I said to myself. "I can trust him with
+nothing--nothing." Still, I humoured him. "You have been very good to
+me," I said. "Some time, if I live and gain my own, I will repay you."
+
+He came to me again, his eyes still shining brightly, and he looked
+eagerly into mine, as though, too, he had decided to impart something to
+me; but a second later an expression of doubt rested on his face. "No,"
+I heard him say; "I must do it myself, and alone, if I can--if I can."
+
+We parted then. I made my way up the side of a sloping place along the
+cliff, while Eli followed close at my heels. When we reached the grassy
+headland I looked back, and saw the stranger still standing at the
+mouth of the cave. I looked around me. Not a house of any sort was to be
+seen; only a rugged, bleak coastline was visible. I saw, however, that
+some of the land was cultivated, and so I knew that there must be some
+farmhouses in the near distance.
+
+After walking for about a quarter of an hour we came to a lane, but it
+was grass-grown, and was evidently but seldom used. I looked around me
+and espied a gray church tower. This gladdened my heart, for it was
+pleasant to think of the House of God situated in a bleak, barren
+countryside. I was about to make my way toward it when I heard the click
+of a labourer's pick. I jumped on a fence and saw a man hedging.
+
+"What is the name of that church?" I asked.
+
+"St. Eval, sur."
+
+I looked at the man more closely. He looked far more intelligent than
+the ordinary labourer. "Do you know much about this neighbourhood?" I
+asked.
+
+"I've lived 'ere oal my life, sur."
+
+"Do you know of any convent in this neighbourhood?"
+
+"Convent, convent?" he repeated, questioningly.
+
+"Yes," I replied; "a place that belongs to the Catholics--a place where
+priests and nuns live."
+
+He looked at me suspiciously, as though he suspected that I had evil
+motives in asking such a question. "No, sur," he said presently. Then he
+gave a start, and I turned and saw that Eli had come to my side. "Is
+he--is he the devil?" he gasped.
+
+"No; only a dwarf."
+
+"You'm sa big and 'ee sa small, it do seem funny," he laughed,
+nervously.
+
+"What is the nearest town?" I asked.
+
+"St. Columb, sur."
+
+I made up my mind to go to St. Columb, and was asking the man how far it
+was, when another thought struck me. "There's a parson at St. Eval, I
+suppose?"
+
+"Aw, iss, sur; hes 'ouse ed'n fur from the church."
+
+"Is he a man that you like?"
+
+"Aw, iss, sur; everybody do like the passon."
+
+I made my way toward St. Eval, and after half an hour's walking found a
+church and perhaps a dozen houses. I was not long in finding the
+vicarage, for it was the only house of importance in the neighbourhood.
+
+Parson Thomas received me very kindly. He was a little man, well fed,
+and apparently on good terms with every one. I don't think he knew much
+about religion as Mr. John Wesley taught it, but he was kind-hearted and
+full of merriment. Moreover, if he neglected people's souls, he did not
+neglect their bodies. He insisted on giving me refreshments, and
+although he looked very curiously at Eli, he sent him into the kitchen
+and gave instructions that he must be looked after.
+
+"I am a bachelor," laughed the jolly vicar. "So much the better all
+around. I've no one to bother me. I've got my dogs and my horses. At St.
+Ervan there is a pack of hounds, and I've the best hunter within six
+parishes. I have a service every Sunday afternoon in the church, and so
+far we have no Methodists. I've some good wine, good home-brewed ale,
+and plenty of cider. I rear most of the flesh eaten in the house, and am
+happy--ha, ha! Now, what can I do for you?"
+
+I asked if he knew of any religious house belonging to the Catholics in
+the neighbourhood.
+
+"There are a few Catholic families," he said.
+
+"Who are they?"
+
+"Well, there was a Catholic family at Trevose House--an old house built
+on the cliff not far from Trevose Head. At least, Mrs. Penryn was a
+Catholic, and the girl was brought up a Catholic. A priest from Padstow
+used to visit the house."
+
+"Do you know anything about them?" I asked.
+
+"Mrs. Penryn is dead; her husband--well, it's a sad story. Poor fellow,
+he committed suicide well upon twenty years ago. Everything was left to
+the daughter. She has gone to the West to stay till she's of age, or
+married, under the guardianship of a Richard Tresidder. I think I heard
+something about Tresidder's son marrying Naomi, but I'm not sure."
+
+"Did the priest who visited Trevose belong to any religious
+community?--I mean, is there a convent or nunnery at Padstow?"
+
+"No. Let me see--oh, yes, I remember now; my friend Page, from Mawgan,
+was telling me about it. Close to Mawgan Church is the Manor House of
+Lord Arundell. I daresay you will have heard of it--Lanksome. It is a
+delightful spot. Well, the Arundell family has always remained Catholic,
+and were terribly bitter against the Reformation. The present Arundells
+came into possession about thirty-five or forty years ago, and it is
+quite a home for priests and Catholics generally. Some of the priests, I
+believe, visited Trevose from there."
+
+"But it is not a convent or nunnery?"
+
+"Oh, no; not that I am aware of. It is simply the headquarters of the
+Catholics in this district. I have heard it said that some young
+Catholic girls, religiously inclined, have been taken there as
+novitiates, but I doubt its truth; not that the place is not admirably
+suited for such a purpose. It is surrounded by a high wall, over which
+no one can see, and in one of the walls is a secret chamber in which it
+is said a priest was concealed for eighteen months in the reign of
+Elizabeth. At present, however, it is not recognised as a convent."[1]
+
+"But it is a Catholic centre?"
+
+"Oh, bless you, yes; the place is full of Catholic priests, nuns from
+France, and what not. I should not like to say what is done within those
+walls. That house is full of secrets, and the people who go to Mawgan
+Church, which is adjoining it, look upon Lanherne as a home of mystery.
+The servants are silent, the priests are silent, the very atmosphere
+seems full of secrets."
+
+I did not stay long with Parson Thomas after this, although his
+hospitality seemed to know no bounds. I had heard enough to set me
+thinking, and I determined to go to Mawgan that very evening. The time
+was now three in the afternoon, and soon night would be upon us. Still,
+there would be another hour of daylight, and I started to walk in the
+direction of Mawgan Forth, while Eli trudged close by my heels.
+
+We had been walking, perhaps, half an hour, when I saw, as I was passing
+by a farmhouse close to which the road ran, a woman on horseback. Below
+us we saw the sands of Mawgan Forth, but no house was near save the
+farmhouse to which I have referred.
+
+"It is some woman riding home from St. Columb Market, I suppose," I
+said as her horse climbed the hill.
+
+"No," said Eli; "no, Maaster Jasper. 'Tes Tamsin Triscott, Tamsin
+Fraddam; that's who et es."
+
+"Tamsin!" I cried; "surely no!"
+
+A few seconds later, however, I saw that Eli was right.
+
+"Master Jasper Pennington!" she cried, as she saw me, and the blood
+mounted violently to her face. "You are free, then?"
+
+This she said in a tone of disappointment almost amounting to anger.
+
+"Yes, Tamsin," I replied. "What do you know about my imprisonment?"
+
+"I suppose you got him away?" she said to Eli, angrily, without noticing
+my question.
+
+"Iss," grunted Eli; "I ded, ded'n I, Jasper?" and the dwarf laughed
+gleefully.
+
+"And I meant to have done it," she said, as if musing to herself. "I
+have travelled a long way."
+
+"What do you mean, Tamsin?" I asked.
+
+She hesitated a minute, then she spoke like one in pain.
+
+"I did my best, Jasper--believe that. But for me you would have been
+killed. Israel Barnicoat and others vowed it, but I persuaded father. I
+heard about your coming back, and I tried to find out where you had been
+taken. As soon as I knew I started to come. I would have set you free; I
+would, Jasper, I would."
+
+My slow-thinking mind was trying to find its way to Tamsin's motives for
+acting thus, when she went on if possible more earnestly than before.
+
+"She didn't care for you, Jasper; if she did, why were you imprisoned in
+her house?"
+
+"Tamsin," I said, for I began to see her meaning, "do you know what is
+become of Naomi Penryn?"
+
+"No," she said, sullenly.
+
+"Tamsin," I went on, "I thank you for your goodness to me; I am glad I
+had a friend willing to travel so far to help me. But I am in great
+sorrow, Tamsin. I may tell you about it, I know; I love Naomi
+Penryn--love her like my own life. I have heard strange rumours about
+her, and my heart is very sad. I can trust you, Tamsin, I know that.
+Have you heard anything about her?"
+
+She became very pale as I spoke, and I thought she would have fallen
+from her horse, but she recovered herself presently.
+
+"Israel Barnicoat told me that she would not marry young Tresidder," she
+replied, "and that she asked to be taken to a convent until she came of
+age."
+
+"Yes," I said, eagerly, "and what then?"
+
+"I heard that she died there."
+
+"And do you know where the convent is?"
+
+"No; I know nothing! She is dead, that's all."
+
+"Tamsin," I replied, "something tells me she is not dead. I have heard
+this again and again, and I cannot believe it. I am going to search for
+her until I find her."
+
+"Why do you not believe she's dead?" she asked, like one in anger.
+
+"I have reasons," I answered. "They are real to me, although they might
+not be real to you. Besides, I cannot think of her as dead. Tamsin,
+suppose you loved a man, would you rest upon hearsay in such a case?"
+
+"I would search until I died," she cried. "If he were alive I would
+find him; if he were dead I would die too."
+
+"Then you can feel for me," I said, "for I love Naomi Penryn. I shall
+love her till I die, and if she be dead, I shall want to die, too."
+
+Then the girl gave a heartrending cry. "Don't, Jasper Pennington," she
+said, "don't!"
+
+I looked around me and saw that Eli had wandered toward the Porth. I was
+glad for this, for I realised what her words meant.
+
+"Tamsin Truscott," I said, "I never had a sister; will you be one to me?
+For I love you as truly as ever brother loved sister. Can you care for
+me as a sister cares for a brother?"
+
+I said this because I wanted to be true to Naomi, and because I
+determined to dispel from Tamsin's mind all thoughts of me as one who
+could ever love her. I wanted to appeal to all that was best and truest
+in her, too, believing, as I have always believed, that by this means
+alone can we get the best that people are capable of giving.
+
+For some minutes she seemed like one fighting a great battle, then she
+said quietly, "Yes, Jasper Pennington, I will do for you all that a
+sister would do."
+
+"Then, Tamsin," I said, "if it should please God to let me find my love,
+would you befriend her?"
+
+"Yes," she gasped.
+
+"It seems as though she hath many enemies," I went on, "and there be
+many who plot against her. If I find her among friends all may be well,
+but if I were to find her among enemies and rescue her, I know of no
+place to take her where she would be safe."
+
+For a little while Tamsin sobbed as though her heart would break; and
+at that time I thought it was because she pitied both me and Naomi.
+
+Presently she said, quietly, "If you should ever find the one you mean
+alive, and she needs a home, take her to my aunt's at Porth Mullion. She
+is a good woman, my mother's sister, and hates my father's ways. She
+will do anything I ask her."
+
+"What is her name?" I asked, "and how shall I find her?"
+
+"Her name is Mary Crantock, and there are but three houses at Porth
+Mullion. Hers is a white house, with a wooden porch painted green. The
+other houses have no porches."
+
+"And how will she know about me?"
+
+"I will ride there to-morrow and tell her."
+
+"And where will you go to-night?"
+
+"I will ride to St. Columb. I have another aunt who lives there."
+
+Then a great fear came into my heart, and, almost without thinking, I
+had caught hold of Tamsin's hand.
+
+"Tamsin Truscott," I said, "you once told me you loved me. I may trust
+you, may I not? As God is above us, you will be true if ever I need
+you?"
+
+"As surely as what I once told you is true, as surely as God is above
+us, you may trust me."
+
+Then she turned her horse's head, and rode rapidly toward the St. Columb
+road.
+
+Now, in describing my meeting with Tamsin, I have failed to record many
+things. I have not told of the many questions she asked regarding my
+imprisonment or my escape, nor of the answers I gave, because they do
+not bear directly on the history I am writing. Besides, it is difficult
+to remember many things after the lapse of long years. So many things
+were said, however, that it was nearly dark when she rode away from me.
+
+From Mawgan Porth it is about two miles to Mawgan Church, and I was
+anxious to get there before night had quite come upon us. So, calling
+Eli to my side, we hurried across the Porth, and then went up a narrow
+lane, where we met a man who directed us to Mawgan Church.
+
+A quarter of an hour later we were descending into the vale of Lanherne,
+and in the light of the departing day I could see the tower of the
+church rising from the trees among which it nestled. The sight seemed to
+give wings to my feet, and so fast did I go that Eli had great
+difficulty in keeping close to me. Eagerly did I jump across the brook
+that ran down the valley, after which I ran along by the churchyard
+wall, and a few seconds later I stood before the gray walls of Lanherne
+Manor House.
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[1] Lanherne Manor House, in the parish of Mawgan, Cornwall,
+while being a centre of Catholic influence for several centuries, did
+not become a recognised convent until the beginning of the present
+century. At that time a sisterhood of Carmelite nuns was driven from
+France to Antwerp. When the French entered Belgium they emigrated to
+England, and Lord Arundell of Wardour assigned the house to them. The
+inmates are at present an abbess and twenty nuns. J. H.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+TELLS HOW I CLIMBED THE WALL OF THE MANOR HOUSE GARDEN, AND WHAT I SAW
+
+
+My first impulse on seeing the house was to go boldly up to the door and
+ask for Naomi Penryn, but a second's reflection told me that such an act
+would be madness. I remembered the words of Parson Thomas. This house
+was the property of a man widely known and respected, and while it was
+given over to Papist ways and usages, I could not ask questions as
+though it were a public institution. My brain, slow to work as it was,
+told me that I must act warily, and in such a way as to arouse as little
+suspicion as possible. On looking back over my plan of action, however,
+I can see how foolish I was, and how, but for the kind providence of
+God, I did that which was calculated to frustrate the dearest desire of
+my heart.
+
+This, however, is what I did. I waited for some few minutes in a state
+of indecision, then it occurred to me that I had better find an inn, so
+that I might leave Eli in a place of safety, and on looking round I
+quickly found a kiddleywink. Here I left Eli, and after telling the
+landlady to cook some supper, I again went back to the front of the old
+Manor House. Fearing to be seen, I wandered around the place, and saw
+that the walls around the garden were over fifteen feet high, and that
+from no position could I look over, except by climbing one of the huge
+trees that grew in the near distance. Never in my life had I realised
+the meaning of silence as I realised it then. Not a breath of wind
+stirred, and beyond the sound of the brook as it rippled down the
+valley, nothing was to be heard. To me it seemed like the home of the
+dead. "How can I discover what is behind those walls?" I asked myself,
+but no answer was forthcoming.
+
+Twice did I walk around the house and gardens, and was about to go back
+to the inn again, when I heard the sound of singing. I listened
+intently, and discovered that the singers were within the Manor House,
+and from the number of voices and the nature of the singing, I concluded
+that the inmates were taking part in some religious service. I stood
+like one entranced, for the music was very sweet, and it seemed to my
+excited imagination that Naomi's voice mingled with the rest. Presently
+it died away, and I heard the sound of footsteps. But there was no loud
+voices or confusion, neither was there any laughter; all was quiet,
+orderly, and subdued.
+
+The night was not dark, for the clouds which hung so heavily in the sky
+during the morning had been swept away, and innumerable stars shone
+brightly.
+
+As I watched, I saw a man, who, from his garb, I took to be a priest. I
+went up to him and saw that I was right in my surmise.
+
+"I am a stranger to these parts," I said, "and have travelled far
+to-day. May I ask if this is a monastery or religious house?"
+
+"No, young man, it is not a monastery, but the house of a Catholic
+gentleman."
+
+"I heard the sound of many voices just now. I thought I heard a mass
+being sung," I said.
+
+"You are right, young man."
+
+"If it had been a monastery I should have asked for shelter to-night," I
+said; "and from the number of voices singing mass, I concluded that it
+was a religious institution."
+
+"Souls that are weary are admitted here for rest and guidance and help,"
+he replied, "and some have passed from here to some religious home. This
+is by the kindness of the owner of this house. But why do you ask? Are
+you a Catholic? Are you, amid so much heresy, a member of the true
+fold?"
+
+At this time I wished that I had prepared for a meeting with a priest,
+so that I might have been in a better position to have fulfilled my
+desires. I wished, too, that, instead of being slow to think, I had been
+clever to make plans, and quick to act upon them. Still, I determined to
+do the best I could.
+
+"I am but a wanderer, father," I said, "and my mind hath been torn by
+many doubts. I have been troubled, too, about one who is very dear to
+me, who is of the Catholic faith, and who, I am told, found her way to a
+convent or a religious home, to find rest and peace. I know not where
+she is, and whether she has found the peace that she hoped for. I have
+heard that it was in this neighbourhood that she sought to find what she
+desired."
+
+"Is she young or old, young man?" said the priest, looking keenly at me.
+
+"She is young," I replied, "scarcely twenty, I should think."
+
+"And her name?"
+
+"Her name is Naomi Penryn," I replied; "she once lived at Trevose,
+close by the great headland."
+
+I thought he gave a start, and he seemed to measure me, as though he
+thought of trying whether he or I was the stronger man.
+
+"Alas!" he said, presently, "she is dead."
+
+"Dead!" I repeated, and my heart became cold.
+
+"Yes. She came here some time ago. She was very pale and fragile when
+she came. She was in sore distress, too. But she received the
+consolation of the Church, and died in the faith."
+
+At this all my strength seemed to ebb away from me, and my hands became
+nerveless.
+
+"How long is it since she died?" I asked.
+
+"About three weeks ago," he replied.
+
+"And where was she buried?"
+
+"I would show you her grave," he replied, "but the house is not mine. I
+grieve to see your sorrow, but there is consolation, young man. Trouble
+for our young sister no longer, for she is with the blessed. I am sorry
+I cannot offer you food and shelter; but it is only four miles to St.
+Columb, and you will find accommodation there."
+
+"But surely there is an inn here?" I suggested.
+
+"Yes; but it is not a place you would care to stay at, and you will fare
+far better at St. Columb. Good-night."
+
+Then he left me, and I went away toward the kiddleywink like one dazed.
+I made no pretence of eating the supper which had been prepared, neither
+did I speak to Eli, who looked at me pityingly; and I saw that tears
+dropped from his strange-looking, cross eyes, and rolled down his ugly,
+misshapen face.
+
+All hope had now gone from me; I felt I had no desire to win back my
+own, or even to live. My life had more and more become bound up in that
+of Naomi Penryn, until now, when I could no longer comfort myself with
+the hope that she lived, nothing was of value to me.
+
+"Eli," I said, presently, "you had better go to bed. You will need all
+your strength."
+
+"Why, Maaster Jasper?"
+
+"Because to-morrow I shall go with you back to St. Eve."
+
+"And what then, Maaster Jasper?"
+
+"I do not know," I said; "it does not matter what becomes of me now."
+
+"And why, Maaster Jasper? Poor little Eli do love 'ee, love 'ee
+deearly."
+
+"But my love is dead," I answered; and then I told him what the priest
+had told me.
+
+His cross eyes shone brightly, and his mouth began to move just as I had
+seen his mother's move many times.
+
+"I've found out things," he said, cunningly; "mawther 'ave tould me, I
+c'n vind out ef she's dead; ef she es, I c'n bring 'er back. Zay I
+shall, Maaster Jasper, 'n little Eli 'll do et."
+
+"No," I cried, with a shudder; "Naomi, who is as pure as the angels of
+God, shall never be influenced by the powers of darkness."
+
+At first I thought he was going to say some angry words, but he only
+fondled my hands and murmured loving words to me just as a mother
+murmurs to a tired or sick child.
+
+"Poor Maaster Jasper, dear Maaster Jasper," then he went to bed,
+leaving me alone.
+
+The landlady of the kiddleywink was a kind and motherly soul, and
+treated me with much sympathy, for she saw I was in trouble, and when I
+told her that I should not go to the bedroom with Eli, she prepared a
+bed for me on the window-seat, and left a candle burning for me.
+
+But I could not sleep; when all the inn was quiet I went out into the
+night, and wandered around the old Manor House like a man bereft of his
+senses, as indeed I was. I found my way into the churchyard, and roamed
+among the grave-stones, wondering all the time where Naomi's grave was,
+and why the death of one who possessed so much property was so little
+thought of. Perhaps I stayed here two hours, and all the time I grew
+more and more fearful. It seemed to me that the dead were arising from
+their graves and denouncing me for disturbing them, while all around me
+evil things crawled, and mocked me in my sorrow. I thought I saw men and
+women, long dead, haunting the graves in which other bodies lay, and I
+fancied I heard them pleading to God to hasten the resurrection day.
+These and many more phantoms appeared to me until, with a cry of
+anguish, I rushed back to the kiddleywink again. The night had become
+clear, and the moon, which was half full, caused the church-tower and
+the Manor House to appear very plainly, and as I lay on the window-seat
+I could see both.
+
+Toward morning I began to grow less fearful, although a great pain still
+gnawed at my heart. I remember, too, that I was making up my mind that
+when daylight came I would seek the priest to whom I had spoken, and
+ask him to show me Naomi's grave, when I heard a sobbing wail that
+seemed to come from a heart as broken and bleeding as my own.
+
+I started up and listened for some seconds, but all was silent.
+
+"Was I dreaming?" I asked myself, "or are the spirits of the dead come
+back?"
+
+Scarcely had the thought passed my mind when I heard another cry, more
+piteous, if possible, than the other.
+
+"Jasper, Jasper, my love, Jasper!" I heard. "Can you not deliver me?"
+
+The cry was very real, and it had no suggestion of the grave. It was the
+voice of some one living.
+
+"My God!" I cried; "it is Naomi!"
+
+I looked at my watch; it was six o'clock, and thus wanted two hours to
+daybreak. Hurriedly I left the inn and went out again. A rimy frost had
+come upon every twig and bush and tree, and in the light of the moon the
+ice crystals sparkled as though the spirits had scattered myriads of
+precious stones everywhere. But I thought not of this. I made my way
+toward the spot from which I thought I had heard the sound come, and
+then listened intently. All was silent as death.
+
+Near me was a tall tree. I made a leap at its lowest branches, and a few
+seconds later was fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. From this
+position I saw the whole garden. I looked long and steadily, but could
+discern nothing of importance. I continued to strain my ears to listen,
+but all was silent save the rippling of the brook that wended its way
+down the valley, and which seemed to deride me in my helplessness.
+
+"It was all fancy," I said, bitterly--"all fancy; or perhaps I am mad."
+
+I prepared to get down from the tree when I heard a sound like sobbing
+not thirty yards from me.
+
+My heart thumped so loud that I could detect no words, but not so loud
+as to keep me from locating the sound. Yes, it came from a little house
+used as a summer bower. Instantly my mind was made up. I had no patience
+to consider whether my determination was wise or foolish. I madly
+dreamed that Naomi was near crying for my help. Else why should I hear
+my own name, or why should I think it was the voice of my love?
+
+In another second I had leapt from the tree, and then ran along by the
+wall until I came close to the place where the bower had been placed.
+
+I listened again. Yes, I heard sobs--sobs which came from a breaking
+heart!
+
+The wall was, as I said, from fifteen to twenty feet high, but this did
+not deter me. I caught hold of an ivy branch, and by its aid sought to
+climb, but at the first pull I had torn it away. So there was nothing
+for me but to stick my fingers into the masonry and climb as best I
+could. How I managed I know not, but in a few seconds I had accomplished
+my purpose.
+
+"Naomi!" I whispered, but I heard no answer.
+
+I waited a few seconds and spoke again: "Naomi, my love," I said, "it is
+Jasper."
+
+At that I heard a movement from within the bower, and then I saw some
+one come into the garden. It was a woman. I saw her look eagerly around,
+like one afraid. Then her face was turned toward me. It was my love!
+
+"Naomi," I said, "do not be afraid; it is Jasper--Jasper Pennington
+comes to set you free."
+
+Then she saw me and gave a glad cry.
+
+"Jasper, Jasper!" she cried; "not dead!"
+
+[Illustration: "'JASPER, JASPER!' SHE CRIED."]
+
+A few seconds later I had descended and stood in the garden, my heart
+swelling with joy until it seemed too large for my bosom. I came close
+to her, and then my confidence departed. All my old doubts came back to
+me. Joyful as I was at the thought that she was alive, I could not
+believe that she cared for me. How could she when I was so unworthy?
+
+The moon shone brightly on the garden, while the rimy frost, reflecting
+its light, dispelled the darkness, and thus I was able to see the face
+of my love and the flash of her eyes. I seemed close to the gates of
+heaven, and yet I felt as though they were closed against me.
+
+I stood still. "Naomi," I said, "forgive me. You know who I am--Jasper
+Pennington."
+
+Then she came toward me, and I heard her sobbing again. Then I, anxious
+not to frighten her, went on talking.
+
+"Naomi," I continued, "you are in trouble, and I fear that you have
+enemies. I have tried to make you feel my protection in the past, but I
+have been unable. But I have come to help you now, if you will let me."
+
+All this I said like one repeating a lesson, and I said it badly, too,
+for I am not one who can speak easily. But when I had spoken so far a
+weight seemed removed from me, and my heart burned as though great fires
+were within my bosom.
+
+"My love, my life!" I cried, "will you not come to me? I will give my
+life for yours."
+
+Then I opened my arms, and she came to me, not slowly and timidly, but
+with a glad bound, and, as though leaning her head upon me, she found
+joy and rest and safety.
+
+Ay, and she did find safety, too, for it would have gone ill with any
+man, ay, with many men, if they had come to harm her then. The lifeblood
+of ten strong men surged within me, and the touch of her little hand
+gave me more strength than the touch of magic wands which we are told
+were potent in far-off times. I felt as though I could do battle with an
+army, and come off more than conqueror. Besides, the first words she
+spoke to me, telling as they did of her helplessness and her dependence
+on me, were sweeter than the music of many waters.
+
+"Jasper," she said, "I have many enemies--I who never harmed any
+one--and I have no one to help me but you."
+
+Ah! but she had me--she had me! I know this seems like boasting,
+especially when I remember that I had been the easy dupe of the
+Tresidders, and that they had foiled me in every attempt I had made
+against them in the past. But her love made me wiser, and though, thank
+God, I have never been a coward, her presence made me many times braver.
+Besides, I felt I could protect her, that I could save her from the fear
+of her enemies, for I loved her--loved her a thousand times more than
+can be expressed in cold words on paper; and let who will say otherwise,
+the unsullied love of an honest heart is of more value than great
+riches.
+
+All the time I longed to ask her many questions. I wanted her to tell me
+all her trouble, but there were other things I wanted to know more. I
+wanted her to tell me what I had told her.
+
+But she did not speak further; she only sobbed as though her heart were
+breaking, until I, awkward and fearful, and knowing nothing of the ways
+of women, was afraid lest I had frightened her, or had in some way
+caused her pain.
+
+"Naomi, my little maid," I said, "have I done anything to frighten you?
+I could not help coming to find you, for I could not believe what I have
+heard. I have not angered you, have I?"
+
+"No, no," she said with a sob, "only they made me believe you were
+dead!"
+
+"And did you care?--you who were so coy, and who, when you knew my heart
+was hungering for you, would tell me nothing!"
+
+I will not tell you what she said. Only God and myself heard her words,
+and they are sacred to me. They have been my inspiration and my joy in
+lonely hours, they have nerved my arm in time of peril and danger. They
+opened the gates of heaven to me, and filled my life with sunshine. So
+great is the power which God hath given to woman!
+
+She nestled her head on my bosom as she told me what my heart had been
+hungering to know, and for the time we forgot our surroundings--forgot
+everything save our own happiness. The morning, which slowly dawned, we
+did not heed, neither did we notice that the silvery light of the moon
+died away. The cold was nothing to us, the bower in which we sat was
+indeed a place of warmth and beauty and sunshine. No sadness was there,
+for each welcomed the other as one come back from the gates of death. We
+rejoiced in life and youth and love.
+
+And yet we said nothing to each other with regard to our experiences in
+the past, or our fears for the future. In those blissful minutes we only
+lived in the present, regardless of all things, save that we were near
+each other.
+
+Thus it was that Naomi Penryn and I, Jasper Pennington, became
+betrothed.
+
+I think the realisation of our position came to each of us at the same
+moment, for just as the thought of our danger flashed through my mind
+Naomi tore herself from me.
+
+"Jasper, Jasper," she cried, "you must not stay here longer. You are in
+danger here, and if we are seen together--" She did not finish the
+sentence, but looked eagerly, anxiously around.
+
+Then I blamed myself for not acting differently, but only for a moment.
+We had been only a few minutes together, and even if the direst calamity
+befell us, I should rejoice that we had spent that blissful time
+together, living only in the joy of love.
+
+"I must go back to the house now," she said, hurriedly. "I shall soon be
+missed, and searched for."
+
+"No; do not go back," I said. "I can climb the wall and take you away.
+Let us leave now."
+
+"It would be no use now, Jasper," she said. "I should be followed and
+brought back."
+
+"Why?" I asked.
+
+"There is not time to tell you now," she said; "if you were known to be
+here you would never escape alive. Oh, Jasper, I am beset with danger; I
+have almost died in my sorrow."
+
+"What time will your absence be discovered?" I asked.
+
+"We are supposed to attend mass at seven o'clock," she said.
+
+I looked at my watch, it only wanted a few minutes to that time.
+
+"Tell me how you came here, and why you are surrounded by dangers?" I
+asked.
+
+"I would not marry Nick Tresidder--I could not, Jasper; you know why
+now. He tried to force me, and when I refused, he told me you were dead.
+At first I did not believe him, and then one of my old servants from
+Trevose came and said you had died there." She told me this in a
+trembling voice, as though she were frightened, told me in broken
+sentences, which revealed to me more than the mere words could express.
+
+"Yes; what then?" asked I, eagerly.
+
+"I became distracted, and knew not what I did. I had no friend, no one
+to whom I could go. Then a priest came, and persuaded me to become a
+nun. He also brought certain papers which he wanted me to sign."
+
+"And did you sign them?"
+
+"I scarcely knew what I did. I know that I consented to come here. That
+was several weeks ago. Oh, Jasper, I have been in sore straits."
+
+I set my teeth together and vowed vengeance on the Tresidder brood, and
+then told her to go on with her story.
+
+"I hardly know how to tell you, Jasper. About three weeks ago a young
+woman died. The priests told me it was I who died; they also tell me
+that I am Gertrude Narcoe, and that I am to be removed to a convent in
+France in a day or two. I have not known what to do. Last night I could
+not rest, I seemed to be going mad, and after tossing for hours on my
+bed without sleeping I came here in the garden, and all the time my
+heart was crying out for you."
+
+"And did you not cry out to me?"
+
+"No; only in my heart." And at this I wondered greatly.
+
+A bell began to ring.
+
+"There, I must go, Jasper!" she cried.
+
+"Not yet," I said, folding her more closely to me; and I should have
+held her so if the lord of the manor were walking toward us through the
+garden.
+
+"Be brave," I continued, "and be here to-night as soon as you can after
+the inmates of the house have retired to rest. I shall wait until you
+come, and I shall be ready to take you to a place of safety. You can
+come, can you not?"
+
+"Yes, I think so, if I am not suspected of anything now. And can you
+take me away, Jasper? You will not allow them to harm you, will you? Oh,
+I will not be taken away now I know you are alive."
+
+"Do not fear, my little maid," I said, "I will take you away. You shall
+not be carried off by any priests to a convent. There, go now." And I
+held her to me more closely.
+
+But I let her go at length with many warning words and many expressions
+of my love. It was like pulling my heart out to see her walk away from
+me, but I comforted myself that I would take her away when the next
+night came. Then I climbed the wall again, and made my way toward the
+inn, strangely glad, yet with many misgivings, for I was sore afraid
+lest I had acted foolishly in not taking her with me even then.
+
+As I passed the front of the Manor House I caught a glimpse of a frocked
+priest, and from the look on his face I fancied he suspected me of
+something. But I paid little heed to him. I went back to the inn to
+make my plans for rescuing Naomi. I did not know then that Naomi and I
+had been watched all the time we had been together by a wily priest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+HOW I FELLED A HORSE WITH MY FIST, AND CARRIED NAOMI SOUTHWARD
+
+
+When I got back to the inn I found Eli anxiously awaiting me.
+
+"Jasper better?" he said, looking at me questioningly.
+
+"Yes, better, Eli."
+
+"Jasper 'eard 'bout the purty maid?"
+
+"Yes, Eli."
+
+He chuckled joyously, and then gave several expressive grunts. After
+this he asked me some questions, which showed me that he understood more
+than I had thought, and had formed correct reasons why my love had been
+taken away.
+
+"Neck Trezidder's awful deep; all the Trezidders be," he grunted. "Made
+et up with the priests--go shares. I zee, I zee!"
+
+"Eli," I said, "we must take her away to-night; take her to a place of
+safety."
+
+"Iss, iss," he chuckled. "Where?"
+
+"I must decide that after we have got her away from yon prison," I said.
+
+"Can Jasper trust little Eli?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, Eli, what do you want me to do?"
+
+"Will 'ee tell little Eli what the purty maid tould 'ee--'bout 'erzelf?"
+he added.
+
+So I told him all that I cared to tell him--everything I knew, in fact,
+save the story of our love.
+
+He sat very still for some time, save that he contorted his face more
+than usual, and rolled his cross eyes around like one demented.
+
+"And what be yer plans, Maaster Jasper?"
+
+"We must get horses, Eli," I said; "from where I do not know yet, but we
+must get them by to-night. One must have a lady's saddle--for her."
+
+"Is Maaster Jasper going to git 'em?"
+
+"Yes. I shall have plenty of time through the day, and nothing can be
+done while we are away."
+
+"No, Maaster Jasper, no," he grunted. "You mus' stay 'ere oal day and
+watch. You mus' eed out ov sight, but you mus' watch. Cos they be oal
+deep. They knaw, they knaw!"
+
+I understood his meaning, and saw that he was right; at the same time, I
+felt I would have to risk being away, else how could I get the horses
+without attracting attention?
+
+"Little Eli 'll git the hosses," he grunted; "little Eli that everybody
+do laugh at. But 'ee'll 'elp Maaster Jasper, 'ee will."
+
+"But if you are caught stealing horses you'll be hanged," I said.
+
+He laughed gleefully.
+
+"Who'll catch little Eli?" he chuckled, "priest or knave? No, no! Is
+little Eli a vool? Ef 'ee es, then mawther es too. But es she? es she?"
+
+"But where will you get the horses?" I asked, anxiously. "Anything will
+do for me or you; but she must have one easy to ride, for she is weak
+and ill."
+
+"I knaw, I knaw," he laughed. "Maaster Jasper 'appy again, Maaster
+Jasper git his own. But he must watch, watch.
+
+
+         "Priests all shaved,
+           Clothed in black,
+         Convent walls,
+           Screws and rack.
+     Women walkin' in procession,
+     Cravin' for a dead man's blessin',
+     Weepin' eyes, wailin' cries,
+     Lonely, lonely, oal alone."
+
+
+"Stop," I cried; "stop, I'll have none of that here."
+
+"Aw, aw," chuckled Eli; "mawther ded zee, mawther ded zee. Never mind,
+little Eli 'll git the hosses then--aw, we sh'll 'ave braave times, we
+shall!" And he burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
+
+I must confess that he made me shudder, especially as I remembered how
+much depended on our actions during the next twenty-four hours.
+
+Presently he became more grave, more cautious, and when he had had his
+breakfast, started to get horses.
+
+"You'll be careful, very careful," I said anxiously.
+
+"Iss."
+
+"And what time may I expect you?"
+
+"'T'll be dark at vive o'clock," he said, like one musing, "little
+Eli'll be 'ere by seven. Eli c'n zee, aw, iss, iss," and then he went on
+talking to himself, uttering all sorts of wild ejaculations.
+
+"What do you mean by talking so strangely?" I said, but he gave me no
+answer.
+
+"You watch, Maaster Jasper," he said, significantly--"watch. The
+Trezidders be'ant a-bait yet. Besides, there's the
+
+
+     "Priests all shaved,
+       Clothed in black,
+     Convent walls,
+       Screws and rack."
+
+
+Then, as he leapt across the stream, he gave a curious cry, like the
+cry of a wild beast in pain.
+
+All through the day I kept out of sight, but nothing escaped my notice.
+I determined to be very careful, for Eli had caused me to have many
+suspicions. Twice only did I see any priests, and then I noticed that
+they talked eagerly to each other, as if they had something important
+engaging their attention. In the Manor House, however, all was silent as
+the grave. No words can say how I longed to gain admission and see my
+loved one again, especially when I thought of the history of the house,
+and the many secret places it possessed. Still I had done the best I had
+been able, and it was for me to follow out the plans I had made.
+
+When five 'clock came my heart began to beat high with hope. I should
+soon see my loved one again, and take her to a place of safety. My many
+fears began to depart, too. I felt certain that no one suspected my
+plans, and that Naomi would be able to find her way to the bower in
+which I had seen her.
+
+My hiding-place was in the sexton's tool-house at the back of the
+church, and from here I could see the entrances to the house, so unless
+there was some subterranean way leading to Lanherne Manor, no one could
+come or go away without my notice.
+
+After the clock had struck five I went back to the inn. It was now dark,
+for the moon had not yet appeared, and the clouds hung heavily in the
+sky. While I was eating the beef and potato pasty which the landlady had
+provided for me, I thought I heard the sound of wheels, so I went to the
+door and listened intently, but all seemed silent. I could not be quite
+sure, however, for the wind had risen and wailed dismally among the
+trees which grew so plentifully in the valley. I went back and finished
+my meal, knowing that if I would be strong I must not neglect my food. I
+was hungry, too, for we Penningtons have always been a hearty race, and
+have ever insisted on keeping a good table.
+
+When I had appeased my hunger I went to the door again. Feeling in my
+pocket for the rope-ladder I had been making through the day, I prepared
+to make a detour of the house again. I fancied that Naomi might have
+some communication to make now darkness had come, and so, eager for
+something to do, I wandered through the churchyard, and then walked up
+the road at the back of the house, near which another and smaller
+building had been reared. Still listening intently, I came to the tree
+which I had climbed in the early morning, then I went to the place near
+which the bower had been built. I threw my rope-ladder on the wall, and
+climbed sufficiently high to have a view of the garden. Nothing rewarded
+my efforts, however, for I could neither see nor hear anything worthy of
+attention.
+
+I was about to get down again, when I heard the neigh of a horse,
+followed by a man's angry exclamation. I had scarcely time to consider
+what this meant, when I heard a woman's cry.
+
+With one leap I descended from the ladder, and then, instinctively
+freeing it from the masonry and stuffing it in my pocket, I ran toward
+the spot from whence the sound came. I reached the front of the old
+mansion, but could see nothing; then, like one demented, I ran to the
+entrance which I had noticed through the day, and which evidently was
+seldom used. Here I saw flickering lights, and here, also, I heard the
+voice of the priest to whom I had spoken on the previous evening.
+
+"Neatly and safely done," he said. "The fellow is evidently a blockhead
+after all. I was afraid that the neigh of the horse would give us
+trouble."
+
+Excited beyond measure, I was about to cry out when I heard the sound of
+horses' hoofs splashing in water, followed by a rumbling noise.
+
+"They are crossing the brook!" I cried, and then, scarcely realising
+what I did, I hurried thitherward.
+
+Now, Mawgan Church and Lanherne Manor House, as every one knows who has
+visited that part of Cornwall, are situated in a fine wooded glen. On
+every hand are hills, so that no one can get away from the spot without
+hard climbing. It is true that one of the roads which runs northwest is
+less steep than the rest, but even that is difficult of ascent,
+especially for carriages. I comforted myself with this as I ran eagerly
+on. A few seconds later I saw the dark outline of what looked like an
+old family chariot. I did not consider the number of men that might be
+accompanying the conveyance, neither did I remember that they would
+probably be armed, while I had no weapon of any sort save my own strong
+arms.
+
+The driver was urging the horses greatly, but, as I said, the hill was
+steep and the carriage was heavy. I came up to the carriage-door, and,
+listening, I heard the sobbing of a woman's voice and the stern tones of
+men. I was about to try and force open the carriage-door, but
+instinctively felt that even if I could do so, it would be useless while
+the carriage was in motion, for in spite of the hill the horses had been
+urged into a frantic gallop. Still, with the heavy chariot behind them
+their steps were naturally short, and their speed comparatively slow. So
+I hurried on, and looking up saw two men sitting on the box, the
+coachman and another.
+
+It would have been possible to have caught the horses' heads, and thus
+bring them to a standstill, but the sound of Naomi's voice pleading for
+help--for I felt sure it was hers--made me careful not to render myself
+powerless. I remembered, then, that doubtless the man beside the driver
+would carry horse pistols, and the moment I caught the reins would shoot
+me down like a farmer shoots vermin.
+
+So I determined to try another measure, more difficult perhaps to
+execute, but more effective if I were successful. Bending low by the
+horse's side I came up on what farmers call the "further side." Then,
+hardening the muscles of my right arm and clenching my fist, I aimed a
+blow at the horse's head close below the ear. The animal was protected
+somewhat by the headgearing, and my strength had been lessened by my
+imprisonment and by the drugs which had been placed in my food, still
+the blow I gave was heavy, and the aim was sure. He stopped for a moment
+stunned, then he fell heavily, snapping the pole that was placed between
+him and the other horse as though it had been a match.
+
+Instantly the men jumped down to see what was the matter, while I
+hurried to the carriage-door. I had no need to open it; this was done
+for me, and a man from within asked angrily what the trouble was. Before
+he could be answered I caught him and hurled him against the hedgeside
+as though he had been a child, and never did I feel so thankful as then
+that, although God had not given me a clever head, He had bestowed upon
+me a body stronger than that which is common among men.
+
+"Naomi, my love!" I gasped.
+
+"Jasper! Oh, thank God!" It was Naomi's voice, and my strength seemed
+trebled as I heard it. God pity the man who had dared to oppose me then,
+for I would have showed no mercy!
+
+There was another man in the carriage, a priest, I think, but he seemed
+too frightened to offer any resistance. So I took her in my arms, and
+lifted her as though she were a baby, then I ran down the hill, carrying
+my love.
+
+"Don't trouble about the horses, follow that fellow!" I heard a voice
+say. "I will give twenty guineas for the man who brings him back, alive
+or dead."
+
+As I rushed on I heard a bullet whizz by me, but it did no harm, at the
+same time it made me fearful. For myself I did not care, but my great
+strength could not protect my darling against firearms, besides if I
+were smitten down what would become of her?
+
+"You are not harmed, my little maid?" I said.
+
+"No, Jasper."
+
+"And you are not afraid?"
+
+"Not now, Jasper."
+
+Then I held her more tightly, and vowed that I would crush the man who
+sought to take her away from me, as I have often crushed an egg in the
+palm of my hand by bringing my fingers together.
+
+I heard footsteps behind me, and then I realised that I should soon be
+between two fires, for I was running in the direction of Mawgan Church.
+The footsteps came closer to me, while angry voices with many oaths bade
+me stop, but the black clouds which covered the sky kept them from
+taking anything like accurate aim. Besides, the lane was darker than the
+open countryside, owing to the high hedges which had been built on
+either side. Still my position was dangerous, and I was about to leap
+over a gate which I saw close beside me, when I heard the sound of
+horses' hoofs, and evidently they were coming from another direction.
+
+"Can it be Eli?" I thought. But I dared not shout, as by so doing I
+should assist my pursuers. There were four of them I knew, possibly
+there might have been more.
+
+I was in sore straits, for by this time my strength was becoming spent;
+and although I could not bear the thought of dropping my precious
+burden, her weight was a sore strain upon my already overtaxed muscles.
+Still I never lost heart, and I know that had I stood face to face with
+the men who sought me, God would be with me in my battle.
+
+My heart gave a joyful leap, for I heard Eli's whistle. It was a weird,
+unearthly sound, and was suggestive of spirits of darkness rather than
+of a human being. I ran in the direction of the sound, however.
+
+"Eli, quick!" I gasped; then I heard the welcome click of horses' feet
+again.
+
+"Maaster Jasper, got purty maid?" he grunted.
+
+"Yes; her horse, Eli, her horse."
+
+"'Tes a fiery wawn. Be careful now!"
+
+"I can ride any horse," said Naomi, eagerly; "don't fear for me now."
+
+We were now under the trees close to Mawgan Church. It was so dark that
+I could scarcely see my hand, and the rain began to fall heavily.
+
+I heard the voices of the men near me again. "Which way are they gone?"
+one said, for there was a branch road near us.
+
+"Down to the left, past the kiddleywink," came an answering cry.
+
+"No, up the hill, toward Mawgan Cross," said some one else.
+
+By this time Naomi and Eli had mounted their horses.
+
+Then I heard a man's shout. "Help! quick! the girl has been taken from
+us!"
+
+"Who by? Where?" This voice came from the direction of Lanherne House.
+
+"That big fool Pennington. Where's Tresidder? Quick, we shall get them."
+
+"Are the horses good, Eli?" I asked.
+
+"Beauties," grunted Eli; "reg'lar beauties. The purty maid shud knaw
+'em, they come from Trevause."
+
+"Is this my Nero?" cried Naomi.
+
+The horse whinnied as she spoke; evidently he recognised her voice.
+
+"Are you right, Eli?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+"Ride quietly up the hill," I said; "make no noise, if you can help it."
+
+But the horses could not help making a noise, and the click of their
+ironed hoofs rang out plainly.
+
+"There, they've got horses. Fetch out ours, quick!"
+
+"Which way are they going?"
+
+"Towards Carnanton Woods. Make haste."
+
+Rapidly we rode up the hill toward Mawgan Cross, where there are four
+crossways.
+
+"Naomi," I said, "shall I take you to Trevose, or shall I take you to a
+place of safety, many miles from here?"
+
+"She mustn't go to Trevause," grunted Eli.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Richard Trezidder is there, so es thou'll laady."
+
+"Tresidder's mother?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I zeed 'er--zeed 'em both," and Eli chuckled as though he vastly
+enjoyed himself.
+
+"He's squire there," continued Eli. "People zay that the purty maid es
+dead, and everything do come to he."
+
+"Who told you this?"
+
+"No time to tell 'ee now. They'll be foll'in' we soon. Neck Trezidder es
+down to Mawgan."
+
+"No, Jasper, let us not go where the Tresidders are. Anywhere but
+there."
+
+I turned my horse's head southward.
+
+"Then we'll go to Mullion," I said. "We can get to Truro by the morning;
+we can get refreshment there."
+
+At that time another difficulty presented itself. I remembered that I
+had no money. Eli had that morning paid the landlady at the kiddleywink
+at Mawgan for our food and lodgings. I said nothing about it, but Eli,
+by that strange intuition which divined men's thoughts, knew what was
+passing in my mind.
+
+"Plenty ov money, Maaster Jasper, plenty ov money."
+
+"How did you get it?" I asked.
+
+"How ded I git the hosses?"
+
+"I do not know. How?"
+
+"Old man called Jonathan. Aw, aw!"
+
+"Did he give it to you?"
+
+"Iss, iss! He do 'ate the Trezidders. I tould un purty maid wad'n dead;
+tould un Maaster Jasper takin' 'er 'way--aw, aw!" and again the gnome
+laughed gleefully.
+
+"Jonathan!" repeated Naomi. "Did you see him?"
+
+"Iss, I ded."
+
+"Tell me all about it, Eli--tell me."
+
+"Wait till we git vew miles vurder on, then I tell 'ee everything."
+
+So we rode on for several miles in silence, save that Naomi asked me
+many times if I were sure I were not hurt, and assured me that she was
+perfectly well and happy. And this filled my heart with gladness, for I
+knew by her questions that the dear maid loved me, and felt no fear when
+I was with her. This to me was wonderful, for who was I that she should
+love me? Was I not homeless and penniless? And had not the Tresidders
+beaten me again and again? Ah! but no one can describe the joy that
+surged within me, for the greater my unworthiness, the more happiness
+did the knowledge of her love give. In many respects we were strangers,
+for we had met only a few times, as all readers of this story know; but
+love laughs at the ways of men, and as she told me afterward, although
+she dared not tell me so when I saw her in Pennington kitchen or in
+Falmouth Town, she loved me even in my degradation and poverty.
+
+That long ride through the dark night, even although I had not slept the
+night before, did not fatigue me at all. I was strengthened by her
+presence; I was inspired by the object I had in view. Sometimes as I
+rode along I had to reach forth my hand and take hers in mine to assure
+myself that I was not dreaming. Everything seemed too good to be true.
+For many weary weeks my mind and heart had been torn with anxiety
+concerning her, and during my days in prison I was like a lion in his
+cage. I had thought of her as loving Nick Tresidder and as marrying him;
+then I had imagined her as being persecuted by them because she would
+not yield to their wishes. I had seen the Tresidders planning to get her
+property, and using every cunning device to make her their tool. Then I
+had seen her pleading to be sent to a convent, and afterward dying of a
+broken heart. Ay, I had heard a priest only the previous day telling me
+of her death, while my heart had seemed to turn to ice covered with
+lead, so heavy and cold was it. And now to see my loved one by my side;
+ay, to remember that while we had sat in the bower she had confessed her
+love for me, while her lips had joyfully pressed mine, was joy beyond
+words.
+
+Presently, however, I began to see many difficulties, for I determined
+that Naomi should have her rights, and that she should not be robbed as
+I had been robbed. Besides, I still remembered my promise to my father,
+and vowed that I, Jasper Pennington, would possess my own, if only for
+my dear love's sake. Then as I remembered my past impotence, my heart
+grew heavy again in spite of my joy.
+
+I saw, too, that I must begin to act at once, and I determined to go to
+my old friend. Lawyer Trefry, when I got to Truro, and to consult him as
+to my future plans.
+
+Then I remembered that Eli had not told his story, neither had Naomi
+told me hers; so as soon as we got two miles past Summercourt, and were
+on the turnpike road, where we could ride three abreast, I asked them to
+tell me all there was to tell, so that I might be able to fight my
+enemies fairly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+HOW I TOOK NAOMI TO MULLION PORTH AND THEN STARTED WITH ELI TO FIND THE
+TREASURE
+
+
+Eli told his story first. With many strange ejaculations and
+gesticulations he related how he had sought out Jonathan Cowling, the
+old man who had so often visited me while I had been a prisoner at
+Trevose, and how, after much difficulty, he had persuaded him to be
+communicative. Then Jonathan told him that a messenger had brought a
+letter in Naomi's writing asking him to protect her from me by taking me
+prisoner, and that he would serve her greatly by guarding me. He told
+Eli, too, how his suspicions had been aroused, especially when, after
+the news came of Naomi's death, the Tresidders came and seemed anxious
+to say as little as possible. Richard Tresidder told him that Naomi had
+died of a disease that necessitated her immediate burial, and that no
+doctor had been able to visit her. This set the old man a-wondering
+greatly, and thus it came about that when Eli told his story he was
+anxious to render him what assistance lay in his power. Especially was
+Jonathan delighted at the news of my safety, for he did not see how I
+could have escaped from Trevose alive, even although Nick Tresidder had
+failed to overcome me in the smugglers' cave. He assured him, moreover,
+that Richard Tresidder had taken up his abode at Trevose, and claimed
+to be the owner of the estate according to the conditions of Mrs.
+Penryn's will.
+
+All this Eli told me with many other things which need not be mentioned
+here, and after this Naomi related her experiences. Her story confirmed
+in almost every detail what I had surmised. Her life at Pennington had
+been one long series of persecutions after the time she had borne
+witness before my judges that I was innocent of carrying a false light
+along the coast. She told me, too, that after she had absolutely refused
+to marry Nick Tresidder, their one desire seemed to be to induce her to
+take the veil. She was sorely tempted to yield to their wishes,
+especially after the man from Trevose came, telling her that I was dead;
+and presently when a priest came, she lent a willing ear to his
+persuasions, and promised to go to a house which was in many ways
+regarded as an institution for novitiates. Some papers were brought to
+her, but although she was much distracted, she did not think she had
+signed any which were of importance. She understood from the priest that
+on taking the veil her property would pass into the possession of the
+Church, although she gathered from scraps of conversation which she had
+heard, that Tresidder and the priests were arranging the matter between
+them.
+
+With regard to her experiences at Lanherne, she assured me that she had
+been treated with great kindness, and while not allowed outside the
+grounds, she had comparative liberty within them. She believed that
+while the lord of the manor was an ardent Catholic, and had practically
+given up the house to the use of the Catholic clergy, he would not be a
+party to anything wrong. The priests had told her that they had seen
+the meeting between her and myself in the garden, and this had
+determined them to take her to a convent on the Continent immediately.
+For the rest, she had been treated with kindness and consideration.
+
+It was early in the morning when we arrived at Truro, and we determined
+to stay at a good inn there, which, if I remember aright, went under the
+name of "The Royal." The owner looked at us somewhat suspiciously, but
+when he saw that we were well mounted asked no questions. It was now two
+nights since I had had any sleep, while Naomi was much fatigued; so
+after breakfast we lay down for a few hours, and then I paid a visit to
+Lawyer Trefry.
+
+Keen lawyer as he was, and doubtless used to many strange stories, Mr.
+Trefry was much startled at what I told him, and seemed much interested
+in my own experiences as well as in Naomi's.
+
+"They are a clever lot, these Tresidders," he said, approvingly. "As I
+told you long ago, they never leave a bone until it is picked dry."
+
+"But have they not put themselves within reach of the law?" I asked.
+
+"Not they."
+
+"Not in imprisoning me?"
+
+"Who's to prove it was they? You do not know who took you away from
+Falmouth, and naturally they will not witness against themselves."
+
+"And what about Miss Penryn?" I asked.
+
+"There is no case there, Jasper Pennington. Richard Tresidder is the
+young woman's guardian until she is twenty one, and as far as I can see,
+you can prove nothing illegal against him. Indeed, he has a case against
+you, for you have forcibly taken her from those under whose protection
+she had been placed by his and her own consent. Mind, I do not think he
+will proceed against you publicly, because he would not care for the
+matter to be discussed openly, but if you sought to prosecute, he would
+be able to answer all your accusations easily."
+
+"But what about him saying that she was dead? What of him taking
+possession of Trevose? What of the priest's trying to destroy her
+identity?"
+
+"Trust Tresidder and the priest to get out of that. Besides, for that
+matter, we must remember that the man is her guardian still, that he has
+the right to place her practically where he will. If he were to come to
+the inn where she is staying and demand that she shall go with him, he
+would have the law on his side."
+
+I was silent, for I saw that he was speaking the truth.
+
+"Your plan, as far as I can see, is to place her in seclusion and safety
+until she is twenty-one, then she can claim her own. Meanwhile, my lad,
+you keep out of sight, for you are not safe. If I were you I would leave
+the county, while the further Miss Penryn is removed from the Tresidders
+the better, for no doubt you are right in all your surmises about them."
+
+His words made me for the moment feel helpless, and I cursed the family
+who had been my enemies.
+
+"There is no need of all that, Jasper, my lad," said the lawyer, grimly.
+"Neither Richard Tresidder nor his son are much worse than many others
+who might be in their place. It was natural for the woman who married
+your grandfather to seek to do well for her son; it was natural, too,
+that they should seek to maintain the position which they secured. You
+are the one man they have to fear, consequently it is reasonable to
+suppose that they should protect themselves against you. It is
+generally understood that Tresidder is in a sad way financially; he is
+therefore trying, and naturally, too, to save himself through his ward.
+If she had fallen in love with Nick, all would have been well with him;
+but she hasn't. Instead, she falls in love with you. Oh, you needn't
+blush, my lad, I can see how things stand. Very well; Tresidder sees
+that if she marries you, you will be owner of Trevose, and will thus be
+able, under your grandfather's curious will, to oust him from
+Pennington. He is naturally fighting for his hand; ay, and will to the
+end. You may call him a villain if you like, but his course is almost
+natural. The fact is, the old lady was, and is, ambitious for her
+family, and all of them love money, dearly love it. This explains their
+actions. Mark, I will admit that the whole lot of them have stained
+their honour to get their way, but not more than most others would have
+done had they been similarly circumstanced."
+
+Lawyer Trefry walked up and down his office as he said this, and seemed
+to be speaking partly to himself, partly to me.
+
+"But I have no money," I said, "neither has Naomi. How can I do as you
+suggest?"
+
+"That shall be forthcoming if you will do as I suggest," he replied. "I
+will find a safe retreat for the young lady, at least I will try,
+although my name must not appear in the matter. Of course, it will take
+a week or two; in the meantime, you could, perhaps, arrange for a safe
+hiding-place, for I dare not let her stay at my house, much as I would
+like."
+
+"And until Naomi is twenty-one?" I asked.
+
+"Tresidder will be the nominal owner of Trevose. It cannot be helped. I
+don't think he will do anything very rash; in any case it seems to be
+the only arrangement for the present. In the meanwhile I will consider
+the matter more carefully, and what can be done shall be done."
+
+I suggested many other things, but I did not succeed in altering Mr.
+Trefry's opinions.
+
+Now when I had left him, while I could not help seeing that he had
+uttered many wise words, I was far from satisfied with his plans. True,
+Naomi had promised to be my wife, but my whole nature revolted at the
+thought of becoming entirely dependent on her income, while my rightful
+possessions had been robbed from me. Thus, although the lawyer had told
+me to leave the county, so as to ensure my safety until Naomi came of
+age, I determined that I would stay and seek to get back my own. True, I
+had been entirely unsuccessful in the past, and had played into the
+hands of those who had wronged me. At the same time I had been learning
+wisdom, and I pondered over the schemes which had come into my mind.
+
+It was dark when we left Truro, for I did not think it wise to travel in
+the day. I took the precaution, however, to buy a brace of pistols in
+the town. This I was able to do by means of the money which Eli had
+obtained from Jonathan Cowling, the old serving-man at Trevose.
+
+By the following morning we had reached Mullion Porth, and without
+difficulty found the house of Mrs. Mary Crantock. Indeed, we found
+Tamsin standing in the little green-painted porch as if she expected us.
+
+Now I must confess that I felt uneasy at being obliged to resort to this
+means of finding a temporary home for my love. I did not know Mrs. Mary
+Crantock, and I was afraid lest Tamsin Truscott should betray me. At the
+same time I did not see what else I could do. To take her to Trevose was
+altogether impracticable; Pennington was just as bad, even worse, while
+Lawyer Trefry expressly stated that he could not consent for her to be
+taken to his house. Moreover, I trusted that Naomi by her kindness and
+winsomeness would make both Mrs. Crantock and Tamsin her friends.
+
+I found Mrs. Crantock to be an exceedingly pious woman. She had been
+very religiously inclined previous to Mr. Wesley's visit to Cornwall,
+and since then her religion had become more pronounced. Her great aim in
+life seemed to be to make people believe in the Methodist doctrines, and
+to become converted according to the ideas of those wonderful people.
+She had found out through Tamsin that the young lady I was seeking to
+rescue was brought up a Papist, and this caused her to be eager to give
+her a home. First, because she was anxious to know the distinctive
+doctrines of the Papists; and, second, because she would have an
+opportunity of, to use her own terms, "snatching a brand from the
+burning."
+
+The great thing that comforted me, however, was the fact that she seemed
+desirous of making my love safe and comfortable, for I determined that I
+would not stay at Mullion Porth, but take immediate steps to see if what
+Eli had told me about the buried treasure was true.
+
+Two hours after she had been welcomed at Mrs. Crantock's, therefore, I
+left the house. It was terribly hard for me to tear myself away from my
+love, especially as she clung fondly to me as her only protector. How
+gladly I would have stayed with her, God only knows, but for the sake of
+my little maid's good name, as well as for many other reasons, I dared
+not.
+
+When I bade her good-bye, however, I saw Tamsin watching us, and the
+look on her face almost made me shudder, and at that moment I repented
+bringing Naomi to Mullion Cove. It was too late to draw back now,
+however; besides, I was powerless.
+
+One of the difficulties which confronted me after I had left was what to
+do with the horses, and Eli and I had a long conversation as to the
+course we should pursue concerning them. While we talked Tamsin came to
+us.
+
+"Mr. Jasper," she said, "can I help you?"
+
+"You are very good, Tamsin," I said; "I am afraid you could not. I want
+to send these horses back to Trevose, and I know not how it is to be
+done."
+
+"Even a sister may be useful," she said, in tones which I could not
+understand.
+
+I looked at her questioningly.
+
+"I will see that the horses are taken to Trevose," she said, quietly.
+
+"How, Tamsin?"
+
+"I have many means. My father has many men who will do anything for me."
+
+"Could it be done without letting the Tresidders know?" I asked,
+eagerly.
+
+"Why not? They could be taken to an inn at St. Columb or Padstow, and
+then the man who goes with them could take a note to the Jonathan
+Cowling you told us about, telling him what he had done."
+
+I thought over this plan very carefully, and then I congratulated Tamsin
+on being such a clever girl. She did not reply to my words, however,
+but instead kept her eyes on the ground as though she were thinking
+deeply.
+
+"Will you arrange this, Tamsin?" I said, presently.
+
+"Yes, I will arrange it."
+
+"So that neither your father nor the Tresidders shall suspect anything?"
+
+"Yes, it shall be done."
+
+Then I went away, pondering at Tamsin's behaviour, for although she
+seemed to be kind I could not understand her.
+
+Now, Mullion Forth is only a few miles from Kynance Cove, and as I was
+anxious not to meet with any of Cap'n Jack's gang, I suggested to Eli
+that we should keep as far inland as possible.
+
+"No," grunted Eli.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"You said that we must vind the dreckshuns for Granfer's treasure."
+
+"Yes, but they are at St. Eve, are they not?"
+
+"No, no! Aw, aw!" and he laughed like one tickled.
+
+"Tell me what you mean, Eli."
+
+"Cap'n Jack do think 'ee's awful clever, 'ee do. 'Ee do zay 'ee can vind
+out everything. But 'ee ded'n reckon 'pon poor little Eli. Little Eli
+knawed he'd be allays at mawther. He ded think the dreckshuns was cloase
+to Granfer's Caave. Zo they wos, but Eli took 'em to a plaace ovver by
+Kynance Cove. Aw, aw!"
+
+"Then they are near Cap'n Jack's house?"
+
+"Iss, iss. Cloase by. Mawther was purtly frightened when she cudden vind
+the paper. But little Eli knawed, an' ded'n zay nothin'."
+
+"And what are we to do?"
+
+"Git cloase to the Cove, then lop round till dark, after that little
+Eli'll tell 'ee."
+
+"But why did you take the papers there?"
+
+"People do look everywhere cipt cloase by their own doors. Little Eli
+ed'n a fool!"
+
+Now I must confess that all this talk about the buried treasure became
+very foolish to me at this time. As I have said, there were many tales
+when I was a boy about such things until no one took any heed. Still I
+determined to make the most of Eli's knowledge, for if what he suspected
+were true, I should be able to buy back Pennington at once, and have the
+Tresidders in my power. All the same, I built very little upon it, and
+through the day tried to make plans which should be more feasible.
+
+When darkness came on we made our way across Goonhilly Downs and came
+down to the cove when the tide was at its ebb. I saw Cap'n Jack's house
+in the distance, by means of a light which shone from the window, and
+could not help thinking of the morning when I first saw it, and of the
+circumstances under which I came thither. Only a little more than a year
+had passed away since then, and yet it seemed ages.
+
+"We must be very careful, Eli," I said; "if I am caught by Cap'n Jack's
+gang I am a dead man."
+
+"All right," grunted Eli. "You'll not be seed. I'll take care o' that.
+Come after me."
+
+He led the way down a beaten track until we came to a deep gorge, by
+which we were completely hidden.
+
+When we had reached the bottom of the gorge I stopped suddenly.
+
+"I heard a noise, Eli," I whispered. "Stop, listen!"
+
+We stopped, but all was silent. No wind blew, and so every sound was
+easily heard. I ran up the path again, and looked around. The moon had
+not yet risen, but the night was clear. Still I could see nothing.
+
+"Maaster Jasper es feartened," grunted Eli; "come on."
+
+I followed him again, and had scarcely reached the beach when a sound
+like the crack of a musket reached our ears.
+
+"The devil es blawin' hes billies (bellows) to-night," laughed Eli.
+
+Now, as all the world knows, the devil is supposed to wander much among
+the caves in Kynance Cove. Perhaps this is owing to many of the strange
+sounds heard there. In one of the caves a terrible hissing sound may be
+heard, which is called the "Devil's Frying-Pan;" in another is a deep
+hole, from which a vapour like steam comes forth, and this is called the
+"Devil's Punch-Bowl." It is also said that he walks in bodily form among
+the rocks, and makes great noises with his bellows.
+
+"We need'n fear Cap'n Jack's gang to-night," laughed Eli.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"They never come near 'ere when th'oull Sir Nick is blowin' hes billies
+by night."
+
+I remembered the stories I had heard when I lived among them, and
+believed he told the truth.
+
+"I shudden like to zee th'oull chap hisself," grunted Eli, with a laugh,
+"I shudden mind, though. We cud git our way ef he wos to come. We cud
+jist sell ourselves to un, and then you'd bait the Trezidders aisy."
+
+I did not reply, for a great dread laid hold of me. Besides, the sight
+of Eli, as he made his way between the rocks, grunting and making all
+sorts of weird noises, was enough to make one's blood run cold.
+
+"Remember, Eli," I said, "everything must be clear and right. I'll have
+no dealings with darkness, mind that."
+
+But Eli made no answer, except to go jabbering as though he were mad.
+
+"'Tes a good job the tide es out," he grunted, presently.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"We cudden git in the Devil's Church else."
+
+"What have we to do with the Devil's Church?"
+
+"The dreckshuns be there," and he laughed in his strange, guttural way.
+
+As I have said, being better educated than most of the Cornish folk, I
+had been led to disbelieve in many of the foolish stories told, but I
+shuddered at the idea of going there. For, first of all, it was very
+difficult to get into, and could only be reached when the tide was out,
+and it was, moreover, reputed to be accursed ground. Here shipwrecked
+sailors had been lured by inviting lights and welcome sounds, and here
+they had met their doom.
+
+"I'll not go there, Eli," I gasped.
+
+"Don't be a vool, Jasper Pennington," snarled Eli. "We sh'll be saafe
+there. Nobody will disturb us. I put it there, I did. Come on,
+Pennington; and yer love is there, you boobah."
+
+I saw that the dwarf was much excited, and, like one under a spell, I
+followed him without another word. We climbed over many slippery,
+dangerous rocks, and then walked over the grass-grown summits of a
+small island. Then we slowly descended on the south side of the island.
+Neither of us spoke, for we were in great danger. Below us, many feet
+down, were great jagged rocks, at whose feet the frothy waves leaped.
+
+"How much farther?" I asked.
+
+"Here we be," grunted Eli, and he disappeared.
+
+The next minute I found myself in a roomy cavern.
+
+"Wait, and I'll get a light," cried Eli, feeling in his pockets.
+
+I heard a strange whizzing noise, and then something struck against my
+face, and I heard a screech in the darkness outside.
+
+"This is the Devil's Church," grunted Eli, "and 'tes 'ere I've put the
+dreckshuns."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+HOW I FOUND THE SECRET OF THE TREASURE, AND WENT TO THE SCILLY ISLES
+
+
+The cave called the Devil's Church is little known, and yet it is larger
+than any of the caverns in Kynance Cove. Strangely enough, too, it is
+shaped like a church; even the entrance looks as though it might have
+been fashioned by the hands of men. It was perfectly dry, for the sea
+never entered it except at very high tides, and even when it entered the
+water was never known to reach the roof. It was, moreover, seldom
+visited, for, as I have before stated, in addition to its evil name, it
+was extremely difficult to reach.
+
+"You say you've put the papers here?" I said to Eli.
+
+"Iss; 'ere, stoop down and laive me git top yer back."
+
+I stooped down, and the dwarf climbed on my shoulders. I had no idea he
+was so heavy, and when he placed his shoes on my shoulders I gave a cry
+of pain.
+
+"Aw," laughed Eli, "I be'ant no wizard, be I? I be 'eavier than the
+church Bible, I be. Ther' now, hold yerself stiddy, and I'll take et
+out."
+
+He felt along the roof of the cavern, and presently gave a grunt of
+satisfaction.
+
+"I've got et, Jasper, I've got et. 'Tes oal 'ere. Pennington and the
+purty maid. Aw, aw!"
+
+With that I let him down on the floor, and saw that he held something
+in his hand.
+
+"Now, then, let's see it," I cried, for in my eagerness I had forgotten
+all about my ghostly fears.
+
+"Come 'ere to a lew place," said Eli; "this'll do. I'll hould the candle
+while you raid."
+
+The packet which he had taken from a hole in the cave was covered with
+some kind of skin, and was carefully sewn with strong twine. I took my
+knife from my pocket, and was about to cut it open when I looked around.
+The candle which Eli held partially lit up the cave, sufficient, indeed,
+to enable me to see nearly every part of it. A moment later I had
+started to my feet and seized the pistol which I had bought at Truro,
+but my hand became nerveless.
+
+Close to me, not ten feet away, I saw that which turned my blood to ice.
+It seemed to my excited imagination a creature fashioned in the likeness
+of a man, and yet its eyes shone as I had never seen human eyes shine,
+and the face was terrible to look upon. The thing held up its hands, and
+I saw that they were long and lean. He uttered a cry. "No, no, no!" he
+said.
+
+A mist came before my eyes, and my senses seemed to depart from me. For
+a minute or more I was ignorant of what passed.
+
+"You be a vool, Jasper!" I heard Eli say.
+
+"What is it?" I asked. "Where is it gone?"
+
+"Dunnaw, dunnaw. We'll go out."
+
+I hurried out of the cave, forgetful of the purpose for which we came,
+and I did not rest until I reached the mainland.
+
+"This is terrible, Eli!" I said.
+
+The dwarf laughed.
+
+"I 'spect it was Granfer's ghost," he grunted; "but what of that? He
+ed'n goin' to stop we."
+
+"He has stopped us."
+
+"Not a bit of it. I've got the dreckshuns 'ere. I bean't no vool ef you
+be."
+
+I hurried on, for I was terribly afraid, and yet at each step I felt
+more glad that Eli had taken the papers. All the time Eli kept close to
+my heels, sometimes laughing at my fears, and at others grumbling with
+me. Presently I seemed to see things in a new light. Wasn't this
+apparition merely the creature of my own imaginations? Had I not
+conjured up the spectre myself?
+
+"Eli," I said presently, trying to be brave, "you are right, I am a
+fool. That thing was nothing but my fancy."
+
+"Aw, aw!" laughed Eli.
+
+"Come," I said, "there's a furze-cutter's hut somewhere, I saw it as we
+crossed the downs to-day. Let us go and read the papers."
+
+"Tha's yer soarts," replied Eli. "'Ere we be."
+
+With that we found our way to a hut which some one had built as a
+temporary shelter, and a few minutes later Eli had lit another candle.
+The wind which had risen howled across Goonhilly Downs, on which the hut
+was built, but the place was sufficiently sheltered to allow the candle
+to burn steadily.
+
+"Here 'tes," cried Eli, safely; "raid, Maaster Jasper, raid."
+
+A nervous dread again laid hold of me as I took the thing in my hands,
+but mastering my weakness, I cut the threads, and a few minutes later I
+had smoothed out the piece of paper on which the directions, of which
+Eli had so often spoken, were written.
+
+The following is a copy, as nearly as I can make it, although it is
+impossible for me to reproduce the peculiar characters in which it was
+written.
+
+
+           CILLYILES
+     ANNETT NOBODELIVIN
+           KAMSAY.
+       LAWTID _Be sur ov this_
+       DOO SOTH. VURS
+       KUNGIT.
+       SOTH AGIN _Lik thiky_
+     DEVILS POINT
+
+[Illustration: Diagram]
+
+         BLAKPLAS
+     ELLS MOTH S W.
+       BILYSED N. W.
+       PIK BAR SHOWL
+         IREBOX JAMTITE
+     _Loard be marciful to we_.
+
+
+I pored over the directions for a long time, while Eli looked over my
+shoulder, as if trying to decipher the characters.
+
+"Eli bea'nt no schullard," he grunted at length; "Jasper be, Jasper raid
+et to Eli."
+
+"Wait a bit, Eli," I said, trying to remember some of the things I had
+learnt at school, "it's beginning to get plain to me."
+
+"Wish I was schullard," he cried excitedly.
+
+Again I pored over the paper, and presently I translated it to mean as
+follows:
+
+
+                  _Scilly Isles._
+
+         _Name of Island: Annette. Uninhabited._
+
+              _Calm sea. (Be sure of this.)_
+
+     _Due south of the island. Go as far as possible.
+     Here southward still is a rock, of which a
+     rough sketch is given. The treasure is laid at
+     the point indicated by the black spot, called the
+     Devil's Point._
+
+       _Hell's Mouth S.W. Billy's Head N.W.
+     An iron box jammed tight. Take pick, crowbar,
+     and shovel._
+
+
+The longer I looked at the paper the more certain I was that I had given
+the correct meaning to it, and yet the whole idea of a buried treasure
+became absurd.
+
+"Eli," I said, "are you sure this is intended to tell where a treasure
+is?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+"Look, Eli, tell me the history of this paper. Tell me who wrote it, and
+what Granfer Fraddam had to do with it. Tell me how it came into your
+mother's hands and into yours."
+
+"Shaan't tell 'ee nothin' more," grunted Eli. "'Tes there. Give et to me
+ef you doan't want et."
+
+I sat for a long time in deep thought, for I scarcely knew what step to
+take. Presently, however, my mind was made up. I would, at any rate, see
+if these rudely drawn characters had any meaning. By this means I might
+get back Pennington, and I should not take Naomi to the altar a
+penniless outcast.
+
+If these directions had no meaning I should be none the worse; if there
+were a treasure, I had as much right to it as any other man; nay, more.
+Eli was Granfer Fraddam's descendant, and he had given the paper to me.
+
+Besides, the longer I thought of it, the more I was convinced that there
+was a meaning in what I had been reading. Why should it have been
+written at all? Why was Granfer Fraddam so particular to preserve it?
+And, above all, why should Cap'n Jack Truscott be so eager to obtain it?
+
+I had heard of _Annette_ as forming one of a group of islands lying
+about thirty miles from the Land's End, but beyond that I knew nothing.
+It was evidently uninhabited, and regarded by the pirates, if pirates
+they were, as a safe place to bury their treasure.
+
+Anyhow I determined to follow the directions given. So far I had done
+nothing to get back my own. I had been driven from pillar to post
+without making a single step forward. At worst I could but fail, while
+it might be possible that by this step I might be revenged on my
+enemies.
+
+"Yes, Eli," I said, "we'll go, you and I."
+
+"Tha's yer soarts," grunted Eli.
+
+"We shall want a boat, and we shall want tools, Eli. How are we to get
+them?"
+
+"Aisy, aisy," cried Eli.
+
+"Come on, we must be off."
+
+"We must walk to Land's End," cried Eli, "and git a boat there. Another
+say voyage, aw, aw!"
+
+I did not altogether like this arrangement, and yet I knew no better
+plan, so we started on our journey. We had not gone more than a few
+yards when I turned and looked around.
+
+"I heard a footstep," I said.
+
+"You be feartened," grunted Eli.
+
+"There is some one following us, I'm sure."
+
+"How can there be? We be 'ere in the oppen downs, and can zee oal
+around."
+
+He spoke the truth. Around us was a vast stretch of open country upon
+which nothing grew save stunted furze bushes. It seemed impossible that
+any one could hide from us.
+
+I took heart, therefore, and trudged forward. I feared nothing
+living--it was the departed dead, the powers of darkness that held me in
+awe. But for Naomi I would not have ventured to go to the Scilly Isles;
+the remembrance of her, however, nerved me, for my Pennington pride
+mixed largely with my love. I knew that if the desires of my heart were
+fulfilled and she became my wife, I could easily obtain the means to buy
+back Pennington, but the thought was repugnant to me. Somehow I felt as
+though I should be disgraced in my own eyes if I did such a thing,
+natural as some people might regard it, for we Penningtons have always
+been regarded as an independent race, desiring nothing but that which we
+could obtain by our own hands and brains. And thus, although I loved
+Naomi very dearly, I could not bear the thought of asking her to link
+her life to a penniless outcast.
+
+Besides another fear possessed me. From what Lawyer Trefry had hinted
+when we parted, and from what Naomi had said to me, it was possible that
+the Tresidders had become possessed of her property. I pondered long
+over what she had said concerning the conversation held between the
+priests and Richard Tresidder. I tried to discover why they desired to
+have her regarded as dead. To my dull mind everything was enshrouded in
+mystery, but the very mystery urged me forward to find out the truth
+concerning Granfer Fraddam's treasure.
+
+When we reached Penzance I bought a compass and a chart containing many
+particulars about the Scilly Isles. This done we trudged on to the
+Land's End, and, arrived there, the real difficulties of our adventure
+presented themselves. First of all we had to possess a boat, and to do
+this without causing suspicion seemed difficult. Then we had to obtain
+tools and start on our journey without being seen. Eli, however, laughed
+at my fears.
+
+"'Tes arternoon now, Jasper Pennington," he said; "I'll git the boat,
+you git the other things."
+
+I asked him many questions as to how the boat was to be obtained, but he
+made no answer save to tell me to be in Gamper Bay, close by a rock
+called the Irish Lady, at ten o'clock that night, when the moon would
+rise. I knew I could trust him; so walking to the village of St. Bunyan,
+which is about three miles from Land's End, I obtained at a blacksmith's
+shop a pick, a crowbar, and a shovel, according to the directions given.
+This done I found my way back to the coast again. I had plenty of time,
+so putting the tools in a safe place I wandered along the edge of the
+cliffs. The moon had not yet risen, but for the time of the year the
+weather was very calm and pleasant. The waves leaped pleasantly on the
+great rock called the Armed Knight, and even the breakers on Whicksand
+Bay were not angry, as is usually the case on this wild coast. A few
+clouds swept along the sky, but mostly the heavens were clear. Presently
+I looked at my watch, and after some trouble discovered that it was
+nearly nine o'clock. As I was nearly a mile from the Irish Lady I
+determined to start, and was just going to the place where I had laid
+the pick and shovel when I heard the sound of voices in the near
+distance. I immediately fell flat on the ground, for I did not wish to
+be seen. A minute later I knew that two men were coming toward me, and I
+judged would pass close beside me. However, I lay still. I was partly
+covered by the heather which grew abundantly just there, and in the dim
+light could not be distinguished by the ordinary passer-by from the many
+great gray rocks which were scattered along the headland.
+
+"I heard the dwarf say," said a voice which I could not recognise, and
+yet which seemed very familiar to me, "that they would start from the
+Irish Lady at ten o'clock."
+
+"Iss, sur," was the reply.
+
+"They cannot get a boat nearer than Sennen Cove, can they?"
+
+"'Tes the only place a booat can be got to-night."
+
+"And it could not be got without your knowledge?"
+
+"No, sur."
+
+"You are quite sure?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+"And you have given orders as I directed?"
+
+"Iss, that I 'ave for sure."
+
+"Very good; but keep a sharp look-out. I shall be at the Ship Inn at
+Sennen. If by any means they launch a boat let me know."
+
+"I've put six men to watch, sur."
+
+"That's all right."
+
+They passed within six feet of me, but they did not see me. A few
+seconds later they were out of sight. So far I was safe, then, but what
+did this conversation mean? Who was this man who had been watching my
+actions, and what could be his purpose? He spoke like an educated man,
+and I could not imagine why he should place six men to watch the coast.
+Was he a creature of Richard Tresidder, or did he belong to Cap'n Jack
+Truscott's gang?
+
+"I must go and find Eli," I thought, so I made my way toward the Irish
+Lady as fast as I was able. I had just reached a part of the cliff where
+it was safe to descend to the beach when I saw a dark object creeping
+toward me. I was about to rush toward it and grapple with it when I
+heard Eli's voice.
+
+"Summin in the wind, Maaster Jasper. Somebody 'ave hired all the
+booats."
+
+I was not surprised at his words; what I had heard previously prepared
+me for them.
+
+"I tried to stall one, but 'twas no use. All the cove is watched."
+
+"What have you done, then?"
+
+"Nothin'. I did'n want nobody to take notice of me."
+
+For once my slow-thinking mind was able to hit upon a plan. I remembered
+when I was with Cap'n Jack's gang hearing of a cave in Gramper Bay, not
+far from the Irish Lady, where smugglers landed their goods. One of
+Cap'n Jack's men had pointed it out to me, and had told me that a gang
+who worked with them sometimes often kept a boat in it.
+
+This I told to Eli, who immediately suggested our trying to find it.
+
+"What we do we must do dreckly, Maaster Jasper," he said; "they be
+watchin' for we."
+
+I felt the truth of his words, and a few minutes later we had
+accomplished a precipitous and dangerous descent to the shore beneath.
+We should have got down more quickly but for the tools which I carried.
+
+We searched very quietly, very cautiously, for I remembered what I had
+heard, and were not long in finding out the cave I have mentioned.
+
+I may say here that I visited the Land's End only last week, and I find
+that the place is now quite open to view. A great mass of cliff which
+formerly hid its mouth has during the last few years fallen away, so
+that it can be no longer regarded as secret. Then, however, the opening
+was fairly well hidden.
+
+On entering the place I was delighted to find two fairly large boats. I
+discovered, too, that oars were lying in them, also a small mast and
+sails.
+
+"Good, good!" cried Eli, in a hoarse whisper. "Lev us be off right
+away."
+
+"The moon has not yet risen, Eli," I said; "it'll be dangerous to go out
+among so many rocks."
+
+"All the better, they waant zee us."
+
+I saw there was much truth in this, especially as they did not expect us
+to start until ten o'clock. So together we pulled out what seemed to be
+the best boat, and a few minutes later we were rocking on the heaving
+waves.
+
+It was, perhaps, a foolish adventure. As all the world knows, there are
+no wilder seas than those off Land's End. Here two mighty currents meet,
+and often when the waters are smooth elsewhere they are wild and
+troubled here. Besides, to undertake a long journey of more than thirty
+miles in the open sea in a rowing-boat, and to visit a group of islands
+noted for the treachery of their coasts, seemed harebrained and
+senseless, especially so when we were watched by people who were, as I
+judged, far from friendly toward us. And yet this fact added zest to the
+adventure; it made me feel that I was not chasing a phantom, else why
+should precautions be taken to hinder us, why were we the objects of so
+much suspicion?
+
+Nothing happened to us during our sail across the waters, and yet more
+than once I almost regretted undertaking the journey in such a way, for
+with the rising of the moon came also the turbulence of the waves.
+Indeed, when we had accomplished only half our journey I feared we
+should never reach the Scilly Isles at all. Our boat was tossed on the
+waves like a cork, and so rough was the sea that I was almost unable to
+row. Matters became better presently, however, and as morning came on I
+was able to hoist our little sail, and thus the latter part of our
+journey was far more pleasant than the first.
+
+As soon as daylight came we looked eagerly to see if we were followed,
+but a light mist had fallen upon the sea, and thus all vision was
+obscured. Still I imagined that we were safe, and I eagerly made plans
+whereby we should visit Annette Island, and formed many a wild
+conjecture as to what the treasure would be.
+
+It was not without considerable difficulty that we effected a landing.
+At first I determined to make straight for the place we had come to
+seek, but presently I felt hungry, which led me to remember that we had
+no food on board, and that we should surely need some before we reached
+the object of our search. So after much haggling with Eli, we at length
+decided to land at St. Mary's, where there was a safe harbour, which we
+did after much hard struggling. Indeed, so much had the journey
+fatigued us that, supposing that we found what we desired, I almost
+despaired of ever taking it to the mainland, unless the sea were much
+becalmed. Still I imagined that we might on returning commence our
+journey in the morning, and if the wind were favourable accomplish a
+great part of the distance before the night came on.
+
+Our appearance at Hugh Town, St. Mary's, seemed to call forth no special
+comment. Accustomed as were the islanders to all sorts of sea
+excursions, they apparently regarded our voyage as natural. At the same
+time they were curious as to our visit, and in a kindly way asked our
+business.
+
+I left all the questions for Eli to answer, who was far more adept at
+such matters than I, and who seemed to satisfy the curiosity of the
+fisher people without trouble. Perhaps they thought we were smugglers
+like themselves, for I suppose that almost all the men on the islands
+were in some way interested in deceiving the king's officers. They were
+very hospitable, however, and would charge nothing for the hearty meal
+of which we partook.
+
+Late in the afternoon we boarded our little boat again, and without
+apparently attracting any attention we rowed for Annette Island. It was
+well it was calm, for the place was surrounded with low-lying rocks,
+which might any moment destroy our craft. Never shall I forget the reef
+off Annette Head, for even on that calm day the innumerable "dogs"
+churned the waters into foam as they roared around them, as if to tell
+us that if we came near them they would surely destroy us. And we were
+near becoming wrecked, too, for there were many cross currents, which,
+had we not been very watchful, would surely have drawn us to
+destruction. One especially was dragging us to the reef of the
+_Hellweathers_, and but for my great strength we should never have
+landed.
+
+As the day was closing, however, we saw a small cove, and toward this we
+made our way, and finally succeeded in landing. I saw now why this
+island had been chosen for the burial of the treasure, if, indeed, one
+was buried. Even the islanders themselves seldom visited it because of
+its dangerous coast, and because there seemed nothing on it to tempt
+them to go thither.
+
+Once on land, however, we climbed Annette Head and looked cautiously
+around. No one was, as far as I could see, in sight. We were alone on a
+tract of land about forty acres big, entirely surrounded by treacherous
+waves and rocks.
+
+"Come, Eli," I said, "we are safe so far. Now we will see if this paper
+has any meaning."
+
+I saw that he was nearly as excited as I, for his eyes shone strangely,
+and he uttered many wild ejaculations as we wended our way southward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+HOW WE FOUND THE IRON BOX ON ANNETTE ISLAND, AND THE TERRIBLE ENDING TO
+OUR ADVENTURE
+
+
+There can, I think, be few drearier prospects than the one which
+presented itself to us as we made our way toward the south of Annette.
+Above was a gray sky, all around was a sullen sea. True, the waters were
+calm, but they looked as though at any moment they might rouse
+themselves to fury. East of us we could see the Island of St. Agnes, but
+beyond this no land was visible, except the rocky islets which lifted
+their heads from out the dark sea.
+
+On the Island of Annette we could see nothing of interest. No human
+being lived there, neither was any cattle to be seen. Possibly there
+might be enough verdure to keep a few alive, but I think that even they
+would have died of loneliness. The people at Hugh Town said that
+scarcely any one ever thought of going to Annette. Why should they?
+there was nothing to induce them there.
+
+Since then I have seen the whole group of islands bathed in the sunlight
+of summer, I have seen them covered with rich vegetation, I have seen
+the waves shine bright as they leaped on the many-coloured cliffs, and
+make sweet music as they played around the innumerable rocks. Seen in
+this way they are pleasing to all who can enjoy a strange and lovely
+beauty, but on the day of which I am writing they were gloomy beyond all
+the power of words to tell.
+
+Even the wind, little as there was of it, wailed and sobbed as it moved
+along the waters, while birds, the like of which I had never seen
+before, cried as though they were in bitter pain.
+
+"Eli," I said, "surely we are on the devil's mission, and God is
+forbidding us to go further."
+
+Eli made no answer save to grunt savagely.
+
+"Let us row back to St. Mary's again," I said, "this place is given over
+to Satan."
+
+"Then you'll go by yourself, Jasper Pennington!" snarled Eli. "I ded'n
+come 'ere to go away without gittin' what I wanted. Besides, 'tes nearly
+dark. I be'ant goin' to go 'way from here till daylight. Ef we tried we
+should both be drowned."
+
+I saw that he spoke the truth. None but a madman would put out to sea
+off Annette in the dark, and I saw by the gathering darkness that in a
+few minutes night would be upon us.
+
+"Cheer up," continued Eli, "Pennington es 'ere, so es the purty maid.
+Eli do love Jasper, Eli do," and the dwarf caught my hands and fondled
+them.
+
+In spite of myself I was cheered by his words, and throwing off my
+superstitious fears, I made my way southward to the spot where the great
+rock was supposed to lie.
+
+When we had walked a few minutes we saw that the island tapered down to
+a narrow point; we saw, too, that the strip of land was about three
+quarters of a mile long, perhaps a quarter of a mile broad, and lay
+pretty well north and south. Arriving at the southern extremity, we
+looked eagerly around. As I said, day was fast departing, but there was
+sufficient light to see the general features of the coast.
+
+I gave a start. Yes, there was the rock mentioned in the paper which I
+have described.
+
+"Wurrah!" cried Eli excitedly, "we be rich as Jews, Maaster Jasper."
+
+"Come, Eli," I said, as excited as he, "give me the tools. I'll get
+there at once."
+
+"We cannot do et yet," replied Eli. "In five minutes more 't'll be
+dark."
+
+"What fools we were not to come before!" I said, angrily.
+
+"No," grunted Eli; "ef people was to zee us diggin' they'd begin to
+'spect summin. We mus' do et in the dark."
+
+"How, Eli? You must be mad."
+
+The dwarf looked anxiously at the sky.
+
+"'T'll clear up dreckly," he replied complacently, "and the moon'll rise
+earlier to-night than he did last night. Ef 'tes clear moonlight we c'n
+zee. Ef tes'n, we must be up as zoon as ther's any light and find et
+afore anybody can be about."
+
+"Spend the night here?" I cried.
+
+"We sh'll 'ave to do that anyhow," he said. "We mus'n stay 'ere now,"
+continued the dwarf, "we must git away. Tell 'ee, I b'leeve we be
+watched as et es."
+
+"What makes you think so?"
+
+"Never mind," and he looked anxiously toward St. Agnes. "Tell 'ee,
+Jasper, 't'll be a rough night's work."
+
+I, too, looked toward St. Agnes, but could see nothing.
+
+"Come on, come on!" he cried excitedly; "we've got the dreckshuns; we
+knaw," and he walked northward as fast as he was able, carrying the
+spade under his arm. Presently we reached a deep pool not far from
+Annette Head, and near here we found some huge overhanging rocks.
+Underneath these we both crept, and here we sat for a considerable time.
+We had brought food with us, and of this we partook, after which we
+tried to pass away the time by smoking some prime tobacco which I had
+bought at Penzance. It was just after six o'clock when we finished our
+meal, and we sat there in the darkness for two hours. I rejoiced to see
+the clouds depart and the stars begin to shine, for the genius of
+loneliness seemed to govern the place. We could see nothing but the sea,
+which in the night looked as black as ink as it surged among the rocks.
+Even "Great Smith," a huge black rock which lay about half a mile from
+us, was almost hidden from view, and no sound of anything living reached
+us save the weird, unnatural cry of the sea birds which now and then
+fluttered among the rocks on the coast.
+
+When eight o'clock came Eli crawled out from our hiding-place and crept
+to the headland. Here he stayed for some minutes.
+
+"We be saafe, I reckon," he grunted when he came back; "ther's nobody
+here, nobody 'toal. We'll go back to the rock again. We musn't talk,
+jist go quiet."
+
+I followed him, for somehow I felt that he was more capable of leading
+than I. He kept perfectly cool, I was excited and irritable. Moreover, a
+nameless dread had laid hold of me. We kept close by the northeast coast
+of the island, while at frequent intervals Eli would hide behind a rock
+or lie flat on the ground, listening intently all the while.
+
+"Are you anxious, Eli?" I asked. "Who could come here without our
+knowledge? while, as you say, it would mean death for any one to come in
+the dark."
+
+"Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy Coad be'ant like other people," he grunted.
+"I've bin thinkin', thinkin'."
+
+"What about?"
+
+"Sha'ant tell 'ee!" he snarled; "but I reckon we be oal right. Come on."
+
+Presently we reached the southern extremity of the little tract of land
+again, and as I made my way to the rock I became possessed of a feverish
+desire to get the treasure. All ghostly fears departed, I felt strong
+and capable again, and it was with great impatience that I waited for
+the moon to rise.
+
+The wind had gone to rest, while the sea was settling down to dead calm.
+
+"'Nother aaf an hour, Jasper," grunted Eli.
+
+"Yes," I cried, and I grasped my crowbar.
+
+But we had to wait for more than half an hour, for with the rising of
+the moon came also a black cloud which obscured its light until it had
+risen some distance in the heavens. By and by, however, the moon shot
+above the cloud, and that which before had been obscured by darkness
+became plain. There was the great rugged rock which bore a resemblance
+to the rude scratching on the paper. By the side of the rock ran a deep
+gulf filled with black water. Near by, perhaps twenty feet away, was
+another and larger mass of cliff. I looked at the water which lay
+between the two, and saw that it whirled and eddied, as though there
+were some terrible forces underneath which moved it at will.
+
+I picked up a bit of stick and threw it into the middle of the gulf,
+which ran perhaps forty feet into the island. I saw the water take it
+and carry it a little way seaward, and then it came back again. After
+that it started whirling around, and in a minute or so later it seemed
+to be drawn downward, for it disappeared from our sight.
+
+"Ef a man was to git in there 'ee'd never git out again," grunted Eli.
+
+"No, never," was my reply, and I shuddered as I spoke.
+
+"Well, then, be careful, Jasper Pennington."
+
+Seizing the pick and crowbar, I crept along the rock until I had reached
+the extreme point.
+
+I remembered the words written on the piece of paper: "_Hell's Mouth, S.
+W._" Yes, that was the gulf into which I had thrown the stick.
+
+"_Billy's Head N. W._" I looked to the right of me and saw a rock shaped
+something like a man's head.
+
+The night became lighter. The moon was rising higher and higher in the
+heavens and sailing in a cloudless sky.
+
+I examined the Devil's Point carefully, but I could see no sign of place
+into which an iron box could be placed.
+
+"Can 'ee find et?" I heard Eli say, in a low, rasping voice.
+
+"No; there's nothing here. From here it is perpendicular to the sea, a
+dozen feet down."
+
+Eli swore a terrible oath.
+
+"For God's sake, don't," I cried; "this place is true to its name.
+That's Hell's Mouth, and this is the Devil's Point right enough."
+
+He crept by me, grunting savagely, and began to feel around the edge of
+the rock.
+
+"Be careful, Eli," I said, "if you slip you are lost."
+
+"I sha'ant slip," he cried savagely, "I sha'ant!"
+
+Then I saw him lift a stone several pounds weight and throw it into the
+sea. This was quickly followed by another.
+
+"Pick, Jasper!" he cried.
+
+He placed the pick between two stones and began to heave at the handle.
+
+"Ca'ant move um!" he snarled. "'Ere, you do et."
+
+I caught the handle of the pick and lifted. I felt it begin to break in
+my hands.
+
+"It's no use," I said; "I must use the bar."
+
+I inserted the point of the bar into the crevice and lifted. I felt a
+rock move. I put forth my strength, and a great slat several
+hundredweight fell into the sea with sullen splash.
+
+Eli got on his knees beside the hole we had made.
+
+"We'm right," he gasped, and I felt he had spoken the truth. After this
+we took away several stones from the fissure which nature had formed at
+the Devil's Point.
+
+I put my bar into the hole we had made and let it slip through my hands.
+Its point struck a piece of iron.
+
+"Iron box. Jammed tight!" grunted Eli savagely. "We've got um!"
+
+We were terribly excited. For my own part, I had forgotten everything,
+save that a treasure lay at my feet. The treacherous waters in Hell's
+Mouth troubled me not one whit; all my superstitious fears had fled.
+
+As well as I was able I crept into the fissure and felt one foot on a
+piece of iron. Then I put my hand down and felt carefully. Yes, an iron
+box had been put there. It lay edgeways, at least I judged so. The part
+I could feel seemed about a foot wide and three feet long.
+
+"Got et?" gasped Eli.
+
+"Yes," I cried; "my God, here's a handle!"
+
+"Heave um up, then, you who be sa strong."
+
+I tried to lift the thing out, but could not.
+
+"I can't move it, Eli."
+
+"Jammed tight," he grunted.
+
+He was right. Many hard stones were driven in at its sides.
+
+How long it took me to move these stones I know not, but at length I
+succeeded in unloosing many until I was able to rock the box from side
+to side.
+
+"It'll come now!" cried Eli. "Heave agin!"
+
+Never was my strength put to such a test as at that time. I saw sparks
+of fire flash before my eyes, while the muscles of my arms seemed as
+though they would snap. It was all in vain, however.
+
+"Let me rest a bit, Eli," I said, "then I'll try again."
+
+"No time to rest," snarled Eli.
+
+He seized the crowbar, and after much manoeuvring he passed it through
+the iron handle of the box, and rested the point against the side of the
+fissure.
+
+"Haive now, Jasper," he grunted.
+
+I did as he bade me. The box freed itself from the sides of its
+resting-place.
+
+I had nothing but the weight of the casket to lift now, so I caught the
+handle again. The thing was ponderously heavy, but I drew it to the top
+of the fissure, and laid it on the rock called the Devil's Point.
+
+"Ho! ho! ho!" yelled Eli, like one frenzied.
+
+As for me, I was nearly mad with joy.
+
+"My beauty," I said, fondling the box, "I see Pennington in you, I see
+Naomi's joy on you. You make me free, you make me independent. I love
+you, I do--I love you!"
+
+"Laive us drag un away from the Devil's Point," cried Eli; "Hell's Mouth
+is too close to plaise me."
+
+So I placed my arms around it and prepared to carry it from the rock,
+and away from the inky waters that curled and hissed in the "Devil's
+Mouth." No sooner had I lifted it from the ground, however, than I let
+it fall again.
+
+"No! no!" screamed a voice near me. It was not Eli's guttural cry, it
+was a repetition of the words we had heard in the "Devil's Church" at
+Kynance Cove.
+
+On starting up I saw the same ghastly-looking creature, the same long
+beard, the same wild eyes, the same long, lean hands.
+
+"No! no! no! I tell you no!" cried the thing again.
+
+"Why?" I asked, half in anger, half in terror, for I could but realise
+what such an apparition meant to us.
+
+"Because the thing is accursed!" he cried--"because it is red with the
+blood of innocence, black with sin, heavy with the cries of orphans'
+tears and widows' moans. It is the price of crime, red crime, black
+crime! Come away."
+
+I jumped from the rock and caught the strange thing in my hands. It was
+flesh and blood, and all fear departed. I turned his face to the light,
+then I burst into a loud laugh.
+
+"Ho! ho!" I cried, "the madman of Bedruthan Steps. Well, well, you saved
+my life, you fed me when I was hungry, you clothed me when I was naked.
+I forgive you. But let me be now. I must take this away."
+
+"No, no, Jasper Pennington," he cried again, "your hands are yet
+unstained with blood. The moment you were to use such gains the curse of
+a hundred Cains would be upon you. I know, I have felt."
+
+"Why?" I said; "I do no harm in getting it; I hurt no man. It is mine as
+much as any other man's--nay, it is more. Eli Fraddam really owns it,
+and he has given it to me."
+
+"Look you, Jasper Pennington," he cried, "you would get back your
+birthright. If you got it back in such a way you would lose the better
+birthright, the birthright of God. I know of this treasure, I have heard
+its history. It is red with blood, I tell you, and black with crime."
+
+In spite of myself the man's vehemence affected me.
+
+"But," I said, "I love. I cannot go to her empty-handed. A Pennington
+does not do that. Besides, I am afraid that my love is also penniless,
+afraid that she has been robbed."
+
+"Look, Jasper Pennington," he said, "I have heard strange things. I have
+been afraid to ask questions, because--because--but tell me, who is the
+maiden you love?"
+
+"Naomi Penryn," I replied.
+
+"Yes, yes; I know that, but who is Naomi Penryn? whose child is she?
+Does she come from Penryn? Who is her mother? who her father? where was
+she born? Tell me."
+
+"He is mad, stark, staring mad," I said to myself, yet I humoured him.
+True, the treasure lay at my feet, and I wanted to take it away, while
+Eli kept grumbling at my delay, but the man seemed to drag an answer
+from me.
+
+"She was born at Trevose House, close by Trevose Head," I replied.
+"Indeed, she should be the owner of the estate."
+
+"And her mother?" he cried.
+
+"Was some relative of the Tresidders."
+
+"And her father? Tell me, man, tell me quickly."
+
+"Her father was called Penryn--John Penryn, I think his name was."
+
+"But how can that be? Did he not kill his wife before--that is, did she
+not die?"
+
+"No," I said, "he did not. He thought he killed her, and because of it
+committed suicide, but his wife was not dead. She got better soon
+after--indeed, she died only a year or two ago."
+
+"And Penryn committed suicide, you say?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And the girl you love is his child?"
+
+"Yes. But what is all this to you? Why have you followed me? What are my
+affairs to you?"
+
+"Everything, Jasper Pennington. Stop, let me think."
+
+"I cannot stop, I must get this away! Look you, man," and I caught his
+arm, "this is nothing to you, I have found it," and I kicked the iron
+box. "It's mine, mine!"
+
+"No, no; it's not yours, I tell you." He stopped and looked around him,
+then clenched his hands as though he were passing through a terrible
+crisis.
+
+"Do you say the Tresidders have taken Trevose from the--the maid you
+love?"
+
+"I am afraid they have. I believe they have."
+
+"But where is she?"
+
+"It is naught to you. She is away from all danger. When I have taken
+this treasure to a place of safety I shall go to her. I shall buy back
+Pennington and take her to my home."
+
+"No, Jasper Pennington, this must not be. Naomi Penryn must never live
+in a home bought with the price of crime. But you are sure she is safe?"
+
+He spoke like a man demented, and yet his earnestness, his evident
+hatred of crime made me patient. Moreover, he had come upon me at a
+critical time, and was to an extent a sharer in my secret.
+
+"Look you, Esau, or Cain, or whatever else you may call yourself," I
+said, "these are but idle words of yours--idle words. I have committed
+no crime, I hurt no man, I am poor, I have been robbed of my rights, my
+home. Here, I trust, is my power to win back my home and give it to my
+love, who is dearer to me than my life."
+
+"There is no need, Jasper Pennington, I tell you there is no need! Throw
+this thing to the Hell's Mouth, by which it has been lying. Take me to
+your love; let me see her face, and then--well, I will not promise what,
+but it shall be well with you," and he laughed like a man from whose
+life a great fear had gone.
+
+I looked at him, and he presented a strange appearance in the light of
+the moon on that lonely island. I could not let the treasure slip from
+my hands at his bidding, for what was the promise of such as he, whose
+every action told me he was mad?
+
+"Look you," he continued, "I have followed you for your good. I tried to
+keep you from leaving Land's End last night, I followed you to the cave
+in Kynance Cove. Come, there is more danger around than you think."
+
+"What danger?" I asked.
+
+The words had scarcely escaped my lips when I heard the sound of voices,
+and Eli gave a shriek as though some one had given him a deadly blow.
+
+I turned and saw several men standing close by me. A moment later one
+spoke.
+
+"Oa, Jasper Pennington, this _es_ kind of 'ee to come 'ere like this.
+You knawed I wanted to vind out Granfer Fraddam's secret, did'n 'ee,
+then? An' you was a goin' to make a present of et to me, wad'n 'ee,
+then? Well, you be kind, Jasper."
+
+"Cap'n Jack!" I cried.
+
+"Iss, Cap'n Jack. Allays a friend to 'ee, Jasper, a stiddy, pious man I
+be. So es Billy Coad 'ere. Ther's few people c'n give sich a religious
+experience as Billy. Well, we vound out wot you was up to, so we be cum
+to help 'ee, my deear boy."
+
+I saw that all was lost. The treasure, if treasure there was, could
+never be mine.
+
+"You told them this!" I cried, turning to the madman, to whom I had been
+talking.
+
+"No, Jasper Pennington, I have told nothing. But I heard they were
+coming, and I came to warn you."
+
+He spoke quietly and with dignity. His madness was gone, he seemed a new
+man.
+
+"Ded 'ee think that we wos vools, Jasper, my deear? Aw, iss, Eli es a
+clever boy, but law, Cap'n Jack's gang 'ave got eyes everywhere. And we
+cudden find the dreckshuns, and we bea'nt no schullards, but we do knaw
+that two and two do maake vower. That's how we vound out. Aw, aw,
+Jasper, my deear, you bea'nt a-goin' to buy back Pennington in that way.
+No, no; and I have my doubts ef the weather 'll laive 'ee git back to
+the caave in Gamper Bay again, for oal you stailed my boat from there."
+
+His words drove me to madness, especially when they roused a laugh from
+Israel Barnicoat, who stood close by him.
+
+"Then I'm not to have this," I cried, pointing to the box.
+
+"No, you bea'nt, my deear. I be a generous man, but I cudden afford
+that."
+
+"Then you shan't!" I cried.
+
+With a strength that was unnatural I seized the heavy iron box, and
+before they could prevent me I threw it into the black waters of the
+gulf.
+
+"There," I said, "if I cannot have it neither shall you, or if you get
+it, you shall go into Hell's Mouth after it."
+
+Cap'n Jack gave a terrible oath. "Send him after it, Israel Barnicoat!"
+he cried.
+
+I stooped to seize the crowbar in order to defend myself, but before I
+could use it as a weapon Israel Barnicoat threw himself upon me. My foot
+slipped upon the rock, and before I could regain my footing I received a
+stunning blow. A moment later I felt myself sinking in the black waters
+from which Eli Fraddam had said there was no escape. And all this
+happened in a few seconds--so quickly, indeed, did it take place that I
+had not even time to call upon God to have mercy upon my poor, sinful
+soul.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+TELLS OF THE STRANGE REVELATION MADE BY THE MADMAN OF BEDRUTHEN STEPS,
+AND OF TAMSIN TRUSCOTT'S TREACHERY
+
+
+For a moment I gave myself up as lost. I remembered how the black waters
+of the gulf coiled and circled, and knew that there must be some strong
+current underneath. I remembered, too, how the stick I had thrown into
+it had disappeared from sight, and felt that there could be no hope for
+me. But this was only for a moment. I was a strong swimmer, and had been
+accustomed to the water all my life. After all, "Hell's Mouth" was not
+very wide, and I hoped I should be able to grasp the edge of the rocks
+and thus save myself. Then I remembered that Cap'n Jack and his
+followers would, if possible, keep me from ever escaping if it were in
+their power so to do. I had in a moment destroyed their hopes of ever
+getting Granfer Fraddam's treasure, for not one of them would dare to
+descend into the treacherous depths of the waters where I had thrown it.
+
+All this passed through my mind like a flash, and then I felt myself
+drawn by a terrible current down and down into the depths.
+
+"It's all over," I thought. "I shall have to go to my Maker without ever
+saying good-bye to my darling," and then death seemed terrible to me; so
+terrible, indeed, was the thought of it, that I determined I would not
+die, and I held my breath as well as I could while I was carried along
+by the force of the current.
+
+How long I was under water I cannot say. It could not have been long,
+for one cannot live long without air, but it seemed ages to me. As I
+look back now it seems as though those few seconds were long years. I
+will not try and tell the thoughts that passed through my mind, or of
+the terrible things through which I thought I went. It is not a part of
+this story, neither do I expect I should be believed if I related it.
+
+God in His infinite mercy, however, did not wish me to die, for
+presently my head shot above the water, and that without any effort of
+my own, and then instinctively I started swimming, after drawing a deep
+breath. As soon as I was able I looked around me, but the surroundings
+were entirely strange. Above me rose a cliff a good many feet high, and
+toward this I swam, being very careful, however, to save myself from
+striking against any of the countless rocks, some of which were only
+partially covered.
+
+The sea was very calm, and this was my salvation, for presently I was
+able to get a footing on one of the rocks without being hurt. This done,
+I again looked around me, but all in vain. On the one hand was the sea,
+on the other rose the black cliff.
+
+As I said, the night was very calm, only now and then the sobbing,
+moaning wind swept along the waters, and it was through this fact that I
+ascertained my whereabouts. On listening I thought I heard the sound of
+voices, loud, angry voices, but I was so bewildered that at first I knew
+not what they meant, but I fancied they were not far away; then I fell
+to thinking of the direction from which the sound came, and I imagined
+that the current must have carried me to the east side of the island,
+not far from the southern extremity where I had been.
+
+This brought back to my mind the reason why I had been thrust into the
+water, for those terrible feelings which possessed me as I was sucked
+down into the depths of Hell's Mouth had driven from my mind all
+thoughts of the purpose which had brought me on the island. And here I
+must confess, to my shame, that my first definite thought on realising
+my condition was not thankfulness to God for having saved me from
+manifold danger, but one of anger and impatience because I had been
+foiled in my purpose. It seemed to me as though defeat tracked my steps
+everywhere. Ever and always I was outwitted by more clever brains than
+my own, and now when I fancied I had wealth and power within my grasp,
+it was snatched from me in a moment. I did not remember the probability
+that the supposed treasure was no treasure at all, for the improbability
+of any one hiding a box of great value at such a place had never
+occurred to me. To my mind the whole business had been plain enough.
+Granfer Fraddam knew of such a thing, and had kept its whereabouts a
+profound secret, and only through the cleverness and affection of Eli
+had I become possessed of its secret. Evidently, too, Cap'n Jack
+Truscott's anxiety to possess the directions showed his belief in the
+reality of hidden riches. Since then, however, I have much doubted it.
+It seems to me next to impossible that such a place should be chosen to
+hide great riches. Moreover, what was the reason for hiding it? Why had
+it not been taken away before? And yet, on the other hand, why had the
+box been placed there with so much care, and in such a wild,
+unfrequented place, if it did not contain something of great value?
+These questions, I suppose, will never be answered now. The box lies at
+the bottom of "Hell's Mouth," and all the riches of the world would not
+tempt me to try and drag it from its resting-place. I was saved by the
+infinite mercy of God, and strong man as I am, I cannot help shuddering
+even now at the thought of what I felt as I was dragged by unknown
+powers through the depths of that awful place. I write this that any who
+may read these lines may not be tempted to venture life and reason to
+obtain that iron chest. Not even Cap'n Jack Truscott or any of his gang
+dared to do this, and what they dared not attempt is not for flesh and
+blood to regard as possible.
+
+At that time, however, I did not think of these things. To me it
+contained untold riches; in that grim iron casket lay love, riches,
+happiness, home. I had failed to obtain it, even although I had dragged
+it from its resting-place, because of the subtlety of Cap'n Jack's gang.
+And yet I rejoiced that I had thrown it into the gulf. If they had
+foiled me, I had also foiled them. All the same, I was enraged because
+of my failure, especially as I saw no means of getting back Pennington.
+
+Then I thought of Naomi at Mullion Cove, and wondered how she fared. I
+had told her that when I came to her again I should bring the means
+whereby all her difficulties would be removed, and the intensity of my
+love for her made my disappointment the greater. I thought how sorrowful
+she would be, and yet I rejoiced with a great joy because of her love
+for me. Ay, even there, clinging to a rock close to that lonely island,
+with enemies near me, I could have shouted with joy at the memory of
+her words to me as I left her by the cottage to which I had taken her.
+
+For love overcometh all things.
+
+All these things passed quickly through my slow-working brain; indeed,
+they were an impression rather than a series of thoughts. Presently,
+too, I was able to distinguish the words that were spoken. I could hear
+Eli pouring forth curses, which I will not here write down, while the
+stranger seemed to be speaking in my praise. As for Cap'n Jack, he
+seemed anxious to appease Eli's anger.
+
+"Come now, Soas," I heard him say, "'tes a pity for sure. I be as zorry
+as can be. I be all for paice, I be. I wos a bit vexed when Jasper
+thrawed un into the say; who wudden be? But I ded'n main to kill un.
+There now, it ca'ant be 'elped now; and Jasper Pennington ed'n the first
+good man that's gone to the bottom of the say."
+
+"He's at the bottom of ''Ell's Mouth'!" shrieked Eli. "You thrawed un
+there; but you shall suffer, Jack Fraddam. Ef mawther es a witch, I be a
+wizard, and you shall suffer wuss than the darkness of thicky plaace. I
+ded love Jasper, he was kind to me, he was. He loved me, he ded. He
+tooked little Eli round with un, he ded." And then followed words which
+I will not write, for, indeed, they were very terrible.
+
+After this many things were said until Cap'n Jack got angry.
+
+"Gab on, you little varmin," he cried, "gab on. You thought you could
+outwit Jack, ded 'ee? Well, you be quiet now, or you'll folla Jasper."
+
+"You dar'nt tich me!" shrieked Eli--"you dar'nt. I'd maake your flesh
+shrink up ef you ded. I'd make your eyeballs burn like coals of vire, I
+wud. Begone from me 'ere now, or I'll summon the devil, I will. He ed'n
+vur far from 'ere, I tell 'ee." And then he said things which he must
+have borrowed from his mother, for I know of no other who could think of
+them.
+
+Anyhow he frightened Cap'n Jack and his gang, for they cried out to
+their leader to leave Eli and the madman, because they were afraid. This
+they did with many terrible oaths and threats. All the same they left,
+although they tried to seem to try and do so in a brave way.
+
+"Iss," I heard Israel Barnicoat say, "Jasper be out of the way now, sure
+enough. Ef you can rise un from the dead, Eli, tell un what I knaw 'bout
+the maid that he took to Mullion, but she ed'n there now, she ed'n.
+She's where he would never git to 'er ef he was livin'." And he laughed
+brutally, and yet fearfully I thought.
+
+I believe I should have cried out at this had I not heard a moan of
+agony, such as I trust I may never hear again. It was the stranger, I
+was sure, whom I had heard.
+
+"Tell me where she is," he cried, and I knew he had followed them. Then
+I heard the sound of blows followed by groans.
+
+"Lev us do for thicky little imp, too," I heard a voice say, "and then
+nobody 'll know nothin'."
+
+"No," cried Cap'n Jack, "Betsey 'll vind out ef we do." And then I heard
+their footsteps going northward.
+
+All this time I had been lying against the rock, and half of my body
+being under water, I was chilled to the bone. When I tried to move I
+found that all my limbs were numb, and again I began to fear of escaping
+from where I was. But this did not remain long. The words Israel
+Barnicoat had spoken about Naomi made despair impossible, and quickened
+my mind and body to action.
+
+I waited until I judged Cap'n Jack's gang to be out of hearing, then I
+gave a low whistle, the nature of which was known only to Eli and
+myself. In an instant I heard an answering cry, and a few seconds later
+I heard his hoarse, guttural voice overhead.
+
+"Jasper, Jasper, es et you? Thank the Lord!"
+
+"Yes, Eli, that rope you brought."
+
+"Iss, iss, my deear, in a minute."
+
+A few seconds later I saw a rope descending. The cliff was perhaps
+thirty feet in height just here. I could not judge exactly, but it was
+about perpendicular, so I could not climb it. After much struggling,
+however, I reached a point where ascent was possible, and aided by Eli,
+who pulled like a madman at the rope I had fastened around my body, I at
+length reached a place of safety.
+
+"Oa, Maaster Jasper, Maaster Jasper!" sobbed Eli, "how glad I be! How I
+do love 'ee!" And he fondled my wet, clammy hands tenderly.
+
+"Is the madman dead?" I asked.
+
+"I dunnaw. Never mind 'bout he; be you all right? You'n sure et's you?"
+
+"Sure, Eli, safe and sound. Let us go to him."
+
+By the aid of the bright moonlight we found him lying seemingly stark
+and dead on the ground. I soon discovered to my joy, however, that he
+was only stunned, and a few minutes later he sat up and spoke to us.
+
+"Jasper Pennington not dead!" he cried.
+
+"No," I said, telling him how I had escaped; "but come, can you walk?
+Have you any bones broken?"
+
+"No; the fellow tried to stab me, but he failed; I was only stunned."
+
+"Then let us go."
+
+"Go where?" he said, in a dazed kind of way.
+
+"I must go to Naomi," I said.
+
+"Yes, yes," he cried eagerly, "how could I forget? Yes, we must go this
+moment, this very moment. I am quite well and strong. Come at once."
+
+He spoke with a kind of dignity, and I looked at him again to assure
+myself that he was the madman who had saved me by Trevose Head.
+
+"We ca'ant go to-night, ted'n saafe," said Eli, who continued to fondle
+my hands and to utter all sorts of endearing terms.
+
+"We must," he cried, "we must. There's not a second to lose. We must go
+straight to the house where you left her, and find her if she is there;
+if not we must not rest till she is in a place of safety."
+
+He spoke in a tone of authority, and was so peremptory that I wondered.
+
+"Who are you?" I asked; "what is my love's safety to you?"
+
+"Everything, Jasper Pennington," he replied; "I am Naomi Penryn's
+father."
+
+"What!" I said aghast.
+
+"Yes," he repeated, "I am Naomi Penryn's father. Come hither, Jasper
+Pennington, and let me tell you."
+
+He led me away from Eli, who uttered strange, low sounds, as he always
+did when he was excited, and then the man whom I had thought mad spoke
+to me in low, earnest tones.
+
+"You have heard my story, Jasper Pennington," he said--"heard how I
+struck my wife when she was in a perilous condition. It is true. I
+thought I had killed her, and since then I have never had an hour's
+peace. I will not tell you what I have done since or where I have been,
+except that I have been in hell. You thought me mad--perhaps I have
+been; I think I have. A little while ago I was drawn to come back to
+Trevose, but I was afraid to ask any questions. I seemed to be followed
+by the powers of darkness, who forbade me to speak. And yet I was
+fascinated to the spot. You can guess why. I need not tell you anything
+else now, you know what I would say. The thought that I have a daughter
+alive and that I did not kill my wife has made the world new."
+
+"And you did not commit suicide, then?" I said, in an unmeaning, foolish
+sort of way.
+
+"No. Coward that I was, I ran away, and for years, years--nearly twenty
+now--I have been followed by--but never mind, it is gone--all gone. Only
+let us go! You love my child, Jasper Pennington. Come, let us find her."
+
+"Yes, yes," I replied; "but why did you follow me here?"
+
+"Why? In my madness I felt sure that you had the secret of my life's
+joy, and because my life has been such that I could not bear you to
+obtain that which is the price of lost souls. I--I have been--where I
+have heard the history of that thing which lies under water. It is not a
+treasure, Jasper Pennington, it is damnation. Perhaps I will tell you
+more some day, but not now. Let us leave the island."
+
+"But it is not safe to leave it by night."
+
+"Yes; I know the way. I have been here many times--I mean among the
+islands, I will take you to the sailing-boat which brought me to St.
+Agnes. Come, I will tell you all that needs telling as we go back."
+
+"But Cap'n Jack's gang?"
+
+"Their boat is at St. Mary's."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"Enough that I have found out their plans."
+
+After this Eli and I followed him to a little cove where a boat rocked,
+and ere long we were landed at St. Agnes. Here we found a good-sized
+sailing-boat, and here, too, I dried my clothes in a fisherman's
+cottage, wondering all the while at the strange things which had
+befallen me.
+
+As soon as morning came we started for St. Ives, for thither Naomi's
+father determined to go, for Naomi's father I believed him to be.
+
+He said that we should thus escape Cap'n Jack's gang, and be almost as
+near Mullion as if we landed at Penzance. We did not, however, land at
+St. Ives. The men who owned the boat consented to take us on to Hayle,
+which was five miles nearer Mullion than St. Ives.
+
+During our sail across I reproached myself greatly for placing Naomi in
+the care of Tamsin Truscott, for I believed that she had been led to be
+unfaithful, and had told Israel Barnicoat of her whereabouts. I talked
+much with Mr. Penryn about these things, over whom a very great change
+had come. He was no longer violent in language or in deed, rather he
+seemed subdued and very thoughtful. He spoke very calmly and
+thoughtfully, and suggested many things which would never have occurred
+to me. Such was the power of what I had told him that all his fears
+seemed to have gone, the wild, haunted look had passed away from his
+eyes, while his actions were those of a refined gentleman.
+
+On arriving at Hayle we, after much delay and difficulty, obtained
+horses, and rode rapidly toward Mullion, my heart sometimes beating high
+with hope, and at others lying in my bosom as though all joy were gone;
+for be it known the revelations of the last few hours had made
+everything appear in a new light. If this man was Naomi's father, and,
+as I said, I believed he was, I could no longer assume the position of
+her guardian and protector. She would no longer look to me as her sole
+helper and friend. Her father would claim to be first. This led to many
+other surmises, not many of which were pleasant, and which made me
+ofttimes gloomy and dejected.
+
+But these were not the matters concerning which I troubled the most. I
+worried about the words of Israel Barnicoat. What did he mean by saying
+that Naomi was where I should never be able to get her?
+
+I had had but little sleep for many hours, but I felt no weariness. My
+strength seemed to increase with my difficulties, and I did not once
+droop in my saddle or rub my eyes like a drowsy man. It must have been
+near a twenty miles' ride from Hayle to Mullion, but we were not long in
+covering it; indeed, after we had reached Helston, we rode as fast as
+the horses could carry us.
+
+On coming in sight of Mrs. Crantock's house I left my companions, so
+eager was I, and thus reached the white house with a green porch some
+minutes before they came up. Opening the door without knocking I
+entered, and found Mrs. Crantock, looking pale and anxious, but I could
+nowhere see Naomi.
+
+"Thank God you have come!" cried the woman.
+
+"Why? Where is she?" I asked.
+
+"She's gone, I know not where."
+
+"How is that?" I cried angrily. "You promised you would care for her,
+that you would guard her as if she were your own child."
+
+"Yes, yes. Oh, young man, it is wrong to trust to an arm of flesh."
+
+"Look you," I cried, catching her roughly by the arm, "I want no
+religious talk! I left a lonesome, helpless maid with you whom you
+promised to protect. Where is she now?" I said this like one demented,
+as, indeed, I was.
+
+I heard Eli and Naomi's father enter the room, but I took no heed,
+neither did I listen carefully to the story the woman told. I had some
+vague remembrance about her saying she went to hear Mr. Charles Wesley,
+leaving Naomi with Tamsin, and that on her return that morning both had
+gone. She had inquired of her neighbours, and had been told that three
+men had come to the house at daybreak, and that when they went away
+Tamsin and Naomi rode with them in the carriage they had brought.
+
+It was well Naomi's father was with me, for my mind was too confused to
+ask the necessary questions. I reproached myself for trusting Tamsin and
+for not taking better precautions. I felt I had by my own foolishness
+lost my love and again allowed her to be in the power of my enemies. I
+thought of a score of things I ought to have done, while Mr. Penryn
+asked many pointed questions.
+
+We were about to take to the saddle again when Tamsin Truscott rushed
+into the house. The poor girl's face was as pale as that of a ghost, and
+she trembled from head to foot.
+
+"Forgive me, Jasper," she cried.
+
+I did not speak, for I knew not how to control my words.
+
+"Oh, Jasper, I--I could not help it. It was so hard, so terribly hard.
+I--I loved you, and I thought that when she was gone you would forget
+her, and then--"
+
+She did not finish her sentence, but sobbed bitterly, as though she was
+in sore straits and truly contrite, as, indeed, I thought she was.
+
+She went on to utter many words of self-accusation. She confessed that
+she had betrayed Naomi's hiding-place, with many other things which I
+need not here write down.
+
+"Where is she now?" I cried angrily.
+
+"She is being taken to Padstow," she said. "You know why."
+
+"Is it the priest?" I asked.
+
+"Yes," she answered, "and the Tresidders."
+
+"Let us get to our saddles," I cried, "we may get there before they."
+
+"Yes, you can if you ride hard."
+
+"What about horses?" said Mr. Penryn; "these are poor nags; they were
+the best I could get, but they are spent with a twenty miles' ride."
+
+"They will last to Falmouth," I cried, "we must get fresh ones there."
+
+"God forgive me, but I have no more money," he said, and at this I, too,
+hung my head, for I was penniless.
+
+I looked to Eli, but before the dwarf could speak Tamsin had caught my
+hands.
+
+"I have plenty, Jasper," she cried. "Oh, let me help you! It was all my
+fault, let me do what I can now."
+
+"Where is your money, girl?" asked Mr. Penryn.
+
+"It is at Kynance, Jasper," she said, not noticing him; "father is not
+yet home, and we can get there before he returns."
+
+"It is scarcely out of our way," I said to Mr. Penryn, and it seemed our
+only hope. And so we went thitherward, although I had grave doubts as to
+whether Cap'n Jack had not returned.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+HOW WE WENT TO PENNINGTON, AND HOW THE TRESIDDERS WON THE VICTORY
+
+
+On looking over what I have just written, it has struck me that I have
+told this part of my story hastily, scarcely relating enough to tell how
+matters stood. I ought to have said that it took us fifteen hours to
+sail from St. Agnes Island to Hayle. Thus having left the island at
+daybreak--that is, about eight o'clock in the morning--we did not arrive
+at Hayle till the following midnight, and such was our difficulty in
+getting horses at Hayle, that we did not leave there until morning, thus
+arriving at Mullion just before noon. We were there, I should imagine,
+something over an hour, and as Porth Mullion is only some seven or eight
+miles from Kynance, I had hopes of getting to Captain Jack's house an
+hour or two before dark. I discovered, too, that Tamsin had ridden from
+Kynance to Mullion on horseback. She had, in a fit of jealousy, betrayed
+our secret to Israel Barnicoat, and this had led to Naomi being taken
+away; and anxious, so she said, to atone, she had come to Mullion to
+tell her story.
+
+It may seem foolish in me to have trusted her again after she had once
+betrayed me, but I have always been one who yielded to the promptings of
+the heart rather than to the conclusions of reason, so I rode toward
+Kynance without demur, and even Mr. Penryn made no objection. Eli,
+however, grumbled greatly, and said we were going to a nest of adders;
+but indeed our horses were useless, and I knew not how we could get
+fresh ones, except through Tamsin's offer of money.
+
+There was no sign of life at Captain Jack's house when we came to it, so
+I concluded that he had not yet returned from the Scilly Isles. I was
+very thankful for this, because I knew his presence would mean great
+danger to me. He fancied that I was dead, and but for the mercy of God I
+should have been--murdered, as it were, by his hand, and by that of
+Israel Barnicoat. I knew he was as cunning as Satan himself, and when he
+found out that I was alive would, I believed, stop at no means to end my
+life. And thus nothing but sore necessity would have taken me to Kynance
+at that time. But as Mr. Penryn had said, the horses we rode, which were
+but little better than farm beasts, were sore spent with a ride of
+twenty miles or so, and as it was fully fifty to Padstow--nay, nearer
+sixty, taking into consideration the nature of the road--it was useless
+to think of trying to ride them thither.
+
+"This way, Jasper," cried Tamsin; "this way to father's chest. No one
+knows where it is but him and me. Oh, you do forgive me, don't you? I
+did it because I wanted you so! You believe me, don't you, Jasper?" and
+the poor girl sobbed piteously.
+
+I did not speak, for my heart felt very bitter, even though I thought
+she was trying to atone for what she had done.
+
+She had led me to a little outhouse, cunningly hidden among the rocks,
+and which could not be reached save by going through the kitchen, owing
+to a precipice behind. Arrived here she opened a box, and took from it a
+bag heavy with gold.
+
+"Here's money enough, Jasper," she said eagerly. "Oh, Jasper, if you
+only knew!"
+
+"Knew what, Tamsin?" I said, for the girl's sorrow made me gentle toward
+her, even although my heart was torn with anxiety about Naomi.
+
+"Knew how hard it is," she cried. "Oh, Jasper, are you sure you love
+that maid so? She does not care for you as I do. Could you not think of
+me and forget her?" and the girl held my hand tightly in hers.
+
+Now I am, and always shall be awkward in my ways toward women. A woman's
+tears always unman me, and make me soft-hearted. So I knew not what to
+say to her, and for the life of me I could not be angry. In the
+providence of God all men love all women, only there must be one
+especially to stir the depths of each man's heart. And, verily, had not
+mine heart been taken captive, I should have taken Tamsin in my arms and
+kissed her, so piteous was her cry, and so full of love was the light
+which shone from her eyes.
+
+"Look you, Tamsin," I said, "I cannot help it, but that maid hath taken
+all my love. But for her I might have been different; now I can only
+love you as a brother should love a sister."
+
+Then her eyes became hard, and I knew I had spoken wrongly.
+
+"I must go now," I continued, "for she is in danger; and if we ride not
+hard, I may not see her again."
+
+"Yes, go," she said with an angry laugh; "overtake her, rescue her, if
+you can."
+
+This aroused my suspicions. "Tamsin," I said, "have you told me truly?
+Are these men taking her to Padstow? I am trusting you implicitly. It is
+hard for a man to threaten a woman, but if you have told me wrongly, may
+God have mercy upon you, for I will not."
+
+"I have spoken the truth, Jasper; only be careful to inquire at Penryn
+if the _Golden Cross_ has been seen in the harbour. I know they talked
+about it being there. If it has been seen, they have gone on to
+Padstow."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I heard the priest say so," said Tamsin. "He said if the _Golden Cross_
+is lying at Penryn, we can get to Bristol without going to Padstow; if
+it isn't, we ride to Padstow."
+
+"You swear this, Tamsin? My heart is very sore," I cried.
+
+"Yes; this is truth, Jasper, this is what they said;" but she did not
+look me in the face as she spoke.
+
+I pushed the bag of money in my pocket and turned to go, but she caught
+my arm again.
+
+"Won't you kiss me, Jasper?" she said, "just to show you forgive me.
+Just kiss me once; it will be the only time in this world."
+
+So I kissed her as a brother might kiss a sister, and not as a lover
+kisses a maid. This I swear by my love for the only maid I ever loved,
+and by my faith as a Christian man. But she clung to me, and would not
+let me go, and even as she did so I heard the sound of many voices in
+the house adjoining, and then Captain Jack and Israel Barnicoat came to
+the little hut in which we were.
+
+"Jasper Pennington!" they both cried together with terrible oaths, and
+then both of them sprang upon me. I had thrown off Tamsin as I heard
+their cry, and so in a degree was able to defend myself; at the same
+time I was greatly at a disadvantage, so much so that they mastered me,
+and held me so that I could not put forth my strength. Then I saw Israel
+Barnicoat lift a knife to strike me, and for the life of me I could make
+no defence, and could only hold my breath and await his blow.
+
+It fell, but not on me, for Tamsin had thrown herself between us and had
+received it.
+
+"My God," cried Israel, "I have killed Tamsin!" and the thought so
+frightened them both that they loosened their hold on me, and so in a
+moment I was free. I knew, too, at that moment that few men are loved as
+Tamsin loved me, for she herself had voluntarily received the blow that
+would perchance have killed me.
+
+But so great was their evident hatred for me, that for the moment
+neither took notice of Tamsin, but sprung upon me again. This time,
+however, I was ready for them, so I met Israel with a blow so heavy that
+he fell to the floor like a log of wood. I would have spared Captain
+Jack if I could, for he was past his prime, but he came upon me so
+savagely that I dared not.
+
+"Go, Jasper, go!" gasped Tamsin. "They will kill you. Don't wait; go,
+only--"
+
+"Are you much hurt, Tamsin?" I said. "Tell me if I can help you."
+
+"No, no; you cannot help me. Go--go to Pennington; go to Pennington!"
+
+"Why?" I cried; "you said Penryn."
+
+"Pennington!" she repeated. "Go at once."
+
+I grieved at leaving her there, but it seemed my duty; besides, I could
+not help her.
+
+So I went to her. "Good-bye, Tamsin; I will send Betsy Fraddam to you.
+She knows more than any doctor. Good-bye. You have told me the truth
+this time. God bless you; you have saved my life."
+
+"Forgive my telling you lies. Oh, I wanted you so, but I think I am
+dying now. Go quickly to Pennington, and forgive me, Jasper."
+
+I left her then, much bewildered and troubled, for I felt it hard to
+leave her there without knowing whether she would live or die, and
+remembering all the time that if she died, she died for love of me.
+
+When I got to the front of the house I found Mr. Penryn and Eli in the
+custody of Billy Coad and another man, but they let them free as I came.
+Then I told Billy to go to a doctor who lived at Lizard Town.
+
+I told Mr. Penryn many of the things which I have here written down, and
+then we rode rapidly away toward Pennington, Eli also coming with us.
+
+"Eli, are you afraid of Captain Jack's gang?" I said presently.
+
+"No, I be'ant."
+
+"Would they hurt you?"
+
+"No, they wudden; not waun ov 'em."
+
+"Then go to Lizard Town yourself, and take the doctor to Tamsin, then
+come back to your mother's house and tell me how Tamsin is."
+
+"No," said Naomi's father; "you will come to Pennington and ask for him
+there." This he said looking at me steadily.
+
+"You do not know Richard Tresidder," I said.
+
+"He will have me to deal with," he said quietly. "Jasper, that girl told
+you the truth at the last. My child is taken there."
+
+"I believe she is," I replied.
+
+"I have felt it might be so all the day," he continued, "only the girl
+seemed so sincere. Truly the heart of a woman is a strange thing."
+
+Then we both fell to silence as we rode along, for I had much to think
+about, and so, indeed, had he. At the time I did not think how eager he
+must be to see his daughter, so filled was my own heart with longing,
+but as I look back now I feel how little I understood his heart at that
+time.
+
+Just as daylight was dying we arrived at Pennington Gates. I must
+confess to a strange feeling as I rode through them, for many things had
+happened since I last rode to Pennington. Then I had come from Kynance,
+and then, too, I had come to see my love.
+
+"I will go first, Jasper," said Naomi's father quickly. "I would we were
+more presentable, but up to a few days ago I had no hope of--but never
+mind that. Our errand must explain the nature of our attire. You stand
+behind me, and the servant may admit us."
+
+He seemed to have forgotten all about the past, and spoke as though he
+had a right to enter the house from which my father had been ejected.
+
+On coming to the door I could hear that something of importance was
+going on within. I heard the noise of many footsteps and the sound of
+many voices. When the servant came to the door he did not seem to regard
+us with surprise; nay, rather, he seemed to expect us. I afterward
+discovered that he mistook us for some one else. The day had now nearly
+gone, and thus in the shades of evening he did not see who we were.
+
+"Will you come this way?" he said. "Mr. Tresidder is in the library, and
+is expecting you."
+
+Had I been alone I should have acted foolishly, so great was my surprise
+at his words. But Mr. Penryn saw in a moment how things stood.
+
+"Is she safe?" he asked the servant in a whisper, which I thought a very
+foolish question, but a second later I saw how wise it was.
+
+"The escaped nun?" said the man. "Yes, sir. She was carried from the
+carriage to the snuggery. She's there now."
+
+"Is she ill?"
+
+"No, sir. She's kept quiet, that is all, sir."
+
+"Thank you. Take us to your master."
+
+The servant led the way without a word, and a few seconds later we stood
+in the library, the servant closing the door behind us.
+
+There were six people in the room. Richard Tresidder's mother was there,
+the woman whom my grandfather had married, and who had been the cause of
+all our trouble. She was an old woman, but evidently strong and agile. I
+could not help noticing even then how brightly her eyes shone, and how
+grimly her lips were pressed together. Richard Tresidder was there, too,
+looking, I thought, much worried and careworn, while young Nick stood by
+his side, his face very pale, and his arm in a sling. The other three
+men I did not know, although I fancied I had seen one of them before.
+Richard Tresidder turned to us as if to tell us something, then seeing
+me, he cried out angrily, and with great astonishment.
+
+Now, not until that moment did I realise that we had come into a place
+of danger. Instinctively I measured the men who stood before us. Leaving
+out Nick Tresidder, we were but two to four, besides which we were in
+the house of a man who had servants to do his bidding. Still I feared
+nothing; nay, rather a great joy came into my heart that at last I
+should meet the Tresidders in this way face to face.
+
+"Jasper Pennington!" cried Richard Tresidder, and then both Nick and his
+grandmother started up as though they had been attacked by a great evil.
+
+"And John Penryn." This Naomi's father said.
+
+"What?"
+
+"John Penryn. Do you remember me, Dick Tresidder?"
+
+"No, no. John Penryn committed suicide. He killed his wife and committed
+suicide." It was my grandfather's second wife who spoke.
+
+"He did not kill his wife, he did not commit suicide," replied John
+Penryn quietly. "True, I struck my wife in a fit of madness. Of the
+provocation I will say nothing. I thought I had killed her, and then,
+like a coward, I ran away from my home, afraid to face what would
+follow. But in the mercy of God I did not kill her. In the mercy of God,
+too, a child was born to us; and you became her guardian, Richard
+Tresidder. Where is she now?"
+
+For a moment silence fell upon the company. All awaited the outcome of
+the strange scene. I watched Richard Tresidder's face, and saw how
+frightened he was. I was sure, too, that his mind was seeking some way
+out of the difficulty in which he was placed.
+
+"You are an impostor. We cannot speak to you. Leave the house!" Again
+it was my grandfather's second wife who spoke.
+
+"If you wish," replied Naomi's father, "it shall be taken to a court of
+law. It would be painful for me to have the past recalled, but it shall
+be so if you will. You are my daughter's legal guardian, and until my
+identity is established you can exercise a certain amount of control.
+But remember this, if my past is made public, so will yours be. I shall
+want many things explained which will not be creditable to you, neither
+will you be free from the law's just punishment. My child will be placed
+in the witness-box, and she will have to tell many things which, I
+should judge, will not be pleasant to you."
+
+In saying this he never raised his voice, although I knew his excitement
+was great, and that he had much difficulty in restraining his passion.
+
+For a few seconds there was a deathly silence, for neither Richard
+Tresidder nor his mother spoke a word. Both seemed stunned by what was
+said. I saw, however, that presently they looked at the men who stood
+near, and who as yet had not spoken a word.
+
+"I do not think you will find physical force of much use," went on Mr.
+Penryn quietly, "for even if Jasper Pennington could not fell an ox with
+one blow of his arm, and you could get rid of us by the means you are
+considering, it would be of no use. Think you we have come here without
+precautions? I knew better than that."
+
+Then I remembered that he had spoken to Eli Fraddam when I had sent him
+away. I saw what he meant now, although at the time I wondered what he
+had to say to the dwarf.
+
+Then Richard Tresidder's mother rose to her feet, and came up close to
+where we stood.
+
+"Let me look at you, and see if you be John Penryn," she said, and he
+stood still while the woman gazed steadily at him, as though she would
+read the secrets of his heart.
+
+Presently her eyes flashed as though she had come to a decision.
+
+"There is no doubt, Richard," she said, "this is John Penryn. I remember
+his face, I can recall his voice now. You must give up your ward, my
+son. We have guarded her in many trying times, we have shielded her from
+great danger. But now it is at an end. Of course there must be many
+formalities to go through, but there need be no trouble, no publicity.
+All our actions can be explained. All we have done has been for the
+child's good. You are welcome, John, and Pennington must be your home
+until your claim to Trevose is made good, as it will be, for we shall
+raise no barriers."
+
+This she said with many other things which I will not here write down.
+She spoke pleasantly and plausibly, too, until for a moment I forgot who
+she was, and thought her to be truly a lovable and motherly old lady.
+
+But this was only for a moment, and I must confess I was not at all
+pleased at the turn things were taking, especially as she seemed to
+impress Mr. Penryn favourably.
+
+"Where is my child now?" he asked eagerly.
+
+"She is here, John; here in this very house. You shall see her anon. We
+have been obliged to be careful for her, for she has had an enemy in
+that man by your side. He, a penniless scoundrel, has dogged her
+footsteps, and sought to ruin her life, and out of love for her we have
+been obliged to take steps that may have seemed harsh, but which,
+believe me, John, were for the good of the child whom we thought an
+orphan, and wholly dependent on us."
+
+"And who is this enemy?" asked Naomi's father.
+
+"It is Jasper Pennington," she cried, "the man by your side, a cowardly
+ruffian, a drunken swaggerer, and the companion of the vilest people in
+the country. We have sought to save her from him, John Penryn; and now,
+thank God, our work is done."
+
+This she said with a tremor in her voice, as though she had been an
+injured woman.
+
+"You know it is a lie!" I cried vehemently. "You know it to be a base
+lie!"
+
+And this was all I could say, for the wily woman seemed to take all
+words from my mouth, save those of a blank denial to her wicked lies.
+Besides my heart sunk like lead as I saw how her words weighed with
+Naomi's father, and as though he saw everything in a new light.
+
+"Let me see my child," he said at length, and after both Richard
+Tresidder and his mother had made themselves out to be the guardian
+angels of Naomi's life, while I had been plotting her destruction.
+
+"You shall see her when he is gone," she said, pointing to me. "I can
+never consent for her to come here while that wretch is in the room."
+Whereupon John Penryn asked many questions, which they answered so
+cunningly that I was tongue-tied, and could say nothing except foolish,
+wild ejaculations.
+
+"Go, Jasper Pennington," he said at length, "leave me here."
+
+"No," I said; "I came to find Naomi, my love. I will see her before I
+go. She has promised to be my wife."
+
+"His wife!" cried Richard Tresidder's mother. "Think of it. He possesses
+not one stick. He is a wild vagabond, a terror wherever he goes. How can
+Naomi Penryn become his wife?"
+
+"Pennington should be mine!" I cried, like one demented. "You robbed it
+from my father."
+
+"You know the history of Pennington, John," cried the old woman; "it is
+held in trust for my son. It should have been given to him outright, but
+my poor husband was mad at the time, and he made a madman's will. But
+can this fellow buy it back? Has he wealth sufficient to pay half the
+worth of the estate?"
+
+"Go, Jasper Pennington," said Naomi's father again; "I will do what is
+right. This woman says you are an evildoer. Well, it shall be my work to
+guard my child against evildoers."
+
+Then all the heart went out of me, and I, who had hoped so much, left
+the house of my fathers without so much as seeing Naomi or knowing
+whether I should ever behold her again. Ay, I left it a beaten man,
+without a hope, without one bright spot in the sky of my life.
+
+I saw that Naomi's father had been dragged into the Tresidders' net, and
+that he would be the creature of their wills, the tool to help them to
+fulfil their purposes.
+
+Except for this my mind was a perfect blank. Slow as I always was to
+think, I saw no way out of my difficulties. That which I had hoped for
+came not, and my worst fears were realised.
+
+In this state of mind I, forgetful of the horse on which I rode to the
+house, walked until I came to the gates, where, in the light moonlight,
+I thought I saw Eli Fraddam coming toward me.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+TELLS OF MY FORTUNES IN WINNING BACK MY BIRTHRIGHT, AND FINISHES THE
+TALE
+
+
+"She ed'n killed," was his first greeting. "She'll get better." Then I
+remembered that he had come from Kynance Cove, and spoke of Tamsin
+Truscott.
+
+"I did ride vast," he grunted again presently, but I spoke not.
+
+"What's the matter?" he continued presently. "Tell poor little Eli; he
+do love Jasper."
+
+So while we walked to his mother's cottage I told him all that had been
+said at Pennington. I told it in more fulness than I have related it
+here, for it was then fresh in my memory. The dwarf chuckled much as
+though he vastly enjoyed the cleverness of the Tresidders, but he made
+no remark for a long time after I had finished my story; then he said
+quietly:
+
+"We must watch thicky maazed man, Jasper."
+
+"Why?" I asked.
+
+"To zee no 'arm do come to un. Iss, and we must keep our peepers oppen
+fur the purty maid, too. Watch night and day."
+
+"You think they are in danger?" I said.
+
+"They Tresidders be slippery," he grunted.
+
+"But how can we watch?"
+
+"Little Eli will zee to that. Fust thing in the morning you must go to
+Lawyer Trefy into Turo, and tell 'im everything. And I must watch--iss,
+as I will, too. Little Eli ed'n a vool."
+
+Presently we came to Betsy Fraddam's cottage, and the old dame welcomed
+her son warmly, but she said little to me, although she prepared food
+for me. For a long time I sat quietly in the chimney corner, and watched
+the flames leap upward and tried to think of my position. By and by,
+however, nature asserted herself, and, in spite of my anxiety, I felt
+myself going to sleep. So I lay down on the couch which Eli prepared for
+me, and slept long and soundly. The next day I walked to Truro, and told
+my story to Lawyer Trefy, but he gave me little or no satisfaction,
+neither would he give me his opinion concerning the behaviour of Naomi's
+father. He asked many questions--keen, searching questions, such as only
+a lawyer can ask, but he left me entirely in the dark concerning his own
+thoughts. And so I came back to St. Eve, having made no step forward;
+and only one piece of advice did Lawyer Trefy give me, and that was to
+go to a tailor and get some new clothes, also to a barber and let him
+dress my hair. This I did, and, in spite of the dreariness of my
+prospect, I must confess I was pleased at the change made in my
+appearance; for youth, I suppose, always loves finery; and thus,
+although I could see no meaning in his advice, I was glad the lawyer had
+given it.
+
+The next day I tried to get admission into Pennington House, but in this
+I was unsuccessful. The servant told me I could not be admitted,
+although I thought he spoke respectfully to me. This fact I attributed
+to my fine attire. As for Eli, he was constantly watching the house,
+and although I asked him many questions concerning his investigations,
+he was silent as the Sphinx, neither would he communicate to me his
+thoughts. Indeed, at this time I began to doubt the loyalty of Eli. He
+knew that my heart was almost breaking with disappointment, and yet he
+was cheerful and gay. He did not sympathise with me in my sorrows,
+neither did he speak one helpful word.
+
+Altogether at this time my condition was deplorable. My love was cut off
+from me, and my sky was black from horizon to horizon.
+
+This went on for several days, and then I found that Naomi's father had
+made his home at Pennington, and that he had been visited by lawyers and
+others interested in the Trevose Estate. I learnt, too, that no
+objections whatever had been raised as to his assuming the
+proprietorship, and that all legal forms had been satisfactorily
+complied with. And yet neither he nor Naomi sent me one word of cheer;
+nay, they did not even recognise my existence, which, it must be
+admitted, was hard to bear. Then, as if to add another drop to the
+filled goblet of my sorrow, I one day met the Pennington carriage, in
+which was seated Richard Tresidder and Nick, together with John Penryn
+and my love, but none of them noticed me; nay, not even Naomi gave me as
+much as a nod. This, as may be imagined, made my prospects darker than
+ever, for I felt that my love's father had taken the Tresidders' part
+against me.
+
+And yet I could not drive away from my heart the feeling that my love
+loved me. I remembered our meeting in the summer-house in Lanherne
+Garden, I remembered the words she spoke; nay, more, I felt the joy of
+her kisses, and so I could not wholly despair. On the other hand,
+however, I felt that she was now under the control of her father, and if
+his mind had been poisoned against me my case was indeed hopeless.
+
+Indeed, within a week from the time when I took Mr. Penryn to
+Pennington, it was rumoured that Naomi had overcome her objection to
+Nick Tresidder, and that, owing to her father's wishes, she had
+consented to be his wife.
+
+There seemed nothing that I could do, yet I would not go away; nay, I
+could not. I was chained to St. Eve; and although I knew I was in danger
+from Captain Jack and his gang, I heeded not. Tamsin Truscott, I
+discovered, was slowly recovering, and it was to her, I suspect, that I
+owed my safety.
+
+I tried many times to gain an audience with Naomi's father, and in this
+also I was unsuccessful. He refused to hold any intercourse with me, and
+this embittered me all the more, because, even if he regarded me as the
+merest stranger, I had tried to be a friend to him and his. I tried to
+excuse him, and thus gain hope by saying that he was busily engaged in
+the affairs of his estate; but all the same my heart was very weary and
+sad in those days, especially as every one seemed to shun me. No one
+would befriend me; no one gave me a kind or helpful word.
+
+At that time all hopes of getting back Pennington died out of my heart.
+Up to now I had comforted myself with the idea that I should at some
+time obtain the means to fulfil the conditions of my grandfather's will.
+Pennington was a valuable estate, and ignorant as I was, there seemed no
+way of getting the money; for be it known, in those days money was
+scarce in the country, none of the families for many miles around had
+more than they needed, and even had I many friends among the so-called
+wealthy, and had they been willing to advance the necessary money, I
+doubt whether they could have done so. But I had no friends. Richard
+Tresidder had poisoned the minds of all against me, so that the
+possibility of my raising many thousands of pounds was out of the
+question.
+
+And what almost maddened me was the thought that John Penryn should have
+so willingly played into the hands of my enemies, that he should so
+easily have been deceived by those who were using him only as a means to
+their own safety and aggrandisement.
+
+Then one day a light came into my sky in the shape of a message from
+Naomi's father, asking me to meet him in the copse above Granfer
+Fraddam's cave. At first I suspected treachery, but I determined to go.
+If any one had wanted to do me bodily harm plenty of chances had been
+offered since I returned from my perilous adventure to the Scilly Isles.
+Indeed, I did not much care what became of me, for when hope is gone all
+is gone.
+
+So I went to the copse before the time mentioned, and this was at ten
+o'clock in the morning. As I have before stated, this was a lonely
+place, only one cottage being near, and altogether shielded from the
+gaze of men. As I said, I was early at the meeting-place, and I looked
+eagerly around for Naomi's father, but no one was there. I waited until
+after ten o'clock, and still no one came.
+
+"This is but a ruse," I said bitterly; "this message came only to mock
+me as others have come;" but even as this thought flashed through my
+mind I heard the sound of footsteps on the frozen leaves, and turning I
+saw, not John Penryn, but my love.
+
+At first I was almost overcome at the sight of her, for I feared lest
+something terrible should have happened to bring her instead of her
+father, so I stood looking at her like one bereft of his senses.
+
+"Won't you speak to me, Jasper?" she said, and then my heart jumped so
+that I was less able to speak than before; but I opened my arms,
+wondering all the time if I were not dreaming a beautiful dream.
+
+Yes, she came to me, my darling, whom I despaired of ever seeing
+again--she came shy and coy, I thought, but love was shining from her
+eyes for all that.
