Miles Gaffin lay on his bed turning over in his thoughts the information
he had obtained, and considering how he could gain the most advantage
from it. Returning to the table, he sat down to write. He was a man of
decision. With him to propose was to act. "My son Myles," he wrote,
for it was not his wont to use terms of endearment, "you are to come
here at once. Tell Mr Crotch so from me; you need not say more to him.
I want you to make your fortune by a way to which you will not object
marrying a young and pretty wife. When you come you shall know more
about the matter. Get a good rig out, so as to appear to advantage.
Wait at the Texford Arms, where I will meet you, but don't come to the
mill. From your father, Miles Gaffin."
The letter was speedily sealed and directed, and sent off the next
morning to the post by one of his companions, who, by that time, was
sufficiently sober to undertake the errand.
Gaffin's lugger, the _Lively_, lay at anchor off the mill. She had no
contraband goods on board, so that a visit from the revenue officers
need not be feared. He had previously intended going away in her, but
he now was anxious to see his son before he sailed. His difficulty, in
the meantime, was to dispose of his guests. They, however, as long as
his supply of liquor and provisions lasted, would be content to remain
where they were. He had no wish to bring his son among them, for bad as
he himself was, he had, since the loss of his youngest boy, kept his
other two children ignorant of his mode of life, though it was possible
that the eldest might have suspected it from circumstances which he must
have remembered in his younger days.
Gaffin waited with more patience than he generally exercised, till he
calculated that a sufficient time had elapsed to allow of his son's
arrival. He then walked down to the little inn in the village.
Just as he readied it, a post-chaise drove up to the door, out of which
stepped a young man, whom he recognised as Miles, though he had not seen
him for the last three or four years.
"You are my son, Miles, I conclude," said Gaffin.
"You are my father, I suppose," answered the young man in the same tone.
"You are right," said Gaffin. "Pay the post-boy, and let him bring your
portmanteau into the house. I will order a room, and we will talk over
the matter in hand."
The landlady having shown Gaffin into a room, young Miles did as he was
directed, and followed him.
"Well, I want to know more about this business you sent for me about,"
said the young man, throwing himself into a chair. "I have done as you
told me, and I hope you think I have got a good chance."
Gaffin surveyed his son for a moment.
"Yes, you will do, as far as that goes," he answered. "Now listen to
me; I don't want to be asked questions, but do you trust to me and go
ahead. There is a young girl whom you remember when you were a boy.
She was found on board a wreck by Adam Halliburt, the fisherman, and
brought up by him and his wife. Two old ladies here took a fancy to
her, and have given her an education which has made her fit to be the
wife of any gentleman in the land. She is pretty, too, and everything a
young fellow could wish for. I happen to know to a certainty that she
is a prize worth winning. When you have seen her, I am much mistaken if
you would not give your eyes to have her, without asking any questions,
and I am not going to answer them, if you do. I have your interests at
heart, and wish to serve you in the matter."
"I have no doubt you have, but I should like to have a look at the girl
before I decide," answered young Miles.
"That you can do to-morrow at church where she is sure to be, and when
you have seen her don't let there be any shilly shallying; make up to
her at once, most girls like to be won in an off-hand manner, and just
do you go and tell her how you have seen her and fallen in love with
her, and all that sort of thing. I daresay you have had some experience
already."
"Pretty well in a sort of way," answered the young man in a conceited
tone. "If I have got your word that she is worth winning, you will find
I am not backward, and I hope, before long, to give a good report of
progress."
Gaffin, satisfied that his son would do all he desired, charged him to
keep himself quiet and not get into any scrapes while at Hurlston.
"People here will know you are my son, so just get a good name for
yourself, and whatever they may think, they cannot say you are not a fit
match for the old fisherman's foster-daughter," and Gaffin gave way to a
laugh such as he rarely indulged in. "I will come down here again and
have a talk with you after you have seen the girl. Now there is one
thing more I have got to say, though I do not know to a cute fellow like
you whether the caution is necessary; don't go and be blabbing to others
of what you are about."
"I have been too long with Mr Crotch not to know how to keep a secret,"
answered the young man; "and I fancy I can manage this affair as I have
done several others for my employer. I do not mean love affairs though,
but matters of business in which I have given him perfect satisfaction,
he tells me."
The conference over, Gaffin again charged his son to behave himself, and
with no more show of affection than he had exhibited on the young man's
arrival, took his departure and returned to the mill.
He kept within doors endeavouring to maintain order among his lawless
associates. He wished not to be seen in company with his son, or to let
it be supposed that he was instigating him in his siege on Maiden May's
heart. From the accounts he had received from Mr Crotch of that young
gentleman's talents, he believed that he could allow the matter to rest
securely in his hands. If impudence was to carry the day young Miles
would come off victorious, as he was known to possess no inconsiderable
amount of that quality.
Gaffin had an excuse for remaining at the mill, as a larger quantity of
grist than usual had been brought, and, for a wonder, its long arms with
the sails stretched out went merrily round and round, giving Dusty Dick
ample employment. The smuggler's crew grumbled at not having their
dinner cooked in time. Dusty Dick had to take charge of the kitchen in
addition to his other duties, and the mill required his attention.
