The Light of Scarthey: A Romance

by Egerton Castle

  CHAPTER XXII

  THE DAY: MORNING

  The appointment of a regular light-keeper at Scarthey, intended torelease Rene and old Margery from their exile, had been delayed so asto suit the arrangement which was to leave for a time the islanddomain of Sir Adrian at the disposal of Captain Jack. MeanwhileMoggie's presence greatly mitigated the severity of her husband'sseparation from his master.

  On his side the sailor was in radiant spirits. All worked as he couldwish, and Sir Adrian's marriage, besides being a source of unselfishsatisfaction, was, with regard to his own prospects, an unexpectedhelp; for, his expedition concluded, he would now be able in the mostnatural manner to make his appearance at Pulwick, an honoured guest ofthe master, under the pride of his own name. And for the rest, hopeunfolded warm-coloured visions indeed.

  During the weeks which had elapsed since Sir Adrian's departure,Captain Jack's visits to the island had been fitful and more or lesssecret--He always came and left at night. But as it was understoodthat the place was his to be used and enjoyed as he thought best,neither his sudden appearances with the usual heavy travelling-bag,nor his long absences excited any disturbance in the arcadian life ledby Rene between his buxom young wife and the old mother--as thegood-humoured husband now termed the scolding dame.

  A little sleeping closet had been prepared and allotted to the use ofthe peripatetic guest in one of the disused rooms when Rene's ownaccommodation under the light tower had been enlarged for the newrequirements of his matrimonial status. And so Monsieur the Captain(in Rene's inveterate outlandish phraseology) found his liberty ofaction complete. Both the women's curiosity was allayed, and alltendency to prying into the young stranger's mysterious purposes amidtheir seclusion condemned beforehand, by Rene's statement: thatMonsieur the Captain was a trusted friend of the master--one indeed(and here the informant thought fit to stretch a point, if butslightly) to whom the Lord of Pulwick was indebted, in bygone days,for life and freedom.

  Except when weather-bound, a state of things which at that time ofyear occurred not unfrequently, Rene journeyed daily as far as theHall, ostensibly to report progress and take possible orders, butreally to gratify himself with the knowledge that all was well withthe master.

  About the breakfast hour, upon this 15th of March, as Sir Adrian wasdiscussing with the bailiff sundry matters of importance to theestate, a tap came to the door, which he recognised at once as theFrenchman's own long accustomed mode of self-announcement.

  Since he had assumed the reins of government, the whilom recluse haddiscovered that the management of such a wide property was indeed nosinecure; and moreover--as his brother, who certainly understood suchmatters in a thoroughly practical manner, had warned him--that aperson of his own philosophical, over-benevolent and abstracted turnof mind, was singularly ill-fitted for the task. But a strong sense ofduty and a determination to act by it will carry a man a long way. Hehad little time for dreaming and this was perhaps a providentialdispensation, for Sir Adrian's musings had now lost much of the graveplacidity born of his long, peaceful residence in his Thelema ofScarthey. The task was long and arduous; on sundry occasions he wasforced to consult his predecessor on the arcana of landed estategovernment, which he did with much simplicity, thereby giving Mr.Landale, not only inwardly mocking satisfaction, but severalopportunities for the display of his self-effacing loyalty andsuperior capacities.

  The business of this day was of sufficiently grave moment to makeinterruption unwelcome--being nothing less than requests from a numberof tenants to the "Good Sir Adrian," "the real master come to his ownagain"--for a substantial reduction of rent; a step towards which themaster's heart inclined, but which his sober reason condemned aspreposterous. But Rene's countenance, as he entered, betrayed news ofsuch import that Sir Adrian instantly adjourned the matter on hand,and, when the bailiff had retired, anxiously turned to the new-comer,who stood in the doorway mopping his steaming brow.

  "Well, Renny," said he, "what is wrong? Nothing about your wife--?"

  "No, your honour," answered the man, "your honour is very good.Nothing wrong with our Moggie. But the captain.... I ran all the wayfrom the Shearmans."

  "No accident there, I hope."

  "I fear there is, your honour. The captain--he has been attacked thismorning."

  "Not wounded--!" exclaimed Sir Adrian. "Not dead, Renny?"