+
+"My little love!" I cried; "and so you have come at last," and I took
+her in my great arms, my Naomi, the only maiden I ever did love, or ever
+can love. For love comes but once--that is, such a love as mine. And her
+head was nestled on my heart, just as a mother nestles the babe she
+loves, and a joy, such as even I had never felt before, came to me that
+wintry morning as the sun shone on the ice crystals.
+
+There be men in these days who laugh at such a love as mine, but they
+who do this have never entered into the secret of life's joy. I do not
+expect to be understood by such, and my words to them will be but as a
+sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal; but to those whose hearts have been
+filled with a great absorbing love, I know that my tale will have a
+meaning, simple as it may be, and badly, as I am afraid, it has been
+told.
+
+For some seconds my heart was too full to speak. After the weary days of
+hopeless waiting, thus to enter into joy seemed to make words too poor
+to tell what was in my heart.
+
+Presently, however, I asked her questions as to what had happened since
+I parted with her at the cottage by Mullion Sands, and she told me her
+story. There was but little to tell however--that is, from the time she
+had been left alone with Tamsin and Mrs. Crantock. She had been taken
+from the cottage to the carriage, and although to a degree forced, she
+had been treated kindly. Indeed, she had not been long there before I
+came with her father. Then I asked her concerning him, what she thought
+of him, and whether he had not brought her great joy.
+
+"Everything seems so strange, Jasper," she said. "I had never dreamed of
+such a thing, you know; and sometimes I can hardly believe it is true."
+
+"And is he not kind to you?"
+
+"Oh, very kind, and he has made me love him. He has had so much sorrow,
+such a terrible past, you know; and he is now so gentle, so loving, that
+I cannot help pitying him and loving him. And yet I cannot understand
+him. He must know that the Tresidders are my enemies, and yet he insists
+on my staying at Pennington; he knows I hate Nick Tresidder, and yet he
+encourages him in the thought that I shall wed him."
+
+"But you never will?" I cried.
+
+"How can I, Jasper?" she answered.
+
+"And if the worst comes to the worst," I said, "you will come to me, and
+we will fly together."
+
+She did not speak, but she lifted her eyes to mine, and I saw them
+become dim with tears.
+
+Then she told me that her father had spent days with men of business,
+but he had never told her one word as to what he had done. Indeed, the
+Tresidders had seemed to be disappointed at his having so many private
+interviews with lawyers, although they made much of him, especially
+Richard Tresidder's mother, who seemed to mould him at her will.
+
+"If he is in her power, all hope is gone," I said sadly; and yet hope
+was not gone, for had she not told me that she would never go to the
+altar with Nick Tresidder?
+
+Then I asked her how she had come to me that day instead of her father,
+for up to now my joy had been so great at being with her, that I had
+forgotten that it was not her that I had expected to see.
+
+"That, too, is strange," she answered. "He gave this letter to a servant
+in my hearing, and bade him take it to you; so I asked the man to give
+it to me, and he made no objection."
+
+I puzzled greatly at this, and I could think of no answer to the puzzle,
+save that Naomi must have won the servant's heart, as she won all
+hearts. Or, perhaps, he knew what it was to love, and had guessed her
+secret.
+
+I opened the letter, and this was what I read:
+
+"_Will Jasper Pennington meet John Penryn, Lawyer Trefy, and the family
+of Tresidders at Pennington on Thursday at six o'clock in the evening?_"
+
+"That must mean to-day," I said. "What can they want of me at
+Pennington?"
+
+But I did not trouble much about the matter then, for was not Naomi with
+me? Neither did she seem in a hurry to return to Pennington. Her father
+was in Truro, she said, and had given no orders as to her conduct. So we
+left the copse and wandered away into Pennington Woods, my love and I.
+
+I shall never forget that day. How can I when I think of the days that
+followed? It was one of those glorious winter days, when the air was
+crisp and frosty, and when the blood of healthy people surges through
+their veins with richness and fulness of life. The merle and the mavis
+sung their love-songs, even although it was winter, the squirrels
+climbed the bare branches of the trees, while even the rabbits besported
+themselves gaily. And Naomi and I, because we loved each other, were as
+gay as any lambs that frolic on the warm days of May. Ay, we were young;
+and I, even although I was almost penniless, was happy in my strength
+and my youth. Thus is God kind to His children. As for Naomi, I, who am
+but poor at stringing words together, can never tell how beautiful she
+was. Ay, even Mr. William Shakespeare, great man as he was, could never
+have done justice to such beauty as that of my love.
+
+She was proud of me, too, although I was poor and friendless. She
+admired my finery greatly, and told me that I looked all a man should
+look. "Whenever I have seen you before," she said, "you have been
+strangely attired; and sometimes I have been almost afraid of you, you
+have looked so fierce and strong."
+
+"But you are glad I am strong, my little one?"
+
+"Glad, ay; but I am not little," and indeed she was not little as
+maidens go, but she seemed little to me.
+
+"Yes; but you are little," I said laughingly. "You are but a feather's
+weight."
+
+At this she pretended to be offended, so I caught her up and held her at
+arm's length, just as I have seen mothers hold their children, and I
+laughed all the time in my joy.
+
+Then she called me names, although I could see she rejoiced in my
+strength--the strength which had saved her when she was in peril.
+
+I will write no more concerning that joyful morning, much as I love to
+think about it, for it was the sunshine of summer which precedes the
+black night of winter.
+
+I was not late that night at Pennington, you may be sure, for if I was
+puzzled as to why I should be asked to be there, I was also eager to
+know the reason; besides, hope came into my life that day--hope of the
+great unknown future.
+
+Besides, I should be near my Naomi, for such I felt she was whatever
+might happen.
+
+I was admitted without a word, and ushered into the library, where a
+great many people were. I saw that the Tresidders were greatly puzzled,
+especially Richard Tresidder's mother, whose bright old eyes went
+searchingly from face to face. Although I had kept my time to the
+minute, I was the last to arrive. The Tresidders did not speak to me,
+and seemed to regard my presence as an unpardonable intrusion, and yet
+they said nothing. Lawyer Trefy nodded to me, but his face revealed no
+more than a sealed book. There were many strange men there, too, and
+among them was Jonathan Cowling, the old man who had acted as my gaoler
+at Trevose. Naomi stood by her father's side, and seemed to wonder much
+at the strange scene. John Penryn's eyes shone brightly, but he was
+perfectly self-possessed, and so great was the change in his appearance,
+that none would have thought him to have been the man who had been with
+me at the cave by Bedruthen Steps, unless they had looked at him
+closely.
+
+There was a great silence in the room, as though every one was on the
+tiptoe of expectation, as, indeed, we all were; and when Naomi's father
+rose to speak we all held our breath. He spoke very quietly and very
+collectedly, yet I saw he had difficulty in restraining himself. I saw
+then, too, how great was his resemblance to Naomi, and carefully as he
+was dressed at that time, he looked the picture of what a gentleman
+ought to look.
+
+"I have taken the liberty to arrange this meeting in the house of
+Richard Tresidder, because he has acted as my daughter's guardian," he
+said, "and because of certain family connections which naturally link us
+together, and which he hopes may link us together in the future."
+
+At this my heart sank, for I remembered that he had spoken no word to
+me; nay, he had not noticed me in any way.
+
+"If this is so," said Richard Tresidder, who looked nervously toward
+Naomi's father, "I should like to know why Jasper Pennington is here. It
+is, to say the least, strange in a family meeting like this that an
+outsider is admitted."
+
+"I have arranged for Jasper Pennington to be here because he has been
+associated with my child under peculiar circumstances. When you
+consented--gladly consented, Richard Tresidder, for certain family
+matters to be settled to-night, you did not mention any one to whose
+presence you might object. Besides, you will presently see that I have
+not asked him to come without a purpose."
+
+After this many things were said which confused me greatly, but which
+the men of law who were present seemed to understand perfectly, and so
+did the Tresidders, for that matter.
+
+Then Naomi's father spoke again: "You have asked me, Richard Tresidder,"
+he said, "that I should give your son my daughter in marriage, and have,
+moreover, told me that the marriage settlements can easily be arranged."
+
+At this all the Tresidders nodded eagerly, although they seemed sadly
+puzzled.
+
+"I have also told you," he went on, "that I did not believe Jasper
+Pennington to be so evilly disposed as you thought, and that on one or
+two occasions he exposed himself to danger in seeking to render service
+to my child."
+
+"Naomi was never in danger," was the reply. "All that he has done has
+been for evil purposes."
+
+"Be that as it may, I have come to the conclusion that he deserves some
+kind of recognition for his services. Besides, I was at one time
+acquainted with his father, and so I do not wish to forget him. Mr.
+Trefy, will you state what I am prepared to do?"
+
+Then Lawyer Trefy read something which he had evidently carefully
+prepared, and yet which I was too excited to properly understand; yet I
+know it was to the effect that he had placed in his hands an order to
+arrange with five representatives of county families to value the
+Pennington estates, and to pay the said amount to Richard Tresidder,
+according to the conditions of the will made by Jasper Pennington in the
+year 17--.
+
+"What!" cried Richard Tresidder, like one mad, while his son Nick moved
+the arm which I had broken, and still hung in a sling, and cried out
+with pain.
+
+"I give this to Jasper Pennington," said Naomi's father, "as the dowry
+of my child, who will, I trust, shortly become his wife."
+
+Now at this my heart seemed to stop, but when I saw the light shining in
+my love's eyes, it beat again so joyously, and swelled so with joy, that
+my bosom seemed too small to contain it. Then, unable to restrain
+myself, I rushed to her side and caught her hands.
+
+As I did so, however, I heard a great noise of angry voices, and then
+my darling cried so fearfully that I turned my head, only to see Richard
+Tresidder leap upon me, and by the murderous gleam in his eyes I knew
+that he would do me harm. But I felt to laugh at this, for at that
+moment I seemed to have the strength of ten, and I flung him from me as
+I would have flung a yelping cur who sought to bite me. So quickly,
+indeed, did I throw him from me that no one in the room sought to
+interfere, and even when, with the yell of a wild beast, he came upon me
+again, I think no one thought it worth while to stop him; but even as he
+came I saw my grandfather's second wife speaking to Nick, and then I
+beheld, as it were, a thousand points of light flash before my eyes, and
+felt as though a piece of burning steel were thrust into my side. This
+was followed by wild cries of confusion, among which I thought I heard
+the voice of my love saying, "Oh, Jasper, my love, speak to me!" and
+then I seemed to sink away into the silence and gloom of night.
+
+
+When next I opened my eyes to the light of reason and of day, I lay in a
+large, old-fashioned room which I had never seen before. The bed was
+soft and easy, and a delicious languor seemed to possess me. I felt no
+pain, but I was as helpless as a baby. Perfect stillness prevailed, and,
+like a tired child, I dropped off into a deep sleep. How long I lay thus
+I know not, but presently, when I woke to consciousness again, the air
+seemed to be soft and balmy, and much of the weariness seemed to have
+left me. I moved my limbs, and again looked around the room.
+
+"Where am I, I wonder?" I said to myself.
+
+Just then the door opened and I saw old Betsy Fraddam enter.
+
+Without knowing why, I closed my eyes, while the old dame felt my hands
+and my forehead.
+
+"He's better," she chuckled; "ould Betsy is better than the doctors.
+'Ee'll git better now. Jasper Pennington ed'n a-goin' to die so aisy for
+oal the Tezidders."
+
+She moved my pillow and made my bed comfortable, then she left the room
+again.
+
+When she had gone I recalled the incidents which I have recorded--the
+meeting in the copse, the walk through the woods, then the scene in
+Pennington library, which ended in silence and darkness. What did it all
+mean? My mind was not very clear, but presently I was able to explain
+everything. But where was I? Why was everything so quiet? And why had
+Betsy Fraddam come to me?
+
+I listened, and heard the cawing of rooks, the neighing of horses, and
+the lowing of cattle. If I only possessed sufficient strength I would
+make my way to the window, but I was not able to do this.
+
+Then I heard a voice which set every nerve in my body a-quivering. It
+was the voice of my Naomi outside the door.
+
+She entered all alone. She looked pale and thin; this I saw dimly, for
+my eyes were partly closed. She looked at me long and tenderly, as
+though she wanted, by looking, to see if I were better. Then she sat
+down by my bedside.
+
+"Are you ill, my little one?" I asked.
+
+She started up like one frightened.
+
+"Oh, Jasper!" she cried; "do you know me? Are you so much better? Oh, my
+love, my love!"
+
+Somehow, I know not how it was, but strength came back to me then, so I
+lifted my arms, and my little maid nestled her head on me and sobbed her
+joy.
+
+"You are sure you will get better, Jasper?"
+
+"Yes, sure."
+
+Presently we fell to talking, for I wanted to know what had taken place,
+and she told me little by little, as I could take it in.
+
+"Where am I?" I asked.
+
+"Where? why, at Pennington, your home."
+
+"Yes; and the Tresidders?"
+
+A cloud came over her face. "Richard Tresidder's mother is dead," she
+said. "That night when you were shot there was a great commotion. She
+had what the folks call a seizure, and she never spoke again. In her
+hand she held a pistol, but it is not believed that she shot you. My
+father thinks it was Nick, and that she pulled the pistol from him. She
+only lived a few hours, and was buried three days later."
+
+I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank God I had been saved from this. All the
+same, I felt sad that my little maid suffered it all.
+
+"And Nick?" I asked presently.
+
+"He left Pennington that night. No one knows where he is now, except his
+father."
+
+"And he?"
+
+"My father knows where he is. I do not."
+
+"And so I am at Pennington all alone?"
+
+"My father is here. I would not leave you; I could not, you know,
+Jasper."
+
+Thus while the rooks cawed in their joy and the dogs barked I lay, while
+my little maid sat by my side, and told me the things which my heart
+yearned to know.
+
+Presently her father came, and when he knew how well I was, he said he
+must return to Trevose as soon as possible and take my Naomi with him.
+
+"But what am I to do without her?" I asked woefully.
+
+"You must get well, Jasper, and come to Trevose to see her."
+
+After that he told me many things which I need not write here concerning
+the Tresidders, and of the way they had acted--told me why he had
+behaved so strangely to me; and how to deceive them, and thus gain his
+rights without difficulty, he had pretended to fall in with their
+wishes.
+
+A little later he went with my Naomi to Trevose, and my love made me
+promise to come to her quickly. I did this, as you may be sure;
+nevertheless, springtime had come and the leaves were bursting forth
+from the trees ere I was strong enough to go to Trevose. But I did not
+go in vain, neither did I return to Pennington again without the sweet
+maid for whom I would willingly have laid down my life.
+
+We were wedded at St. Eval by the jolly parson who had told me about
+Lanherne House, and that very same day we posted to Pennington, the home
+of the Penningtons for long generations.
+
+And now I have told my tale, told it truly in spite of evil reports and
+foul lies. Let Richard Tresidder and his son Nick, who are both alive,
+and who, I trust, will read what I have written, point to one wrong
+statement. This they cannot do.
+
+It may be that I have acted foolishly, but let God be the judge whether
+I have ever struck an unfair blow. I have written these things that the
+truth might be known, and that no shadow should rest on her who is near
+me even now; ay, and who is more beautiful than when I first saw her in
+Truro: she the pure maid with pity shining from her eyes, and I the
+outcast, the vagabond.
+
+I sit in the library at Pennington as I write this, while my love is
+romping with the grandest lad in the world, save my eldest son Jasper,
+whom I hear shouting to his sister Naomi in the garden, while Eli, the
+dwarf, watches over them as tenderly as if they were his own.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birthright, by Joseph Hocking
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthright, by Joseph Hocking.
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birthright, by Joseph Hocking
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Birthright
+
+Author: Joseph Hocking
+
+Release Date: December 22, 2008 [EBook #27591]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRTHRIGHT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, Martin Pettit and
+the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3>THE</h3>
+
+<h1>BIRTHRIGHT</h1>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>JOSEPH HOCKING</h2>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Author of "All Men are Liars"</span></h3>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/dec.jpg" width='30' height='28' alt="Decoration" /></div>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>NEW YORK<br />DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY<br />1897</h3>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1896, by<br />Joseph Hocking</span></h4>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h4>BURR PRINTING HOUSE, NEW YORK.</h4>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><a name="fig001.jpg" id="fig001.jpg"></a><img src="images/fig001.jpg" width='700' height='428' alt="I made a leap at Sam Liddicoat" /></div>
+
+<h4>"<span class="smcap">I made a leap at Sam Liddicoat.</span>"</h4>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+<hr class="smler" />
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Tells how the Penningtons Lost Pennington</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Tells how I, Jasper Pennington, Tried to Get my Own</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How I was Robbed of Elmwater Barton; how I Flogged the Tresidders, and was Pilloried because of it</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">I Escape from the Whipping-post, and Find my Way To Granfer Fraddam's Cave</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">I See Naomi Penryn on Rock Called the Spanish Cavalier, and Rescue her&mdash;We Escape from the Tresidders</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">I Discover Another Cave, and Hear a Conversation Between Richard Tresidder and his Son</span></p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">I Hear Richard Tresidder Tell Naomi Penryn's History, and am in Danger of being Killed by Smugglers</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">I Go to Kynance Cove with Cap'n Jack Truscott's Gang, and Meet his Daughter Tamsin</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">What Happened at Cap'n Jack's House&mdash;Tamsin's Confession, and the Smugglers' Plans</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">What Became of the Wreckers' Light&mdash;How I Escaped and Entered Pennington</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">I See Naomi Penryn, and am Greatly Encouraged, but soon after am Taken Prisoner</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How my Love Saved me&mdash;When Free I Go to Sea,
+and Months Later Come Back to Betsey's Cottage and Hear Bad News</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Betsey Fraddam and Cap'n Jack Meet&mdash;I Go to Falmouth
+and Meet Naomi&mdash;Afterward I See Mr. John Wesley</span></p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">I am Taken Prisoner, and afterward Experience
+many Strange Things&mdash;I at Length Find Myself in a Dungeon</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">My Experience in my Prison&mdash;I am Told Terrible News about Naomi</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">I Hear a Strange Noise in my Prison&mdash;The Secret
+Passage which I Found&mdash;A Wild Struggle, and a Hairbreadth Escape</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Tells of the Manner of my Escape, of the Strange Man I Met, and of Eli's Story of a Buried Treasure</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How I Left Bedruthen Steps and, after Meeting Tamsin Truscott, Sought for Naomi</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Tells how I Climbed the Wall of the Manor House Garden, and what I Saw</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How I Felled a Horse with my Fist, and Carried Naomi Southward</span></p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How I Took Naomi to Mullion Porth and then Started with Eli to Find the Treasure</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How I Found the Secret of the Treasure, and Went to the Scilly Isles</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How we Found the Iron Box on Annette Island, and the Terrible Ending to our Adventure</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Tells of the Strange Revelation Made by the Madman of Bedruthen Steps, and of Tamsin Truscott's Treachery</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How we Went to Pennington, and How the Tresidders Won the Victory</span></p>
+
+<h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI</a></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Tells of my Fortunes in Winning Back my Birthright, and Finishes the Tale</span></p>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS.</h2>
+
+<div class="index">
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#fig001.jpg">"<span class="smcap">I made a leap at Sam Liddicoat.</span>"</a></li>
+<li><a href="#fig176.jpg">"<span class="smcap">'Look in the crock, Jasper Pennington,' she said.</span>"</a></li>
+<li><a href="#fig272.jpg">"<span class="smcap">'Jasper, Jasper!' she cried.</span>"</a></li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+
+<h1>THE BIRTHRIGHT</h1>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>TELLS HOW THE PENNINGTONS LOST PENNINGTON</h3>
+
+<p>I am writing this story at the wish of many friends, who tell me it is
+my duty so to do. Certain stories have been afloat, which are anything
+but true, and it has been urged upon me again and again to set down in
+plain terms the true history of events which have set people's tongues
+wagging. I must confess that, in spite of the pleasure I have in
+recalling the memories of past years, it is with great diffidence that I
+at last commence my work. Not because I have any difficulty in
+remembering what took place. My memory, thank God, is as good as ever,
+and the principal scenes in my history are as clear to me as if they
+happened yesterday. It is not that. The truth is I was never clever at
+putting things on paper, and somehow, while the facts are clear enough
+in my mind, I feel a great difficulty in relating those facts in a way
+that is clear and understandable. You see I have lived an open-air life,
+and have spent more hours with the bridle-reins in my hands than the
+pen, and although I had a fair amount of schooling I was never
+considered a quick learner.</p>
+
+<p>Still, as John Major said to me only yesterday, it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> seems a duty to
+clear up certain matters which are altogether misunderstood, and what is
+more, to clear my name from scandal. Moreover, as he truly insisted,
+there are others besides myself upon whom clouds rest, and one
+especially about whom the truth ought to be told.</p>
+
+<p>"People are saying," asserted John Major, "that the land you call yours
+is not yours by right, and that in order to get your will you were in
+league with the devil. It is also said that you broke the laws of God
+and man in your dealings with your relations, and that Parson Inch
+refuses to give you the right hand of fellowship until you can prove in
+a fair and straightforward way that you are not the man some take you to
+be."</p>
+
+<p>Now I am quite aware that many things have happened to me which happen
+to but few men. I know, too, that I have had experiences which, to say
+the least of them, are strange, neither am I sure that I can explain
+certain matters to Parson Inch's satisfaction. At the same time I am not
+afraid of the light, and so I am determined to set down truthfully, to
+the best of my ability, the true account of those events in my life
+which are misunderstood, so that no stigma shall rest upon those who are
+as dear to me as my own heart's blood.</p>
+
+<p>Let it be understood, however, that I make no pretence at fine writing,
+neither must it be expected that I, who never boasted great learning,
+can explain that which has puzzled Parson Grigg, who was in the parish
+before Mr. Inch came&mdash;aye, even puzzled the Bishop himself who came to
+visit the rectory some years since. All I undertake to do is to put down
+in plain, homely words the story of my life, in so far as it affects my
+good name and the good name of those who are associated with me. It may
+be that I shall have to touch upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> matters peculiar to the part of the
+country in which I was born and reared, and to which I am proud to
+belong. As far as I can I will make them clear; but even concerning
+these I will make no great promises.</p>
+
+<p>To begin at the beginning then, for I must do this to make everything
+clear, and I desire above everything to make matters plain. My father,
+Jasper Pennington, died when I was nineteen, leaving me as I thought
+Elmwater Barton, a farm of about three hundred acres. I am called Jasper
+too; indeed, for generations back there has always been a Jasper
+Pennington. Elmwater Barton is by no means a bad farm. Nearly all the
+land is under cultivation, and the house is roomy and substantial. You
+must not imagine, however, that the Barton is the principal place in the
+parish of St. Eve. Far from it. The parish contains twelve thousand
+acres, and is, on the whole, the richest parish in Cornwall, and so
+three hundred acres do not count much. Up to the time of my father
+living at Elmwater Barton the place had always been held by a family of
+yeomen by the name of Quethiock, respectable people, of course, but not
+regarded as gentry. No, the principal house in St. Eve is Pennington,
+which, when my father died, was owned by Richard Tresidder. My father
+was born at Pennington, and my grandfather and great-grandfather were
+born there; indeed, the estate, which is a very valuable one, has been
+owned by the Penningtons for many generations.</p>
+
+<p>The question, therefore, naturally arises, How did a Tresidder get into
+the possession of the estate which has always belonged to the
+Penningtons? It is well to explain this because evil tongues have told
+lies concerning it.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span></p><p>My father's mother died soon after his birth, when my grandfather was a
+comparatively young man; and when my father was about five years old,
+his father called him into the library one day, and told him that it was
+his intention to give him a mother.</p>
+
+<p>"A mother?" said my father, "you told me my mother was dead."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, she is," said my grandfather, "and is in heaven if ever it is
+possible for a woman to get there; that is why I want to give you
+another, Jasper, one who will take care of you better than I can."</p>
+
+<p>"Will she be kind to me?" asked my father.</p>
+
+<p>"That she will," was the reply; "but more than that, she will bring you
+a brother, who is about your own age, and he will be a playfellow for
+you."</p>
+
+<p>My father was greatly pleased at this, and so he welcomed his new mother
+very eagerly, thinking all the time, of course, of his new playfellow.</p>
+
+<p>The lady my grandfather married was a widow. Her husband, Richard
+Tresidder, had been a lawyer in Falmouth, but he had died of cholera
+about four years after my grandmother died. Her little boy, too, was
+called Richard, or Dick, as they named him for short, and in a little
+while the two boys became friends.</p>
+
+<p>Now the widow of lawyer Tresidder brought my grandfather no property at
+all, not a pennypiece, but she brought a great deal of discord instead.
+She was always jealous for her son, and she hated my father. The very
+sight of him used to vex her, especially as after several years she did
+not bear my grandfather a son. There were three daughters born, but no
+son, which greatly disappointed my grandfather, and made his wife
+exceedingly bitter toward my father.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p><p>As years went by it seemed to be the great purpose of her life to cause
+quarrels between the father and son, and at the same time to show up the
+excellencies of her own son, Richard Tresidder. I suppose the wisest and
+best men are clay in the hands of women; at any rate, such has been my
+experience in life, especially if that woman is clever, and has a will
+of her own, which latter quality few women are short of. Anyhow, after
+many years, she succeeded in setting my grandfather against his only son
+Jasper. How she managed it I don't know, for my grandfather always had
+the name for being a just man, but then, as I said, what can a man do
+when a woman gets hold of him? Just before my father was twenty-one this
+widow of Tresidder got her husband to make a new will. She persuaded him
+to let her husband's brother be present when Mr. Trefry, the old family
+lawyer, was writing the document, and a good many hard words passed even
+then.</p>
+
+<p>You see, Mr. Trefry couldn't bear to see my father defrauded, and yet he
+had no right to interfere. The upshot was that the will gave my father
+the sum of &pound;500, while all the Pennington estates were to be held in
+trust for Richard Tresidder. This of course seems very strange, but it
+goes to show how a woman can twist a man around her finger when she sets
+out to do it. There was a clause in the will, however, which my
+grandfather, in spite of James Tresidder, who was also a lawyer, would
+have inserted. I think the old man's love for justice, and perhaps his
+love for his son, caused him to have a mind of his own in this case, for
+in the face of lawyer Tresidder's objections and his wife's entreaties
+he stood firm. The clause was to this effect&mdash;that if Jasper Pennington
+or his heirs were ever in a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> position so to do, they could demand to buy
+the Pennington estates, as they existed at the date of the will, at half
+the value of the said estates. And that in the case of such an
+emergency, five representatives of five county families be asked to make
+the valuation. My grandfather further stipulated that none of the
+Pennington lands should be sold at any time for any purpose whatever.</p>
+
+<p>Now, the widow of Tresidder greatly objected to this, and even after it
+was duly signed did her utmost to get my grandfather to have this clause
+expunged. But the Pennington blood asserted itself, and although he had
+given way to his wife in such a degree that he had almost disinherited
+his son, he still held to this clause.</p>
+
+<p>Not that it could be worth anything to my father. How could he, with
+only &pound;500, expect to gain many thousands?</p>
+
+<p>As I said, the will was made some few months before my father was
+twenty-one, and it was stipulated that he was to receive the &pound;500 on his
+twenty-first birthday.</p>
+
+<p>And now comes a stranger part of the business. About a week before my
+father came of age, my grandfather grew angry at what he had done. The
+thought of his only son being disinherited in favour of a stranger just
+because a woman had twisted him around her finger made him nearly mad.
+He saw now what his wife had been aiming at for years; he saw, too, that
+the quarrels he had had with my father were of his wife's making; and
+anxious to do justly, he wrote a letter to Mr. Trefry telling him that
+he desired his presence at Pennington, as he wanted to make a new will,
+which should be duly signed and sealed before his son Jasper's
+twenty-first birthday. This letter was given to a servant to take to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span>
+Truro. Now this servant, like almost every one else she had in the
+house, had become a tool of the solicitor's widow, and there is every
+reason to believe she saw the letter. Be that as it may, before Lawyer
+Trefry reached Pennington, my grandfather, who the day previous had been
+a hale, strong man, was dead, and the doctor who was called said that he
+died of heart disease.</p>
+
+<p>My father, however, believed that his father had been poisoned, or in
+some other way killed, because the woman he had married feared that he
+would make a new will in favour of his son Jasper.</p>
+
+<p>And now I have told why Pennington, which had been in the possession of
+the Penningtons for many generations, passed out of our hands, and
+became the property of the Tresidders.</p>
+
+<p>After my grandfather's funeral &pound;500 were paid to my father, and he was
+ordered with many bitter words to leave the home of his fathers. The
+clause in the will to which I have referred, however, comforted him
+greatly. He was young and strong, and he determined to save up enough
+money to get back the Pennington estates according to the provisions
+laid down. At that time Elmwater Barton was to let. Old Mr. Quethiock,
+who had just died, had left one son who had a shop in Falmouth. This son
+did not like farming, and he willingly agreed to let the Barton to my
+father, who spent nearly the whole of his capital in stocking it.
+Meanwhile, Richard Tresidder lived in state at Pennington, and sneered
+at my father, who toiled hard at the Barton, and thus, if my father
+hated Richard Tresidder, was it to be wondered?</p>
+
+<p>Now, joining the Pennington lands are those belonging to the Lantallick
+estates, which belong to the Archer<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> family, a family as old as the
+Penningtons and as greatly respected. Squire Archer had five sons and
+one daughter, and my father, who was always friendly with the people at
+Lantallick, visited the house often, and all the more because he loved
+Mary Archer. Concerning Mary Archer I will pass no opinion. I will only
+state facts. I have been told that she was a beautiful young woman, and
+that my father loved her dearly. Indeed, it was generally understood
+that he should marry Mary when he came of age. It has been said, too,
+that Mary was simply crazy in her love for my father; but about that I
+have my doubts.</p>
+
+<p>Not long after my father settled down at Elmwater Barton, he asked Mary
+to be his wife, and it was then that Squire Archer told him to leave the
+house, and informed him, moreover, that his daughter would be shortly
+married to Richard Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>"But," said my father, "Mary has promised to be my wife, promised again
+and again."</p>
+
+<p>"And do you think," asked the Squire, "that I would allow my only
+daughter to marry a tenant farmer, a wild young scamp that his father
+disinherited? Leave the house, I tell you!"</p>
+
+<p>I have heard that Mary pleaded with her father, but I will not vouch for
+the truth of that. Certain it is that some time after she became married
+to Richard Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>Thus it was that Richard Tresidder robbed Jasper Pennington not only of
+his home and lands, but his love.</p>
+
+<p>Now, my father prospered at Elmwater Barton. He was a clever man, and
+fortune favoured him. He began to lay by money, and he farmed the land
+so well that folks said he would in a few years, by the blessing of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>
+God, have enough to buy back the Pennington estates, according to the
+terms of his father's will. This was told Richard Tresidder and his
+mother one day, and they both laughed. About this time my father's
+cattle began to die. No one could explain why, but die they did, until
+many rumours were afloat, and people whispered that the cattle were
+bewitched. Anyhow, it was asserted that Richard Tresidder had been seen
+talking with Betsey Fraddam, the witch, while many delicacies had been
+taken to Betsey's cottage from Pennington.</p>
+
+<p>Now, as I said, there will be many things in this narrative which I, an
+unlearned man, cannot explain. Still, I must tell of matters as they
+occurred, this, among others, especially as my relations with Eli
+Fraddam, Betsey's son, have been condemned by Parson Inch. It is said
+that the Fraddam family has witchcraft in its veins. Anyhow, it is well
+known that Betsey was regarded as a witch, while Eli, her son&mdash;but of
+the poor gnome I will tell later on.</p>
+
+<p>My father tried everything to cure his cattle, but could not, and what
+was more perplexing was the fact that other people's cattle in fields
+adjoining suffered not at all. In a few months he was driven to
+extremities; he saw his chances of buying back his old home slipping
+through his fingers, and what maddened him most was that whenever he
+passed Richard Tresidder, the man who lived on his estates, laughed him
+in the face.</p>
+
+<p>One day my father was in a field adjoining the Pennington lands when he
+saw Richard Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, farmer," said Tresidder, with a sneer, "and how are you getting
+on?"</p>
+
+<p>Whereupon my father accused him of having dealings with Betsey Fraddam,
+and told him he was a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>black-hearted knave, and other things concerning
+himself, which maddened Richard Tresidder so that he jumped over the
+hedge that divided them and struck my father with his heavy riding-whip.</p>
+
+<p>Now the Penningtons have always been a large-limbed, powerful race, and,
+while they have been slow to anger, they have&mdash;thank God&mdash;always had a
+strong sense of what is just, and have always been regarded as brave
+men. Richard Tresidder was a slim, wiry man, and, while strong and
+agile, was no match for a man who, when he hadn't an ounce too much
+flesh, weighed over eleven score pounds. What my father would have done
+by him I know not, but while he was in the act of thrashing him two of
+Tresidder's men came up, and thus the business ended, at least for the
+time. A little while later my father was summoned for attempted murder.</p>
+
+<p>The affair was the talk of Cornwall for some time&mdash;at least, that part
+of Cornwall&mdash;and most people thought my father would be hanged. The
+magistrates, who knew the Penningtons and liked them, however, did not
+allow this; but he had to pay Tresidder a sum of money which, unless he
+were helped, meant his utter ruin.</p>
+
+<p>Again had Richard Tresidder and his mother, who, I believe, was behind
+all this, got the upper hand of my father, and again by unfair means.
+Was it a wonder, then, that Jasper Pennington should regard them as
+enemies? Was it any wonder that I, when I came to know about these
+things, should feel bitterly?</p>
+
+<p>After the sentence was passed my father, wondering what to do, went to
+see Betsey Fraddam, the witch.</p>
+
+<p>"Betsey," said my father, "tell the truth about my cattle. You can't
+harm me, because I'm the oldest son,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> indeed the only son, but I can
+harm you. Did Tresidder hire you to ill-wish the cattle?"</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper," said Betsey, "ded 'ee bait un&mdash;ded 'ee bait un, now, right
+bad? Zay you ded, now."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I did," said my father. "I'm glad the two men came up, or I should
+have murder on my conscience, and that's not right, even when the man is
+your enemy."</p>
+
+<p>"But you ded bait un! Aw! aw! Jasper; ther's they that can kill, an'
+ther's they that can cure. Some can do both."</p>
+
+<p>"You can, Betsey."</p>
+
+<p>"P'raps I can, Jasper. Ave 'ee seed my boy Eli, Jasper?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied my father.</p>
+
+<p>"Then come in and zee un&mdash;come in, Jasper," and she led the way into the
+cottage.</p>
+
+<p>My father, who told me this years after, said he should never forget the
+curious feeling that came over him as he saw Betsey Fraddam's son. He
+looked even as a child like an old man, and he had a wild look in his
+eyes that made him shudder.</p>
+
+<p>"He 'ed'n wot you may call a purty cheeld, es a, then?" asked Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>My father did not reply.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we ca'ant expect for Betsey Fraddam to 'ave purty cheldern, can
+us, then?"</p>
+
+<p>My father was still silent, for Betsey had a strange way with her that
+made people afraid. Even I can remember that.</p>
+
+<p>"You may have a son some day, Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"No," said my father.</p>
+
+<p>"But you may," said Betsey, "you may; I do'ant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> main nothin' wrong,
+Jasper. Margaret Quethiock es well off, and her father do oan the
+Barton. Think about it, Jasper. And then ef you do ever have a son,
+you'll tell 'im to be kind to Eli, wa'ant 'ee now, Jasper?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said my father, wondering all the time why he should give the
+promise. And that was all the conversation they had together at that
+time, for my father told me, and he was always a truthful man. But his
+cattle got better from that time, and as Mr. Quethiock, of Falmouth,
+lent him &pound;300 he was able to tide over his difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>A little while later my father married Margaret Quethiock, and the
+fortune that her father gave her was &pound;200, besides the &pound;300 he had
+borrowed, and Elmwater Barton rent free during her lifetime. If she died
+before my father, the question of rent was to be considered. They had
+been married about two years when I was born; but my mother died at my
+birth, so I never knew a mother's care and love.</p>
+
+<p>My grandfather Quethiock said nothing about rent after my mother's
+death, but my father did not become a rich man. Somehow things were
+constantly going wrong with him, and he was in endless trouble about
+money matters. It was his stepmother, he told me, who was constantly
+persecuting him, because she feared his getting rich, while her son, who
+enjoyed my father's wealth, had all sorts of people ready to do his
+will. Only for him to hint at a thing, and his satellites would do it.
+Thus, one day a herd of cattle would get into a cornfield and destroy
+it; and on another, without any apparent reason, a corn-mow would catch
+fire. We could never trace it to them, but we always knew by the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>
+jeering laugh on Tresidder's face when he passed us who was the cause of
+our trouble.</p>
+
+<p>All this shortened my father's life. When I was nineteen, at the time
+when he should have been in his prime, he was a worn-out old man; and
+so, when sickness overtook him, he had no strength to fight against it.
+It was during this sickness that he told me some of the things I have
+written, and also informed me of other matters which will be related
+later.</p>
+
+<p>I was with him shortly before he died, and then he said to me very
+earnestly, "I leave you Elmwater Barton, Jasper, for I don't think your
+grandfather Quethiock will ever charge you rent, and he told me it
+should be yours completely at his death; but your real property is
+Pennington, my boy. Now I want you to make me a promise."</p>
+
+<p>"I will promise anything in my power, father," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Then," he replied, quietly, "I want you to promise me that you will
+never rest until you get back your own. Never rest until you are back at
+Pennington as master and owner. You have been robbed, my son. I have
+tried to get your rights and have failed, but you must not fail."</p>
+
+<p>"No, father, I will not fail," I replied. "I will never rest until I
+have got back Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>"And never trust a Tresidder, Jasper; they are all as deep as the
+bottomless pit, and as cruel as the fiend who rules there."</p>
+
+<p>"I hear, father," was my reply, "and you shall be obeyed."</p>
+
+<p>This was in the month of July, in the year 1737, when I was nineteen
+years of age.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p><p>What I have to tell is how I tried to get back my home, of the battles
+I had to fight, of the love which came into my heart, of many mysteries
+which I cannot explain, and of the strange experiences through which I
+passed in seeking to obey my father's will.</p>
+
+<p>Whether I shall be believed or no I cannot tell, but I will tell only
+the truth, strange as it may all seem. Moreover, let God be the judge
+whether my quarrel with the Tresidders was not a just one, and whether I
+did not fight fairly, as every honest man should.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>TELLS HOW I, JASPER PENNINGTON, TRIED TO GET MY OWN</h3>
+
+<p>I do not think I have as yet mentioned it, but Richard Tresidder&mdash;I mean
+the man who entered into my father's possessions&mdash;had three sons and one
+daughter, and each of these was brought up with the thought that I was
+their natural enemy. Of course, they were informed that my grandfather's
+will provided the means whereby I, if I were sufficiently fortunate,
+could buy back the estate at half its valued worth. And they were in
+constant suspense about it. If I were to marry a rich wife it could be
+done; if I were to have some stroke of fortune their home might be taken
+from them, they having only a given sum of money. And thus it was to
+their interest to keep me poor, as well as to damage my reputation in
+the neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>The eldest son was a year or more older than I, and was, of course,
+respected as the heir to the Pennington lands, for it is strange how
+people's sympathies veer around on the side of the people who are in
+power. My father has told me many times how, when he was thought to be
+the prospective heir of Pennington, people could not make enough of him,
+while Richard Tresidder had but scant courtesy paid him. When it became
+known that my father was disinherited, no matter how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> unjustly, these
+same folks discovered that Richard Tresidder was a very mine of wit and
+goodness, while my father was made a butt for fools' jokes.</p>
+
+<p>And so I discovered that my being a Pennington counted but for little,
+while it seemed to be forgotten that but for the wiles of a clever,
+selfish woman, I should be the Squire of the parish.</p>
+
+<p>When I was old enough I was sent to Tregony grammar school, my father
+being determined to give me a schooling befitting the position he hoped,
+in spite of his misfortunes, I should some day occupy. Now Nick
+Tresidder had been attending this same school for some months when I
+went. For this I was very glad, because I thought it would give me an
+opportunity for testing him. I had not been in the school a week,
+however, when my father came to fetch me away. The reason was that
+Richard Tresidder had demanded it, as he would not allow his son to be
+educated at the school where the son of a tenant-farmer was admitted. He
+told the schoolmaster that he had two other sons whom he intended to
+send, but that he should immediately withdraw his patronage if I were
+not sent away.</p>
+
+<p>All this angered me as well as my father, but there was no help for it,
+and I was sent to Probus instead, where the education was as good, but
+where I had no chance of meeting the Tresidders.</p>
+
+<p>I have said that Elmwater Barton was a good farm, but I must confess to
+looking longingly at Pennington. This was in the nature of things very
+reasonable on my part, for I always looked upon it as my home. But
+besides this, I doubt if the whole country can present a stretch of land
+so fair, or a house so pleasantly situated. There may be bigger and more
+imposing houses, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> there are none more comfortable. Besides,
+Pennington faces a beautiful glen that is about half a mile wide. I know
+of no grass as green as that which grows there, or of trees so fine and
+stately. Besides, the river which winds its way downward, and which
+sometimes runs side by side with the drive leading from the house to the
+main road, is the most beauteous stream of water I ever saw. Then
+sloping away from this glen are wooded hills, the sight of which in the
+early summer time is enough to make a man sing for joy; and in addition
+to all this, while standing at the main entrance of the house you can
+see the blue sea, say a mile and a half away. I, who have seen something
+of the world, say there is nothing finer in the way of green and
+pleasant land, while all the world knows that nowhere are cliffs so fine
+and the sea so blue as that which is to be seen in this part of my
+native county. Besides, all that land from the house where my father was
+born right to the sea belongs to the Pennington estates, while at the
+back of the house it stretches just as far, and just as fair.</p>
+
+<p>One day&mdash;it was before my father died&mdash;I had climbed Trescowal Tor, just
+to feast my eyes upon so much loveliness, when I saw Richard Tresidder
+walking with his mother toward the Pennington woods. Now a great desire
+came into my heart, not to see Tresidder, but to speak to his mother,
+whom I knew to be the evil genius of my family. And so I made my way to
+the woods, and stood in the pathway as they came up.</p>
+
+<p>They both knew me, not only through my likeness to my father, but
+because of my size, for it is well known that the Pennington family on
+the male side are at least six inches taller than the ordinary run of
+men.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p><p>"Do you know you are trespassing?" asked Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Jasper Pennington," I said, proudly.</p>
+
+<p>"Then get off my lands at once," he said, sternly, and with a black
+look.</p>
+
+<p>"Not until I have had a good look on the man and woman who have robbed
+my father and me," I said&mdash;and I knew I had aroused the devil in them as
+I spoke. For the woman who had robbed us fairly glared at me, while
+Tresidder grasped his stick as though he would strike me. The woman was
+nearing seventy, but she was strong and hale, and her eyes flashed like
+those of a young girl. I saw, too, that she must have been handsome when
+she was young. I marked the cruel, resolute expression of her mouth, and
+I did not wonder at the difficulty my grandfather had in resisting her.</p>
+
+<p>"I will have you put in the stocks, and then taken to the lockup, if you
+are not gone at once," said Tresidder, savagely.</p>
+
+<p>"I will give your three sons the chance of doing this," I said, with a
+laugh. "Three Tresidders against one Pennington isn't bad in fair fight.
+Of course, where cunning and cheatery comes in I should be nowhere. Or
+perhaps," I continued, "you would like to try yourself. I am only
+eighteen, and you are in the prime of your life; still, I should be
+pleased to give you the chance."</p>
+
+<p>But he laid no hands on me; instead, he put a whistle to his mouth and
+blew.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I said, "get some one else to do the work you are afraid to try
+yourself; that's a Tresidder all over. Well, I'll go now; I've had a
+good look at you both, and I shall know you again."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p><p>With that I turned and walked away, for, if the truth must be told, I
+did not care about fighting with Tresidder's minions, and my father had
+told me many times to be careful.</p>
+
+<p>The path was very crooked, and the foliage was very thick, so that I had
+not gone more than a few steps before I was out of their sight. Acting
+on the impulse of the moment, I stopped and listened.</p>
+
+<p>"A regular Pennington," I heard the old woman say. "You must be careful,
+Richard, for he has more brains than his father. He has all the good
+looks of the family, too. We must be silent about all our plans, for if
+he knows he will spoil them. Remember the will."</p>
+
+<p>"I do remember; that is why I am anxious about our boys. Still, there
+can be no fear, and it will not be so very long before we shall get her.
+That settled, and Nick will be all right."</p>
+
+<p>I heard no more after that, but I wondered often what he meant. I told
+my father, too, but he could give me no hint toward the solution of
+Tresidder's words.</p>
+
+<p>After my father's death I ceased to think so much of Pennington; for I
+had Elmwater Barton to look after. I was determined to make the farm
+pay, and now that all the responsibility rested on me, I made up my mind
+that the Tresidders should not play fast and loose with me, as they had
+done with my father. In order to do this I looked carefully around me
+for a man in whom I could trust; for, be it remembered, this was a very
+difficult matter. My father had engaged two hinds, and each of these had
+been bribed by the Tresidders to injure his property. You see, his
+enemies had almost supreme power in the parish, and they used it to his
+injury.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> Still, I knew that the Tresidders must have enemies as well as
+other people, and it was for me to find out who they were. This I had no
+great difficulty in doing. A man named William Dawe had farmed a place
+named Treviscoe, on the Pennington estate, and the poor fellow had
+several seasons of bad luck. One year his turnip crop failed; the next
+the foot and mouth disease got hold of his cattle; and the next, during
+the lambing season, he lost a great number of sheep. Indeed, so bad was
+his luck that he was unable to pay his rent. Perhaps Tresidder would
+have been lenient with him but for two things: one was that he had
+refused to take sides with him against my father, and another was that
+when Nick Tresidder insulted William Dawe's daughter the farmer gave him
+a thrashing. The end of all this was that William Dawe was sold up, and
+even then he was not free from all his difficulties.</p>
+
+<p>One of the first important things I did after my father's death,
+therefore, after a serious conversation with the farmer, was to lure him
+to come to Elmwater Barton, with his wife and son and daughter, in order
+to manage the farm. I do not think in all my life I have ever seen a man
+so grateful.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you come, William?" I asked, when I told him what wages I could
+afford to give.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, Maaster Jasper, come! I reck'n I will! Why&mdash;" And then he caught
+at my hand, and behaved in a way that made me think for the time that I
+was serving him only, and not myself at all.</p>
+
+<p>In a few days William was settled down at the Barton, and right well did
+he arrange for the harvest, and right hard did both he and his son work
+for me. Indeed, both William and his son George seemed ready to work<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>
+their arms off for me, and were both anxious to serve me night and day.
+George Dawe was a strapping fellow of twenty-five, nearly as tall and
+strong as myself, though not quite. This was proved one day when we
+wrestled down in the calves' meadow. I had hard work to master him, for
+George had taken the wrestling prize at St. Eve's Feast for three years
+in succession. I was proud to have thrown him, especially as I had not
+yet got my full strength, not being twenty years of age. George had had
+a varied experience. He had been to sea in a trading vessel, and, if the
+truth must be confessed, had done a fair amount of smuggling. Be that as
+it may, George Dawe loved me like a brother, and nothing was too much
+for him to do for me. Thus I regarded myself as very fortunate. Eliza
+Dawe, too, was a careful, sensible woman, while Selina, her daughter,
+was a strapping, healthy wench who could do as much work as two ordinary
+women.</p>
+
+<p>Now, I say this was a great help to me, for they all watched my
+interests closely.</p>
+
+<p>"Lev any ov the Trezidders try any ov their dirty capers now," said
+George to me, "and we'll laive 'em knaw."</p>
+
+<p>Those who know nothing about farming can have no idea what a great
+amount of harm a seemingly little mistake can do. Suppose, for instance,
+there are two ten-acred fields side by side. Suppose the month is early
+July, when the corn has nearly reached its full height, and the heads
+have all bursted ready to ripen. Well, suppose, again, that one of these
+ten-acred fields has barley, or oats, or wheat, while the other is a
+browsing field in which twenty or thirty head of cattle are feeding.
+Then let some evil-disposed person open the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> gate between these two
+fields, and the thirty head of cattle get into the cornfield&mdash;what
+happens? Why, &pound;20 worth of damage can be done in a single night. And
+things like this were often happening in my father's days, and thus he
+was kept poor.</p>
+
+<p>But things changed after I got George Dawe on the Barton. His eyes
+seemed to be everywhere, and always in my interests.</p>
+
+<p>Let me give one example (and then I will soon get on to my story proper)
+how George Dawe saved me a large amount of money, and at the same time
+helped me to teach the Tresidders a lesson.</p>
+
+<p>It was the June after I had got William Dawe's family to live with me.
+We had had several dry weeks, so that the fields had become parched and
+bare, and we were anxious lest the sheep should not have enough grass.
+One field had been planted with vatches, which, as every farmer knows,
+grow quickly and are cut for the horses.</p>
+
+<p>"William," I said to Dawe one day, "I am afraid we shall have to
+sacrifice a hay field. The browsing fields are all brown; the sheep
+can't get enough to eat. We must be careful not to turn them there when
+the dew is on the grass, though, or they'll get vlayed."</p>
+
+<p>"I wudden trouble, Maaster Jasper; ship c'n nibble a lot on a dewy
+mornin', and we sh'll git rain zoon, I reck'n."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, as you think best; but I fancy we'd better turn the biggest lot
+into the 'Sheeps' Close' to-night." The "Sheeps' Close" was the name of
+one of the best meadows, which at this time was very bare owing to the
+long spell of dry, hot weather.</p>
+
+<p>Well, I had to ride to Truro that afternoon, so I did<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> not get home till
+late at night. I found George Dawe waiting up for me.</p>
+
+<p>"Anything the matter, George?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, ther es, Maaster Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"What?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"The Trezidders be up to the ould gaame. When I wos comin' 'ome from St.
+Eve two or dree 'ours agone, I 'eared young Nick plannin' ev it weth
+Buddle."</p>
+
+<p>"Explain, George," I said.</p>
+
+<p>George told his story, with the result that we made our way to the
+"Sheeps' Close" and hid behind the hedge. Just before dawn&mdash;that is,
+about three o'clock in the morning&mdash;we saw two men coming toward the
+gateway. We saw them unfasten the gate and open it wide, then we heard
+one say to the other, "Now let's fetch up the sheep, and the fool will
+be worth a bit less money in a few hours."</p>
+
+<p>Then they went away, and in a little while we heard them "whishing" up
+the sheep. George closed the gate, and we both waited until they came
+up. There were a hundred and seventy-five sheep in the flock, and they
+brought them up for the purpose of turning them into the vatches. Here
+they would be knee-deep in rank vegetation, and the poor things, glad to
+get to such juicy meat, would eat ravenously. The result of this would
+be that they would get filled with wind and would swell horribly, and if
+not immediately relieved would die a painful death. If the design
+succeeded in this case I should be hundreds of pounds poorer before the
+men would be at their work.</p>
+
+<p>It may be imagined, therefore, that my blood was pretty hot, and that my
+feelings toward the Tresidders were not those of a lover, and I will
+leave it to any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> fair-minded man whether my anger was not reasonable.</p>
+
+<p>As I said, George and I waited by the gate until they came up. The sheep
+came close to the gate, as if waiting to be let in, and the two men
+stood behind, not knowing, evidently, why the poor creatures did not go
+to their death.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter, Jacob?" asked young Nick Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>"Dunnaw, aw'm zure," answered Jacob, who was the eldest son of
+Tresidder's "head man" and the worst rake in the parish. "Lev us go up
+an' zee."</p>
+
+<p>So they came up, as we expected they would.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, the gaate es cloased and apsed!" cried Jacob. "The devil must 'a
+'bin 'ere."</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense," said Nick, "you couldn't have opened it; you must have been
+dreaming. There, open it."</p>
+
+<p>"You tackle Nick Tresidder, an' I'll 'ave a go with Buddle," said George
+to me, in a whisper; "he's allays a-braggin' as 'ow 'ee c'n bait me. Now
+then, jump out!"</p>
+
+<p>At this we both leaped forward. I took Nick Tresidder by the scruff of
+the neck, while George gripped Buddle like a blacksmith's vice.</p>
+
+<p>The sheep jumped away frightened, while these two blackguards cried out
+as if the judgment day had come.</p>
+
+<p>"Es et the devil?" asked Buddle.</p>
+
+<p>"No," I roared out, "it isn't the devil; we're not related to you in any
+way, and your master won't help you."</p>
+
+<p>By this time they found out who we were, and began to wriggle finely.</p>
+
+<p>"Look you, Nick Tresidder," I said; "the law will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> do nothing for us, so
+we are going to take the law in our own hands."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?" asked Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing unfair," I said. "We are man to man. You are on my land, and
+you were doing a trick worthy only of the devil, your master. We will
+wrestle fair, as becomes Cornishmen, and you must show no mercy, for as
+God is above me I'll show none."</p>
+
+<p>Now I will do these men justice. They were not afraid of us, and when
+they knew that we were people of this world and not ghosts from the
+other, they showed no desire to run away. Nick Tresidder was a year
+older than I, while Buddle always sneered when folks said that George
+Dawe was a better man than he. Besides, they both saw that we did not
+mean playing at wrestling.</p>
+
+<p>But Nick Tresidder, Tresidder-like, was not fair; he jumped upon me
+before I was ready, a thing always regarded as cowardly at a wrestling
+match. I saw in a minute, too, that he knew the tricks of the art, and
+were I not a wrestler, too, and a strong man to boot, my arm must have
+been broken before I could put forth my strength. This angered me more
+than I like to be angered, for now, when we were to meet man to man, I
+felt not so bitter about the sheep. So I put forth all my strength and
+made him let go his vantage hold, then I put my arm around his chest,
+and right glad was I when I found him a strong man; so I played with him
+for the pleasure of wrestling, just as any true Cornishman will. But I
+was wrong in doing this. My father had told me never to trust a
+Tresidder, and I did trust him to wrestle fairly, even although he had
+tried to kill my sheep. While I wrestled, merely for the pleasure of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>
+wrestling, I felt a stab at my side, and I knew that a knife had entered
+my flesh just under my arm.</p>
+
+<p>"You are a coward, Nick Tresidder," I said, "a coward in every way;"
+then, not knowing whether I was dangerously wounded or no, I played with
+him no longer, for a man cannot bear everything. I caught him in both my
+arms and lifted him from the ground; then I wrestled in earnest. I heard
+one of his ribs snap, but he did not cry out, then another, and he
+became but a child to me; so I let him go, and he staggered away like a
+drunken man.</p>
+
+<p>"Now go home and tell your father what you have done," I said, "and tell
+him who you found in Elmwater Barton 'Sheeps' Close.'"</p>
+
+<p>Then I turned to George, who was still struggling with Buddle, and who,
+just as I came to him, threw him heavily.</p>
+
+<p>"George," I said, "I have been stabbed. Just tie this cloth tightly
+around my chest."</p>
+
+<p>"The coward!" said George, panting; "but where es a, Maaster Jasper?"</p>
+
+<p>"He won't wrestle any more for a month or two," I replied; "but I would
+not have hurt him so if he had not stabbed me."</p>
+
+<p>So there, in the early morning light, while the birds began to sing, and
+the sheep tried to find food on the dewy ground, George Dawe tied a
+cloth tightly across my naked chest, and I could not help wincing at the
+pain. Just as he was finishing, Jacob Buddle got slowly up from the
+ground. He had been badly stunned, but no bones were broken.</p>
+
+<p>"Look after your master," I said; then I saw the knife with which Nick
+had stabbed me lying on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> ground. "There," I said, "you know that
+knife, I expect; your master used it while we wrestled."</p>
+
+<p>But Buddle was dazed, and did not reply. So when I had put on my coat I
+went to Nick Tresidder, who was very faint and unable to walk, so ill
+had he become. Then my heart softened, and together we took him up to
+Pennington, and Buddle, who was by this time better, said he could
+manage him.</p>
+
+<p>The next day I heard that Nick Tresidder had fallen from his horse and
+broken his ribs, and Dr. Hawke, who had been called in, said that he
+must remain in bed many days. But of this I am sure, although neither
+George Dawe nor I said a word, Richard Tresidder knew the truth.</p>
+
+<p>Now I have told this, not because I delight in such things, but because
+I want it to be known how I was treated, and what I had to contend with,
+for this was but a sample of the many ways in which the Tresidders had
+tried to harm me. I have often wondered why they felt so evilly toward
+me, seeing that they were rich at my cost, and I have come to the
+conclusion that it is a law of human nature for a man to hate those whom
+he has treated unjustly. But I am an unlearned man, and the heart of
+man&mdash;and woman&mdash;is past finding out.</p>
+
+<p>And now I must tell how, in spite of myself, I was drawn more and more
+into contact with the Tresidders, with other matters which strangely
+affected my life later on.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW I WAS ROBBED OF ELMWATER BARTON; HOW I FLOGGED THE TRESIDDERS, AND
+WAS PILLORIED BECAUSE OF IT</h3>
+
+<p>A month after the event I have just related I was walking down toward
+the sea, for my wound, which was but slight, had healed up, when,
+passing by Betsey Fraddam's cottage, I saw the old woman sitting by the
+door mending a garment.</p>
+
+<p>"'Ere, Maaster Jasper, I want 'ee," said Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>So I went toward her, not caring to offend her. Now I am not a
+superstitious man, neither did I ever believe in some of the stories
+told about Betsey. At the same time, I knew better than to offend her.
+Even Parson Grigg was civil to her, and admitted that she had powers
+which could not be trifled with. It is also a fact that she had cured
+some of my cattle which had been stung by adders, by charming them,
+while, on the other hand, my father believed that she had, at Richard
+Tresidder's bidding, ill-wished his cows. She had on several occasions
+cured terrible diseases which the doctor from Falmouth said were
+incurable, and I have heard it said that when Mr. John Wesley visited
+Cornwall, and was told about her, the great man looked very grave, and
+expressed a belief in her power. This being so, it is no wonder I did
+not like to offend her; neither had I any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> reason for doing so. She had
+been kind to me, and once, when I had scarlet fever, gave me some stuff
+that cured me even when Dr. Martin said I should be dead in a few hours.
+Besides, according to my father's promise, I had been friendly with Eli,
+her son. Now, Eli was several years older than I, but he never grew to
+be more than about four feet high, and was the most ill-formed creature
+I have ever seen. He had bow legs, a hump back, and was what was called
+"double-chested." His thick black hair grew down close to his eyes,
+which eyes, in addition to being very wild and strange-looking, were
+wrongly set, so that no one could tell which way he was looking. He was
+rather sickly-looking, too, and was thought to be very weak. But this I
+know to be wrong. Eli, ill-formed as he was, was much stronger than most
+men, nature having endowed his sinews with wondrous hardness and powers
+of endurance. Eli did no work, but lived by poaching and begging food at
+the farmhouses. As Betsey's son he was never refused, especially as some
+believed he had inherited his mother's powers.</p>
+
+<p>Well I entered the cottage and sat on a wooden stool while Eli sat in a
+corner of the open fireplace and looked at me steadfastly with one eye,
+and with the other saw what was going on out in the road.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Betsey, "and so you found out what Nick Tresidder wanted to
+do, then? An' I 'ear as 'ow you've nearly killed 'im."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"How do I knaw? How do I knaw everything? But you'll be paid out,
+Maaster Jasper! Tell y' Dick Tresidder 'll pay 'ee out. I c'n zee et
+comin'."</p>
+
+<p>"See what coming?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p><p>"Look 'ee, Maaster Jasper; 'ave 'ee bin to zee yer Granfer Quethiock
+lately?"</p>
+
+<p>"No."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you be a vool, Jasper&mdash;tell y' you be a vool. Wy, 'ee's nearly
+dead; he may be dead by now. What 'bout the Barton, Jasper? 'Ave 'a
+willed et to 'ee?"</p>
+
+<p>At this my heart became heavy. Up to now no rent had been charged, and I
+hoped that my grandfather would make it over to me. My uncles, I knew,
+did not like me.</p>
+
+<p>"Old Mester Quethiock es dead, es dead, es dead," said Eli, in his
+funny, grunting kind of voice.</p>
+
+<p>"How do 'ee knaw, Eli?" asked his mother.</p>
+
+<p>"I knaw, I knaw," grunted Eli, and then he laughed in his funny way, but
+he would tell nothing more.</p>
+
+<p>"What ought I to do?" I asked, for I felt a great fear come into my
+heart, although my father had told me that my Grandfather Quethiock
+meant to give me the Barton.</p>
+
+<p>"Go and zee, go and zee," said Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>So I went back home and saddled my mare and rode to Falmouth. When I got
+into Falmouth town I saw an ironmonger whom I knew, and he looked as
+though he would speak, so I stopped my horse.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, and so yer poor gran'father is gone," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Is he?" I replied; "I did not know till now."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, he's gone, and a good man he wos, too. His two sons, yer uncles,
+'ave been waitin' a long time to git into his shoes. Ah, there'll be a
+change now! Th' ould man was the soul of generosity; but the sons, Peter
+and Paul, nobody'll be able to rob one to pay the other of they two. But
+I 'ear as 'ow you'm safe, Maaster Jasper. The Barton es yours, I'm
+told."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p><p>This cheered me, so I rode on toward my grandfather's house. Just
+before I got there I saw my two uncles coming down the street, and with
+them was Richard Tresidder. I checked my horse and watched them, and saw
+that they entered a lawyer's office, and the lawyer who owned it was the
+son of the man who was present when Lawyer Trefry drew up my
+grandfather's will.</p>
+
+<p>I got to know nothing by going to my grandfather's house, save to find
+out the day of the funeral, which was fixed for three days later, and
+which I attended. After the funeral was over the will was read, and the
+lawyer who read it was Nicholas Tresidder, a bachelor after whom young
+Nick was called.</p>
+
+<p>Now, I do not pretend to be a learned man, but I do love honesty, and I
+do say that the will was drawn up to defraud me. Neither do I believe
+that my grandfather ever intended the words written down, to read as the
+lawyer said they read, for he had told my father that Elmwater Barton
+was to be left to me. According to Lawyer Tresidder, however, the whole
+of my grandfather's property was left to his two sons, Peter and Paul
+Quethiock, and it was left to their generosity as to whether I, his
+grandson, Jasper Pennington, should remain at the Barton free of all
+rent, and whether the land should be eventually mine. Thus, according to
+the lawyer's explanation, it was left to my uncles' generosity and
+judgment as to whether my grandfather's desire should be carried out. I
+desired that this part of the will should be read again, but so many
+words were used that I had difficulty in making head or tail of it. All
+the time I noticed that my uncles looked very uneasy.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p><p>Now, I know that my grandfather was very fond of me, and in spite of
+the fact that I had been robbed of my rightful heritage, he was proud
+that he had a Pennington for a grandson. Thus I am sure that it was his
+will that I should have the Barton for my own. But during the last few
+years he had been very feeble and infirm, and thus in the hands of a
+clever lawyer he could easily be deceived as to what was legal.</p>
+
+<p>I will not attempt to give a lengthy account of what followed. Indeed, I
+have not a very distinct remembrance. I was not long in seeing what was
+in the minds of my two uncles, and I quickly realised that they had been
+in league with the Tresidders; and so, feeling that it was their
+intention to defraud me, I became dazed and bewildered. I have a
+confused recollection of asking some questions, and of the replies
+given, and after hearing them I left the house, with the consciousness
+that I was not the owner of Elmwater Barton, but a tenant liable to be
+dismissed by my uncles, both of whom were, I was sure, tools of Richard
+Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>Still, I determined not to give up without a struggle, so I rode to
+Truro that same day and saw Lawyer Trefry, the son of the old lawyer who
+drew up my grandfather's will. He listened to my story very attentively,
+and when I had finished declared that Nicholas Tresidder was a clever
+fellow.</p>
+
+<p>"I think it is possible you may have a case though, Jasper," he said; "I
+think you may have a case. I will see to it at once. I will examine the
+will, and if there is a chance you may depend that I will seize on it.
+But remember this: Nicholas Tresidder is a clever fellow, and when he
+sets his mind on a thing it's a difficult thing to find him napping."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p><p>That night I went back to the Barton with a sad heart, speaking not a
+word to any one. I longed to ease my pain by denouncing the people who
+sought to work my ruin, but in spite of William Dawe's anxious
+solicitations I held my peace. It is true Lawyer Trefry gave me some
+little hope, but I did not sleep that night, and for the next few days I
+wandered around the farm like one demented. Presently I saw Lawyer
+Trefry again, and I knew directly I caught the look on his face that my
+case was hopeless.</p>
+
+<p>"Nicholas Tresidder is a smart fellow," he said, with a grunt, "a very
+smart fellow. There is no doubt but that your grandfather meant you to
+have the Barton&mdash;not the slightest doubt; but then, you see, it is not
+legally yours. Let us hope that your uncles will abide by your
+grandfather's evident desire and make it yours."</p>
+
+<p>But I had no hope of that, and I shook my head sadly. "As well expect
+water from a stone," I said. "For a long time I have wondered why
+Richard Tresidder should be so friendly with Peter and Paul Quethiock;
+now I know. He has been for years trying to ruin me, and now he has
+accomplished it."</p>
+
+<p>"How old are you?" asked Lawyer Trefry, suddenly, as though a new
+thought had struck him.</p>
+
+<p>"Twenty next month," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Bah! why did not old Quethiock live a month longer?" grunted the
+lawyer.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, what would have been the use?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Use? Why, if you could prove that you had held the land for twenty
+years, you could lawfully claim it as yours."</p>
+
+<p>And thus everything was against me, and although<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> we talked over a dozen
+things together, no ray of light came to cheer the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>The next thing that happened was the event of a letter which I got from
+Nicholas Tresidder, the Falmouth lawyer. This letter was to the effect
+that as I was neither a lawful tenant of Elmwater Barton, nor the owner
+thereof, I must immediately vacate the place, as Paul Quethiock intended
+to take possession thereof immediately. I had expected this, and had
+been for days trying to value the stock on the place. As I have before
+stated, I was barely twenty years of age, and although my father had
+appointed as my guardians two neighbouring farmers, they took but little
+interest in my affairs&mdash;indeed, I do not think they understood what
+their duties were. Anyhow, they took no steps to help me, neither did
+they interfere with me in any way.</p>
+
+<p>On the receipt of this letter, which was brought from Falmouth by
+messenger, I saddled my mare, and immediately rode to see Lawyer Trefry.</p>
+
+<p>He read the letter very carefully, and then asked me if I had received
+nothing else.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing," I replied; "what is there else to receive? They have taken
+away the farm, they have ordered me to leave it; now I am come to you to
+arrange with James Trethewy and John Bassett about selling the stock. I
+suppose the crops will have to be valued, too, and a lot of other
+matters before I can realise on my property."</p>
+
+<p>He looked very grave, but said nothing for some time.</p>
+
+<p>"I will do what I can at once," he grunted, at length; "but believe me,
+Jasper, my boy, Nicholas Tresidder is a clever dog&mdash;a very clever dog.
+He's been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> set to work on this bone, and he'll leave nothing on it&mdash;mark
+my words, he'll leave nothing on it."</p>
+
+<p>"He <i>has</i> left nothing," I replied; "I doubt if the stock will fetch
+very little more than the &pound;500 my father spent when he took Elmwater
+Barton from my Grandfather Quethiock."</p>
+
+<p>Lawyer Trefry shook his head and grunted again; but he made no remark,
+and so I left, thinking that I knew the worst. I imagined that when the
+stock was sold I should be worth several hundred pounds, and with this
+as a nucleus, I should have something to give me a fair start.</p>
+
+<p>And so the day of the sale of the stock on the Barton was fixed, but
+before that day came another letter was brought by a messenger of Lawyer
+Nicholas Tresidder from Falmouth. This letter stated that as no rent had
+been paid since the death of Margaret Pennington, the heirs of the late
+Peter Quethiock claimed six years' rent, as they were entitled to do by
+the law of the land.</p>
+
+<p>I knew now what Lawyer Trefry meant when he said that Lawyer Tresidder
+would pick the bone clean. He had seen this coming, while I, young and
+ignorant of the law, had never dreamed of it. Old Betsey Fraddam had
+said that Richard Tresidder would pay me out, and he had done so now.
+Six years' rent would swallow up the value of the stock, and would take
+every penny I possessed. Thus at twenty I, who, but for the fraud and
+deceit of the Tresidders, would be the owner of Pennington, would be
+absolutely homeless and penniless. Then for the first time a great
+feeling of hate came into my heart, and then, too, I swore that I would
+be revenged for the injury that was done to me.</p>
+
+<p>Again I went to Lawyer Trefry, and again he grunted.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span></p><p>"I expected this," he said; "I knew it would come. Nick Tresidder is a
+clever dog; I was sure he would pick the bone clean."</p>
+
+<p>"And there is no hope for me?" I asked, anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"You will have your youth, your health and strength, and your liberty,"
+he replied. "I do not see how they can rob you of that; no, even Nick
+Tresidder can't rob you of that!"</p>
+
+<p>"But the rest?"</p>
+
+<p>"It will have to go, it must all go; there is no hope for it&mdash;none at
+all," and the lawyer grunted again.</p>
+
+<p>I will not describe what took place during the next few weeks&mdash;there is
+no need; enough to say that all I had was taken, that I was stripped of
+all I possessed, and was left a homeless beggar.</p>
+
+<p>As Lawyer Trefry told me, they had done their worst now, at least for
+that time. Richard Tresidder had been undoubtedly working in the dark
+for years to accomplish this, and in his kinsman the lawyer he had found
+a willing helper. It was plain to see, too, that it would be to Peter
+and Paul Quethiock's advantage to try and take the Barton from me. It
+was a valuable piece of land, and would enrich them considerably. There
+was no difficulty, either, in seeing Richard Tresidder's motives. He had
+wronged me, and, as I said, it seems a law of life that a man shall feel
+bitterly toward one he has wronged; and besides all that, his safety lay
+in keeping me poor, and to this end he brought all his energies to bear.</p>
+
+<p>When it was all over I think I became mad. While there was a straw to
+which I could hold I managed to restrain myself, but when the last was
+broken I think I gave myself over to the devil. I behaved in a way that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>
+frightened people, until even those who were inclined to be friendly
+avoided me. By and bye only one house was open to me, and that was old
+Betsey Fraddam's. It was true I visited the taverns and beershops in the
+neighbourhood, and formed companionships with men who years before I
+despised; but Betsey Fraddam's house was the only one open to me which I
+could regard as anything like a home. Even Betsey grew angry with me,
+and would, I think, have bidden me leave her doors but for her son Eli,
+who seemed to love me in a dumb, dog-like sort of way.</p>
+
+<p>"Why doan't 'ee roust yerzelf up, Jasper?" she would say. "Spoase you be
+put upon, spoase Squire Trezidder 'ave chaited 'ee&mdash;that ed'n to zay you
+shall maake a maazed noodle of yerzelf. Roust yerzelf up, an' begin to
+pay un back."</p>
+
+<p>"How can I do it, Betsey?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Ow? Better do a bit a smugglin' than do nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; and isn't that what Tresidder wants? If he can get me in the
+clutches of the law that way it will just please him. Mad I am, I know,
+but not mad enough for that."</p>
+
+<p>"Then go to Plymouth, or go to Falmouth, my deear cheeld. Git on board a
+shep there, an' go off to some furrin country and make a fortin."</p>
+
+<p>"There are no fortunes to be made that I know of, Betsey; besides, I
+don't want to get away from St. Eve. I want to stay here and keep my eye
+upon Tresidder."</p>
+
+<p>"And what good will that do? You ca'ant 'urt 'ee by stayin' 'ere. 'E's
+too clever for you; he c'n allays bait 'ee while you stay 'ere,
+especially when you do behave like a maazed noodle."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, Betsey. I will leave your house," I said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> after she had been
+talking to me in this fashion one day; "I can manage to live somewhere."</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper mus'n't go 'way," said Eli; "Jasper stay with me. Ef Jasper go
+'way, I go 'way. I help Jasper. I knaw! I knaw!" and then the poor gnome
+caught my hands and laughed in a strange way which was half a cry.</p>
+
+<p>And so, because Betsey loved Eli with a strange love, and because Eli
+clung to me with a dog-like devotion, I made Betsey's cottage my home.
+Plan after plan did I make whereby I might be able to make Richard
+Tresidder and all his family suffer for their behaviour to me, but I saw
+no means. What could I do? I had no friends, for when I left Elmwater
+Barton William Dawe and his family left the parish. For a long time I
+could not make up my mind to ask for work as a common labourer in a
+parish where I had been regarded as the owner of a barton. It seemed
+beneath me, and my foolish pride, while it did not forbid me to idle
+away my days and live in anything but a manly way, forbade me to do
+honest manual work. But it would have made no difference even if I had
+been less foolish, for when I on one occasion became wiser, and sought
+work among the farmers, I was refused on every hand. The fact was, every
+one was afraid to offend Richard Tresidder, and as every tenant farmer
+in the parish was in his power, perhaps their conduct was reasonable.</p>
+
+<p>And thus it came about that my manhood slipped away from me, and I
+became a loafing outcast. I would have left the parish but for a
+seemingly unreasonable desire to be near Richard Tresidder, who day by
+day I hated more and more. I know I was mad, and forgot what was due to
+my name in my madness.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p><p>When a year had gone, and I was nearly twenty-one years of age, there
+were few more degraded sights in the parish than I. My clothes had
+become worn out, and my whole appearance was more that of a savage than
+of anything else. People said, too, that the look of a devil shone from
+my eyes, and I saw that people avoided me. And as I brooded over this,
+and remembered that I owed it all to the Tresidders, I vowed again and
+again that I would be revenged, and that all the Tresidder brood should
+suffer a worse hell than that through which I passed.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing cheered me but the strange love of Eli Fraddam, who would follow
+me just as a dog follows its master. When I could get a few pence I
+would go to the alehouse and try and forget my sorrow, but I nursed my
+anger all the time, and never once did I give up my dreams of harming
+the Tresidders. I write all this because I want to tell my story
+faithfully, and because I will give no man the chance to say that I
+tried to hide the truth about my feelings toward my enemies.</p>
+
+<p>The day before my twenty-first birthday I was loafing around the lanes
+when I saw Richard Tresidder and his son Nick drive past me. They took
+the Falmouth road, and, divining their destination, I followed them in a
+blind, unreasoning sort of way. As I trudged along plans for injuring
+them formed themselves in my mind, one of which I presently determined I
+would carry into effect. It was the plan of a savage, and perhaps a
+natural one. My idea was to wait outside the town of Falmouth, to waylay
+them, and then to thrash them both within an inch of their lives. I
+remember that I argued with myself that this would be fair to them. They
+would be two to one, and I would use nothing but my fists.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p><p>When I got into Falmouth I spent the few pence I possessed in food, and
+then I made inquiries about the time they would return. I discovered
+that they intended to leave the George Inn about five o'clock in the
+evening, so I spent the time loafing around the town, and repeating to
+myself what I would do with them both that night.</p>
+
+<p>About three o'clock in the afternoon, however, my plans became altered.
+As I stood at a street corner, I saw Richard Tresidder, with his son
+Nick, besides several other gentlemen, coming down the street. Scarcely
+realising what I did, for the very sight of him made me mad, I went
+toward them, and as Richard Tresidder came up I spat in his face.</p>
+
+<p>"Who's a thief? Who's a cheat? Who got Pennington by cheatery and
+lying?" I shouted.</p>
+
+<p>"Get out of the way, you blackguard," cried Nick Tressider, the lawyer.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll not get out of the way," I cried; "I'll tell what's the truth. He
+killed my grandfather; he hocussed him into making a false will, and he
+and you have robbed me. Ah, you lying cowards, you know that what I say
+is true!"</p>
+
+<p>Then Richard Tresidder lifted his heavy stick and struck me, and before
+the bystanders knew what had happened there was a street brawl; for I
+struck Richard Tresidder a heavy blow on the chin which sent him reeling
+backward, and when his son Nick sprang upon me I threw him from me with
+great force, so that he fell to the ground, and I saw the blood gush
+from his nose. After that I remember nothing distinctly. I have a dim
+recollection of fighting madly, and that I was presently overpowered and
+taken to the lock-up.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p><p>I remained in the lock-up till the next morning, when I was taken
+before the magistrates. I don't know what was said, and at the time I
+did not care. I was angry with myself for not biding my time and
+flogging the Tresidders in the way I had planned, and yet I was pleased
+because I had disgraced Tresidder&mdash;at least, I thought I had&mdash;before the
+whole town. I have an idea that questions were asked about me, and that
+one of the magistrates who knew my grandfather said it was a pity that a
+Pennington should come to such a pass. Richard Tresidder and his friends
+tried to get an extreme sentence passed upon me, but the end of it all
+was that I was sentenced to be pilloried for six hours, and then to be
+publicly flogged.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after I was taken to the market-place, where the pillory was set
+up, and I, in face of the jeering crowd, was tied to a pole. Then on the
+top of this pole, about six feet from the platform on which I stood, a
+stout piece of board was placed, which had three hollow places cut out.
+My neck was pressed into one socket and my wrists in the two others.
+Then another stout piece of board, with hollow places cut out to
+correspond with the other, was placed on the top of it. This pressed my
+neck very hardly, and strained it so that I could hardly breathe; it
+also fastened my hands, and hurt my wrists badly. I know of nothing
+nearer crucifixion than to be pilloried, for the thing was made
+something like a cross, and my head and arms were crushed into the piece
+of board which corresponds with the arms of a cross in such a way that
+to live was agony.</p>
+
+<p>And there I stood while the jeering crowd stood around me, some howling,
+some throwing rotten eggs at me, and others pelting me with cabbage
+stumps and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> turnips. After I had stood there about three hours some one
+came and made the thing easier, or I should not have lived through the
+six hours, and after that time, the mob having got tired of pelting me,
+I was left a little time in peace.</p>
+
+<p>When the six hours were nearly up, I saw Nick Tresidder come to the
+market-place with two maidens. One I saw was his sister, the other was a
+stranger to me. I knew they had come to add to my shame, and the sight
+of them made me mad again. I tried to speak, but the socket was too
+small, and I could not get enough breath to utter a word. Still, anger,
+I am sure, glared from my eyes as I looked at Nick and his sister; but
+when I looked at the other maiden, a feeling which I cannot describe
+came over me. She was young&mdash;not, I should think, quite eighteen&mdash;and
+her face was more beautiful than anything I have ever seen. Her eyes
+were large and brown, while her hair was also brown, and hung in curls
+down her back. Her face, thank God! was not like that of the Tresidders;
+it was kind and gentle, and she looked at me in a pitying way.</p>
+
+<p>"What has he done?" she asked, in a voice which, to me, was as sweet as
+the sound of a brook purling its way through a dell in a wood.</p>
+
+<p>"Done!" said Nick Tresidder. "He is a blackguard; he nearly killed both
+me and my father."</p>
+
+<p>She looked at me steadfastly, and as she did so my heart throbbed with a
+new feeling, and tears came into my eyes in spite of myself.</p>
+
+<p>"Surely no," she replied; "he has a kind, handsome face, and he looks as
+though he might be a gentleman."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p><p>"Gentleman!" cried Nick. "He will be flogged presently, then you will
+see what a cur he is."</p>
+
+<p>"Flogged! Surely no."</p>
+
+<p>"But he will be, and I wish that I were allowed to use the whip. Why, he
+belongs to the scum of the earth."</p>
+
+<p>By this time I felt my degradation as I had never felt it before, for I
+felt that I would give worlds, did I possess them, to tell her the whole
+truth. I wondered who she was, and I writhed at the thought of Nick
+poisoning her mind against me.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing them there others came up, and I heard one ask who this beauteous
+maiden was.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you know?" was the reply. "She is Mistress Naomi Penryn."</p>
+
+<p>"What is his name?" asked this maiden, presently.</p>
+
+<p>"Can't you see?" replied Nick. "Ah! the eggs have almost blotted out the
+name. It is Jasper Pennington, street brawler and vagabond."</p>
+
+<p>And this was the way I first met Naomi Penryn.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>I ESCAPE FROM THE WHIPPING-POST, AND FIND MY WAY TO GRANFER FRADDAM'S CAVE</h3>
+
+<p>No words can describe the shame I felt at the time. Before Naomi Penryn
+came there and looked upon me I was mad with rage and desire for
+vengeance. I longed to get to a place where I could meet the whole
+Tresidder brood face to face. But now a new feeling came to me. Had I
+not after all been a brute, and had I not acted like a maniac? For the
+look on her face made me love goodness and beauty. I could do nothing,
+however; my hands were numb, and my tongue was dry and parched. All I
+was capable of at this moment was to listen and to look into the fair
+maid's face, and feel a great longing that she might not despise me as
+Nick Tresidder evidently intended that she should.</p>
+
+<p>The crowd did not pelt me while she stood there; I think it was because
+there was something in her presence that hindered them. Every one could
+see at a glance that she was different from the host of laughing things
+that cared nothing for my disgrace.</p>
+
+<p>I waited eagerly for her to speak again; her words seemed to ease my
+pain, and to make me feel that I, too, was a man in spite of all I had
+suffered.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper Pennington," she said, presently; "why, Pennington is the name
+of your house, Nick!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p><p>"Yes," replied Nick, savagely.</p>
+
+<p>"He's young, too," she continued, looking at me curiously, and yet with
+a pitying look in her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Then I remembered I was twenty-one that day, and that my father had been
+dead barely two years. Thus, on my twenty-first birthday, I was
+pilloried as a vagabond and a street brawler, while this beauteous girl
+looked at me.</p>
+
+<p>"Where does he live?" she asked again, as though she were interested in
+me.</p>
+
+<p>"Up to a year ago he lived in St. Eve's parish," replied Nick. "He
+managed to stay by fraud on Elmwater Barton; he was a brute then, and
+tried to kill me. He would have succeeded, too, but for Jacob Buddle. I
+hope the man who flogs him will lay it on hard."</p>
+
+<p>She gave me one more look, and in it I saw wonder and pity and fear.
+Then she said, "Let us go away, Nick. I do not care to stay longer."</p>
+
+<p>"No, we will not go yet!" cried Nick; "let us see him get his lashes. He
+will be taken down in a few minutes. There, the constables are coming."</p>
+
+<p>I saw the tears start to her eyes, while her lips trembled, and at that
+moment I did not feel the sting of the lies Nick had told.</p>
+
+<p>The whipping-post was close to the place where the pillory had been set
+up, and I saw that the constable held the rope with which I was to be
+tied. Then two men came and unfastened the piece of wood which had
+confined my head and hands. At first I felt no strength either to hold
+up my head or to move my hands, but while they were untying my legs the
+blood began to flow more freely, and I knew that my strength was coming<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>
+back. The ropes being removed I was allowed to stand a minute, so that
+my numbed body might become sensitive to the lash of the whip, but I
+thought not of it. I kept my eyes steadily on Naomi Penryn, and fed upon
+the look of pity on her face. I knew that she must think of me as a
+savage brute, and yet she felt kindly toward me. She did not ask to go
+away again; she seemed to be held by a strange fascination, and watched
+while the rope was fastened to the ring in the whipping-post. Then I saw
+Richard Tresidder come up. He had a scar on his cheek, and from his eyes
+flashed a look of anger, as though he gloated over the thought of my
+shame and suffering. No sooner did she see him than she came to him and
+asked that I might be spared the whipping, but Tresidder would not
+listen to her.</p>
+
+<p>"He deserves to be hanged, my dear," he said; "if such low fellows as he
+are allowed to bully gentlemen in the streets, what is to become of us?"</p>
+
+<p>Now this was hard to bear, for as all the world knows the Pennington
+family is one of the best in the county, but I saw that he wanted to
+embitter her mind against me.</p>
+
+<p>Then I saw Lawyer Trefry come up, and two justices with him, and while
+my old friend did not speak to me, I knew that he thought of me kindly.</p>
+
+<p>"The lad hath been much provoked," he said. "I have known him as a good
+lad for years, and but for unfair treatment, matters would be reversed."</p>
+
+<p>At this two of the justices nodded their heads, while Richard Tresidder
+called out for the constables to do their work, for he saw that people
+began to sympathise with me.</p>
+
+<p>Again I turned to Naomi Penryn, and as I saw the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> look on her face I
+determined that I would not bear the lash. Not that I feared the pain of
+body, but I could bear the degradation no longer. Then they lifted me
+from the platform on which I had been standing, and the people could see
+that my neck was cruelly discoloured, while my hands were blue.</p>
+
+<p>"He hath suffered much," I heard it whispered, "and Squire Tresidder
+hates him. He's a Pennington, and his father was robbed. Isn't he a
+fine, strapping fellow; no wonder they are afraid of him."</p>
+
+<p>This and other things I heard, until I knew that Lawyer Trefry had been
+making the mob friendly; for I have noticed again and again that
+ignorant people are easily changed from one state of feeling to another.</p>
+
+<p>Now when I came to the whipping-post I began to look around for a means
+of escape, and to think how I should deal with the two constables that
+held me.</p>
+
+<p>"Fasten him tight!" cried Richard Tresidder; then, just as the
+constables released my hands in order to put the rope on me, I gave a
+desperate struggle, and feeling great strength at that moment, I threw
+the constables from me, and made a great leap through the crowd. Not a
+man laid hands on me in spite of Richard Tresidder's commands, for which
+I knew I had to thank Lawyer Trefry, who with others had changed the
+feelings of the people. So I quickly got away from the town, and ran as
+hard as I was able to the River Fal. I knew that I should be followed,
+for I had not undergone my full penalty, and the law was on Richard
+Tresidder's side, so I determined that I would get among the woods that
+slope up westward from the river, and hide as best I might.</p>
+
+<p>I knew I should be safe for the night, for the woods<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> there were very
+thick, and night would soon be upon me. My only fear was that my
+strength would not hold out, for having eaten nothing for many hours I
+was hungry and faint.</p>
+
+<p>After more than an hour's running I reached the woods, and, as far as I
+knew, little trouble had been taken to follow me, so having hidden
+myself among some very thick branches I laid down and rested. Could I
+have obtained some food I think I should have been fairly contented, for
+I felt neither so angry nor friendless as I had felt in the morning.
+Presently I heard a rustling among the bushes, and I fancied that my
+pursuers must be near me, so I lay very quiet and listened, but could
+hear no sound of human voices. So I became curious to know what made the
+noise, and to my delight I saw a cow that had evidently strayed away
+from its field, having probably got into the wood to be under the shade
+of the trees, and away from wasp-flies. At first she was frightened at
+me, but I had been used to cattle all my life, so I soon quieted her,
+and she let me approach her. I saw that it was time for her to be
+milked, so, making the palm of my hand into a cup, I got enough milk to
+refresh me considerably and to give me strength to carry out any plans I
+could make.</p>
+
+<p>Scheme after scheme passed through my mind, but every one of them was
+driven away by the memory of Naomi Penryn's face and the kind words she
+had spoken. I knew that in going back to St. Eve I was going back to
+danger, and yet I determined I would go. I wanted to be close to the
+Pennington lands. I wanted to watch Richard Tresidder. Besides, I
+remembered that Naomi Penryn was probably a guest at Pennington. Then I
+began to ask myself why she should be with the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>Tresidders, and what
+relationship she bore to them. For I did not know her at all. The name
+of Penryn was well known in the county, but I did not know to what
+branch of the family she belonged. What connection had she with Nick
+Tresidder? Why should he bring her to see me that day? And what were the
+Tresidders' plans concerning her?</p>
+
+<p>It came to me suddenly. She was intended for Nick Tresidder. I
+remembered the conversation I had heard between Richard Tresidder and
+his mother, and I thought I understood its meaning. Then my heart gave a
+wild leap, while hot blood rushed madly into my head, for I knew then
+that a new life had entered mine. I felt that I loved Naomi Penryn with
+a great love, and that this love would never leave me while my heart
+continued to beat. For I had not been given to walking out with maidens;
+my life had been filled with other things, and so the love I felt was
+new to me&mdash;it filled my whole life, and every breath I drew increased
+it.</p>
+
+<p>For a long time I lay and dreamed of my love; I did not think of the way
+in which she must have regarded me, neither did I for a long while
+remember my degradation. I lived in happy forgetfulness of everything,
+save the love-joy that filled my life. The birds fluttered hither and
+thither on the twigs which grew so thickly around, and finally settled
+to rest, while the insects ceased to hum as the night descended, but I
+scarcely heeded them. I lay among the ferns, my head pillowed on a
+moss-covered stone, and thought of Naomi Penryn. I did not care who she
+was; I did not think. Why should I? For I believe that when God sends
+love into our hearts, it does not matter as to name and lineage. I had
+seen the flash of her eyes, and remembered the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> tear drops that
+glistened. I had seen the beauteous face, so full of tenderness and
+truth; I had heard her voice, sweeter than the sighing of the night wind
+as it played among the wild flowers, and I cared for nothing else. Hour
+after hour passed away, the woods became darker and darker, but I could
+still see Naomi's face. Then the eastern sky became streaked with golden
+light, and the birds sang to welcome the advent of day, but their songs
+were not so sweet as the memory of Naomi's voice. For my love was the
+gift of God, and I thought then only of what was beautiful and true.</p>
+
+<p>But with the dawn of day other memories came to me. I thought of my
+shame; I remembered that she had been told to regard me as a vagabond
+and a street brawler. I knew that Nick Tresidder would seek to poison
+her mind against me, and that even now I was being searched for that I
+might be degraded by the lash of a whip; and then a great pain and
+bitterness filled my heart, for I felt that my love was hopeless. While
+I had rejoiced in loving I thought not of this, but after a time my love
+became a desire, an overmastering desire to woo Naomi Penryn, to make
+her love me as I loved her.</p>
+
+<p>And this was hopeless. Had she not seen me pilloried as a shameful
+vagrant? Had she not seen me persecuted, tormented&mdash;the byeword, the
+laughing-stock for the offals of Falmouth town? Had I not been pelted by
+refuse? Was I not made hideous by disfigurement? How could I win her
+love? Then I hated the Tresidder tribe more than ever. They had robbed
+me of my home, my heritage, my all, and now through them I must be
+loathed by the one, the light of whose eyes burned into my heart like
+fire. But more than all this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> she would be with Nick Tresidder day by
+day. He would walk with her, ride with her, talk with her. They would
+roam among the woods and pluck the wild flowers that should be mine,
+while I&mdash;I was hiding from the men who held a whip to lash me.</p>
+
+<p>These thoughts kept me from lying still any longer, so I got up and
+walked along under the great trees until I came down to the river.
+Perhaps the world can show more beauteous sights than the river which
+runs between Truro and Falmouth, but I have my doubts. Nature here is at
+the height of her loveliness and spreads her riches with no niggard
+hand. For the clear water coils its way through a rich countryside,
+where green woods and rich meadows slope down to the river's bank. Here
+the flowers come early in the springtime, and scent the air through the
+summer; and here, too, winter is tardy in making its appearance, as if
+loth to shrivel the shining leaf, or to cause the gaily-painted flower
+to wither and die.</p>
+
+<p>Even I, as I stood by the river's bank at early sunrise, torn as my mind
+and heart were with conflicting passions, was soothed by the blessedness
+of the scene, for my heart lost something of its bitterness and love
+became triumphant. But the feeling was not for long. As I stood by the
+still water I saw the reflection of myself, and the sight made me more
+hopeless than ever. I saw in the water a tall, wild-looking youth, with
+bare head, save for a mass of unkempt hair; a face all scratched and
+bruised, and made to look savage and repulsive by vindictiveness; the
+clothes were dirty, bedraggled and torn, while the riding boots were
+torn and muddy.</p>
+
+<p>And Naomi Penryn had seen me thus&mdash;ay worse. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> went to the river and
+washed, and then looked at myself again. My face was still scratched and
+bruised, but I had the Pennington features. After all, there was nothing
+mean and cunning about them. The eyes were wild, and perhaps fierce, but
+they were honest and frank still. The clothes were much worn and torn,
+but the body they covered was strong and shapely. There was nothing weak
+or shambling in those six feet three inches.</p>
+
+<p>Then I remembered what I had been a year before, and what I had become
+through injustice. Could I not make myself worthy? But how? I faced, or
+tried to face, facts truthfully. I was without home or friends, if I
+except the friendship of Eli Fraddam the gnome, who was at once despised
+and feared on every hand. I had no money, I had no clothes. Moreover, I
+had no means of getting any. I had no trade; I had no thorough knowledge
+of anything save farming, and no farmer dared to hire me. It was true I
+had some little experience of fishing, and could manage a boat fairly
+well, but not well enough to gain a livelihood by such work.</p>
+
+<p>And yet a love had come into my life for one who was tenderly nurtured,
+one doubtless accustomed to abundant riches; I, who was an outcast, a
+beggar. And I owed my poverty, my disgrace, to the Tresidders. Let God
+who knows all hearts judge whether there was not an excuse for my
+hatred. And yet, although the Tresidders had made my very love a seeming
+madness, that same love made me see beauty, and led me to hope with a
+great hope.</p>
+
+<p>I turned my face toward Pennington, wondering all the while if I should
+see Naomi again. For I called her Naomi in my own heart, and to me it
+was the sweetest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> name on earth. I repeated it over to myself again and
+again, and the birds, who sang to me overhead, sang to me songs about
+her. And as I trudged along, I tried to think again how I should buy
+back Pennington, not for revenge, but because of my love. But no ray of
+light shone to reveal to me the way. I could see nothing for it but that
+I, poor and friendless, must forever remain poor and friendless still.
+And yet all the while birds sang love songs and told me of Naomi Penryn.</p>
+
+<p>When I at length saw Elmwater Barton, I began to think of the steps I
+must take for my immediate future. I had determined that I would live
+within sight of Pennington, but how? Even Betsey Fraddam would be afraid
+to give me shelter when she had heard the truth, for Betsey knew Richard
+Tresidder's power. For let me tell here that while Betsey was much
+sought after, she was hated by many. Betsey admitted to being a witch,
+but claimed only to be a white witch. Now as all Cornish folks know,
+there is a difference between a white witch and a black witch. A white
+witch is one who is endowed by nature to cure by means of charms, and
+passes and strange signs. She can also read the future, and find out
+secrets about those who do evil. Thus a white witch is looked up to, and
+her calling is regarded as lawful, even by the parsons, save of a very
+few who are narrow in their notions. A black witch, on the other hand,
+is said to have dealings with the evil one, and her power is only gained
+by a signed compact with the king of darkness.</p>
+
+<p>Now if Betsey were suspected of the evil eye, and of being a black
+witch, her life might be in danger, and if Richard Tresidder as the
+chief man in the parish were to turn against her, 'twould go hard with
+her. Thus I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> knew that while Betsey did not love Tresidder she would do
+nothing to offend him. Only her love for Eli caused her to give me a
+home during the past months, and I knew that now she would not dare to
+have me in her house.</p>
+
+<p>Thus I made many plans as to what I should do, and presently I had made
+up my mind. My plan was to go into a cave which I knew of, and spend my
+days there, and by night I would go to Betsey's house and get food. I
+should thus have shelter and food, and I should be near Pennington. I
+should also have means of finding out whether Naomi Penryn stayed at
+Pennington, as well as other matters which lay near to my heart. What I
+should do when winter came on I knew not, neither could I tell how I
+could make myself worthy of my love. I felt sure that Richard
+Tresidder's great desire was to drive me from Cornwall, and thus be
+freed from the sight of one who must always remind him of his fraud. As
+for my getting back the home of my fathers, it was out of all question.</p>
+
+<p>So I made my way to the cave. It was called Granfer Fraddam's Cave,
+because he died there. Granfer Fraddam had been a smuggler, and it was
+believed that he used it to store the things he had been able to obtain
+through unlawful means. He was Betsey Fraddam's father, and was reported
+to be a very bad man. Rumours had been afloat that at one time he had
+sailed under a black flag, and had ordered men to walk a plank
+blindfolded. But this was while he was a young man, and no one dared to
+reproach him with it even when he grew old. When Granfer was alive the
+cave was a secret one, and none of the revenue officers knew of its
+existence. Only a few of Granfer's chosen friends knew how to find<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> it.
+It was said, too, that he died there while hiding from the Preventive
+officers, and that ever since he had haunted the place, and that his
+voice might be heard at night calling for food and water, and praying
+for vengeance on the King's servants. Rumour also reported that he died
+a terrible death, because no clergyman or man of God could get near to
+help him from the clutches of the Evil One. As far as I was aware, its
+whereabouts was a secret when I was young, although it was generally
+supposed to be in what was known as Granfer's Cove, although some said
+it fell in at Granfer's death. Anyhow, no one visited it&mdash;indeed, such
+was my belief at the time, neither was it a pleasant place to reach.
+When the tide was up it was difficult to reach by water because of the
+great rocks which abounded; besides, you might be within six feet of it
+and not see it, because its mouth was so curiously covered.</p>
+
+<p>Eli Fraddam, who seemed to know everything, took me to it by the upper
+way; by that I mean the way of the cliff. He also showed me how I might
+know it from the beach, and by what rocks I could distinguish it. I did
+not enter the cave at the time, at least very far; but I remember that
+it was large, and that my voice echoed strangely when I spoke. I
+remember, too, that a strange fear was upon me, especially as in the dim
+light I saw Eli's strange form and face, and caught the gleams of his
+wild cross eyes.</p>
+
+<p>It was to this spot that I determined to go now, and for the time, at
+least, rest free from Richard Tresidder's persecutions. I think I should
+have gone away altogether at this time, and perchance have tried to
+obtain a post as a common sailor, but I remembered Naomi Penryn; and the
+yearning that was in my heart to see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> her again and, if possible, to
+speak to her, was so strong, that I was willing to brave anything to be
+near her.</p>
+
+<p>Granfer Fraddam's Cave was very lonely. There was not a house within a
+long distance of it, and, with the exception of two cottages, Pennington
+was the nearest dwelling. I was, therefore, able to get there
+unmolested. No one had seen me on my journey, because I had kept to the
+woods and fields. I took with me some swede turnips to eat, and when I
+had eaten, not thinking of the strange stories told about Granfer's
+Cave, I lay down on the shingle and fell asleep and dreamt that I was
+the owner of Pennington, and that I went to an old house on the cliffs
+to woo Naomi Penryn.</p>
+
+<p>When I awoke I knew not where I was. My mind was strangely confused, and
+there was a sound like unto many thunders roaring in my ears. I had a
+choking sensation, too, and felt it hard to breathe. Then I felt myself
+to be covered with water, while pebbles pelted my face. I struggled to
+my feet, and my senses coming to me, I understood the reason. I had not
+thought of the tide, which was now rushing into the cave with terrific
+force. A great fear got hold of me, and, as fast as I was able, I fled
+into the interior of the cavern. It was very dark, but in the darkness I
+fancied I saw strange, moving creatures; and at that moment all the
+stories told about Granfer Fraddam's evil spirit were true to me. A mad
+desire to escape possessed me, but how to do so I did not know. I heard
+the waves thundering up the cave, while a terrible wind blew, which
+drove me further into the darkness. I dared not venture to go seaward,
+so, keeping my hand against the side of the cavern, I allowed myself to
+follow the strong current of air. Presently the cave began to get
+smaller; indeed,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> so narrow was it that I could feel both sides at the
+same time by stretching out my hands. All the while the wind blew
+tremendously. At this I wondered much, for it seemed strange to me that
+I should feel the wind when I was so far away from the mouth of the
+cave. As I became calmer, I began to understand this. I knew that the
+waves as they rushed into the aperture must carry with them a great
+force of wind, and that naturally they would force the air inward. Thus
+the strong current which blew me further from the sea would indicate
+that there was an outlet somewhere. So, unmindful of danger, I followed
+the wind-current, and shortly I found myself ascending. The road was
+slimy and hard to climb; but I struggled on, and erelong found myself in
+a coppice. I looked around me, and remembered the place well. On one
+side of the coppice was a meadow which belonged to a fisherman named
+Ikey Trethewy&mdash;a strange, silent man who spoke but little, and who
+possessed a fast-trotting horse. On the other side the coppice sloped up
+to the spongy headland, where a curious kind of grass grew, and where
+rabbits dug their holes, and frolicked on summer nights.</p>
+
+<p>I had passed by the place often, and had never thought much of it. The
+little patch of trees and thick undergrowth which grew in a kind of
+sheltered gully seemed of no importance; but now the place possessed a
+strong interest for me.</p>
+
+<p>The coppice was much sheltered, but the wind, as it came up the hole
+through which I had passed, made a wild, moaning sound, which explained
+many of the stories I had heard. It was very dark by this time, and,
+although it was summer, the sky was covered with black clouds, and I
+heard the wind and sea roaring furiously.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> By the time I got to the
+headland I knew that a storm of great violence was raging. For some time
+a feeling of indecision possessed me; then I made my way toward Betsey
+Fraddam's cottage.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>I SEE NAOMI PENRYN ON ROCK CALLED THE SPANISH CAVALIER, AND RESCUE
+HER&mdash;WE ESCAPE FROM THE TRESIDDERS</h3>
+
+<p>When I entered Betsey's cottage, she was sitting with her son beside the
+open fireplace, watching a crock which steamed over a wood fire, and
+from which came a strange smell.</p>
+
+<p>"'Twas cowld and wet at Granfer's caave, I spoase?" was her first
+greeting, after looking at me very carefully.</p>
+
+<p>Now how she knew I had been in the cave I know not, neither will I
+pretend to explain; at the same time, I felt rather fearful at the
+thought that she should have been aware of the place where I had spent
+the day, when no one had told her.</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know where I have been?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"How do I knaw?" sneered Betsey; "how do I knaw everything?"</p>
+
+<p>So I said no more, but looked toward a loaf of bread which lay on the
+table.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, you've 'ad nothin' but a swede turmut, and that ed'n rastlin'
+mait," said Betsey. "You do look vine and faint, too. 'Ere's summin
+that'll do 'ee good, my deear," and going to a cupboard, she took a
+two-gallon jar, and poured out a tumbler full of liquor. "There, drink
+that," she said, putting it before me.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p><p>It was raw spirits, and when I had swallowed one mouthful I could take
+no more, it was too strong for me.</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, aw!" laughed Betsey; "'tes nearly as strong as the broth I do make,
+ed'n et, then? Here, Eli, put some milk in the pan, and het it for 'un.
+He was in the pillory yesterday, and he seed Richard Trezidder and Neck
+Trezidder and Emily Trezidder, and another maid, a very purty one. Then
+'ee runned away, and after that he got to Granfer Fraddam's Cave. Make a
+good quart of eggiot for 'un, Eli. That'll be better'n sperrits. He's
+too waik for that."</p>
+
+<p>Then Eli got the milk, and began to beat up eggs in a basin, grunting
+strangely, while he watched me with his strange, wild-looking eyes. But
+I did not speak, for Betsey made me afraid; besides, I felt cold and
+ill.</p>
+
+<p>"I knaw what you be thinking," said Betsey; "you be wonderin' how I got
+so much sperrits. Well, p'raps I shall tell 'ee zoon. We sh'll zee,
+Jasper, we sh'll zee." And with that the old crone chuckled.</p>
+
+<p>Then Eli came to me, and felt me, and fondled me. He smoothed my wrists
+where they had been bruised the day before, and got some ointment which
+he rubbed around my neck. Then, when the milk and egg was ready, he
+poured it in a huge basin, and put it before me.</p>
+
+<p>"I'd 'a killed 'un ef you wos dead," he repeated many times, until I
+wondered at his apparent love for me.</p>
+
+<p>When I had drunk what Eli had prepared I felt better. My head began to
+get clear again, and my strength came back to me.</p>
+
+<p>"Naow," wheedled Betsey, when I had finished, "tell me oal about et.
+Tell me, Jasper, my deear."</p>
+
+<p>"You know everything," I replied.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p><p>"No, not everything; tell me, for ould Betsey'll ave to 'elp 'ee, my
+deear."</p>
+
+<p>So I told her everything, save my love for Naomi Penryn; of that I could
+not speak to her, it was a secret for my own heart, and I vowed that I
+would never tell of it until I poured the words in the sweet maid's own
+ears. At that time I felt sure that the story of my love would remain
+forever untold.</p>
+
+<p>"Do 'ee knaw what this do main, Jasper?" said Betsey, when I had
+finished.</p>
+
+<p>"He bait 'em boath, boath!" laughed Eli, gleefully.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Eli," said Betsey, "hark to Jasper, and hark to me. Now tell me,
+Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"I think I know," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"He mustn't knaw that you've come back to St. Eve," said Betsey. "I tell
+'ee, you musn't show yer faace. 'Ee'll never rest till you'm out ov the
+way. You'll jist be found dead some day, tha's wot'll 'appen. Ef 'ee
+caan't do et with the law 'ee'll do et wi'out."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, wot be 'ee goin' to do?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll go back to Granfer Fraddam's Cave. No one can find me there."</p>
+
+<p>"Tha's true, but what 'bout yer mait?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll bring 'un mait," said Eli. "I'll bring 'un mait. I knaw, I knaw!"
+And the poor gnome laughed joyfully.</p>
+
+<p>"But that caan't last," said Betsey. "Two months more an' winter'll be
+'ere. Besides, you caan't git back Pennington by stayin' in a cave. You
+knaw what you promised your vather, Jasper; you zaid you wudden rest
+night nor day 'till you got back Pennington."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p><p>"I remember," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Bezides," cried Betsey&mdash;then she stopped, and looked at me steadily.
+She had keen, whitey-gray eyes, which shone very brightly. "Do'ee knaw
+who thicky maid wos that you zeed in Fa'muth 'esterday?"</p>
+
+<p>I shook my head.</p>
+
+<p>"Purty, ed'n she?" sniggered Betsey. "She's for Nick Trezidder, my
+deear, tha's wot she's for. Her vather an' mawther's dead, my deear, and
+she've got piles o' money, an' Richard Trezidder es 'er guardian, an'
+they main 'er to marry Nick. Her vather was Squire Penryn, my deear, an'
+'ee was killed, an' 'er mawther died a bit agone, so the Trezidders 'ev
+got 'er body and soul."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"'Ow do I knaw!" sneered Betsey. "'Ow do I knaw everything?" and this
+was the way she always answered when I asked her such a question.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is her home?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Where? Up the country somewhere on the north coast. A big 'ous cloas to
+the say, my deear."</p>
+
+<p>"But Penryn is close to Falmouth."</p>
+
+<p>"'Nother branch ov the fam'ly, my deear; but ther', she nothin' to you.
+She's good, she's purty, an' she's rich, but she's for Nick Trezidder.
+Thews Trezidders do bait the Penningtons, don't 'em?" And Betsey laughed
+again.</p>
+
+<p>But I held my tongue. I determined that I would not tell the secret of
+my heart, although Betsey's words hurt me like knife-stabs.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, an' when winter do come, what be 'ee goin' to do then, Jasper,
+an' 'ow be 'ee goin' to git 'nough to buy back Pennington?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></p><p>"I must think, Betsey," I said. "I must think. But I'll do it&mdash;I'll do
+it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Aisy spok, but not so aisy done. How?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll help 'un," said Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"You! 'Ow can you 'elp 'un?"</p>
+
+<p>But Eli only hugged himself and laughed, as though he were tickled.
+After that but little was said that I can remember.</p>
+
+<p>Before daylight came I went back to the cave. I was sure that neither
+Betsey nor Eli would tell of my hiding-place. I was glad for this,
+because I knew that if Dick Tresidder knew where I was I should be taken
+back to the whipping-post, and perhaps imprisoned. Besides, I was sure
+that he feared me, and that he would do everything in his power to make
+me suffer. So I determined to stay in Granfer Fraddam's Cave as long as
+I could, and I knew that Eli would find out everything about what went
+on at Pennington and tell me. Looking back now, my conduct seems foolish
+in the extreme. I could do no good by staying in the cave, I could not
+get an inch nearer my purpose. It would have been far more sensible to
+have sailed to some distant land and sought for fortune. And I will
+admit that I was tempted to do this, and should have left St. Eve, but
+for a strange longing to stay near Pennington, knowing as I did that
+Naomi Penryn was there, and that, although I had never spoken to her, I
+loved the dear maid every hour of my life more and more.</p>
+
+<p>One day, I think it was about a week after I had taken up my abode in
+the cave, I was sitting at its mouth and looking across the narrow bay,
+and watching the tide come up, when I was strangely startled. I remember
+that in dreaming of Naomi Penryn a feeling of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> despair had come into my
+heart, for I saw no chance whatever of ever seeing her again, much less
+speaking to her. Besides, even if it were possible for me to win her
+love I had no right to do so. Pennington seemed further from my grasp
+than ever, while Richard Tresidder's hold on it grew stronger day by
+day. I was thinking of these things when I saw, two or three hundred
+yards out at sea, standing on a rock, a woman's form. The rock was a
+large one, and went by the name of "The Spanish Cavalier." It rose from
+the beach to the height of fifteen feet, and was never covered save at
+high tides. There was, moreover, a curious place in the rock, not unlike
+an arm-chair, in which one might sit and watch the shining waves. All
+around it was grouped a number of smaller rocks, which boatmen always
+avoided, because driving on them was dangerous.</p>
+
+<p>As I said, I saw on "The Spanish Cavalier" a woman's form, and above the
+sound of the breakers I heard a cry for help. I did not hurry to the
+rescue, for the delay of a few seconds could make no difference, the
+rock was now several feet under water; besides, I was not sure what it
+meant. At first I could not discern who the woman was, and fancied it
+might be one of the Misses Archer, or perhaps Richard Tresidder's
+daughter. But then, I thought, they would know the coast, and would not
+allow themselves to be caught by the tide in such a way. On looking
+again, however, my heart gave a great leap&mdash;the woman on the rock was
+Naomi Penryn. A feeling of joy surged through me. At last I had my
+chance, I should be able to speak to her without let or hindrance. As I
+have before stated, the cave had but few houses near. Ikey Trethewy's
+cottage stood at some little distance away from the coppice where the
+land <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>entrance to the cave had been made, but it was not visible from
+"The Spanish Cavalier;" another cottage stood further along the coast,
+but that was more than a mile away; while the other house was
+Pennington, which was nearly two miles off. Seemingly, there was no
+other help than my own near, and I rejoiced that it was so. There was no
+real danger, but she needed my help, and that was all I cared for. So I
+plunged into the water and was able to wade nearly all the way to the
+rock. She saw me coming toward her, and I think my presence gave her
+confidence.</p>
+
+<p>"Do not be afraid," I said, as I came up; "there is no danger. I can
+easily take you to the shore."</p>
+
+<p>By this time, only my head was visible above the water, but she
+recognised me. I saw that she shrank from me, too, as though she were
+afraid. At this a coldness crept into my heart, for I remembered where I
+stood at the only time she had seen me before.</p>
+
+<p>"I will not hurt you," I said; "I know my way among the rocks, and I can
+take you easily."</p>
+
+<p>She looked at me again, doubtfully. Most likely she remembered what the
+Tresidders had said about me.</p>
+
+<p>"I will be very careful," I went on; "and you had better come quickly,
+for the tide is rising every minute. I know you distrust me, for the
+Tresidders hate me; but if I did not desire to help you I should not
+have let you see me, for when they know where I am I shall be in
+danger."</p>
+
+<p>She lifted her head proudly as though I had angered her, then she looked
+at me again steadily, and came toward me.</p>
+
+<p>"Is the water very deep?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p><p>"It is over five feet here," I replied, "but it is shallower a few
+yards nearer the shore."</p>
+
+<p>"You are sure you can swim with me to shore?" she said.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall not try," I said. "If you will let me, I will hold you above my
+head. You are not heavy and I&mdash;" Then I hesitated, for I did not want to
+boast.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I know you are very strong," she laughed, half fearfully I
+thought; "but how can you do this?"</p>
+
+<p>"Look," I said; "if you will stand on my shoulders so"&mdash;and I placed my
+back against the rock. "I am afraid your feet will have to be wet, just
+a little, for my shoulders are in the water. There, that is it; now hold
+my hands," and I lifted my hands as high above my head as I could.</p>
+
+<p>She did as I bade her; thus we both stood with our faces toward the
+shore, she standing on my shoulders and stooping a little in order to
+hold my hands tightly.</p>
+
+<p>It was joy unspeakable to feel the little fingers in mine, for this was
+the first time that my flesh touched hers, and with the touch a thrill
+of gladness, the like of which I had never felt before, passed through
+my whole being.</p>
+
+<p>I carried her safely. At that time rocks and roaring breakers were
+nothing to me, the buffeting of the waves against my body I felt not one
+whit! I think she must have felt my great strength, for when I had
+carried her a few yards she laughed, and the laugh had no fear.</p>
+
+<p>"You feel quite safe?" I asked presently, when I had got away from the
+rocks.</p>
+
+<p>"Quite safe," she said, and so I carried her on until I stood on the
+smooth yellow sands, and although the waves still broke, I felt their
+force not at all, for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> thought of her trusting me made my sinews
+like willow thongs.</p>
+
+<p>Right sorry was I when the water no longer touched my feet, and I must
+confess that I lingered over the last part of the journey, so pleasant
+was my burden, and so glad a thing was it to feel her fingers fastening
+themselves around mine. Perhaps she regarded me as she might regard a
+fisherman who might have rendered her a similar service, but it did not
+matter. I, whom she had seen pilloried as a vagrant and a street
+brawler, held her fast, and my love grew stronger minute by minute.</p>
+
+<p>When I put her on the sands, only her feet were wet, and no one could
+tell of the position in which she had been.</p>
+
+<p>I shook myself after I had put her down, and I was almost sorry I had
+done so immediately afterward, for I could see that my condition made
+her sorry for me, and I did not want to be pitied.</p>
+
+<p>"You must get dry clothes at once," she said.</p>
+
+<p>"I have none," I said, unthinkingly, "save my jacket and waistcoat,
+which lie on yon rock."</p>
+
+<p>"But you will be very cold."</p>
+
+<p>I laughed gaily. "It is nothing," I said, "the sun will not go down for
+three hours yet, and before that time my rags will be dry."</p>
+
+<p>"I am very thankful to you," she said; "I cannot swim, and but for you I
+should have been drowned."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no," I replied; "you could have climbed to the top of the rock, and
+waited till the tide went out again."</p>
+
+<p>"No, I should have been afraid. You have been very kind and very good to
+me. I was very foolish to get there, but it was very tempting to climb
+on the rock and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> sit and watch the sea. I must have fallen asleep in the
+sun, for I remembered nothing until I felt the cold water beat on me."</p>
+
+<p>"I was not kind or good," I said, roughly. "I thought first it was Emily
+Tresidder. Had it been, I should not have gone."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you would," she said; "you have a kind face. Besides, you should
+not hate the Tresidders. Mr. Tresidder is my guardian."</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry for you," I said.</p>
+
+<p>She looked at me steadily, but did not speak.</p>
+
+<p>"I know what you are thinking about," I said. "I was pilloried at
+Falmouth when you saw me before, and I just escaped being flogged before
+the crowd. Even now, I suppose, I am being searched for."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed you are. Do you think you are safe in staying here?"</p>
+
+<p>"It doesn't matter, I suppose; I shall soon be taken."</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you think so?"</p>
+
+<p>"You will, of course, tell Tresidder where I am, and then my liberty
+must soon come to an end."</p>
+
+<p>I hated myself for speaking so, for I saw her lips tremble, as though I
+had pained her.</p>
+
+<p>"Is not that unkind?" she said, presently, "and do you not judge the
+Tresidders wrongly? Have you not provoked them to anger?"</p>
+
+<p>"They have told you about me, then; they have told you that I am a
+thief, a vagabond, a bully?"</p>
+
+<p>She did not reply, but I knew from the look on her face that I had
+spoken the truth.</p>
+
+<p>For a second there was a silence between us, then she said, "I thank you
+very much, and now I must go back to Pennington."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p><p>"Not until you hear my story," I said, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Why should you tell me?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Because I do not wish you to judge me wrongly," I said; "because you
+have known me only as one who is evil and revengeful. Let me tell you
+the truth."</p>
+
+<p>She did not speak, but she looked at me as if expecting me to go on. So
+I told her my story eagerly, told it truly, as I have tried to tell it
+here, only in fewer words.</p>
+
+<p>"And this is true?" she asked, eagerly. "That is," she said, correcting
+herself, "you are sure you are not mistaken?"</p>
+
+<p>"As God lives, it is true," I replied. "Is it any wonder, then, that I
+hate the Tresidders, is it any wonder that I should thrash them as I
+would thrash a yelping, biting cur?"</p>
+
+<p>"Is it brave for a strong man to pounce upon a weaker one?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"They were two to one," I replied; "besides, the street was full of
+people, and he has everything on his side, and I am alone, an outcast, a
+beggar in my own parish."</p>
+
+<p>"But he has the law on his side."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; and he has twisted the law to serve his own ends. He and his
+mother have used vile tools to cheat me."</p>
+
+<p>"And if you could save up half the worth of Pennington you could buy it
+back."</p>
+
+<p>"I could demand to buy it back. Lawyer Trefry has the copy of the will.
+I have seen it. That is why they have tried to ruin me."</p>
+
+<p>"And do you say that Nick tried to stab you?" she asked, anxiously.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span></p><p>"I have the knife yet," I replied. "His name is on it. I trusted him to
+wrestle fair, even though he sought to ruin me. Perhaps I was wrong to
+hurt him, but I was mad with pain. The mark of the wound is on my chest
+now. Look," and I showed her the scar.</p>
+
+<p>She shuddered, then she said, "Hate always brings misery, and love
+always brings joy. You should love your enemies."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; if a man will fight openly and fairly, I will not hate him. If I
+wanted to touch an adder with my hand I would not catch him by the tail
+so that it could curl around and sting my hand; I would catch it just
+behind the head. It might writhe and wriggle, but I should know that it
+could not bite me. That is how I want to treat the Tresidders. You
+despise me," I went on; "you see me now a thing that has to hide like a
+rabbit in burrow. Well, perhaps it is natural&mdash;you live with the
+Tresidders."</p>
+
+<p>"No, I do not despise you," she said. "I feel for you; I am an orphan
+just as you are. Of course, Mr. Tresidder is very kind to me, but
+Pennington is not like home&mdash;that is&mdash;" Then she stopped as though she
+had said more than she had intended. "I felt sorry for you when I saw
+you in Falmouth. Did&mdash;did you see me?"</p>
+
+<p>"I saw you&mdash;I&mdash;I&mdash;look, there is Nick Tresidder and his father coming
+now. I must away!"</p>
+
+<p>We were only partially hidden by the rock, at the side of which we
+stood. I could see them with sufficient clearness for me to recognise
+them. They could see us, but I did not think it would be possible for
+them to tell who we were.</p>
+
+<p>"They are searching for me," she cried. "I have been away from the house
+a long time."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p><p>"Well, go to them," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"But they have seen that there are two of us. Do you think they know us
+from this distance?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, we have been partly hidden."</p>
+
+<p>"But if I go, they will ask who has been with me."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you not wish to tell them?"</p>
+
+<p>"If I do you will be in danger. If they know you are near you will be
+hunted down. They think you have left the country."</p>
+
+<p>"You can save me if you will," I cried, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"I will do what I can!"</p>
+
+<p>"Come, then&mdash;there, keep behind these rocks until we get to the cliffs.
+Go quickly."</p>
+
+<p>She obeyed me eagerly, and a few seconds later we stood behind a great
+jagged promontory.</p>
+
+<p>"Did they see us, do you think?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they saw us, but they could not have recognised us; or I fancy
+not," I added, for I had my fears; "but come, walk on the shingle so
+that they cannot trace your footsteps. That is it."</p>
+
+<p>We came close to the cave where my clothes lay. These I picked up with a
+feeling of relief.</p>
+
+<p>"We are safe now," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"No," she cried; "they will soon come up, and can easily find us."</p>
+
+<p>For she had not seen the mouth of Granfer Fraddam's Cave, although it
+was close to her. I was glad of this, for it told me how safe my
+hiding-place was, and showed that the opening was so curiously hidden
+that a stranger might pass it a hundred times and not see it. So I
+helped her to climb up the cliff until I got to a small platform, and
+afterward passed along the fissure between the rocks and drew her after
+me, and then, when she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> had followed me a few steps, she saw how
+cunningly Nature had concealed the place, and fearful as she was, she
+uttered a low exclamation of pleased surprise. For from this place we
+could see without being seen, even although we were not inside the cave
+itself.</p>
+
+<p>Excited as I was, for my heart was beating fast and my head throbbed at
+the same rate, I wondered at my good fortune in making her my friend.
+For her willingness to come with me, rather than to expose me to the
+Tresidders, showed that she was my friend, and my gladness at the
+thought was beyond all words. At the same time I could not help fearing
+for her. If either Nick Tresidder or his father had recognised her, she
+would be exposed to many awkward questionings, which would be hard for
+her to answer; neither did I desire that she should have to suffer for
+me. I marvelled greatly, too, that she should have understood the
+situation so easily, and that, in spite of all my enemies must have
+said, she seemed to trust me so implicitly. I remembered, however, that
+she would, perhaps, feel grateful to me for rescuing her from her
+awkward position on "The Spanish Cavalier," and that she would be
+anxious that my action should not bring any harm to me. And while this
+thought did not bring me so much pleasure as it ought, it showed me that
+the Tresidders had not altogether poisoned her mind against me.</p>
+
+<p>Although it has taken me some minutes to write down these thoughts, they
+passed through my mind very rapidly.</p>
+
+<p>"They cannot see us here," she said, questioningly, "neither can they
+find us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not unless they know the cave," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I hope not," was her response, and although<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> Tresidder was her
+guardian and Pennington was her home, it did not feel strange at that
+moment that she should be hiding with me, who was being sought for by
+the minions of the law.</p>
+
+<p>The sea was by this time getting nearer the foot of the cliff, and there
+was now only twenty feet of shingle between water and land. So I stood
+and watched, but I could not as yet see them, for the promontory, behind
+which we had first hidden, stood between us and them.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you see them?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not yet," I replied, "they have had scarcely time to get here yet, but
+I think they will soon be here."</p>
+
+<p>As I spoke I looked on her face, the most beauteous I had ever seen, and
+when I remembered what she had done to shield me my love grew more
+fervent. For I had no claim on her, who was a stranger, save that I had
+carried her to the shore, which of course was nothing. By that I mean to
+say it was nothing for which she should serve me; rather it was I who
+owed gratitude to her, for my joy at serving her made my heart leap in
+my bosom, until I could even then have sung aloud for gladness.</p>
+
+<p>"Are they coming?" she asked again, presently.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they are close to us," I replied, for at that moment they had
+passed the rock by which we had at first stood.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>I DISCOVER ANOTHER CAVE, AND HEAR A CONVERSATION BETWEEN RICHARD TRESIDDER AND HIS SON</h3>
+
+<p>"I am sure I saw a man and woman," I heard Nick Tresidder say.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought I did, too," replied his father; "but we must have been
+mistaken, I suppose. Of course, they could have got behind Great Bear
+and then kept along under the cliff."</p>
+
+<p>"Then they must have gone past, for they are nowhere to be seen."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps they wanted to hurry to be before the tide."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; I suppose that must be it," replied Nick, doubtfully.</p>
+
+<p>"Still, I don't know that it matters. We should not have troubled at all
+if we hadn't thought it might be Naomi."</p>
+
+<p>"No; where can she be, I wonder?"</p>
+
+<p>"She's a strange girl, Nick. She doesn't seem to feel happy at
+Pennington, neither does she make friends with Emily. She's always
+roaming among the woods or along the beach. I shouldn't wonder at all if
+she hasn't lost herself among the woods. You must be careful, my lad."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, it's all right, there's no danger. I say, do you know that Jacob
+Buddie told me he believed he saw<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> Jasper Pennington in the lane outside
+Betsey Fraddam's house last night?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe it; we've got rid of him effectually. But we must hurry
+on, Nick, we've just time to get to Granfer Fraddam's path before the
+tide gets in."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, it's a good way on. Isn't Granfer Fraddam's Cave here somewhere?"</p>
+
+<p>"I've my doubts whether there is such a place. There may have been such
+a cave in the old man's time, but lots of ground has fallen in during
+the past fifty years. Anyhow, I've often searched along the coast and
+could never find it."</p>
+
+<p>"But it's around here that the noises have been heard. You know people
+say it's haunted by the old man's ghost."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I've never been able to find it."</p>
+
+<p>They hurried on, and I gave a sigh of relief.</p>
+
+<p>"Are they gone?" asked Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they are gone; they don't know anything. It will take them a long
+while to get home. It's a long way to Pennington by Granfer Fraddam's
+path. The cliff is steep, too."</p>
+
+<p>"But I must go now," she said, anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"You shall get home before they can," I said, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"I will take you through another opening. You will know another secret
+of this cave then. You see, I trust you wholly, and you will know my
+hiding-place almost as well as I know it myself."</p>
+
+<p>"But do you live here?"</p>
+
+<p>Then I told her what I had to do, and how Eli Fraddam brought food to
+me, and how when winter came I should have to make other plans.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p><p>She listened quietly, and said no word, but allowed me to lead her up
+the cave until we reached the copse of which I have spoken. We were
+still hidden from sight, for the bushes grew thick, and the trees were
+large and had abundant foliage. She held out her hand to say good-bye.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall remember your kindness," she said.</p>
+
+<p>"And do not think too hardly about me," I pleaded, "remember what I have
+had to suffer."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall think of you very kindly," was her response; "not that it
+matters to you," she added. "We are strangers, most probably we shall
+never meet again, and the opinion of a stranger cannot help you."</p>
+
+<p>"It is more than you can think," I answered, eagerly. "When I saw that
+look of sympathy on your face when I stood in the pillory at Falmouth it
+made everything easier to bear. Besides, you say you will stay at
+Pennington, and I look upon Pennington as my home."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but surely you will not stay here. It cannot be right for a man to
+idle away his time as you are idling it; besides, you can never win back
+Pennington thus. If I were you I would find work, and I would honourably
+make my way back to fortune."</p>
+
+<p>"But the Tresidders will not allow me," I replied, stung into shame by
+her words, "they have always put obstacles in my path."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I would go where the Tresidders could not harm me," she cried, and
+then she went away, as though I were the merest commonplace stranger, as
+indeed I was.</p>
+
+<p>I mused afterward that she did not even tell me her name, although she
+had no means of knowing that I had found it out, neither did she tell me
+that she would keep<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> the secret of my hiding-place from my enemies. And
+more than all this, she bade me leave St. Eve, where I should be away
+from her, although my longings grew stronger to stay by her side. All
+this made me very weary of life, and I went back to the mouth of the
+cave and sat watching the sea as it rose higher and higher around "The
+Spanish Cavalier," and wondered with a weary heart what I should do.</p>
+
+<p>When night came on Eli Fraddam brought me food, and sat by me while I
+ate it, looking all the while up into my face with his strange wild
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper missuble," he grunted, presently.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Eli," I said, "everything and everybody is against me."</p>
+
+<p>"I knaw! I knaw!" cried Eli, as though a new thought had struck him,
+"I'll 'elp 'ee, Jasper; I'll vind out!"</p>
+
+<p>"Find out what, Eli?"</p>
+
+<p>But he would not answer. He hugged himself as though he were vastly
+pleased, and laughed, in his low guttural way, and after a time took his
+departure.</p>
+
+<p>When I was left alone, I tried to think of my plans for the future, for
+Naomi's words kept ringing in my ears, "If I were you I would find work,
+and I would honourably make my way back to fortune." I saw now that for
+a year I had acted like a madman. Instead of meeting my reverses
+bravely, I had acted like a coward. I had sunk in the estimation of
+others as well as in my own. I had loafed around the lanes, and had made
+friends with the idle and the dissolute. Even my plans for vengeance
+were those of a savage. I, Jasper Pennington, could think of no other
+way of punishing my enemies than by mastering them with sheer brute
+force.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> Besides, all the time I had made no step toward winning back my
+home, and thus obeying my father's wishes. I felt this, too; I had
+deservedly lost the esteem of the people. I had become what the
+Tresidders said I was. I saw myself a vagrant and a savage, and although
+my fate had been hard, I deserved the punishment I was then suffering. I
+had forgotten that I was a Pennington, forgotten that I was a gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>But what could I do? Houseless, homeless, friendless, except for the
+friendship of Eli Fraddam and his mother, and practically outlawed, what
+was there that I, Jasper Pennington, could put my hand to? I could not
+tell. The possibility of honourably making my way back to fortune seemed
+a dream impossible to be fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p>For a long time I sat brooding, while the candle which Eli had brought
+burnt lower and lower, and finally went out. The darkness stirred new
+thoughts within me. Hitherto I had not troubled about Granfer Fraddam's
+ghost haunting the cave. The wind which wailed its way up through the
+cave till it found vent in the copse above explained the sounds which
+had been heard. But now all the stories which I had heard came back to
+me. Did Granfer Fraddam die there? and did his ghost haunt this dreary
+cavern? Even then I might be sitting on the very spot where he had died.</p>
+
+<p>I started up and lit another candle. I looked around me, and shuddered
+at the black, forbidding sides of the cavern, then leaving the candle to
+cast its ghostly light around I crept toward the entrance. I saw the sea
+lapping the black rocks around, and heard its dismal surge. Then I heard
+a rushing noise whir past me, and it seemed as though a ghostly hand had
+struck my face. Directly afterward I heard a cry which made the blood<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>
+run cold in my veins. Most likely it was only a seagull which I had
+frightened from its resting-place among the rocks, but to me it was the
+shriek of a lost soul.</p>
+
+<p>Trembling, I found my way back to the cave again, where the candle still
+burnt, and cast its flickering light around. I was afraid to stay there
+any longer, and determined to get out by way of the copse. I had gone
+but a few steps in this direction, when I saw what had hitherto escaped
+my notice. It was a hole in the side of the cave, large enough for
+anybody to pass easily. For a moment curiosity overcame my fears, and I
+made my way toward it. Holding my candle close to the hole, I found that
+I was out of the current of air, and I saw that this was the entrance to
+another cave. But it was different from the one in which I had been
+hiding. It looked as though it had been hollowed out by the hands of man
+rather than by nature. This fact lessened my ghostly fears, and I
+entered it, and in doing so thought I detected a strange smell. A minute
+later, and my astonishment knew no bounds. Lying at my feet in this
+inner cave were casks of spirits and wines. There were, I afterward
+discovered, many other things there too. There were great packages of
+tobacco, and bales of stuff which at that time I did not understand. It
+was evident that Granfer Fraddam's trade was not abandoned, although it
+was thought that smuggling was not carried on to any extent in the
+neighbourhood of St. Eve. It is true that many things were obtained in
+the neighbourhood which the Preventive officers could not account for,
+but that was understood to be owing to Jack Truscott's gang, who defied
+the law, and did many wild deeds down by the Lizard and at Kynance. At
+Polventor the Preventive men were very keen, so keen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> were they that the
+dozen or two fishermen who lived there were not, as far as I knew, in
+any way suspected of unlawful deeds. And Polventor was the only fishing
+village within three miles of our parish where it seemed possible for
+smuggling to be carried on.</p>
+
+<p>Not that we thought hardly of the smugglers, even of Jack Truscott and
+his men. We all regarded the law as very unjust, and owing to the fact
+that many things were obtained in the parish very cheaply by them, we
+winked at their doings, and looked sourly on the Preventive men and
+their doings. At the same time, as far as I knew, no one dreamed of
+smuggling being carried on near the coast of St. Eve. Thus it was that
+Granfer Fraddam's Cave was a mere tradition, and many people thought
+that the King's officers ought to be removed to some other part of the
+coast, where there would be some necessity for their existence.</p>
+
+<p>I thought long of these things, and presently came to the conclusion
+that this cave was used as a kind of storage-place by some smuggler's
+gang. Probably this was one of Jack Truscott's many hiding-places, and
+would be used by him when the Government spies were busy watching
+elsewhere.</p>
+
+<p>Anyhow, my discovery made me think of the cave more as the home of the
+living than the dead, and thus fears were dispelled. It is true my
+solitude might at any time be broken by a gang of desperate men, but
+that did not trouble me. So I fetched the blanket which old Betsey had
+lent me and took it into this inner cave, and after a while went to
+sleep.</p>
+
+<p>Eli Fraddam brought some food to me again in the morning, but I did not
+tell him what I had discovered through the night, neither did I
+encourage him to stay.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> Usually he had sat with me for hours, and had
+talked with me in his strange disconnected way, but this morning he saw
+that I wanted to be alone, so, after patting and fondling my hands
+lovingly, he left me. All through the day I tried to make up my mind
+what to do, but no feasible plan came into my mind. I did not fear any
+difficulty in getting food and clothes, but how to raise money to buy
+back Pennington I knew not.</p>
+
+<p>Toward evening I left the cave and clambered down the rocks until I got
+to the beach. I had scarcely done so when a package lying by a rock
+caught my eye. I tore off the wrapper, wondering what it was, and soon
+discovered that it contained food. I eagerly examined it, and presently
+saw a scrap of clean white paper. On it was written these words:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>"To stay where you are must be useless. Search has not been
+abandoned, for you have been seen. There can be no hope of success
+while you remain in St. Eve. You saved me, and I would help you.
+Good-bye."</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>Now this comforted me greatly, for it told me that Naomi Penryn had not
+forgotten me, and that she felt friendly toward me. The food, delicate
+as it was compared with what I had been eating, I cared not for, except
+only because she had brought it. My excitement took away all desire to
+eat, and again I went back to the cave to think of what I should do. For
+this thought came constantly into my mind, the Tresidders intended her
+for Nick, and my determination was that she should never marry a
+Tresidder. Moreover, I fancied, from her own words, and from what I had
+heard Richard Tresidder say to his son, she was not happy at Pennington.
+If I went away I should be powerless to help her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> if she needed help.
+She was but a girl of eighteen, and she was wholly under the control of
+the Tresidders. Yet how could I help her by remaining where I was; nay,
+rather, it was impossible for me to do this.</p>
+
+<p>After some time I settled on a plan; I would leave my cave before it was
+light, and would walk to Fowey. When there, I would try and get a place
+as a sailor. I thought I knew enough of a sailor's duties to satisfy the
+captain of a trading ship. Then, by the time the first voyage was over,
+I should no longer be sought by the Tresidders, and the affair at
+Falmouth would be forgotten. I would then come back and see if Naomi
+Penryn needed help. I should not be away more than a few months, and I
+did not think that Nick Tresidder or his father would seek to carry out
+their plans concerning her for at least a year.</p>
+
+<p>I had scarcely settled this in my mind when I heard voices outside the
+cave. Wondering what it might mean I crept to the opening, and, looking
+out, saw Richard Tresidder and his son, Nick, standing and talking with
+two Preventive men. A great rock hid me from their sight, besides which
+I was at least twelve feet above them.</p>
+
+<p>"You say you've searched all around here for a cave?" asked Richard
+Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>"All round, sur," replied one of the officers. "Ther's smugglin' done
+'long 'ere right 'nough, but I've my doubts 'bout Granfer Fraddam's
+Caave as et es called. Ther's not an inch 'long the coast here that we
+'ain't a-seed; we've found lots of caaves, but nothin' like people do
+talk about. As for this cove, where people say et es, why look for
+yerself, sur, ther's no sign of it. We can see every yard of the little
+bay here, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> as fer Granfer Fraddam's Caave, well, that's all wind,
+I'm a-thinkin'."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm of the same opinion myself. Still, I thought we'd better come and
+make sure, that was why I asked you to come."</p>
+
+<p>"That's oal right, sur, glad are we to do anything to 'elp 'ee. But
+ther's plaaces furder down, sur, and they must be watched."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you not think you are mistaken?" I heard Richard Tresidder say;
+"there has been no smuggling done here since Granfer Fraddam's days.
+There is plenty of it done at the Lizard, and at Kynance, and right down
+to St. Michael's Mount to Penzance Harbour, but there is none here."</p>
+
+<p>"But there es, Maaster Tresidder. Not a week agone a boat-load of
+sperits was landed at Polventor."</p>
+
+<p>"At Polventor! Why, I thought you kept a sharp look-out there. Besides,
+only fisher folk live there."</p>
+
+<p>"'Iss, but tes they fishermen that do do et. Ye see, they go out so they
+zay to catch fish, and then afore mornin' they do come across the big
+smugglers' boats, and taake the things to the coves they do know 'bout.
+They be all of a piece, Maaster Tresidder."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, keep a sharp look-out, Grose, and bring them before me, and I'll
+see that they don't do any more smuggling for a few months."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad we've 'ad this 'ere talk, sur, you bein' a majistraate. But we
+must be off, sur."</p>
+
+<p>"Good-afternoon. By the way, if you call at Pennington to-night about
+ten I shall be glad to see you. You will perhaps be able to report
+progress by that time."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p><p>"Thank 'ee kindly, sur. Good afternoon."</p>
+
+<p>Richard Tresidder and his son Nick then sat down on a rock near, and
+both began to smoke, and then, when the Preventive officers were out of
+sight, they laughed merrily.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder if they know that the grog they have drunk at Pennington was
+made of smuggled brandy?" asked the father.</p>
+
+<p>"Not they. Why, you are noted for your hardness on law-breakers."</p>
+
+<p>"Just so. By the way, you have heard no more about Jasper, I suppose? I
+heard last night he was hiding in Granfer Fraddam's Cave, that was why I
+got those fellows to search for the place."</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing definite. It's believed that he's around here somewhere, but
+where I don't know. The fellow is mad, I think. It would be better for
+him to clear off altogether. The sentence is a flogging and then another
+trial, isn't it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but nothing is being done. I believe if he were caught he would be
+allowed to go free. I don't believe they want to catch him."</p>
+
+<p>"You see, the people think he's been badly treated, and Lawyer Trefry
+has blabbed about old Pennington's will. Everybody says now that you've
+done your utmost to keep him poor. Why in the world didn't grandmother
+get him to give it you out and out? If the beggar should have a stroke
+of luck he might get it for a few thousands."</p>
+
+<p>"But where can he get them now? His last chance is gone. What can a lad,
+without money, home, or friends, do? That's settled all right."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know about that. He's clever and he's <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>determined. Why did he
+continue to stay around here? He must have something in his mind."</p>
+
+<p>"He's a fool, that's all. He has a savage sort of idea that by watching
+me he's taking care of his own interests. That shows what a
+short-sighted fellow he is. If he'd brains he'd have acted otherwise.
+You will see, he'll get himself in the clutches of the law again, and
+then&mdash;I'll manage him."</p>
+
+<p>"But if we can't find him? I tell you Jasper isn't a fool, and he knows
+our purposes by this time."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Nick, you've got your chance. A rich wife and three years to win
+her in, my boy. I'm her guardian till she's twenty-one, and I'll take
+care no one else gets her. A pretty girl is Naomi, too; rather awkward
+to manage, and a bit fiery, but all the better to suit you."</p>
+
+<p>"And she doesn't like me," replied Nick.</p>
+
+<p>"Make her like you, my boy. Be a bit diplomatic, and play to win.
+Besides, you must win!"</p>
+
+<p>"Did you notice how funny she was last night? I asked her where she had
+been, and she seemed to regard my question as a liberty. And did you see
+how eager she was when we were talking about Jasper afterward?"</p>
+
+<p>"But she knows nothing about him. She never saw him."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, she saw him pilloried in Falmouth. She thinks him treated badly.
+She has all sorts of funny ideas about justice."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, all silly girls have; that's nothing. At the same time,
+Nick, this shows you must play carefully. I don't want any complications
+in getting her money, and mind you, that money I must have, or we are
+all in deep water."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p><p>"What do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"This. We can't raise sixpence, that is legally, on Pennington. There
+are simply the rents. Well, this split up into several parts is very
+little. So&mdash;" he hesitated.</p>
+
+<p>"So what?" asked Nick, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"I've speculated."</p>
+
+<p>"On what?"</p>
+
+<p>"On mines. So far, they've turned out badly. I'm involved in a heavy
+outlay. At first the affair seemed certain. It may turn out all right
+now, I don't know, but I tell you I'm neck deep&mdash;neck deep. I can hold
+on for a year or so, and you must get Naomi's money, or I'm done for."</p>
+
+<p>"But you've got her money?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and, as her guardian, I'll have to give an account of it."</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, father, tell me all about it. I don't like acting in the
+dark. How and why did Naomi come to Pennington, and what is the true
+condition of affairs? I want to know."</p>
+
+<p>"Another time, Nick."</p>
+
+<p>"No, now."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, I may as well tell you now."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>I HEAR RICHARD TRESIDDER TELL NAOMI PENRYN'S HISTORY, AND AM IN DANGER
+OF BEING KILLED BY SMUGGLERS</h3>
+
+<p>Richard Tressider slowly filled his pipe again, and seemed to be
+collecting his thoughts before telling his son what was in his mind.</p>
+
+<p>"Her home, as you know, is at Trevose, not far from Trevose Head," he
+said, presently. "The house is a funny old place&mdash;as lonely as a
+churchyard and as bleak as a mountain peak. It seems a strange idea to
+build a big house like that on a rocky eminence, but the Penryns have
+always been a strange people. However, it is said that the Penryn who
+built the house back in Oliver Cromwell's days kept ships for strange
+purposes, and that he had curious dealings with 'gentlemen of fortune.'"</p>
+
+<p>"Pirates do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"Better let them be unnamed. Anyhow, from the tower of the house you can
+see many miles up and down the coast&mdash;as far as Bude Harbour on the one
+hand, and Gurnard's Head on the other. There is some very good land
+belonging to the estate, too."</p>
+
+<p>"Much?" asked Nick.</p>
+
+<p>"More than belongs to Pennington by a long way, my boy. The rents are
+handsome, I can assure you."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, go on."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p><p>"The Penryns have always been a hot-tempered, impatient race, and
+Naomi's father was no exception to the rule. He was the only child, too,
+and from what I can gather spoiled. Well, he waited until he was over
+thirty before he got married; indeed, both his parents were dead before
+he saw Naomi's mother. By the time a man is thirty his habits are
+settled, and he's generally unfit for marriage; people should marry at
+twenty-five at latest."</p>
+
+<p>"And who was Naomi's mother?"</p>
+
+<p>"She was a widow of a cousin of mine, George Tresidder of Lelant."</p>
+
+<p>"Well?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, she had what most women possess, a nasty, rasping, irritating
+tongue, and a temper that would have done credit to Beelzebub's wife, if
+there is such a lady. I know that, because I've had several interviews
+with her. I've managed a good many women in my day, but never one who
+was so difficult as she. Anyhow, John Penryn and she lived a cat-and-dog
+life. John, I suppose, was a fine fellow in his way, but imperious,
+impatient, and at times unreasonable. He couldn't bear being crossed,
+and she was everlastingly crossing him. He was the soul of generosity,
+and directly after his marriage made a most generous will. He left
+everything unconditionally to his wife."</p>
+
+<p>"Go on, you are awfully slow," cried Nick.</p>
+
+<p>"They had been married about seven months when a terrible thing
+happened. You were very young at the time, and would, of course, know
+nothing about it. Penryn had a fearful quarrel with his wife. It was
+simply terrible, and the servants were very much frightened, especially
+as John's wife was expected to become<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> a mother. Anyhow, she taunted him
+with being unfaithful to her, and irritated him so with invective and
+abuse that, forgetting everything, he tried to crush her by brute force.
+Of course, in her state this was a mad thing to do, especially as she
+was very weak and delicate; anyhow, she fell like one dead on the floor.
+A doctor was sent for, and he declared that life was extinct. I suppose
+the poor fellow's anguish was terrible; anyhow, when he heard of the
+doctor's words, he seemed to lose his senses altogether. That night he
+committed suicide."</p>
+
+<p>"Suicide! Whew!" cried Nick.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; he threw himself over the cliffs at Trevose Head. When his body
+was discovered it was much bruised and battered. Of course the affair
+was hushed up, and it was made out to be an accident, but no one was
+deceived."</p>
+
+<p>"But about the woman?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I suppose she lay like one in a trance for some considerable
+time, and it is said that all arrangements were made for her funeral.
+Presently, however, she gave signs of life, and in course of time Naomi
+was born."</p>
+
+<p>"And the mother lived?"</p>
+
+<p>"My dear Nick, you'll find that it'll take a great deal to kill a woman.
+Yes, she lived and enjoyed a fair amount of health. I suppose, too, that
+her conduct improved, at least I was told so; still, as I said, I found
+her difficult to manage."</p>
+
+<p>"But you did manage her?"</p>
+
+<p>"When I set my mind on a thing I generally do get my own way; but I
+think it would have been impossible in this case but for mother."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p><p>"What, granny?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, she took the matter in hand, and together we got on fairly well."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but by what means did you establish a claim on her sympathies? She
+had other relations!"</p>
+
+<p>"It would take a long time to tell. Indeed, it has been a work of years.
+I've had to visit Trevose many times, and have suffered more abuse than
+I care to tell about. However, before she died the will was made all
+right."</p>
+
+<p>"How?" asked Nick, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, in this way. Everything is given to Naomi, and I am constituted
+her sole guardian. She cannot marry until she's twenty-one without my
+consent."</p>
+
+<p>"I see."</p>
+
+<p>"If she dies everything comes to me."</p>
+
+<p>"What!"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, mother worked that. I despaired of reaching that point; but you
+know what your granny is. She pleaded that I was a cousin, and a hundred
+other things. Besides, mother has a strange power over people."</p>
+
+<p>"Then it seems to me everything is safe."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, if matters go right. She is now eighteen; if you marry her before
+she's twenty-one all's well, but if not, then when she arrives at that
+age the lawyer who has to do with the estates will naturally want
+everything accounted for. Naomi's a sharp girl, and I shall have to give
+an account of my stewardship."</p>
+
+<p>"Her mother was a Catholic, I suppose?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, that was a difficult point. Still we promised that Naomi's
+religious views should not be interfered with, and also that a priest
+shall visit the house occasionally."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p><p>"He will want her to marry a Catholic."</p>
+
+<p>"Undoubtedly; but, honestly, I don't believe Naomi troubles about the
+fine distinction in religious beliefs. The priest wanted to persuade her
+mother that the child ought to be placed in Mawgan Convent, and her
+property given to the Church. I thought once the wily rascal would have
+succeeded, but fortunately mother was in the house at the time."</p>
+
+<p>They sat for some little time without speaking; then Richard Tresidder
+spoke again.</p>
+
+<p>"You are a bit in love with her, arn't you, Nick?"</p>
+
+<p>"More than a little bit, and she knows it, too."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, be careful, my boy, be very careful. If we can get Trevose&mdash;well,
+it's a nice thing, isn't it? But we must be careful. You are no fool,
+Nick; Naomi has her little weaknesses like other folks; find 'em out and
+humour 'em. Now you know how things are, and we must be going or we
+shall be caught by the tide. There'll be a high tide to-night, too."</p>
+
+<p>Then they went away, leaving me to think over what they had said, and I
+must confess that my mind was much disturbed by their words. I do not
+pretend to have the lawyer-like power of seeing where many things lead
+to, but I did see, or rather I fancied I saw, the meaning of the
+conversation I had heard, and which, according to the best of my
+ability, I have faithfully described. I saw that Naomi was brought to
+this house because of her money. I saw, too, that every sort of pressure
+would be brought to bear upon her to make her marry Nick Tresidder, and
+I felt assured that did not fair means succeed, foul ones would be used.
+And what troubled me most was that I could do nothing. Evidently the
+Tresidders were still searching for me, and,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> if I were caught, they
+would, in spite of the friends I still possessed, try to render me more
+helpless than ever.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, how would the poor, helpless maid be able to resist the
+pleadings of Nick Tresidder, backed up as they would be by the cunning
+and stratagem of the woman who had caused my grandfather to disinherit
+his own son? These questions, as may be imagined, greatly exercised my
+mind, so much so that I forgot all about my plans to travel through the
+night to Fowey and to try and get a berth as a sailor on a trading
+vessel.</p>
+
+<p>Presently night came on, and I felt faint and weak. Then I remembered
+that I had eaten nothing for many hours, and so I turned with great
+gladness of heart to the food which I believe Naomi had brought with her
+own hands to the rocks which stood at the foot of the cliff under the
+mouth of my hiding-place. When I had eaten I went into the inner cave,
+and lay a-thinking again and again of what I must do. I recalled to mind
+the words that had passed between Naomi and me, of the joy I had felt
+when she was by my side, and especially of the time when I held her
+hands in mine; and then I thought of what I had heard spoken between
+Tresidder and his son, and not being, as I have said, quick at thinking,
+my mind presently became a blank, and I fell asleep.</p>
+
+<p>How long I slept I know not, but I was awoke by the sound of voices, and
+of footsteps near me, but the first thing of which I have a clear
+recollection was a kick on the shin, and a voice saying, "Bless my soul
+'n body, what es this?"</p>
+
+<p>I jumped to my feet and saw two men before me in rough seamen's clothes,
+and with high jack-boots. I did not know them at all, and so I concluded
+that they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> were strangers to our part of the county. They were not
+altogether ill-favoured men, although I could not help feeling that
+there was a kind of reckless expression on their faces which was not
+common among Cornish fisherfolk.</p>
+
+<p>"And who might you be?" asked one presently, after staring at me for
+some time as if in blank astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>By this time I had mastered the amazement which for the moment had
+overcome me, and had surmised who they were. Undoubtedly they were the
+smugglers who infested the coast, and who knew the secret of Granfer
+Fraddam's Cave. Probably they belonged to Jack Truscott's famous gang,
+and had brought a cargo of goods that very night. I heard the swish of
+the waves rushing up the cave, so I knew the tide was high.</p>
+
+<p>I measured the men, too, from a wrestler's standpoint, and calculated
+their strength from the size of their bare arms, and the breadth of
+their chests. All the fear that had come into my heart left me. Living
+men did not frighten me.</p>
+
+<p>"I might as well ask who you are," I replied coolly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, tha's yer soarts, es et? Well, I think we may, so we'll tell 'ee,
+es you'll never go out of this 'ere place a livin' man."</p>
+
+<p>"Never go out a living man. Why, pray?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, 'cos you do knaw too much, tha's why. This caave es wot you call
+convainient. See, matey? Well, ef other people wos to knaw 'bout et,
+twudden be convainient."</p>
+
+<p>"I quite understand. You are smugglers, and wreckers most likely.
