"I will come to you, papa, whenever you wish."
Algernon soon after came in, looking pale and ill. His father seemed
struck by his appearance, and asked with more concern than usual if he
had not slept well.
"Not particularly so; my cough somewhat troubled me, but with the
advantage of a few warm days, I daresay I shall be soon to rights
again."
The baronet's thoughts seemed to be diverted from their former channel
by his anxiety for his son.
General Sampson and Mrs Appleton did their best to make the
conversation more lively than it might otherwise have become, for Lady
Castleton had evidently some anxiety on her mind, and was less able than
usual to act the part of the hostess.
The old gentleman had discovered that Julia and Headland were in love
before they were aware of the fact themselves, and he had a shrewd
suspicion also that Master Harry had some greater attraction at Downside
than his old maiden cousins could personally offer. He was now certain
that some hitch had occurred. He had already paid a longer visit than
usual, but a better motive than mere curiosity prompted him to stay to
see the upshot. He had a sincere regard for Harry and Julia, and was
much pleased with Headland, who took his jokes in most excellent part.
"I may lend the young people a helping hand, and give my friend Sir
Ralph, a stroke the right way," he thought.
Soon after breakfast, Headland's horse was brought to the door. He saw
Julia only for a moment in the hall.
"Although I have had no opportunity of speaking to my mother, she, I
suspect, guesses the truth, and has thought it best at once to speak to
Sir Ralph, for she dare not conceal anything from him. I would rather
you had been the first to inform him of our engagement, but he evidently
wished to prevent you doing so, by begging you to go to Hurlston."
"I wish I could have spoken myself, but, pray, assure your father that I
would have done so had he given me the opportunity. But as we have
nothing for which to blame ourselves, we must trust that his prejudices
will be overcome, and that he will not withhold you from me."
The old general entering the hall at that moment, prevented Headland
from saying more.
Mounting his horse, the captain road on to Hurlston. He met several of
the _Nancy's_ crew. The cutter had not returned, and Ned Brown again
expressed his conviction that if the lugger was to be caught, it would
not be till after a long chase. Knowing that the ladies of Downside
would be anxious to hear any news he could give, he proceeded thither.
The Miss Pembertons welcomed him cordially. May was on the point of
setting out to visit Dame Halliburt. She had from early dawn kept a
look-out over the ocean, and was aware that the cutter had not returned.
He was more than ever struck by her beauty and unaffected manners,
though her anxiety on Harry's and Jacob's account made her paler and
graver than usual. She expressed her regret at being compelled to set
off at once, and Headland therefore did not mention Sir Ralph's arrival
till she had gone.
"I am sorry to hear of it," said Miss Jane, "for I fear that it will
terminate Harry's and May's present happiness, and that the troubles and
trials which I foresee are in store for them will at once begin, though
I trust that they may overcome them in the end."
Captain Headland felt the remark applied equally to his own case, though
he did not say so. He had omitted on the previous evening mentioning
his meeting with Gaffin. He now did so, remarking--
"I understood that he was the leader of the party carrying off the young
fisherman, but he assured me that he knew nothing of the matter, and was
several miles distant when it occurred."
"I almost wish that he had been of the party if such is the case, for if
he remains here, I fear that our May will be exposed to danger," said
Miss Jane.
"Surely no one would venture to injure a young lady living with you,"
observed Headland.
Miss Jane then told him of the annoyance to which May had been subjected
from Gaffin's son.
Headland naturally felt indignant.
"Strong measures must be taken to get this man Gaffin and his son out of
the way," he remarked. "As soon as Harry returns we will see what can
be done. In the meantime I will ride down to the cottage and ascertain
that your young friend has reached it in safety, and will wait to escort
her back."
He soon caught sight of her at about half-way to Adam's cottage. At the
same moment a person resembling the man who had spoken to him on the
previous night appeared and seemed about to address May, who quickened
her pace, when catching sight of Headland he apparently thought better
of it and advanced to meet him.
