,r>^^?f^^'^^f^m.i^'^'^^^ 1 
 
 ^4-
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE BLUE PAVILIONS.
 
 Works by Q. 
 
 TIIK SPLENDID SPUii 
 
 DEAD MANS HOCK 
 
 TUE ASTONISHING HISTORY OF TROY TOWN 
 
 NOUGHTS AND CROSSES 
 
 THE ULLE PAVILIONS 
 
 rrk< 3/6 
 .. 2/- 
 
 .. w- 
 
 Casski.i. k CoMPANV, Limited, London, I'uris X Melbourne.
 
 THE BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 BY 
 
 Q 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE SPLENDID SPUR," "NOUGHTS 
 AND CROSSES," ETC. 
 
 CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited 
 
 LONDON, PARIS S; MELBOURNE. 
 1891. 
 [all rights reserved.]
 
 
 TO A FOEMER SCHOOLFELLOW. 
 
 My Dear — , 
 
 I will not write your name, for we 
 Lave long been strangers ; and I, at any rate, 
 have no desire to renew our friendship. It is 
 now ten years and more from the end of that 
 summer term when we shook hands at the rail- 
 way station, and went east and west with swelling 
 hearts ; and since then no report has come of you. 
 In the meantime you ma}' have died, or grown 
 rich and esteemed ; but that you have remained 
 the boy I knew is clearly beyond hope. 
 
 You were a genius then, and wrote epic 
 poetry. I assume that you have found it worth 
 while to discontinue that habit, for I never see 
 your name among the publishers' announce- 
 ments. But your poetr}^ used to be magnificent 
 when you recited it in the shadow of the deserted 
 fives-court ; and I believe you spoke sincerely 
 when you assured me that my stories, too, were 
 something above contempt. 
 
 To the boy that was you I would dedicate a 
 small tale, crammed with historical inaccuracy. 
 
 720830
 
 vi THK BLUE VAVIIJONS. 
 
 'J\)-day, IK) doubt you would rccot^nise the story 
 of Captain Setli Jenny a!id the Nlf//ifint/ale 
 fri«^ate, and point out that I liave put it seven- 
 teen vi'ars too early. J Jut in those days you 
 would neither have known nor cared. And the 
 rest of the book is far belated. Q. 
 
 Shiplake, 20th November, 1891.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 1. — Cattain Johx and Captain Jemmy 
 
 II. — The Dice-uox ...... 
 
 III.— The Two P.wilioxs 
 
 IV. — The Two Pavilions icontuiucd) 
 
 V. — A SwAKM of Bees 
 
 VI. — The Earl of MAiiLBORorGH seeks Eecuvits 
 
 VII. — The Captains make a False Start . 
 
 VIII. — Father and Son 
 
 IX. — The ForK Men at the "White Lamb" 
 
 X. — The TRTiiULATioNs OF Tristram . 
 
 XI.— The Galley " L'Heurevse" . 
 
 XII. — William of Orange ..... 
 
 XIII. — Captain Salt effects one Surprise and plans 
 MORE ........ 
 
 XIV. — The Galleys and the Frigate . 
 
 XV. — Back .\t the Blve Pavilions 
 
 TWO 
 
 FA6£ 
 
 1 
 16 
 37 
 
 58 
 80 
 102 
 126 
 143 
 170 
 199 
 225 
 249 
 
 270 
 280 
 319
 
 ( 
 
 The Blue Pavilions. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN AND CAI'TAIN JKMMY. 
 
 At noonday, on the 11th of October, 107'^, tlie 
 little seiipoit of Harwicli, beside the month of the 
 lliver Stour, presented a very lively appearance. 
 More than a hundred tall ships, newly returned 
 from the Dutch War, rode at anchor in the 
 haven, their bright masts swaying in the sunshine 
 above the thatched and red-tiled roofs of the 
 town. Tarry sailors in red and grey kersey suits, 
 red caps and flnt- heeled shoes, jostled in the 
 narrow streets and hung about St. Nicholas' 
 Churchyard, in front of 'the Admiralty House, 
 wherein the pursers sat before bags and small 
 piles of money paying off the crews. Soldiers 
 crowded the tavern doors — men in soiled uniforms 
 of the Admiral's regiment, the Buffs and the 
 1st Foot Guards, some with bandaged heads and 
 arms, and the most still yellow after their sea- 
 sickness, but all intrepidly toasting the chances 
 of peace and the girls in opposite windows.
 
 Till-: lU.I'h' l'.\\'ILl'i\S. 
 
 Aluivc tlirir I;iUL;-lit('r, nml aloiiL;; every stroet or 
 passuu^e openiniL^ <»n tlie liiirhuur — from Coek and 
 Py' ^^^iiaw lioiii Laiiiliiird's staiis.tlie Casllejtort, 
 ami liair a do/en ollici' laii'liiiu" staiies — eanie 
 walled the slmiits ol' ea|)tains. pilols, IxKitswiiius, 
 caulkers, loiiLjfsliore men ; the noise ol" jirtillery 
 and stores uidadiiiL^ ; llie taek-ta<'k of mallets in 
 the dockyard, where Sir Anthony Deane's new 
 sliij) the llm'wicli was rlsinL^ on the billyways, 
 and whence the blown odours of ])itch and hemp 
 and tiiiil>er, niinLj-linL;- with the landward breeze, 
 drifted all day lonij into the townsfolk's nostrils, 
 and filled their very kitchens with the savour of 
 the sea. 
 
 In the thick of these scents and sounds, and 
 within a cool doorway, before which the shadow 
 of a barber's pole rested on the cobbles, reclined 
 Captain John Barker — a little wry-necked gentle- 
 man, with a prodigious hump between his 
 shoulders, and legs that dangled two inches off 
 the lloor. His wig was being curled by an 
 apprentice at the back of the shop, and his 
 natural scalp shone as bare as a billiard-ball ; but 
 two patches of brindled grey hail* stuck out fnun 
 his brow above a pair of fierce greenish eyes set 
 about with a complexity of wrinkles. Just now, 
 a coating of lather coverecl his shrewish nnder- 
 jaw
 
 CAPTAIN JOIIX llAllKEn. 3 
 
 The dress of this unlovelv old opentleman 
 well became his rank as captain of his Majesty's 
 frigate, the IFaj), but went xhyj ill with his 
 figure — being, indeed, a square-cut coat of scarlet, 
 laced with gold, a long- flapped blue waistcoat, 
 black breeches and stockings. Enormous buckles 
 adorned the thick-soled shoes which lie drummed 
 impatiently against the legs of his chair. 
 
 The barber — a round, bustling fellow — 
 stropped his razor and prattled gossip. On a 
 settle to the right a couple of townsmen smoked, 
 listened, and waited their turn with, an educated 
 patience. 
 
 " Changes, indeed, since you left us, Captain 
 John," the barber began, his razor hovering for 
 the first scrape. 
 
 " Wait a moment. You were about to take 
 hold of me by the nose. If you do it, I'll run 
 you through. I thought you'd like to be warned, 
 that's all. Go on with your chatter." 
 
 " Certainly, Captain John — 'tis merely a 
 habit " 
 
 " Break yourself of it." 
 
 " I will, sir. I3ut, as I was saying, the 
 changes will astonish you that have been at sea 
 so long. In the first place, a riding post started 
 from hence to London and from London hitlier 
 a-gallop with brazen trumpet and loaded pistols,
 
 1 '/'///•; lu.ri:' rwiLioys. 
 
 l(t kri'p liis Majesty certilicil every day oT tli«,' 
 Flet't's (Ininj^s, ami llie I'^leet of his Majesty's 
 w islies, aii'l all Jlatwieli a-lremble lialf the iilL,^ht 
 under its hedclotlies, hilt consoled to find tho 
 Kinuf takin*/ so nineh notice ol it Aiul the old 
 i^aol iiio\ed IVdiii St. Austin's (Jatc, and anew 
 one I'uildin^" tliis side of Chinvdi Street, where 
 Calaniv's Store used to stand -with a new town- 
 liall, too " 
 
 Jlere, as he paused to scrape the captain's 
 cheek, one ol" the two townsmen on tlie settle — 
 a square man in yrey, with a red waistcoat — 
 \vith(h'ew the long pipe from his mouth and 
 groaned lieavily. 
 
 "What's that?" asked the hunchback, 
 snappishly'. 
 
 "That, sir, is Mr. l*omphlett," the barber 
 explained. " He disapproves of the amount 
 s])ent in decorating the new liall with pillars, 
 rails, balusters, and what not; for the King's 
 arms, to be carved over the ma3'or's seat and 
 richly gilt, are to be a private gift of Mr, Isaac 
 Jietts, and the leathern fire-l)uckets to be hung 
 round the wall " 
 
 ^Ir. Poni])hlett emitted another groan, which 
 the barber good-naturedly tried to druwn in talk. 
 Captain I'arker heard it, howevei'. 
 
 " There it is auain ! "
 
 THE BARBER GOSSIPS. 5 
 
 " Yes, sir. You see Mr. Poniplilett allows 
 his public spirit to run lilgli. He says " 
 
 The little captain jerked round in his chair, 
 escaping a gash by a hair's breadth, and ad- 
 dressed the heavy citizen — 
 
 " Mr. Pomphlett, sir, it was not for the sake 
 of listening to your observations upon public 
 affairs that I came straight off my ship to this 
 shop, but to hear the news." 
 
 The barber coughed. Mr. Pomphlett feebly 
 traced a curve in the air with his pipe-stem, and 
 answered sulkily — 
 
 "I s-said nun-nothinir. I f-felt unwell." 
 
 " He suffers," interposed Mr. Pomphlett's 
 neighbour on the settle, a long- necked man in 
 brown, " from the wind ; don't you, Pomphlett ? " 
 
 Mr. Pomphlett nodded with an aggrieved 
 air, and sucked his pipe- 
 
 " Heath," continued the man iu brown, by 
 way of setting the conversation on its legs again, 
 " has been busy in Harwich, Barker." 
 
 " Ah ! now we come to business ? Barber, 
 who's dead ? " 
 
 " Alderman Croten, sir." 
 
 " Tut-tut. Croten gone ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; palsy took him at a ripe age. 
 And Abel's gone, the town crier ; and old 
 Mistress Pinch's bad le^• carried her from us
 
 6 rill-: lii.i !•: I'Arn.ioxs. 
 
 last Christmas l>ay, <'l all (lavs in tlic Mar; aiul 
 younLT Mr. Kastwcll was snatched away hy a 
 chain-shot in the allair with the Smyrna lleet ; 
 and Mistress Salt — that was (lauL;hter of old Sir 
 Jabez Tellworthy, and broke her lather's heart — 
 she's a widow in straitened circumstances, and 
 living np at the old house again " 
 
 "//■//.///" 
 
 Captain JJarkcr bounced oil' his chair like a 
 dried pea irom a shovel. 
 
 "There ikiw ! Your honour's chin is 
 wounded." 
 
 " P'sh ! give me your towel." lie snatched 
 it from the barber's arm, and mopped away the 
 blood and lather from his jaw. " Mistress Salt 
 a widow ? When ? How ? " 
 
 " r thought, maybe, 3'our honour would know 
 about it." 
 
 "Don't think. Roderick Salt dead? Tell 
 me this instant, or " 
 
 "He was drowned, sir, in a ditch, they tell 
 Uio, but two months after he sailed with his 
 company of Foot Guards, in the spring of this 
 year. It seems 'twas a ditch that the Marshal 
 Turenne had the misfortune to forget about " 
 
 "]\ry hat— where is it? (,)uick ! " 
 
 Already Captain Barker had jilucked the 
 napkin from his throat, caught up his sword
 
 EXIT CAPTAIN liARKEB, ABIiUFTLY. 7 
 
 from a chair, and was buckling on the belt in a 
 tremendous hurry. 
 
 " But your honour forgets the wig, which is 
 but half curled ; and your honour's face shaved 
 on the one side only." 
 
 The hunchback's answer was to snatch his 
 wig from between the apprentice's tongs, clap it 
 on his head, ram his hat on the top of it, and 
 flounce out at the shop-door. 
 
 The streets were full of folk, but he passed 
 through them at an amazing speed. His natural 
 gait on ship-board was a kind of anapa3stic 
 dance — two short steps and a long — and though 
 the crowd interrupted its cadence and coerced 
 him to a quick bobbing motion, as of a bottle 
 in a choppy sea, it hardly affected his pace. 
 Here and there he snapped out a greeting to 
 some ship's captain or townsman of his ac- 
 quaintance, or growled testily at a row of soldiers 
 bearing down on him three abreast. His angry 
 green eyes seemed to clear a path before him, in 
 spite of the grins which his hump and shambling 
 legs excited among strangers. In this way he 
 darted along High Street, turned up by the 
 markets, crossed Church Street into West Street, 
 and passed under the great gate by which the 
 Loudon Eoad left tlie town. 
 
 Beyond this gate the road I'an tli rough a
 
 «5 77//; JUJi: r.wiijoxs. 
 
 lull ravfliii ;iiitl (tiit ii|kjii a breezy peninsula 
 betwoen tlie river ami tlie (i|hii >ea. And here 
 Captain liarker lialted an<l, 1 iiL^i^inLj oil hat and 
 wig, wiped his crown with a silk handkerchief. 
 
 Over ihe reedy marsh npnn liis ri<^lit, where 
 a windmill waved its la/y arms, a score of larks 
 were sinLjini;. Tu his left the gulls mewed 
 across the dills and the remoter sandbanks that 
 thrust up their \fllow ridges under the ebb-tide. 
 The hum of the little town sounded drowsily 
 behind him. 
 
 lie ga/.ed a<ross the sandbanks ujxui the blue 
 leagues of sea, and lublx-d his lingers softly u]) 
 and down tlie unshavt-n side of his face. 
 
 ''' ll'm,'* he said, and tlien "j)\hl" and then 
 " psh ' again; and, as if this settled it, re- 
 adjusted his wig and hat. and set off down tl)e 
 roa<l faster than ever. 
 
 A cluster of stunted poj)lar,-> apj^-ared in 
 the distance, and a long thatched house ; then, 
 l)etweeii the trees, the eye caught siglit of 
 two other buildings, e.vactly alike, but of a 
 curious shape and colour. Imagine two round 
 towers, each about forty feet in height, daubed 
 with a Ijright blue wash and surmounted with a 
 ]iigh-]»itched, conical roof, (»f a soniewluit darker 
 tint. Above eacli roof a gilt vane glittered, and 
 a llock of wliite pigeons circled overhead, or
 
 THE TWO PAVILIONS. 9 
 
 nligliting, dotted the tiles with patches of 
 silver. 
 
 A heiul of the road broke up this duster of 
 trees and buikUngs. The long thatched house 
 fell upon the left of the highway, and in front 
 of it a sign-post sprang into view, with a drink- 
 ing-trough below. Directly opposite, the two 
 blue roofs ranged themselves side by side, with 
 long strips of garden and a thick privet hedge 
 between them and the road. And behind, in the 
 direction of the marsh, the poplars stretched in an 
 irregular line. 
 
 Now the nearer of these blue pavilions was 
 the home of Captain Barker, who for more than 
 two years had not crossed its threshold. Yet he 
 neither paused b}^ its small blue gate nor glanced 
 up the gravelled path. Nor, though thirsty, did 
 he turn aside to the porch of tlie Fish and 
 Anchor Inn ; but kept along the privet hedge 
 until he came to the second blue gate. Here he 
 drew up, and stood for a moment with his hand 
 on the latch. 
 
 A trim lawn stretched before him to the door 
 of the pavilion, and here, on a rustic seat before 
 an equally rustic table, sat a long lean gentleman, 
 in a suit of Lincoln green faced with scarlet, 
 and gazed into a pewter tankard. His sword 
 lay on the turf beside him, and a cocked hat,
 
 10 Tin: IIIA1-: J'AVJLWNS. 
 
 vihj^vd with rcatlicrs, liuiii^ on ilic arm of llic 
 bencli. 
 
 This lonir ircntlcniaii looked up as the j^ate 
 clickt'd. strctchi'd out", his 1<-ms, rose, and dis- 
 apjK'aivd witliin the pavilion, rcturniu!^ after 
 a minute with a jiiy of W'W and a frosli 
 tankard. 
 
 " Paid ofi'your crew already? " 
 
 The little hunchback took a ])ull, answered 
 "No" as he set down the tankard, and looked 
 up at the weather-cock overhead. 
 
 " Wind's in the south-east." 
 
 The long man looked at the little one and 
 pursed up his mouth. J I is face proclaimed him 
 of a like ai^^e with Captain Barker. It did not 
 at all match his figure, being short as a bull- 
 dog's ; and like a bulldog he was heavily jowled. 
 Many weathers had tanned his complexion to a 
 rich corn-colour. His name was Jeremy Kuna- 
 cles, and for two years, that had ended on this 
 very morning, he had commanded the Trident 
 frigate. As he climbed down her ladder into his 
 gig he had left on the deck behind him a repu- 
 tation for possessing a shorter temper than any 
 three ofhcers in his Majesty's service. At pre- 
 sent his steel-blue eyes seemed gentle enough. 
 