+Perhaps even worse than that. Perhaps you belong to Jack Truscott's
+gang. Ah, I see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> you do. Well, your idea is to kill me because I have
+found your hiding-place."</p>
+
+<p>"That's ev et. Generally we be'ant cruel men, we be'ant. But some things
+must be done. You zee, dead men kip their saicrets well; livin' ones
+do'ant. You be a curyus-looking cove, ragged 'nough for a vuss cutter,
+but you be'ant owr soart."</p>
+
+<p>"No," I said, coolly, "I'm not your sort."</p>
+
+<p>"And you'd splet on us the fust fair chance you got, I spect?"</p>
+
+<p>"Probably."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, that settles et, and so&mdash;" He drew his finger across his throat
+significantly.</p>
+
+<p>I must confess that a curious sensation came into my heart; but I did
+not betray any fear, and after a few seconds I was able to speak
+steadily.</p>
+
+<p>"You've done that kind of thing before, I expect?" I said, watching the
+spokesman's face closely.</p>
+
+<p>"Sam have done et a vew times," he said, looking significantly at his
+companion, "I do'ant do et oftener than I can 'elp."</p>
+
+<p>The man called Sam grinned, as though he was proud of his distinction.</p>
+
+<p>"In cold blood?" I queried. I kept on asking these questions, because I
+wanted to gain time. I had heard of many bloody deeds being done off the
+Lizard, but, as I said, the coast of St. Eve had been regarded as quiet
+and free from violent men and violent deeds ever since Granfer Fraddam
+died.</p>
+
+<p>"We'd ruther do et in hot fight," said the man, with a curious twitch of
+his lips, "a good bit ruther. Et <i>do</i> come aisier that way; but there,
+we ca'ant allays pick and choose."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p><p>I have not inserted the epithets with which they garnished their words,
+neither can I describe the careless way in which they spoke of murder.
+But in my heart came a great loathing for them, and a desire to be even
+with them.</p>
+
+<p>Both of them stood between me and the outer cave, one of them holding a
+smuggler's lantern in his hand, and the man called Sam whispered
+something in the other's ear.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you knaw what Sam's bin sayin'?" said the smuggler to me presently.</p>
+
+<p>"No."</p>
+
+<p>"He ses, 'Bill Lurgy,' ses 'ee, 'tha's a daicent fella, an' we do'ant
+want to cut hes windpipe. Git 'im to jine us.'"</p>
+
+<p>"To join you!" I said with a sneer, for I thought of Naomi just then.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I zee. I thot zo. Well, then, that settles et."</p>
+
+<p>"Settles what?"</p>
+
+<p>"This business. You zee, we mus' be olf. I spoase you knaw oal 'bout
+this caave?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"Saicret way out?"</p>
+
+<p>I nodded.</p>
+
+<p>Sam took a huge knife which hung in a sheath by his side.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm right sorry for this, matey," said Bill Lurgy. "If you'd a promist
+to jine us, we cud a kipt 'ee ere till the Cap'n comed, an' then 'ee
+might 'ave tooked 'ee on. Besides, ther's a special cargo comin' in
+d'reckly, defferent to this," he added, looking at the ankers of spirits
+in the cave; "in fact, it's a fortin to we pore chaps."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span></p><p>"And I'm to be killed?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"You mus' be. Sam Liddicoat 'll 'ave to do et," he said, as coolly as
+though I were a chicken he intended to kill for a dinner.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I tell you, I'm not," I said, quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"How be 'ee goin' to git away, my sonny? It's 'bout wawn o'clock in the
+mornin' now. Nobody 'll come 'ere but chaps like we."</p>
+
+<p>I made a leap at Sam Liddicoat suddenly, and struck him a stunning blow,
+which sent him with great force against the side of the cave. Then I
+turned to Bill Lurgy. My idea was to master him before Sam should
+recover, and then escape up the secret way to the copse. Bill leapt on
+me like a mad bull. "Oa, tha's yer soarts, es et?" he cried. "Well, I
+zed I'd ruther do et in 'ot fight."</p>
+
+<p>I had not been struggling with Bill Lurgy more than a few seconds before
+I had mastered him. As I said, the Penningtons are a large race, and
+Bill Lurgy, strong man as he was, became but a child in my hands. He
+went on the floor of the cave with a thud, and then I fastened my hands
+around his throat. I felt mad at the moment, and, remembering that time,
+I can quite understand how men, when driven to extremities, can forget
+the sacredness of human life. But in mastering Bill I had forgotten Sam
+Liddicoat, whom I had struck down before he was aware of my intentions.</p>
+
+<p>Hearing a sound behind me, I turned, and saw Sam with his knife
+uplifted. Whether I should have been able to save myself or no, I know
+not; I have sometimes thought it would have been impossible. Anyhow, Sam
+did not strike. He was startled, as I was, by a voice in the cave.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p><p>"No, Sam, no!"</p>
+
+<p>We both turned and saw a man about fifty years of age. He was below the
+medium height, and although hardy and agile, apparently possessed no
+physical strength above the average. He had a large head, well shaped,
+while his features were clearly cut and, I thought, pleasing. His face,
+too, was cleanly shaved, and he was dressed with some amount of care.
+The only thing that was strange about him was the curious colour of his
+eyes. They were light gray, so light that sometimes they looked white.</p>
+
+<p>He entered the inner cave as though he knew it well, and spoke very
+quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"What, Sam," he said, in a honeyed voice, "wud you 'ave done a thing
+like that? Strick un down in a moment wethout givin' ev'n a chance to
+say hes prayers and to make hes paice, so to spaik? No, Sam; that wud
+never do!"</p>
+
+<p>"He nearly killed me, cap'n," grunted Sam.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, an' what ef a did? Remember the Scripters, an' turn the other
+cheek, so to spaik."</p>
+
+<p>By this time Bill Lurgy had got up, and, seeming to understand the
+situation, slunk to the entrance of the inner cave.</p>
+
+<p>"An' wad'n you to blaame, too?" he said, turning to me. "Never be rash,
+young man, an' remember that a soft answer turneth away wrath."</p>
+
+<p>I must confess that I was at a loss to understand this mild-spoken man,
+and had not Sam called him "Cap'n," I should have thought him one of
+those foolish people converted by the Methodists.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you Cap'n Jack Truscott?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, and what if I be, sonny? Law, I bean't <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>pertikler, ye knaw.
+Spoase some people do call me Cap'n Jack Truscott, or spoase others do
+call me Jack Fraddam, what do I care? I'm a man as es friends weth
+everybody, my deear&mdash;tha's what I be. An' you, you be Jasper Pennington,
+who've been robbed of yer rights, my deear."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"How do I knaw? Oa, I pick up things goin' about. I do&mdash;lots ov things.
+I knawed 'ee as soon as I zee'd 'ee tackle they two chaps. Why, 'twud
+'a' gone to my 'art for Sam to 'ave knifed 'ee, my deear. You was born
+to live a good ould age, and die in bed at Pennington, in the best room,
+my deear, with yer cheldern and grancheldern cal around 'ee, ould an'
+well stricken in eres. Tha's your lot, Maaster Jasper. Besides, I'm a
+man of paice, I be: I love paice 'n' quietness; I like love an'
+brotherly 'fection, I do!"</p>
+
+<p>I looked at him again in amazement, for I had heard of deeds which
+Captain Jack Truscott had done that were terrible enough to make one's
+blood run cold. It was reported that he had a house in a gully which
+runs up from Kynance Cove, which was the meeting-place for the wildest
+outlaws of the county. Folks said, moreover, that he owned a vessel
+which hoisted a black flag.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, I zee, my deear," said Captain Jack, pathetically; "people 'ave bin
+'busin' me. I allays 'ave bin 'bused, my deear, but I do comfort myself,
+I do, for what do the Scripters say?&mdash;'Blessed are they that are
+abused.' I ain't a-got the words zackly, but the mainin', my deear, the
+mainin' es right, and that's the chief thing, ed'n et, then?"</p>
+
+<p>In spite of myself the man fascinated me. There was a mixture of mockery
+and sincerity in his voice, as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> though he half believed in his pious
+sayings; moreover, he was very cool and collected. His white eyes
+wandered all over the cave, and exchanged meaning glances with the two
+men with whom I had been struggling, but I knew that he was watching me
+all the time. He must have known that he was in danger of being taken by
+the Preventive men, but he spoke with the calm assurance of an innocent
+man.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," I said, "what do you intend doing with me? You are three to one,
+and I am unarmed."</p>
+
+<p>"There you be spaikin' vexed now. Wha's the use of that?"</p>
+
+<p>"No wonder, when your men were trying to kill me, and would, perhaps, if
+you hadn't come just then."</p>
+
+<p>"No; they wouldn't, my deear. I was watching; I zeed the man they'd got
+to dail weth&mdash;fresh as paint, my deear, and shinin' like a makerl's
+back. Plenty of rail good fight; and I like that, though I be a man of
+paice, Jasper Pennington, my deear."</p>
+
+<p>I waited for him to go on, and although I was much excited, and scarcely
+expected to live until morning, I managed to meet his white eyes without
+shrinking.</p>
+
+<p>"Spoasing you go out, Bill and Sam, my sonnies," said Cap'n Jack. "Don't
+go fur away, my deears; we cudden bear that, could us, Jasper? Do 'ee
+smok' then, Jasper? I zee you do. Lots of baccy 'ere, an' pipes too.
+Well, this es oncommon lucky. Well, lev us load up, I zay."</p>
+
+<p>Thinking it well to agree with him, I filled a pipe with tobacco and lit
+it while Cap'n Jack, with evident satisfaction, smoked peacefully. He
+sat opposite me, and I waited for him to speak.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>I GO TO KYNANCE COVE WITH CAP'N JACK TRUSCOTT'S GANG, AND MEET HIS DAUGHTER TAMSIN</h3>
+
+<p>"This ed'n bad bacca, es it, then?" remarked Cap'n Jack, after he had
+smoked peacefully for a few seconds.</p>
+
+<p>"No," I replied; "as far as I'm a judge, it's very good." I spoke as
+coolly as I could, although to be truthful I might as well have been
+smoking dried oak leaves. I could not help realising that my case might
+be desperate. I had heard that Cap'n Jack's gang were governed by no
+laws, legal or moral, save those which this man himself made. If I
+failed, therefore, to fall in with his plans, in all probability Sam
+Liddicoat and Bill Lurgy would be called in to complete the work which
+they had attempted a little while before. I could not understand a
+smuggler, a wrecker, and probably a pirate with pious words upon his
+lips; the idea of a man whose hands were red with crime talking about
+peace, mercy, and loving-kindness was, to say the least, strange, and I
+could not repress a shudder.</p>
+
+<p>After his remark about the quality of the tobacco Cap'n Jack continued
+puffing away in silence, occasionally casting furtive glances at me. The
+place was very silent, save for the swish of the waves, as they poured
+into the outer cave, and rolled the pebbles as they came. It was now
+past midnight, but the month being September, there would be no light
+for several hours.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p><p>At length Cap'n Jack looked at a huge silver watch, which he had taken
+from his pocket, and seemed to be making some mental calculations.</p>
+
+<p>"Fine and loanly, ed'n et, Jasper?" he remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"Very."</p>
+
+<p>"This es a very loanly caave. I thot nobody knawed anything 'bout et,
+'ciptin' our chaps and Betsey and Eli."</p>
+
+<p>"Betsey?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, aw Betsey do knaw everything. Besides, Granfer Fraddam was&mdash;you
+zee et do run in the family!"</p>
+
+<p>I said nothing, but I called to mind many things I had heard Betsey say.</p>
+
+<p>"Anything might be done 'ere, an' nobody the wiser," he said with a
+leer.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"But I'm a man of paice, I be. A stiddy, thinkin' sort ov man as you may
+zay. I shudden like for nothin' to 'appen to you, Jasper. Tha's wy I
+stopped 'em jist now. 'ow be 'ee thinkin' to git the money to buy back
+Pennington, Jasper? 'T'll be a stiff job, I tell 'ee."</p>
+
+<p>I did not reply.</p>
+
+<p>"I've 'eerd oal 'bout et, Jasper. Ah, I've knowd they Tresidders for a
+good long while. Deep, deep, sonny, you ca'an't git 'em nohow. Besides,
+'twas 'ard that you shud zee thicky purty maid for the fust time when
+you was covered with mud, and egg yuks, and fastened on to that gashly
+thing, wad'n et then?"</p>
+
+<p>I gave a start, and I felt my face crimson.</p>
+
+<p>"I shud like to be a friend to 'ee, Jasper, I shud. Betsey 'ave told me
+'bout 'ee, and I like 'ee, Jasper. Besides, I'm allays a friend to the
+oppressed I be, allays. I shud like to put 'ee in the way of spitin'
+they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>Tresidders, and buyin' back the 'ome that es rightfully yours,
+that I shud. Now, Jasper, my sonny, I could put 'ee in the way of
+gittin' 'nough in a year or two to get yer oan. A clain off chap like
+you, with schullership, one as can read ritin' an' knows figures like,
+why, you could, with a bit of tittivatin', git on anywhere, that is,
+with the blessin' of Providence, so to spaik."</p>
+
+<p>"How?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Put yerself in my 'ands, Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"You mean become a smuggler, a wrecker, and a general law-breaker."</p>
+
+<p>"Law?" cried Cap'n Jack. "Now what's law, Jasper? Es et fair now? The
+law 'ave put you in a nice pickle, and tho' Pennington ought to be
+yours, an' the Barton ought to be yours, an' shud be yours ef I, a fair
+an' honest man, cud 'ave the arrangin' ov things, they've been tooked
+from 'ee by law. An' you might wait till you was black an' blue, and the
+law wudden give et back. What 'ave you got to do with law? Well, dodgin'
+the Preventive men is 'ginst the law, I know et, but what ov that? You
+c'n make a bit ov money that way&mdash;a good bit, Jasper. In three year or
+so, with me to 'elp 'ee, you cud git 'nough to buy back Pennington,
+there now."</p>
+
+<p>"And what do you offer?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll take 'ee on, tha's what I'll do. I'll taich 'ee a vew things. I'll
+make a man ov 'ee, Jasper. You are a vine big man, sonny, a match for
+two ord'nary men, with schullership, an' a knowledge of figgers thrawed
+in. You'd zoon be my 'ead man, an' do a big traade."</p>
+
+<p>"If smuggling were all," I stammered.</p>
+
+<p>"Tha's oal I ask ov 'ee, Jasper. A bit ov smugglin'. But spoase you
+doan't. Well, look at that now.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> Spoase you doan't now. Nick Tresidder
+'ll git that maid es sure as eggs&mdash;while you&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be murdered, I suppose."</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper, I never like violence on a eldest son. It do main bad luck, my
+deear, es a rule; still we've got to go 'ginst bad luck, sometimes. But
+for the fact of your bein' the third of the family of the same naame&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"More than the third," I interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>"More than the third ef you like, my deear, but you be the third, an'
+oal the world do knaw it's a bad thing to kill a man who's the third of
+the same naame. But for that I mightn't 'ave come in time. You zee,
+Jasper, I'm a religious man, do send a present to the passon every year
+for tithes, I do."</p>
+
+<p>At that time I did not believe in Cap'n Jack's words, but afterward I
+found that all his gang were afraid to do that which was considered
+unlucky. All Cornish people, I suppose, have heard the rhyme about
+killing an eldest son who is the third in succession to bear the same
+christened name. I know, too, that Cap'n Jack believed implicitly in the
+legend, and I have heard him repeat it very solemnly, as though he were
+repeating a prayer at a funeral, while his gang became as solemn as
+judges. And I have little doubt now that the jargon which I will write
+down&mdash;for I who have had a fair lot of schooling do call it jargon&mdash;had
+a great deal to do with saving me from Sam Liddicoat's knife.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>"For if a man shall strike him dead,</div>
+<div>His blood shall be on the striker's head,</div>
+<div>And while ever he draws his breath,</div>
+<div>His days shall be a fearful death;</div>
+<div>And after death to hell he'll go,</div>
+<div>With pain and everlasting woe."</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span></p><p>"An' so, you zee," said Cap'n Jack, "I do'ant want no violence weth
+'ee, being a merciful and religious man."</p>
+
+<p>Now I must confess that I was in sore straits what to do; for be it
+remembered all my plans seemed poor and almost worthless, and at the
+same time I loathed the thought of accepting Cap'n Jack's offer. Had I
+been sure I should have to do nothing but help in the smuggling I would
+not have minded so much, for it is well known that smuggling is not
+regarded by many as wrong, even the parsons at St. Mawes, and
+Tresillian, and Mopus having bought smuggled goods. Besides, I knew that
+many had gained wealth in this way, and were thought none the worse of
+for doing it. But Cap'n Jack was known to be worse than a smuggler, and
+almost desperate as I was this hindered me. For I remembered that in
+spite of everything I was still a Pennington, and I thought of what
+Naomi Penryn would think of me.</p>
+
+<p>"Besides," went on Cap'n Jack, "you needn't 'ave nothin' to do with this
+part of the country. I do a biggish traade down the coast, Jasper, my
+deear. Ther's Kynance, now, or a cove over by Logan Rock, and another by
+Gurnard's Head. Nobody 'ere need to knaw where you be."</p>
+
+<p>"Let me have time!" I stammered.</p>
+
+<p>"To be sure, Jasper, my deear," wheedled Cap'n Jack; "then it's settled.
+You shall come to my plaace at Kynance this very night, you shall. The
+boys 'll soon be 'ere now. A special cargo, Jasper, 'nough to make yer
+lips water. Things I bot from a Injun marchant, my deear&mdash;cheap. And
+this es a clain off plaace to put et for a vew days."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure it's safe here, Cap'n Jack?" I said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> for already I began
+to be interested in the smuggler's plans.</p>
+
+<p>"Saafe, who do knaw about this plaace?"</p>
+
+<p>"Betsey Fraddam and Eli."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, for sure&mdash;I knaw they do, else <i>you</i> wudden a knawed. But who
+besides?"</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think Ikey Trethewy hasn't found out, living where he has lived
+all these years?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ikey! Iss, Ikey do knaw. Aw, aw!"</p>
+
+<p>I saw his meaning, and suspected then what I afterward found to be true.
+Cap'n Jack's business was very extensive, and he employed people up and
+down the coast on both sides of the county. Moreover, several pedlars
+who carried jewelry, laces, and fine silks, obtained their supplies from
+Cap'n Jack.</p>
+
+<p>"The Preventive men are busy watching you," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"The Preventive men, aw, my deear. Iss, they be watchin', but how do you
+knaw?"</p>
+
+<p>I told him what I had heard between them and Richard Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, iss," said Cap'n Jack, with a grunt of satisfaction; "tha's all
+right, and they'll never vind out, no, they'll never vind out, and now
+you've zaid oal, my booy?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, I haven't; there's another who knows."</p>
+
+<p>"Who?"</p>
+
+<p>He looked at me in such a way, that before I had time to think his white
+eyes seemed to drag the words from me.</p>
+
+<p>"Miss Naomi Penryn," I said.</p>
+
+<p>Never did I see such a change in any one. He no longer had the
+appearance of a mild and inoffensive man. The look of harmless
+indecision was gone, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> all his pious sentiments were flung to the
+wind. He burst out with a string of oaths such as I had never heard
+before, and which made my flesh creep.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me all you know of this, Jasper Pennington," he said, presently,
+"everything."</p>
+
+<p>I could not disobey him at that time, and I told him what I have written
+here, save but for the story of my love&mdash;that I kept in my own heart.</p>
+
+<p>"She came in here to keep you from bein' found, did she?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>Then he became a little mild-mannered man again. He had grasped the
+situation in a minute, and he had seen more than had come into my mind.
+He commenced smoking again and continued for a few minutes, then he
+started up suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>"Sam, Bill, sonnies, come in there."</p>
+
+<p>Instantly the two men entered.</p>
+
+<p>"They're comin', be'ant 'em?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, Cap'n."</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds later I heard the sound of voices, and presently I knew
+that several men were entering the cave.</p>
+
+<p>"All safe, sonnies?" asked Cap'n Jack.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, Cap'n."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, Providence es very good. It's a vallyable cargo ef I did buy et
+cheap."</p>
+
+<p>The men laughed.</p>
+
+<p>A number of bales of goods were brought into the inner cave, but I could
+not discover what they were. I could see that the men were eyeing me
+keenly, and I thought unpleasantly; but no word was spoken until the
+cargo was unloaded, and safely stowed away.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p><p>"Nobody seed, I spoase."</p>
+
+<p>"A dark night, Cap'n. No moon, no stars."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, Providence es very good, sonnies," repeated Cap'n Jack, then,
+turning to me, he said, "You'll be wantin' to know who this es?"</p>
+
+<p>There was an expression of assent.</p>
+
+<p>"Some ov 'ee do knaw un, I reckon. Ah, Ikey Trethewy, I see you do, and
+so do you, Zacky Bunny. This, sonnies, is Maaster Jasper Pennington.
+You've 'eerd me spaik about un. Well, 'ee's a-goin' to jine us,
+laistways, 'ee's a-goin' to Kynance to-night jist to zee, ya knaw.
+There, you'd better be off, 'cipt Ikey Trethewy. He's near 'ome, 'ee is.
+Wait outside a minnit, my deears, we'll be out in a minnit."</p>
+
+<p>All left the inner cave except Ikey Trethewy, who stood watching us as
+if in wonder.</p>
+
+<p>Cap'n Jack hunted around the cave for a few seconds until he found an
+inkhorn and a pen. "I do like to kip things handy," he said; "nobody do
+knaw what'll 'appen." Then, turning to Ikey Trethewy, he said, "You do
+knaw of a young woman who do live up to Pennington&mdash;a young woman jist
+come there, called Penryn, I speck, Ikey, my deear?"</p>
+
+<p>Ikey nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Have 'ee got a bit ov paper, sonny?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, Cap'n."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, tha's awkard. This 'll do, I 'spect&mdash;a bit of the prayer-book. I
+allays like to carry a prayer-book weth me, 'tes oncommon lucky. There,
+Jasper Pennington, write."</p>
+
+<p>I dipped the pen into the inkhorn, and put the paper which he had torn
+from the prayer-book on a flat, smooth piece of slatestone. "What?" I
+asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p><p>"Write what I shall tell 'ee, now then:</p>
+
+<p>"<i>To Miss Naomi Penryn. If you breathe one word about, or come near
+Granfer Fraddam's Cave, I am a dead man!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>I wrote the words as he spoke them. "Is that all?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Sign yer naame, sonny."</p>
+
+<p>I did as he told me.</p>
+
+<p>He took the paper from me and spelt out the words carefully. "Ah, 'tes a
+grand thing to be a schullard," he said, admiringly. Then he turned to
+Ikey Trethewy. "This must be put in that young woman's hands at once,
+an' nobody must knaw 'bout et. Mind!"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, Cap'n," responded Ikey.</p>
+
+<p>"Now we'll go," said Cap'n Jack. "Good-night, Ikey. Ah, 'tes a good
+thing to be a man of paice, and full of love for one's fella cretters.
+Now then, Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>Two men waited for us in the outer cave, and a few seconds later I was
+in a boat bound for Kynance Cove.</p>
+
+<p>Morning was breaking as we passed the Lizard, and, strangely
+circumstanced as I was, I could not help feeling awed as I looked upon
+the great headland. Little wind blew, but the long lines of white
+breakers thundered on the hard yellow sands, while the low-lying rocks
+churned the sea into foam.</p>
+
+<p>"Purty, ed'n et, Jasper?" remarked Cap'n Jack. "'Ave 'ee ever zeed the
+Lizard afore, Jasper?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never, Cap'n Jack."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, I'll make a man ov 'ee. I've a cutter ov my oan, sonny; not sa big,
+but a purty thing. She do want a cap'n, Jasper; one as knaws figgers,
+an' can larn navigation. I do want a gen'lman by birth, an' a great
+lashin' chap like you, Jasper&mdash;wawn as can taake a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> couple ov andy-sized
+men and knock their heads together. Oa, ther's providence in things,
+Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>I said nothing, but my heart felt sad. I felt as if I were drifting away
+from Naomi, and that in spite of myself I was cutting the rope that held
+me to her.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the boats skirted the headland, and I saw the rocky coves of
+Kynance in the near distance.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we be near 'ome, sonnies," said the captain, "after a safe
+journey. Spoasin' somebody stricks up a bit of song now. Fishermen
+agoin' 'ome ov a mornin', we be. We've toiled oal night an' caught
+nothin', as the scripters say. Strik up now, 'Lijah Lowry, you've a fine
+and purty voice. Now, then, sweet and stiddy, my booy."</p>
+
+<p>So Elijah Lowry started a song, and the rest joined in the chorus.</p>
+
+<p>"Zing, Jasper," cried Cap'n Jack, when one verse was completed. "Jine in
+the cheerful song; let the people zee wot a contented, 'appy,
+law-abidin' lot we fishermen be. Now, then, chorus:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>"Thrice the thunderin' seas did roar,</div>
+<div class="i1">Thrice the thunderin' winds did blow,</div>
+<div>While the brave sailors were rockin' on the top,</div>
+<div class="i1">And the landlubbers layin' down below.</div>
+<div>Below, below, below, below, bel&mdash;o&mdash;o&mdash;o&mdash;w!</div>
+<div class="i1">And the landlubbers layin' down below!"</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>"Now, then, peart and stiddy oal," cried Cap'n Jack. "An' seein' as 'ow
+Providence 'ave bin sa kind, I do want 'ee to come up to my 'ouse
+to-night for supper. Ya knaw wot a good cook my maid Tamsin es. Well,
+she'll do 'er best fur to-night. Hake an' conger pie, roast beef and
+curney puddin', heave to an' come again,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> jist like kurl singers at
+Crismas time, my deears. Now, then, Jasper, you come long wi' me."</p>
+
+<p>I walked with Cap'n Jack up a deep gully. On either hand the sides of
+the chasm shot up, steeper than the roof of a house, while in some
+places they were perpendicular.</p>
+
+<p>"Nice'n lew 'ere, Jasper, my deear. Zee 'ow the things do graw. See the
+'sparagus twigs, my deear. Like little fir-trees, be'ant 'em then. Aw,
+'tes a keenly plaace, this es. Do 'ee zee thicky 'ouse up there, Jasper.
+Tha's mine&mdash;an' Tamsin 'll be waitin' for me. Providence took away 'er
+mawther, but left Tamsin; an' Providence was kind, Jasper, for her
+mawther <i>'ad</i> a tongue, my deear. Jaw! ah, but Tamsin's mawther 'ad a
+speshul gift for jawin'! I caan't zay as 'ow I liked et, but I caan't
+deny that she was a gifted woman."</p>
+
+<p>I could not but admit that Cap'n Jack spoke the truth about his house.
+It was situated on the side of the gorge, well sheltered from the winds,
+yet so placed that from the gable windows a broad expanse of sea could
+be seen. It was a well-built house, too, substantial and roomy. In the
+front was a garden, well stocked with flowers and vegetables. In this
+garden were two figureheads, supposed to represent Admiral Blake and Sir
+Walter Raleigh.</p>
+
+<p>"Godly men, both of 'em," remarked Cap'n Jack; "an' both of 'em down on
+Popery. I be oal for a sound, solid religion, I be. Sir Walter brought
+baccy, and the Admiral, well 'ee polished off the Spaniards and took a
+lot of treasure from the Spanish ships. Some would call 'im a pirate,
+Jasper, my deear, but I be'ant that kind of a man. No, no, thews furrin
+chaps ca'ant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> 'spect we to laive 'em go wethout payin' toll. 'Ere we be,
+Tamsin, my deear!"</p>
+
+<p>The latter remark was addressed to a stout, buxom girl of twenty, who
+greeted her father warmly, looking at me curiously all the while.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Tamsin, my deear, we waant some breakfast. Wot'll 'ee 'ave,
+Jasper? 'Am rasher, my deear, or a few pilchers? Or p'raps Tamsin 'ave
+got some vowl pie? This es my maid, Tamsin, this es, by the blessin' of
+Providence&mdash;my one yaw lamb, tha's wot she es. As spruce a maid as there
+es in the country, my deear. An' I forgot, you dunnaw Jasper, do 'ee,
+Tamsin? This es Jasper Pennington, a godly young man who, like Esau of
+ould, 'ave bin rubbed of his birthright an' hes blessin'. He's a-goin'
+to jine us, Tamsin, 'n' then 'ee'll git back the birthright, an' laive
+Nick Trezidder 'ave the blessin'. Aw! Aw! Now, then, Jasper, haive too,
+my deear."</p>
+
+<p>We sat down to breakfast, and I must confess to eating with a good
+appetite. When I lifted my eyes from my plate I saw that Tamsin was
+watching me curiously, as though she could not quite make me out.
+Certainly I was not very presentable. My clothes were stained and torn,
+and my appearance altogether unkempt. I felt ill at ease, too, and did
+not care to talk much. Besides, in spite of my strange position, I was
+tired and sleepy. This Cap'n Jack presently noted.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll want to slaip, Jasper. Well, Tamsin shall give 'ee a bed, oal
+down, my deear&mdash;make 'ee sleep when you do'ant want to. I do veel like
+that, too. After we've 'ad a slaip, Jasper, we'll talk a bit avore the
+booys do come up to supper. A slap-bang supper now, Tamsin, mind that!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span></p><p>Tamsin left the room to prepare a bed for me, while Cap'n Jack pulled
+off his boots.</p>
+
+<p>"A clain off maid, Jasper, clain off. Spruce as a new pin, an' fresh as
+a new painted boat. Temper like a lamb, Jasper. Ah! she'll be a grand
+wife fur somebody, an' not short of a fortin neither. I've been a savin'
+man, sonny, an' 'ave bin oncommon lucky in traade. I spoase Israel
+Barnicoat do want 'er, an' Israel's a braavish booy, but Tamsin doan't
+take to 'im. No, she doan't. Ah, there she es. Es Jasper's bed ready?
+That's yer soarts."</p>
+
+<p>He gave his daughter a sounding kiss, and went upstairs singing:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>"Her eyes be as blue as the sea,</div>
+<div class="i1">Her 'air like goulden grain,</div>
+<div>An' she'll stick to me, and only me</div>
+<div class="i1">Till I come back again.</div>
+<div class="i1">Again, again, again,</div>
+<div class="i1">Till I come back again."</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>"There, Jasper, thicky's the room, and tha's the bed, oal clain an'
+purty, my deear."</p>
+
+<p>How long I slept I do not know, but it was a long time, for I was very
+tired. It was a long time since I had slept in a soft clean bed, and I
+did not fail to appreciate the one Tamsin had prepared. I awoke at
+length, however, and heard a tap at the door.</p>
+
+<p>"Your new clothes are at the door." It was Tamsin who spoke.</p>
+
+<p>On getting up and opening the door, I found a pile of clothes lying, and
+on examining them I found them to be well made, and of good material.
+They fitted me, too, and I must confess that I looked at myself with
+considerable satisfaction when I had dressed myself. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> saw, too, on
+entering the kitchen that Tamsin approved of my changed appearance.</p>
+
+<p>"Father's gone down to the cove," she said.</p>
+
+<p>She spoke correctly, and her voice was low and musical.</p>
+
+<p>"He'll not be back for half an hour," she continued; "when he comes I
+expect he'll bring the men back to supper. I want us to have a talk now.
+I want you to tell me why you are here. I want to know if you realise
+what you are doing. Father will tell me nothing; but I cannot believe
+you know what joining his gang means."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>WHAT HAPPENED AT CAP'N JACK'S HOUSE&mdash;TAMSIN'S CONFESSION, AND THE SMUGGLERS' PLANS</h3>
+
+<p>As I looked into Tamsin Truscott's eyes, I could not help thinking what
+a good-looking maid she was. I was sure she spoke earnestly, too.
+Evidently she regarded me as different from the gang of men of which her
+father was captain, and wanted to know the reason of my coming among
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Now I have before said I have never regarded myself as a clever
+man&mdash;none of my race have ever been. Honest men the Penningtons have
+always been; brave men, too, although I, perhaps, am not the man to say
+it, but not men who understand things quickly. Often after I have had
+dealings with people, it has come to my mind what I might have said and
+done, how I might have left some questions unanswered while others I
+could have answered differently. Lawyer Trefry once told me I should
+never get a living with my brains; I had too much body, he said. I am
+not ashamed to say this. Nay, I have no faith in men who are clever
+enough to give lying answers instead of true ones. Give me a man who
+speaks out straight, and who knows nothing of crooked ways. The men that
+the country wants are not clever, scheming men, who wriggle out of
+difficulties by underhanded ways, but those who see only the truth,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> and
+speak it, and fight for it if needs be. I am glad I had a fair amount of
+schooling, as becomes one who ought to have been the squire of a parish,
+but I am more thankful because I stand six feet four inches in my
+stockings, and measured forty-six inches around the naked chest even at
+twenty-one, and that I know next to nothing of sickness or bodily pain.
+But more than everything, I am proud that although I have been badly
+treated I have told no lies in order that truth may prevail, neither do
+I remember striking an unfair blow. No doubt, I shall have many things
+to answer for on the Judgment Day, but I believe God will reckon to my
+account the fact that I tried to fight fairly when sorely tempted to do
+otherwise.</p>
+
+<p>I say this, because it may seem to many that I was foolish in telling
+Tamsin Truscott the truth about myself. But as I said just now, I am not
+clever at answering people, neither could I frame answers to her
+questions which would hide the truth from her. Before we had been
+talking ten minutes I had told her all about myself, except my love for
+Naomi. I dared not speak about that, for I felt I was not worthy to
+speak of her, whose life was far removed from unlawful men and their
+ways. Moreover I could not bear that the secret of my heart should be
+known. It should be first told to the one who only had a right to hear
+it, even although she should refuse that which I offered her.</p>
+
+<p>"And so," said Tamsin, "my father has promised that you shall win enough
+money to buy Pennington if you will work with him."</p>
+
+<p>"That he has," was my reply.</p>
+
+<p>"And do you know the kind of life he lives?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have heard," I replied.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p><p>"And would you feel happy, Jasper Pennington, if you bought back your
+home, got by such means?"</p>
+
+<p>"As for that," I replied, for I did not feel comfortable under her
+words, "what harm is there in smuggling? I know of several parsons who
+buy smuggled goods."</p>
+
+<p>"If smuggling were all!" she said, significantly.</p>
+
+<p>"But is it not all?" I queried. "Your father told me that this was all
+he required."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think you could gain enough by smuggling? Bill Lurgy has been
+with my father for years; does he look like one who could buy back
+Pennington?"</p>
+
+<p>"He is but a paid man," I replied. "Your father has promised that I
+shall have shares in his profits."</p>
+
+<p>A look of scorn flashed from her eyes, which I could not understand, and
+she seemed to be about to say some words which caused her much feeling,
+when her eyes looked straight into mine, and I saw the blood course up
+into her face, until her very brow became crimson. Her hands trembled,
+too, while her lips twitched so that she was unable to speak.</p>
+
+<p>Now, I could not understand this, especially as a few seconds before she
+had been so eager to talk.</p>
+
+<p>"Would you advise me to ask your father to release me of my promise,
+then?" I asked. "I cannot go at once without his consent, for I have
+given my word I will stay with him for one month."</p>
+
+<p>For answer she caught my hands eagerly. "No, no, stay!" she said. "I
+will see to it that you are fairly treated. You must not go away!"</p>
+
+<p>This puzzled me much, but I had no time to ask her what she meant, for
+just then her father and several of his men came into the room.</p>
+
+<p>There was great carousing that night at Cap'n Jack's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> house. A great
+deal of grog was drunk, and many strange things said, and yet I could
+not help feeling that a kind of reserve was upon the party. I noticed
+that when some story was being told Cap'n Jack coughed, whereupon the
+eyes of the story-teller were turned upon me, and the yarn remained
+unfinished. I could see, too, that many of the men did not like me, and
+I grew uneasy at the ugly looks they gave me. Moreover, I could not help
+remembering that in spite of all I was a Pennington, and was no fit
+company for such as they. And yet I could not escape, for I was hemmed
+in on every side.</p>
+
+<p>At the end of a month I began to feel more at home among my
+surroundings, and up to that time was not asked to do anything
+particularly objectionable. It is true I helped to bring several cargoes
+of smuggled goods ashore, but that did not trouble me. Moreover, I
+learnt many things about the coast of which I had hitherto been
+ignorant. At the end of two months I knew the coast from Gurnard's Head
+to Kynance Cove, and had also spent a good deal of time in learning
+navigation, which Cap'n Jack assured me would be essential to my getting
+back Pennington. I had no rupture with any of the men, and yet I saw
+they did not like me. Especially did Israel Barnicoat regard me with a
+great deal of disfavour. I thought at the time that he was jealous of
+the favour which Cap'n Jack showed me, for I knew no other reason why he
+should dislike me. It was true that until I came he was regarded as the
+strongest man in Cap'n Jack's gang, and was angry when he heard some one
+say that I could play with two such as he.</p>
+
+<p>"I would like to try a hitch with you, Squire," he said one day, when
+Cap'n Jack had been chaffing him.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p><p>We were standing on the little green outside the Cap'n's house, and
+several of us were together. I did not want to wrestle with him, for it
+is ill playing a game of strength with a man who cannot keep his temper.
+So I told him I would rather let him be regarded as the strongest man
+that Cap'n Jack had. Whereupon he swore loudly and called me a coward,
+so that I was obliged to accept his challenge. I had no sooner thrown
+off my coat than Tamsin came to the door, and when Israel saw her his
+arms became hard, and a strange light shone from his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Throw off your shoes, Israel," I said. "We won't go in for kicking like
+the up-country fellows, let's play like true Cornish lads."</p>
+
+<p>Then I took off my heavy boots, and he did likewise, although I could
+see he was not pleased. After that I waited quietly and let him get his
+hitch on me first. But he was no match for me; try as he would, he could
+not throw me, although he could see I did not put forth my strength.
+Then, when I had let him do his utmost, I slipped from his grasp, put my
+loins under his body, and threw him on the sward.</p>
+
+<p>"Bravo!" cried Tamsin. "Ah, Israel, you are but a baby in his hands,"
+and she laughed gleefully.</p>
+
+<p>"It was a coward's throw," shouted Israel. "He struck me in the wind
+with his knee&mdash;a coward's kick!"</p>
+
+<p>"Coward!" I cried. "Nay, Israel Barnicoat, I could play with two such as
+you. Let your brother come with you, and I'll throw you both."</p>
+
+<p>With that Micah Barnicoat came up, and both together they leaped upon
+me; but I caught them like I have seen the schoolmaster at Tregorny
+catch two boys,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> and knocked their heads together; then with a little
+trick I laid them both on the sward.</p>
+
+<p>I do not write this boastingly, because I had nothing to do but to use
+the strength which God gave me. I could not help it that I came of a
+large-boned, strong race. My forefathers had been mighty men, and
+although I am told I am far smaller and weaker than they, Israel
+Barnicoat and his brother seemed like children in my hands. Neither
+would I have written this save that it has to do with the story of my
+life, which I am trying to tell truthfully, although, I am afraid, with
+but little skill.</p>
+
+<p>Israel looked at me more evilly than ever as he rose to his feet, but he
+said no word, even though the men laughed loudly, and Tamsin rejoiced at
+my success. I liked it not, however, when that same evening I saw Israel
+eagerly talking with a group of men, each of whom held their peace as I
+came up. This set me thinking, and finally a conviction laid hold of me
+that Israel was my enemy, and that he would do me evil if he had the
+chance.</p>
+
+<p>After I had gone to bed that night I heard the sound of voices in the
+garden, and presently, as if by arrangement, Cap'n Jack went to them.</p>
+
+<p>"Where's the Squire?" I heard Israel Barnicoat say&mdash;they had called me
+Squire from the first.</p>
+
+<p>"Been in bed more'n an hour," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>"Look 'ere, Cap'n Jack," said Israel; "we want to spaik plain. Why is he
+to be put afore we? Here 'ee es, livin' at your 'ouse as ef 'ee was yer
+son. He ain't got to do no dirty work. Oal we want es fair play. Laive
+'ee do loustrin' jobs same as we do."</p>
+
+<p>"Anything else?" asked Cap'n Jack.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span></p><p>"I do'ant bleeve in makin' fish o' waun and flesh of t'other. All
+alike, I zay."</p>
+
+<p>"Be I cap'n?" asked Cap'n Jack.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, you be; but we chaps 'ave got our rights, tha's wot I zay. Wot's
+ee more'n we?"</p>
+
+<p>"Be I a fool, Israel Barnicoat?" asked Cap'n Jack. "Caan't I zee wot's
+good fur us oal? He's larnin' navigation&mdash;wot fur? Ain't us got a ship
+that 'll need navigation? We want a man as knaws figgers an's got
+schoolin'; 'ave you got et? We want somebody as can play the genleman;
+can you do et? Billy Coad es too ould to taake command ov the <i>Flyin'
+Swan</i> much longer; well, wot then? Who's to do et? You knaw we caan't
+'ford to 'ave outsiders. 'Sides, ef 'ee once gits in weth we&mdash;well,
+we've got un, ain't us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, wot then?"</p>
+
+<p>"He'll buy back Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>"Wot's the use o' that to we?"</p>
+
+<p>"Be 'ee a fool, Israel Barnicoat? Caan't 'ee zee that eff he's one o'
+we, and he gits back his rights, that we'm as safe as eggs, an' shell
+allays have a squire an' a magistrate on our side? Tha's wot I be
+humourin' 'im for. I do'ant want to drive un away fust thing."</p>
+
+<p>A good deal of murmuring followed this, some of the men evidently
+agreeing with their captain, others feeling with Israel that I had had
+too many favours shown me. Then they talked too low for me to hear,
+except now and then fragments of sentences about the "queer-coloured
+flag on the <i>Flying Swan</i>," and "Billy Coad makin' many a man walk the
+plank."</p>
+
+<p>All this opened my eyes to many things which had not hitherto been plain
+to me, and I listened more eagerly than ever, in order to understand
+their plans<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> concerning me; but I could make nothing out of the orders
+which Cap'n Jack was giving. At last, just before they left him, one
+asked a question in a low voice: "When is the <i>Flying Swan</i> expected?"</p>
+
+<p>"A couple ov months, sonny. We must humour un a bit, and git un in our
+ways. We ca'ant 'ford to be fullish jist now."</p>
+
+<p>Presently they all left with the exception of Israel Barnicoat, who
+spoke to Cap'n Jack eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tes oal very well to talk, Cap'n," he said, "but 'ee's stailin' away
+Tamsin from me."</p>
+
+<p>"Did you ever 'ave Tamsin to stail, sonny?" asked the Cap'n.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I 'ad a chance at wawn time, but now she's tooked on weth he.
+Mind, Cap'n, ef he do git Tamsin ther'll be somebody missin'!"</p>
+
+<p>"Doan't be a fool, Israel," replied Cap'n Jack. "Go away 'ome, sonny,
+and be ready for yer work in the mornin'."</p>
+
+<p>"But mind, Cap'n, the Squire must obey oarders saame as we, else ther'll
+be mutiny."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, 'ee shell, ther' now. Good-night, Israel; good-night, sonny, and
+by the blessing of Providence you'll be a rich man yet."</p>
+
+<p>I turned over all this many times in my mind, and, as may be imagined, I
+was sore driven what to think. Up till now I had not been asked, beyond
+smuggling, to do anything unlawful, but now I saw that I was intended
+for wild work. Moreover, I knew not how to get out of it, for Cap'n Jack
+had, in a way, got me in his power. I had heard of several who had once
+belonged to his gang, and who had come to an untimely end, and this not
+by means of the law, but by unknown ways. I also<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> called to mind one of
+his stories concerning one Moses Rowse, who, because he wanted to "turn
+religious," was found on the beach one day with his head broken, while
+another went away from home and never came back again.</p>
+
+<p>All this, I say, wrought upon me strangely&mdash;so much so that I did not
+sleep that night, and I formed many plans as to how I might escape,
+until my brain was weary.</p>
+
+<p>The next day I noticed that Cap'n Jack was eagerly looking at the sea,
+as though he saw something of interest, although I, who looked in the
+direction toward which his eyes were turned, could see nothing.</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon ther'll be some work to-night, Jasper, my sonny," he remarked,
+after looking steadily a long time. "It do come dark early thaise
+November days, an' it'll be a baisly muggy night to-night, tha's wot
+'t'll be. I must go down to the cove and zee the booys."</p>
+
+<p>When he was gone Tamsin came to me.</p>
+
+<p>"What are you so stand-offish for?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>I did not reply, for my heart was sad.</p>
+
+<p>"And what did you think of the talk between father and the men last
+night?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you know about it?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I know you were listening," she replied; "but never mind, it's all safe
+with me; and, Jasper, you mustn't think that I care about Israel
+Barnicoat, I don't like un a bit."</p>
+
+<p>"He's the strongest man in your father's gang," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Jasper, he's no man at all when you are near. How could I look on
+Israel Barnicoat now I've seen you?" She said this with a sob, and then
+I knew that Tamsin Truscott loved me. She caught my great brown<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> hand
+and kissed it. "Jasper," she cried, "I know where father keeps his
+money, love me, and I will get it for you; more than enough to buy back
+Pennington. No one knows how rich father is. I know, I know!"</p>
+
+<p>The maid spoke like one demented, and, for the moment, I knew not how to
+answer her. Not that I despised her for saying what always ought to be
+said by the man, for I believe that her heart was as clean as a
+wind-swept sky. For a moment, too, wild, unnatural thoughts came into my
+mind which I will not here set down. But even as they came the picture
+of Naomi's face came before me, and they departed with the swiftness of
+lightning. For I have found this to be true: a true love ever destroys
+baser and poorer loves. Let a man love truly a true, pure woman, and all
+womanhood is sacred to him. And because I loved Naomi truly no other
+love could come into my life.</p>
+
+<p>So I did not reply to Tamsin's words, but walked away toward the cove
+instead. Still her words had their effect&mdash;they determined me to leave
+Cap'n Jack's gang as soon as possible. I saw now that it would be wrong
+to stay at Kynance Cove, wrong to Tamsin, wrong to myself. It would be
+unworthy of my love for Naomi. For two months I had not realised what
+lay before me, now I understood. How could I go to her with words of
+love upon my lips, when I sought to win back the home of my fathers by
+such means as Cap'n Jack hinted in his talk with his followers the night
+before? And so again and again I planned how I might get away.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the afternoon Cap'n Jack came to me. "I want us to crake a bit,
+sonny," he said. I did not reply, but I sat down near him in the open
+chimney.</p>
+
+<p>"It's time we come to bisness," he said. "You've<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> bin loppin' 'bout for
+two months, doin' nothin' much. Well, the booys be jillus, Jasper, and
+they want things clear."</p>
+
+<p>"I've done all you've asked me," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, so you 'ave, sonny, but I want to maake a man ov 'ee. I've got a
+purty boat, Jasper, called <i>The Flying Swan</i>. She'll be 'ome soon from
+what I 'ope will be a prosperous voyage. I want you to go on 'er as a
+soart of maate, to taake command laater on."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean?" I asked. "What is this <i>Flying Swan</i> of which you
+are the owner? Is she a trading vessel? What does she carry? Besides,
+why choose me? I know nothing about sea life."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell 'ee," he said. "The <i>Flyin' Swan</i> is used for smugglin' on a
+biggish scale. She's manned by as braave a lot of chaps as ever clained
+the seams of a deck. Her cap'n es Billy Coad, a man you may 'ave 'eer'd
+on, and wawn you would like to knaw. A man of rare piety, Jasper. He and
+me be the main owners, by the blessin' of Providence. Ah, it would do
+yer 'art good to hear 'im give his Christian experience."</p>
+
+<p>"Smuggling on a biggish scale. What do you mean by that?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, dailin' direct weth the furrin' poarts, and at times, when Billy
+do see a vessel in the open say, wot do carry the flag of a Papist
+country, say the Spanish, well, I doan't deny&mdash;but there."</p>
+
+<p>"You mean that the <i>Flying Swan</i> is but little better than a pirate
+ship."</p>
+
+<p>"Never call things by ugly naames," replied Cap'n Jack; "besides, I do
+look upon this as your main chance of buyin' back Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>"Suppose I refuse?" I suggested.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span></p><p>"You wa'ant refuse, sonny."</p>
+
+<p>"Why not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, twudden pay 'ee. We doan't never have that sort wi' we. I'm a man
+of paice, I be; but thaise be loanely paarts, my sonny. Nearer than
+Lezard Town ther's 'ardly a 'ouse. You wudden be missed much."</p>
+
+<p>"But suppose I were to leave you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Laive us; no, sonny, you ca'ant do that now. You knaw too much."</p>
+
+<p>"How can you keep me? Suppose I were to leave the house now, ay, leave
+the county, who could stop me?"</p>
+
+<p>"I could, sonny. Do you think I'm a cheeld? I've got the county
+ringed&mdash;I've got men everywhere. Cap'n Jack Truscott's gang is a big
+affair, my son, an' I telly this, ef you tried to git away to-night
+you'd be a dead man afore to-morrow, for oal I'm a man of paice, and
+send presents to the passon in place of tithes; I doan't stand no
+nonsense, mind that, my son."</p>
+
+<p>His white eyes shone with a strange light, and I knew he had his fears
+about my loyalty.</p>
+
+<p>"The truth es, Jasper," went on Cap'n Jack, "you've come wi' we, and wi'
+we you must stay; that es, till you git 'nough to buy back Pennington.
+Aw, aw!"</p>
+
+<p>"And if I do?"</p>
+
+<p>"I shell 'ave a squire for my friend, and&mdash;well, you'll still be one o'
+we. You see, my sonny, we've got many ways o' doin' things, an' when I
+once gits 'old ov a chap, well, I sticks. But theer, sonny, wot's the
+use ov angry words. I'm a paicable man, and wen you knaw us better,
+you'll knaw 'ow we stick to aich other through thick and thin. I like
+'ee, Jasper, an' I've got need ov 'ee. A strong fella you be&mdash;Israel
+Barnicoat and his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> brother Micah was just like little babbies to 'ee. A
+schullard, too, and knaw figgers. Iss, a year on the <i>Flyin' Swan</i> on an
+expedishan I'm a thinkin' on will buy back Pennington, and then, well,
+we shall see, Jasper. Why shudden I be the squire's father-in-law, eh,
+sonny? An' Tamsin es a grand maid, ed'n she then?"</p>
+
+<p>Slowly my mind grasped his meaning, but I did not speak.</p>
+
+<p>"Still, tho' you be a fav'rite ov mine, Jasper, the booys be jillus,
+that ev it. An' ther's a bit of work on to-night, sonny. There's a craft
+a few miles out, an' to-night will be baisly and black. Well, the booys
+insist on your takin' our ould mare, an' tyin' a lantern on to her neck,
+an' leadin' 'er on the cliff toward the Lizard. It'll do thou'll mare
+good, and be a light to the vessel."</p>
+
+<p>"Such a light would lure her on to the rocks!" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Wud et, Jasper? Well, some wud blaame Providence for these things. But
+it must be done."</p>
+
+<p>"And suppose the Preventive men see me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wot be a couple of sich chaps to you? You could knack their 'eads
+together like you ded by Micah and Israel."</p>
+
+<p>"And if I refuse?"</p>
+
+<p>He looked at me steadily for a minute with his white eyes gleaming
+strangely in the firelight; then he said, slowly, "Ef you refuse this
+time, my sonny, you'll never refuse no more in this world."</p>
+
+<p>All the same I made up my mind that I would escape from Cap'n Jack's
+gang that very night, and that I would take no part in luring a vessel
+on to destruction.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>WHAT BECAME OF THE WRECKERS' LIGHT&mdash;HOW I ESCAPED AND ENTERED PENNINGTON</h3>
+
+<p>An hour later a number of men were in the kitchen of Cap'n Jack's house,
+and from the way they talked I knew they meant that the vessel which
+they had been watching should that night be destroyed. Never until then
+did I realise the utter heartlessness of the gang. They seemed to care
+nothing for the lives of those on the ship which they had decided to
+wreck. In their lust for gain nothing was sacred to them. As far as I
+could gather, their plan was that I should lead Cap'n Jack's horse along
+the edge of the cliffs with a lantern fastened to its neck. This to a
+ship at sea would seem like the light of another ship. The false light
+would thus lead the captain to steer his vessel straight upon the rocks.
+Outside was a wild, high sea, the clouds overhead were black as ink, and
+not a star appeared, thus the doomed vessel would be at the mercy of the
+wreckers. It was Cap'n Jack's plan to have his men in readiness to seize
+upon all the valuables of the ship, and that the crew should be drowned.
+They had made out that the vessel was bound for Falmouth, but that in
+the blackness of the night the crew would lose their whereabouts, and
+would eagerly steer toward what they would believe to be the light of
+another vessel.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p><p>Why I had been chosen to show the false light I knew not, except that
+such a deed, by exposing me to the vigilance of the Preventive men,
+would bind me more securely. They did not seem to think that I should
+fail in doing this. As Cap'n Jack had said, to fail to obey the commands
+of the gang meant an untimely death, while to try and escape would bring
+upon me the same punishment.</p>
+
+<p>Every man was well primed with brandy, and Cap'n Jack saw that while
+each one had enough to excite him to wild deeds, no man was allowed to
+drink to such a degree that he became in any way incapacitated for the
+work before him.</p>
+
+<p>During the conversation, however, I noticed that Israel Barnicoat spoke
+no word. Instead, he kept his eyes upon me. When the conference was
+ended, however, and all their plans, which I have barely hinted at,
+because in my ignorance and excitement I could only dimly understand
+them, Israel spoke aloud.</p>
+
+<p>"Cap'n," he said; "the Squire have never done a job like this afore,
+he'll need somebody weth un."</p>
+
+<p>"We ca'ant spare more'n one man for sich a job," was the response.</p>
+
+<p>"It'll need another, I tell 'ee," replied Israel.</p>
+
+<p>"Then thee c'n kip un company," was Cap'n Jack's reply.</p>
+
+<p>"Oal right," cried Israel, but he kept his eyes away from me as he
+spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell 'ee where we'll begin," continued Israel, still looking away from
+me. "We'll take old Smiler right to the Lizard, jist off Carligga Rocks,
+we'll kip on cloase by Polpeor, an' on to Bumble. I reckon by that time
+she'll be on the rocks. You c'n board 'er there, ef needs<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> be, and we'll
+mit you in the saicret caave in Honsel Cove."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, that'll do very well, sonny," was Cap'n Jack's reply. "By coose we
+mayn't git 'er afore she do git to the Devil's Fryin' Pan or Cadwith,
+and ef you fail theer, you must git to Black Head as fast as yer legs
+can car'ee. But kip away from Ruan Minor, Israel, my sonny. The
+Preventive men be strong there."</p>
+
+<p>"Trust me," laughed Israel.</p>
+
+<p>Cap'n Jack went out and looked seaward, anxiously. "You must start in a
+'our or a 'our and haalf, Israel, my sonny, and the rest of us must git
+doun to the Cove to once," he said, when he came back.</p>
+
+<p>"Oal right, Cap'n," replied Israel, "I jist want to go and spaik to
+mauther, while the Squire do git the oull mare ready."</p>
+
+<p>I went out as he spoke, and then acting on sudden impulse, determined to
+follow him. A minute later I was glad I had done so, for I saw that he
+was going away from his mother's house. He hurried rapidly along the
+Helston road until he came to a little beer-house, or as the folks
+called it a kiddleywink, which he entered. When I had arrived at the
+door of this kiddleywink, I was at a loss what to do, neither could I
+make out why he had come here. I had barely time to think, however,
+before Israel came out again, and I saw that he was accompanied by a
+Preventive man.</p>
+
+<p>"I've got a job for 'ee," said Israel.</p>
+
+<p>"What?"</p>
+
+<p>"A chap showin' a false light to-night."</p>
+
+<p>"But I'd arranged weth the Cap'n to kip away, an' to kip our chaps
+away."</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind that. I c'n maake et wuth yer while."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span></p><p>"Well, what es et?"</p>
+
+<p>"Be jist off The Stags at twelve o'clock to-night. A young fella will be
+laidin' an ould gray mare."</p>
+
+<p>"But wot about the Cap'n?"</p>
+
+<p>"I tell 'ee 't'll be for your good. You do as I tell 'ee, Ellic, or,
+well, you'll knaw what!"</p>
+
+<p>"But et'll spoil yer plans!"</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind. Look 'ere&mdash;" Then he talked earnestly in low tones so that
+I could not hear. Evidently, however, he satisfied the officer, for I
+heard him say, "Clain off. A reglar feather in my cap, and the Cap'n
+wa'ant knaw."</p>
+
+<p>When Israel returned to Cap'n Jack's house I had the mare all ready.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go stright to Carn Barrow," he said, shortly.</p>
+
+<p>"That wasn't Cap'n Jack's plan," was my reply.</p>
+
+<p>"Look 'ere, Squire, I'm to work this. You'm new to this work. I tell 'ee
+we must git to the Devil's Fryin' Pan by ten o'clock, and then git back
+to The Stags 'bout twelve."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," I replied, "I'm ready."</p>
+
+<p>"'Tes a good two mile by road to the Fryin' Pan," he remarked. "And 'tes
+oppen downs nearly oal the way to The Stags." He seemed to think a
+minute, then he said, "No, we wa'ant go so far as that, we'll jist go to
+Bumble Rock, and then kip on the top by Poltream Cove. That'll taake us
+oal our time."</p>
+
+<p>He led the horse and I carried the lantern, which he said should not be
+lit until we came to Bumble Rock, which stands by a gully in the
+headland, where the seas roar with a terrible noise as they break upon
+the coast.</p>
+
+<p>Not a word was spoken as we went along in the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>darkness. As well as I
+could I kept watch on him, for I knew he hated me. He was jealous of me
+for several reasons. For one thing, since I had come, Tamsin Truscott
+had ceased to notice him, and for another, he was no longer regarded as
+the strongest man in the gang. For years he had been proud of this, and
+now the men laughed at him because I was able to play with both him and
+his brother. Perhaps the wrestling match at which I had mastered him so
+easily had more to do with his enmity than the fact that Tamsin no
+longer smiled on him. For his pride in his strength was greater than his
+love.</p>
+
+<p>As I have said, it was a wild dark night. A great sea hurled itself on
+the coast, although ordinarily it could not be called dangerous. As we
+drew near the rocks, however, we could hear the waves roaring like a
+thousand angry beasts. Bumble Rock rose up like a great giant, and
+seemed to laugh at the black waves which it churned into foam. The rocks
+which we could dimly see, for our eyes had become used to the darkness,
+seemed like the teeth of a hideous monster, which would cruelly tear any
+ship that the waves should dash upon them. The thought of the vessel,
+evidently bound for Falmouth Harbour, being lured to destruction, with
+all hands on board, was horrible to me, and at that moment a great anger
+rose in my heart toward the gang among whom I had lived for two months.
+Hitherto, however, my hands had been unstained by crime, and I
+determined that for the future, even although I should be hunted down by
+the men into whose hands I had fallen, I would escape from them that
+night.</p>
+
+<p>"I've got the tinder and the flint and steel," remarked Israel, "we must
+git to a lew plaace an' light<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> the candle. Come over 'ere. Ther's a
+'ollow behind the rocks, it'll do zackly."</p>
+
+<p>I followed him without a word until we reached a spot that was sheltered
+from the sea, although we could still hear the waves surging and
+moaning, while flecks of foam often beat upon our faces.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps there is no more lonely place on God's earth than this. That
+night the genius of desolation seemed to reign, while the roaring sea
+told me of mad spirits playing with the angry waters. In the dim light I
+could see the long line of foam, while above the dark cliffs loomed;
+landward nothing was visible, save a suggestion of the outline of the
+hills.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tes a gashly night and this es a gashly job to be done," said Israel.
+"By agor, 'ow the waaves do roar," he continued, after a minute.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, 'tis a wild night," I responded, and as if in confirmation of my
+words, a great wave broke on Bumble Rock with a mighty roar, while a
+shower of spray and flecks of foam fell upon us.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, 'tes as lew 'ere as we can git it anywhere," he said; "ther now,
+you hould the lantern while I strick the light."</p>
+
+<p>"No," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Wot do 'ee main?" he queried.</p>
+
+<p>"Simply this," I answered; "no false light shall shine on this cliff
+to-night." As I spoke I took the lantern and threw it over the cliffs.
+Then I sprang upon him and caught his hands in mine.</p>
+
+<p>"Look you, Israel Barnicoat," I said, "I know what your plans are. I
+followed you as you went to the Preventive man to-night; but it is no
+use. The wreckers'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> light will not shine to-night, neither will I be off
+The Stags at twelve o'clock."</p>
+
+<p>He struggled to be free, but I held him tight.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll suffer for this," he screamed; "when Cap'n Jack knaws you'll
+die."</p>
+
+<p>"I must take chance of that," I said. Then I threw him heavily on the
+sward. Taking some cord from my pocket, with which I had provided myself
+before starting, I bound his hands securely behind him. Then I bound his
+legs.</p>
+
+<p>"Wot be 'ee goin' to do weth me now?" he shrieked.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing more."</p>
+
+<p>"But you bean't goin' to laive me lie 'ere oal night, be 'ee? Why, I
+sh'll die ov the cowld."</p>
+
+<p>"No, you won't," I said; "as you mentioned, this is a lew place, and you
+are not one who will die so easily. You may be a bit cramped by the
+morning, and perhaps you may get a twinge of rheumatics, but that'll be
+all. Besides, it's far better for you to suffer a bit than that yon
+vessel shall be wrecked. Now I'll leave you to your sins; I'm off."</p>
+
+<p>"Off where?"</p>
+
+<p>"Off where you'll never see me again. You'll have company to-night,
+perhaps. It's said that Peter Crowle's ghost comes here on windy nights.
+I wish you pleasant company."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, doan't 'ee go," he screamed; "I'm 'fraid of sperrits, I be. Let me
+free, Squire, 'n I'll never tell where you'm gone; I'll zay you'm
+drowned, or tumbled ovver the cleffs or anything, onnly do cut the
+ropes, and lev me be free."</p>
+
+<p>"No," I said; "while you are here Cap'n Jack will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> think the false
+lights are showing, and perhaps the vessel will be safe. As for the
+spirits, you are the strongest, bravest man in the gang, and, of course,
+you are not afraid of spirits."</p>
+
+<p>"But you bean't agoin' to take th'oull mare?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; Smiler will come with me. Good luck to you, Israel Barnicoat."</p>
+
+<p>I sprang upon Smiler's back and rode away, leaving him in the sheltered
+hollow. The night was cold and threatened rain, but I was sure that,
+hardy and used to exposure as he was, he would not be hurt. When morning
+came he would be searched for and found. Of course he would tell his
+story to Cap'n Jack, but by that time I hoped to be out of harm's way.</p>
+
+<p>At first I rode slowly, especially until I got to Ruan Major. Arrived
+there, however, and having struck into the road over Goonhilly Downs, I
+went faster. I felt strangely happy, for it seemed as though a weight
+were rolled from my shoulders. Once more I was a free man, and I
+imagined that for some hours I should not be pursued. Besides, all the
+time I had been with Cap'n Jack's gang I felt that I was doing what was
+unworthy of a Pennington, and worse still, what was unworthy of my love
+for Naomi. But more than all, a wild scheme had come into my mind; I
+would that night go to Pennington and try to see Naomi. The thought
+acted upon me like some strange elixir; to hear Naomi's voice, to feel
+her hand in mine, were a joy beyond all words. How I was to do this I
+did not know; what difficulties I should meet I did not consider. The
+thought that I should see her was enough for me, and I shouted for very
+joy. The hour was not yet late, and I calculated that by hard riding I
+could get to Pennington by <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>midnight. Thus at the very hour when Israel
+Barnicoat had planned for me to be taken by the Preventive men, I hoped
+to be speaking to my love.</p>
+
+<p>In looking back I can see that my hopes were very unreasonable. How
+could I get Naomi to speak to me? At best she could only regard me as a
+landless outcast, whom she had once seen pilloried in Falmouth town and
+pelted by hooting boys. It is true I had told her my story in Granfer
+Fraddam's Cave, and she had shown a desire to shield me from Richard
+Tresidder, but she must probably have forgotten all about it. Besides,
+if she had not forgotten me, she would think me either dead or far away.
+The letter which I had written at Cap'n Jack's dictation would tell her
+that I was in his power. During my two months' stay at Kynance Cove, I
+had asked Cap'n Jack concerning Granfer Fraddam's Cave, but he always
+evaded my questions, and I did not know whether she had received the
+letter I had written.</p>
+
+<p>At the same time my heart beat high with hope, and I was happy. For a
+true love, even although difficulties beset it, is always beautiful and
+joyous. As I rode along through the night, even the wild winds sang love
+songs to me, while I could see the light of Naomi's eyes shining in the
+darkness, revealing her face to me, pure and beautiful.</p>
+
+<p>I am told that my days of romance are over, that I have reached that
+stage in life when the foolishness of young lovers is impossible to me.
+And yet even now I cannot see a boy and a maid together without my heart
+beating faster; for there is nothing more beautiful on God's green earth
+than the love of lovers, and I know that when a lad feels a girl's first
+kisses on his lips, he lives in heaven, if he loves her as I loved
+Naomi. There<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> are those, even in this parish, who sneer at the bliss of
+boy and girl sweethearts, but I, who remember the night when I rode from
+Bumble Rock to Pennington, cannot sneer; nay, rather, the tears start to
+my eyes, and I find myself fighting my battles again and dreaming of
+love, even as I dreamed then.</p>
+
+<p>Smiler was a better steed than I had hoped. Saddle I had none, nor
+bridle, but the halter which had been placed on her head was sufficient
+for me to guide her. Moreover, I had been used to horses all my life,
+and felt as much at ease on a horse's back as on my feet. Thus it came
+about that before midnight I had reached the parish of St. Eve, and was
+making my way toward Pennington. When within sight of the house,
+however, I was in a dilemma, and never until then did I realise how
+difficult was the task I had set myself. The whole family was a-bed, at
+least I imagined so, neither did I know the part of the house where
+Naomi Penryn was. Most likely, too, dogs would be prowling around, and I
+did not wish to place myself in the power of Richard Tresidder or his
+son Nick. At the same time I vowed that I would see Naomi, even though I
+waited there until morning.</p>
+
+<p>So, tying Smiler to a tree, I crept quietly up to the house and looked
+anxiously around. At first all seemed to be in darkness, but presently I
+saw a light shining from one of the windows in the back part of the
+house. Wondering what it might mean, I went toward it and looked through
+the window. A blind had been drawn, but it did not fit the window well,
+and there was an inch of glass between the window-frame and the blind
+that was not covered. At first I could only see the room in a blurred
+sort of way, for the leaded panes of glass were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> small, but presently I
+saw more clearly. The room into which I looked was the kitchen, and by
+the table sat a man and a woman. The man was Ikey Trethewy, whom I had
+last seen in Granfer Fraddam's Cave, and who had promised to take my
+letter to Naomi; the woman was the Pennington cook. The latter was a
+sour and rather hard-featured woman of forty years of age. It had been a
+joke of the parish that Tryphena Rowse never had a sweetheart in her
+life, that she was too ugly, too cross-tempered. It was also rumoured,
+however, that this was not Tryphena's fault, and that her great desire
+was to get married and settle down. I soon saw that Ikey Trethewy was
+there as Tryphena's sweetheart. The table was covered with tempting
+eatables, of which Ikey partook freely, stopping between sups of ale and
+mouthfuls of chicken pie to salute the object of his affections. I saw,
+too, that these attentions were by no means disagreeable to the cook,
+although she gave Ikey several admonitory taps. It was evident, too,
+that Ikey's visit was clandestine. I knew that, except on special
+occasions, it was the rule for Pennington doors to be closed at ten
+o'clock, while it was now past midnight. Probably Ikey, who had the
+reputation of being a woman-hater, did not care for his courtship to be
+known, for I knew that he did not like being laughed at or joked in any
+way.</p>
+
+<p>I had not waited long when Ikey began to make preparations for his
+departure, while Tryphena seemed to be trying to persuade him to stay a
+little longer. No sound reached me, however, and I imagined that all
+their conversation was carried on in whispers for fear the noise thereof
+might reach the master or mistress of the establishment. He succeeded at
+length, however, in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>breaking away from the embraces of the fair cook,
+while two huge dogs which lay by the kitchen fire watched them solemnly.
+Presently the door opened, and Ikey and Tryphena stood together outside.
+They were quite close to me, so that I could hear their every word.</p>
+
+<p>"You wa'ant be long afore you come again, Ikey?" asked Tryphena.</p>
+
+<p>"Not long, my buty. P'raps you c'n git a bit a pigin pie next time."</p>
+
+<p>"That I will, Ikey. But doan't 'ee think, Ikey, 'tes time for 'ee to be
+puttin' in th' baans? We've bin a-courtin' like this now for more'n vive
+yer."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, tha's nothin', Tryphena. Jim Jory ded court Mary Hicks thirteen
+yer afore they wur spliced."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss; but I ca'ant kip comp'ny weth 'ee like other maids. An' ted'n
+vitty fur we to be mittin' every week like this 'ere."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Tryphena, my buty, you do knaw I do love 'ee deerly. An' you be a
+clain off cook, too. I niver taasted sich a vowl pie in my life, ther
+now. An' yer zay 't shell be a pigin pie next week."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, Ikey; but 'twud be purty to 'ave a 'ome of our oan."</p>
+
+<p>"Mawther wa'ant 'eer of et it, nor Cap'n Jack nuther. 'Nother yer or
+two, Tryphena, and then I'll go to the passen. Ther, I mus' be goin'."</p>
+
+<p>Another sounding kiss, and Ikey crept away very quietly, while Tryphena
+began to put away the supper things. In a minute my mind was made up. I
+had heard enough to settle me on my plan of action. I thought I saw the
+means whereby I could see Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>I waited until Tryphena had cleared away the remains of Ikey's repast,
+and was evidently preparing to go to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> her room, and then I gave the
+kitchen door a slight knock, and, imitating Ikey's voice as well as I
+could, I said, "Tryphena, my buty, laive me in a minait."</p>
+
+<p>She came and opened the door quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"'Ave 'ee forgot summin', Ikey, deear?" she said; and then before she
+recognised me I slipped in.</p>
+
+<p>The dogs rose up with a low, suppressed growl, as though they were in
+doubt what to do; but Tryphena, who was as anxious as I that the
+household might not be disturbed, quieted them.</p>
+
+<p>"Maaster Jasper Pennington!" she gasped as she looked into my face.</p>
+
+<p>"That's right, Tryphena," I said. "Sit down, I want to talk with you,
+and I want you to do something for me."</p>
+
+<p>"No, I mustn't, I daren't. They do oal hate 'ee 'ere, Maaster Jasper. Ef
+they wos to knaw you was 'ere, I dunnaw wot wud 'appen."</p>
+
+<p>For a moment a great bitterness came into my heart, for I remembered
+that this was the first time I had ever entered the home of my fathers.
+And it galled me beyond measure that I should have to enter at midnight
+at the kitchen door like a servant who came courting the servant maids.
+I quickly realised my position, however, and acted accordingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you must do what I ask you, Tryphena," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"I tell 'ee I ca'ant."</p>
+
+<p>"Then Ikey Trethewy will be in the hands of the Preventive men by
+to-morrow," I replied, "and Richard Tresidder will know that a man has
+come to his house for years at midnight on the sly."</p>
+
+<p>I did not want to frighten the poor woman, but it had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> to be done. I
+saw, too, that I had said sufficient to make Tryphena afraid to thwart
+me.</p>
+
+<p>"What do 'ee want me to do?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose no one can hear us?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"No, oal the family, 'ciptin' Miss Naomi, do slaip in another paart ov
+the 'ouse."</p>
+
+<p>I listened intently, but could hear no sound; evidently all the family
+was asleep.</p>
+
+<p>"You remember about two months ago that Ikey brought a letter to Miss
+Naomi Penryn?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I wrote that letter."</p>
+
+<p>"I knaw; Ikey tould me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I want to see Miss Naomi."</p>
+
+<p>"When?"</p>
+
+<p>"To-night. I want you to go to her room now, and tell her that I want to
+see her."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<h3>I SEE NAOMI PENRYN, AND AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED, BUT SOON AFTER AM TAKEN PRISONER</h3>
+
+<p>Tryphena looked at me like one dazed. "No, Maaster Jasper," she replied,
+"it caan't be done."</p>
+
+<p>"It must be done."</p>
+
+<p>"And what if I do?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will leave the house in an hour," I replied, "and no one shall know
+of what you have done, not even Ikey."</p>
+
+<p>"No, Ikey musn't knaw you've been 'ere."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, e'ed be jillus as cud be. E'ed be afraid you'd come to try and cut
+un out. You zee, you be a 'andsome young man, Master Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you must do as I ask you, or Ikey will know," I said, for I saw
+that Tryphena needed a good deal of pressure. At the same time I could
+not help smiling at the thought of Ikey being jealous, for surely one
+look at her face were enough to dispel such a thought. "You see," I went
+on, "a fine-looking woman like you must be careful, if you wish to keep
+such a man as Ikey. However, you do as I ask you, and some day you'll be
+glad."</p>
+
+<p>I believe my flattery had more to do with making Tryphena my friend than
+any threats I might offer, for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> a smile of satisfaction came on her
+lips, and she asked me how she was to do what I asked her.</p>
+
+<p>"What I want," I said, "is for you to go quietly to Miss Naomi, and tell
+her that Jasper Pennington is in great danger, and that he must see her
+before he leaves this part of the world."</p>
+
+<p>"Wot, be 'ee goin' away, then?" cried Tryphena.</p>
+
+<p>"I must," I said; "now go quickly."</p>
+
+<p>When she had gone I saw how unreasonable my request was. Would not Naomi
+be justified in arousing the house, and would she not at the least
+refuse to come and see me? And yet all the while I waited with a great
+hope in my heart, for love gives hope, and I loved Naomi like my own
+life. For all this, I worried myself by thinking that I did not tell
+Tryphena anything whereby she could induce Naomi to come to me. For what
+should she care about my danger, save as she might care about the danger
+of a thousand more for whom she could do nothing?</p>
+
+<p>And so I waited with an anxious heart, and when at length I heard
+footsteps my bosom seemed too small for the mighty beating of my heart.
+But it was not my love's footsteps that I heard, but Tryphena's. Perhaps
+fellow-feeling had made her kind, for she told me in a kind, sympathetic
+way that "Miss Naomi would be down d'reckly."</p>
+
+<p>Now this was more than I had seriously dared to hope. No sooner did I
+hear her telling me this joyful news than I felt amazed that I had ever
+dreamed of asking for such a thing, while my heart grew heavy at the
+thought that I had no sufficient reason for asking to see Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>In less than five minutes later Naomi came into the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> kitchen. She looked
+pale, and thin, I thought, but she was beauteous beyond all words. I am
+not going to try and describe her. I am not gifted in writing fine
+things, for the pen was nearly a stranger to my hands until I began to
+write this history, besides I doubt if any man, great as he may be,
+could do justice to Naomi's beauty. I think my heart ceased to beat for
+a while, and I know that I stood looking at her stupidly, my tongue
+refusing to move.</p>
+
+<p>As for Tryphena, I am sure she understood my feelings, for she went into
+the dairy, for the which I determined even then that I would some day
+reward her.</p>
+
+<p>"You said you were in danger," said Naomi, speaking first, "and that you
+wanted to see me. You have asked a hard thing, but I have come."</p>
+
+<p>"Miss Naomi," I said, in a low, hoarse voice, "forgive my forwardness,
+for truly I am unworthy this honour, yet believe me I could not help it.
+Will you sit down, so that I may try and tell you what is in my heart?"</p>
+
+<p>She sat down on the old kitchen settle, and I could not help noticing
+how beautifully her dark dress fitted her graceful form. At the same
+time I knew not what to say. I had come because my heart hungered for
+her, and because love knows no laws. Yet no words came to me, except to
+say, "Naomi Penryn, I love you more than life," and those I dared not
+utter, so much was I afraid of her as she sat there.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you in great danger?" she asked. "I have breathed no word about
+that cave, no word to any one. What did it mean?"</p>
+
+<p>This gave me an opening, and then I rapidly told her what I have written
+in these pages.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span></p><p>"And will they try and find you?" she asked when I had told my story.</p>
+
+<p>"They will hunt me like dogs hunt a fox!" I replied, "so I must find my
+way to Falmouth, and try and get to sea."</p>
+
+<p>Her face was full of sympathy, and my heart rejoiced because she did not
+seem to think it strange that I should come to her.</p>
+
+<p>"And will you have to go soon?"</p>
+
+<p>"I must go now," I replied, and then my sorrow and despair, at the
+thought, dragged my confession from my tongue.</p>
+
+<p>"But before I go," I said, "I must tell you that I love you, Naomi
+Penryn. It is madness, I know; but I loved you when I was in the pillory
+at Falmouth, and I have loved you ever since, and my love has been
+growing stronger each day. That is why I have come here, to-night. My
+heart is hungry for you, and my eyes have been aching for a sight of
+your face, and I felt I could not go away without telling you, even
+though I shall never see you again."</p>
+
+<p>Her face seemed to grow paler than ever as I spoke, but her eyes grew
+soft.</p>
+
+<p>"I know I am wrong, I ought not to have come in this way," I went on,
+for my tongue was unloosed now, "but I could not help it; and I am glad
+I have come, for your eyes will nerve me, and the thought that you do
+not scorn me will be a help to me in the unknown paths which I have to
+tread. For you do not scorn me, do you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Scorn you?" she asked. "Why should I scorn you?"</p>
+
+<p>And then a great hope came into my heart, greater<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> than I had ever dared
+to dream of before, the hope that she might care for me! Wild I know it
+was, but my own love filled me with the hope. If I loved her, might she
+not, even although I were unworthy, love me? Yet I dared not ask her if
+it was so; only I longed with a longing which cannot be uttered that she
+should tell me, by word or look.</p>
+
+<p>"And must you go soon, go now to Falmouth?" she said like one dazed.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; I must e'en go now," I said. "It is like heaven to be near you,
+better than any heaven preached about by parsons, but I must go. Can you
+give me no word of encouragement before I leave?"</p>
+
+<p>But she made no reply, and then my heart became heavy again, so I held
+out my hand, trying to appear brave.</p>
+
+<p>Without hesitation, she put her hand in mine, and I felt it tremble,
+just as I have felt little chicks not a week old tremble when I have
+caught them. I fancied that she was afraid of me, so I said, "Thank you
+for speaking to me. This meeting will help me for many a long day, and I
+am afraid I have a dreary future before me."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope you will come to no harm," she said, "and I hope you will obtain
+what is justly yours."</p>
+
+<p>"Can you say nothing else?" I cried, "not just one word?"</p>
+
+<p>But just then Tryphena came in from the dairy. "Ther's a noise in
+Maaster Nick's bedroom," she cried. "Git out, Maaster Jasper. Miss
+Naomi, we must go up by the back stairs. Maake 'aaste, Maaster Jasper!"
+And then she blew out the light, leaving us in darkness.</p>
+
+<p>And then I could contain my feelings no longer, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> I caught Naomi's
+fingers to my mouth, and kissed them. She drew her hand away, but not as
+I thought then, angrily.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll be careful to let no one hurt you, will you?" she said, and I
+heard a tremor in her voice, and then, before I could answer, she had
+gone.</p>
+
+<p>And that was all we said to each other at Pennington, and although I
+hungered to keep her near me longer, and although the night into which I
+went was black and stormy, my heart thumped aloud for joy. Her words
+rung in my ears as I found my way among the trees, and they were sweeter
+to me than the singing of birds on a summer morning. The winds blew
+wildly, while in the near distance I heard the roar of the waves. The
+rain fell heavily, too, but I did not care. What heeded I wind and
+weather! Neither did I fear danger. I knew that I could play with men
+even as others play with children, for hope stirred in my heart, hope
+made the black sky as beautiful as a rainbow.</p>
+
+<p>There be many joys that come into a man's life, the joy of possession,
+the joy of fame, the joy of victory in battle; but I know of no joy as
+great as that which comes because of the hope that his love loves him,
+unless it be that which never comes to us but once, the joy of the first
+kiss of love. And this to me seems the will of God, and thus love should
+always be regarded as sacred, and never be spoken of save with
+reverence. For I know that, although Naomi had spoken but few words to
+me, and that I had only a hope of her loving me in some far-off time,
+yet the thought that she cared for me ever so little made me rich in
+spite of my poverty, and caused the wailing winds to sing glad songs to
+me. No man is poor while his love loves him, and even a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> hope of that
+love is the life of God surging in the heart of a man.</p>
+
+<p>And so I came up to the spot where I had fastened my horse, glad at
+heart, although I knew not where to go or what to do. I rode a mile or
+two, and then I remembered that if I were discovered with Cap'n Jack's
+mare I should be in danger of being hanged for horse stealing. So I
+jumped from her back, tied the halter around her neck, and told her to
+go home. She sniffed around for two or three minutes, and then started
+to trot steadily along the road toward Kynance, and over which I had
+rode her hours before.</p>
+
+<p>This done, I started to walk to Falmouth; as I trudged along I had to
+pass close to Elmwater Barton, but my heart felt no bitterness, for it
+was filled with love. When I came to Betsey Fraddam's cottage I stopped,
+intending to go in; but thinking better of it I made no sound, and a few
+minutes later was on the main road to Falmouth Town.</p>
+
+<p>I did not walk rapidly, for a great peace was in my heart. I did not
+fear Cap'n Jack's gang, although I felt sure they would follow me, and I
+knew that Israel Barnicoat would do all in his power to embitter Cap'n
+Jack against me. I felt strong enough to overcome everything, so great
+is the power of hope.</p>
+
+<p>So slowly did I walk that I did not get near Falmouth Harbour until the
+gray morning began to dawn. I looked eagerly among the vessels, thinking
+of the fate of the craft Cap'n Jack's gang had intended to wreck. I
+wondered, too, whether Israel Barnicoat had been discovered, and if
+Cap'n Jack knew of what I had done. As I drew nearer I determined that I
+would speak to the first person I should meet, and ask what vessels had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>
+arrived, but scarcely had the thought formed itself in my mind when I
+felt my arms pinioned.</p>
+
+<p>I struggled like a mad man for my liberty, because I saw that two
+Preventive men had attacked me, and I believe I should have freed myself
+from them had not a third come to the help of the other two.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the meaning of this?" I said, when they had tied my hands.</p>
+
+<p>"Hanging," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>"What for?"</p>
+
+<p>"Showing a false light by the Lizard."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a lie."</p>
+
+<p>"Why have we got you, then?"</p>
+
+<p>I was almost dazed by astonishment. Presently, however, I saw that one
+of the men was the officer to whom Israel Barnicoat had spoken in the
+kiddleywink. This set me thinking. These men would be the tools of Cap'n
+Jack. This was the step he had taken to accomplish his purposes
+concerning me. If I were convicted of showing a false light on the
+headland, I should be punished by death; at least, I imagined so.</p>
+
+<p>"Anyhow," continued the man, "you must go along wi' me."</p>
+
+<p>"Where?"</p>
+
+<p>"To the lockup."</p>
+
+<p>Now, if there was anything I desired it was to keep clear of the
+magistrates. I knew that Richard Tresidder would be among my judges, and
+that I should receive no mercy. But more than all this, while smuggling
+was lightly regarded, there was a strong feeling against the wrecker. It
+is true people were glad of a wreck along the coast, and many a valuable
+thing had been obtained thereby, but the whole countryside cried<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> out
+against those who sought to lure a vessel on to destruction, even while
+they did not object to share in the wreckage.</p>
+
+<p>"But why must I go?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because we seed you carr'in' a false light along the coast."</p>
+
+<p>"When?"</p>
+
+<p>"Laast night."</p>
+
+<p>There were three to one, and I could do nothing. So I let them lead me
+to the lockup, where I had to wait until the magistrates were ready to
+try me.</p>
+
+<p>What happened while I was there I know not. I was too dazed, too
+bewildered to tell. While I had been with Naomi Penryn I seemed to be
+lifted into heaven, and then within a few hours of our parting all my
+hopes were destroyed. I saw nothing before me but cruel imprisonment or
+possible death, for I knew that Richard Tresidder would do his worst.</p>
+
+<p>When the time of my trial came on and I entered the court-house, I saw
+that several justices sat upon the bench, and among them was Richard
+Tresidder, who looked at me triumphantly, as though he rejoiced to see
+me there, which I have no doubt he did.</p>
+
+<p>Old Admiral Trefry was the one who spoke to me, however. "It is not long
+since you were here, Jasper Pennington," he said, "and I am grieved to
+see you."</p>
+
+<p>Then the Clerk read out the charge against me, which was a string of
+lies from beginning to end, for, as I have told in these pages, I threw
+the lantern over the cliff, and thus kept the light from being shown. I
+discovered afterward, too, that the vessel Cap'n Jack had intended to
+wreck had landed safe in Falmouth Harbour.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p><p>I cannot remember very distinctly what took place at the trial, or
+rather the first part of it is to me a very confused memory. I know,
+however, that things looked very black against me, for each of the
+Preventive men swore that he had seen me at eleven o'clock on the
+previous night showing the false light on the coast.</p>
+
+<p>I declared this to be a lie with very great vehemence, and swore that I
+had shown no false light.</p>
+
+<p>Presently Richard Tresidder spoke, and his voice made my blood gallop
+through my veins, and my heart full of bitterness.</p>
+
+<p>"Will the prisoner give an account of his actions since he escaped from
+the whipping-post more than two months ago?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>Now if I did this I should indeed criminate myself, for a confession
+that I had been with Cap'n Jack's gang would be to ally myself with the
+sturdiest set of rogues on the coast, and would enable Richard Tresidder
+to get me hanged at the next assizes.</p>
+
+<p>"You hear the question, Jasper Pennington," said Admiral Trefry; "will
+you tell what you have been doing these last two months and more?"</p>
+
+<p>But I held my peace, and seeing this the justices conversed one with
+another. Had they all been of Richard Tresidder's way of thinking I
+should have been sent to Bodmin Gaol to wait the next assizes without
+further ado; but Admiral Trefry, who was uncle to Lawyer Trefry, wanted
+to befriend me, and so I was allowed opportunities for befriending
+myself which would not have been given to me had my enemy been allowed
+his way.</p>
+
+<p>Presently a thought struck me which at the time seemed very feasible,
+and I wondered that I had not thought of it in the earlier part of the
+trial.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p><p>"May I be allowed to ask the Preventive men a few questions?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"You may," replied the Admiral. "You can ask them questions as to their
+evidence by which you are accused of attempting to lure a vessel on to
+destruction."</p>
+
+<p>"I would like to ask, first of all, what I should gain by doing this?
+What would it profit me to wreck a vessel?"</p>
+
+<p>The Preventive man who had been the chief spokesman seemed a little
+confused, then he said, with a great deal of assurance, "I believe, your
+worship, that he is one of a gang of desperadoes and wreckers who live
+over by Kynance."</p>
+
+<p>"May I ask," I said, "what reason he has for believing this?"</p>
+
+<p>"Your worship," said the officer, "we know that there is a gang of men
+who infest the coast. For a long time we have tried to lay hands on them
+in vain. They are very cunning, and, although we have suspicions, we as
+yet have not been able to bring any positive evidence against them, and
+we believe that he is associated with them."</p>
+
+<p>"But we cannot condemn Jasper Pennington without evidence," said Admiral
+Trefry.</p>
+
+<p>"At the same time I submit," said the magistrate's clerk, after Richard
+Tresidder had spoken to him, "that the fact of his carrying a false
+light goes to prove that he is associated with some gang of wreckers."</p>
+
+<p>"But there is no proof," remarked the Admiral.</p>
+
+<p>On this there was a stir in the room, and I heard a voice with which I
+was familiar claiming to give evidence.</p>
+
+<p>A minute later Israel Barnicoat was sworn.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p><p>"Do you know this man?" asked the Admiral of the Preventive men.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," was the reply, "a most respectable, well-behaved
+fisherman."</p>
+
+<p>Then Israel gave his evidence. He said that he had seen me in company
+with two men at Kynance who were well-known free-traders. These two men
+went by the name of "Brandy Bill" and "Fire the Poker." They had on
+several occasions been punished, but were still a terror to honest
+fishermen who wanted to get a living in a lawful way.</p>
+
+<p>After this a great many questions were asked and answered, and I saw
+that my case looked blacker than ever. I could see that Cap'n Jack had
+used this means of getting rid of me, and that Israel Barnicoat had
+volunteered, for reasons that were apparent, to try and get me hanged.</p>
+
+<p>Then I asked another question.</p>
+
+<p>"What time do you say it was that you saw me showing the false light?" I
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Half-past eleven," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>"I should say that it was nearer twelve," replied another. "It was a
+most desperate affair, your worship. He throwed the lantern over the
+cliff and took to his heels. We followed a goodish bit afore we could
+catch un, and when we ded lay hould ov un he ded fight like a mazed
+dragon. It was as much as three ov us could do to maaster un."</p>
+
+<p>Now this put another thought in my mind. I was in Pennington kitchen at
+the very time they said they were struggling with me, and I was about to
+say so, when I remembered what it would mean. If I told them where I was
+I should have most likely to mention Naomi<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> Penryn's name, and that I
+did not like to do. Still I did not want to be sent to Bodmin Gaol
+without a struggle.</p>
+
+<p>"You say you followed me some distance?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; we ded."</p>
+
+<p>"How far before you caught me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nigh pon an hour."</p>
+
+<p>"It was very dark that night."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, it was."</p>
+
+<p>"Did you ever lose sight of me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss; once or twice."</p>
+
+<p>"Then how can you be sure that I, the man you captured, was the same man
+you say you saw showing the light on the headland?"</p>
+
+<p>At this the man looked confused, and then I wished that I had tried to
+get a lawyer to defend me, for I saw how much better he could have done
+it than I could defend myself. For my mind was in a very confused state
+all the while, so confused that my remembrance of it now is by no means
+clear. Indeed, I know I have described my trial with anything but
+clearness as to the order of events, although I have set down,
+truthfully, the general facts of the whole business.</p>
+
+<p>I do remember, however, that Admiral Trefry asked the Preventive men
+some questions upon this very point which upset them very considerably;
+and I also remember, seeing that for the moment things looked a little
+brighter for me, I said to the Admiral that I was a good many miles from
+the Lizard at the very time these men had declared they were pursuing
+me.</p>
+
+<p>"Where were you, then?" asked the Admiral.</p>
+
+<p>"I was in St. Eve."</p>
+
+<p>"Where there?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p><p>"At Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>At this Richard Tresidder started up in astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>"Did any one see you at Pennington?" asked the Admiral.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"Who saw you?"</p>
+
+<p>At this I was silent, and I was wishing I had not said so much, when I
+heard a voice that thrilled me asking to give evidence.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW MY LOVE SAVED ME&mdash;WHEN FREE I GO TO SEA, AND MONTHS LATER COME BACK
+TO BETSEY'S COTTAGE AND HEAR BAD NEWS</h3>
+
+<p>As I turned my heart seemed to stand still, for I saw Naomi Penryn, but
+when for a moment her eyes met mine it started thumping against my side
+as though it had been set at liberty from bondage. I saw, too, that
+Richard Tresidder was as surprised as I, and I was afraid lest my love
+should be taken to task for what she had done. For a few minutes
+everything seemed to swim before my eyes, and my head whirled so that I
+thought I was going to faint; but presently as I heard Naomi in sweet,
+steady tones answering questions my strength came back to me again.</p>
+
+<p>"You say," said Admiral Trefry, "that Jasper Pennington was in
+Pennington kitchen at midnight last Wednesday?"</p>
+
+<p>"He was," replied Naomi, clearly.</p>
+
+<p>After that a lawyer asked her concerning many things. So impudent was he
+that I had a difficulty in keeping myself from jumping from the place
+where I stood and throttling him on the spot.</p>
+
+<p>"Were you alone in the kitchen?" asked this lawyer.</p>
+
+<p>"I was not."</p>
+
+<p>"Who was with you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Tryphena, the cook."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span></p><p>"How do you know it was midnight?"</p>
+
+<p>"I heard the kitchen clock strike."</p>
+
+<p>"What did Jasper Pennington say to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"You need not answer that question," remarked Admiral Trefry.</p>
+
+<p>"Why did Jasper Pennington come into the house that night?" again
+queried the lawyer.</p>
+
+<p>"Need I answer that?" asked Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>"No," answered the Admiral, and I saw that he was anxious to save Naomi
+from awkward questions, for which I blessed him. "All we want to know is
+whether you are sure Jasper Pennington was at Pennington on the night in
+question at the time you state. We have nothing to do as to why he was
+there or what was said."</p>
+
+<p>I saw, too, that Richard Tresidder did not wish the lawyer to ask any
+more questions, although I was sure the poor girl would suffer when she
+returned to Pennington, and I wondered then how I could save her from
+pain.</p>
+
+<p>And so very few questions were asked after that, and a little later I
+was a free man; for it was clear that if I was at Pennington I could not
+be rushing along the headland by the Lizard, and so it must have been
+some other man that the Preventive men had chased, and I had been
+captured by mistake.</p>
+
+<p>It all seemed so wonderful to me that I could hardly believe that my
+danger was past; at the same time I longed greatly to speak to Naomi and
+thank her for what she had done. But nowhere could I see her.</p>
+
+<p>As I walked down Falmouth Street I seemed to be treading on air. If I
+had loved my love before, it seemed to have increased a thousandfold
+now; besides, I knew that she must care for me, or she would not have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span>
+braved so much to save me from danger. I had difficulty in keeping from
+shouting aloud, so great was my joy. I felt that my strength had come
+back to me, and I cared no more for the threats of Cap'n Jack than for
+the anger of a puling child. I knew that Israel Barnicoat was somewhere
+lying in wait to do me harm, but I was not afraid. I saw this, too:
+Richard Tresidder would desire to have as little as possible said about
+my visit to Pennington, especially as he hoped that Naomi Penryn would
+be his son's wife. I was sure he would seek other means to harm me, but
+not in a public way; if I was struck it would be in the dark; but, as I
+said, I was not afraid, for had not my love come boldly to my aid, and
+saved me from the enmity of evil men?</p>
+
+<p>I had got nearly to the end of the crooked street which makes Falmouth
+town, when I felt a hand laid upon my shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Jasper," I heard a familiar voice say, and, turning, I saw Lawyer
+Trefry.</p>
+
+<p>"If I were you, Jasper, I would get out of this part of the country. You
+have escaped this time, but, as I have told you, the Tresidders are
+hungry dogs. They will never leave a bone till it's clean picked."</p>
+
+<p>I told him I knew this, but I did so with a laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"I tell you they'll make you laugh on the other side of your mouth, my
+lad. I know more than you think&mdash;more than I can tell you just now. Get
+out of Falmouth as soon as you can, my lad. Cap'n Jack Truscott hasn't
+done with you yet&mdash;yes, I know about him&mdash;neither has Nick Tresidder.
+I'll let you have a few pounds, my boy; a vessel will leave the harbour
+for Plymouth, and then on to London within twenty-four hours. Get on
+board now in the daylight and don't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> leave her. When once you land at
+London Bridge you'll be safe."</p>
+
+<p>Now I must confess that the thought of seeing London was very dear to
+me, but I remembered Naomi, and as I thought of the way her eyes flashed
+upon me I could not make up my mind to go far away.</p>
+
+<p>"Come and have some dinner with me for old acquaintance' sake, Jasper,"
+he said, "and let's talk about things."</p>
+
+<p>So I went with him, for I felt he was my true friend, although all the
+time I longed to be trying to find Naomi, longed to tell her how I
+thanked her for doing what she had done.</p>
+
+<p>Lawyer Trefry asked me many questions when we were together, and when I
+had told him my story he persuaded me to take some money, which he told
+me he was sure I should repay, and I promised him that I would do as he
+had bidden me, and would go to Plymouth and, if possible, to London. I
+did this sorely against my will, for it grieved me exceedingly to be
+away from Cornwall at a time when hope filled my heart. Besides, I could
+not help thinking that Richard Tresidder would take steps to render
+Naomi's life miserable. She would be asked many questions as to my
+visit, while Tryphena would be severely catechised. At first I did not
+think of the sacrifice my love would have to make in order to serve me,
+but as I thought more and more of what I had escaped I realised that she
+would probably have to suffer much persecution. For she had no friends
+other than those who sought her wealth, and she was in their power until
+she was twenty-one. Besides, as I recalled to memory the conversation I
+had heard between Richard Tresidder and his son, I knew that no stone<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span>
+would be left unturned in order to make her comply with their wishes.
+All this made me long to stay near her; but I also realised that there
+was another side to the question. How could I help her by staying in the
+district? Moreover, was I not in great danger myself? Was not Cap'n
+Jack's gang on the look-out for me? They would know that I should be a
+danger to them, and would seek to serve me as they had served others who
+they had thought were unfaithful to them. In addition to this Richard
+Tresidder would do his utmost to harm me; especially was this apparent
+in the light of what Naomi had done. Moreover, I could do nothing to
+help her; indeed, she would probably suffer less persecution from the
+Tresidders if they knew I had left that part of the country.</p>
+
+<p>So I kept my promise to Lawyer Trefry, and went on board the <i>White
+Swan</i> which lay in Falmouth Harbour, and a few hours later was on my way
+to Plymouth.</p>
+
+<p>While we were sailing along the coast I tried to think of my future, for
+never had it looked so black and hopeless as now. It is true I rejoiced
+at the thought of Naomi Penryn's kindness, and dreamed glad things of
+the days to come; but when I began to face facts, and saw my condition
+as it really was, my case looked hopeless indeed.</p>
+
+<p>On our way to Plymouth I proved to Captain Maynard that I was not
+altogether ignorant of the duties of a sailor, and so pleased was he
+with me that he offered me a berth on the <i>White Swan</i>. Knowing of
+nothing better that I could do I accepted, and for the next few months
+worked as a common sailor. During that time we visited several ports on
+the coast. I saw Weymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Dover and London,
+but I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> will not write of my experiences at this time. Nothing of
+importance happened, neither does that time affect the history I am
+trying to write.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, I was greatly moved with what I saw in London; at the same
+time, even as I mingled with the throng of people who threaded London
+streets, I longed for the quiet of St. Eve, and thought much of the maid
+to whom I had given my heart. At the same time, I saw no means whereby I
+could get back to Pennington, although I thought long and earnestly of
+many plans.</p>
+
+<p>I stayed with Captain Maynard seven months, and then made up my mind to
+go back to Cornwall again. I felt sure that Cap'n Jack and his gang must
+have practically forgotten me, and I could not help thinking that Naomi
+Penryn needed me. I dreamed often that she was persecuted by the
+Tresidders, and that they were using many cruel means to make her marry
+Nick. I was afraid, too, that she, friendless and alone as she was,
+would at length be forced to yield to their wishes. And so although I
+had not moved one inch forward in the direction of winning back what was
+rightly my own, and although I could seemingly do no good by so doing, I
+determined that I would go back to Pennington again, and if possible
+obtain another interview with Naomi. My heart was very sad, for every
+day my love seemed to grow more hopeless. I had told her the desire of
+my heart, but although she had been kind to me, and had sacrificed much,
+she had not told me with her own lips that she cared for me more than
+she might care for any man who she thought was unjustly treated.</p>
+
+<p>And thus the old proverb that "actions speak louder than words" is not
+true. For actions may be misinterpreted and misunderstood. Often I tried
+to comfort<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> myself with the thought that had she not cared for me more
+than she cared for any other, she would not have granted me an interview
+that night when I escaped from Cap'n Jack's gang. Again I told myself
+many hundreds of times that did her heart not beat for me she would
+never have braved her uncle's anger, braved the cruel questions at
+Falmouth, and bore what must be hard for a shrinking maiden to bear. But
+for all this I could not believe that her heart was mine. How could it
+be? Who was I that I should be so blessed? A landless wanderer, who had
+been pilloried as a vagabond, and hooted at by the scum of the earth.
+No, actions did not speak loud enough for me. Nothing but the words from
+her own dear lips, saying, "Jasper, I love you," could convince me,
+unworthy as I was, that I could be aught to her.</p>
+
+<p>All the same I determined to go to her, I determined to see her, for my
+heart ached in my hunger to be near her, and my eyes would not be
+satisfied until they again feasted on her beauty.</p>
+
+<p>It was early in July when I landed in Falmouth Harbour. I think it was
+on the first of the month. It was late in the afternoon when I set foot
+on solid earth, but I did not stay in the town. Like one possessed I
+hurried toward St. Eve, and about half past nine at night I stood in
+front of Betsey Fraddam's cottage.</p>
+
+<p>"Come in, Maaster Jasper," said the old woman; "supper es zet fur three.
+I knawed you wos a-comin', and zo ded Eli."</p>
+
+<p>So I entered the hut, and there surely I saw three plates placed on the
+little table.</p>
+
+<p>The old woman seemed to regard my coming as a matter of course, and made
+no more ado than if I had left<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> her cottage that morning. Eli, on the
+other hand, made much of me. He caught my hands and fondled them, he
+rubbed them against his poor distorted face, and looked up into my eyes
+as though he were overjoyed at my coming.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper, I love 'ee&mdash;love 'ee!" he cried. "Eli zo glad you'm back. Eli
+do knaw, Eli got a lot to tell 'ee!"</p>
+
+<p>"I think we'll shut the door," crooned Betsey as she looked anxiously
+around the cottage. "Nobody do knaw who's 'bout. Ah, Maaster Jasper, you
+ded a bad thing when you made an enemy of Jack Fraddam. But ther, you be
+'ungry, and you aan't 'ad nothin' to ait for a long time. When I knawed
+you wos a-comin' I maade a conger pie. I knaw you like that. Conger,
+baaked in milk and parsley, Jasper, my deear. That ed'n bad fur a
+witches' supper, es et?"</p>
+
+<p>"How did you know I was coming?" I asked. "I had not made up my mind to
+come here to-night until I landed in Falmouth. And no one knew I was
+coming to Falmouth. How did you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"How ded I knaw?" asked Betsey, scornfully. "How do I knaw everything?
+Ef you'd a traited me vitty, Jasper, I'd a done more fur 'ee. You'd be
+in Pennington now ef you'd come and axed me; but you wudden. 'Ow ded 'ee
+git on at Jack Fraddam's then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Who's Jack Fraddam?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oa, Cap'n Jack Truscott, seein' you're so partikler. The Fraddam family
+es a big wawn, my deear."</p>
+
+<p>"What relation is Cap'n Jack to the Fraddams and to you?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Ef I was to tell 'ee you'd knaw, wudden 'ee. But I bean't a-goin' to
+tell 'ee, cheeldrean. No, I bean't,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> but zet up to supper. Then I've got
+sum things to tell 'ee 'bout somebody at Penninton, and arterwards I'll
+tell yer fortin, my deear. I bean't a gipsy, but I c'n do that."</p>
+
+<p>As I sat at the table with Eli opposite me on the little window-seat,
+and Betsey near me, it seemed as though I had not been away at all.
+Neither did the old woman show any interest in what I had been doing.</p>
+
+<p>"Why 'ave 'ee come back, Jasper?" she asked, presently, looking at me
+with her light, piercing eyes, while she kept on munching with her
+toothless gums, until the white stiff hairs which grew on the tip of her
+nose almost touched those on her chin.</p>
+
+<p>I did not speak.</p>
+
+<p>"No, you caan't tell," said she; "you dunnaw why yerzelf. You've cum
+'cause you caan't 'elp et, my deear. Yer 'art kipt achin' and longin' so
+that you cudden stay away."</p>
+
+<p>I continued silent, for I knew she told the truth.</p>
+
+<p>"But 'tes no use, Jasper, my deear. You aa'nt a got the money to buy
+back Penninton, and besides the job's done."</p>
+
+<p>"What job's done?" I asked, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Neck Trezidder, and thicky purty maid."</p>
+
+<p>"How? What do you mean? Tell me?" I cried, starting from the seat.</p>
+
+<p>"Ther' was no Penninton ever born that's a match for a Trezidder,"
+chuckled Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me!"</p>
+
+<p>"Th' baans (banns) 'll be cried in the church next Sunday," said Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>"Whose?" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Neck Trezidder's an' the young laady called Penryn," laughed the old
+dame.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p><p>"How do you know?" I asked, feeling my knees tremble and my heart grow
+cold.</p>
+
+<p>"It doan't need a white witch to know that," cried Betsey. "'Tes in
+everybody's mouth. Ef you stayed a month longer, they'd 'a bin married
+by now."</p>
+
+<p>I did not stop to consider how Betsey knew of my love for Naomi Penryn.
+It was evident she did know as she seemed to know everything else.
+Besides, I was in a state of torment at the news she had told me.</p>
+
+<p>"Have the banns been called in church?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss," cried Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>"No," said Eli; "I went ther' laast Zunday to heer fur myzelf, but the
+passon ded'n zay nothin' 'bout et."</p>
+
+<p>"Aw," grunted Betsey, angry that she had been discovered to have made a
+mistake, yet looking lovingly toward her son. "Then they'll be cried
+nex' Zunday."</p>
+
+<p>"No they won't," I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell 'ee ther's no chance fur 'ee, Jasper. Ther'v bin oal soarts ov
+taales 'bout you. She's awful vexed now that she saaved 'ee from
+'angin'."</p>
+
+<p>By this time I had somewhat mastered my excitement, and I knew that the
+best way to learn all Betsey knew was to be silent.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tes like this," said Betsey. "Tryphena, Penninton's cook, 'ev got the
+sack for laivin' you git into the kitchin."</p>
+
+<p>"And what's become of her?"</p>
+
+<p>"She's livin' in Fammuth. Where she do git 'er money I dunnaw. I aan't a
+took the trouble to vind out. As fur the purty maid she've 'ad a offul
+life. And she've promised to marry young Maaster Nick. Es fur you,
+Jasper, my deear, why Israel Barnicoat, who do live ovver to Kynance, do
+zay that 'ee zeed you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> in Plemmouth weth a maid thet you wos a-goin' to
+marry. Others 'ave zeed 'ee, too. Anyhow, the purty maid es a-goin' to
+marry Nick."</p>
+
+<p>I tried to understand what this meant. And in spite of everything my
+heart grew light. Why should Israel Barnicoat concoct a story about my
+being married in Plymouth, and tell it at Pennington? Why should the
+story be used as a reason why Naomi should marry Nick?</p>
+
+<p>"It shall never be," I cried, gladly.</p>
+
+<p>"We sh'll zee," grunted Betsey, "we sh'll zee this very minnit. Ould
+Betsey 'll tell 'ee yer fortin, Jasper Penninton, and Eli sh'll git the
+broth. Ther, Eli, my deear, taake out the brandis."</p>
+
+<p>Now a brandis, as all Cornish folk know, is a three-legged stand made of
+iron. It is generally placed on the ground over a fire, and supports
+crocks, frying-pans, boilers, or anything that may be used.</p>
+
+<p>Eli put this brandis in the middle of the kitchen on the stone floor.</p>
+
+<p>"Now bring the crock," crooned Betsey, and Eli brought the crock and
+placed it on the brandis.</p>
+
+<p>"Put in the broth," commanded Betsey, and Eli obeyed her. I thought he
+grew smaller and uglier as he did her bidding, while his eyes grew
+larger and shone with a more unearthly light than ever.</p>
+
+<p>"What time es et?" asked Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>"Elev'n a'clock."</p>
+
+<p>"In twenty minuits the moon 'll be vull," muttered the old dame.</p>
+
+<p>Betsey made nine circles around the brandis, then she made nine passes
+over the crock, and all the time she munched and munched with her
+toothless jaws. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>Presently she began to repeat words, which to me had no
+meaning,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>"A first born son, a first born son,</div>
+<div>Is this young Jasper Pennington,</div>
+<div>And he is here on a moonlit night</div>
+<div>To see the spirits of the light.</div>
+<div>And I have made my potions fine,</div>
+<div>And traced my circles nine times nine.</div>
+<div>So mists depart, Tregeagle come</div>
+<div>And show the lad his own true home.</div>
+<div>Spirits black and spirits white,</div>
+<div>Spirits bad and spirits bright,</div>
+<div>Come to Betsey's house to-night,</div>
+<div>And we shall see the things of light."</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>All this time she kept blowing on the liquid in the crock, while Eli set
+up the most unearthly cries as though he were in pain.</p>
+
+<p>A great terror seized me, for to me Betsey's form seemed to dilate.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Betsey," I cried, "I'll have nothing to do with this wickedness."</p>
+
+<p>"Stop yer noise!" she snarled. "There they come:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div class="i6">"'Join all hands</div>
+<div class="i7">Might and main,</div>
+<div class="i6">Weave the sands,</div>
+<div class="i7">Form a chain.</div>
+<div class="i6">Spirits black</div>
+<div class="i7">And spirits white,</div>
+<div>Let the first-born know the truth to-night.'"</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Now whether I was carried away by superstitious fear or no I will not
+say. I simply put down in simple words that which I saw and heard. For a
+few seconds all was still, and then the room seemed full of strange,
+wailing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> sounds, while Betsey continued to blow the liquid in the crock
+and utter meaningless words.</p>
+
+<p>"Look in the crock, Jasper Pennington," she said.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="fig176.jpg" id="fig176.jpg"></a><img src="images/fig176.jpg" width='438' height='700' alt="Look in the crock, Jasper Pennington, she said" /></div>
+
+<h4>"<span class="smcap">'Look in the crock, Jasper Pennington,' she said.</span>"</h4>
+
+<p>I looked on the dark liquid, but I could see nothing.</p>
+
+<p>She blew again. "Now look," she repeated.</p>
+
+<p>As I looked something dark and formless seemed to rise in the crock, but
+I saw nothing distinctly.</p>
+
+<p>"Git away," she snarled; "I'll look."</p>
+
+<p>"A rollin' say, Jasper. Waves like mountains; then a black hole, black
+as pitch, and great high walls. After that&mdash;I'll tell 'ee dreckly. As
+for the maid, laive me zee.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div class="i4">'Priests all shaved</div>
+<div class="i4">Clothed in black.</div>
+<div class="i4">Convent walls,</div>
+<div class="i4">Screws and rack.</div>
+<div>Women walkin' in procession,</div>
+<div>Cravin' for a dead man's blessin'.</div>
+<div>Weepin' eyes, wailing cries,</div>
+<div>Lonely, lonely, oal alone,</div>
+<div>A heart as cold as any stone</div>
+<div>Cryin' for a hopeless love.</div>
+<div>Helpless, harmless as a dove,</div>
+<div>Others spend the damsel's gold,</div>
+<div>And only half the taale is told.'"</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Now, as I said when I commenced writing this history, there are many
+things which happened to me that I cannot understand. For my own part, I
+have tried to explain away what Betsey told me even in the light of
+after events, which I shall tell presently. I have tried again and again
+to show that her words were very vague, and could have no definite
+meaning. I maintained this to Mr. John Wesley when I told him the story,
+but he shook his head, and said something about dreaming<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> dreams and
+seeing visions. Not that I attach any undue weight to Mr. Wesley's
+words. I have nothing against this man; but, for my own part, the old
+religion of the parish church and the Prayer-book is good enough for me.
+These Methodists, who have grown very mighty these last few years, who
+claim a sort of superior religion, and tell a man he's going to hell
+because he's fond of wrestling, are nothing in my way. The Penningtons
+have been wrestlers for generations, and never threw a man unfairly;
+besides, they always shook hands before and after the hitch as honest,
+kindly men should, and when I'm told that they were on the wrong road
+because of this I say the new religion does not suit me. At the same
+time, Mr. John Wesley, who is doubtless a good man, although some folks
+call him a Papist and others a madman, did believe Betsey Fraddam had
+powers which the common run of folks do not possess. Not that he
+believed that those powers were good; concerning that the great man was
+very reserved.</p>
+
+<p>But I am going away from my story, and that I must not do, for I have
+many things to tell, so many that it will not be well for me to stray
+away from the track of the tale.</p>
+
+<p>I must confess that the words which I heard Betsey say impressed me very
+much, so much that they were engraved on my memory. Besides, I had
+become more and more interested in what she was doing, and was now eager
+to hear more.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the half of the tale which is not told?" I asked, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>But she did not reply.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli, Eli, you hear?" she cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, iss," grunted Eli. "'Tes the smugglin' gang."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p><p>"'Tes Jack! Jasper, you mus'n be seed. Git out in the gar'n."</p>
+
+<p>"He caan't," laughed Eli. "The spence, Jasper. Run to the spence."</p>
+
+<p>I entered a door which opened into a small compartment, in the which
+Betsey's firewood, a box of tools, and many household utensils were
+hidden.</p>
+
+<p>I had scarcely closed the door when I heard the voices of Cap'n Jack
+Truscott and others of his gang.</p>
+
+<p>I kept very quiet, for I knew that if I were discovered my life would
+not be worth an hour's purchase. I was very anxious, too, for I was not
+quite sure of Betsey's feelings toward me. All the same I listened very
+intently.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>BETSEY FRADDAM AND CAP'N JACK MEET&mdash;I GO TO FALMOUTH AND MEET
+NAOMI&mdash;AFTERWARD I SEE MR. JOHN WESLEY</h3>
+
+<p>"Well, Betsey, my deear," I heard Cap'n Jack say, "still on yer ould
+gaame. I hop' we've brok' the spell, my deear. Ted'n vitty, I tell 'ee.
+A pious man like me do nat'rally grieve over the sins of the flesh. But
+'ere's Cap'n Billy Coad; you ain't a spoke to 'ee 'et."</p>
+
+<p>I wished that there had been a hole in the door, for I had a great
+desire to see Billy Coad, of whom I had heard Cap'n Jack speak so often.
+I heard his voice, however. It was softer even than Cap'n Jack's, and
+was of a wheedling tone, as though he wanted to get on comfortably with
+every one.</p>
+
+<p>"Hope you be braave, Cap'n Billy," croaked Betsey. "Eli, put away this
+broth; thews booys doan't want none of that soort."</p>
+
+<p>"No, Betsey, it do grieve me, yer nearest blood relation, to zee 'ee
+follin' in such ways."</p>
+
+<p>"You've bin glad ov me, though," retorted Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, you be a gifted woman. You got et from Granfer. He tould 'ee a lot
+ov things, ded'na then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Mor'n I shell tell."</p>
+
+<p>"Come now, Betsey, laive us be oal comfortable like. You've got your
+gifts, and I've got mine. I doan't care 'bout sperrits to-night, Betsey;
+but you've got some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> good wine&mdash;that I knaw. Ah! Cap'n Billy ded some
+good trade on his laast voyage."</p>
+
+<p>"Good traade," sneered Betsey. "What's your traade nowadays? Zee wot
+Granfer ded."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, I've wanted to talk to 'ee 'bout et, Betsey, my deear. I've bin
+very good to you."</p>
+
+<p>I heard some clinking of glass, and I knew they were drinking. I had
+heard only two voices, but by the footsteps I judged that more than two
+might have entered the cottage. In this, however, I was mistaken, for
+the others who had come with him left at the door.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, I've bin very good to you and Eli," repeated Cap'n Jack. "You've
+never wanted summin' warm to drink."</p>
+
+<p>"A fat lot I've 'ad from 'ee," retorted Betsey, "and I ain't a wanted
+nothin' nuther. I've got my 'ouse, and I've got summin' to ait, so've
+Eli."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss. I sh'll make a man o' Eli."</p>
+
+<p>I heard Eli laugh in his strange, gurgling way.</p>
+
+<p>"I've made money, more'n Tamsin 'll want; well, and why sha'ant Eli 'ave
+some ov it?"</p>
+
+<p>"What 'ee'll git from you'll be good for sore eyes," snarled the old
+woman. "Ugh, ef I wanted money&mdash;aw, aw!&mdash;well, I knaw!"</p>
+
+<p>"You'm thinkin' 'bout the treasure. But you caan't git et, Betsey. Ef
+ould Granfer ded bury it some where out to say&mdash;well, you caan't git et.
+But ded a bury a treasure, Betsey, ef 'ee ded, why ded a die so poor?"</p>
+
+<p>Betsey did not reply.</p>
+
+<p>"Doan't you think 'tes oal lies, Betsey? Where's the paper weth the
+dreckshuns? I knaw 'ee sailed weth Cap'n Blackbeard, everybody do knaw
+that, and it's zed that the Cap'n was very rich&mdash;took oal soarts of
+things<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> from the Spaniards and the Portugeese; but then where ded a put
+et? Zum zay on Lundy Island, others that he found a caave in Annette
+Island, and others that he found a place on the South Says; but ed'n et
+oal a taale, Betsey, my deear?"</p>
+
+<p>Betsey remained silent, while Eli grunted.</p>
+
+<p>"Granfer zaid that he stailed the dreckshuns," continued Cap'n Jack; "ef
+a ded, where be um?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Spoase I was to tell 'ee?" sneered Betsey. "Well, you'd git et. As fur
+Eli, 'ee cud go a-beggin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Eli shud 'ave aaf," said Cap'n Jack, with a most terrible oath, "and
+Billy and we'd 'ave the other aaf far our share. Tha's fair, Betsey."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, no!" cried Eli, "it's oal lies, oal lies!" And there was, I
+thought, a note of fear in his voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Mind, Betsey," cried Cap'n Jack, "whether you tell me or no, we'll vind
+out. Ef you've eed away they dreckshuns, we'll vind um, mind that!"</p>
+
+<p>"You've zaid zo afore," sneered Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>"'Ave us? Zo we 'ave," replied Cap'n Jack, "but I be a religious man. I
+want to trait my relaashuns fair, I do; everybody that do knaw me, do
+knaw that, doan't 'em, Cap'n Billy? An' Billy is a religious man, too;
+hes religious experience es a powerful sermon. Well, I've talked oal
+soarts of ways 'bout that treasure, Betsey&mdash;I 'ave. I've zaid I doan't
+bleeve in et, zo I 'ave. But wot then? Well, I'm a-goin' to vind et!"</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, aw!" chuckled Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm a man to my word, zo's Billy. Whenever I've zaid a thing I've done
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, tha's ev et es et. I've 'eerd you zay that any man who runned away
+from your gang you'd kill. I've 'eerd you zay you'd do fur Jasper
+Penninton. 'Ave 'ee,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> Jack Fraddam? Why, 'ee got off bootiful&mdash;jist
+through a maid&mdash;iss, and went to say, and no one stopped un!"</p>
+
+<p>"And why, Betsey, why? 'Cos I am a fond and lovin' vather, that's why.
+Tamsin made a vool ov me, tha's why. I maade a mistake in takin' Jasper
+to Kynance, 'cos Tamsin got to like un. Well, I lowed un to git away. I
+promist Tamsin that while he kipt his tongue 'atween hes teeth I'd laive
+un go. But laive un tell things, laive un tell anybody where our caaves
+be, laive un split 'bout other things he do know&mdash;well!" and Cap'n Jack
+grunted significantly.</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, aw," sneered Betsey, "he strangled Israel Barnicoat, and thrawed
+the lantern ovver the cliff. An' ther' was no wreck that night. Aw, aw!
+You be a man, you be!"</p>
+
+<p>"A merciful, pious man, tha's wot I be. But doan't 'ee laugh, Betsey. Do
+'ee think I dunnaw that Jasper landed in Fammuth to-day? He's watched, I
+tell 'ee."</p>
+
+<p>At this the sweat streamed out over every part of my body, and I
+hardened my muscles to fight for dear life. I felt that Cap'n Jack's was
+no vain threat, and that I owed my life to Tamsin.</p>
+
+<p>"Where es a now, then?" queried Betsey.</p>
+
+<p>"He's lyin' luff in Fammuth town, my deear; but 'ee must be very
+careful."</p>
+
+<p>At this I breathed more freely again.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm a kind man," continued Cap'n Jack; "I've bin kind to you, Betsey. I
+knaw that ef you've got they dreckshuns you've kipt 'em for Eli. But,
+Betsey, my deear, 'ee caan't do nothin' by hisself. We'll share fair,
+Betsey; I'll give my Bible oath to that."</p>
+
+<p>"I taake no noatice ov yur Bible oaths," snarled Betsey, "but I knaw
+you'd kipt to what yer promised. Ef<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> you ded'n, I'd make yer flesh drop
+off yer boans bit by bit; I'd make yer joints twist wrong way 'bout; I'd
+make 'ee suffer pains wuss'n the fires ov the bottomless pit; I'd raise
+the sperrits of&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Doan't 'ee, Betsey," cried Cap'n Jack, and his voice trembled with
+fear. "I knaw you be a gifted woman; I knaw you can do terrible things.
+Ef there's a treasure, Betsey, laive me vind et, and Eli sh'll live in
+the finest state o' land in this blessed county."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll think 'bout it. I caan't raid, that you knaw&mdash;but, but come out
+'ere in the gar'n, Jack."</p>
+
+<p>With that, Billy Coad, Cap'n Jack, and Betsey went into the garden,
+while Eli sat by the chimney and chuckled as though a great joy had come
+into his heart.</p>
+
+<p>They did not stay long, and I suspected that Betsey told them something
+she did not wish me to know. When they came back again I heard Betsey
+tell Eli to fetch the crock and brandis into the middle of the room.</p>
+
+<p>After that Betsey blew on the pot again, as I had seen her blow, and she
+made the two men repeat things after her which I did not hear
+distinctly, and all the time I heard Eli chuckling and grunting as
+though he enjoyed himself vastly.</p>
+
+<p>After this all the four went into the garden, and they stayed there a
+long while, leaving me to muse over the strange things I had heard. Not
+that it came altogether as a surprise to me, for I had often heard of
+Granfer Fraddam knowing something about a treasure. I do not think any
+one had taken much notice of it, for there were scores of meaningless
+stories about lost treasures that passed from lip to lip among the
+gossips in the days when I was young.</p>
+
+<p>Now, however, that which I had heard caused me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> much food for thought,
+and I wondered whether there was any truth in the story. I determined,
+too, that I would ask Eli, for I believed that what Betsey knew he would
+know. I saw, too, that he loved me, and I was sure that he was anxious
+to serve me.</p>
+
+<p>When Betsey and Eli came back the two men had gone, and then I came from
+my hiding-place, and began to ply them with questions. But neither of
+them would give me answers. Betsey seemed very thoughtful, while Eli
+pulled some sacks from under the settle, so that I might have a bed.</p>
+
+<p>Before Betsey climbed the creaky stairs which led to the room where she
+slept, she fixed her whitey, shining eyes upon me, and, holding up her
+hand, she bade me be silent about what I had seen and heard.</p>
+
+<p>"Ef you tell, Jasper Penninton," she croaked, "ef you tell&mdash;you've eerd
+ov fallin' flesh a'ant 'ee? Well, think ov it."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall say nothing," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"No," she said, continuing to look steadily on me, "no, you wa'ant. I
+c'n zee you wa'ant."</p>
+
+<p>Then she left me, while I lay down on the sacks fearing nothing living,
+but fearing the dead terribly. For it seemed to me as though Betsey had
+been doing that which was unlawful, and that I was a party to her plans.
+And so I could not sleep for a long time; not, indeed, until the light
+of morning began to stream through the cottage window, and then I felt
+to laugh at it all. Betsey's signs and Betsey's words were so much
+foolery, while the conversation about the buried treasure was no more
+true than the stories which were believed in superstitious days.
+Besides, thoughts of Naomi drove away all else, although everything came
+back to me afterward.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> When my fears went, however, sleep came to my
+eyes, and I did not awake until I felt Eli fondling my hands, and heard
+him telling me that breakfast was ready.</p>
+
+<p>Then I arose, upbraiding myself for having slept so long, for I had
+intended finding my way to Pennington in the early morning. I know this
+seemed very foolish, for if the Tresidders found me on the land they
+called theirs all my purposes would be frustrated.</p>
+
+<p>"Breakfas', breakfas', Jasper," said Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"No, I'm going out," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Ted'n no use, ted'n no use," grunted the poor dwarf, "she ed'n there."</p>
+
+<p>"Where is she, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Jist agone by, ridin' to Fammuth town."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"I zeed um. She and Maaster Tresidder, and Maaster Nick Tresidder, and
+Miss Em'ly."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure, Eli?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss."</p>
+
+<p>Then I quickly ate what had been prepared for me, and when I had given
+Betsey a guinea out of the few I had been able to earn during the time I
+had been away, I tramped to Falmouth. I arrived there in less than two
+hours from the time I had left Betsey's cottage, trying to make plans as
+I went. I walked up and down Falmouth street several times, all the time
+looking around in the hopes of finding her, not because I could do
+anything if I found her, but because I longed greatly to see her, longed
+more than words can tell. At length noonday came and still my eyes
+continued to ache for a sight of her, while my heart grew heavy. I
+found, too, that the streets became more and more crowded every minute,
+until I asked myself if it were a fair. But such<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> was not the case. The
+reason of the crowd was that Mr. John Wesley had come to Falmouth, and
+his coming had caused a great uproar. I heard all sorts of stories about
+him, and many were the threats that were made. Some said he was a
+Papist, who wanted to bring back Popery to the country, while others
+declared that he wanted to raise a rebellion against the king and crown.
+Several clergymen from distant parishes had come into the town, and
+these, almost without exception, were very bitter toward him; while the
+publicans, who did a very big trade that day because of his coming,
+cried out against him very loudly. On the other hand, I heard that many
+people had come because of the great good he had done, and because
+through him they had been led, to use their own language, to become new
+creatures. This I will say, those who befriended Mr. Wesley seemed very
+steady folks. They used no bad language, neither were they mad with
+drink as many of the others were.</p>
+
+<p>I did not pay as much heed to the state of the town as I might have paid
+under other circumstances, for I cared for little but the sight of
+Naomi's face, while to hear her voice I felt I would give anything.</p>
+
+<p>Now as I walked disconsolately along the street, finding my way among
+the crowd that grew greater and greater, I stopped outside a
+linen-draper's shop, which was kept by one Humphry Bolitho, and to my
+great joy I saw Naomi coming therefrom. By her side was Emily Tresidder,
+and I was wondering how I could speak to my love, when the woman in the
+shop called Richard Tresidder's daughter back just as Naomi's eyes met
+mine.</p>
+
+<p>She gave no start of surprise at seeing me, so that even then I was sure
+that the Tresidders knew of my return,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> but she seemed, I thought, in
+doubt as to whether she should speak to me. But I had found my
+opportunity, and I determined not to be baulked in my purpose,
+especially as Emily Tresidder had gone back into the shop again. And yet
+at that moment I knew not what was fitting to say, for my heart seemed
+in my mouth, and every inch of my body quivered with a strange joy.</p>
+
+<p>"Miss Naomi," I stammered, hardly knowing the words that came from my
+mouth, "thank you for what you did months ago. I loved you then, I love
+you a thousand times more now."</p>
+
+<p>I saw the blood mount to her brow, and for a moment I could not tell
+whether she was angry or no. She looked anxiously back into the shop,
+then up and down the street.</p>
+
+<p>"You are in danger here," she said.</p>
+
+<p>"I care not, now I see you," I cried. "I have done nothing wrong, except
+that I am doing wrong in loving you. I have not won back Pennington yet,
+but I will do it, God helping, I will, if&mdash;if you will give me just one
+word of promise."</p>
+
+<p>I spoke in a low tone so that no one could hear, and indeed the crowd
+seemed too much bent on other things to notice me.</p>
+
+<p>"It is no use," she said&mdash;"it is no use. Do not try any more, it is
+hopeless."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall never give up hope," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Even now my guardian is seeking to do you harm," she cried. "This I
+know."</p>
+
+<p>"I am not afraid of him," I cried. "You know what I told you&mdash;that
+night&mdash;last November. You did not scorn me then. I hoped then that some
+day you might care for me; it is my hope still."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p><p>"It is no use," she cried again, looking anxiously around her&mdash;"it is
+no use. I am to be married to Nick Tresidder; at least they all want me
+to marry him."</p>
+
+<p>"No!" I cried. "No!"</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot help myself," she said, piteously.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you love him?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"No," she said, again looking eagerly around.</p>
+
+<p>"Then!" I cried, "you shall not marry him. I will keep you from that,
+even if I found you by his side at the church communion-rails."</p>
+
+<p>Then my heart jumped for joy, for I saw a look of gladness flash into
+her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Come with me," I continued; "come away where it is quiet. No one will
+notice us among all this crowd."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, I dare not; I am watched everywhere, and you are watched. We
+may be safe here for a few minutes longer, for when Emily is talking
+about finery she is forgetful of all else, but I must not leave here."</p>
+
+<p>"Look here," I cried, "Betsey Fraddam told me last night that all sorts
+of lying stories have been told about me."</p>
+
+<p>"I have believed none of them," she cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Also that Nick Tresidder has told the parson to have your banns called
+at the parish church."</p>
+
+<p>"But not with my consent," she said, eagerly, and again my heart thumped
+aloud because of my joy.</p>
+
+<p>"Naomi Penryn," I cried, "I know I seem a worthless, thriftless sort of
+fellow, for as yet I have done nothing to get back Pennington, but if
+you could love me just a little"&mdash;and I looked toward her appealingly.
+"Anyhow, trust me," I continued, "and be not afraid. Remember I shall
+love you till I die, and I will be always near you to be your friend."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span></p><p>I said this in the heat of my love and youth, for nothing seemed
+impossible to me then. Somehow, I knew not how, a greater strength had
+seemed to come into my life, and I laughed at difficulty and danger.</p>
+
+<p>"Go!" she cried&mdash;"go; Emily Tresidder is coming. Go!"</p>
+
+<p>"Not yet, the woman is showing her something else," and I felt thankful
+because of this girl's love for finery. "Promise me," I continued, "that
+you will not yield to those Tresidders. Stand firm, and they will be
+afraid to force you. Remember, I will be always near, if I can, and that
+they dare not harm you. Besides&mdash;oh, if you knew all you are to me!"</p>
+
+<p>She looked at me eagerly while a film seemed to come over her eyes, and
+I thought she was about to say something. Then a look of terror flashed
+across her face. "Go!" she cried&mdash;"go! There is my guardian! Oh, take
+care of yourself!" and then she rushed into the shop, leaving me
+standing by the door, and only partially hidden from the crowd by some
+things which had been placed by the door.</p>
+
+<p>I quickly got among the crowd, but I know that both Nick Tresidder and
+his father saw me, and I knew, too, that if they went into Humphry
+Bolitho's shop they would find out that Naomi had spoken to me. And yet
+I felt very joyous. I knew, although Naomi had not told me she loved me,
+that she thought of me with more than passing kindness, while the flash
+of her eyes told me that she could not be moulded at will, even by such
+men as the Tresidders and such a woman as Richard Tresidder's mother.
+Naturally I felt afraid for her, and for all she would have to suffer,
+and yet the remembrance of the fact that she would speak to me kindly,
+and had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> told me to take care of myself, as though she were anxious for
+my welfare, filled me with a great hope, and hope giveth wings of
+strength to those who are weighted with great burdens.</p>
+
+<p>I had not been in the crowd above a minute before I felt myself carried
+along the street, as if by the force of a mighty torrent. I was hemmed
+in on every side by a seething mass of men and women, some of whom were
+praying and singing, while others used many profane words, and uttered
+threats which would not be seemly for me to write down. I quickly
+learned that the people were making their way toward the house of a lady
+who, I was told, was called Mrs. Bennetto, although I am not sure that
+this was the correct name. I asked why they wanted to get there, and was
+told that Mr. John Wesley was there, and that many were determined to
+kill him. Most of the crowd, as I have said before, seemed exceedingly
+bitter toward him, but others were loud in their praises of the great
+man, and although they were severely buffeted they kept singing the
+hymns he had composed, some of which seemed very fine in their
+sentiment, although I must confess that the meaning of some of the
+verses I could not understand.</p>
+
+<p>When we arrived at the house where he was there was a great amount of
+shouting, so great that had a storm been raging at sea close by I do not
+think we could have heard it.</p>
+
+<p>"Laive us git to un, laive us git to un!" shouted the crowd, eagerly and
+angrily.</p>
+
+<p>Now I have always loved fair play, and so I asked why they wanted to get
+to Mr. Wesley, and at that moment there being a lull, and my voice being
+deep and strong, my question was heard.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p><p>"He's a Canorum," they shouted; "he's a Papist, he drives men and women
+maazed, he keeps 'em from goin' to church, he destroys honest trade!"
+These among other things I heard as I struggled to get to the door.</p>
+
+<p>There was no law or order in the place. Not a single constable seemed to
+be near, and for the moment the friends of the preacher seemed to be
+afraid to act in his defence.</p>
+
+<p>Presently I got to the door of the house, and I think my great
+proportions frightened some of them.</p>
+
+<p>"Look you," I said, "he is one and you are many. I do not know this man,
+but I have heard up and down the country that he hath done much good. If
+any man dares molest him, I will strike him down as I would strike down
+a yelping cur."</p>
+
+<p>For a moment there was a quiet, and the friends of Mr. Wesley took
+heart, for although it seems like boasting to say so, I think the sight
+of one strong, courageous man, as I thank God I have ever been, always
+has a tendency to quell the anger of an unreasoning mob.</p>
+
+<p>"He's not a friend to the people," they cried. "He's destroyed the trade
+of Jemmy Crowle, who do kip a kiddleywink over to Zennor. Ted'n no use
+kippin' a public 'ouse after he've bin to a plaace. He do turn people
+maazed. He do convert 'em, and then they waan't zing songs, nor git
+drunk, nor do a bit of smugglin', nor nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>This was said not as I have written it down, but came to me in confused,
+excited ejaculations from many quarters.</p>
+
+<p>"If that is all he has done," I said, "there is no reason for anger."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p><p>For a moment there was a silence among the crowd, and I heard voices
+from within the house.</p>
+
+<p>Said a woman, "Oh, sir, what must we do?"</p>
+
+<p>"We must pray," was the reply. This was in a man's voice, and was
+strangely sweet and strong, and even then it thrilled me greatly.</p>
+
+<p>I believe that many, angry as they had been, would have turned away at
+that moment, but some drunken privateers were among the mob, and one of
+them came and pushed me savagely. I caught the man up and lifted him
+above my head and threw him from me. This angered the privateers
+greatly, and they smashed down the door while others swore great oaths
+at me.</p>
+
+<p>"What will em do weth the Canorum?" I heard the people cry, and then
+there was a silence again. I think they were subdued, as I was subdued,
+by the sound of a man's voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Here I am," I heard Mr. Wesley say, "which of you has anything to say
+to me? To whom have I done wrong? To you, to you?"</p>
+
+<p>At this the people seemed eager beyond measure to catch sight of him,
+and they shouted, "Come out, come out. Lev us zee 'ee."</p>
+
+<p>Others again shouted, "Ef we can git to un, we'll kill un. We doan't
+want no Canorums, we doan't want no new sort ov religion. We like our
+beer and wrastlin', we do."</p>
+
+<p>"Look," I shouted, "give every man fair play. Let him speak for himself.
+If he has anything to tell us, let him tell it."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, iss," shouted the crowd; "lev un spaik."</p>
+
+<p>With that I heard the same voice speaking which I had heard inside the
+house, only this time it was louder.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> It was not panic-stricken, it was
+perfectly calm and fearless. It was strangely sweet, too, and it
+reached, I should think, to the very outskirts of the crowd. A strange
+hush fell upon the people as they heard it. It was like a stormy sea
+which had suddenly become calm.</p>
+
+<p>"Neighbours and countrymen," said the voice, "do you desire me to
+speak?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no," shouted some; "put un in stocks, throw un in the say."</p>
+
+<p>Then I spoke again. "Fair play, Cornishmen," I said, "give the stranger
+fair play, let him speak."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, iss," cried the larger part of the crowd; "he sh'll 'ave fair
+play, he sh'll spaik."</p>
+
+<p>With that a gangway was made, and then I turned and saw the man who had
+created such a great commotion in the country come bareheaded into the
+middle of the street, while the surging crowd hustled each other, some
+eager to do him injury, but many more anxious to hear what he had to
+say.</p>
+
+<p>As for myself, I was silent, for the sight of him impressed me greatly.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>I AM TAKEN PRISONER, AND AFTERWARD EXPERIENCE MANY STRANGE THINGS&mdash;I AT
+LENGTH FIND MYSELF IN A DUNGEON</h3>
+
+<p>There was nothing at first sight very striking about Mr. John Wesley's
+appearance. He was, I thought, rather undersized, and I at that moment
+failed to see what there was about him to cause so much commotion. And
+yet as I looked again I could not help being impressed with the calm
+strength which shone from his eyes. He seemed to possess a power unknown
+to most men. Had I, Jasper Pennington, been brought face to face with
+such a crowd, I should have challenged the strongest man there to come
+out and let us fight a fair battle, but Mr. Wesley seemed only desirous
+to do good. He spoke calmly and with much assurance about our being
+sinners, and being children of hell, but that we could be saved from
+everlasting perdition by believing in Christ, who had appeased God's
+anger toward us.</p>
+
+<p>Now, I am not a critical man, but even at that moment I could not quite
+see his meaning, for it seemed as though God were divided against
+Himself, and that God the Son felt differently toward us from what God
+the Father felt, and this, to an unlearned man like myself, brought only
+confusion. Moreover, as he spoke, while I could not help admiring his
+courage, and vowing in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> my heart that all one man could do to defend him
+I would do, I felt that he was not altogether a lovable man. He spoke
+with a sort of superiority which I did not admire, while he seemed to
+think greatly of himself. I know it sounds like presumption for me, an
+obscure, ignorant man, to write this, especially when I think of the
+good he has done; nevertheless, such thoughts came into my mind as I
+watched him. Perhaps his consciousness of his power over the multitudes
+merely gave him a confidence which I did not understand, or perhaps the
+fact that he was one of the principal men of the age made him feel his
+importance, for I think a man must be more than human if, talked about
+as Mr. Wesley has been, he does not become possessed of great esteem for
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>After he had been talking a few minutes, however, I forgot all this. His
+little form seemed to dilate with a strange life, and many evil men
+groaned, as if with anguish. His voice became more and more resonant,
+and presently a touch of tenderness, which was at first absent, mingled
+with his tones.</p>
+
+<p>Before long that great crowd became subdued, and then I realised the
+power of the human voice, of true courage, and of a good life; for I
+believe that the mob realised, although they might not be able to put
+their thoughts into words, that this man was gifted with an influence
+which can only come by means known to those who live with God.</p>
+
+<p>After he had been speaking some time a clergyman, accompanied by some of
+the principal people of the town, spoke to the people, and he so angered
+them that I believe injury would have been done had not the town
+officials been present. Even with their presence Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> Wesley seemed in
+great danger, and so, in my anxiety to help him, for he had stirred my
+heart greatly during the latter part of his address, I came to his side.</p>
+
+<p>"No man shall touch Master Wesley," said I.</p>
+
+<p>He looked up at me, for I think I was about a foot taller than he, and
+he said, "Thank you, young man."</p>
+
+<p>"Whither would you go?" I said. "I will walk by your side, and will let
+no man harm you."</p>
+
+<p>"I thank you," he repeated. "God hath evidently gifted you with great
+strength. Use it for His glory. I will accept your escort to Mrs.
+Maddern's house, but I have a strength which is omnipotent on my side. I
+will trust and not be afraid."</p>
+
+<p>Even as he spoke I felt how true were his words, and then we walked down
+the street toward the sea, he continuing to preach most of the time.</p>
+
+<p>When we reached the door of Mrs. Maddern's he said, "What is your name,
+young man?"</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper Pennington," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"It is an old Cornish name," he replied, and then, looking into my eyes,
+he said, "Is your heart at peace with God and man&mdash;especially with man?"
+This he asked meaningly.</p>
+
+<p>I did not answer him, for it occurred to me that the town officials who
+walked with him had told him who I was, although I had not heard.</p>
+
+<p>"Trust in the Lord and do good, Jasper Pennington," he said, quietly,
+"<i>so</i> shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
+Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of
+thine heart."</p>
+
+<p>Then he went into the house, and I felt as though a benediction rested
+upon me.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span></p><p>I waited outside with the crowd, expecting him to come out again, but
+after a time they heard that he had got into a boat from the back of the
+house, for the sea came up close to the back of the house, and by this
+means he was able to escape, mingling with the crowd again.</p>
+
+<p>It was now well on to six o'clock in the evening, but being summertime
+the light was still bright; indeed, the sun was yet high in the heavens.
+So I left the people who wanted to have a last look at Mr. Wesley, and
+who found their way to the seashore in great numbers. I went slowly
+toward Humphry Bolitho's shop, musing upon what the great man had said
+to me, but thinking far more of my meeting with Naomi. It is true I was
+too excited to understand its real significance, but the impression left
+upon me was gladsome, and, although my prospects seemed dark, my heart
+beat high with hope. Perhaps the peaceful words that Mr. Wesley had
+spoken to me made me rejoice, but the fact that Naomi had spoken kindly
+to me was that upon which my mind rested most fondly.</p>
+
+<p>When I got to Humphry Bolitho's shop I looked eagerly inside, as though
+I expected to see Naomi there, but only strangers were within the
+building, and then I came to the spot where, a year before, I had been
+publicly degraded, and where I had first seen my love. Then my mind and
+heart were full of bitterness, and yet perhaps the piteousness of my
+condition had caused her to think kindly of me. And so, even at the
+place of my degradation, I hoped that my enemies' deeds might work out
+for me an exceeding great reward. Neither did I feel so bitterly toward
+the Tresidder family. I still determined to win back my own and to
+fulfil my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> promise to my father, but I wished my enemies no harm. Even
+then I wondered whether John Wesley's words were not a prophecy,
+providing I would fulfil the conditions.</p>
+
+<p>But this feeling did not last long. I began to picture the danger Naomi
+was in; I thought of Nick Tresidder trying to persuade her to marry him;
+I thought of the threats that might be used; I called to mind the power
+of the woman who had persuaded my grandfather to be unkind to his only
+son, and then I was afraid, for if Naomi married Nick, what joy should I
+have in life; ay, what would Pennington be to me? It would seem only an
+empty tomb, while my heart would be eaten out with vain longings even to
+the end of my days; for such is the mystery of life, and such is the
+value of a woman's life to the man who loves her. I had seen Naomi only
+a few times, while I had had but little intercourse with her, and yet
+she was more to me than aught else. But for her I think I should have
+given up hope, and when hope is gone all is gone.</p>
+
+<p>I went back toward the sea again, musing over my hopes and my
+difficulties, when I saw Israel Barnicoat stumbling along the street,
+seemingly intoxicated. Not wishing to be seen by him, I went into an inn
+to escape him and to get some refreshments, for I remembered that I had
+eaten nothing since morning. The landlord of the inn, John Snell by
+name, had known me in my more prosperous days, and he asked me to come
+into the parlour, which he assured me was empty. So, desiring quiet, I
+accepted his invitation. I had been there perhaps an hour, and I was
+planning what I should do that night when John Snell came into the room
+and brought me a letter.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p><p>"A booy 'ave jist brought it, Maaster Jasper," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"A letter for me!" I cried, in astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss; ther's your naame top of it, edn't et?"</p>
+
+<p>I read the inscription&mdash;"Jasper Pennington, Esquire."</p>
+
+<p>Now the word "Esquire" set me wondering; moreover, it set my heart
+a-beating hard, for I thought I recognised the writing, and yet I was
+not sure.</p>
+
+<p>I did not break the seal because, although John Snell seemed friendly
+toward me, I did not wish him to be present when I read the missive, for
+I hoped that Naomi was the writer.</p>
+
+<p>Presently John left me alone, and then I anxiously read and re-read the
+words which had been written. They were very few, but they made my heart
+burn with great joy, for they told me that I might soon see my love
+again. This is what was written:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>"If you would help me, meet me to-night at Pendennis Castle gates
+at the hour of ten. I would then tell you what was impossible for
+me to say at Humphry Bolitho's shop. If you love me, do not fail; I
+am in greater danger than you think. If you fail our only hope is
+gone."</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>Now, as I said, I read this letter many times, and pondered greatly over
+its contents. I made up my mind I would not fail, for the letter told me
+of Naomi's love and Naomi's danger. The thought of speaking to her
+without hindrance was joy beyond all words; so much joy did I feel,
+indeed, that I thought not of where Naomi was when she wrote it, or how
+she was to escape her guardian while she spoke to me. Enough that her
+own hands had penned these lines to me, while the joy coming from the
+thought that she sought my help made me incapable of thinking clearly. I
+was sure that her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> hands had traced these lines, for I compared them
+with the other letter I had received from her, and which I carried with
+me wherever I went; and so long before the hour of ten I made my way
+toward Pendennis Castle. The little town was nearly asleep. No sounds
+reached me save those of revellers in some kiddleywinks near the shore.
+As I walked along many doubts came to me. By what means would Naomi
+reach the castle gates? Who would accompany her? for I could not think
+she would come alone. What was the reason she was staying in Falmouth
+over night? And, above all, how would she elude the vigilance of those
+who guarded her?</p>
+
+<p>Had I long to wait I have no doubt that many more questions would have
+arisen in my mind, for in spite of my joyful anticipations my mind began
+to clear, and I thought of many things which did not come to me as I
+read the letter. Besides, try as I might to throw off the feeling, a
+great dread laid hold of me, and I began to look anxiously around me, as
+if fearful of my surroundings.</p>
+
+<p>Below me, in the near distance, the waves swished on the shore, while
+out at sea, perhaps a mile, I could see the lights of a ship twinkling.
+But for the musical sound of the waves all was silent; the night was
+clear and bright; the moon's beams played with the sea, making the waves
+shine like diamonds. Even although my mind was filled with many doubts,
+I felt that I had seldom seen a fairer night, and I dreamed of leading
+Naomi to the lanes outside the town and telling her again of my love.</p>
+
+<p>Presently I came to the drawbridge near the castle gates. I knew it was
+nearly ten o'clock, but it might<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> want a few minutes to the hour, so I
+went and leaned against the castle walls.</p>
+
+<p>I thought I heard a whisper, for my ears were eager to catch the sound
+of my love's footsteps; so I went back to the gates again; then I heard
+a quick shuffling of feet, and before I could turn around my arms were
+pinioned, my eyes were bandaged, and some woollen substance was thrust
+into my mouth.</p>
+
+<p>I saw now what the letter meant. It was not written by Naomi at all, and
+in my heart I cursed myself as a blockhead for being so easily duped. I
+heard the gruff voices of men, and among others I felt sure I heard that
+of Israel Barnicoat. For some few minutes, although my hands were
+pinioned, I struggled fiercely, but it was of no use; besides, I heard a
+threatening voice near me saying, "You be quiet, Jasper Pennington, or
+you'll be thrawed over the cliff. Doan't 'ee make no mistake now!"</p>
+
+<p>I could not speak, neither could I see, so I became passive, and they
+led me along a road which I knew descended. The sound of the waves
+became nearer and nearer, so I judged we were going to the sea. In this
+I was correct. A few seconds later I heard the sound of paddles, and
+then I was half led, half lifted into a boat.</p>
+
+<p>I tried to get the woollen material with which I had been gagged out of
+my mouth, for it made me sick; moreover, I found it hard to breathe, but
+I tried in vain. So I bore up as well as I could, wondering where I was
+to be taken and what was to become of me. I did not think they meant to
+kill me, or they would have thrown me over the cliff at Pendennis Point,
+so I came to the conclusion that Cap'n Jack Truscott's gang had got hold
+of me, and that they would take me to Kynance.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> I listened eagerly to
+hear the sound of his voice, but could not; but I felt sure I had heard
+Israel Barnicoat's, and this confirmed me in my opinion.</p>
+
+<p>I was angry at this, not so much for myself as for Naomi. Never until
+then did I feel how much she was in Richard Tresidder's power; never did
+I feel so certain as then that every means would be used to marry her to
+his son. And I had vainly thought that I would stay near to help her,
+and that I would save her from the power of my enemies. Now, however, a
+few hours after I had come back to Cornwall, I was taken a prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>I sat upright in the boat. On each side of me sat a man holding me,
+while two men rowed. There were others near me, as I knew by the sound
+of their voices; how many I did not know. After I had sat thus for
+perhaps half an hour the rowing ceased, and I felt our boat thump
+against some hard substance, and by the movement of the men I knew that
+some new steps were to be taken.</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds later I heard sounds above me; then my hands were loosed,
+but the bandage was not taken away from my eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Stand upright," said a voice.</p>
+
+<p>I stood upright.</p>
+
+<p>"Lay 'old ov this."</p>
+
+<p>A piece of rope was put in my hand.</p>
+
+<p>"You've got 'old of a rope ladder. Now climb."</p>
+
+<p>I felt with my hands, and discovered that the man had spoken truly. I
+knew it was useless to disobey, so I started to climb. In a few seconds
+I felt my arms grasped by hard hands, and I was dragged on to the deck
+of a vessel.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span></p><p>I made no sound; I could not, for I was still gagged.</p>
+
+<p>"Come weth wee."</p>
+
+<p>I knew by the dialect that Cornishmen still spoke, and a few seconds
+later I felt myself descending a stairway with two men holding me.</p>
+
+<p>By the motion I judged that I was on a pretty large vessel, and this
+caused me to wonder greatly, for a large vessel would not be needed to
+take me to Kynance, neither would Cap'n Jack use one for such a purpose.