"Good-day, Captain Headland," said the man, looking up at him with cool
assurance. "Your friend, Mr Harry Castleton, will have a long chase
after the lugger, a wild goose chase I suspect it will prove. I have
been enquiring into the truth of the story you heard, and I find that it
was spread by a wretched old mad woman whom the people about here take
to be a witch. The sooner she is ducked in the sea, and proved to be an
ordinary mortal who has lost her senses, the better. It is disagreeable
for a man in my position to have his character belied in this way."
"We certainly heard a story from a mad woman, but she spoke in a way
which led us to suppose she described an actual occurrence," said
Headland. "From what you say I conclude you are Mr Gaffin who
addressed me last night."
"The same at your service, Captain Headland. I have no further
questions to ask, however, since you can give me no account of my old
shipmate; I am sorry to hear of his death; good-day to you, sir," and
Gaffin moved on, taking the direction of the mill.
This last interview left a still more unfavourable impression on
Headland's mind of Mr Miles Gaffin. He did not like the expression of
the man's countenance or the impudent swagger of his manner; while it
was evident by the way he talked that he was a person of some education.
Headland tried to recollect whether he had before seen him, or whether
his old protector had ever mentioned his name.
As he rode on slowly, keeping May in sight, he suddenly recollected the
description Jack Headland had given him of the mate of the ship on board
which he had been placed by his supposed father, when a child. "Can
that man in any way be connected with my history?" he thought. "He
certainly must have known poor Jack Headland; he had some motive,
possibly, in speaking of him."
The more he thought the more puzzled he became. The only conclusion he
arrived at was that Gaffin and the mate of the vessel in which he had
been wrecked might possibly be one and the same person, and if so, from
Jack's account, he was undoubtedly a villain, capable of any crime.
Having seen May enter Halliburt's cottage, he rode to the Texford Arms
and put up his horse, resolving to wait in the neighbourhood till she
should again come out. He would then have time to get back and mount
his horse--which he told the hostler to keep saddled--and follow her.
He in the meantime took a few turns on the pier, and got into
conversation with two or three of the old seafaring men who were
standing about; the younger were at sea in their boats, or had gone home
after the night's fishing. He made enquiries about the man he had just
met. They all repeated the same story; their opinion was that he had
been a pirate or something of that sort on the Spanish main, or in other
distant seas, and having for a wonder escaped, he had returned home to
follow a more peaceful and less dangerous calling, though still in
reality unreformed and quite ready to break the laws of his country.
From the description they gave of his wife, Headland thought that she
must have been an Oriental, and this strengthened his idea that he was
the man of whom Jack had spoken. Had he enquired about the Halliburts
he might have learned the particulars of May's early history, but he
still remained under the impression that she was a ward of the Miss
Pembertons, and had merely come down to visit the dame as she would any
other of the villagers suffering from sickness or sorrow.
Notwithstanding Gaffin's assertion that he knew nothing about Jacob
being carried off, the men were certain that though he might not have
been present, it had been done at his instigation, as his crew were
known to be ready to engage in any daring undertaking he might suggest.
They, however, feared that there was very little prospect of the lugger
being captured.
"That mate of his would sooner run her under water or blow her up than
let a king's officer come on board, and it will be better for poor Jacob
if the cutter does not come up with her," observed one of them.
Headland borrowed a glass and swept the horizon several times, but no
craft like the cutter appeared. At length he went back to the spot
whence he could watch Adam's door for May's appearance. She came out at
last, and he hurried to the inn to get his horse. He soon again caught
sight of her and followed her at a distance till she reached Downside.
If Gaffin was, as he supposed it possible, watching her, that person
took good care to keep out of his sight.
After waiting for a few minutes, Headland rode up to the cottage. He
thought it would be prudent to let Miss Jane know of his having again
seen Gaffin, and he took an opportunity, while May was out of the room,
to tell her. She thanked him warmly.