 " You've something to tell, ' he said, after a 
 minute s silence.
 
 UUIV CAPTAIN EUNAGLES HEARD THE NEW,':!. 11 
 
 The Imnchback kicked at a plantain in tlie 
 tuif for two minutes longer, and asked — 
 
 " How's the little maid, Jemmy ? " 
 
 " Grown. She's having her morning nap." 
 
 " She want's a mother." 
 
 " She'll have to do with a nnrse." 
 
 " You don't want to marry again ? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " That's a lie." 
 
 Before Captain Runacles could resent this, 
 the little man turned his back and took six paces 
 to the party hedge and six paces back. 
 
 " I say, Jemmy, do you think we could 
 light ? " 
 
 " Not decently." 
 
 " I was thinking that. I don't see another 
 way out of it, though." 
 
 He kicked the plantain out of the ground, 
 and, looking up, said very softly — " Meg's a 
 widow." 
 
 Captain Jeremy Eunacles sat down on the 
 rustic bench. A hot flush had sprung into his 
 face and a light leapt in his eyes ; but he said 
 nothing. Captain Barker cocked his head on 
 one side and Avent on — 
 
 " Yes, you lied, Jemmy. That fellow, as I 
 guess, ran off and left her, finding that the old 
 man had the courage to die without coming to 
 
 lj_,V. KJ^ KA...K. ,.ii;X.W^^V V.,V/......^
 
 12 THE ULVK J'A\'JLl(f\S 
 
 rcusoii. n<' \\r\]\ l):itl< to liis rc^iiiuiit, sailed, 
 aiitl was tlruwiu'il in a ditcli. Slirs back at llii' 
 (»1(1 liousi', anil in want." 
 
 " ^^ll^\•«,' so^n iin* ? 
 
 " Look liiic, .Iciiimy. Yoii and I are a 
 couple of t(»ni- tools ; but we try to play fair." 
 
 " I p(»n my soul, Jack," observed Captain 
 dcnmiv, risini; to his l"c».'t aufain. " we can't tijjlit. 
 You're too good a fellow to kill." 
 
 " Il'mpli, [ was tliinkin;^ that." 
 
 As if by consent, tlie ])air be^an to pace up 
 and down llie turf, niic on either sith' of the 
 <;ravelled ]»ath. At tin- end of three minutes 
 Captain dack l(»<d<ed u\k 
 
 "After all, you've been married once, 
 whereas I " 
 
 "That doesn't cinnit, ' the other interrupted 
 " I iiiairicd in an un^Miar led moment. J was 
 iiutled with Mei]^ " 
 
 " X<.», 1 sujjposc it docsn t coMiif . 
 
 ^J'hey resumed their walk. Captain .Jemmy 
 was tlie next to speak. 
 
 " Jt s<'ems to me Mcl;' must decide." 
 
 " Yes, but we must start lair." 
 
 " '^riie devil ! we can't projiose one in eacli 
 ear. And if we race for it 
 
 " You must give lue half a miK's start." 
 
 " jjut we can write."
 
 FALAMOX AND AliCITE. 1:3 
 
 " Yes ; and deliver our letters together at 
 the door." 
 
 " On the other hand, I've always heard that 
 women look upon a written proposal of marriage 
 as rather tame." 
 
 " That objection would hardly apply to two 
 in one day." 
 
 " We'll write," said Captain Jemmy. 
 
 He went into the pavilion to search for pens 
 and paper, while Captain Barker stepped down 
 to the Fish and Anchor to borrow a bottle of 
 ink. 
 
 " There must be preliminaries," the little 
 man observed, returning and setting the ink 
 down in the centre of the rustic table, on whicli 
 already lay a bundle of old quills and some 
 quarto sheets of 3'ellow paper. 
 
 " As for instance ? " 
 
 ^'Imprimis, a thick folio for me to sit upon. 
 The carpenter built this table after your mea- 
 sure." 
 
 " I will fetch one." 
 
 "Also, more beer.' 
 
 " I will draw some. 
 
 " Thirdly, a time-keeper. My stomach's 
 empty, but it can hold out for another hour. 
 AYe'll give ourselves an hour, start together :;n(l 
 finish together." 

 
 \i Till:' lll.ri: rAVILlnSS. 
 
 C':ij)t;ini IJiinadcs fislicd a silver wliisllc 
 fmin liis waistcicii jKickct aixl Mrw dii if slirilly. 
 Till' Itlup and wliiti' door ot" tlx' pavilion wa'^ 
 ojK'iifd, and a slii^lit. olil man in a Idiic lixtTV 
 apjx'an-d on ilio step, ami camo and)linn' down 
 tiic piitli. Tlie weii^lit ol" an enormous head, on 
 tlie toj) ot" \vlii(di liis Ljrey wi^;" seemed to bo 
 lialauced ratliiT tlian fitted, l)o\ved liim as he 
 moved. I hit he (hew liimself uj) to salute the 
 two captains. 
 
 "Glad to welcome ye, Ca])tain John, along 
 with master here. Hey, but you've aged — the 
 pair o' ye." 
 
 " Simeon," said his master, " draw us some 
 beer. Aged, you say ? " 
 
 "Aye — aged, aged: a trivial, remediless 
 complaint, common to folk. Valiant deeds ye'll 
 do yet, my masters; but, though I likes to be 
 hopeful, the door's closiu' on ye both. Ye be 
 staid to the eye, noticeably staid. The first sign 
 o't, to be marked at forty or so, is when 
 a woman's blush pales before wine held to 
 the light ; the second, and that, too, ye've 
 
 Hiiny, you old fool! As it happens 
 3'ou've been proving us a pair t>t" raw strip- 
 Mni;s. 
 
 " liee-hee," tittered the old man sardonically,
 
 THP: lilVALS CHOOSE THEIR WEAI'OXS. ]:> 
 
 and catching up the tankard trotted back to the 
 house, Avith his master at his heels. Captain 
 Barker, left alone, rearranged his neckcloth, 
 contemplated his crooked legs for a moment 
 with some disgust, and began to trot up and 
 down the grass-plot, whistling the while with 
 great energy and no regard for tune. 
 
 The pair reappeared in the doorway — Cap- 
 tain Runacles bearing an hour-glass and a 
 volume of " Purchas," and Simeon the tankard, 
 crowned with a creamy froth. 
 
 " Have you picked 3'our quill ? " 
 
 "Yes," answered the hunchback, settling 
 himself on top of the brown folio. " No, 'tis 
 a split one." 
 
 The pens were old, and had lain with the 
 ink dry upon them ever since the outbreak of 
 the Dutch War. The two men were half a 
 minute in finding a couple that would write. 
 Then Captain Euuacles turned the hour-glass 
 abruptly ; and for an hour there was no sound 
 in the pavilion garden but the scratching of 
 quills, the murmur of pigeons on the roof, and 
 the creaking of the gilded vane above them.
 
 1(> 
 
 en AP'I'KII TI. 
 
 I III, IH( l-,-lt()\. 
 
 Til \ r Minu' aftcriioo;!, ;it lour o'clock, (^iptain 
 IJiiikcr and Captain liiinaclcs entered llaruich 
 and advaneecl np the West Street side by side. 
 Fiat-li liad a l)iilk3^ letter in liis side-pocket, and 
 the address upon eacli letter was the same. 
 'i'hey talked but little. 
 
 Ou the rio-ht-hand side of West Street, as 
 vou enter the town, and a hundred 3'ards or 
 more from the town gate, there stood, at that 
 time, a two-store3'ed liouse of more pretensions 
 tlun its fellows — from which it drew back some- 
 what. A line of railini^s, covered with ironwork 
 of a llorid and intricate pattern, but greatly 
 decayed, shut it ofl' IVom the roadway. The 
 visitor, on opening the broad iron gate over 
 ^vhich this patti^rn culminated in the ligure of a 
 Triton blowing a conch->liell, ibund himself in 
 a pebbled court and belore a massive front dt)or. 
 
 Neglect liung visibly over house and court 
 alike, as the two ca])tains entered by the iron 
 gate and hjoked around them with more trepida- 
 tion than they had ever disjdaycd in action, 
 (irass s])ronte(l between the peldiles, and a
 
 THE CONTEST OPENS. 17 
 
 greenish stain lay upon the flagstones. The 
 drab frontage was similarly streaked ; dust and 
 rain together had set a crust upon the windows, 
 and tufts of grass, again, flourished in the gutter- 
 pipes beneath the eaves. 
 
 Surveying this desolation, Captain Jemmy 
 uttered a grunt and Captain John a " p'sli ! " 
 They fumbled in their pockets, drew out their 
 two letters, and moved to the blistered front door. 
 A bell-pull, as rusty as the railings outside, de- 
 pended by the lintel. Captaiu Jemmy tugged 
 at it. It was noteworthy that whenever any 
 effort had to be put forth, however small, the tall 
 man stepped forward and the hunchback looked 
 on. It was Captain Jemmy, for instance, who 
 had, a moment before, pushed back the gate. 
 
 He had to tug thrice before a discordant bell 
 sounded Avithin the house, and twice again 
 before footsteps began to shufl^le along the 
 passage. 
 
 A bolt was let down and the big door fell open, 
 disclosing a small serving-girl, who stared upon 
 the visitors with round eyes. 
 
 " Is your mistress within ? " 
 
 " Mistress Salt is within, sirs ; but " 
 
 "But what?" 
 
 " She — she can't see you." The girl burst 
 
 into tears, 
 c
 
 Is 77//; iiLir: lAnjjoss. 
 
 " AVlio tln' devil ;isk(«l In r to see US ? " rapjx'd 
 out Captain IJaikcr. 
 
 " Vou aiv to take tlirsi' two letters," iiiter- 
 ])oseil Cajttaiu Ifunacles. Fiach captain licld out 
 liis letter. " You arc to take these two — blow 
 your nose and diy your eyes — letters to your 
 niistress at once — mind you, rt/ o//rc — and toy;etlier 
 — h)i/cf/it'i\yon under^;tand, and — what in thunder 
 are you whiniperins^ about ? ' 
 
 " I c-c-can't, siis." 
 
 "Can't! ^^ liy, in i\\>' name of — don't drip 
 on 'em, 1 tc-11 you! ^^ hy, in the " 
 
 The iron i^ate creaked behind them, and the 
 two captains turned their heads. A portly, broad- 
 shouldered gentleman, in a suit of snuif colour, came 
 slowly across the court, witii both hands behind 
 him, and a clouded cane rajipinii^ against his heels, 
 
 "iJr. Ik'ckcrleg?" 
 
 "Hey? Why — Captain Harker, Captain 
 liunacles ! Glad to see you both — glad to see you 
 both home again ! Also, I'd be ^lad to know 
 wliat you're both doing here, at such a time."' 
 
 The captains looked at each other and 
 coughed. They turned towards the dooi'way. 
 The serving-girl had disappeared, iaking ilieir 
 letters with her. Captain Barker faced round 
 U])on the doctor. 
 
 " You said ' at such a time,' sir."
 
 BUT JS SOllROWFULLY CHECKED. 19 
 
 "I did." 
 
 "And why not at this time, as well as 
 another ? " 
 
 " Grod bless me ! Is it possible you don't 
 know ? " 
 
 " It is not only possible, but certain." 
 
 The doctor bent his head, pointed up at a 
 window, and whispered ; then went softly up the 
 three steps into the house. 
 
 He left the two friends starino- at each other. 
 They stood and stared at each other for three 
 minutes or more. Then Captain Barker spoke in 
 a hoarse whisper. 
 
 " Jemmy, do you know anything about this — 
 this kind of business ? " 
 
 " Nothing*. I was abroad, you know, Avhen 
 my own little " 
 
 " Yes, I remember. But I thought, perhaps 
 — I say, I can't go home till — till I've seen the 
 doctor again." 
 
 "Nor I." 
 
 A dull moan sounded within the house. 
 
 " Oh, my (lod ! " groaned Captuin Eunacles ; 
 " Meg— Meg ! " 
 
 A lattice was opened softly above them and 
 the doctor leant out. 
 
 " Go away — you two," he whispered and 
 waved his hand towards the gate.
 
 2n TJJK JUJ1-: J'AVUJiiyS. 
 
 " I5iit, (l..ct(.r " 
 
 "llsli' I'll como and tell you wlicn it's 
 ov( r. AVlicrc sliall 3'()u Ik*?" 
 
 " At till' 'I'liree Crowns, down the street here." 
 
 " Ifi-l.t." 
 
 '^riit' lattice was closed aij^ain, very i^'-ently. 
 Captain IJarker laid his hand upon the tall man's 
 sleeve. 
 
 " .!( iniiiy, we're out of this action. I thouf^ht 
 I knew what it meant to lay-to and have to look 
 on while a li^'ht went forward ; hut I didn't, 
 ^ome 
 
 'J'hey passed out of the courtyard and 
 down the street towards the Three Crowns. 
 J^'ueatli the si<rn uf that inn there lounged a 
 Knot of otiicers, wearinn' the ilesh-coloured facin<j^s 
 of the Buffs, and within a young haritone voice 
 was uplifted and t^ollinL,^ to the accomjxmiment 
 of clinked glasses, a song of ^fi-. Shirley's : — 
 
 " You virgins that did late despair 
 
 To keep your wealth from cruel men, 
 Tie up in silk your careless linir : 
 Soft peace is come again " 
 
 There was one sitting-roDUi, hut no hedroom, 
 to be had at the Three Crowns. So they ordered 
 up a dinner which they could not touch, hut sat 
 over in silence for two weary liours, drinking 
 very much more hurgundy than they were aware
 
 SUSPENSE. 21 
 
 of. Captain Jemmy, taking up three bottles 
 one after another, and finding them all empty, 
 ordered up three more, and drew his chair up to 
 the hearth, where he sat kicking the oaken logs 
 viciously with his long legs. 'J'he little hunch- 
 hack stared out on the falling night, rang for 
 candles, and began to pace the room like a caged 
 beast. 
 
 Before midnight Captain Eunacles was drunk. 
 Six fresh bottles stood on the table. The man 
 was a cask. Even in the warm firelight his face 
 was pale as a sheet, and his lips worked con- 
 tinually. 
 
 Captain Barker still walked up and down, but 
 his thin legs would not always move in a straight 
 line. His eyes glared like two globes of green 
 fire, and he began to knock against the furniture. 
 Few men can wait helplessly and come out of it 
 with credit. Every time Captain John hit him- 
 self against the furniture. Captain Jemmy cursed 
 
 him. 
 
 " Tie up in silk your careless hair ; 
 
 Soft peace is come again " 
 
 — sang the little man, in a rasping voice. " Your 
 careless hair," he hiccoughed ; " your careless 
 hair, Meg ! " 
 
 Then he sat down on the floor and laughed to 
 himself softly, rocking hisdistorted body toaucl fro.
 
 22 TlIK JU.HH I'.WIIJONS. 
 
 " li;ili ! " s;iiil Ills Iriciid, uiiliout lo(»kini»" 
 round, " you'iv dnink. " And he puurcd out 
 more bui'L^nindy. IIi- w;is outrai^'cously drunk 
 himself, but it only ulVcctt'd his temper, not liis 
 wits. 
 
 " ^fci,''," lie said, " will lixc. What's moro, 
 she'll live to marry me." 
 
 " Sh<' wtin't. Slie'll die. Hist! there's a 
 star falliiiiif outside." 
 
 He picked himself up and crawled upon the 
 window-seat, clutchiuL;- at the red curtains to 
 keep his footing. 
 
 "Jemmy, she'll die. What was it that old 
 fool said to-day? The door's closing on us 
 botli. ^J'o think <>l our marching uj), j\ist now, 
 with those two letters ; and the very sun in 
 heaven cracking his cheeks with laughter at us 
 — us two poor scarecrows making love thirty 
 years after the time ! " 
 
 His wry head dropped forward on his chest. 
 
 After this the two kept silence. Tiie rest of 
 the house had long since gone to rest, and the 
 sound of mutiled snoring alone marked the time 
 as it passed, except when Captain Jemmy, 
 catching up another oak log, drove it into the 
 fire with his heel ; or out in the street the watch 
 went b}', chanting th.e hour ; or a tipsy sliouting 
 broke out in some distant street, or the noise of
 
 THE BREAKING Oh' 'I'JIE DAWK 13 
 
 clogs challenging each other iVoni their kennels, 
 across the sleeping town. 
 
 A shudder of light ran across the hea\"ens, 
 and over against the window Captain Barker 
 saw the west grow pale. For some while the 
 stars had been l;)lotted out and light showers 
 had fallen at intervals. Heavy clouds were 
 banked across the river, behind Shotley ; and 
 the roofs began to glisten as they took the dawn. 
 