+I then thought I must be in the hands of the press-gang, and this was
+not altogether unpleasant, for I thought I might be able to escape, or
+use means whereby I should be able to communicate with Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds later I knew that I was enclosed in some sort of a cabin,
+and then I felt a great relief, for my gag was pulled from my mouth. I
+tried to speak, but I could not; my tongue seemed swollen and my throat
+was parched, but it was pleasant to me to be able to breathe freely.</p>
+
+<p>At length I made a great effort.</p>
+
+<p>"Why am I taken here?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>No one spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"What have I done that I should be treated thus?" I asked. "I have
+harmed no man. I arrived in Falmouth only yesterday. What is your will
+with me?"</p>
+
+<p>Still no one spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Pull the bandage from my eyes and let me see, I cried. I said this
+because two men still held my arms firmly, but no one moved to do my
+bidding.</p>
+
+<p>"Then give me something to drink," I cried&mdash;"water; my throat is
+parched, and burns like fire."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you shall drink," said a voice.</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds later I heard the sound of bottles <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>clinking, and then the
+gurgle of something being poured therefrom.</p>
+
+<p>"Here is something to cool your mouth. Here it is&mdash;fine stuff. Drink it
+quickly, drink it all."</p>
+
+<p>I felt a goblet placed against my lips, and a strange odour rise to my
+nostrils. I thought it smelt like rum, and a sickly feeling came over
+me.</p>
+
+<p>"Drink quickly," said the same man who had spoken before; "it will do
+you good."</p>
+
+<p>I feared to drink, and I shut my teeth firmly, but a great sickness came
+over me, and I could not keep my mouth closed, and some of the liquid
+was poured on my tongue. It was pleasant to the taste and delightfully
+cooling to my tongue, and so thirsty was I that I drank the contents of
+the goblet, thankful for such a refreshing beverage.</p>
+
+<p>"You feel better now, don't you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I said; "take away the bandage, and I shall be all right."</p>
+
+<p>No sooner had I spoken than I staggered, and should have fallen had not
+I been kept up by the men who still held my arms.</p>
+
+<p>"You are not so well, after all," I heard some one say. "You had better
+lie down."</p>
+
+<p>I yielded to the pressure upon my body, and felt myself falling; a great
+roaring sound came into my ears, and then I realised that I was lying on
+some sort of couch.</p>
+
+<p>My senses, I was sure, were departing from me, and I had a vague idea
+that I was falling through unlimited space, while wild winds and loud
+thunders were all around me; then all became a great blank.</p>
+
+<p>How long I remained unconscious I do not know,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> neither can I tell
+whether the experiences through which I thought I went had any objective
+reality.</p>
+
+<p>This was what I thought or dreamed happened to me. For a long time all
+was a perfect blank, except that I was left alone in darkness and
+allowed to rest in peace. Even now I have a vague remembrance of a
+delicious restfulness that came to me; every particle of my body seemed
+to be in repose, while all desire departed. By-and-by light seemed to
+come to me&mdash;a strange, weird light. I was moving, not by any action of
+my own, but unknown forces were carrying me through balmy air. Strange,
+shadowy creatures flitted around me, while I thought I heard the sound
+of distant music, as though ten thousand voices were singing.</p>
+
+<p>This, I said, is death.</p>
+
+<p>My eyes, I knew, were closed, and yet I could see. By an inward power of
+sight I could plainly discern the shadowy creatures around, and I
+remember interesting myself in trying to discern their faces. Presently
+one more than all the rest became plain. At first I thought it was
+Naomi's, so fair was it, but I soon discovered that I was mistaken. The
+woman was cast in a larger mould than Naomi, and looked more matronly.</p>
+
+<p>She looked at me with infinite tenderness, and kept close to my side all
+the time.</p>
+
+<p>"Speak," I said to her; "tell me who you are."</p>
+
+<p>But she shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>Then it seemed to me as though dark, evil forms came near, and a man
+with a face like Richard Tresidder's said, "Let him die; we shall never
+be safe while he is alive." But the woman seemed to surround me like a
+mantle of light, and lo! my enemies were powerless to touch me. Time
+after time did murderous<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> weapons seem to come close to me, but the form
+of the woman received every blow, and yet they did not harm her.</p>
+
+<p>"This woman bears a charmed life," was the thought that came into my
+mind, and I longed greatly to know who she was.</p>
+
+<p>Then another form came near. I saw my father.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper," he said, "this is your mother. She is always near you. This is
+a mother's joy, ever to be near her loved ones. She will protect you."</p>
+
+<p>"Mother," I cried, "kiss me."</p>
+
+<p>Her face came closer and closer to mine, and then for the first time I
+knew of a mother's love and felt a mother's kiss.</p>
+
+<p>"Be brave, and pure and true, Jasper, my son," she said; "fear not even
+in the valley of the shadow of death. Delight thyself in the Lord, and
+He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."</p>
+
+<p>After that a great darkness fell upon me again, yet through the darkness
+I could see the luminous form of my mother, with love shining from her
+eyes, and her hand pointing upward.</p>
+
+<p>After that I felt as though I were on a stormy sea. The ship in which we
+sailed tossed like a cork, while the waves, foam-crested, hurled
+themselves furiously on our bark. A great panic seized the ship's crew,
+and they gave themselves up for lost. But for myself I had no fear. A
+great benign influence was around me, and I felt as safe as a babe
+rocked on its mother's breast, while the wild winds that roared seemed
+as sweet as the lullaby of a mother to a tired child.</p>
+
+<p>For a long time the darkness continued, and then, when all hope seemed
+to have departed from the ship's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> crew, I saw a twinkling light. Then I
+felt rough hands around my body, while evil eyes gleamed; but I still
+saw the love-light shining from my mother's eyes, and I heard a voice
+saying, "He must not suffer harm."</p>
+
+<p>Then all was a perfect blank.</p>
+
+<p class="center">*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;*</p>
+
+<p>When I awoke to consciousness I found myself in a small room. It was
+dimly lighted, and the air seemed cold and clammy. As my eyes became
+accustomed to my surroundings I saw that the walls were rough and
+unplastered. Above my head were huge beams, covered with thick, unplaned
+boards. Only one window was in the room. It was very small, and through
+the glass I could see iron bars. The window, I judged, was eighteen
+inches wide, and perhaps two feet high.</p>
+
+<p>I was lying on a bed which was made of rough deal, and had evidently
+been knocked together hurriedly. But the clothes were clean and dry.
+Beside me was a table on which was a basin and some cups.</p>
+
+<p>"Where am I, and how did I get here?" I asked myself.</p>
+
+<p>For some time I had no remembrance of the past. Then events came to me
+in a dim, vague way. I remembered the letter which I thought was written
+by Naomi, and my journey to Pendennis Castle. But it seemed a long way
+off. It might have been years; I could not tell.</p>
+
+<p>I tried to lift myself from my bed, but I could not, I was too weak. I
+looked at my hands; they were white like a woman's, and very thin.</p>
+
+<p>"I must have been ill," I said; "but why am I here, and where am I?"</p>
+
+<p>I listened intently, but all was silent as death. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> longed for human
+voices, but I could hear none. No sound reached me but the roar of
+distant surf, but it was a strangely muffled sound.</p>
+
+<p>"I am by the sea somewhere," I muttered; "but where?"</p>
+
+<p>Then my heart gave a bound, for I heard the echo of distant footsteps.
+They sounded strangely, just as one's footsteps sound at night when
+walking through an empty church. They came nearer and nearer, until they
+came close to where I lay. Then I was sure that some one was coming to
+me.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>MY EXPERIENCE IN MY PRISON&mdash;I AM TOLD TERRIBLE NEWS ABOUT NAOMI</h3>
+
+<p>I looked eagerly toward the direction from which I had heard the sound,
+and saw a door opening. A little old man entered. Evidently he was a
+serving-man, just as one sees in most old houses. Even then I concluded
+that he was one who had spent most of his life in some well-ordered
+house. His clothes were spotlessly clean, the buckles on his shoes
+shone, his stockings were without blemish. His wig, too, was powdered
+carefully, and all his linen was faultless.</p>
+
+<p>All this made me wonder the more greatly as to where I was.</p>
+
+<p>He met my questioning look calmly, and looked at me critically.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, you are better," he remarked, quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"Would you tell me where I am?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"You are safe from harm," he replied, vaguely.</p>
+
+<p>"And why am I here?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"To be kept from harm."</p>
+
+<p>"And how long have I been here?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is not for me to tell you. You have been very ill."</p>
+
+<p>"What has been the matter with me?"</p>
+
+<p>"You have had fever. Once I thought you would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> have died; but you have
+been nursed safely through it, and I have doctored you successfully."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you a doctor, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have some knowledge of the human system and of medicines. It is well,
+otherwise you would never have lived through your sickness."</p>
+
+<p>His face showed no emotion whatever, neither did it in the slightest
+degree indicate his thoughts. He spoke in perfectly measured tones, and
+each word was enunciated clearly. Many thoughts flashed through my mind,
+and many questions rose to my lips, but the old man's presence seemed to
+check them. Moreover, I felt very weak.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be well and strong soon," I said.</p>
+
+<p>He came to me, felt my pulse, examined me in various ways, and said,
+quietly, "Yes, I think you will soon be well. You are a very strong
+man."</p>
+
+<p>"What will become of me then?"</p>
+
+<p>"You will stay here."</p>
+
+<p>"How long?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know."</p>
+
+<p>"But why was I brought here?"</p>
+
+<p>"To be kept from harm."</p>
+
+<p>"What harm?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is not for me to say."</p>
+
+<p>"By whose command was I brought here?"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall not tell you."</p>
+
+<p>"But you can tell me where I am. This seems a part of a big house, an
+old house. Whose is it, and where is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall not tell you. You will receive nothing but kindness while you
+behave seemingly, if not, means will be used to check you."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span></p><p>"I am a prisoner, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you are a prisoner, if you are pleased to call it so."</p>
+
+<p>"But am I to have no liberty? Am I not to leave this room? I cannot live
+penned up here."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall speak no further to you. Food will be brought, and no harm will
+happen to you."</p>
+
+<p>With that he left the room as quietly as he came, and I heard his
+footsteps echoing again as I had heard them when he came to me. For a
+time my brain seemed to grow weak again, and in spite of my anxiety I
+dropped into a fitful sleep, from which I was aroused by the chinking of
+crockery near me.</p>
+
+<p>My sleep made me feel stronger; I felt far better than when the old man
+had visited me. I looked around the room again, and saw a hard-featured
+woman. She, too, was elderly, fast beating on toward sixty. She placed a
+basin of gruel at my side.</p>
+
+<p>"'Ere," she said, "ait this."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah," I thought, "I am still in Cornwall. Anyhow, the woman speaks with
+a Cornish accent."</p>
+
+<p>I thought I might fare better with her than with the old man, so I tried
+to gain some information from her.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's see," I said, "what part of Cornwall are we in?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ait yer mait, an' ax no questions," was her response.</p>
+
+<p>I ate the gruel with a good appetite. It was carefully made, and seemed
+to be seasoned with some pleasant-tasting cordial. When I had finished
+the old woman grunted with satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"It is very nice," I said&mdash;"very nice. Whoever made it knows her work.
+Did you make it?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span></p><p>"Who es ther' that knaweth how to make sich stuff as that but me?" she
+said.</p>
+
+<p>Her answer set me thinking, and I drew two conclusions. One was that the
+old woman was vulnerable to flattery, the other was that she did not
+hail from that part of the county in which I was reared. The word
+"knaweth" told me that she belonged to the northern part of the county.</p>
+
+<p>I put another question in order to test the truth of both these
+conclusions.</p>
+
+<p>"You look too much of a lady to be the cook," I said, "and yet I thought
+the cook would naturally make such things."</p>
+
+<p>"Ther's no cook. Her's gone. I'm in charge."</p>
+
+<p>She said this proudly, but although her answer was brief, it confirmed
+me in my suspicions. People in the western part of the county would say
+"She's gone," so when she said, "Her's gone," I was sure that she hailed
+from either Devon or from somewhere in the region of Tintagel and
+Boscastle.</p>
+
+<p>"It must be a place of importance," I said. "Have you lived here long?"</p>
+
+<p>"I was born in this parish."</p>
+
+<p>"Let's see, this is near St. Minver, isn't it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ax me no questions and I'll tell 'ee no lies," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>But she had let me know more than she imagined. She had told me that she
+was born in the parish where my prison was situated, and I knew by her
+brogue that the parish was situated a good many miles north of St. Eve.</p>
+
+<p>I asked her many more questions, but she would answer none that gave me
+any further information <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span>concerning my whereabouts. As to why I was
+there she seemed as ignorant as myself.</p>
+
+<p>After this I lay many days on my bed&mdash;how many I do not know. The
+mornings dawned and the daylight departed by; I did not pay much heed.
+From the remarks of the little man, who constantly visited me, I judged
+that some complication had arisen in my case, and so my recovery was
+delayed. At length, however, I felt myself grow stronger again, and then
+daily health came to my blood and vitality to my being.</p>
+
+<p>By and by I was able to rise from my bed, and a suit of clothes of
+antiquated cut was given me to wear.</p>
+
+<p>"What month is this?" I asked one day of the old man when he came to see
+me.</p>
+
+<p>"It would do you no good to know," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes it would," I replied; "I should have got better before this if I
+had not been harassed by so many doubts and questionings."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, it is October."</p>
+
+<p>"October! What part of the month?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, October. To-day is the fifteenth of the month."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I have been here three months."</p>
+
+<p>He was silent.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the year?" I asked, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>The little man smiled. "Oh, you need not fear. This is the year 1745.
+You have been here three months. I see you wish to ask more questions,
+but I shall not answer them."</p>
+
+<p>For several days after that I asked no questions, for a great despair
+laid hold of me. Although I had not been told, I was sure I knew why I
+had been kidnapped and made a prisoner. I believed, too, that my illness
+was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> not a natural one, and I could have sworn that I was kept out of
+the way because Richard Tresidder feared me. This thought was not
+altogether unpleasant. It could not be because of the Pennington
+estates&mdash;there was no immediate danger concerning that&mdash;it was because
+of Naomi. He had discovered that she and I had met, and I believed that
+he had concluded what I fondly hoped, although the foundation seemed
+poor, that Naomi loved me. If this were so, I could understand why he
+should want to keep me away from Pennington, for if Naomi loved me, and
+was willing to wed me, even although she could not marry until she was
+twenty-one, the position was a constant menace to Richard Tresidder; for
+if, when she came of age, she became my wife, Trevose Estate would at
+once be wrested from his hands, while I should be able to buy back
+Pennington.</p>
+
+<p>I considered these matters many times as I lay there. They came to me
+not clearly, but in a vague way; not quickly, but slowly and at rare
+intervals, while my strength came gradually back to me.</p>
+
+<p>All this time I knew not where I was, for I was not allowed to go
+outside the room in which I had been imprisoned. Neither had my strength
+been sufficient to climb to the little window I have mentioned in order
+to look out. I was kindly treated, my food was good, and brought
+regularly; my room was kept clean, and I was carefully attended to. But
+not one of my attendants would tell me anything. Moreover, as I became
+stronger they seemed to watch me more closely.</p>
+
+<p>One morning after breakfast, I judged that the sky was bright by the
+light which streamed into my room, and as I felt very much better, and
+knowing that no one would come to my prison for an hour or two, I
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>decided to try and climb to the window, so that I might see what my
+surroundings were. This proved to be a harder task than I anticipated,
+but after many vain endeavours I at length reached the little aperture
+and looked out.</p>
+
+<p>My head became almost dizzy as I looked. Outside a great sea was
+running. I saw the breakers lash themselves into foam upon the rocks,
+and I saw a bold, ragged cliff stretching, as I judged, southward as far
+as my eyes could reach. Then I looked beneath me, and I saw that my
+prison had been built on the edge of the cliff. So high was I above the
+beach beneath that at first I could not measure the distance, but
+presently, as my eyes became accustomed to the sight, I was able to make
+my calculation. As far as I could judge I was at least two hundred feet
+above the roaring, rushing torrent beneath&mdash;probably the distance was
+greater. Escape by that means, then, was an impossibility.</p>
+
+<p>I looked long and eagerly at the boiling surf and the weather-beaten
+cliffs which stretched far away in each direction. I watched the
+breakers as they hurled themselves on the rocks far, far down beneath
+me. The sight filled me with dull despair.</p>
+
+<p>I tried to open the window, but it was fastened firmly. After repeated
+efforts, however, I managed to remove it about three inches from the
+frame, but I could not move it more owing to the iron bars that had been
+placed across. The fresh air blew in from the sea, which gave me great
+pleasure; it also cleared my mind somewhat, and acting on the impulse of
+the moment I tied my handkerchief to the iron bar. I did not see how it
+could do any good, but it could do no harm, and might possibly attract
+attention.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span></p><p>I looked again at the great waste of water, and marked the tumultuous
+tossing of the waves, and then I closed the window again, feeling that I
+could do nothing to effect my liberty.</p>
+
+<p>I went back to my bed again and began to consider my condition. My mind
+for the moment seemed clear, and I was able to understand my position,
+and all the events I have related came back to my memory. Then I
+remembered that I always became dazed and drowsy after drinking the
+medicine which was given me. A torpor always crept over me, and I was
+incapable of definite action. This made me wonder still more.</p>
+
+<p>I heard the sound of footsteps echoing along a passage, and a minute
+later the little old man I have mentioned came to me.</p>
+
+<p>"It is time for you to have your medicine," he said.</p>
+
+<p>Hitherto I had drunk it without demur; now I determined to avoid taking
+it.</p>
+
+<p>"I will attend to it presently," I said, "but for the present I want us
+to talk together. I suppose you know you are placing yourself in great
+danger by keeping me here?"</p>
+
+<p>He was silent.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," I went on, "I know that you are only the tool of others. My
+enemy's name begins with T, doesn't it?"</p>
+
+<p>He gave a start, but did not speak.</p>
+
+<p>"This cannot last much longer," I said; "I have friends who will be
+searching for me. Hanging's a serious matter. I shall take serious steps
+when I get away from here."</p>
+
+<p>"When you do," he replied, significantly.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span></p><p>"Do you think I shall stay here always?" I retorted.</p>
+
+<p>"How can you get away? This morning you climbed up and looked out of
+that window. You did not know I saw you, but I did. Well, what did you
+see? You know you are on the top of a cliff, and it is nearly three
+hundred feet to the beach. Well, you cannot escape that way; if you
+tried you would break your neck. Very well; the only other way to escape
+is to try and escape through that door. Well, what would happen then?
+You would not get up the passage a dozen steps before you would be
+shot."</p>
+
+<p>"By whom?"</p>
+
+<p>"By those who guard a dangerous madman."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I see. I'm mad, am I?"</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly."</p>
+
+<p>"And is this an asylum?"</p>
+
+<p>"It's not for you to know."</p>
+
+<p>"Still it would go hard with Richard Tresidder if his perfidy should
+come out."</p>
+
+<p>"It can never come out. Yes, I know what is in your mind. Well,
+supposing you get well enough to be set at liberty? You would be taken
+to Pendennis Castle as mysteriously as you have been taken here. But
+where are you? You cannot tell. Are you in England, Ireland, or
+Scotland? You do not know."</p>
+
+<p>"How long shall I be kept here, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not, I should think, more than a week. You seem to be very much
+improved in your health."</p>
+
+<p>Now this set me wondering greatly, for I did not expect such a
+revelation. Still I managed to remain calm.</p>
+
+<p>"You know why I am here, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly. You have been a madman; as such you have been a constant
+menace to Miss Naomi Penryn.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> She has been much afraid of you, and has
+dreaded the thought of your being at liberty."</p>
+
+<p>"Little man," I said, "you know this is a lie."</p>
+
+<p>"I wish it were. I have nothing whatever against you; on the contrary, I
+rather like you."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke this kindly, and I detected, as I thought, a friendly look in
+his face, so acting on the impulse of the moment I said to him, "Will
+you listen to what I have to tell you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he said, "I will listen."</p>
+
+<p>Then I told him briefly all I thought necessary to tell, and yet I felt
+that I had not the power to tell the truth well.</p>
+
+<p>"Your history seems very plausible, young man," he said, "but I have
+been warned against you."</p>
+
+<p>"But Miss Naomi Penryn knows that I am not a madman, neither have I
+annoyed her in any way."</p>
+
+<p>"You lie. I myself received a letter from her before you were brought
+here."</p>
+
+<p>"Let me see that letter."</p>
+
+<p>"No. Enough that I have told the truth. She fears you; she pleaded that
+you might be guarded until such time as it should be safe for you to be
+at liberty."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure the letter was written by her own hand? Do you know her
+handwriting?"</p>
+
+<p>"Know her handwriting! Why?" Then he added, quietly, "Yes, I know her
+handwriting."</p>
+
+<p>"But why do you think I shall be set at liberty in a week?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because she will have a protector."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"I mean that to-day she is being married to Master Nicholas Tresidder."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span></p><p>"To-day?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, to-day."</p>
+
+<p>"Go away," I said&mdash;"go away, for the sake of God. I want to be alone to
+think."</p>
+
+<p>He looked at me I thought pitifully and kindly; then he heaved a sigh
+and went away.</p>
+
+<p>When he was gone I lay for hours like one stunned. Food was brought to
+me, but I took no notice. Had poison been left in the room I believe I
+should have taken it, so weary of life was I. They had worked their
+will, then, and Naomi had been forced into an unholy marriage with the
+man who I was sure she did not love.</p>
+
+<p>I thought of trying to climb to the window, of breaking the glass,
+wrenching the iron bars from the wall, and falling headlong upon the
+rocks below, but I was too weak. I made a score of futile plans, each
+madder than the other.</p>
+
+<p>Presently I became more calm. Might not this be all lies? Or, again,
+even if it were true, ought I not, instead of contemplating suicide, to
+be brave and watchful, so that I might be able to protect her? Would she
+not as Nick Tresidder's wife need a friend? Besides&mdash;and then a score of
+conflicting thoughts seethed in my brain.</p>
+
+<p>Presently I began to try and understand the meaning of the old man's
+words about being set at liberty in a week. What did it mean? If she was
+to be married that day, why was I not set at liberty at once? Then I
+came to the conclusion that the man who was my gaoler would have to wait
+for orders. Richard Tresidder would wait until the marriage was
+consummated before he would communicate with him.</p>
+
+<p>But I will not try and recount all my thoughts. Many<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> of them were
+doubtless wild and foolish, neither would they interest those who may
+chance read this narrative.</p>
+
+<p>For the next week, in spite of my despairing thoughts, I looked forward
+to my being set at liberty. I counted the days eagerly, and daily did I
+ask questions of the little old man who came to see me when my captivity
+should be ended. But he always shook his head, neither could I get from
+him any other answer.</p>
+
+<p>When the week ended I expected something to happen. I should be probably
+blindfolded, pinioned, and conveyed to the walls of Pendennis Castle.
+But I was disappointed. A fortnight passed away, and still there was no
+change in my condition.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the meaning of this?" I asked. "Why am I not liberated as you
+promised?"</p>
+
+<p>But he gave no reply. Once I thought he would have spoken, for he seemed
+strangely moved, as though his mind were filled with doubts, but he left
+me without telling me the doubts which were in his mind.</p>
+
+<p>Another week passed away, and in spite of myself I began to hope. If my
+captivity were to continue until Naomi was wedded to Nick Tresidder, did
+not my continued imprisonment show that the marriage had not taken
+place? I remembered Naomi's words. I thought of the look she gave me
+when she bade me good-bye. Yes, I felt sure she loved me, and that she
+had refused to wed my enemy! I still fretted and fumed at my
+imprisonment; I longed with a longing beyond words to be free, but this
+thought was like a beacon light to a shipwrecked sailor. It gave me
+strength, too. In spite of everything health surged back into my being.</p>
+
+<p>But my release did not come.</p>
+
+<p>The days began to grow very cold, and I asked for a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> fire, but none was
+given me, and my captivity was hard to bear. I think I should have gone
+mad but for a Bible that had been given me. I read again and again the
+Book of Job; especially did my mind rest upon his latter days when the
+sun shone upon him again.</p>
+
+<p>One day the little man, who had told me to call him Jonathan, came into
+my cell weeping.</p>
+
+<p>"What ails you, Jonathan?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Alas!" was his reply.</p>
+
+<p>"What?" I cried eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"My little Naomi is dead!" he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Your little Naomi&mdash;dead!" I repeated, like one dazed. "What do you
+mean?"</p>
+
+<p>He started as though he had told me too much.</p>
+
+<p>But I was not to be trifled with. I caught him and held him fast.</p>
+
+<p>"You have made me desperate," I said; "I must know all now. Who told you
+that she was dead? What do you mean by calling her your Naomi? I must
+know everything."</p>
+
+<p>"I dare not!" he cried, distractedly&mdash;"I dare not, I am afraid."</p>
+
+<p>"Afraid of whom?"</p>
+
+<p>"Richard Tresidder. He will be master of&mdash;" He stopped, and then he wept
+bitterly.</p>
+
+<p>My hands dropped from him, for my strength had gone.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me," I said&mdash;"tell me, Jonathan, all you know."</p>
+
+<p>He kept sobbing, and this made me pity him, but no tears came to my own
+eyes. My heart became cold and seemed as hard as a stone.</p>
+
+<p>"She did not wed Master Nicholas Tresidder," he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> said; "and&mdash;and, oh,
+God forgive me, but since then she has died."</p>
+
+<p>For a time I could not collect my thoughts, the news seemed to have
+unhinged my mind, but presently I remembered. I thought of what I had
+heard Richard Tresidder say, and many wild thoughts came into my mind.</p>
+
+<p>"If she is dead," I said at length, "you can set me free."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, I&mdash;" He got up from the stool on which he had been sitting and
+left the room. I heard him lock the door behind him, and I had no
+strength to hinder him. At that moment I cared for nothing.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>I HEAR A STRANGE NOISE IN MY PRISON&mdash;THE SECRET PASSAGE WHICH I FOUND&mdash;A
+WILD STRUGGLE, AND A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE</h3>
+
+<p>I have said many times that I am not a man of quick understanding,
+neither was I ever clever at explaining puzzles. At that time, however,
+my brain seemed more than ordinarily active, and I saw things with a
+clearness that I had never seen before. Besides, I was sure that in the
+past I had been rendered partially incapable by the drugs which had been
+given me. Anyhow, the sudden shock seemed to have given me greater
+clearness of vision, so that I was able to comprehend things far more
+clearly than in the past. Hitherto, with the exception of occasional
+flashes of light, all had been dull, now I seemed to see the truth
+plainly. That which had come to me as vague conjectures now appeared as
+certainties, and in spite of the old man's dread news, I had more hope
+than in the past. I felt sure there were many things as yet unexplained.
+With my greater mental activity came also more physical vigour. I felt
+myself capable of trying to escape. I wondered at myself, Jasper
+Pennington, being kept so long a prisoner without making any attempt at
+escaping, and I determined that very day to take some definite steps to
+obtain my liberty. I therefore ate my dinner eagerly when it was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span>
+brought, for I felt that I should need all my strength, but within half
+an hour from the time the meal was ended a feeling of torpor again crept
+over me, and I fell asleep, neither did I wake for several hours. After
+I awoke some two or three hours passed before my vision was again clear.
+I saw then that if I were to take any definite action, I must refrain
+from the food provided for me, and this also placed me in a dilemma, for
+if I ate no food how could I retain my strength? What was done must be
+done quickly. Not only had my medicine contained a powerful narcotic,
+but my food also was drugged.</p>
+
+<p>Consequently I did not partake of my night meal, but instead I feigned
+illness when it was brought, and afterward thought of many things which
+I hoped to do.</p>
+
+<p>Presently, by the great silence which prevailed, I concluded that the
+inhabitants of my prison house had gone to rest, so I got up and tried
+the door. It was built strongly, but I believed it could be wrenched
+open if I had something in the shape of a crowbar. I thought of every
+article in the room, but could fasten on nothing suitable for the
+purpose, when I remembered the iron bars which had been placed outside
+the window. I climbed to the little opening in the wall, and opened the
+window as far as I was able. The cold air came rushing in, giving
+strength to my resolution. I seized one of the bars, but it did not
+move. Then I put forth my strength, which had been slowly coming back to
+me, and in a few minutes had torn it from the wall.</p>
+
+<p>"It will act as a weapon as well as a crowbar," I mused; then I got back
+to the door and began to try and place the iron between the door and the
+hinges. I had no light, and so I had to find out the crevice with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> my
+fingers. While trying to do this I gave a start. I was sure I heard a
+noise under my feet. At first it sounded like footsteps, then I heard a
+scraping against the floor. I listened intently, and presently I was
+able to locate the sound. It was just under the bed on which I had been
+lying.</p>
+
+<p>As quickly as I was able I removed the bed, and then listened again. For
+a time all was silent, then I heard a sound again, only this time it was
+different. Three knocks followed each other in quick succession, and I
+heard the boards vibrate under my feet.</p>
+
+<p>"Is it a friend or enemy, I wonder?" I asked myself, and I grasped the
+iron bar more firmly.</p>
+
+<p>I heard the boards creak as though something were pressed against them,
+but I could see nothing. Only a very faint light crept through the
+window which I had partially opened. Presently the boards began to give
+way. I knew this by a light which streamed into the room. Then I saw the
+floor move, and I heard a voice say, "Maaster Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>I knew the voice immediately. There was only one person in the world who
+could speak in such a tone.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli!" I cried, joyfully.</p>
+
+<p>"Doan't 'ee holla, Maaster Jasper," said Eli, in his hoarse, croaking
+voice, "but come to once."</p>
+
+<p>"Where?"</p>
+
+<p>"Away from 'ere. Ther's some steps down to the say. Come on."</p>
+
+<p>I needed no second bidding. I knew that Eli was thoroughly trustworthy,
+and so I lifted the boards, which proved to be a trap-door, and then,
+putting one foot through, I realised that I stood on a stone step.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span></p><p>"Come after me, Maaster Jasper," said Eli; "maake 'aste, they may come
+after us."</p>
+
+<p>So I squeezed my body through the trap-doorway, and prepared to follow
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"Cloase thickey trap, Maaster Jasper," said Eli, and I saw his strange
+eyes shining in the dim light.</p>
+
+<p>In my eagerness to do this I made the thing drop heavily, and the noise
+echoed and re-echoed through the building.</p>
+
+<p>"That'll waake 'em up," cried Eli. "Come on, come vast, Maaster Jasper!"</p>
+
+<p>With an agility of which no man would have thought him capable, he
+hurried down the steps, mumbling fiercely to himself all the time. I
+soon found that this stairway was very crooked and often small. I
+imagined then, what I have since found to be true, that the house in
+which I had been imprisoned had been used as a place of storage for
+smuggled goods, while the way by which I was trying to escape was a
+secret way to it.</p>
+
+<p>We had not descended many yards before I heard voices above, while I
+knew that feet were tramping on the floor of my late prison. Evidently
+the noise I had made in closing the trap-door had aroused my warders,
+and they would now do their utmost to capture me.</p>
+
+<p>My senses were now fully alive, and I determined that it should go hard
+with those who tried to hinder my escape. To my dismay I discovered that
+I had left my iron bar behind, and that I had no weapons, save my two
+hands, which had naturally been weakened by my long imprisonment.
+However, there was no time for despair, so I followed close on Eli's
+heels, who wriggled his way down the crooked and often difficult
+descent.</p>
+
+<p>We must have got down perhaps one hundred feet,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> when, turning a corner,
+a current of air came up, blowing out Eli's light and leaving us in
+darkness.</p>
+
+<p>"Can 'ee zee, Maaster Jasper?" cried Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Just a little. Can you?"</p>
+
+<p>"I cud allays zee in the dark," he grunted, but his statement was not
+altogether borne out, for his speed was much lessened. Still we managed
+to get on fairly well, for Eli could see in places which to most people
+would be impenetrable darkness, and I had been so much accustomed to the
+dark that I was not altogether helpless.</p>
+
+<p>After all I suppose it is difficult to find perfect darkness. Light is
+only a relative term, and depends very much on the nature of our eyes.
+Thus it was that while we could not go nearly so fast as we had been
+going, we could still with difficulty find our way.</p>
+
+<p>Presently we heard the sound of footsteps, and I knew by their rapid
+movement that our pursuers would gain upon us. Eagerly we hurried on,
+and each minute the sound of the footsteps behind us became plainer.</p>
+
+<p>"How much farther, Eli?" I panted.</p>
+
+<p>"A long way yet, and a hard job when we git to the end," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"How?"</p>
+
+<p>"The mouth of this 'ere addit es fathoms above the say," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"How did you get here?" then I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell 'ee when we git away," he said, impatiently.</p>
+
+<p>Then I chided myself for asking so much, for even these few words must
+have somewhat lessened our speed.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the steps came nearer and nearer.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop!" cried Eli, presently.</p>
+
+<p>We stopped suddenly, while we both listened eagerly.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span></p><p>"There be three on 'em," he grunted.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, or more."</p>
+
+<p>"No, only three&mdash;we caan't git away&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"We must, we will!" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Only by fightin' 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, we'll fight them," I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Come on then&mdash;there es a big place down 'ere. Furder down tes awful to
+git along, and we caan't go wi'out a light."</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds later we stood in an open place. It was almost round, and
+might have been twenty feet across. I saw this by the light which Eli
+managed to fit as soon as we got there. It took him some few seconds to
+fit it, however, and by that time our pursuers were upon us.</p>
+
+<p>I saw in a second that two of them looked like serving-men, the third
+was dressed as a gentleman. I could not see his face, however, but I
+thought he looked a strong man. To my joy none appeared to be armed. Eli
+stood by my side, but his head was no higher than my loins. Thus I and
+the dwarf had to battle with the three. I did not wait a second. I dared
+not, for my liberty, perhaps my life, were at stake. Besides, I
+believed, in spite of what I had heard, that Naomi was not dead. Had she
+been I should have been removed from my prison, if not set at liberty;
+at least, such was my belief.</p>
+
+<p>Without hesitation, therefore, before a word could be spoken, I struck
+one of the serving-men a tremendous blow. He staggered against the side
+of the cave with a thud, and fell like a lump of lead. For a little
+while at all events we should be two to two, for Eli, insignificant as
+he seemed, was a formidable opponent, although<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> at that time I did not
+believe him to be a match for a well-grown man.</p>
+
+<p>Encouraged by the success of my blow, I made a leap on the man I took to
+be a gentleman. My blow was, however, warded off, and I received a
+stunning blow behind the ear.</p>
+
+<p>Now during the time I had been imprisoned I had, as I have stated, been
+kept in a half-dazed condition, and although my strength had been slowly
+coming back to me, I was weak compared with the time when I had been
+taken a prisoner at Pendennis Castle. My food had been drugged, and my
+enforced inactivity had made my sinews soft like a woman's. Besides, I
+felt I had met with a skilled fighter, and I knew by the blow he gave me
+that he was a strong man. Moreover, I doubted Eli's ability to engage
+with the other serving-man, and this made me doubtful about the result
+of our struggle.</p>
+
+<p>All this passed through my mind in a second, but I did not yield, for
+while the want of hope takes away strength, despair makes men desperate,
+and I was desperate. Somehow, although I could not tell why, I felt I
+was fighting for Naomi as well as myself. So, reckless of consequences,
+I made a second leap on my opponent and caught him by the collar, and
+then some wrappings which had partially obscured his face fell off, and
+I saw Nick Tresidder.</p>
+
+<p>He writhed and struggled in my hands, but I held him fast.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, Nick Tresidder," I cried, "we meet face to face, then. Well, I've
+got an adder by the throat, and I mean to hold him there."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he said, "we meet face to face." Then with a sudden twist he made
+himself free.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span></p><p>For a second I looked hastily around the cave. A torch was lying on the
+floor which lit up our strange meeting-place, and near it I saw Eli
+struggling with the serving-man.</p>
+
+<p>He looked at me scornfully, while I, panting and partially exhausted,
+tried to harden my sinews for a second attack. I determined to be
+careful, however. I knew Nick Tresidder of old; I knew he would fight
+with all the cunning of a serpent, and that he had as many tricks as a
+monkey, so that, while he would be no match for me had my strength been
+normal, he would now possibly be my master in my comparative weakness.</p>
+
+<p>He took no notice of Eli, who struggled with the serving-man, but kept
+his eyes on me.</p>
+
+<p>"You fool, Jasper Pennington," he said. "I had come here to set you
+free; now you will never leave this place alive."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" I panted, for want of better words.</p>
+
+<p>"Because you know now who imprisoned you, and if you escaped you would
+tell it to the world. I dare not let the world know this, so you and Eli
+will have to die."</p>
+
+<p>I felt sure there was some trick in this, although I could not tell what
+it was.</p>
+
+<p>"But if I had been set free the world would have known," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"No, you would have been taken to a far-off spot, and you would never
+have known where your prison was, nor could you have sworn who
+imprisoned you."</p>
+
+<p>"But I am going to escape," I said, still keeping my eyes on him, while
+I could hear Eli grunting as he struggled with the serving-man.</p>
+
+<p>"No," he said, "you are as weak as a baby. Your<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> strength even now has
+gone. You thought bodily strength everything; I, on the other hand, know
+that brains is more than bodily strength. Do you think I did not know
+who I was dealing with? You are a fool. Every mouthful of food you have
+been eating while you have been here has kept you weak. Now you are no
+match for me. And I am going to kill you! Shall I tell you where you
+are? You are at Trevose, the house that was Naomi's. Shall I tell you
+something else?" and he laughed mockingly. "Naomi Penryn loved you&mdash;but
+she's dead; and now Trevose House and lands belong to the Tresidders, do
+you see?"</p>
+
+<p>Then, I know not how, but a great strength came to me, an unnatural
+strength. My heart grew cold, but my hands and arms felt like steel. His
+bitter, mocking words seemed to dry up all the milk of human kindness in
+my nature. At that moment I ceased to be a man. I was simply an
+instrument of vengeance. His words gave me a great joy on the one hand,
+for I knew he would not have told me she loved me, did he not believe it
+to be true, but this only intensified my feeling of utter despair caused
+by those terrible words, "But she's dead." I felt sure, too, that she
+had been persecuted; I knew instinctively of all that she had had to
+contend with, how they brought argument after argument to persuade her
+to marry Nick, and how, because she had refused, they had slowly but
+surely killed her.</p>
+
+<p>And Nick gloated over the fact that Trevose lands belonged to him as
+though that were the result of good luck rather than as the outcome of
+systematic cruelty and murder.</p>
+
+<p>I was very calm I remember, but it was an unnatural calm. I looked
+around me, and Eli was still struggling<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> with the serving-man, and to my
+delight he was slowly mastering him.</p>
+
+<p>"Nick Tresidder," I said, "you and your brood robbed my father, you have
+robbed me, robbed me of everything I hold dear. I am going to kill you
+now with these hands."</p>
+
+<p>He laughed scornfully, as though I had spoken vain words; but he knew
+not that there is a passion which overcomes physical weakness.</p>
+
+<p>"I know it is to be a duel to the death," he laughed, "for I could not
+afford to allow you to leave here alive."</p>
+
+<p>"God Almighty is tired of you," I said; "He has given me the power to
+crush the life out of you," and all the time I spoke I felt as though my
+sinews were like steel bands.</p>
+
+<p>He leapt upon me as quickly as a flash of light, but it did not matter.
+In a minute I caught him in what the wrestlers call the cross-hitch. I
+put forth my strength, and his right arm cracked like a rotten stick,
+but he did not cry out. Then I put my arm around him and slowly crushed
+the breath out of his body. I think he felt the meaning of my words
+then.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop, Jasper," he gasped, "she's not dead&mdash;she's&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>But he did not speak. I do not think he could. I relaxed my hold, but he
+lay limp in my arms like a sick child. Never in my life could I hurt an
+unresisting man, so I let him fall, and he lay like a log of wood. But
+he was still breathing, and I knew that he would live. But my passion
+had died away, and so had my strength.</p>
+
+<p>I turned around and I saw that Eli had mastered the serving-man. He had
+placed his hands around his neck,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> and had I not pulled the dwarf away
+the man would have died.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli," I said, picking up the torch, "they will not follow us now.
+Come."</p>
+
+<p>But Eli did not want to come. He looked at the men we had mastered, and
+his eyes glared with an unearthly light, and like a lion who has tasted
+blood he did not seem satisfied.</p>
+
+<p>"An eye for an eye," he said; "tha's what mawther do zay. Iss, an' a
+tooth for a tooth."</p>
+
+<p>"Lead the way to the sea, Eli," I said, and like a dog he obeyed. Taking
+the torch from me he crawled down the passage, laughing in a strange
+guttural way as he went. All the time my mind was resting on Nick
+Tresidder's words, "She's not dead. She's&mdash;" and in spite of myself hope
+came into my heart again, while a thousand wild thoughts flashed through
+my mind.</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes later we felt the sea-spray dashing against our faces,
+while the winds beat furiously upon us. Below us, perhaps twenty feet
+down, the sea thundered on the rocky cliff.</p>
+
+<p>"What are we to do now, Eli?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>He looked anxiously around him like one in doubt; then he put his
+fingers in his mouth, and gave a long piercing whistle.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are you whistling to?"</p>
+
+<p>"He's coming," he answered, looking out over the wild waters.</p>
+
+<p>"Who's coming?"</p>
+
+<p>"The man that told me."</p>
+
+<p>"Who is he?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell 'ee, Maaster Jasper. I've bin 'ere fer days, I have. I was
+loppin 'round 'cawse I knawed you was 'ere."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span></p><p>"How did you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell 'ee as zoon as we git away, Maaster Jasper. Well, as I was
+loppin' round I zeed a man, he looked oal maazed. He spoked to me, and I
+spoked to 'ee. Then we got a talkin' 'bout lots o' things. He seemed
+afraid to meet anybody, but axed scores ov questions. Oal he tould me
+about hisself was that he was an ould smuggler that used to land cargoes
+round 'ere. One day I seed a hankerchuff 'angin' from thickey winder,
+an' I knawed 'twas yours. I was wonderin' 'ow I cud git to 'ee, and I
+axed the man ef he knawed anything 'bout the 'ouse. After a bit he tould
+me that there was a sacret passage a-goin' from the cliff to the room
+where the winder was. Tha's 'ow 'twas. I'll tell 'ee more zoon. There he
+es, look."</p>
+
+<p>I saw something dark moving on the water, and presently discerned a man
+in a boat.</p>
+
+<p>Eli whistled again, and the whistle was answered.</p>
+
+<p>"How did you get from the sea up here?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I climbed up, Maaster Jasper, but I can't go down that way."</p>
+
+<p>The boat came nearer.</p>
+
+<p>"Es et saafe to plunge?" shouted Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," was the reply underneath.</p>
+
+<p>"No rocks?"</p>
+
+<p>"Dive as far out to sea as you can, and you'll go into twenty feet of
+water."</p>
+
+<p>"All right," shouted Eli, then turning to me, he said, "I'll dive first,
+Maaster Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"Can you swim?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Swem!" he sneered; "ed'n my mawther a witch?"</p>
+
+<p>He plunged into the sea, and I heard the splash of his body as it fell
+into the water, then I saw him get into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> the boat, which was rocked to
+and fro with the great waves.</p>
+
+<p>"All right," I heard a voice from beneath say, "now then!"</p>
+
+<p>I gathered myself together for the dive, and I think my heart failed me.
+My strength seemed to have entirely left me, and it looked an awful
+distance between me and the frothy waves beneath. Besides, might I not
+strike against a rock? Then I think my senses left me, although I am not
+sure. It seemed as though the sea became calm, and a great silence fell
+upon everything. After that I heard a voice which seemed like Naomi's.</p>
+
+<p>"Help, Jasper!" it said.</p>
+
+<p>Then all fear, all hesitation left me, and I plunged into the sea
+beneath. I felt my body cutting the air, then an icy feeling gripped me
+as I sunk in the waters. When I rose to the surface I saw the boat a few
+yards from me rising on the crest of a wave.</p>
+
+<p>I could hear nothing, however, save a roar which seemed like ten
+thousand thunders. I struck out boldly for the boat, but Eli and the
+other man seemed to mock me with jeering menaces. I struggled hard and
+long, but the boat seemed to get no nearer, and presently I thought I
+heard unearthly laughter above the wild roar of the breakers.</p>
+
+<p>"Ha, ha," I thought I heard them saying, "now we've got you; this is
+Granfer Fraddam's phantom boat, this is. Swim, Jasper Pennington, swim!"</p>
+
+<p>I tried to swim, but my legs seemed to be weighted, while around me
+floated thousands of hideous jabbering things which I thought tried to
+lure me on to the rocks.</p>
+
+<p>I looked landward and the house in which I had been imprisoned appeared
+to shine in a strange ruddy light,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> until it looked like one of those
+enchanted houses which one sees in dreams.</p>
+
+<p>Then I thought I heard Naomi's voice again, "Help, Jasper, help!"</p>
+
+<p>But all my struggles seemed of no avail. I fancied I was being carried
+by the force of the waves farther and farther out to sea, while all the
+time Eli and the other man beckoned me onward, their boat rising and
+falling on the bosom of the ever-heaving waters.</p>
+
+<p>Then I felt cold hands grip me, and I was dragged I knew not whither,
+while everything was engulfed in impenetrable darkness.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<h3>TELLS OF THE MANNER OF MY ESCAPE, OF THE STRANGE MAN I MET, AND OF ELI'S
+STORY OF A BURIED TREASURE</h3>
+
+<p>The next thing I can remember was a sensation of choking, of trying in
+vain to get my breath; then a weight seemed to be slowly rolled from me,
+and I felt myself free.</p>
+
+<p>I opened my eyes and found myself in a cave. At first I thought it was
+the one in which I had fought with Nick Tresidder, but I soon found
+myself to be mistaken. I lay upon coarse, dry sand, while close to me a
+fire burned. Its grateful light and warmth caused a pleasant sensation;
+then I realised that my wet clothes had been taken from me, and that I
+was rolled in a warm, dry blanket.</p>
+
+<p>"You be better now, Maaster Jasper, be'ant 'ee, then?" I looked up and
+saw Eli Fraddam bending over me.</p>
+
+<p>"How did I get here?" I asked, in a dazed kind of way, "and where am I?"</p>
+
+<p>"You be cloase to Bedruthan Steps, an tha's where you be, Maaster
+Jasper; you be in one of the caaves. 'Tes oal lew and coasy 'ere, and
+you'll be oal right again. But you've bin as sick as a shag, and as
+cowld as a coddle."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span></p><p>I tried to call to memory what had passed. Then I said, "But how did I
+get here, Eli, and how long is it since we came?"</p>
+
+<p>"We brought 'ee 'ere, Maaster Jasper, in the booat, ya knaw. You tumbled
+in the say, and we was a goodish bit afore we cud git 'ee on boaard. We
+was feard for a long time that you was dead, but you're oal right now.
+Yer things 'll zoon be dry, and then you c'n dress up oal spruce and
+purty."</p>
+
+<p>Slowly my mind became clear; then I remembered the man who had been in
+the boat while Eli and I had been together in the secret passage.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is the man who helped you with the boat?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Here 'ee es. Come 'ere, maaster."</p>
+
+<p>Then I saw a strange-looking man who, as far as I could judge, might be
+any age between fifty and seventy. I looked at him steadily for some
+time. Somehow his face seemed familiar. I could not call to mind where I
+had seen it, however. He had a long gray beard, while his hair was also
+long and unkempt. His eyes shone with a wild brilliancy, and he seemed
+to be always eagerly watching.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you for helping me," I said; "it was very good of you."</p>
+
+<p>"Was it?" he replied. "Do you really think it was good of me?"</p>
+
+<p>"It was, indeed," I responded. "I wish I could repay you somehow. Some
+time I hope to have the power."</p>
+
+<p>He looked at me eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad you think it was good of me," he said; "so very glad. Will you
+tell me something?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p><p>"If I can I will," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think it possible that many good deeds&mdash;many, many, many&mdash;can
+atone for wild, bad, murderous actions?"</p>
+
+<p>"God takes everything into account," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think He does&mdash;do you? I'll tell you something," and he drew
+closer to me. "Years ago&mdash;long years ago&mdash;oh! so long, so long!&mdash;well,
+say I was a smuggler, a wrecker&mdash;oh, what you like! Well, say in
+self-defence, in passion, in frenzy, I killed a King's officer&mdash;do you
+think God will forgive me? And say, too, that since then I've roamed and
+roamed, all over the world, always trying to do good deeds, kind
+deeds&mdash;do you think God takes them into account?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sure He does," I answered.</p>
+
+<p>"I only wanted to know your opinion," he replied, as though trying to
+speak carelessly. "Of course I only imagined a case, only imagined
+it&mdash;that's all."</p>
+
+<p>Now this kind of talk set me wondering about the man, and imagining who
+he might be. Wildly as he looked, strangely as he spoke, curiously as he
+was dressed, he still spoke like an educated man. I watched him as he
+continued to cast glances around the cave, and I came to the conclusion
+that he was mad. I opened my mouth to ask him questions, but the
+remembrance that Eli might be able to tell me what I wanted to know
+about the Tresidders restrained me.</p>
+
+<p>"How did you know how to find me?" I asked of Eli. "Tell me everything
+that happened since I left you that morning."</p>
+
+<p>Eli, who had continued to look at me all the time I had been speaking to
+the stranger, gave a start as I asked the question.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p><p>"Wondered why you did'n come back from Fammuth," he grunted, "so I went
+and axed 'bout 'ee. Cudden vind out nothin'. Then I beginned to worm
+around. I vound out that Neck Trezidder 'ad tould the passon not to cry
+the banns at church. Then I got the new cook at Pennington to come to
+mawther and 'ave 'er fortin tould; then mawther an' me wormed out oal
+she knawed 'bout the things up to Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>"What?" I asked, while all the time the strange man seemed to be eagerly
+devouring Eli's words.</p>
+
+<p>"The Trezidders and the purty maid ev quaruled about you."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss. Neck wanted the purty maid to marry un, and she wudden, and they
+axed 'er 'bout you, and she wudden tell nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>"How did the new cook know this?"</p>
+
+<p>"She 'arkened at the door."</p>
+
+<p>I did not feel then, neither do I feel now, that I did wrong in trying
+to find out the actions of the Tresidders even by such means as this. My
+heart was torn by a great anxiety, and my love for Naomi seemed to grow
+every hour.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what then?"</p>
+
+<p>"The cook cudden maake it oal out, but the purty maid axed to go to some
+plaace called a convent."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! a convent&mdash;yes," I cried, my mind reverting back to the
+conversation I had heard between Richard Tresidder and his son.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, she went; tha's oal I do knaw 'bout she."</p>
+
+<p>"You are sure?" I asked, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>Eli hung his head.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span></p><p>"Tell me is that all?" I gasped. "Tell me all you know&mdash;everything."</p>
+
+<p>"Poor Jasper, deear Jasper!" crooned Eli, patting my hands. "Eli loves
+Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"But tell me everything, Eli."</p>
+
+<p>"You wa'ant go maazed?"</p>
+
+<p>"No."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I heerd she was dead; but I dunnaw. There, do'ant 'ee give way,
+Maaster Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>For a few seconds I was stunned, but I called to mind Nick's words, and
+I was comforted; at any rate, there was hope.</p>
+
+<p>"And the rest, Eli?" I asked. "How did you find out where I was?"</p>
+
+<p>"It took me a long time. I went to Kynance, and I 'arkened round
+Pennington, but I cudden 'eer nothin'. Then wawn day I seed Israel
+Barnicoat talkin' with Maaster Trezidder, then I beginned to wonder."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; what then?"</p>
+
+<p>"I tried to pump un, but I cudden."</p>
+
+<p>"Well?"</p>
+
+<p>"Then wawn day I got'n home to mawther's, and we maade un nearly drunk,
+and then I vound out. He'd bin 'ired by Maaster Trezidder to taake 'ee
+to Trevawse 'Ouse. Little by little I vound out where it was, then I
+comed to 'ee."</p>
+
+<p>I did not ask him any more questions. I knew nearly all he could tell me
+now; besides, the presence of the stranger kept me from entering into
+further details. My imagination filled up what was not related.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli got summin to tell Maaster Jasper when we git aloane," grunted Eli
+presently.</p>
+
+<p>The man with whom I had been speaking walked out<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> of the cave, and I
+could not but think he had been brought up as a gentleman in spite of
+his wild, unkempt appearance.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" I asked. "Where is the convent to which Miss Penryn was
+taken? Can you tell me that?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, I ca'ant; ted'n 'bout that."</p>
+
+<p>"What then?"</p>
+
+<p>"You reckleck thicky night when you comed 'ome from say&mdash;that night when
+mawther brought out the crock and brandis, and tould yer fortin?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"And you do mind to that Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy Coad comed to 'ee?"</p>
+
+<p>"I remember."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you eerd 'em axin mawther 'bout the saicret paaper that tould 'em
+'bout a treasure?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"Well"&mdash;and Eli put his mouth close to my ear&mdash;"I do knaw where thicky
+paaper es. I've vound un out, an' saved un for Maaster Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"Eli do love Maaster Jasper"&mdash;and again the poor gnome began fondling
+and caressing my hands&mdash;"so Eli have wormed around and around, and ev
+vound out where et es. Aw, aw, when Cap'n Jack an' Cap'n Billy cudden
+vind et they ded swear they ded, but Eli do knaw, an' Eli'll give ut to
+Maaster Jasper, 'ee will, then Maaster Jasper c'n pay 'em oal out. Turn
+out Maaster Trezidder, my deear, and live at Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me more about it, Eli?" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Hush, we mus'n tell nobody. Aw, aw!" and again the dwarf laughed
+gleefully.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span></p><p>"There's no witchcraft, no wizard's charms about the treasure, is
+there? It wasn't made in hell, was it?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no; tes oal right. Granfer Fraddam was once a pirut on the 'igh
+says."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; I know he was once a pirate on the high seas, but what of that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, he got the paaper from another pirut. Some do zay he ded kill un,
+but that ed'n true. Well, 'ee got et."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but if he got a paper telling where the treasure was, why did he
+not take it away?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Granfer cudden raid, fur wawn thing, and fur another, 'ee wos
+feared."</p>
+
+<p>"Afraid of what?"</p>
+
+<p>"Several things. For wawn thing, he was tould that 'twas onlucky to git
+a treasure that was got through killin' people; but that wudden stop
+Granfer, I do knaw."</p>
+
+<p>"Then what was it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Granfer cudden raid the direckshuns, and 'ee cud never maake up
+his mind to shaw et to anybody that cud. Now, they do zay that when 'ee
+talked 'bout et 'ee was awful feared. He zed ef 'ee shawed et to anybody
+they'd kill un. I spoase Granfer was a wisht ould man after 'ee 'ad a
+accident, and was too ould to live out to say. He repented and turned
+religious. That was why 'ee ded'n do nothin' but smugglin'. Well, so 'ee
+did eed away the paper wot 'ee got from the man, and waited till 'ee cud
+vind somebody to trust. But he cudden vind nobody&mdash;nobody toal. Besides,
+everybody was frad to 'ave anything to do wi' Granfer. People did
+believe 'ee was a wizard, and 'ad dailins weth the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> devil. Mawther do
+zay that nobody would go out mor'n seven mile out to say weth Granfer."</p>
+
+<p>"And where is this paper?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, aw. I vound out I did. Granfer tould mawther, and mawther did tell
+me. I vound et, and did eed it in another plaace. Aw, aw, you shud a
+eerd Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy swear when they cudden vind et. Aw, aw.
+But I did love Maaster Jasper, and I'll take 'ee to et, Maaster Jasper,
+my deear."</p>
+
+<p>All the time Eli was speaking he kept fondling my hands and caressing
+me, just as a man would caress a maid whom he loves.</p>
+
+<p>"But does your mother know what you have done?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, she doan't. She do believe it have been sperrited away."</p>
+
+<p>"Spirited away; what do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"Mawther do knaw. Aw, aw. But she ed'n right this time, and yet she is
+oal the time."</p>
+
+<p>As I have before mentioned, it was no uncommon thing to hear about
+hidden treasures along our coast. Indeed, from earliest childhood I have
+heard of gangs of pirates burying treasures in many of our secret
+hiding-places; so common were such stories that we had ceased to pay
+attention to them. Consequently I had given but little attention to the
+conversation I had heard between Cap'n Jack and Betsey, neither did I
+attach much value to what Eli had been telling me. If such a treasure
+existed, and if Granfer Fraddam knew of it, he would have found means to
+have obtained it. I knew that during Granfer Fraddam's later years he
+was said to have tried to get religion, and wanted very hard to break
+away from a compact he made with the evil one in his young days. There
+were also stories telling how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> he pleaded with Betsey to give up all
+connection with witchcraft, and that because she would not agree to this
+he died in his secret cave rather than have her near him. But all these
+were stories to which I, who had had a fair amount of schooling, had
+paid but little attention.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, at this time I was thinking about the sweet maid that I loved
+rather than the treasure that Eli spoke about. What were treasures to me
+if she were dead? What was Pennington, the home of my fathers even, if
+she had been slowly killed by the Tresidder brood? I asked myself many
+times what Nick Tresidder had meant by his words; I wondered, too, where
+the convent was in which she had been placed, and as I wondered my heart
+was torn with anguish, for all the world was nothing to me without
+Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>And so for a long time I did not talk to Eli concerning that about which
+he had spoken. I seemed rather to be eating my heart away, and almost
+wished that I had died when I had plunged into the sea a few hours
+before, for what could I do? Where was the convent in which she was
+placed? How could I get to her? And if I tried, what steps would the
+Tresidders take to hinder me? From the fact that Nick Tresidder had come
+to Trevose, would it not suggest that he had come to claim the land as
+his? And would he not take steps even now to get me out of the way?</p>
+
+<p>These and a hundred other questions I asked myself, until my brain
+became weary again, and my heart was sick with disappointment, sorrow,
+and despair.</p>
+
+<p>"Will Maaster Jasper go with poor little Eli?" grunted my companion
+presently. "I knaw where the paper es, Maaster Jasper. 'Tes covered weth
+ritin' and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> funny lines; but Maaster Jasper es clever, he can vind et
+out. Spanish money, Maaster Jasper&mdash;'eaps and 'eaps ov et. You could buy
+back Pennington, Maaster Jasper, and pay out the Trezidders&mdash;pay 'em
+out; iss, an' turn 'em out, neck and crop!"</p>
+
+<p>Why is it, I wonder, that the human heart turns so naturally to revenge?
+In my despair it came to me as a comfort, this thought of driving the
+Tresidders from Pennington. For the moment I became eager about Eli's
+story of the treasure, and asked many questions&mdash;foolish as the whole
+business might be&mdash;as to what Granfer Fraddam had told his mother, and
+what she had told him.</p>
+
+<p>After a while I remembered the man who had been our companion, and I
+sent Eli to try and find him.</p>
+
+<p>When Eli had gone I examined my clothes and found them dry. So I put
+them on, wondering all the time as to whose they might be, and who had
+worn them prior to the time the man had given them to me.</p>
+
+<p>No sooner had I finished dressing than Eli and the man came in. I
+thought the latter looked more calm and self-possessed. He brought some
+bread, too, and some salted fish. Then for the first time I saw some
+simple cooking utensils in the cave.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you been living in this cave?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he replied; "I have been living here for a month. But you are
+welcome. I want to do good deeds if I may. I want to atone."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you done anything so bad, then," I asked, "else why do you wish to
+atone?"</p>
+
+<p>He looked at me eagerly for a few seconds; then, without speaking, he
+put two pans on the fire, first of all filling them with water. After
+this he placed the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> fish in one of the pans, and waited while the water
+boiled.</p>
+
+<p>"What is your name, young man?" he asked presently.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>"Of Pennington?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; what do you know about it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I knew of a family of that name long years ago. Pennington of
+Pennington. Why are you in this plight?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because I have been robbed of my birthright," I replied, bitterly.</p>
+
+<p>"By whom?"</p>
+
+<p>"The Tresidder family."</p>
+
+<p>"The Tresidder family&mdash;ah!" He said this with great bitterness and
+passion. After a few seconds he grew calm again. "And have you sought to
+be revenged?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have sought rather to win back my own. But what do you know of the
+Tresidders?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing&mdash;oh, nothing, nothing, nothing! What could I, a poor
+shipwrecked sailor, know about a great family?" This he said hurriedly,
+almost fearfully, I thought. Presently he continued, "And you have done
+no rash deeds, Jasper Pennington?"</p>
+
+<p>"No."</p>
+
+<p>"You have not killed any of their men, their women?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; not yet."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, be careful. Do you know"&mdash;and he heaped some driftwood on the
+fire&mdash;"that one moment of madness drives a man to hell? I've been in
+hell now for&mdash;oh, nigh upon twenty years. Hell, Jasper Pennington, a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>
+burning hell! Suffer anything, anything rather than&mdash;than&mdash;oh, it's
+nothing. I'm only imagining still; but there&mdash;" And he became silent
+again.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of my many doubts and fears I became interested in the man, and
+I watched him closely.</p>
+
+<p>"Look, Jasper Pennington," he said presently, "anything got through
+evil, through bloodshed, through murder carries a curse with it. I've
+had the curse of Cain upon me now for many a year. I have been a
+wanderer on the face of the earth, but I have kept my eyes open.
+Everywhere it has been the same. Blood money, hate money, money evilly
+got, always carries a curse. Don't touch it, don't touch it! It does not
+burn the hands&mdash;oh, but it burns the heart, the soul! Oh, I have seen! I
+know!"</p>
+
+<p>"But supposing your father had his home stolen from him by lies,
+treachery, fraud&mdash;suppose your father said to you with his dying breath,
+'Get back that land; it is yours, it is your birthright, your true
+possession,' what would you do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper Pennington, there be other birthrights than those of law&mdash;there
+be those of God. There is the birthright of clean, bloodless hands and a
+pure heart; there is the birthright of an easy conscience, and the power
+to pray! It is more than money."</p>
+
+<p>"You do not know everything," I said, "or you would speak differently."</p>
+
+<p>"I not know!" he cried; "I not know! My God! my God!"</p>
+
+<p>For a few seconds I thought him mad again, but presently he became calm.
+"The food is ready," he said; "we will eat of it. I got it from a
+cottage yonder. After we have eaten you may like to tell me all about
+yourself.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> Perchance I could help you; perchance, too, I am not what I
+seem."</p>
+
+<p>Something about the man charmed me. As I have mentioned, he spoke
+correctly, and in spite of his strange attire he looked like a
+gentleman. So when I had eaten I told him my story.</p>
+
+<p>"Is that all?" he said, when I had finished. "There is something else.
+Your eyes would never shine so at the thought of being robbed of lands."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, there is more," I cried, for I had not told him of my love; and
+then&mdash;and I wondered at myself as I did so&mdash;I told him of my love for
+Naomi, but only in barest outline. I did not tell her name, I did not
+speak of her as coming from Trevose, I did not relate how Richard
+Tresidder hoped through her to gain Trevose.</p>
+
+<p>When I had finished he sat for many minutes looking steadfastly into the
+fire, while his eyes grew as red as the red coals into which he looked.</p>
+
+<p>"You have not told me all yet, Jasper Pennington," he said; "there is
+much behind. Why do you think they have ill-treated if not killed the
+fair maid you love? Why should they seek to put her into the convent?
+Ay, more, how and by what right were you taken to yon house on the
+cliffs? Tell me that, Jasper Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke slowly, but with terrible intensity, and for a moment a feeling
+which I cannot describe passed through my heart.</p>
+
+<p>"There is something else, Jasper Pennington," he continued. "What is the
+name of the fair maid you love, and whose child is she?"</p>
+
+<p>On saying this he caught my hand with a hard, tight grasp, and looked
+eagerly into my eyes.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW I LEFT BEDRUTHEN STEPS AND, AFTER MEETING TAMSIN TRUSCOTT, SOUGHT FOR NAOMI</h3>
+
+<p>I know not why, but when the stranger acted in this way he seemed to put
+a bridle on my tongue. The name of my love was on my lips, but I could
+not utter it.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you afraid to tell, Jasper Pennington?" he asked, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"It is not for you to know," I replied; "besides, she may be dead. I
+have been told that she&mdash;" Then I stopped, for my heart seemed to grow
+too big for my bosom.</p>
+
+<p>"Died of a broken 'art," mumbled Eli. "The Trezidders killed 'er."</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me more!" cried the stranger, excitedly. Then he added, in calmer
+tones, "I may be able to help you."</p>
+
+<p>But I did not speak, whereupon he walked to and fro the cave, making all
+sorts of ejaculations, and at times looking savagely at me, as though I
+were his enemy.</p>
+
+<p>Presently, however, he grew calm and thoughtful; he seemed to be musing
+over what I had told him, as though he had an interest in it. This
+surprised me greatly, and set me thinking who he could be, until plans
+of action for myself began to form themselves in my brain.</p>
+
+<p>After I had thought awhile I went out of the cave<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> and stood in the bay
+called Bedruthen Steps. Accustomed as I had been all my life to the
+sight of a fine rock-bound coast, I could not help being awed at the
+scene. The great rocks which lift their mighty heads in Kynance Cove
+were not equal to these. Often while living at Cap'n Jack's house I had
+wandered along the many-coloured cliffs which stretch from Kynance to
+the Lizard, and had seen the waves leap on them, sometimes playfully,
+sometimes in mad anger, while thousands of streamlets ran down their
+rugged sides afterward, as if to laugh at the anger of the sea; but
+never had I seen anything so fine, so awe-inspiring as this. For a
+moment it made me forget the objects dearest to my heart. The tide was
+not high enough to reach the mouth of the cave at which I stood; at the
+same time the angry seas rolled madly along the sand, and were churned
+into foam by the great rocks along the beach. I had heard about rocks
+standing as sentinels, but never until then did I realise the meaning of
+the words. That day, however, the meaning of such language was quite
+plain. The cliffs stood from three to four hundred feet high, almost
+perpendicular, save here and there where some narrow gully sloped
+somewhat. These cliffs were dark gray, rough, jagged and forbidding, and
+seemed to quietly mock the roving, rushing sea which beat upon them.</p>
+
+<p>Along the beach, perhaps a hundred yards or more from the cliffs, a
+number of huge rocks stood alone. I suppose at some time they must have
+slipped from the mainland, but that was undoubtedly in the far-back
+past. One of them, I remember, was shaped like a spire, and seemed to
+look with derision on the foaming waters that sometimes nearly covered
+it, and at others<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> left it standing ill all its majesty on the white,
+hard sand.</p>
+
+<p>"Surely," I thought, "God has been lavish of His grandeur here," and
+even as this came into my mind the relentlessness and the cruelty of the
+sea impressed me. Everything made me feel my littleness, my impotence. A
+strong man would be but as a bit of rotten wood if he were thrown into
+it; those cliffs would beat the life out of him, while the white foam,
+which looked so soft and inviting, covered that which would smash the
+sides of a boat as easily as a man snaps a piece of wood across his
+knee.</p>
+
+<p>A feeling of despair possessed me again, for I was utterly lonely. It is
+true Eli stood by my side saying loving words and fondling me, while the
+stranger walked to and fro the cave; but no one felt my grief or
+understood it. By-and-by, however, my mood began to change; the roaring
+sea, the gray, leaden sky, the mighty cliffs inspired me, they urged me
+to action. I must find out the truth about Naomi; ay, I must find her,
+for, standing there that morning, I could not believe that she was dead.</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes later I had made preparations to leave the cave and go
+away from the neighbourhood of Bedruthen Steps.</p>
+
+<p>"Where do you go, Jasper Pennington, and what are your plans?" asked the
+stranger.</p>
+
+<p>"That is a matter which concerns myself," I replied, not very
+graciously. A moment later, however, I felt I had acted like a cur, for
+this man had endangered his life to save mine, and but for him I might
+not have been alive. "Forgive me," I continued; "my mind is much
+distracted, and I scarcely know what I say."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p><p>"Perchance I could help you, if you would trust me," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"I can scarcely trust myself," I replied, "much less a stranger."</p>
+
+<p>"Am I stranger?" he cried, with an hysterical laugh, just as though he
+were a madman.</p>
+
+<p>"If you are not, who and what are you?" I asked. "What is your name?"</p>
+
+<p>"Name!" he said, wildly. "Esau is my name, my true name."</p>
+
+<p>"Why your true name?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because I have sold my birthright."</p>
+
+<p>"Your birthright! To whom did you sell it?"</p>
+
+<p>"To the devil!" he cried, his eyes glittering. "My birthright was my
+manhood; it was a clear conscience, it was the power to fearlessly think
+of the past, and to&mdash;" He stopped suddenly, then he went on again:
+"Perhaps Cain is the truer name, but I know not; call me Esau."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, he's mad," I said to myself. "I can trust him with
+nothing&mdash;nothing." Still, I humoured him. "You have been very good to
+me," I said. "Some time, if I live and gain my own, I will repay you."</p>
+
+<p>He came to me again, his eyes still shining brightly, and he looked
+eagerly into mine, as though, too, he had decided to impart something to
+me; but a second later an expression of doubt rested on his face. "No,"
+I heard him say; "I must do it myself, and alone, if I can&mdash;if I can."</p>
+
+<p>We parted then. I made my way up the side of a sloping place along the
+cliff, while Eli followed close at my heels. When we reached the grassy
+headland I looked back, and saw the stranger still standing at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span>
+mouth of the cave. I looked around me. Not a house of any sort was to be
+seen; only a rugged, bleak coastline was visible. I saw, however, that
+some of the land was cultivated, and so I knew that there must be some
+farmhouses in the near distance.</p>
+
+<p>After walking for about a quarter of an hour we came to a lane, but it
+was grass-grown, and was evidently but seldom used. I looked around me
+and espied a gray church tower. This gladdened my heart, for it was
+pleasant to think of the House of God situated in a bleak, barren
+countryside. I was about to make my way toward it when I heard the click
+of a labourer's pick. I jumped on a fence and saw a man hedging.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the name of that church?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"St. Eval, sur."</p>
+
+<p>I looked at the man more closely. He looked far more intelligent than
+the ordinary labourer. "Do you know much about this neighbourhood?" I
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I've lived 'ere oal my life, sur."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you know of any convent in this neighbourhood?"</p>
+
+<p>"Convent, convent?" he repeated, questioningly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I replied; "a place that belongs to the Catholics&mdash;a place where
+priests and nuns live."</p>
+
+<p>He looked at me suspiciously, as though he suspected that I had evil
+motives in asking such a question. "No, sur," he said presently. Then he
+gave a start, and I turned and saw that Eli had come to my side. "Is
+he&mdash;is he the devil?" he gasped.</p>
+
+<p>"No; only a dwarf."</p>
+
+<p>"You'm sa big and 'ee sa small, it do seem funny," he laughed,
+nervously.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the nearest town?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p><p>"St. Columb, sur."</p>
+
+<p>I made up my mind to go to St. Columb, and was asking the man how far it
+was, when another thought struck me. "There's a parson at St. Eval, I
+suppose?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, iss, sur; hes 'ouse ed'n fur from the church."</p>
+
+<p>"Is he a man that you like?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, iss, sur; everybody do like the passon."</p>
+
+<p>I made my way toward St. Eval, and after half an hour's walking found a
+church and perhaps a dozen houses. I was not long in finding the
+vicarage, for it was the only house of importance in the neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>Parson Thomas received me very kindly. He was a little man, well fed,
+and apparently on good terms with every one. I don't think he knew much
+about religion as Mr. John Wesley taught it, but he was kind-hearted and
+full of merriment. Moreover, if he neglected people's souls, he did not
+neglect their bodies. He insisted on giving me refreshments, and
+although he looked very curiously at Eli, he sent him into the kitchen
+and gave instructions that he must be looked after.</p>
+
+<p>"I am a bachelor," laughed the jolly vicar. "So much the better all
+around. I've no one to bother me. I've got my dogs and my horses. At St.
+Ervan there is a pack of hounds, and I've the best hunter within six
+parishes. I have a service every Sunday afternoon in the church, and so
+far we have no Methodists. I've some good wine, good home-brewed ale,
+and plenty of cider. I rear most of the flesh eaten in the house, and am
+happy&mdash;ha, ha! Now, what can I do for you?"</p>
+
+<p>I asked if he knew of any religious house belonging to the Catholics in
+the neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>"There are a few Catholic families," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are they?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span></p><p>"Well, there was a Catholic family at Trevose House&mdash;an old house built
+on the cliff not far from Trevose Head. At least, Mrs. Penryn was a
+Catholic, and the girl was brought up a Catholic. A priest from Padstow
+used to visit the house."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you know anything about them?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Penryn is dead; her husband&mdash;well, it's a sad story. Poor fellow,
+he committed suicide well upon twenty years ago. Everything was left to
+the daughter. She has gone to the West to stay till she's of age, or
+married, under the guardianship of a Richard Tresidder. I think I heard
+something about Tresidder's son marrying Naomi, but I'm not sure."</p>
+
+<p>"Did the priest who visited Trevose belong to any religious
+community?&mdash;I mean, is there a convent or nunnery at Padstow?"</p>
+
+<p>"No. Let me see&mdash;oh, yes, I remember now; my friend Page, from Mawgan,
+was telling me about it. Close to Mawgan Church is the Manor House of
+Lord Arundell. I daresay you will have heard of it&mdash;Lanksome. It is a
+delightful spot. Well, the Arundell family has always remained Catholic,
+and were terribly bitter against the Reformation. The present Arundells
+came into possession about thirty-five or forty years ago, and it is
+quite a home for priests and Catholics generally. Some of the priests, I
+believe, visited Trevose from there."</p>
+
+<p>"But it is not a convent or nunnery?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no; not that I am aware of. It is simply the headquarters of the
+Catholics in this district. I have heard it said that some young
+Catholic girls, religiously inclined, have been taken there as
+novitiates, but I doubt its truth; not that the place is not admirably<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>
+suited for such a purpose. It is surrounded by a high wall, over which
+no one can see, and in one of the walls is a secret chamber in which it
+is said a priest was concealed for eighteen months in the reign of
+Elizabeth. At present, however, it is not recognised as a convent."<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p>
+
+<p>"But it is a Catholic centre?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, bless you, yes; the place is full of Catholic priests, nuns from
+France, and what not. I should not like to say what is done within those
+walls. That house is full of secrets, and the people who go to Mawgan
+Church, which is adjoining it, look upon Lanherne as a home of mystery.
+The servants are silent, the priests are silent, the very atmosphere
+seems full of secrets."</p>
+
+<p>I did not stay long with Parson Thomas after this, although his
+hospitality seemed to know no bounds. I had heard enough to set me
+thinking, and I determined to go to Mawgan that very evening. The time
+was now three in the afternoon, and soon night would be upon us. Still,
+there would be another hour of daylight, and I started to walk in the
+direction of Mawgan Forth, while Eli trudged close by my heels.</p>
+
+<p>We had been walking, perhaps, half an hour, when I saw, as I was passing
+by a farmhouse close to which the road ran, a woman on horseback. Below
+us we saw the sands of Mawgan Forth, but no house was near save the
+farmhouse to which I have referred.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p><p>"It is some woman riding home from St. Columb Market, I suppose," I
+said as her horse climbed the hill.</p>
+
+<p>"No," said Eli; "no, Maaster Jasper. 'Tes Tamsin Triscott, Tamsin
+Fraddam; that's who et es."</p>
+
+<p>"Tamsin!" I cried; "surely no!"</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds later, however, I saw that Eli was right.</p>
+
+<p>"Master Jasper Pennington!" she cried, as she saw me, and the blood
+mounted violently to her face. "You are free, then?"</p>
+
+<p>This she said in a tone of disappointment almost amounting to anger.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Tamsin," I replied. "What do you know about my imprisonment?"</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you got him away?" she said to Eli, angrily, without noticing
+my question.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss," grunted Eli; "I ded, ded'n I, Jasper?" and the dwarf laughed
+gleefully.</p>
+
+<p>"And I meant to have done it," she said, as if musing to herself. "I
+have travelled a long way."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean, Tamsin?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>She hesitated a minute, then she spoke like one in pain.</p>
+
+<p>"I did my best, Jasper&mdash;believe that. But for me you would have been
+killed. Israel Barnicoat and others vowed it, but I persuaded father. I
+heard about your coming back, and I tried to find out where you had been
+taken. As soon as I knew I started to come. I would have set you free; I
+would, Jasper, I would."</p>
+
+<p>My slow-thinking mind was trying to find its way to Tamsin's motives for
+acting thus, when she went on if possible more earnestly than before.</p>
+
+<p>"She didn't care for you, Jasper; if she did, why were you imprisoned in
+her house?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span></p><p>"Tamsin," I said, for I began to see her meaning, "do you know what is
+become of Naomi Penryn?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," she said, sullenly.</p>
+
+<p>"Tamsin," I went on, "I thank you for your goodness to me; I am glad I
+had a friend willing to travel so far to help me. But I am in great
+sorrow, Tamsin. I may tell you about it, I know; I love Naomi
+Penryn&mdash;love her like my own life. I have heard strange rumours about
+her, and my heart is very sad. I can trust you, Tamsin, I know that.
+Have you heard anything about her?"</p>
+
+<p>She became very pale as I spoke, and I thought she would have fallen
+from her horse, but she recovered herself presently.</p>
+
+<p>"Israel Barnicoat told me that she would not marry young Tresidder," she
+replied, "and that she asked to be taken to a convent until she came of
+age."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I said, eagerly, "and what then?"</p>
+
+<p>"I heard that she died there."</p>
+
+<p>"And do you know where the convent is?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; I know nothing! She is dead, that's all."</p>
+
+<p>"Tamsin," I replied, "something tells me she is not dead. I have heard
+this again and again, and I cannot believe it. I am going to search for
+her until I find her."</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you not believe she's dead?" she asked, like one in anger.</p>
+
+<p>"I have reasons," I answered. "They are real to me, although they might
+not be real to you. Besides, I cannot think of her as dead. Tamsin,
+suppose you loved a man, would you rest upon hearsay in such a case?"</p>
+
+<p>"I would search until I died," she cried. "If he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> were alive I would
+find him; if he were dead I would die too."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you can feel for me," I said, "for I love Naomi Penryn. I shall
+love her till I die, and if she be dead, I shall want to die, too."</p>
+
+<p>Then the girl gave a heartrending cry. "Don't, Jasper Pennington," she
+said, "don't!"</p>
+
+<p>I looked around me and saw that Eli had wandered toward the Porth. I was
+glad for this, for I realised what her words meant.</p>
+
+<p>"Tamsin Truscott," I said, "I never had a sister; will you be one to me?
+For I love you as truly as ever brother loved sister. Can you care for
+me as a sister cares for a brother?"</p>
+
+<p>I said this because I wanted to be true to Naomi, and because I
+determined to dispel from Tamsin's mind all thoughts of me as one who
+could ever love her. I wanted to appeal to all that was best and truest
+in her, too, believing, as I have always believed, that by this means
+alone can we get the best that people are capable of giving.</p>
+
+<p>For some minutes she seemed like one fighting a great battle, then she
+said quietly, "Yes, Jasper Pennington, I will do for you all that a
+sister would do."</p>
+
+<p>"Then, Tamsin," I said, "if it should please God to let me find my love,
+would you befriend her?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," she gasped.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems as though she hath many enemies," I went on, "and there be
+many who plot against her. If I find her among friends all may be well,
+but if I were to find her among enemies and rescue her, I know of no
+place to take her where she would be safe."</p>
+
+<p>For a little while Tamsin sobbed as though her heart<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> would break; and
+at that time I thought it was because she pitied both me and Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>Presently she said, quietly, "If you should ever find the one you mean
+alive, and she needs a home, take her to my aunt's at Porth Mullion. She
+is a good woman, my mother's sister, and hates my father's ways. She
+will do anything I ask her."</p>
+
+<p>"What is her name?" I asked, "and how shall I find her?"</p>
+
+<p>"Her name is Mary Crantock, and there are but three houses at Porth
+Mullion. Hers is a white house, with a wooden porch painted green. The
+other houses have no porches."</p>
+
+<p>"And how will she know about me?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will ride there to-morrow and tell her."</p>
+
+<p>"And where will you go to-night?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will ride to St. Columb. I have another aunt who lives there."</p>
+
+<p>Then a great fear came into my heart, and, almost without thinking, I
+had caught hold of Tamsin's hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Tamsin Truscott," I said, "you once told me you loved me. I may trust
+you, may I not? As God is above us, you will be true if ever I need
+you?"</p>
+
+<p>"As surely as what I once told you is true, as surely as God is above
+us, you may trust me."</p>
+
+<p>Then she turned her horse's head, and rode rapidly toward the St. Columb
+road.</p>
+
+<p>Now, in describing my meeting with Tamsin, I have failed to record many
+things. I have not told of the many questions she asked regarding my
+imprisonment or my escape, nor of the answers I gave, because they do
+not bear directly on the history I am writing. Besides, it is difficult
+to remember many things after the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> lapse of long years. So many things
+were said, however, that it was nearly dark when she rode away from me.</p>
+
+<p>From Mawgan Porth it is about two miles to Mawgan Church, and I was
+anxious to get there before night had quite come upon us. So, calling
+Eli to my side, we hurried across the Porth, and then went up a narrow
+lane, where we met a man who directed us to Mawgan Church.</p>
+
+<p>A quarter of an hour later we were descending into the vale of Lanherne,
+and in the light of the departing day I could see the tower of the
+church rising from the trees among which it nestled. The sight seemed to
+give wings to my feet, and so fast did I go that Eli had great
+difficulty in keeping close to me. Eagerly did I jump across the brook
+that ran down the valley, after which I ran along by the churchyard
+wall, and a few seconds later I stood before the gray walls of Lanherne
+Manor House.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Lanherne Manor House, in the parish of Mawgan, Cornwall,
+while being a centre of Catholic influence for several centuries, did
+not become a recognised convent until the beginning of the present
+century. At that time a sisterhood of Carmelite nuns was driven from
+France to Antwerp. When the French entered Belgium they emigrated to
+England, and Lord Arundell of Wardour assigned the house to them. The
+inmates are at present an abbess and twenty nuns. J. H.</p></div></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<h3>TELLS HOW I CLIMBED THE WALL OF THE MANOR HOUSE GARDEN, AND WHAT I SAW</h3>
+
+<p>My first impulse on seeing the house was to go boldly up to the door and
+ask for Naomi Penryn, but a second's reflection told me that such an act
+would be madness. I remembered the words of Parson Thomas. This house
+was the property of a man widely known and respected, and while it was
+given over to Papist ways and usages, I could not ask questions as
+though it were a public institution. My brain, slow to work as it was,
+told me that I must act warily, and in such a way as to arouse as little
+suspicion as possible. On looking back over my plan of action, however,
+I can see how foolish I was, and how, but for the kind providence of
+God, I did that which was calculated to frustrate the dearest desire of
+my heart.</p>
+
+<p>This, however, is what I did. I waited for some few minutes in a state
+of indecision, then it occurred to me that I had better find an inn, so
+that I might leave Eli in a place of safety, and on looking round I
+quickly found a kiddleywink. Here I left Eli, and after telling the
+landlady to cook some supper, I again went back to the front of the old
+Manor House. Fearing to be seen, I wandered around the place, and saw
+that the walls around the garden were over fifteen feet high, and that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span>
+from no position could I look over, except by climbing one of the huge
+trees that grew in the near distance. Never in my life had I realised
+the meaning of silence as I realised it then. Not a breath of wind
+stirred, and beyond the sound of the brook as it rippled down the
+valley, nothing was to be heard. To me it seemed like the home of the
+dead. "How can I discover what is behind those walls?" I asked myself,
+but no answer was forthcoming.</p>
+
+<p>Twice did I walk around the house and gardens, and was about to go back
+to the inn again, when I heard the sound of singing. I listened
+intently, and discovered that the singers were within the Manor House,
+and from the number of voices and the nature of the singing, I concluded
+that the inmates were taking part in some religious service. I stood
+like one entranced, for the music was very sweet, and it seemed to my
+excited imagination that Naomi's voice mingled with the rest. Presently
+it died away, and I heard the sound of footsteps. But there was no loud
+voices or confusion, neither was there any laughter; all was quiet,
+orderly, and subdued.</p>
+
+<p>The night was not dark, for the clouds which hung so heavily in the sky
+during the morning had been swept away, and innumerable stars shone
+brightly.</p>
+
+<p>As I watched, I saw a man, who, from his garb, I took to be a priest. I
+went up to him and saw that I was right in my surmise.</p>
+
+<p>"I am a stranger to these parts," I said, "and have travelled far
+to-day. May I ask if this is a monastery or religious house?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, young man, it is not a monastery, but the house of a Catholic
+gentleman."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span></p><p>"I heard the sound of many voices just now. I thought I heard a mass
+being sung," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"You are right, young man."</p>
+
+<p>"If it had been a monastery I should have asked for shelter to-night," I
+said; "and from the number of voices singing mass, I concluded that it
+was a religious institution."</p>
+
+<p>"Souls that are weary are admitted here for rest and guidance and help,"
+he replied, "and some have passed from here to some religious home. This
+is by the kindness of the owner of this house. But why do you ask? Are
+you a Catholic? Are you, amid so much heresy, a member of the true
+fold?"</p>
+
+<p>At this time I wished that I had prepared for a meeting with a priest,
+so that I might have been in a better position to have fulfilled my
+desires. I wished, too, that, instead of being slow to think, I had been
+clever to make plans, and quick to act upon them. Still, I determined to
+do the best I could.</p>
+
+<p>"I am but a wanderer, father," I said, "and my mind hath been torn by
+many doubts. I have been troubled, too, about one who is very dear to
+me, who is of the Catholic faith, and who, I am told, found her way to a
+convent or a religious home, to find rest and peace. I know not where
+she is, and whether she has found the peace that she hoped for. I have
+heard that it was in this neighbourhood that she sought to find what she
+desired."</p>
+
+<p>"Is she young or old, young man?" said the priest, looking keenly at me.</p>
+
+<p>"She is young," I replied, "scarcely twenty, I should think."</p>
+
+<p>"And her name?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span></p><p>"Her name is Naomi Penryn," I replied; "she once lived at Trevose,
+close by the great headland."</p>
+
+<p>I thought he gave a start, and he seemed to measure me, as though he
+thought of trying whether he or I was the stronger man.</p>
+
+<p>"Alas!" he said, presently, "she is dead."</p>
+
+<p>"Dead!" I repeated, and my heart became cold.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. She came here some time ago. She was very pale and fragile when
+she came. She was in sore distress, too. But she received the
+consolation of the Church, and died in the faith."</p>
+
+<p>At this all my strength seemed to ebb away from me, and my hands became
+nerveless.</p>
+
+<p>"How long is it since she died?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"About three weeks ago," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"And where was she buried?"</p>
+
+<p>"I would show you her grave," he replied, "but the house is not mine. I
+grieve to see your sorrow, but there is consolation, young man. Trouble
+for our young sister no longer, for she is with the blessed. I am sorry
+I cannot offer you food and shelter; but it is only four miles to St.
+Columb, and you will find accommodation there."</p>
+
+<p>"But surely there is an inn here?" I suggested.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but it is not a place you would care to stay at, and you will fare
+far better at St. Columb. Good-night."</p>
+
+<p>Then he left me, and I went away toward the kiddleywink like one dazed.
+I made no pretence of eating the supper which had been prepared, neither
+did I speak to Eli, who looked at me pityingly; and I saw that tears
+dropped from his strange-looking, cross eyes, and rolled down his ugly,
+misshapen face.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span></p><p>All hope had now gone from me; I felt I had no desire to win back my
+own, or even to live. My life had more and more become bound up in that
+of Naomi Penryn, until now, when I could no longer comfort myself with
+the hope that she lived, nothing was of value to me.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli," I said, presently, "you had better go to bed. You will need all
+your strength."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Maaster Jasper?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because to-morrow I shall go with you back to St. Eve."</p>
+
+<p>"And what then, Maaster Jasper?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know," I said; "it does not matter what becomes of me now."</p>
+
+<p>"And why, Maaster Jasper? Poor little Eli do love 'ee, love 'ee
+deearly."</p>
+
+<p>"But my love is dead," I answered; and then I told him what the priest
+had told me.</p>
+
+<p>His cross eyes shone brightly, and his mouth began to move just as I had
+seen his mother's move many times.</p>
+
+<p>"I've found out things," he said, cunningly; "mawther 'ave tould me, I
+c'n vind out ef she's dead; ef she es, I c'n bring 'er back. Zay I
+shall, Maaster Jasper, 'n little Eli 'll do et."</p>
+
+<p>"No," I cried, with a shudder; "Naomi, who is as pure as the angels of
+God, shall never be influenced by the powers of darkness."</p>
+
+<p>At first I thought he was going to say some angry words, but he only
+fondled my hands and murmured loving words to me just as a mother
+murmurs to a tired or sick child.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p><p>"Poor Maaster Jasper, dear Maaster Jasper," then he went to bed,
+leaving me alone.</p>
+
+<p>The landlady of the kiddleywink was a kind and motherly soul, and
+treated me with much sympathy, for she saw I was in trouble, and when I
+told her that I should not go to the bedroom with Eli, she prepared a
+bed for me on the window-seat, and left a candle burning for me.</p>
+
+<p>But I could not sleep; when all the inn was quiet I went out into the
+night, and wandered around the old Manor House like a man bereft of his
+senses, as indeed I was. I found my way into the churchyard, and roamed
+among the grave-stones, wondering all the time where Naomi's grave was,
+and why the death of one who possessed so much property was so little
+thought of. Perhaps I stayed here two hours, and all the time I grew
+more and more fearful. It seemed to me that the dead were arising from
+their graves and denouncing me for disturbing them, while all around me
+evil things crawled, and mocked me in my sorrow. I thought I saw men and
+women, long dead, haunting the graves in which other bodies lay, and I
+fancied I heard them pleading to God to hasten the resurrection day.
+These and many more phantoms appeared to me until, with a cry of
+anguish, I rushed back to the kiddleywink again. The night had become
+clear, and the moon, which was half full, caused the church-tower and
+the Manor House to appear very plainly, and as I lay on the window-seat
+I could see both.</p>
+
+<p>Toward morning I began to grow less fearful, although a great pain still
+gnawed at my heart. I remember, too, that I was making up my mind that
+when daylight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> came I would seek the priest to whom I had spoken, and
+ask him to show me Naomi's grave, when I heard a sobbing wail that
+seemed to come from a heart as broken and bleeding as my own.</p>
+
+<p>I started up and listened for some seconds, but all was silent.</p>
+
+<p>"Was I dreaming?" I asked myself, "or are the spirits of the dead come
+back?"</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had the thought passed my mind when I heard another cry, more
+piteous, if possible, than the other.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper, Jasper, my love, Jasper!" I heard. "Can you not deliver me?"</p>
+
+<p>The cry was very real, and it had no suggestion of the grave. It was the
+voice of some one living.</p>
+
+<p>"My God!" I cried; "it is Naomi!"</p>
+
+<p>I looked at my watch; it was six o'clock, and thus wanted two hours to
+daybreak. Hurriedly I left the inn and went out again. A rimy frost had
+come upon every twig and bush and tree, and in the light of the moon the
+ice crystals sparkled as though the spirits had scattered myriads of
+precious stones everywhere. But I thought not of this. I made my way
+toward the spot from which I thought I had heard the sound come, and
+then listened intently. All was silent as death.</p>
+
+<p>Near me was a tall tree. I made a leap at its lowest branches, and a few
+seconds later was fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. From this
+position I saw the whole garden. I looked long and steadily, but could
+discern nothing of importance. I continued to strain my ears to listen,
+but all was silent save the rippling of the brook that wended its way
+down the valley, and which seemed to deride me in my helplessness.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span></p><p>"It was all fancy," I said, bitterly&mdash;"all fancy; or perhaps I am mad."</p>
+
+<p>I prepared to get down from the tree when I heard a sound like sobbing
+not thirty yards from me.</p>
+
+<p>My heart thumped so loud that I could detect no words, but not so loud
+as to keep me from locating the sound. Yes, it came from a little house
+used as a summer bower. Instantly my mind was made up. I had no patience
+to consider whether my determination was wise or foolish. I madly
+dreamed that Naomi was near crying for my help. Else why should I hear
+my own name, or why should I think it was the voice of my love?</p>
+
+<p>In another second I had leapt from the tree, and then ran along by the
+wall until I came close to the place where the bower had been placed.</p>
+
+<p>I listened again. Yes, I heard sobs&mdash;sobs which came from a breaking
+heart!</p>
+
+<p>The wall was, as I said, from fifteen to twenty feet high, but this did
+not deter me. I caught hold of an ivy branch, and by its aid sought to
+climb, but at the first pull I had torn it away. So there was nothing
+for me but to stick my fingers into the masonry and climb as best I
+could. How I managed I know not, but in a few seconds I had accomplished
+my purpose.</p>
+
+<p>"Naomi!" I whispered, but I heard no answer.</p>
+
+<p>I waited a few seconds and spoke again: "Naomi, my love," I said, "it is
+Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>At that I heard a movement from within the bower, and then I saw some
+one come into the garden. It was a woman. I saw her look eagerly around,
+like one afraid. Then her face was turned toward me. It was my love!</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span></p><p>"Naomi," I said, "do not be afraid; it is Jasper&mdash;Jasper Pennington
+comes to set you free."</p>
+
+<p>Then she saw me and gave a glad cry.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper, Jasper!" she cried; "not dead!"</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="fig272.jpg" id="fig272.jpg"></a><img src="images/fig272.jpg" width='438' height='700' alt="Jasper, Jasper! she cried" /></div>
+
+<h4>"<span class="smcap">'Jasper, Jasper!' she cried.</span>"</h4>
+
+<p>A few seconds later I had descended and stood in the garden, my heart
+swelling with joy until it seemed too large for my bosom. I came close
+to her, and then my confidence departed. All my old doubts came back to
+me. Joyful as I was at the thought that she was alive, I could not
+believe that she cared for me. How could she when I was so unworthy?</p>
+
+<p>The moon shone brightly on the garden, while the rimy frost, reflecting
+its light, dispelled the darkness, and thus I was able to see the face
+of my love and the flash of her eyes. I seemed close to the gates of
+heaven, and yet I felt as though they were closed against me.</p>
+
+<p>I stood still. "Naomi," I said, "forgive me. You know who I am&mdash;Jasper
+Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>Then she came toward me, and I heard her sobbing again. Then I, anxious
+not to frighten her, went on talking.</p>
+
+<p>"Naomi," I continued, "you are in trouble, and I fear that you have
+enemies. I have tried to make you feel my protection in the past, but I
+have been unable. But I have come to help you now, if you will let me."</p>
+
+<p>All this I said like one repeating a lesson, and I said it badly, too,
+for I am not one who can speak easily. But when I had spoken so far a
+weight seemed removed from me, and my heart burned as though great fires
+were within my bosom.</p>
+
+<p>"My love, my life!" I cried, "will you not come to me? I will give my
+life for yours."</p>
+
+<p>Then I opened my arms, and she came to me, not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> slowly and timidly, but
+with a glad bound, and, as though leaning her head upon me, she found
+joy and rest and safety.</p>
+
+<p>Ay, and she did find safety, too, for it would have gone ill with any
+man, ay, with many men, if they had come to harm her then. The lifeblood
+of ten strong men surged within me, and the touch of her little hand
+gave me more strength than the touch of magic wands which we are told
+were potent in far-off times. I felt as though I could do battle with an
+army, and come off more than conqueror. Besides, the first words she
+spoke to me, telling as they did of her helplessness and her dependence
+on me, were sweeter than the music of many waters.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper," she said, "I have many enemies&mdash;I who never harmed any
+one&mdash;and I have no one to help me but you."</p>
+
+<p>Ah! but she had me&mdash;she had me! I know this seems like boasting,
+especially when I remember that I had been the easy dupe of the
+Tresidders, and that they had foiled me in every attempt I had made
+against them in the past. But her love made me wiser, and though, thank
+God, I have never been a coward, her presence made me many times braver.
+Besides, I felt I could protect her, that I could save her from the fear
+of her enemies, for I loved her&mdash;loved her a thousand times more than
+can be expressed in cold words on paper; and let who will say otherwise,
+the unsullied love of an honest heart is of more value than great
+riches.</p>
+
+<p>All the time I longed to ask her many questions. I wanted her to tell me
+all her trouble, but there were other things I wanted to know more. I
+wanted her to tell me what I had told her.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p><p>But she did not speak further; she only sobbed as though her heart were
+breaking, until I, awkward and fearful, and knowing nothing of the ways
+of women, was afraid lest I had frightened her, or had in some way
+caused her pain.</p>
+
+<p>"Naomi, my little maid," I said, "have I done anything to frighten you?
+I could not help coming to find you, for I could not believe what I have
+heard. I have not angered you, have I?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no," she said with a sob, "only they made me believe you were
+dead!"</p>
+
+<p>"And did you care?&mdash;you who were so coy, and who, when you knew my heart
+was hungering for you, would tell me nothing!"</p>
+
+<p>I will not tell you what she said. Only God and myself heard her words,
+and they are sacred to me. They have been my inspiration and my joy in
+lonely hours, they have nerved my arm in time of peril and danger. They
+opened the gates of heaven to me, and filled my life with sunshine. So
+great is the power which God hath given to woman!</p>
+
+<p>She nestled her head on my bosom as she told me what my heart had been
+hungering to know, and for the time we forgot our surroundings&mdash;forgot
+everything save our own happiness. The morning, which slowly dawned, we
+did not heed, neither did we notice that the silvery light of the moon
+died away. The cold was nothing to us, the bower in which we sat was
+indeed a place of warmth and beauty and sunshine. No sadness was there,
+for each welcomed the other as one come back from the gates of death. We
+rejoiced in life and youth and love.</p>
+
+<p>And yet we said nothing to each other with regard to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> our experiences in
+the past, or our fears for the future. In those blissful minutes we only
+lived in the present, regardless of all things, save that we were near
+each other.</p>
+
+<p>Thus it was that Naomi Penryn and I, Jasper Pennington, became
+betrothed.</p>
+
+<p>I think the realisation of our position came to each of us at the same
+moment, for just as the thought of our danger flashed through my mind
+Naomi tore herself from me.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper, Jasper," she cried, "you must not stay here longer. You are in
+danger here, and if we are seen together&mdash;" She did not finish the
+sentence, but looked eagerly, anxiously around.</p>
+
+<p>Then I blamed myself for not acting differently, but only for a moment.
+We had been only a few minutes together, and even if the direst calamity
+befell us, I should rejoice that we had spent that blissful time
+together, living only in the joy of love.</p>
+
+<p>"I must go back to the house now," she said, hurriedly. "I shall soon be
+missed, and searched for."</p>
+
+<p>"No; do not go back," I said. "I can climb the wall and take you away.
+Let us leave now."</p>
+
+<p>"It would be no use now, Jasper," she said. "I should be followed and
+brought back."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"There is not time to tell you now," she said; "if you were known to be
+here you would never escape alive. Oh, Jasper, I am beset with danger; I
+have almost died in my sorrow."</p>
+
+<p>"What time will your absence be discovered?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"We are supposed to attend mass at seven o'clock," she said.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p><p>I looked at my watch, it only wanted a few minutes to that time.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me how you came here, and why you are surrounded by dangers?" I
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I would not marry Nick Tresidder&mdash;I could not, Jasper; you know why
+now. He tried to force me, and when I refused, he told me you were dead.
+At first I did not believe him, and then one of my old servants from
+Trevose came and said you had died there." She told me this in a
+trembling voice, as though she were frightened, told me in broken
+sentences, which revealed to me more than the mere words could express.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; what then?" asked I, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"I became distracted, and knew not what I did. I had no friend, no one
+to whom I could go. Then a priest came, and persuaded me to become a
+nun. He also brought certain papers which he wanted me to sign."</p>
+
+<p>"And did you sign them?"</p>
+
+<p>"I scarcely knew what I did. I know that I consented to come here. That
+was several weeks ago. Oh, Jasper, I have been in sore straits."</p>
+
+<p>I set my teeth together and vowed vengeance on the Tresidder brood, and
+then told her to go on with her story.</p>
+
+<p>"I hardly know how to tell you, Jasper. About three weeks ago a young
+woman died. The priests told me it was I who died; they also tell me
+that I am Gertrude Narcoe, and that I am to be removed to a convent in
+France in a day or two. I have not known what to do. Last night I could
+not rest, I seemed to be going mad, and after tossing for hours on my
+bed without sleeping I came here in the garden, and all the time my
+heart was crying out for you."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p><p>"And did you not cry out to me?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; only in my heart." And at this I wondered greatly.</p>
+
+<p>A bell began to ring.</p>
+
+<p>"There, I must go, Jasper!" she cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Not yet," I said, folding her more closely to me; and I should have
+held her so if the lord of the manor were walking toward us through the
+garden.</p>
+
+<p>"Be brave," I continued, "and be here to-night as soon as you can after
+the inmates of the house have retired to rest. I shall wait until you
+come, and I shall be ready to take you to a place of safety. You can
+come, can you not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I think so, if I am not suspected of anything now. And can you
+take me away, Jasper? You will not allow them to harm you, will you? Oh,
+I will not be taken away now I know you are alive."</p>
+
+<p>"Do not fear, my little maid," I said, "I will take you away. You shall
+not be carried off by any priests to a convent. There, go now." And I
+held her to me more closely.</p>
+
+<p>But I let her go at length with many warning words and many expressions
+of my love. It was like pulling my heart out to see her walk away from
+me, but I comforted myself that I would take her away when the next
+night came. Then I climbed the wall again, and made my way toward the
+inn, strangely glad, yet with many misgivings, for I was sore afraid
+lest I had acted foolishly in not taking her with me even then.</p>
+
+<p>As I passed the front of the Manor House I caught a glimpse of a frocked
+priest, and from the look on his face I fancied he suspected me of
+something. But I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> paid little heed to him. I went back to the inn to
+make my plans for rescuing Naomi. I did not know then that Naomi and I
+had been watched all the time we had been together by a wily priest.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW I FELLED A HORSE WITH MY FIST, AND CARRIED NAOMI SOUTHWARD</h3>
+
+<p>When I got back to the inn I found Eli anxiously awaiting me.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper better?" he said, looking at me questioningly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, better, Eli."</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper 'eard 'bout the purty maid?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Eli."</p>
+
+<p>He chuckled joyously, and then gave several expressive grunts. After
+this he asked me some questions, which showed me that he understood more
+than I had thought, and had formed correct reasons why my love had been
+taken away.</p>
+
+<p>"Neck Trezidder's awful deep; all the Trezidders be," he grunted. "Made
+et up with the priests&mdash;go shares. I zee, I zee!"</p>
+
+<p>"Eli," I said, "we must take her away to-night; take her to a place of
+safety."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, iss," he chuckled. "Where?"</p>
+
+<p>"I must decide that after we have got her away from yon prison," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Can Jasper trust little Eli?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Eli, what do you want me to do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Will 'ee tell little Eli what the purty maid tould 'ee&mdash;'bout 'erzelf?"
+he added.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span></p><p>So I told him all that I cared to tell him&mdash;everything I knew, in fact,
+save the story of our love.</p>
+
+<p>He sat very still for some time, save that he contorted his face more
+than usual, and rolled his cross eyes around like one demented.</p>
+
+<p>"And what be yer plans, Maaster Jasper?"</p>
+
+<p>"We must get horses, Eli," I said; "from where I do not know yet, but we
+must get them by to-night. One must have a lady's saddle&mdash;for her."</p>
+
+<p>"Is Maaster Jasper going to git 'em?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. I shall have plenty of time through the day, and nothing can be
+done while we are away."</p>
+
+<p>"No, Maaster Jasper, no," he grunted. "You mus' stay 'ere oal day and
+watch. You mus' eed out ov sight, but you mus' watch. Cos they be oal
+deep. They knaw, they knaw!"</p>
+
+<p>I understood his meaning, and saw that he was right; at the same time, I
+felt I would have to risk being away, else how could I get the horses
+without attracting attention?</p>
+
+<p>"Little Eli 'll git the hosses," he grunted; "little Eli that everybody
+do laugh at. But 'ee'll 'elp Maaster Jasper, 'ee will."</p>
+
+<p>"But if you are caught stealing horses you'll be hanged," I said.</p>
+
+<p>He laughed gleefully.</p>
+
+<p>"Who'll catch little Eli?" he chuckled, "priest or knave? No, no! Is
+little Eli a vool? Ef 'ee es, then mawther es too. But es she? es she?"</p>
+
+<p>"But where will you get the horses?" I asked, anxiously. "Anything will
+do for me or you; but she must have one easy to ride, for she is weak
+and ill."</p>
+
+<p>"I knaw, I knaw," he laughed. "Maaster Jasper<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span> 'appy again, Maaster
+Jasper git his own. But he must watch, watch.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div class="i3">"Priests all shaved,</div>
+<div class="i4">Clothed in black,</div>
+<div class="i3">Convent walls,</div>
+<div class="i4">Screws and rack.</div>
+<div>Women walkin' in procession,</div>
+<div>Cravin' for a dead man's blessin',</div>
+<div>Weepin' eyes, wailin' cries,</div>
+<div>Lonely, lonely, oal alone."</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>"Stop," I cried; "stop, I'll have none of that here."</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, aw," chuckled Eli; "mawther ded zee, mawther ded zee. Never mind,
+little Eli 'll git the hosses then&mdash;aw, we sh'll 'ave braave times, we
+shall!" And he burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.</p>
+
+<p>I must confess that he made me shudder, especially as I remembered how
+much depended on our actions during the next twenty-four hours.</p>
+
+<p>Presently he became more grave, more cautious, and when he had had his
+breakfast, started to get horses.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll be careful, very careful," I said anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss."</p>
+
+<p>"And what time may I expect you?"</p>
+
+<p>"'T'll be dark at vive o'clock," he said, like one musing, "little
+Eli'll be 'ere by seven. Eli c'n zee, aw, iss, iss," and then he went on
+talking to himself, uttering all sorts of wild ejaculations.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by talking so strangely?" I said, but he gave me no
+answer.</p>
+
+<p>"You watch, Maaster Jasper," he said, significantly&mdash;"watch. The
+Trezidders be'ant a-bait yet. Besides, there's the</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>"Priests all shaved,</div>
+<div class="i1">Clothed in black,</div>
+<div>Convent walls,</div>
+<div class="i1">Screws and rack."</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p><p>Then, as he leapt across the stream, he gave a curious cry, like the
+cry of a wild beast in pain.</p>
+
+<p>All through the day I kept out of sight, but nothing escaped my notice.
+I determined to be very careful, for Eli had caused me to have many
+suspicions. Twice only did I see any priests, and then I noticed that
+they talked eagerly to each other, as if they had something important
+engaging their attention. In the Manor House, however, all was silent as
+the grave. No words can say how I longed to gain admission and see my
+loved one again, especially when I thought of the history of the house,
+and the many secret places it possessed. Still I had done the best I had
+been able, and it was for me to follow out the plans I had made.</p>
+
+<p>When five 'clock came my heart began to beat high with hope. I should
+soon see my loved one again, and take her to a place of safety. My many
+fears began to depart, too. I felt certain that no one suspected my
+plans, and that Naomi would be able to find her way to the bower in
+which I had seen her.</p>
+
+<p>My hiding-place was in the sexton's tool-house at the back of the
+church, and from here I could see the entrances to the house, so unless
+there was some subterranean way leading to Lanherne Manor, no one could
+come or go away without my notice.</p>
+
+<p>After the clock had struck five I went back to the inn. It was now dark,
+for the moon had not yet appeared, and the clouds hung heavily in the
+sky. While I was eating the beef and potato pasty which the landlady had
+provided for me, I thought I heard the sound of wheels, so I went to the
+door and listened intently, but all seemed silent. I could not be quite
+sure, however, for the wind had risen and wailed dismally among<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> the
+trees which grew so plentifully in the valley. I went back and finished
+my meal, knowing that if I would be strong I must not neglect my food. I
+was hungry, too, for we Penningtons have always been a hearty race, and
+have ever insisted on keeping a good table.</p>
+
+<p>When I had appeased my hunger I went to the door again. Feeling in my
+pocket for the rope-ladder I had been making through the day, I prepared
+to make a detour of the house again. I fancied that Naomi might have
+some communication to make now darkness had come, and so, eager for
+something to do, I wandered through the churchyard, and then walked up
+the road at the back of the house, near which another and smaller
+building had been reared. Still listening intently, I came to the tree
+which I had climbed in the early morning, then I went to the place near
+which the bower had been built. I threw my rope-ladder on the wall, and
+climbed sufficiently high to have a view of the garden. Nothing rewarded
+my efforts, however, for I could neither see nor hear anything worthy of
+attention.</p>
+
+<p>I was about to get down again, when I heard the neigh of a horse,
+followed by a man's angry exclamation. I had scarcely time to consider
+what this meant, when I heard a woman's cry.</p>
+
+<p>With one leap I descended from the ladder, and then, instinctively
+freeing it from the masonry and stuffing it in my pocket, I ran toward
+the spot from whence the sound came. I reached the front of the old
+mansion, but could see nothing; then, like one demented, I ran to the
+entrance which I had noticed through the day, and which evidently was
+seldom used. Here I saw flickering lights, and here, also, I heard the
+voice of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> the priest to whom I had spoken on the previous evening.</p>
+
+<p>"Neatly and safely done," he said. "The fellow is evidently a blockhead
+after all. I was afraid that the neigh of the horse would give us
+trouble."</p>
+
+<p>Excited beyond measure, I was about to cry out when I heard the sound of
+horses' hoofs splashing in water, followed by a rumbling noise.</p>
+
+<p>"They are crossing the brook!" I cried, and then, scarcely realising
+what I did, I hurried thitherward.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Mawgan Church and Lanherne Manor House, as every one knows who has
+visited that part of Cornwall, are situated in a fine wooded glen. On
+every hand are hills, so that no one can get away from the spot without
+hard climbing. It is true that one of the roads which runs northwest is
+less steep than the rest, but even that is difficult of ascent,
+especially for carriages. I comforted myself with this as I ran eagerly
+on. A few seconds later I saw the dark outline of what looked like an
+old family chariot. I did not consider the number of men that might be
+accompanying the conveyance, neither did I remember that they would
+probably be armed, while I had no weapon of any sort save my own strong
+arms.</p>
+
+<p>The driver was urging the horses greatly, but, as I said, the hill was
+steep and the carriage was heavy. I came up to the carriage-door, and,
+listening, I heard the sobbing of a woman's voice and the stern tones of
+men. I was about to try and force open the carriage-door, but
+instinctively felt that even if I could do so, it would be useless while
+the carriage was in motion, for in spite of the hill the horses had been
+urged into a frantic gallop. Still, with the heavy chariot behind<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> them
+their steps were naturally short, and their speed comparatively slow. So
+I hurried on, and looking up saw two men sitting on the box, the
+coachman and another.</p>
+
+<p>It would have been possible to have caught the horses' heads, and thus
+bring them to a standstill, but the sound of Naomi's voice pleading for
+help&mdash;for I felt sure it was hers&mdash;made me careful not to render myself
+powerless. I remembered, then, that doubtless the man beside the driver
+would carry horse pistols, and the moment I caught the reins would shoot
+me down like a farmer shoots vermin.</p>
+
+<p>So I determined to try another measure, more difficult perhaps to
+execute, but more effective if I were successful. Bending low by the
+horse's side I came up on what farmers call the "further side." Then,
+hardening the muscles of my right arm and clenching my fist, I aimed a
+blow at the horse's head close below the ear. The animal was protected
+somewhat by the headgearing, and my strength had been lessened by my
+imprisonment and by the drugs which had been placed in my food, still
+the blow I gave was heavy, and the aim was sure. He stopped for a moment
+stunned, then he fell heavily, snapping the pole that was placed between
+him and the other horse as though it had been a match.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly the men jumped down to see what was the matter, while I
+hurried to the carriage-door. I had no need to open it; this was done
+for me, and a man from within asked angrily what the trouble was. Before
+he could be answered I caught him and hurled him against the hedgeside
+as though he had been a child, and never did I feel so thankful as then
+that, although God had not given me a clever head, He had bestowed upon
+me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> a body stronger than that which is common among men.</p>
+
+<p>"Naomi, my love!" I gasped.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper! Oh, thank God!" It was Naomi's voice, and my strength seemed
+trebled as I heard it. God pity the man who had dared to oppose me then,
+for I would have showed no mercy!</p>
+
+<p>There was another man in the carriage, a priest, I think, but he seemed
+too frightened to offer any resistance. So I took her in my arms, and
+lifted her as though she were a baby, then I ran down the hill, carrying
+my love.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't trouble about the horses, follow that fellow!" I heard a voice
+say. "I will give twenty guineas for the man who brings him back, alive
+or dead."</p>
+
+<p>As I rushed on I heard a bullet whizz by me, but it did no harm, at the
+same time it made me fearful. For myself I did not care, but my great
+strength could not protect my darling against firearms, besides if I
+were smitten down what would become of her?</p>
+
+<p>"You are not harmed, my little maid?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"And you are not afraid?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not now, Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>Then I held her more tightly, and vowed that I would crush the man who
+sought to take her away from me, as I have often crushed an egg in the
+palm of my hand by bringing my fingers together.</p>
+
+<p>I heard footsteps behind me, and then I realised that I should soon be
+between two fires, for I was running in the direction of Mawgan Church.
+The footsteps came closer to me, while angry voices with many oaths bade
+me stop, but the black clouds which covered the sky<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> kept them from
+taking anything like accurate aim. Besides, the lane was darker than the
+open countryside, owing to the high hedges which had been built on
+either side. Still my position was dangerous, and I was about to leap
+over a gate which I saw close beside me, when I heard the sound of
+horses' hoofs, and evidently they were coming from another direction.</p>
+
+<p>"Can it be Eli?" I thought. But I dared not shout, as by so doing I
+should assist my pursuers. There were four of them I knew, possibly
+there might have been more.</p>
+
+<p>I was in sore straits, for by this time my strength was becoming spent;
+and although I could not bear the thought of dropping my precious
+burden, her weight was a sore strain upon my already overtaxed muscles.
+Still I never lost heart, and I know that had I stood face to face with
+the men who sought me, God would be with me in my battle.</p>
+
+<p>My heart gave a joyful leap, for I heard Eli's whistle. It was a weird,
+unearthly sound, and was suggestive of spirits of darkness rather than
+of a human being. I ran in the direction of the sound, however.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli, quick!" I gasped; then I heard the welcome click of horses' feet
+again.</p>
+
+<p>"Maaster Jasper, got purty maid?" he grunted.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; her horse, Eli, her horse."</p>
+
+<p>"'Tes a fiery wawn. Be careful now!"</p>
+
+<p>"I can ride any horse," said Naomi, eagerly; "don't fear for me now."</p>
+
+<p>We were now under the trees close to Mawgan Church. It was so dark that
+I could scarcely see my hand, and the rain began to fall heavily.</p>
+
+<p>I heard the voices of the men near me again. "Which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> way are they gone?"
+one said, for there was a branch road near us.</p>
+
+<p>"Down to the left, past the kiddleywink," came an answering cry.</p>
+
+<p>"No, up the hill, toward Mawgan Cross," said some one else.</p>
+
+<p>By this time Naomi and Eli had mounted their horses.</p>
+
+<p>Then I heard a man's shout. "Help! quick! the girl has been taken from
+us!"</p>
+
+<p>"Who by? Where?" This voice came from the direction of Lanherne House.</p>
+
+<p>"That big fool Pennington. Where's Tresidder? Quick, we shall get them."</p>
+
+<p>"Are the horses good, Eli?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Beauties," grunted Eli; "reg'lar beauties. The purty maid shud knaw
+'em, they come from Trevause."</p>
+
+<p>"Is this my Nero?" cried Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>The horse whinnied as she spoke; evidently he recognised her voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you right, Eli?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss."</p>
+
+<p>"Ride quietly up the hill," I said; "make no noise, if you can help it."</p>
+
+<p>But the horses could not help making a noise, and the click of their
+ironed hoofs rang out plainly.</p>
+
+<p>"There, they've got horses. Fetch out ours, quick!"</p>
+
+<p>"Which way are they going?"</p>
+
+<p>"Towards Carnanton Woods. Make haste."</p>
+
+<p>Rapidly we rode up the hill toward Mawgan Cross, where there are four
+crossways.</p>
+
+<p>"Naomi," I said, "shall I take you to Trevose, or shall I take you to a
+place of safety, many miles from here?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span></p><p>"She mustn't go to Trevause," grunted Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"Richard Trezidder is there, so es thou'll laady."</p>
+
+<p>"Tresidder's mother?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"I zeed 'er&mdash;zeed 'em both," and Eli chuckled as though he vastly
+enjoyed himself.</p>
+
+<p>"He's squire there," continued Eli. "People zay that the purty maid es
+dead, and everything do come to he."</p>
+
+<p>"Who told you this?"</p>
+
+<p>"No time to tell 'ee now. They'll be foll'in' we soon. Neck Trezidder es
+down to Mawgan."</p>
+
+<p>"No, Jasper, let us not go where the Tresidders are. Anywhere but
+there."</p>
+
+<p>I turned my horse's head southward.</p>
+
+<p>"Then we'll go to Mullion," I said. "We can get to Truro by the morning;
+we can get refreshment there."</p>
+
+<p>At that time another difficulty presented itself. I remembered that I
+had no money. Eli had that morning paid the landlady at the kiddleywink
+at Mawgan for our food and lodgings. I said nothing about it, but Eli,
+by that strange intuition which divined men's thoughts, knew what was
+passing in my mind.</p>
+
+<p>"Plenty ov money, Maaster Jasper, plenty ov money."</p>
+
+<p>"How did you get it?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"How ded I git the hosses?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know. How?"</p>
+
+<p>"Old man called Jonathan. Aw, aw!"</p>
+
+<p>"Did he give it to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, iss! He do 'ate the Trezidders. I tould un<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> purty maid wad'n dead;
+tould un Maaster Jasper takin' 'er 'way&mdash;aw, aw!" and again the gnome
+laughed gleefully.</p>
+
+<p>"Jonathan!" repeated Naomi. "Did you see him?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, I ded."</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me all about it, Eli&mdash;tell me."</p>
+
+<p>"Wait till we git vew miles vurder on, then I tell 'ee everything."</p>
+
+<p>So we rode on for several miles in silence, save that Naomi asked me
+many times if I were sure I were not hurt, and assured me that she was
+perfectly well and happy. And this filled my heart with gladness, for I
+knew by her questions that the dear maid loved me, and felt no fear when
+I was with her. This to me was wonderful, for who was I that she should
+love me? Was I not homeless and penniless? And had not the Tresidders
+beaten me again and again? Ah! but no one can describe the joy that
+surged within me, for the greater my unworthiness, the more happiness
+did the knowledge of her love give. In many respects we were strangers,
+for we had met only a few times, as all readers of this story know; but
+love laughs at the ways of men, and as she told me afterward, although
+she dared not tell me so when I saw her in Pennington kitchen or in
+Falmouth Town, she loved me even in my degradation and poverty.</p>
+
+<p>That long ride through the dark night, even although I had not slept the
+night before, did not fatigue me at all. I was strengthened by her
+presence; I was inspired by the object I had in view. Sometimes as I
+rode along I had to reach forth my hand and take hers in mine to assure
+myself that I was not dreaming. Everything seemed too good to be true.
+For many weary<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> weeks my mind and heart had been torn with anxiety
+concerning her, and during my days in prison I was like a lion in his
+cage. I had thought of her as loving Nick Tresidder and as marrying him;
+then I had imagined her as being persecuted by them because she would
+not yield to their wishes. I had seen the Tresidders planning to get her
+property, and using every cunning device to make her their tool. Then I
+had seen her pleading to be sent to a convent, and afterward dying of a
+broken heart. Ay, I had heard a priest only the previous day telling me
+of her death, while my heart had seemed to turn to ice covered with
+lead, so heavy and cold was it. And now to see my loved one by my side;
+ay, to remember that while we had sat in the bower she had confessed her
+love for me, while her lips had joyfully pressed mine, was joy beyond
+words.</p>
+
+<p>Presently, however, I began to see many difficulties, for I determined
+that Naomi should have her rights, and that she should not be robbed as
+I had been robbed. Besides, I still remembered my promise to my father,
+and vowed that I, Jasper Pennington, would possess my own, if only for
+my dear love's sake. Then as I remembered my past impotence, my heart
+grew heavy again in spite of my joy.</p>
+
+<p>I saw, too, that I must begin to act at once, and I determined to go to
+my old friend. Lawyer Trefry, when I got to Truro, and to consult him as
+to my future plans.</p>
+
+<p>Then I remembered that Eli had not told his story, neither had Naomi
+told me hers; so as soon as we got two miles past Summercourt, and were
+on the turnpike road, where we could ride three abreast, I asked them to
+tell me all there was to tell, so that I might be able to fight my
+enemies fairly.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW I TOOK NAOMI TO MULLION PORTH AND THEN STARTED WITH ELI TO FIND THE TREASURE</h3>
+
+<p>Eli told his story first. With many strange ejaculations and
+gesticulations he related how he had sought out Jonathan Cowling, the
+old man who had so often visited me while I had been a prisoner at
+Trevose, and how, after much difficulty, he had persuaded him to be
+communicative. Then Jonathan told him that a messenger had brought a
+letter in Naomi's writing asking him to protect her from me by taking me
+prisoner, and that he would serve her greatly by guarding me. He told
+Eli, too, how his suspicions had been aroused, especially when, after
+the news came of Naomi's death, the Tresidders came and seemed anxious
+to say as little as possible. Richard Tresidder told him that Naomi had
+died of a disease that necessitated her immediate burial, and that no
+doctor had been able to visit her. This set the old man a-wondering
+greatly, and thus it came about that when Eli told his story he was
+anxious to render him what assistance lay in his power. Especially was
+Jonathan delighted at the news of my safety, for he did not see how I
+could have escaped from Trevose alive, even although Nick Tresidder had
+failed to overcome me in the smugglers' cave. He assured him, moreover,
+that Richard Tresidder had taken up his abode at <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span>Trevose, and claimed
+to be the owner of the estate according to the conditions of Mrs.
+Penryn's will.</p>
+
+<p>All this Eli told me with many other things which need not be mentioned
+here, and after this Naomi related her experiences. Her story confirmed
+in almost every detail what I had surmised. Her life at Pennington had
+been one long series of persecutions after the time she had borne
+witness before my judges that I was innocent of carrying a false light
+along the coast. She told me, too, that after she had absolutely refused
+to marry Nick Tresidder, their one desire seemed to be to induce her to
+take the veil. She was sorely tempted to yield to their wishes,
+especially after the man from Trevose came, telling her that I was dead;
+and presently when a priest came, she lent a willing ear to his
+persuasions, and promised to go to a house which was in many ways
+regarded as an institution for novitiates. Some papers were brought to
+her, but although she was much distracted, she did not think she had
+signed any which were of importance. She understood from the priest that
+on taking the veil her property would pass into the possession of the
+Church, although she gathered from scraps of conversation which she had
+heard, that Tresidder and the priests were arranging the matter between
+them.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to her experiences at Lanherne, she assured me that she had
+been treated with great kindness, and while not allowed outside the
+grounds, she had comparative liberty within them. She believed that
+while the lord of the manor was an ardent Catholic, and had practically
+given up the house to the use of the Catholic clergy, he would not be a
+party to anything wrong. The priests had told her that they had seen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span>
+the meeting between her and myself in the garden, and this had
+determined them to take her to a convent on the Continent immediately.
+For the rest, she had been treated with kindness and consideration.</p>
+
+<p>It was early in the morning when we arrived at Truro, and we determined
+to stay at a good inn there, which, if I remember aright, went under the
+name of "The Royal." The owner looked at us somewhat suspiciously, but
+when he saw that we were well mounted asked no questions. It was now two
+nights since I had had any sleep, while Naomi was much fatigued; so
+after breakfast we lay down for a few hours, and then I paid a visit to
+Lawyer Trefry.</p>
+
+<p>Keen lawyer as he was, and doubtless used to many strange stories, Mr.
+Trefry was much startled at what I told him, and seemed much interested
+in my own experiences as well as in Naomi's.</p>
+
+<p>"They are a clever lot, these Tresidders," he said, approvingly. "As I
+told you long ago, they never leave a bone until it is picked dry."</p>
+
+<p>"But have they not put themselves within reach of the law?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Not they."</p>
+
+<p>"Not in imprisoning me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Who's to prove it was they? You do not know who took you away from
+Falmouth, and naturally they will not witness against themselves."</p>
+
+<p>"And what about Miss Penryn?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"There is no case there, Jasper Pennington. Richard Tresidder is the
+young woman's guardian until she is twenty one, and as far as I can see,
+you can prove nothing illegal against him. Indeed, he has a case against
+you, for you have forcibly taken her from those<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> under whose protection
+she had been placed by his and her own consent. Mind, I do not think he
+will proceed against you publicly, because he would not care for the
+matter to be discussed openly, but if you sought to prosecute, he would
+be able to answer all your accusations easily."</p>
+
+<p>"But what about him saying that she was dead? What of him taking
+possession of Trevose? What of the priest's trying to destroy her
+identity?"</p>
+
+<p>"Trust Tresidder and the priest to get out of that. Besides, for that
+matter, we must remember that the man is her guardian still, that he has
+the right to place her practically where he will. If he were to come to
+the inn where she is staying and demand that she shall go with him, he
+would have the law on his side."</p>
+
+<p>I was silent, for I saw that he was speaking the truth.</p>
+
+<p>"Your plan, as far as I can see, is to place her in seclusion and safety
+until she is twenty-one, then she can claim her own. Meanwhile, my lad,
+you keep out of sight, for you are not safe. If I were you I would leave
+the county, while the further Miss Penryn is removed from the Tresidders
+the better, for no doubt you are right in all your surmises about them."</p>
+
+<p>His words made me for the moment feel helpless, and I cursed the family
+who had been my enemies.</p>
+
+<p>"There is no need of all that, Jasper, my lad," said the lawyer, grimly.
+"Neither Richard Tresidder nor his son are much worse than many others
+who might be in their place. It was natural for the woman who married
+your grandfather to seek to do well for her son; it was natural, too,
+that they should seek to maintain the position which they secured. You
+are the one man they have to fear, consequently it is reasonable to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span>suppose that they should protect themselves against you. It is
+generally understood that Tresidder is in a sad way financially; he is
+therefore trying, and naturally, too, to save himself through his ward.
+If she had fallen in love with Nick, all would have been well with him;
+but she hasn't. Instead, she falls in love with you. Oh, you needn't
+blush, my lad, I can see how things stand. Very well; Tresidder sees
+that if she marries you, you will be owner of Trevose, and will thus be
+able, under your grandfather's curious will, to oust him from
+Pennington. He is naturally fighting for his hand; ay, and will to the
+end. You may call him a villain if you like, but his course is almost
+natural. The fact is, the old lady was, and is, ambitious for her
+family, and all of them love money, dearly love it. This explains their
+actions. Mark, I will admit that the whole lot of them have stained
+their honour to get their way, but not more than most others would have
+done had they been similarly circumstanced."</p>
+
+<p>Lawyer Trefry walked up and down his office as he said this, and seemed
+to be speaking partly to himself, partly to me.</p>
+
+<p>"But I have no money," I said, "neither has Naomi. How can I do as you
+suggest?"</p>
+
+<p>"That shall be forthcoming if you will do as I suggest," he replied. "I
+will find a safe retreat for the young lady, at least I will try,
+although my name must not appear in the matter. Of course, it will take
+a week or two; in the meantime, you could, perhaps, arrange for a safe
+hiding-place, for I dare not let her stay at my house, much as I would
+like."</p>
+
+<p>"And until Naomi is twenty-one?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Tresidder will be the nominal owner of Trevose.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span> It cannot be helped. I
+don't think he will do anything very rash; in any case it seems to be
+the only arrangement for the present. In the meanwhile I will consider
+the matter more carefully, and what can be done shall be done."</p>
+
+<p>I suggested many other things, but I did not succeed in altering Mr.
+Trefry's opinions.</p>
+
+<p>Now when I had left him, while I could not help seeing that he had
+uttered many wise words, I was far from satisfied with his plans. True,
+Naomi had promised to be my wife, but my whole nature revolted at the
+thought of becoming entirely dependent on her income, while my rightful
+possessions had been robbed from me. Thus, although the lawyer had told
+me to leave the county, so as to ensure my safety until Naomi came of
+age, I determined that I would stay and seek to get back my own. True, I
+had been entirely unsuccessful in the past, and had played into the
+hands of those who had wronged me. At the same time I had been learning
+wisdom, and I pondered over the schemes which had come into my mind.</p>
+
+<p>It was dark when we left Truro, for I did not think it wise to travel in
+the day. I took the precaution, however, to buy a brace of pistols in
+the town. This I was able to do by means of the money which Eli had
+obtained from Jonathan Cowling, the old serving-man at Trevose.</p>
+
+<p>By the following morning we had reached Mullion Porth, and without
+difficulty found the house of Mrs. Mary Crantock. Indeed, we found
+Tamsin standing in the little green-painted porch as if she expected us.</p>
+
+<p>Now I must confess that I felt uneasy at being obliged to resort to this
+means of finding a temporary home for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> my love. I did not know Mrs. Mary
+Crantock, and I was afraid lest Tamsin Truscott should betray me. At the
+same time I did not see what else I could do. To take her to Trevose was
+altogether impracticable; Pennington was just as bad, even worse, while
+Lawyer Trefry expressly stated that he could not consent for her to be
+taken to his house. Moreover, I trusted that Naomi by her kindness and
+winsomeness would make both Mrs. Crantock and Tamsin her friends.</p>
+
+<p>I found Mrs. Crantock to be an exceedingly pious woman. She had been
+very religiously inclined previous to Mr. Wesley's visit to Cornwall,
+and since then her religion had become more pronounced. Her great aim in
+life seemed to be to make people believe in the Methodist doctrines, and
+to become converted according to the ideas of those wonderful people.
+She had found out through Tamsin that the young lady I was seeking to
+rescue was brought up a Papist, and this caused her to be eager to give
+her a home. First, because she was anxious to know the distinctive
+doctrines of the Papists; and, second, because she would have an
+opportunity of, to use her own terms, "snatching a brand from the
+burning."</p>
+
+<p>The great thing that comforted me, however, was the fact that she seemed
+desirous of making my love safe and comfortable, for I determined that I
+would not stay at Mullion Porth, but take immediate steps to see if what
+Eli had told me about the buried treasure was true.</p>
+
+<p>Two hours after she had been welcomed at Mrs. Crantock's, therefore, I
+left the house. It was terribly hard for me to tear myself away from my
+love, especially as she clung fondly to me as her only protector. How<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span>
+gladly I would have stayed with her, God only knows, but for the sake of
+my little maid's good name, as well as for many other reasons, I dared
+not.</p>
+
+<p>When I bade her good-bye, however, I saw Tamsin watching us, and the
+look on her face almost made me shudder, and at that moment I repented
+bringing Naomi to Mullion Cove. It was too late to draw back now,
+however; besides, I was powerless.</p>
+
+<p>One of the difficulties which confronted me after I had left was what to
+do with the horses, and Eli and I had a long conversation as to the
+course we should pursue concerning them. While we talked Tamsin came to
+us.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Jasper," she said, "can I help you?"</p>
+
+<p>"You are very good, Tamsin," I said; "I am afraid you could not. I want
+to send these horses back to Trevose, and I know not how it is to be
+done."</p>
+
+<p>"Even a sister may be useful," she said, in tones which I could not
+understand.</p>
+
+<p>I looked at her questioningly.</p>
+
+<p>"I will see that the horses are taken to Trevose," she said, quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"How, Tamsin?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have many means. My father has many men who will do anything for me."</p>
+
+<p>"Could it be done without letting the Tresidders know?" I asked,
+eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not? They could be taken to an inn at St. Columb or Padstow, and
+then the man who goes with them could take a note to the Jonathan
+Cowling you told us about, telling him what he had done."</p>
+
+<p>I thought over this plan very carefully, and then I congratulated Tamsin
+on being such a clever girl. She<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> did not reply to my words, however,
+but instead kept her eyes on the ground as though she were thinking
+deeply.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you arrange this, Tamsin?" I said, presently.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I will arrange it."</p>
+
+<p>"So that neither your father nor the Tresidders shall suspect anything?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, it shall be done."</p>
+
+<p>Then I went away, pondering at Tamsin's behaviour, for although she
+seemed to be kind I could not understand her.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Mullion Forth is only a few miles from Kynance Cove, and as I was
+anxious not to meet with any of Cap'n Jack's gang, I suggested to Eli
+that we should keep as far inland as possible.</p>
+
+<p>"No," grunted Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"You said that we must vind the dreckshuns for Granfer's treasure."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but they are at St. Eve, are they not?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no! Aw, aw!" and he laughed like one tickled.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me what you mean, Eli."</p>
+
+<p>"Cap'n Jack do think 'ee's awful clever, 'ee do. 'Ee do zay 'ee can vind
+out everything. But 'ee ded'n reckon 'pon poor little Eli. Little Eli
+knawed he'd be allays at mawther. He ded think the dreckshuns was cloase
+to Granfer's Caave. Zo they wos, but Eli took 'em to a plaace ovver by
+Kynance Cove. Aw, aw!"</p>
+
+<p>"Then they are near Cap'n Jack's house?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, iss. Cloase by. Mawther was purtly frightened when she cudden vind
+the paper. But little Eli knawed, an' ded'n zay nothin'."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span></p><p>"And what are we to do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Git cloase to the Cove, then lop round till dark, after that little
+Eli'll tell 'ee."</p>
+
+<p>"But why did you take the papers there?"</p>
+
+<p>"People do look everywhere cipt cloase by their own doors. Little Eli
+ed'n a fool!"</p>
+
+<p>Now I must confess that all this talk about the buried treasure became
+very foolish to me at this time. As I have said, there were many tales
+when I was a boy about such things until no one took any heed. Still I
+determined to make the most of Eli's knowledge, for if what he suspected
+were true, I should be able to buy back Pennington at once, and have the
+Tresidders in my power. All the same, I built very little upon it, and
+through the day tried to make plans which should be more feasible.</p>
+
+<p>When darkness came on we made our way across Goonhilly Downs and came
+down to the cove when the tide was at its ebb. I saw Cap'n Jack's house
+in the distance, by means of a light which shone from the window, and
+could not help thinking of the morning when I first saw it, and of the
+circumstances under which I came thither. Only a little more than a year
+had passed away since then, and yet it seemed ages.</p>
+
+<p>"We must be very careful, Eli," I said; "if I am caught by Cap'n Jack's
+gang I am a dead man."</p>
+
+<p>"All right," grunted Eli. "You'll not be seed. I'll take care o' that.
+Come after me."</p>
+
+<p>He led the way down a beaten track until we came to a deep gorge, by
+which we were completely hidden.</p>
+
+<p>When we had reached the bottom of the gorge I stopped suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>"I heard a noise, Eli," I whispered. "Stop, listen!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span></p><p>We stopped, but all was silent. No wind blew, and so every sound was
+easily heard. I ran up the path again, and looked around. The moon had
+not yet risen, but the night was clear. Still I could see nothing.</p>
+
+<p>"Maaster Jasper es feartened," grunted Eli; "come on."</p>
+
+<p>I followed him again, and had scarcely reached the beach when a sound
+like the crack of a musket reached our ears.</p>
+
+<p>"The devil es blawin' hes billies (bellows) to-night," laughed Eli.</p>
+
+<p>Now, as all the world knows, the devil is supposed to wander much among
+the caves in Kynance Cove. Perhaps this is owing to many of the strange
+sounds heard there. In one of the caves a terrible hissing sound may be
+heard, which is called the "Devil's Frying-Pan;" in another is a deep
+hole, from which a vapour like steam comes forth, and this is called the
+"Devil's Punch-Bowl." It is also said that he walks in bodily form among
+the rocks, and makes great noises with his bellows.</p>
+
+<p>"We need'n fear Cap'n Jack's gang to-night," laughed Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"They never come near 'ere when th'oull Sir Nick is blowin' hes billies
+by night."</p>
+
+<p>I remembered the stories I had heard when I lived among them, and
+believed he told the truth.</p>
+
+<p>"I shudden like to zee th'oull chap hisself," grunted Eli, with a laugh,
+"I shudden mind, though. We cud git our way ef he wos to come. We cud
+jist sell ourselves to un, and then you'd bait the Trezidders aisy."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span></p><p>I did not reply, for a great dread laid hold of me. Besides, the sight
+of Eli, as he made his way between the rocks, grunting and making all
+sorts of weird noises, was enough to make one's blood run cold.</p>
+
+<p>"Remember, Eli," I said, "everything must be clear and right. I'll have
+no dealings with darkness, mind that."</p>
+
+<p>But Eli made no answer, except to go jabbering as though he were mad.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tes a good job the tide es out," he grunted, presently.</p>
+
+<p>"Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"We cudden git in the Devil's Church else."</p>
+
+<p>"What have we to do with the Devil's Church?"</p>
+
+<p>"The dreckshuns be there," and he laughed in his strange, guttural way.</p>
+
+<p>As I have said, being better educated than most of the Cornish folk, I
+had been led to disbelieve in many of the foolish stories told, but I
+shuddered at the idea of going there. For, first of all, it was very
+difficult to get into, and could only be reached when the tide was out,
+and it was, moreover, reputed to be accursed ground. Here shipwrecked
+sailors had been lured by inviting lights and welcome sounds, and here
+they had met their doom.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll not go there, Eli," I gasped.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't be a vool, Jasper Pennington," snarled Eli. "We sh'll be saafe
+there. Nobody will disturb us. I put it there, I did. Come on,
+Pennington; and yer love is there, you boobah."</p>
+
+<p>I saw that the dwarf was much excited, and, like one under a spell, I
+followed him without another word. We climbed over many slippery,
+dangerous rocks, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> then walked over the grass-grown summits of a
+small island. Then we slowly descended on the south side of the island.
+Neither of us spoke, for we were in great danger. Below us, many feet
+down, were great jagged rocks, at whose feet the frothy waves leaped.</p>
+
+<p>"How much farther?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Here we be," grunted Eli, and he disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>The next minute I found myself in a roomy cavern.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait, and I'll get a light," cried Eli, feeling in his pockets.</p>
+
+<p>I heard a strange whizzing noise, and then something struck against my
+face, and I heard a screech in the darkness outside.</p>
+
+<p>"This is the Devil's Church," grunted Eli, "and 'tes 'ere I've put the dreckshuns."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW I FOUND THE SECRET OF THE TREASURE, AND WENT TO THE SCILLY ISLES</h3>
+
+<p>The cave called the Devil's Church is little known, and yet it is larger
+than any of the caverns in Kynance Cove. Strangely enough, too, it is
+shaped like a church; even the entrance looks as though it might have
+been fashioned by the hands of men. It was perfectly dry, for the sea
+never entered it except at very high tides, and even when it entered the
+water was never known to reach the roof. It was, moreover, seldom
+visited, for, as I have before stated, in addition to its evil name, it
+was extremely difficult to reach.</p>
+
+<p>"You say you've put the papers here?" I said to Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss; 'ere, stoop down and laive me git top yer back."</p>
+
+<p>I stooped down, and the dwarf climbed on my shoulders. I had no idea he
+was so heavy, and when he placed his shoes on my shoulders I gave a cry
+of pain.</p>
+
+<p>"Aw," laughed Eli, "I be'ant no wizard, be I? I be 'eavier than the
+church Bible, I be. Ther' now, hold yerself stiddy, and I'll take et
+out."</p>
+
+<p>He felt along the roof of the cavern, and presently gave a grunt of
+satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"I've got et, Jasper, I've got et. 'Tes oal 'ere. Pennington and the
+purty maid. Aw, aw!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p><p>With that I let him down on the floor, and saw that he held something
+in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then, let's see it," I cried, for in my eagerness I had forgotten
+all about my ghostly fears.</p>
+
+<p>"Come 'ere to a lew place," said Eli; "this'll do. I'll hould the candle
+while you raid."</p>
+
+<p>The packet which he had taken from a hole in the cave was covered with
+some kind of skin, and was carefully sewn with strong twine. I took my
+knife from my pocket, and was about to cut it open when I looked around.
+The candle which Eli held partially lit up the cave, sufficient, indeed,
+to enable me to see nearly every part of it. A moment later I had
+started to my feet and seized the pistol which I had bought at Truro,
+but my hand became nerveless.</p>
+
+<p>Close to me, not ten feet away, I saw that which turned my blood to ice.
+It seemed to my excited imagination a creature fashioned in the likeness
+of a man, and yet its eyes shone as I had never seen human eyes shine,
+and the face was terrible to look upon. The thing held up its hands, and
+I saw that they were long and lean. He uttered a cry. "No, no, no!" he
+said.</p>
+
+<p>A mist came before my eyes, and my senses seemed to depart from me. For
+a minute or more I was ignorant of what passed.</p>
+
+<p>"You be a vool, Jasper!" I heard Eli say.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" I asked. "Where is it gone?"</p>
+
+<p>"Dunnaw, dunnaw. We'll go out."</p>
+
+<p>I hurried out of the cave, forgetful of the purpose for which we came,
+and I did not rest until I reached the mainland.</p>
+
+<p>"This is terrible, Eli!" I said.</p>
+
+<p>The dwarf laughed.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span></p><p>"I 'spect it was Granfer's ghost," he grunted; "but what of that? He
+ed'n goin' to stop we."</p>
+
+<p>"He has stopped us."</p>
+
+<p>"Not a bit of it. I've got the dreckshuns 'ere. I bean't no vool ef you
+be."</p>
+
+<p>I hurried on, for I was terribly afraid, and yet at each step I felt
+more glad that Eli had taken the papers. All the time Eli kept close to
+my heels, sometimes laughing at my fears, and at others grumbling with
+me. Presently I seemed to see things in a new light. Wasn't this
+apparition merely the creature of my own imaginations? Had I not
+conjured up the spectre myself?</p>
+
+<p>"Eli," I said presently, trying to be brave, "you are right, I am a
+fool. That thing was nothing but my fancy."</p>
+
+<p>"Aw, aw!" laughed Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Come," I said, "there's a furze-cutter's hut somewhere, I saw it as we
+crossed the downs to-day. Let us go and read the papers."</p>
+
+<p>"Tha's yer soarts," replied Eli. "'Ere we be."</p>
+
+<p>With that we found our way to a hut which some one had built as a
+temporary shelter, and a few minutes later Eli had lit another candle.
+The wind which had risen howled across Goonhilly Downs, on which the hut
+was built, but the place was sufficiently sheltered to allow the candle
+to burn steadily.</p>
+
+<p>"Here 'tes," cried Eli, safely; "raid, Maaster Jasper, raid."</p>
+
+<p>A nervous dread again laid hold of me as I took the thing in my hands,
+but mastering my weakness, I cut the threads, and a few minutes later I
+had smoothed out the piece of paper on which the directions, of which
+Eli had so often spoken, were written.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p><p>The following is a copy, as nearly as I can make it, although it is
+impossible for me to reproduce the peculiar characters in which it was
+written.</p>
+
+<div class="block">
+<div class="poem"><div class='stanza'>
+<div class="i4"><span class="smcap">Cillyiles</span></div>
+<div><span class="smcap">Annett Nobodelivin</span></div>
+<div class="i4"><span class="smcap">Kamsay.</span></div>
+<div class="i1"><span class="smcap">Lawtid</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Be sur ov this</i></div>
+<div class="i1"><span class="smcap">Doo Soth.</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">Vurs</span></div>
+<div class="i1"><span class="smcap">Kungit.</span></div>
+<div class="i1"><span class="smcap">Soth Agin</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Lik thiky</i></div>
+<div><span class="smcap">Devils Point</span></div></div>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/fig309.jpg" width='200' height='136' alt="diagram" /></div>
+
+<div class="block">
+<div class="poem"><div class='stanza'>
+<div class="i2"><span class="smcap">Blakplas</span></div>
+<div><span class="smcap">Ells Moth&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S W.</span></div>
+<div class="i1"><span class="smcap">Bilysed&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;N. W.</span></div>
+<div class="i1"><span class="smcap">Pik Bar Showl</span></div>
+<div class="i2"><span class="smcap">Irebox Jamtite</span></div>
+<div><i>Loard be marciful to we</i>.</div></div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>I pored over the directions for a long time, while Eli looked over my
+shoulder, as if trying to decipher the characters.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli bea'nt no schullard," he grunted at length; "Jasper be, Jasper raid
+et to Eli."</p>
+
+<p>"Wait a bit, Eli," I said, trying to remember some of the things I had
+learnt at school, "it's beginning to get plain to me."</p>
+
+<p>"Wish I was schullard," he cried excitedly.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span></p><p>Again I pored over the paper, and presently I translated it to mean as
+follows:</p>
+
+<p class="center"><i>Scilly Isles.</i><br /><i>Name of Island: Annette. Uninhabited.</i><br />
+<i>Calm sea. (Be sure of this.)</i><br /><i>Due south of the island. Go as far as possible.<br />
+Here southward still is a rock, of which a<br />rough sketch is given. The treasure is laid at<br />
+the point indicated by the black spot, called the<br />Devil's Point.</i><br />
+<i>Hell's Mouth S.W.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Billy's Head N.W.<br />An iron box jammed tight. Take pick, crow-<br />bar, and shovel.</i></p>
+
+<p>The longer I looked at the paper the more certain I was that I had given
+the correct meaning to it, and yet the whole idea of a buried treasure
+became absurd.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli," I said, "are you sure this is intended to tell where a treasure
+is?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss."</p>
+
+<p>"Look, Eli, tell me the history of this paper. Tell me who wrote it, and
+what Granfer Fraddam had to do with it. Tell me how it came into your
+mother's hands and into yours."</p>
+
+<p>"Shaan't tell 'ee nothin' more," grunted Eli. "'Tes there. Give et to me
+ef you doan't want et."</p>
+
+<p>I sat for a long time in deep thought, for I scarcely knew what step to
+take. Presently, however, my mind was made up. I would, at any rate, see
+if these rudely drawn characters had any meaning. By this means I might
+get back Pennington, and I should not take Naomi to the altar a
+penniless outcast.</p>
+
+<p>If these directions had no meaning I should be none<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> the worse; if there
+were a treasure, I had as much right to it as any other man; nay, more.
+Eli was Granfer Fraddam's descendant, and he had given the paper to me.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, the longer I thought of it, the more I was convinced that there
+was a meaning in what I had been reading. Why should it have been
+written at all? Why was Granfer Fraddam so particular to preserve it?
+And, above all, why should Cap'n Jack Truscott be so eager to obtain it?</p>
+
+<p>I had heard of <i>Annette</i> as forming one of a group of islands lying
+about thirty miles from the Land's End, but beyond that I knew nothing.
+It was evidently uninhabited, and regarded by the pirates, if pirates
+they were, as a safe place to bury their treasure.</p>
+
+<p>Anyhow I determined to follow the directions given. So far I had done
+nothing to get back my own. I had been driven from pillar to post
+without making a single step forward. At worst I could but fail, while
+it might be possible that by this step I might be revenged on my
+enemies.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Eli," I said, "we'll go, you and I."</p>
+
+<p>"Tha's yer soarts," grunted Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"We shall want a boat, and we shall want tools, Eli. How are we to get
+them?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aisy, aisy," cried Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Come on, we must be off."</p>
+
+<p>"We must walk to Land's End," cried Eli, "and git a boat there. Another
+say voyage, aw, aw!"</p>
+
+<p>I did not altogether like this arrangement, and yet I knew no better
+plan, so we started on our journey. We had not gone more than a few
+yards when I turned and looked around.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p><p>"I heard a footstep," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"You be feartened," grunted Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"There is some one following us, I'm sure."</p>
+
+<p>"How can there be? We be 'ere in the oppen downs, and can zee oal
+around."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke the truth. Around us was a vast stretch of open country upon
+which nothing grew save stunted furze bushes. It seemed impossible that
+any one could hide from us.</p>
+
+<p>I took heart, therefore, and trudged forward. I feared nothing
+living&mdash;it was the departed dead, the powers of darkness that held me in
+awe. But for Naomi I would not have ventured to go to the Scilly Isles;
+the remembrance of her, however, nerved me, for my Pennington pride
+mixed largely with my love. I knew that if the desires of my heart were
+fulfilled and she became my wife, I could easily obtain the means to buy
+back Pennington, but the thought was repugnant to me. Somehow I felt as
+though I should be disgraced in my own eyes if I did such a thing,
+natural as some people might regard it, for we Penningtons have always
+been regarded as an independent race, desiring nothing but that which we
+could obtain by our own hands and brains. And thus, although I loved
+Naomi very dearly, I could not bear the thought of asking her to link
+her life to a penniless outcast.</p>
+
+<p>Besides another fear possessed me. From what Lawyer Trefry had hinted
+when we parted, and from what Naomi had said to me, it was possible that
+the Tresidders had become possessed of her property. I pondered long
+over what she had said concerning the conversation held between the
+priests and Richard Tresidder. I tried to discover why they desired to
+have her regarded<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> as dead. To my dull mind everything was enshrouded in
+mystery, but the very mystery urged me forward to find out the truth
+concerning Granfer Fraddam's treasure.</p>
+
+<p>When we reached Penzance I bought a compass and a chart containing many
+particulars about the Scilly Isles. This done we trudged on to the
+Land's End, and, arrived there, the real difficulties of our adventure
+presented themselves. First of all we had to possess a boat, and to do
+this without causing suspicion seemed difficult. Then we had to obtain
+tools and start on our journey without being seen. Eli, however, laughed
+at my fears.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tes arternoon now, Jasper Pennington," he said; "I'll git the boat,
+you git the other things."</p>
+
+<p>I asked him many questions as to how the boat was to be obtained, but he
+made no answer save to tell me to be in Gamper Bay, close by a rock
+called the Irish Lady, at ten o'clock that night, when the moon would
+rise. I knew I could trust him; so walking to the village of St. Bunyan,
+which is about three miles from Land's End, I obtained at a blacksmith's
+shop a pick, a crowbar, and a shovel, according to the directions given.