"We must keep a careful watch over the safety of our young friend," she
observed, "and while that dreadful man remains at the mill, must not
allow her to go out alone. I hear that Sir Ralph's steward has given
him warning to quit it at the end of his present lease. He will be
unable to find another place of similar character suitable to his
purposes."
When May came in Headland had the opportunity of conversing with her,
and no longer felt surprised that she should so completely have won
Harry's affections. Though he thought her inferior in some respects to
Julia, he acknowledged to himself that she was one of the most charming
girls he had seen, and was as much struck with her modesty and
simplicity as with her sprightliness and beauty.
"It is a pity Sir Ralph could not be induced to see her," he thought;
and he resolved to advise Julia to try and get her father to call at
Downside, if possible, before he was aware of Harry's attachment, so
that he might be perfectly unprejudiced.
Headland naturally wished to be back at Texford, though unwilling to go
without being able to take any news of Harry.
At last as evening was approaching he rode once more to a point in the
village where he could obtain an uninterrupted view of the sea, but the
cutter was still not in sight. Accordingly, wishing the Miss Pembertons
and May farewell, he set off on his way to the park.
He could conscientiously assure Lady Castleton that she need not be at
all anxious about her son, as there was nothing surprising in the cutter
not having returned. Sir Ralph seemed vexed at not seeing him, but made
no other remark.
Captain Headland felt conscious that though Julia was anxious to be with
him, her mother took every means in her power to prevent their meeting
alone without showing too clearly that she was doing so. Julia found an
opportunity, and told him her father was aware of their love, but had
said that he would reserve any expression of his intentions till he had
seen Harry. With this Headland was compelled to be content.
The baronet was perfectly polite, if not cordial, to him during the
evening, and next morning he asked him if he would again ride over to
Hurlston.
Algernon apologised for not accompanying him on the plea of illness.
Headland could not help suspecting that he was sent to be kept out of
Julia's way; and but for her sake and Harry's, he would at once have
left Texford.
He spent the day by first going to the village, and then calling at
Downside, after which he took a long ride over the Downs to the south,
whence he could see the cutter should she return.
Again, however, he was doomed to disappointment.
On his way back he met Mr Groocock, and begging the steward to
accompany him, mentioned what he had heard about Gaffin.
"The man is a mystery to me, Captain Headland. I believe him to be all
you have heard. But he has possession of the mill, and until his lease
is up the law will not allow us to turn him out. The law, you see,
captain, assists rogues as well as honest men, provided they keep within
it, and there is no evidence we can bring to prove that he is what
people say he is. If smuggled goods were found in his mill they would
be seized, or if his vessel was taken with contraband aboard she would
be captured, and there would be an end of her, and if it is true that
his people have carried off the fisherman's son, they will be punished,
but the law cannot touch him or his vessel for that, and so, you see, he
will laugh at us, as he has done for these years past. But the master
he serves will play him a scurvy trick in the end, as he does all his
willing slaves, I have no manner of doubt. But, in the meantime, if he
keeps his wits awake, as he has hitherto done, he may do all sorts of
things with impunity."
To the truth of these remarks Headland agreed.
As they rode on Mr Groocock kept frequently looking up at him.
"If it's not an impertinent question, Captain Headland, may I ask if you
have been in this part of the country before?"
"No," answered Headland. "I have been very little in England at all. I
was born abroad, and have been at sea the greater part of my life."
"Of course--of course; I ought to have thought of that," said Mr
Groocock to himself; then he added, "I beg your pardon, captain, but you
remind me of some one I knew in former years--that made me ask the
question without thinking; you are much younger than he would have been
by this time."
Headland would willingly have enquired of whom the steward spoke, but
the old man at once abruptly changed the conversation, and they shortly
afterwards reached the gates of Texford.
The evening passed by much as the previous one had done, though Lady
Castleton and Julia had become still more anxious at not seeing Harry.
Julia thought of poor May, who would, she knew, feel still more anxious,
and she resolved, if possible, to go over to Downside the next day to
see her, and show her sympathy.