 Footsteps sounded on the roadway outside. 
 He pushed open the window and looked out. 
 Doctor Beckerleg was coming up the street, his 
 hat pushed back and his neck-cloth loosened as 
 he respired the morning air. 
 
 The footsteps paused underneath, by the inn 
 door ; but the little Captain leant back in the 
 window-seat, without making a sign. He had 
 seen the doctor's face. Before the lire Captain 
 Jemmy brooded, with chin on breast, hands 
 grasping the chair rail, and long legs stretched 
 out, one on each side of the hearth. The 
 knocking below did not rouse him from this 
 posture, nor the creaking of feet on the stairs. 
 
 Doctor Beckerleg stood in the doorway and 
 for a moment contemplated the scene — the 
 empt}^ bottles, the unsnuffed candles guttering 
 down upon the table, and the grey faces of both
 
 2t THK III. II'. r.WILlONS. 
 
 iliuiikcii men. ^V]u'\\ li<' liinnd and whispered 
 a woi<l 1<i \\\r drawer wlio liad limricd <iiit oi" 
 Itrd Id admit liiiii, and now stood lioliiiid \\\< 
 sliouldrr. 'I'lir jcllow :-Iiii|]Icd downstairs. 
 
 Caj)tain J>arkor stru^^dcd with a (|U('sti()n 
 that was dried uj) in liis tliroat. IJcforo lie 
 could ^ot it out the doctor shook his head. 
 
 " She is dead," he announced, very gravely 
 and simply. 
 
 The luinehhack shivered. Captain Runacles 
 neither spoke nor stirred in his chair. 
 
 "A man-child was born at two o'clock. He 
 is alive : his mother died two hours later." 
 
 Captain ]}arker shivered again, plucked 
 aimlessly at a rosette in the window-cushion, 
 and stole a quick glance at his comrade's hack. 
 Then, putting a linger to his lip, he slid down 
 to the lioor and lurched across to the doctor. 
 
 " She was left penniless ? " he whispered. 
 
 "That, <tr almost that, 'tis said," replied Dr. 
 Beckerleg in the same key, though the question 
 obviously surprised him. " Her father left his 
 money to the town, as all know " 
 
 "Yes, yes; I knew that. Her husband '* 
 
 "Hadn't a penny-piece, I believe: pawned 
 her own mother's jewels and gambled 'em away ; 
 thereupon left her, as a dog his cleaned 
 bone "
 
 THE AVl'LE OF DISCORD. 25 
 
 The little man laid a hand on his collar, and, 
 as- the doctor stooped, whispered low and rapidly 
 in his ear. 
 
 Their colloquy was interrupted. 
 
 I'll adopt that child," said Captain Runacles 
 from the hearth. He spoke aloud, but without 
 turnino; his head. 
 
 Captain Barker hopped ronnd, as if a pin 
 were stuck into him. 
 
 " You — adopt Meg's boy ! " 
 
 ** I said that." 
 
 " But you won't." 
 
 " Pardon me ; I will." 
 
 "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Jemmy; but 
 I intend to adopt him myself." 
 
 " I know it. You were whispering as much 
 to the doctor there." 
 
 " You have a little girl already." 
 
 " Precisely. That's where the difference 
 comes in. This one, you'll note, is a boy." 
 
 " A child of your own ! " 
 
 "But not of Meg's." 
 
 Captain Hunacles turned in his chair as he 
 said this, and, reaching a hand back to the table, 
 drained the last bottle of burgundy into his glass. 
 His face was white as a sheet and his jaw set like 
 iron. "But not of Meg's," he repeated, lifting 
 the glass and nodding over it at the pair.
 
 2(5 77//'; ni.rr: I'.wiiAnNs. 
 
 His IViciid s\vay('(l intd a cliair, and s;it 
 faciiiL;" liiiii, liis cliiii Itutjust aljovc the table and 
 his given eyes <(larinL( like an owl's. 
 
 "Jemmy Unnaeles, /adopt that boy." 
 
 " You're cursedly ol)stinat.e. Jack." 
 
 " II avi PLC adopted him, \ shall at once quit 
 my profession and devote the residue ol )\\y life 
 to his education. For a vear or two — that is, 
 until he reaches an age susceptible of tuition — I 
 shall mature a scheme of discipline, which " 
 
 "My dear sir," the doctor interposed, "surely 
 all this is somewhat precipitate." 
 
 " Not at all. j\Iy resolution was taken the 
 instant you entered the room." 
 
 " That hardly seems to me to prove " 
 
 The little mai\ waved aside the interrujjtion 
 and continued — 
 
 " Tristram — for I shall have him christened 
 by that name " 
 
 *' He'll be called Jeremiah," decided Captain 
 iiunacles, shortly. 
 
 "I've settled upon Tristram. The name is a 
 suitable one, and signifies that its wearer is a 
 child of sorrow." 
 
 " Jeremiah also suggests lamentations, and 
 ha-; the further merit of being my own name." 
 
 "Tristram " 
 
 '•' Jeremiah — ~- '
 
 THE CAPTAINS QUAHREL. 27 
 
 " Gentlemen, gentlemen," cried Dr. Becker- 
 leg, '" would it not be as well to see the infant?" 
 
 " I can imagine," Captain Barker answered, 
 " nothing in the infant that is likely to shake 
 my resolution. My scheme of discipline will he 
 based " 
 
 " Decidedly, Jack, I shall have to run you 
 through," said his friend, gloomily. Indeed, the 
 doctor stood in instant fear of this catastrophe ; 
 for Captain Runacles' temper was a bye-word, 
 and not even his customary dark flush looked so 
 dangerous as the lustreless, sullen ej^es now 
 sunk in a face that was drawn and pinched and 
 absolutely wax-like in colour. To the doctor's 
 astonishment, however, it was the little hunch- 
 back who now jumped up and whipped out his 
 sword. 
 
 " Ivun me through ! " he almost screamed, 
 dancing before the other, and threatening him 
 with absurd flourishes — " Run me through ! " 
 
 " Listen, gentlemen ; listen, before blood is 
 spilt ! To me it appears evident that you are 
 both drunk." 
 
 " To me that seems an advantage, since it 
 equalises matters." 
 
 " But, whichever of you survives, he will be 
 unable to forgive himself, having sinned not 
 only against God, but also against logic."
 
 28 TUh' JiLll-: I'.IVILIOXS. 
 
 'J >' 
 
 " ITow ;i<_,'ainst lo^-ic ? 
 
 " IV-niiit nil- to (Irinonsfrate. Mrs. Salt, 
 wliom (as I well know) you t'stocinod, is lost to 
 you; iiiul ill licr place is loft a babe whom — 
 healthy thou^li lie undoubtedly is — you cannot 
 possibly esteem without takini^ a <j^reat deal for 
 i^ranted, especially as 3'ou have not yet set eyes 
 on liiin. Now it is evident that, if one of you 
 should kill tlie other, a second life of aj)])rov('d 
 worth will be sacrificed for an infant of purel}' 
 hypothetical merits. As a man of business I 
 condemn the transaction. As a Christian I 
 deprecate the shedding of blood. 15ut if some- 
 body's blood must be shed, let us be reasonable 
 and kill the baby." 
 
 Captain Jiarker lowered his point. 
 
 " Decidedly the question is more difficult 
 than I imagined." 
 
 " At least it cannot be settled before eating," 
 said Dr. lieckerleg, as the drawer entered with a 
 tray. " You will forgive me that I took the 
 liberty of ordering breakfast as soon as I looked 
 into this room. Without asking to see your 
 tongues, I prescribed dried lierrings and home- 
 brewed ale ; lor myself, a fried sole, a beef-steak 
 reasonably underdone, a kidney-pie which the 
 drawer commended on his own motion, with a 
 smoked cheek of pork, perhaps "
 
 DR. BEGKEliLEG'S FIRST SUGGESTION. 29 
 
 " You wish us to sit still while you dev^our 
 all this ? " 
 
 "I am willing to give each side of the 
 arcjument a fair chance." 
 
 "But I find nothing to argue about," 
 exchiimed Captain Runacles, pushing his plate 
 from him after a very faint attempt to eat. " My 
 mind being already made up " 
 
 "And mine," interrupted Captain Barker. 
 
 "If I suggest that you both adopt the 
 child," Dr. Beckerleg began. 
 
 " Still he must be educated ; and our notions 
 of education differ. Moreover, when w^e differ 
 - — as you may have observed — we do so with 
 some thoroughness." 
 
 " Let me propose, then, a system of alterna- 
 tion, by which you could adopt the boy for six 
 months each, turn and turn about." 
 
 " But if — as would undoubtedly happen — 
 each adoptive parent spent his six months in 
 undoing the other's w^ork, it must follow that, at 
 the end of any given period, the child's mind 
 would be a mere tahida rasa. Suppose, on the 
 other hand, we failed to wipe out each other's 
 teaching, the unfortunate youth would be 
 launched upon life wdtli half his guns pointed in- 
 board and his needle jerking from one pole to the 
 other. Consider the name, Jeremiah Tristram."
 
 80 riiH /;/./•/■; I'aiilkjxs. 
 
 " It is lic'tero^vnuous,' admit tccl llic doctor. 
 
 "He WDidd ])c c.dli'd Tiistrain .Irrcmiali," 
 Ca]>taiii IJarkcr put in. 
 
 •' Well. Imt tliat is not K'ss lieteroj^eucous. 
 () wist' SoloiiKUi I cried the doctor, with his 
 mouth lidl of lvi(hu'y-pie ; '' had I hut the 
 authority you enjoyed in a like dispute, 1 would 
 resio;n to you all the credit ol" orii^inality ! " 
 
 " As it is, however, you are wasting our time, 
 and it becomes clear that we must iii^ht, after all." 
 
 " ]Jy no means; for I have this moment 
 received an inspiration. J)ravver!" 
 
 The drawer answered this summons almost 
 before it was nttered, by appearing- in the door- 
 way with a dish of eggs and a fresh tankard. 
 
 " Set the dish down, and attend," commanded 
 Dr. Beckerleq;. " You have a dice-box and dice 
 in the house ? " 
 
 " No, sir. His worship the IMayor " 
 
 " ^ly good fellow, the regulations against 
 play in this town are well known to rae ; also 
 that the Crowns is an orderly house. Let me 
 suggest, then, that you have several gentlemen 
 of the army lodging under this roof; that one of 
 these, if politely asked, might own that he had 
 come across such a thiuL-- as a dice-box durins: 
 his s(>journ in the Low Countries. It ma}"^ even 
 be that in the sack of some unjtronounceable
 
 DU. BECKERLEG'S SECOND SUGGESTION. :Jl 
 
 town or other he has acquired a specimen, and is 
 bringing it home in his valise to exhibit it to liis 
 family. Be so good as to inform him that three 
 gentlemen, in Eoom No. 6, who are about to 
 write a tractate on the amusements of the 
 Dutch " 
 
 " By your leave, sir, I don't know how it 
 may be on campaign ; but in this house m'q 
 never awaken a soldier for any reason which he 
 cannot grasp at once." 
 
 " In that case let him have his sleep out 
 before you vex him with our apologies. But 
 meanwhile bring the dice." 
 
 The fellow went out, whispered to the 
 chambermaid, and returned in less than live 
 minutes with a pair of dice and a leathern box, 
 much worn with use. 
 
 " They belong," he whispered, " to a 3'oung 
 gentleman of the Admiral's regiment, who was 
 losing heavily last night." 
 
 "Thank you; they are the le.^s likely to be 
 loaded. You may retire for a while. ^ly friends," 
 the doctor continued, as soon as they were alone, 
 " Aristotle invented Chance to account for the 
 astonishiog fact that there were certain things 
 in the world which he could not explain. I 
 appeal to it for as cogent a reason. Indeed, had 
 Mistress Margaret— whose soul God has this
 
 nii Till-: HUE I'AVILIONS. 
 
 lULjlit rosumed — had slie, 1 s;iy, been spared to 
 receive and ponder the two letters wliich I saw 
 you deliver at lier door; and liad slic invited me, 
 as a tried friend, to decide between tlieni ; 1 feel 
 sure I sliould have ended l)y puttin<; a dice-box 
 into her hands. \)n not Musli. No true man 
 needldush that lie has loved sucli a woman: and 
 you are botli true men, if a trille obstinate — 
 j//\/i (I fcufices propoxili. ^len of your character, 
 Flaccus tells us, do not bU'iich at the thmider- 
 bolts of Jove himself ; and truly, T can well 
 imagine his missile iizzing harmlessly into your 
 party hedge, unable to decide between the 
 ])avilion of ('a))tain .lohn and the pavilion of 
 Captain .lereniy. Hut Cliance, being witless, 
 discriminates without trouble; and because she 
 is blind, lier arl)itraments offend nobody's sensi- 
 bility. Do yuu consent?" 
 
 The t\vo captains looked at the dice-box and 
 nodded. 
 
 " The conditions? " 
 
 "One throw," said Captain Kunacles. 
 
 " And the highest cast to -win," adiled 
 Captain Harker, 
 
 " Vou, Captain Darker, are the senior by a 
 year, I believe. Will you throw first ? '" 
 
 The little man caught up the box, rattled 
 the dice briskly, and thrv-v/ -four and three.
 
 THE DICE. :i:^ 
 
 Captain Runacles picked tlieiii up, and made 
 his cast delil^erately — six and ace. 
 
 " Gentlemen, you must tlirow again. For- 
 tune herself seems to hesitate between you." 
 
 Captain Barker threw again, and leant back 
 Avitli a sob of triumph. 
 
 " Two sixes, upon my soul ! " murmured the 
 
 doctor. " I'm afraid, Captain Jeremy " 
 
 Captain Jeremy took the dice up, turned them 
 between finger and thumb, and dropped them 
 slowly into the box. As he lifted his hand to 
 make the cast he looked up and saw the gleam 
 in his friend's greenish eyes. 
 
 The next moment box and dice Hew past the 
 hunchback's head and out at the open windov.-. 
 
 " That's my throw," Captain Eunacles an- 
 nounced, standing up and turning his back on 
 the ])air as he staggered across the room for his 
 hat. But the little man also had bounced up in 
 a fury. 
 
 " That's a vile trick ! i make the best throw, 
 and you force me to fight." 
 
 " Ah," said the other, facing slowly about 
 and putting on his hat, " I didn't see it in that 
 light. Very well. Jack, I decline to fight you." 
 
 " You apologise ? " 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 The little man held out a hand. " I miglit 
 
 D
 
 .'it Tin: liLUi: fAVlhlONS. 
 
 liavi' kiiuwii. Jc'ininy, you were too *^oo(l ;i 
 fellow ' he bejj^an. 
 
 '■ nil. sliiw iiway your jiretty speeches and 
 take hack your liaiul I can't prevent your 
 ])]ayini,'' tin' WnA with Mc^-'s chiM ; l)ut ii" I liad 
 a (Irecnt excuse, you may make up your mind 
 1 (1 use it. As it is, the sight of you annoys me. 
 (Jood-morninii' ! " 
 
 He went out, slamming tlie door alter him, 
 and they heard liini descend the stairs and turn 
 down the street. 
 
 " A day's peace," mused Captain ]3arker, 
 " strikes me as more expensive tlian a3'ear's war. 
 It has cost me my two dearest friends." 
 
 He strode up and down the room, muttering 
 angrily ; then looked uj) and said — 
 
 " Take me to Meg ; I want to see her." 
 
 "And the child'/" 
 
 " To be sure. I'd clean forgotten the child." 
 
 Dr. Beckerleg led the way downstairs. A 
 pale sunshine touched the edge of the pave- 
 ment across the road, and while Captain Barker 
 was settling the hill, the doctor ste])ped across 
 and picked a dice-box out of the gutter. 
 
 'Luckily, I found the dice too; the^' were 
 lying close together," said he, as his companion 
 came out. lie turned the box round and 
 a})p(,'ared to be reflecting; but, next moment,
 
 CAPTAIN BARKER CLAIMS HIS OWN. 35 
 
 walked briskly into the bar, and returned the 
 dice to the drawer, with a small fee. 
 
 "She is not much changed?" asked the 
 Captain, as they moved down the street, arm in 
 arm . 
 
 " Eh ? You were saying? No, not changed. 
 A beautiful face." 
 
 Though middle-aged and lined with trouble, 
 it was, as Dr. Beckerleg said, a beautiful face 
 that slept behind the dusty window above the 
 court where the sparrows chattered. From a 
 chamber at the back of the house the two men 
 were met, as they climbed the stairs, by the 
 sound of an infant's wailino-. Dr. Beckerleg- 
 went towards this, after opening for tlie captain 
 the door of a room wherein no sound was at all. 
 
 When, half an hour later, Captain Barker 
 came out and closed this door gently. Dr. 
 Beckerleg, who waited on the landing, forbore 
 to look a second time at his face. Instead, he 
 stared fixedly at the staircase wall and 
 observed — 
 
 '' I think it is time we turned our attention 
 upon the child." 
 
 " Take me to him by all means." 
 