+This done I found my way back to the coast again. I had plenty of time,
+so putting the tools in a safe place I wandered along the edge of the
+cliffs. The moon had not yet risen, but for the time of the year the
+weather was very calm and pleasant. The waves leaped pleasantly on the
+great rock called the Armed Knight, and even the breakers on Whicksand
+Bay were not angry, as is usually the case on this wild coast. A few
+clouds swept along the sky, but mostly the heavens were clear. Presently
+I looked at my watch, and after<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> some trouble discovered that it was
+nearly nine o'clock. As I was nearly a mile from the Irish Lady I
+determined to start, and was just going to the place where I had laid
+the pick and shovel when I heard the sound of voices in the near
+distance. I immediately fell flat on the ground, for I did not wish to
+be seen. A minute later I knew that two men were coming toward me, and I
+judged would pass close beside me. However, I lay still. I was partly
+covered by the heather which grew abundantly just there, and in the dim
+light could not be distinguished by the ordinary passer-by from the many
+great gray rocks which were scattered along the headland.</p>
+
+<p>"I heard the dwarf say," said a voice which I could not recognise, and
+yet which seemed very familiar to me, "that they would start from the
+Irish Lady at ten o'clock."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, sur," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>"They cannot get a boat nearer than Sennen Cove, can they?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Tes the only place a booat can be got to-night."</p>
+
+<p>"And it could not be got without your knowledge?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sur."</p>
+
+<p>"You are quite sure?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss."</p>
+
+<p>"And you have given orders as I directed?"</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, that I 'ave for sure."</p>
+
+<p>"Very good; but keep a sharp look-out. I shall be at the Ship Inn at
+Sennen. If by any means they launch a boat let me know."</p>
+
+<p>"I've put six men to watch, sur."</p>
+
+<p>"That's all right."</p>
+
+<p>They passed within six feet of me, but they did not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> see me. A few
+seconds later they were out of sight. So far I was safe, then, but what
+did this conversation mean? Who was this man who had been watching my
+actions, and what could be his purpose? He spoke like an educated man,
+and I could not imagine why he should place six men to watch the coast.
+Was he a creature of Richard Tresidder, or did he belong to Cap'n Jack
+Truscott's gang?</p>
+
+<p>"I must go and find Eli," I thought, so I made my way toward the Irish
+Lady as fast as I was able. I had just reached a part of the cliff where
+it was safe to descend to the beach when I saw a dark object creeping
+toward me. I was about to rush toward it and grapple with it when I
+heard Eli's voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Summin in the wind, Maaster Jasper. Somebody 'ave hired all the
+booats."</p>
+
+<p>I was not surprised at his words; what I had heard previously prepared
+me for them.</p>
+
+<p>"I tried to stall one, but 'twas no use. All the cove is watched."</p>
+
+<p>"What have you done, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothin'. I did'n want nobody to take notice of me."</p>
+
+<p>For once my slow-thinking mind was able to hit upon a plan. I remembered
+when I was with Cap'n Jack's gang hearing of a cave in Gramper Bay, not
+far from the Irish Lady, where smugglers landed their goods. One of
+Cap'n Jack's men had pointed it out to me, and had told me that a gang
+who worked with them sometimes often kept a boat in it.</p>
+
+<p>This I told to Eli, who immediately suggested our trying to find it.</p>
+
+<p>"What we do we must do dreckly, Maaster Jasper," he said; "they be
+watchin' for we."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span></p><p>I felt the truth of his words, and a few minutes later we had
+accomplished a precipitous and dangerous descent to the shore beneath.
+We should have got down more quickly but for the tools which I carried.</p>
+
+<p>We searched very quietly, very cautiously, for I remembered what I had
+heard, and were not long in finding out the cave I have mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>I may say here that I visited the Land's End only last week, and I find
+that the place is now quite open to view. A great mass of cliff which
+formerly hid its mouth has during the last few years fallen away, so
+that it can be no longer regarded as secret. Then, however, the opening
+was fairly well hidden.</p>
+
+<p>On entering the place I was delighted to find two fairly large boats. I
+discovered, too, that oars were lying in them, also a small mast and
+sails.</p>
+
+<p>"Good, good!" cried Eli, in a hoarse whisper. "Lev us be off right
+away."</p>
+
+<p>"The moon has not yet risen, Eli," I said; "it'll be dangerous to go out
+among so many rocks."</p>
+
+<p>"All the better, they waant zee us."</p>
+
+<p>I saw there was much truth in this, especially as they did not expect us
+to start until ten o'clock. So together we pulled out what seemed to be
+the best boat, and a few minutes later we were rocking on the heaving
+waves.</p>
+
+<p>It was, perhaps, a foolish adventure. As all the world knows, there are
+no wilder seas than those off Land's End. Here two mighty currents meet,
+and often when the waters are smooth elsewhere they are wild and
+troubled here. Besides, to undertake a long journey of more than thirty
+miles in the open sea in a rowing-boat, and to visit a group of islands
+noted for the treachery of their coasts, seemed harebrained and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span>
+senseless, especially so when we were watched by people who were, as I
+judged, far from friendly toward us. And yet this fact added zest to the
+adventure; it made me feel that I was not chasing a phantom, else why
+should precautions be taken to hinder us, why were we the objects of so
+much suspicion?</p>
+
+<p>Nothing happened to us during our sail across the waters, and yet more
+than once I almost regretted undertaking the journey in such a way, for
+with the rising of the moon came also the turbulence of the waves.
+Indeed, when we had accomplished only half our journey I feared we
+should never reach the Scilly Isles at all. Our boat was tossed on the
+waves like a cork, and so rough was the sea that I was almost unable to
+row. Matters became better presently, however, and as morning came on I
+was able to hoist our little sail, and thus the latter part of our
+journey was far more pleasant than the first.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as daylight came we looked eagerly to see if we were followed,
+but a light mist had fallen upon the sea, and thus all vision was
+obscured. Still I imagined that we were safe, and I eagerly made plans
+whereby we should visit Annette Island, and formed many a wild
+conjecture as to what the treasure would be.</p>
+
+<p>It was not without considerable difficulty that we effected a landing.
+At first I determined to make straight for the place we had come to
+seek, but presently I felt hungry, which led me to remember that we had
+no food on board, and that we should surely need some before we reached
+the object of our search. So after much haggling with Eli, we at length
+decided to land at St. Mary's, where there was a safe harbour, which we
+did after much hard struggling. Indeed, so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> much had the journey
+fatigued us that, supposing that we found what we desired, I almost
+despaired of ever taking it to the mainland, unless the sea were much
+becalmed. Still I imagined that we might on returning commence our
+journey in the morning, and if the wind were favourable accomplish a
+great part of the distance before the night came on.</p>
+
+<p>Our appearance at Hugh Town, St. Mary's, seemed to call forth no special
+comment. Accustomed as were the islanders to all sorts of sea
+excursions, they apparently regarded our voyage as natural. At the same
+time they were curious as to our visit, and in a kindly way asked our
+business.</p>
+
+<p>I left all the questions for Eli to answer, who was far more adept at
+such matters than I, and who seemed to satisfy the curiosity of the
+fisher people without trouble. Perhaps they thought we were smugglers
+like themselves, for I suppose that almost all the men on the islands
+were in some way interested in deceiving the king's officers. They were
+very hospitable, however, and would charge nothing for the hearty meal
+of which we partook.</p>
+
+<p>Late in the afternoon we boarded our little boat again, and without
+apparently attracting any attention we rowed for Annette Island. It was
+well it was calm, for the place was surrounded with low-lying rocks,
+which might any moment destroy our craft. Never shall I forget the reef
+off Annette Head, for even on that calm day the innumerable "dogs"
+churned the waters into foam as they roared around them, as if to tell
+us that if we came near them they would surely destroy us. And we were
+near becoming wrecked, too, for there were many cross currents, which,
+had we not been very <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span>watchful, would surely have drawn us to
+destruction. One especially was dragging us to the reef of the
+<i>Hellweathers</i>, and but for my great strength we should never have
+landed.</p>
+
+<p>As the day was closing, however, we saw a small cove, and toward this we
+made our way, and finally succeeded in landing. I saw now why this
+island had been chosen for the burial of the treasure, if, indeed, one
+was buried. Even the islanders themselves seldom visited it because of
+its dangerous coast, and because there seemed nothing on it to tempt
+them to go thither.</p>
+
+<p>Once on land, however, we climbed Annette Head and looked cautiously
+around. No one was, as far as I could see, in sight. We were alone on a
+tract of land about forty acres big, entirely surrounded by treacherous
+waves and rocks.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, Eli," I said, "we are safe so far. Now we will see if this paper
+has any meaning."</p>
+
+<p>I saw that he was nearly as excited as I, for his eyes shone strangely,
+and he uttered many wild ejaculations as we wended our way southward.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW WE FOUND THE IRON BOX ON ANNETTE ISLAND, AND THE TERRIBLE ENDING TO OUR ADVENTURE</h3>
+
+<p>There can, I think, be few drearier prospects than the one which
+presented itself to us as we made our way toward the south of Annette.
+Above was a gray sky, all around was a sullen sea. True, the waters were
+calm, but they looked as though at any moment they might rouse
+themselves to fury. East of us we could see the Island of St. Agnes, but
+beyond this no land was visible, except the rocky islets which lifted
+their heads from out the dark sea.</p>
+
+<p>On the Island of Annette we could see nothing of interest. No human
+being lived there, neither was any cattle to be seen. Possibly there
+might be enough verdure to keep a few alive, but I think that even they
+would have died of loneliness. The people at Hugh Town said that
+scarcely any one ever thought of going to Annette. Why should they?
+there was nothing to induce them there.</p>
+
+<p>Since then I have seen the whole group of islands bathed in the sunlight
+of summer, I have seen them covered with rich vegetation, I have seen
+the waves shine bright as they leaped on the many-coloured cliffs, and
+make sweet music as they played around the innumerable rocks. Seen in
+this way they are pleasing to all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> who can enjoy a strange and lovely
+beauty, but on the day of which I am writing they were gloomy beyond all
+the power of words to tell.</p>
+
+<p>Even the wind, little as there was of it, wailed and sobbed as it moved
+along the waters, while birds, the like of which I had never seen
+before, cried as though they were in bitter pain.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli," I said, "surely we are on the devil's mission, and God is
+forbidding us to go further."</p>
+
+<p>Eli made no answer save to grunt savagely.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us row back to St. Mary's again," I said, "this place is given over
+to Satan."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you'll go by yourself, Jasper Pennington!" snarled Eli. "I ded'n
+come 'ere to go away without gittin' what I wanted. Besides, 'tes nearly
+dark. I be'ant goin' to go 'way from here till daylight. Ef we tried we
+should both be drowned."</p>
+
+<p>I saw that he spoke the truth. None but a madman would put out to sea
+off Annette in the dark, and I saw by the gathering darkness that in a
+few minutes night would be upon us.</p>
+
+<p>"Cheer up," continued Eli, "Pennington es 'ere, so es the purty maid.
+Eli do love Jasper, Eli do," and the dwarf caught my hands and fondled
+them.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of myself I was cheered by his words, and throwing off my
+superstitious fears, I made my way southward to the spot where the great
+rock was supposed to lie.</p>
+
+<p>When we had walked a few minutes we saw that the island tapered down to
+a narrow point; we saw, too, that the strip of land was about three
+quarters of a mile long, perhaps a quarter of a mile broad, and lay
+pretty well north and south. Arriving at the southern <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span>extremity, we
+looked eagerly around. As I said, day was fast departing, but there was
+sufficient light to see the general features of the coast.</p>
+
+<p>I gave a start. Yes, there was the rock mentioned in the paper which I
+have described.</p>
+
+<p>"Wurrah!" cried Eli excitedly, "we be rich as Jews, Maaster Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, Eli," I said, as excited as he, "give me the tools. I'll get
+there at once."</p>
+
+<p>"We cannot do et yet," replied Eli. "In five minutes more 't'll be
+dark."</p>
+
+<p>"What fools we were not to come before!" I said, angrily.</p>
+
+<p>"No," grunted Eli; "ef people was to zee us diggin' they'd begin to
+'spect summin. We mus' do et in the dark."</p>
+
+<p>"How, Eli? You must be mad."</p>
+
+<p>The dwarf looked anxiously at the sky.</p>
+
+<p>"'T'll clear up dreckly," he replied complacently, "and the moon'll rise
+earlier to-night than he did last night. Ef 'tes clear moonlight we c'n
+zee. Ef tes'n, we must be up as zoon as ther's any light and find et
+afore anybody can be about."</p>
+
+<p>"Spend the night here?" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"We sh'll 'ave to do that anyhow," he said. "We mus'n stay 'ere now,"
+continued the dwarf, "we must git away. Tell 'ee, I b'leeve we be
+watched as et es."</p>
+
+<p>"What makes you think so?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind," and he looked anxiously toward St. Agnes. "Tell 'ee,
+Jasper, 't'll be a rough night's work."</p>
+
+<p>I, too, looked toward St. Agnes, but could see nothing.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span></p><p>"Come on, come on!" he cried excitedly; "we've got the dreckshuns; we
+knaw," and he walked northward as fast as he was able, carrying the
+spade under his arm. Presently we reached a deep pool not far from
+Annette Head, and near here we found some huge overhanging rocks.
+Underneath these we both crept, and here we sat for a considerable time.
+We had brought food with us, and of this we partook, after which we
+tried to pass away the time by smoking some prime tobacco which I had
+bought at Penzance. It was just after six o'clock when we finished our
+meal, and we sat there in the darkness for two hours. I rejoiced to see
+the clouds depart and the stars begin to shine, for the genius of
+loneliness seemed to govern the place. We could see nothing but the sea,
+which in the night looked as black as ink as it surged among the rocks.
+Even "Great Smith," a huge black rock which lay about half a mile from
+us, was almost hidden from view, and no sound of anything living reached
+us save the weird, unnatural cry of the sea birds which now and then
+fluttered among the rocks on the coast.</p>
+
+<p>When eight o'clock came Eli crawled out from our hiding-place and crept
+to the headland. Here he stayed for some minutes.</p>
+
+<p>"We be saafe, I reckon," he grunted when he came back; "ther's nobody
+here, nobody 'toal. We'll go back to the rock again. We musn't talk,
+jist go quiet."</p>
+
+<p>I followed him, for somehow I felt that he was more capable of leading
+than I. He kept perfectly cool, I was excited and irritable. Moreover, a
+nameless dread had laid hold of me. We kept close by the northeast coast
+of the island, while at frequent intervals Eli would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> hide behind a rock
+or lie flat on the ground, listening intently all the while.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you anxious, Eli?" I asked. "Who could come here without our
+knowledge? while, as you say, it would mean death for any one to come in
+the dark."</p>
+
+<p>"Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy Coad be'ant like other people," he grunted.
+"I've bin thinkin', thinkin'."</p>
+
+<p>"What about?"</p>
+
+<p>"Sha'ant tell 'ee!" he snarled; "but I reckon we be oal right. Come on."</p>
+
+<p>Presently we reached the southern extremity of the little tract of land
+again, and as I made my way to the rock I became possessed of a feverish
+desire to get the treasure. All ghostly fears departed, I felt strong
+and capable again, and it was with great impatience that I waited for
+the moon to rise.</p>
+
+<p>The wind had gone to rest, while the sea was settling down to dead calm.</p>
+
+<p>"'Nother aaf an hour, Jasper," grunted Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I cried, and I grasped my crowbar.</p>
+
+<p>But we had to wait for more than half an hour, for with the rising of
+the moon came also a black cloud which obscured its light until it had
+risen some distance in the heavens. By and by, however, the moon shot
+above the cloud, and that which before had been obscured by darkness
+became plain. There was the great rugged rock which bore a resemblance
+to the rude scratching on the paper. By the side of the rock ran a deep
+gulf filled with black water. Near by, perhaps twenty feet away, was
+another and larger mass of cliff. I looked at the water which lay
+between the two, and saw that it whirled and eddied, as though there
+were some terrible forces underneath which moved it at will.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span></p><p>I picked up a bit of stick and threw it into the middle of the gulf,
+which ran perhaps forty feet into the island. I saw the water take it
+and carry it a little way seaward, and then it came back again. After
+that it started whirling around, and in a minute or so later it seemed
+to be drawn downward, for it disappeared from our sight.</p>
+
+<p>"Ef a man was to git in there 'ee'd never git out again," grunted Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"No, never," was my reply, and I shuddered as I spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, be careful, Jasper Pennington."</p>
+
+<p>Seizing the pick and crowbar, I crept along the rock until I had reached
+the extreme point.</p>
+
+<p>I remembered the words written on the piece of paper: "<i>Hell's Mouth, S.
+W.</i>" Yes, that was the gulf into which I had thrown the stick.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Billy's Head N. W.</i>" I looked to the right of me and saw a rock shaped
+something like a man's head.</p>
+
+<p>The night became lighter. The moon was rising higher and higher in the
+heavens and sailing in a cloudless sky.</p>
+
+<p>I examined the Devil's Point carefully, but I could see no sign of place
+into which an iron box could be placed.</p>
+
+<p>"Can 'ee find et?" I heard Eli say, in a low, rasping voice.</p>
+
+<p>"No; there's nothing here. From here it is perpendicular to the sea, a
+dozen feet down."</p>
+
+<p>Eli swore a terrible oath.</p>
+
+<p>"For God's sake, don't," I cried; "this place is true to its name.
+That's Hell's Mouth, and this is the Devil's Point right enough."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span></p><p>He crept by me, grunting savagely, and began to feel around the edge of
+the rock.</p>
+
+<p>"Be careful, Eli," I said, "if you slip you are lost."</p>
+
+<p>"I sha'ant slip," he cried savagely, "I sha'ant!"</p>
+
+<p>Then I saw him lift a stone several pounds weight and throw it into the
+sea. This was quickly followed by another.</p>
+
+<p>"Pick, Jasper!" he cried.</p>
+
+<p>He placed the pick between two stones and began to heave at the handle.</p>
+
+<p>"Ca'ant move um!" he snarled. "'Ere, you do et."</p>
+
+<p>I caught the handle of the pick and lifted. I felt it begin to break in
+my hands.</p>
+
+<p>"It's no use," I said; "I must use the bar."</p>
+
+<p>I inserted the point of the bar into the crevice and lifted. I felt a
+rock move. I put forth my strength, and a great slat several
+hundredweight fell into the sea with sullen splash.</p>
+
+<p>Eli got on his knees beside the hole we had made.</p>
+
+<p>"We'm right," he gasped, and I felt he had spoken the truth. After this
+we took away several stones from the fissure which nature had formed at
+the Devil's Point.</p>
+
+<p>I put my bar into the hole we had made and let it slip through my hands.
+Its point struck a piece of iron.</p>
+
+<p>"Iron box. Jammed tight!" grunted Eli savagely. "We've got um!"</p>
+
+<p>We were terribly excited. For my own part, I had forgotten everything,
+save that a treasure lay at my feet. The treacherous waters in Hell's
+Mouth troubled me not one whit; all my superstitious fears had fled.</p>
+
+<p>As well as I was able I crept into the fissure and felt one foot on a
+piece of iron. Then I put my hand down and felt carefully. Yes, an iron
+box had been put<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> there. It lay edgeways, at least I judged so. The part
+I could feel seemed about a foot wide and three feet long.</p>
+
+<p>"Got et?" gasped Eli.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I cried; "my God, here's a handle!"</p>
+
+<p>"Heave um up, then, you who be sa strong."</p>
+
+<p>I tried to lift the thing out, but could not.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't move it, Eli."</p>
+
+<p>"Jammed tight," he grunted.</p>
+
+<p>He was right. Many hard stones were driven in at its sides.</p>
+
+<p>How long it took me to move these stones I know not, but at length I
+succeeded in unloosing many until I was able to rock the box from side
+to side.</p>
+
+<p>"It'll come now!" cried Eli. "Heave agin!"</p>
+
+<p>Never was my strength put to such a test as at that time. I saw sparks
+of fire flash before my eyes, while the muscles of my arms seemed as
+though they would snap. It was all in vain, however.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me rest a bit, Eli," I said, "then I'll try again."</p>
+
+<p>"No time to rest," snarled Eli.</p>
+
+<p>He seized the crowbar, and after much man&oelig;uvring he passed it through
+the iron handle of the box, and rested the point against the side of the
+fissure.</p>
+
+<p>"Haive now, Jasper," he grunted.</p>
+
+<p>I did as he bade me. The box freed itself from the sides of its
+resting-place.</p>
+
+<p>I had nothing but the weight of the casket to lift now, so I caught the
+handle again. The thing was ponderously heavy, but I drew it to the top
+of the fissure, and laid it on the rock called the Devil's Point.</p>
+
+<p>"Ho! ho! ho!" yelled Eli, like one frenzied.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span></p><p>As for me, I was nearly mad with joy.</p>
+
+<p>"My beauty," I said, fondling the box, "I see Pennington in you, I see
+Naomi's joy on you. You make me free, you make me independent. I love
+you, I do&mdash;I love you!"</p>
+
+<p>"Laive us drag un away from the Devil's Point," cried Eli; "Hell's Mouth
+is too close to plaise me."</p>
+
+<p>So I placed my arms around it and prepared to carry it from the rock,
+and away from the inky waters that curled and hissed in the "Devil's
+Mouth." No sooner had I lifted it from the ground, however, than I let
+it fall again.</p>
+
+<p>"No! no!" screamed a voice near me. It was not Eli's guttural cry, it
+was a repetition of the words we had heard in the "Devil's Church" at
+Kynance Cove.</p>
+
+<p>On starting up I saw the same ghastly-looking creature, the same long
+beard, the same wild eyes, the same long, lean hands.</p>
+
+<p>"No! no! no! I tell you no!" cried the thing again.</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" I asked, half in anger, half in terror, for I could but realise
+what such an apparition meant to us.</p>
+
+<p>"Because the thing is accursed!" he cried&mdash;"because it is red with the
+blood of innocence, black with sin, heavy with the cries of orphans'
+tears and widows' moans. It is the price of crime, red crime, black
+crime! Come away."</p>
+
+<p>I jumped from the rock and caught the strange thing in my hands. It was
+flesh and blood, and all fear departed. I turned his face to the light,
+then I burst into a loud laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"Ho! ho!" I cried, "the madman of Bedruthan Steps. Well, well, you saved
+my life, you fed me when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> I was hungry, you clothed me when I was naked.
+I forgive you. But let me be now. I must take this away."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, Jasper Pennington," he cried again, "your hands are yet
+unstained with blood. The moment you were to use such gains the curse of
+a hundred Cains would be upon you. I know, I have felt."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" I said; "I do no harm in getting it; I hurt no man. It is mine as
+much as any other man's&mdash;nay, it is more. Eli Fraddam really owns it,
+and he has given it to me."</p>
+
+<p>"Look you, Jasper Pennington," he cried, "you would get back your
+birthright. If you got it back in such a way you would lose the better
+birthright, the birthright of God. I know of this treasure, I have heard
+its history. It is red with blood, I tell you, and black with crime."</p>
+
+<p>In spite of myself the man's vehemence affected me.</p>
+
+<p>"But," I said, "I love. I cannot go to her empty-handed. A Pennington
+does not do that. Besides, I am afraid that my love is also penniless,
+afraid that she has been robbed."</p>
+
+<p>"Look, Jasper Pennington," he said, "I have heard strange things. I have
+been afraid to ask questions, because&mdash;because&mdash;but tell me, who is the
+maiden you love?"</p>
+
+<p>"Naomi Penryn," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, yes; I know that, but who is Naomi Penryn? whose child is she?
+Does she come from Penryn? Who is her mother? who her father? where was
+she born? Tell me."</p>
+
+<p>"He is mad, stark, staring mad," I said to myself, yet I humoured him.
+True, the treasure lay at my feet, and I wanted to take it away, while
+Eli kept grumbling<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> at my delay, but the man seemed to drag an answer
+from me.</p>
+
+<p>"She was born at Trevose House, close by Trevose Head," I replied.
+"Indeed, she should be the owner of the estate."</p>
+
+<p>"And her mother?" he cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Was some relative of the Tresidders."</p>
+
+<p>"And her father? Tell me, man, tell me quickly."</p>
+
+<p>"Her father was called Penryn&mdash;John Penryn, I think his name was."</p>
+
+<p>"But how can that be? Did he not kill his wife before&mdash;that is, did she
+not die?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," I said, "he did not. He thought he killed her, and because of it
+committed suicide, but his wife was not dead. She got better soon
+after&mdash;indeed, she died only a year or two ago."</p>
+
+<p>"And Penryn committed suicide, you say?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"And the girl you love is his child?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. But what is all this to you? Why have you followed me? What are my
+affairs to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Everything, Jasper Pennington. Stop, let me think."</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot stop, I must get this away! Look you, man," and I caught his
+arm, "this is nothing to you, I have found it," and I kicked the iron
+box. "It's mine, mine!"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no; it's not yours, I tell you." He stopped and looked around him,
+then clenched his hands as though he were passing through a terrible
+crisis.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you say the Tresidders have taken Trevose from the&mdash;the maid you
+love?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid they have. I believe they have."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span></p><p>"But where is she?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is naught to you. She is away from all danger. When I have taken
+this treasure to a place of safety I shall go to her. I shall buy back
+Pennington and take her to my home."</p>
+
+<p>"No, Jasper Pennington, this must not be. Naomi Penryn must never live
+in a home bought with the price of crime. But you are sure she is safe?"</p>
+
+<p>He spoke like a man demented, and yet his earnestness, his evident
+hatred of crime made me patient. Moreover, he had come upon me at a
+critical time, and was to an extent a sharer in my secret.</p>
+
+<p>"Look you, Esau, or Cain, or whatever else you may call yourself," I
+said, "these are but idle words of yours&mdash;idle words. I have committed
+no crime, I hurt no man, I am poor, I have been robbed of my rights, my
+home. Here, I trust, is my power to win back my home and give it to my
+love, who is dearer to me than my life."</p>
+
+<p>"There is no need, Jasper Pennington, I tell you there is no need! Throw
+this thing to the Hell's Mouth, by which it has been lying. Take me to
+your love; let me see her face, and then&mdash;well, I will not promise what,
+but it shall be well with you," and he laughed like a man from whose
+life a great fear had gone.</p>
+
+<p>I looked at him, and he presented a strange appearance in the light of
+the moon on that lonely island. I could not let the treasure slip from
+my hands at his bidding, for what was the promise of such as he, whose
+every action told me he was mad?</p>
+
+<p>"Look you," he continued, "I have followed you for your good. I tried to
+keep you from leaving Land's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> End last night, I followed you to the cave
+in Kynance Cove. Come, there is more danger around than you think."</p>
+
+<p>"What danger?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>The words had scarcely escaped my lips when I heard the sound of voices,
+and Eli gave a shriek as though some one had given him a deadly blow.</p>
+
+<p>I turned and saw several men standing close by me. A moment later one
+spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Oa, Jasper Pennington, this <i>es</i> kind of 'ee to come 'ere like this.
+You knawed I wanted to vind out Granfer Fraddam's secret, did'n 'ee,
+then? An' you was a goin' to make a present of et to me, wad'n 'ee,
+then? Well, you be kind, Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"Cap'n Jack!" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, Cap'n Jack. Allays a friend to 'ee, Jasper, a stiddy, pious man I
+be. So es Billy Coad 'ere. Ther's few people c'n give sich a religious
+experience as Billy. Well, we vound out wot you was up to, so we be cum
+to help 'ee, my deear boy."</p>
+
+<p>I saw that all was lost. The treasure, if treasure there was, could
+never be mine.</p>
+
+<p>"You told them this!" I cried, turning to the madman, to whom I had been
+talking.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Jasper Pennington, I have told nothing. But I heard they were
+coming, and I came to warn you."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke quietly and with dignity. His madness was gone, he seemed a new
+man.</p>
+
+<p>"Ded 'ee think that we wos vools, Jasper, my deear? Aw, iss, Eli es a
+clever boy, but law, Cap'n Jack's gang 'ave got eyes everywhere. And we
+cudden find the dreckshuns, and we bea'nt no schullards, but we do knaw
+that two and two do maake vower. That's how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> we vound out. Aw, aw,
+Jasper, my deear, you bea'nt a-goin' to buy back Pennington in that way.
+No, no; and I have my doubts ef the weather 'll laive 'ee git back to
+the caave in Gamper Bay again, for oal you stailed my boat from there."</p>
+
+<p>His words drove me to madness, especially when they roused a laugh from
+Israel Barnicoat, who stood close by him.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I'm not to have this," I cried, pointing to the box.</p>
+
+<p>"No, you bea'nt, my deear. I be a generous man, but I cudden afford
+that."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you shan't!" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>With a strength that was unnatural I seized the heavy iron box, and
+before they could prevent me I threw it into the black waters of the
+gulf.</p>
+
+<p>"There," I said, "if I cannot have it neither shall you, or if you get
+it, you shall go into Hell's Mouth after it."</p>
+
+<p>Cap'n Jack gave a terrible oath. "Send him after it, Israel Barnicoat!"
+he cried.</p>
+
+<p>I stooped to seize the crowbar in order to defend myself, but before I
+could use it as a weapon Israel Barnicoat threw himself upon me. My foot
+slipped upon the rock, and before I could regain my footing I received a
+stunning blow. A moment later I felt myself sinking in the black waters
+from which Eli Fraddam had said there was no escape. And all this
+happened in a few seconds&mdash;so quickly, indeed, did it take place that I
+had not even time to call upon God to have mercy upon my poor, sinful
+soul.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
+
+<h3>TELLS OF THE STRANGE REVELATION MADE BY THE MADMAN OF BEDRUTHEN STEPS,
+AND OF TAMSIN TRUSCOTT'S TREACHERY</h3>
+
+<p>For a moment I gave myself up as lost. I remembered how the black waters
+of the gulf coiled and circled, and knew that there must be some strong
+current underneath. I remembered, too, how the stick I had thrown into
+it had disappeared from sight, and felt that there could be no hope for
+me. But this was only for a moment. I was a strong swimmer, and had been
+accustomed to the water all my life. After all, "Hell's Mouth" was not
+very wide, and I hoped I should be able to grasp the edge of the rocks
+and thus save myself. Then I remembered that Cap'n Jack and his
+followers would, if possible, keep me from ever escaping if it were in
+their power so to do. I had in a moment destroyed their hopes of ever
+getting Granfer Fraddam's treasure, for not one of them would dare to
+descend into the treacherous depths of the waters where I had thrown it.</p>
+
+<p>All this passed through my mind like a flash, and then I felt myself
+drawn by a terrible current down and down into the depths.</p>
+
+<p>"It's all over," I thought. "I shall have to go to my Maker without ever
+saying good-bye to my darling," and then death seemed terrible to me; so
+terrible, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span>indeed, was the thought of it, that I determined I would not
+die, and I held my breath as well as I could while I was carried along
+by the force of the current.</p>
+
+<p>How long I was under water I cannot say. It could not have been long,
+for one cannot live long without air, but it seemed ages to me. As I
+look back now it seems as though those few seconds were long years. I
+will not try and tell the thoughts that passed through my mind, or of
+the terrible things through which I thought I went. It is not a part of
+this story, neither do I expect I should be believed if I related it.</p>
+
+<p>God in His infinite mercy, however, did not wish me to die, for
+presently my head shot above the water, and that without any effort of
+my own, and then instinctively I started swimming, after drawing a deep
+breath. As soon as I was able I looked around me, but the surroundings
+were entirely strange. Above me rose a cliff a good many feet high, and
+toward this I swam, being very careful, however, to save myself from
+striking against any of the countless rocks, some of which were only
+partially covered.</p>
+
+<p>The sea was very calm, and this was my salvation, for presently I was
+able to get a footing on one of the rocks without being hurt. This done,
+I again looked around me, but all in vain. On the one hand was the sea,
+on the other rose the black cliff.</p>
+
+<p>As I said, the night was very calm, only now and then the sobbing,
+moaning wind swept along the waters, and it was through this fact that I
+ascertained my whereabouts. On listening I thought I heard the sound of
+voices, loud, angry voices, but I was so bewildered that at first I knew
+not what they meant, but I fancied they were not far away; then I fell
+to thinking of the direction from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> which the sound came, and I imagined
+that the current must have carried me to the east side of the island,
+not far from the southern extremity where I had been.</p>
+
+<p>This brought back to my mind the reason why I had been thrust into the
+water, for those terrible feelings which possessed me as I was sucked
+down into the depths of Hell's Mouth had driven from my mind all
+thoughts of the purpose which had brought me on the island. And here I
+must confess, to my shame, that my first definite thought on realising
+my condition was not thankfulness to God for having saved me from
+manifold danger, but one of anger and impatience because I had been
+foiled in my purpose. It seemed to me as though defeat tracked my steps
+everywhere. Ever and always I was outwitted by more clever brains than
+my own, and now when I fancied I had wealth and power within my grasp,
+it was snatched from me in a moment. I did not remember the probability
+that the supposed treasure was no treasure at all, for the improbability
+of any one hiding a box of great value at such a place had never
+occurred to me. To my mind the whole business had been plain enough.
+Granfer Fraddam knew of such a thing, and had kept its whereabouts a
+profound secret, and only through the cleverness and affection of Eli
+had I become possessed of its secret. Evidently, too, Cap'n Jack
+Truscott's anxiety to possess the directions showed his belief in the
+reality of hidden riches. Since then, however, I have much doubted it.
+It seems to me next to impossible that such a place should be chosen to
+hide great riches. Moreover, what was the reason for hiding it? Why had
+it not been taken away before? And yet, on the other hand, why had the
+box been placed there with so much care, and in such a wild,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span>
+unfrequented place, if it did not contain something of great value?
+These questions, I suppose, will never be answered now. The box lies at
+the bottom of "Hell's Mouth," and all the riches of the world would not
+tempt me to try and drag it from its resting-place. I was saved by the
+infinite mercy of God, and strong man as I am, I cannot help shuddering
+even now at the thought of what I felt as I was dragged by unknown
+powers through the depths of that awful place. I write this that any who
+may read these lines may not be tempted to venture life and reason to
+obtain that iron chest. Not even Cap'n Jack Truscott or any of his gang
+dared to do this, and what they dared not attempt is not for flesh and
+blood to regard as possible.</p>
+
+<p>At that time, however, I did not think of these things. To me it
+contained untold riches; in that grim iron casket lay love, riches,
+happiness, home. I had failed to obtain it, even although I had dragged
+it from its resting-place, because of the subtlety of Cap'n Jack's gang.
+And yet I rejoiced that I had thrown it into the gulf. If they had
+foiled me, I had also foiled them. All the same, I was enraged because
+of my failure, especially as I saw no means of getting back Pennington.</p>
+
+<p>Then I thought of Naomi at Mullion Cove, and wondered how she fared. I
+had told her that when I came to her again I should bring the means
+whereby all her difficulties would be removed, and the intensity of my
+love for her made my disappointment the greater. I thought how sorrowful
+she would be, and yet I rejoiced with a great joy because of her love
+for me. Ay, even there, clinging to a rock close to that lonely island,
+with enemies near me, I could have shouted with joy at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span> memory of
+her words to me as I left her by the cottage to which I had taken her.</p>
+
+<p>For love overcometh all things.</p>
+
+<p>All these things passed quickly through my slow-working brain; indeed,
+they were an impression rather than a series of thoughts. Presently,
+too, I was able to distinguish the words that were spoken. I could hear
+Eli pouring forth curses, which I will not here write down, while the
+stranger seemed to be speaking in my praise. As for Cap'n Jack, he
+seemed anxious to appease Eli's anger.</p>
+
+<p>"Come now, Soas," I heard him say, "'tes a pity for sure. I be as zorry
+as can be. I be all for paice, I be. I wos a bit vexed when Jasper
+thrawed un into the say; who wudden be? But I ded'n main to kill un.
+There now, it ca'ant be 'elped now; and Jasper Pennington ed'n the first
+good man that's gone to the bottom of the say."</p>
+
+<p>"He's at the bottom of ''Ell's Mouth'!" shrieked Eli. "You thrawed un
+there; but you shall suffer, Jack Fraddam. Ef mawther es a witch, I be a
+wizard, and you shall suffer wuss than the darkness of thicky plaace. I
+ded love Jasper, he was kind to me, he was. He loved me, he ded. He
+tooked little Eli round with un, he ded." And then followed words which
+I will not write, for, indeed, they were very terrible.</p>
+
+<p>After this many things were said until Cap'n Jack got angry.</p>
+
+<p>"Gab on, you little varmin," he cried, "gab on. You thought you could
+outwit Jack, ded 'ee? Well, you be quiet now, or you'll folla Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"You dar'nt tich me!" shrieked Eli&mdash;"you dar'nt. I'd maake your flesh
+shrink up ef you ded. I'd make<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> your eyeballs burn like coals of vire, I
+wud. Begone from me 'ere now, or I'll summon the devil, I will. He ed'n
+vur far from 'ere, I tell 'ee." And then he said things which he must
+have borrowed from his mother, for I know of no other who could think of
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Anyhow he frightened Cap'n Jack and his gang, for they cried out to
+their leader to leave Eli and the madman, because they were afraid. This
+they did with many terrible oaths and threats. All the same they left,
+although they tried to seem to try and do so in a brave way.</p>
+
+<p>"Iss," I heard Israel Barnicoat say, "Jasper be out of the way now, sure
+enough. Ef you can rise un from the dead, Eli, tell un what I knaw 'bout
+the maid that he took to Mullion, but she ed'n there now, she ed'n.
+She's where he would never git to 'er ef he was livin'." And he laughed
+brutally, and yet fearfully I thought.</p>
+
+<p>I believe I should have cried out at this had I not heard a moan of
+agony, such as I trust I may never hear again. It was the stranger, I
+was sure, whom I had heard.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me where she is," he cried, and I knew he had followed them. Then
+I heard the sound of blows followed by groans.</p>
+
+<p>"Lev us do for thicky little imp, too," I heard a voice say, "and then
+nobody 'll know nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>"No," cried Cap'n Jack, "Betsey 'll vind out ef we do." And then I heard
+their footsteps going northward.</p>
+
+<p>All this time I had been lying against the rock, and half of my body
+being under water, I was chilled to the bone. When I tried to move I
+found that all my limbs were numb, and again I began to fear of escaping
+from where I was. But this did not remain long. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> words Israel
+Barnicoat had spoken about Naomi made despair impossible, and quickened
+my mind and body to action.</p>
+
+<p>I waited until I judged Cap'n Jack's gang to be out of hearing, then I
+gave a low whistle, the nature of which was known only to Eli and
+myself. In an instant I heard an answering cry, and a few seconds later
+I heard his hoarse, guttural voice overhead.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper, Jasper, es et you? Thank the Lord!"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Eli, that rope you brought."</p>
+
+<p>"Iss, iss, my deear, in a minute."</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds later I saw a rope descending. The cliff was perhaps
+thirty feet in height just here. I could not judge exactly, but it was
+about perpendicular, so I could not climb it. After much struggling,
+however, I reached a point where ascent was possible, and aided by Eli,
+who pulled like a madman at the rope I had fastened around my body, I at
+length reached a place of safety.</p>
+
+<p>"Oa, Maaster Jasper, Maaster Jasper!" sobbed Eli, "how glad I be! How I
+do love 'ee!" And he fondled my wet, clammy hands tenderly.</p>
+
+<p>"Is the madman dead?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I dunnaw. Never mind 'bout he; be you all right? You'n sure et's you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Sure, Eli, safe and sound. Let us go to him."</p>
+
+<p>By the aid of the bright moonlight we found him lying seemingly stark
+and dead on the ground. I soon discovered to my joy, however, that he
+was only stunned, and a few minutes later he sat up and spoke to us.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper Pennington not dead!" he cried.</p>
+
+<p>"No," I said, telling him how I had escaped; "but come, can you walk?
+Have you any bones broken?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span></p><p>"No; the fellow tried to stab me, but he failed; I was only stunned."</p>
+
+<p>"Then let us go."</p>
+
+<p>"Go where?" he said, in a dazed kind of way.</p>
+
+<p>"I must go to Naomi," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, yes," he cried eagerly, "how could I forget? Yes, we must go this
+moment, this very moment. I am quite well and strong. Come at once."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke with a kind of dignity, and I looked at him again to assure
+myself that he was the madman who had saved me by Trevose Head.</p>
+
+<p>"We ca'ant go to-night, ted'n saafe," said Eli, who continued to fondle
+my hands and to utter all sorts of endearing terms.</p>
+
+<p>"We must," he cried, "we must. There's not a second to lose. We must go
+straight to the house where you left her, and find her if she is there;
+if not we must not rest till she is in a place of safety."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke in a tone of authority, and was so peremptory that I wondered.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are you?" I asked; "what is my love's safety to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Everything, Jasper Pennington," he replied; "I am Naomi Penryn's
+father."</p>
+
+<p>"What!" I said aghast.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he repeated, "I am Naomi Penryn's father. Come hither, Jasper
+Pennington, and let me tell you."</p>
+
+<p>He led me away from Eli, who uttered strange, low sounds, as he always
+did when he was excited, and then the man whom I had thought mad spoke
+to me in low, earnest tones.</p>
+
+<p>"You have heard my story, Jasper Pennington," he said&mdash;"heard how I
+struck my wife when she was in a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span> perilous condition. It is true. I
+thought I had killed her, and since then I have never had an hour's
+peace. I will not tell you what I have done since or where I have been,
+except that I have been in hell. You thought me mad&mdash;perhaps I have
+been; I think I have. A little while ago I was drawn to come back to
+Trevose, but I was afraid to ask any questions. I seemed to be followed
+by the powers of darkness, who forbade me to speak. And yet I was
+fascinated to the spot. You can guess why. I need not tell you anything
+else now, you know what I would say. The thought that I have a daughter
+alive and that I did not kill my wife has made the world new."</p>
+
+<p>"And you did not commit suicide, then?" I said, in an unmeaning, foolish
+sort of way.</p>
+
+<p>"No. Coward that I was, I ran away, and for years, years&mdash;nearly twenty
+now&mdash;I have been followed by&mdash;but never mind, it is gone&mdash;all gone. Only
+let us go! You love my child, Jasper Pennington. Come, let us find her."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, yes," I replied; "but why did you follow me here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why? In my madness I felt sure that you had the secret of my life's
+joy, and because my life has been such that I could not bear you to
+obtain that which is the price of lost souls. I&mdash;I have been&mdash;where I
+have heard the history of that thing which lies under water. It is not a
+treasure, Jasper Pennington, it is damnation. Perhaps I will tell you
+more some day, but not now. Let us leave the island."</p>
+
+<p>"But it is not safe to leave it by night."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; I know the way. I have been here many times&mdash;I mean among the
+islands, I will take you to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span> sailing-boat which brought me to St.
+Agnes. Come, I will tell you all that needs telling as we go back."</p>
+
+<p>"But Cap'n Jack's gang?"</p>
+
+<p>"Their boat is at St. Mary's."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"Enough that I have found out their plans."</p>
+
+<p>After this Eli and I followed him to a little cove where a boat rocked,
+and ere long we were landed at St. Agnes. Here we found a good-sized
+sailing-boat, and here, too, I dried my clothes in a fisherman's
+cottage, wondering all the while at the strange things which had
+befallen me.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as morning came we started for St. Ives, for thither Naomi's
+father determined to go, for Naomi's father I believed him to be.</p>
+
+<p>He said that we should thus escape Cap'n Jack's gang, and be almost as
+near Mullion as if we landed at Penzance. We did not, however, land at
+St. Ives. The men who owned the boat consented to take us on to Hayle,
+which was five miles nearer Mullion than St. Ives.</p>
+
+<p>During our sail across I reproached myself greatly for placing Naomi in
+the care of Tamsin Truscott, for I believed that she had been led to be
+unfaithful, and had told Israel Barnicoat of her whereabouts. I talked
+much with Mr. Penryn about these things, over whom a very great change
+had come. He was no longer violent in language or in deed, rather he
+seemed subdued and very thoughtful. He spoke very calmly and
+thoughtfully, and suggested many things which would never have occurred
+to me. Such was the power of what I had told him that all his fears
+seemed to have gone, the wild, haunted look had passed away from his
+eyes, while his actions were those of a refined gentleman.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span></p><p>On arriving at Hayle we, after much delay and difficulty, obtained
+horses, and rode rapidly toward Mullion, my heart sometimes beating high
+with hope, and at others lying in my bosom as though all joy were gone;
+for be it known the revelations of the last few hours had made
+everything appear in a new light. If this man was Naomi's father, and,
+as I said, I believed he was, I could no longer assume the position of
+her guardian and protector. She would no longer look to me as her sole
+helper and friend. Her father would claim to be first. This led to many
+other surmises, not many of which were pleasant, and which made me
+ofttimes gloomy and dejected.</p>
+
+<p>But these were not the matters concerning which I troubled the most. I
+worried about the words of Israel Barnicoat. What did he mean by saying
+that Naomi was where I should never be able to get her?</p>
+
+<p>I had had but little sleep for many hours, but I felt no weariness. My
+strength seemed to increase with my difficulties, and I did not once
+droop in my saddle or rub my eyes like a drowsy man. It must have been
+near a twenty miles' ride from Hayle to Mullion, but we were not long in
+covering it; indeed, after we had reached Helston, we rode as fast as
+the horses could carry us.</p>
+
+<p>On coming in sight of Mrs. Crantock's house I left my companions, so
+eager was I, and thus reached the white house with a green porch some
+minutes before they came up. Opening the door without knocking I
+entered, and found Mrs. Crantock, looking pale and anxious, but I could
+nowhere see Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank God you have come!" cried the woman.</p>
+
+<p>"Why? Where is she?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span></p><p>"She's gone, I know not where."</p>
+
+<p>"How is that?" I cried angrily. "You promised you would care for her,
+that you would guard her as if she were your own child."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, yes. Oh, young man, it is wrong to trust to an arm of flesh."</p>
+
+<p>"Look you," I cried, catching her roughly by the arm, "I want no
+religious talk! I left a lonesome, helpless maid with you whom you
+promised to protect. Where is she now?" I said this like one demented,
+as, indeed, I was.</p>
+
+<p>I heard Eli and Naomi's father enter the room, but I took no heed,
+neither did I listen carefully to the story the woman told. I had some
+vague remembrance about her saying she went to hear Mr. Charles Wesley,
+leaving Naomi with Tamsin, and that on her return that morning both had
+gone. She had inquired of her neighbours, and had been told that three
+men had come to the house at daybreak, and that when they went away
+Tamsin and Naomi rode with them in the carriage they had brought.</p>
+
+<p>It was well Naomi's father was with me, for my mind was too confused to
+ask the necessary questions. I reproached myself for trusting Tamsin and
+for not taking better precautions. I felt I had by my own foolishness
+lost my love and again allowed her to be in the power of my enemies. I
+thought of a score of things I ought to have done, while Mr. Penryn
+asked many pointed questions.</p>
+
+<p>We were about to take to the saddle again when Tamsin Truscott rushed
+into the house. The poor girl's face was as pale as that of a ghost, and
+she trembled from head to foot.</p>
+
+<p>"Forgive me, Jasper," she cried.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span></p><p>I did not speak, for I knew not how to control my words.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Jasper, I&mdash;I could not help it. It was so hard, so terribly hard.
+I&mdash;I loved you, and I thought that when she was gone you would forget
+her, and then&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>She did not finish her sentence, but sobbed bitterly, as though she was
+in sore straits and truly contrite, as, indeed, I thought she was.</p>
+
+<p>She went on to utter many words of self-accusation. She confessed that
+she had betrayed Naomi's hiding-place, with many other things which I
+need not here write down.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is she now?" I cried angrily.</p>
+
+<p>"She is being taken to Padstow," she said. "You know why."</p>
+
+<p>"Is it the priest?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," she answered, "and the Tresidders."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us get to our saddles," I cried, "we may get there before they."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you can if you ride hard."</p>
+
+<p>"What about horses?" said Mr. Penryn; "these are poor nags; they were
+the best I could get, but they are spent with a twenty miles' ride."</p>
+
+<p>"They will last to Falmouth," I cried, "we must get fresh ones there."</p>
+
+<p>"God forgive me, but I have no more money," he said, and at this I, too,
+hung my head, for I was penniless.</p>
+
+<p>I looked to Eli, but before the dwarf could speak Tamsin had caught my
+hands.</p>
+
+<p>"I have plenty, Jasper," she cried. "Oh, let me help you! It was all my
+fault, let me do what I can now."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span></p><p>"Where is your money, girl?" asked Mr. Penryn.</p>
+
+<p>"It is at Kynance, Jasper," she said, not noticing him; "father is not
+yet home, and we can get there before he returns."</p>
+
+<p>"It is scarcely out of our way," I said to Mr. Penryn, and it seemed our
+only hope. And so we went thitherward, although I had grave doubts as to
+whether Cap'n Jack had not returned.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW WE WENT TO PENNINGTON, AND HOW THE TRESIDDERS WON THE VICTORY</h3>
+
+<p>On looking over what I have just written, it has struck me that I have
+told this part of my story hastily, scarcely relating enough to tell how
+matters stood. I ought to have said that it took us fifteen hours to
+sail from St. Agnes Island to Hayle. Thus having left the island at
+daybreak&mdash;that is, about eight o'clock in the morning&mdash;we did not arrive
+at Hayle till the following midnight, and such was our difficulty in
+getting horses at Hayle, that we did not leave there until morning, thus
+arriving at Mullion just before noon. We were there, I should imagine,
+something over an hour, and as Porth Mullion is only some seven or eight
+miles from Kynance, I had hopes of getting to Captain Jack's house an
+hour or two before dark. I discovered, too, that Tamsin had ridden from
+Kynance to Mullion on horseback. She had, in a fit of jealousy, betrayed
+our secret to Israel Barnicoat, and this had led to Naomi being taken
+away; and anxious, so she said, to atone, she had come to Mullion to
+tell her story.</p>
+
+<p>It may seem foolish in me to have trusted her again<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span> after she had once
+betrayed me, but I have always been one who yielded to the promptings of
+the heart rather than to the conclusions of reason, so I rode toward
+Kynance without demur, and even Mr. Penryn made no objection. Eli,
+however, grumbled greatly, and said we were going to a nest of adders;
+but indeed our horses were useless, and I knew not how we could get
+fresh ones, except through Tamsin's offer of money.</p>
+
+<p>There was no sign of life at Captain Jack's house when we came to it, so
+I concluded that he had not yet returned from the Scilly Isles. I was
+very thankful for this, because I knew his presence would mean great
+danger to me. He fancied that I was dead, and but for the mercy of God I
+should have been&mdash;murdered, as it were, by his hand, and by that of
+Israel Barnicoat. I knew he was as cunning as Satan himself, and when he
+found out that I was alive would, I believed, stop at no means to end my
+life. And thus nothing but sore necessity would have taken me to Kynance
+at that time. But as Mr. Penryn had said, the horses we rode, which were
+but little better than farm beasts, were sore spent with a ride of
+twenty miles or so, and as it was fully fifty to Padstow&mdash;nay, nearer
+sixty, taking into consideration the nature of the road&mdash;it was useless
+to think of trying to ride them thither.</p>
+
+<p>"This way, Jasper," cried Tamsin; "this way to father's chest. No one
+knows where it is but him and me. Oh, you do forgive me, don't you? I
+did it because I wanted you so! You believe me, don't you, Jasper?" and
+the poor girl sobbed piteously.</p>
+
+<p>I did not speak, for my heart felt very bitter, even though I thought
+she was trying to atone for what she had done.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span></p><p>She had led me to a little outhouse, cunningly hidden among the rocks,
+and which could not be reached save by going through the kitchen, owing
+to a precipice behind. Arrived here she opened a box, and took from it a
+bag heavy with gold.</p>
+
+<p>"Here's money enough, Jasper," she said eagerly. "Oh, Jasper, if you
+only knew!"</p>
+
+<p>"Knew what, Tamsin?" I said, for the girl's sorrow made me gentle toward
+her, even although my heart was torn with anxiety about Naomi.</p>
+
+<p>"Knew how hard it is," she cried. "Oh, Jasper, are you sure you love
+that maid so? She does not care for you as I do. Could you not think of
+me and forget her?" and the girl held my hand tightly in hers.</p>
+
+<p>Now I am, and always shall be awkward in my ways toward women. A woman's
+tears always unman me, and make me soft-hearted. So I knew not what to
+say to her, and for the life of me I could not be angry. In the
+providence of God all men love all women, only there must be one
+especially to stir the depths of each man's heart. And, verily, had not
+mine heart been taken captive, I should have taken Tamsin in my arms and
+kissed her, so piteous was her cry, and so full of love was the light
+which shone from her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Look you, Tamsin," I said, "I cannot help it, but that maid hath taken
+all my love. But for her I might have been different; now I can only
+love you as a brother should love a sister."</p>
+
+<p>Then her eyes became hard, and I knew I had spoken wrongly.</p>
+
+<p>"I must go now," I continued, "for she is in danger; and if we ride not
+hard, I may not see her again."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span></p><p>"Yes, go," she said with an angry laugh; "overtake her, rescue her, if
+you can."</p>
+
+<p>This aroused my suspicions. "Tamsin," I said, "have you told me truly?
+Are these men taking her to Padstow? I am trusting you implicitly. It is
+hard for a man to threaten a woman, but if you have told me wrongly, may
+God have mercy upon you, for I will not."</p>
+
+<p>"I have spoken the truth, Jasper; only be careful to inquire at Penryn
+if the <i>Golden Cross</i> has been seen in the harbour. I know they talked
+about it being there. If it has been seen, they have gone on to
+Padstow."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"I heard the priest say so," said Tamsin. "He said if the <i>Golden Cross</i>
+is lying at Penryn, we can get to Bristol without going to Padstow; if
+it isn't, we ride to Padstow."</p>
+
+<p>"You swear this, Tamsin? My heart is very sore," I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; this is truth, Jasper, this is what they said;" but she did not
+look me in the face as she spoke.</p>
+
+<p>I pushed the bag of money in my pocket and turned to go, but she caught
+my arm again.</p>
+
+<p>"Won't you kiss me, Jasper?" she said, "just to show you forgive me.
+Just kiss me once; it will be the only time in this world."</p>
+
+<p>So I kissed her as a brother might kiss a sister, and not as a lover
+kisses a maid. This I swear by my love for the only maid I ever loved,
+and by my faith as a Christian man. But she clung to me, and would not
+let me go, and even as she did so I heard the sound of many voices in
+the house adjoining, and then Captain Jack<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span> and Israel Barnicoat came to
+the little hut in which we were.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper Pennington!" they both cried together with terrible oaths, and
+then both of them sprang upon me. I had thrown off Tamsin as I heard
+their cry, and so in a degree was able to defend myself; at the same
+time I was greatly at a disadvantage, so much so that they mastered me,
+and held me so that I could not put forth my strength. Then I saw Israel
+Barnicoat lift a knife to strike me, and for the life of me I could make
+no defence, and could only hold my breath and await his blow.</p>
+
+<p>It fell, but not on me, for Tamsin had thrown herself between us and had
+received it.</p>
+
+<p>"My God," cried Israel, "I have killed Tamsin!" and the thought so
+frightened them both that they loosened their hold on me, and so in a
+moment I was free. I knew, too, at that moment that few men are loved as
+Tamsin loved me, for she herself had voluntarily received the blow that
+would perchance have killed me.</p>
+
+<p>But so great was their evident hatred for me, that for the moment
+neither took notice of Tamsin, but sprung upon me again. This time,
+however, I was ready for them, so I met Israel with a blow so heavy that
+he fell to the floor like a log of wood. I would have spared Captain
+Jack if I could, for he was past his prime, but he came upon me so
+savagely that I dared not.</p>
+
+<p>"Go, Jasper, go!" gasped Tamsin. "They will kill you. Don't wait; go,
+only&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Are you much hurt, Tamsin?" I said. "Tell me if I can help you."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no; you cannot help me. Go&mdash;go to Pennington; go to Pennington!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span></p><p>"Why?" I cried; "you said Penryn."</p>
+
+<p>"Pennington!" she repeated. "Go at once."</p>
+
+<p>I grieved at leaving her there, but it seemed my duty; besides, I could
+not help her.</p>
+
+<p>So I went to her. "Good-bye, Tamsin; I will send Betsy Fraddam to you.
+She knows more than any doctor. Good-bye. You have told me the truth
+this time. God bless you; you have saved my life."</p>
+
+<p>"Forgive my telling you lies. Oh, I wanted you so, but I think I am
+dying now. Go quickly to Pennington, and forgive me, Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>I left her then, much bewildered and troubled, for I felt it hard to
+leave her there without knowing whether she would live or die, and
+remembering all the time that if she died, she died for love of me.</p>
+
+<p>When I got to the front of the house I found Mr. Penryn and Eli in the
+custody of Billy Coad and another man, but they let them free as I came.
+Then I told Billy to go to a doctor who lived at Lizard Town.</p>
+
+<p>I told Mr. Penryn many of the things which I have here written down, and
+then we rode rapidly away toward Pennington, Eli also coming with us.</p>
+
+<p>"Eli, are you afraid of Captain Jack's gang?" I said presently.</p>
+
+<p>"No, I be'ant."</p>
+
+<p>"Would they hurt you?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, they wudden; not waun ov 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"Then go to Lizard Town yourself, and take the doctor to Tamsin, then
+come back to your mother's house and tell me how Tamsin is."</p>
+
+<p>"No," said Naomi's father; "you will come to Pennington and ask for him
+there." This he said looking at me steadily.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span></p><p>"You do not know Richard Tresidder," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"He will have me to deal with," he said quietly. "Jasper, that girl told
+you the truth at the last. My child is taken there."</p>
+
+<p>"I believe she is," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"I have felt it might be so all the day," he continued, "only the girl
+seemed so sincere. Truly the heart of a woman is a strange thing."</p>
+
+<p>Then we both fell to silence as we rode along, for I had much to think
+about, and so, indeed, had he. At the time I did not think how eager he
+must be to see his daughter, so filled was my own heart with longing,
+but as I look back now I feel how little I understood his heart at that
+time.</p>
+
+<p>Just as daylight was dying we arrived at Pennington Gates. I must
+confess to a strange feeling as I rode through them, for many things had
+happened since I last rode to Pennington. Then I had come from Kynance,
+and then, too, I had come to see my love.</p>
+
+<p>"I will go first, Jasper," said Naomi's father quickly. "I would we were
+more presentable, but up to a few days ago I had no hope of&mdash;but never
+mind that. Our errand must explain the nature of our attire. You stand
+behind me, and the servant may admit us."</p>
+
+<p>He seemed to have forgotten all about the past, and spoke as though he
+had a right to enter the house from which my father had been ejected.</p>
+
+<p>On coming to the door I could hear that something of importance was
+going on within. I heard the noise of many footsteps and the sound of
+many voices. When the servant came to the door he did not seem to regard
+us with surprise; nay, rather, he seemed to expect us. I afterward
+discovered that he mistook us for some one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span> else. The day had now nearly
+gone, and thus in the shades of evening he did not see who we were.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you come this way?" he said. "Mr. Tresidder is in the library, and
+is expecting you."</p>
+
+<p>Had I been alone I should have acted foolishly, so great was my surprise
+at his words. But Mr. Penryn saw in a moment how things stood.</p>
+
+<p>"Is she safe?" he asked the servant in a whisper, which I thought a very
+foolish question, but a second later I saw how wise it was.</p>
+
+<p>"The escaped nun?" said the man. "Yes, sir. She was carried from the
+carriage to the snuggery. She's there now."</p>
+
+<p>"Is she ill?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir. She's kept quiet, that is all, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you. Take us to your master."</p>
+
+<p>The servant led the way without a word, and a few seconds later we stood
+in the library, the servant closing the door behind us.</p>
+
+<p>There were six people in the room. Richard Tresidder's mother was there,
+the woman whom my grandfather had married, and who had been the cause of
+all our trouble. She was an old woman, but evidently strong and agile. I
+could not help noticing even then how brightly her eyes shone, and how
+grimly her lips were pressed together. Richard Tresidder was there, too,
+looking, I thought, much worried and careworn, while young Nick stood by
+his side, his face very pale, and his arm in a sling. The other three
+men I did not know, although I fancied I had seen one of them before.
+Richard Tresidder turned to us as if to tell us something, then seeing
+me, he cried out angrily, and with great astonishment.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span></p><p>Now, not until that moment did I realise that we had come into a place
+of danger. Instinctively I measured the men who stood before us. Leaving
+out Nick Tresidder, we were but two to four, besides which we were in
+the house of a man who had servants to do his bidding. Still I feared
+nothing; nay, rather a great joy came into my heart that at last I
+should meet the Tresidders in this way face to face.</p>
+
+<p>"Jasper Pennington!" cried Richard Tresidder, and then both Nick and his
+grandmother started up as though they had been attacked by a great evil.</p>
+
+<p>"And John Penryn." This Naomi's father said.</p>
+
+<p>"What?"</p>
+
+<p>"John Penryn. Do you remember me, Dick Tresidder?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no. John Penryn committed suicide. He killed his wife and committed
+suicide." It was my grandfather's second wife who spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"He did not kill his wife, he did not commit suicide," replied John
+Penryn quietly. "True, I struck my wife in a fit of madness. Of the
+provocation I will say nothing. I thought I had killed her, and then,
+like a coward, I ran away from my home, afraid to face what would
+follow. But in the mercy of God I did not kill her. In the mercy of God,
+too, a child was born to us; and you became her guardian, Richard
+Tresidder. Where is she now?"</p>
+
+<p>For a moment silence fell upon the company. All awaited the outcome of
+the strange scene. I watched Richard Tresidder's face, and saw how
+frightened he was. I was sure, too, that his mind was seeking some way
+out of the difficulty in which he was placed.</p>
+
+<p>"You are an impostor. We cannot speak to you.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span> Leave the house!" Again
+it was my grandfather's second wife who spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"If you wish," replied Naomi's father, "it shall be taken to a court of
+law. It would be painful for me to have the past recalled, but it shall
+be so if you will. You are my daughter's legal guardian, and until my
+identity is established you can exercise a certain amount of control.
+But remember this, if my past is made public, so will yours be. I shall
+want many things explained which will not be creditable to you, neither
+will you be free from the law's just punishment. My child will be placed
+in the witness-box, and she will have to tell many things which, I
+should judge, will not be pleasant to you."</p>
+
+<p>In saying this he never raised his voice, although I knew his excitement
+was great, and that he had much difficulty in restraining his passion.</p>
+
+<p>For a few seconds there was a deathly silence, for neither Richard
+Tresidder nor his mother spoke a word. Both seemed stunned by what was
+said. I saw, however, that presently they looked at the men who stood
+near, and who as yet had not spoken a word.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think you will find physical force of much use," went on Mr.
+Penryn quietly, "for even if Jasper Pennington could not fell an ox with
+one blow of his arm, and you could get rid of us by the means you are
+considering, it would be of no use. Think you we have come here without
+precautions? I knew better than that."</p>
+
+<p>Then I remembered that he had spoken to Eli Fraddam when I had sent him
+away. I saw what he meant now, although at the time I wondered what he
+had to say to the dwarf.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span></p><p>Then Richard Tresidder's mother rose to her feet, and came up close to
+where we stood.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me look at you, and see if you be John Penryn," she said, and he
+stood still while the woman gazed steadily at him, as though she would
+read the secrets of his heart.</p>
+
+<p>Presently her eyes flashed as though she had come to a decision.</p>
+
+<p>"There is no doubt, Richard," she said, "this is John Penryn. I remember
+his face, I can recall his voice now. You must give up your ward, my
+son. We have guarded her in many trying times, we have shielded her from
+great danger. But now it is at an end. Of course there must be many
+formalities to go through, but there need be no trouble, no publicity.
+All our actions can be explained. All we have done has been for the
+child's good. You are welcome, John, and Pennington must be your home
+until your claim to Trevose is made good, as it will be, for we shall
+raise no barriers."</p>
+
+<p>This she said with many other things which I will not here write down.
+She spoke pleasantly and plausibly, too, until for a moment I forgot who
+she was, and thought her to be truly a lovable and motherly old lady.</p>
+
+<p>But this was only for a moment, and I must confess I was not at all
+pleased at the turn things were taking, especially as she seemed to
+impress Mr. Penryn favourably.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is my child now?" he asked eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"She is here, John; here in this very house. You shall see her anon. We
+have been obliged to be careful for her, for she has had an enemy in
+that man by your side. He, a penniless scoundrel, has dogged her
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span>footsteps, and sought to ruin her life, and out of love for her we have
+been obliged to take steps that may have seemed harsh, but which,
+believe me, John, were for the good of the child whom we thought an
+orphan, and wholly dependent on us."</p>
+
+<p>"And who is this enemy?" asked Naomi's father.</p>
+
+<p>"It is Jasper Pennington," she cried, "the man by your side, a cowardly
+ruffian, a drunken swaggerer, and the companion of the vilest people in
+the country. We have sought to save her from him, John Penryn; and now,
+thank God, our work is done."</p>
+
+<p>This she said with a tremor in her voice, as though she had been an
+injured woman.</p>
+
+<p>"You know it is a lie!" I cried vehemently. "You know it to be a base
+lie!"</p>
+
+<p>And this was all I could say, for the wily woman seemed to take all
+words from my mouth, save those of a blank denial to her wicked lies.
+Besides my heart sunk like lead as I saw how her words weighed with
+Naomi's father, and as though he saw everything in a new light.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me see my child," he said at length, and after both Richard
+Tresidder and his mother had made themselves out to be the guardian
+angels of Naomi's life, while I had been plotting her destruction.</p>
+
+<p>"You shall see her when he is gone," she said, pointing to me. "I can
+never consent for her to come here while that wretch is in the room."
+Whereupon John Penryn asked many questions, which they answered so
+cunningly that I was tongue-tied, and could say nothing except foolish,
+wild ejaculations.</p>
+
+<p>"Go, Jasper Pennington," he said at length, "leave me here."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span></p><p>"No," I said; "I came to find Naomi, my love. I will see her before I
+go. She has promised to be my wife."</p>
+
+<p>"His wife!" cried Richard Tresidder's mother. "Think of it. He possesses
+not one stick. He is a wild vagabond, a terror wherever he goes. How can
+Naomi Penryn become his wife?"</p>
+
+<p>"Pennington should be mine!" I cried, like one demented. "You robbed it
+from my father."</p>
+
+<p>"You know the history of Pennington, John," cried the old woman; "it is
+held in trust for my son. It should have been given to him outright, but
+my poor husband was mad at the time, and he made a madman's will. But
+can this fellow buy it back? Has he wealth sufficient to pay half the
+worth of the estate?"</p>
+
+<p>"Go, Jasper Pennington," said Naomi's father again; "I will do what is
+right. This woman says you are an evildoer. Well, it shall be my work to
+guard my child against evildoers."</p>
+
+<p>Then all the heart went out of me, and I, who had hoped so much, left
+the house of my fathers without so much as seeing Naomi or knowing
+whether I should ever behold her again. Ay, I left it a beaten man,
+without a hope, without one bright spot in the sky of my life.</p>
+
+<p>I saw that Naomi's father had been dragged into the Tresidders' net, and
+that he would be the creature of their wills, the tool to help them to
+fulfil their purposes.</p>
+
+<p>Except for this my mind was a perfect blank. Slow as I always was to
+think, I saw no way out of my difficulties. That which I had hoped for
+came not, and my worst fears were realised.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span></p><p>In this state of mind I, forgetful of the horse on which I rode to the
+house, walked until I came to the gates, where, in the light moonlight,
+I thought I saw Eli Fraddam coming toward me.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI</h2>
+
+<h3>TELLS OF MY FORTUNES IN WINNING BACK MY BIRTHRIGHT, AND FINISHES THE TALE</h3>
+
+<p>"She ed'n killed," was his first greeting. "She'll get better." Then I
+remembered that he had come from Kynance Cove, and spoke of Tamsin
+Truscott.</p>
+
+<p>"I did ride vast," he grunted again presently, but I spoke not.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter?" he continued presently. "Tell poor little Eli; he
+do love Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>So while we walked to his mother's cottage I told him all that had been
+said at Pennington. I told it in more fulness than I have related it
+here, for it was then fresh in my memory. The dwarf chuckled much as
+though he vastly enjoyed the cleverness of the Tresidders, but he made
+no remark for a long time after I had finished my story; then he said
+quietly:</p>
+
+<p>"We must watch thicky maazed man, Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"To zee no 'arm do come to un. Iss, and we must keep our peepers oppen
+fur the purty maid, too. Watch night and day."</p>
+
+<p>"You think they are in danger?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"They Tresidders be slippery," he grunted.</p>
+
+<p>"But how can we watch?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span></p><p>"Little Eli will zee to that. Fust thing in the morning you must go to
+Lawyer Trefy into Turo, and tell 'im everything. And I must watch&mdash;iss,
+as I will, too. Little Eli ed'n a vool."</p>
+
+<p>Presently we came to Betsy Fraddam's cottage, and the old dame welcomed
+her son warmly, but she said little to me, although she prepared food
+for me. For a long time I sat quietly in the chimney corner, and watched
+the flames leap upward and tried to think of my position. By and by,
+however, nature asserted herself, and, in spite of my anxiety, I felt
+myself going to sleep. So I lay down on the couch which Eli prepared for
+me, and slept long and soundly. The next day I walked to Truro, and told
+my story to Lawyer Trefy, but he gave me little or no satisfaction,
+neither would he give me his opinion concerning the behaviour of Naomi's
+father. He asked many questions&mdash;keen, searching questions, such as only
+a lawyer can ask, but he left me entirely in the dark concerning his own
+thoughts. And so I came back to St. Eve, having made no step forward;
+and only one piece of advice did Lawyer Trefy give me, and that was to
+go to a tailor and get some new clothes, also to a barber and let him
+dress my hair. This I did, and, in spite of the dreariness of my
+prospect, I must confess I was pleased at the change made in my
+appearance; for youth, I suppose, always loves finery; and thus,
+although I could see no meaning in his advice, I was glad the lawyer had
+given it.</p>
+
+<p>The next day I tried to get admission into Pennington House, but in this
+I was unsuccessful. The servant told me I could not be admitted,
+although I thought he spoke respectfully to me. This fact I attributed
+to my fine attire. As for Eli, he was constantly watching the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span> house,
+and although I asked him many questions concerning his investigations,
+he was silent as the Sphinx, neither would he communicate to me his
+thoughts. Indeed, at this time I began to doubt the loyalty of Eli. He
+knew that my heart was almost breaking with disappointment, and yet he
+was cheerful and gay. He did not sympathise with me in my sorrows,
+neither did he speak one helpful word.</p>
+
+<p>Altogether at this time my condition was deplorable. My love was cut off
+from me, and my sky was black from horizon to horizon.</p>
+
+<p>This went on for several days, and then I found that Naomi's father had
+made his home at Pennington, and that he had been visited by lawyers and
+others interested in the Trevose Estate. I learnt, too, that no
+objections whatever had been raised as to his assuming the
+proprietorship, and that all legal forms had been satisfactorily
+complied with. And yet neither he nor Naomi sent me one word of cheer;
+nay, they did not even recognise my existence, which, it must be
+admitted, was hard to bear. Then, as if to add another drop to the
+filled goblet of my sorrow, I one day met the Pennington carriage, in
+which was seated Richard Tresidder and Nick, together with John Penryn
+and my love, but none of them noticed me; nay, not even Naomi gave me as
+much as a nod. This, as may be imagined, made my prospects darker than
+ever, for I felt that my love's father had taken the Tresidders' part
+against me.</p>
+
+<p>And yet I could not drive away from my heart the feeling that my love
+loved me. I remembered our meeting in the summer-house in Lanherne
+Garden, I remembered the words she spoke; nay, more, I felt the joy of
+her kisses, and so I could not wholly despair. On the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> other hand,
+however, I felt that she was now under the control of her father, and if
+his mind had been poisoned against me my case was indeed hopeless.</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, within a week from the time when I took Mr. Penryn to
+Pennington, it was rumoured that Naomi had overcome her objection to
+Nick Tresidder, and that, owing to her father's wishes, she had
+consented to be his wife.</p>
+
+<p>There seemed nothing that I could do, yet I would not go away; nay, I
+could not. I was chained to St. Eve; and although I knew I was in danger
+from Captain Jack and his gang, I heeded not. Tamsin Truscott, I
+discovered, was slowly recovering, and it was to her, I suspect, that I
+owed my safety.</p>
+
+<p>I tried many times to gain an audience with Naomi's father, and in this
+also I was unsuccessful. He refused to hold any intercourse with me, and
+this embittered me all the more, because, even if he regarded me as the
+merest stranger, I had tried to be a friend to him and his. I tried to
+excuse him, and thus gain hope by saying that he was busily engaged in
+the affairs of his estate; but all the same my heart was very weary and
+sad in those days, especially as every one seemed to shun me. No one
+would befriend me; no one gave me a kind or helpful word.</p>
+
+<p>At that time all hopes of getting back Pennington died out of my heart.
+Up to now I had comforted myself with the idea that I should at some
+time obtain the means to fulfil the conditions of my grandfather's will.
+Pennington was a valuable estate, and ignorant as I was, there seemed no
+way of getting the money; for be it known, in those days money was
+scarce in the country, none of the families for many miles around had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span>
+more than they needed, and even had I many friends among the so-called
+wealthy, and had they been willing to advance the necessary money, I
+doubt whether they could have done so. But I had no friends. Richard
+Tresidder had poisoned the minds of all against me, so that the
+possibility of my raising many thousands of pounds was out of the
+question.</p>
+
+<p>And what almost maddened me was the thought that John Penryn should have
+so willingly played into the hands of my enemies, that he should so
+easily have been deceived by those who were using him only as a means to
+their own safety and aggrandisement.</p>
+
+<p>Then one day a light came into my sky in the shape of a message from
+Naomi's father, asking me to meet him in the copse above Granfer
+Fraddam's cave. At first I suspected treachery, but I determined to go.
+If any one had wanted to do me bodily harm plenty of chances had been
+offered since I returned from my perilous adventure to the Scilly Isles.
+Indeed, I did not much care what became of me, for when hope is gone all
+is gone.</p>
+
+<p>So I went to the copse before the time mentioned, and this was at ten
+o'clock in the morning. As I have before stated, this was a lonely
+place, only one cottage being near, and altogether shielded from the
+gaze of men. As I said, I was early at the meeting-place, and I looked
+eagerly around for Naomi's father, but no one was there. I waited until
+after ten o'clock, and still no one came.</p>
+
+<p>"This is but a ruse," I said bitterly; "this message came only to mock
+me as others have come;" but even as this thought flashed through my
+mind I heard the sound of footsteps on the frozen leaves, and turning I
+saw, not John Penryn, but my love.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span></p><p>At first I was almost overcome at the sight of her, for I feared lest
+something terrible should have happened to bring her instead of her
+father, so I stood looking at her like one bereft of his senses.</p>
+
+<p>"Won't you speak to me, Jasper?" she said, and then my heart jumped so
+that I was less able to speak than before; but I opened my arms,
+wondering all the time if I were not dreaming a beautiful dream.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, she came to me, my darling, whom I despaired of ever seeing
+again&mdash;she came shy and coy, I thought, but love was shining from her
+eyes for all that.</p>
+
+<p>"My little love!" I cried; "and so you have come at last," and I took
+her in my great arms, my Naomi, the only maiden I ever did love, or ever
+can love. For love comes but once&mdash;that is, such a love as mine. And her
+head was nestled on my heart, just as a mother nestles the babe she
+loves, and a joy, such as even I had never felt before, came to me that
+wintry morning as the sun shone on the ice crystals.</p>
+
+<p>There be men in these days who laugh at such a love as mine, but they
+who do this have never entered into the secret of life's joy. I do not
+expect to be understood by such, and my words to them will be but as a
+sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal; but to those whose hearts have been
+filled with a great absorbing love, I know that my tale will have a
+meaning, simple as it may be, and badly, as I am afraid, it has been
+told.</p>
+
+<p>For some seconds my heart was too full to speak. After the weary days of
+hopeless waiting, thus to enter into joy seemed to make words too poor
+to tell what was in my heart.</p>
+
+<p>Presently, however, I asked her questions as to what had happened since
+I parted with her at the cottage by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span> Mullion Sands, and she told me her
+story. There was but little to tell however&mdash;that is, from the time she
+had been left alone with Tamsin and Mrs. Crantock. She had been taken
+from the cottage to the carriage, and although to a degree forced, she
+had been treated kindly. Indeed, she had not been long there before I
+came with her father. Then I asked her concerning him, what she thought
+of him, and whether he had not brought her great joy.</p>
+
+<p>"Everything seems so strange, Jasper," she said. "I had never dreamed of
+such a thing, you know; and sometimes I can hardly believe it is true."</p>
+
+<p>"And is he not kind to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, very kind, and he has made me love him. He has had so much sorrow,
+such a terrible past, you know; and he is now so gentle, so loving, that
+I cannot help pitying him and loving him. And yet I cannot understand
+him. He must know that the Tresidders are my enemies, and yet he insists
+on my staying at Pennington; he knows I hate Nick Tresidder, and yet he
+encourages him in the thought that I shall wed him."</p>
+
+<p>"But you never will?" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"How can I, Jasper?" she answered.</p>
+
+<p>"And if the worst comes to the worst," I said, "you will come to me, and
+we will fly together."</p>
+
+<p>She did not speak, but she lifted her eyes to mine, and I saw them
+become dim with tears.</p>
+
+<p>Then she told me that her father had spent days with men of business,
+but he had never told her one word as to what he had done. Indeed, the
+Tresidders had seemed to be disappointed at his having so many private
+interviews with lawyers, although they made much of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span> him, especially
+Richard Tresidder's mother, who seemed to mould him at her will.</p>
+
+<p>"If he is in her power, all hope is gone," I said sadly; and yet hope
+was not gone, for had she not told me that she would never go to the
+altar with Nick Tresidder?</p>
+
+<p>Then I asked her how she had come to me that day instead of her father,
+for up to now my joy had been so great at being with her, that I had
+forgotten that it was not her that I had expected to see.</p>
+
+<p>"That, too, is strange," she answered. "He gave this letter to a servant
+in my hearing, and bade him take it to you; so I asked the man to give
+it to me, and he made no objection."</p>
+
+<p>I puzzled greatly at this, and I could think of no answer to the puzzle,
+save that Naomi must have won the servant's heart, as she won all
+hearts. Or, perhaps, he knew what it was to love, and had guessed her
+secret.</p>
+
+<p>I opened the letter, and this was what I read:</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Will Jasper Pennington meet John Penryn, Lawyer Trefy, and the family
+of Tresidders at Pennington on Thursday at six o'clock in the evening?</i>"</p>
+
+<p>"That must mean to-day," I said. "What can they want of me at
+Pennington?"</p>
+
+<p>But I did not trouble much about the matter then, for was not Naomi with
+me? Neither did she seem in a hurry to return to Pennington. Her father
+was in Truro, she said, and had given no orders as to her conduct. So we
+left the copse and wandered away into Pennington Woods, my love and I.</p>
+
+<p>I shall never forget that day. How can I when I think of the days that
+followed? It was one of those glorious winter days, when the air was
+crisp and frosty,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span> and when the blood of healthy people surges through
+their veins with richness and fulness of life. The merle and the mavis
+sung their love-songs, even although it was winter, the squirrels
+climbed the bare branches of the trees, while even the rabbits besported
+themselves gaily. And Naomi and I, because we loved each other, were as
+gay as any lambs that frolic on the warm days of May. Ay, we were young;
+and I, even although I was almost penniless, was happy in my strength
+and my youth. Thus is God kind to His children. As for Naomi, I, who am
+but poor at stringing words together, can never tell how beautiful she
+was. Ay, even Mr. William Shakespeare, great man as he was, could never
+have done justice to such beauty as that of my love.</p>
+
+<p>She was proud of me, too, although I was poor and friendless. She
+admired my finery greatly, and told me that I looked all a man should
+look. "Whenever I have seen you before," she said, "you have been
+strangely attired; and sometimes I have been almost afraid of you, you
+have looked so fierce and strong."</p>
+
+<p>"But you are glad I am strong, my little one?"</p>
+
+<p>"Glad, ay; but I am not little," and indeed she was not little as
+maidens go, but she seemed little to me.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but you are little," I said laughingly. "You are but a feather's
+weight."</p>
+
+<p>At this she pretended to be offended, so I caught her up and held her at
+arm's length, just as I have seen mothers hold their children, and I
+laughed all the time in my joy.</p>
+
+<p>Then she called me names, although I could see she rejoiced in my
+strength&mdash;the strength which had saved her when she was in peril.</p>
+
+<p>I will write no more concerning that joyful morning,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span> much as I love to
+think about it, for it was the sunshine of summer which precedes the
+black night of winter.</p>
+
+<p>I was not late that night at Pennington, you may be sure, for if I was
+puzzled as to why I should be asked to be there, I was also eager to
+know the reason; besides, hope came into my life that day&mdash;hope of the
+great unknown future.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, I should be near my Naomi, for such I felt she was whatever
+might happen.</p>
+
+<p>I was admitted without a word, and ushered into the library, where a
+great many people were. I saw that the Tresidders were greatly puzzled,
+especially Richard Tresidder's mother, whose bright old eyes went
+searchingly from face to face. Although I had kept my time to the
+minute, I was the last to arrive. The Tresidders did not speak to me,
+and seemed to regard my presence as an unpardonable intrusion, and yet
+they said nothing. Lawyer Trefy nodded to me, but his face revealed no
+more than a sealed book. There were many strange men there, too, and
+among them was Jonathan Cowling, the old man who had acted as my gaoler
+at Trevose. Naomi stood by her father's side, and seemed to wonder much
+at the strange scene. John Penryn's eyes shone brightly, but he was
+perfectly self-possessed, and so great was the change in his appearance,
+that none would have thought him to have been the man who had been with
+me at the cave by Bedruthen Steps, unless they had looked at him
+closely.</p>
+
+<p>There was a great silence in the room, as though every one was on the
+tiptoe of expectation, as, indeed, we all were; and when Naomi's father
+rose to speak we all held our breath. He spoke very quietly and very
+collectedly, yet I saw he had difficulty in restraining himself. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span> saw
+then, too, how great was his resemblance to Naomi, and carefully as he
+was dressed at that time, he looked the picture of what a gentleman
+ought to look.</p>
+
+<p>"I have taken the liberty to arrange this meeting in the house of
+Richard Tresidder, because he has acted as my daughter's guardian," he
+said, "and because of certain family connections which naturally link us
+together, and which he hopes may link us together in the future."</p>
+
+<p>At this my heart sank, for I remembered that he had spoken no word to
+me; nay, he had not noticed me in any way.</p>
+
+<p>"If this is so," said Richard Tresidder, who looked nervously toward
+Naomi's father, "I should like to know why Jasper Pennington is here. It
+is, to say the least, strange in a family meeting like this that an
+outsider is admitted."</p>
+
+<p>"I have arranged for Jasper Pennington to be here because he has been
+associated with my child under peculiar circumstances. When you
+consented&mdash;gladly consented, Richard Tresidder, for certain family
+matters to be settled to-night, you did not mention any one to whose
+presence you might object. Besides, you will presently see that I have
+not asked him to come without a purpose."</p>
+
+<p>After this many things were said which confused me greatly, but which
+the men of law who were present seemed to understand perfectly, and so
+did the Tresidders, for that matter.</p>
+
+<p>Then Naomi's father spoke again: "You have asked me, Richard Tresidder,"
+he said, "that I should give your son my daughter in marriage, and have,
+moreover, told me that the marriage settlements can easily be arranged."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</a></span></p><p>At this all the Tresidders nodded eagerly, although they seemed sadly
+puzzled.</p>
+
+<p>"I have also told you," he went on, "that I did not believe Jasper
+Pennington to be so evilly disposed as you thought, and that on one or
+two occasions he exposed himself to danger in seeking to render service
+to my child."</p>
+
+<p>"Naomi was never in danger," was the reply. "All that he has done has
+been for evil purposes."</p>
+
+<p>"Be that as it may, I have come to the conclusion that he deserves some
+kind of recognition for his services. Besides, I was at one time
+acquainted with his father, and so I do not wish to forget him. Mr.
+Trefy, will you state what I am prepared to do?"</p>
+
+<p>Then Lawyer Trefy read something which he had evidently carefully
+prepared, and yet which I was too excited to properly understand; yet I
+know it was to the effect that he had placed in his hands an order to
+arrange with five representatives of county families to value the
+Pennington estates, and to pay the said amount to Richard Tresidder,
+according to the conditions of the will made by Jasper Pennington in the
+year 17&mdash;.</p>
+
+<p>"What!" cried Richard Tresidder, like one mad, while his son Nick moved
+the arm which I had broken, and still hung in a sling, and cried out
+with pain.</p>
+
+<p>"I give this to Jasper Pennington," said Naomi's father, "as the dowry
+of my child, who will, I trust, shortly become his wife."</p>
+
+<p>Now at this my heart seemed to stop, but when I saw the light shining in
+my love's eyes, it beat again so joyously, and swelled so with joy, that
+my bosom seemed too small to contain it. Then, unable to restrain
+myself, I rushed to her side and caught her hands.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[Pg 363]</a></span></p><p>As I did so, however, I heard a great noise of angry voices, and then
+my darling cried so fearfully that I turned my head, only to see Richard
+Tresidder leap upon me, and by the murderous gleam in his eyes I knew
+that he would do me harm. But I felt to laugh at this, for at that
+moment I seemed to have the strength of ten, and I flung him from me as
+I would have flung a yelping cur who sought to bite me. So quickly,
+indeed, did I throw him from me that no one in the room sought to
+interfere, and even when, with the yell of a wild beast, he came upon me
+again, I think no one thought it worth while to stop him; but even as he
+came I saw my grandfather's second wife speaking to Nick, and then I
+beheld, as it were, a thousand points of light flash before my eyes, and
+felt as though a piece of burning steel were thrust into my side. This
+was followed by wild cries of confusion, among which I thought I heard
+the voice of my love saying, "Oh, Jasper, my love, speak to me!" and
+then I seemed to sink away into the silence and gloom of night.</p>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p>When next I opened my eyes to the light of reason and of day, I lay in a
+large, old-fashioned room which I had never seen before. The bed was
+soft and easy, and a delicious languor seemed to possess me. I felt no
+pain, but I was as helpless as a baby. Perfect stillness prevailed, and,
+like a tired child, I dropped off into a deep sleep. How long I lay thus
+I know not, but presently, when I woke to consciousness again, the air
+seemed to be soft and balmy, and much of the weariness seemed to have
+left me. I moved my limbs, and again looked around the room.</p>
+
+<p>"Where am I, I wonder?" I said to myself.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[Pg 364]</a></span></p><p>Just then the door opened and I saw old Betsy Fraddam enter.</p>
+
+<p>Without knowing why, I closed my eyes, while the old dame felt my hands
+and my forehead.</p>
+
+<p>"He's better," she chuckled; "ould Betsy is better than the doctors.
+'Ee'll git better now. Jasper Pennington ed'n a-goin' to die so aisy for
+oal the Tezidders."</p>
+
+<p>She moved my pillow and made my bed comfortable, then she left the room
+again.</p>
+
+<p>When she had gone I recalled the incidents which I have recorded&mdash;the
+meeting in the copse, the walk through the woods, then the scene in
+Pennington library, which ended in silence and darkness. What did it all
+mean? My mind was not very clear, but presently I was able to explain
+everything. But where was I? Why was everything so quiet? And why had
+Betsy Fraddam come to me?</p>
+
+<p>I listened, and heard the cawing of rooks, the neighing of horses, and
+the lowing of cattle. If I only possessed sufficient strength I would
+make my way to the window, but I was not able to do this.</p>
+
+<p>Then I heard a voice which set every nerve in my body a-quivering. It
+was the voice of my Naomi outside the door.</p>
+
+<p>She entered all alone. She looked pale and thin; this I saw dimly, for
+my eyes were partly closed. She looked at me long and tenderly, as
+though she wanted, by looking, to see if I were better. Then she sat
+down by my bedside.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you ill, my little one?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>She started up like one frightened.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Jasper!" she cried; "do you know me? Are you so much better? Oh, my
+love, my love!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[Pg 365]</a></span></p><p>Somehow, I know not how it was, but strength came back to me then, so I
+lifted my arms, and my little maid nestled her head on me and sobbed her
+joy.</p>
+
+<p>"You are sure you will get better, Jasper?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sure."</p>
+
+<p>Presently we fell to talking, for I wanted to know what had taken place,
+and she told me little by little, as I could take it in.</p>
+
+<p>"Where am I?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Where? why, at Pennington, your home."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; and the Tresidders?"</p>
+
+<p>A cloud came over her face. "Richard Tresidder's mother is dead," she
+said. "That night when you were shot there was a great commotion. She
+had what the folks call a seizure, and she never spoke again. In her
+hand she held a pistol, but it is not believed that she shot you. My
+father thinks it was Nick, and that she pulled the pistol from him. She
+only lived a few hours, and was buried three days later."</p>
+
+<p>I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank God I had been saved from this. All the
+same, I felt sad that my little maid suffered it all.</p>
+
+<p>"And Nick?" I asked presently.</p>
+
+<p>"He left Pennington that night. No one knows where he is now, except his
+father."</p>
+
+<p>"And he?"</p>
+
+<p>"My father knows where he is. I do not."</p>
+
+<p>"And so I am at Pennington all alone?"</p>
+
+<p>"My father is here. I would not leave you; I could not, you know,
+Jasper."</p>
+
+<p>Thus while the rooks cawed in their joy and the dogs barked I lay, while
+my little maid sat by my side, and told me the things which my heart
+yearned to know.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[Pg 366]</a></span></p><p>Presently her father came, and when he knew how well I was, he said he
+must return to Trevose as soon as possible and take my Naomi with him.</p>
+
+<p>"But what am I to do without her?" I asked woefully.</p>
+
+<p>"You must get well, Jasper, and come to Trevose to see her."</p>
+
+<p>After that he told me many things which I need not write here concerning
+the Tresidders, and of the way they had acted&mdash;told me why he had
+behaved so strangely to me; and how to deceive them, and thus gain his
+rights without difficulty, he had pretended to fall in with their
+wishes.</p>
+
+<p>A little later he went with my Naomi to Trevose, and my love made me
+promise to come to her quickly. I did this, as you may be sure;
+nevertheless, springtime had come and the leaves were bursting forth
+from the trees ere I was strong enough to go to Trevose. But I did not
+go in vain, neither did I return to Pennington again without the sweet
+maid for whom I would willingly have laid down my life.</p>
+
+<p>We were wedded at St. Eval by the jolly parson who had told me about
+Lanherne House, and that very same day we posted to Pennington, the home
+of the Penningtons for long generations.</p>
+
+<p>And now I have told my tale, told it truly in spite of evil reports and
+foul lies. Let Richard Tresidder and his son Nick, who are both alive,
+and who, I trust, will read what I have written, point to one wrong
+statement. This they cannot do.</p>
+
+<p>It may be that I have acted foolishly, but let God be the judge whether
+I have ever struck an unfair blow. I have written these things that the
+truth might be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[Pg 367]</a></span> known, and that no shadow should rest on her who is near
+me even now; ay, and who is more beautiful than when I first saw her in
+Truro: she the pure maid with pity shining from her eyes, and I the
+outcast, the vagabond.</p>
+
+<p>I sit in the library at Pennington as I write this, while my love is
+romping with the grandest lad in the world, save my eldest son Jasper,
+whom I hear shouting to his sister Naomi in the garden, while Eli, the
+dwarf, watches over them as tenderly as if they were his own.</p>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h4>THE END.</h4>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birthright, by Joseph Hocking
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@@ -0,0 +1,12632 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birthright, by Joseph Hocking
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Birthright
+
+Author: Joseph Hocking
+
+Release Date: December 22, 2008 [EBook #27591]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRTHRIGHT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, Martin Pettit and
+the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE BIRTHRIGHT
+
+BY
+
+JOSEPH HOCKING
+
+AUTHOR OF "ALL MEN ARE LIARS"
+
+
+NEW YORK
+DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
+1897
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY JOSEPH HOCKING
+
+BURR PRINTING HOUSE, NEW YORK.
+
+[Illustration: "I MADE A LEAP AT SAM LIDDICOAT."]
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+                                                     PAGE
+TELLS HOW THE PENNINGTONS LOST PENNINGTON               1
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+TELLS HOW I, JASPER PENNINGTON, TRIED TO GET MY OWN    15
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+HOW I WAS ROBBED OF ELMWATER BARTON; HOW I FLOGGED
+THE TRESIDDERS, AND WAS PILLORIED BECAUSE OF IT        28
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+I ESCAPE FROM THE WHIPPING-POST, AND FIND MY WAY
+TO GRANFER FRADDAM'S CAVE                              44
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+I SEE NAOMI PENRYN ON ROCK CALLED THE SPANISH
+CAVALIER, AND RESCUE HER--WE ESCAPE FROM THE
+TRESIDDERS                                             59
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+I DISCOVER ANOTHER CAVE, AND HEAR A CONVERSATION
+BETWEEN RICHARD TRESIDDER AND HIS SON                  74
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+I HEAR RICHARD TRESIDDER TELL NAOMI PENRYN'S
+HISTORY, AND AM IN DANGER OF BEING KILLED BY
+SMUGGLERS                                              87
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+I GO TO KYNANCE COVE WITH CAP'N JACK TRUSCOTT'S
+GANG, AND MEET HIS DAUGHTER TAMSIN                    100
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+WHAT HAPPENED AT CAP'N JACK'S HOUSE--TAMSIN'S
+CONFESSION, AND THE SMUGGLERS' PLANS                  114
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+WHAT BECAME OF THE WRECKERS' LIGHT--HOW I ESCAPED
+AND ENTERED PENNINGTON                                127
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+I SEE NAOMI PENRYN, AND AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED,
+BUT SOON AFTER AM TAKEN PRISONER                      141
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HOW MY LOVE SAVED ME--WHEN FREE I GO TO SEA, AND
+MONTHS LATER COME BACK TO BETSEY'S COTTAGE AND
+HEAR BAD NEWS                                         155
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+BETSEY FRADDAM AND CAP'N JACK MEET--I GO TO
+FALMOUTH AND MEET NAOMI--AFTERWARD I SEE MR.
+JOHN WESLEY                                           170
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+I AM TAKEN PRISONER, AND AFTERWARD EXPERIENCE
+MANY STRANGE THINGS--I AT LENGTH FIND MYSELF IN
+A DUNGEON                                             185
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+MY EXPERIENCE IN MY PRISON--I AM TOLD TERRIBLE
+NEWS ABOUT NAOMI                                      200
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+I HEAR A STRANGE NOISE IN MY PRISON--THE SECRET
+PASSAGE WHICH I FOUND--A WILD STRUGGLE, AND A
+HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE                                    214
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+TELLS OF THE MANNER OF MY ESCAPE, OF THE STRANGE
+MAN I MET, AND OF ELI'S STORY OF A BURIED TREASURE    228
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+HOW I LEFT BEDRUTHEN STEPS AND, AFTER MEETING
+TAMSIN TRUSCOTT, SOUGHT FOR NAOMI                     241
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+TELLS HOW I CLIMBED THE WALL OF THE MANOR HOUSE
+GARDEN, AND WHAT I SAW                                254
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+HOW I FELLED A HORSE WITH MY FIST, AND CARRIED
+NAOMI SOUTHWARD                                       269
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+HOW I TOOK NAOMI TO MULLION PORTH AND THEN STARTED
+WITH ELI TO FIND THE TREASURE                         282
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+HOW I FOUND THE SECRET OF THE TREASURE, AND WENT
+TO THE SCILLY ISLES                                   295
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+HOW WE FOUND THE IRON BOX ON ANNETTE ISLAND, AND
+THE TERRIBLE ENDING TO OUR ADVENTURE                  309
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+TELLS OF THE STRANGE REVELATION MADE BY THE MADMAN
+OF BEDRUTHEN STEPS, AND OF TAMSIN TRUSCOTT'S
+TREACHERY                                             323
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+HOW WE WENT TO PENNINGTON, AND HOW THE TRESIDDERS
+WON THE VICTORY                                       337
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+TELLS OF MY FORTUNES IN WINNING BACK MY
+BIRTHRIGHT, AND FINISHES THE TALE                     351
+
+
+
+
+THE BIRTHRIGHT
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+TELLS HOW THE PENNINGTONS LOST PENNINGTON
+
+
+I am writing this story at the wish of many friends, who tell me it is
+my duty so to do. Certain stories have been afloat, which are anything
+but true, and it has been urged upon me again and again to set down in
+plain terms the true history of events which have set people's tongues
+wagging. I must confess that, in spite of the pleasure I have in
+recalling the memories of past years, it is with great diffidence that I
+at last commence my work. Not because I have any difficulty in
+remembering what took place. My memory, thank God, is as good as ever,
+and the principal scenes in my history are as clear to me as if they
+happened yesterday. It is not that. The truth is I was never clever at
+putting things on paper, and somehow, while the facts are clear enough
+in my mind, I feel a great difficulty in relating those facts in a way
+that is clear and understandable. You see I have lived an open-air life,
+and have spent more hours with the bridle-reins in my hands than the
+pen, and although I had a fair amount of schooling I was never
+considered a quick learner.
+
+Still, as John Major said to me only yesterday, it seems a duty to
+clear up certain matters which are altogether misunderstood, and what is
+more, to clear my name from scandal. Moreover, as he truly insisted,
+there are others besides myself upon whom clouds rest, and one
+especially about whom the truth ought to be told.
+
+"People are saying," asserted John Major, "that the land you call yours
+is not yours by right, and that in order to get your will you were in
+league with the devil. It is also said that you broke the laws of God
+and man in your dealings with your relations, and that Parson Inch
+refuses to give you the right hand of fellowship until you can prove in
+a fair and straightforward way that you are not the man some take you to
+be."
+
+Now I am quite aware that many things have happened to me which happen
+to but few men. I know, too, that I have had experiences which, to say
+the least of them, are strange, neither am I sure that I can explain
+certain matters to Parson Inch's satisfaction. At the same time I am not
+afraid of the light, and so I am determined to set down truthfully, to
+the best of my ability, the true account of those events in my life
+which are misunderstood, so that no stigma shall rest upon those who are
+as dear to me as my own heart's blood.
+
+Let it be understood, however, that I make no pretence at fine writing,
+neither must it be expected that I, who never boasted great learning,
+can explain that which has puzzled Parson Grigg, who was in the parish
+before Mr. Inch came--aye, even puzzled the Bishop himself who came to
+visit the rectory some years since. All I undertake to do is to put down
+in plain, homely words the story of my life, in so far as it affects my
+good name and the good name of those who are associated with me. It may
+be that I shall have to touch upon matters peculiar to the part of the
+country in which I was born and reared, and to which I am proud to
+belong. As far as I can I will make them clear; but even concerning
+these I will make no great promises.
+
+To begin at the beginning then, for I must do this to make everything
+clear, and I desire above everything to make matters plain. My father,
+Jasper Pennington, died when I was nineteen, leaving me as I thought
+Elmwater Barton, a farm of about three hundred acres. I am called Jasper
+too; indeed, for generations back there has always been a Jasper
+Pennington. Elmwater Barton is by no means a bad farm. Nearly all the
+land is under cultivation, and the house is roomy and substantial. You
+must not imagine, however, that the Barton is the principal place in the
+parish of St. Eve. Far from it. The parish contains twelve thousand
+acres, and is, on the whole, the richest parish in Cornwall, and so
+three hundred acres do not count much. Up to the time of my father
+living at Elmwater Barton the place had always been held by a family of
+yeomen by the name of Quethiock, respectable people, of course, but not
+regarded as gentry. No, the principal house in St. Eve is Pennington,
+which, when my father died, was owned by Richard Tresidder. My father
+was born at Pennington, and my grandfather and great-grandfather were
+born there; indeed, the estate, which is a very valuable one, has been
+owned by the Penningtons for many generations.
+
+The question, therefore, naturally arises, How did a Tresidder get into
+the possession of the estate which has always belonged to the
+Penningtons? It is well to explain this because evil tongues have told
+lies concerning it.
+
+My father's mother died soon after his birth, when my grandfather was a
+comparatively young man; and when my father was about five years old,
+his father called him into the library one day, and told him that it was
+his intention to give him a mother.
+
+"A mother?" said my father, "you told me my mother was dead."
+
+"Yes, she is," said my grandfather, "and is in heaven if ever it is
+possible for a woman to get there; that is why I want to give you
+another, Jasper, one who will take care of you better than I can."
+
+"Will she be kind to me?" asked my father.
+
+"That she will," was the reply; "but more than that, she will bring you
+a brother, who is about your own age, and he will be a playfellow for
+you."
+
+My father was greatly pleased at this, and so he welcomed his new mother
+very eagerly, thinking all the time, of course, of his new playfellow.
+
+The lady my grandfather married was a widow. Her husband, Richard
+Tresidder, had been a lawyer in Falmouth, but he had died of cholera
+about four years after my grandmother died. Her little boy, too, was
+called Richard, or Dick, as they named him for short, and in a little
+while the two boys became friends.
+
+Now the widow of lawyer Tresidder brought my grandfather no property at
+all, not a pennypiece, but she brought a great deal of discord instead.
+She was always jealous for her son, and she hated my father. The very
+sight of him used to vex her, especially as after several years she did
+not bear my grandfather a son. There were three daughters born, but no
+son, which greatly disappointed my grandfather, and made his wife
+exceedingly bitter toward my father.
+
+As years went by it seemed to be the great purpose of her life to cause
+quarrels between the father and son, and at the same time to show up the
+excellencies of her own son, Richard Tresidder. I suppose the wisest and
+best men are clay in the hands of women; at any rate, such has been my
+experience in life, especially if that woman is clever, and has a will
+of her own, which latter quality few women are short of. Anyhow, after
+many years, she succeeded in setting my grandfather against his only son
+Jasper. How she managed it I don't know, for my grandfather always had
+the name for being a just man, but then, as I said, what can a man do
+when a woman gets hold of him? Just before my father was twenty-one this
+widow of Tresidder got her husband to make a new will. She persuaded him
+to let her husband's brother be present when Mr. Trefry, the old family
+lawyer, was writing the document, and a good many hard words passed even
+then.
+
+You see, Mr. Trefry couldn't bear to see my father defrauded, and yet he
+had no right to interfere. The upshot was that the will gave my father
+the sum of L500, while all the Pennington estates were to be held in
+trust for Richard Tresidder. This of course seems very strange, but it
+goes to show how a woman can twist a man around her finger when she sets
+out to do it. There was a clause in the will, however, which my
+grandfather, in spite of James Tresidder, who was also a lawyer, would
+have inserted. I think the old man's love for justice, and perhaps his
+love for his son, caused him to have a mind of his own in this case, for
+in the face of lawyer Tresidder's objections and his wife's entreaties
+he stood firm. The clause was to this effect--that if Jasper Pennington
+or his heirs were ever in a position so to do, they could demand to buy
+the Pennington estates, as they existed at the date of the will, at half
+the value of the said estates. And that in the case of such an
+emergency, five representatives of five county families be asked to make
+the valuation. My grandfather further stipulated that none of the
+Pennington lands should be sold at any time for any purpose whatever.
+
+Now, the widow of Tresidder greatly objected to this, and even after it
+was duly signed did her utmost to get my grandfather to have this clause
+expunged. But the Pennington blood asserted itself, and although he had
+given way to his wife in such a degree that he had almost disinherited
+his son, he still held to this clause.
+
+Not that it could be worth anything to my father. How could he, with
+only L500, expect to gain many thousands?
+
+As I said, the will was made some few months before my father was
+twenty-one, and it was stipulated that he was to receive the L500 on his
+twenty-first birthday.
+
+And now comes a stranger part of the business. About a week before my
+father came of age, my grandfather grew angry at what he had done. The
+thought of his only son being disinherited in favour of a stranger just
+because a woman had twisted him around her finger made him nearly mad.
+He saw now what his wife had been aiming at for years; he saw, too, that
+the quarrels he had had with my father were of his wife's making; and
+anxious to do justly, he wrote a letter to Mr. Trefry telling him that
+he desired his presence at Pennington, as he wanted to make a new will,
+which should be duly signed and sealed before his son Jasper's
+twenty-first birthday. This letter was given to a servant to take to
+Truro. Now this servant, like almost every one else she had in the
+house, had become a tool of the solicitor's widow, and there is every
+reason to believe she saw the letter. Be that as it may, before Lawyer
+Trefry reached Pennington, my grandfather, who the day previous had been
+a hale, strong man, was dead, and the doctor who was called said that he
+died of heart disease.
+
+My father, however, believed that his father had been poisoned, or in
+some other way killed, because the woman he had married feared that he
+would make a new will in favour of his son Jasper.
+
+And now I have told why Pennington, which had been in the possession of
+the Penningtons for many generations, passed out of our hands, and
+became the property of the Tresidders.
+
+After my grandfather's funeral L500 were paid to my father, and he was
+ordered with many bitter words to leave the home of his fathers. The
+clause in the will to which I have referred, however, comforted him
+greatly. He was young and strong, and he determined to save up enough
+money to get back the Pennington estates according to the provisions
+laid down. At that time Elmwater Barton was to let. Old Mr. Quethiock,
+who had just died, had left one son who had a shop in Falmouth. This son
+did not like farming, and he willingly agreed to let the Barton to my
+father, who spent nearly the whole of his capital in stocking it.
+Meanwhile, Richard Tresidder lived in state at Pennington, and sneered
+at my father, who toiled hard at the Barton, and thus, if my father
+hated Richard Tresidder, was it to be wondered?
+
+Now, joining the Pennington lands are those belonging to the Lantallick
+estates, which belong to the Archer family, a family as old as the
+Penningtons and as greatly respected. Squire Archer had five sons and
+one daughter, and my father, who was always friendly with the people at
+Lantallick, visited the house often, and all the more because he loved
+Mary Archer. Concerning Mary Archer I will pass no opinion. I will only
+state facts. I have been told that she was a beautiful young woman, and
+that my father loved her dearly. Indeed, it was generally understood
+that he should marry Mary when he came of age. It has been said, too,
+that Mary was simply crazy in her love for my father; but about that I
+have my doubts.
+
+Not long after my father settled down at Elmwater Barton, he asked Mary
+to be his wife, and it was then that Squire Archer told him to leave the
+house, and informed him, moreover, that his daughter would be shortly
+married to Richard Tresidder.
+
+"But," said my father, "Mary has promised to be my wife, promised again
+and again."
+
+"And do you think," asked the Squire, "that I would allow my only
+daughter to marry a tenant farmer, a wild young scamp that his father
+disinherited? Leave the house, I tell you!"
+
+I have heard that Mary pleaded with her father, but I will not vouch for
+the truth of that. Certain it is that some time after she became married
+to Richard Tresidder.
+
+Thus it was that Richard Tresidder robbed Jasper Pennington not only of
+his home and lands, but his love.
+
+Now, my father prospered at Elmwater Barton. He was a clever man, and
+fortune favoured him. He began to lay by money, and he farmed the land
+so well that folks said he would in a few years, by the blessing of
+God, have enough to buy back the Pennington estates, according to the
+terms of his father's will. This was told Richard Tresidder and his
+mother one day, and they both laughed. About this time my father's
+cattle began to die. No one could explain why, but die they did, until
+many rumours were afloat, and people whispered that the cattle were
+bewitched. Anyhow, it was asserted that Richard Tresidder had been seen
+talking with Betsey Fraddam, the witch, while many delicacies had been
+taken to Betsey's cottage from Pennington.
+
+Now, as I said, there will be many things in this narrative which I, an
+unlearned man, cannot explain. Still, I must tell of matters as they
+occurred, this, among others, especially as my relations with Eli
+Fraddam, Betsey's son, have been condemned by Parson Inch. It is said
+that the Fraddam family has witchcraft in its veins. Anyhow, it is well
+known that Betsey was regarded as a witch, while Eli, her son--but of
+the poor gnome I will tell later on.
+
+My father tried everything to cure his cattle, but could not, and what
+was more perplexing was the fact that other people's cattle in fields
+adjoining suffered not at all. In a few months he was driven to
+extremities; he saw his chances of buying back his old home slipping
+through his fingers, and what maddened him most was that whenever he
+passed Richard Tresidder, the man who lived on his estates, laughed him
+in the face.
+
+One day my father was in a field adjoining the Pennington lands when he
+saw Richard Tresidder.
+
+"Well, farmer," said Tresidder, with a sneer, "and how are you getting
+on?"
+
+Whereupon my father accused him of having dealings with Betsey Fraddam,
+and told him he was a black-hearted knave, and other things concerning
+himself, which maddened Richard Tresidder so that he jumped over the
+hedge that divided them and struck my father with his heavy riding-whip.
+
+Now the Penningtons have always been a large-limbed, powerful race, and,
+while they have been slow to anger, they have--thank God--always had a
+strong sense of what is just, and have always been regarded as brave
+men. Richard Tresidder was a slim, wiry man, and, while strong and
+agile, was no match for a man who, when he hadn't an ounce too much
+flesh, weighed over eleven score pounds. What my father would have done
+by him I know not, but while he was in the act of thrashing him two of
+Tresidder's men came up, and thus the business ended, at least for the
+time. A little while later my father was summoned for attempted murder.
+
+The affair was the talk of Cornwall for some time--at least, that part
+of Cornwall--and most people thought my father would be hanged. The
+magistrates, who knew the Penningtons and liked them, however, did not
+allow this; but he had to pay Tresidder a sum of money which, unless he
+were helped, meant his utter ruin.
+
+Again had Richard Tresidder and his mother, who, I believe, was behind
+all this, got the upper hand of my father, and again by unfair means.
+Was it a wonder, then, that Jasper Pennington should regard them as
+enemies? Was it any wonder that I, when I came to know about these
+things, should feel bitterly?
+
+After the sentence was passed my father, wondering what to do, went to
+see Betsey Fraddam, the witch.
+
+"Betsey," said my father, "tell the truth about my cattle. You can't
+harm me, because I'm the oldest son, indeed the only son, but I can
+harm you. Did Tresidder hire you to ill-wish the cattle?"
+
+"Jasper," said Betsey, "ded 'ee bait un--ded 'ee bait un, now, right
+bad? Zay you ded, now."
+
+"Yes, I did," said my father. "I'm glad the two men came up, or I should
+have murder on my conscience, and that's not right, even when the man is
+your enemy."
+
+"But you ded bait un! Aw! aw! Jasper; ther's they that can kill, an'
+ther's they that can cure. Some can do both."
+
+"You can, Betsey."
+
+"P'raps I can, Jasper. Ave 'ee seed my boy Eli, Jasper?"
+
+"No," replied my father.
+
+"Then come in and zee un--come in, Jasper," and she led the way into the
+cottage.
+
+My father, who told me this years after, said he should never forget the
+curious feeling that came over him as he saw Betsey Fraddam's son. He
+looked even as a child like an old man, and he had a wild look in his
+eyes that made him shudder.
+
+"He 'ed'n wot you may call a purty cheeld, es a, then?" asked Betsey.
+
+My father did not reply.
+
+"Well, we ca'ant expect for Betsey Fraddam to 'ave purty cheldern, can
+us, then?"
+
+My father was still silent, for Betsey had a strange way with her that
+made people afraid. Even I can remember that.
+
+"You may have a son some day, Jasper."
+
+"No," said my father.
+
+"But you may," said Betsey, "you may; I do'ant main nothin' wrong,
+Jasper. Margaret Quethiock es well off, and her father do oan the
+Barton. Think about it, Jasper. And then ef you do ever have a son,
+you'll tell 'im to be kind to Eli, wa'ant 'ee now, Jasper?"
+
+"Yes," said my father, wondering all the time why he should give the
+promise. And that was all the conversation they had together at that
+time, for my father told me, and he was always a truthful man. But his
+cattle got better from that time, and as Mr. Quethiock, of Falmouth,
+lent him L300 he was able to tide over his difficulty.
+
+A little while later my father married Margaret Quethiock, and the
+fortune that her father gave her was L200, besides the L300 he had
+borrowed, and Elmwater Barton rent free during her lifetime. If she died
+before my father, the question of rent was to be considered. They had
+been married about two years when I was born; but my mother died at my
+birth, so I never knew a mother's care and love.
+
+My grandfather Quethiock said nothing about rent after my mother's
+death, but my father did not become a rich man. Somehow things were
+constantly going wrong with him, and he was in endless trouble about
+money matters. It was his stepmother, he told me, who was constantly
+persecuting him, because she feared his getting rich, while her son, who
+enjoyed my father's wealth, had all sorts of people ready to do his
+will. Only for him to hint at a thing, and his satellites would do it.
+Thus, one day a herd of cattle would get into a cornfield and destroy
+it; and on another, without any apparent reason, a corn-mow would catch
+fire. We could never trace it to them, but we always knew by the
+jeering laugh on Tresidder's face when he passed us who was the cause of
+our trouble.
+
+All this shortened my father's life. When I was nineteen, at the time
+when he should have been in his prime, he was a worn-out old man; and
+so, when sickness overtook him, he had no strength to fight against it.
+It was during this sickness that he told me some of the things I have
+written, and also informed me of other matters which will be related
+later.
+
+I was with him shortly before he died, and then he said to me very
+earnestly, "I leave you Elmwater Barton, Jasper, for I don't think your
+grandfather Quethiock will ever charge you rent, and he told me it
+should be yours completely at his death; but your real property is
+Pennington, my boy. Now I want you to make me a promise."
+
+"I will promise anything in my power, father," I said.
+
+"Then," he replied, quietly, "I want you to promise me that you will
+never rest until you get back your own. Never rest until you are back at
+Pennington as master and owner. You have been robbed, my son. I have
+tried to get your rights and have failed, but you must not fail."
+
+"No, father, I will not fail," I replied. "I will never rest until I
+have got back Pennington."
+
+"And never trust a Tresidder, Jasper; they are all as deep as the
+bottomless pit, and as cruel as the fiend who rules there."
+
+"I hear, father," was my reply, "and you shall be obeyed."
+
+This was in the month of July, in the year 1737, when I was nineteen
+years of age.
+
+What I have to tell is how I tried to get back my home, of the battles
+I had to fight, of the love which came into my heart, of many mysteries
+which I cannot explain, and of the strange experiences through which I
+passed in seeking to obey my father's will.
+
+Whether I shall be believed or no I cannot tell, but I will tell only
+the truth, strange as it may all seem. Moreover, let God be the judge
+whether my quarrel with the Tresidders was not a just one, and whether I
+did not fight fairly, as every honest man should.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+TELLS HOW I, JASPER PENNINGTON, TRIED TO GET MY OWN
+
+
+I do not think I have as yet mentioned it, but Richard Tresidder--I mean
+the man who entered into my father's possessions--had three sons and one
+daughter, and each of these was brought up with the thought that I was
+their natural enemy. Of course, they were informed that my grandfather's
+will provided the means whereby I, if I were sufficiently fortunate,
+could buy back the estate at half its valued worth. And they were in
+constant suspense about it. If I were to marry a rich wife it could be
+done; if I were to have some stroke of fortune their home might be taken
+from them, they having only a given sum of money. And thus it was to
+their interest to keep me poor, as well as to damage my reputation in
+the neighbourhood.
+
+The eldest son was a year or more older than I, and was, of course,
+respected as the heir to the Pennington lands, for it is strange how
+people's sympathies veer around on the side of the people who are in
+power. My father has told me many times how, when he was thought to be
+the prospective heir of Pennington, people could not make enough of him,
+while Richard Tresidder had but scant courtesy paid him. When it became
+known that my father was disinherited, no matter how unjustly, these
+same folks discovered that Richard Tresidder was a very mine of wit and
+goodness, while my father was made a butt for fools' jokes.
+
+And so I discovered that my being a Pennington counted but for little,
+while it seemed to be forgotten that but for the wiles of a clever,
+selfish woman, I should be the Squire of the parish.
+
+When I was old enough I was sent to Tregony grammar school, my father
+being determined to give me a schooling befitting the position he hoped,
+in spite of his misfortunes, I should some day occupy. Now Nick
+Tresidder had been attending this same school for some months when I
+went. For this I was very glad, because I thought it would give me an
+opportunity for testing him. I had not been in the school a week,
+however, when my father came to fetch me away. The reason was that
+Richard Tresidder had demanded it, as he would not allow his son to be
+educated at the school where the son of a tenant-farmer was admitted. He
+told the schoolmaster that he had two other sons whom he intended to
+send, but that he should immediately withdraw his patronage if I were
+not sent away.
+
+All this angered me as well as my father, but there was no help for it,
+and I was sent to Probus instead, where the education was as good, but
+where I had no chance of meeting the Tresidders.
+
+I have said that Elmwater Barton was a good farm, but I must confess to
+looking longingly at Pennington. This was in the nature of things very
+reasonable on my part, for I always looked upon it as my home. But
+besides this, I doubt if the whole country can present a stretch of land
+so fair, or a house so pleasantly situated. There may be bigger and more
+imposing houses, but there are none more comfortable. Besides,
+Pennington faces a beautiful glen that is about half a mile wide. I know
+of no grass as green as that which grows there, or of trees so fine and
+stately. Besides, the river which winds its way downward, and which
+sometimes runs side by side with the drive leading from the house to the
+main road, is the most beauteous stream of water I ever saw. Then
+sloping away from this glen are wooded hills, the sight of which in the
+early summer time is enough to make a man sing for joy; and in addition
+to all this, while standing at the main entrance of the house you can
+see the blue sea, say a mile and a half away. I, who have seen something
+of the world, say there is nothing finer in the way of green and
+pleasant land, while all the world knows that nowhere are cliffs so fine
+and the sea so blue as that which is to be seen in this part of my
+native county. Besides, all that land from the house where my father was
+born right to the sea belongs to the Pennington estates, while at the
+back of the house it stretches just as far, and just as fair.
+
+One day--it was before my father died--I had climbed Trescowal Tor, just
+to feast my eyes upon so much loveliness, when I saw Richard Tresidder
+walking with his mother toward the Pennington woods. Now a great desire
+came into my heart, not to see Tresidder, but to speak to his mother,
+whom I knew to be the evil genius of my family. And so I made my way to
+the woods, and stood in the pathway as they came up.
+
+They both knew me, not only through my likeness to my father, but
+because of my size, for it is well known that the Pennington family on
+the male side are at least six inches taller than the ordinary run of
+men.
+
+"Do you know you are trespassing?" asked Tresidder.
+
+"My name is Jasper Pennington," I said, proudly.
+
+"Then get off my lands at once," he said, sternly, and with a black
+look.
+
+"Not until I have had a good look on the man and woman who have robbed
+my father and me," I said--and I knew I had aroused the devil in them as
+I spoke. For the woman who had robbed us fairly glared at me, while
+Tresidder grasped his stick as though he would strike me. The woman was
+nearing seventy, but she was strong and hale, and her eyes flashed like
+those of a young girl. I saw, too, that she must have been handsome when
+she was young. I marked the cruel, resolute expression of her mouth, and
+I did not wonder at the difficulty my grandfather had in resisting her.
+
+"I will have you put in the stocks, and then taken to the lockup, if you
+are not gone at once," said Tresidder, savagely.
+
+"I will give your three sons the chance of doing this," I said, with a
+laugh. "Three Tresidders against one Pennington isn't bad in fair fight.
+Of course, where cunning and cheatery comes in I should be nowhere. Or
+perhaps," I continued, "you would like to try yourself. I am only
+eighteen, and you are in the prime of your life; still, I should be
+pleased to give you the chance."
+
+But he laid no hands on me; instead, he put a whistle to his mouth and
+blew.
+
+"Yes," I said, "get some one else to do the work you are afraid to try
+yourself; that's a Tresidder all over. Well, I'll go now; I've had a
+good look at you both, and I shall know you again."
+
+With that I turned and walked away, for, if the truth must be told, I
+did not care about fighting with Tresidder's minions, and my father had
+told me many times to be careful.
+
+The path was very crooked, and the foliage was very thick, so that I had
+not gone more than a few steps before I was out of their sight. Acting
+on the impulse of the moment, I stopped and listened.
+
+"A regular Pennington," I heard the old woman say. "You must be careful,
+Richard, for he has more brains than his father. He has all the good
+looks of the family, too. We must be silent about all our plans, for if
+he knows he will spoil them. Remember the will."
+
+"I do remember; that is why I am anxious about our boys. Still, there
+can be no fear, and it will not be so very long before we shall get her.
+That settled, and Nick will be all right."
+
+I heard no more after that, but I wondered often what he meant. I told
+my father, too, but he could give me no hint toward the solution of
+Tresidder's words.
+
+After my father's death I ceased to think so much of Pennington; for I
+had Elmwater Barton to look after. I was determined to make the farm
+pay, and now that all the responsibility rested on me, I made up my mind
+that the Tresidders should not play fast and loose with me, as they had
+done with my father. In order to do this I looked carefully around me
+for a man in whom I could trust; for, be it remembered, this was a very
+difficult matter. My father had engaged two hinds, and each of these had
+been bribed by the Tresidders to injure his property. You see, his
+enemies had almost supreme power in the parish, and they used it to his
+injury. Still, I knew that the Tresidders must have enemies as well as
+other people, and it was for me to find out who they were. This I had no
+great difficulty in doing. A man named William Dawe had farmed a place
+named Treviscoe, on the Pennington estate, and the poor fellow had
+several seasons of bad luck. One year his turnip crop failed; the next
+the foot and mouth disease got hold of his cattle; and the next, during
+the lambing season, he lost a great number of sheep. Indeed, so bad was
+his luck that he was unable to pay his rent. Perhaps Tresidder would
+have been lenient with him but for two things: one was that he had
+refused to take sides with him against my father, and another was that
+when Nick Tresidder insulted William Dawe's daughter the farmer gave him
+a thrashing. The end of all this was that William Dawe was sold up, and
+even then he was not free from all his difficulties.
+
+One of the first important things I did after my father's death,
+therefore, after a serious conversation with the farmer, was to lure him
+to come to Elmwater Barton, with his wife and son and daughter, in order
+to manage the farm. I do not think in all my life I have ever seen a man
+so grateful.
+
+"Will you come, William?" I asked, when I told him what wages I could
+afford to give.
+
+"Come, Maaster Jasper, come! I reck'n I will! Why--" And then he caught
+at my hand, and behaved in a way that made me think for the time that I
+was serving him only, and not myself at all.
+
+In a few days William was settled down at the Barton, and right well did
+he arrange for the harvest, and right hard did both he and his son work
+for me. Indeed, both William and his son George seemed ready to work
+their arms off for me, and were both anxious to serve me night and day.
+George Dawe was a strapping fellow of twenty-five, nearly as tall and
+strong as myself, though not quite. This was proved one day when we
+wrestled down in the calves' meadow. I had hard work to master him, for
+George had taken the wrestling prize at St. Eve's Feast for three years
+in succession. I was proud to have thrown him, especially as I had not
+yet got my full strength, not being twenty years of age. George had had
+a varied experience. He had been to sea in a trading vessel, and, if the
+truth must be confessed, had done a fair amount of smuggling. Be that as
+it may, George Dawe loved me like a brother, and nothing was too much
+for him to do for me. Thus I regarded myself as very fortunate. Eliza
+Dawe, too, was a careful, sensible woman, while Selina, her daughter,
+was a strapping, healthy wench who could do as much work as two ordinary
+women.
+
+Now, I say this was a great help to me, for they all watched my
+interests closely.
+
+"Lev any ov the Trezidders try any ov their dirty capers now," said
+George to me, "and we'll laive 'em knaw."
+
+Those who know nothing about farming can have no idea what a great
+amount of harm a seemingly little mistake can do. Suppose, for instance,
+there are two ten-acred fields side by side. Suppose the month is early
+July, when the corn has nearly reached its full height, and the heads
+have all bursted ready to ripen. Well, suppose, again, that one of these
+ten-acred fields has barley, or oats, or wheat, while the other is a
+browsing field in which twenty or thirty head of cattle are feeding.
+Then let some evil-disposed person open the gate between these two
+fields, and the thirty head of cattle get into the cornfield--what
+happens? Why, L20 worth of damage can be done in a single night. And
+things like this were often happening in my father's days, and thus he
+was kept poor.
+
+But things changed after I got George Dawe on the Barton. His eyes
+seemed to be everywhere, and always in my interests.
+
+Let me give one example (and then I will soon get on to my story proper)
+how George Dawe saved me a large amount of money, and at the same time
+helped me to teach the Tresidders a lesson.
+
+It was the June after I had got William Dawe's family to live with me.
+We had had several dry weeks, so that the fields had become parched and
+bare, and we were anxious lest the sheep should not have enough grass.
+One field had been planted with vatches, which, as every farmer knows,
+grow quickly and are cut for the horses.
+
+"William," I said to Dawe one day, "I am afraid we shall have to
+sacrifice a hay field. The browsing fields are all brown; the sheep
+can't get enough to eat. We must be careful not to turn them there when
+the dew is on the grass, though, or they'll get vlayed."
+
+"I wudden trouble, Maaster Jasper; ship c'n nibble a lot on a dewy
+mornin', and we sh'll git rain zoon, I reck'n."
+
+"Well, as you think best; but I fancy we'd better turn the biggest lot
+into the 'Sheeps' Close' to-night." The "Sheeps' Close" was the name of
+one of the best meadows, which at this time was very bare owing to the
+long spell of dry, hot weather.
+
+Well, I had to ride to Truro that afternoon, so I did not get home till
+late at night. I found George Dawe waiting up for me.
+
+"Anything the matter, George?" I asked.
+
+"Iss, ther es, Maaster Jasper."
+
+"What?" I asked.
+
+"The Trezidders be up to the ould gaame. When I wos comin' 'ome from St.
+Eve two or dree 'ours agone, I 'eared young Nick plannin' ev it weth
+Buddle."
+
+"Explain, George," I said.
+
+George told his story, with the result that we made our way to the
+"Sheeps' Close" and hid behind the hedge. Just before dawn--that is,
+about three o'clock in the morning--we saw two men coming toward the
+gateway. We saw them unfasten the gate and open it wide, then we heard
+one say to the other, "Now let's fetch up the sheep, and the fool will
+be worth a bit less money in a few hours."
+
+Then they went away, and in a little while we heard them "whishing" up
+the sheep. George closed the gate, and we both waited until they came
+up. There were a hundred and seventy-five sheep in the flock, and they
+brought them up for the purpose of turning them into the vatches. Here
+they would be knee-deep in rank vegetation, and the poor things, glad to
+get to such juicy meat, would eat ravenously. The result of this would
+be that they would get filled with wind and would swell horribly, and if
+not immediately relieved would die a painful death. If the design
+succeeded in this case I should be hundreds of pounds poorer before the
+men would be at their work.
+
+It may be imagined, therefore, that my blood was pretty hot, and that my
+feelings toward the Tresidders were not those of a lover, and I will
+leave it to any fair-minded man whether my anger was not reasonable.
+
+As I said, George and I waited by the gate until they came up. The sheep
+came close to the gate, as if waiting to be let in, and the two men
+stood behind, not knowing, evidently, why the poor creatures did not go
+to their death.
+
+"What's the matter, Jacob?" asked young Nick Tresidder.
+
+"Dunnaw, aw'm zure," answered Jacob, who was the eldest son of
+Tresidder's "head man" and the worst rake in the parish. "Lev us go up
+an' zee."
+
+So they came up, as we expected they would.
+
+"Why, the gaate es cloased and apsed!" cried Jacob. "The devil must 'a
+'bin 'ere."
+
+"Nonsense," said Nick, "you couldn't have opened it; you must have been
+dreaming. There, open it."
+
+"You tackle Nick Tresidder, an' I'll 'ave a go with Buddle," said George
+to me, in a whisper; "he's allays a-braggin' as 'ow 'ee c'n bait me. Now
+then, jump out!"
+
+At this we both leaped forward. I took Nick Tresidder by the scruff of
+the neck, while George gripped Buddle like a blacksmith's vice.
+
+The sheep jumped away frightened, while these two blackguards cried out
+as if the judgment day had come.
+
+"Es et the devil?" asked Buddle.
+
+"No," I roared out, "it isn't the devil; we're not related to you in any
+way, and your master won't help you."
+
+By this time they found out who we were, and began to wriggle finely.
+
+"Look you, Nick Tresidder," I said; "the law will do nothing for us, so
+we are going to take the law in our own hands."
+
+"What do you want?" asked Tresidder.
+
+"Nothing unfair," I said. "We are man to man. You are on my land, and
+you were doing a trick worthy only of the devil, your master. We will
+wrestle fair, as becomes Cornishmen, and you must show no mercy, for as
+God is above me I'll show none."
+
+Now I will do these men justice. They were not afraid of us, and when
+they knew that we were people of this world and not ghosts from the
+other, they showed no desire to run away. Nick Tresidder was a year
+older than I, while Buddle always sneered when folks said that George
+Dawe was a better man than he. Besides, they both saw that we did not
+mean playing at wrestling.
+
+But Nick Tresidder, Tresidder-like, was not fair; he jumped upon me
+before I was ready, a thing always regarded as cowardly at a wrestling
+match. I saw in a minute, too, that he knew the tricks of the art, and
+were I not a wrestler, too, and a strong man to boot, my arm must have
+been broken before I could put forth my strength. This angered me more
+than I like to be angered, for now, when we were to meet man to man, I
+felt not so bitter about the sheep. So I put forth all my strength and
+made him let go his vantage hold, then I put my arm around his chest,
+and right glad was I when I found him a strong man; so I played with him
+for the pleasure of wrestling, just as any true Cornishman will. But I
+was wrong in doing this. My father had told me never to trust a
+Tresidder, and I did trust him to wrestle fairly, even although he had
+tried to kill my sheep. While I wrestled, merely for the pleasure of
+wrestling, I felt a stab at my side, and I knew that a knife had entered
+my flesh just under my arm.
+
+"You are a coward, Nick Tresidder," I said, "a coward in every way;"
+then, not knowing whether I was dangerously wounded or no, I played with
+him no longer, for a man cannot bear everything. I caught him in both my
+arms and lifted him from the ground; then I wrestled in earnest. I heard
+one of his ribs snap, but he did not cry out, then another, and he
+became but a child to me; so I let him go, and he staggered away like a
+drunken man.
+
+"Now go home and tell your father what you have done," I said, "and tell
+him who you found in Elmwater Barton 'Sheeps' Close.'"
+
+Then I turned to George, who was still struggling with Buddle, and who,
+just as I came to him, threw him heavily.
+
+"George," I said, "I have been stabbed. Just tie this cloth tightly
+around my chest."
+
+"The coward!" said George, panting; "but where es a, Maaster Jasper?"
+
+"He won't wrestle any more for a month or two," I replied; "but I would
+not have hurt him so if he had not stabbed me."
+
+So there, in the early morning light, while the birds began to sing, and
+the sheep tried to find food on the dewy ground, George Dawe tied a
+cloth tightly across my naked chest, and I could not help wincing at the
+pain. Just as he was finishing, Jacob Buddle got slowly up from the
+ground. He had been badly stunned, but no bones were broken.
+
+"Look after your master," I said; then I saw the knife with which Nick
+had stabbed me lying on the ground. "There," I said, "you know that
+knife, I expect; your master used it while we wrestled."
+
+But Buddle was dazed, and did not reply. So when I had put on my coat I
+went to Nick Tresidder, who was very faint and unable to walk, so ill
+had he become. Then my heart softened, and together we took him up to
+Pennington, and Buddle, who was by this time better, said he could
+manage him.
+
+The next day I heard that Nick Tresidder had fallen from his horse and
+broken his ribs, and Dr. Hawke, who had been called in, said that he
+must remain in bed many days. But of this I am sure, although neither
+George Dawe nor I said a word, Richard Tresidder knew the truth.
+
+Now I have told this, not because I delight in such things, but because
+I want it to be known how I was treated, and what I had to contend with,
+for this was but a sample of the many ways in which the Tresidders had
+tried to harm me. I have often wondered why they felt so evilly toward
+me, seeing that they were rich at my cost, and I have come to the
+conclusion that it is a law of human nature for a man to hate those whom
+he has treated unjustly. But I am an unlearned man, and the heart of
+man--and woman--is past finding out.
+
+And now I must tell how, in spite of myself, I was drawn more and more
+into contact with the Tresidders, with other matters which strangely
+affected my life later on.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+HOW I WAS ROBBED OF ELMWATER BARTON; HOW I FLOGGED THE TRESIDDERS, AND
+WAS PILLORIED BECAUSE OF IT
+
+
+A month after the event I have just related I was walking down toward
+the sea, for my wound, which was but slight, had healed up, when,
+passing by Betsey Fraddam's cottage, I saw the old woman sitting by the
+door mending a garment.
+
+"'Ere, Maaster Jasper, I want 'ee," said Betsey.
+
+So I went toward her, not caring to offend her. Now I am not a
+superstitious man, neither did I ever believe in some of the stories
+told about Betsey. At the same time, I knew better than to offend her.
+Even Parson Grigg was civil to her, and admitted that she had powers
+which could not be trifled with. It is also a fact that she had cured
+some of my cattle which had been stung by adders, by charming them,
+while, on the other hand, my father believed that she had, at Richard
+Tresidder's bidding, ill-wished his cows. She had on several occasions
+cured terrible diseases which the doctor from Falmouth said were
+incurable, and I have heard it said that when Mr. John Wesley visited
+Cornwall, and was told about her, the great man looked very grave, and
+expressed a belief in her power. This being so, it is no wonder I did
+not like to offend her; neither had I any reason for doing so. She had
+been kind to me, and once, when I had scarlet fever, gave me some stuff
+that cured me even when Dr. Martin said I should be dead in a few hours.
+Besides, according to my father's promise, I had been friendly with Eli,
+her son. Now, Eli was several years older than I, but he never grew to
+be more than about four feet high, and was the most ill-formed creature
+I have ever seen. He had bow legs, a hump back, and was what was called
+"double-chested." His thick black hair grew down close to his eyes,
+which eyes, in addition to being very wild and strange-looking, were
+wrongly set, so that no one could tell which way he was looking. He was
+rather sickly-looking, too, and was thought to be very weak. But this I
+know to be wrong. Eli, ill-formed as he was, was much stronger than most
+men, nature having endowed his sinews with wondrous hardness and powers
+of endurance. Eli did no work, but lived by poaching and begging food at
+the farmhouses. As Betsey's son he was never refused, especially as some
+believed he had inherited his mother's powers.
+
+Well I entered the cottage and sat on a wooden stool while Eli sat in a
+corner of the open fireplace and looked at me steadfastly with one eye,
+and with the other saw what was going on out in the road.
+
+"Well," said Betsey, "and so you found out what Nick Tresidder wanted to
+do, then? An' I 'ear as 'ow you've nearly killed 'im."
+
+"How do you know?" I asked.
+
+"How do I knaw? How do I knaw everything? But you'll be paid out,
+Maaster Jasper! Tell y' Dick Tresidder 'll pay 'ee out. I c'n zee et
+comin'."
+
+"See what coming?" I asked.
+
+"Look 'ee, Maaster Jasper; 'ave 'ee bin to zee yer Granfer Quethiock
+lately?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then you be a vool, Jasper--tell y' you be a vool. Wy, 'ee's nearly
+dead; he may be dead by now. What 'bout the Barton, Jasper? 'Ave 'a
+willed et to 'ee?"
+
+At this my heart became heavy. Up to now no rent had been charged, and I
+hoped that my grandfather would make it over to me. My uncles, I knew,
+did not like me.
+
+"Old Mester Quethiock es dead, es dead, es dead," said Eli, in his
+funny, grunting kind of voice.
+
+"How do 'ee knaw, Eli?" asked his mother.
+
+"I knaw, I knaw," grunted Eli, and then he laughed in his funny way, but
+he would tell nothing more.
+
+"What ought I to do?" I asked, for I felt a great fear come into my
+heart, although my father had told me that my Grandfather Quethiock
+meant to give me the Barton.
+
+"Go and zee, go and zee," said Betsey.
+
+So I went back home and saddled my mare and rode to Falmouth. When I got
+into Falmouth town I saw an ironmonger whom I knew, and he looked as
+though he would speak, so I stopped my horse.
+
+"Well, and so yer poor gran'father is gone," he said.
+
+"Is he?" I replied; "I did not know till now."
+
+"Iss, he's gone, and a good man he wos, too. His two sons, yer uncles,
+'ave been waitin' a long time to git into his shoes. Ah, there'll be a
+change now! Th' ould man was the soul of generosity; but the sons, Peter
+and Paul, nobody'll be able to rob one to pay the other of they two. But
+I 'ear as 'ow you'm safe, Maaster Jasper. The Barton es yours, I'm
+told."
+
+This cheered me, so I rode on toward my grandfather's house. Just
+before I got there I saw my two uncles coming down the street, and with
+them was Richard Tresidder. I checked my horse and watched them, and saw
+that they entered a lawyer's office, and the lawyer who owned it was the
+son of the man who was present when Lawyer Trefry drew up my
+grandfather's will.
+
+I got to know nothing by going to my grandfather's house, save to find
+out the day of the funeral, which was fixed for three days later, and
+which I attended. After the funeral was over the will was read, and the
+lawyer who read it was Nicholas Tresidder, a bachelor after whom young
+Nick was called.
+
+Now, I do not pretend to be a learned man, but I do love honesty, and I
+do say that the will was drawn up to defraud me. Neither do I believe
+that my grandfather ever intended the words written down, to read as the
+lawyer said they read, for he had told my father that Elmwater Barton
+was to be left to me. According to Lawyer Tresidder, however, the whole
+of my grandfather's property was left to his two sons, Peter and Paul
+Quethiock, and it was left to their generosity as to whether I, his
+grandson, Jasper Pennington, should remain at the Barton free of all
+rent, and whether the land should be eventually mine. Thus, according to
+the lawyer's explanation, it was left to my uncles' generosity and
+judgment as to whether my grandfather's desire should be carried out. I
+desired that this part of the will should be read again, but so many
+words were used that I had difficulty in making head or tail of it. All
+the time I noticed that my uncles looked very uneasy.
+
+Now, I know that my grandfather was very fond of me, and in spite of
+the fact that I had been robbed of my rightful heritage, he was proud
+that he had a Pennington for a grandson. Thus I am sure that it was his
+will that I should have the Barton for my own. But during the last few
+years he had been very feeble and infirm, and thus in the hands of a
+clever lawyer he could easily be deceived as to what was legal.
+
+I will not attempt to give a lengthy account of what followed. Indeed, I
+have not a very distinct remembrance. I was not long in seeing what was
+in the minds of my two uncles, and I quickly realised that they had been
+in league with the Tresidders; and so, feeling that it was their
+intention to defraud me, I became dazed and bewildered. I have a
+confused recollection of asking some questions, and of the replies
+given, and after hearing them I left the house, with the consciousness
+that I was not the owner of Elmwater Barton, but a tenant liable to be
+dismissed by my uncles, both of whom were, I was sure, tools of Richard
+Tresidder.
+
+Still, I determined not to give up without a struggle, so I rode to
+Truro that same day and saw Lawyer Trefry, the son of the old lawyer who
+drew up my grandfather's will. He listened to my story very attentively,
+and when I had finished declared that Nicholas Tresidder was a clever
+fellow.
+
+"I think it is possible you may have a case though, Jasper," he said; "I
+think you may have a case. I will see to it at once. I will examine the
+will, and if there is a chance you may depend that I will seize on it.
+But remember this: Nicholas Tresidder is a clever fellow, and when he
+sets his mind on a thing it's a difficult thing to find him napping."
+
+That night I went back to the Barton with a sad heart, speaking not a
+word to any one. I longed to ease my pain by denouncing the people who
+sought to work my ruin, but in spite of William Dawe's anxious
+solicitations I held my peace. It is true Lawyer Trefry gave me some
+little hope, but I did not sleep that night, and for the next few days I
+wandered around the farm like one demented. Presently I saw Lawyer
+Trefry again, and I knew directly I caught the look on his face that my
+case was hopeless.
+
+"Nicholas Tresidder is a smart fellow," he said, with a grunt, "a very
+smart fellow. There is no doubt but that your grandfather meant you to
+have the Barton--not the slightest doubt; but then, you see, it is not
+legally yours. Let us hope that your uncles will abide by your
+grandfather's evident desire and make it yours."
+
+But I had no hope of that, and I shook my head sadly. "As well expect
+water from a stone," I said. "For a long time I have wondered why
+Richard Tresidder should be so friendly with Peter and Paul Quethiock;
+now I know. He has been for years trying to ruin me, and now he has
+accomplished it."
+
+"How old are you?" asked Lawyer Trefry, suddenly, as though a new
+thought had struck him.
+
+"Twenty next month," I replied.
+
+"Bah! why did not old Quethiock live a month longer?" grunted the
+lawyer.
+
+"Why, what would have been the use?" I asked.
+
+"Use? Why, if you could prove that you had held the land for twenty
+years, you could lawfully claim it as yours."
+
+And thus everything was against me, and although we talked over a dozen
+things together, no ray of light came to cheer the darkness.
+
+The next thing that happened was the event of a letter which I got from
+Nicholas Tresidder, the Falmouth lawyer. This letter was to the effect
+that as I was neither a lawful tenant of Elmwater Barton, nor the owner
+thereof, I must immediately vacate the place, as Paul Quethiock intended
+to take possession thereof immediately. I had expected this, and had
+been for days trying to value the stock on the place. As I have before
+stated, I was barely twenty years of age, and although my father had
+appointed as my guardians two neighbouring farmers, they took but little
+interest in my affairs--indeed, I do not think they understood what
+their duties were. Anyhow, they took no steps to help me, neither did
+they interfere with me in any way.
+
+On the receipt of this letter, which was brought from Falmouth by
+messenger, I saddled my mare, and immediately rode to see Lawyer Trefry.
+
+He read the letter very carefully, and then asked me if I had received
+nothing else.
+
+"Nothing," I replied; "what is there else to receive? They have taken
+away the farm, they have ordered me to leave it; now I am come to you to
+arrange with James Trethewy and John Bassett about selling the stock. I
+suppose the crops will have to be valued, too, and a lot of other
+matters before I can realise on my property."
+
+He looked very grave, but said nothing for some time.
+
+"I will do what I can at once," he grunted, at length; "but believe me,
+Jasper, my boy, Nicholas Tresidder is a clever dog--a very clever dog.
+He's been set to work on this bone, and he'll leave nothing on it--mark
+my words, he'll leave nothing on it."
+
+"He _has_ left nothing," I replied; "I doubt if the stock will fetch
+very little more than the L500 my father spent when he took Elmwater
+Barton from my Grandfather Quethiock."
+
+Lawyer Trefry shook his head and grunted again; but he made no remark,
+and so I left, thinking that I knew the worst. I imagined that when the
+stock was sold I should be worth several hundred pounds, and with this
+as a nucleus, I should have something to give me a fair start.
+
+And so the day of the sale of the stock on the Barton was fixed, but
+before that day came another letter was brought by a messenger of Lawyer
+Nicholas Tresidder from Falmouth. This letter stated that as no rent had
+been paid since the death of Margaret Pennington, the heirs of the late
+Peter Quethiock claimed six years' rent, as they were entitled to do by
+the law of the land.
+
+I knew now what Lawyer Trefry meant when he said that Lawyer Tresidder
+would pick the bone clean. He had seen this coming, while I, young and
+ignorant of the law, had never dreamed of it. Old Betsey Fraddam had
+said that Richard Tresidder would pay me out, and he had done so now.
+Six years' rent would swallow up the value of the stock, and would take
+every penny I possessed. Thus at twenty I, who, but for the fraud and
+deceit of the Tresidders, would be the owner of Pennington, would be
+absolutely homeless and penniless. Then for the first time a great
+feeling of hate came into my heart, and then, too, I swore that I would
+be revenged for the injury that was done to me.
+
+Again I went to Lawyer Trefry, and again he grunted.
+
+"I expected this," he said; "I knew it would come. Nick Tresidder is a
+clever dog; I was sure he would pick the bone clean."
+
+"And there is no hope for me?" I asked, anxiously.
+
+"You will have your youth, your health and strength, and your liberty,"
+he replied. "I do not see how they can rob you of that; no, even Nick
+Tresidder can't rob you of that!"
+
+"But the rest?"
+
+"It will have to go, it must all go; there is no hope for it--none at
+all," and the lawyer grunted again.
+
+I will not describe what took place during the next few weeks--there is
+no need; enough to say that all I had was taken, that I was stripped of
+all I possessed, and was left a homeless beggar.
+
+As Lawyer Trefry told me, they had done their worst now, at least for
+that time. Richard Tresidder had been undoubtedly working in the dark
+for years to accomplish this, and in his kinsman the lawyer he had found
+a willing helper. It was plain to see, too, that it would be to Peter
+and Paul Quethiock's advantage to try and take the Barton from me. It
+was a valuable piece of land, and would enrich them considerably. There
+was no difficulty, either, in seeing Richard Tresidder's motives. He had
+wronged me, and, as I said, it seems a law of life that a man shall feel
+bitterly toward one he has wronged; and besides all that, his safety lay
+in keeping me poor, and to this end he brought all his energies to bear.
+
+When it was all over I think I became mad. While there was a straw to
+which I could hold I managed to restrain myself, but when the last was
+broken I think I gave myself over to the devil. I behaved in a way that
+frightened people, until even those who were inclined to be friendly
+avoided me. By and bye only one house was open to me, and that was old
+Betsey Fraddam's. It was true I visited the taverns and beershops in the
+neighbourhood, and formed companionships with men who years before I
+despised; but Betsey Fraddam's house was the only one open to me which I
+could regard as anything like a home. Even Betsey grew angry with me,
+and would, I think, have bidden me leave her doors but for her son Eli,
+who seemed to love me in a dumb, dog-like sort of way.
+
+"Why doan't 'ee roust yerzelf up, Jasper?" she would say. "Spoase you be
+put upon, spoase Squire Trezidder 'ave chaited 'ee--that ed'n to zay you
+shall maake a maazed noodle of yerzelf. Roust yerzelf up, an' begin to
+pay un back."
+
+"How can I do it, Betsey?"
+
+"'Ow? Better do a bit a smugglin' than do nothin'."
+
+"Yes; and isn't that what Tresidder wants? If he can get me in the
+clutches of the law that way it will just please him. Mad I am, I know,
+but not mad enough for that."
+
+"Then go to Plymouth, or go to Falmouth, my deear cheeld. Git on board a
+shep there, an' go off to some furrin country and make a fortin."
+
+"There are no fortunes to be made that I know of, Betsey; besides, I
+don't want to get away from St. Eve. I want to stay here and keep my eye
+upon Tresidder."
+
+"And what good will that do? You ca'ant 'urt 'ee by stayin' 'ere. 'E's
+too clever for you; he c'n allays bait 'ee while you stay 'ere,
+especially when you do behave like a maazed noodle."
+
+"Very well, Betsey. I will leave your house," I said after she had been
+talking to me in this fashion one day; "I can manage to live somewhere."
+
+"Jasper mus'n't go 'way," said Eli; "Jasper stay with me. Ef Jasper go
+'way, I go 'way. I help Jasper. I knaw! I knaw!" and then the poor gnome
+caught my hands and laughed in a strange way which was half a cry.
+
+And so, because Betsey loved Eli with a strange love, and because Eli
+clung to me with a dog-like devotion, I made Betsey's cottage my home.
+Plan after plan did I make whereby I might be able to make Richard
+Tresidder and all his family suffer for their behaviour to me, but I saw
+no means. What could I do? I had no friends, for when I left Elmwater
+Barton William Dawe and his family left the parish. For a long time I
+could not make up my mind to ask for work as a common labourer in a
+parish where I had been regarded as the owner of a barton. It seemed
+beneath me, and my foolish pride, while it did not forbid me to idle
+away my days and live in anything but a manly way, forbade me to do
+honest manual work. But it would have made no difference even if I had
+been less foolish, for when I on one occasion became wiser, and sought
+work among the farmers, I was refused on every hand. The fact was, every
+one was afraid to offend Richard Tresidder, and as every tenant farmer
+in the parish was in his power, perhaps their conduct was reasonable.
+
+And thus it came about that my manhood slipped away from me, and I
+became a loafing outcast. I would have left the parish but for a
+seemingly unreasonable desire to be near Richard Tresidder, who day by
+day I hated more and more. I know I was mad, and forgot what was due to
+my name in my madness.