  "Oh no, your honour, well. But he has, I fear, killed one of themen ... the revenue men--"

  Then, seeing his master start aghast, he went on rapidly;

  "At least he is very bad--but what for did he come to make the spyupon our island? We have left him at the Shearmans--the motherShearman will nurse him. But the captain, your honour"--the speakerlowered his voice to a whisper and advanced a step, lookinground--"that is the worst of all, the captain has turned mad, Ibelieve--Instead of going off with his ship and his crew, (they aresafe out to sea, as they should be) he remains at Scarthey. Yes--inyour honour's rooms. He is walking up and down and clutching his hairand talking to himself, like a possessed. And when I respectfullybegged him to consider that it was of the last folly his having restedinstead of saving himself, I might as well have tried to reason amule. And so, knowing that your honour would never forgive me ifmisfortune arrived, I never drew breath till I reached here to tellyou. If his honour would come himself he might be able to make Mr. hisfriend hear reason--Your honour will run no risk, for it is onlynatural that you should go to the peel after what has occurred--but ifyou cannot get Mr. the captain to depart this night, there will arriveto us misfortune--it is I who tell you so."

  "I will go back with you, at once," said Sir Adrian, rising muchperturbed. "Wait here while I speak to Lady Landale."

  Molly was standing by the great log fire in the hall, yawning fit todislocate her pretty jaws, and teasing the inert form of old Jim, ashe basked before the flame, with the tip of her pretty foot. Sheallowed her eyes to rest vaguely upon her husband as he approached,but neither interrupted her idle occupation nor endeavoured tosuppress the yawn that again distended her rosy lips.

  He looked at her for a moment in silence; then laying a hand upon hershoulder, said gently: "My child, I am called back to Scarthey andmust leave instantly. You--you will be careful of yourself--amuseyourself during my absence--it may be for two or three days."

  Lady Landale raised her black brows with a fine air of interrogation,and then gazed down at the old dog till the lashes swept her cheek,while a mocking dimple just peeped from the corner of her mouth andwas gone again. "Oh yes," she answered drily, "I shall take endlesscare of myself and amuse myself wildly. You need have no fear ofthat."

  Sir Adrian sighed, and his hand fell listless from her shoulder.

  "Good-bye, then," he said, and stooped it seemed hesitatingly to layhis lips between the little dark tendrils of hair that danced upon herforehead. But with a sudden movement she twitched her face away."Despite all the varied delights which bind me to Pulwick," sheremarked carelessly, "the charms of Sophia and Rupert's company, andall the other _amusements_--I have a fancy to visit your old owl'snest again--so we need not waste sentiment upon a tender parting, needwe?"

  Sir Adrian's cheek flushed, and with a sudden light in his eyes heglanced at her quickly; but his countenance faded into instantmelancholy again, at sight of her curling lip and cold amused gaze.

  "Will you not have me?" she asked.

  "If you will come--you will be welcome--as welcome," his voice shook alittle, "as my wife must always be wherever I am."

  "Ah--oh," yawned Lady Landale, "(excuse me pray--it's becoming quitean infirmity) so that is settled. I hope it will storm to-night, thatthe wind will blow and howl--and then I snuggle in the feather bed inthat queer old room and try and fancy I am happy Molly de Savenayeagain."

  Adrian's lip quivered; yet in a second or two he spoke lightly. "I donot want to hurry you, but I have to leave at once." Then struck by asudden thought, by that longing to bring pleasure to others which wasalways working in him, "Why no
t let Madeleine come with you too?" heasked, "she could share your room, and--it would be a pleasure to herI think." He sighed as he thought of the trouble in store for thelovers.

  Lady Landale grew red to the roots of her hair and shot a look ofwithering scorn at her husband's unconscious face. "It would becharming," she said, sarcastically, "but after all I don't know that Icare to go so much--oh, don't stare at me like that, for goodness'sake! A woman may change her mind, I suppose--at least, in a triflehere and there if she can't as regards the whole comfort of herlife.--Well, well, perhaps I shall go--this afternoon--later--you canstart now. I shall follow--I can always get a boat at the Shearmans.And I shall bring Madeleine, of course--it is most kind and thoughtfulof you to suggest it. _Mon Dieu_, I have a husband in a thousand!"

  She swept him a splendid curtsey, kissed her hand at him, and thenburst out laughing at the pale bewilderment of his face.

  * * * * *

  When Sir Adrian returned to the morning-room, he found Rene, halfhidden behind the curtain folds, peering curiously out of the windowwhich overlooked the avenue. On his master's entrance, the man turnedhis head, placed his finger on his lip, and beckoned him to approach."If I may take the liberty," said he with subdued voice, "will hishonour come and look out, without showing himself?"