 Margaret's son was reclining, very red and 
 angry, in the arms of an old woman who at- 
 tempted vainly to soothe him by tottering up and
 
 'M Tin: IlLUE I'AVIIJUNS. 
 
 (Inwn lilt' rtMun as fast as licr decrepit lrL;s would 
 cari\' licr. Tlir sci'v iii^'-i^irl. \vli(» liad opoiird the 
 door (111 tlic previous eveiiiiii;, stood beside tlie 
 \\ iii<l(»\v, licr eyes swollen with weeping*. 
 
 " lie is extreinely small," said the C\i|)tain. 
 
 '"On the coiitraiy, he is an unusually line 
 boy.'' 
 
 ■ lie a])pears to nie to want something." 
 
 " He wants food. " 
 
 " Bless my soul I ILas none been ollered to 
 Ifim?" 
 
 " Yes ; but he refuses it." 
 
 " Extraordinary ! " 
 
 "Not at all. I understand — do I not? — 
 that you have adopted this infant." 
 
 The Cajjtain nodded. 
 
 " Then your parental duties have ah'eady 
 betrun. You must come with me at once and 
 choose a wet nurse." 
 
 As they passed through the hall to the front 
 door, Captain ]>arker perceived two letters lyin^- 
 side by side u})un a table there. He snatched 
 them up hastily and crammed one into his pocket. 
 Tlien, lianding the other to Dr. Beckerleg — 
 
 " \'(iu iiiiL!-ht irive that to Jemmy when you 
 see him, and — look here, as soon as the child is 
 out of tlie house, I think — if you went to 
 Jrinmy— he might like to see Meg, you know."
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE TWO PAVILIONS. 
 
 Captain Barker and Captain Itunacles had been 
 friends from boyhood. They had been swished 
 together at Dr. Huskisson's school, hard by the 
 Water-gate ; had been packed off to sea in the 
 same sliip, and afterwards had more than once 
 smelt powder together. Admiral Blake and Sir 
 Christopher Mings had turned them into tong]i 
 fighters by sea; and Margaret Tellworthy had 
 completed their education ashore, and made them 
 good friends, by rejecting both. In an access of 
 misogyny they had planned and built their blue 
 pavilions, beside the London road, vowing to 
 shut themselves up and look on no woman again. 
 This happened but a short time before the first 
 Dutch war, in which the one served under 
 Captain Jonings in the Rnhi/, and the other had 
 the honour to be cast ashore with Prince Pupert 
 himself, aboard the Galloper. Upon the declara- 
 tion of peace, in the autumn of 1G67, they had 
 returned, and, forgetting their vow, laid siege 
 again to their mistress, who regretted the necessity 
 of refusing them thrice apiece. 
 
 Upon his third rejection, Jerem^^ Punacles
 
 :}8 TIIH IllJlE I'AVILIOXS. 
 
 was (Irivon b}' in(lii,ni;iii(in 1o ofltT liis IkukI at 
 onco to Mistress Isal)ol Seaman, sister (•!" lliat 
 same Robert Seaman who, as Major of Ilarwicli. 
 admilti'd Sir Aniliuiiy Deane to tlic freedom of 
 1 lie Corporation, and liad tlu' liononr to reeeive, 
 in exclian^v, twelve lirc-biickcts for tl'.e new 
 town-hall. As IMistress Isabel iidicrited a third 
 of the profits amassed by her father in the rope- 
 makini;" trade, she was considered a f^ood match. 
 Captain Barker, however, resented the marriage 
 ou thr L^roiind that she was ont of place in a 
 pavilion ('.\))ressly desi^iuM] for a confirmed 
 bachelor. When, after a few months, lier 
 husband also began to hold tliis view, Mrs. 
 Ruiiacles, instead of remindini]^ him that he, and 
 he alone, was to blame for her intrusion, did her 
 best to make matters easy by quitting; this world 
 altogether on St. J3artholomew's Vac, 10/0, 
 leaving behind her the smallest possible daughter. 
 IJut as this daughter at once rerpiiivd a nurse, 
 the alleviation proved to be inconsiderable — as 
 Mr. Runacles would have delighted to point out 
 to his wife, had she remained within earshot. 
 As it was, he took infinite ])ains to select a 
 suitable nurse, and forthwith neglected the child 
 entirely — a course of conduct which was not so 
 culpable as might be suj)posed, since (with the 
 sole exception (jf Mrs. iiunacles) he had never
 
 THE TWO PAVILIONS. 39 
 
 been known to err in clioosins^ a subordinate. 
 In times of peace he gave himself up to studying- 
 the mathematics, in which he was a proficient, 
 and to the designing of such cnrious toys as sun- 
 dials, water-clocks, pumps, and the like ; which 
 he so multiplied about the premises, out of pure 
 joy in constructing them, that Simeon, his body- 
 servant, had much ado to live among the man}' 
 contrivances for making his life easier. 
 
 Although the two pavilions were exactly 
 similar in shape and colour, their gardens differed 
 in some important respects. On Captain Runa- 
 cles' side of the hedge all was order — trim turf 
 and yews accurately clipped, though stunted by 
 the sea winds. Captain Barker's factotum, Nar- 
 cissus Swiggs bj' name, was a slow man with but 
 a single eye. His orbit in gardening was that 
 of the four seasons, but he had the misfortune 
 to lag behind them by the space of three months ; 
 while the two sides of the gravel path, though 
 each would be harmonious in itself, could onl}'- 
 be enjoyed by shutting one eye as you advanced 
 from the blue gate to the blue front-door. The 
 particular pride of Captain Barker's garden, how- 
 ever, was a collection of figure-heads set up, like 
 statues, at regular intervals around the hedge. 
 The like of it could be found nowhere. Here, 
 against a background of green, and hanging
 
 40 TJih' iiLUh: r.w'iLJoxs. 
 
 lorwiU'd over a green lawn, were an Indian 
 Chief, a (ioldcn Hind, a Triton, a Centaur, 
 eflinics of" King Cliarlcs I., another ol" Jiritannia, 
 a third orthc god Pan, and a fourili of" Mr. dolin 
 iMiilIi]>son, somctinu' alderman and sliipowner 
 nl' llarwicli. 'i'hoUL;h I'liddy niodelle(l, the 
 majority received an extremely lilelike aj)|)ear- 
 ance fVom their colouring, wliicli was renewed 
 every now and then under the ca])tain's own 
 supervision, ile asserted them to be beautiful, 
 and his acquaintances were content with the 
 qualification that to an unwarned visitor, in 
 an uncertain light, they might be disconcerting. 
 
 To this paradise Cajjtain ]>arker introduced 
 his newly adopted son, with th(^ wet-nurse that 
 the doctor had found for him : and after ex- 
 phiining matters to Narcissus — ^vho had heard 
 of the 1/ rt.y/.s arrival in port and had been 
 vaguely troubled ])}' a long conversation with 
 Simeon, next door — installed the new-comers in 
 the two rooms und(M* the roof of the pavilion, 
 and sat down to meditate and wait for the 
 child's development. 
 
 On the fourth morning after the installation, 
 N.arcissus appeared and demanded a higher wage. 
 This w\as granted. 
 
 On the sixth morning. Narcissus appeared 
 again.
 
 TBISTBAM'S INFAXOY. 41 
 
 " That there nurse " he bej^an. 
 
 "What of her?" 
 
 " As touching- that there nurse, 5^our instruc- 
 tions were to feed her wp." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "I've fed lier up." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "She's ate till she's sick." 
 
 The captain sent post-haste for Dr. Beckerle^. 
 
 " That woman's green with bile," the doctor 
 announced. " You've been over-feedinc^ her." 
 
 " I did it to strengthen the child." 
 
 "No doubt; but this sort of woman will 
 eat all that's put before ]ier. Lower her diet." 
 
 This was done. The woman recovered in a 
 couple of days and resigned her place at once, 
 declaring she was starved. 
 
 A second wet-nurse was sought for and found. 
 The child thrived, was weaned, and began to 
 cut his teeth without any trouble to mention. 
 Twice a day Captain Barker visited his nursery 
 and studied him attentively. 
 
 " I'll own that I'm boggled," he confessed to 
 Dr. Beckerleg. " You see, a child is the offspring 
 of his parents." 
 
 " That is undeniable ! " the doctor answered. 
 
 "And science now asserts that he inherits 
 his parents' aptitudes : therefore, to train him
 
 12 Till': iiLvi: v.wij.joNfi. 
 
 .sccinit/inii iKilin-diii, I inii^i disctivrr llwsr apiitiulos 
 and pdnrato or check tlu'iu." 
 
 " IVcidcdly." 
 
 "Well, but his luotlior was an aiij^^cl, and liis 
 fatluT tlu' dirtiest scam]) that ever cheated tlie 
 halter." 
 
 '• I should advise you to strike a nieau. 
 What oftiie child himself?" 
 
 " He does nothing but eat." 
 
 "It appears to me that, striking a mean 
 between the two extremes you mention, we arrive 
 at mere man. I perceive a great opportunity. 
 Suppose you teach him exactly what Adam was 
 taught." 
 
 " Gardening? " 
 
 "Precisely. He will start with some ad- 
 vantage over Adam, there being no Eve to 
 complicate matters." 
 
 "He shall be taught gardening," the little 
 captain decided. 
 
 " The pursuit will accord well with his tem- 
 perament, which is notably pacific. The child 
 seldom or never cries. At the same time we 
 cannot quite revert to the Garden of Eden. His 
 life will, almost certainly, bring him more or less 
 into contact with his fellow men." 
 
 " We must expect that." 
 Therefore, as a mere measure of precaution, 
 
 ti 'v^
 
 THE FIBST GREEN VOLUME. 43 
 
 it might be as well to instruct liini in the use of 
 the small-sword." 
 
 " I will look after that. There is nothing I 
 shall enjoy more than teaching him — precaution. 
 We have now, I think, settled everything " 
 
 "By no means." The doctor put a hand 
 into his tail-pocket, and, after some difficult}- 
 with the lining, pulled out a small book bound 
 in erreen leather and tied with a green ribbon. 
 " Here," he announced, " is the first volume of a 
 treatise on education " 
 
 " Plague take your books ! You're as bad as 
 Jemmy, yonder. I tell you I'll not addle the 
 boy's head with books." 
 
 " But this treatise has the advantage to be 
 unwritten." 
 
 Dr. Beckerleg untied the ribbon, and holding 
 out the book, turned over a score of pages. They 
 were all blank. 
 
 " Undoubtedly that is an advantage. But 
 then, it hardly seems to me to be a treatise." 
 
 " No : but it will be when you have written 
 it." 
 
 " I? " 
 
 " Certainly, you intend to train Tristram in 
 accordance with nature. On what do we base 
 our knowledge of nature ? On exj^eriment and 
 observation. For many reasons your e.xperiments
 
 ■II rill-: nijh: r.wiuoNS. 
 
 witli flic rliild must hr liniitod ; hut you can 
 ubsiTNc liiiii (l;iily — -li(»uil\ , il ymi like. In lliis 
 volume ynn shall record your observations from 
 (lay to da}', //////f/ dies si/ic I'm en. It is the first 
 ])resent I make to him, as his L^odfather : and 
 in doinp^ so I sot you down to write the most 
 valuable hook in the world, a eomjdotc History 
 ol" a Human Creature." 
 
 Captain IJarker took the volume. 
 
 "But 1 shall never live to linish it." 
 
 " AVe ho])e not. 'i'he beauty, liowever, (tf 
 this history will be that at any point in its 
 progress we may consult it for Tristram's good, 
 and learn all that, \\\> to that point, God has 
 given us eyes to see. It may be that in deciding 
 to make him a gardener we have been mistaken. 
 That book will enlighten us." 
 
 " There's one blessing," said Captain Barker, 
 tucking the book under his ami; "whatever 
 pursuit the boy may follow, he'll want to follow 
 it unmolested. And therefore, in any case, I 
 must teach him to use the small-sword." 
 
 During the first few months, almost every 
 entry in the captain's green volume dealt with 
 Tristram's appetite. Nor did this fluctuate 
 enoujjh to make the record e.xcitinc:. He was a 
 slow, phlegmatic infant, with red clieeks and an 
 exuberant crop of 3'ellow curls. He slept all
 
 THE TBISTRAFJ^'DEIA : PAGE I. 45 
 
 niylit and a good third of the day, and, beyond 
 cuttmg- ten teeth in as many months, exhibited 
 no precocity. Nothing troubled him, if we 
 except an insatiable hunger. He was weaned 
 with extreme difficult}--, and, even when promoted 
 to bread and biscuits and milk puddings, con- 
 tinued to recognise his nurse's past service and 
 reward it with so sincere an affection that the 
 woman accepted an increase of wage and cheer- 
 fully consented to stay on and take care of him. 
 
 Captain Barker saw nothing in all this to 
 shake his lirst resolution of making the boy a 
 gardener, but rather found in each successive 
 day a reason the more for making haste to learn 
 something about horticulture himself, in order 
 that when the time came he might be able 
 to teach it. At length he took counsel with 
 Narcissus Swiggs, and unfolded his desire. 
 
 Mr. Swiggs listened sleepily, and, as soon as 
 his master had done, gave him a month's notice. 
 
 " Wliat the devil's the use of that ? " Captain 
 Barker asked. 
 
 " I thought you weren't satisfied, that's all." 
 
 " If I weren't, I should kick you out without 
 half these words. You've been thinking of 
 yourself all this while." 
 
 " I mostly does." 
 
 " Then don't, while I'm talking." And
 
 4<> TIIIJ BLUE JWVII.loNS. 
 
 C\ij)tiiiii HiirkiT t'xplaiiit'd his sclieine a second 
 tiiiR'. 
 
 "No use." inMiKtiiiiccd Mr. S\vi<,''g's at the 
 close, sliukiny liis lieud puiidcrously. 
 
 "Why nut?" 
 
 Mr. S\viij;-<^'s swept his hand bi'loiv him, suiu- 
 miug- up the whole hmdseiipe with one nuijestic 
 semicircle. 
 
 "Where is your soil?" he asked. "And 
 Avher.' is your water? Springs? " — he paused a 
 couple of seconds — " Tliere ain't none. All tluit 
 mortal man can do, I does." 
 
 "And what is that? " 
 
 " r does without." 
 
 " But the marsh behind us " 
 
 " Salt." 
 
 " Narcissus Swiggs, you have been in my 
 service twenty years." 
 
 " Twenty-three." 
 
 " During that time you have unce or twice 
 argued with me. I ask you, as a Christian man, 
 to tell me truly what you got by it." 
 
 "Naught." 
 
 " Just so. On this occasion, however, I've 
 listened with great patience to all your ob- 
 jections " 
 
 " Not a tithe of 'em." 
 
 " They're all you'll have a chance of making.
 
 MATERIALS FOB THE TRISTRAFJEDEIA. 17 
 
 at any rate. And I answer them thus: It' the 
 worst comes to the worst, I'll cover the wliole of 
 this property with a couple of tuhs, one to catch 
 rain-water and t'other filled with garden mould. 
 If the sea rots 'era, I'll have the Avliole estate 
 careened, and its hottom pitched and its seams 
 stopped with oakum. I'll rig up a l)attery here, 
 and if the water-butt runs dry you shall blaze 
 away at the guns till you fetch the rain down, 
 as I've seen it fetched down before now b}'- a 
 cannonade. But I mean to have a garden here, 
 and a garden I'll have." 
 