+
+When a year had gone, and I was nearly twenty-one years of age, there
+were few more degraded sights in the parish than I. My clothes had
+become worn out, and my whole appearance was more that of a savage than
+of anything else. People said, too, that the look of a devil shone from
+my eyes, and I saw that people avoided me. And as I brooded over this,
+and remembered that I owed it all to the Tresidders, I vowed again and
+again that I would be revenged, and that all the Tresidder brood should
+suffer a worse hell than that through which I passed.
+
+Nothing cheered me but the strange love of Eli Fraddam, who would follow
+me just as a dog follows its master. When I could get a few pence I
+would go to the alehouse and try and forget my sorrow, but I nursed my
+anger all the time, and never once did I give up my dreams of harming
+the Tresidders. I write all this because I want to tell my story
+faithfully, and because I will give no man the chance to say that I
+tried to hide the truth about my feelings toward my enemies.
+
+The day before my twenty-first birthday I was loafing around the lanes
+when I saw Richard Tresidder and his son Nick drive past me. They took
+the Falmouth road, and, divining their destination, I followed them in a
+blind, unreasoning sort of way. As I trudged along plans for injuring
+them formed themselves in my mind, one of which I presently determined I
+would carry into effect. It was the plan of a savage, and perhaps a
+natural one. My idea was to wait outside the town of Falmouth, to waylay
+them, and then to thrash them both within an inch of their lives. I
+remember that I argued with myself that this would be fair to them. They
+would be two to one, and I would use nothing but my fists.
+
+When I got into Falmouth I spent the few pence I possessed in food, and
+then I made inquiries about the time they would return. I discovered
+that they intended to leave the George Inn about five o'clock in the
+evening, so I spent the time loafing around the town, and repeating to
+myself what I would do with them both that night.
+
+About three o'clock in the afternoon, however, my plans became altered.
+As I stood at a street corner, I saw Richard Tresidder, with his son
+Nick, besides several other gentlemen, coming down the street. Scarcely
+realising what I did, for the very sight of him made me mad, I went
+toward them, and as Richard Tresidder came up I spat in his face.
+
+"Who's a thief? Who's a cheat? Who got Pennington by cheatery and
+lying?" I shouted.
+
+"Get out of the way, you blackguard," cried Nick Tressider, the lawyer.
+
+"I'll not get out of the way," I cried; "I'll tell what's the truth. He
+killed my grandfather; he hocussed him into making a false will, and he
+and you have robbed me. Ah, you lying cowards, you know that what I say
+is true!"
+
+Then Richard Tresidder lifted his heavy stick and struck me, and before
+the bystanders knew what had happened there was a street brawl; for I
+struck Richard Tresidder a heavy blow on the chin which sent him reeling
+backward, and when his son Nick sprang upon me I threw him from me with
+great force, so that he fell to the ground, and I saw the blood gush
+from his nose. After that I remember nothing distinctly. I have a dim
+recollection of fighting madly, and that I was presently overpowered and
+taken to the lock-up.
+
+I remained in the lock-up till the next morning, when I was taken
+before the magistrates. I don't know what was said, and at the time I
+did not care. I was angry with myself for not biding my time and
+flogging the Tresidders in the way I had planned, and yet I was pleased
+because I had disgraced Tresidder--at least, I thought I had--before the
+whole town. I have an idea that questions were asked about me, and that
+one of the magistrates who knew my grandfather said it was a pity that a
+Pennington should come to such a pass. Richard Tresidder and his friends
+tried to get an extreme sentence passed upon me, but the end of it all
+was that I was sentenced to be pilloried for six hours, and then to be
+publicly flogged.
+
+Soon after I was taken to the market-place, where the pillory was set
+up, and I, in face of the jeering crowd, was tied to a pole. Then on the
+top of this pole, about six feet from the platform on which I stood, a
+stout piece of board was placed, which had three hollow places cut out.
+My neck was pressed into one socket and my wrists in the two others.
+Then another stout piece of board, with hollow places cut out to
+correspond with the other, was placed on the top of it. This pressed my
+neck very hardly, and strained it so that I could hardly breathe; it
+also fastened my hands, and hurt my wrists badly. I know of nothing
+nearer crucifixion than to be pilloried, for the thing was made
+something like a cross, and my head and arms were crushed into the piece
+of board which corresponds with the arms of a cross in such a way that
+to live was agony.
+
+And there I stood while the jeering crowd stood around me, some howling,
+some throwing rotten eggs at me, and others pelting me with cabbage
+stumps and turnips. After I had stood there about three hours some one
+came and made the thing easier, or I should not have lived through the
+six hours, and after that time, the mob having got tired of pelting me,
+I was left a little time in peace.
+
+When the six hours were nearly up, I saw Nick Tresidder come to the
+market-place with two maidens. One I saw was his sister, the other was a
+stranger to me. I knew they had come to add to my shame, and the sight
+of them made me mad again. I tried to speak, but the socket was too
+small, and I could not get enough breath to utter a word. Still, anger,
+I am sure, glared from my eyes as I looked at Nick and his sister; but
+when I looked at the other maiden, a feeling which I cannot describe
+came over me. She was young--not, I should think, quite eighteen--and
+her face was more beautiful than anything I have ever seen. Her eyes
+were large and brown, while her hair was also brown, and hung in curls
+down her back. Her face, thank God! was not like that of the Tresidders;
+it was kind and gentle, and she looked at me in a pitying way.
+
+"What has he done?" she asked, in a voice which, to me, was as sweet as
+the sound of a brook purling its way through a dell in a wood.
+
+"Done!" said Nick Tresidder. "He is a blackguard; he nearly killed both
+me and my father."
+
+She looked at me steadfastly, and as she did so my heart throbbed with a
+new feeling, and tears came into my eyes in spite of myself.
+
+"Surely no," she replied; "he has a kind, handsome face, and he looks as
+though he might be a gentleman."
+
+"Gentleman!" cried Nick. "He will be flogged presently, then you will
+see what a cur he is."
+
+"Flogged! Surely no."
+
+"But he will be, and I wish that I were allowed to use the whip. Why, he
+belongs to the scum of the earth."
+
+By this time I felt my degradation as I had never felt it before, for I
+felt that I would give worlds, did I possess them, to tell her the whole
+truth. I wondered who she was, and I writhed at the thought of Nick
+poisoning her mind against me.
+
+Seeing them there others came up, and I heard one ask who this beauteous
+maiden was.
+
+"Don't you know?" was the reply. "She is Mistress Naomi Penryn."
+
+"What is his name?" asked this maiden, presently.
+
+"Can't you see?" replied Nick. "Ah! the eggs have almost blotted out the
+name. It is Jasper Pennington, street brawler and vagabond."
+
+And this was the way I first met Naomi Penryn.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+I ESCAPE FROM THE WHIPPING-POST, AND FIND MY WAY TO GRANFER FRADDAM'S
+CAVE
+
+
+No words can describe the shame I felt at the time. Before Naomi Penryn
+came there and looked upon me I was mad with rage and desire for
+vengeance. I longed to get to a place where I could meet the whole
+Tresidder brood face to face. But now a new feeling came to me. Had I
+not after all been a brute, and had I not acted like a maniac? For the
+look on her face made me love goodness and beauty. I could do nothing,
+however; my hands were numb, and my tongue was dry and parched. All I
+was capable of at this moment was to listen and to look into the fair
+maid's face, and feel a great longing that she might not despise me as
+Nick Tresidder evidently intended that she should.
+
+The crowd did not pelt me while she stood there; I think it was because
+there was something in her presence that hindered them. Every one could
+see at a glance that she was different from the host of laughing things
+that cared nothing for my disgrace.
+
+I waited eagerly for her to speak again; her words seemed to ease my
+pain, and to make me feel that I, too, was a man in spite of all I had
+suffered.
+
+"Jasper Pennington," she said, presently; "why, Pennington is the name
+of your house, Nick!"
+
+"Yes," replied Nick, savagely.
+
+"He's young, too," she continued, looking at me curiously, and yet with
+a pitying look in her eyes.
+
+Then I remembered I was twenty-one that day, and that my father had been
+dead barely two years. Thus, on my twenty-first birthday, I was
+pilloried as a vagabond and a street brawler, while this beauteous girl
+looked at me.
+
+"Where does he live?" she asked again, as though she were interested in
+me.
+
+"Up to a year ago he lived in St. Eve's parish," replied Nick. "He
+managed to stay by fraud on Elmwater Barton; he was a brute then, and
+tried to kill me. He would have succeeded, too, but for Jacob Buddle. I
+hope the man who flogs him will lay it on hard."
+
+She gave me one more look, and in it I saw wonder and pity and fear.
+Then she said, "Let us go away, Nick. I do not care to stay longer."
+
+"No, we will not go yet!" cried Nick; "let us see him get his lashes. He
+will be taken down in a few minutes. There, the constables are coming."
+
+I saw the tears start to her eyes, while her lips trembled, and at that
+moment I did not feel the sting of the lies Nick had told.
+
+The whipping-post was close to the place where the pillory had been set
+up, and I saw that the constable held the rope with which I was to be
+tied. Then two men came and unfastened the piece of wood which had
+confined my head and hands. At first I felt no strength either to hold
+up my head or to move my hands, but while they were untying my legs the
+blood began to flow more freely, and I knew that my strength was coming
+back. The ropes being removed I was allowed to stand a minute, so that
+my numbed body might become sensitive to the lash of the whip, but I
+thought not of it. I kept my eyes steadily on Naomi Penryn, and fed upon
+the look of pity on her face. I knew that she must think of me as a
+savage brute, and yet she felt kindly toward me. She did not ask to go
+away again; she seemed to be held by a strange fascination, and watched
+while the rope was fastened to the ring in the whipping-post. Then I saw
+Richard Tresidder come up. He had a scar on his cheek, and from his eyes
+flashed a look of anger, as though he gloated over the thought of my
+shame and suffering. No sooner did she see him than she came to him and
+asked that I might be spared the whipping, but Tresidder would not
+listen to her.
+
+"He deserves to be hanged, my dear," he said; "if such low fellows as he
+are allowed to bully gentlemen in the streets, what is to become of us?"
+
+Now this was hard to bear, for as all the world knows the Pennington
+family is one of the best in the county, but I saw that he wanted to
+embitter her mind against me.
+
+Then I saw Lawyer Trefry come up, and two justices with him, and while
+my old friend did not speak to me, I knew that he thought of me kindly.
+
+"The lad hath been much provoked," he said. "I have known him as a good
+lad for years, and but for unfair treatment, matters would be reversed."
+
+At this two of the justices nodded their heads, while Richard Tresidder
+called out for the constables to do their work, for he saw that people
+began to sympathise with me.
+
+Again I turned to Naomi Penryn, and as I saw the look on her face I
+determined that I would not bear the lash. Not that I feared the pain of
+body, but I could bear the degradation no longer. Then they lifted me
+from the platform on which I had been standing, and the people could see
+that my neck was cruelly discoloured, while my hands were blue.
+
+"He hath suffered much," I heard it whispered, "and Squire Tresidder
+hates him. He's a Pennington, and his father was robbed. Isn't he a
+fine, strapping fellow; no wonder they are afraid of him."
+
+This and other things I heard, until I knew that Lawyer Trefry had been
+making the mob friendly; for I have noticed again and again that
+ignorant people are easily changed from one state of feeling to another.
+
+Now when I came to the whipping-post I began to look around for a means
+of escape, and to think how I should deal with the two constables that
+held me.
+
+"Fasten him tight!" cried Richard Tresidder; then, just as the
+constables released my hands in order to put the rope on me, I gave a
+desperate struggle, and feeling great strength at that moment, I threw
+the constables from me, and made a great leap through the crowd. Not a
+man laid hands on me in spite of Richard Tresidder's commands, for which
+I knew I had to thank Lawyer Trefry, who with others had changed the
+feelings of the people. So I quickly got away from the town, and ran as
+hard as I was able to the River Fal. I knew that I should be followed,
+for I had not undergone my full penalty, and the law was on Richard
+Tresidder's side, so I determined that I would get among the woods that
+slope up westward from the river, and hide as best I might.
+
+I knew I should be safe for the night, for the woods there were very
+thick, and night would soon be upon me. My only fear was that my
+strength would not hold out, for having eaten nothing for many hours I
+was hungry and faint.
+
+After more than an hour's running I reached the woods, and, as far as I
+knew, little trouble had been taken to follow me, so having hidden
+myself among some very thick branches I laid down and rested. Could I
+have obtained some food I think I should have been fairly contented, for
+I felt neither so angry nor friendless as I had felt in the morning.
+Presently I heard a rustling among the bushes, and I fancied that my
+pursuers must be near me, so I lay very quiet and listened, but could
+hear no sound of human voices. So I became curious to know what made the
+noise, and to my delight I saw a cow that had evidently strayed away
+from its field, having probably got into the wood to be under the shade
+of the trees, and away from wasp-flies. At first she was frightened at
+me, but I had been used to cattle all my life, so I soon quieted her,
+and she let me approach her. I saw that it was time for her to be
+milked, so, making the palm of my hand into a cup, I got enough milk to
+refresh me considerably and to give me strength to carry out any plans I
+could make.
+
+Scheme after scheme passed through my mind, but every one of them was
+driven away by the memory of Naomi Penryn's face and the kind words she
+had spoken. I knew that in going back to St. Eve I was going back to
+danger, and yet I determined I would go. I wanted to be close to the
+Pennington lands. I wanted to watch Richard Tresidder. Besides, I
+remembered that Naomi Penryn was probably a guest at Pennington. Then I
+began to ask myself why she should be with the Tresidders, and what
+relationship she bore to them. For I did not know her at all. The name
+of Penryn was well known in the county, but I did not know to what
+branch of the family she belonged. What connection had she with Nick
+Tresidder? Why should he bring her to see me that day? And what were the
+Tresidders' plans concerning her?
+
+It came to me suddenly. She was intended for Nick Tresidder. I
+remembered the conversation I had heard between Richard Tresidder and
+his mother, and I thought I understood its meaning. Then my heart gave a
+wild leap, while hot blood rushed madly into my head, for I knew then
+that a new life had entered mine. I felt that I loved Naomi Penryn with
+a great love, and that this love would never leave me while my heart
+continued to beat. For I had not been given to walking out with maidens;
+my life had been filled with other things, and so the love I felt was
+new to me--it filled my whole life, and every breath I drew increased
+it.
+
+For a long time I lay and dreamed of my love; I did not think of the way
+in which she must have regarded me, neither did I for a long while
+remember my degradation. I lived in happy forgetfulness of everything,
+save the love-joy that filled my life. The birds fluttered hither and
+thither on the twigs which grew so thickly around, and finally settled
+to rest, while the insects ceased to hum as the night descended, but I
+scarcely heeded them. I lay among the ferns, my head pillowed on a
+moss-covered stone, and thought of Naomi Penryn. I did not care who she
+was; I did not think. Why should I? For I believe that when God sends
+love into our hearts, it does not matter as to name and lineage. I had
+seen the flash of her eyes, and remembered the tear drops that
+glistened. I had seen the beauteous face, so full of tenderness and
+truth; I had heard her voice, sweeter than the sighing of the night wind
+as it played among the wild flowers, and I cared for nothing else. Hour
+after hour passed away, the woods became darker and darker, but I could
+still see Naomi's face. Then the eastern sky became streaked with golden
+light, and the birds sang to welcome the advent of day, but their songs
+were not so sweet as the memory of Naomi's voice. For my love was the
+gift of God, and I thought then only of what was beautiful and true.
+
+But with the dawn of day other memories came to me. I thought of my
+shame; I remembered that she had been told to regard me as a vagabond
+and a street brawler. I knew that Nick Tresidder would seek to poison
+her mind against me, and that even now I was being searched for that I
+might be degraded by the lash of a whip; and then a great pain and
+bitterness filled my heart, for I felt that my love was hopeless. While
+I had rejoiced in loving I thought not of this, but after a time my love
+became a desire, an overmastering desire to woo Naomi Penryn, to make
+her love me as I loved her.
+
+And this was hopeless. Had she not seen me pilloried as a shameful
+vagrant? Had she not seen me persecuted, tormented--the byeword, the
+laughing-stock for the offals of Falmouth town? Had I not been pelted by
+refuse? Was I not made hideous by disfigurement? How could I win her
+love? Then I hated the Tresidder tribe more than ever. They had robbed
+me of my home, my heritage, my all, and now through them I must be
+loathed by the one, the light of whose eyes burned into my heart like
+fire. But more than all this she would be with Nick Tresidder day by
+day. He would walk with her, ride with her, talk with her. They would
+roam among the woods and pluck the wild flowers that should be mine,
+while I--I was hiding from the men who held a whip to lash me.
+
+These thoughts kept me from lying still any longer, so I got up and
+walked along under the great trees until I came down to the river.
+Perhaps the world can show more beauteous sights than the river which
+runs between Truro and Falmouth, but I have my doubts. Nature here is at
+the height of her loveliness and spreads her riches with no niggard
+hand. For the clear water coils its way through a rich countryside,
+where green woods and rich meadows slope down to the river's bank. Here
+the flowers come early in the springtime, and scent the air through the
+summer; and here, too, winter is tardy in making its appearance, as if
+loth to shrivel the shining leaf, or to cause the gaily-painted flower
+to wither and die.
+
+Even I, as I stood by the river's bank at early sunrise, torn as my mind
+and heart were with conflicting passions, was soothed by the blessedness
+of the scene, for my heart lost something of its bitterness and love
+became triumphant. But the feeling was not for long. As I stood by the
+still water I saw the reflection of myself, and the sight made me more
+hopeless than ever. I saw in the water a tall, wild-looking youth, with
+bare head, save for a mass of unkempt hair; a face all scratched and
+bruised, and made to look savage and repulsive by vindictiveness; the
+clothes were dirty, bedraggled and torn, while the riding boots were
+torn and muddy.
+
+And Naomi Penryn had seen me thus--ay worse. I went to the river and
+washed, and then looked at myself again. My face was still scratched and
+bruised, but I had the Pennington features. After all, there was nothing
+mean and cunning about them. The eyes were wild, and perhaps fierce, but
+they were honest and frank still. The clothes were much worn and torn,
+but the body they covered was strong and shapely. There was nothing weak
+or shambling in those six feet three inches.
+
+Then I remembered what I had been a year before, and what I had become
+through injustice. Could I not make myself worthy? But how? I faced, or
+tried to face, facts truthfully. I was without home or friends, if I
+except the friendship of Eli Fraddam the gnome, who was at once despised
+and feared on every hand. I had no money, I had no clothes. Moreover, I
+had no means of getting any. I had no trade; I had no thorough knowledge
+of anything save farming, and no farmer dared to hire me. It was true I
+had some little experience of fishing, and could manage a boat fairly
+well, but not well enough to gain a livelihood by such work.
+
+And yet a love had come into my life for one who was tenderly nurtured,
+one doubtless accustomed to abundant riches; I, who was an outcast, a
+beggar. And I owed my poverty, my disgrace, to the Tresidders. Let God
+who knows all hearts judge whether there was not an excuse for my
+hatred. And yet, although the Tresidders had made my very love a seeming
+madness, that same love made me see beauty, and led me to hope with a
+great hope.
+
+I turned my face toward Pennington, wondering all the while if I should
+see Naomi again. For I called her Naomi in my own heart, and to me it
+was the sweetest name on earth. I repeated it over to myself again and
+again, and the birds, who sang to me overhead, sang to me songs about
+her. And as I trudged along, I tried to think again how I should buy
+back Pennington, not for revenge, but because of my love. But no ray of
+light shone to reveal to me the way. I could see nothing for it but that
+I, poor and friendless, must forever remain poor and friendless still.
+And yet all the while birds sang love songs and told me of Naomi Penryn.
+
+When I at length saw Elmwater Barton, I began to think of the steps I
+must take for my immediate future. I had determined that I would live
+within sight of Pennington, but how? Even Betsey Fraddam would be afraid
+to give me shelter when she had heard the truth, for Betsey knew Richard
+Tresidder's power. For let me tell here that while Betsey was much
+sought after, she was hated by many. Betsey admitted to being a witch,
+but claimed only to be a white witch. Now as all Cornish folks know,
+there is a difference between a white witch and a black witch. A white
+witch is one who is endowed by nature to cure by means of charms, and
+passes and strange signs. She can also read the future, and find out
+secrets about those who do evil. Thus a white witch is looked up to, and
+her calling is regarded as lawful, even by the parsons, save of a very
+few who are narrow in their notions. A black witch, on the other hand,
+is said to have dealings with the evil one, and her power is only gained
+by a signed compact with the king of darkness.
+
+Now if Betsey were suspected of the evil eye, and of being a black
+witch, her life might be in danger, and if Richard Tresidder as the
+chief man in the parish were to turn against her, 'twould go hard with
+her. Thus I knew that while Betsey did not love Tresidder she would do
+nothing to offend him. Only her love for Eli caused her to give me a
+home during the past months, and I knew that now she would not dare to
+have me in her house.
+
+Thus I made many plans as to what I should do, and presently I had made
+up my mind. My plan was to go into a cave which I knew of, and spend my
+days there, and by night I would go to Betsey's house and get food. I
+should thus have shelter and food, and I should be near Pennington. I
+should also have means of finding out whether Naomi Penryn stayed at
+Pennington, as well as other matters which lay near to my heart. What I
+should do when winter came on I knew not, neither could I tell how I
+could make myself worthy of my love. I felt sure that Richard
+Tresidder's great desire was to drive me from Cornwall, and thus be
+freed from the sight of one who must always remind him of his fraud. As
+for my getting back the home of my fathers, it was out of all question.
+
+So I made my way to the cave. It was called Granfer Fraddam's Cave,
+because he died there. Granfer Fraddam had been a smuggler, and it was
+believed that he used it to store the things he had been able to obtain
+through unlawful means. He was Betsey Fraddam's father, and was reported
+to be a very bad man. Rumours had been afloat that at one time he had
+sailed under a black flag, and had ordered men to walk a plank
+blindfolded. But this was while he was a young man, and no one dared to
+reproach him with it even when he grew old. When Granfer was alive the
+cave was a secret one, and none of the revenue officers knew of its
+existence. Only a few of Granfer's chosen friends knew how to find it.
+It was said, too, that he died there while hiding from the Preventive
+officers, and that ever since he had haunted the place, and that his
+voice might be heard at night calling for food and water, and praying
+for vengeance on the King's servants. Rumour also reported that he died
+a terrible death, because no clergyman or man of God could get near to
+help him from the clutches of the Evil One. As far as I was aware, its
+whereabouts was a secret when I was young, although it was generally
+supposed to be in what was known as Granfer's Cove, although some said
+it fell in at Granfer's death. Anyhow, no one visited it--indeed, such
+was my belief at the time, neither was it a pleasant place to reach.
+When the tide was up it was difficult to reach by water because of the
+great rocks which abounded; besides, you might be within six feet of it
+and not see it, because its mouth was so curiously covered.
+
+Eli Fraddam, who seemed to know everything, took me to it by the upper
+way; by that I mean the way of the cliff. He also showed me how I might
+know it from the beach, and by what rocks I could distinguish it. I did
+not enter the cave at the time, at least very far; but I remember that
+it was large, and that my voice echoed strangely when I spoke. I
+remember, too, that a strange fear was upon me, especially as in the dim
+light I saw Eli's strange form and face, and caught the gleams of his
+wild cross eyes.
+
+It was to this spot that I determined to go now, and for the time, at
+least, rest free from Richard Tresidder's persecutions. I think I should
+have gone away altogether at this time, and perchance have tried to
+obtain a post as a common sailor, but I remembered Naomi Penryn; and the
+yearning that was in my heart to see her again and, if possible, to
+speak to her, was so strong, that I was willing to brave anything to be
+near her.
+
+Granfer Fraddam's Cave was very lonely. There was not a house within a
+long distance of it, and, with the exception of two cottages, Pennington
+was the nearest dwelling. I was, therefore, able to get there
+unmolested. No one had seen me on my journey, because I had kept to the
+woods and fields. I took with me some swede turnips to eat, and when I
+had eaten, not thinking of the strange stories told about Granfer's
+Cave, I lay down on the shingle and fell asleep and dreamt that I was
+the owner of Pennington, and that I went to an old house on the cliffs
+to woo Naomi Penryn.
+
+When I awoke I knew not where I was. My mind was strangely confused, and
+there was a sound like unto many thunders roaring in my ears. I had a
+choking sensation, too, and felt it hard to breathe. Then I felt myself
+to be covered with water, while pebbles pelted my face. I struggled to
+my feet, and my senses coming to me, I understood the reason. I had not
+thought of the tide, which was now rushing into the cave with terrific
+force. A great fear got hold of me, and, as fast as I was able, I fled
+into the interior of the cavern. It was very dark, but in the darkness I
+fancied I saw strange, moving creatures; and at that moment all the
+stories told about Granfer Fraddam's evil spirit were true to me. A mad
+desire to escape possessed me, but how to do so I did not know. I heard
+the waves thundering up the cave, while a terrible wind blew, which
+drove me further into the darkness. I dared not venture to go seaward,
+so, keeping my hand against the side of the cavern, I allowed myself to
+follow the strong current of air. Presently the cave began to get
+smaller; indeed, so narrow was it that I could feel both sides at the
+same time by stretching out my hands. All the while the wind blew
+tremendously. At this I wondered much, for it seemed strange to me that
+I should feel the wind when I was so far away from the mouth of the
+cave. As I became calmer, I began to understand this. I knew that the
+waves as they rushed into the aperture must carry with them a great
+force of wind, and that naturally they would force the air inward. Thus
+the strong current which blew me further from the sea would indicate
+that there was an outlet somewhere. So, unmindful of danger, I followed
+the wind-current, and shortly I found myself ascending. The road was
+slimy and hard to climb; but I struggled on, and erelong found myself in
+a coppice. I looked around me, and remembered the place well. On one
+side of the coppice was a meadow which belonged to a fisherman named
+Ikey Trethewy--a strange, silent man who spoke but little, and who
+possessed a fast-trotting horse. On the other side the coppice sloped up
+to the spongy headland, where a curious kind of grass grew, and where
+rabbits dug their holes, and frolicked on summer nights.
+
+I had passed by the place often, and had never thought much of it. The
+little patch of trees and thick undergrowth which grew in a kind of
+sheltered gully seemed of no importance; but now the place possessed a
+strong interest for me.
+
+The coppice was much sheltered, but the wind, as it came up the hole
+through which I had passed, made a wild, moaning sound, which explained
+many of the stories I had heard. It was very dark by this time, and,
+although it was summer, the sky was covered with black clouds, and I
+heard the wind and sea roaring furiously. By the time I got to the
+headland I knew that a storm of great violence was raging. For some time
+a feeling of indecision possessed me; then I made my way toward Betsey
+Fraddam's cottage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+I SEE NAOMI PENRYN ON ROCK CALLED THE SPANISH CAVALIER, AND RESCUE
+HER--WE ESCAPE FROM THE TRESIDDERS
+
+
+When I entered Betsey's cottage, she was sitting with her son beside the
+open fireplace, watching a crock which steamed over a wood fire, and
+from which came a strange smell.
+
+"'Twas cowld and wet at Granfer's caave, I spoase?" was her first
+greeting, after looking at me very carefully.
+
+Now how she knew I had been in the cave I know not, neither will I
+pretend to explain; at the same time, I felt rather fearful at the
+thought that she should have been aware of the place where I had spent
+the day, when no one had told her.
+
+"How do you know where I have been?" I asked.
+
+"How do I knaw?" sneered Betsey; "how do I knaw everything?"
+
+So I said no more, but looked toward a loaf of bread which lay on the
+table.
+
+"Iss, you've 'ad nothin' but a swede turmut, and that ed'n rastlin'
+mait," said Betsey. "You do look vine and faint, too. 'Ere's summin
+that'll do 'ee good, my deear," and going to a cupboard, she took a
+two-gallon jar, and poured out a tumbler full of liquor. "There, drink
+that," she said, putting it before me.
+
+It was raw spirits, and when I had swallowed one mouthful I could take
+no more, it was too strong for me.
+
+"Aw, aw!" laughed Betsey; "'tes nearly as strong as the broth I do make,
+ed'n et, then? Here, Eli, put some milk in the pan, and het it for 'un.
+He was in the pillory yesterday, and he seed Richard Trezidder and Neck
+Trezidder and Emily Trezidder, and another maid, a very purty one. Then
+'ee runned away, and after that he got to Granfer Fraddam's Cave. Make a
+good quart of eggiot for 'un, Eli. That'll be better'n sperrits. He's
+too waik for that."
+
+Then Eli got the milk, and began to beat up eggs in a basin, grunting
+strangely, while he watched me with his strange, wild-looking eyes. But
+I did not speak, for Betsey made me afraid; besides, I felt cold and
+ill.
+
+"I knaw what you be thinking," said Betsey; "you be wonderin' how I got
+so much sperrits. Well, p'raps I shall tell 'ee zoon. We sh'll zee,
+Jasper, we sh'll zee." And with that the old crone chuckled.
+
+Then Eli came to me, and felt me, and fondled me. He smoothed my wrists
+where they had been bruised the day before, and got some ointment which
+he rubbed around my neck. Then, when the milk and egg was ready, he
+poured it in a huge basin, and put it before me.
+
+"I'd 'a killed 'un ef you wos dead," he repeated many times, until I
+wondered at his apparent love for me.
+
+When I had drunk what Eli had prepared I felt better. My head began to
+get clear again, and my strength came back to me.
+
+"Naow," wheedled Betsey, when I had finished, "tell me oal about et.
+Tell me, Jasper, my deear."
+
+"You know everything," I replied.
+
+"No, not everything; tell me, for ould Betsey'll ave to 'elp 'ee, my
+deear."
+
+So I told her everything, save my love for Naomi Penryn; of that I could
+not speak to her, it was a secret for my own heart, and I vowed that I
+would never tell of it until I poured the words in the sweet maid's own
+ears. At that time I felt sure that the story of my love would remain
+forever untold.
+
+"Do 'ee knaw what this do main, Jasper?" said Betsey, when I had
+finished.
+
+"He bait 'em boath, boath!" laughed Eli, gleefully.
+
+"Now, Eli," said Betsey, "hark to Jasper, and hark to me. Now tell me,
+Jasper."
+
+"I think I know," I said.
+
+"He mustn't knaw that you've come back to St. Eve," said Betsey. "I tell
+'ee, you musn't show yer faace. 'Ee'll never rest till you'm out ov the
+way. You'll jist be found dead some day, tha's wot'll 'appen. Ef 'ee
+caan't do et with the law 'ee'll do et wi'out."
+
+"Yes," I said.
+
+"Well, wot be 'ee goin' to do?"
+
+"I'll go back to Granfer Fraddam's Cave. No one can find me there."
+
+"Tha's true, but what 'bout yer mait?"
+
+"I'll bring 'un mait," said Eli. "I'll bring 'un mait. I knaw, I knaw!"
+And the poor gnome laughed joyfully.
+
+"But that caan't last," said Betsey. "Two months more an' winter'll be
+'ere. Besides, you caan't git back Pennington by stayin' in a cave. You
+knaw what you promised your vather, Jasper; you zaid you wudden rest
+night nor day 'till you got back Pennington."
+
+"I remember," I said.
+
+"Bezides," cried Betsey--then she stopped, and looked at me steadily.
+She had keen, whitey-gray eyes, which shone very brightly. "Do'ee knaw
+who thicky maid wos that you zeed in Fa'muth 'esterday?"
+
+I shook my head.
+
+"Purty, ed'n she?" sniggered Betsey. "She's for Nick Trezidder, my
+deear, tha's wot she's for. Her vather an' mawther's dead, my deear, and
+she've got piles o' money, an' Richard Trezidder es 'er guardian, an'
+they main 'er to marry Nick. Her vather was Squire Penryn, my deear, an'
+'ee was killed, an' 'er mawther died a bit agone, so the Trezidders 'ev
+got 'er body and soul."
+
+"How do you know?" I asked.
+
+"'Ow do I knaw!" sneered Betsey. "'Ow do I knaw everything?" and this
+was the way she always answered when I asked her such a question.
+
+"Where is her home?" I asked.
+
+"Where? Up the country somewhere on the north coast. A big 'ous cloas to
+the say, my deear."
+
+"But Penryn is close to Falmouth."
+
+"'Nother branch ov the fam'ly, my deear; but ther', she nothin' to you.
+She's good, she's purty, an' she's rich, but she's for Nick Trezidder.
+Thews Trezidders do bait the Penningtons, don't 'em?" And Betsey laughed
+again.
+
+But I held my tongue. I determined that I would not tell the secret of
+my heart, although Betsey's words hurt me like knife-stabs.
+
+"Well, an' when winter do come, what be 'ee goin' to do then, Jasper,
+an' 'ow be 'ee goin' to git 'nough to buy back Pennington?"
+
+"I must think, Betsey," I said. "I must think. But I'll do it--I'll do
+it!"
+
+"Aisy spok, but not so aisy done. How?"
+
+"I'll help 'un," said Eli.
+
+"You! 'Ow can you 'elp 'un?"
+
+But Eli only hugged himself and laughed, as though he were tickled.
+After that but little was said that I can remember.
+
+Before daylight came I went back to the cave. I was sure that neither
+Betsey nor Eli would tell of my hiding-place. I was glad for this,
+because I knew that if Dick Tresidder knew where I was I should be taken
+back to the whipping-post, and perhaps imprisoned. Besides, I was sure
+that he feared me, and that he would do everything in his power to make
+me suffer. So I determined to stay in Granfer Fraddam's Cave as long as
+I could, and I knew that Eli would find out everything about what went
+on at Pennington and tell me. Looking back now, my conduct seems foolish
+in the extreme. I could do no good by staying in the cave, I could not
+get an inch nearer my purpose. It would have been far more sensible to
+have sailed to some distant land and sought for fortune. And I will
+admit that I was tempted to do this, and should have left St. Eve, but
+for a strange longing to stay near Pennington, knowing as I did that
+Naomi Penryn was there, and that, although I had never spoken to her, I
+loved the dear maid every hour of my life more and more.
+
+One day, I think it was about a week after I had taken up my abode in
+the cave, I was sitting at its mouth and looking across the narrow bay,
+and watching the tide come up, when I was strangely startled. I remember
+that in dreaming of Naomi Penryn a feeling of despair had come into my
+heart, for I saw no chance whatever of ever seeing her again, much less
+speaking to her. Besides, even if it were possible for me to win her
+love I had no right to do so. Pennington seemed further from my grasp
+than ever, while Richard Tresidder's hold on it grew stronger day by
+day. I was thinking of these things when I saw, two or three hundred
+yards out at sea, standing on a rock, a woman's form. The rock was a
+large one, and went by the name of "The Spanish Cavalier." It rose from
+the beach to the height of fifteen feet, and was never covered save at
+high tides. There was, moreover, a curious place in the rock, not unlike
+an arm-chair, in which one might sit and watch the shining waves. All
+around it was grouped a number of smaller rocks, which boatmen always
+avoided, because driving on them was dangerous.
+
+As I said, I saw on "The Spanish Cavalier" a woman's form, and above the
+sound of the breakers I heard a cry for help. I did not hurry to the
+rescue, for the delay of a few seconds could make no difference, the
+rock was now several feet under water; besides, I was not sure what it
+meant. At first I could not discern who the woman was, and fancied it
+might be one of the Misses Archer, or perhaps Richard Tresidder's
+daughter. But then, I thought, they would know the coast, and would not
+allow themselves to be caught by the tide in such a way. On looking
+again, however, my heart gave a great leap--the woman on the rock was
+Naomi Penryn. A feeling of joy surged through me. At last I had my
+chance, I should be able to speak to her without let or hindrance. As I
+have before stated, the cave had but few houses near. Ikey Trethewy's
+cottage stood at some little distance away from the coppice where the
+land entrance to the cave had been made, but it was not visible from
+"The Spanish Cavalier;" another cottage stood further along the coast,
+but that was more than a mile away; while the other house was
+Pennington, which was nearly two miles off. Seemingly, there was no
+other help than my own near, and I rejoiced that it was so. There was no
+real danger, but she needed my help, and that was all I cared for. So I
+plunged into the water and was able to wade nearly all the way to the
+rock. She saw me coming toward her, and I think my presence gave her
+confidence.
+
+"Do not be afraid," I said, as I came up; "there is no danger. I can
+easily take you to the shore."
+
+By this time, only my head was visible above the water, but she
+recognised me. I saw that she shrank from me, too, as though she were
+afraid. At this a coldness crept into my heart, for I remembered where I
+stood at the only time she had seen me before.
+
+"I will not hurt you," I said; "I know my way among the rocks, and I can
+take you easily."
+
+She looked at me again, doubtfully. Most likely she remembered what the
+Tresidders had said about me.
+
+"I will be very careful," I went on; "and you had better come quickly,
+for the tide is rising every minute. I know you distrust me, for the
+Tresidders hate me; but if I did not desire to help you I should not
+have let you see me, for when they know where I am I shall be in
+danger."
+
+She lifted her head proudly as though I had angered her, then she looked
+at me again steadily, and came toward me.
+
+"Is the water very deep?" she asked.
+
+"It is over five feet here," I replied, "but it is shallower a few
+yards nearer the shore."
+
+"You are sure you can swim with me to shore?" she said.
+
+"I shall not try," I said. "If you will let me, I will hold you above my
+head. You are not heavy and I--" Then I hesitated, for I did not want to
+boast.
+
+"Yes, I know you are very strong," she laughed, half fearfully I
+thought; "but how can you do this?"
+
+"Look," I said; "if you will stand on my shoulders so"--and I placed my
+back against the rock. "I am afraid your feet will have to be wet, just
+a little, for my shoulders are in the water. There, that is it; now hold
+my hands," and I lifted my hands as high above my head as I could.
+
+She did as I bade her; thus we both stood with our faces toward the
+shore, she standing on my shoulders and stooping a little in order to
+hold my hands tightly.
+
+It was joy unspeakable to feel the little fingers in mine, for this was
+the first time that my flesh touched hers, and with the touch a thrill
+of gladness, the like of which I had never felt before, passed through
+my whole being.
+
+I carried her safely. At that time rocks and roaring breakers were
+nothing to me, the buffeting of the waves against my body I felt not one
+whit! I think she must have felt my great strength, for when I had
+carried her a few yards she laughed, and the laugh had no fear.
+
+"You feel quite safe?" I asked presently, when I had got away from the
+rocks.
+
+"Quite safe," she said, and so I carried her on until I stood on the
+smooth yellow sands, and although the waves still broke, I felt their
+force not at all, for the thought of her trusting me made my sinews
+like willow thongs.
+
+Right sorry was I when the water no longer touched my feet, and I must
+confess that I lingered over the last part of the journey, so pleasant
+was my burden, and so glad a thing was it to feel her fingers fastening
+themselves around mine. Perhaps she regarded me as she might regard a
+fisherman who might have rendered her a similar service, but it did not
+matter. I, whom she had seen pilloried as a vagrant and a street
+brawler, held her fast, and my love grew stronger minute by minute.
+
+When I put her on the sands, only her feet were wet, and no one could
+tell of the position in which she had been.
+
+I shook myself after I had put her down, and I was almost sorry I had
+done so immediately afterward, for I could see that my condition made
+her sorry for me, and I did not want to be pitied.
+
+"You must get dry clothes at once," she said.
+
+"I have none," I said, unthinkingly, "save my jacket and waistcoat,
+which lie on yon rock."
+
+"But you will be very cold."
+
+I laughed gaily. "It is nothing," I said, "the sun will not go down for
+three hours yet, and before that time my rags will be dry."
+
+"I am very thankful to you," she said; "I cannot swim, and but for you I
+should have been drowned."
+
+"Oh, no," I replied; "you could have climbed to the top of the rock, and
+waited till the tide went out again."
+
+"No, I should have been afraid. You have been very kind and very good to
+me. I was very foolish to get there, but it was very tempting to climb
+on the rock and sit and watch the sea. I must have fallen asleep in the
+sun, for I remembered nothing until I felt the cold water beat on me."
+
+"I was not kind or good," I said, roughly. "I thought first it was Emily
+Tresidder. Had it been, I should not have gone."
+
+"Yes, you would," she said; "you have a kind face. Besides, you should
+not hate the Tresidders. Mr. Tresidder is my guardian."
+
+"I am sorry for you," I said.
+
+She looked at me steadily, but did not speak.
+
+"I know what you are thinking about," I said. "I was pilloried at
+Falmouth when you saw me before, and I just escaped being flogged before
+the crowd. Even now, I suppose, I am being searched for."
+
+"Indeed you are. Do you think you are safe in staying here?"
+
+"It doesn't matter, I suppose; I shall soon be taken."
+
+"Why do you think so?"
+
+"You will, of course, tell Tresidder where I am, and then my liberty
+must soon come to an end."
+
+I hated myself for speaking so, for I saw her lips tremble, as though I
+had pained her.
+
+"Is not that unkind?" she said, presently, "and do you not judge the
+Tresidders wrongly? Have you not provoked them to anger?"
+
+"They have told you about me, then; they have told you that I am a
+thief, a vagabond, a bully?"
+
+She did not reply, but I knew from the look on her face that I had
+spoken the truth.
+
+For a second there was a silence between us, then she said, "I thank you
+very much, and now I must go back to Pennington."
+
+"Not until you hear my story," I said, eagerly.
+
+"Why should you tell me?" she asked.
+
+"Because I do not wish you to judge me wrongly," I said; "because you
+have known me only as one who is evil and revengeful. Let me tell you
+the truth."
+
+She did not speak, but she looked at me as if expecting me to go on. So
+I told her my story eagerly, told it truly, as I have tried to tell it
+here, only in fewer words.
+
+"And this is true?" she asked, eagerly. "That is," she said, correcting
+herself, "you are sure you are not mistaken?"
+
+"As God lives, it is true," I replied. "Is it any wonder, then, that I
+hate the Tresidders, is it any wonder that I should thrash them as I
+would thrash a yelping, biting cur?"
+
+"Is it brave for a strong man to pounce upon a weaker one?" she asked.
+
+"They were two to one," I replied; "besides, the street was full of
+people, and he has everything on his side, and I am alone, an outcast, a
+beggar in my own parish."
+
+"But he has the law on his side."
+
+"Yes; and he has twisted the law to serve his own ends. He and his
+mother have used vile tools to cheat me."
+
+"And if you could save up half the worth of Pennington you could buy it
+back."
+
+"I could demand to buy it back. Lawyer Trefry has the copy of the will.
+I have seen it. That is why they have tried to ruin me."
+
+"And do you say that Nick tried to stab you?" she asked, anxiously.
+
+"I have the knife yet," I replied. "His name is on it. I trusted him to
+wrestle fair, even though he sought to ruin me. Perhaps I was wrong to
+hurt him, but I was mad with pain. The mark of the wound is on my chest
+now. Look," and I showed her the scar.
+
+She shuddered, then she said, "Hate always brings misery, and love
+always brings joy. You should love your enemies."
+
+"Yes; if a man will fight openly and fairly, I will not hate him. If I
+wanted to touch an adder with my hand I would not catch him by the tail
+so that it could curl around and sting my hand; I would catch it just
+behind the head. It might writhe and wriggle, but I should know that it
+could not bite me. That is how I want to treat the Tresidders. You
+despise me," I went on; "you see me now a thing that has to hide like a
+rabbit in burrow. Well, perhaps it is natural--you live with the
+Tresidders."
+
+"No, I do not despise you," she said. "I feel for you; I am an orphan
+just as you are. Of course, Mr. Tresidder is very kind to me, but
+Pennington is not like home--that is--" Then she stopped as though she
+had said more than she had intended. "I felt sorry for you when I saw
+you in Falmouth. Did--did you see me?"
+
+"I saw you--I--I--look, there is Nick Tresidder and his father coming
+now. I must away!"
+
+We were only partially hidden by the rock, at the side of which we
+stood. I could see them with sufficient clearness for me to recognise
+them. They could see us, but I did not think it would be possible for
+them to tell who we were.
+
+"They are searching for me," she cried. "I have been away from the house
+a long time."
+
+"Well, go to them," I said.
+
+"But they have seen that there are two of us. Do you think they know us
+from this distance?"
+
+"No, we have been partly hidden."
+
+"But if I go, they will ask who has been with me."
+
+"Do you not wish to tell them?"
+
+"If I do you will be in danger. If they know you are near you will be
+hunted down. They think you have left the country."
+
+"You can save me if you will," I cried, eagerly.
+
+"I will do what I can!"
+
+"Come, then--there, keep behind these rocks until we get to the cliffs.
+Go quickly."
+
+She obeyed me eagerly, and a few seconds later we stood behind a great
+jagged promontory.
+
+"Did they see us, do you think?"
+
+"Yes, they saw us, but they could not have recognised us; or I fancy
+not," I added, for I had my fears; "but come, walk on the shingle so
+that they cannot trace your footsteps. That is it."
+
+We came close to the cave where my clothes lay. These I picked up with a
+feeling of relief.
+
+"We are safe now," I said.
+
+"No," she cried; "they will soon come up, and can easily find us."
+
+For she had not seen the mouth of Granfer Fraddam's Cave, although it
+was close to her. I was glad of this, for it told me how safe my
+hiding-place was, and showed that the opening was so curiously hidden
+that a stranger might pass it a hundred times and not see it. So I
+helped her to climb up the cliff until I got to a small platform, and
+afterward passed along the fissure between the rocks and drew her after
+me, and then, when she had followed me a few steps, she saw how
+cunningly Nature had concealed the place, and fearful as she was, she
+uttered a low exclamation of pleased surprise. For from this place we
+could see without being seen, even although we were not inside the cave
+itself.
+
+Excited as I was, for my heart was beating fast and my head throbbed at
+the same rate, I wondered at my good fortune in making her my friend.
+For her willingness to come with me, rather than to expose me to the
+Tresidders, showed that she was my friend, and my gladness at the
+thought was beyond all words. At the same time I could not help fearing
+for her. If either Nick Tresidder or his father had recognised her, she
+would be exposed to many awkward questionings, which would be hard for
+her to answer; neither did I desire that she should have to suffer for
+me. I marvelled greatly, too, that she should have understood the
+situation so easily, and that, in spite of all my enemies must have
+said, she seemed to trust me so implicitly. I remembered, however, that
+she would, perhaps, feel grateful to me for rescuing her from her
+awkward position on "The Spanish Cavalier," and that she would be
+anxious that my action should not bring any harm to me. And while this
+thought did not bring me so much pleasure as it ought, it showed me that
+the Tresidders had not altogether poisoned her mind against me.
+
+Although it has taken me some minutes to write down these thoughts, they
+passed through my mind very rapidly.
+
+"They cannot see us here," she said, questioningly, "neither can they
+find us?"
+
+"Not unless they know the cave," I replied.
+
+"Oh, I hope not," was her response, and although Tresidder was her
+guardian and Pennington was her home, it did not feel strange at that
+moment that she should be hiding with me, who was being sought for by
+the minions of the law.
+
+The sea was by this time getting nearer the foot of the cliff, and there
+was now only twenty feet of shingle between water and land. So I stood
+and watched, but I could not as yet see them, for the promontory, behind
+which we had first hidden, stood between us and them.
+
+"Do you see them?"
+
+"Not yet," I replied, "they have had scarcely time to get here yet, but
+I think they will soon be here."
+
+As I spoke I looked on her face, the most beauteous I had ever seen, and
+when I remembered what she had done to shield me my love grew more
+fervent. For I had no claim on her, who was a stranger, save that I had
+carried her to the shore, which of course was nothing. By that I mean to
+say it was nothing for which she should serve me; rather it was I who
+owed gratitude to her, for my joy at serving her made my heart leap in
+my bosom, until I could even then have sung aloud for gladness.
+
+"Are they coming?" she asked again, presently.
+
+"Yes, they are close to us," I replied, for at that moment they had
+passed the rock by which we had at first stood.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+I DISCOVER ANOTHER CAVE, AND HEAR A CONVERSATION BETWEEN RICHARD
+TRESIDDER AND HIS SON
+
+
+"I am sure I saw a man and woman," I heard Nick Tresidder say.
+
+"I thought I did, too," replied his father; "but we must have been
+mistaken, I suppose. Of course, they could have got behind Great Bear
+and then kept along under the cliff."
+
+"Then they must have gone past, for they are nowhere to be seen."
+
+"Perhaps they wanted to hurry to be before the tide."
+
+"Yes; I suppose that must be it," replied Nick, doubtfully.
+
+"Still, I don't know that it matters. We should not have troubled at all
+if we hadn't thought it might be Naomi."
+
+"No; where can she be, I wonder?"
+
+"She's a strange girl, Nick. She doesn't seem to feel happy at
+Pennington, neither does she make friends with Emily. She's always
+roaming among the woods or along the beach. I shouldn't wonder at all if
+she hasn't lost herself among the woods. You must be careful, my lad."
+
+"Oh, it's all right, there's no danger. I say, do you know that Jacob
+Buddie told me he believed he saw Jasper Pennington in the lane outside
+Betsey Fraddam's house last night?"
+
+"I don't believe it; we've got rid of him effectually. But we must hurry
+on, Nick, we've just time to get to Granfer Fraddam's path before the
+tide gets in."
+
+"Yes, it's a good way on. Isn't Granfer Fraddam's Cave here somewhere?"
+
+"I've my doubts whether there is such a place. There may have been such
+a cave in the old man's time, but lots of ground has fallen in during
+the past fifty years. Anyhow, I've often searched along the coast and
+could never find it."
+
+"But it's around here that the noises have been heard. You know people
+say it's haunted by the old man's ghost."
+
+"Well, I've never been able to find it."
+
+They hurried on, and I gave a sigh of relief.
+
+"Are they gone?" asked Naomi.
+
+"Yes, they are gone; they don't know anything. It will take them a long
+while to get home. It's a long way to Pennington by Granfer Fraddam's
+path. The cliff is steep, too."
+
+"But I must go now," she said, anxiously.
+
+"You shall get home before they can," I said, eagerly.
+
+"I will take you through another opening. You will know another secret
+of this cave then. You see, I trust you wholly, and you will know my
+hiding-place almost as well as I know it myself."
+
+"But do you live here?"
+
+Then I told her what I had to do, and how Eli Fraddam brought food to
+me, and how when winter came I should have to make other plans.
+
+She listened quietly, and said no word, but allowed me to lead her up
+the cave until we reached the copse of which I have spoken. We were
+still hidden from sight, for the bushes grew thick, and the trees were
+large and had abundant foliage. She held out her hand to say good-bye.
+
+"I shall remember your kindness," she said.
+
+"And do not think too hardly about me," I pleaded, "remember what I have
+had to suffer."
+
+"I shall think of you very kindly," was her response; "not that it
+matters to you," she added. "We are strangers, most probably we shall
+never meet again, and the opinion of a stranger cannot help you."
+
+"It is more than you can think," I answered, eagerly. "When I saw that
+look of sympathy on your face when I stood in the pillory at Falmouth it
+made everything easier to bear. Besides, you say you will stay at
+Pennington, and I look upon Pennington as my home."
+
+"Yes; but surely you will not stay here. It cannot be right for a man to
+idle away his time as you are idling it; besides, you can never win back
+Pennington thus. If I were you I would find work, and I would honourably
+make my way back to fortune."
+
+"But the Tresidders will not allow me," I replied, stung into shame by
+her words, "they have always put obstacles in my path."
+
+"Then I would go where the Tresidders could not harm me," she cried, and
+then she went away, as though I were the merest commonplace stranger, as
+indeed I was.
+
+I mused afterward that she did not even tell me her name, although she
+had no means of knowing that I had found it out, neither did she tell me
+that she would keep the secret of my hiding-place from my enemies. And
+more than all this, she bade me leave St. Eve, where I should be away
+from her, although my longings grew stronger to stay by her side. All
+this made me very weary of life, and I went back to the mouth of the
+cave and sat watching the sea as it rose higher and higher around "The
+Spanish Cavalier," and wondered with a weary heart what I should do.
+
+When night came on Eli Fraddam brought me food, and sat by me while I
+ate it, looking all the while up into my face with his strange wild
+eyes.
+
+"Jasper missuble," he grunted, presently.
+
+"Yes, Eli," I said, "everything and everybody is against me."
+
+"I knaw! I knaw!" cried Eli, as though a new thought had struck him,
+"I'll 'elp 'ee, Jasper; I'll vind out!"
+
+"Find out what, Eli?"
+
+But he would not answer. He hugged himself as though he were vastly
+pleased, and laughed, in his low guttural way, and after a time took his
+departure.
+
+When I was left alone, I tried to think of my plans for the future, for
+Naomi's words kept ringing in my ears, "If I were you I would find work,
+and I would honourably make my way back to fortune." I saw now that for
+a year I had acted like a madman. Instead of meeting my reverses
+bravely, I had acted like a coward. I had sunk in the estimation of
+others as well as in my own. I had loafed around the lanes, and had made
+friends with the idle and the dissolute. Even my plans for vengeance
+were those of a savage. I, Jasper Pennington, could think of no other
+way of punishing my enemies than by mastering them with sheer brute
+force. Besides, all the time I had made no step toward winning back my
+home, and thus obeying my father's wishes. I felt this, too; I had
+deservedly lost the esteem of the people. I had become what the
+Tresidders said I was. I saw myself a vagrant and a savage, and although
+my fate had been hard, I deserved the punishment I was then suffering. I
+had forgotten that I was a Pennington, forgotten that I was a gentleman.
+
+But what could I do? Houseless, homeless, friendless, except for the
+friendship of Eli Fraddam and his mother, and practically outlawed, what
+was there that I, Jasper Pennington, could put my hand to? I could not
+tell. The possibility of honourably making my way back to fortune seemed
+a dream impossible to be fulfilled.
+
+For a long time I sat brooding, while the candle which Eli had brought
+burnt lower and lower, and finally went out. The darkness stirred new
+thoughts within me. Hitherto I had not troubled about Granfer Fraddam's
+ghost haunting the cave. The wind which wailed its way up through the
+cave till it found vent in the copse above explained the sounds which
+had been heard. But now all the stories which I had heard came back to
+me. Did Granfer Fraddam die there? and did his ghost haunt this dreary
+cavern? Even then I might be sitting on the very spot where he had died.
+
+I started up and lit another candle. I looked around me, and shuddered
+at the black, forbidding sides of the cavern, then leaving the candle to
+cast its ghostly light around I crept toward the entrance. I saw the sea
+lapping the black rocks around, and heard its dismal surge. Then I heard
+a rushing noise whir past me, and it seemed as though a ghostly hand had
+struck my face. Directly afterward I heard a cry which made the blood
+run cold in my veins. Most likely it was only a seagull which I had
+frightened from its resting-place among the rocks, but to me it was the
+shriek of a lost soul.
+
+Trembling, I found my way back to the cave again, where the candle still
+burnt, and cast its flickering light around. I was afraid to stay there
+any longer, and determined to get out by way of the copse. I had gone
+but a few steps in this direction, when I saw what had hitherto escaped
+my notice. It was a hole in the side of the cave, large enough for
+anybody to pass easily. For a moment curiosity overcame my fears, and I
+made my way toward it. Holding my candle close to the hole, I found that
+I was out of the current of air, and I saw that this was the entrance to
+another cave. But it was different from the one in which I had been
+hiding. It looked as though it had been hollowed out by the hands of man
+rather than by nature. This fact lessened my ghostly fears, and I
+entered it, and in doing so thought I detected a strange smell. A minute
+later, and my astonishment knew no bounds. Lying at my feet in this
+inner cave were casks of spirits and wines. There were, I afterward
+discovered, many other things there too. There were great packages of
+tobacco, and bales of stuff which at that time I did not understand. It
+was evident that Granfer Fraddam's trade was not abandoned, although it
+was thought that smuggling was not carried on to any extent in the
+neighbourhood of St. Eve. It is true that many things were obtained in
+the neighbourhood which the Preventive officers could not account for,
+but that was understood to be owing to Jack Truscott's gang, who defied
+the law, and did many wild deeds down by the Lizard and at Kynance. At
+Polventor the Preventive men were very keen, so keen were they that the
+dozen or two fishermen who lived there were not, as far as I knew, in
+any way suspected of unlawful deeds. And Polventor was the only fishing
+village within three miles of our parish where it seemed possible for
+smuggling to be carried on.
+
+Not that we thought hardly of the smugglers, even of Jack Truscott and
+his men. We all regarded the law as very unjust, and owing to the fact
+that many things were obtained in the parish very cheaply by them, we
+winked at their doings, and looked sourly on the Preventive men and
+their doings. At the same time, as far as I knew, no one dreamed of
+smuggling being carried on near the coast of St. Eve. Thus it was that
+Granfer Fraddam's Cave was a mere tradition, and many people thought
+that the King's officers ought to be removed to some other part of the
+coast, where there would be some necessity for their existence.
+
+I thought long of these things, and presently came to the conclusion
+that this cave was used as a kind of storage-place by some smuggler's
+gang. Probably this was one of Jack Truscott's many hiding-places, and
+would be used by him when the Government spies were busy watching
+elsewhere.
+
+Anyhow, my discovery made me think of the cave more as the home of the
+living than the dead, and thus fears were dispelled. It is true my
+solitude might at any time be broken by a gang of desperate men, but
+that did not trouble me. So I fetched the blanket which old Betsey had
+lent me and took it into this inner cave, and after a while went to
+sleep.
+
+Eli Fraddam brought some food to me again in the morning, but I did not
+tell him what I had discovered through the night, neither did I
+encourage him to stay. Usually he had sat with me for hours, and had
+talked with me in his strange disconnected way, but this morning he saw
+that I wanted to be alone, so, after patting and fondling my hands
+lovingly, he left me. All through the day I tried to make up my mind
+what to do, but no feasible plan came into my mind. I did not fear any
+difficulty in getting food and clothes, but how to raise money to buy
+back Pennington I knew not.
+
+Toward evening I left the cave and clambered down the rocks until I got
+to the beach. I had scarcely done so when a package lying by a rock
+caught my eye. I tore off the wrapper, wondering what it was, and soon
+discovered that it contained food. I eagerly examined it, and presently
+saw a scrap of clean white paper. On it was written these words:
+
+
+     "To stay where you are must be useless. Search has not been
+     abandoned, for you have been seen. There can be no hope of success
+     while you remain in St. Eve. You saved me, and I would help you.
+     Good-bye."
+
+
+Now this comforted me greatly, for it told me that Naomi Penryn had not
+forgotten me, and that she felt friendly toward me. The food, delicate
+as it was compared with what I had been eating, I cared not for, except
+only because she had brought it. My excitement took away all desire to
+eat, and again I went back to the cave to think of what I should do. For
+this thought came constantly into my mind, the Tresidders intended her
+for Nick, and my determination was that she should never marry a
+Tresidder. Moreover, I fancied, from her own words, and from what I had
+heard Richard Tresidder say to his son, she was not happy at Pennington.
+If I went away I should be powerless to help her if she needed help.
+She was but a girl of eighteen, and she was wholly under the control of
+the Tresidders. Yet how could I help her by remaining where I was; nay,
+rather, it was impossible for me to do this.
+
+After some time I settled on a plan; I would leave my cave before it was
+light, and would walk to Fowey. When there, I would try and get a place
+as a sailor. I thought I knew enough of a sailor's duties to satisfy the
+captain of a trading ship. Then, by the time the first voyage was over,
+I should no longer be sought by the Tresidders, and the affair at
+Falmouth would be forgotten. I would then come back and see if Naomi
+Penryn needed help. I should not be away more than a few months, and I
+did not think that Nick Tresidder or his father would seek to carry out
+their plans concerning her for at least a year.
+
+I had scarcely settled this in my mind when I heard voices outside the
+cave. Wondering what it might mean I crept to the opening, and, looking
+out, saw Richard Tresidder and his son, Nick, standing and talking with
+two Preventive men. A great rock hid me from their sight, besides which
+I was at least twelve feet above them.
+
+"You say you've searched all around here for a cave?" asked Richard
+Tresidder.
+
+"All round, sur," replied one of the officers. "Ther's smugglin' done
+'long 'ere right 'nough, but I've my doubts 'bout Granfer Fraddam's
+Caave as et es called. Ther's not an inch 'long the coast here that we
+'ain't a-seed; we've found lots of caaves, but nothin' like people do
+talk about. As for this cove, where people say et es, why look for
+yerself, sur, ther's no sign of it. We can see every yard of the little
+bay here, but as fer Granfer Fraddam's Caave, well, that's all wind,
+I'm a-thinkin'."
+
+"I'm of the same opinion myself. Still, I thought we'd better come and
+make sure, that was why I asked you to come."
+
+"That's oal right, sur, glad are we to do anything to 'elp 'ee. But
+ther's plaaces furder down, sur, and they must be watched."
+
+"Do you not think you are mistaken?" I heard Richard Tresidder say;
+"there has been no smuggling done here since Granfer Fraddam's days.
+There is plenty of it done at the Lizard, and at Kynance, and right down
+to St. Michael's Mount to Penzance Harbour, but there is none here."
+
+"But there es, Maaster Tresidder. Not a week agone a boat-load of
+sperits was landed at Polventor."
+
+"At Polventor! Why, I thought you kept a sharp look-out there. Besides,
+only fisher folk live there."
+
+"'Iss, but tes they fishermen that do do et. Ye see, they go out so they
+zay to catch fish, and then afore mornin' they do come across the big
+smugglers' boats, and taake the things to the coves they do know 'bout.
+They be all of a piece, Maaster Tresidder."
+
+"Well, keep a sharp look-out, Grose, and bring them before me, and I'll
+see that they don't do any more smuggling for a few months."
+
+"I'm glad we've 'ad this 'ere talk, sur, you bein' a majistraate. But we
+must be off, sur."
+
+"Good-afternoon. By the way, if you call at Pennington to-night about
+ten I shall be glad to see you. You will perhaps be able to report
+progress by that time."
+
+"Thank 'ee kindly, sur. Good afternoon."
+
+Richard Tresidder and his son Nick then sat down on a rock near, and
+both began to smoke, and then, when the Preventive officers were out of
+sight, they laughed merrily.
+
+"I wonder if they know that the grog they have drunk at Pennington was
+made of smuggled brandy?" asked the father.
+
+"Not they. Why, you are noted for your hardness on law-breakers."
+
+"Just so. By the way, you have heard no more about Jasper, I suppose? I
+heard last night he was hiding in Granfer Fraddam's Cave, that was why I
+got those fellows to search for the place."
+
+"Nothing definite. It's believed that he's around here somewhere, but
+where I don't know. The fellow is mad, I think. It would be better for
+him to clear off altogether. The sentence is a flogging and then another
+trial, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes; but nothing is being done. I believe if he were caught he would be
+allowed to go free. I don't believe they want to catch him."
+
+"You see, the people think he's been badly treated, and Lawyer Trefry
+has blabbed about old Pennington's will. Everybody says now that you've
+done your utmost to keep him poor. Why in the world didn't grandmother
+get him to give it you out and out? If the beggar should have a stroke
+of luck he might get it for a few thousands."
+
+"But where can he get them now? His last chance is gone. What can a lad,
+without money, home, or friends, do? That's settled all right."
+
+"I don't know about that. He's clever and he's determined. Why did he
+continue to stay around here? He must have something in his mind."
+
+"He's a fool, that's all. He has a savage sort of idea that by watching
+me he's taking care of his own interests. That shows what a
+short-sighted fellow he is. If he'd brains he'd have acted otherwise.
+You will see, he'll get himself in the clutches of the law again, and
+then--I'll manage him."
+
+"But if we can't find him? I tell you Jasper isn't a fool, and he knows
+our purposes by this time."
+
+"Well, Nick, you've got your chance. A rich wife and three years to win
+her in, my boy. I'm her guardian till she's twenty-one, and I'll take
+care no one else gets her. A pretty girl is Naomi, too; rather awkward
+to manage, and a bit fiery, but all the better to suit you."
+
+"And she doesn't like me," replied Nick.
+
+"Make her like you, my boy. Be a bit diplomatic, and play to win.
+Besides, you must win!"
+
+"Did you notice how funny she was last night? I asked her where she had
+been, and she seemed to regard my question as a liberty. And did you see
+how eager she was when we were talking about Jasper afterward?"
+
+"But she knows nothing about him. She never saw him."
+
+"Yes, she saw him pilloried in Falmouth. She thinks him treated badly.
+She has all sorts of funny ideas about justice."
+
+"Of course, all silly girls have; that's nothing. At the same time,
+Nick, this shows you must play carefully. I don't want any complications
+in getting her money, and mind you, that money I must have, or we are
+all in deep water."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"This. We can't raise sixpence, that is legally, on Pennington. There
+are simply the rents. Well, this split up into several parts is very
+little. So--" he hesitated.
+
+"So what?" asked Nick, eagerly.
+
+"I've speculated."
+
+"On what?"
+
+"On mines. So far, they've turned out badly. I'm involved in a heavy
+outlay. At first the affair seemed certain. It may turn out all right
+now, I don't know, but I tell you I'm neck deep--neck deep. I can hold
+on for a year or so, and you must get Naomi's money, or I'm done for."
+
+"But you've got her money?"
+
+"Yes, and, as her guardian, I'll have to give an account of it."
+
+"Look here, father, tell me all about it. I don't like acting in the
+dark. How and why did Naomi come to Pennington, and what is the true
+condition of affairs? I want to know."
+
+"Another time, Nick."
+
+"No, now."
+
+"Very well, I may as well tell you now."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+I HEAR RICHARD TRESIDDER TELL NAOMI PENRYN'S HISTORY, AND AM IN DANGER
+OF BEING KILLED BY SMUGGLERS
+
+
+Richard Tressider slowly filled his pipe again, and seemed to be
+collecting his thoughts before telling his son what was in his mind.
+
+"Her home, as you know, is at Trevose, not far from Trevose Head," he
+said, presently. "The house is a funny old place--as lonely as a
+churchyard and as bleak as a mountain peak. It seems a strange idea to
+build a big house like that on a rocky eminence, but the Penryns have
+always been a strange people. However, it is said that the Penryn who
+built the house back in Oliver Cromwell's days kept ships for strange
+purposes, and that he had curious dealings with 'gentlemen of fortune.'"
+
+"Pirates do you mean?"
+
+"Better let them be unnamed. Anyhow, from the tower of the house you can
+see many miles up and down the coast--as far as Bude Harbour on the one
+hand, and Gurnard's Head on the other. There is some very good land
+belonging to the estate, too."
+
+"Much?" asked Nick.
+
+"More than belongs to Pennington by a long way, my boy. The rents are
+handsome, I can assure you."
+
+"Well, go on."
+
+"The Penryns have always been a hot-tempered, impatient race, and
+Naomi's father was no exception to the rule. He was the only child, too,
+and from what I can gather spoiled. Well, he waited until he was over
+thirty before he got married; indeed, both his parents were dead before
+he saw Naomi's mother. By the time a man is thirty his habits are
+settled, and he's generally unfit for marriage; people should marry at
+twenty-five at latest."
+
+"And who was Naomi's mother?"
+
+"She was a widow of a cousin of mine, George Tresidder of Lelant."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Well, she had what most women possess, a nasty, rasping, irritating
+tongue, and a temper that would have done credit to Beelzebub's wife, if
+there is such a lady. I know that, because I've had several interviews
+with her. I've managed a good many women in my day, but never one who
+was so difficult as she. Anyhow, John Penryn and she lived a cat-and-dog
+life. John, I suppose, was a fine fellow in his way, but imperious,
+impatient, and at times unreasonable. He couldn't bear being crossed,
+and she was everlastingly crossing him. He was the soul of generosity,
+and directly after his marriage made a most generous will. He left
+everything unconditionally to his wife."
+
+"Go on, you are awfully slow," cried Nick.
+
+"They had been married about seven months when a terrible thing
+happened. You were very young at the time, and would, of course, know
+nothing about it. Penryn had a fearful quarrel with his wife. It was
+simply terrible, and the servants were very much frightened, especially
+as John's wife was expected to become a mother. Anyhow, she taunted him
+with being unfaithful to her, and irritated him so with invective and
+abuse that, forgetting everything, he tried to crush her by brute force.
+Of course, in her state this was a mad thing to do, especially as she
+was very weak and delicate; anyhow, she fell like one dead on the floor.
+A doctor was sent for, and he declared that life was extinct. I suppose
+the poor fellow's anguish was terrible; anyhow, when he heard of the
+doctor's words, he seemed to lose his senses altogether. That night he
+committed suicide."
+
+"Suicide! Whew!" cried Nick.
+
+"Yes; he threw himself over the cliffs at Trevose Head. When his body
+was discovered it was much bruised and battered. Of course the affair
+was hushed up, and it was made out to be an accident, but no one was
+deceived."
+
+"But about the woman?"
+
+"Well, I suppose she lay like one in a trance for some considerable
+time, and it is said that all arrangements were made for her funeral.
+Presently, however, she gave signs of life, and in course of time Naomi
+was born."
+
+"And the mother lived?"
+
+"My dear Nick, you'll find that it'll take a great deal to kill a woman.
+Yes, she lived and enjoyed a fair amount of health. I suppose, too, that
+her conduct improved, at least I was told so; still, as I said, I found
+her difficult to manage."
+
+"But you did manage her?"
+
+"When I set my mind on a thing I generally do get my own way; but I
+think it would have been impossible in this case but for mother."
+
+"What, granny?"
+
+"Yes, she took the matter in hand, and together we got on fairly well."
+
+"Yes, but by what means did you establish a claim on her sympathies? She
+had other relations!"
+
+"It would take a long time to tell. Indeed, it has been a work of years.
+I've had to visit Trevose many times, and have suffered more abuse than
+I care to tell about. However, before she died the will was made all
+right."
+
+"How?" asked Nick, eagerly.
+
+"Well, in this way. Everything is given to Naomi, and I am constituted
+her sole guardian. She cannot marry until she's twenty-one without my
+consent."
+
+"I see."
+
+"If she dies everything comes to me."
+
+"What!"
+
+"Yes, mother worked that. I despaired of reaching that point; but you
+know what your granny is. She pleaded that I was a cousin, and a hundred
+other things. Besides, mother has a strange power over people."
+
+"Then it seems to me everything is safe."
+
+"Yes, if matters go right. She is now eighteen; if you marry her before
+she's twenty-one all's well, but if not, then when she arrives at that
+age the lawyer who has to do with the estates will naturally want
+everything accounted for. Naomi's a sharp girl, and I shall have to give
+an account of my stewardship."
+
+"Her mother was a Catholic, I suppose?"
+
+"Yes, that was a difficult point. Still we promised that Naomi's
+religious views should not be interfered with, and also that a priest
+shall visit the house occasionally."
+
+"He will want her to marry a Catholic."
+
+"Undoubtedly; but, honestly, I don't believe Naomi troubles about the
+fine distinction in religious beliefs. The priest wanted to persuade her
+mother that the child ought to be placed in Mawgan Convent, and her
+property given to the Church. I thought once the wily rascal would have
+succeeded, but fortunately mother was in the house at the time."
+
+They sat for some little time without speaking; then Richard Tresidder
+spoke again.
+
+"You are a bit in love with her, arn't you, Nick?"
+
+"More than a little bit, and she knows it, too."
+
+"Well, be careful, my boy, be very careful. If we can get Trevose--well,
+it's a nice thing, isn't it? But we must be careful. You are no fool,
+Nick; Naomi has her little weaknesses like other folks; find 'em out and
+humour 'em. Now you know how things are, and we must be going or we
+shall be caught by the tide. There'll be a high tide to-night, too."
+
+Then they went away, leaving me to think over what they had said, and I
+must confess that my mind was much disturbed by their words. I do not
+pretend to have the lawyer-like power of seeing where many things lead
+to, but I did see, or rather I fancied I saw, the meaning of the
+conversation I had heard, and which, according to the best of my
+ability, I have faithfully described. I saw that Naomi was brought to
+this house because of her money. I saw, too, that every sort of pressure
+would be brought to bear upon her to make her marry Nick Tresidder, and
+I felt assured that did not fair means succeed, foul ones would be used.
+And what troubled me most was that I could do nothing. Evidently the
+Tresidders were still searching for me, and, if I were caught, they
+would, in spite of the friends I still possessed, try to render me more
+helpless than ever.
+
+Besides, how would the poor, helpless maid be able to resist the
+pleadings of Nick Tresidder, backed up as they would be by the cunning
+and stratagem of the woman who had caused my grandfather to disinherit
+his own son? These questions, as may be imagined, greatly exercised my
+mind, so much so that I forgot all about my plans to travel through the
+night to Fowey and to try and get a berth as a sailor on a trading
+vessel.
+
+Presently night came on, and I felt faint and weak. Then I remembered
+that I had eaten nothing for many hours, and so I turned with great
+gladness of heart to the food which I believe Naomi had brought with her
+own hands to the rocks which stood at the foot of the cliff under the
+mouth of my hiding-place. When I had eaten I went into the inner cave,
+and lay a-thinking again and again of what I must do. I recalled to mind
+the words that had passed between Naomi and me, of the joy I had felt
+when she was by my side, and especially of the time when I held her
+hands in mine; and then I thought of what I had heard spoken between
+Tresidder and his son, and not being, as I have said, quick at thinking,
+my mind presently became a blank, and I fell asleep.
+
+How long I slept I know not, but I was awoke by the sound of voices, and
+of footsteps near me, but the first thing of which I have a clear
+recollection was a kick on the shin, and a voice saying, "Bless my soul
+'n body, what es this?"
+
+I jumped to my feet and saw two men before me in rough seamen's clothes,
+and with high jack-boots. I did not know them at all, and so I concluded
+that they were strangers to our part of the county. They were not
+altogether ill-favoured men, although I could not help feeling that
+there was a kind of reckless expression on their faces which was not
+common among Cornish fisherfolk.
+
+"And who might you be?" asked one presently, after staring at me for
+some time as if in blank astonishment.
+
+By this time I had mastered the amazement which for the moment had
+overcome me, and had surmised who they were. Undoubtedly they were the
+smugglers who infested the coast, and who knew the secret of Granfer
+Fraddam's Cave. Probably they belonged to Jack Truscott's famous gang,
+and had brought a cargo of goods that very night. I heard the swish of
+the waves rushing up the cave, so I knew the tide was high.
+
+I measured the men, too, from a wrestler's standpoint, and calculated
+their strength from the size of their bare arms, and the breadth of
+their chests. All the fear that had come into my heart left me. Living
+men did not frighten me.
+
+"I might as well ask who you are," I replied coolly.
+
+"Oh, tha's yer soarts, es et? Well, I think we may, so we'll tell 'ee,
+es you'll never go out of this 'ere place a livin' man."
+
+"Never go out a living man. Why, pray?"
+
+"Well, 'cos you do knaw too much, tha's why. This caave es wot you call
+convainient. See, matey? Well, ef other people wos to knaw 'bout et,
+twudden be convainient."
+
+"I quite understand. You are smugglers, and wreckers most likely.
+Perhaps even worse than that. Perhaps you belong to Jack Truscott's
+gang. Ah, I see you do. Well, your idea is to kill me because I have
+found your hiding-place."
+
+"That's ev et. Generally we be'ant cruel men, we be'ant. But some things
+must be done. You zee, dead men kip their saicrets well; livin' ones
+do'ant. You be a curyus-looking cove, ragged 'nough for a vuss cutter,
+but you be'ant owr soart."
+
+"No," I said, coolly, "I'm not your sort."
+
+"And you'd splet on us the fust fair chance you got, I spect?"
+
+"Probably."
+
+"Well, that settles et, and so--" He drew his finger across his throat
+significantly.
+
+I must confess that a curious sensation came into my heart; but I did
+not betray any fear, and after a few seconds I was able to speak
+steadily.
+
+"You've done that kind of thing before, I expect?" I said, watching the
+spokesman's face closely.
+
+"Sam have done et a vew times," he said, looking significantly at his
+companion, "I do'ant do et oftener than I can 'elp."
+
+The man called Sam grinned, as though he was proud of his distinction.
+
+"In cold blood?" I queried. I kept on asking these questions, because I
+wanted to gain time. I had heard of many bloody deeds being done off the
+Lizard, but, as I said, the coast of St. Eve had been regarded as quiet
+and free from violent men and violent deeds ever since Granfer Fraddam
+died.
+
+"We'd ruther do et in hot fight," said the man, with a curious twitch of
+his lips, "a good bit ruther. Et _do_ come aisier that way; but there,
+we ca'ant allays pick and choose."
+
+I have not inserted the epithets with which they garnished their words,
+neither can I describe the careless way in which they spoke of murder.
+But in my heart came a great loathing for them, and a desire to be even
+with them.
+
+Both of them stood between me and the outer cave, one of them holding a
+smuggler's lantern in his hand, and the man called Sam whispered
+something in the other's ear.
+
+"Do you knaw what Sam's bin sayin'?" said the smuggler to me presently.
+
+"No."
+
+"He ses, 'Bill Lurgy,' ses 'ee, 'tha's a daicent fella, an' we do'ant
+want to cut hes windpipe. Git 'im to jine us.'"
+
+"To join you!" I said with a sneer, for I thought of Naomi just then.
+
+"Oh, I zee. I thot zo. Well, then, that settles et."
+
+"Settles what?"
+
+"This business. You zee, we mus' be olf. I spoase you knaw oal 'bout
+this caave?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Saicret way out?"
+
+I nodded.
+
+Sam took a huge knife which hung in a sheath by his side.
+
+"I'm right sorry for this, matey," said Bill Lurgy. "If you'd a promist
+to jine us, we cud a kipt 'ee ere till the Cap'n comed, an' then 'ee
+might 'ave tooked 'ee on. Besides, ther's a special cargo comin' in
+d'reckly, defferent to this," he added, looking at the ankers of spirits
+in the cave; "in fact, it's a fortin to we pore chaps."
+
+"And I'm to be killed?" I said.
+
+"You mus' be. Sam Liddicoat 'll 'ave to do et," he said, as coolly as
+though I were a chicken he intended to kill for a dinner.
+
+"Then I tell you, I'm not," I said, quietly.
+
+"How be 'ee goin' to git away, my sonny? It's 'bout wawn o'clock in the
+mornin' now. Nobody 'll come 'ere but chaps like we."
+
+I made a leap at Sam Liddicoat suddenly, and struck him a stunning blow,
+which sent him with great force against the side of the cave. Then I
+turned to Bill Lurgy. My idea was to master him before Sam should
+recover, and then escape up the secret way to the copse. Bill leapt on
+me like a mad bull. "Oa, tha's yer soarts, es et?" he cried. "Well, I
+zed I'd ruther do et in 'ot fight."
+
+I had not been struggling with Bill Lurgy more than a few seconds before
+I had mastered him. As I said, the Penningtons are a large race, and
+Bill Lurgy, strong man as he was, became but a child in my hands. He
+went on the floor of the cave with a thud, and then I fastened my hands
+around his throat. I felt mad at the moment, and, remembering that time,
+I can quite understand how men, when driven to extremities, can forget
+the sacredness of human life. But in mastering Bill I had forgotten Sam
+Liddicoat, whom I had struck down before he was aware of my intentions.
+
+Hearing a sound behind me, I turned, and saw Sam with his knife
+uplifted. Whether I should have been able to save myself or no, I know
+not; I have sometimes thought it would have been impossible. Anyhow, Sam
+did not strike. He was startled, as I was, by a voice in the cave.
+
+"No, Sam, no!"
+
+We both turned and saw a man about fifty years of age. He was below the
+medium height, and although hardy and agile, apparently possessed no
+physical strength above the average. He had a large head, well shaped,
+while his features were clearly cut and, I thought, pleasing. His face,
+too, was cleanly shaved, and he was dressed with some amount of care.
+The only thing that was strange about him was the curious colour of his
+eyes. They were light gray, so light that sometimes they looked white.
+
+He entered the inner cave as though he knew it well, and spoke very
+quietly.
+
+"What, Sam," he said, in a honeyed voice, "wud you 'ave done a thing
+like that? Strick un down in a moment wethout givin' ev'n a chance to
+say hes prayers and to make hes paice, so to spaik? No, Sam; that wud
+never do!"
+
+"He nearly killed me, cap'n," grunted Sam.
+
+"Iss, an' what ef a did? Remember the Scripters, an' turn the other
+cheek, so to spaik."
+
+By this time Bill Lurgy had got up, and, seeming to understand the
+situation, slunk to the entrance of the inner cave.
+
+"An' wad'n you to blaame, too?" he said, turning to me. "Never be rash,
+young man, an' remember that a soft answer turneth away wrath."
+
+I must confess that I was at a loss to understand this mild-spoken man,
+and had not Sam called him "Cap'n," I should have thought him one of
+those foolish people converted by the Methodists.
+
+"Are you Cap'n Jack Truscott?" I asked.
+
+"Well, and what if I be, sonny? Law, I bean't pertikler, ye knaw.
+Spoase some people do call me Cap'n Jack Truscott, or spoase others do
+call me Jack Fraddam, what do I care? I'm a man as es friends weth
+everybody, my deear--tha's what I be. An' you, you be Jasper Pennington,
+who've been robbed of yer rights, my deear."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"How do I knaw? Oa, I pick up things goin' about. I do--lots ov things.
+I knawed 'ee as soon as I zee'd 'ee tackle they two chaps. Why, 'twud
+'a' gone to my 'art for Sam to 'ave knifed 'ee, my deear. You was born
+to live a good ould age, and die in bed at Pennington, in the best room,
+my deear, with yer cheldern and grancheldern cal around 'ee, ould an'
+well stricken in eres. Tha's your lot, Maaster Jasper. Besides, I'm a
+man of paice, I be: I love paice 'n' quietness; I like love an'
+brotherly 'fection, I do!"
+
+I looked at him again in amazement, for I had heard of deeds which
+Captain Jack Truscott had done that were terrible enough to make one's
+blood run cold. It was reported that he had a house in a gully which
+runs up from Kynance Cove, which was the meeting-place for the wildest
+outlaws of the county. Folks said, moreover, that he owned a vessel
+which hoisted a black flag.
+
+"Ah, I zee, my deear," said Captain Jack, pathetically; "people 'ave bin
+'busin' me. I allays 'ave bin 'bused, my deear, but I do comfort myself,
+I do, for what do the Scripters say?--'Blessed are they that are
+abused.' I ain't a-got the words zackly, but the mainin', my deear, the
+mainin' es right, and that's the chief thing, ed'n et, then?"
+
+In spite of myself the man fascinated me. There was a mixture of mockery
+and sincerity in his voice, as though he half believed in his pious
+sayings; moreover, he was very cool and collected. His white eyes
+wandered all over the cave, and exchanged meaning glances with the two
+men with whom I had been struggling, but I knew that he was watching me
+all the time. He must have known that he was in danger of being taken by
+the Preventive men, but he spoke with the calm assurance of an innocent
+man.
+
+"Well," I said, "what do you intend doing with me? You are three to one,
+and I am unarmed."
+
+"There you be spaikin' vexed now. Wha's the use of that?"
+
+"No wonder, when your men were trying to kill me, and would, perhaps, if
+you hadn't come just then."
+
+"No; they wouldn't, my deear. I was watching; I zeed the man they'd got
+to dail weth--fresh as paint, my deear, and shinin' like a makerl's
+back. Plenty of rail good fight; and I like that, though I be a man of
+paice, Jasper Pennington, my deear."
+
+I waited for him to go on, and although I was much excited, and scarcely
+expected to live until morning, I managed to meet his white eyes without
+shrinking.
+
+"Spoasing you go out, Bill and Sam, my sonnies," said Cap'n Jack. "Don't
+go fur away, my deears; we cudden bear that, could us, Jasper? Do 'ee
+smok' then, Jasper? I zee you do. Lots of baccy 'ere, an' pipes too.
+Well, this es oncommon lucky. Well, lev us load up, I zay."
+
+Thinking it well to agree with him, I filled a pipe with tobacco and lit
+it while Cap'n Jack, with evident satisfaction, smoked peacefully. He
+sat opposite me, and I waited for him to speak.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+I GO TO KYNANCE COVE WITH CAP'N JACK TRUSCOTT'S GANG, AND MEET HIS
+DAUGHTER TAMSIN
+
+
+"This ed'n bad bacca, es it, then?" remarked Cap'n Jack, after he had
+smoked peacefully for a few seconds.
+
+"No," I replied; "as far as I'm a judge, it's very good." I spoke as
+coolly as I could, although to be truthful I might as well have been
+smoking dried oak leaves. I could not help realising that my case might
+be desperate. I had heard that Cap'n Jack's gang were governed by no
+laws, legal or moral, save those which this man himself made. If I
+failed, therefore, to fall in with his plans, in all probability Sam
+Liddicoat and Bill Lurgy would be called in to complete the work which
+they had attempted a little while before. I could not understand a
+smuggler, a wrecker, and probably a pirate with pious words upon his
+lips; the idea of a man whose hands were red with crime talking about
+peace, mercy, and loving-kindness was, to say the least, strange, and I
+could not repress a shudder.
+
+After his remark about the quality of the tobacco Cap'n Jack continued
+puffing away in silence, occasionally casting furtive glances at me. The
+place was very silent, save for the swish of the waves, as they poured
+into the outer cave, and rolled the pebbles as they came. It was now
+past midnight, but the month being September, there would be no light
+for several hours.
+
+At length Cap'n Jack looked at a huge silver watch, which he had taken
+from his pocket, and seemed to be making some mental calculations.
+
+"Fine and loanly, ed'n et, Jasper?" he remarked.
+
+"Very."
+
+"This es a very loanly caave. I thot nobody knawed anything 'bout et,
+'ciptin' our chaps and Betsey and Eli."
+
+"Betsey?"
+
+"Iss, aw Betsey do knaw everything. Besides, Granfer Fraddam was--you
+zee et do run in the family!"
+
+I said nothing, but I called to mind many things I had heard Betsey say.
+
+"Anything might be done 'ere, an' nobody the wiser," he said with a
+leer.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"But I'm a man of paice, I be. A stiddy, thinkin' sort ov man as you may
+zay. I shudden like for nothin' to 'appen to you, Jasper. Tha's wy I
+stopped 'em jist now. 'ow be 'ee thinkin' to git the money to buy back
+Pennington, Jasper? 'T'll be a stiff job, I tell 'ee."
+
+I did not reply.
+
+"I've 'eerd oal 'bout et, Jasper. Ah, I've knowd they Tresidders for a
+good long while. Deep, deep, sonny, you ca'an't git 'em nohow. Besides,
+'twas 'ard that you shud zee thicky purty maid for the fust time when
+you was covered with mud, and egg yuks, and fastened on to that gashly
+thing, wad'n et then?"
+
+I gave a start, and I felt my face crimson.
+
+"I shud like to be a friend to 'ee, Jasper, I shud. Betsey 'ave told me
+'bout 'ee, and I like 'ee, Jasper. Besides, I'm allays a friend to the
+oppressed I be, allays. I shud like to put 'ee in the way of spitin'
+they Tresidders, and buyin' back the 'ome that es rightfully yours,
+that I shud. Now, Jasper, my sonny, I could put 'ee in the way of
+gittin' 'nough in a year or two to get yer oan. A clain off chap like
+you, with schullership, one as can read ritin' an' knows figures like,
+why, you could, with a bit of tittivatin', git on anywhere, that is,
+with the blessin' of Providence, so to spaik."
+
+"How?" I asked.
+
+"Put yerself in my 'ands, Jasper."
+
+"You mean become a smuggler, a wrecker, and a general law-breaker."
+
+"Law?" cried Cap'n Jack. "Now what's law, Jasper? Es et fair now? The
+law 'ave put you in a nice pickle, and tho' Pennington ought to be
+yours, an' the Barton ought to be yours, an' shud be yours ef I, a fair
+an' honest man, cud 'ave the arrangin' ov things, they've been tooked
+from 'ee by law. An' you might wait till you was black an' blue, and the
+law wudden give et back. What 'ave you got to do with law? Well, dodgin'
+the Preventive men is 'ginst the law, I know et, but what ov that? You
+c'n make a bit ov money that way--a good bit, Jasper. In three year or
+so, with me to 'elp 'ee, you cud git 'nough to buy back Pennington,
+there now."
+
+"And what do you offer?" I asked.
+
+"I'll take 'ee on, tha's what I'll do. I'll taich 'ee a vew things. I'll
+make a man ov 'ee, Jasper. You are a vine big man, sonny, a match for
+two ord'nary men, with schullership, an' a knowledge of figgers thrawed
+in. You'd zoon be my 'ead man, an' do a big traade."
+
+"If smuggling were all," I stammered.
+
+"Tha's oal I ask ov 'ee, Jasper. A bit ov smugglin'. But spoase you
+doan't. Well, look at that now. Spoase you doan't now. Nick Tresidder
+'ll git that maid es sure as eggs--while you--"
+
+"I shall be murdered, I suppose."
+
+"Jasper, I never like violence on a eldest son. It do main bad luck, my
+deear, es a rule; still we've got to go 'ginst bad luck, sometimes. But
+for the fact of your bein' the third of the family of the same naame--"
+
+"More than the third," I interrupted.
+
+"More than the third ef you like, my deear, but you be the third, an'
+oal the world do knaw it's a bad thing to kill a man who's the third of
+the same naame. But for that I mightn't 'ave come in time. You zee,
+Jasper, I'm a religious man, do send a present to the passon every year
+for tithes, I do."
+
+At that time I did not believe in Cap'n Jack's words, but afterward I
+found that all his gang were afraid to do that which was considered
+unlucky. All Cornish people, I suppose, have heard the rhyme about
+killing an eldest son who is the third in succession to bear the same
+christened name. I know, too, that Cap'n Jack believed implicitly in the
+legend, and I have heard him repeat it very solemnly, as though he were
+repeating a prayer at a funeral, while his gang became as solemn as
+judges. And I have little doubt now that the jargon which I will write
+down--for I who have had a fair lot of schooling do call it jargon--had
+a great deal to do with saving me from Sam Liddicoat's knife.
+
+
+     "For if a man shall strike him dead,
+     His blood shall be on the striker's head,
+     And while ever he draws his breath,
+     His days shall be a fearful death;
+     And after death to hell he'll go,
+     With pain and everlasting woe."
+
+
+"An' so, you zee," said Cap'n Jack, "I do'ant want no violence weth
+'ee, being a merciful and religious man."
+
+Now I must confess that I was in sore straits what to do; for be it
+remembered all my plans seemed poor and almost worthless, and at the
+same time I loathed the thought of accepting Cap'n Jack's offer. Had I
+been sure I should have to do nothing but help in the smuggling I would
+not have minded so much, for it is well known that smuggling is not
+regarded by many as wrong, even the parsons at St. Mawes, and
+Tresillian, and Mopus having bought smuggled goods. Besides, I knew that
+many had gained wealth in this way, and were thought none the worse of
+for doing it. But Cap'n Jack was known to be worse than a smuggler, and
+almost desperate as I was this hindered me. For I remembered that in
+spite of everything I was still a Pennington, and I thought of what
+Naomi Penryn would think of me.
+
+"Besides," went on Cap'n Jack, "you needn't 'ave nothin' to do with this
+part of the country. I do a biggish traade down the coast, Jasper, my
+deear. Ther's Kynance, now, or a cove over by Logan Rock, and another by
+Gurnard's Head. Nobody 'ere need to knaw where you be."
+
+"Let me have time!" I stammered.
+
+"To be sure, Jasper, my deear," wheedled Cap'n Jack; "then it's settled.
+You shall come to my plaace at Kynance this very night, you shall. The
+boys 'll soon be 'ere now. A special cargo, Jasper, 'nough to make yer
+lips water. Things I bot from a Injun marchant, my deear--cheap. And
+this es a clain off plaace to put et for a vew days."
+
+"Are you sure it's safe here, Cap'n Jack?" I said, for already I began
+to be interested in the smuggler's plans.
+
+"Saafe, who do knaw about this plaace?"
+
+"Betsey Fraddam and Eli."
+
+"Iss, for sure--I knaw they do, else _you_ wudden a knawed. But who
+besides?"
+
+"Do you think Ikey Trethewy hasn't found out, living where he has lived
+all these years?"
+
+"Ikey! Iss, Ikey do knaw. Aw, aw!"
+
+I saw his meaning, and suspected then what I afterward found to be true.
+Cap'n Jack's business was very extensive, and he employed people up and
+down the coast on both sides of the county. Moreover, several pedlars
+who carried jewelry, laces, and fine silks, obtained their supplies from
+Cap'n Jack.
+
+"The Preventive men are busy watching you," I said.
+
+"The Preventive men, aw, my deear. Iss, they be watchin', but how do you
+knaw?"
+
+I told him what I had heard between them and Richard Tresidder.
+
+"Iss, iss," said Cap'n Jack, with a grunt of satisfaction; "tha's all
+right, and they'll never vind out, no, they'll never vind out, and now
+you've zaid oal, my booy?"
+
+"No, I haven't; there's another who knows."
+
+"Who?"
+
+He looked at me in such a way, that before I had time to think his white
+eyes seemed to drag the words from me.
+
+"Miss Naomi Penryn," I said.
+
+Never did I see such a change in any one. He no longer had the
+appearance of a mild and inoffensive man. The look of harmless
+indecision was gone, and all his pious sentiments were flung to the
+wind. He burst out with a string of oaths such as I had never heard
+before, and which made my flesh creep.
+
+"Tell me all you know of this, Jasper Pennington," he said, presently,
+"everything."
+
+I could not disobey him at that time, and I told him what I have written
+here, save but for the story of my love--that I kept in my own heart.
+
+"She came in here to keep you from bein' found, did she?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+Then he became a little mild-mannered man again. He had grasped the
+situation in a minute, and he had seen more than had come into my mind.
+He commenced smoking again and continued for a few minutes, then he
+started up suddenly.
+
+"Sam, Bill, sonnies, come in there."
+
+Instantly the two men entered.
+
+"They're comin', be'ant 'em?"
+
+"Iss, Cap'n."
+
+A few seconds later I heard the sound of voices, and presently I knew
+that several men were entering the cave.
+
+"All safe, sonnies?" asked Cap'n Jack.
+
+"Iss, Cap'n."
+
+"Ah, Providence es very good. It's a vallyable cargo ef I did buy et
+cheap."
+
+The men laughed.
+
+A number of bales of goods were brought into the inner cave, but I could
+not discover what they were. I could see that the men were eyeing me
+keenly, and I thought unpleasantly; but no word was spoken until the
+cargo was unloaded, and safely stowed away.
+
+"Nobody seed, I spoase."
+
+"A dark night, Cap'n. No moon, no stars."
+
+"Ah, Providence es very good, sonnies," repeated Cap'n Jack, then,
+turning to me, he said, "You'll be wantin' to know who this es?"
+
+There was an expression of assent.
+
+"Some ov 'ee do knaw un, I reckon. Ah, Ikey Trethewy, I see you do, and
+so do you, Zacky Bunny. This, sonnies, is Maaster Jasper Pennington.
+You've 'eerd me spaik about un. Well, 'ee's a-goin' to jine us,
+laistways, 'ee's a-goin' to Kynance to-night jist to zee, ya knaw.
+There, you'd better be off, 'cipt Ikey Trethewy. He's near 'ome, 'ee is.
+Wait outside a minnit, my deears, we'll be out in a minnit."
+
+All left the inner cave except Ikey Trethewy, who stood watching us as
+if in wonder.
+
+Cap'n Jack hunted around the cave for a few seconds until he found an
+inkhorn and a pen. "I do like to kip things handy," he said; "nobody do
+knaw what'll 'appen." Then, turning to Ikey Trethewy, he said, "You do
+knaw of a young woman who do live up to Pennington--a young woman jist
+come there, called Penryn, I speck, Ikey, my deear?"
+
+Ikey nodded.
+
+"Have 'ee got a bit ov paper, sonny?"
+
+"No, Cap'n."
+
+"Ah, tha's awkard. This 'll do, I 'spect--a bit of the prayer-book. I
+allays like to carry a prayer-book weth me, 'tes oncommon lucky. There,
+Jasper Pennington, write."
+
+I dipped the pen into the inkhorn, and put the paper which he had torn
+from the prayer-book on a flat, smooth piece of slatestone. "What?" I
+asked.
+
+"Write what I shall tell 'ee, now then:
+
+"_To Miss Naomi Penryn. If you breathe one word about, or come near
+Granfer Fraddam's Cave, I am a dead man!_"
+
+I wrote the words as he spoke them. "Is that all?" I asked.
+
+"Sign yer naame, sonny."
+
+I did as he told me.
+
+He took the paper from me and spelt out the words carefully. "Ah, 'tes a
+grand thing to be a schullard," he said, admiringly. Then he turned to
+Ikey Trethewy. "This must be put in that young woman's hands at once,
+an' nobody must knaw 'bout et. Mind!"
+
+"Iss, Cap'n," responded Ikey.
+
+"Now we'll go," said Cap'n Jack. "Good-night, Ikey. Ah, 'tes a good
+thing to be a man of paice, and full of love for one's fella cretters.
+Now then, Jasper."
+
+Two men waited for us in the outer cave, and a few seconds later I was
+in a boat bound for Kynance Cove.
+
+Morning was breaking as we passed the Lizard, and, strangely
+circumstanced as I was, I could not help feeling awed as I looked upon
+the great headland. Little wind blew, but the long lines of white
+breakers thundered on the hard yellow sands, while the low-lying rocks
+churned the sea into foam.
+
+"Purty, ed'n et, Jasper?" remarked Cap'n Jack. "'Ave 'ee ever zeed the
+Lizard afore, Jasper?"
+
+"Never, Cap'n Jack."
+
+"Ah, I'll make a man ov 'ee. I've a cutter ov my oan, sonny; not sa big,
+but a purty thing. She do want a cap'n, Jasper; one as knaws figgers,
+an' can larn navigation. I do want a gen'lman by birth, an' a great
+lashin' chap like you, Jasper--wawn as can taake a couple ov andy-sized
+men and knock their heads together. Oa, ther's providence in things,
+Jasper."
+
+I said nothing, but my heart felt sad. I felt as if I were drifting away
+from Naomi, and that in spite of myself I was cutting the rope that held
+me to her.
+
+Meanwhile the boats skirted the headland, and I saw the rocky coves of
+Kynance in the near distance.
+
+"Well, we be near 'ome, sonnies," said the captain, "after a safe
+journey. Spoasin' somebody stricks up a bit of song now. Fishermen
+agoin' 'ome ov a mornin', we be. We've toiled oal night an' caught
+nothin', as the scripters say. Strik up now, 'Lijah Lowry, you've a fine
+and purty voice. Now, then, sweet and stiddy, my booy."
+
+So Elijah Lowry started a song, and the rest joined in the chorus.
+
+"Zing, Jasper," cried Cap'n Jack, when one verse was completed. "Jine in
+the cheerful song; let the people zee wot a contented, 'appy,
+law-abidin' lot we fishermen be. Now, then, chorus:
+
+
+     "Thrice the thunderin' seas did roar,
+       Thrice the thunderin' winds did blow,
+     While the brave sailors were rockin' on the top,
+       And the landlubbers layin' down below.
+     Below, below, below, below, bel--o--o--o--w!
+       And the landlubbers layin' down below!"
+
+
+"Now, then, peart and stiddy oal," cried Cap'n Jack. "An' seein' as 'ow
+Providence 'ave bin sa kind, I do want 'ee to come up to my 'ouse
+to-night for supper. Ya knaw wot a good cook my maid Tamsin es. Well,
+she'll do 'er best fur to-night. Hake an' conger pie, roast beef and
+curney puddin', heave to an' come again, jist like kurl singers at
+Crismas time, my deears. Now, then, Jasper, you come long wi' me."
+
+I walked with Cap'n Jack up a deep gully. On either hand the sides of
+the chasm shot up, steeper than the roof of a house, while in some
+places they were perpendicular.
+
+"Nice'n lew 'ere, Jasper, my deear. Zee 'ow the things do graw. See the
+'sparagus twigs, my deear. Like little fir-trees, be'ant 'em then. Aw,
+'tes a keenly plaace, this es. Do 'ee zee thicky 'ouse up there, Jasper.
+Tha's mine--an' Tamsin 'll be waitin' for me. Providence took away 'er
+mawther, but left Tamsin; an' Providence was kind, Jasper, for her
+mawther _'ad_ a tongue, my deear. Jaw! ah, but Tamsin's mawther 'ad a
+speshul gift for jawin'! I caan't zay as 'ow I liked et, but I caan't
+deny that she was a gifted woman."
+
+I could not but admit that Cap'n Jack spoke the truth about his house.
+It was situated on the side of the gorge, well sheltered from the winds,
+yet so placed that from the gable windows a broad expanse of sea could
+be seen. It was a well-built house, too, substantial and roomy. In the
+front was a garden, well stocked with flowers and vegetables. In this
+garden were two figureheads, supposed to represent Admiral Blake and Sir
+Walter Raleigh.
+
+"Godly men, both of 'em," remarked Cap'n Jack; "an' both of 'em down on
+Popery. I be oal for a sound, solid religion, I be. Sir Walter brought
+baccy, and the Admiral, well 'ee polished off the Spaniards and took a
+lot of treasure from the Spanish ships. Some would call 'im a pirate,
+Jasper, my deear, but I be'ant that kind of a man. No, no, thews furrin
+chaps ca'ant 'spect we to laive 'em go wethout payin' toll. 'Ere we be,
+Tamsin, my deear!"
+
+The latter remark was addressed to a stout, buxom girl of twenty, who
+greeted her father warmly, looking at me curiously all the while.
+
+"Now, Tamsin, my deear, we waant some breakfast. Wot'll 'ee 'ave,
+Jasper? 'Am rasher, my deear, or a few pilchers? Or p'raps Tamsin 'ave
+got some vowl pie? This es my maid, Tamsin, this es, by the blessin' of
+Providence--my one yaw lamb, tha's wot she es. As spruce a maid as there
+es in the country, my deear. An' I forgot, you dunnaw Jasper, do 'ee,
+Tamsin? This es Jasper Pennington, a godly young man who, like Esau of
+ould, 'ave bin rubbed of his birthright an' hes blessin'. He's a-goin'
+to jine us, Tamsin, 'n' then 'ee'll git back the birthright, an' laive
+Nick Trezidder 'ave the blessin'. Aw! Aw! Now, then, Jasper, haive too,
+my deear."
+
+We sat down to breakfast, and I must confess to eating with a good
+appetite. When I lifted my eyes from my plate I saw that Tamsin was
+watching me curiously, as though she could not quite make me out.
+Certainly I was not very presentable. My clothes were stained and torn,
+and my appearance altogether unkempt. I felt ill at ease, too, and did
+not care to talk much. Besides, in spite of my strange position, I was
+tired and sleepy. This Cap'n Jack presently noted.
+
+"You'll want to slaip, Jasper. Well, Tamsin shall give 'ee a bed, oal
+down, my deear--make 'ee sleep when you do'ant want to. I do veel like
+that, too. After we've 'ad a slaip, Jasper, we'll talk a bit avore the
+booys do come up to supper. A slap-bang supper now, Tamsin, mind that!"
+
+Tamsin left the room to prepare a bed for me, while Cap'n Jack pulled
+off his boots.
+
+"A clain off maid, Jasper, clain off. Spruce as a new pin, an' fresh as
+a new painted boat. Temper like a lamb, Jasper. Ah! she'll be a grand
+wife fur somebody, an' not short of a fortin neither. I've been a savin'
+man, sonny, an' 'ave bin oncommon lucky in traade. I spoase Israel
+Barnicoat do want 'er, an' Israel's a braavish booy, but Tamsin doan't
+take to 'im. No, she doan't. Ah, there she es. Es Jasper's bed ready?
+That's yer soarts."
+
+He gave his daughter a sounding kiss, and went upstairs singing:
+
+
+     "Her eyes be as blue as the sea,
+       Her 'air like goulden grain,
+     An' she'll stick to me, and only me
+       Till I come back again.
+       Again, again, again,
+       Till I come back again."
+
+
+"There, Jasper, thicky's the room, and tha's the bed, oal clain an'
+purty, my deear."
+
+How long I slept I do not know, but it was a long time, for I was very
+tired. It was a long time since I had slept in a soft clean bed, and I
+did not fail to appreciate the one Tamsin had prepared. I awoke at
+length, however, and heard a tap at the door.
+
+"Your new clothes are at the door." It was Tamsin who spoke.
+
+On getting up and opening the door, I found a pile of clothes lying, and
+on examining them I found them to be well made, and of good material.
+They fitted me, too, and I must confess that I looked at myself with
+considerable satisfaction when I had dressed myself. I saw, too, on
+entering the kitchen that Tamsin approved of my changed appearance.
+
+"Father's gone down to the cove," she said.
+
+She spoke correctly, and her voice was low and musical.
+
+"He'll not be back for half an hour," she continued; "when he comes I
+expect he'll bring the men back to supper. I want us to have a talk now.
+I want you to tell me why you are here. I want to know if you realise
+what you are doing. Father will tell me nothing; but I cannot believe
+you know what joining his gang means."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+WHAT HAPPENED AT CAP'N JACK'S HOUSE--TAMSIN'S CONFESSION, AND THE
+SMUGGLERS' PLANS
+
+
+As I looked into Tamsin Truscott's eyes, I could not help thinking what
+a good-looking maid she was. I was sure she spoke earnestly, too.
+Evidently she regarded me as different from the gang of men of which her
+father was captain, and wanted to know the reason of my coming among
+them.
+
+Now I have before said I have never regarded myself as a clever
+man--none of my race have ever been. Honest men the Penningtons have
+always been; brave men, too, although I, perhaps, am not the man to say
+it, but not men who understand things quickly. Often after I have had
+dealings with people, it has come to my mind what I might have said and
+done, how I might have left some questions unanswered while others I
+could have answered differently. Lawyer Trefry once told me I should
+never get a living with my brains; I had too much body, he said. I am
+not ashamed to say this. Nay, I have no faith in men who are clever
+enough to give lying answers instead of true ones. Give me a man who
+speaks out straight, and who knows nothing of crooked ways. The men that
+the country wants are not clever, scheming men, who wriggle out of
+difficulties by underhanded ways, but those who see only the truth, and
+speak it, and fight for it if needs be. I am glad I had a fair amount of
+schooling, as becomes one who ought to have been the squire of a parish,
+but I am more thankful because I stand six feet four inches in my
+stockings, and measured forty-six inches around the naked chest even at
+twenty-one, and that I know next to nothing of sickness or bodily pain.
+But more than everything, I am proud that although I have been badly
+treated I have told no lies in order that truth may prevail, neither do
+I remember striking an unfair blow. No doubt, I shall have many things
+to answer for on the Judgment Day, but I believe God will reckon to my
+account the fact that I tried to fight fairly when sorely tempted to do
+otherwise.
+
+I say this, because it may seem to many that I was foolish in telling
+Tamsin Truscott the truth about myself. But as I said just now, I am not
+clever at answering people, neither could I frame answers to her
+questions which would hide the truth from her. Before we had been
+talking ten minutes I had told her all about myself, except my love for
+Naomi. I dared not speak about that, for I felt I was not worthy to
+speak of her, whose life was far removed from unlawful men and their
+ways. Moreover I could not bear that the secret of my heart should be
+known. It should be first told to the one who only had a right to hear
+it, even although she should refuse that which I offered her.
+
+"And so," said Tamsin, "my father has promised that you shall win enough
+money to buy Pennington if you will work with him."
+
+"That he has," was my reply.
+
+"And do you know the kind of life he lives?"
+
+"I have heard," I replied.
+
+"And would you feel happy, Jasper Pennington, if you bought back your
+home, got by such means?"
+
+"As for that," I replied, for I did not feel comfortable under her
+words, "what harm is there in smuggling? I know of several parsons who
+buy smuggled goods."
+
+"If smuggling were all!" she said, significantly.
+
+"But is it not all?" I queried. "Your father told me that this was all
+he required."
+
+"Do you think you could gain enough by smuggling? Bill Lurgy has been
+with my father for years; does he look like one who could buy back
+Pennington?"
+
+"He is but a paid man," I replied. "Your father has promised that I
+shall have shares in his profits."
+
+A look of scorn flashed from her eyes, which I could not understand, and
+she seemed to be about to say some words which caused her much feeling,
+when her eyes looked straight into mine, and I saw the blood course up
+into her face, until her very brow became crimson. Her hands trembled,
+too, while her lips twitched so that she was unable to speak.
+
+Now, I could not understand this, especially as a few seconds before she
+had been so eager to talk.
+
+"Would you advise me to ask your father to release me of my promise,
+then?" I asked. "I cannot go at once without his consent, for I have
+given my word I will stay with him for one month."
+
+For answer she caught my hands eagerly. "No, no, stay!" she said. "I
+will see to it that you are fairly treated. You must not go away!"
+
+This puzzled me much, but I had no time to ask her what she meant, for
+just then her father and several of his men came into the room.
+
+There was great carousing that night at Cap'n Jack's house. A great
+deal of grog was drunk, and many strange things said, and yet I could
+not help feeling that a kind of reserve was upon the party. I noticed
+that when some story was being told Cap'n Jack coughed, whereupon the
+eyes of the story-teller were turned upon me, and the yarn remained
+unfinished. I could see, too, that many of the men did not like me, and
+I grew uneasy at the ugly looks they gave me. Moreover, I could not help
+remembering that in spite of all I was a Pennington, and was no fit
+company for such as they. And yet I could not escape, for I was hemmed
+in on every side.
+
+At the end of a month I began to feel more at home among my
+surroundings, and up to that time was not asked to do anything
+particularly objectionable. It is true I helped to bring several cargoes
+of smuggled goods ashore, but that did not trouble me. Moreover, I
+learnt many things about the coast of which I had hitherto been
+ignorant. At the end of two months I knew the coast from Gurnard's Head
+to Kynance Cove, and had also spent a good deal of time in learning
+navigation, which Cap'n Jack assured me would be essential to my getting
+back Pennington. I had no rupture with any of the men, and yet I saw
+they did not like me. Especially did Israel Barnicoat regard me with a
+great deal of disfavour. I thought at the time that he was jealous of
+the favour which Cap'n Jack showed me, for I knew no other reason why he
+should dislike me. It was true that until I came he was regarded as the
+strongest man in Cap'n Jack's gang, and was angry when he heard some one
+say that I could play with two such as he.
+
+"I would like to try a hitch with you, Squire," he said one day, when
+Cap'n Jack had been chaffing him.
+
+We were standing on the little green outside the Cap'n's house, and
+several of us were together. I did not want to wrestle with him, for it
+is ill playing a game of strength with a man who cannot keep his temper.
+So I told him I would rather let him be regarded as the strongest man
+that Cap'n Jack had. Whereupon he swore loudly and called me a coward,
+so that I was obliged to accept his challenge. I had no sooner thrown
+off my coat than Tamsin came to the door, and when Israel saw her his
+arms became hard, and a strange light shone from his eyes.
+
+"Throw off your shoes, Israel," I said. "We won't go in for kicking like
+the up-country fellows, let's play like true Cornish lads."
+
+Then I took off my heavy boots, and he did likewise, although I could
+see he was not pleased. After that I waited quietly and let him get his
+hitch on me first. But he was no match for me; try as he would, he could
+not throw me, although he could see I did not put forth my strength.
+Then, when I had let him do his utmost, I slipped from his grasp, put my
+loins under his body, and threw him on the sward.
+
+"Bravo!" cried Tamsin. "Ah, Israel, you are but a baby in his hands,"
+and she laughed gleefully.
+
+"It was a coward's throw," shouted Israel. "He struck me in the wind
+with his knee--a coward's kick!"
+
+"Coward!" I cried. "Nay, Israel Barnicoat, I could play with two such as
+you. Let your brother come with you, and I'll throw you both."
+
+With that Micah Barnicoat came up, and both together they leaped upon
+me; but I caught them like I have seen the schoolmaster at Tregorny
+catch two boys, and knocked their heads together; then with a little
+trick I laid them both on the sward.
+
+I do not write this boastingly, because I had nothing to do but to use
+the strength which God gave me. I could not help it that I came of a
+large-boned, strong race. My forefathers had been mighty men, and
+although I am told I am far smaller and weaker than they, Israel
+Barnicoat and his brother seemed like children in my hands. Neither
+would I have written this save that it has to do with the story of my
+life, which I am trying to tell truthfully, although, I am afraid, with
+but little skill.
+
+Israel looked at me more evilly than ever as he rose to his feet, but he
+said no word, even though the men laughed loudly, and Tamsin rejoiced at
+my success. I liked it not, however, when that same evening I saw Israel
+eagerly talking with a group of men, each of whom held their peace as I
+came up. This set me thinking, and finally a conviction laid hold of me
+that Israel was my enemy, and that he would do me evil if he had the
+chance.
+
+After I had gone to bed that night I heard the sound of voices in the
+garden, and presently, as if by arrangement, Cap'n Jack went to them.
+
+"Where's the Squire?" I heard Israel Barnicoat say--they had called me
+Squire from the first.
+
+"Been in bed more'n an hour," was the reply.
+
+"Look 'ere, Cap'n Jack," said Israel; "we want to spaik plain. Why is he
+to be put afore we? Here 'ee es, livin' at your 'ouse as ef 'ee was yer
+son. He ain't got to do no dirty work. Oal we want es fair play. Laive
+'ee do loustrin' jobs same as we do."
+
+"Anything else?" asked Cap'n Jack.
+
+"I do'ant bleeve in makin' fish o' waun and flesh of t'other. All
+alike, I zay."
+
+"Be I cap'n?" asked Cap'n Jack.
+
+"Iss, you be; but we chaps 'ave got our rights, tha's wot I zay. Wot's
+ee more'n we?"
+
+"Be I a fool, Israel Barnicoat?" asked Cap'n Jack. "Caan't I zee wot's
+good fur us oal? He's larnin' navigation--wot fur? Ain't us got a ship
+that 'll need navigation? We want a man as knaws figgers an's got
+schoolin'; 'ave you got et? We want somebody as can play the genleman;
+can you do et? Billy Coad es too ould to taake command ov the _Flyin'
+Swan_ much longer; well, wot then? Who's to do et? You knaw we caan't
+'ford to 'ave outsiders. 'Sides, ef 'ee once gits in weth we--well,
+we've got un, ain't us?"
+
+"Well, wot then?"
+
+"He'll buy back Pennington."
+
+"Wot's the use o' that to we?"
+
+"Be 'ee a fool, Israel Barnicoat? Caan't 'ee zee that eff he's one o'
+we, and he gits back his rights, that we'm as safe as eggs, an' shell
+allays have a squire an' a magistrate on our side? Tha's wot I be
+humourin' 'im for. I do'ant want to drive un away fust thing."
+
+A good deal of murmuring followed this, some of the men evidently
+agreeing with their captain, others feeling with Israel that I had had
+too many favours shown me. Then they talked too low for me to hear,
+except now and then fragments of sentences about the "queer-coloured
+flag on the _Flying Swan_," and "Billy Coad makin' many a man walk the
+plank."
+
+All this opened my eyes to many things which had not hitherto been plain
+to me, and I listened more eagerly than ever, in order to understand
+their plans concerning me; but I could make nothing out of the orders
+which Cap'n Jack was giving. At last, just before they left him, one
+asked a question in a low voice: "When is the _Flying Swan_ expected?"
+
+"A couple ov months, sonny. We must humour un a bit, and git un in our
+ways. We ca'ant 'ford to be fullish jist now."
+
+Presently they all left with the exception of Israel Barnicoat, who
+spoke to Cap'n Jack eagerly.
+
+"'Tes oal very well to talk, Cap'n," he said, "but 'ee's stailin' away
+Tamsin from me."
+
+"Did you ever 'ave Tamsin to stail, sonny?" asked the Cap'n.
+
+"Well, I 'ad a chance at wawn time, but now she's tooked on weth he.
+Mind, Cap'n, ef he do git Tamsin ther'll be somebody missin'!"
+
+"Doan't be a fool, Israel," replied Cap'n Jack. "Go away 'ome, sonny,
+and be ready for yer work in the mornin'."
+
+"But mind, Cap'n, the Squire must obey oarders saame as we, else ther'll
+be mutiny."
+
+"Well, 'ee shell, ther' now. Good-night, Israel; good-night, sonny, and
+by the blessing of Providence you'll be a rich man yet."
+
+I turned over all this many times in my mind, and, as may be imagined, I
+was sore driven what to think. Up till now I had not been asked, beyond
+smuggling, to do anything unlawful, but now I saw that I was intended
+for wild work. Moreover, I knew not how to get out of it, for Cap'n Jack
+had, in a way, got me in his power. I had heard of several who had once
+belonged to his gang, and who had come to an untimely end, and this not
+by means of the law, but by unknown ways. I also called to mind one of
+his stories concerning one Moses Rowse, who, because he wanted to "turn
+religious," was found on the beach one day with his head broken, while
+another went away from home and never came back again.
+
+All this, I say, wrought upon me strangely--so much so that I did not
+sleep that night, and I formed many plans as to how I might escape,
+until my brain was weary.
+
+The next day I noticed that Cap'n Jack was eagerly looking at the sea,
+as though he saw something of interest, although I, who looked in the
+direction toward which his eyes were turned, could see nothing.
+
+"I reckon ther'll be some work to-night, Jasper, my sonny," he remarked,
+after looking steadily a long time. "It do come dark early thaise
+November days, an' it'll be a baisly muggy night to-night, tha's wot
+'t'll be. I must go down to the cove and zee the booys."
+
+When he was gone Tamsin came to me.
+
+"What are you so stand-offish for?" she asked.
+
+I did not reply, for my heart was sad.
+
+"And what did you think of the talk between father and the men last
+night?" she asked.
+
+"What do you know about it?" I asked.
+
+"I know you were listening," she replied; "but never mind, it's all safe
+with me; and, Jasper, you mustn't think that I care about Israel
+Barnicoat, I don't like un a bit."
+
+"He's the strongest man in your father's gang," I said.
+
+"No, Jasper, he's no man at all when you are near. How could I look on
+Israel Barnicoat now I've seen you?" She said this with a sob, and then
+I knew that Tamsin Truscott loved me. She caught my great brown hand
+and kissed it. "Jasper," she cried, "I know where father keeps his
+money, love me, and I will get it for you; more than enough to buy back
+Pennington. No one knows how rich father is. I know, I know!"
+
+The maid spoke like one demented, and, for the moment, I knew not how to
+answer her. Not that I despised her for saying what always ought to be
+said by the man, for I believe that her heart was as clean as a
+wind-swept sky. For a moment, too, wild, unnatural thoughts came into my
+mind which I will not here set down. But even as they came the picture
+of Naomi's face came before me, and they departed with the swiftness of
+lightning. For I have found this to be true: a true love ever destroys
+baser and poorer loves. Let a man love truly a true, pure woman, and all
+womanhood is sacred to him. And because I loved Naomi truly no other
+love could come into my life.
+
+So I did not reply to Tamsin's words, but walked away toward the cove
+instead. Still her words had their effect--they determined me to leave
+Cap'n Jack's gang as soon as possible. I saw now that it would be wrong
+to stay at Kynance Cove, wrong to Tamsin, wrong to myself. It would be
+unworthy of my love for Naomi. For two months I had not realised what
+lay before me, now I understood. How could I go to her with words of
+love upon my lips, when I sought to win back the home of my fathers by
+such means as Cap'n Jack hinted in his talk with his followers the night
+before? And so again and again I planned how I might get away.
+
+Early in the afternoon Cap'n Jack came to me. "I want us to crake a bit,
+sonny," he said. I did not reply, but I sat down near him in the open
+chimney.
+
+"It's time we come to bisness," he said. "You've bin loppin' 'bout for
+two months, doin' nothin' much. Well, the booys be jillus, Jasper, and
+they want things clear."
+
+"I've done all you've asked me," I replied.
+
+"Iss, so you 'ave, sonny, but I want to maake a man ov 'ee. I've got a
+purty boat, Jasper, called _The Flying Swan_. She'll be 'ome soon from
+what I 'ope will be a prosperous voyage. I want you to go on 'er as a
+soart of maate, to taake command laater on."
+
+"What do you mean?" I asked. "What is this _Flying Swan_ of which you
+are the owner? Is she a trading vessel? What does she carry? Besides,
+why choose me? I know nothing about sea life."
+
+"I'll tell 'ee," he said. "The _Flyin' Swan_ is used for smugglin' on a
+biggish scale. She's manned by as braave a lot of chaps as ever clained
+the seams of a deck. Her cap'n es Billy Coad, a man you may 'ave 'eer'd
+on, and wawn you would like to knaw. A man of rare piety, Jasper. He and
+me be the main owners, by the blessin' of Providence. Ah, it would do
+yer 'art good to hear 'im give his Christian experience."
+
+"Smuggling on a biggish scale. What do you mean by that?" I asked.
+
+"Well, dailin' direct weth the furrin' poarts, and at times, when Billy
+do see a vessel in the open say, wot do carry the flag of a Papist
+country, say the Spanish, well, I doan't deny--but there."
+
+"You mean that the _Flying Swan_ is but little better than a pirate
+ship."
+
+"Never call things by ugly naames," replied Cap'n Jack; "besides, I do
+look upon this as your main chance of buyin' back Pennington."
+
+"Suppose I refuse?" I suggested.
+
+"You wa'ant refuse, sonny."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Well, twudden pay 'ee. We doan't never have that sort wi' we. I'm a man
+of paice, I be; but thaise be loanely paarts, my sonny. Nearer than
+Lezard Town ther's 'ardly a 'ouse. You wudden be missed much."
+
+"But suppose I were to leave you?"
+
+"Laive us; no, sonny, you ca'ant do that now. You knaw too much."
+
+"How can you keep me? Suppose I were to leave the house now, ay, leave
+the county, who could stop me?"
+
+"I could, sonny. Do you think I'm a cheeld? I've got the county
+ringed--I've got men everywhere. Cap'n Jack Truscott's gang is a big
+affair, my son, an' I telly this, ef you tried to git away to-night
+you'd be a dead man afore to-morrow, for oal I'm a man of paice, and
+send presents to the passon in place of tithes; I doan't stand no
+nonsense, mind that, my son."
+
+His white eyes shone with a strange light, and I knew he had his fears
+about my loyalty.
+
+"The truth es, Jasper," went on Cap'n Jack, "you've come wi' we, and wi'
+we you must stay; that es, till you git 'nough to buy back Pennington.
+Aw, aw!"
+
+"And if I do?"
+
+"I shell 'ave a squire for my friend, and--well, you'll still be one o'
+we. You see, my sonny, we've got many ways o' doin' things, an' when I
+once gits 'old ov a chap, well, I sticks. But theer, sonny, wot's the
+use ov angry words. I'm a paicable man, and wen you knaw us better,
+you'll knaw 'ow we stick to aich other through thick and thin. I like
+'ee, Jasper, an' I've got need ov 'ee. A strong fella you be--Israel
+Barnicoat and his brother Micah was just like little babbies to 'ee. A
+schullard, too, and knaw figgers. Iss, a year on the _Flyin' Swan_ on an
+expedishan I'm a thinkin' on will buy back Pennington, and then, well,
+we shall see, Jasper. Why shudden I be the squire's father-in-law, eh,
+sonny? An' Tamsin es a grand maid, ed'n she then?"
+
+Slowly my mind grasped his meaning, but I did not speak.
+
+"Still, tho' you be a fav'rite ov mine, Jasper, the booys be jillus,
+that ev it. An' ther's a bit of work on to-night, sonny. There's a craft
+a few miles out, an' to-night will be baisly and black. Well, the booys
+insist on your takin' our ould mare, an' tyin' a lantern on to her neck,
+an' leadin' 'er on the cliff toward the Lizard. It'll do thou'll mare
+good, and be a light to the vessel."
+
+"Such a light would lure her on to the rocks!" I cried.
+
+"Wud et, Jasper? Well, some wud blaame Providence for these things. But
+it must be done."
+
+"And suppose the Preventive men see me?"
+
+"Wot be a couple of sich chaps to you? You could knack their 'eads
+together like you ded by Micah and Israel."
+
+"And if I refuse?"
+
+He looked at me steadily for a minute with his white eyes gleaming
+strangely in the firelight; then he said, slowly, "Ef you refuse this
+time, my sonny, you'll never refuse no more in this world."
+
+All the same I made up my mind that I would escape from Cap'n Jack's
+gang that very night, and that I would take no part in luring a vessel
+on to destruction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+WHAT BECAME OF THE WRECKERS' LIGHT--HOW I ESCAPED AND ENTERED PENNINGTON
+
+
+An hour later a number of men were in the kitchen of Cap'n Jack's house,
+and from the way they talked I knew they meant that the vessel which
+they had been watching should that night be destroyed. Never until then
+did I realise the utter heartlessness of the gang. They seemed to care
+nothing for the lives of those on the ship which they had decided to
+wreck. In their lust for gain nothing was sacred to them. As far as I
+could gather, their plan was that I should lead Cap'n Jack's horse along
+the edge of the cliffs with a lantern fastened to its neck. This to a
+ship at sea would seem like the light of another ship. The false light
+would thus lead the captain to steer his vessel straight upon the rocks.
+Outside was a wild, high sea, the clouds overhead were black as ink, and
+not a star appeared, thus the doomed vessel would be at the mercy of the
+wreckers. It was Cap'n Jack's plan to have his men in readiness to seize
+upon all the valuables of the ship, and that the crew should be drowned.
+They had made out that the vessel was bound for Falmouth, but that in
+the blackness of the night the crew would lose their whereabouts, and
+would eagerly steer toward what they would believe to be the light of
+another vessel.
+
+Why I had been chosen to show the false light I knew not, except that
+such a deed, by exposing me to the vigilance of the Preventive men,
+would bind me more securely. They did not seem to think that I should
+fail in doing this. As Cap'n Jack had said, to fail to obey the commands
+of the gang meant an untimely death, while to try and escape would bring
+upon me the same punishment.
+
+Every man was well primed with brandy, and Cap'n Jack saw that while
+each one had enough to excite him to wild deeds, no man was allowed to
+drink to such a degree that he became in any way incapacitated for the
+work before him.
+
+During the conversation, however, I noticed that Israel Barnicoat spoke
+no word. Instead, he kept his eyes upon me. When the conference was
+ended, however, and all their plans, which I have barely hinted at,
+because in my ignorance and excitement I could only dimly understand
+them, Israel spoke aloud.
+
+"Cap'n," he said; "the Squire have never done a job like this afore,
+he'll need somebody weth un."
+
+"We ca'ant spare more'n one man for sich a job," was the response.
+
+"It'll need another, I tell 'ee," replied Israel.
+
+"Then thee c'n kip un company," was Cap'n Jack's reply.
+
+"Oal right," cried Israel, but he kept his eyes away from me as he
+spoke.
+
+"Tell 'ee where we'll begin," continued Israel, still looking away from
+me. "We'll take old Smiler right to the Lizard, jist off Carligga Rocks,
+we'll kip on cloase by Polpeor, an' on to Bumble. I reckon by that time
+she'll be on the rocks. You c'n board 'er there, ef needs be, and we'll
+mit you in the saicret caave in Honsel Cove."
+
+"Iss, that'll do very well, sonny," was Cap'n Jack's reply. "By coose we
+mayn't git 'er afore she do git to the Devil's Fryin' Pan or Cadwith,
+and ef you fail theer, you must git to Black Head as fast as yer legs
+can car'ee. But kip away from Ruan Minor, Israel, my sonny. The
+Preventive men be strong there."
+
+"Trust me," laughed Israel.
+
+Cap'n Jack went out and looked seaward, anxiously. "You must start in a
+'our or a 'our and haalf, Israel, my sonny, and the rest of us must git
+doun to the Cove to once," he said, when he came back.
+
+"Oal right, Cap'n," replied Israel, "I jist want to go and spaik to
+mauther, while the Squire do git the oull mare ready."
+
+I went out as he spoke, and then acting on sudden impulse, determined to
+follow him. A minute later I was glad I had done so, for I saw that he
+was going away from his mother's house. He hurried rapidly along the
+Helston road until he came to a little beer-house, or as the folks
+called it a kiddleywink, which he entered. When I had arrived at the
+door of this kiddleywink, I was at a loss what to do, neither could I
+make out why he had come here. I had barely time to think, however,
+before Israel came out again, and I saw that he was accompanied by a
+Preventive man.
+
+"I've got a job for 'ee," said Israel.
+
+"What?"
+
+"A chap showin' a false light to-night."
+
+"But I'd arranged weth the Cap'n to kip away, an' to kip our chaps
+away."
+
+"Never mind that. I c'n maake et wuth yer while."
+
+"Well, what es et?"
+
+"Be jist off The Stags at twelve o'clock to-night. A young fella will be
+laidin' an ould gray mare."
+
+"But wot about the Cap'n?"
+
+"I tell 'ee 't'll be for your good. You do as I tell 'ee, Ellic, or,
+well, you'll knaw what!"
+
+"But et'll spoil yer plans!"
+
+"Never mind. Look 'ere--" Then he talked earnestly in low tones so that
+I could not hear. Evidently, however, he satisfied the officer, for I
+heard him say, "Clain off. A reglar feather in my cap, and the Cap'n
+wa'ant knaw."
+
+When Israel returned to Cap'n Jack's house I had the mare all ready.
+
+"We'll go stright to Carn Barrow," he said, shortly.
+
+"That wasn't Cap'n Jack's plan," was my reply.
+
+"Look 'ere, Squire, I'm to work this. You'm new to this work. I tell 'ee
+we must git to the Devil's Fryin' Pan by ten o'clock, and then git back
+to The Stags 'bout twelve."
+
+"Very well," I replied, "I'm ready."
+
+"'Tes a good two mile by road to the Fryin' Pan," he remarked. "And 'tes
+oppen downs nearly oal the way to The Stags." He seemed to think a
+minute, then he said, "No, we wa'ant go so far as that, we'll jist go to
+Bumble Rock, and then kip on the top by Poltream Cove. That'll taake us
+oal our time."
+
+He led the horse and I carried the lantern, which he said should not be
+lit until we came to Bumble Rock, which stands by a gully in the
+headland, where the seas roar with a terrible noise as they break upon
+the coast.
+
+Not a word was spoken as we went along in the darkness. As well as I
+could I kept watch on him, for I knew he hated me. He was jealous of me
+for several reasons. For one thing, since I had come, Tamsin Truscott
+had ceased to notice him, and for another, he was no longer regarded as
+the strongest man in the gang. For years he had been proud of this, and
+now the men laughed at him because I was able to play with both him and
+his brother. Perhaps the wrestling match at which I had mastered him so
+easily had more to do with his enmity than the fact that Tamsin no
+longer smiled on him. For his pride in his strength was greater than his
+love.
+
+As I have said, it was a wild dark night. A great sea hurled itself on
+the coast, although ordinarily it could not be called dangerous. As we
+drew near the rocks, however, we could hear the waves roaring like a
+thousand angry beasts. Bumble Rock rose up like a great giant, and
+seemed to laugh at the black waves which it churned into foam. The rocks
+which we could dimly see, for our eyes had become used to the darkness,
+seemed like the teeth of a hideous monster, which would cruelly tear any
+ship that the waves should dash upon them. The thought of the vessel,
+evidently bound for Falmouth Harbour, being lured to destruction, with
+all hands on board, was horrible to me, and at that moment a great anger
+rose in my heart toward the gang among whom I had lived for two months.
+Hitherto, however, my hands had been unstained by crime, and I
+determined that for the future, even although I should be hunted down by
+the men into whose hands I had fallen, I would escape from them that
+night.
+
+"I've got the tinder and the flint and steel," remarked Israel, "we must
+git to a lew plaace an' light the candle. Come over 'ere. Ther's a
+'ollow behind the rocks, it'll do zackly."
+
+I followed him without a word until we reached a spot that was sheltered
+from the sea, although we could still hear the waves surging and
+moaning, while flecks of foam often beat upon our faces.
+
+Perhaps there is no more lonely place on God's earth than this. That
+night the genius of desolation seemed to reign, while the roaring sea
+told me of mad spirits playing with the angry waters. In the dim light I
+could see the long line of foam, while above the dark cliffs loomed;
+landward nothing was visible, save a suggestion of the outline of the
+hills.
+
+"'Tes a gashly night and this es a gashly job to be done," said Israel.
+"By agor, 'ow the waaves do roar," he continued, after a minute.
+
+"Yes, 'tis a wild night," I responded, and as if in confirmation of my
+words, a great wave broke on Bumble Rock with a mighty roar, while a
+shower of spray and flecks of foam fell upon us.
+
+"Well, 'tes as lew 'ere as we can git it anywhere," he said; "ther now,
+you hould the lantern while I strick the light."
+
+"No," I replied.
+
+"Wot do 'ee main?" he queried.
+
+"Simply this," I answered; "no false light shall shine on this cliff
+to-night." As I spoke I took the lantern and threw it over the cliffs.
+Then I sprang upon him and caught his hands in mine.
+
+"Look you, Israel Barnicoat," I said, "I know what your plans are. I
+followed you as you went to the Preventive man to-night; but it is no
+use. The wreckers' light will not shine to-night, neither will I be off
+The Stags at twelve o'clock."
+
+He struggled to be free, but I held him tight.
+
+"You'll suffer for this," he screamed; "when Cap'n Jack knaws you'll
+die."
+
+"I must take chance of that," I said. Then I threw him heavily on the
+sward. Taking some cord from my pocket, with which I had provided myself
+before starting, I bound his hands securely behind him. Then I bound his
+legs.
+
+"Wot be 'ee goin' to do weth me now?" he shrieked.
+
+"Nothing more."
+
+"But you bean't goin' to laive me lie 'ere oal night, be 'ee? Why, I
+sh'll die ov the cowld."
+
+"No, you won't," I said; "as you mentioned, this is a lew place, and you
+are not one who will die so easily. You may be a bit cramped by the
+morning, and perhaps you may get a twinge of rheumatics, but that'll be
+all. Besides, it's far better for you to suffer a bit than that yon
+vessel shall be wrecked. Now I'll leave you to your sins; I'm off."
+
+"Off where?"
+
+"Off where you'll never see me again. You'll have company to-night,
+perhaps. It's said that Peter Crowle's ghost comes here on windy nights.
+I wish you pleasant company."
+
+"Oh, doan't 'ee go," he screamed; "I'm 'fraid of sperrits, I be. Let me
+free, Squire, 'n I'll never tell where you'm gone; I'll zay you'm
+drowned, or tumbled ovver the cleffs or anything, onnly do cut the
+ropes, and lev me be free."
+
+"No," I said; "while you are here Cap'n Jack will think the false
+lights are showing, and perhaps the vessel will be safe. As for the
+spirits, you are the strongest, bravest man in the gang, and, of course,
+you are not afraid of spirits."
+
+"But you bean't agoin' to take th'oull mare?"
+
+"Yes; Smiler will come with me. Good luck to you, Israel Barnicoat."
+
+I sprang upon Smiler's back and rode away, leaving him in the sheltered
+hollow. The night was cold and threatened rain, but I was sure that,
+hardy and used to exposure as he was, he would not be hurt. When morning
+came he would be searched for and found. Of course he would tell his
+story to Cap'n Jack, but by that time I hoped to be out of harm's way.
+
+At first I rode slowly, especially until I got to Ruan Major. Arrived
+there, however, and having struck into the road over Goonhilly Downs, I
+went faster. I felt strangely happy, for it seemed as though a weight
+were rolled from my shoulders. Once more I was a free man, and I
+imagined that for some hours I should not be pursued. Besides, all the
+time I had been with Cap'n Jack's gang I felt that I was doing what was
+unworthy of a Pennington, and worse still, what was unworthy of my love
+for Naomi. But more than all, a wild scheme had come into my mind; I
+would that night go to Pennington and try to see Naomi. The thought
+acted upon me like some strange elixir; to hear Naomi's voice, to feel
+her hand in mine, were a joy beyond all words. How I was to do this I
+did not know; what difficulties I should meet I did not consider. The
+thought that I should see her was enough for me, and I shouted for very
+joy. The hour was not yet late, and I calculated that by hard riding I
+could get to Pennington by midnight. Thus at the very hour when Israel
+Barnicoat had planned for me to be taken by the Preventive men, I hoped
+to be speaking to my love.
+
+In looking back I can see that my hopes were very unreasonable. How
+could I get Naomi to speak to me? At best she could only regard me as a
+landless outcast, whom she had once seen pilloried in Falmouth town and
+pelted by hooting boys. It is true I had told her my story in Granfer
+Fraddam's Cave, and she had shown a desire to shield me from Richard
+Tresidder, but she must probably have forgotten all about it. Besides,
+if she had not forgotten me, she would think me either dead or far away.
+The letter which I had written at Cap'n Jack's dictation would tell her
+that I was in his power. During my two months' stay at Kynance Cove, I
+had asked Cap'n Jack concerning Granfer Fraddam's Cave, but he always
+evaded my questions, and I did not know whether she had received the
+letter I had written.
+
+At the same time my heart beat high with hope, and I was happy. For a
+true love, even although difficulties beset it, is always beautiful and
+joyous. As I rode along through the night, even the wild winds sang love
+songs to me, while I could see the light of Naomi's eyes shining in the
+darkness, revealing her face to me, pure and beautiful.
+
+I am told that my days of romance are over, that I have reached that
+stage in life when the foolishness of young lovers is impossible to me.
+And yet even now I cannot see a boy and a maid together without my heart
+beating faster; for there is nothing more beautiful on God's green earth
+than the love of lovers, and I know that when a lad feels a girl's first
+kisses on his lips, he lives in heaven, if he loves her as I loved
+Naomi. There are those, even in this parish, who sneer at the bliss of
+boy and girl sweethearts, but I, who remember the night when I rode from
+Bumble Rock to Pennington, cannot sneer; nay, rather, the tears start to
+my eyes, and I find myself fighting my battles again and dreaming of
+love, even as I dreamed then.
+
+Smiler was a better steed than I had hoped. Saddle I had none, nor
+bridle, but the halter which had been placed on her head was sufficient
+for me to guide her. Moreover, I had been used to horses all my life,
+and felt as much at ease on a horse's back as on my feet. Thus it came
+about that before midnight I had reached the parish of St. Eve, and was
+making my way toward Pennington. When within sight of the house,
+however, I was in a dilemma, and never until then did I realise how
+difficult was the task I had set myself. The whole family was a-bed, at
+least I imagined so, neither did I know the part of the house where
+Naomi Penryn was. Most likely, too, dogs would be prowling around, and I
+did not wish to place myself in the power of Richard Tresidder or his
+son Nick. At the same time I vowed that I would see Naomi, even though I
+waited there until morning.
+
+So, tying Smiler to a tree, I crept quietly up to the house and looked
+anxiously around. At first all seemed to be in darkness, but presently I
+saw a light shining from one of the windows in the back part of the
+house. Wondering what it might mean, I went toward it and looked through
+the window. A blind had been drawn, but it did not fit the window well,
+and there was an inch of glass between the window-frame and the blind
+that was not covered. At first I could only see the room in a blurred
+sort of way, for the leaded panes of glass were small, but presently I
+saw more clearly. The room into which I looked was the kitchen, and by
+the table sat a man and a woman. The man was Ikey Trethewy, whom I had
+last seen in Granfer Fraddam's Cave, and who had promised to take my
+letter to Naomi; the woman was the Pennington cook. The latter was a
+sour and rather hard-featured woman of forty years of age. It had been a
+joke of the parish that Tryphena Rowse never had a sweetheart in her
+life, that she was too ugly, too cross-tempered. It was also rumoured,
+however, that this was not Tryphena's fault, and that her great desire
+was to get married and settle down. I soon saw that Ikey Trethewy was
+there as Tryphena's sweetheart. The table was covered with tempting
+eatables, of which Ikey partook freely, stopping between sups of ale and
+mouthfuls of chicken pie to salute the object of his affections. I saw,
+too, that these attentions were by no means disagreeable to the cook,
+although she gave Ikey several admonitory taps. It was evident, too,
+that Ikey's visit was clandestine. I knew that, except on special
+occasions, it was the rule for Pennington doors to be closed at ten
+o'clock, while it was now past midnight. Probably Ikey, who had the
+reputation of being a woman-hater, did not care for his courtship to be
+known, for I knew that he did not like being laughed at or joked in any
+way.
+
+I had not waited long when Ikey began to make preparations for his
+departure, while Tryphena seemed to be trying to persuade him to stay a
+little longer. No sound reached me, however, and I imagined that all
+their conversation was carried on in whispers for fear the noise thereof
+might reach the master or mistress of the establishment. He succeeded at
+length, however, in breaking away from the embraces of the fair cook,
+while two huge dogs which lay by the kitchen fire watched them solemnly.
+Presently the door opened, and Ikey and Tryphena stood together outside.
+They were quite close to me, so that I could hear their every word.
+
+"You wa'ant be long afore you come again, Ikey?" asked Tryphena.
+
+"Not long, my buty. P'raps you c'n git a bit a pigin pie next time."
+
+"That I will, Ikey. But doan't 'ee think, Ikey, 'tes time for 'ee to be
+puttin' in th' baans? We've bin a-courtin' like this now for more'n vive
+yer."
+
+"Well, tha's nothin', Tryphena. Jim Jory ded court Mary Hicks thirteen
+yer afore they wur spliced."
+
+"Iss; but I ca'ant kip comp'ny weth 'ee like other maids. An' ted'n
+vitty fur we to be mittin' every week like this 'ere."
+
+"Well, Tryphena, my buty, you do knaw I do love 'ee deerly. An' you be a
+clain off cook, too. I niver taasted sich a vowl pie in my life, ther
+now. An' yer zay 't shell be a pigin pie next week."
+
+"Iss, Ikey; but 'twud be purty to 'ave a 'ome of our oan."
+
+"Mawther wa'ant 'eer of et it, nor Cap'n Jack nuther. 'Nother yer or
+two, Tryphena, and then I'll go to the passen. Ther, I mus' be goin'."
+
+Another sounding kiss, and Ikey crept away very quietly, while Tryphena
+began to put away the supper things. In a minute my mind was made up. I
+had heard enough to settle me on my plan of action. I thought I saw the
+means whereby I could see Naomi.
+
+I waited until Tryphena had cleared away the remains of Ikey's repast,
+and was evidently preparing to go to her room, and then I gave the
+kitchen door a slight knock, and, imitating Ikey's voice as well as I
+could, I said, "Tryphena, my buty, laive me in a minait."
+
+She came and opened the door quickly.
+
+"'Ave 'ee forgot summin', Ikey, deear?" she said; and then before she
+recognised me I slipped in.
+
+The dogs rose up with a low, suppressed growl, as though they were in
+doubt what to do; but Tryphena, who was as anxious as I that the
+household might not be disturbed, quieted them.
+
+"Maaster Jasper Pennington!" she gasped as she looked into my face.
+
+"That's right, Tryphena," I said. "Sit down, I want to talk with you,
+and I want you to do something for me."
+
+"No, I mustn't, I daren't. They do oal hate 'ee 'ere, Maaster Jasper. Ef
+they wos to knaw you was 'ere, I dunnaw wot wud 'appen."
+
+For a moment a great bitterness came into my heart, for I remembered
+that this was the first time I had ever entered the home of my fathers.
+And it galled me beyond measure that I should have to enter at midnight
+at the kitchen door like a servant who came courting the servant maids.
+I quickly realised my position, however, and acted accordingly.
+
+"Yes, you must do what I ask you, Tryphena," I said.
+
+"I tell 'ee I ca'ant."
+
+"Then Ikey Trethewy will be in the hands of the Preventive men by
+to-morrow," I replied, "and Richard Tresidder will know that a man has
+come to his house for years at midnight on the sly."
+
+I did not want to frighten the poor woman, but it had to be done. I
+saw, too, that I had said sufficient to make Tryphena afraid to thwart
+me.
+
+"What do 'ee want me to do?" she asked.
+
+"I suppose no one can hear us?" I said.
+
+"No, oal the family, 'ciptin' Miss Naomi, do slaip in another paart ov
+the 'ouse."
+
+I listened intently, but could hear no sound; evidently all the family
+was asleep.
+
+"You remember about two months ago that Ikey brought a letter to Miss
+Naomi Penryn?" I said.
+
+"Iss."
+
+"Well, I wrote that letter."
+
+"I knaw; Ikey tould me."
+
+"Well, I want to see Miss Naomi."
+
+"When?"
+
+"To-night. I want you to go to her room now, and tell her that I want to
+see her."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+I SEE NAOMI PENRYN, AND AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED, BUT SOON AFTER AM TAKEN
+PRISONER
+
+
+Tryphena looked at me like one dazed. "No, Maaster Jasper," she replied,
+"it caan't be done."
+
+"It must be done."
+
+"And what if I do?"
+
+"I will leave the house in an hour," I replied, "and no one shall know
+of what you have done, not even Ikey."
+
+"No, Ikey musn't knaw you've been 'ere."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Why, e'ed be jillus as cud be. E'ed be afraid you'd come to try and cut
+un out. You zee, you be a 'andsome young man, Master Jasper."
+
+"Well, you must do as I ask you, or Ikey will know," I said, for I saw
+that Tryphena needed a good deal of pressure. At the same time I could
+not help smiling at the thought of Ikey being jealous, for surely one
+look at her face were enough to dispel such a thought. "You see," I went
+on, "a fine-looking woman like you must be careful, if you wish to keep
+such a man as Ikey. However, you do as I ask you, and some day you'll be
+glad."
+
+I believe my flattery had more to do with making Tryphena my friend than
+any threats I might offer, for a smile of satisfaction came on her
+lips, and she asked me how she was to do what I asked her.
+
+"What I want," I said, "is for you to go quietly to Miss Naomi, and tell
+her that Jasper Pennington is in great danger, and that he must see her
+before he leaves this part of the world."
+
+"Wot, be 'ee goin' away, then?" cried Tryphena.
+
+"I must," I said; "now go quickly."
+
+When she had gone I saw how unreasonable my request was. Would not Naomi
+be justified in arousing the house, and would she not at the least
+refuse to come and see me? And yet all the while I waited with a great
+hope in my heart, for love gives hope, and I loved Naomi like my own
+life. For all this, I worried myself by thinking that I did not tell
+Tryphena anything whereby she could induce Naomi to come to me. For what
+should she care about my danger, save as she might care about the danger
+of a thousand more for whom she could do nothing?
+
+And so I waited with an anxious heart, and when at length I heard
+footsteps my bosom seemed too small for the mighty beating of my heart.
+But it was not my love's footsteps that I heard, but Tryphena's. Perhaps
+fellow-feeling had made her kind, for she told me in a kind, sympathetic
+way that "Miss Naomi would be down d'reckly."
+
+Now this was more than I had seriously dared to hope. No sooner did I
+hear her telling me this joyful news than I felt amazed that I had ever
+dreamed of asking for such a thing, while my heart grew heavy at the
+thought that I had no sufficient reason for asking to see Naomi.
+
+In less than five minutes later Naomi came into the kitchen. She looked
+pale, and thin, I thought, but she was beauteous beyond all words. I am
+not going to try and describe her. I am not gifted in writing fine
+things, for the pen was nearly a stranger to my hands until I began to
+write this history, besides I doubt if any man, great as he may be,
+could do justice to Naomi's beauty. I think my heart ceased to beat for
+a while, and I know that I stood looking at her stupidly, my tongue
+refusing to move.
+
+As for Tryphena, I am sure she understood my feelings, for she went into
+the dairy, for the which I determined even then that I would some day
+reward her.
+
+"You said you were in danger," said Naomi, speaking first, "and that you
+wanted to see me. You have asked a hard thing, but I have come."
+
+"Miss Naomi," I said, in a low, hoarse voice, "forgive my forwardness,
+for truly I am unworthy this honour, yet believe me I could not help it.
+Will you sit down, so that I may try and tell you what is in my heart?"
+
+She sat down on the old kitchen settle, and I could not help noticing
+how beautifully her dark dress fitted her graceful form. At the same
+time I knew not what to say. I had come because my heart hungered for
+her, and because love knows no laws. Yet no words came to me, except to
+say, "Naomi Penryn, I love you more than life," and those I dared not
+utter, so much was I afraid of her as she sat there.
+
+"Are you in great danger?" she asked. "I have breathed no word about
+that cave, no word to any one. What did it mean?"
+
+This gave me an opening, and then I rapidly told her what I have written
+in these pages.
+
+"And will they try and find you?" she asked when I had told my story.
+
+"They will hunt me like dogs hunt a fox!" I replied, "so I must find my
+way to Falmouth, and try and get to sea."
+
+Her face was full of sympathy, and my heart rejoiced because she did not
+seem to think it strange that I should come to her.
+
+"And will you have to go soon?"
+
+"I must go now," I replied, and then my sorrow and despair, at the
+thought, dragged my confession from my tongue.
+
+"But before I go," I said, "I must tell you that I love you, Naomi
+Penryn. It is madness, I know; but I loved you when I was in the pillory
+at Falmouth, and I have loved you ever since, and my love has been
+growing stronger each day. That is why I have come here, to-night. My
+heart is hungry for you, and my eyes have been aching for a sight of
+your face, and I felt I could not go away without telling you, even
+though I shall never see you again."
+
+Her face seemed to grow paler than ever as I spoke, but her eyes grew
+soft.
+
+"I know I am wrong, I ought not to have come in this way," I went on,
+for my tongue was unloosed now, "but I could not help it; and I am glad
+I have come, for your eyes will nerve me, and the thought that you do
+not scorn me will be a help to me in the unknown paths which I have to
+tread. For you do not scorn me, do you?"
+
+"Scorn you?" she asked. "Why should I scorn you?"