  And he pointed to a group, consisting of Mr. Landale and two men inblue jackets and cockaded hats of semi-naval appearance, now slowlyapproaching the house. Mr. Landale was listening with bent head,slightly averted, to the smaller of his two companions--a stoutsquare-looking fellow, who spoke with evident volubility, whilst theother followed defferentially one pace in rear. Presently the triohalted, a few yards from the entrance, and Mr. Landale, cuttingdesigns upon the sand with the end of his stick in a meditative way,appeared to be giving directions at some length, on the conclusion ofwhich the two men, touching their hats with much respect, departedtogether, while the magistrate pensively proceeded on his way to thehouse.

  "Those, your honour," said Rene, "were with him that was struck in thefight this morning. It was I rowed them over, together with thewounded. I left them at the Shearmans, and slipped away myself tocarry the news. If I might take upon myself to advise, it would bebetter if your honour would come with me now, at once, for fear Mr.Landale should delay us by questioning me--Mr. Landale being amagistrate, as I heard these men say; and Moggie has assured me thathe always arranges himself for knowing when I arrive from theisland--ever since the day when the demoiselles had just come, and Ifound it out. Ever since then he has not liked me, Mr. Landale. Comeaway, your honour, before he finds out I have been here to-day."

  Following upon this advice, which he found to the point, Sir Adrianleft his house by a back passage; and, through a side garden, foundhis way to the coast and to the fishing village.

  The wounded man who had not recovered consciousness, lay in thebrother Shearman's hut, as Rene had said, surrounded by such uncouthattendance as the rude fisherfolk could dispense. After givingdirections for the summoning of medical aid and the removal, if itshould prove advisable, of the patient to the Hall, but without asingle comment upon the unfortunate occurrence, Sir Adrian then tookthe road of the peel.

  During the transit, walking rapidly by his master's side, across thenow bare causeway, Rene gave his account of events.

  The captain (he related) after three days' absence had re-appeared thenight before the last, and requested him to warn the womankind not tobe alarmed if they heard, as no doubt they would, strange noises onthe beach at night. He was, said he, storing provisions and water forthe forthcoming journey, and the water in the well was so excellentthat he had determined to take in his store. Of course his honourunderstood well that Rene did not concern himself in these matters;but that was the explanation he conveyed to his wife, lest she shouldbe alarmed and wonder. As for the old mother, she was too deaf to beawakened out of sleep by anything short of the trumpet of the lastjudgment.

  As announced, there had been during the night the noise of a party ofmen landing, of the hoisting and rolling of barrels--a great_remue-menage_ altogether--and the next morning, that was yesterday,the captain had slept sound in his bunk till late.

  During several hours of the following day, he had some secret work todo in the caves of which Rene had shown the ins and outs, and whilstso engaged had requested that watch should be kept from thelight-tower, and message sent by some arranged signal should any oneapproach the island. But no one had come near. Whilst at his post, thewatcher had heard at different times the sound of hammering; and whenthe captain had come to relieve him, the good gentleman was muchbegrimed with dust and hot with work, but appeared in excellenthumour. In the castle, he sang and whistled for joyfulness, and madejokes with Moggie, all in his kind way, saying that if he were not tobe married himself soon, he would feel quite indignant and jealous atthe happiness of such a rascal as her husband.

  Oh! he was happy--Monsieur the Captain--he had brought Moggie abeautiful shawl; and to Rene, he had given a splendid watch, tellinghim to keep count of the hours of his unmerited bliss. Alas, thismorning all had been different indeed! The captain looked another man;his face was as white as linen. The very look of him would have toldany one that a misfortune had occurred. Rene did not quite understandit himself, but this is what had taken place:

  The captain had left Scarthey on foot late in the evening, and when hereturned (he was not long away) he bade Rene again not to mind what heheard during the night; and, in faith, once more there had been a realnoise of the devil; men coming to and fro, a deal of rowing on thewater, away and back again, in the early night and then once morebefore dawn.