 Faithful to this resolve, Captain Barker set 
 to work to study the art in which Tristram was 
 to be instructed, and, being by nature a hater of 
 superficialit}'", determined to begin by acquainting 
 himself with everything that had been written 
 about the nature and habits of plants from the 
 earliest ages to that present day. He engaged a 
 young demy of Magdalen College, Oxford — son 
 of Mr. Lucas, saddler, of the High Street, 
 Harwich — who was much pinched to continue 
 his studies at the universitj^ to extract and 
 translate for him whatever Aristotle, Tlieo- 
 phrastus, and others of the Peripatetic school 
 had written on the subject; to search the 
 college libraries for information concerning the 
 horticulture of China and Persia, the hangin"-
 
 48 77//; /;/,/•/■; I'.wilions. 
 
 f^anlcns of Hal>_)l<»ii, those jdaiitid by tin- Icariicd 
 Al»(liillatit" at liai^ilad, aii<l llx' P^iropean 
 paradisi's ol Naples, Florence, .Moii/,a, Maimlieiin, 
 aiul Leydeii ; to draw uj) ])lans ami a particular 
 description ol" the Oxford IMiysic (Jardon, l)y 
 ^lagdalen Collei^e, as well as the plantations of 
 Worcestei", Trinity, and St. John's Collei^es ; and 
 to ransfick the bookshops of that seat of learnini^ 
 for sui'h works as niin-ht he procurable in no more 
 ditlicult tonL,^ue than the Latin. In this way 
 Captaiu Jiarker l)ecanie ])ossessed of a vast 
 nnnil)er of monkish herbals, Pliny's " Historia 
 Naturalis," the " Merbarum Vivie Eicones " of 
 ]irunsfels, the treatises of Trai^us, Fuchsius, 
 iSlatthiolus, Ebn Jk'ithar, and Conrad Gesner, 
 the " Stirpium Adversaria Nova" and " JManta- 
 rum sen Stirj)Ium Jiistoria ' of Alatthew Lobel, 
 with th(.' works of such li\inL;- botanists as 
 llenshaw, I look, Grew, and MalpiL^^hi. As the 
 cai)tain had no thouirht of I'esuminn- a seafariim- 
 life, he lelt confident of diu'estinj^' in time lliese 
 masses of learninsj;, thouii'h it annoved him at 
 first to find himself cajjable of understandinn' but 
 a tenth of what he read. On sumnier eveninirs 
 he wotdd sit out on the lawn, with a folio 
 balanced on his knee, and do violence to J\lr. 
 Swiij^i^s's ears with such learned terms as 
 " Jjorajj^iniie," " Cucurbitaceie," " Leguminosa3,"
 
 MOllE MATERIALS. l!> 
 
 aud as winter drew in, master and man would 
 hold loni^ consultations indoors over certain 
 plants, the portraits of which in the herjjals 
 seemed familiar enoug-li, thongdi their habitats 
 often proved, on further reading, to lie no nearer 
 than Arabia Felix or the Spice Islands. Never- 
 tlieless, tliey took some practical steps. To 
 begin with, the soil of the garden before the 
 l^lue Pavilion was entirely changed — Captain 
 Barker importing from The Hague no less than 
 thirty tons of the mould most approved by the 
 Dutch tulip-growers. A tank, too, was sunk at 
 the back of the building, towards the marsh, as 
 a receptacle and reservoir for rain-water ; and by 
 Tristram's fourth birthday his adoptive father 
 began to Imild, on the south side of the house, a 
 hibernatory, or greenhouse, differing in size only^ 
 from that which Solomon de Cans had the 
 honour to erect for the Elector Palatine in his 
 gardens at Heidelberg. 
 
 jMeanwhile Captain Runacles, who watched 
 these operations from the other side of the privet 
 hedge and picked up many scraps of rumour 
 from the antique Simeon, was consumed with 
 scorn and envy. The two friends no longei 
 spoke. At the back of the Fish and Anchor, 
 across the road, there stretched at this time the
 
 r>it rill:' ItHI: I'AVIIJliXS. 
 
 larufost and fairest bowliiiiif-ijcrocii in flic oast of 
 Kni^land — two i^ood acres ol" sniooili Inrt', 
 strctcIiinL^' almost to the cdii^c of tlir soa-rdill", 
 oil wliicli side the wall was cnt down to within 
 a loot of tjic i^H'Ound, so that the Lfossips as they 
 j)hiycd, or sat and smoked on tlie beiiclies about 
 the qreen, min'Jit have a clear view of the sliips 
 enterini^' oi' Iravinsj^ tlie harbonr, or of others that, 
 hull-down on the horizon, took tlie sunset on 
 their sails. 1 1 ither it had always been the custom 
 of tlu! two ca])tains to repair at the closinj^ in of 
 the da}', and drink their beer to^etlier as the}' 
 watched tliis or tliat vessel more or less narrowly 
 avoiding- tlic shoals below. Nor would Ihey 
 c(»nimoidy retire, unless the weather was dirty, 
 until the sea-coal fire was lit above the town-gate, 
 and the lesser lii^hthouse upon the town f^reen 
 answered with its si.x candles. \ow, however, 
 thouiih thev met here as usual, no salutation was 
 o.vchanLred. On benches as far apart as possible 
 the}' diank their beer in silence and watched the 
 ])layeis. The situation was understood by every- 
 b<jdy at the inn ; and at first some awkward 
 attempts were made to heal the breach. JJut 
 Captain Jeremy's scowl and the lij^ht in Captain 
 John's i^reen eyes soon convinced the busy bodies 
 that they were playing with fire, and lilvcly to 
 bui-ii tlieir fingers.
 
 CAPTAIN liUNAG'LES IS RESTLESS. 51 
 
 Tn his home, Captain Itunacles grew restless. 
 To cure this, he set to work and finished a large 
 dial which he had long intended to present to the 
 Corporation of Harwich, to set up over the town- 
 gate. Tlie Corporation accepted the gift, and 
 employed their clerk to write a letter ot' thanks. 
 The language of this letter was so flattering that 
 Captain Runacles made another dial for the 
 Exchano-e. Being thanked for this also, he 
 presented an excellent pendulum clock of his own 
 making, to be placed over his Majesty's arms 
 upon the principal gate of the dockyard ; with a 
 hell above the clock to strike the hours of the 
 day, as well as to summon the men to their 
 work ; and two more dials, the one for the new 
 town-hall, the other for the almshouses near 
 St. Helen's Port. Again the Corporation 
 thanked him as profusel}^ as before, but asked 
 him to be at the expense of affixing these dials, 
 which, both by their beaut}^ and number, were 
 rapidly making Harwich unique among towns of 
 its size. Upon this, Captain Runacles, in a huff, 
 forswore all further munificence, and applied 
 himself to the construction of a pair of compasses 
 capable of dividing an inch into a thousand 
 parts, and to the sinking of a well in the marsh 
 behind his pavilion. The design of this well was 
 extremely ingenious. It was worked by means
 
 62 '/•///■; ni.rr: I'.wiijoxs. 
 
 of:! wlifi'l, nine Iccl in (liaiiictcr, with steps in 
 its circnmrcri'nci' like tlmsc of ;i treadmill, and 
 so wcML^liti'd thai l>y walkinL;- nj)()n it. as if np a 
 lliu'lit o[ stairs, a jx-rson of ('l«'vcn oi- Iwchc slono 
 wonld draw np a hncket — two Imckcts Ijcini^ so 
 linnj^, at the ends (tf a rope sui'ronndiiiL;' tli«> 
 wlircl. that while one ascendc(l, lull (.!' wiilcr, the 
 other, whieh was enipty, sank down and was 
 rdilled. Tiu'se bnekots hein^" too heav}' for a 
 nt;in to ovi-rturn to j)our out the watt-r. he hored 
 a hole in each, and eontrivrd to jiIul;' the holes 
 so that the \veiu;'lit ol' the hncket as it l)Uinj)ed 
 upon the tronnh ])repared i'or it at tli<' well's 
 ed^'e joi^^-ed out the 1)1 ul;- and sent the water 
 running- down the troni;h into whatever pail or 
 vessel stood ready to catch it. Nor is it 
 astonishing that he lost liis temper when, after 
 these preparations, he found the well was not 
 deep enough, and the water as much infected 
 with brine as if he had gathered it from the 
 surface of the marsh. 
 
 Tt was on the day lollowing this disapp(»int- 
 ment that, while walking to and fro the length 
 of his turfed garden, between three and four in 
 the afternoon (for his habits were methodical), lie 
 heard a child's voice lifted on the far side of the 
 party iicdge — gi 
 
 "Dad'l" I
 
 A CONVERSATION BY THE FARTY-HEDGE. 53 
 
 " Ell ? What is it ? " answered the voice of 
 Captain Barker, from his new tulip-bed, across 
 the garden. 
 
 "What thin^ris this? 
 
 jj 
 
 "A nymph." Captain Runacles guessed by 
 this that the four-year-old's question had 
 reference to one of the figure-heads disposed 
 alons^ the hedije. 
 
 " What is a nymph ? " 
 
 " A sort of girl." 
 
 " I don't like this sort of girl. She's got no 
 legs." 
 
 " Come over here and look at this tulip." 
 
 " There's a much better sort of girl next 
 door," Tristram continued, unheeding'. 
 
 " What do 3'ou know about her ? " sharply 
 inquired his guardian. 
 
 " Oh, I see her often at the top window, and 
 sometimes out walking. Nurse says we're not 
 to speak, so we put out our tongues at each 
 other." 
 
 " Tristram, come over here and look " 
 
 " She's got funny curls, and puts her doll to 
 bed in the window-seat every night. I like that 
 sort of girl. When I grow up," the young 
 bashaw proceeded, " I shall have lots of that sort 
 of girl all over the garden, instead of these 
 wooden thing's."
 
 •M TJIi: r.LUK J:\\1 LIONS. 
 
 Captain IJarker tivatcd tliis Oriental day- 
 divani witli silence. 
 
 " Dad — wliy an) I \v<iilli more tlian all the 
 yfirls in tlie world? " 
 
 " Who said you were ? " 
 
 "Nurse. She says you think so. She says 
 tile bi^" man next (h»or would i^'ive iiis eyes to 
 luive a boy like me; but he eant make nothiiiir 
 of a L;ir], and don't try. Narcissus " 
 
 "Hallo!" replied the lieavy voice of Mr. 
 Swiggs. 
 
 " Have you got a bo}' ? " 
 
 " No, sir : nmarried." 
 
 " What did you give your eye for, then ? " 
 
 " Losli ! " ejaculated Narcissus, as Captain 
 Barker pounced on the youngster and haled him 
 oM" to the tulip-bed. The interrogatory was 
 stayed for a while. 
 
 Captain Kunacles, wdio had caught every 
 word, strode half a dozen times u]) and down his 
 grass-plot : then summoned Simeon. 
 
 " Tell nurse to send Miss Sophia down to me." 
 
 Five minutes later a small child of seven 
 appeared in the doorway, and, after hesitating 
 there for a moment, stepped timidly across the 
 turf. Her figure and movements were ungainly, 
 and her com])lexion appeared unnaturally sallow 
 against a dark grey frock. A wet brush, applied
 
 SOIUIIA ENTERS. 55 
 
 two minutes before with inconsiderate zciul, iiad 
 taken all the curl out of her dark hair and 
 smoothed it in preposterous bands on either side 
 of her brow. Her arms hung stiff and perpen- 
 dicular, and she fidgeted with her short skirt as 
 she advanced. 
 
 Captain Ixunacles stojiped short in his walk 
 and surveyed her. 
 
 " H'm," he said. " Don't shuffle." 
 
 The little girl looked up, dropped her eyes 
 again quickly, and let her hands hang limp beside 
 her. She was shakino* from head to foot. 
 
 " You are a girl." 
 
 " Pardon, father," she mumbled in a low 
 whisper. 
 
 " Next door there lives a small boy. You 
 are in the habit of putting out your tougue at 
 him. Why?" 
 
 " I— 1 " 
 
 Her voice wavered and she broke into a fit 
 of sobbing. 
 
 " Tut, tut ! Stop that noise; I haven't scolded 
 you. On the contrary, I sent for you in the hope 
 that you might always be able to put out your 
 tongue at that boy. Sophia, dry your eyes and 
 attend, pleaise. Would you like to be an accom- 
 plished woman ? " 
 
 " If it please you, father. '
 
 56 Tjn-: nun-: r a virions. 
 
 " Now may llic di-vil llyawav witli IIk' wliolc 
 .SOX I \\ tlicy (/a Iia))|)iii to desire anytliini,' lifooil 
 in itseli", it's always to ])lease some man oraiiollier. 
 Sophia, I ask you il", lor your own sake, ami lor 
 the sake of knowledi^c, you will he m\' ])U|)il ; 
 
 if you care to ])ursue " Ca])taiii IJunacles 
 
 checked himself, not hecause he had any idea that 
 he was talking over the head ol" a girl of seven, 
 but because a general proposition had occurred to 
 him. 
 
 "Woman's notion of a ])ursuit," he said, 
 clas])ing his hands behind liim and regarding 
 his daughter's tear-stained face with severity — 
 " woman's notion of a pursuit is entirely passiv^e. 
 Her only idea is to be pursued, and, even so, her 
 mind runs on ultimate caj)ture. Sophia," he 
 continued, himself forgetting for the moment his 
 view of knowledge as micaimt ()})l(in(lni)i, " would 
 you like to please me by licking that boy across 
 tlie hedge into a cocked hat? " 
 
 "Jkit— oh, father! " 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 She could not answer for a moment. Nor 
 did he know that she besought (Jod every night 
 to change hi-r into a boy that she might lind some 
 grace in his sight. 
 
 " Vou have one advantage," said her father 
 coldly, as she struggled to keep down her tears. 
 
 [
 
 USE IS FOUND Fun SUFJIIA. 57 
 
 Your rival across the hedge is in a I'aii- \v;iy to be 
 turned into a fool. We will beiz-in to-morrow. 
 In a week or so I shall be able to pronounce some 
 opinion on your capacity. Now run indoors to 
 your nurse — why, bless my soul ! " 
 
 The child had trotted forward, and, taking 
 his hand, kissed it passionatel3^ He looked into 
 her face, and, finding it white as a sheet, lifted 
 her in his arms and carried her into the pavilion.
 
 58 
 
 ciiAin'Hi; i\ 
 
 Till-, TWO 1'A\11,IU.NS {CU/lliillli'tl'). 
 
 ■ AVr, iiuist have an apiariuin," Captain Barker 
 announced, a week later. 
 
 " Wliat's tliat ? " Mr. Swings asked. 
 
 " Half-a-dozen beehives, at least." 
 
 " No room." 
 
 "There is nothing," pursued Captain Barker, 
 " that "ives such character to a yarden as an 
 apiariuni, unless it he fishponds. 1 will have 
 both." 
 
 " No water." 
 
 The fishponds shall be constantly suj^plied 
 with running w'ater. I will have three ponds at 
 (lillerent levels, connected with miniature water- 
 ialls, and approached by an a/lcc verfc. The 
 glimpse of water between green hedges will be 
 extremely refreshing to the eye. The a})iariuin 
 shall stand close to these ponds — as Virgil 
 commends — 
 
 At liiiuidi fontes et stagiia viiciitia iiiusco 
 A<lHiiit, et tenuis fugiens per giainiiui rivus * 
 
 — and shall be surrounded with beds of violets 
 
 * Let welling .springs and (spongy moss ])e nigli. 
 And through the grass a streandet Heeling by.
 
 THE GARDEN. 59 
 
 aud lavender, and sucli blue Hovvers as bees 
 especially love. When, Narcissus, I glance over 
 the hedge at the back of the house and behold 
 Captain Runacles' two acres lying waste, cum- 
 bered like a mining country with the ruins of 
 his mechanical toys, I have a mind to " 
 
 " He'll neither sell nor lend." 
 
 " I perceive that in time we must set about 
 draining- so much of the marsh outside as 
 belongs to me. There, if anywhere, the fish- 
 ponds must lie. In the meantime there is a full 
 rood of ground beyond the northern hedge that 
 we may consider. By cutting a path through the 
 privet there, and enclosing this parcel, we gain 
 for our bees a quadrangle which will not only 
 give them their proper seclusion, but may be 
 planted in the classical style without detriment 
 to the general effect of our garden. The j^i'ivet 
 serving as a screen. 
 
 Invigorated by Mr. Swiggs's opposition, the 
 little man continued for twenty minutes to revel 
 in details, and ended by rushing his companion 
 off to examine the ground. In his hot fit he 
 forgot all about Tristram, who, tired of listening, 
 had slipped away among the gooseberry-bushes, 
 with a half-eaten slice of bread and butter in his 
 hand. 
 
 The fruit proved green and hard — for it was
 
 <;•> /■///; i;lij: r.wiLioxs. 
 
 now tile lliird week ol" May — aiitl l)V tin' iiine 
 his lircad iiiid hiiUrr \v;is cjitcn tlic 1)()V luid a 
 tiiiicN 1(1 ('.\])l()i-t' rurtlic)'. lie waiidfi-t'd tliroiin'li 
 1 lie strawberry-beds, and, liiidiiiL'; iiotliiiiL;' there 
 l)ut disappointment, alhjwed hinisell to run 
 lazily alter a white butterlly, wliich led hini 
 down lo tlie front of the pavilion, over the 
 parterres of budding- tuli])s, and across to an east 
 border gay with heart's-ease, baclielor's buttons, 
 forget-me-nots, and purple honesty. The scent 
 of budding yews met him here, blown soltly 
 across from Captain Kunacles' garden. The 
 white butterlly l)alaueod ])imself on this 
 odorous breeze, and, rising against it, skimmed 
 suddenly over the hedge and dropped out oi" 
 sight. 
 
 Now there was set, under an archway in this 
 hedge, a blue door, the chinks of which were 
 veiled with cobwebs and the ])anels streaked 
 with the silvery tracks oI" snails. By this pcrrii/s 
 ff.s//-s- (as Captain IJunacles called it) the two 
 friends had been used to visit each other, but 
 since the cjuarrel it had never Ijcen opened. No 
 lock had been lixed upon it, however. Only the 
 passions of two obstinate men had ke])t it shut 
 for four years and more. 
 
 The child contemplated this door for a 
 minute, then lifted himself on tiptoe, and
 
 TRISTRAM TUMBLES THROUOn THE HEDGE. 01 
 
 stretched his hand up towards the rusty Uitcli. 
 It was a good six inches above his reach. 
 