+
+And then a great hope came into my heart, greater than I had ever dared
+to dream of before, the hope that she might care for me! Wild I know it
+was, but my own love filled me with the hope. If I loved her, might she
+not, even although I were unworthy, love me? Yet I dared not ask her if
+it was so; only I longed with a longing which cannot be uttered that she
+should tell me, by word or look.
+
+"And must you go soon, go now to Falmouth?" she said like one dazed.
+
+"Yes; I must e'en go now," I said. "It is like heaven to be near you,
+better than any heaven preached about by parsons, but I must go. Can you
+give me no word of encouragement before I leave?"
+
+But she made no reply, and then my heart became heavy again, so I held
+out my hand, trying to appear brave.
+
+Without hesitation, she put her hand in mine, and I felt it tremble,
+just as I have felt little chicks not a week old tremble when I have
+caught them. I fancied that she was afraid of me, so I said, "Thank you
+for speaking to me. This meeting will help me for many a long day, and I
+am afraid I have a dreary future before me."
+
+"I hope you will come to no harm," she said, "and I hope you will obtain
+what is justly yours."
+
+"Can you say nothing else?" I cried, "not just one word?"
+
+But just then Tryphena came in from the dairy. "Ther's a noise in
+Maaster Nick's bedroom," she cried. "Git out, Maaster Jasper. Miss
+Naomi, we must go up by the back stairs. Maake 'aaste, Maaster Jasper!"
+And then she blew out the light, leaving us in darkness.
+
+And then I could contain my feelings no longer, and I caught Naomi's
+fingers to my mouth, and kissed them. She drew her hand away, but not as
+I thought then, angrily.
+
+"You'll be careful to let no one hurt you, will you?" she said, and I
+heard a tremor in her voice, and then, before I could answer, she had
+gone.
+
+And that was all we said to each other at Pennington, and although I
+hungered to keep her near me longer, and although the night into which I
+went was black and stormy, my heart thumped aloud for joy. Her words
+rung in my ears as I found my way among the trees, and they were sweeter
+to me than the singing of birds on a summer morning. The winds blew
+wildly, while in the near distance I heard the roar of the waves. The
+rain fell heavily, too, but I did not care. What heeded I wind and
+weather! Neither did I fear danger. I knew that I could play with men
+even as others play with children, for hope stirred in my heart, hope
+made the black sky as beautiful as a rainbow.
+
+There be many joys that come into a man's life, the joy of possession,
+the joy of fame, the joy of victory in battle; but I know of no joy as
+great as that which comes because of the hope that his love loves him,
+unless it be that which never comes to us but once, the joy of the first
+kiss of love. And this to me seems the will of God, and thus love should
+always be regarded as sacred, and never be spoken of save with
+reverence. For I know that, although Naomi had spoken but few words to
+me, and that I had only a hope of her loving me in some far-off time,
+yet the thought that she cared for me ever so little made me rich in
+spite of my poverty, and caused the wailing winds to sing glad songs to
+me. No man is poor while his love loves him, and even a hope of that
+love is the life of God surging in the heart of a man.
+
+And so I came up to the spot where I had fastened my horse, glad at
+heart, although I knew not where to go or what to do. I rode a mile or
+two, and then I remembered that if I were discovered with Cap'n Jack's
+mare I should be in danger of being hanged for horse stealing. So I
+jumped from her back, tied the halter around her neck, and told her to
+go home. She sniffed around for two or three minutes, and then started
+to trot steadily along the road toward Kynance, and over which I had
+rode her hours before.
+
+This done, I started to walk to Falmouth; as I trudged along I had to
+pass close to Elmwater Barton, but my heart felt no bitterness, for it
+was filled with love. When I came to Betsey Fraddam's cottage I stopped,
+intending to go in; but thinking better of it I made no sound, and a few
+minutes later was on the main road to Falmouth Town.
+
+I did not walk rapidly, for a great peace was in my heart. I did not
+fear Cap'n Jack's gang, although I felt sure they would follow me, and I
+knew that Israel Barnicoat would do all in his power to embitter Cap'n
+Jack against me. I felt strong enough to overcome everything, so great
+is the power of hope.
+
+So slowly did I walk that I did not get near Falmouth Harbour until the
+gray morning began to dawn. I looked eagerly among the vessels, thinking
+of the fate of the craft Cap'n Jack's gang had intended to wreck. I
+wondered, too, whether Israel Barnicoat had been discovered, and if
+Cap'n Jack knew of what I had done. As I drew nearer I determined that I
+would speak to the first person I should meet, and ask what vessels had
+arrived, but scarcely had the thought formed itself in my mind when I
+felt my arms pinioned.
+
+I struggled like a mad man for my liberty, because I saw that two
+Preventive men had attacked me, and I believe I should have freed myself
+from them had not a third come to the help of the other two.
+
+"What is the meaning of this?" I said, when they had tied my hands.
+
+"Hanging," was the reply.
+
+"What for?"
+
+"Showing a false light by the Lizard."
+
+"It's a lie."
+
+"Why have we got you, then?"
+
+I was almost dazed by astonishment. Presently, however, I saw that one
+of the men was the officer to whom Israel Barnicoat had spoken in the
+kiddleywink. This set me thinking. These men would be the tools of Cap'n
+Jack. This was the step he had taken to accomplish his purposes
+concerning me. If I were convicted of showing a false light on the
+headland, I should be punished by death; at least, I imagined so.
+
+"Anyhow," continued the man, "you must go along wi' me."
+
+"Where?"
+
+"To the lockup."
+
+Now, if there was anything I desired it was to keep clear of the
+magistrates. I knew that Richard Tresidder would be among my judges, and
+that I should receive no mercy. But more than all this, while smuggling
+was lightly regarded, there was a strong feeling against the wrecker. It
+is true people were glad of a wreck along the coast, and many a valuable
+thing had been obtained thereby, but the whole countryside cried out
+against those who sought to lure a vessel on to destruction, even while
+they did not object to share in the wreckage.
+
+"But why must I go?"
+
+"Because we seed you carr'in' a false light along the coast."
+
+"When?"
+
+"Laast night."
+
+There were three to one, and I could do nothing. So I let them lead me
+to the lockup, where I had to wait until the magistrates were ready to
+try me.
+
+What happened while I was there I know not. I was too dazed, too
+bewildered to tell. While I had been with Naomi Penryn I seemed to be
+lifted into heaven, and then within a few hours of our parting all my
+hopes were destroyed. I saw nothing before me but cruel imprisonment or
+possible death, for I knew that Richard Tresidder would do his worst.
+
+When the time of my trial came on and I entered the court-house, I saw
+that several justices sat upon the bench, and among them was Richard
+Tresidder, who looked at me triumphantly, as though he rejoiced to see
+me there, which I have no doubt he did.
+
+Old Admiral Trefry was the one who spoke to me, however. "It is not long
+since you were here, Jasper Pennington," he said, "and I am grieved to
+see you."
+
+Then the Clerk read out the charge against me, which was a string of
+lies from beginning to end, for, as I have told in these pages, I threw
+the lantern over the cliff, and thus kept the light from being shown. I
+discovered afterward, too, that the vessel Cap'n Jack had intended to
+wreck had landed safe in Falmouth Harbour.
+
+I cannot remember very distinctly what took place at the trial, or
+rather the first part of it is to me a very confused memory. I know,
+however, that things looked very black against me, for each of the
+Preventive men swore that he had seen me at eleven o'clock on the
+previous night showing the false light on the coast.
+
+I declared this to be a lie with very great vehemence, and swore that I
+had shown no false light.
+
+Presently Richard Tresidder spoke, and his voice made my blood gallop
+through my veins, and my heart full of bitterness.
+
+"Will the prisoner give an account of his actions since he escaped from
+the whipping-post more than two months ago?" he asked.
+
+Now if I did this I should indeed criminate myself, for a confession
+that I had been with Cap'n Jack's gang would be to ally myself with the
+sturdiest set of rogues on the coast, and would enable Richard Tresidder
+to get me hanged at the next assizes.
+
+"You hear the question, Jasper Pennington," said Admiral Trefry; "will
+you tell what you have been doing these last two months and more?"
+
+But I held my peace, and seeing this the justices conversed one with
+another. Had they all been of Richard Tresidder's way of thinking I
+should have been sent to Bodmin Gaol to wait the next assizes without
+further ado; but Admiral Trefry, who was uncle to Lawyer Trefry, wanted
+to befriend me, and so I was allowed opportunities for befriending
+myself which would not have been given to me had my enemy been allowed
+his way.
+
+Presently a thought struck me which at the time seemed very feasible,
+and I wondered that I had not thought of it in the earlier part of the
+trial.
+
+"May I be allowed to ask the Preventive men a few questions?" I asked.
+
+"You may," replied the Admiral. "You can ask them questions as to their
+evidence by which you are accused of attempting to lure a vessel on to
+destruction."
+
+"I would like to ask, first of all, what I should gain by doing this?
+What would it profit me to wreck a vessel?"
+
+The Preventive man who had been the chief spokesman seemed a little
+confused, then he said, with a great deal of assurance, "I believe, your
+worship, that he is one of a gang of desperadoes and wreckers who live
+over by Kynance."
+
+"May I ask," I said, "what reason he has for believing this?"
+
+"Your worship," said the officer, "we know that there is a gang of men
+who infest the coast. For a long time we have tried to lay hands on them
+in vain. They are very cunning, and, although we have suspicions, we as
+yet have not been able to bring any positive evidence against them, and
+we believe that he is associated with them."
+
+"But we cannot condemn Jasper Pennington without evidence," said Admiral
+Trefry.
+
+"At the same time I submit," said the magistrate's clerk, after Richard
+Tresidder had spoken to him, "that the fact of his carrying a false
+light goes to prove that he is associated with some gang of wreckers."
+
+"But there is no proof," remarked the Admiral.
+
+On this there was a stir in the room, and I heard a voice with which I
+was familiar claiming to give evidence.
+
+A minute later Israel Barnicoat was sworn.
+
+"Do you know this man?" asked the Admiral of the Preventive men.
+
+"Very well," was the reply, "a most respectable, well-behaved
+fisherman."
+
+Then Israel gave his evidence. He said that he had seen me in company
+with two men at Kynance who were well-known free-traders. These two men
+went by the name of "Brandy Bill" and "Fire the Poker." They had on
+several occasions been punished, but were still a terror to honest
+fishermen who wanted to get a living in a lawful way.
+
+After this a great many questions were asked and answered, and I saw
+that my case looked blacker than ever. I could see that Cap'n Jack had
+used this means of getting rid of me, and that Israel Barnicoat had
+volunteered, for reasons that were apparent, to try and get me hanged.
+
+Then I asked another question.
+
+"What time do you say it was that you saw me showing the false light?" I
+asked.
+
+"Half-past eleven," was the reply.
+
+"I should say that it was nearer twelve," replied another. "It was a
+most desperate affair, your worship. He throwed the lantern over the
+cliff and took to his heels. We followed a goodish bit afore we could
+catch un, and when we ded lay hould ov un he ded fight like a mazed
+dragon. It was as much as three ov us could do to maaster un."
+
+Now this put another thought in my mind. I was in Pennington kitchen at
+the very time they said they were struggling with me, and I was about to
+say so, when I remembered what it would mean. If I told them where I was
+I should have most likely to mention Naomi Penryn's name, and that I
+did not like to do. Still I did not want to be sent to Bodmin Gaol
+without a struggle.
+
+"You say you followed me some distance?" I said.
+
+"Yes; we ded."
+
+"How far before you caught me?"
+
+"Nigh pon an hour."
+
+"It was very dark that night."
+
+"Iss, it was."
+
+"Did you ever lose sight of me?"
+
+"Iss; once or twice."
+
+"Then how can you be sure that I, the man you captured, was the same man
+you say you saw showing the light on the headland?"
+
+At this the man looked confused, and then I wished that I had tried to
+get a lawyer to defend me, for I saw how much better he could have done
+it than I could defend myself. For my mind was in a very confused state
+all the while, so confused that my remembrance of it now is by no means
+clear. Indeed, I know I have described my trial with anything but
+clearness as to the order of events, although I have set down,
+truthfully, the general facts of the whole business.
+
+I do remember, however, that Admiral Trefry asked the Preventive men
+some questions upon this very point which upset them very considerably;
+and I also remember, seeing that for the moment things looked a little
+brighter for me, I said to the Admiral that I was a good many miles from
+the Lizard at the very time these men had declared they were pursuing
+me.
+
+"Where were you, then?" asked the Admiral.
+
+"I was in St. Eve."
+
+"Where there?"
+
+"At Pennington."
+
+At this Richard Tresidder started up in astonishment.
+
+"Did any one see you at Pennington?" asked the Admiral.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Who saw you?"
+
+At this I was silent, and I was wishing I had not said so much, when I
+heard a voice that thrilled me asking to give evidence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HOW MY LOVE SAVED ME--WHEN FREE I GO TO SEA, AND MONTHS LATER COME BACK
+TO BETSEY'S COTTAGE AND HEAR BAD NEWS
+
+
+As I turned my heart seemed to stand still, for I saw Naomi Penryn, but
+when for a moment her eyes met mine it started thumping against my side
+as though it had been set at liberty from bondage. I saw, too, that
+Richard Tresidder was as surprised as I, and I was afraid lest my love
+should be taken to task for what she had done. For a few minutes
+everything seemed to swim before my eyes, and my head whirled so that I
+thought I was going to faint; but presently as I heard Naomi in sweet,
+steady tones answering questions my strength came back to me again.
+
+"You say," said Admiral Trefry, "that Jasper Pennington was in
+Pennington kitchen at midnight last Wednesday?"
+
+"He was," replied Naomi, clearly.
+
+After that a lawyer asked her concerning many things. So impudent was he
+that I had a difficulty in keeping myself from jumping from the place
+where I stood and throttling him on the spot.
+
+"Were you alone in the kitchen?" asked this lawyer.
+
+"I was not."
+
+"Who was with you?"
+
+"Tryphena, the cook."
+
+"How do you know it was midnight?"
+
+"I heard the kitchen clock strike."
+
+"What did Jasper Pennington say to you?"
+
+"You need not answer that question," remarked Admiral Trefry.
+
+"Why did Jasper Pennington come into the house that night?" again
+queried the lawyer.
+
+"Need I answer that?" asked Naomi.
+
+"No," answered the Admiral, and I saw that he was anxious to save Naomi
+from awkward questions, for which I blessed him. "All we want to know is
+whether you are sure Jasper Pennington was at Pennington on the night in
+question at the time you state. We have nothing to do as to why he was
+there or what was said."
+
+I saw, too, that Richard Tresidder did not wish the lawyer to ask any
+more questions, although I was sure the poor girl would suffer when she
+returned to Pennington, and I wondered then how I could save her from
+pain.
+
+And so very few questions were asked after that, and a little later I
+was a free man; for it was clear that if I was at Pennington I could not
+be rushing along the headland by the Lizard, and so it must have been
+some other man that the Preventive men had chased, and I had been
+captured by mistake.
+
+It all seemed so wonderful to me that I could hardly believe that my
+danger was past; at the same time I longed greatly to speak to Naomi and
+thank her for what she had done. But nowhere could I see her.
+
+As I walked down Falmouth Street I seemed to be treading on air. If I
+had loved my love before, it seemed to have increased a thousandfold
+now; besides, I knew that she must care for me, or she would not have
+braved so much to save me from danger. I had difficulty in keeping from
+shouting aloud, so great was my joy. I felt that my strength had come
+back to me, and I cared no more for the threats of Cap'n Jack than for
+the anger of a puling child. I knew that Israel Barnicoat was somewhere
+lying in wait to do me harm, but I was not afraid. I saw this, too:
+Richard Tresidder would desire to have as little as possible said about
+my visit to Pennington, especially as he hoped that Naomi Penryn would
+be his son's wife. I was sure he would seek other means to harm me, but
+not in a public way; if I was struck it would be in the dark; but, as I
+said, I was not afraid, for had not my love come boldly to my aid, and
+saved me from the enmity of evil men?
+
+I had got nearly to the end of the crooked street which makes Falmouth
+town, when I felt a hand laid upon my shoulder.
+
+"Well, Jasper," I heard a familiar voice say, and, turning, I saw Lawyer
+Trefry.
+
+"If I were you, Jasper, I would get out of this part of the country. You
+have escaped this time, but, as I have told you, the Tresidders are
+hungry dogs. They will never leave a bone till it's clean picked."
+
+I told him I knew this, but I did so with a laugh.
+
+"I tell you they'll make you laugh on the other side of your mouth, my
+lad. I know more than you think--more than I can tell you just now. Get
+out of Falmouth as soon as you can, my lad. Cap'n Jack Truscott hasn't
+done with you yet--yes, I know about him--neither has Nick Tresidder.
+I'll let you have a few pounds, my boy; a vessel will leave the harbour
+for Plymouth, and then on to London within twenty-four hours. Get on
+board now in the daylight and don't leave her. When once you land at
+London Bridge you'll be safe."
+
+Now I must confess that the thought of seeing London was very dear to
+me, but I remembered Naomi, and as I thought of the way her eyes flashed
+upon me I could not make up my mind to go far away.
+
+"Come and have some dinner with me for old acquaintance' sake, Jasper,"
+he said, "and let's talk about things."
+
+So I went with him, for I felt he was my true friend, although all the
+time I longed to be trying to find Naomi, longed to tell her how I
+thanked her for doing what she had done.
+
+Lawyer Trefry asked me many questions when we were together, and when I
+had told him my story he persuaded me to take some money, which he told
+me he was sure I should repay, and I promised him that I would do as he
+had bidden me, and would go to Plymouth and, if possible, to London. I
+did this sorely against my will, for it grieved me exceedingly to be
+away from Cornwall at a time when hope filled my heart. Besides, I could
+not help thinking that Richard Tresidder would take steps to render
+Naomi's life miserable. She would be asked many questions as to my
+visit, while Tryphena would be severely catechised. At first I did not
+think of the sacrifice my love would have to make in order to serve me,
+but as I thought more and more of what I had escaped I realised that she
+would probably have to suffer much persecution. For she had no friends
+other than those who sought her wealth, and she was in their power until
+she was twenty-one. Besides, as I recalled to memory the conversation I
+had heard between Richard Tresidder and his son, I knew that no stone
+would be left unturned in order to make her comply with their wishes.
+All this made me long to stay near her; but I also realised that there
+was another side to the question. How could I help her by staying in the
+district? Moreover, was I not in great danger myself? Was not Cap'n
+Jack's gang on the look-out for me? They would know that I should be a
+danger to them, and would seek to serve me as they had served others who
+they had thought were unfaithful to them. In addition to this Richard
+Tresidder would do his utmost to harm me; especially was this apparent
+in the light of what Naomi had done. Moreover, I could do nothing to
+help her; indeed, she would probably suffer less persecution from the
+Tresidders if they knew I had left that part of the country.
+
+So I kept my promise to Lawyer Trefry, and went on board the _White
+Swan_ which lay in Falmouth Harbour, and a few hours later was on my way
+to Plymouth.
+
+While we were sailing along the coast I tried to think of my future, for
+never had it looked so black and hopeless as now. It is true I rejoiced
+at the thought of Naomi Penryn's kindness, and dreamed glad things of
+the days to come; but when I began to face facts, and saw my condition
+as it really was, my case looked hopeless indeed.
+
+On our way to Plymouth I proved to Captain Maynard that I was not
+altogether ignorant of the duties of a sailor, and so pleased was he
+with me that he offered me a berth on the _White Swan_. Knowing of
+nothing better that I could do I accepted, and for the next few months
+worked as a common sailor. During that time we visited several ports on
+the coast. I saw Weymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Dover and London,
+but I will not write of my experiences at this time. Nothing of
+importance happened, neither does that time affect the history I am
+trying to write.
+
+Of course, I was greatly moved with what I saw in London; at the same
+time, even as I mingled with the throng of people who threaded London
+streets, I longed for the quiet of St. Eve, and thought much of the maid
+to whom I had given my heart. At the same time, I saw no means whereby I
+could get back to Pennington, although I thought long and earnestly of
+many plans.
+
+I stayed with Captain Maynard seven months, and then made up my mind to
+go back to Cornwall again. I felt sure that Cap'n Jack and his gang must
+have practically forgotten me, and I could not help thinking that Naomi
+Penryn needed me. I dreamed often that she was persecuted by the
+Tresidders, and that they were using many cruel means to make her marry
+Nick. I was afraid, too, that she, friendless and alone as she was,
+would at length be forced to yield to their wishes. And so although I
+had not moved one inch forward in the direction of winning back what was
+rightly my own, and although I could seemingly do no good by so doing, I
+determined that I would go back to Pennington again, and if possible
+obtain another interview with Naomi. My heart was very sad, for every
+day my love seemed to grow more hopeless. I had told her the desire of
+my heart, but although she had been kind to me, and had sacrificed much,
+she had not told me with her own lips that she cared for me more than
+she might care for any man who she thought was unjustly treated.
+
+And thus the old proverb that "actions speak louder than words" is not
+true. For actions may be misinterpreted and misunderstood. Often I tried
+to comfort myself with the thought that had she not cared for me more
+than she cared for any other, she would not have granted me an interview
+that night when I escaped from Cap'n Jack's gang. Again I told myself
+many hundreds of times that did her heart not beat for me she would
+never have braved her uncle's anger, braved the cruel questions at
+Falmouth, and bore what must be hard for a shrinking maiden to bear. But
+for all this I could not believe that her heart was mine. How could it
+be? Who was I that I should be so blessed? A landless wanderer, who had
+been pilloried as a vagabond, and hooted at by the scum of the earth.
+No, actions did not speak loud enough for me. Nothing but the words from
+her own dear lips, saying, "Jasper, I love you," could convince me,
+unworthy as I was, that I could be aught to her.
+
+All the same I determined to go to her, I determined to see her, for my
+heart ached in my hunger to be near her, and my eyes would not be
+satisfied until they again feasted on her beauty.
+
+It was early in July when I landed in Falmouth Harbour. I think it was
+on the first of the month. It was late in the afternoon when I set foot
+on solid earth, but I did not stay in the town. Like one possessed I
+hurried toward St. Eve, and about half past nine at night I stood in
+front of Betsey Fraddam's cottage.
+
+"Come in, Maaster Jasper," said the old woman; "supper es zet fur three.
+I knawed you wos a-comin', and zo ded Eli."
+
+So I entered the hut, and there surely I saw three plates placed on the
+little table.
+
+The old woman seemed to regard my coming as a matter of course, and made
+no more ado than if I had left her cottage that morning. Eli, on the
+other hand, made much of me. He caught my hands and fondled them, he
+rubbed them against his poor distorted face, and looked up into my eyes
+as though he were overjoyed at my coming.
+
+"Jasper, I love 'ee--love 'ee!" he cried. "Eli zo glad you'm back. Eli
+do knaw, Eli got a lot to tell 'ee!"
+
+"I think we'll shut the door," crooned Betsey as she looked anxiously
+around the cottage. "Nobody do knaw who's 'bout. Ah, Maaster Jasper, you
+ded a bad thing when you made an enemy of Jack Fraddam. But ther, you be
+'ungry, and you aan't 'ad nothin' to ait for a long time. When I knawed
+you wos a-comin' I maade a conger pie. I knaw you like that. Conger,
+baaked in milk and parsley, Jasper, my deear. That ed'n bad fur a
+witches' supper, es et?"
+
+"How did you know I was coming?" I asked. "I had not made up my mind to
+come here to-night until I landed in Falmouth. And no one knew I was
+coming to Falmouth. How did you know?"
+
+"How ded I knaw?" asked Betsey, scornfully. "How do I knaw everything?
+Ef you'd a traited me vitty, Jasper, I'd a done more fur 'ee. You'd be
+in Pennington now ef you'd come and axed me; but you wudden. 'Ow ded 'ee
+git on at Jack Fraddam's then?"
+
+"Who's Jack Fraddam?"
+
+"Oa, Cap'n Jack Truscott, seein' you're so partikler. The Fraddam family
+es a big wawn, my deear."
+
+"What relation is Cap'n Jack to the Fraddams and to you?" I asked.
+
+"Ef I was to tell 'ee you'd knaw, wudden 'ee. But I bean't a-goin' to
+tell 'ee, cheeldrean. No, I bean't, but zet up to supper. Then I've got
+sum things to tell 'ee 'bout somebody at Penninton, and arterwards I'll
+tell yer fortin, my deear. I bean't a gipsy, but I c'n do that."
+
+As I sat at the table with Eli opposite me on the little window-seat,
+and Betsey near me, it seemed as though I had not been away at all.
+Neither did the old woman show any interest in what I had been doing.
+
+"Why 'ave 'ee come back, Jasper?" she asked, presently, looking at me
+with her light, piercing eyes, while she kept on munching with her
+toothless gums, until the white stiff hairs which grew on the tip of her
+nose almost touched those on her chin.
+
+I did not speak.
+
+"No, you caan't tell," said she; "you dunnaw why yerzelf. You've cum
+'cause you caan't 'elp et, my deear. Yer 'art kipt achin' and longin' so
+that you cudden stay away."
+
+I continued silent, for I knew she told the truth.
+
+"But 'tes no use, Jasper, my deear. You aa'nt a got the money to buy
+back Penninton, and besides the job's done."
+
+"What job's done?" I asked, eagerly.
+
+"Neck Trezidder, and thicky purty maid."
+
+"How? What do you mean? Tell me?" I cried, starting from the seat.
+
+"Ther' was no Penninton ever born that's a match for a Trezidder,"
+chuckled Betsey.
+
+"Tell me!"
+
+"Th' baans (banns) 'll be cried in the church next Sunday," said Betsey.
+
+"Whose?" I cried.
+
+"Neck Trezidder's an' the young laady called Penryn," laughed the old
+dame.
+
+"How do you know?" I asked, feeling my knees tremble and my heart grow
+cold.
+
+"It doan't need a white witch to know that," cried Betsey. "'Tes in
+everybody's mouth. Ef you stayed a month longer, they'd 'a bin married
+by now."
+
+I did not stop to consider how Betsey knew of my love for Naomi Penryn.
+It was evident she did know as she seemed to know everything else.
+Besides, I was in a state of torment at the news she had told me.
+
+"Have the banns been called in church?" I asked.
+
+"Iss," cried Betsey.
+
+"No," said Eli; "I went ther' laast Zunday to heer fur myzelf, but the
+passon ded'n zay nothin' 'bout et."
+
+"Aw," grunted Betsey, angry that she had been discovered to have made a
+mistake, yet looking lovingly toward her son. "Then they'll be cried
+nex' Zunday."
+
+"No they won't," I cried.
+
+"Tell 'ee ther's no chance fur 'ee, Jasper. Ther'v bin oal soarts ov
+taales 'bout you. She's awful vexed now that she saaved 'ee from
+'angin'."
+
+By this time I had somewhat mastered my excitement, and I knew that the
+best way to learn all Betsey knew was to be silent.
+
+"'Tes like this," said Betsey. "Tryphena, Penninton's cook, 'ev got the
+sack for laivin' you git into the kitchin."
+
+"And what's become of her?"
+
+"She's livin' in Fammuth. Where she do git 'er money I dunnaw. I aan't a
+took the trouble to vind out. As fur the purty maid she've 'ad a offul
+life. And she've promised to marry young Maaster Nick. Es fur you,
+Jasper, my deear, why Israel Barnicoat, who do live ovver to Kynance, do
+zay that 'ee zeed you in Plemmouth weth a maid thet you wos a-goin' to
+marry. Others 'ave zeed 'ee, too. Anyhow, the purty maid es a-goin' to
+marry Nick."
+
+I tried to understand what this meant. And in spite of everything my
+heart grew light. Why should Israel Barnicoat concoct a story about my
+being married in Plymouth, and tell it at Pennington? Why should the
+story be used as a reason why Naomi should marry Nick?
+
+"It shall never be," I cried, gladly.
+
+"We sh'll zee," grunted Betsey, "we sh'll zee this very minnit. Ould
+Betsey 'll tell 'ee yer fortin, Jasper Penninton, and Eli sh'll git the
+broth. Ther, Eli, my deear, taake out the brandis."
+
+Now a brandis, as all Cornish folk know, is a three-legged stand made of
+iron. It is generally placed on the ground over a fire, and supports
+crocks, frying-pans, boilers, or anything that may be used.
+
+Eli put this brandis in the middle of the kitchen on the stone floor.
+
+"Now bring the crock," crooned Betsey, and Eli brought the crock and
+placed it on the brandis.
+
+"Put in the broth," commanded Betsey, and Eli obeyed her. I thought he
+grew smaller and uglier as he did her bidding, while his eyes grew
+larger and shone with a more unearthly light than ever.
+
+"What time es et?" asked Betsey.
+
+"Elev'n a'clock."
+
+"In twenty minuits the moon 'll be vull," muttered the old dame.
+
+Betsey made nine circles around the brandis, then she made nine passes
+over the crock, and all the time she munched and munched with her
+toothless jaws. Presently she began to repeat words, which to me had no
+meaning,
+
+
+     "A first born son, a first born son,
+     Is this young Jasper Pennington,
+     And he is here on a moonlit night
+     To see the spirits of the light.
+     And I have made my potions fine,
+     And traced my circles nine times nine.
+     So mists depart, Tregeagle come
+     And show the lad his own true home.
+     Spirits black and spirits white,
+     Spirits bad and spirits bright,
+     Come to Betsey's house to-night,
+     And we shall see the things of light."
+
+
+All this time she kept blowing on the liquid in the crock, while Eli set
+up the most unearthly cries as though he were in pain.
+
+A great terror seized me, for to me Betsey's form seemed to dilate.
+
+"No, Betsey," I cried, "I'll have nothing to do with this wickedness."
+
+"Stop yer noise!" she snarled. "There they come:
+
+
+                  "'Join all hands
+                     Might and main,
+                   Weave the sands,
+                     Form a chain.
+                   Spirits black
+                     And spirits white,
+     Let the first-born know the truth to-night.'"
+
+
+Now whether I was carried away by superstitious fear or no I will not
+say. I simply put down in simple words that which I saw and heard. For a
+few seconds all was still, and then the room seemed full of strange,
+wailing sounds, while Betsey continued to blow the liquid in the crock
+and utter meaningless words.
+
+"Look in the crock, Jasper Pennington," she said.
+
+[Illustration: "'LOOK IN THE CROCK, JASPER PENNINGTON,' SHE SAID."]
+
+I looked on the dark liquid, but I could see nothing.
+
+She blew again. "Now look," she repeated.
+
+As I looked something dark and formless seemed to rise in the crock, but
+I saw nothing distinctly.
+
+"Git away," she snarled; "I'll look."
+
+"A rollin' say, Jasper. Waves like mountains; then a black hole, black
+as pitch, and great high walls. After that--I'll tell 'ee dreckly. As
+for the maid, laive me zee.
+
+
+           'Priests all shaved
+           Clothed in black.
+           Convent walls,
+           Screws and rack.
+     Women walkin' in procession,
+     Cravin' for a dead man's blessin'.
+     Weepin' eyes, wailing cries,
+     Lonely, lonely, oal alone,
+     A heart as cold as any stone
+     Cryin' for a hopeless love.
+     Helpless, harmless as a dove,
+     Others spend the damsel's gold,
+     And only half the taale is told.'"
+
+
+Now, as I said when I commenced writing this history, there are many
+things which happened to me that I cannot understand. For my own part, I
+have tried to explain away what Betsey told me even in the light of
+after events, which I shall tell presently. I have tried again and again
+to show that her words were very vague, and could have no definite
+meaning. I maintained this to Mr. John Wesley when I told him the story,
+but he shook his head, and said something about dreaming dreams and
+seeing visions. Not that I attach any undue weight to Mr. Wesley's
+words. I have nothing against this man; but, for my own part, the old
+religion of the parish church and the Prayer-book is good enough for me.
+These Methodists, who have grown very mighty these last few years, who
+claim a sort of superior religion, and tell a man he's going to hell
+because he's fond of wrestling, are nothing in my way. The Penningtons
+have been wrestlers for generations, and never threw a man unfairly;
+besides, they always shook hands before and after the hitch as honest,
+kindly men should, and when I'm told that they were on the wrong road
+because of this I say the new religion does not suit me. At the same
+time, Mr. John Wesley, who is doubtless a good man, although some folks
+call him a Papist and others a madman, did believe Betsey Fraddam had
+powers which the common run of folks do not possess. Not that he
+believed that those powers were good; concerning that the great man was
+very reserved.
+
+But I am going away from my story, and that I must not do, for I have
+many things to tell, so many that it will not be well for me to stray
+away from the track of the tale.
+
+I must confess that the words which I heard Betsey say impressed me very
+much, so much that they were engraved on my memory. Besides, I had
+become more and more interested in what she was doing, and was now eager
+to hear more.
+
+"What is the half of the tale which is not told?" I asked, eagerly.
+
+But she did not reply.
+
+"Eli, Eli, you hear?" she cried.
+
+"Iss, iss," grunted Eli. "'Tes the smugglin' gang."
+
+"'Tes Jack! Jasper, you mus'n be seed. Git out in the gar'n."
+
+"He caan't," laughed Eli. "The spence, Jasper. Run to the spence."
+
+I entered a door which opened into a small compartment, in the which
+Betsey's firewood, a box of tools, and many household utensils were
+hidden.
+
+I had scarcely closed the door when I heard the voices of Cap'n Jack
+Truscott and others of his gang.
+
+I kept very quiet, for I knew that if I were discovered my life would
+not be worth an hour's purchase. I was very anxious, too, for I was not
+quite sure of Betsey's feelings toward me. All the same I listened very
+intently.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+BETSEY FRADDAM AND CAP'N JACK MEET--I GO TO FALMOUTH AND MEET
+NAOMI--AFTERWARD I SEE MR. JOHN WESLEY
+
+
+"Well, Betsey, my deear," I heard Cap'n Jack say, "still on yer ould
+gaame. I hop' we've brok' the spell, my deear. Ted'n vitty, I tell 'ee.
+A pious man like me do nat'rally grieve over the sins of the flesh. But
+'ere's Cap'n Billy Coad; you ain't a spoke to 'ee 'et."
+
+I wished that there had been a hole in the door, for I had a great
+desire to see Billy Coad, of whom I had heard Cap'n Jack speak so often.
+I heard his voice, however. It was softer even than Cap'n Jack's, and
+was of a wheedling tone, as though he wanted to get on comfortably with
+every one.
+
+"Hope you be braave, Cap'n Billy," croaked Betsey. "Eli, put away this
+broth; thews booys doan't want none of that soort."
+
+"No, Betsey, it do grieve me, yer nearest blood relation, to zee 'ee
+follin' in such ways."
+
+"You've bin glad ov me, though," retorted Betsey.
+
+"Iss, you be a gifted woman. You got et from Granfer. He tould 'ee a lot
+ov things, ded'na then?"
+
+"Mor'n I shell tell."
+
+"Come now, Betsey, laive us be oal comfortable like. You've got your
+gifts, and I've got mine. I doan't care 'bout sperrits to-night, Betsey;
+but you've got some good wine--that I knaw. Ah! Cap'n Billy ded some
+good trade on his laast voyage."
+
+"Good traade," sneered Betsey. "What's your traade nowadays? Zee wot
+Granfer ded."
+
+"Iss, I've wanted to talk to 'ee 'bout et, Betsey, my deear. I've bin
+very good to you."
+
+I heard some clinking of glass, and I knew they were drinking. I had
+heard only two voices, but by the footsteps I judged that more than two
+might have entered the cottage. In this, however, I was mistaken, for
+the others who had come with him left at the door.
+
+"Iss, I've bin very good to you and Eli," repeated Cap'n Jack. "You've
+never wanted summin' warm to drink."
+
+"A fat lot I've 'ad from 'ee," retorted Betsey, "and I ain't a wanted
+nothin' nuther. I've got my 'ouse, and I've got summin' to ait, so've
+Eli."
+
+"Iss. I sh'll make a man o' Eli."
+
+I heard Eli laugh in his strange, gurgling way.
+
+"I've made money, more'n Tamsin 'll want; well, and why sha'ant Eli 'ave
+some ov it?"
+
+"What 'ee'll git from you'll be good for sore eyes," snarled the old
+woman. "Ugh, ef I wanted money--aw, aw!--well, I knaw!"
+
+"You'm thinkin' 'bout the treasure. But you caan't git et, Betsey. Ef
+ould Granfer ded bury it some where out to say--well, you caan't git et.
+But ded a bury a treasure, Betsey, ef 'ee ded, why ded a die so poor?"
+
+Betsey did not reply.
+
+"Doan't you think 'tes oal lies, Betsey? Where's the paper weth the
+dreckshuns? I knaw 'ee sailed weth Cap'n Blackbeard, everybody do knaw
+that, and it's zed that the Cap'n was very rich--took oal soarts of
+things from the Spaniards and the Portugeese; but then where ded a put
+et? Zum zay on Lundy Island, others that he found a caave in Annette
+Island, and others that he found a place on the South Says; but ed'n et
+oal a taale, Betsey, my deear?"
+
+Betsey remained silent, while Eli grunted.
+
+"Granfer zaid that he stailed the dreckshuns," continued Cap'n Jack; "ef
+a ded, where be um?"
+
+"'Spoase I was to tell 'ee?" sneered Betsey. "Well, you'd git et. As fur
+Eli, 'ee cud go a-beggin'."
+
+"Eli shud 'ave aaf," said Cap'n Jack, with a most terrible oath, "and
+Billy and we'd 'ave the other aaf far our share. Tha's fair, Betsey."
+
+"No, no, no!" cried Eli, "it's oal lies, oal lies!" And there was, I
+thought, a note of fear in his voice.
+
+"Mind, Betsey," cried Cap'n Jack, "whether you tell me or no, we'll vind
+out. Ef you've eed away they dreckshuns, we'll vind um, mind that!"
+
+"You've zaid zo afore," sneered Betsey.
+
+"'Ave us? Zo we 'ave," replied Cap'n Jack, "but I be a religious man. I
+want to trait my relaashuns fair, I do; everybody that do knaw me, do
+knaw that, doan't 'em, Cap'n Billy? An' Billy is a religious man, too;
+hes religious experience es a powerful sermon. Well, I've talked oal
+soarts of ways 'bout that treasure, Betsey--I 'ave. I've zaid I doan't
+bleeve in et, zo I 'ave. But wot then? Well, I'm a-goin' to vind et!"
+
+"Aw, aw!" chuckled Betsey.
+
+"I'm a man to my word, zo's Billy. Whenever I've zaid a thing I've done
+it."
+
+"Aw, tha's ev et es et. I've 'eerd you zay that any man who runned away
+from your gang you'd kill. I've 'eerd you zay you'd do fur Jasper
+Penninton. 'Ave 'ee, Jack Fraddam? Why, 'ee got off bootiful--jist
+through a maid--iss, and went to say, and no one stopped un!"
+
+"And why, Betsey, why? 'Cos I am a fond and lovin' vather, that's why.
+Tamsin made a vool ov me, tha's why. I maade a mistake in takin' Jasper
+to Kynance, 'cos Tamsin got to like un. Well, I lowed un to git away. I
+promist Tamsin that while he kipt his tongue 'atween hes teeth I'd laive
+un go. But laive un tell things, laive un tell anybody where our caaves
+be, laive un split 'bout other things he do know--well!" and Cap'n Jack
+grunted significantly.
+
+"Aw, aw," sneered Betsey, "he strangled Israel Barnicoat, and thrawed
+the lantern ovver the cliff. An' ther' was no wreck that night. Aw, aw!
+You be a man, you be!"
+
+"A merciful, pious man, tha's wot I be. But doan't 'ee laugh, Betsey. Do
+'ee think I dunnaw that Jasper landed in Fammuth to-day? He's watched, I
+tell 'ee."
+
+At this the sweat streamed out over every part of my body, and I
+hardened my muscles to fight for dear life. I felt that Cap'n Jack's was
+no vain threat, and that I owed my life to Tamsin.
+
+"Where es a now, then?" queried Betsey.
+
+"He's lyin' luff in Fammuth town, my deear; but 'ee must be very
+careful."
+
+At this I breathed more freely again.
+
+"I'm a kind man," continued Cap'n Jack; "I've bin kind to you, Betsey. I
+knaw that ef you've got they dreckshuns you've kipt 'em for Eli. But,
+Betsey, my deear, 'ee caan't do nothin' by hisself. We'll share fair,
+Betsey; I'll give my Bible oath to that."
+
+"I taake no noatice ov yur Bible oaths," snarled Betsey, "but I knaw
+you'd kipt to what yer promised. Ef you ded'n, I'd make yer flesh drop
+off yer boans bit by bit; I'd make yer joints twist wrong way 'bout; I'd
+make 'ee suffer pains wuss'n the fires ov the bottomless pit; I'd raise
+the sperrits of--"
+
+"Doan't 'ee, Betsey," cried Cap'n Jack, and his voice trembled with
+fear. "I knaw you be a gifted woman; I knaw you can do terrible things.
+Ef there's a treasure, Betsey, laive me vind et, and Eli sh'll live in
+the finest state o' land in this blessed county."
+
+"I'll think 'bout it. I caan't raid, that you knaw--but, but come out
+'ere in the gar'n, Jack."
+
+With that, Billy Coad, Cap'n Jack, and Betsey went into the garden,
+while Eli sat by the chimney and chuckled as though a great joy had come
+into his heart.
+
+They did not stay long, and I suspected that Betsey told them something
+she did not wish me to know. When they came back again I heard Betsey
+tell Eli to fetch the crock and brandis into the middle of the room.
+
+After that Betsey blew on the pot again, as I had seen her blow, and she
+made the two men repeat things after her which I did not hear
+distinctly, and all the time I heard Eli chuckling and grunting as
+though he enjoyed himself vastly.
+
+After this all the four went into the garden, and they stayed there a
+long while, leaving me to muse over the strange things I had heard. Not
+that it came altogether as a surprise to me, for I had often heard of
+Granfer Fraddam knowing something about a treasure. I do not think any
+one had taken much notice of it, for there were scores of meaningless
+stories about lost treasures that passed from lip to lip among the
+gossips in the days when I was young.
+
+Now, however, that which I had heard caused me much food for thought,
+and I wondered whether there was any truth in the story. I determined,
+too, that I would ask Eli, for I believed that what Betsey knew he would
+know. I saw, too, that he loved me, and I was sure that he was anxious
+to serve me.
+
+When Betsey and Eli came back the two men had gone, and then I came from
+my hiding-place, and began to ply them with questions. But neither of
+them would give me answers. Betsey seemed very thoughtful, while Eli
+pulled some sacks from under the settle, so that I might have a bed.
+
+Before Betsey climbed the creaky stairs which led to the room where she
+slept, she fixed her whitey, shining eyes upon me, and, holding up her
+hand, she bade me be silent about what I had seen and heard.
+
+"Ef you tell, Jasper Penninton," she croaked, "ef you tell--you've eerd
+ov fallin' flesh a'ant 'ee? Well, think ov it."
+
+"I shall say nothing," I replied.
+
+"No," she said, continuing to look steadily on me, "no, you wa'ant. I
+c'n zee you wa'ant."
+
+Then she left me, while I lay down on the sacks fearing nothing living,
+but fearing the dead terribly. For it seemed to me as though Betsey had
+been doing that which was unlawful, and that I was a party to her plans.
+And so I could not sleep for a long time; not, indeed, until the light
+of morning began to stream through the cottage window, and then I felt
+to laugh at it all. Betsey's signs and Betsey's words were so much
+foolery, while the conversation about the buried treasure was no more
+true than the stories which were believed in superstitious days.
+Besides, thoughts of Naomi drove away all else, although everything came
+back to me afterward. When my fears went, however, sleep came to my
+eyes, and I did not awake until I felt Eli fondling my hands, and heard
+him telling me that breakfast was ready.
+
+Then I arose, upbraiding myself for having slept so long, for I had
+intended finding my way to Pennington in the early morning. I know this
+seemed very foolish, for if the Tresidders found me on the land they
+called theirs all my purposes would be frustrated.
+
+"Breakfas', breakfas', Jasper," said Eli.
+
+"No, I'm going out," I replied.
+
+"Ted'n no use, ted'n no use," grunted the poor dwarf, "she ed'n there."
+
+"Where is she, then?"
+
+"Jist agone by, ridin' to Fammuth town."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I zeed um. She and Maaster Tresidder, and Maaster Nick Tresidder, and
+Miss Em'ly."
+
+"Are you sure, Eli?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+Then I quickly ate what had been prepared for me, and when I had given
+Betsey a guinea out of the few I had been able to earn during the time I
+had been away, I tramped to Falmouth. I arrived there in less than two
+hours from the time I had left Betsey's cottage, trying to make plans as
+I went. I walked up and down Falmouth street several times, all the time
+looking around in the hopes of finding her, not because I could do
+anything if I found her, but because I longed greatly to see her, longed
+more than words can tell. At length noonday came and still my eyes
+continued to ache for a sight of her, while my heart grew heavy. I
+found, too, that the streets became more and more crowded every minute,
+until I asked myself if it were a fair. But such was not the case. The
+reason of the crowd was that Mr. John Wesley had come to Falmouth, and
+his coming had caused a great uproar. I heard all sorts of stories about
+him, and many were the threats that were made. Some said he was a
+Papist, who wanted to bring back Popery to the country, while others
+declared that he wanted to raise a rebellion against the king and crown.
+Several clergymen from distant parishes had come into the town, and
+these, almost without exception, were very bitter toward him; while the
+publicans, who did a very big trade that day because of his coming,
+cried out against him very loudly. On the other hand, I heard that many
+people had come because of the great good he had done, and because
+through him they had been led, to use their own language, to become new
+creatures. This I will say, those who befriended Mr. Wesley seemed very
+steady folks. They used no bad language, neither were they mad with
+drink as many of the others were.
+
+I did not pay as much heed to the state of the town as I might have paid
+under other circumstances, for I cared for little but the sight of
+Naomi's face, while to hear her voice I felt I would give anything.
+
+Now as I walked disconsolately along the street, finding my way among
+the crowd that grew greater and greater, I stopped outside a
+linen-draper's shop, which was kept by one Humphry Bolitho, and to my
+great joy I saw Naomi coming therefrom. By her side was Emily Tresidder,
+and I was wondering how I could speak to my love, when the woman in the
+shop called Richard Tresidder's daughter back just as Naomi's eyes met
+mine.
+
+She gave no start of surprise at seeing me, so that even then I was sure
+that the Tresidders knew of my return, but she seemed, I thought, in
+doubt as to whether she should speak to me. But I had found my
+opportunity, and I determined not to be baulked in my purpose,
+especially as Emily Tresidder had gone back into the shop again. And yet
+at that moment I knew not what was fitting to say, for my heart seemed
+in my mouth, and every inch of my body quivered with a strange joy.
+
+"Miss Naomi," I stammered, hardly knowing the words that came from my
+mouth, "thank you for what you did months ago. I loved you then, I love
+you a thousand times more now."
+
+I saw the blood mount to her brow, and for a moment I could not tell
+whether she was angry or no. She looked anxiously back into the shop,
+then up and down the street.
+
+"You are in danger here," she said.
+
+"I care not, now I see you," I cried. "I have done nothing wrong, except
+that I am doing wrong in loving you. I have not won back Pennington yet,
+but I will do it, God helping, I will, if--if you will give me just one
+word of promise."
+
+I spoke in a low tone so that no one could hear, and indeed the crowd
+seemed too much bent on other things to notice me.
+
+"It is no use," she said--"it is no use. Do not try any more, it is
+hopeless."
+
+"I shall never give up hope," I said.
+
+"Even now my guardian is seeking to do you harm," she cried. "This I
+know."
+
+"I am not afraid of him," I cried. "You know what I told you--that
+night--last November. You did not scorn me then. I hoped then that some
+day you might care for me; it is my hope still."
+
+"It is no use," she cried again, looking anxiously around her--"it is
+no use. I am to be married to Nick Tresidder; at least they all want me
+to marry him."
+
+"No!" I cried. "No!"
+
+"I cannot help myself," she said, piteously.
+
+"Do you love him?" I asked.
+
+"No," she said, again looking eagerly around.
+
+"Then!" I cried, "you shall not marry him. I will keep you from that,
+even if I found you by his side at the church communion-rails."
+
+Then my heart jumped for joy, for I saw a look of gladness flash into
+her eyes.
+
+"Come with me," I continued; "come away where it is quiet. No one will
+notice us among all this crowd."
+
+"No, no, I dare not; I am watched everywhere, and you are watched. We
+may be safe here for a few minutes longer, for when Emily is talking
+about finery she is forgetful of all else, but I must not leave here."
+
+"Look here," I cried, "Betsey Fraddam told me last night that all sorts
+of lying stories have been told about me."
+
+"I have believed none of them," she cried.
+
+"Also that Nick Tresidder has told the parson to have your banns called
+at the parish church."
+
+"But not with my consent," she said, eagerly, and again my heart thumped
+aloud because of my joy.
+
+"Naomi Penryn," I cried, "I know I seem a worthless, thriftless sort of
+fellow, for as yet I have done nothing to get back Pennington, but if
+you could love me just a little"--and I looked toward her appealingly.
+"Anyhow, trust me," I continued, "and be not afraid. Remember I shall
+love you till I die, and I will be always near you to be your friend."
+
+I said this in the heat of my love and youth, for nothing seemed
+impossible to me then. Somehow, I knew not how, a greater strength had
+seemed to come into my life, and I laughed at difficulty and danger.
+
+"Go!" she cried--"go; Emily Tresidder is coming. Go!"
+
+"Not yet, the woman is showing her something else," and I felt thankful
+because of this girl's love for finery. "Promise me," I continued, "that
+you will not yield to those Tresidders. Stand firm, and they will be
+afraid to force you. Remember, I will be always near, if I can, and that
+they dare not harm you. Besides--oh, if you knew all you are to me!"
+
+She looked at me eagerly while a film seemed to come over her eyes, and
+I thought she was about to say something. Then a look of terror flashed
+across her face. "Go!" she cried--"go! There is my guardian! Oh, take
+care of yourself!" and then she rushed into the shop, leaving me
+standing by the door, and only partially hidden from the crowd by some
+things which had been placed by the door.
+
+I quickly got among the crowd, but I know that both Nick Tresidder and
+his father saw me, and I knew, too, that if they went into Humphry
+Bolitho's shop they would find out that Naomi had spoken to me. And yet
+I felt very joyous. I knew, although Naomi had not told me she loved me,
+that she thought of me with more than passing kindness, while the flash
+of her eyes told me that she could not be moulded at will, even by such
+men as the Tresidders and such a woman as Richard Tresidder's mother.
+Naturally I felt afraid for her, and for all she would have to suffer,
+and yet the remembrance of the fact that she would speak to me kindly,
+and had told me to take care of myself, as though she were anxious for
+my welfare, filled me with a great hope, and hope giveth wings of
+strength to those who are weighted with great burdens.
+
+I had not been in the crowd above a minute before I felt myself carried
+along the street, as if by the force of a mighty torrent. I was hemmed
+in on every side by a seething mass of men and women, some of whom were
+praying and singing, while others used many profane words, and uttered
+threats which would not be seemly for me to write down. I quickly
+learned that the people were making their way toward the house of a lady
+who, I was told, was called Mrs. Bennetto, although I am not sure that
+this was the correct name. I asked why they wanted to get there, and was
+told that Mr. John Wesley was there, and that many were determined to
+kill him. Most of the crowd, as I have said before, seemed exceedingly
+bitter toward him, but others were loud in their praises of the great
+man, and although they were severely buffeted they kept singing the
+hymns he had composed, some of which seemed very fine in their
+sentiment, although I must confess that the meaning of some of the
+verses I could not understand.
+
+When we arrived at the house where he was there was a great amount of
+shouting, so great that had a storm been raging at sea close by I do not
+think we could have heard it.
+
+"Laive us git to un, laive us git to un!" shouted the crowd, eagerly and
+angrily.
+
+Now I have always loved fair play, and so I asked why they wanted to get
+to Mr. Wesley, and at that moment there being a lull, and my voice being
+deep and strong, my question was heard.
+
+"He's a Canorum," they shouted; "he's a Papist, he drives men and women
+maazed, he keeps 'em from goin' to church, he destroys honest trade!"
+These among other things I heard as I struggled to get to the door.
+
+There was no law or order in the place. Not a single constable seemed to
+be near, and for the moment the friends of the preacher seemed to be
+afraid to act in his defence.
+
+Presently I got to the door of the house, and I think my great
+proportions frightened some of them.
+
+"Look you," I said, "he is one and you are many. I do not know this man,
+but I have heard up and down the country that he hath done much good. If
+any man dares molest him, I will strike him down as I would strike down
+a yelping cur."
+
+For a moment there was a quiet, and the friends of Mr. Wesley took
+heart, for although it seems like boasting to say so, I think the sight
+of one strong, courageous man, as I thank God I have ever been, always
+has a tendency to quell the anger of an unreasoning mob.
+
+"He's not a friend to the people," they cried. "He's destroyed the trade
+of Jemmy Crowle, who do kip a kiddleywink over to Zennor. Ted'n no use
+kippin' a public 'ouse after he've bin to a plaace. He do turn people
+maazed. He do convert 'em, and then they waan't zing songs, nor git
+drunk, nor do a bit of smugglin', nor nothin'."
+
+This was said not as I have written it down, but came to me in confused,
+excited ejaculations from many quarters.
+
+"If that is all he has done," I said, "there is no reason for anger."
+
+For a moment there was a silence among the crowd, and I heard voices
+from within the house.
+
+Said a woman, "Oh, sir, what must we do?"
+
+"We must pray," was the reply. This was in a man's voice, and was
+strangely sweet and strong, and even then it thrilled me greatly.
+
+I believe that many, angry as they had been, would have turned away at
+that moment, but some drunken privateers were among the mob, and one of
+them came and pushed me savagely. I caught the man up and lifted him
+above my head and threw him from me. This angered the privateers
+greatly, and they smashed down the door while others swore great oaths
+at me.
+
+"What will em do weth the Canorum?" I heard the people cry, and then
+there was a silence again. I think they were subdued, as I was subdued,
+by the sound of a man's voice.
+
+"Here I am," I heard Mr. Wesley say, "which of you has anything to say
+to me? To whom have I done wrong? To you, to you?"
+
+At this the people seemed eager beyond measure to catch sight of him,
+and they shouted, "Come out, come out. Lev us zee 'ee."
+
+Others again shouted, "Ef we can git to un, we'll kill un. We doan't
+want no Canorums, we doan't want no new sort ov religion. We like our
+beer and wrastlin', we do."
+
+"Look," I shouted, "give every man fair play. Let him speak for himself.
+If he has anything to tell us, let him tell it."
+
+"Iss, iss," shouted the crowd; "lev un spaik."
+
+With that I heard the same voice speaking which I had heard inside the
+house, only this time it was louder. It was not panic-stricken, it was
+perfectly calm and fearless. It was strangely sweet, too, and it
+reached, I should think, to the very outskirts of the crowd. A strange
+hush fell upon the people as they heard it. It was like a stormy sea
+which had suddenly become calm.
+
+"Neighbours and countrymen," said the voice, "do you desire me to
+speak?"
+
+"No, no," shouted some; "put un in stocks, throw un in the say."
+
+Then I spoke again. "Fair play, Cornishmen," I said, "give the stranger
+fair play, let him speak."
+
+"Iss, iss," cried the larger part of the crowd; "he sh'll 'ave fair
+play, he sh'll spaik."
+
+With that a gangway was made, and then I turned and saw the man who had
+created such a great commotion in the country come bareheaded into the
+middle of the street, while the surging crowd hustled each other, some
+eager to do him injury, but many more anxious to hear what he had to
+say.
+
+As for myself, I was silent, for the sight of him impressed me greatly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+I AM TAKEN PRISONER, AND AFTERWARD EXPERIENCE MANY STRANGE THINGS--I AT
+LENGTH FIND MYSELF IN A DUNGEON
+
+
+There was nothing at first sight very striking about Mr. John Wesley's
+appearance. He was, I thought, rather undersized, and I at that moment
+failed to see what there was about him to cause so much commotion. And
+yet as I looked again I could not help being impressed with the calm
+strength which shone from his eyes. He seemed to possess a power unknown
+to most men. Had I, Jasper Pennington, been brought face to face with
+such a crowd, I should have challenged the strongest man there to come
+out and let us fight a fair battle, but Mr. Wesley seemed only desirous
+to do good. He spoke calmly and with much assurance about our being
+sinners, and being children of hell, but that we could be saved from
+everlasting perdition by believing in Christ, who had appeased God's
+anger toward us.
+
+Now, I am not a critical man, but even at that moment I could not quite
+see his meaning, for it seemed as though God were divided against
+Himself, and that God the Son felt differently toward us from what God
+the Father felt, and this, to an unlearned man like myself, brought only
+confusion. Moreover, as he spoke, while I could not help admiring his
+courage, and vowing in my heart that all one man could do to defend him
+I would do, I felt that he was not altogether a lovable man. He spoke
+with a sort of superiority which I did not admire, while he seemed to
+think greatly of himself. I know it sounds like presumption for me, an
+obscure, ignorant man, to write this, especially when I think of the
+good he has done; nevertheless, such thoughts came into my mind as I
+watched him. Perhaps his consciousness of his power over the multitudes
+merely gave him a confidence which I did not understand, or perhaps the
+fact that he was one of the principal men of the age made him feel his
+importance, for I think a man must be more than human if, talked about
+as Mr. Wesley has been, he does not become possessed of great esteem for
+himself.
+
+After he had been talking a few minutes, however, I forgot all this. His
+little form seemed to dilate with a strange life, and many evil men
+groaned, as if with anguish. His voice became more and more resonant,
+and presently a touch of tenderness, which was at first absent, mingled
+with his tones.
+
+Before long that great crowd became subdued, and then I realised the
+power of the human voice, of true courage, and of a good life; for I
+believe that the mob realised, although they might not be able to put
+their thoughts into words, that this man was gifted with an influence
+which can only come by means known to those who live with God.
+
+After he had been speaking some time a clergyman, accompanied by some of
+the principal people of the town, spoke to the people, and he so angered
+them that I believe injury would have been done had not the town
+officials been present. Even with their presence Mr. Wesley seemed in
+great danger, and so, in my anxiety to help him, for he had stirred my
+heart greatly during the latter part of his address, I came to his side.
+
+"No man shall touch Master Wesley," said I.
+
+He looked up at me, for I think I was about a foot taller than he, and
+he said, "Thank you, young man."
+
+"Whither would you go?" I said. "I will walk by your side, and will let
+no man harm you."
+
+"I thank you," he repeated. "God hath evidently gifted you with great
+strength. Use it for His glory. I will accept your escort to Mrs.
+Maddern's house, but I have a strength which is omnipotent on my side. I
+will trust and not be afraid."
+
+Even as he spoke I felt how true were his words, and then we walked down
+the street toward the sea, he continuing to preach most of the time.
+
+When we reached the door of Mrs. Maddern's he said, "What is your name,
+young man?"
+
+"Jasper Pennington," I replied.
+
+"It is an old Cornish name," he replied, and then, looking into my eyes,
+he said, "Is your heart at peace with God and man--especially with man?"
+This he asked meaningly.
+
+I did not answer him, for it occurred to me that the town officials who
+walked with him had told him who I was, although I had not heard.
+
+"Trust in the Lord and do good, Jasper Pennington," he said, quietly,
+"_so_ shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
+Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of
+thine heart."
+
+Then he went into the house, and I felt as though a benediction rested
+upon me.
+
+I waited outside with the crowd, expecting him to come out again, but
+after a time they heard that he had got into a boat from the back of the
+house, for the sea came up close to the back of the house, and by this
+means he was able to escape, mingling with the crowd again.
+
+It was now well on to six o'clock in the evening, but being summertime
+the light was still bright; indeed, the sun was yet high in the heavens.
+So I left the people who wanted to have a last look at Mr. Wesley, and
+who found their way to the seashore in great numbers. I went slowly
+toward Humphry Bolitho's shop, musing upon what the great man had said
+to me, but thinking far more of my meeting with Naomi. It is true I was
+too excited to understand its real significance, but the impression left
+upon me was gladsome, and, although my prospects seemed dark, my heart
+beat high with hope. Perhaps the peaceful words that Mr. Wesley had
+spoken to me made me rejoice, but the fact that Naomi had spoken kindly
+to me was that upon which my mind rested most fondly.
+
+When I got to Humphry Bolitho's shop I looked eagerly inside, as though
+I expected to see Naomi there, but only strangers were within the
+building, and then I came to the spot where, a year before, I had been
+publicly degraded, and where I had first seen my love. Then my mind and
+heart were full of bitterness, and yet perhaps the piteousness of my
+condition had caused her to think kindly of me. And so, even at the
+place of my degradation, I hoped that my enemies' deeds might work out
+for me an exceeding great reward. Neither did I feel so bitterly toward
+the Tresidder family. I still determined to win back my own and to
+fulfil my promise to my father, but I wished my enemies no harm. Even
+then I wondered whether John Wesley's words were not a prophecy,
+providing I would fulfil the conditions.
+
+But this feeling did not last long. I began to picture the danger Naomi
+was in; I thought of Nick Tresidder trying to persuade her to marry him;
+I thought of the threats that might be used; I called to mind the power
+of the woman who had persuaded my grandfather to be unkind to his only
+son, and then I was afraid, for if Naomi married Nick, what joy should I
+have in life; ay, what would Pennington be to me? It would seem only an
+empty tomb, while my heart would be eaten out with vain longings even to
+the end of my days; for such is the mystery of life, and such is the
+value of a woman's life to the man who loves her. I had seen Naomi only
+a few times, while I had had but little intercourse with her, and yet
+she was more to me than aught else. But for her I think I should have
+given up hope, and when hope is gone all is gone.
+
+I went back toward the sea again, musing over my hopes and my
+difficulties, when I saw Israel Barnicoat stumbling along the street,
+seemingly intoxicated. Not wishing to be seen by him, I went into an inn
+to escape him and to get some refreshments, for I remembered that I had
+eaten nothing since morning. The landlord of the inn, John Snell by
+name, had known me in my more prosperous days, and he asked me to come
+into the parlour, which he assured me was empty. So, desiring quiet, I
+accepted his invitation. I had been there perhaps an hour, and I was
+planning what I should do that night when John Snell came into the room
+and brought me a letter.
+
+"A booy 'ave jist brought it, Maaster Jasper," he said.
+
+"A letter for me!" I cried, in astonishment.
+
+"Iss; ther's your naame top of it, edn't et?"
+
+I read the inscription--"Jasper Pennington, Esquire."
+
+Now the word "Esquire" set me wondering; moreover, it set my heart
+a-beating hard, for I thought I recognised the writing, and yet I was
+not sure.
+
+I did not break the seal because, although John Snell seemed friendly
+toward me, I did not wish him to be present when I read the missive, for
+I hoped that Naomi was the writer.
+
+Presently John left me alone, and then I anxiously read and re-read the
+words which had been written. They were very few, but they made my heart
+burn with great joy, for they told me that I might soon see my love
+again. This is what was written:
+
+
+     "If you would help me, meet me to-night at Pendennis Castle gates
+     at the hour of ten. I would then tell you what was impossible for
+     me to say at Humphry Bolitho's shop. If you love me, do not fail; I
+     am in greater danger than you think. If you fail our only hope is
+     gone."
+
+
+Now, as I said, I read this letter many times, and pondered greatly over
+its contents. I made up my mind I would not fail, for the letter told me
+of Naomi's love and Naomi's danger. The thought of speaking to her
+without hindrance was joy beyond all words; so much joy did I feel,
+indeed, that I thought not of where Naomi was when she wrote it, or how
+she was to escape her guardian while she spoke to me. Enough that her
+own hands had penned these lines to me, while the joy coming from the
+thought that she sought my help made me incapable of thinking clearly. I
+was sure that her hands had traced these lines, for I compared them
+with the other letter I had received from her, and which I carried with
+me wherever I went; and so long before the hour of ten I made my way
+toward Pendennis Castle. The little town was nearly asleep. No sounds
+reached me save those of revellers in some kiddleywinks near the shore.
+As I walked along many doubts came to me. By what means would Naomi
+reach the castle gates? Who would accompany her? for I could not think
+she would come alone. What was the reason she was staying in Falmouth
+over night? And, above all, how would she elude the vigilance of those
+who guarded her?
+
+Had I long to wait I have no doubt that many more questions would have
+arisen in my mind, for in spite of my joyful anticipations my mind began
+to clear, and I thought of many things which did not come to me as I
+read the letter. Besides, try as I might to throw off the feeling, a
+great dread laid hold of me, and I began to look anxiously around me, as
+if fearful of my surroundings.
+
+Below me, in the near distance, the waves swished on the shore, while
+out at sea, perhaps a mile, I could see the lights of a ship twinkling.
+But for the musical sound of the waves all was silent; the night was
+clear and bright; the moon's beams played with the sea, making the waves
+shine like diamonds. Even although my mind was filled with many doubts,
+I felt that I had seldom seen a fairer night, and I dreamed of leading
+Naomi to the lanes outside the town and telling her again of my love.
+
+Presently I came to the drawbridge near the castle gates. I knew it was
+nearly ten o'clock, but it might want a few minutes to the hour, so I
+went and leaned against the castle walls.
+
+I thought I heard a whisper, for my ears were eager to catch the sound
+of my love's footsteps; so I went back to the gates again; then I heard
+a quick shuffling of feet, and before I could turn around my arms were
+pinioned, my eyes were bandaged, and some woollen substance was thrust
+into my mouth.
+
+I saw now what the letter meant. It was not written by Naomi at all, and
+in my heart I cursed myself as a blockhead for being so easily duped. I
+heard the gruff voices of men, and among others I felt sure I heard that
+of Israel Barnicoat. For some few minutes, although my hands were
+pinioned, I struggled fiercely, but it was of no use; besides, I heard a
+threatening voice near me saying, "You be quiet, Jasper Pennington, or
+you'll be thrawed over the cliff. Doan't 'ee make no mistake now!"
+
+I could not speak, neither could I see, so I became passive, and they
+led me along a road which I knew descended. The sound of the waves
+became nearer and nearer, so I judged we were going to the sea. In this
+I was correct. A few seconds later I heard the sound of paddles, and
+then I was half led, half lifted into a boat.
+
+I tried to get the woollen material with which I had been gagged out of
+my mouth, for it made me sick; moreover, I found it hard to breathe, but
+I tried in vain. So I bore up as well as I could, wondering where I was
+to be taken and what was to become of me. I did not think they meant to
+kill me, or they would have thrown me over the cliff at Pendennis Point,
+so I came to the conclusion that Cap'n Jack Truscott's gang had got hold
+of me, and that they would take me to Kynance. I listened eagerly to
+hear the sound of his voice, but could not; but I felt sure I had heard
+Israel Barnicoat's, and this confirmed me in my opinion.
+
+I was angry at this, not so much for myself as for Naomi. Never until
+then did I feel how much she was in Richard Tresidder's power; never did
+I feel so certain as then that every means would be used to marry her to
+his son. And I had vainly thought that I would stay near to help her,
+and that I would save her from the power of my enemies. Now, however, a
+few hours after I had come back to Cornwall, I was taken a prisoner.
+
+I sat upright in the boat. On each side of me sat a man holding me,
+while two men rowed. There were others near me, as I knew by the sound
+of their voices; how many I did not know. After I had sat thus for
+perhaps half an hour the rowing ceased, and I felt our boat thump
+against some hard substance, and by the movement of the men I knew that
+some new steps were to be taken.
+
+A few seconds later I heard sounds above me; then my hands were loosed,
+but the bandage was not taken away from my eyes.
+
+"Stand upright," said a voice.
+
+I stood upright.
+
+"Lay 'old ov this."
+
+A piece of rope was put in my hand.
+
+"You've got 'old of a rope ladder. Now climb."
+
+I felt with my hands, and discovered that the man had spoken truly. I
+knew it was useless to disobey, so I started to climb. In a few seconds
+I felt my arms grasped by hard hands, and I was dragged on to the deck
+of a vessel.
+
+I made no sound; I could not, for I was still gagged.
+
+"Come weth wee."
+
+I knew by the dialect that Cornishmen still spoke, and a few seconds
+later I felt myself descending a stairway with two men holding me.
+
+By the motion I judged that I was on a pretty large vessel, and this
+caused me to wonder greatly, for a large vessel would not be needed to
+take me to Kynance, neither would Cap'n Jack use one for such a purpose.
+I then thought I must be in the hands of the press-gang, and this was
+not altogether unpleasant, for I thought I might be able to escape, or
+use means whereby I should be able to communicate with Naomi.
+
+A few seconds later I knew that I was enclosed in some sort of a cabin,
+and then I felt a great relief, for my gag was pulled from my mouth. I
+tried to speak, but I could not; my tongue seemed swollen and my throat
+was parched, but it was pleasant to me to be able to breathe freely.
+
+At length I made a great effort.
+
+"Why am I taken here?" I asked.
+
+No one spoke.
+
+"What have I done that I should be treated thus?" I asked. "I have
+harmed no man. I arrived in Falmouth only yesterday. What is your will
+with me?"
+
+Still no one spoke.
+
+"Pull the bandage from my eyes and let me see, I cried. I said this
+because two men still held my arms firmly, but no one moved to do my
+bidding.
+
+"Then give me something to drink," I cried--"water; my throat is
+parched, and burns like fire."
+
+"Yes, you shall drink," said a voice.
+
+A few seconds later I heard the sound of bottles clinking, and then the
+gurgle of something being poured therefrom.
+
+"Here is something to cool your mouth. Here it is--fine stuff. Drink it
+quickly, drink it all."
+
+I felt a goblet placed against my lips, and a strange odour rise to my
+nostrils. I thought it smelt like rum, and a sickly feeling came over
+me.
+
+"Drink quickly," said the same man who had spoken before; "it will do
+you good."
+
+I feared to drink, and I shut my teeth firmly, but a great sickness came
+over me, and I could not keep my mouth closed, and some of the liquid
+was poured on my tongue. It was pleasant to the taste and delightfully
+cooling to my tongue, and so thirsty was I that I drank the contents of
+the goblet, thankful for such a refreshing beverage.
+
+"You feel better now, don't you?"
+
+"Yes," I said; "take away the bandage, and I shall be all right."
+
+No sooner had I spoken than I staggered, and should have fallen had not
+I been kept up by the men who still held my arms.
+
+"You are not so well, after all," I heard some one say. "You had better
+lie down."
+
+I yielded to the pressure upon my body, and felt myself falling; a great
+roaring sound came into my ears, and then I realised that I was lying on
+some sort of couch.
+
+My senses, I was sure, were departing from me, and I had a vague idea
+that I was falling through unlimited space, while wild winds and loud
+thunders were all around me; then all became a great blank.
+
+How long I remained unconscious I do not know, neither can I tell
+whether the experiences through which I thought I went had any objective
+reality.
+
+This was what I thought or dreamed happened to me. For a long time all
+was a perfect blank, except that I was left alone in darkness and
+allowed to rest in peace. Even now I have a vague remembrance of a
+delicious restfulness that came to me; every particle of my body seemed
+to be in repose, while all desire departed. By-and-by light seemed to
+come to me--a strange, weird light. I was moving, not by any action of
+my own, but unknown forces were carrying me through balmy air. Strange,
+shadowy creatures flitted around me, while I thought I heard the sound
+of distant music, as though ten thousand voices were singing.
+
+This, I said, is death.
+
+My eyes, I knew, were closed, and yet I could see. By an inward power of
+sight I could plainly discern the shadowy creatures around, and I
+remember interesting myself in trying to discern their faces. Presently
+one more than all the rest became plain. At first I thought it was
+Naomi's, so fair was it, but I soon discovered that I was mistaken. The
+woman was cast in a larger mould than Naomi, and looked more matronly.
+
+She looked at me with infinite tenderness, and kept close to my side all
+the time.
+
+"Speak," I said to her; "tell me who you are."
+
+But she shook her head.
+
+Then it seemed to me as though dark, evil forms came near, and a man
+with a face like Richard Tresidder's said, "Let him die; we shall never
+be safe while he is alive." But the woman seemed to surround me like a
+mantle of light, and lo! my enemies were powerless to touch me. Time
+after time did murderous weapons seem to come close to me, but the form
+of the woman received every blow, and yet they did not harm her.
+
+"This woman bears a charmed life," was the thought that came into my
+mind, and I longed greatly to know who she was.
+
+Then another form came near. I saw my father.
+
+"Jasper," he said, "this is your mother. She is always near you. This is
+a mother's joy, ever to be near her loved ones. She will protect you."
+
+"Mother," I cried, "kiss me."
+
+Her face came closer and closer to mine, and then for the first time I
+knew of a mother's love and felt a mother's kiss.
+
+"Be brave, and pure and true, Jasper, my son," she said; "fear not even
+in the valley of the shadow of death. Delight thyself in the Lord, and
+He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
+
+After that a great darkness fell upon me again, yet through the darkness
+I could see the luminous form of my mother, with love shining from her
+eyes, and her hand pointing upward.
+
+After that I felt as though I were on a stormy sea. The ship in which we
+sailed tossed like a cork, while the waves, foam-crested, hurled
+themselves furiously on our bark. A great panic seized the ship's crew,
+and they gave themselves up for lost. But for myself I had no fear. A
+great benign influence was around me, and I felt as safe as a babe
+rocked on its mother's breast, while the wild winds that roared seemed
+as sweet as the lullaby of a mother to a tired child.
+
+For a long time the darkness continued, and then, when all hope seemed
+to have departed from the ship's crew, I saw a twinkling light. Then I
+felt rough hands around my body, while evil eyes gleamed; but I still
+saw the love-light shining from my mother's eyes, and I heard a voice
+saying, "He must not suffer harm."
+
+Then all was a perfect blank.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When I awoke to consciousness I found myself in a small room. It was
+dimly lighted, and the air seemed cold and clammy. As my eyes became
+accustomed to my surroundings I saw that the walls were rough and
+unplastered. Above my head were huge beams, covered with thick, unplaned
+boards. Only one window was in the room. It was very small, and through
+the glass I could see iron bars. The window, I judged, was eighteen
+inches wide, and perhaps two feet high.
+
+I was lying on a bed which was made of rough deal, and had evidently
+been knocked together hurriedly. But the clothes were clean and dry.
+Beside me was a table on which was a basin and some cups.
+
+"Where am I, and how did I get here?" I asked myself.
+
+For some time I had no remembrance of the past. Then events came to me
+in a dim, vague way. I remembered the letter which I thought was written
+by Naomi, and my journey to Pendennis Castle. But it seemed a long way
+off. It might have been years; I could not tell.
+
+I tried to lift myself from my bed, but I could not, I was too weak. I
+looked at my hands; they were white like a woman's, and very thin.
+
+"I must have been ill," I said; "but why am I here, and where am I?"
+
+I listened intently, but all was silent as death. I longed for human
+voices, but I could hear none. No sound reached me but the roar of
+distant surf, but it was a strangely muffled sound.
+
+"I am by the sea somewhere," I muttered; "but where?"
+
+Then my heart gave a bound, for I heard the echo of distant footsteps.
+They sounded strangely, just as one's footsteps sound at night when
+walking through an empty church. They came nearer and nearer, until they
+came close to where I lay. Then I was sure that some one was coming to
+me.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+MY EXPERIENCE IN MY PRISON--I AM TOLD TERRIBLE NEWS ABOUT NAOMI
+
+
+I looked eagerly toward the direction from which I had heard the sound,
+and saw a door opening. A little old man entered. Evidently he was a
+serving-man, just as one sees in most old houses. Even then I concluded
+that he was one who had spent most of his life in some well-ordered
+house. His clothes were spotlessly clean, the buckles on his shoes
+shone, his stockings were without blemish. His wig, too, was powdered
+carefully, and all his linen was faultless.
+
+All this made me wonder the more greatly as to where I was.
+
+He met my questioning look calmly, and looked at me critically.
+
+"Ah, you are better," he remarked, quietly.
+
+"Would you tell me where I am?" I asked.
+
+"You are safe from harm," he replied, vaguely.
+
+"And why am I here?" I asked.
+
+"To be kept from harm."
+
+"And how long have I been here?"
+
+"It is not for me to tell you. You have been very ill."
+
+"What has been the matter with me?"
+
+"You have had fever. Once I thought you would have died; but you have
+been nursed safely through it, and I have doctored you successfully."
+
+"Are you a doctor, then?"
+
+"I have some knowledge of the human system and of medicines. It is well,
+otherwise you would never have lived through your sickness."
+
+His face showed no emotion whatever, neither did it in the slightest
+degree indicate his thoughts. He spoke in perfectly measured tones, and
+each word was enunciated clearly. Many thoughts flashed through my mind,
+and many questions rose to my lips, but the old man's presence seemed to
+check them. Moreover, I felt very weak.
+
+"I shall be well and strong soon," I said.
+
+He came to me, felt my pulse, examined me in various ways, and said,
+quietly, "Yes, I think you will soon be well. You are a very strong
+man."
+
+"What will become of me then?"
+
+"You will stay here."
+
+"How long?"
+
+"I do not know."
+
+"But why was I brought here?"
+
+"To be kept from harm."
+
+"What harm?"
+
+"It is not for me to say."
+
+"By whose command was I brought here?"
+
+"I shall not tell you."
+
+"But you can tell me where I am. This seems a part of a big house, an
+old house. Whose is it, and where is it?"
+
+"I shall not tell you. You will receive nothing but kindness while you
+behave seemingly, if not, means will be used to check you."
+
+"I am a prisoner, then?"
+
+"Yes, you are a prisoner, if you are pleased to call it so."
+
+"But am I to have no liberty? Am I not to leave this room? I cannot live
+penned up here."
+
+"I shall speak no further to you. Food will be brought, and no harm will
+happen to you."
+
+With that he left the room as quietly as he came, and I heard his
+footsteps echoing again as I had heard them when he came to me. For a
+time my brain seemed to grow weak again, and in spite of my anxiety I
+dropped into a fitful sleep, from which I was aroused by the chinking of
+crockery near me.
+
+My sleep made me feel stronger; I felt far better than when the old man
+had visited me. I looked around the room again, and saw a hard-featured
+woman. She, too, was elderly, fast beating on toward sixty. She placed a
+basin of gruel at my side.
+
+"'Ere," she said, "ait this."
+
+"Ah," I thought, "I am still in Cornwall. Anyhow, the woman speaks with
+a Cornish accent."
+
+I thought I might fare better with her than with the old man, so I tried
+to gain some information from her.
+
+"Let's see," I said, "what part of Cornwall are we in?"
+
+"Ait yer mait, an' ax no questions," was her response.
+
+I ate the gruel with a good appetite. It was carefully made, and seemed
+to be seasoned with some pleasant-tasting cordial. When I had finished
+the old woman grunted with satisfaction.
+
+"It is very nice," I said--"very nice. Whoever made it knows her work.
+Did you make it?"
+
+"Who es ther' that knaweth how to make sich stuff as that but me?" she
+said.
+
+Her answer set me thinking, and I drew two conclusions. One was that the
+old woman was vulnerable to flattery, the other was that she did not
+hail from that part of the county in which I was reared. The word
+"knaweth" told me that she belonged to the northern part of the county.
+
+I put another question in order to test the truth of both these
+conclusions.
+
+"You look too much of a lady to be the cook," I said, "and yet I thought
+the cook would naturally make such things."
+
+"Ther's no cook. Her's gone. I'm in charge."
+
+She said this proudly, but although her answer was brief, it confirmed
+me in my suspicions. People in the western part of the county would say
+"She's gone," so when she said, "Her's gone," I was sure that she hailed
+from either Devon or from somewhere in the region of Tintagel and
+Boscastle.
+
+"It must be a place of importance," I said. "Have you lived here long?"
+
+"I was born in this parish."
+
+"Let's see, this is near St. Minver, isn't it?"
+
+"Ax me no questions and I'll tell 'ee no lies," was the reply.
+
+But she had let me know more than she imagined. She had told me that she
+was born in the parish where my prison was situated, and I knew by her
+brogue that the parish was situated a good many miles north of St. Eve.
+
+I asked her many more questions, but she would answer none that gave me
+any further information concerning my whereabouts. As to why I was
+there she seemed as ignorant as myself.
+
+After this I lay many days on my bed--how many I do not know. The
+mornings dawned and the daylight departed by; I did not pay much heed.
+From the remarks of the little man, who constantly visited me, I judged
+that some complication had arisen in my case, and so my recovery was
+delayed. At length, however, I felt myself grow stronger again, and then
+daily health came to my blood and vitality to my being.
+
+By and by I was able to rise from my bed, and a suit of clothes of
+antiquated cut was given me to wear.
+
+"What month is this?" I asked one day of the old man when he came to see
+me.
+
+"It would do you no good to know," he replied.
+
+"Yes it would," I replied; "I should have got better before this if I
+had not been harassed by so many doubts and questionings."
+
+"Well, then, it is October."
+
+"October! What part of the month?"
+
+"Yes, October. To-day is the fifteenth of the month."
+
+"Then I have been here three months."
+
+He was silent.
+
+"What is the year?" I asked, eagerly.
+
+The little man smiled. "Oh, you need not fear. This is the year 1745.
+You have been here three months. I see you wish to ask more questions,
+but I shall not answer them."
+
+For several days after that I asked no questions, for a great despair
+laid hold of me. Although I had not been told, I was sure I knew why I
+had been kidnapped and made a prisoner. I believed, too, that my illness
+was not a natural one, and I could have sworn that I was kept out of
+the way because Richard Tresidder feared me. This thought was not
+altogether unpleasant. It could not be because of the Pennington
+estates--there was no immediate danger concerning that--it was because
+of Naomi. He had discovered that she and I had met, and I believed that
+he had concluded what I fondly hoped, although the foundation seemed
+poor, that Naomi loved me. If this were so, I could understand why he
+should want to keep me away from Pennington, for if Naomi loved me, and
+was willing to wed me, even although she could not marry until she was
+twenty-one, the position was a constant menace to Richard Tresidder; for
+if, when she came of age, she became my wife, Trevose Estate would at
+once be wrested from his hands, while I should be able to buy back
+Pennington.
+
+I considered these matters many times as I lay there. They came to me
+not clearly, but in a vague way; not quickly, but slowly and at rare
+intervals, while my strength came gradually back to me.
+
+All this time I knew not where I was, for I was not allowed to go
+outside the room in which I had been imprisoned. Neither had my strength
+been sufficient to climb to the little window I have mentioned in order
+to look out. I was kindly treated, my food was good, and brought
+regularly; my room was kept clean, and I was carefully attended to. But
+not one of my attendants would tell me anything. Moreover, as I became
+stronger they seemed to watch me more closely.
+
+One morning after breakfast, I judged that the sky was bright by the
+light which streamed into my room, and as I felt very much better, and
+knowing that no one would come to my prison for an hour or two, I
+decided to try and climb to the window, so that I might see what my
+surroundings were. This proved to be a harder task than I anticipated,
+but after many vain endeavours I at length reached the little aperture
+and looked out.
+
+My head became almost dizzy as I looked. Outside a great sea was
+running. I saw the breakers lash themselves into foam upon the rocks,
+and I saw a bold, ragged cliff stretching, as I judged, southward as far
+as my eyes could reach. Then I looked beneath me, and I saw that my
+prison had been built on the edge of the cliff. So high was I above the
+beach beneath that at first I could not measure the distance, but
+presently, as my eyes became accustomed to the sight, I was able to make
+my calculation. As far as I could judge I was at least two hundred feet
+above the roaring, rushing torrent beneath--probably the distance was
+greater. Escape by that means, then, was an impossibility.
+
+I looked long and eagerly at the boiling surf and the weather-beaten
+cliffs which stretched far away in each direction. I watched the
+breakers as they hurled themselves on the rocks far, far down beneath
+me. The sight filled me with dull despair.
+
+I tried to open the window, but it was fastened firmly. After repeated
+efforts, however, I managed to remove it about three inches from the
+frame, but I could not move it more owing to the iron bars that had been
+placed across. The fresh air blew in from the sea, which gave me great
+pleasure; it also cleared my mind somewhat, and acting on the impulse of
+the moment I tied my handkerchief to the iron bar. I did not see how it
+could do any good, but it could do no harm, and might possibly attract
+attention.
+
+I looked again at the great waste of water, and marked the tumultuous
+tossing of the waves, and then I closed the window again, feeling that I
+could do nothing to effect my liberty.
+
+I went back to my bed again and began to consider my condition. My mind
+for the moment seemed clear, and I was able to understand my position,
+and all the events I have related came back to my memory. Then I
+remembered that I always became dazed and drowsy after drinking the
+medicine which was given me. A torpor always crept over me, and I was
+incapable of definite action. This made me wonder still more.
+
+I heard the sound of footsteps echoing along a passage, and a minute
+later the little old man I have mentioned came to me.
+
+"It is time for you to have your medicine," he said.
+
+Hitherto I had drunk it without demur; now I determined to avoid taking
+it.
+
+"I will attend to it presently," I said, "but for the present I want us
+to talk together. I suppose you know you are placing yourself in great
+danger by keeping me here?"
+
+He was silent.
+
+"Of course," I went on, "I know that you are only the tool of others. My
+enemy's name begins with T, doesn't it?"
+
+He gave a start, but did not speak.
+
+"This cannot last much longer," I said; "I have friends who will be
+searching for me. Hanging's a serious matter. I shall take serious steps
+when I get away from here."
+
+"When you do," he replied, significantly.
+
+"Do you think I shall stay here always?" I retorted.
+
+"How can you get away? This morning you climbed up and looked out of
+that window. You did not know I saw you, but I did. Well, what did you
+see? You know you are on the top of a cliff, and it is nearly three
+hundred feet to the beach. Well, you cannot escape that way; if you
+tried you would break your neck. Very well; the only other way to escape
+is to try and escape through that door. Well, what would happen then?
+You would not get up the passage a dozen steps before you would be
+shot."
+
+"By whom?"
+
+"By those who guard a dangerous madman."
+
+"Oh, I see. I'm mad, am I?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"And is this an asylum?"
+
+"It's not for you to know."
+
+"Still it would go hard with Richard Tresidder if his perfidy should
+come out."
+
+"It can never come out. Yes, I know what is in your mind. Well,
+supposing you get well enough to be set at liberty? You would be taken
+to Pendennis Castle as mysteriously as you have been taken here. But
+where are you? You cannot tell. Are you in England, Ireland, or
+Scotland? You do not know."
+
+"How long shall I be kept here, then?"
+
+"Not, I should think, more than a week. You seem to be very much
+improved in your health."
+
+Now this set me wondering greatly, for I did not expect such a
+revelation. Still I managed to remain calm.
+
+"You know why I am here, then?"
+
+"Certainly. You have been a madman; as such you have been a constant
+menace to Miss Naomi Penryn. She has been much afraid of you, and has
+dreaded the thought of your being at liberty."
+
+"Little man," I said, "you know this is a lie."
+
+"I wish it were. I have nothing whatever against you; on the contrary, I
+rather like you."
+
+He spoke this kindly, and I detected, as I thought, a friendly look in
+his face, so acting on the impulse of the moment I said to him, "Will
+you listen to what I have to tell you?"
+
+"Yes," he said, "I will listen."
+
+Then I told him briefly all I thought necessary to tell, and yet I felt
+that I had not the power to tell the truth well.
+
+"Your history seems very plausible, young man," he said, "but I have
+been warned against you."
+
+"But Miss Naomi Penryn knows that I am not a madman, neither have I
+annoyed her in any way."
+
+"You lie. I myself received a letter from her before you were brought
+here."
+
+"Let me see that letter."
+
+"No. Enough that I have told the truth. She fears you; she pleaded that
+you might be guarded until such time as it should be safe for you to be
+at liberty."
+
+"Are you sure the letter was written by her own hand? Do you know her
+handwriting?"
+
+"Know her handwriting! Why?" Then he added, quietly, "Yes, I know her
+handwriting."
+
+"But why do you think I shall be set at liberty in a week?"
+
+"Because she will have a protector."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"I mean that to-day she is being married to Master Nicholas Tresidder."
+
+"To-day?"
+
+"Yes, to-day."
+
+"Go away," I said--"go away, for the sake of God. I want to be alone to
+think."
+
+He looked at me I thought pitifully and kindly; then he heaved a sigh
+and went away.
+
+When he was gone I lay for hours like one stunned. Food was brought to
+me, but I took no notice. Had poison been left in the room I believe I
+should have taken it, so weary of life was I. They had worked their
+will, then, and Naomi had been forced into an unholy marriage with the
+man who I was sure she did not love.
+
+I thought of trying to climb to the window, of breaking the glass,
+wrenching the iron bars from the wall, and falling headlong upon the
+rocks below, but I was too weak. I made a score of futile plans, each
+madder than the other.
+
+Presently I became more calm. Might not this be all lies? Or, again,
+even if it were true, ought I not, instead of contemplating suicide, to
+be brave and watchful, so that I might be able to protect her? Would she
+not as Nick Tresidder's wife need a friend? Besides--and then a score of
+conflicting thoughts seethed in my brain.
+
+Presently I began to try and understand the meaning of the old man's
+words about being set at liberty in a week. What did it mean? If she was
+to be married that day, why was I not set at liberty at once? Then I
+came to the conclusion that the man who was my gaoler would have to wait
+for orders. Richard Tresidder would wait until the marriage was
+consummated before he would communicate with him.
+
+But I will not try and recount all my thoughts. Many of them were
+doubtless wild and foolish, neither would they interest those who may
+chance read this narrative.
+
+For the next week, in spite of my despairing thoughts, I looked forward
+to my being set at liberty. I counted the days eagerly, and daily did I
+ask questions of the little old man who came to see me when my captivity
+should be ended. But he always shook his head, neither could I get from
+him any other answer.
+
+When the week ended I expected something to happen. I should be probably
+blindfolded, pinioned, and conveyed to the walls of Pendennis Castle.
+But I was disappointed. A fortnight passed away, and still there was no
+change in my condition.
+
+"What is the meaning of this?" I asked. "Why am I not liberated as you
+promised?"
+
+But he gave no reply. Once I thought he would have spoken, for he seemed
+strangely moved, as though his mind were filled with doubts, but he left
+me without telling me the doubts which were in his mind.
+
+Another week passed away, and in spite of myself I began to hope. If my
+captivity were to continue until Naomi was wedded to Nick Tresidder, did
+not my continued imprisonment show that the marriage had not taken
+place? I remembered Naomi's words. I thought of the look she gave me
+when she bade me good-bye. Yes, I felt sure she loved me, and that she
+had refused to wed my enemy! I still fretted and fumed at my
+imprisonment; I longed with a longing beyond words to be free, but this
+thought was like a beacon light to a shipwrecked sailor. It gave me
+strength, too. In spite of everything health surged back into my being.
+
+But my release did not come.
+
+The days began to grow very cold, and I asked for a fire, but none was
+given me, and my captivity was hard to bear. I think I should have gone
+mad but for a Bible that had been given me. I read again and again the
+Book of Job; especially did my mind rest upon his latter days when the
+sun shone upon him again.
+
+One day the little man, who had told me to call him Jonathan, came into
+my cell weeping.
+
+"What ails you, Jonathan?" I said.
+
+"Alas!" was his reply.
+
+"What?" I cried eagerly.
+
+"My little Naomi is dead!" he said.
+
+"Your little Naomi--dead!" I repeated, like one dazed. "What do you
+mean?"
+
+He started as though he had told me too much.
+
+But I was not to be trifled with. I caught him and held him fast.
+
+"You have made me desperate," I said; "I must know all now. Who told you
+that she was dead? What do you mean by calling her your Naomi? I must
+know everything."
+
+"I dare not!" he cried, distractedly--"I dare not, I am afraid."
+
+"Afraid of whom?"
+
+"Richard Tresidder. He will be master of--" He stopped, and then he wept
+bitterly.
+
+My hands dropped from him, for my strength had gone.
+
+"Tell me," I said--"tell me, Jonathan, all you know."
+
+He kept sobbing, and this made me pity him, but no tears came to my own
+eyes. My heart became cold and seemed as hard as a stone.
+
+"She did not wed Master Nicholas Tresidder," he said; "and--and, oh,
+God forgive me, but since then she has died."
+
+For a time I could not collect my thoughts, the news seemed to have
+unhinged my mind, but presently I remembered. I thought of what I had
+heard Richard Tresidder say, and many wild thoughts came into my mind.
+
+"If she is dead," I said at length, "you can set me free."
+
+"No, no, I--" He got up from the stool on which he had been sitting and
+left the room. I heard him lock the door behind him, and I had no
+strength to hinder him. At that moment I cared for nothing.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+I HEAR A STRANGE NOISE IN MY PRISON--THE SECRET PASSAGE WHICH I FOUND--A
+WILD STRUGGLE, AND A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE
+
+
+I have said many times that I am not a man of quick understanding,
+neither was I ever clever at explaining puzzles. At that time, however,
+my brain seemed more than ordinarily active, and I saw things with a
+clearness that I had never seen before. Besides, I was sure that in the
+past I had been rendered partially incapable by the drugs which had been
+given me. Anyhow, the sudden shock seemed to have given me greater
+clearness of vision, so that I was able to comprehend things far more
+clearly than in the past. Hitherto, with the exception of occasional
+flashes of light, all had been dull, now I seemed to see the truth
+plainly. That which had come to me as vague conjectures now appeared as
+certainties, and in spite of the old man's dread news, I had more hope
+than in the past. I felt sure there were many things as yet unexplained.
+With my greater mental activity came also more physical vigour. I felt
+myself capable of trying to escape. I wondered at myself, Jasper
+Pennington, being kept so long a prisoner without making any attempt at
+escaping, and I determined that very day to take some definite steps to
+obtain my liberty. I therefore ate my dinner eagerly when it was
+brought, for I felt that I should need all my strength, but within half
+an hour from the time the meal was ended a feeling of torpor again crept
+over me, and I fell asleep, neither did I wake for several hours. After
+I awoke some two or three hours passed before my vision was again clear.
+I saw then that if I were to take any definite action, I must refrain
+from the food provided for me, and this also placed me in a dilemma, for
+if I ate no food how could I retain my strength? What was done must be
+done quickly. Not only had my medicine contained a powerful narcotic,
+but my food also was drugged.
+
+Consequently I did not partake of my night meal, but instead I feigned
+illness when it was brought, and afterward thought of many things which
+I hoped to do.
+
+Presently, by the great silence which prevailed, I concluded that the
+inhabitants of my prison house had gone to rest, so I got up and tried
+the door. It was built strongly, but I believed it could be wrenched
+open if I had something in the shape of a crowbar. I thought of every
+article in the room, but could fasten on nothing suitable for the
+purpose, when I remembered the iron bars which had been placed outside
+the window. I climbed to the little opening in the wall, and opened the
+window as far as I was able. The cold air came rushing in, giving
+strength to my resolution. I seized one of the bars, but it did not
+move. Then I put forth my strength, which had been slowly coming back to
+me, and in a few minutes had torn it from the wall.
+
+"It will act as a weapon as well as a crowbar," I mused; then I got back
+to the door and began to try and place the iron between the door and the
+hinges. I had no light, and so I had to find out the crevice with my
+fingers. While trying to do this I gave a start. I was sure I heard a
+noise under my feet. At first it sounded like footsteps, then I heard a
+scraping against the floor. I listened intently, and presently I was
+able to locate the sound. It was just under the bed on which I had been
+lying.
+
+As quickly as I was able I removed the bed, and then listened again. For
+a time all was silent, then I heard a sound again, only this time it was
+different. Three knocks followed each other in quick succession, and I
+heard the boards vibrate under my feet.
+
+"Is it a friend or enemy, I wonder?" I asked myself, and I grasped the
+iron bar more firmly.
+
+I heard the boards creak as though something were pressed against them,
+but I could see nothing. Only a very faint light crept through the
+window which I had partially opened. Presently the boards began to give
+way. I knew this by a light which streamed into the room. Then I saw the
+floor move, and I heard a voice say, "Maaster Jasper."
+
+I knew the voice immediately. There was only one person in the world who
+could speak in such a tone.
+
+"Eli!" I cried, joyfully.
+
+"Doan't 'ee holla, Maaster Jasper," said Eli, in his hoarse, croaking
+voice, "but come to once."
+
+"Where?"
+
+"Away from 'ere. Ther's some steps down to the say. Come on."
+
+I needed no second bidding. I knew that Eli was thoroughly trustworthy,
+and so I lifted the boards, which proved to be a trap-door, and then,
+putting one foot through, I realised that I stood on a stone step.
+
+"Come after me, Maaster Jasper," said Eli; "maake 'aste, they may come
+after us."
+
+So I squeezed my body through the trap-doorway, and prepared to follow
+him.
+
+"Cloase thickey trap, Maaster Jasper," said Eli, and I saw his strange
+eyes shining in the dim light.
+
+In my eagerness to do this I made the thing drop heavily, and the noise
+echoed and re-echoed through the building.
+
+"That'll waake 'em up," cried Eli. "Come on, come vast, Maaster Jasper!"
+
+With an agility of which no man would have thought him capable, he
+hurried down the steps, mumbling fiercely to himself all the time. I
+soon found that this stairway was very crooked and often small. I
+imagined then, what I have since found to be true, that the house in
+which I had been imprisoned had been used as a place of storage for
+smuggled goods, while the way by which I was trying to escape was a
+secret way to it.
+
+We had not descended many yards before I heard voices above, while I
+knew that feet were tramping on the floor of my late prison. Evidently
+the noise I had made in closing the trap-door had aroused my warders,
+and they would now do their utmost to capture me.
+
+My senses were now fully alive, and I determined that it should go hard
+with those who tried to hinder my escape. To my dismay I discovered that
+I had left my iron bar behind, and that I had no weapons, save my two
+hands, which had naturally been weakened by my long imprisonment.
+However, there was no time for despair, so I followed close on Eli's
+heels, who wriggled his way down the crooked and often difficult
+descent.
+
+We must have got down perhaps one hundred feet, when, turning a corner,
+a current of air came up, blowing out Eli's light and leaving us in
+darkness.
+
+"Can 'ee zee, Maaster Jasper?" cried Eli.
+
+"Just a little. Can you?"
+
+"I cud allays zee in the dark," he grunted, but his statement was not
+altogether borne out, for his speed was much lessened. Still we managed
+to get on fairly well, for Eli could see in places which to most people
+would be impenetrable darkness, and I had been so much accustomed to the
+dark that I was not altogether helpless.
+
+After all I suppose it is difficult to find perfect darkness. Light is
+only a relative term, and depends very much on the nature of our eyes.
+Thus it was that while we could not go nearly so fast as we had been
+going, we could still with difficulty find our way.
+
+Presently we heard the sound of footsteps, and I knew by their rapid
+movement that our pursuers would gain upon us. Eagerly we hurried on,
+and each minute the sound of the footsteps behind us became plainer.
+
+"How much farther, Eli?" I panted.
+
+"A long way yet, and a hard job when we git to the end," he replied.
+
+"How?"
+
+"The mouth of this 'ere addit es fathoms above the say," he replied.
+
+"How did you get here?" then I asked.
+
+"I'll tell 'ee when we git away," he said, impatiently.
+
+Then I chided myself for asking so much, for even these few words must
+have somewhat lessened our speed.
+
+Meanwhile, the steps came nearer and nearer.
+
+"Stop!" cried Eli, presently.
+
+We stopped suddenly, while we both listened eagerly.
+
+"There be three on 'em," he grunted.
+
+"Yes, or more."
+
+"No, only three--we caan't git away--"
+
+"We must, we will!" I cried.
+
+"Only by fightin' 'em."
+
+"Well, then, we'll fight them," I cried.
+
+"Come on then--there es a big place down 'ere. Furder down tes awful to
+git along, and we caan't go wi'out a light."
+
+A few seconds later we stood in an open place. It was almost round, and
+might have been twenty feet across. I saw this by the light which Eli
+managed to fit as soon as we got there. It took him some few seconds to
+fit it, however, and by that time our pursuers were upon us.
+
+I saw in a second that two of them looked like serving-men, the third
+was dressed as a gentleman. I could not see his face, however, but I
+thought he looked a strong man. To my joy none appeared to be armed. Eli
+stood by my side, but his head was no higher than my loins. Thus I and
+the dwarf had to battle with the three. I did not wait a second. I dared
+not, for my liberty, perhaps my life, were at stake. Besides, I
+believed, in spite of what I had heard, that Naomi was not dead. Had she
+been I should have been removed from my prison, if not set at liberty;
+at least, such was my belief.
+
+Without hesitation, therefore, before a word could be spoken, I struck
+one of the serving-men a tremendous blow. He staggered against the side
+of the cave with a thud, and fell like a lump of lead. For a little
+while at all events we should be two to two, for Eli, insignificant as
+he seemed, was a formidable opponent, although at that time I did not
+believe him to be a match for a well-grown man.
+
+Encouraged by the success of my blow, I made a leap on the man I took to
+be a gentleman. My blow was, however, warded off, and I received a
+stunning blow behind the ear.
+
+Now during the time I had been imprisoned I had, as I have stated, been
+kept in a half-dazed condition, and although my strength had been slowly
+coming back to me, I was weak compared with the time when I had been
+taken a prisoner at Pendennis Castle. My food had been drugged, and my
+enforced inactivity had made my sinews soft like a woman's. Besides, I
+felt I had met with a skilled fighter, and I knew by the blow he gave me
+that he was a strong man. Moreover, I doubted Eli's ability to engage
+with the other serving-man, and this made me doubtful about the result
+of our struggle.
+
+All this passed through my mind in a second, but I did not yield, for
+while the want of hope takes away strength, despair makes men desperate,
+and I was desperate. Somehow, although I could not tell why, I felt I
+was fighting for Naomi as well as myself. So, reckless of consequences,
+I made a second leap on my opponent and caught him by the collar, and
+then some wrappings which had partially obscured his face fell off, and
+I saw Nick Tresidder.
+
+He writhed and struggled in my hands, but I held him fast.
+
+"Ah, Nick Tresidder," I cried, "we meet face to face, then. Well, I've
+got an adder by the throat, and I mean to hold him there."
+
+"Yes," he said, "we meet face to face." Then with a sudden twist he made
+himself free.
+
+For a second I looked hastily around the cave. A torch was lying on the
+floor which lit up our strange meeting-place, and near it I saw Eli
+struggling with the serving-man.
+
+He looked at me scornfully, while I, panting and partially exhausted,
+tried to harden my sinews for a second attack. I determined to be
+careful, however. I knew Nick Tresidder of old; I knew he would fight
+with all the cunning of a serpent, and that he had as many tricks as a
+monkey, so that, while he would be no match for me had my strength been
+normal, he would now possibly be my master in my comparative weakness.
+
+He took no notice of Eli, who struggled with the serving-man, but kept
+his eyes on me.
+
+"You fool, Jasper Pennington," he said. "I had come here to set you
+free; now you will never leave this place alive."
+
+"Why?" I panted, for want of better words.
+
+"Because you know now who imprisoned you, and if you escaped you would
+tell it to the world. I dare not let the world know this, so you and Eli
+will have to die."
+
+I felt sure there was some trick in this, although I could not tell what
+it was.
+
+"But if I had been set free the world would have known," I replied.
+
+"No, you would have been taken to a far-off spot, and you would never
+have known where your prison was, nor could you have sworn who
+imprisoned you."
+
+"But I am going to escape," I said, still keeping my eyes on him, while
+I could hear Eli grunting as he struggled with the serving-man.
+
+"No," he said, "you are as weak as a baby. Your strength even now has
+gone. You thought bodily strength everything; I, on the other hand, know
+that brains is more than bodily strength. Do you think I did not know
+who I was dealing with? You are a fool. Every mouthful of food you have
+been eating while you have been here has kept you weak. Now you are no
+match for me. And I am going to kill you! Shall I tell you where you
+are? You are at Trevose, the house that was Naomi's. Shall I tell you
+something else?" and he laughed mockingly. "Naomi Penryn loved you--but
+she's dead; and now Trevose House and lands belong to the Tresidders, do
+you see?"
+
+Then, I know not how, but a great strength came to me, an unnatural
+strength. My heart grew cold, but my hands and arms felt like steel. His
+bitter, mocking words seemed to dry up all the milk of human kindness in
+my nature. At that moment I ceased to be a man. I was simply an
+instrument of vengeance. His words gave me a great joy on the one hand,
+for I knew he would not have told me she loved me, did he not believe it
+to be true, but this only intensified my feeling of utter despair caused
+by those terrible words, "But she's dead." I felt sure, too, that she
+had been persecuted; I knew instinctively of all that she had had to
+contend with, how they brought argument after argument to persuade her
+to marry Nick, and how, because she had refused, they had slowly but
+surely killed her.
+
+And Nick gloated over the fact that Trevose lands belonged to him as
+though that were the result of good luck rather than as the outcome of
+systematic cruelty and murder.
+
+I was very calm I remember, but it was an unnatural calm. I looked
+around me, and Eli was still struggling with the serving-man, and to my
+delight he was slowly mastering him.
+
+"Nick Tresidder," I said, "you and your brood robbed my father, you have
+robbed me, robbed me of everything I hold dear. I am going to kill you
+now with these hands."
+
+He laughed scornfully, as though I had spoken vain words; but he knew
+not that there is a passion which overcomes physical weakness.
+
+"I know it is to be a duel to the death," he laughed, "for I could not
+afford to allow you to leave here alive."
+
+"God Almighty is tired of you," I said; "He has given me the power to
+crush the life out of you," and all the time I spoke I felt as though my
+sinews were like steel bands.
+
+He leapt upon me as quickly as a flash of light, but it did not matter.
+In a minute I caught him in what the wrestlers call the cross-hitch. I
+put forth my strength, and his right arm cracked like a rotten stick,
+but he did not cry out. Then I put my arm around him and slowly crushed
+the breath out of his body. I think he felt the meaning of my words
+then.
+
+"Stop, Jasper," he gasped, "she's not dead--she's--"
+
+"What?" I asked.
+
+But he did not speak. I do not think he could. I relaxed my hold, but he
+lay limp in my arms like a sick child. Never in my life could I hurt an
+unresisting man, so I let him fall, and he lay like a log of wood. But
+he was still breathing, and I knew that he would live. But my passion
+had died away, and so had my strength.
+
+I turned around and I saw that Eli had mastered the serving-man. He had
+placed his hands around his neck, and had I not pulled the dwarf away
+the man would have died.
+
+"Eli," I said, picking up the torch, "they will not follow us now.
+Come."
+
+But Eli did not want to come. He looked at the men we had mastered, and
+his eyes glared with an unearthly light, and like a lion who has tasted
+blood he did not seem satisfied.
+
+"An eye for an eye," he said; "tha's what mawther do zay. Iss, an' a
+tooth for a tooth."
+
+"Lead the way to the sea, Eli," I said, and like a dog he obeyed. Taking
+the torch from me he crawled down the passage, laughing in a strange
+guttural way as he went. All the time my mind was resting on Nick
+Tresidder's words, "She's not dead. She's--" and in spite of myself hope
+came into my heart again, while a thousand wild thoughts flashed through
+my mind.
+
+A few minutes later we felt the sea-spray dashing against our faces,
+while the winds beat furiously upon us. Below us, perhaps twenty feet
+down, the sea thundered on the rocky cliff.
+
+"What are we to do now, Eli?" I asked.
+
+He looked anxiously around him like one in doubt; then he put his
+fingers in his mouth, and gave a long piercing whistle.
+
+"Who are you whistling to?"
+
+"He's coming," he answered, looking out over the wild waters.
+
+"Who's coming?"
+
+"The man that told me."
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"I'll tell 'ee, Maaster Jasper. I've bin 'ere fer days, I have. I was
+loppin 'round 'cawse I knawed you was 'ere."
+
+"How did you know?"
+
+"I'll tell 'ee as zoon as we git away, Maaster Jasper. Well, as I was
+loppin' round I zeed a man, he looked oal maazed. He spoked to me, and I
+spoked to 'ee. Then we got a talkin' 'bout lots o' things. He seemed
+afraid to meet anybody, but axed scores ov questions. Oal he tould me
+about hisself was that he was an ould smuggler that used to land cargoes
+round 'ere. One day I seed a hankerchuff 'angin' from thickey winder,
+an' I knawed 'twas yours. I was wonderin' 'ow I cud git to 'ee, and I
+axed the man ef he knawed anything 'bout the 'ouse. After a bit he tould
+me that there was a sacret passage a-goin' from the cliff to the room
+where the winder was. Tha's 'ow 'twas. I'll tell 'ee more zoon. There he
+es, look."
+
+I saw something dark moving on the water, and presently discerned a man
+in a boat.
+
+Eli whistled again, and the whistle was answered.
+
+"How did you get from the sea up here?" I asked.
+
+"I climbed up, Maaster Jasper, but I can't go down that way."
+
+The boat came nearer.
+
+"Es et saafe to plunge?" shouted Eli.
+
+"Yes," was the reply underneath.
+
+"No rocks?"
+
+"Dive as far out to sea as you can, and you'll go into twenty feet of
+water."
+
+"All right," shouted Eli, then turning to me, he said, "I'll dive first,
+Maaster Jasper."
+
+"Can you swim?" I asked.
+
+"Swem!" he sneered; "ed'n my mawther a witch?"
+
+He plunged into the sea, and I heard the splash of his body as it fell
+into the water, then I saw him get into the boat, which was rocked to
+and fro with the great waves.
+
+"All right," I heard a voice from beneath say, "now then!"
+
+I gathered myself together for the dive, and I think my heart failed me.
+My strength seemed to have entirely left me, and it looked an awful
+distance between me and the frothy waves beneath. Besides, might I not
+strike against a rock? Then I think my senses left me, although I am not
+sure. It seemed as though the sea became calm, and a great silence fell
+upon everything. After that I heard a voice which seemed like Naomi's.
+
+"Help, Jasper!" it said.
+
+Then all fear, all hesitation left me, and I plunged into the sea
+beneath. I felt my body cutting the air, then an icy feeling gripped me
+as I sunk in the waters. When I rose to the surface I saw the boat a few
+yards from me rising on the crest of a wave.
+
+I could hear nothing, however, save a roar which seemed like ten
+thousand thunders. I struck out boldly for the boat, but Eli and the
+other man seemed to mock me with jeering menaces. I struggled hard and
+long, but the boat seemed to get no nearer, and presently I thought I
+heard unearthly laughter above the wild roar of the breakers.
+
+"Ha, ha," I thought I heard them saying, "now we've got you; this is
+Granfer Fraddam's phantom boat, this is. Swim, Jasper Pennington, swim!"
+
+I tried to swim, but my legs seemed to be weighted, while around me
+floated thousands of hideous jabbering things which I thought tried to
+lure me on to the rocks.
+
+I looked landward and the house in which I had been imprisoned appeared
+to shine in a strange ruddy light, until it looked like one of those
+enchanted houses which one sees in dreams.
+
+Then I thought I heard Naomi's voice again, "Help, Jasper, help!"
+
+But all my struggles seemed of no avail. I fancied I was being carried
+by the force of the waves farther and farther out to sea, while all the
+time Eli and the other man beckoned me onward, their boat rising and
+falling on the bosom of the ever-heaving waters.
+
+Then I felt cold hands grip me, and I was dragged I knew not whither,
+while everything was engulfed in impenetrable darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+TELLS OF THE MANNER OF MY ESCAPE, OF THE STRANGE MAN I MET, AND OF ELI'S
+STORY OF A BURIED TREASURE
+
+
+The next thing I can remember was a sensation of choking, of trying in
+vain to get my breath; then a weight seemed to be slowly rolled from me,
+and I felt myself free.
+
+I opened my eyes and found myself in a cave. At first I thought it was
+the one in which I had fought with Nick Tresidder, but I soon found
+myself to be mistaken. I lay upon coarse, dry sand, while close to me a
+fire burned. Its grateful light and warmth caused a pleasant sensation;
+then I realised that my wet clothes had been taken from me, and that I
+was rolled in a warm, dry blanket.
+
+"You be better now, Maaster Jasper, be'ant 'ee, then?" I looked up and
+saw Eli Fraddam bending over me.
+
+"How did I get here?" I asked, in a dazed kind of way, "and where am I?"
+
+"You be cloase to Bedruthan Steps, an tha's where you be, Maaster
+Jasper; you be in one of the caaves. 'Tes oal lew and coasy 'ere, and
+you'll be oal right again. But you've bin as sick as a shag, and as
+cowld as a coddle."
+
+I tried to call to memory what had passed. Then I said, "But how did I
+get here, Eli, and how long is it since we came?"
+
+"We brought 'ee 'ere, Maaster Jasper, in the booat, ya knaw. You tumbled
+in the say, and we was a goodish bit afore we cud git 'ee on boaard. We
+was feard for a long time that you was dead, but you're oal right now.
+Yer things 'll zoon be dry, and then you c'n dress up oal spruce and
+purty."
+
+Slowly my mind became clear; then I remembered the man who had been in
+the boat while Eli and I had been together in the secret passage.
+
+"Where is the man who helped you with the boat?" I asked.
+
+"Here 'ee es. Come 'ere, maaster."
+
+Then I saw a strange-looking man who, as far as I could judge, might be
+any age between fifty and seventy. I looked at him steadily for some
+time. Somehow his face seemed familiar. I could not call to mind where I
+had seen it, however. He had a long gray beard, while his hair was also
+long and unkempt. His eyes shone with a wild brilliancy, and he seemed
+to be always eagerly watching.
+
+"Thank you for helping me," I said; "it was very good of you."
+
+"Was it?" he replied. "Do you really think it was good of me?"
+
+"It was, indeed," I responded. "I wish I could repay you somehow. Some
+time I hope to have the power."
+
+He looked at me eagerly.
+
+"I'm glad you think it was good of me," he said; "so very glad. Will you
+tell me something?"
+
+"If I can I will," I replied.
+
+"Do you think it possible that many good deeds--many, many, many--can
+atone for wild, bad, murderous actions?"
+
+"God takes everything into account," I replied.
+
+"Do you think He does--do you? I'll tell you something," and he drew
+closer to me. "Years ago--long years ago--oh! so long, so long!--well,
+say I was a smuggler, a wrecker--oh, what you like! Well, say in
+self-defence, in passion, in frenzy, I killed a King's officer--do you
+think God will forgive me? And say, too, that since then I've roamed and
+roamed, all over the world, always trying to do good deeds, kind
+deeds--do you think God takes them into account?"
+
+"I'm sure He does," I answered.
+
+"I only wanted to know your opinion," he replied, as though trying to
+speak carelessly. "Of course I only imagined a case, only imagined
+it--that's all."
+
+Now this kind of talk set me wondering about the man, and imagining who
+he might be. Wildly as he looked, strangely as he spoke, curiously as he
+was dressed, he still spoke like an educated man. I watched him as he
+continued to cast glances around the cave, and I came to the conclusion
+that he was mad. I opened my mouth to ask him questions, but the
+remembrance that Eli might be able to tell me what I wanted to know
+about the Tresidders restrained me.
+
+"How did you know how to find me?" I asked of Eli. "Tell me everything
+that happened since I left you that morning."
+
+Eli, who had continued to look at me all the time I had been speaking to
+the stranger, gave a start as I asked the question.
+
+"Wondered why you did'n come back from Fammuth," he grunted, "so I went
+and axed 'bout 'ee. Cudden vind out nothin'. Then I beginned to worm
+around. I vound out that Neck Trezidder 'ad tould the passon not to cry
+the banns at church. Then I got the new cook at Pennington to come to
+mawther and 'ave 'er fortin tould; then mawther an' me wormed out oal
+she knawed 'bout the things up to Pennington."
+
+"What?" I asked, while all the time the strange man seemed to be eagerly
+devouring Eli's words.
+
+"The Trezidders and the purty maid ev quaruled about you."
+
+"Are you sure?"
+
+"Iss. Neck wanted the purty maid to marry un, and she wudden, and they
+axed 'er 'bout you, and she wudden tell nothin'."
+
+"How did the new cook know this?"
+
+"She 'arkened at the door."
+
+I did not feel then, neither do I feel now, that I did wrong in trying
+to find out the actions of the Tresidders even by such means as this. My
+heart was torn by a great anxiety, and my love for Naomi seemed to grow
+every hour.
+
+"Well, what then?"
+
+"The cook cudden maake it oal out, but the purty maid axed to go to some
+plaace called a convent."
+
+"Ah! a convent--yes," I cried, my mind reverting back to the
+conversation I had heard between Richard Tresidder and his son.
+
+"Well, she went; tha's oal I do knaw 'bout she."
+
+"You are sure?" I asked, eagerly.
+
+Eli hung his head.
+
+"Tell me is that all?" I gasped. "Tell me all you know--everything."
+
+"Poor Jasper, deear Jasper!" crooned Eli, patting my hands. "Eli loves
+Jasper."
+
+"But tell me everything, Eli."
+
+"You wa'ant go maazed?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then I heerd she was dead; but I dunnaw. There, do'ant 'ee give way,
+Maaster Jasper."
+
+For a few seconds I was stunned, but I called to mind Nick's words, and
+I was comforted; at any rate, there was hope.
+
+"And the rest, Eli?" I asked. "How did you find out where I was?"
+
+"It took me a long time. I went to Kynance, and I 'arkened round
+Pennington, but I cudden 'eer nothin'. Then wawn day I seed Israel
+Barnicoat talkin' with Maaster Trezidder, then I beginned to wonder."
+
+"Yes; what then?"
+
+"I tried to pump un, but I cudden."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Then wawn day I got'n home to mawther's, and we maade un nearly drunk,
+and then I vound out. He'd bin 'ired by Maaster Trezidder to taake 'ee
+to Trevawse 'Ouse. Little by little I vound out where it was, then I
+comed to 'ee."
+
+I did not ask him any more questions. I knew nearly all he could tell me
+now; besides, the presence of the stranger kept me from entering into
+further details. My imagination filled up what was not related.
+
+"Eli got summin to tell Maaster Jasper when we git aloane," grunted Eli
+presently.
+
+The man with whom I had been speaking walked out of the cave, and I
+could not but think he had been brought up as a gentleman in spite of
+his wild, unkempt appearance.
+
+"What is it?" I asked. "Where is the convent to which Miss Penryn was
+taken? Can you tell me that?"
+
+"No, I ca'ant; ted'n 'bout that."
+
+"What then?"
+
+"You reckleck thicky night when you comed 'ome from say--that night when
+mawther brought out the crock and brandis, and tould yer fortin?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And you do mind to that Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy Coad comed to 'ee?"
+
+"I remember."
+
+"Well, you eerd 'em axin mawther 'bout the saicret paaper that tould 'em
+'bout a treasure?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well"--and Eli put his mouth close to my ear--"I do knaw where thicky
+paaper es. I've vound un out, an' saved un for Maaster Jasper."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"Eli do love Maaster Jasper"--and again the poor gnome began fondling
+and caressing my hands--"so Eli have wormed around and around, and ev
+vound out where et es. Aw, aw, when Cap'n Jack an' Cap'n Billy cudden
+vind et they ded swear they ded, but Eli do knaw, an' Eli'll give ut to
+Maaster Jasper, 'ee will, then Maaster Jasper c'n pay 'em oal out. Turn
+out Maaster Trezidder, my deear, and live at Pennington."
+
+"Tell me more about it, Eli?" I cried.
+
+"Hush, we mus'n tell nobody. Aw, aw!" and again the dwarf laughed
+gleefully.
+
+"There's no witchcraft, no wizard's charms about the treasure, is
+there? It wasn't made in hell, was it?"
+
+"No, no; tes oal right. Granfer Fraddam was once a pirut on the 'igh
+says."
+
+"Yes; I know he was once a pirate on the high seas, but what of that?"
+
+"Well, he got the paaper from another pirut. Some do zay he ded kill un,
+but that ed'n true. Well, 'ee got et."
+
+"Yes; but if he got a paper telling where the treasure was, why did he
+not take it away?"
+
+"Well, Granfer cudden raid, fur wawn thing, and fur another, 'ee wos
+feared."
+
+"Afraid of what?"
+
+"Several things. For wawn thing, he was tould that 'twas onlucky to git
+a treasure that was got through killin' people; but that wudden stop
+Granfer, I do knaw."
+
+"Then what was it?"
+
+"Well, Granfer cudden raid the direckshuns, and 'ee cud never maake up
+his mind to shaw et to anybody that cud. Now, they do zay that when 'ee
+talked 'bout et 'ee was awful feared. He zed ef 'ee shawed et to anybody
+they'd kill un. I spoase Granfer was a wisht ould man after 'ee 'ad a
+accident, and was too ould to live out to say. He repented and turned
+religious. That was why 'ee ded'n do nothin' but smugglin'. Well, so 'ee
+did eed away the paper wot 'ee got from the man, and waited till 'ee cud
+vind somebody to trust. But he cudden vind nobody--nobody toal. Besides,
+everybody was frad to 'ave anything to do wi' Granfer. People did
+believe 'ee was a wizard, and 'ad dailins weth the devil. Mawther do
+zay that nobody would go out mor'n seven mile out to say weth Granfer."
+
+"And where is this paper?"
+
+"Aw, aw. I vound out I did. Granfer tould mawther, and mawther did tell
+me. I vound et, and did eed it in another plaace. Aw, aw, you shud a
+eerd Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy swear when they cudden vind et. Aw, aw.
+But I did love Maaster Jasper, and I'll take 'ee to et, Maaster Jasper,
+my deear."
+
+All the time Eli was speaking he kept fondling my hands and caressing
+me, just as a man would caress a maid whom he loves.
+
+"But does your mother know what you have done?"
+
+"No, she doan't. She do believe it have been sperrited away."
+
+"Spirited away; what do you mean?"
+
+"Mawther do knaw. Aw, aw. But she ed'n right this time, and yet she is
+oal the time."
+
+As I have before mentioned, it was no uncommon thing to hear about
+hidden treasures along our coast. Indeed, from earliest childhood I have
+heard of gangs of pirates burying treasures in many of our secret
+hiding-places; so common were such stories that we had ceased to pay
+attention to them. Consequently I had given but little attention to the
+conversation I had heard between Cap'n Jack and Betsey, neither did I
+attach much value to what Eli had been telling me. If such a treasure
+existed, and if Granfer Fraddam knew of it, he would have found means to
+have obtained it. I knew that during Granfer Fraddam's later years he
+was said to have tried to get religion, and wanted very hard to break
+away from a compact he made with the evil one in his young days. There
+were also stories telling how he pleaded with Betsey to give up all
+connection with witchcraft, and that because she would not agree to this
+he died in his secret cave rather than have her near him. But all these
+were stories to which I, who had had a fair amount of schooling, had
+paid but little attention.
+
+Besides, at this time I was thinking about the sweet maid that I loved
+rather than the treasure that Eli spoke about. What were treasures to me
+if she were dead? What was Pennington, the home of my fathers even, if
+she had been slowly killed by the Tresidder brood? I asked myself many
+times what Nick Tresidder had meant by his words; I wondered, too, where
+the convent was in which she had been placed, and as I wondered my heart
+was torn with anguish, for all the world was nothing to me without
+Naomi.
+
+And so for a long time I did not talk to Eli concerning that about which
+he had spoken. I seemed rather to be eating my heart away, and almost
+wished that I had died when I had plunged into the sea a few hours
+before, for what could I do? Where was the convent in which she was
+placed? How could I get to her? And if I tried, what steps would the
+Tresidders take to hinder me? From the fact that Nick Tresidder had come
+to Trevose, would it not suggest that he had come to claim the land as
+his? And would he not take steps even now to get me out of the way?
+
+These and a hundred other questions I asked myself, until my brain
+became weary again, and my heart was sick with disappointment, sorrow,
+and despair.
+
+"Will Maaster Jasper go with poor little Eli?" grunted my companion
+presently. "I knaw where the paper es, Maaster Jasper. 'Tes covered weth
+ritin' and funny lines; but Maaster Jasper es clever, he can vind et
+out. Spanish money, Maaster Jasper--'eaps and 'eaps ov et. You could buy
+back Pennington, Maaster Jasper, and pay out the Trezidders--pay 'em
+out; iss, an' turn 'em out, neck and crop!"
+
+Why is it, I wonder, that the human heart turns so naturally to revenge?
+In my despair it came to me as a comfort, this thought of driving the
+Tresidders from Pennington. For the moment I became eager about Eli's
+story of the treasure, and asked many questions--foolish as the whole
+business might be--as to what Granfer Fraddam had told his mother, and
+what she had told him.
+
+After a while I remembered the man who had been our companion, and I
+sent Eli to try and find him.
+
+When Eli had gone I examined my clothes and found them dry. So I put
+them on, wondering all the time as to whose they might be, and who had
+worn them prior to the time the man had given them to me.
+
+No sooner had I finished dressing than Eli and the man came in. I
+thought the latter looked more calm and self-possessed. He brought some
+bread, too, and some salted fish. Then for the first time I saw some
+simple cooking utensils in the cave.
+
+"Have you been living in this cave?" I asked.
+
+"Yes," he replied; "I have been living here for a month. But you are
+welcome. I want to do good deeds if I may. I want to atone."
+
+"Have you done anything so bad, then," I asked, "else why do you wish to
+atone?"
+
+He looked at me eagerly for a few seconds; then, without speaking, he
+put two pans on the fire, first of all filling them with water. After
+this he placed the fish in one of the pans, and waited while the water
+boiled.
+
+"What is your name, young man?" he asked presently.
+
+"Jasper Pennington."
+
+"Of Pennington?"
+
+"Yes; what do you know about it?"
+
+"I knew of a family of that name long years ago. Pennington of
+Pennington. Why are you in this plight?"
+
+"Because I have been robbed of my birthright," I replied, bitterly.
+
+"By whom?"
+
+"The Tresidder family."
+
+"The Tresidder family--ah!" He said this with great bitterness and
+passion. After a few seconds he grew calm again. "And have you sought to
+be revenged?"
+
+"I have sought rather to win back my own. But what do you know of the
+Tresidders?"
+
+"Nothing--oh, nothing, nothing, nothing! What could I, a poor
+shipwrecked sailor, know about a great family?" This he said hurriedly,
+almost fearfully, I thought. Presently he continued, "And you have done
+no rash deeds, Jasper Pennington?"
+
+"No."
+
+"You have not killed any of their men, their women?"
+
+"No; not yet."
+
+"Oh, be careful. Do you know"--and he heaped some driftwood on the
+fire--"that one moment of madness drives a man to hell? I've been in
+hell now for--oh, nigh upon twenty years. Hell, Jasper Pennington, a
+burning hell! Suffer anything, anything rather than--than--oh, it's
+nothing. I'm only imagining still; but there--" And he became silent
+again.
+
+In spite of my many doubts and fears I became interested in the man, and
+I watched him closely.
+
+"Look, Jasper Pennington," he said presently, "anything got through
+evil, through bloodshed, through murder carries a curse with it. I've
+had the curse of Cain upon me now for many a year. I have been a
+wanderer on the face of the earth, but I have kept my eyes open.
+Everywhere it has been the same. Blood money, hate money, money evilly
+got, always carries a curse. Don't touch it, don't touch it! It does not
+burn the hands--oh, but it burns the heart, the soul! Oh, I have seen! I
+know!"
+
+"But supposing your father had his home stolen from him by lies,
+treachery, fraud--suppose your father said to you with his dying breath,
+'Get back that land; it is yours, it is your birthright, your true
+possession,' what would you do?"
+
+"Jasper Pennington, there be other birthrights than those of law--there
+be those of God. There is the birthright of clean, bloodless hands and a
+pure heart; there is the birthright of an easy conscience, and the power
+to pray! It is more than money."
+
+"You do not know everything," I said, "or you would speak differently."
+
+"I not know!" he cried; "I not know! My God! my God!"
+
+For a few seconds I thought him mad again, but presently he became calm.
+"The food is ready," he said; "we will eat of it. I got it from a
+cottage yonder. After we have eaten you may like to tell me all about
+yourself. Perchance I could help you; perchance, too, I am not what I
+seem."
+
+Something about the man charmed me. As I have mentioned, he spoke
+correctly, and in spite of his strange attire he looked like a
+gentleman. So when I had eaten I told him my story.
+
+"Is that all?" he said, when I had finished. "There is something else.
+Your eyes would never shine so at the thought of being robbed of lands."
+
+"Yes, there is more," I cried, for I had not told him of my love; and
+then--and I wondered at myself as I did so--I told him of my love for
+Naomi, but only in barest outline. I did not tell her name, I did not
+speak of her as coming from Trevose, I did not relate how Richard
+Tresidder hoped through her to gain Trevose.
+
+When I had finished he sat for many minutes looking steadfastly into the
+fire, while his eyes grew as red as the red coals into which he looked.
+
+"You have not told me all yet, Jasper Pennington," he said; "there is
+much behind. Why do you think they have ill-treated if not killed the
+fair maid you love? Why should they seek to put her into the convent?
+Ay, more, how and by what right were you taken to yon house on the
+cliffs? Tell me that, Jasper Pennington."
+
+He spoke slowly, but with terrible intensity, and for a moment a feeling
+which I cannot describe passed through my heart.
+
+"There is something else, Jasper Pennington," he continued. "What is the
+name of the fair maid you love, and whose child is she?"
+
+On saying this he caught my hand with a hard, tight grasp, and looked
+eagerly into my eyes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+HOW I LEFT BEDRUTHEN STEPS AND, AFTER MEETING TAMSIN TRUSCOTT, SOUGHT
+FOR NAOMI
+
+
+I know not why, but when the stranger acted in this way he seemed to put
+a bridle on my tongue. The name of my love was on my lips, but I could
+not utter it.
+
+"Are you afraid to tell, Jasper Pennington?" he asked, eagerly.
+
+"It is not for you to know," I replied; "besides, she may be dead. I
+have been told that she--" Then I stopped, for my heart seemed to grow
+too big for my bosom.
+
+"Died of a broken 'art," mumbled Eli. "The Trezidders killed 'er."
+
+"Tell me more!" cried the stranger, excitedly. Then he added, in calmer
+tones, "I may be able to help you."
+
+But I did not speak, whereupon he walked to and fro the cave, making all
+sorts of ejaculations, and at times looking savagely at me, as though I
+were his enemy.
+
+Presently, however, he grew calm and thoughtful; he seemed to be musing
+over what I had told him, as though he had an interest in it. This
+surprised me greatly, and set me thinking who he could be, until plans
+of action for myself began to form themselves in my brain.
+
+After I had thought awhile I went out of the cave and stood in the bay
+called Bedruthen Steps. Accustomed as I had been all my life to the
+sight of a fine rock-bound coast, I could not help being awed at the
+scene. The great rocks which lift their mighty heads in Kynance Cove
+were not equal to these. Often while living at Cap'n Jack's house I had
+wandered along the many-coloured cliffs which stretch from Kynance to
+the Lizard, and had seen the waves leap on them, sometimes playfully,
+sometimes in mad anger, while thousands of streamlets ran down their
+rugged sides afterward, as if to laugh at the anger of the sea; but
+never had I seen anything so fine, so awe-inspiring as this. For a
+moment it made me forget the objects dearest to my heart. The tide was
+not high enough to reach the mouth of the cave at which I stood; at the
+same time the angry seas rolled madly along the sand, and were churned
+into foam by the great rocks along the beach. I had heard about rocks
+standing as sentinels, but never until then did I realise the meaning of
+the words. That day, however, the meaning of such language was quite
+plain. The cliffs stood from three to four hundred feet high, almost
+perpendicular, save here and there where some narrow gully sloped
+somewhat. These cliffs were dark gray, rough, jagged and forbidding, and
+seemed to quietly mock the roving, rushing sea which beat upon them.
+
+Along the beach, perhaps a hundred yards or more from the cliffs, a
+number of huge rocks stood alone. I suppose at some time they must have
+slipped from the mainland, but that was undoubtedly in the far-back
+past. One of them, I remember, was shaped like a spire, and seemed to
+look with derision on the foaming waters that sometimes nearly covered
+it, and at others left it standing ill all its majesty on the white,
+hard sand.
+
+"Surely," I thought, "God has been lavish of His grandeur here," and
+even as this came into my mind the relentlessness and the cruelty of the
+sea impressed me. Everything made me feel my littleness, my impotence. A
+strong man would be but as a bit of rotten wood if he were thrown into
+it; those cliffs would beat the life out of him, while the white foam,
+which looked so soft and inviting, covered that which would smash the
+sides of a boat as easily as a man snaps a piece of wood across his
+knee.
+
+A feeling of despair possessed me again, for I was utterly lonely. It is
+true Eli stood by my side saying loving words and fondling me, while the
+stranger walked to and fro the cave; but no one felt my grief or
+understood it. By-and-by, however, my mood began to change; the roaring
+sea, the gray, leaden sky, the mighty cliffs inspired me, they urged me
+to action. I must find out the truth about Naomi; ay, I must find her,
+for, standing there that morning, I could not believe that she was dead.
+
+A few minutes later I had made preparations to leave the cave and go
+away from the neighbourhood of Bedruthen Steps.
+
+"Where do you go, Jasper Pennington, and what are your plans?" asked the
+stranger.
+
+"That is a matter which concerns myself," I replied, not very
+graciously. A moment later, however, I felt I had acted like a cur, for
+this man had endangered his life to save mine, and but for him I might
+not have been alive. "Forgive me," I continued; "my mind is much
+distracted, and I scarcely know what I say."
+
+"Perchance I could help you, if you would trust me," he said.
+
+"I can scarcely trust myself," I replied, "much less a stranger."
+
+"Am I stranger?" he cried, with an hysterical laugh, just as though he
+were a madman.
+
+"If you are not, who and what are you?" I asked. "What is your name?"
+
+"Name!" he said, wildly. "Esau is my name, my true name."
+
+"Why your true name?"
+
+"Because I have sold my birthright."
+
+"Your birthright! To whom did you sell it?"
+
+"To the devil!" he cried, his eyes glittering. "My birthright was my
+manhood; it was a clear conscience, it was the power to fearlessly think
+of the past, and to--" He stopped suddenly, then he went on again:
+"Perhaps Cain is the truer name, but I know not; call me Esau."
+
+"Yes, he's mad," I said to myself. "I can trust him with
+nothing--nothing." Still, I humoured him. "You have been very good to
+me," I said. "Some time, if I live and gain my own, I will repay you."
+
+He came to me again, his eyes still shining brightly, and he looked
+eagerly into mine, as though, too, he had decided to impart something to
+me; but a second later an expression of doubt rested on his face. "No,"
+I heard him say; "I must do it myself, and alone, if I can--if I can."
+
+We parted then. I made my way up the side of a sloping place along the
+cliff, while Eli followed close at my heels. When we reached the grassy
+headland I looked back, and saw the stranger still standing at the
+mouth of the cave. I looked around me. Not a house of any sort was to be
+seen; only a rugged, bleak coastline was visible. I saw, however, that
+some of the land was cultivated, and so I knew that there must be some
+farmhouses in the near distance.
+
+After walking for about a quarter of an hour we came to a lane, but it
+was grass-grown, and was evidently but seldom used. I looked around me
+and espied a gray church tower. This gladdened my heart, for it was
+pleasant to think of the House of God situated in a bleak, barren
+countryside. I was about to make my way toward it when I heard the click
+of a labourer's pick. I jumped on a fence and saw a man hedging.
+
+"What is the name of that church?" I asked.
+
+"St. Eval, sur."
+
+I looked at the man more closely. He looked far more intelligent than
+the ordinary labourer. "Do you know much about this neighbourhood?" I
+asked.
+
+"I've lived 'ere oal my life, sur."
+
+"Do you know of any convent in this neighbourhood?"
+
+"Convent, convent?" he repeated, questioningly.
+
+"Yes," I replied; "a place that belongs to the Catholics--a place where
+priests and nuns live."
+
+He looked at me suspiciously, as though he suspected that I had evil
+motives in asking such a question. "No, sur," he said presently. Then he
+gave a start, and I turned and saw that Eli had come to my side. "Is
+he--is he the devil?" he gasped.
+
+"No; only a dwarf."
+
+"You'm sa big and 'ee sa small, it do seem funny," he laughed,
+nervously.
+
+"What is the nearest town?" I asked.
+
+"St. Columb, sur."
+
+I made up my mind to go to St. Columb, and was asking the man how far it
+was, when another thought struck me. "There's a parson at St. Eval, I
+suppose?"
+
+"Aw, iss, sur; hes 'ouse ed'n fur from the church."
+
+"Is he a man that you like?"
+
+"Aw, iss, sur; everybody do like the passon."
+
+I made my way toward St. Eval, and after half an hour's walking found a
+church and perhaps a dozen houses. I was not long in finding the
+vicarage, for it was the only house of importance in the neighbourhood.
+
+Parson Thomas received me very kindly. He was a little man, well fed,
+and apparently on good terms with every one. I don't think he knew much
+about religion as Mr. John Wesley taught it, but he was kind-hearted and
+full of merriment. Moreover, if he neglected people's souls, he did not
+neglect their bodies. He insisted on giving me refreshments, and
+although he looked very curiously at Eli, he sent him into the kitchen
+and gave instructions that he must be looked after.
+
+"I am a bachelor," laughed the jolly vicar. "So much the better all
+around. I've no one to bother me. I've got my dogs and my horses. At St.
+Ervan there is a pack of hounds, and I've the best hunter within six
+parishes. I have a service every Sunday afternoon in the church, and so
+far we have no Methodists. I've some good wine, good home-brewed ale,
+and plenty of cider. I rear most of the flesh eaten in the house, and am
+happy--ha, ha! Now, what can I do for you?"
+
+I asked if he knew of any religious house belonging to the Catholics in
+the neighbourhood.
+
+"There are a few Catholic families," he said.
+
+"Who are they?"
+
+"Well, there was a Catholic family at Trevose House--an old house built
+on the cliff not far from Trevose Head. At least, Mrs. Penryn was a
+Catholic, and the girl was brought up a Catholic. A priest from Padstow
+used to visit the house."
+
+"Do you know anything about them?" I asked.
+
+"Mrs. Penryn is dead; her husband--well, it's a sad story. Poor fellow,
+he committed suicide well upon twenty years ago. Everything was left to
+the daughter. She has gone to the West to stay till she's of age, or
+married, under the guardianship of a Richard Tresidder. I think I heard
+something about Tresidder's son marrying Naomi, but I'm not sure."
+
+"Did the priest who visited Trevose belong to any religious
+community?--I mean, is there a convent or nunnery at Padstow?"
+
+"No. Let me see--oh, yes, I remember now; my friend Page, from Mawgan,
+was telling me about it. Close to Mawgan Church is the Manor House of
+Lord Arundell. I daresay you will have heard of it--Lanksome. It is a
+delightful spot. Well, the Arundell family has always remained Catholic,
+and were terribly bitter against the Reformation. The present Arundells
+came into possession about thirty-five or forty years ago, and it is
+quite a home for priests and Catholics generally. Some of the priests, I
+believe, visited Trevose from there."
+
+"But it is not a convent or nunnery?"
+
+"Oh, no; not that I am aware of. It is simply the headquarters of the
+Catholics in this district. I have heard it said that some young
+Catholic girls, religiously inclined, have been taken there as
+novitiates, but I doubt its truth; not that the place is not admirably
+suited for such a purpose. It is surrounded by a high wall, over which
+no one can see, and in one of the walls is a secret chamber in which it
+is said a priest was concealed for eighteen months in the reign of
+Elizabeth. At present, however, it is not recognised as a convent."[1]
+
+"But it is a Catholic centre?"
+
+"Oh, bless you, yes; the place is full of Catholic priests, nuns from
+France, and what not. I should not like to say what is done within those
+walls. That house is full of secrets, and the people who go to Mawgan
+Church, which is adjoining it, look upon Lanherne as a home of mystery.
+The servants are silent, the priests are silent, the very atmosphere
+seems full of secrets."
+
+I did not stay long with Parson Thomas after this, although his
+hospitality seemed to know no bounds. I had heard enough to set me
+thinking, and I determined to go to Mawgan that very evening. The time
+was now three in the afternoon, and soon night would be upon us. Still,
+there would be another hour of daylight, and I started to walk in the
+direction of Mawgan Forth, while Eli trudged close by my heels.
+
+We had been walking, perhaps, half an hour, when I saw, as I was passing
+by a farmhouse close to which the road ran, a woman on horseback. Below
+us we saw the sands of Mawgan Forth, but no house was near save the
+farmhouse to which I have referred.
+
+"It is some woman riding home from St. Columb Market, I suppose," I
+said as her horse climbed the hill.
+
+"No," said Eli; "no, Maaster Jasper. 'Tes Tamsin Triscott, Tamsin
+Fraddam; that's who et es."
+
+"Tamsin!" I cried; "surely no!"
+
+A few seconds later, however, I saw that Eli was right.
+
+"Master Jasper Pennington!" she cried, as she saw me, and the blood
+mounted violently to her face. "You are free, then?"
+
+This she said in a tone of disappointment almost amounting to anger.
+
+"Yes, Tamsin," I replied. "What do you know about my imprisonment?"
+
+"I suppose you got him away?" she said to Eli, angrily, without noticing
+my question.
+
+"Iss," grunted Eli; "I ded, ded'n I, Jasper?" and the dwarf laughed
+gleefully.
+
+"And I meant to have done it," she said, as if musing to herself. "I
+have travelled a long way."
+
+"What do you mean, Tamsin?" I asked.
+
+She hesitated a minute, then she spoke like one in pain.
+
+"I did my best, Jasper--believe that. But for me you would have been
+killed. Israel Barnicoat and others vowed it, but I persuaded father. I
+heard about your coming back, and I tried to find out where you had been
+taken. As soon as I knew I started to come. I would have set you free; I
+would, Jasper, I would."
+
+My slow-thinking mind was trying to find its way to Tamsin's motives for
+acting thus, when she went on if possible more earnestly than before.
+
+"She didn't care for you, Jasper; if she did, why were you imprisoned in
+her house?"
+
+"Tamsin," I said, for I began to see her meaning, "do you know what is
+become of Naomi Penryn?"
+
+"No," she said, sullenly.
+
+"Tamsin," I went on, "I thank you for your goodness to me; I am glad I
+had a friend willing to travel so far to help me. But I am in great
+sorrow, Tamsin. I may tell you about it, I know; I love Naomi
+Penryn--love her like my own life. I have heard strange rumours about
+her, and my heart is very sad. I can trust you, Tamsin, I know that.
+Have you heard anything about her?"
+
+She became very pale as I spoke, and I thought she would have fallen
+from her horse, but she recovered herself presently.
+
+"Israel Barnicoat told me that she would not marry young Tresidder," she
+replied, "and that she asked to be taken to a convent until she came of
+age."
+
+"Yes," I said, eagerly, "and what then?"
+
+"I heard that she died there."
+
+"And do you know where the convent is?"
+
+"No; I know nothing! She is dead, that's all."
+
+"Tamsin," I replied, "something tells me she is not dead. I have heard
+this again and again, and I cannot believe it. I am going to search for
+her until I find her."
+
+"Why do you not believe she's dead?" she asked, like one in anger.
+
+"I have reasons," I answered. "They are real to me, although they might
+not be real to you. Besides, I cannot think of her as dead. Tamsin,
+suppose you loved a man, would you rest upon hearsay in such a case?"
+
+"I would search until I died," she cried. "If he were alive I would
+find him; if he were dead I would die too."
+
+"Then you can feel for me," I said, "for I love Naomi Penryn. I shall
+love her till I die, and if she be dead, I shall want to die, too."
+
+Then the girl gave a heartrending cry. "Don't, Jasper Pennington," she
+said, "don't!"
+
+I looked around me and saw that Eli had wandered toward the Porth. I was
+glad for this, for I realised what her words meant.
+
+"Tamsin Truscott," I said, "I never had a sister; will you be one to me?
+For I love you as truly as ever brother loved sister. Can you care for
+me as a sister cares for a brother?"
+
+I said this because I wanted to be true to Naomi, and because I
+determined to dispel from Tamsin's mind all thoughts of me as one who
+could ever love her. I wanted to appeal to all that was best and truest
+in her, too, believing, as I have always believed, that by this means
+alone can we get the best that people are capable of giving.
+
+For some minutes she seemed like one fighting a great battle, then she
+said quietly, "Yes, Jasper Pennington, I will do for you all that a
+sister would do."
+
+"Then, Tamsin," I said, "if it should please God to let me find my love,
+would you befriend her?"
+
+"Yes," she gasped.
+
+"It seems as though she hath many enemies," I went on, "and there be
+many who plot against her. If I find her among friends all may be well,
+but if I were to find her among enemies and rescue her, I know of no
+place to take her where she would be safe."
+
+For a little while Tamsin sobbed as though her heart would break; and
+at that time I thought it was because she pitied both me and Naomi.
+
+Presently she said, quietly, "If you should ever find the one you mean
+alive, and she needs a home, take her to my aunt's at Porth Mullion. She
+is a good woman, my mother's sister, and hates my father's ways. She
+will do anything I ask her."
+
+"What is her name?" I asked, "and how shall I find her?"
+
+"Her name is Mary Crantock, and there are but three houses at Porth
+Mullion. Hers is a white house, with a wooden porch painted green. The
+other houses have no porches."
+
+"And how will she know about me?"
+
+"I will ride there to-morrow and tell her."
+
+"And where will you go to-night?"
+
+"I will ride to St. Columb. I have another aunt who lives there."
+
+Then a great fear came into my heart, and, almost without thinking, I
+had caught hold of Tamsin's hand.
+
+"Tamsin Truscott," I said, "you once told me you loved me. I may trust
+you, may I not? As God is above us, you will be true if ever I need
+you?"
+
+"As surely as what I once told you is true, as surely as God is above
+us, you may trust me."
+
+Then she turned her horse's head, and rode rapidly toward the St. Columb
+road.
+
+Now, in describing my meeting with Tamsin, I have failed to record many
+things. I have not told of the many questions she asked regarding my
+imprisonment or my escape, nor of the answers I gave, because they do
+not bear directly on the history I am writing. Besides, it is difficult
+to remember many things after the lapse of long years. So many things
+were said, however, that it was nearly dark when she rode away from me.
+
+From Mawgan Porth it is about two miles to Mawgan Church, and I was
+anxious to get there before night had quite come upon us. So, calling
+Eli to my side, we hurried across the Porth, and then went up a narrow
+lane, where we met a man who directed us to Mawgan Church.
+
+A quarter of an hour later we were descending into the vale of Lanherne,
+and in the light of the departing day I could see the tower of the
+church rising from the trees among which it nestled. The sight seemed to
+give wings to my feet, and so fast did I go that Eli had great
+difficulty in keeping close to me. Eagerly did I jump across the brook
+that ran down the valley, after which I ran along by the churchyard
+wall, and a few seconds later I stood before the gray walls of Lanherne
+Manor House.
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[1] Lanherne Manor House, in the parish of Mawgan, Cornwall,
+while being a centre of Catholic influence for several centuries, did
+not become a recognised convent until the beginning of the present
+century. At that time a sisterhood of Carmelite nuns was driven from
+France to Antwerp. When the French entered Belgium they emigrated to
+England, and Lord Arundell of Wardour assigned the house to them. The
+inmates are at present an abbess and twenty nuns. J. H.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+TELLS HOW I CLIMBED THE WALL OF THE MANOR HOUSE GARDEN, AND WHAT I SAW
+
+
+My first impulse on seeing the house was to go boldly up to the door and
+ask for Naomi Penryn, but a second's reflection told me that such an act
+would be madness. I remembered the words of Parson Thomas. This house
+was the property of a man widely known and respected, and while it was
+given over to Papist ways and usages, I could not ask questions as
+though it were a public institution. My brain, slow to work as it was,
+told me that I must act warily, and in such a way as to arouse as little
+suspicion as possible. On looking back over my plan of action, however,
+I can see how foolish I was, and how, but for the kind providence of
+God, I did that which was calculated to frustrate the dearest desire of
+my heart.
+
+This, however, is what I did. I waited for some few minutes in a state
+of indecision, then it occurred to me that I had better find an inn, so
+that I might leave Eli in a place of safety, and on looking round I
+quickly found a kiddleywink. Here I left Eli, and after telling the
+landlady to cook some supper, I again went back to the front of the old
+Manor House. Fearing to be seen, I wandered around the place, and saw
+that the walls around the garden were over fifteen feet high, and that
+from no position could I look over, except by climbing one of the huge
+trees that grew in the near distance. Never in my life had I realised
+the meaning of silence as I realised it then. Not a breath of wind
+stirred, and beyond the sound of the brook as it rippled down the
+valley, nothing was to be heard. To me it seemed like the home of the
+dead. "How can I discover what is behind those walls?" I asked myself,
+but no answer was forthcoming.
+
+Twice did I walk around the house and gardens, and was about to go back
+to the inn again, when I heard the sound of singing. I listened
+intently, and discovered that the singers were within the Manor House,
+and from the number of voices and the nature of the singing, I concluded
+that the inmates were taking part in some religious service. I stood
+like one entranced, for the music was very sweet, and it seemed to my
+excited imagination that Naomi's voice mingled with the rest. Presently
+it died away, and I heard the sound of footsteps. But there was no loud
+voices or confusion, neither was there any laughter; all was quiet,
+orderly, and subdued.
+
+The night was not dark, for the clouds which hung so heavily in the sky
+during the morning had been swept away, and innumerable stars shone
+brightly.
+
+As I watched, I saw a man, who, from his garb, I took to be a priest. I
+went up to him and saw that I was right in my surmise.
+
+"I am a stranger to these parts," I said, "and have travelled far
+to-day. May I ask if this is a monastery or religious house?"
