Harry and the dragoons after Gaffin's escape galloped rapidly to
Downside. He would soon have distanced them had he not feared that they
might lose their way. He kept urging them to spur on with greater
speed. The gate was opened, and as they approached the house a
thundering sound was heard, and he caught sight of several men
endeavouring to burst in the front door. The noise they were making
prevented them from hearing the approach of the horses. One of them
turning, however, caught sight of the dragoons, when, he shouting to his
companions, they let the log fall and rushed down the steps, two or
three of them as they did so firing the pieces they carried. The
soldiers fired in return, when two or more of the gang were wounded.
Their companions, however, dragged them off, and scrambling over the
hedges, they made their escape before the dragoons could overtake them.
Harry announced his arrival.
"Stay, it may only be a trick," he heard Miss Jane observe.
"Oh, I am sure it is Harry. I know his voice. I am not afraid of
opening the door," exclaimed May.
The bars and bolts were quickly withdrawn, and the next instant Harry
pressed May to his heart. He quickly narrated all that had happened,
and Miss Jane and Miss Mary were very grateful for his coming so
opportunely to their rescue.
"And I, too, am glad to greet you, Mr Castleton," said Mr Shallard,
stepping forward. "It is far more satisfactory than having had to act
as your executor; indeed, this young lady most obstinately, as I
thought, refused to allow me to do so."
Much more to the same effect was said, when the lawyer remarked that he
must go and look after the dragoons.
"You maybe surprised at our calmness," he observed, "but the truth is, I
expected every moment the arrival of a party of the sea-fencibles, and
fully believed that they would come in time to stop the ruffians in
their attempt to break into the house, and to capture the whole of them
into the bargain. Till they appear, it may be prudent to retain the
dragoons."
Harry willingly allowed Mr Shallard to do as he proposed.
Shortly afterwards a party of the fencibles arrived, who by some mistake
had been sent to the mill instead of coming first, as was intended, to
Downside. The dragoons were then sent down to the Texford Arms.
Though Harry felt that he ought to return home, he could not leave the
cottage while there was a possibility of the smugglers rallying. He was
not sorry at having a good excuse for remaining.
Miss Jane, on hospitable thoughts intent, was much troubled at being
unable to offer beds to her guests, but they both assured her that they
should prefer sitting up, that they might be ready for any emergency.
Susan having recovered from her alarm, set to work to get supper ready,
and, in the meantime, Miss Jane declaring that she and her sister had
business to settle with Mr Shallard, left May and Harry in the
drawing-room.
Those were joyous moments to the young lovers. The clouds had not
entirely cleared away, but they both saw, they believed, the dawn of a
brighter day.
Harry and Mr Shallard sat up as they had proposed, though the lawyer
very soon fell asleep, with outstretched legs, long before the young
sailor closed his eyes.
Nothing occurred during the night to disturb the household.
The dragoons had started at daybreak to scour the country, but did not
succeed in capturing a single smuggler. They had discovered, however,
in a cottage, a man dying from a gun-shot wound, and from the
description given of him, Harry had little doubt that he was young
Gaffin.
May appeared at breakfast, looking as bright and fresh as ever. As soon
as the meal was over, Harry and Mr Shallard, assured that the ladies
were in no further danger, were on the point of setting out for Texford,
when Adam and Dame Halliburt arrived.
After the dame had expressed her joy at seeing May and the ladies safe,
Adam described to Harry and Mr Shallard the events which had occurred
on the previous evening, and gave them the information he had obtained
from the dying man. May listened with breathless eagerness. Was indeed
the secret of her birth to be at length disclosed? The heiress of
Texford! That seemed impossible. It must have been a fancy of the
dying smuggler. She might, indeed, be proved to belong to a noble
family, and Sir Ralph's objections to her might be removed; or, on the
other hand, her birth might be such, that still greater obstacles might
arise, or the proofs, had they existed, might have been removed. Fears
and hopes alternately gaining the mastery, she in vain endeavoured to
calm her agitation. Miss Mary stood holding her hand, her sightless
eyes turned towards the speakers, listening to all that was said; while
Miss Jane every now and then threw in a word, gave her advice, or
cross-questioned Adam with an acuteness which won the lawyer's
admiration.
As they were still speaking, a dense wreath of smoke, with flickering
points of flame rising beneath it, was seen in the direction of the
cliff.
"The mill has been set on fire," exclaimed Mr Shallard. "Men ought to
have been stationed to guard it. We may yet be in time to save the
chest. Not a moment, however, must be lost."
The gardener having been despatched with an order to the fencibles to
hasten to the mill, the lawyer, with Harry and Adam, set out in the same
direction.
"Oh, Harry, do not run any risk in searching for the chest; far rather
would I let the secret be lost," exclaimed May, as Harry sprang down the
steps to overtake Mr Shallard and the fisherman.
They met the fencibles on their way to the mill. As they reached the
neighbourhood, they found a number of fishermen and others collected
round the burning building. There appeared, however, but little
prospect of saving it. The flames had got possession of the interior
woodwork, and the long arms of the sails were already on fire.
"Never mind the mill," cried a voice from the crowd. "It is the house
we must look after," and Jacob appeared with several young men carrying
a heavy piece of timber.
A few blows burst open the door, and, in spite of the clouds of smoke
rushing out, and the masses of burning wood which came crashing down,
breaking through the roof already in flames, Jacob and his party boldly
dashed in, still carrying their battering-ram. Harry with others
followed. They were attacking an interior door. That quickly gave way.
Then suddenly, in the midst of the confusion, several men were seen
emerging with a heavy chest, which they carried between them.
"We have got it, Mr Castleton, we have got it," cried Jacob, as several
of the bystanders sprang forward to his assistance.
In another minute the whole house was in a blaze, and the rafters which
supported the vault catching fire, the tall mill fell with a loud crash,
and a huge fiery mass alone marked the spot where it had stood.
Enquiries were made for Dusty Dick. No one had seen him issue from the
mill, and it was generally supposed that, following his master's orders,
he had set fire to it, and perished in his attempt to escape.
"If you will restrain your curiosity for a short time, Mr Castleton, we
will have the chest carried up to Downside, and examine it there," said
Mr Shallard. "It will be a fitter spot than the open Downs."
Plenty of bearers were found, and the old lawyer had some difficulty in
keeping pace with them, as, followed by half the population of Hurlston,
they bore it up to the Miss Pembertons' cottage.