 He glanced back over his shoulder. Nobody 
 was in sight. His eyes fell on a stack of Hovver- 
 pots left by Narcissus beside the path. He 
 fetched one, set it upside-down in front ol" the 
 door, and climbed atop of it. 
 
 This time he reached the latch, and lifted it 
 with some difficulty. His weight pressed the 
 door open and he fell forward, sprawling on 
 hands and knees, into the next garden. 
 
 He picked himself up, and was on the point 
 of fetching a prolonged howl, but suddenly- 
 thought better of it, and began to stare instead. 
 
 Barely six paces in front of him, and in the 
 centre of a round garden-bed, a small girl was 
 kneeling. She held a rusty table-knife, the 
 blade of which was covered with mould ; and 
 as she gazed back at him the boy saw that 
 her face was stained with weeping. 
 
 " Hallo ! " 
 
 " Hallo ! " 
 
 " I was just thinking of you, little boy, and 
 beginning to despise you, when plump — in you 
 tumbled." 
 
 " But, I sa}^ — look here, 3'ou know — I've 
 been told Avhat despising is, and if 3'ou despise 
 me you ought to say why."
 
 62 77//; /; /,/■/•; r.wiunxs. 
 
 " I»<'c;iUsr I've ht'cn n|-(l( ird tn. I'm l^oillU^ 
 to <1<> it (»ut nl' this hook Imtc iiistrn : 'A 
 ])oint is iliat wliidi lias iii» |»ai"ts and no iiiaLjiii- 
 liidr,' and that's only the hci^^inninL;-. ()h, my 
 (.{car, I II wit Ih'I" \ ou nj) you jnst wait a hit." 
 
 Shi' (hii;- the knilc \icionsly intt) the t-artli. 
 
 " I don't can'," said Tristrani, airal)ly. 
 
 " I' laps you doll t know what ' Don't ('arc 
 came to r 
 
 "No, I d..n't." 
 
 " Well, he came to — a ])laee. It was a good 
 deal deeper down than this hole I'm dii^j^ing." 
 
 " What's the h..le Ini-':' " 
 
 "My doll, here. I've i^'ot to |)nt iiwa^^ 
 childish things; so I'm going to cover her rigiit 
 up and never see her face again. Oh ! oh ! " 
 
 Slic hegan to sob as if her heart vvoidd break. 
 
 " I woukln't or}' if I were you. T didn't cry 
 just now when I tumbled off the liower-pot." 
 
 " Yon don't know what it is to be a mother." 
 
 " No, but I can dig ever so much better than 
 you. Look here. I've got a spa(h' of my own, 
 and I'll show you how to dig properly, if you 
 like." 
 
 He ran off and returned with it in less than 
 a minute. In anotlier minute they were en- 
 orrossed in tlie burial rites, tlie girl still pla^'ing 
 at tragedy, but enjoying herself immensely.
 
 S'H'UfA mnnES her doll. 63 
 
 ** We must read something over tlie remains," 
 she announced. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Because it's always done, unless the dead 
 person is buried with a stake through his 
 inside," 
 
 "Then we'd better take her out again and 
 put a stake through her ; because I can't read." 
 
 " Haven't you begun to learn yet ? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Well," said Sophia, picking up the Euclid, 
 " you can hold a corner of the book and listen to 
 what I read, and perhaps you can repeat some of 
 it after me, you contemptible boy." 
 
 They were standing over the doll's grave, 
 side by side, and chanting in antiplion the fourth 
 proposition of the First Book of Euclid, when 
 Captain Runacles came round the corner of the 
 house, and halted to rub his eyes. 
 
 At the sound of his footstep on the gravel 
 Sophia snatched the book from Tristram and 
 looked desparately round. It was too late. 
 Her father was glaring down upon them both, 
 with his hands behind him and his chin stuck 
 forward. 
 
 "You miserable child ! 
 
 He pronounced it deliberately, sjdlable by 
 syllable, and turned upon Tristram.
 
 •it 77//; /; /,/■/■; rwiiioxs. 
 
 " Will V(»u kindly (.'X|)laiii, sir, to \vli;il I owe 
 the lionoiir ol youi' jnvsciicc in my L;jii"<]('n ? " 
 
 'i'rish'Min, \\li<» li;nl ncvci- Ix'lore hrm ;i<I- 
 «ln'SS(Ml Willi li;ir>linc^s, r;iilc<l id nndrrsiand tli' 
 tttnc of this s])('L'cli, and answcrccj witli aniialile 
 directness - 
 
 " I i nndilrd in, (»IV a llt»\\fi'-|t()t." 
 
 " ln<lr,-d!" 
 
 " Ves ; and I stayed because 1 liked tjie ltIi"' 
 here. 
 
 "You do her infinite lionour." 
 
 " I'm ii:oinLr uwav now because I'm hunsr 
 But I'll come back ajj^ain after dinner, t 
 rii;-ht." 
 
 "No," said Ca])tain Hunacles, i;-rimly; "( 
 that point you must allow me to eorreet you. 
 You infernal young eul), if I catch you here 
 
 agam- 
 
 " Hi ! Captain ! " interrupted a voice at tlie 
 foot of the srarden. 
 
 Doctor Beckerleg stood beside tlie Idue gate 
 and held it open to admit another visitor, whose 
 dress and appearance were unfamiliar to the 
 Captain. He paused midway in his threat, and 
 removed liis eyes from the cliildren. So})hia 
 crept towards tlie house, while Tristram seized 
 his opportunity and slipped away to the safe side 
 ol the privet-hedge.
 
 ME. JOSIAS FINCH. 65 
 
 "Let me present," said the doctor, "Mr. 
 Josias Fincli, of Boston, New England." 
 
 " Attorney-at-law," Mr. Fincli added, lifting 
 l)is hat politely. 
 
 He was a little man with a triple chin, and 
 small, intelligent eyes that twinkled deep in a 
 onnd, fat face. His dress was of a slate- 
 coloured material, decorated with silver huttons, 
 and he wore a voluminous wisr. 
 
 " With news for you, Captain." 
 
 " Important news," Mr. Finch echoed. He 
 
 lied out a silver snuff-box and offered it to 
 
 ptain Eunacles. " You don't indulge ? But 
 
 ou will suffer me, no doubt. Ah," he went on, 
 
 haling a pinch, " it has been a long journey, 
 
 sir, and my stomach abhors sea-voj^aging." 
 
 " Shall we steu into the house ? " sup-g-ested 
 Captain Eunacles. 
 
 " By all means, sir. My business is simple, 
 but may require some elucidation. May I 
 suggest that Dr. Beckerleg accompanies us ? 
 He is already acquainted with the drift of my 
 commission, for reasons I will expound here- 
 after." 
 
 " Of course. Come in, doctor." He led the 
 pair into his dining-room. " I may as well 
 state, Mr. Finch, that my temper is some- 
 what impatient. If you come as a friend, my
 
 GG 77//; liLUE PAVf LIONS. 
 
 hospitality is yours for as lonjif as you care to 
 use it; l)ut I'd take it kindly if you came to 
 tlio heart of your business at once." 
 
 "To bo sure, sir, and a very proper altitude. 
 T })liini;e, tlien, into the middle ol' affairs. You 
 will doubtless remember Silvanus Tellworthy, 
 youui^er lu'other of lh<> laie Sir Jabez Tellworthy 
 whose virtues recently ceased to adorn this neig;h- 
 boiirhood." 
 
 " Perfectly." 
 
 " Tlis conscience led him to exchange tliis 
 country, in the thirty-lifth year of his age, for a 
 soil more amical to liis religious opinions," 
 
 "I li.ive heard 'twas for fear of the attentions 
 of a widow in Harwich; but proceed." 
 
 " Alter amassing a considerable fortune he 
 died, sir, of a paralytica! stroke, upon the i2th 
 of November last." 
 
 " I am sorry to hear it." 
 
 " That was the common expression of Boston 
 at tliC time. Dismissing for a more leisurely 
 occasion the consideration of his civic virtues, I 
 may say that I had the honour to possess his 
 confidence in the double capacity of friend and 
 legal adviser. It fell to me to draw up his will, 
 some few years before his decease ; and now I 
 am left to the task of giving it effect. He was 
 a childless man, and, with the exception of some
 
 8ILVANUS TELLWOBTHTS WILL. 67 
 
 trifling legacies to the town of Boston and a few 
 private friends, bequeathed his wealth to his only 
 niece, Margaret, daughter of the Sir Jabez Tell- 
 worthy already mentioned, and her heirs," 
 
 Captain Eunacles uncrossed his legs and 
 addressed Dr. Beckerleg. 
 
 " Doctor, haven't you brought this gentle- 
 man to the wrong pavilion ? " 
 
 " Wait a moment." 
 
 " I should rather say," Mr. Finch continued, 
 " that a Hfe interest only was bestowed upon 
 Margaret Salt, the bulk of the estate going to 
 the anticipated heirs of her body, and being (also 
 by anticipation) apportioned among them on a 
 principle of division which need not occupy our 
 attention, for (as it turns out) she has left but 
 one child. My client made this will soon after 
 receiving the news of his niece's marriage with 
 Captain Eoderick Salt, and before he had any 
 reason to suspect that gentleman's real character. 
 It was, therefore, natural that in selecting a 
 couple of trustees he regarded the Captain as 
 the man who, of all others, might be reckoned on 
 to look after the interests of the child or children. 
 When, however, the unamiable qualities of 
 Captain Salt reached his ear, he would, doubtless, 
 have made some alteration in the will, but for 
 the tidings of that officer's death in the Low
 
 68 TIfl'J BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 Countries. lie Imd such confRlcuce in the 
 surviving trustee " 
 
 " Man ahve ! " Ca})tain Runacles broke in, 
 " if 3'ou are talkini^of yourself, let me advise you 
 to quit EnL;-land by the lirst ship that sails. The 
 child is alread}- fiirnislu'd with a jj^uardian — a 
 guardian, my dear sir, who will nullify your legal 
 claim upon the child by the simple expedient of 
 taking your life." 
 
 " But, excuse me " 
 
 " You will waive 3^our claim, of course. But 
 let me advise you also to conceal it; for Captain 
 ]5arker is quite capable, should he get hold ol 
 this will, of regarding your mere existence as an 
 insult." 
 
 " But, dear me — if 3'ou'll allow me to speak 
 — T am not talking of myself." 
 
 "No?" 
 
 " No ; I am not the child's legal guardian." 
 
 " I congratulate you. But who is it, then ? " 
 
 "It is you, Captain Runacles." 
 
 " What ! " The Captain leapt np and glared 
 at Mr. Finch incredulously. 
 
 " Here is a copy of the will ; read for your- 
 self. My friend, Silvanus '^I'ell worthy, remem- 
 bered you as a friend of his early days and as a 
 man of probity. He had heard also, from time 
 to time, news of your ])ul.)lic actions that increased
 
 CAPTAIN liUNAOLES RECEIVES A SHOCK. 69 
 
 bis esteem. He was informed — j^arclon mo if I 
 mention it — of your sincere and honourable 
 affection for bis niece ; and, indeed, boped, I 
 
 may say " 
 
 " No more on tbat point, if you please." 
 " Sir, I am silent, and ask your pardon." 
 " But — but — doctor, tliis is simply astound- 
 ing. Do you bear wbat tbis gentleman says ? 
 — tbat I — I alone — am Tristram's guardian 
 after all?" 
 
 Mr. Fincb and I)r. Beckerleg excbauged an 
 anxious look. The doctor cleared bis tliroat and 
 took up tbe story. 
 
 "JNo, my dear Captain, I regret tbat you 
 make one mistake. You said ' alone.' " 
 " Wbat ? Is tbere anotber trustee ? " 
 " Tbere is tbe man alreadj^ mentioned — 
 Eoderick Salt." 
 
 " Tut, tut— be's dead." 
 " I fear, on tbe contrary, tbat be's alive." 
 " But be was drowned, confound bim ! " 
 " Some meddling Netberlander, cursed witb 
 too mucb bumanity, must bave baulked tbe will 
 of beaven by dragging bim out of tbe ditch and 
 reviving bim He was rescued, sir, and clapped 
 into prison; escaped by turning traitor and 
 entering tbe service of tbe Prince of Orange — 
 in wbat capacity I dare not say, but, likely
 
 7U TUh' VLVK r.WlLluNS. 
 
 enoui^L as a spy, or porha])s a kidiiajjper of 
 soklicrs. There are plenty of tl»e trade along tlie 
 frontiers just now. lie has changed his name, 
 but has been recognised by more than one 
 Harwich man at the Hague, and again at Cux- 
 haven. For a year, now, I have heard nothing 
 of him. J3elike he is off npon a dirty mission 
 to some German principality no bigger than your 
 back garden ; ambassadors of his size are as easy 
 to find on the Continent of Europe as a needle 
 in a bottle of ha}'. Or, may-be, he wanders on 
 some gaming campaign of his own " 
 
 The face of Captain Runacles, as the doctor 
 proceeded, went through three rapid changes of 
 colour — white, scarlet, and purple. 
 
 "You knew all this?" he shouted, the con- 
 gested veins standing out upon his temples; 
 "you knew all this, and kept us in the 
 dark ? " 
 
 "I did. It affected the child in no way. 
 The fellow clearly knew nothing, or cared 
 nothing, about Tristram. Even supposing — 
 whicli was absurd — that he would wish to burden 
 himself with the boy, I felt pretty sure of 
 Barker's ability to cope with him, at the briefest 
 notice. Moreover, considering his mode of life, 
 I hoped by waiting a very short while \o be able 
 to tell you that Captain Salt's career was ended
 
 THE MISSING TRUSTEE. 71 
 
 by the halter. You see, he was evidently not 
 born to be drowned, and I drew the usual 
 inference. But Mr. Finch's news puts a very 
 different complexion on the business. Tristram 
 being heir, as I understand, to some fifteen 
 hundred pounds per annum " 
 
 "Mr. Finch," said the Captain, calmly, 
 stepping to the door and locking it, "have you, 
 by any chance, the intention of seeking out mv 
 co-trustee ? " 
 
 " H'm : I am bound, sir, to consider my 
 duty as a professional man." 
 
 " Let me entreat you also to reconsider it." 
 
 The little attorney glanced over his shoulder 
 at the closed door. 
 
 " Sir," he replied with dignity, " I perceive 
 that I have been unfortunate enoue'h to srive 
 you a wrong notion of my character. Let me 
 say that, in interpreting my duty, I am even less 
 likely to be coerced by threats than by the strict 
 letter of the law. I will not be dragooned. 
 And I decide nothing until you have opened 
 that door." 
 
 " And that's mighty well said," commented 
 Dr. Beckerleo-. 
 
 Captain Jemmy slipped back the bolt. 
 
 " I shall nevertheless hold j^ou to account," 
 he growled.
 
 72 TJIE BLUE rAVJL10.\iS. 
 
 " Thank you ; I luii accustomed to responsi- 
 bility. And now let me say that as the child 
 seems to Ijc in ij^ood hands " 
 
 "On the contrary, he's in outrai^eously bad 
 
 ones." 
 
 " or rather, in the hands of au uprii^ht 
 
 and kindly gentleman, T think we may, perhaps, 
 agree that these rumours about Captain Salt are 
 — shall we say? — too good to be true. May I 
 ask Dr. Beckerleg here if he believes in ghosts? " 
 
 " Firmly," answered the doctor, hiding a 
 smile. 
 
 " I have known occasions," the attorney 
 went on, witli a serious face, " when a cautious 
 belit'f in ghosts has proved of the very highest 
 si'rvice in dealing with ap})arently intractable 
 problems. Or suppose we call it an hypothesis, 
 liable to correction " 
 
 " That's it," assented the Captain heartily. 
 " I can believe Koderick Salt to be a ghost until 
 he comes to me and proves that he is not." 
 
 " iJecidedly." 
 
 " And then I'll make him one." 
 
 The corners of Mr. Finch's mouth twitched 
 perceptibly. 
 
 " Gently, dear sir ; remember, please, that I 
 am onl}^ concerned with the immediate situation. 
 To-morrow I start again for Bristol, leaving the
 
 A VISIT OF STATE. 73 
 
 future to be dealt witli as your prudence m ay- 
 direct. But I have no doubt," he added with a 
 bow, " that you will act, in all contingencies, 
 with a single eye to the child's welfare. It is 
 understood, then, that the child, Tristram Salt, 
 remains under the care of Captain Barker, your 
 friend, and his adoptive father " 
 
 " Not at all." 
 
 " I think so," said Dr. Beckerleg, quietly, 
 looking straiglit into the captain's eyes. 
 
 " That's for me to decide, doctor." 
 
 " Tut-tut ! it was decided the moment you 
 were born." 
 
 " I think," Mr. Finch interposed, " it is time 
 I gave Captain Eunacles some necessary informa- 
 tion about the boy's inheritance." 
 