Gaffin had accordingly to serve out an additional supply of liquor to
keep his guests quiet. He succeeded so effectually that, seasoned as
they were, one and all were soon unable to quit the house, leaving him
at liberty to attend to his own affairs.
"The beasts," he said, as he looked in upon the drunken ruffians, some
sleeping with their heads on the table, others fallen under it, and
others stretched their length on the beds, or at the side of the room.
"They will stay there quiet enough till I want them, and no one is
likely to come prying this way to disturb their slumbers."
Securely bolting the door of the house he passed by a back way into the
mill, where, after giving some directions to Dusty Dick, he descended to
the beach. A small boat lay there which he was able to launch by
himself, and pulling off in her he went on board the lugger. He had
left the most trusted part of his crew in her, including his mate, Tom
Fidget, on whom he could always rely, not that Tom objected to get drunk
"at proper times and seasons," as he observed, but duty first and
pleasure afterwards was his maxim. His notions of duty were, to be
sure, somewhat lax, according to the strict rules of morality, and his
only idea of pleasure was a drunken spree on shore when he could leave
the craft without risk of her suffering damage either from wind and
weather, or the officers of the law. He was a bullet-headed fellow,
with a figure almost as wide as long, small keen eyes, and a turned up
nose scarcely perceptible beyond his puffed out copper-coloured cheeks.
Pipe in mouth he was taking his usual fisherman's walk, when the captain
stepped on board.
"The craft shall not be kept here longer than can be helped, Tom, and
you must be ready to start at a moment's notice," he observed. "I have
some business to attend to first, however, so it won't be for a day or
two, though that does not matter, as the weather promises to hold fine.
Only keep the fellows sober, for I have as many drunken men on shore as
I can manage, and it won't do to have all the hands in the same state.
The next time it will be your turn to go on shore, and you may then
drink as much liquor as you can hold, and enjoy yourself to your heart's
content."
Gaffin having given these directions, returned on shore again. Several
days passed and Gaffin again went in the evening to the Texford Arms to
meet his hopeful son. The young gentleman was in, the landlady
answered, in the room upstairs.
"Well, what progress have you made?" asked Gaffin, as he entered and
found young Miles lounging lazily alone, a pipe in his mouth and a glass
of brandy and water by his side.
"I thought I knew something about girls," was the answer, "and that I
could come round her much as I have done with others, who wouldn't think
themselves much beneath her, in our town, and I was not going to be
stopped by any nonsense."
"I don't want to hear what you thought, but what you did," said his
father.
"Well, you shall, if that's your wish," answered Miles. "I went to
church on Sunday and had a good look at her, and thought she saw me with
my eyes fixed on her from one end of the service to the other, but she
hurried home among a lot of people, and I hadn't a chance of getting
alongside to put in a word. For three whole days she never showed
outside the gates, and I thought at last of going and calling on the old
ladies with a story I had got up, but when I came to learn what sort of
people they are, I found that would not do. Then I thought of another
plan."
"I tell you I don't want your thought's," growled Gaffin. "What were
your acts?"
"That's what I was coming to," answered Miles. "As ill-luck would have
it I was off watch when she slipped out, and I discovered had gone down
to old Halliburt's. You may be sure I kept a look-out for her on her
return. I saw her coming along, and thought I had got the game in my
own hands, but by--" and he swore a fearful oath, "the girl was
altogether different to those I have had to do with. Beautiful, I
believe you, she is, but as haughty as if she was a born princess; and
just as I was going to show her what sort of a fellow I was, she slipped
away and ran off towards a young chap and took his arm, just as if she
had been accustomed to keep company with him. I watched them as they
went by, and he seemed to be looking for me in no very friendly mood,
for I saw him double his fists, and he was not the sort of fellow I
wished to come to close quarters with, or I would have gone up to him
and asked what he meant by carrying off the girl I was talking to."
"The long and short of it," said Gaffin, as soon as he could master his
anger, "is that you frightened the young lady, and got a rebuff which
you might have expected. But as for the young fellow, I know who he is,
and he won't interfere with you. Just do you go on and persevere, and
if you do not succeed we must try other means. Marry the girl I am
determined you shall, whether she likes it or not, and I can depend upon
you. Remember I am not one to have my plans thwarted, least of all by
my own son."
"I will not thwart them, you may trust me for that," answered Miles.
"The girl is about as pretty as I ever set eyes on, and I am obliged to
you for putting me up to the matter. But, I say, I should like to know
more about her. You led me to suppose that there is some secret you had
got hold of--what is it?"
"That's nothing to you at present. Your business is to win the girl,
whether she is a fisherman's or a lord's daughter. She was brought up
as the Halliburt's child, though I suppose she knows that she is not,
yet she has no reason to think much of herself, except on account of her
good looks, and those, from what I have heard of the old ladies she
lives with, they would have taught her not to pride herself on."
Gaffin's last directions to his son were to keep himself quiet for a
time, and to wait his opportunity for again meeting May under more
favourable circumstances.
"I will write to Crotch and tell him that a matter of importance keeps
you from returning just yet, and if good luck attends us you may not see
his face again. I will not say that though, eh?" and Gaffin indulged in
a chuckle, the nearest approach he ever made to a laugh.