  "But I was not unquiet," said Rene, "I knew they had come for theremainder of what Mr. Smith was pleased to call his provisions. Fromour room I could see by the light on the stairs that the lamp wasburning well, and Moggie slept like a child, so sound, she nevermoved. Just before the rising sun, I had got up and put out the lamp,and was going to bed again, when there came thumps of the devil at thelower door. Well knowing that the captain had his own way ofentering--for he had spent many days in finding out all sorts of drollpassages in the ruins--I was quite seized; and as I hurried down, thethumps came again and great cries for the lighthouse-keeper. And, yourhonour, when I unbarred the door, there was a man in uniform whom Idid not know, and he asked me, grumbling, if I knew of the prettydoings on the beach, whilst I slept like pig, he said--Of course Imade the astonished as his honour may imagine: I knew nothing, hadheard nothing, though my heart was beating like to burst not knowingwhat was coming. Then he ordered me to lend a hand and bring a ladderto carry away one of his men who had been murdered by the smugglers,he said. And there, on the sands, in front of the small cave wasanother man, in a blue coat too, watching over the body of one who wasstretched out, quite tranquil, his face covered with blood and hiseyes closed. They are gone, says the gross man. And I was glad, asyour honour may well think, to see the chaloupe full of the captain'smen rowing hard towards the vessel. She had just come out of the rivermouth and was doubling round the banks. We carried the man on hisladder to the kitchen and we and the women did all we could, but heremained like a log. So after a time the two men (who said they hadcome along the dyke soon after midnight, on foot, as they thought itwould be more secret, and had watched all night in the bent) wanted toeat and drink and rest. They had missed their game, the big man said;they had been sent to find out what sort of devil's tricks were beingplayed on in the island unbeknown to Sir Adrian;--but it was thedevil's luck altogether, for the smugglers had slipped away and wouldnot be seen in this part of the world again. That is the way the fatman spoke. The other had nothing to say, but swallowed our bacon andour beer as if he did not care. And then, your honour, they told me Ishould have to lend them the yawl to go on land, and go myself tohelp, and take the body with us. And as he was speaking, I saw Moggiethe wife, who had been backwards and forwards serving them, looking atme very straight but without blowing a word, as if she h
ad fear. Andall at once I felt there was something on foot. So I drew the men morebeer and said I would see after the yawl. Outside the door the wifewhispered: 'Upstairs, quick! Renny,' and she herself whisked back intothe kitchen so that she should not cause suspicion to thoseothers--Ah, your honour, that is a woman!"

  "Well, well," interrupted his master, anxiously.

  "Well, I went upstairs, four by four; and there, in your honour'sroom, without an attempt to conceal himself (when any moment it mighthave entered into those brigands' heads downstairs to search theplace), there was Monsieur the Captain, raging up and down, like awolf in cage, as I had the honour to describe before. No wonder Moggiewas afraid for him. A woman is quick to feel danger ahead. He lookedat me as if he did not know me, his face all unmade. 'You know whathas happened;' he says. 'Am I not the most unfortunate...? All islost.' 'With respect,' says I; 'nothing is lost so long as life issafe, but it is not a good thing Monsieur the Captain that you arehere, like this, when you should be on your good ship as many milesaway as she can make. Are you mad?' to him I say, and he to me, 'Ithink I am.' 'At least let me hide you,' I beg of him, 'I know of manybeautiful places,' and so for the matter of that does he. But it wasall lost trouble. At length he sits down at the table and begins towrite, and his look brightens: 'You _can_ help me, my good friend,' hesays; 'I have a hope left--who knows--who knows,'--and he writes a fewlines like an enraged and folds them and kisses the billet. 'Findmeans,' says he, 'Rene, to get Johnny, the Shearman boy, to take thisto the old churchyard and place it in the place he knows of; or,better still, should he chance upon Miss Landale to give it to her. Heis a sharp rogue,' says he, 'and I can trust his wits; but should younot find him, dear Rene, you must do the commission for me yourself.Now go--go,' he cries, and pushes me to the stairs. And, as I daredremain no more, I had to leave him. Of course Monsieur the Captain hasnot been here all this time without telling me of his hopes, and it isclear that it is to bid farewell to Mademoiselle Madeleine that he isplaying with his life. It is as ill reasoning with a lover as alunatic: they are the same thing, _Ma foi_, but I trust to your honourto bring him to his senses if any one can. And so, to continue, I wentdown and I told the men in blue the boat was ready, we carried thebody; I left them at the Shearmans, as your honour knows. I foundJohnny and gave him the letter; he knew all about what to do, itseemed. And then I came straight to the Hall."

  "It is indeed a miserable business!" said Sir Adrian.

  Rene heaved a great sigh of sympathy, as he noticed the increasingconcern on his master's face.