 It was close upon four o'clock when the little 
 Hue door which, until that morniuir, had re- 
 mained shut for over four years was opened a 
 second time, and Captain Eunacles stepped 
 through into Captain Barker's domain. His 
 wig was carefully brushed, and he carried a 
 gold-headed cane. Whatever emotion he may 
 have felt was concealed by the upright carriage 
 and solemn pace proper to a visit of state. 
 
 Captain Barker, who stood at the low^er end 
 of the garden, and stooped over his beloved 
 tulips, started at the sound of footsteps, looked
 
 74 Tin: ulii: i'a\jjj(j.\s. 
 
 roiiiul, antl, liastily })liickiii!j^ liis \vi<r IVuiii the 
 handle of a spade that stood iipriiifht in the 
 mould by his elbow, aiTanjj^od it upon his bald 
 seal}) and awaited the other's advance. 
 
 The pair did not shake hands. 
 
 " I have come to speak with you about — er — 
 Tristram." The name stuck in Captain Jeremy's 
 throat. 
 
 " The boy strayed into youi- promises to-day. 
 1 know it. If you are agi^rieved by such a 
 trifle " 
 
 "I am not. If you doubt the sufliciency of 
 my excuse lor calling upon you, let me say at 
 once that I come as the boy's guardian." 
 
 " Upon my word " 
 
 "As his legal guardian." 
 
 " Bah ! This is too much ! Do j'-ou con- 
 ceive yourself to be jesting ? " 
 
 " Have you ever known me to jest ? 
 
 " Not wilfully." 
 
 "Not, at any rate, upon ])archment. Be so 
 good as to run your eye over this." 
 
 The little man took the cojjy of Silvanus 
 Tellworthy's will and fumbled it between his 
 timbers. 
 
 " Is this some dirty trick of lawyer's work ? " 
 
 '' It is." 
 
 '■ Do you really wish me to read it? "
 
 CAPTAIN BARKER'S FEELINGS ARE HURT. 75 
 
 " Unless you prefer me to exphiin." 
 
 " I do— vastly." 
 
 " Very well, then." 
 
 And Captain Eunacles proceeded to explain 
 the will in a hard, methodical voice, nodding 
 his head whenever he reached a point of im- 
 portance at the parchment which rustled between 
 Captain Barker's fingers. For a while this 
 rustle sounded like the whisper of a gathering 
 storm. 
 
 " It follows from this," concluded Captain 
 Eunacles, " that I am responsible for the child's 
 upbringing. Can you carry the reasoning a step 
 further ? " 
 
 The little man looked up. The wrath had 
 clean died out of his puckered face ; and in place 
 of it there showed a blank despair, mingled with 
 loathing and unspeakable bitterness of soul. 
 
 " Yes, I can," he replied very slowlj^, and 
 turning away his face leant a hand on the 
 spade beside him. " Oh, Jemmj^, Jemmy ! " he 
 muttered. 
 
 There was no entreaty in the words, but 
 they pierced Captain Jemmy's heart like two 
 stabs of a knife. He took a step forward, and 
 stretched out a hand as if to \cij it on his old 
 friend's shoulder. Tlie little man jumped aside, 
 faced him again, hissing out one word —
 
 76 THE BLUE VAVILLUSS. 
 
 " Yoif I " 
 
 The arm dropped. 
 
 " Jack — I'm sorry ; Lut you have drawn the 
 wroiii,'' conclusion." 
 
 The pair looked each other in the face for 
 a moment, and Captain llunacles went on, but 
 more coldly, and as if rej)eating a task — 
 
 " Yes, the wrong conclusion. For ni}'^ own 
 part, as you once pointed out, I have a i^irl. I 
 may add that I propose to train up Sophia; 
 and 1 haven't the faintest doubt that, in spite of 
 her sex, T can train her to knock your Tristram 
 into a cocked hat in every department of useful 
 knowledge. At the same time it has occurred 
 to me that, as his guardian, 1 am at least bound 
 to give the boy every chance. You are teaching 
 him gardening? " 
 
 " Captain J3arker nodded, with a face pro- 
 f<jundly puzzled. 
 
 " Y'ou object to it? " he asked. 
 
 " Decidedly, under 3'our present conditions. 
 You are cramped for space." 
 
 " We are using every inch between the road 
 and the marsh." 
 
 " Y'^ou forget m}^ back-garden, which lies 
 waste at present." 
 
 " ]\Iy dear Jemmy ! " 
 
 " By knocking a hole in the l)arty hedge you
 
 THE BALM OF FRIENDSHIP. 77 
 
 gain two and a-hal£ acres at least. Then, as to 
 water — you depend on the rain-fall." 
 
 "That's true." 
 
 " But there's an excellent spring between this 
 and Dovercourt ; and the owner will sell." 
 
 " It's half a mile away." 
 
 " God bless my soul ! I suppose I am not 
 too old to desis^n a conduit." 
 
 Captain Jack's arm stole into Captain 
 Jemmy's. 
 
 " You'll be saj^ing next," the latter went on, 
 " that I'm too old to set about drainino- the 
 marsh. Then, as to sun-dials: you're amazingly 
 deficient in sun-dials. Now half-a-dozen here 
 and there — and k fish-pond or two — unless j-ou'd 
 like to have a moat. I could run you a moat 
 around the back, and keep it supplied with fresh 
 water all the year round. By the wa}^ talking 
 of moats and fresh water, did I tell you that 
 Roderick Salt was not drowned, after all ? " 
 
 " Eh ? How did he die, then ? " 
 
 " He's not dead." 
 
 " Good God ! " 
 
 " He has been seen at the Hao^ue, and asfain 
 at Cuxhaven, by men of this very port. Becker- 
 leg will give you their names." 
 
 " But you toll me — the will, here, sa3^s — that 
 he's joint guardian "
 
 78 THE BLUE 1' AVI LIONS. 
 
 "Yes; it's serious, if he iliuls out. Mr. 
 Finch — I may say I've a large respect for tliat 
 attorney — Mr. Finch suggests that it may have 
 been his c^liost. I tliink, Jack, we must take 
 tliat explanation." 
 
 " Rubbish ! " 
 
 " Gliosts have some usofnl properties." 
 
 " Name one or two." 
 
 *' Well, to start with, they can be disbelievet) 
 in until seen." 
 
 " 1 begin to see." 
 
 "Then, again, should one appear, he can 
 be believed in. ar.d walked through. This is a 
 rule without exceptions. If you have reason to 
 believe that a ghost stands before you, your first 
 step would be to make a hole in him to convince 
 yourself." 
 
 " But if one should be mistaken ? " 
 
 " If the apparition gives up the ghost, so to 
 speak, and you find yourself mistaken, I see no 
 harm in owning it. As co-trustee of aggrieved 
 man, I will at any time listen to your apologies. 
 By-the-bye, I have asked Mr. Finch to call uj^on 
 vou to-morrow and e.vplain his theor}^ among 
 other matters of business. You will understand 
 that I bear no affection towards this boy of 
 yours : on the contrary, I sincerely desire my 
 Sophia to shame him with her attainments. It
 
 RECONCILIATION. 70 
 
 is a mere matter of my duty towards him ; and 
 I'll be obliged if you keep him, as far as possible, 
 
 out of my si gilt. Now about those dials " 
 
 Captain Barker understood, but replied onlv 
 by tightening for a moment the hand that rested 
 on his comrade's sleeve. The old friends moved 
 on beside the flower-borders and fell into trivial 
 converse to hide a joy as deep as that of 
 sweethearts who have quarrelled and now are 
 reconciled.
 
 RO 
 
 CJ1A1''I'K1{ V. 
 
 A SWA U M or 1$KKS. 
 
 'J'liK ij^reen volumes in which, lor the iioxt 
 tliirtceu years, Captain Barker kept accurate 
 chronicle of Tristram's proj^ress, and of every 
 fact, how^ever trivial, that seemed to illustrate it, 
 have since been lost to the world, as our story 
 will show. There were thirty-seven of these 
 volumes; and as soon as one was filled Dr. 
 ]>eckerleg presented another. It is our duty to 
 take up the tale on the 1st of May, 1091 — the 
 very day upon which misfortune stopped Captain 
 Barker's pen and (as it turned out) closed his 
 mafjnum opus for ever. 
 
 Let us record only that during these thirteen 
 years Tristram added so much to his stature 
 as to astonish his friends whenever they looked 
 at him; and that he took little interest in the 
 affairs of the world beyond the privet hedge — 
 affairs which just then were extremely unsettled, 
 and disturbed the sleep and appetite of a vast 
 number of people. To begin with, King Charles 
 had died without doing his faithful subjects the 
 honour of explaining whether he did so as a 
 Protestant or a Papist, an nncertainty which
 
 A SUMMARY Oh' THIRTEEN YEARS. 81 
 
 caused them endless trouble. The religion of 
 his brother and successor, though quite un- 
 ambiguous, put them to no less vexation by 
 being incurably wrong ; and after four years of 
 heated controversy they felt justified in Hocking, 
 more in sorrow than in anger, round the standard 
 of William, Prince of Orange, who agreed with 
 them on first principles, and had sailed into 
 Torbay before an exceedingly prosperous breeze. 
 King James having escaped to Saint Germains, 
 King William reigned in his stead, to the welfare 
 of his people and the disgust of Captain Barker 
 and Captain Ituuacles, who, from habit, were 
 unable to regard a Dutchman otherwise than as 
 an enemy to be knocked on the head. Moreover, 
 they retained a warm respect for the seamanship 
 of their ejected Sovereign, under whom they had 
 frequently served, when, as Duke of York, he had 
 commanded the British Fleet. 
 
 Now, shortly after daybreak upon May 
 morning, 1691 — which fell on a Friday — his 
 Majesty King William the Third set out from 
 Kensington for Harwich, where a squadron of 
 five-and-twenty sail, under command of Ilear- 
 Admiral Eooke, lay waiting to escort him to the 
 Hague, there toopen the summer campaign against 
 King Lewis of France. This expedition raised 
 his Majesty's spirits for more than one reason. 
 
 G
 
 s'j 77//; /;/.///■; i.wi lions. 
 
 Not only would it take him Tor some months out 
 of a country ho dt'tcsted, and hack to Ids heloved 
 Holland — the very llatncss of which was in- 
 expressihly dear to his recollection, thouLn'h he 
 had left it hut a month or two — hut the prospect 
 ol" this 3'ear's campaiL;*n had awakened quite 
 an extraordinary enthusiasm in England. For 
 the first time since Henry the EiL,dith bad laid 
 siege to Boulogne, an English army commanded 
 by an English king was about to exhibit its 
 prowess on Continental soil. It became the rage 
 among the young gentlemen of St. James's and 
 Whitehall to volunteer for seryice in Flanders. 
 The coffee-liouses were tbreatened with desertion, 
 and a prodigious number of banquets had been held 
 by way of farewell. The regiments which marched 
 into Harwich on the last day of AjDril to await 
 the lvin<r were swollen with recruits easrer for 
 glory. Addresses of duty and loyalty met his 
 Majesty at every halting-place, and acclamations 
 ibllowed the royal coach throughout the route. 
 The townsfolk of Harwich, in particular, had 
 hung out every scrap of bunting they could find, 
 besides erecting half-a-dozen triumphal arches, 
 which by their taste and magnificence were 
 calculated to leave the most favourable inq)ression 
 in the Sovereign's mind. 
 
 The first of these arches, bearing the
 
 THE BEES BEGIN TO SWAUM 83 
 
 inscription, God Save King William, Defender of 
 our FaUh and Liberty, was erected on the London 
 road, a dozen paces beyond the Fish and Anchor 
 Inn, Captain Barker having refused the landlord 
 — who desired to build the arch right in front of 
 his inn-door — permission to set up any pole or 
 support against the privet-hedge. In fact, he 
 and Captain Runacles had sworn very heartily 
 to sit indoors, pull down tlieir blinds, and with- 
 hold their countenances from the usurper. 
 
 Nature, however, which regards neither the 
 majest}^ of Kings nor the indignation of their 
 subjects, made frustrate this unamiable design. 
 
 At twenty minutes past four that afternoon, 
 a hive-full of Captain Barker's bees took it into 
 their heads to swarm. 
 
 It was a warm afternoon, and the little man 
 sat in his library composing a letter to Mr. John 
 Eay, of Cambridge University, whose forthcom- 
 ing " Historia Plantarum " he believed himself to 
 be enriching with one or two suggestions on 
 hibernation. Narcissus Swiggs was down at the 
 Fish and Anchor, drinking King AVilliam's 
 health. Tristram, who was supposed to be at 
 work clipping the privet-hedge around the 
 apiarium, was engaged in the summer-house, at 
 the far end of it, upon business of his own. 
 
 This business — the nature of which shall be
 
 84 TJIE BLUE L'AVILIOXS. 
 
 explained hoivaftLT — cumpletely engrossed him. 
 Nor (lid lie even liear the restless liiini of the 
 bees ut the mouth of the hive, ten paces away, 
 ni.r the noisy bustle of the drones. It was only 
 when the swarm poured out upon the air with a 
 whir of wini^'s, and, darkeninL^ for an instant the 
 sunny doorway of the summer-house, sailed over 
 the yew hedge towards the road, that Tristram 
 leapt to his feet and ran at full speed towards 
 the pavilion. 
 
 "The bees have swarmed !" he called out, 
 thrusting his head in at the library window. 
 
 Captain Barker dropped his pen, bounced up, 
 and came rushing out by the front door. 
 ,.. "Where?" 
 
 " Down towards the road." 
 
 Years had not tamed the little hunchback's 
 agility. Without troubling to fetch hat or wig, 
 he raced down the garden path, and had alm<jst 
 reached the gate before Tristram caught him up. 
 
 " Up or down did they go ? " he asked, 
 standing in the middle of the road, uncertain in 
 which direction to run. 
 
 "Across, most likely; but higher up than 
 this, by the line they took," Tristram answered, 
 pointing in the direction of the town. " Hullo 1 " 
 
 " What is it?" 
 
 " Why, look : there — under the arch ! "
 
 UNDER THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH 85 
 
 Beneath the very centre of the triumphal 
 arch, and directly under the sacred name of 
 King William, there hung a black object larger 
 than a man's head, and in shape resembling a 
 bunch of grapes. It was the swarm, and a very 
 fine one, numbering — as Captain Barker esti- 
 mated — twenty thousand workers at the very 
 least. He ran under the arch, and nearly 
 cricked his neck staring up at them. 
 
 His excited motions had been seen by a 
 small knot of waggoners and farm-hands, who 
 were drinking and gossiping on the benches 
 before the Fish and Anchor, to wile away the 
 time of waiting for the King's arrival. At first 
 they thought the royal cavalcade must be =in 
 sight, though not expected for an hour or more ; 
 and hurried up in twos and threes. 
 
 " What's the to-do, Captain ? " 
 
 "Where's that lumbering fool Narcissus?" 
 demanded Captain Barker, stamping his foot 
 and pointing to the cluster over his head. 
 
 Mr. Swiggs came forward, wiping his mouth 
 with the back of his hand. Pie had been the 
 last to arrive, having lingered a minute to attend 
 to the half-emptied mugs of his more impatient 
 fellows. 
 
 " Here," he announced. 
 
 " Fetch a ladder, and bring one of the new
 
 80 Till: BLUE I'AVIIAOXS. 
 
 hives — the one I rubbed with elder-biuls the 
 day Ijcfore yesterday. 'J'ristrani, run to the 
 liouse for my gloves and a board. Quick, I say 
 — liere, somebod}^ kick that one-eyed dawdler ! 
 AVliat the ])la<;-ue ? Haven't there been kings 
 enough in England these last fifty years that you 
 waste a erood afternoon on the look-out for the 
 newest? " 
 
 " You'll be careful of my arch, Captain ? " 
 the landlord hazarded nervously. His Majesty'Il 
 be coming along presently " 
 
 " I'll be careful of my bees. B'ye want me 
 to leave them there till he passes, and may-be 
 to lose the half of my swarm down the nape of 
 his royal neck ? I can't help their wearing the 
 orange : they were born o' that colour, which is 
 more than you can say, landlord, or any man 
 Jack here present. ]3ut I can prevent their 
 swarming and buzzing in his ^lajesty's path 
 like any crowd of turncoats. Ah, here comes 
 Tristram with the ladder. Set it here, my boy. 
 Take care — don't run a hole through Kitif/ 
 William. — leave that to his new friends. So — 
 now pull on the gloves and step up, while I 
 come after with the hive." 
 
 Tristram, having fixed the ladder firmly, a 
 little to the right of "(^iq swarm, began to ascend. 
 Captain Barker, giving orders to Narcissus to
 
 THE HIVING IS INTERRUPTED. 87 
 
 stand by with the flat iDoard, took the empty 
 hive, and holding it balanced, npside-down, in 
 the hollow of his palm, was preparing to follow 
 on Tristram's heels, when an interruption oc- 
 curred. 
 