+
+"No, young man, it is not a monastery, but the house of a Catholic
+gentleman."
+
+"I heard the sound of many voices just now. I thought I heard a mass
+being sung," I said.
+
+"You are right, young man."
+
+"If it had been a monastery I should have asked for shelter to-night," I
+said; "and from the number of voices singing mass, I concluded that it
+was a religious institution."
+
+"Souls that are weary are admitted here for rest and guidance and help,"
+he replied, "and some have passed from here to some religious home. This
+is by the kindness of the owner of this house. But why do you ask? Are
+you a Catholic? Are you, amid so much heresy, a member of the true
+fold?"
+
+At this time I wished that I had prepared for a meeting with a priest,
+so that I might have been in a better position to have fulfilled my
+desires. I wished, too, that, instead of being slow to think, I had been
+clever to make plans, and quick to act upon them. Still, I determined to
+do the best I could.
+
+"I am but a wanderer, father," I said, "and my mind hath been torn by
+many doubts. I have been troubled, too, about one who is very dear to
+me, who is of the Catholic faith, and who, I am told, found her way to a
+convent or a religious home, to find rest and peace. I know not where
+she is, and whether she has found the peace that she hoped for. I have
+heard that it was in this neighbourhood that she sought to find what she
+desired."
+
+"Is she young or old, young man?" said the priest, looking keenly at me.
+
+"She is young," I replied, "scarcely twenty, I should think."
+
+"And her name?"
+
+"Her name is Naomi Penryn," I replied; "she once lived at Trevose,
+close by the great headland."
+
+I thought he gave a start, and he seemed to measure me, as though he
+thought of trying whether he or I was the stronger man.
+
+"Alas!" he said, presently, "she is dead."
+
+"Dead!" I repeated, and my heart became cold.
+
+"Yes. She came here some time ago. She was very pale and fragile when
+she came. She was in sore distress, too. But she received the
+consolation of the Church, and died in the faith."
+
+At this all my strength seemed to ebb away from me, and my hands became
+nerveless.
+
+"How long is it since she died?" I asked.
+
+"About three weeks ago," he replied.
+
+"And where was she buried?"
+
+"I would show you her grave," he replied, "but the house is not mine. I
+grieve to see your sorrow, but there is consolation, young man. Trouble
+for our young sister no longer, for she is with the blessed. I am sorry
+I cannot offer you food and shelter; but it is only four miles to St.
+Columb, and you will find accommodation there."
+
+"But surely there is an inn here?" I suggested.
+
+"Yes; but it is not a place you would care to stay at, and you will fare
+far better at St. Columb. Good-night."
+
+Then he left me, and I went away toward the kiddleywink like one dazed.
+I made no pretence of eating the supper which had been prepared, neither
+did I speak to Eli, who looked at me pityingly; and I saw that tears
+dropped from his strange-looking, cross eyes, and rolled down his ugly,
+misshapen face.
+
+All hope had now gone from me; I felt I had no desire to win back my
+own, or even to live. My life had more and more become bound up in that
+of Naomi Penryn, until now, when I could no longer comfort myself with
+the hope that she lived, nothing was of value to me.
+
+"Eli," I said, presently, "you had better go to bed. You will need all
+your strength."
+
+"Why, Maaster Jasper?"
+
+"Because to-morrow I shall go with you back to St. Eve."
+
+"And what then, Maaster Jasper?"
+
+"I do not know," I said; "it does not matter what becomes of me now."
+
+"And why, Maaster Jasper? Poor little Eli do love 'ee, love 'ee
+deearly."
+
+"But my love is dead," I answered; and then I told him what the priest
+had told me.
+
+His cross eyes shone brightly, and his mouth began to move just as I had
+seen his mother's move many times.
+
+"I've found out things," he said, cunningly; "mawther 'ave tould me, I
+c'n vind out ef she's dead; ef she es, I c'n bring 'er back. Zay I
+shall, Maaster Jasper, 'n little Eli 'll do et."
+
+"No," I cried, with a shudder; "Naomi, who is as pure as the angels of
+God, shall never be influenced by the powers of darkness."
+
+At first I thought he was going to say some angry words, but he only
+fondled my hands and murmured loving words to me just as a mother
+murmurs to a tired or sick child.
+
+"Poor Maaster Jasper, dear Maaster Jasper," then he went to bed,
+leaving me alone.
+
+The landlady of the kiddleywink was a kind and motherly soul, and
+treated me with much sympathy, for she saw I was in trouble, and when I
+told her that I should not go to the bedroom with Eli, she prepared a
+bed for me on the window-seat, and left a candle burning for me.
+
+But I could not sleep; when all the inn was quiet I went out into the
+night, and wandered around the old Manor House like a man bereft of his
+senses, as indeed I was. I found my way into the churchyard, and roamed
+among the grave-stones, wondering all the time where Naomi's grave was,
+and why the death of one who possessed so much property was so little
+thought of. Perhaps I stayed here two hours, and all the time I grew
+more and more fearful. It seemed to me that the dead were arising from
+their graves and denouncing me for disturbing them, while all around me
+evil things crawled, and mocked me in my sorrow. I thought I saw men and
+women, long dead, haunting the graves in which other bodies lay, and I
+fancied I heard them pleading to God to hasten the resurrection day.
+These and many more phantoms appeared to me until, with a cry of
+anguish, I rushed back to the kiddleywink again. The night had become
+clear, and the moon, which was half full, caused the church-tower and
+the Manor House to appear very plainly, and as I lay on the window-seat
+I could see both.
+
+Toward morning I began to grow less fearful, although a great pain still
+gnawed at my heart. I remember, too, that I was making up my mind that
+when daylight came I would seek the priest to whom I had spoken, and
+ask him to show me Naomi's grave, when I heard a sobbing wail that
+seemed to come from a heart as broken and bleeding as my own.
+
+I started up and listened for some seconds, but all was silent.
+
+"Was I dreaming?" I asked myself, "or are the spirits of the dead come
+back?"
+
+Scarcely had the thought passed my mind when I heard another cry, more
+piteous, if possible, than the other.
+
+"Jasper, Jasper, my love, Jasper!" I heard. "Can you not deliver me?"
+
+The cry was very real, and it had no suggestion of the grave. It was the
+voice of some one living.
+
+"My God!" I cried; "it is Naomi!"
+
+I looked at my watch; it was six o'clock, and thus wanted two hours to
+daybreak. Hurriedly I left the inn and went out again. A rimy frost had
+come upon every twig and bush and tree, and in the light of the moon the
+ice crystals sparkled as though the spirits had scattered myriads of
+precious stones everywhere. But I thought not of this. I made my way
+toward the spot from which I thought I had heard the sound come, and
+then listened intently. All was silent as death.
+
+Near me was a tall tree. I made a leap at its lowest branches, and a few
+seconds later was fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. From this
+position I saw the whole garden. I looked long and steadily, but could
+discern nothing of importance. I continued to strain my ears to listen,
+but all was silent save the rippling of the brook that wended its way
+down the valley, and which seemed to deride me in my helplessness.
+
+"It was all fancy," I said, bitterly--"all fancy; or perhaps I am mad."
+
+I prepared to get down from the tree when I heard a sound like sobbing
+not thirty yards from me.
+
+My heart thumped so loud that I could detect no words, but not so loud
+as to keep me from locating the sound. Yes, it came from a little house
+used as a summer bower. Instantly my mind was made up. I had no patience
+to consider whether my determination was wise or foolish. I madly
+dreamed that Naomi was near crying for my help. Else why should I hear
+my own name, or why should I think it was the voice of my love?
+
+In another second I had leapt from the tree, and then ran along by the
+wall until I came close to the place where the bower had been placed.
+
+I listened again. Yes, I heard sobs--sobs which came from a breaking
+heart!
+
+The wall was, as I said, from fifteen to twenty feet high, but this did
+not deter me. I caught hold of an ivy branch, and by its aid sought to
+climb, but at the first pull I had torn it away. So there was nothing
+for me but to stick my fingers into the masonry and climb as best I
+could. How I managed I know not, but in a few seconds I had accomplished
+my purpose.
+
+"Naomi!" I whispered, but I heard no answer.
+
+I waited a few seconds and spoke again: "Naomi, my love," I said, "it is
+Jasper."
+
+At that I heard a movement from within the bower, and then I saw some
+one come into the garden. It was a woman. I saw her look eagerly around,
+like one afraid. Then her face was turned toward me. It was my love!
+
+"Naomi," I said, "do not be afraid; it is Jasper--Jasper Pennington
+comes to set you free."
+
+Then she saw me and gave a glad cry.
+
+"Jasper, Jasper!" she cried; "not dead!"
+
+[Illustration: "'JASPER, JASPER!' SHE CRIED."]
+
+A few seconds later I had descended and stood in the garden, my heart
+swelling with joy until it seemed too large for my bosom. I came close
+to her, and then my confidence departed. All my old doubts came back to
+me. Joyful as I was at the thought that she was alive, I could not
+believe that she cared for me. How could she when I was so unworthy?
+
+The moon shone brightly on the garden, while the rimy frost, reflecting
+its light, dispelled the darkness, and thus I was able to see the face
+of my love and the flash of her eyes. I seemed close to the gates of
+heaven, and yet I felt as though they were closed against me.
+
+I stood still. "Naomi," I said, "forgive me. You know who I am--Jasper
+Pennington."
+
+Then she came toward me, and I heard her sobbing again. Then I, anxious
+not to frighten her, went on talking.
+
+"Naomi," I continued, "you are in trouble, and I fear that you have
+enemies. I have tried to make you feel my protection in the past, but I
+have been unable. But I have come to help you now, if you will let me."
+
+All this I said like one repeating a lesson, and I said it badly, too,
+for I am not one who can speak easily. But when I had spoken so far a
+weight seemed removed from me, and my heart burned as though great fires
+were within my bosom.
+
+"My love, my life!" I cried, "will you not come to me? I will give my
+life for yours."
+
+Then I opened my arms, and she came to me, not slowly and timidly, but
+with a glad bound, and, as though leaning her head upon me, she found
+joy and rest and safety.
+
+Ay, and she did find safety, too, for it would have gone ill with any
+man, ay, with many men, if they had come to harm her then. The lifeblood
+of ten strong men surged within me, and the touch of her little hand
+gave me more strength than the touch of magic wands which we are told
+were potent in far-off times. I felt as though I could do battle with an
+army, and come off more than conqueror. Besides, the first words she
+spoke to me, telling as they did of her helplessness and her dependence
+on me, were sweeter than the music of many waters.
+
+"Jasper," she said, "I have many enemies--I who never harmed any
+one--and I have no one to help me but you."
+
+Ah! but she had me--she had me! I know this seems like boasting,
+especially when I remember that I had been the easy dupe of the
+Tresidders, and that they had foiled me in every attempt I had made
+against them in the past. But her love made me wiser, and though, thank
+God, I have never been a coward, her presence made me many times braver.
+Besides, I felt I could protect her, that I could save her from the fear
+of her enemies, for I loved her--loved her a thousand times more than
+can be expressed in cold words on paper; and let who will say otherwise,
+the unsullied love of an honest heart is of more value than great
+riches.
+
+All the time I longed to ask her many questions. I wanted her to tell me
+all her trouble, but there were other things I wanted to know more. I
+wanted her to tell me what I had told her.
+
+But she did not speak further; she only sobbed as though her heart were
+breaking, until I, awkward and fearful, and knowing nothing of the ways
+of women, was afraid lest I had frightened her, or had in some way
+caused her pain.
+
+"Naomi, my little maid," I said, "have I done anything to frighten you?
+I could not help coming to find you, for I could not believe what I have
+heard. I have not angered you, have I?"
+
+"No, no," she said with a sob, "only they made me believe you were
+dead!"
+
+"And did you care?--you who were so coy, and who, when you knew my heart
+was hungering for you, would tell me nothing!"
+
+I will not tell you what she said. Only God and myself heard her words,
+and they are sacred to me. They have been my inspiration and my joy in
+lonely hours, they have nerved my arm in time of peril and danger. They
+opened the gates of heaven to me, and filled my life with sunshine. So
+great is the power which God hath given to woman!
+
+She nestled her head on my bosom as she told me what my heart had been
+hungering to know, and for the time we forgot our surroundings--forgot
+everything save our own happiness. The morning, which slowly dawned, we
+did not heed, neither did we notice that the silvery light of the moon
+died away. The cold was nothing to us, the bower in which we sat was
+indeed a place of warmth and beauty and sunshine. No sadness was there,
+for each welcomed the other as one come back from the gates of death. We
+rejoiced in life and youth and love.
+
+And yet we said nothing to each other with regard to our experiences in
+the past, or our fears for the future. In those blissful minutes we only
+lived in the present, regardless of all things, save that we were near
+each other.
+
+Thus it was that Naomi Penryn and I, Jasper Pennington, became
+betrothed.
+
+I think the realisation of our position came to each of us at the same
+moment, for just as the thought of our danger flashed through my mind
+Naomi tore herself from me.
+
+"Jasper, Jasper," she cried, "you must not stay here longer. You are in
+danger here, and if we are seen together--" She did not finish the
+sentence, but looked eagerly, anxiously around.
+
+Then I blamed myself for not acting differently, but only for a moment.
+We had been only a few minutes together, and even if the direst calamity
+befell us, I should rejoice that we had spent that blissful time
+together, living only in the joy of love.
+
+"I must go back to the house now," she said, hurriedly. "I shall soon be
+missed, and searched for."
+
+"No; do not go back," I said. "I can climb the wall and take you away.
+Let us leave now."
+
+"It would be no use now, Jasper," she said. "I should be followed and
+brought back."
+
+"Why?" I asked.
+
+"There is not time to tell you now," she said; "if you were known to be
+here you would never escape alive. Oh, Jasper, I am beset with danger; I
+have almost died in my sorrow."
+
+"What time will your absence be discovered?" I asked.
+
+"We are supposed to attend mass at seven o'clock," she said.
+
+I looked at my watch, it only wanted a few minutes to that time.
+
+"Tell me how you came here, and why you are surrounded by dangers?" I
+asked.
+
+"I would not marry Nick Tresidder--I could not, Jasper; you know why
+now. He tried to force me, and when I refused, he told me you were dead.
+At first I did not believe him, and then one of my old servants from
+Trevose came and said you had died there." She told me this in a
+trembling voice, as though she were frightened, told me in broken
+sentences, which revealed to me more than the mere words could express.
+
+"Yes; what then?" asked I, eagerly.
+
+"I became distracted, and knew not what I did. I had no friend, no one
+to whom I could go. Then a priest came, and persuaded me to become a
+nun. He also brought certain papers which he wanted me to sign."
+
+"And did you sign them?"
+
+"I scarcely knew what I did. I know that I consented to come here. That
+was several weeks ago. Oh, Jasper, I have been in sore straits."
+
+I set my teeth together and vowed vengeance on the Tresidder brood, and
+then told her to go on with her story.
+
+"I hardly know how to tell you, Jasper. About three weeks ago a young
+woman died. The priests told me it was I who died; they also tell me
+that I am Gertrude Narcoe, and that I am to be removed to a convent in
+France in a day or two. I have not known what to do. Last night I could
+not rest, I seemed to be going mad, and after tossing for hours on my
+bed without sleeping I came here in the garden, and all the time my
+heart was crying out for you."
+
+"And did you not cry out to me?"
+
+"No; only in my heart." And at this I wondered greatly.
+
+A bell began to ring.
+
+"There, I must go, Jasper!" she cried.
+
+"Not yet," I said, folding her more closely to me; and I should have
+held her so if the lord of the manor were walking toward us through the
+garden.
+
+"Be brave," I continued, "and be here to-night as soon as you can after
+the inmates of the house have retired to rest. I shall wait until you
+come, and I shall be ready to take you to a place of safety. You can
+come, can you not?"
+
+"Yes, I think so, if I am not suspected of anything now. And can you
+take me away, Jasper? You will not allow them to harm you, will you? Oh,
+I will not be taken away now I know you are alive."
+
+"Do not fear, my little maid," I said, "I will take you away. You shall
+not be carried off by any priests to a convent. There, go now." And I
+held her to me more closely.
+
+But I let her go at length with many warning words and many expressions
+of my love. It was like pulling my heart out to see her walk away from
+me, but I comforted myself that I would take her away when the next
+night came. Then I climbed the wall again, and made my way toward the
+inn, strangely glad, yet with many misgivings, for I was sore afraid
+lest I had acted foolishly in not taking her with me even then.
+
+As I passed the front of the Manor House I caught a glimpse of a frocked
+priest, and from the look on his face I fancied he suspected me of
+something. But I paid little heed to him. I went back to the inn to
+make my plans for rescuing Naomi. I did not know then that Naomi and I
+had been watched all the time we had been together by a wily priest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+HOW I FELLED A HORSE WITH MY FIST, AND CARRIED NAOMI SOUTHWARD
+
+
+When I got back to the inn I found Eli anxiously awaiting me.
+
+"Jasper better?" he said, looking at me questioningly.
+
+"Yes, better, Eli."
+
+"Jasper 'eard 'bout the purty maid?"
+
+"Yes, Eli."
+
+He chuckled joyously, and then gave several expressive grunts. After
+this he asked me some questions, which showed me that he understood more
+than I had thought, and had formed correct reasons why my love had been
+taken away.
+
+"Neck Trezidder's awful deep; all the Trezidders be," he grunted. "Made
+et up with the priests--go shares. I zee, I zee!"
+
+"Eli," I said, "we must take her away to-night; take her to a place of
+safety."
+
+"Iss, iss," he chuckled. "Where?"
+
+"I must decide that after we have got her away from yon prison," I said.
+
+"Can Jasper trust little Eli?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, Eli, what do you want me to do?"
+
+"Will 'ee tell little Eli what the purty maid tould 'ee--'bout 'erzelf?"
+he added.
+
+So I told him all that I cared to tell him--everything I knew, in fact,
+save the story of our love.
+
+He sat very still for some time, save that he contorted his face more
+than usual, and rolled his cross eyes around like one demented.
+
+"And what be yer plans, Maaster Jasper?"
+
+"We must get horses, Eli," I said; "from where I do not know yet, but we
+must get them by to-night. One must have a lady's saddle--for her."
+
+"Is Maaster Jasper going to git 'em?"
+
+"Yes. I shall have plenty of time through the day, and nothing can be
+done while we are away."
+
+"No, Maaster Jasper, no," he grunted. "You mus' stay 'ere oal day and
+watch. You mus' eed out ov sight, but you mus' watch. Cos they be oal
+deep. They knaw, they knaw!"
+
+I understood his meaning, and saw that he was right; at the same time, I
+felt I would have to risk being away, else how could I get the horses
+without attracting attention?
+
+"Little Eli 'll git the hosses," he grunted; "little Eli that everybody
+do laugh at. But 'ee'll 'elp Maaster Jasper, 'ee will."
+
+"But if you are caught stealing horses you'll be hanged," I said.
+
+He laughed gleefully.
+
+"Who'll catch little Eli?" he chuckled, "priest or knave? No, no! Is
+little Eli a vool? Ef 'ee es, then mawther es too. But es she? es she?"
+
+"But where will you get the horses?" I asked, anxiously. "Anything will
+do for me or you; but she must have one easy to ride, for she is weak
+and ill."
+
+"I knaw, I knaw," he laughed. "Maaster Jasper 'appy again, Maaster
+Jasper git his own. But he must watch, watch.
+
+
+         "Priests all shaved,
+           Clothed in black,
+         Convent walls,
+           Screws and rack.
+     Women walkin' in procession,
+     Cravin' for a dead man's blessin',
+     Weepin' eyes, wailin' cries,
+     Lonely, lonely, oal alone."
+
+
+"Stop," I cried; "stop, I'll have none of that here."
+
+"Aw, aw," chuckled Eli; "mawther ded zee, mawther ded zee. Never mind,
+little Eli 'll git the hosses then--aw, we sh'll 'ave braave times, we
+shall!" And he burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
+
+I must confess that he made me shudder, especially as I remembered how
+much depended on our actions during the next twenty-four hours.
+
+Presently he became more grave, more cautious, and when he had had his
+breakfast, started to get horses.
+
+"You'll be careful, very careful," I said anxiously.
+
+"Iss."
+
+"And what time may I expect you?"
+
+"'T'll be dark at vive o'clock," he said, like one musing, "little
+Eli'll be 'ere by seven. Eli c'n zee, aw, iss, iss," and then he went on
+talking to himself, uttering all sorts of wild ejaculations.
+
+"What do you mean by talking so strangely?" I said, but he gave me no
+answer.
+
+"You watch, Maaster Jasper," he said, significantly--"watch. The
+Trezidders be'ant a-bait yet. Besides, there's the
+
+
+     "Priests all shaved,
+       Clothed in black,
+     Convent walls,
+       Screws and rack."
+
+
+Then, as he leapt across the stream, he gave a curious cry, like the
+cry of a wild beast in pain.
+
+All through the day I kept out of sight, but nothing escaped my notice.
+I determined to be very careful, for Eli had caused me to have many
+suspicions. Twice only did I see any priests, and then I noticed that
+they talked eagerly to each other, as if they had something important
+engaging their attention. In the Manor House, however, all was silent as
+the grave. No words can say how I longed to gain admission and see my
+loved one again, especially when I thought of the history of the house,
+and the many secret places it possessed. Still I had done the best I had
+been able, and it was for me to follow out the plans I had made.
+
+When five 'clock came my heart began to beat high with hope. I should
+soon see my loved one again, and take her to a place of safety. My many
+fears began to depart, too. I felt certain that no one suspected my
+plans, and that Naomi would be able to find her way to the bower in
+which I had seen her.
+
+My hiding-place was in the sexton's tool-house at the back of the
+church, and from here I could see the entrances to the house, so unless
+there was some subterranean way leading to Lanherne Manor, no one could
+come or go away without my notice.
+
+After the clock had struck five I went back to the inn. It was now dark,
+for the moon had not yet appeared, and the clouds hung heavily in the
+sky. While I was eating the beef and potato pasty which the landlady had
+provided for me, I thought I heard the sound of wheels, so I went to the
+door and listened intently, but all seemed silent. I could not be quite
+sure, however, for the wind had risen and wailed dismally among the
+trees which grew so plentifully in the valley. I went back and finished
+my meal, knowing that if I would be strong I must not neglect my food. I
+was hungry, too, for we Penningtons have always been a hearty race, and
+have ever insisted on keeping a good table.
+
+When I had appeased my hunger I went to the door again. Feeling in my
+pocket for the rope-ladder I had been making through the day, I prepared
+to make a detour of the house again. I fancied that Naomi might have
+some communication to make now darkness had come, and so, eager for
+something to do, I wandered through the churchyard, and then walked up
+the road at the back of the house, near which another and smaller
+building had been reared. Still listening intently, I came to the tree
+which I had climbed in the early morning, then I went to the place near
+which the bower had been built. I threw my rope-ladder on the wall, and
+climbed sufficiently high to have a view of the garden. Nothing rewarded
+my efforts, however, for I could neither see nor hear anything worthy of
+attention.
+
+I was about to get down again, when I heard the neigh of a horse,
+followed by a man's angry exclamation. I had scarcely time to consider
+what this meant, when I heard a woman's cry.
+
+With one leap I descended from the ladder, and then, instinctively
+freeing it from the masonry and stuffing it in my pocket, I ran toward
+the spot from whence the sound came. I reached the front of the old
+mansion, but could see nothing; then, like one demented, I ran to the
+entrance which I had noticed through the day, and which evidently was
+seldom used. Here I saw flickering lights, and here, also, I heard the
+voice of the priest to whom I had spoken on the previous evening.
+
+"Neatly and safely done," he said. "The fellow is evidently a blockhead
+after all. I was afraid that the neigh of the horse would give us
+trouble."
+
+Excited beyond measure, I was about to cry out when I heard the sound of
+horses' hoofs splashing in water, followed by a rumbling noise.
+
+"They are crossing the brook!" I cried, and then, scarcely realising
+what I did, I hurried thitherward.
+
+Now, Mawgan Church and Lanherne Manor House, as every one knows who has
+visited that part of Cornwall, are situated in a fine wooded glen. On
+every hand are hills, so that no one can get away from the spot without
+hard climbing. It is true that one of the roads which runs northwest is
+less steep than the rest, but even that is difficult of ascent,
+especially for carriages. I comforted myself with this as I ran eagerly
+on. A few seconds later I saw the dark outline of what looked like an
+old family chariot. I did not consider the number of men that might be
+accompanying the conveyance, neither did I remember that they would
+probably be armed, while I had no weapon of any sort save my own strong
+arms.
+
+The driver was urging the horses greatly, but, as I said, the hill was
+steep and the carriage was heavy. I came up to the carriage-door, and,
+listening, I heard the sobbing of a woman's voice and the stern tones of
+men. I was about to try and force open the carriage-door, but
+instinctively felt that even if I could do so, it would be useless while
+the carriage was in motion, for in spite of the hill the horses had been
+urged into a frantic gallop. Still, with the heavy chariot behind them
+their steps were naturally short, and their speed comparatively slow. So
+I hurried on, and looking up saw two men sitting on the box, the
+coachman and another.
+
+It would have been possible to have caught the horses' heads, and thus
+bring them to a standstill, but the sound of Naomi's voice pleading for
+help--for I felt sure it was hers--made me careful not to render myself
+powerless. I remembered, then, that doubtless the man beside the driver
+would carry horse pistols, and the moment I caught the reins would shoot
+me down like a farmer shoots vermin.
+
+So I determined to try another measure, more difficult perhaps to
+execute, but more effective if I were successful. Bending low by the
+horse's side I came up on what farmers call the "further side." Then,
+hardening the muscles of my right arm and clenching my fist, I aimed a
+blow at the horse's head close below the ear. The animal was protected
+somewhat by the headgearing, and my strength had been lessened by my
+imprisonment and by the drugs which had been placed in my food, still
+the blow I gave was heavy, and the aim was sure. He stopped for a moment
+stunned, then he fell heavily, snapping the pole that was placed between
+him and the other horse as though it had been a match.
+
+Instantly the men jumped down to see what was the matter, while I
+hurried to the carriage-door. I had no need to open it; this was done
+for me, and a man from within asked angrily what the trouble was. Before
+he could be answered I caught him and hurled him against the hedgeside
+as though he had been a child, and never did I feel so thankful as then
+that, although God had not given me a clever head, He had bestowed upon
+me a body stronger than that which is common among men.
+
+"Naomi, my love!" I gasped.
+
+"Jasper! Oh, thank God!" It was Naomi's voice, and my strength seemed
+trebled as I heard it. God pity the man who had dared to oppose me then,
+for I would have showed no mercy!
+
+There was another man in the carriage, a priest, I think, but he seemed
+too frightened to offer any resistance. So I took her in my arms, and
+lifted her as though she were a baby, then I ran down the hill, carrying
+my love.
+
+"Don't trouble about the horses, follow that fellow!" I heard a voice
+say. "I will give twenty guineas for the man who brings him back, alive
+or dead."
+
+As I rushed on I heard a bullet whizz by me, but it did no harm, at the
+same time it made me fearful. For myself I did not care, but my great
+strength could not protect my darling against firearms, besides if I
+were smitten down what would become of her?
+
+"You are not harmed, my little maid?" I said.
+
+"No, Jasper."
+
+"And you are not afraid?"
+
+"Not now, Jasper."
+
+Then I held her more tightly, and vowed that I would crush the man who
+sought to take her away from me, as I have often crushed an egg in the
+palm of my hand by bringing my fingers together.
+
+I heard footsteps behind me, and then I realised that I should soon be
+between two fires, for I was running in the direction of Mawgan Church.
+The footsteps came closer to me, while angry voices with many oaths bade
+me stop, but the black clouds which covered the sky kept them from
+taking anything like accurate aim. Besides, the lane was darker than the
+open countryside, owing to the high hedges which had been built on
+either side. Still my position was dangerous, and I was about to leap
+over a gate which I saw close beside me, when I heard the sound of
+horses' hoofs, and evidently they were coming from another direction.
+
+"Can it be Eli?" I thought. But I dared not shout, as by so doing I
+should assist my pursuers. There were four of them I knew, possibly
+there might have been more.
+
+I was in sore straits, for by this time my strength was becoming spent;
+and although I could not bear the thought of dropping my precious
+burden, her weight was a sore strain upon my already overtaxed muscles.
+Still I never lost heart, and I know that had I stood face to face with
+the men who sought me, God would be with me in my battle.
+
+My heart gave a joyful leap, for I heard Eli's whistle. It was a weird,
+unearthly sound, and was suggestive of spirits of darkness rather than
+of a human being. I ran in the direction of the sound, however.
+
+"Eli, quick!" I gasped; then I heard the welcome click of horses' feet
+again.
+
+"Maaster Jasper, got purty maid?" he grunted.
+
+"Yes; her horse, Eli, her horse."
+
+"'Tes a fiery wawn. Be careful now!"
+
+"I can ride any horse," said Naomi, eagerly; "don't fear for me now."
+
+We were now under the trees close to Mawgan Church. It was so dark that
+I could scarcely see my hand, and the rain began to fall heavily.
+
+I heard the voices of the men near me again. "Which way are they gone?"
+one said, for there was a branch road near us.
+
+"Down to the left, past the kiddleywink," came an answering cry.
+
+"No, up the hill, toward Mawgan Cross," said some one else.
+
+By this time Naomi and Eli had mounted their horses.
+
+Then I heard a man's shout. "Help! quick! the girl has been taken from
+us!"
+
+"Who by? Where?" This voice came from the direction of Lanherne House.
+
+"That big fool Pennington. Where's Tresidder? Quick, we shall get them."
+
+"Are the horses good, Eli?" I asked.
+
+"Beauties," grunted Eli; "reg'lar beauties. The purty maid shud knaw
+'em, they come from Trevause."
+
+"Is this my Nero?" cried Naomi.
+
+The horse whinnied as she spoke; evidently he recognised her voice.
+
+"Are you right, Eli?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+"Ride quietly up the hill," I said; "make no noise, if you can help it."
+
+But the horses could not help making a noise, and the click of their
+ironed hoofs rang out plainly.
+
+"There, they've got horses. Fetch out ours, quick!"
+
+"Which way are they going?"
+
+"Towards Carnanton Woods. Make haste."
+
+Rapidly we rode up the hill toward Mawgan Cross, where there are four
+crossways.
+
+"Naomi," I said, "shall I take you to Trevose, or shall I take you to a
+place of safety, many miles from here?"
+
+"She mustn't go to Trevause," grunted Eli.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Richard Trezidder is there, so es thou'll laady."
+
+"Tresidder's mother?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I zeed 'er--zeed 'em both," and Eli chuckled as though he vastly
+enjoyed himself.
+
+"He's squire there," continued Eli. "People zay that the purty maid es
+dead, and everything do come to he."
+
+"Who told you this?"
+
+"No time to tell 'ee now. They'll be foll'in' we soon. Neck Trezidder es
+down to Mawgan."
+
+"No, Jasper, let us not go where the Tresidders are. Anywhere but
+there."
+
+I turned my horse's head southward.
+
+"Then we'll go to Mullion," I said. "We can get to Truro by the morning;
+we can get refreshment there."
+
+At that time another difficulty presented itself. I remembered that I
+had no money. Eli had that morning paid the landlady at the kiddleywink
+at Mawgan for our food and lodgings. I said nothing about it, but Eli,
+by that strange intuition which divined men's thoughts, knew what was
+passing in my mind.
+
+"Plenty ov money, Maaster Jasper, plenty ov money."
+
+"How did you get it?" I asked.
+
+"How ded I git the hosses?"
+
+"I do not know. How?"
+
+"Old man called Jonathan. Aw, aw!"
+
+"Did he give it to you?"
+
+"Iss, iss! He do 'ate the Trezidders. I tould un purty maid wad'n dead;
+tould un Maaster Jasper takin' 'er 'way--aw, aw!" and again the gnome
+laughed gleefully.
+
+"Jonathan!" repeated Naomi. "Did you see him?"
+
+"Iss, I ded."
+
+"Tell me all about it, Eli--tell me."
+
+"Wait till we git vew miles vurder on, then I tell 'ee everything."
+
+So we rode on for several miles in silence, save that Naomi asked me
+many times if I were sure I were not hurt, and assured me that she was
+perfectly well and happy. And this filled my heart with gladness, for I
+knew by her questions that the dear maid loved me, and felt no fear when
+I was with her. This to me was wonderful, for who was I that she should
+love me? Was I not homeless and penniless? And had not the Tresidders
+beaten me again and again? Ah! but no one can describe the joy that
+surged within me, for the greater my unworthiness, the more happiness
+did the knowledge of her love give. In many respects we were strangers,
+for we had met only a few times, as all readers of this story know; but
+love laughs at the ways of men, and as she told me afterward, although
+she dared not tell me so when I saw her in Pennington kitchen or in
+Falmouth Town, she loved me even in my degradation and poverty.
+
+That long ride through the dark night, even although I had not slept the
+night before, did not fatigue me at all. I was strengthened by her
+presence; I was inspired by the object I had in view. Sometimes as I
+rode along I had to reach forth my hand and take hers in mine to assure
+myself that I was not dreaming. Everything seemed too good to be true.
+For many weary weeks my mind and heart had been torn with anxiety
+concerning her, and during my days in prison I was like a lion in his
+cage. I had thought of her as loving Nick Tresidder and as marrying him;
+then I had imagined her as being persecuted by them because she would
+not yield to their wishes. I had seen the Tresidders planning to get her
+property, and using every cunning device to make her their tool. Then I
+had seen her pleading to be sent to a convent, and afterward dying of a
+broken heart. Ay, I had heard a priest only the previous day telling me
+of her death, while my heart had seemed to turn to ice covered with
+lead, so heavy and cold was it. And now to see my loved one by my side;
+ay, to remember that while we had sat in the bower she had confessed her
+love for me, while her lips had joyfully pressed mine, was joy beyond
+words.
+
+Presently, however, I began to see many difficulties, for I determined
+that Naomi should have her rights, and that she should not be robbed as
+I had been robbed. Besides, I still remembered my promise to my father,
+and vowed that I, Jasper Pennington, would possess my own, if only for
+my dear love's sake. Then as I remembered my past impotence, my heart
+grew heavy again in spite of my joy.
+
+I saw, too, that I must begin to act at once, and I determined to go to
+my old friend. Lawyer Trefry, when I got to Truro, and to consult him as
+to my future plans.
+
+Then I remembered that Eli had not told his story, neither had Naomi
+told me hers; so as soon as we got two miles past Summercourt, and were
+on the turnpike road, where we could ride three abreast, I asked them to
+tell me all there was to tell, so that I might be able to fight my
+enemies fairly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+HOW I TOOK NAOMI TO MULLION PORTH AND THEN STARTED WITH ELI TO FIND THE
+TREASURE
+
+
+Eli told his story first. With many strange ejaculations and
+gesticulations he related how he had sought out Jonathan Cowling, the
+old man who had so often visited me while I had been a prisoner at
+Trevose, and how, after much difficulty, he had persuaded him to be
+communicative. Then Jonathan told him that a messenger had brought a
+letter in Naomi's writing asking him to protect her from me by taking me
+prisoner, and that he would serve her greatly by guarding me. He told
+Eli, too, how his suspicions had been aroused, especially when, after
+the news came of Naomi's death, the Tresidders came and seemed anxious
+to say as little as possible. Richard Tresidder told him that Naomi had
+died of a disease that necessitated her immediate burial, and that no
+doctor had been able to visit her. This set the old man a-wondering
+greatly, and thus it came about that when Eli told his story he was
+anxious to render him what assistance lay in his power. Especially was
+Jonathan delighted at the news of my safety, for he did not see how I
+could have escaped from Trevose alive, even although Nick Tresidder had
+failed to overcome me in the smugglers' cave. He assured him, moreover,
+that Richard Tresidder had taken up his abode at Trevose, and claimed
+to be the owner of the estate according to the conditions of Mrs.
+Penryn's will.
+
+All this Eli told me with many other things which need not be mentioned
+here, and after this Naomi related her experiences. Her story confirmed
+in almost every detail what I had surmised. Her life at Pennington had
+been one long series of persecutions after the time she had borne
+witness before my judges that I was innocent of carrying a false light
+along the coast. She told me, too, that after she had absolutely refused
+to marry Nick Tresidder, their one desire seemed to be to induce her to
+take the veil. She was sorely tempted to yield to their wishes,
+especially after the man from Trevose came, telling her that I was dead;
+and presently when a priest came, she lent a willing ear to his
+persuasions, and promised to go to a house which was in many ways
+regarded as an institution for novitiates. Some papers were brought to
+her, but although she was much distracted, she did not think she had
+signed any which were of importance. She understood from the priest that
+on taking the veil her property would pass into the possession of the
+Church, although she gathered from scraps of conversation which she had
+heard, that Tresidder and the priests were arranging the matter between
+them.
+
+With regard to her experiences at Lanherne, she assured me that she had
+been treated with great kindness, and while not allowed outside the
+grounds, she had comparative liberty within them. She believed that
+while the lord of the manor was an ardent Catholic, and had practically
+given up the house to the use of the Catholic clergy, he would not be a
+party to anything wrong. The priests had told her that they had seen
+the meeting between her and myself in the garden, and this had
+determined them to take her to a convent on the Continent immediately.
+For the rest, she had been treated with kindness and consideration.
+
+It was early in the morning when we arrived at Truro, and we determined
+to stay at a good inn there, which, if I remember aright, went under the
+name of "The Royal." The owner looked at us somewhat suspiciously, but
+when he saw that we were well mounted asked no questions. It was now two
+nights since I had had any sleep, while Naomi was much fatigued; so
+after breakfast we lay down for a few hours, and then I paid a visit to
+Lawyer Trefry.
+
+Keen lawyer as he was, and doubtless used to many strange stories, Mr.
+Trefry was much startled at what I told him, and seemed much interested
+in my own experiences as well as in Naomi's.
+
+"They are a clever lot, these Tresidders," he said, approvingly. "As I
+told you long ago, they never leave a bone until it is picked dry."
+
+"But have they not put themselves within reach of the law?" I asked.
+
+"Not they."
+
+"Not in imprisoning me?"
+
+"Who's to prove it was they? You do not know who took you away from
+Falmouth, and naturally they will not witness against themselves."
+
+"And what about Miss Penryn?" I asked.
+
+"There is no case there, Jasper Pennington. Richard Tresidder is the
+young woman's guardian until she is twenty one, and as far as I can see,
+you can prove nothing illegal against him. Indeed, he has a case against
+you, for you have forcibly taken her from those under whose protection
+she had been placed by his and her own consent. Mind, I do not think he
+will proceed against you publicly, because he would not care for the
+matter to be discussed openly, but if you sought to prosecute, he would
+be able to answer all your accusations easily."
+
+"But what about him saying that she was dead? What of him taking
+possession of Trevose? What of the priest's trying to destroy her
+identity?"
+
+"Trust Tresidder and the priest to get out of that. Besides, for that
+matter, we must remember that the man is her guardian still, that he has
+the right to place her practically where he will. If he were to come to
+the inn where she is staying and demand that she shall go with him, he
+would have the law on his side."
+
+I was silent, for I saw that he was speaking the truth.
+
+"Your plan, as far as I can see, is to place her in seclusion and safety
+until she is twenty-one, then she can claim her own. Meanwhile, my lad,
+you keep out of sight, for you are not safe. If I were you I would leave
+the county, while the further Miss Penryn is removed from the Tresidders
+the better, for no doubt you are right in all your surmises about them."
+
+His words made me for the moment feel helpless, and I cursed the family
+who had been my enemies.
+
+"There is no need of all that, Jasper, my lad," said the lawyer, grimly.
+"Neither Richard Tresidder nor his son are much worse than many others
+who might be in their place. It was natural for the woman who married
+your grandfather to seek to do well for her son; it was natural, too,
+that they should seek to maintain the position which they secured. You
+are the one man they have to fear, consequently it is reasonable to
+suppose that they should protect themselves against you. It is
+generally understood that Tresidder is in a sad way financially; he is
+therefore trying, and naturally, too, to save himself through his ward.
+If she had fallen in love with Nick, all would have been well with him;
+but she hasn't. Instead, she falls in love with you. Oh, you needn't
+blush, my lad, I can see how things stand. Very well; Tresidder sees
+that if she marries you, you will be owner of Trevose, and will thus be
+able, under your grandfather's curious will, to oust him from
+Pennington. He is naturally fighting for his hand; ay, and will to the
+end. You may call him a villain if you like, but his course is almost
+natural. The fact is, the old lady was, and is, ambitious for her
+family, and all of them love money, dearly love it. This explains their
+actions. Mark, I will admit that the whole lot of them have stained
+their honour to get their way, but not more than most others would have
+done had they been similarly circumstanced."
+
+Lawyer Trefry walked up and down his office as he said this, and seemed
+to be speaking partly to himself, partly to me.
+
+"But I have no money," I said, "neither has Naomi. How can I do as you
+suggest?"
+
+"That shall be forthcoming if you will do as I suggest," he replied. "I
+will find a safe retreat for the young lady, at least I will try,
+although my name must not appear in the matter. Of course, it will take
+a week or two; in the meantime, you could, perhaps, arrange for a safe
+hiding-place, for I dare not let her stay at my house, much as I would
+like."
+
+"And until Naomi is twenty-one?" I asked.
+
+"Tresidder will be the nominal owner of Trevose. It cannot be helped. I
+don't think he will do anything very rash; in any case it seems to be
+the only arrangement for the present. In the meanwhile I will consider
+the matter more carefully, and what can be done shall be done."
+
+I suggested many other things, but I did not succeed in altering Mr.
+Trefry's opinions.
+
+Now when I had left him, while I could not help seeing that he had
+uttered many wise words, I was far from satisfied with his plans. True,
+Naomi had promised to be my wife, but my whole nature revolted at the
+thought of becoming entirely dependent on her income, while my rightful
+possessions had been robbed from me. Thus, although the lawyer had told
+me to leave the county, so as to ensure my safety until Naomi came of
+age, I determined that I would stay and seek to get back my own. True, I
+had been entirely unsuccessful in the past, and had played into the
+hands of those who had wronged me. At the same time I had been learning
+wisdom, and I pondered over the schemes which had come into my mind.
+
+It was dark when we left Truro, for I did not think it wise to travel in
+the day. I took the precaution, however, to buy a brace of pistols in
+the town. This I was able to do by means of the money which Eli had
+obtained from Jonathan Cowling, the old serving-man at Trevose.
+
+By the following morning we had reached Mullion Porth, and without
+difficulty found the house of Mrs. Mary Crantock. Indeed, we found
+Tamsin standing in the little green-painted porch as if she expected us.
+
+Now I must confess that I felt uneasy at being obliged to resort to this
+means of finding a temporary home for my love. I did not know Mrs. Mary
+Crantock, and I was afraid lest Tamsin Truscott should betray me. At the
+same time I did not see what else I could do. To take her to Trevose was
+altogether impracticable; Pennington was just as bad, even worse, while
+Lawyer Trefry expressly stated that he could not consent for her to be
+taken to his house. Moreover, I trusted that Naomi by her kindness and
+winsomeness would make both Mrs. Crantock and Tamsin her friends.
+
+I found Mrs. Crantock to be an exceedingly pious woman. She had been
+very religiously inclined previous to Mr. Wesley's visit to Cornwall,
+and since then her religion had become more pronounced. Her great aim in
+life seemed to be to make people believe in the Methodist doctrines, and
+to become converted according to the ideas of those wonderful people.
+She had found out through Tamsin that the young lady I was seeking to
+rescue was brought up a Papist, and this caused her to be eager to give
+her a home. First, because she was anxious to know the distinctive
+doctrines of the Papists; and, second, because she would have an
+opportunity of, to use her own terms, "snatching a brand from the
+burning."
+
+The great thing that comforted me, however, was the fact that she seemed
+desirous of making my love safe and comfortable, for I determined that I
+would not stay at Mullion Porth, but take immediate steps to see if what
+Eli had told me about the buried treasure was true.
+
+Two hours after she had been welcomed at Mrs. Crantock's, therefore, I
+left the house. It was terribly hard for me to tear myself away from my
+love, especially as she clung fondly to me as her only protector. How
+gladly I would have stayed with her, God only knows, but for the sake of
+my little maid's good name, as well as for many other reasons, I dared
+not.
+
+When I bade her good-bye, however, I saw Tamsin watching us, and the
+look on her face almost made me shudder, and at that moment I repented
+bringing Naomi to Mullion Cove. It was too late to draw back now,
+however; besides, I was powerless.
+
+One of the difficulties which confronted me after I had left was what to
+do with the horses, and Eli and I had a long conversation as to the
+course we should pursue concerning them. While we talked Tamsin came to
+us.
+
+"Mr. Jasper," she said, "can I help you?"
+
+"You are very good, Tamsin," I said; "I am afraid you could not. I want
+to send these horses back to Trevose, and I know not how it is to be
+done."
+
+"Even a sister may be useful," she said, in tones which I could not
+understand.
+
+I looked at her questioningly.
+
+"I will see that the horses are taken to Trevose," she said, quietly.
+
+"How, Tamsin?"
+
+"I have many means. My father has many men who will do anything for me."
+
+"Could it be done without letting the Tresidders know?" I asked,
+eagerly.
+
+"Why not? They could be taken to an inn at St. Columb or Padstow, and
+then the man who goes with them could take a note to the Jonathan
+Cowling you told us about, telling him what he had done."
+
+I thought over this plan very carefully, and then I congratulated Tamsin
+on being such a clever girl. She did not reply to my words, however,
+but instead kept her eyes on the ground as though she were thinking
+deeply.
+
+"Will you arrange this, Tamsin?" I said, presently.
+
+"Yes, I will arrange it."
+
+"So that neither your father nor the Tresidders shall suspect anything?"
+
+"Yes, it shall be done."
+
+Then I went away, pondering at Tamsin's behaviour, for although she
+seemed to be kind I could not understand her.
+
+Now, Mullion Forth is only a few miles from Kynance Cove, and as I was
+anxious not to meet with any of Cap'n Jack's gang, I suggested to Eli
+that we should keep as far inland as possible.
+
+"No," grunted Eli.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"You said that we must vind the dreckshuns for Granfer's treasure."
+
+"Yes, but they are at St. Eve, are they not?"
+
+"No, no! Aw, aw!" and he laughed like one tickled.
+
+"Tell me what you mean, Eli."
+
+"Cap'n Jack do think 'ee's awful clever, 'ee do. 'Ee do zay 'ee can vind
+out everything. But 'ee ded'n reckon 'pon poor little Eli. Little Eli
+knawed he'd be allays at mawther. He ded think the dreckshuns was cloase
+to Granfer's Caave. Zo they wos, but Eli took 'em to a plaace ovver by
+Kynance Cove. Aw, aw!"
+
+"Then they are near Cap'n Jack's house?"
+
+"Iss, iss. Cloase by. Mawther was purtly frightened when she cudden vind
+the paper. But little Eli knawed, an' ded'n zay nothin'."
+
+"And what are we to do?"
+
+"Git cloase to the Cove, then lop round till dark, after that little
+Eli'll tell 'ee."
+
+"But why did you take the papers there?"
+
+"People do look everywhere cipt cloase by their own doors. Little Eli
+ed'n a fool!"
+
+Now I must confess that all this talk about the buried treasure became
+very foolish to me at this time. As I have said, there were many tales
+when I was a boy about such things until no one took any heed. Still I
+determined to make the most of Eli's knowledge, for if what he suspected
+were true, I should be able to buy back Pennington at once, and have the
+Tresidders in my power. All the same, I built very little upon it, and
+through the day tried to make plans which should be more feasible.
+
+When darkness came on we made our way across Goonhilly Downs and came
+down to the cove when the tide was at its ebb. I saw Cap'n Jack's house
+in the distance, by means of a light which shone from the window, and
+could not help thinking of the morning when I first saw it, and of the
+circumstances under which I came thither. Only a little more than a year
+had passed away since then, and yet it seemed ages.
+
+"We must be very careful, Eli," I said; "if I am caught by Cap'n Jack's
+gang I am a dead man."
+
+"All right," grunted Eli. "You'll not be seed. I'll take care o' that.
+Come after me."
+
+He led the way down a beaten track until we came to a deep gorge, by
+which we were completely hidden.
+
+When we had reached the bottom of the gorge I stopped suddenly.
+
+"I heard a noise, Eli," I whispered. "Stop, listen!"
+
+We stopped, but all was silent. No wind blew, and so every sound was
+easily heard. I ran up the path again, and looked around. The moon had
+not yet risen, but the night was clear. Still I could see nothing.
+
+"Maaster Jasper es feartened," grunted Eli; "come on."
+
+I followed him again, and had scarcely reached the beach when a sound
+like the crack of a musket reached our ears.
+
+"The devil es blawin' hes billies (bellows) to-night," laughed Eli.
+
+Now, as all the world knows, the devil is supposed to wander much among
+the caves in Kynance Cove. Perhaps this is owing to many of the strange
+sounds heard there. In one of the caves a terrible hissing sound may be
+heard, which is called the "Devil's Frying-Pan;" in another is a deep
+hole, from which a vapour like steam comes forth, and this is called the
+"Devil's Punch-Bowl." It is also said that he walks in bodily form among
+the rocks, and makes great noises with his bellows.
+
+"We need'n fear Cap'n Jack's gang to-night," laughed Eli.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"They never come near 'ere when th'oull Sir Nick is blowin' hes billies
+by night."
+
+I remembered the stories I had heard when I lived among them, and
+believed he told the truth.
+
+"I shudden like to zee th'oull chap hisself," grunted Eli, with a laugh,
+"I shudden mind, though. We cud git our way ef he wos to come. We cud
+jist sell ourselves to un, and then you'd bait the Trezidders aisy."
+
+I did not reply, for a great dread laid hold of me. Besides, the sight
+of Eli, as he made his way between the rocks, grunting and making all
+sorts of weird noises, was enough to make one's blood run cold.
+
+"Remember, Eli," I said, "everything must be clear and right. I'll have
+no dealings with darkness, mind that."
+
+But Eli made no answer, except to go jabbering as though he were mad.
+
+"'Tes a good job the tide es out," he grunted, presently.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"We cudden git in the Devil's Church else."
+
+"What have we to do with the Devil's Church?"
+
+"The dreckshuns be there," and he laughed in his strange, guttural way.
+
+As I have said, being better educated than most of the Cornish folk, I
+had been led to disbelieve in many of the foolish stories told, but I
+shuddered at the idea of going there. For, first of all, it was very
+difficult to get into, and could only be reached when the tide was out,
+and it was, moreover, reputed to be accursed ground. Here shipwrecked
+sailors had been lured by inviting lights and welcome sounds, and here
+they had met their doom.
+
+"I'll not go there, Eli," I gasped.
+
+"Don't be a vool, Jasper Pennington," snarled Eli. "We sh'll be saafe
+there. Nobody will disturb us. I put it there, I did. Come on,
+Pennington; and yer love is there, you boobah."
+
+I saw that the dwarf was much excited, and, like one under a spell, I
+followed him without another word. We climbed over many slippery,
+dangerous rocks, and then walked over the grass-grown summits of a
+small island. Then we slowly descended on the south side of the island.
+Neither of us spoke, for we were in great danger. Below us, many feet
+down, were great jagged rocks, at whose feet the frothy waves leaped.
+
+"How much farther?" I asked.
+
+"Here we be," grunted Eli, and he disappeared.
+
+The next minute I found myself in a roomy cavern.
+
+"Wait, and I'll get a light," cried Eli, feeling in his pockets.
+
+I heard a strange whizzing noise, and then something struck against my
+face, and I heard a screech in the darkness outside.
+
+"This is the Devil's Church," grunted Eli, "and 'tes 'ere I've put the
+dreckshuns."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+HOW I FOUND THE SECRET OF THE TREASURE, AND WENT TO THE SCILLY ISLES
+
+
+The cave called the Devil's Church is little known, and yet it is larger
+than any of the caverns in Kynance Cove. Strangely enough, too, it is
+shaped like a church; even the entrance looks as though it might have
+been fashioned by the hands of men. It was perfectly dry, for the sea
+never entered it except at very high tides, and even when it entered the
+water was never known to reach the roof. It was, moreover, seldom
+visited, for, as I have before stated, in addition to its evil name, it
+was extremely difficult to reach.
+
+"You say you've put the papers here?" I said to Eli.
+
+"Iss; 'ere, stoop down and laive me git top yer back."
+
+I stooped down, and the dwarf climbed on my shoulders. I had no idea he
+was so heavy, and when he placed his shoes on my shoulders I gave a cry
+of pain.
+
+"Aw," laughed Eli, "I be'ant no wizard, be I? I be 'eavier than the
+church Bible, I be. Ther' now, hold yerself stiddy, and I'll take et
+out."
+
+He felt along the roof of the cavern, and presently gave a grunt of
+satisfaction.
+
+"I've got et, Jasper, I've got et. 'Tes oal 'ere. Pennington and the
+purty maid. Aw, aw!"
+
+With that I let him down on the floor, and saw that he held something
+in his hand.
+
+"Now, then, let's see it," I cried, for in my eagerness I had forgotten
+all about my ghostly fears.
+
+"Come 'ere to a lew place," said Eli; "this'll do. I'll hould the candle
+while you raid."
+
+The packet which he had taken from a hole in the cave was covered with
+some kind of skin, and was carefully sewn with strong twine. I took my
+knife from my pocket, and was about to cut it open when I looked around.
+The candle which Eli held partially lit up the cave, sufficient, indeed,
+to enable me to see nearly every part of it. A moment later I had
+started to my feet and seized the pistol which I had bought at Truro,
+but my hand became nerveless.
+
+Close to me, not ten feet away, I saw that which turned my blood to ice.
+It seemed to my excited imagination a creature fashioned in the likeness
+of a man, and yet its eyes shone as I had never seen human eyes shine,
+and the face was terrible to look upon. The thing held up its hands, and
+I saw that they were long and lean. He uttered a cry. "No, no, no!" he
+said.
+
+A mist came before my eyes, and my senses seemed to depart from me. For
+a minute or more I was ignorant of what passed.
+
+"You be a vool, Jasper!" I heard Eli say.
+
+"What is it?" I asked. "Where is it gone?"
+
+"Dunnaw, dunnaw. We'll go out."
+
+I hurried out of the cave, forgetful of the purpose for which we came,
+and I did not rest until I reached the mainland.
+
+"This is terrible, Eli!" I said.
+
+The dwarf laughed.
+
+"I 'spect it was Granfer's ghost," he grunted; "but what of that? He
+ed'n goin' to stop we."
+
+"He has stopped us."
+
+"Not a bit of it. I've got the dreckshuns 'ere. I bean't no vool ef you
+be."
+
+I hurried on, for I was terribly afraid, and yet at each step I felt
+more glad that Eli had taken the papers. All the time Eli kept close to
+my heels, sometimes laughing at my fears, and at others grumbling with
+me. Presently I seemed to see things in a new light. Wasn't this
+apparition merely the creature of my own imaginations? Had I not
+conjured up the spectre myself?
+
+"Eli," I said presently, trying to be brave, "you are right, I am a
+fool. That thing was nothing but my fancy."
+
+"Aw, aw!" laughed Eli.
+
+"Come," I said, "there's a furze-cutter's hut somewhere, I saw it as we
+crossed the downs to-day. Let us go and read the papers."
+
+"Tha's yer soarts," replied Eli. "'Ere we be."
+
+With that we found our way to a hut which some one had built as a
+temporary shelter, and a few minutes later Eli had lit another candle.
+The wind which had risen howled across Goonhilly Downs, on which the hut
+was built, but the place was sufficiently sheltered to allow the candle
+to burn steadily.
+
+"Here 'tes," cried Eli, safely; "raid, Maaster Jasper, raid."
+
+A nervous dread again laid hold of me as I took the thing in my hands,
+but mastering my weakness, I cut the threads, and a few minutes later I
+had smoothed out the piece of paper on which the directions, of which
+Eli had so often spoken, were written.
+
+The following is a copy, as nearly as I can make it, although it is
+impossible for me to reproduce the peculiar characters in which it was
+written.
+
+
+           CILLYILES
+     ANNETT NOBODELIVIN
+           KAMSAY.
+       LAWTID _Be sur ov this_
+       DOO SOTH. VURS
+       KUNGIT.
+       SOTH AGIN _Lik thiky_
+     DEVILS POINT
+
+[Illustration: Diagram]
+
+         BLAKPLAS
+     ELLS MOTH S W.
+       BILYSED N. W.
+       PIK BAR SHOWL
+         IREBOX JAMTITE
+     _Loard be marciful to we_.
+
+
+I pored over the directions for a long time, while Eli looked over my
+shoulder, as if trying to decipher the characters.
+
+"Eli bea'nt no schullard," he grunted at length; "Jasper be, Jasper raid
+et to Eli."
+
+"Wait a bit, Eli," I said, trying to remember some of the things I had
+learnt at school, "it's beginning to get plain to me."
+
+"Wish I was schullard," he cried excitedly.
+
+Again I pored over the paper, and presently I translated it to mean as
+follows:
+
+
+                  _Scilly Isles._
+
+         _Name of Island: Annette. Uninhabited._
+
+              _Calm sea. (Be sure of this.)_
+
+     _Due south of the island. Go as far as possible.
+     Here southward still is a rock, of which a
+     rough sketch is given. The treasure is laid at
+     the point indicated by the black spot, called the
+     Devil's Point._
+
+       _Hell's Mouth S.W. Billy's Head N.W.
+     An iron box jammed tight. Take pick, crowbar,
+     and shovel._
+
+
+The longer I looked at the paper the more certain I was that I had given
+the correct meaning to it, and yet the whole idea of a buried treasure
+became absurd.
+
+"Eli," I said, "are you sure this is intended to tell where a treasure
+is?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+"Look, Eli, tell me the history of this paper. Tell me who wrote it, and
+what Granfer Fraddam had to do with it. Tell me how it came into your
+mother's hands and into yours."
+
+"Shaan't tell 'ee nothin' more," grunted Eli. "'Tes there. Give et to me
+ef you doan't want et."
+
+I sat for a long time in deep thought, for I scarcely knew what step to
+take. Presently, however, my mind was made up. I would, at any rate, see
+if these rudely drawn characters had any meaning. By this means I might
+get back Pennington, and I should not take Naomi to the altar a
+penniless outcast.
+
+If these directions had no meaning I should be none the worse; if there
+were a treasure, I had as much right to it as any other man; nay, more.
+Eli was Granfer Fraddam's descendant, and he had given the paper to me.
+
+Besides, the longer I thought of it, the more I was convinced that there
+was a meaning in what I had been reading. Why should it have been
+written at all? Why was Granfer Fraddam so particular to preserve it?
+And, above all, why should Cap'n Jack Truscott be so eager to obtain it?
+
+I had heard of _Annette_ as forming one of a group of islands lying
+about thirty miles from the Land's End, but beyond that I knew nothing.
+It was evidently uninhabited, and regarded by the pirates, if pirates
+they were, as a safe place to bury their treasure.
+
+Anyhow I determined to follow the directions given. So far I had done
+nothing to get back my own. I had been driven from pillar to post
+without making a single step forward. At worst I could but fail, while
+it might be possible that by this step I might be revenged on my
+enemies.
+
+"Yes, Eli," I said, "we'll go, you and I."
+
+"Tha's yer soarts," grunted Eli.
+
+"We shall want a boat, and we shall want tools, Eli. How are we to get
+them?"
+
+"Aisy, aisy," cried Eli.
+
+"Come on, we must be off."
+
+"We must walk to Land's End," cried Eli, "and git a boat there. Another
+say voyage, aw, aw!"
+
+I did not altogether like this arrangement, and yet I knew no better
+plan, so we started on our journey. We had not gone more than a few
+yards when I turned and looked around.
+
+"I heard a footstep," I said.
+
+"You be feartened," grunted Eli.
+
+"There is some one following us, I'm sure."
+
+"How can there be? We be 'ere in the oppen downs, and can zee oal
+around."
+
+He spoke the truth. Around us was a vast stretch of open country upon
+which nothing grew save stunted furze bushes. It seemed impossible that
+any one could hide from us.
+
+I took heart, therefore, and trudged forward. I feared nothing
+living--it was the departed dead, the powers of darkness that held me in
+awe. But for Naomi I would not have ventured to go to the Scilly Isles;
+the remembrance of her, however, nerved me, for my Pennington pride
+mixed largely with my love. I knew that if the desires of my heart were
+fulfilled and she became my wife, I could easily obtain the means to buy
+back Pennington, but the thought was repugnant to me. Somehow I felt as
+though I should be disgraced in my own eyes if I did such a thing,
+natural as some people might regard it, for we Penningtons have always
+been regarded as an independent race, desiring nothing but that which we
+could obtain by our own hands and brains. And thus, although I loved
+Naomi very dearly, I could not bear the thought of asking her to link
+her life to a penniless outcast.
+
+Besides another fear possessed me. From what Lawyer Trefry had hinted
+when we parted, and from what Naomi had said to me, it was possible that
+the Tresidders had become possessed of her property. I pondered long
+over what she had said concerning the conversation held between the
+priests and Richard Tresidder. I tried to discover why they desired to
+have her regarded as dead. To my dull mind everything was enshrouded in
+mystery, but the very mystery urged me forward to find out the truth
+concerning Granfer Fraddam's treasure.
+
+When we reached Penzance I bought a compass and a chart containing many
+particulars about the Scilly Isles. This done we trudged on to the
+Land's End, and, arrived there, the real difficulties of our adventure
+presented themselves. First of all we had to possess a boat, and to do
+this without causing suspicion seemed difficult. Then we had to obtain
+tools and start on our journey without being seen. Eli, however, laughed
+at my fears.
+
+"'Tes arternoon now, Jasper Pennington," he said; "I'll git the boat,
+you git the other things."
+
+I asked him many questions as to how the boat was to be obtained, but he
+made no answer save to tell me to be in Gamper Bay, close by a rock
+called the Irish Lady, at ten o'clock that night, when the moon would
+rise. I knew I could trust him; so walking to the village of St. Bunyan,
+which is about three miles from Land's End, I obtained at a blacksmith's
+shop a pick, a crowbar, and a shovel, according to the directions given.
+This done I found my way back to the coast again. I had plenty of time,
+so putting the tools in a safe place I wandered along the edge of the
+cliffs. The moon had not yet risen, but for the time of the year the
+weather was very calm and pleasant. The waves leaped pleasantly on the
+great rock called the Armed Knight, and even the breakers on Whicksand
+Bay were not angry, as is usually the case on this wild coast. A few
+clouds swept along the sky, but mostly the heavens were clear. Presently
+I looked at my watch, and after some trouble discovered that it was
+nearly nine o'clock. As I was nearly a mile from the Irish Lady I
+determined to start, and was just going to the place where I had laid
+the pick and shovel when I heard the sound of voices in the near
+distance. I immediately fell flat on the ground, for I did not wish to
+be seen. A minute later I knew that two men were coming toward me, and I
+judged would pass close beside me. However, I lay still. I was partly
+covered by the heather which grew abundantly just there, and in the dim
+light could not be distinguished by the ordinary passer-by from the many
+great gray rocks which were scattered along the headland.
+
+"I heard the dwarf say," said a voice which I could not recognise, and
+yet which seemed very familiar to me, "that they would start from the
+Irish Lady at ten o'clock."
+
+"Iss, sur," was the reply.
+
+"They cannot get a boat nearer than Sennen Cove, can they?"
+
+"'Tes the only place a booat can be got to-night."
+
+"And it could not be got without your knowledge?"
+
+"No, sur."
+
+"You are quite sure?"
+
+"Iss."
+
+"And you have given orders as I directed?"
+
+"Iss, that I 'ave for sure."
+
+"Very good; but keep a sharp look-out. I shall be at the Ship Inn at
+Sennen. If by any means they launch a boat let me know."
+
+"I've put six men to watch, sur."
+
+"That's all right."
+
+They passed within six feet of me, but they did not see me. A few
+seconds later they were out of sight. So far I was safe, then, but what
+did this conversation mean? Who was this man who had been watching my
+actions, and what could be his purpose? He spoke like an educated man,
+and I could not imagine why he should place six men to watch the coast.
+Was he a creature of Richard Tresidder, or did he belong to Cap'n Jack
+Truscott's gang?
+
+"I must go and find Eli," I thought, so I made my way toward the Irish
+Lady as fast as I was able. I had just reached a part of the cliff where
+it was safe to descend to the beach when I saw a dark object creeping
+toward me. I was about to rush toward it and grapple with it when I
+heard Eli's voice.
+
+"Summin in the wind, Maaster Jasper. Somebody 'ave hired all the
+booats."
+
+I was not surprised at his words; what I had heard previously prepared
+me for them.
+
+"I tried to stall one, but 'twas no use. All the cove is watched."
+
+"What have you done, then?"
+
+"Nothin'. I did'n want nobody to take notice of me."
+
+For once my slow-thinking mind was able to hit upon a plan. I remembered
+when I was with Cap'n Jack's gang hearing of a cave in Gramper Bay, not
+far from the Irish Lady, where smugglers landed their goods. One of
+Cap'n Jack's men had pointed it out to me, and had told me that a gang
+who worked with them sometimes often kept a boat in it.
+
+This I told to Eli, who immediately suggested our trying to find it.
+
+"What we do we must do dreckly, Maaster Jasper," he said; "they be
+watchin' for we."
+
+I felt the truth of his words, and a few minutes later we had
+accomplished a precipitous and dangerous descent to the shore beneath.
+We should have got down more quickly but for the tools which I carried.
+
+We searched very quietly, very cautiously, for I remembered what I had
+heard, and were not long in finding out the cave I have mentioned.
+
+I may say here that I visited the Land's End only last week, and I find
+that the place is now quite open to view. A great mass of cliff which
+formerly hid its mouth has during the last few years fallen away, so
+that it can be no longer regarded as secret. Then, however, the opening
+was fairly well hidden.
+
+On entering the place I was delighted to find two fairly large boats. I
+discovered, too, that oars were lying in them, also a small mast and
+sails.
+
+"Good, good!" cried Eli, in a hoarse whisper. "Lev us be off right
+away."
+
+"The moon has not yet risen, Eli," I said; "it'll be dangerous to go out
+among so many rocks."
+
+"All the better, they waant zee us."
+
+I saw there was much truth in this, especially as they did not expect us
+to start until ten o'clock. So together we pulled out what seemed to be
+the best boat, and a few minutes later we were rocking on the heaving
+waves.
+
+It was, perhaps, a foolish adventure. As all the world knows, there are
+no wilder seas than those off Land's End. Here two mighty currents meet,
+and often when the waters are smooth elsewhere they are wild and
+troubled here. Besides, to undertake a long journey of more than thirty
+miles in the open sea in a rowing-boat, and to visit a group of islands
+noted for the treachery of their coasts, seemed harebrained and
+senseless, especially so when we were watched by people who were, as I
+judged, far from friendly toward us. And yet this fact added zest to the
+adventure; it made me feel that I was not chasing a phantom, else why
+should precautions be taken to hinder us, why were we the objects of so
+much suspicion?
+
+Nothing happened to us during our sail across the waters, and yet more
+than once I almost regretted undertaking the journey in such a way, for
+with the rising of the moon came also the turbulence of the waves.
+Indeed, when we had accomplished only half our journey I feared we
+should never reach the Scilly Isles at all. Our boat was tossed on the
+waves like a cork, and so rough was the sea that I was almost unable to
+row. Matters became better presently, however, and as morning came on I
+was able to hoist our little sail, and thus the latter part of our
+journey was far more pleasant than the first.
+
+As soon as daylight came we looked eagerly to see if we were followed,
+but a light mist had fallen upon the sea, and thus all vision was
+obscured. Still I imagined that we were safe, and I eagerly made plans
+whereby we should visit Annette Island, and formed many a wild
+conjecture as to what the treasure would be.
+
+It was not without considerable difficulty that we effected a landing.
+At first I determined to make straight for the place we had come to
+seek, but presently I felt hungry, which led me to remember that we had
+no food on board, and that we should surely need some before we reached
+the object of our search. So after much haggling with Eli, we at length
+decided to land at St. Mary's, where there was a safe harbour, which we
+did after much hard struggling. Indeed, so much had the journey
+fatigued us that, supposing that we found what we desired, I almost
+despaired of ever taking it to the mainland, unless the sea were much
+becalmed. Still I imagined that we might on returning commence our
+journey in the morning, and if the wind were favourable accomplish a
+great part of the distance before the night came on.
+
+Our appearance at Hugh Town, St. Mary's, seemed to call forth no special
+comment. Accustomed as were the islanders to all sorts of sea
+excursions, they apparently regarded our voyage as natural. At the same
+time they were curious as to our visit, and in a kindly way asked our
+business.
+
+I left all the questions for Eli to answer, who was far more adept at
+such matters than I, and who seemed to satisfy the curiosity of the
+fisher people without trouble. Perhaps they thought we were smugglers
+like themselves, for I suppose that almost all the men on the islands
+were in some way interested in deceiving the king's officers. They were
+very hospitable, however, and would charge nothing for the hearty meal
+of which we partook.
+
+Late in the afternoon we boarded our little boat again, and without
+apparently attracting any attention we rowed for Annette Island. It was
+well it was calm, for the place was surrounded with low-lying rocks,
+which might any moment destroy our craft. Never shall I forget the reef
+off Annette Head, for even on that calm day the innumerable "dogs"
+churned the waters into foam as they roared around them, as if to tell
+us that if we came near them they would surely destroy us. And we were
+near becoming wrecked, too, for there were many cross currents, which,
+had we not been very watchful, would surely have drawn us to
+destruction. One especially was dragging us to the reef of the
+_Hellweathers_, and but for my great strength we should never have
+landed.
+
+As the day was closing, however, we saw a small cove, and toward this we
+made our way, and finally succeeded in landing. I saw now why this
+island had been chosen for the burial of the treasure, if, indeed, one
+was buried. Even the islanders themselves seldom visited it because of
+its dangerous coast, and because there seemed nothing on it to tempt
+them to go thither.
+
+Once on land, however, we climbed Annette Head and looked cautiously
+around. No one was, as far as I could see, in sight. We were alone on a
+tract of land about forty acres big, entirely surrounded by treacherous
+waves and rocks.
+
+"Come, Eli," I said, "we are safe so far. Now we will see if this paper
+has any meaning."
+
+I saw that he was nearly as excited as I, for his eyes shone strangely,
+and he uttered many wild ejaculations as we wended our way southward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+HOW WE FOUND THE IRON BOX ON ANNETTE ISLAND, AND THE TERRIBLE ENDING TO
+OUR ADVENTURE
+
+
+There can, I think, be few drearier prospects than the one which
+presented itself to us as we made our way toward the south of Annette.
+Above was a gray sky, all around was a sullen sea. True, the waters were
+calm, but they looked as though at any moment they might rouse
+themselves to fury. East of us we could see the Island of St. Agnes, but
+beyond this no land was visible, except the rocky islets which lifted
+their heads from out the dark sea.
+
+On the Island of Annette we could see nothing of interest. No human
+being lived there, neither was any cattle to be seen. Possibly there
+might be enough verdure to keep a few alive, but I think that even they
+would have died of loneliness. The people at Hugh Town said that
+scarcely any one ever thought of going to Annette. Why should they?
+there was nothing to induce them there.
+
+Since then I have seen the whole group of islands bathed in the sunlight
+of summer, I have seen them covered with rich vegetation, I have seen
+the waves shine bright as they leaped on the many-coloured cliffs, and
+make sweet music as they played around the innumerable rocks. Seen in
+this way they are pleasing to all who can enjoy a strange and lovely
+beauty, but on the day of which I am writing they were gloomy beyond all
+the power of words to tell.
+
+Even the wind, little as there was of it, wailed and sobbed as it moved
+along the waters, while birds, the like of which I had never seen
+before, cried as though they were in bitter pain.
+
+"Eli," I said, "surely we are on the devil's mission, and God is
+forbidding us to go further."
+
+Eli made no answer save to grunt savagely.
+
+"Let us row back to St. Mary's again," I said, "this place is given over
+to Satan."
+
+"Then you'll go by yourself, Jasper Pennington!" snarled Eli. "I ded'n
+come 'ere to go away without gittin' what I wanted. Besides, 'tes nearly
+dark. I be'ant goin' to go 'way from here till daylight. Ef we tried we
+should both be drowned."
+
+I saw that he spoke the truth. None but a madman would put out to sea
+off Annette in the dark, and I saw by the gathering darkness that in a
+few minutes night would be upon us.
+
+"Cheer up," continued Eli, "Pennington es 'ere, so es the purty maid.
+Eli do love Jasper, Eli do," and the dwarf caught my hands and fondled
+them.
+
+In spite of myself I was cheered by his words, and throwing off my
+superstitious fears, I made my way southward to the spot where the great
+rock was supposed to lie.
+
+When we had walked a few minutes we saw that the island tapered down to
+a narrow point; we saw, too, that the strip of land was about three
+quarters of a mile long, perhaps a quarter of a mile broad, and lay
+pretty well north and south. Arriving at the southern extremity, we
+looked eagerly around. As I said, day was fast departing, but there was
+sufficient light to see the general features of the coast.
+
+I gave a start. Yes, there was the rock mentioned in the paper which I
+have described.
+
+"Wurrah!" cried Eli excitedly, "we be rich as Jews, Maaster Jasper."
+
+"Come, Eli," I said, as excited as he, "give me the tools. I'll get
+there at once."
+
+"We cannot do et yet," replied Eli. "In five minutes more 't'll be
+dark."
+
+"What fools we were not to come before!" I said, angrily.
+
+"No," grunted Eli; "ef people was to zee us diggin' they'd begin to
+'spect summin. We mus' do et in the dark."
+
+"How, Eli? You must be mad."
+
+The dwarf looked anxiously at the sky.
+
+"'T'll clear up dreckly," he replied complacently, "and the moon'll rise
+earlier to-night than he did last night. Ef 'tes clear moonlight we c'n
+zee. Ef tes'n, we must be up as zoon as ther's any light and find et
+afore anybody can be about."
+
+"Spend the night here?" I cried.
+
+"We sh'll 'ave to do that anyhow," he said. "We mus'n stay 'ere now,"
+continued the dwarf, "we must git away. Tell 'ee, I b'leeve we be
+watched as et es."
+
+"What makes you think so?"
+
+"Never mind," and he looked anxiously toward St. Agnes. "Tell 'ee,
+Jasper, 't'll be a rough night's work."
+
+I, too, looked toward St. Agnes, but could see nothing.
+
+"Come on, come on!" he cried excitedly; "we've got the dreckshuns; we
+knaw," and he walked northward as fast as he was able, carrying the
+spade under his arm. Presently we reached a deep pool not far from
+Annette Head, and near here we found some huge overhanging rocks.
+Underneath these we both crept, and here we sat for a considerable time.
+We had brought food with us, and of this we partook, after which we
+tried to pass away the time by smoking some prime tobacco which I had
+bought at Penzance. It was just after six o'clock when we finished our
+meal, and we sat there in the darkness for two hours. I rejoiced to see
+the clouds depart and the stars begin to shine, for the genius of
+loneliness seemed to govern the place. We could see nothing but the sea,
+which in the night looked as black as ink as it surged among the rocks.
+Even "Great Smith," a huge black rock which lay about half a mile from
+us, was almost hidden from view, and no sound of anything living reached
+us save the weird, unnatural cry of the sea birds which now and then
+fluttered among the rocks on the coast.
+
+When eight o'clock came Eli crawled out from our hiding-place and crept
+to the headland. Here he stayed for some minutes.
+
+"We be saafe, I reckon," he grunted when he came back; "ther's nobody
+here, nobody 'toal. We'll go back to the rock again. We musn't talk,
+jist go quiet."
+
+I followed him, for somehow I felt that he was more capable of leading
+than I. He kept perfectly cool, I was excited and irritable. Moreover, a
+nameless dread had laid hold of me. We kept close by the northeast coast
+of the island, while at frequent intervals Eli would hide behind a rock
+or lie flat on the ground, listening intently all the while.
+
+"Are you anxious, Eli?" I asked. "Who could come here without our
+knowledge? while, as you say, it would mean death for any one to come in
+the dark."
+
+"Cap'n Jack and Cap'n Billy Coad be'ant like other people," he grunted.
+"I've bin thinkin', thinkin'."
+
+"What about?"
+
+"Sha'ant tell 'ee!" he snarled; "but I reckon we be oal right. Come on."
+
+Presently we reached the southern extremity of the little tract of land
+again, and as I made my way to the rock I became possessed of a feverish
+desire to get the treasure. All ghostly fears departed, I felt strong
+and capable again, and it was with great impatience that I waited for
+the moon to rise.
+
+The wind had gone to rest, while the sea was settling down to dead calm.
+
+"'Nother aaf an hour, Jasper," grunted Eli.
+
+"Yes," I cried, and I grasped my crowbar.
+
+But we had to wait for more than half an hour, for with the rising of
+the moon came also a black cloud which obscured its light until it had
+risen some distance in the heavens. By and by, however, the moon shot
+above the cloud, and that which before had been obscured by darkness
+became plain. There was the great rugged rock which bore a resemblance
+to the rude scratching on the paper. By the side of the rock ran a deep
+gulf filled with black water. Near by, perhaps twenty feet away, was
+another and larger mass of cliff. I looked at the water which lay
+between the two, and saw that it whirled and eddied, as though there
+were some terrible forces underneath which moved it at will.
+
+I picked up a bit of stick and threw it into the middle of the gulf,
+which ran perhaps forty feet into the island. I saw the water take it
+and carry it a little way seaward, and then it came back again. After
+that it started whirling around, and in a minute or so later it seemed
+to be drawn downward, for it disappeared from our sight.
+
+"Ef a man was to git in there 'ee'd never git out again," grunted Eli.
+
+"No, never," was my reply, and I shuddered as I spoke.
+
+"Well, then, be careful, Jasper Pennington."
+
+Seizing the pick and crowbar, I crept along the rock until I had reached
+the extreme point.
+
+I remembered the words written on the piece of paper: "_Hell's Mouth, S.
+W._" Yes, that was the gulf into which I had thrown the stick.
+
+"_Billy's Head N. W._" I looked to the right of me and saw a rock shaped
+something like a man's head.
+
+The night became lighter. The moon was rising higher and higher in the
+heavens and sailing in a cloudless sky.
+
+I examined the Devil's Point carefully, but I could see no sign of place
+into which an iron box could be placed.
+
+"Can 'ee find et?" I heard Eli say, in a low, rasping voice.
+
+"No; there's nothing here. From here it is perpendicular to the sea, a
+dozen feet down."
+
+Eli swore a terrible oath.
+
+"For God's sake, don't," I cried; "this place is true to its name.
+That's Hell's Mouth, and this is the Devil's Point right enough."
+
+He crept by me, grunting savagely, and began to feel around the edge of
+the rock.
+
+"Be careful, Eli," I said, "if you slip you are lost."
+
+"I sha'ant slip," he cried savagely, "I sha'ant!"
+
+Then I saw him lift a stone several pounds weight and throw it into the
+sea. This was quickly followed by another.
+
+"Pick, Jasper!" he cried.
+
+He placed the pick between two stones and began to heave at the handle.
+
+"Ca'ant move um!" he snarled. "'Ere, you do et."
+
+I caught the handle of the pick and lifted. I felt it begin to break in
+my hands.
+
+"It's no use," I said; "I must use the bar."
+
+I inserted the point of the bar into the crevice and lifted. I felt a
+rock move. I put forth my strength, and a great slat several
+hundredweight fell into the sea with sullen splash.
+
+Eli got on his knees beside the hole we had made.
+
+"We'm right," he gasped, and I felt he had spoken the truth. After this
+we took away several stones from the fissure which nature had formed at
+the Devil's Point.
+
+I put my bar into the hole we had made and let it slip through my hands.
+Its point struck a piece of iron.
+
+"Iron box. Jammed tight!" grunted Eli savagely. "We've got um!"
+
+We were terribly excited. For my own part, I had forgotten everything,
+save that a treasure lay at my feet. The treacherous waters in Hell's
+Mouth troubled me not one whit; all my superstitious fears had fled.
+
+As well as I was able I crept into the fissure and felt one foot on a
+piece of iron. Then I put my hand down and felt carefully. Yes, an iron
+box had been put there. It lay edgeways, at least I judged so. The part
+I could feel seemed about a foot wide and three feet long.
+
+"Got et?" gasped Eli.
+
+"Yes," I cried; "my God, here's a handle!"
+
+"Heave um up, then, you who be sa strong."
+
+I tried to lift the thing out, but could not.
+
+"I can't move it, Eli."
+
+"Jammed tight," he grunted.
+
+He was right. Many hard stones were driven in at its sides.
+
+How long it took me to move these stones I know not, but at length I
+succeeded in unloosing many until I was able to rock the box from side
+to side.
+
+"It'll come now!" cried Eli. "Heave agin!"
+
+Never was my strength put to such a test as at that time. I saw sparks
+of fire flash before my eyes, while the muscles of my arms seemed as
+though they would snap. It was all in vain, however.
+
+"Let me rest a bit, Eli," I said, "then I'll try again."
+
+"No time to rest," snarled Eli.
+
+He seized the crowbar, and after much manoeuvring he passed it through
+the iron handle of the box, and rested the point against the side of the
+fissure.
+
+"Haive now, Jasper," he grunted.
+
+I did as he bade me. The box freed itself from the sides of its
+resting-place.
+
+I had nothing but the weight of the casket to lift now, so I caught the
+handle again. The thing was ponderously heavy, but I drew it to the top
+of the fissure, and laid it on the rock called the Devil's Point.
+
+"Ho! ho! ho!" yelled Eli, like one frenzied.
+
+As for me, I was nearly mad with joy.
+
+"My beauty," I said, fondling the box, "I see Pennington in you, I see
+Naomi's joy on you. You make me free, you make me independent. I love
+you, I do--I love you!"
+
+"Laive us drag un away from the Devil's Point," cried Eli; "Hell's Mouth
+is too close to plaise me."
+
+So I placed my arms around it and prepared to carry it from the rock,
+and away from the inky waters that curled and hissed in the "Devil's
+Mouth." No sooner had I lifted it from the ground, however, than I let
+it fall again.
+
+"No! no!" screamed a voice near me. It was not Eli's guttural cry, it
+was a repetition of the words we had heard in the "Devil's Church" at
+Kynance Cove.
+
+On starting up I saw the same ghastly-looking creature, the same long
+beard, the same wild eyes, the same long, lean hands.
+
+"No! no! no! I tell you no!" cried the thing again.
+
+"Why?" I asked, half in anger, half in terror, for I could but realise
+what such an apparition meant to us.
+
+"Because the thing is accursed!" he cried--"because it is red with the
+blood of innocence, black with sin, heavy with the cries of orphans'
+tears and widows' moans. It is the price of crime, red crime, black
+crime! Come away."
+
+I jumped from the rock and caught the strange thing in my hands. It was
+flesh and blood, and all fear departed. I turned his face to the light,
+then I burst into a loud laugh.
+
+"Ho! ho!" I cried, "the madman of Bedruthan Steps. Well, well, you saved
+my life, you fed me when I was hungry, you clothed me when I was naked.
+I forgive you. But let me be now. I must take this away."
+
+"No, no, Jasper Pennington," he cried again, "your hands are yet
+unstained with blood. The moment you were to use such gains the curse of
+a hundred Cains would be upon you. I know, I have felt."
+
+"Why?" I said; "I do no harm in getting it; I hurt no man. It is mine as
+much as any other man's--nay, it is more. Eli Fraddam really owns it,
+and he has given it to me."
+
+"Look you, Jasper Pennington," he cried, "you would get back your
+birthright. If you got it back in such a way you would lose the better
+birthright, the birthright of God. I know of this treasure, I have heard
+its history. It is red with blood, I tell you, and black with crime."
+
+In spite of myself the man's vehemence affected me.
+
+"But," I said, "I love. I cannot go to her empty-handed. A Pennington
+does not do that. Besides, I am afraid that my love is also penniless,
+afraid that she has been robbed."
+
+"Look, Jasper Pennington," he said, "I have heard strange things. I have
+been afraid to ask questions, because--because--but tell me, who is the
+maiden you love?"
+
+"Naomi Penryn," I replied.
+
+"Yes, yes; I know that, but who is Naomi Penryn? whose child is she?
+Does she come from Penryn? Who is her mother? who her father? where was
+she born? Tell me."
+
+"He is mad, stark, staring mad," I said to myself, yet I humoured him.
+True, the treasure lay at my feet, and I wanted to take it away, while
+Eli kept grumbling at my delay, but the man seemed to drag an answer
+from me.
+
+"She was born at Trevose House, close by Trevose Head," I replied.
+"Indeed, she should be the owner of the estate."
+
+"And her mother?" he cried.
+
+"Was some relative of the Tresidders."
+
+"And her father? Tell me, man, tell me quickly."
+
+"Her father was called Penryn--John Penryn, I think his name was."
+
+"But how can that be? Did he not kill his wife before--that is, did she
+not die?"
+
+"No," I said, "he did not. He thought he killed her, and because of it
+committed suicide, but his wife was not dead. She got better soon
+after--indeed, she died only a year or two ago."
+
+"And Penryn committed suicide, you say?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And the girl you love is his child?"
+
+"Yes. But what is all this to you? Why have you followed me? What are my
+affairs to you?"
+
+"Everything, Jasper Pennington. Stop, let me think."
+
+"I cannot stop, I must get this away! Look you, man," and I caught his
+arm, "this is nothing to you, I have found it," and I kicked the iron
+box. "It's mine, mine!"
+
+"No, no; it's not yours, I tell you." He stopped and looked around him,
+then clenched his hands as though he were passing through a terrible
+crisis.
+
+"Do you say the Tresidders have taken Trevose from the--the maid you
+love?"
+
+"I am afraid they have. I believe they have."
+
+"But where is she?"
+
+"It is naught to you. She is away from all danger. When I have taken
+this treasure to a place of safety I shall go to her. I shall buy back
+Pennington and take her to my home."
+
+"No, Jasper Pennington, this must not be. Naomi Penryn must never live
+in a home bought with the price of crime. But you are sure she is safe?"
+
+He spoke like a man demented, and yet his earnestness, his evident
+hatred of crime made me patient. Moreover, he had come upon me at a
+critical time, and was to an extent a sharer in my secret.
+
+"Look you, Esau, or Cain, or whatever else you may call yourself," I
+said, "these are but idle words of yours--idle words. I have committed
+no crime, I hurt no man, I am poor, I have been robbed of my rights, my
+home. Here, I trust, is my power to win back my home and give it to my
+love, who is dearer to me than my life."
+
+"There is no need, Jasper Pennington, I tell you there is no need! Throw
+this thing to the Hell's Mouth, by which it has been lying. Take me to
+your love; let me see her face, and then--well, I will not promise what,
+but it shall be well with you," and he laughed like a man from whose
+life a great fear had gone.
+
+I looked at him, and he presented a strange appearance in the light of
+the moon on that lonely island. I could not let the treasure slip from
+my hands at his bidding, for what was the promise of such as he, whose
+every action told me he was mad?
+
+"Look you," he continued, "I have followed you for your good. I tried to
+keep you from leaving Land's End last night, I followed you to the cave
+in Kynance Cove. Come, there is more danger around than you think."
+
+"What danger?" I asked.
+
+The words had scarcely escaped my lips when I heard the sound of voices,
+and Eli gave a shriek as though some one had given him a deadly blow.
+
+I turned and saw several men standing close by me. A moment later one
+spoke.
+
+"Oa, Jasper Pennington, this _es_ kind of 'ee to come 'ere like this.
+You knawed I wanted to vind out Granfer Fraddam's secret, did'n 'ee,
+then? An' you was a goin' to make a present of et to me, wad'n 'ee,
+then? Well, you be kind, Jasper."
+
+"Cap'n Jack!" I cried.
+
+"Iss, Cap'n Jack. Allays a friend to 'ee, Jasper, a stiddy, pious man I
+be. So es Billy Coad 'ere. Ther's few people c'n give sich a religious
+experience as Billy. Well, we vound out wot you was up to, so we be cum
+to help 'ee, my deear boy."
+
+I saw that all was lost. The treasure, if treasure there was, could
+never be mine.
+
+"You told them this!" I cried, turning to the madman, to whom I had been
+talking.
+
+"No, Jasper Pennington, I have told nothing. But I heard they were
+coming, and I came to warn you."
+
+He spoke quietly and with dignity. His madness was gone, he seemed a new
+man.
+
+"Ded 'ee think that we wos vools, Jasper, my deear? Aw, iss, Eli es a
+clever boy, but law, Cap'n Jack's gang 'ave got eyes everywhere. And we
+cudden find the dreckshuns, and we bea'nt no schullards, but we do knaw
+that two and two do maake vower. That's how we vound out. Aw, aw,
+Jasper, my deear, you bea'nt a-goin' to buy back Pennington in that way.
+No, no; and I have my doubts ef the weather 'll laive 'ee git back to
+the caave in Gamper Bay again, for oal you stailed my boat from there."
+
+His words drove me to madness, especially when they roused a laugh from
+Israel Barnicoat, who stood close by him.
+
+"Then I'm not to have this," I cried, pointing to the box.
+
+"No, you bea'nt, my deear. I be a generous man, but I cudden afford
+that."
+
+"Then you shan't!" I cried.
+
+With a strength that was unnatural I seized the heavy iron box, and
+before they could prevent me I threw it into the black waters of the
+gulf.
+
+"There," I said, "if I cannot have it neither shall you, or if you get
+it, you shall go into Hell's Mouth after it."
+
+Cap'n Jack gave a terrible oath. "Send him after it, Israel Barnicoat!"
+he cried.
+
+I stooped to seize the crowbar in order to defend myself, but before I
+could use it as a weapon Israel Barnicoat threw himself upon me. My foot
+slipped upon the rock, and before I could regain my footing I received a
+stunning blow. A moment later I felt myself sinking in the black waters
+from which Eli Fraddam had said there was no escape. And all this
+happened in a few seconds--so quickly, indeed, did it take place that I
+had not even time to call upon God to have mercy upon my poor, sinful
+soul.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+TELLS OF THE STRANGE REVELATION MADE BY THE MADMAN OF BEDRUTHEN STEPS,
+AND OF TAMSIN TRUSCOTT'S TREACHERY
+
+
+For a moment I gave myself up as lost. I remembered how the black waters
+of the gulf coiled and circled, and knew that there must be some strong
+current underneath. I remembered, too, how the stick I had thrown into
+it had disappeared from sight, and felt that there could be no hope for
+me. But this was only for a moment. I was a strong swimmer, and had been
+accustomed to the water all my life. After all, "Hell's Mouth" was not
+very wide, and I hoped I should be able to grasp the edge of the rocks
+and thus save myself. Then I remembered that Cap'n Jack and his
+followers would, if possible, keep me from ever escaping if it were in
+their power so to do. I had in a moment destroyed their hopes of ever
+getting Granfer Fraddam's treasure, for not one of them would dare to
+descend into the treacherous depths of the waters where I had thrown it.
+
+All this passed through my mind like a flash, and then I felt myself
+drawn by a terrible current down and down into the depths.
+
+"It's all over," I thought. "I shall have to go to my Maker without ever
+saying good-bye to my darling," and then death seemed terrible to me; so
+terrible, indeed, was the thought of it, that I determined I would not
+die, and I held my breath as well as I could while I was carried along
+by the force of the current.
+
+How long I was under water I cannot say. It could not have been long,
+for one cannot live long without air, but it seemed ages to me. As I
+look back now it seems as though those few seconds were long years. I
+will not try and tell the thoughts that passed through my mind, or of
+the terrible things through which I thought I went. It is not a part of
+this story, neither do I expect I should be believed if I related it.
+
+God in His infinite mercy, however, did not wish me to die, for
+presently my head shot above the water, and that without any effort of
+my own, and then instinctively I started swimming, after drawing a deep
+breath. As soon as I was able I looked around me, but the surroundings
+were entirely strange. Above me rose a cliff a good many feet high, and
+toward this I swam, being very careful, however, to save myself from
+striking against any of the countless rocks, some of which were only
+partially covered.
+
+The sea was very calm, and this was my salvation, for presently I was
+able to get a footing on one of the rocks without being hurt. This done,
+I again looked around me, but all in vain. On the one hand was the sea,
+on the other rose the black cliff.
+
+As I said, the night was very calm, only now and then the sobbing,
+moaning wind swept along the waters, and it was through this fact that I
+ascertained my whereabouts. On listening I thought I heard the sound of
+voices, loud, angry voices, but I was so bewildered that at first I knew
+not what they meant, but I fancied they were not far away; then I fell
+to thinking of the direction from which the sound came, and I imagined
+that the current must have carried me to the east side of the island,
+not far from the southern extremity where I had been.
+
+This brought back to my mind the reason why I had been thrust into the
+water, for those terrible feelings which possessed me as I was sucked
+down into the depths of Hell's Mouth had driven from my mind all
+thoughts of the purpose which had brought me on the island. And here I
+must confess, to my shame, that my first definite thought on realising
+my condition was not thankfulness to God for having saved me from
+manifold danger, but one of anger and impatience because I had been
+foiled in my purpose. It seemed to me as though defeat tracked my steps
+everywhere. Ever and always I was outwitted by more clever brains than
+my own, and now when I fancied I had wealth and power within my grasp,
+it was snatched from me in a moment. I did not remember the probability
+that the supposed treasure was no treasure at all, for the improbability
+of any one hiding a box of great value at such a place had never
+occurred to me. To my mind the whole business had been plain enough.
+Granfer Fraddam knew of such a thing, and had kept its whereabouts a
+profound secret, and only through the cleverness and affection of Eli
+had I become possessed of its secret. Evidently, too, Cap'n Jack
+Truscott's anxiety to possess the directions showed his belief in the
+reality of hidden riches. Since then, however, I have much doubted it.
+It seems to me next to impossible that such a place should be chosen to
+hide great riches. Moreover, what was the reason for hiding it? Why had
+it not been taken away before? And yet, on the other hand, why had the
+box been placed there with so much care, and in such a wild,
+unfrequented place, if it did not contain something of great value?
+These questions, I suppose, will never be answered now. The box lies at
+the bottom of "Hell's Mouth," and all the riches of the world would not
+tempt me to try and drag it from its resting-place. I was saved by the
+infinite mercy of God, and strong man as I am, I cannot help shuddering
+even now at the thought of what I felt as I was dragged by unknown
+powers through the depths of that awful place. I write this that any who
+may read these lines may not be tempted to venture life and reason to
+obtain that iron chest. Not even Cap'n Jack Truscott or any of his gang
+dared to do this, and what they dared not attempt is not for flesh and
+blood to regard as possible.
+
+At that time, however, I did not think of these things. To me it
+contained untold riches; in that grim iron casket lay love, riches,
+happiness, home. I had failed to obtain it, even although I had dragged
+it from its resting-place, because of the subtlety of Cap'n Jack's gang.
+And yet I rejoiced that I had thrown it into the gulf. If they had
+foiled me, I had also foiled them. All the same, I was enraged because
+of my failure, especially as I saw no means of getting back Pennington.
+
+Then I thought of Naomi at Mullion Cove, and wondered how she fared. I
+had told her that when I came to her again I should bring the means
+whereby all her difficulties would be removed, and the intensity of my
+love for her made my disappointment the greater. I thought how sorrowful
+she would be, and yet I rejoiced with a great joy because of her love
+for me. Ay, even there, clinging to a rock close to that lonely island,
+with enemies near me, I could have shouted with joy at the memory of
+her words to me as I left her by the cottage to which I had taken her.
+
+For love overcometh all things.
+
+All these things passed quickly through my slow-working brain; indeed,
+they were an impression rather than a series of thoughts. Presently,
+too, I was able to distinguish the words that were spoken. I could hear
+Eli pouring forth curses, which I will not here write down, while the
+stranger seemed to be speaking in my praise. As for Cap'n Jack, he
+seemed anxious to appease Eli's anger.
+
+"Come now, Soas," I heard him say, "'tes a pity for sure. I be as zorry
+as can be. I be all for paice, I be. I wos a bit vexed when Jasper
+thrawed un into the say; who wudden be? But I ded'n main to kill un.
+There now, it ca'ant be 'elped now; and Jasper Pennington ed'n the first
+good man that's gone to the bottom of the say."
+
+"He's at the bottom of ''Ell's Mouth'!" shrieked Eli. "You thrawed un
+there; but you shall suffer, Jack Fraddam. Ef mawther es a witch, I be a
+wizard, and you shall suffer wuss than the darkness of thicky plaace. I
+ded love Jasper, he was kind to me, he was. He loved me, he ded. He
+tooked little Eli round with un, he ded." And then followed words which
+I will not write, for, indeed, they were very terrible.
+
+After this many things were said until Cap'n Jack got angry.
+
+"Gab on, you little varmin," he cried, "gab on. You thought you could
+outwit Jack, ded 'ee? Well, you be quiet now, or you'll folla Jasper."
+
+"You dar'nt tich me!" shrieked Eli--"you dar'nt. I'd maake your flesh
+shrink up ef you ded. I'd make your eyeballs burn like coals of vire, I
+wud. Begone from me 'ere now, or I'll summon the devil, I will. He ed'n
+vur far from 'ere, I tell 'ee." And then he said things which he must
+have borrowed from his mother, for I know of no other who could think of
+them.
+
+Anyhow he frightened Cap'n Jack and his gang, for they cried out to
+their leader to leave Eli and the madman, because they were afraid. This
+they did with many terrible oaths and threats. All the same they left,
+although they tried to seem to try and do so in a brave way.
+
+"Iss," I heard Israel Barnicoat say, "Jasper be out of the way now, sure
+enough. Ef you can rise un from the dead, Eli, tell un what I knaw 'bout
+the maid that he took to Mullion, but she ed'n there now, she ed'n.
+She's where he would never git to 'er ef he was livin'." And he laughed
+brutally, and yet fearfully I thought.
+
+I believe I should have cried out at this had I not heard a moan of
+agony, such as I trust I may never hear again. It was the stranger, I
+was sure, whom I had heard.
+
+"Tell me where she is," he cried, and I knew he had followed them. Then
+I heard the sound of blows followed by groans.
+
+"Lev us do for thicky little imp, too," I heard a voice say, "and then
+nobody 'll know nothin'."
+
+"No," cried Cap'n Jack, "Betsey 'll vind out ef we do." And then I heard
+their footsteps going northward.
+
+All this time I had been lying against the rock, and half of my body
+being under water, I was chilled to the bone. When I tried to move I
+found that all my limbs were numb, and again I began to fear of escaping
+from where I was. But this did not remain long. The words Israel
+Barnicoat had spoken about Naomi made despair impossible, and quickened
+my mind and body to action.
+
+I waited until I judged Cap'n Jack's gang to be out of hearing, then I
+gave a low whistle, the nature of which was known only to Eli and
+myself. In an instant I heard an answering cry, and a few seconds later
+I heard his hoarse, guttural voice overhead.
+
+"Jasper, Jasper, es et you? Thank the Lord!"
+
+"Yes, Eli, that rope you brought."
+
+"Iss, iss, my deear, in a minute."
+
+A few seconds later I saw a rope descending. The cliff was perhaps
+thirty feet in height just here. I could not judge exactly, but it was
+about perpendicular, so I could not climb it. After much struggling,
+however, I reached a point where ascent was possible, and aided by Eli,
+who pulled like a madman at the rope I had fastened around my body, I at
+length reached a place of safety.
+
+"Oa, Maaster Jasper, Maaster Jasper!" sobbed Eli, "how glad I be! How I
+do love 'ee!" And he fondled my wet, clammy hands tenderly.
+
+"Is the madman dead?" I asked.
+
+"I dunnaw. Never mind 'bout he; be you all right? You'n sure et's you?"
+
+"Sure, Eli, safe and sound. Let us go to him."
+
+By the aid of the bright moonlight we found him lying seemingly stark
+and dead on the ground. I soon discovered to my joy, however, that he
+was only stunned, and a few minutes later he sat up and spoke to us.
+
+"Jasper Pennington not dead!" he cried.
+
+"No," I said, telling him how I had escaped; "but come, can you walk?
+Have you any bones broken?"
+
+"No; the fellow tried to stab me, but he failed; I was only stunned."
+
+"Then let us go."
+
+"Go where?" he said, in a dazed kind of way.
+
+"I must go to Naomi," I said.
+
+"Yes, yes," he cried eagerly, "how could I forget? Yes, we must go this
+moment, this very moment. I am quite well and strong. Come at once."
+
+He spoke with a kind of dignity, and I looked at him again to assure
+myself that he was the madman who had saved me by Trevose Head.
+
+"We ca'ant go to-night, ted'n saafe," said Eli, who continued to fondle
+my hands and to utter all sorts of endearing terms.
+
+"We must," he cried, "we must. There's not a second to lose. We must go
+straight to the house where you left her, and find her if she is there;
+if not we must not rest till she is in a place of safety."
+
+He spoke in a tone of authority, and was so peremptory that I wondered.
+
+"Who are you?" I asked; "what is my love's safety to you?"
+
+"Everything, Jasper Pennington," he replied; "I am Naomi Penryn's
+father."
+
+"What!" I said aghast.
+
+"Yes," he repeated, "I am Naomi Penryn's father. Come hither, Jasper
+Pennington, and let me tell you."
+
+He led me away from Eli, who uttered strange, low sounds, as he always
+did when he was excited, and then the man whom I had thought mad spoke
+to me in low, earnest tones.
+
+"You have heard my story, Jasper Pennington," he said--"heard how I
+struck my wife when she was in a perilous condition. It is true. I
+thought I had killed her, and since then I have never had an hour's
+peace. I will not tell you what I have done since or where I have been,
+except that I have been in hell. You thought me mad--perhaps I have
+been; I think I have. A little while ago I was drawn to come back to
+Trevose, but I was afraid to ask any questions. I seemed to be followed
+by the powers of darkness, who forbade me to speak. And yet I was
+fascinated to the spot. You can guess why. I need not tell you anything
+else now, you know what I would say. The thought that I have a daughter
+alive and that I did not kill my wife has made the world new."
+
+"And you did not commit suicide, then?" I said, in an unmeaning, foolish
+sort of way.
+
+"No. Coward that I was, I ran away, and for years, years--nearly twenty
+now--I have been followed by--but never mind, it is gone--all gone. Only
+let us go! You love my child, Jasper Pennington. Come, let us find her."
+
+"Yes, yes," I replied; "but why did you follow me here?"
+
+"Why? In my madness I felt sure that you had the secret of my life's
+joy, and because my life has been such that I could not bear you to
+obtain that which is the price of lost souls. I--I have been--where I
+have heard the history of that thing which lies under water. It is not a
+treasure, Jasper Pennington, it is damnation. Perhaps I will tell you
+more some day, but not now. Let us leave the island."
+
+"But it is not safe to leave it by night."
+
+"Yes; I know the way. I have been here many times--I mean among the
+islands, I will take you to the sailing-boat which brought me to St.
+Agnes. Come, I will tell you all that needs telling as we go back."
+
+"But Cap'n Jack's gang?"
+
+"Their boat is at St. Mary's."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"Enough that I have found out their plans."
+
+After this Eli and I followed him to a little cove where a boat rocked,
+and ere long we were landed at St. Agnes. Here we found a good-sized
+sailing-boat, and here, too, I dried my clothes in a fisherman's
+cottage, wondering all the while at the strange things which had
+befallen me.
+
+As soon as morning came we started for St. Ives, for thither Naomi's
+father determined to go, for Naomi's father I believed him to be.
+
+He said that we should thus escape Cap'n Jack's gang, and be almost as
+near Mullion as if we landed at Penzance. We did not, however, land at
+St. Ives. The men who owned the boat consented to take us on to Hayle,
+which was five miles nearer Mullion than St. Ives.
+
+During our sail across I reproached myself greatly for placing Naomi in
+the care of Tamsin Truscott, for I believed that she had been led to be
+unfaithful, and had told Israel Barnicoat of her whereabouts. I talked
+much with Mr. Penryn about these things, over whom a very great change
+had come. He was no longer violent in language or in deed, rather he
+seemed subdued and very thoughtful. He spoke very calmly and
+thoughtfully, and suggested many things which would never have occurred
+to me. Such was the power of what I had told him that all his fears
+seemed to have gone, the wild, haunted look had passed away from his
+eyes, while his actions were those of a refined gentleman.
+
+On arriving at Hayle we, after much delay and difficulty, obtained
+horses, and rode rapidly toward Mullion, my heart sometimes beating high
+with hope, and at others lying in my bosom as though all joy were gone;
+for be it known the revelations of the last few hours had made
+everything appear in a new light. If this man was Naomi's father, and,
+as I said, I believed he was, I could no longer assume the position of
+her guardian and protector. She would no longer look to me as her sole
+helper and friend. Her father would claim to be first. This led to many
+other surmises, not many of which were pleasant, and which made me
+ofttimes gloomy and dejected.
+
+But these were not the matters concerning which I troubled the most. I
+worried about the words of Israel Barnicoat. What did he mean by saying
+that Naomi was where I should never be able to get her?
+
+I had had but little sleep for many hours, but I felt no weariness. My
+strength seemed to increase with my difficulties, and I did not once
+droop in my saddle or rub my eyes like a drowsy man. It must have been
+near a twenty miles' ride from Hayle to Mullion, but we were not long in
+covering it; indeed, after we had reached Helston, we rode as fast as
+the horses could carry us.
+
+On coming in sight of Mrs. Crantock's house I left my companions, so
+eager was I, and thus reached the white house with a green porch some
+minutes before they came up. Opening the door without knocking I
+entered, and found Mrs. Crantock, looking pale and anxious, but I could
+nowhere see Naomi.
+
+"Thank God you have come!" cried the woman.
+
+"Why? Where is she?" I asked.
+
+"She's gone, I know not where."
+
+"How is that?" I cried angrily. "You promised you would care for her,
+that you would guard her as if she were your own child."
+
+"Yes, yes. Oh, young man, it is wrong to trust to an arm of flesh."
+
+"Look you," I cried, catching her roughly by the arm, "I want no
+religious talk! I left a lonesome, helpless maid with you whom you
+promised to protect. Where is she now?" I said this like one demented,
+as, indeed, I was.
+
+I heard Eli and Naomi's father enter the room, but I took no heed,
+neither did I listen carefully to the story the woman told. I had some
+vague remembrance about her saying she went to hear Mr. Charles Wesley,
+leaving Naomi with Tamsin, and that on her return that morning both had
+gone. She had inquired of her neighbours, and had been told that three
+men had come to the house at daybreak, and that when they went away
+Tamsin and Naomi rode with them in the carriage they had brought.
+
+It was well Naomi's father was with me, for my mind was too confused to
+ask the necessary questions. I reproached myself for trusting Tamsin and
+for not taking better precautions. I felt I had by my own foolishness
+lost my love and again allowed her to be in the power of my enemies. I
+thought of a score of things I ought to have done, while Mr. Penryn
+asked many pointed questions.
+
+We were about to take to the saddle again when Tamsin Truscott rushed
+into the house. The poor girl's face was as pale as that of a ghost, and
+she trembled from head to foot.
+
+"Forgive me, Jasper," she cried.
+
+I did not speak, for I knew not how to control my words.
+
+"Oh, Jasper, I--I could not help it. It was so hard, so terribly hard.
+I--I loved you, and I thought that when she was gone you would forget
+her, and then--"
+
+She did not finish her sentence, but sobbed bitterly, as though she was
+in sore straits and truly contrite, as, indeed, I thought she was.
+
+She went on to utter many words of self-accusation. She confessed that
+she had betrayed Naomi's hiding-place, with many other things which I
+need not here write down.
+
+"Where is she now?" I cried angrily.
+
+"She is being taken to Padstow," she said. "You know why."
+
+"Is it the priest?" I asked.
+
+"Yes," she answered, "and the Tresidders."
+
+"Let us get to our saddles," I cried, "we may get there before they."
+
+"Yes, you can if you ride hard."
+
+"What about horses?" said Mr. Penryn; "these are poor nags; they were
+the best I could get, but they are spent with a twenty miles' ride."
+
+"They will last to Falmouth," I cried, "we must get fresh ones there."
+
+"God forgive me, but I have no more money," he said, and at this I, too,
+hung my head, for I was penniless.
+
+I looked to Eli, but before the dwarf could speak Tamsin had caught my
+hands.
+
+"I have plenty, Jasper," she cried. "Oh, let me help you! It was all my
+fault, let me do what I can now."
+
+"Where is your money, girl?" asked Mr. Penryn.
+
+"It is at Kynance, Jasper," she said, not noticing him; "father is not
+yet home, and we can get there before he returns."
+
+"It is scarcely out of our way," I said to Mr. Penryn, and it seemed our
+only hope. And so we went thitherward, although I had grave doubts as to
+whether Cap'n Jack had not returned.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+HOW WE WENT TO PENNINGTON, AND HOW THE TRESIDDERS WON THE VICTORY
+
+
+On looking over what I have just written, it has struck me that I have
+told this part of my story hastily, scarcely relating enough to tell how
+matters stood. I ought to have said that it took us fifteen hours to
+sail from St. Agnes Island to Hayle. Thus having left the island at
+daybreak--that is, about eight o'clock in the morning--we did not arrive
+at Hayle till the following midnight, and such was our difficulty in
+getting horses at Hayle, that we did not leave there until morning, thus
+arriving at Mullion just before noon. We were there, I should imagine,
+something over an hour, and as Porth Mullion is only some seven or eight
+miles from Kynance, I had hopes of getting to Captain Jack's house an
+hour or two before dark. I discovered, too, that Tamsin had ridden from
+Kynance to Mullion on horseback. She had, in a fit of jealousy, betrayed
+our secret to Israel Barnicoat, and this had led to Naomi being taken
+away; and anxious, so she said, to atone, she had come to Mullion to
+tell her story.
+
+It may seem foolish in me to have trusted her again after she had once
+betrayed me, but I have always been one who yielded to the promptings of
+the heart rather than to the conclusions of reason, so I rode toward
+Kynance without demur, and even Mr. Penryn made no objection. Eli,
+however, grumbled greatly, and said we were going to a nest of adders;
+but indeed our horses were useless, and I knew not how we could get
+fresh ones, except through Tamsin's offer of money.
+
+There was no sign of life at Captain Jack's house when we came to it, so
+I concluded that he had not yet returned from the Scilly Isles. I was
+very thankful for this, because I knew his presence would mean great
+danger to me. He fancied that I was dead, and but for the mercy of God I
+should have been--murdered, as it were, by his hand, and by that of
+Israel Barnicoat. I knew he was as cunning as Satan himself, and when he
+found out that I was alive would, I believed, stop at no means to end my
+life. And thus nothing but sore necessity would have taken me to Kynance
+at that time. But as Mr. Penryn had said, the horses we rode, which were
+but little better than farm beasts, were sore spent with a ride of
+twenty miles or so, and as it was fully fifty to Padstow--nay, nearer
+sixty, taking into consideration the nature of the road--it was useless
+to think of trying to ride them thither.
+
+"This way, Jasper," cried Tamsin; "this way to father's chest. No one
+knows where it is but him and me. Oh, you do forgive me, don't you? I
+did it because I wanted you so! You believe me, don't you, Jasper?" and
+the poor girl sobbed piteously.
+
+I did not speak, for my heart felt very bitter, even though I thought
+she was trying to atone for what she had done.
+
+She had led me to a little outhouse, cunningly hidden among the rocks,
+and which could not be reached save by going through the kitchen, owing
+to a precipice behind. Arrived here she opened a box, and took from it a
+bag heavy with gold.
+
+"Here's money enough, Jasper," she said eagerly. "Oh, Jasper, if you
+only knew!"
+
+"Knew what, Tamsin?" I said, for the girl's sorrow made me gentle toward
+her, even although my heart was torn with anxiety about Naomi.
+
+"Knew how hard it is," she cried. "Oh, Jasper, are you sure you love
+that maid so? She does not care for you as I do. Could you not think of
+me and forget her?" and the girl held my hand tightly in hers.
+
+Now I am, and always shall be awkward in my ways toward women. A woman's
+tears always unman me, and make me soft-hearted. So I knew not what to
+say to her, and for the life of me I could not be angry. In the
+providence of God all men love all women, only there must be one
+especially to stir the depths of each man's heart. And, verily, had not
+mine heart been taken captive, I should have taken Tamsin in my arms and
+kissed her, so piteous was her cry, and so full of love was the light
+which shone from her eyes.
+
+"Look you, Tamsin," I said, "I cannot help it, but that maid hath taken
+all my love. But for her I might have been different; now I can only
+love you as a brother should love a sister."
+
+Then her eyes became hard, and I knew I had spoken wrongly.
+
+"I must go now," I continued, "for she is in danger; and if we ride not
+hard, I may not see her again."
+
+"Yes, go," she said with an angry laugh; "overtake her, rescue her, if
+you can."
+
+This aroused my suspicions. "Tamsin," I said, "have you told me truly?
+Are these men taking her to Padstow? I am trusting you implicitly. It is
+hard for a man to threaten a woman, but if you have told me wrongly, may
+God have mercy upon you, for I will not."
+
+"I have spoken the truth, Jasper; only be careful to inquire at Penryn
+if the _Golden Cross_ has been seen in the harbour. I know they talked
+about it being there. If it has been seen, they have gone on to
+Padstow."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I heard the priest say so," said Tamsin. "He said if the _Golden Cross_
+is lying at Penryn, we can get to Bristol without going to Padstow; if
+it isn't, we ride to Padstow."
+
+"You swear this, Tamsin? My heart is very sore," I cried.
+
+"Yes; this is truth, Jasper, this is what they said;" but she did not
+look me in the face as she spoke.
+
+I pushed the bag of money in my pocket and turned to go, but she caught
+my arm again.
+
+"Won't you kiss me, Jasper?" she said, "just to show you forgive me.
+Just kiss me once; it will be the only time in this world."
+
+So I kissed her as a brother might kiss a sister, and not as a lover
+kisses a maid. This I swear by my love for the only maid I ever loved,
+and by my faith as a Christian man. But she clung to me, and would not
+let me go, and even as she did so I heard the sound of many voices in
+the house adjoining, and then Captain Jack and Israel Barnicoat came to
+the little hut in which we were.
+
+"Jasper Pennington!" they both cried together with terrible oaths, and
+then both of them sprang upon me. I had thrown off Tamsin as I heard
+their cry, and so in a degree was able to defend myself; at the same
+time I was greatly at a disadvantage, so much so that they mastered me,
+and held me so that I could not put forth my strength. Then I saw Israel
+Barnicoat lift a knife to strike me, and for the life of me I could make
+no defence, and could only hold my breath and await his blow.
+
+It fell, but not on me, for Tamsin had thrown herself between us and had
+received it.
+
+"My God," cried Israel, "I have killed Tamsin!" and the thought so
+frightened them both that they loosened their hold on me, and so in a
+moment I was free. I knew, too, at that moment that few men are loved as
+Tamsin loved me, for she herself had voluntarily received the blow that
+would perchance have killed me.
+
+But so great was their evident hatred for me, that for the moment
+neither took notice of Tamsin, but sprung upon me again. This time,
+however, I was ready for them, so I met Israel with a blow so heavy that
+he fell to the floor like a log of wood. I would have spared Captain
+Jack if I could, for he was past his prime, but he came upon me so
+savagely that I dared not.
+
+"Go, Jasper, go!" gasped Tamsin. "They will kill you. Don't wait; go,
+only--"
+
+"Are you much hurt, Tamsin?" I said. "Tell me if I can help you."
+
+"No, no; you cannot help me. Go--go to Pennington; go to Pennington!"
+
+"Why?" I cried; "you said Penryn."
+
+"Pennington!" she repeated. "Go at once."
+
+I grieved at leaving her there, but it seemed my duty; besides, I could
+not help her.
+
+So I went to her. "Good-bye, Tamsin; I will send Betsy Fraddam to you.
+She knows more than any doctor. Good-bye. You have told me the truth
+this time. God bless you; you have saved my life."
+
+"Forgive my telling you lies. Oh, I wanted you so, but I think I am
+dying now. Go quickly to Pennington, and forgive me, Jasper."
+
+I left her then, much bewildered and troubled, for I felt it hard to
+leave her there without knowing whether she would live or die, and
+remembering all the time that if she died, she died for love of me.
+
+When I got to the front of the house I found Mr. Penryn and Eli in the
+custody of Billy Coad and another man, but they let them free as I came.
+Then I told Billy to go to a doctor who lived at Lizard Town.
+
+I told Mr. Penryn many of the things which I have here written down, and
+then we rode rapidly away toward Pennington, Eli also coming with us.
+
+"Eli, are you afraid of Captain Jack's gang?" I said presently.
+
+"No, I be'ant."
+
+"Would they hurt you?"
+
+"No, they wudden; not waun ov 'em."
+
+"Then go to Lizard Town yourself, and take the doctor to Tamsin, then
+come back to your mother's house and tell me how Tamsin is."
+
+"No," said Naomi's father; "you will come to Pennington and ask for him
+there." This he said looking at me steadily.
+
+"You do not know Richard Tresidder," I said.
+
+"He will have me to deal with," he said quietly. "Jasper, that girl told
+you the truth at the last. My child is taken there."
+
+"I believe she is," I replied.
+
+"I have felt it might be so all the day," he continued, "only the girl
+seemed so sincere. Truly the heart of a woman is a strange thing."
+
+Then we both fell to silence as we rode along, for I had much to think
+about, and so, indeed, had he. At the time I did not think how eager he
+must be to see his daughter, so filled was my own heart with longing,
+but as I look back now I feel how little I understood his heart at that
+time.
+
+Just as daylight was dying we arrived at Pennington Gates. I must
+confess to a strange feeling as I rode through them, for many things had
+happened since I last rode to Pennington. Then I had come from Kynance,
+and then, too, I had come to see my love.
+
+"I will go first, Jasper," said Naomi's father quickly. "I would we were
+more presentable, but up to a few days ago I had no hope of--but never
+mind that. Our errand must explain the nature of our attire. You stand
+behind me, and the servant may admit us."
+
+He seemed to have forgotten all about the past, and spoke as though he
+had a right to enter the house from which my father had been ejected.
+
+On coming to the door I could hear that something of importance was
+going on within. I heard the noise of many footsteps and the sound of
+many voices. When the servant came to the door he did not seem to regard
+us with surprise; nay, rather, he seemed to expect us. I afterward
+discovered that he mistook us for some one else. The day had now nearly
+gone, and thus in the shades of evening he did not see who we were.
+
+"Will you come this way?" he said. "Mr. Tresidder is in the library, and
+is expecting you."
+
+Had I been alone I should have acted foolishly, so great was my surprise
+at his words. But Mr. Penryn saw in a moment how things stood.
+
+"Is she safe?" he asked the servant in a whisper, which I thought a very
+foolish question, but a second later I saw how wise it was.
+
+"The escaped nun?" said the man. "Yes, sir. She was carried from the
+carriage to the snuggery. She's there now."
+
+"Is she ill?"
+
+"No, sir. She's kept quiet, that is all, sir."
+
+"Thank you. Take us to your master."
+
+The servant led the way without a word, and a few seconds later we stood
+in the library, the servant closing the door behind us.
+
+There were six people in the room. Richard Tresidder's mother was there,
+the woman whom my grandfather had married, and who had been the cause of
+all our trouble. She was an old woman, but evidently strong and agile. I
+could not help noticing even then how brightly her eyes shone, and how
+grimly her lips were pressed together. Richard Tresidder was there, too,
+looking, I thought, much worried and careworn, while young Nick stood by
+his side, his face very pale, and his arm in a sling. The other three
+men I did not know, although I fancied I had seen one of them before.
+Richard Tresidder turned to us as if to tell us something, then seeing
+me, he cried out angrily, and with great astonishment.
+
+Now, not until that moment did I realise that we had come into a place
+of danger. Instinctively I measured the men who stood before us. Leaving
+out Nick Tresidder, we were but two to four, besides which we were in
+the house of a man who had servants to do his bidding. Still I feared
+nothing; nay, rather a great joy came into my heart that at last I
+should meet the Tresidders in this way face to face.
+
+"Jasper Pennington!" cried Richard Tresidder, and then both Nick and his
+grandmother started up as though they had been attacked by a great evil.
+
+"And John Penryn." This Naomi's father said.
+
+"What?"
+
+"John Penryn. Do you remember me, Dick Tresidder?"
+
+"No, no. John Penryn committed suicide. He killed his wife and committed
+suicide." It was my grandfather's second wife who spoke.
+
+"He did not kill his wife, he did not commit suicide," replied John
+Penryn quietly. "True, I struck my wife in a fit of madness. Of the
+provocation I will say nothing. I thought I had killed her, and then,
+like a coward, I ran away from my home, afraid to face what would
+follow. But in the mercy of God I did not kill her. In the mercy of God,
+too, a child was born to us; and you became her guardian, Richard
+Tresidder. Where is she now?"
+
+For a moment silence fell upon the company. All awaited the outcome of
+the strange scene. I watched Richard Tresidder's face, and saw how
+frightened he was. I was sure, too, that his mind was seeking some way
+out of the difficulty in which he was placed.
+
+"You are an impostor. We cannot speak to you. Leave the house!" Again
+it was my grandfather's second wife who spoke.
+
+"If you wish," replied Naomi's father, "it shall be taken to a court of
+law. It would be painful for me to have the past recalled, but it shall
+be so if you will. You are my daughter's legal guardian, and until my
+identity is established you can exercise a certain amount of control.
+But remember this, if my past is made public, so will yours be. I shall
+want many things explained which will not be creditable to you, neither
+will you be free from the law's just punishment. My child will be placed
+in the witness-box, and she will have to tell many things which, I
+should judge, will not be pleasant to you."
+
+In saying this he never raised his voice, although I knew his excitement
+was great, and that he had much difficulty in restraining his passion.
+
+For a few seconds there was a deathly silence, for neither Richard
+Tresidder nor his mother spoke a word. Both seemed stunned by what was
+said. I saw, however, that presently they looked at the men who stood
+near, and who as yet had not spoken a word.
+
+"I do not think you will find physical force of much use," went on Mr.
+Penryn quietly, "for even if Jasper Pennington could not fell an ox with
+one blow of his arm, and you could get rid of us by the means you are
+considering, it would be of no use. Think you we have come here without
+precautions? I knew better than that."
+
+Then I remembered that he had spoken to Eli Fraddam when I had sent him
+away. I saw what he meant now, although at the time I wondered what he
+had to say to the dwarf.
+
+Then Richard Tresidder's mother rose to her feet, and came up close to
+where we stood.
+
+"Let me look at you, and see if you be John Penryn," she said, and he
+stood still while the woman gazed steadily at him, as though she would
+read the secrets of his heart.
+
+Presently her eyes flashed as though she had come to a decision.
+
+"There is no doubt, Richard," she said, "this is John Penryn. I remember
+his face, I can recall his voice now. You must give up your ward, my
+son. We have guarded her in many trying times, we have shielded her from
+great danger. But now it is at an end. Of course there must be many
+formalities to go through, but there need be no trouble, no publicity.
+All our actions can be explained. All we have done has been for the
+child's good. You are welcome, John, and Pennington must be your home
+until your claim to Trevose is made good, as it will be, for we shall
+raise no barriers."
+
+This she said with many other things which I will not here write down.
+She spoke pleasantly and plausibly, too, until for a moment I forgot who
+she was, and thought her to be truly a lovable and motherly old lady.
+
+But this was only for a moment, and I must confess I was not at all
+pleased at the turn things were taking, especially as she seemed to
+impress Mr. Penryn favourably.
+
+"Where is my child now?" he asked eagerly.
+
+"She is here, John; here in this very house. You shall see her anon. We
+have been obliged to be careful for her, for she has had an enemy in
+that man by your side. He, a penniless scoundrel, has dogged her
+footsteps, and sought to ruin her life, and out of love for her we have
+been obliged to take steps that may have seemed harsh, but which,
+believe me, John, were for the good of the child whom we thought an
+orphan, and wholly dependent on us."
+
+"And who is this enemy?" asked Naomi's father.
+
+"It is Jasper Pennington," she cried, "the man by your side, a cowardly
+ruffian, a drunken swaggerer, and the companion of the vilest people in
+the country. We have sought to save her from him, John Penryn; and now,
+thank God, our work is done."
+
+This she said with a tremor in her voice, as though she had been an
+injured woman.
+
+"You know it is a lie!" I cried vehemently. "You know it to be a base
+lie!"
+
+And this was all I could say, for the wily woman seemed to take all
+words from my mouth, save those of a blank denial to her wicked lies.
+Besides my heart sunk like lead as I saw how her words weighed with
+Naomi's father, and as though he saw everything in a new light.
+
+"Let me see my child," he said at length, and after both Richard
+Tresidder and his mother had made themselves out to be the guardian
+angels of Naomi's life, while I had been plotting her destruction.
+
+"You shall see her when he is gone," she said, pointing to me. "I can
+never consent for her to come here while that wretch is in the room."
+Whereupon John Penryn asked many questions, which they answered so
+cunningly that I was tongue-tied, and could say nothing except foolish,
+wild ejaculations.
+
+"Go, Jasper Pennington," he said at length, "leave me here."
+
+"No," I said; "I came to find Naomi, my love. I will see her before I
+go. She has promised to be my wife."
+
+"His wife!" cried Richard Tresidder's mother. "Think of it. He possesses
+not one stick. He is a wild vagabond, a terror wherever he goes. How can
+Naomi Penryn become his wife?"
+
+"Pennington should be mine!" I cried, like one demented. "You robbed it
+from my father."
+
+"You know the history of Pennington, John," cried the old woman; "it is
+held in trust for my son. It should have been given to him outright, but
+my poor husband was mad at the time, and he made a madman's will. But
+can this fellow buy it back? Has he wealth sufficient to pay half the
+worth of the estate?"
+
+"Go, Jasper Pennington," said Naomi's father again; "I will do what is
+right. This woman says you are an evildoer. Well, it shall be my work to
+guard my child against evildoers."
+
+Then all the heart went out of me, and I, who had hoped so much, left
+the house of my fathers without so much as seeing Naomi or knowing
+whether I should ever behold her again. Ay, I left it a beaten man,
+without a hope, without one bright spot in the sky of my life.
+
+I saw that Naomi's father had been dragged into the Tresidders' net, and
+that he would be the creature of their wills, the tool to help them to
+fulfil their purposes.
+
+Except for this my mind was a perfect blank. Slow as I always was to
+think, I saw no way out of my difficulties. That which I had hoped for
+came not, and my worst fears were realised.
+
+In this state of mind I, forgetful of the horse on which I rode to the
+house, walked until I came to the gates, where, in the light moonlight,
+I thought I saw Eli Fraddam coming toward me.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+TELLS OF MY FORTUNES IN WINNING BACK MY BIRTHRIGHT, AND FINISHES THE
+TALE
+
+
+"She ed'n killed," was his first greeting. "She'll get better." Then I
+remembered that he had come from Kynance Cove, and spoke of Tamsin
+Truscott.
+
+"I did ride vast," he grunted again presently, but I spoke not.
+
+"What's the matter?" he continued presently. "Tell poor little Eli; he
+do love Jasper."
+
+So while we walked to his mother's cottage I told him all that had been
+said at Pennington. I told it in more fulness than I have related it
+here, for it was then fresh in my memory. The dwarf chuckled much as
+though he vastly enjoyed the cleverness of the Tresidders, but he made
+no remark for a long time after I had finished my story; then he said
+quietly:
+
+"We must watch thicky maazed man, Jasper."
+
+"Why?" I asked.
+
+"To zee no 'arm do come to un. Iss, and we must keep our peepers oppen
+fur the purty maid, too. Watch night and day."
+
+"You think they are in danger?" I said.
+
+"They Tresidders be slippery," he grunted.
+
+"But how can we watch?"
+
+"Little Eli will zee to that. Fust thing in the morning you must go to
+Lawyer Trefy into Turo, and tell 'im everything. And I must watch--iss,
+as I will, too. Little Eli ed'n a vool."
+
+Presently we came to Betsy Fraddam's cottage, and the old dame welcomed
+her son warmly, but she said little to me, although she prepared food
+for me. For a long time I sat quietly in the chimney corner, and watched
+the flames leap upward and tried to think of my position. By and by,
+however, nature asserted herself, and, in spite of my anxiety, I felt
+myself going to sleep. So I lay down on the couch which Eli prepared for
+me, and slept long and soundly. The next day I walked to Truro, and told
+my story to Lawyer Trefy, but he gave me little or no satisfaction,
+neither would he give me his opinion concerning the behaviour of Naomi's
+father. He asked many questions--keen, searching questions, such as only
+a lawyer can ask, but he left me entirely in the dark concerning his own
+thoughts. And so I came back to St. Eve, having made no step forward;
+and only one piece of advice did Lawyer Trefy give me, and that was to
+go to a tailor and get some new clothes, also to a barber and let him
+dress my hair. This I did, and, in spite of the dreariness of my
+prospect, I must confess I was pleased at the change made in my
+appearance; for youth, I suppose, always loves finery; and thus,
+although I could see no meaning in his advice, I was glad the lawyer had
+given it.
+
+The next day I tried to get admission into Pennington House, but in this
+I was unsuccessful. The servant told me I could not be admitted,
+although I thought he spoke respectfully to me. This fact I attributed
+to my fine attire. As for Eli, he was constantly watching the house,
+and although I asked him many questions concerning his investigations,
+he was silent as the Sphinx, neither would he communicate to me his
+thoughts. Indeed, at this time I began to doubt the loyalty of Eli. He
+knew that my heart was almost breaking with disappointment, and yet he
+was cheerful and gay. He did not sympathise with me in my sorrows,
+neither did he speak one helpful word.
+
+Altogether at this time my condition was deplorable. My love was cut off
+from me, and my sky was black from horizon to horizon.
+
+This went on for several days, and then I found that Naomi's father had
+made his home at Pennington, and that he had been visited by lawyers and
+others interested in the Trevose Estate. I learnt, too, that no
+objections whatever had been raised as to his assuming the
+proprietorship, and that all legal forms had been satisfactorily
+complied with. And yet neither he nor Naomi sent me one word of cheer;
+nay, they did not even recognise my existence, which, it must be
+admitted, was hard to bear. Then, as if to add another drop to the
+filled goblet of my sorrow, I one day met the Pennington carriage, in
+which was seated Richard Tresidder and Nick, together with John Penryn
+and my love, but none of them noticed me; nay, not even Naomi gave me as
+much as a nod. This, as may be imagined, made my prospects darker than
+ever, for I felt that my love's father had taken the Tresidders' part
+against me.
+
+And yet I could not drive away from my heart the feeling that my love
+loved me. I remembered our meeting in the summer-house in Lanherne
+Garden, I remembered the words she spoke; nay, more, I felt the joy of
+her kisses, and so I could not wholly despair. On the other hand,
+however, I felt that she was now under the control of her father, and if
+his mind had been poisoned against me my case was indeed hopeless.
+
+Indeed, within a week from the time when I took Mr. Penryn to
+Pennington, it was rumoured that Naomi had overcome her objection to
+Nick Tresidder, and that, owing to her father's wishes, she had
+consented to be his wife.
+
+There seemed nothing that I could do, yet I would not go away; nay, I
+could not. I was chained to St. Eve; and although I knew I was in danger
+from Captain Jack and his gang, I heeded not. Tamsin Truscott, I
+discovered, was slowly recovering, and it was to her, I suspect, that I
+owed my safety.
+
+I tried many times to gain an audience with Naomi's father, and in this
+also I was unsuccessful. He refused to hold any intercourse with me, and
+this embittered me all the more, because, even if he regarded me as the
+merest stranger, I had tried to be a friend to him and his. I tried to
+excuse him, and thus gain hope by saying that he was busily engaged in
+the affairs of his estate; but all the same my heart was very weary and
+sad in those days, especially as every one seemed to shun me. No one
+would befriend me; no one gave me a kind or helpful word.
+
+At that time all hopes of getting back Pennington died out of my heart.
+Up to now I had comforted myself with the idea that I should at some
+time obtain the means to fulfil the conditions of my grandfather's will.
+Pennington was a valuable estate, and ignorant as I was, there seemed no
+way of getting the money; for be it known, in those days money was
+scarce in the country, none of the families for many miles around had
+more than they needed, and even had I many friends among the so-called
+wealthy, and had they been willing to advance the necessary money, I
+doubt whether they could have done so. But I had no friends. Richard
+Tresidder had poisoned the minds of all against me, so that the
+possibility of my raising many thousands of pounds was out of the
+question.
+
+And what almost maddened me was the thought that John Penryn should have
+so willingly played into the hands of my enemies, that he should so
+easily have been deceived by those who were using him only as a means to
+their own safety and aggrandisement.
+
+Then one day a light came into my sky in the shape of a message from
+Naomi's father, asking me to meet him in the copse above Granfer
+Fraddam's cave. At first I suspected treachery, but I determined to go.
+If any one had wanted to do me bodily harm plenty of chances had been
+offered since I returned from my perilous adventure to the Scilly Isles.
+Indeed, I did not much care what became of me, for when hope is gone all
+is gone.
+
+So I went to the copse before the time mentioned, and this was at ten
+o'clock in the morning. As I have before stated, this was a lonely
+place, only one cottage being near, and altogether shielded from the
+gaze of men. As I said, I was early at the meeting-place, and I looked
+eagerly around for Naomi's father, but no one was there. I waited until
+after ten o'clock, and still no one came.
+
+"This is but a ruse," I said bitterly; "this message came only to mock
+me as others have come;" but even as this thought flashed through my
+mind I heard the sound of footsteps on the frozen leaves, and turning I
+saw, not John Penryn, but my love.
+
+At first I was almost overcome at the sight of her, for I feared lest
+something terrible should have happened to bring her instead of her
+father, so I stood looking at her like one bereft of his senses.
+
+"Won't you speak to me, Jasper?" she said, and then my heart jumped so
+that I was less able to speak than before; but I opened my arms,
+wondering all the time if I were not dreaming a beautiful dream.
+
+Yes, she came to me, my darling, whom I despaired of ever seeing
+again--she came shy and coy, I thought, but love was shining from her
+eyes for all that.
+
+"My little love!" I cried; "and so you have come at last," and I took
+her in my great arms, my Naomi, the only maiden I ever did love, or ever
+can love. For love comes but once--that is, such a love as mine. And her
+head was nestled on my heart, just as a mother nestles the babe she
+loves, and a joy, such as even I had never felt before, came to me that
+wintry morning as the sun shone on the ice crystals.
+
+There be men in these days who laugh at such a love as mine, but they
+who do this have never entered into the secret of life's joy. I do not
+expect to be understood by such, and my words to them will be but as a
+sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal; but to those whose hearts have been
+filled with a great absorbing love, I know that my tale will have a
+meaning, simple as it may be, and badly, as I am afraid, it has been
+told.
+
+For some seconds my heart was too full to speak. After the weary days of
+hopeless waiting, thus to enter into joy seemed to make words too poor
+to tell what was in my heart.
+
+Presently, however, I asked her questions as to what had happened since
+I parted with her at the cottage by Mullion Sands, and she told me her
+story. There was but little to tell however--that is, from the time she
+had been left alone with Tamsin and Mrs. Crantock. She had been taken
+from the cottage to the carriage, and although to a degree forced, she
+had been treated kindly. Indeed, she had not been long there before I
+came with her father. Then I asked her concerning him, what she thought
+of him, and whether he had not brought her great joy.
+
+"Everything seems so strange, Jasper," she said. "I had never dreamed of
+such a thing, you know; and sometimes I can hardly believe it is true."
+
+"And is he not kind to you?"
+
+"Oh, very kind, and he has made me love him. He has had so much sorrow,
+such a terrible past, you know; and he is now so gentle, so loving, that
+I cannot help pitying him and loving him. And yet I cannot understand
+him. He must know that the Tresidders are my enemies, and yet he insists
+on my staying at Pennington; he knows I hate Nick Tresidder, and yet he
+encourages him in the thought that I shall wed him."
+
+"But you never will?" I cried.
+
+"How can I, Jasper?" she answered.
+
+"And if the worst comes to the worst," I said, "you will come to me, and
+we will fly together."
+
+She did not speak, but she lifted her eyes to mine, and I saw them
+become dim with tears.
+
+Then she told me that her father had spent days with men of business,
+but he had never told her one word as to what he had done. Indeed, the
+Tresidders had seemed to be disappointed at his having so many private
+interviews with lawyers, although they made much of him, especially
+Richard Tresidder's mother, who seemed to mould him at her will.
+
+"If he is in her power, all hope is gone," I said sadly; and yet hope
+was not gone, for had she not told me that she would never go to the
+altar with Nick Tresidder?
+
+Then I asked her how she had come to me that day instead of her father,
+for up to now my joy had been so great at being with her, that I had
+forgotten that it was not her that I had expected to see.
+
+"That, too, is strange," she answered. "He gave this letter to a servant
+in my hearing, and bade him take it to you; so I asked the man to give
+it to me, and he made no objection."
+
+I puzzled greatly at this, and I could think of no answer to the puzzle,
+save that Naomi must have won the servant's heart, as she won all
+hearts. Or, perhaps, he knew what it was to love, and had guessed her
+secret.
+
+I opened the letter, and this was what I read:
+
+"_Will Jasper Pennington meet John Penryn, Lawyer Trefy, and the family
+of Tresidders at Pennington on Thursday at six o'clock in the evening?_"
+
+"That must mean to-day," I said. "What can they want of me at
+Pennington?"
+
+But I did not trouble much about the matter then, for was not Naomi with
+me? Neither did she seem in a hurry to return to Pennington. Her father
+was in Truro, she said, and had given no orders as to her conduct. So we
+left the copse and wandered away into Pennington Woods, my love and I.
+
+I shall never forget that day. How can I when I think of the days that
+followed? It was one of those glorious winter days, when the air was
+crisp and frosty, and when the blood of healthy people surges through
+their veins with richness and fulness of life. The merle and the mavis
+sung their love-songs, even although it was winter, the squirrels
+climbed the bare branches of the trees, while even the rabbits besported
+themselves gaily. And Naomi and I, because we loved each other, were as
+gay as any lambs that frolic on the warm days of May. Ay, we were young;
+and I, even although I was almost penniless, was happy in my strength
+and my youth. Thus is God kind to His children. As for Naomi, I, who am
+but poor at stringing words together, can never tell how beautiful she
+was. Ay, even Mr. William Shakespeare, great man as he was, could never
+have done justice to such beauty as that of my love.
+
+She was proud of me, too, although I was poor and friendless. She
+admired my finery greatly, and told me that I looked all a man should
+look. "Whenever I have seen you before," she said, "you have been
+strangely attired; and sometimes I have been almost afraid of you, you
+have looked so fierce and strong."
+
+"But you are glad I am strong, my little one?"
+
+"Glad, ay; but I am not little," and indeed she was not little as
+maidens go, but she seemed little to me.
+
+"Yes; but you are little," I said laughingly. "You are but a feather's
+weight."
+
+At this she pretended to be offended, so I caught her up and held her at
+arm's length, just as I have seen mothers hold their children, and I
+laughed all the time in my joy.
+
+Then she called me names, although I could see she rejoiced in my
+strength--the strength which had saved her when she was in peril.
+
+I will write no more concerning that joyful morning, much as I love to
+think about it, for it was the sunshine of summer which precedes the
+black night of winter.
+
+I was not late that night at Pennington, you may be sure, for if I was
+puzzled as to why I should be asked to be there, I was also eager to
+know the reason; besides, hope came into my life that day--hope of the
+great unknown future.
+
+Besides, I should be near my Naomi, for such I felt she was whatever
+might happen.
+
+I was admitted without a word, and ushered into the library, where a
+great many people were. I saw that the Tresidders were greatly puzzled,
+especially Richard Tresidder's mother, whose bright old eyes went
+searchingly from face to face. Although I had kept my time to the
+minute, I was the last to arrive. The Tresidders did not speak to me,
+and seemed to regard my presence as an unpardonable intrusion, and yet
+they said nothing. Lawyer Trefy nodded to me, but his face revealed no
+more than a sealed book. There were many strange men there, too, and
+among them was Jonathan Cowling, the old man who had acted as my gaoler
+at Trevose. Naomi stood by her father's side, and seemed to wonder much
+at the strange scene. John Penryn's eyes shone brightly, but he was
+perfectly self-possessed, and so great was the change in his appearance,
+that none would have thought him to have been the man who had been with
+me at the cave by Bedruthen Steps, unless they had looked at him
+closely.
+
+There was a great silence in the room, as though every one was on the
+tiptoe of expectation, as, indeed, we all were; and when Naomi's father
+rose to speak we all held our breath. He spoke very quietly and very
+collectedly, yet I saw he had difficulty in restraining himself. I saw
+then, too, how great was his resemblance to Naomi, and carefully as he
+was dressed at that time, he looked the picture of what a gentleman
+ought to look.
+
+"I have taken the liberty to arrange this meeting in the house of
+Richard Tresidder, because he has acted as my daughter's guardian," he
+said, "and because of certain family connections which naturally link us
+together, and which he hopes may link us together in the future."
+
+At this my heart sank, for I remembered that he had spoken no word to
+me; nay, he had not noticed me in any way.
+
+"If this is so," said Richard Tresidder, who looked nervously toward
+Naomi's father, "I should like to know why Jasper Pennington is here. It
+is, to say the least, strange in a family meeting like this that an
+outsider is admitted."
+
+"I have arranged for Jasper Pennington to be here because he has been
+associated with my child under peculiar circumstances. When you
+consented--gladly consented, Richard Tresidder, for certain family
+matters to be settled to-night, you did not mention any one to whose
+presence you might object. Besides, you will presently see that I have
+not asked him to come without a purpose."
+
+After this many things were said which confused me greatly, but which
+the men of law who were present seemed to understand perfectly, and so
+did the Tresidders, for that matter.
+
+Then Naomi's father spoke again: "You have asked me, Richard Tresidder,"
+he said, "that I should give your son my daughter in marriage, and have,
+moreover, told me that the marriage settlements can easily be arranged."
+
+At this all the Tresidders nodded eagerly, although they seemed sadly
+puzzled.
+
+"I have also told you," he went on, "that I did not believe Jasper
+Pennington to be so evilly disposed as you thought, and that on one or
+two occasions he exposed himself to danger in seeking to render service
+to my child."
+
+"Naomi was never in danger," was the reply. "All that he has done has
+been for evil purposes."
+
+"Be that as it may, I have come to the conclusion that he deserves some
+kind of recognition for his services. Besides, I was at one time
+acquainted with his father, and so I do not wish to forget him. Mr.
+Trefy, will you state what I am prepared to do?"
+
+Then Lawyer Trefy read something which he had evidently carefully
+prepared, and yet which I was too excited to properly understand; yet I
+know it was to the effect that he had placed in his hands an order to
+arrange with five representatives of county families to value the
+Pennington estates, and to pay the said amount to Richard Tresidder,
+according to the conditions of the will made by Jasper Pennington in the
+year 17--.
+
+"What!" cried Richard Tresidder, like one mad, while his son Nick moved
+the arm which I had broken, and still hung in a sling, and cried out
+with pain.
+
+"I give this to Jasper Pennington," said Naomi's father, "as the dowry
+of my child, who will, I trust, shortly become his wife."
+
+Now at this my heart seemed to stop, but when I saw the light shining in
+my love's eyes, it beat again so joyously, and swelled so with joy, that
+my bosom seemed too small to contain it. Then, unable to restrain
+myself, I rushed to her side and caught her hands.
+
+As I did so, however, I heard a great noise of angry voices, and then
+my darling cried so fearfully that I turned my head, only to see Richard
+Tresidder leap upon me, and by the murderous gleam in his eyes I knew
+that he would do me harm. But I felt to laugh at this, for at that
+moment I seemed to have the strength of ten, and I flung him from me as
+I would have flung a yelping cur who sought to bite me. So quickly,
+indeed, did I throw him from me that no one in the room sought to
+interfere, and even when, with the yell of a wild beast, he came upon me
+again, I think no one thought it worth while to stop him; but even as he
+came I saw my grandfather's second wife speaking to Nick, and then I
+beheld, as it were, a thousand points of light flash before my eyes, and
+felt as though a piece of burning steel were thrust into my side. This
+was followed by wild cries of confusion, among which I thought I heard
+the voice of my love saying, "Oh, Jasper, my love, speak to me!" and
+then I seemed to sink away into the silence and gloom of night.
+
+
+When next I opened my eyes to the light of reason and of day, I lay in a
+large, old-fashioned room which I had never seen before. The bed was
+soft and easy, and a delicious languor seemed to possess me. I felt no
+pain, but I was as helpless as a baby. Perfect stillness prevailed, and,
+like a tired child, I dropped off into a deep sleep. How long I lay thus
+I know not, but presently, when I woke to consciousness again, the air
+seemed to be soft and balmy, and much of the weariness seemed to have
+left me. I moved my limbs, and again looked around the room.
+
+"Where am I, I wonder?" I said to myself.
+
+Just then the door opened and I saw old Betsy Fraddam enter.
+
+Without knowing why, I closed my eyes, while the old dame felt my hands
+and my forehead.
+
+"He's better," she chuckled; "ould Betsy is better than the doctors.
+'Ee'll git better now. Jasper Pennington ed'n a-goin' to die so aisy for
+oal the Tezidders."
+
+She moved my pillow and made my bed comfortable, then she left the room
+again.
+
+When she had gone I recalled the incidents which I have recorded--the
+meeting in the copse, the walk through the woods, then the scene in
+Pennington library, which ended in silence and darkness. What did it all
+mean? My mind was not very clear, but presently I was able to explain
+everything. But where was I? Why was everything so quiet? And why had
+Betsy Fraddam come to me?
+
+I listened, and heard the cawing of rooks, the neighing of horses, and
+the lowing of cattle. If I only possessed sufficient strength I would
+make my way to the window, but I was not able to do this.
+
+Then I heard a voice which set every nerve in my body a-quivering. It
+was the voice of my Naomi outside the door.
+
+She entered all alone. She looked pale and thin; this I saw dimly, for
+my eyes were partly closed. She looked at me long and tenderly, as
+though she wanted, by looking, to see if I were better. Then she sat
+down by my bedside.
+
+"Are you ill, my little one?" I asked.
+
+She started up like one frightened.
+
+"Oh, Jasper!" she cried; "do you know me? Are you so much better? Oh, my
+love, my love!"
+
+Somehow, I know not how it was, but strength came back to me then, so I
+lifted my arms, and my little maid nestled her head on me and sobbed her
+joy.
+
+"You are sure you will get better, Jasper?"
+
+"Yes, sure."
+
+Presently we fell to talking, for I wanted to know what had taken place,
+and she told me little by little, as I could take it in.
+
+"Where am I?" I asked.
+
+"Where? why, at Pennington, your home."
+
+"Yes; and the Tresidders?"
+
+A cloud came over her face. "Richard Tresidder's mother is dead," she
+said. "That night when you were shot there was a great commotion. She
+had what the folks call a seizure, and she never spoke again. In her
+hand she held a pistol, but it is not believed that she shot you. My
+father thinks it was Nick, and that she pulled the pistol from him. She
+only lived a few hours, and was buried three days later."
+
+I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank God I had been saved from this. All the
+same, I felt sad that my little maid suffered it all.
+
+"And Nick?" I asked presently.
+
+"He left Pennington that night. No one knows where he is now, except his
+father."
+
+"And he?"
+
+"My father knows where he is. I do not."
+
+"And so I am at Pennington all alone?"
+
+"My father is here. I would not leave you; I could not, you know,
+Jasper."
+
+Thus while the rooks cawed in their joy and the dogs barked I lay, while
+my little maid sat by my side, and told me the things which my heart
+yearned to know.
+
+Presently her father came, and when he knew how well I was, he said he
+must return to Trevose as soon as possible and take my Naomi with him.
+
+"But what am I to do without her?" I asked woefully.
+
+"You must get well, Jasper, and come to Trevose to see her."
+
+After that he told me many things which I need not write here concerning
+the Tresidders, and of the way they had acted--told me why he had
+behaved so strangely to me; and how to deceive them, and thus gain his
+rights without difficulty, he had pretended to fall in with their
+wishes.
+
+A little later he went with my Naomi to Trevose, and my love made me
+promise to come to her quickly. I did this, as you may be sure;
+nevertheless, springtime had come and the leaves were bursting forth
+from the trees ere I was strong enough to go to Trevose. But I did not
+go in vain, neither did I return to Pennington again without the sweet
+maid for whom I would willingly have laid down my life.
+
+We were wedded at St. Eval by the jolly parson who had told me about
+Lanherne House, and that very same day we posted to Pennington, the home
+of the Penningtons for long generations.
+
+And now I have told my tale, told it truly in spite of evil reports and
+foul lies. Let Richard Tresidder and his son Nick, who are both alive,
+and who, I trust, will read what I have written, point to one wrong
+statement. This they cannot do.
+
+It may be that I have acted foolishly, but let God be the judge whether
+I have ever struck an unfair blow. I have written these things that the
+truth might be known, and that no shadow should rest on her who is near
+me even now; ay, and who is more beautiful than when I first saw her in
+Truro: she the pure maid with pity shining from her eyes, and I the
+outcast, the vagabond.
+
+I sit in the library at Pennington as I write this, while my love is
+romping with the grandest lad in the world, save my eldest son Jasper,
+whom I hear shouting to his sister Naomi in the garden, while Eli, the
+dwarf, watches over them as tenderly as if they were his own.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birthright, by Joseph Hocking
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