  "You heard them mention my brother's name?" inquired the latter, afterfollowing the train of his misgivings for a few moments. "You havereason to think that Mr. Landale knew of these men's errand; otherreason, I mean, than having seen them with him just now?"

  Rene's quick mind leaped at the meaning of the question:

  "Yes, your honour. 'Mr. Landale will want to know of this,' says thefat one; 'though it is too late,' he says." And Rene added ruefully:"I have great fear. The captain is not at the end of his pains, if Mr.Landale is ranged against him!"

  Such was also Sir Adrian's thought. But he walked on for a time insilence; and, having reached Scarthey, rapidly made his way into thepeel.

  Captain Jack was still pacing the room much as Rene had described whenSir Adrian entered upon him. The young man turned with a transientlook of surprise to the new-comer, then waved away the proffered handwith a bitter smile.

  "You do not know," he said, "who it is you would shake hands with--anoutlaw--a criminal. Ah, you have heard? Then Renny, I suppose, hastold you."

  "Yes," groaned the other, holding his friend by both shoulders andgazing sorrowfully into the haggard face, "the man may die--oh, Jack,Jack, how could you be so rash?"

  "I can't say how it all happened," answered Captain Jack, falling tohis walk to and fro again in the extremity of his distress, and everand anon mopping his brow. "I felt such security in this place. Allwas loaded but the last barrel, when, all of a sudden, from God knowswhere, the man sprang on me and thrust his dark lantern in my face.'It is Smith,' I heard him say. I do believe now that he only wantedto identify me. No man in his senses could have dared to try andarrest me surrounded by my six men. But I had no time to think then,Adrian. I imagined the fellow was leading a general attack.... If thatlast barrel was seized the whole secret was out; and that meant ruin.Wholesale failure seemed to menace me suddenly in the midst of mysuccess. I had a handspike in my hand with which I had been helping toroll the kegs. I struck with it, on the spur of the moment; the manwent down on the spot, with a groan. As he fell I leaped back, readyfor the next. I called out, 'Stretchers, lads; they want to take yourcaptain?' My lads gathered round me at once. But there was silence;not another creature to be seen or heard. They set to work to get thatlast blessed bit of cargo, the cause of all the misery, on board withthe rest; while I stood in the growing dawn, looking down at themotionless figure and at the blood trickling into the sand, trying tothink, to settle what to do, and only conscious of one thing: theintense wish that I could change places with my victim. Can youwonder, Adrian, that my brain was reeling? You who know all, all thismeans to me, can you wonder that I could not leave this shore--eventhough my life depended on it--without seeing her again! Curwen, mymate, came up to me at last, and I woke up to some sort of reason atthe idea that they, the crew and the ship, must be removed from theimmediate danger. But the orders I gave must have seemed those of amadman: I told him to sail right away but to double back in time tohave the schooner round again at twelve noon to-day, and then to sendthe gig's crew to pick me up on Pulwick sand. 'Life and death,' said Ito him, and he, brave fellow, 'Ay, ay, sir,' as if it was the mostsimple thing in the world, and off with him without another word."

  "What imprudence, what imprudence!" murmured Sir Adrian.

  "Who knows? None will believe that I have not seized the opportunityof making my escape with the others. The height of imprudence maybecome the height of security. I have as yet no plan--but it willcome. My luck shall not fail me now! who knows: nothing perhaps isdamaged but an excise man's crown. Thank heaven, the wind cannot failus to-day."

  "But, meanwhile," urged Sir Adrian, quite unconvinced, highlydisturbed, "that treasure on board.... I know what has been yourmotive, Jack, but indeed it is all nothing short of insanity, positiveinsanity. Can you trust your men?"

  "I would trust them with my own secrets, willingly enough; but notwith those of other people. So they do not know what I have in thosebarrels. Four thousand golden guineas in each...! No, the temptationwould be too terrible for the poor lads. Not a soul knows that, beyondyou and me. Curwen has charge of the cargo, such as it is. But I cananswer for it none of them will dream of tampering with the casks.They are picked men, sober, trusty; who have fought side by side withme. I am their best friend. They are mine, body and soul, I believe.They do know there is some risk in the business, but they trust me.They are sure of treble pay, and besides, are not troubled withsqueamishness. As for Curwen, he would go to hell for me, and neverask a question. No, Adrian, the scheme was perfect, but for thiscursed blow of mine this morning. And now it is a terribleresponsibility," continued the young man, again wiping his forehead;"every ounce of it weighs on my shoulders. But it is not that thatdistracts me. Oh, Adrian ... Madeleine!"

  The elder man felt his heart contract at the utter despairing of thatcry.

  "When my handspike crashed on that damned interferer's skull," thesailor went on, "I felt as if the blow had opened an unfathomablechasm between her and me. Now I am felon--yes, in law, a felon! Andyet I am the same man as yesterday. I shall have to fly to-night, andmay never be able to return openly to England again. All my goldendreams of happiness, of honour, vanished at the sound of that cursedblow. But I must see her, Adrian, I _must_ see her before I go. I amgoing to meet her at noon, in the ruins of Pulwick."

  "Impossible!" ejaculated the other aghast. "Listen, Jack, unfortunateman! When I heard of the--the misfortune, and of you
r folly inremaining, I instantly planned a last meeting for you. As it fellout, my wife has a fancy to spend the night here: I have asked her tobring her sister with her. But this inconceivably desperate plan ofleaving in your ship, in broad light of day, frustrates all I wouldhave done for you. For God's sake let us contrive some way of warningthe _Peregrine_ off till midnight; keep hidden, yourself; do notwilfully run your head into the noose!"

  But the young man had stopped short in his tramping, and stood lookingat his friend, with a light of hope flaming in his eye.

  "You have done that, Adrian! You have thought of that!" he repeated,as if mechanically. A new whirlwind of schemes rushed through hismind. For a while he remained motionless, with his gaze fixed on SirAdrian, putting order in his own thoughts with that genius ofprecision and swiftness which, in strong natures, rises to meet acrisis. Then advancing, and seizing him by both hands:

  "Adrian," he cried, in something more like his own voice, again, "Ishall yet owe my happiness to you, to this thought, this sublimethought of your heart!"

  And, as Sir Adrian, astounded, unable to understand this extremity ofhopefulness, following upon the previous depth of misery, stared backat him, speechless, the latter proceeded in still more surprisingfashion.

  "Now, you listen to me, this time. I have been selfish in running therisk of having you mixed up in my dangerous affairs. But, God is mywitness, I acted under the belief that all was absolutely secure. Now,however, you must do nothing more that might implicate you. Remember,do nothing to let people suspect that you have seen me to-day. Renny,too, must keep close counsel. You know nothing of my future movements.Remain here for a while, do not even look out of the window.... I fearwe shall not meet for a long time. Meanwhile, God bless you--God blessyou!"

  After another wrench of the hands he held in his, the sailor releasedthem and fairly ran out of the room, without heeding his friend'sbewildered expostulations. At the door of the keep he met Rene again.And after a brief but earnest colloquy, the man whose life was nowforfeit to the community and upon whose head there would soon be aprice, was quietly walking along the causeway, making for the shore,with the greatest apparent unconcern and deliberation.

  And whilst Sir Adrian, alone in his chamber, with his head restingupon his hand, anxiously pondered upon the possible issues of thisnefarious day's doings, the sailor advanced, in broad daylight towardsthe land to keep his appointment.

  * * * * *

  A solitary speck of life upon the great waste, with the consciousnessof the precarious thread of chance upon which it hung! What wonderthat, for all his daring, the traveller felt, as he deliberatelyregulated his pace to the most nonchalant gait, a frantic desire torun forward, or to lie down! How many approach glasses might now belaid, like so many guns, upon him from secret points of the coastuntil he came within range of recognition; what ambushes those clumpsof gorse and juniper, those plantations of alders and young firs onthe bluffs yonder, might conceal? The eye could reach far and wideupon the immense stretch of sand, along the desert coast; and hissolitary figure, moving upon the yellow strand was a mark for milesaround. Steadily, nevertheless did he advance; the very daring, theunpardonable foolhardiness of the deed his safety. And yet the strainwas high. Were they watching the island? Among the eager crew, to eachof whom the capture might mean a splendid prize and chance ofpromotion, was there one would have the genius of suddenly suspectingthat this foolhardy wayfarer might be the man they wanted and notmerely Sir Adrian returning on foot towards his home?... And then camethe answer of hopeful youth and hardy courage----.

  No. The preventive are a lubberly lot--It will require somethingbetter than a water-guard to track and take Lucky Jack Smith!

  * * * * *

  But for all his assurance Lucky Jack Smith drew a long breath ofrelief when he felt the shadow of Pulwick woods closing around him atlast.