 Eound the corner of the road from Harwich 
 town came a red-coated captain, riding on a gre}^ 
 charger, and behind him a company of foot 
 marching eight abreast, with a sergeant beside 
 them . 
 
 "Hullo!" cried the Captain, lialting his 
 company and riding forward. He was a thin 
 and foppish young gentleman in a flaxen wig, 
 and spoke with a high sense of anthorit\', 
 having but recently sacrificed the pleasures of 
 his coffee-house and a fine view of St. James's 
 Park to seek even in the cannon's mouth a 
 bubble reputation that promised to be fashion- 
 able. 
 
 " Hullo ! what's the meaning of this ? " 
 
 " Bees," answered Captain Barker, shortly. 
 " Narcissus, is the board ready ? " 
 
 " Do 3^ou know, sir, that his Majesty is 
 shortly expected along here ? " 
 
 " To be sure I do." 
 
 " Then, sir, you are obstructing the road. 
 This is most irregular." 
 • "Not at all — most regular thing in the
 
 88 Tiir: ni.ri: r.wiLR^Ns. 
 
 uoild. A liiilc c.-irlv, ))('rlm])s, for tlio first, 
 swarm, Ijut " 
 
 " Jie so good as to take down tliat ladder at 
 once, and let my coni]iany pass." 
 
 "A step lii<jfher, Tristram," said the little 
 man, tnrnin"^ a deaf ear to this order. " JJetter 
 use the rij^ht hand. Wait a moment, while 1 
 get the hive underneatli." 
 
 " Take down that ladder ! " shouted the red- 
 coated officer. 
 
 " You must wait a moment, I'm afraid." 
 
 *' You refuse? " 
 
 " Oh, dear, yes ! Keep back, sir, for the bees 
 are easily frightened." 
 
 "Sergeant!" foamed the 3'oung man, "come 
 and remove this bidder ! " 
 
 He spurred his horse up to the arcb as 
 the sergeant stepped forward. The beast, being 
 restive, rubbed against the ladder with his Hank 
 and shook it violently just as Tristram dislodged 
 the swarm overhead. Captain Barker reached 
 out, how^ever, and caught them deftly in the 
 upturned hive. Into it they tundjled plump. 
 But the little man, exasperated by the shock, 
 had now completely lost his temper. AVith 
 sudden and infernal malice he inverted the bee- 
 hive and clapped it, bees and all, on the officer's 
 head.
 
 HOW CAPTAIN BARKER USED THE BEE-HIVE. 89 
 
 With that he skipped down to the ground, 
 and Tristram, foreseeing mischief, slid down 
 after him, quick as tliouglit. 
 
 The officer roared Hke Hercules causrht in 
 the shirt of Nessus. Nor for a few seconds 
 could he get rid of his diabolical helmet : for a 
 couple of bees had stung the charger, which 
 began to plunge and caper like a mad thing, 
 scattering the crowd right and left with his 
 hoofs. When at length he shook the hive off, 
 the furious swarm poured out upon the air, 
 dealing vengeance. The soldiers, whose red coats 
 attracted them at once, fled this way and that, 
 howling with pain, pursued now by the bees and 
 now chased into circles by the lashing heels of 
 the grey horse. The poor brute was stung by 
 degrees into a frenzy. With a wild leap, in 
 which his fonr legs seemed to meet under his 
 belly, he pitched his master clean over the 
 crupper, and, as a wind through chaff, swept 
 through the people at a gallop and off' along the 
 road towards the town. 
 
 " Phew ! " whistled Captain John Barker : 
 and stepping quickly to the prostrate officer he 
 whipped the unhappy gentleman's sword from 
 its sheath and handed it to Tristram. 
 
 " We'd best get ont of this." 
 
 " That's not easy. There's a score of soldiers
 
 90 THE BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 between iis and tlio ij^ate ; and tlie sergeant looks 
 like niischiel." 
 
 " ]51ess my soul, what a face I've put on tliat 
 youni^ man ! 
 
 The olheei', who had been stunned for a 
 moment by his fall, was soon recalled to life by 
 the pain of the stings. He sat up and looked 
 round. Already his face had about as much 
 feature as a turnip. His e3'es were closing fast, 
 and a lump as large as a plover's cg^:^ hung on 
 his under lip. 
 
 " Seize those men ! " he shouted, and began 
 a string of oaths, but stojjpcd because the utter- 
 ance caused him agony. 
 
 The sergeant, who had been bending over 
 him, drew his side-arm and advanced — a hulk- 
 ing big fellow with a pimply face, and an ugly 
 look in his eye. 
 
 "Dad," said Tristram, "you made me pro- 
 mise once never to run a man through unless 
 he molested me in the midst of a peaceful 
 pursuit." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " It appears to me that bee-keeping is a 
 peaceful pursuit." 
 
 " Decidedl3^" 
 
 " And that this fellow is going to molest 
 
 me.
 
 HOW TRISTRAM USED A BORROWED SWORD. 91 
 
 " It looks like it." 
 
 " Then I may run him through ? " 
 
 " Say rather that you must." 
 
 " Thank you, dad. I felt sure of it ; but 
 tliis is the first time I've had to decide, and as 
 it was a promise — You'd best get behind me, I 
 think. Set your back to the arch. Now, sir." 
 
 " You are my prisoners," the sergeant an- 
 nounced. 
 
 " Pardon me. Let me direct your notice to 
 fhis weapon, which is in cf/iie — 3'ou seem to 
 have overlooked it." 
 
 ," You are making matters worse." 
 
 " That is very likely. Guard, sir, if you 
 please." 
 
 " You mean to resist ? " 
 
 " Ah, have you grasped that fact, at last ? " 
 
 The sergeant rushed upon him, and crossed 
 swords. His first lunge was put aside easily, 
 and he was forced to break o-round. 
 
 " Hullo ! So you can really fence ! " lie 
 panted, feinting and aiming a furious thrust at 
 Tristram's throat. 
 
 " Upon my word," said Tristram, parrying, 
 and running him through the thigh as he re- 
 covered, " this gentleman seems astonished at 
 everything! " 
 
 As the sergeant dropped, Captain Barker
 
 92 THE JiLUE J'AVJLTOXS. 
 
 tlartod from Ijcliind Tristram and ])()iuicod upon 
 a musket wliich one of tlie soldiers had ahaii- 
 doned when first assailed by the bees. 
 
 '■ Tliis frets serious," lie muttered. " Those 
 fellows yonder are fixing bayonets." 
 
 Indeed, some half-a-dozen of the red-coats 
 had already done so, and surrender seemed but 
 a matter of a few moments only. 
 
 " Give me the musket," sjiid Tristram ])la- 
 cidjy, " and take the sword. My arm is longer 
 than yours. Now get behind my shoulder 
 again. Don't expose yourself, but if one of 
 these fellows slips under my guard, I leave him 
 to you." 
 
 " Good bo}'- ! " murmured the little man, 
 exchanging weapons. It is a fact that tears of 
 pride filled his eyes. 
 
 " There are six of them. Excuse me, dad, 
 if I ask you to look out for 3'our head. I am 
 going to try a vfouIi?ict." 
 
 The six soldiers came on in a very deter- 
 mined manner, each man presenting his bayonet 
 at Tristram's chest. They had little doubt of 
 his instant submission, and were considerably 
 surprised when Tristram, lifting the musket by 
 its barrel, began to whirl it round his head with 
 the fury of a maniac. The foremost, as the butt 
 whizzed by his cheek, drew back a pace.
 
 THU FIGHT IN TUE ROAD. 93 
 
 " IvLin tlie rebels through ! " cursed the 
 officer behind them. 
 
 The leader shortened his grasp on liis 
 bayonet, and, watching his opportunity, dashed 
 under Tristram's arm. At the same instant 
 Captain Barker popped out, and with a quiet 
 pass spitted him clean through the right lung. 
 
 " All together, you sons of dogs ! " yelled the 
 sergeant, who had dragged himself to a little 
 distance, and was stanching the How of blood 
 from his wounded thigh. 
 
 Two of the soldiers heard the advice and 
 came on tosrether with a rush. The first of 
 them caught the full swing of Tristram's musket 
 on the side of his stiff cap and went down like 
 an ox. The second took Captain Barker's sword 
 through the left arm and dropped his bayonet. 
 But before either Tristram or the Captain could 
 disengage his weapon the other three assailants 
 Avere upon them, and the fight was over. 
 
 " Surrender ! " cried one, holding his point 
 a£i-ainst Tristram's chest. 
 
 "Must I?" the latter inquired, turning to 
 Captain Barker. 
 
 " H'm, there seems to be no choice." 
 
 " And you, also, sir." 
 
 " Certainl}'. Here is my sword ; it belongs to 
 your captain, yonder, whom you may recognise
 
 Oi Till: JifA'h' PAVILIONS. 
 
 by liis uniforin. Assure him, with my com- 
 pliiiu'uts " 
 
 He was in{('nMii)t('tl by the clatter of hoofs, 
 ami two i^^entlemeii on liorsebuck came caiiteriiii^ 
 up the road and drew rein suddenly. 
 
 " llev ! What have we here? " demanded a 
 ioreii^n voice. 
 
 The soldiers turned and presented arms in a 
 IhnMy. The taller of the two horsemen was an 
 extremely handsome cavalier in a nut-brown 
 peruque and scarlet riding-suit on which several 
 orders jilistened. He bestrode a black charo-er 
 of remarkable size and beauty; and seemed, by 
 his stature and presence, to domineer over his 
 companion, a small man with a hooked nose and 
 an extremely emaciated face, who wore a plain 
 habit of dark purple and rode a sorrel l^lood-mare 
 of no especial points. Nevertheless it was this 
 little man who had spoken, and at the sound of 
 his voice a whisper ran through the crowd — 
 
 "The King!" 
 
 It was, in fact, his Majesty, King William 
 HI., wdio, tired of the slow jolting of the royal 
 coach along the abominable road of that period, 
 had exchanged that equipage for his hivourite 
 mare and cantered ahead of his escort, refreshing 
 his senses in the strong breeze that swept from 
 seaward across the level country.
 
 KING WILLIAM. 95 
 
 " Sir, will you be good enough to explain ? " 
 lie demanded again, addressing the unfortunate 
 officer, who had picked himself up from the road, 
 and stood covered with shame and swellings. 
 
 " Your Majesty, the two prisoners here were 
 engagt'd in obstructing 3^our Majesty's high-road." 
 
 " They seem to be still doing so." 
 
 " And knowing that your Majesty was shortly 
 expected to pass, I proceeded to remove them." 
 
 " But what is this ? A company of my foot- 
 guards in confusion ! One — two — three — four 
 of them wounded — if, indeed, one is not killed 
 outright ! Do j^ou tell me that this old man 
 and this boy have done it all, besides bruising 
 the faces of a dozen more ? " 
 
 " They and a swarm of cursed bees, your 
 Majesty." 
 
 " This is incredible. Bees ? " 
 
 " Yes, your Majesty," put in Captain Barker, 
 " he is telling 3'ou the truth. You see, it 
 happened, that my bees swarmed this afternoon, 
 and had no better taste than to alight on this 
 arch, under which your Majesty was shortly 
 expected to pass. We were about to hive them 
 when this young gentleman came along at the 
 head of his company, and there arose a discussion, 
 at the end of which I hived him instead." 
 
 " But these wounded men^ "
 
 'jii Tiih: nun-: i-aiiijoxs. 
 
 "All, \()ur M;lj(^st3^ it was uiirortunate ; but 
 oiR' can never tell wIrto these discussions will 
 end." 
 
 " 'I'hree of my men and u sergeant placed 
 //or.s (h' coinbal — a dozen more unfit to be seen — 
 an otlicer dismounted, and his whole company 
 scattered like a Hock of geese ! I am seriously 
 annoyed, sir. What is your name? " 
 
 " Sire, I am called Captain Barker, and was 
 formerly an olKcer in the lleet of his late Majesty 
 Kino' Charles the Second." 
 
 " Barker — ^^Barker, I seem to remember your 
 name. Captain John Barker, are you not ? " 
 
 " That is so." 
 
 " Sometime in command of the Wunp 
 frigate ? " 
 
 " Your Majesty has a perfect recollection of 
 his most insignificant enemies." 
 
 King William bit his lip. 
 
 " j\Iy memory is good. Captain Barker, as you 
 sa}'. Why did you quit the service ? " 
 
 " For private reasons." 
 
 " Come, sir ; you were, if I remember right, 
 a gallant commander. With such their country's 
 service stands above private reasons. Of late 
 your country's claim has been urgent upon all 
 brave men ; and, by the havoc I see around, you 
 are not past warfare."
 
 CAPTAIN BARKER DISLIKES DUTCHMEN. 97 
 
 " Well, but " 
 
 " Speak out." 
 
 " Sire, all my life I have fought against 
 Dutchmen." 
 
 " You found them worthy foes, I expect." 
 
 " In all respects." 
 
 " Would they be less worthy allies ? " 
 
 " Not at all. But consider, sire, the habits 
 of a lifetime. From boyhood I never met a 
 Dutchman whom it was not my duty to knock 
 down. To-day, if I sailed in an English ship-of- 
 war, what should I find ? Dutchmen all around 
 me. Your Majesty, I cannot speak the Dutch 
 language except with a cutlass. I distrust my 
 habits. They would infallibl}^ lead to confusion. 
 In the heat of action, for instance " 
 
 The little man stopped abruptly. It seemed 
 that his speech gave uncommon pleasure to the 
 tall gentleman on the black charger, whose face 
 twitched with a barely perceptible smile. King 
 William, on the other hand, was frowning 
 heavily. 
 
 " Sir," he said, " your tongue runs dan- 
 gerously near sedition." 
 
 " I am sorry your Majesty thinks so." 
 
 " You are also very foolish. I find you 
 incurriug ni}^ just anger, and hint, as plainly as 
 I can, at an honourable way of escape. Captain 
 
 H
 
 y« 77//-; IILI'K I'AVILJUNS. 
 
 IJarkcr. are you uwaro that your case is 
 
 •J >> 
 serious r 
 
 " I am, sire. Nevcrtliclcss, I decline to 
 escape by the road you are y;uod enough to 
 leave opm." 
 
 " Your reasons ? " 
 
 " They are private, as I had the honour to 
 inform your Majesty." 
 
 " My lord," said the KinL,^ turnini^ Irritably 
 to his coinj)anion, " what shall 1 do to this 
 intractable old man ? You have a voice in this, 
 seeini,' that he has spoilt lour of your favourite 
 guards. 
 
 The tall man in scarlet bent and muttered 
 a word or two in a low voice. 
 
 " Ah, to be sure : I had ibrgotten the 
 youngster. Is this your son, sir ? " 
 
 " By adoption only." 
 
 " A strapping fellow," said his Majesty, 
 eyeing Tristram from head to foot. 
 
 *' And as good as he's tail. Sire, his offence 
 — if olfence it be — arose from the affection he 
 bears me, and from no worse cause. He would 
 not willingly hurt a lly. 
 
 " What is he called? 
 
 '"I'ri.tram." 
 
 "■ He has a second name, T suppose? " 
 
 "Tristram Salt, then, in full." 
 
 >»
 
 CAPTAIN BUNACLES INTERPOSES. 99 
 
 The man in scarlet at these words gave a 
 quick, penetrating glance at the speaker, and for 
 an instant seemed about to speak ; but closed 
 his lips again, and fell to regarding Tristram 
 with interest, as King William went on — 
 
 " He ought to be in my army." 
 
 " Your Majesty does him much honour, 
 but " 
 
 ''But?" 
 
 " May it please your Majesty, I had other 
 intentions concerning him." 
 
 " My lord of Marlborough," said the King, 
 turning coldly from the little man and pointing 
 with his gloved hand towards Tristram, " allow 
 me to present you with a recruit." 
 
 Captain Barker's face was twisted with a 
 spasm of fury. But as he stammered for words 
 another voice was lifted, and Captain Eunacles 
 came through the crowd. He had been fetched 
 from his laboratory by Mr. Swiggs, and had 
 arrived on the scene in time to hear the last 
 sentence. 
 
 " Your Majesty ! Listen to me ! " 
 
 King William was turning calmly to ride back 
 to his escort. But at sight of the intruder's com- 
 manding and venerable figure he checked his mare. 
 
 " Pray, sir, who are you ? And what have 
 you to say ? "
 
 l(Xt TJIE LLIK I'AVILIUSS. 
 
 " I'm Jert'iny liunacles, and tliis lad's 
 guardian." 
 
 " III' is peculiai'l}' uulortunate in the loyalty 
 of his jn'otectors." 
 
 " Sire, 1 have served my country in times 
 2)ast." 
 
 " I know it, Captain Runacles. But it seems 
 that yuu, too, tight only against the Dutch." 
 
 " Your Majesty has, it appears, done me the 
 honour to study my poor record." 
 
 " My word, sir ! Does that surprise you ? " 
 
 " No, sire, it reassures me. For you must be 
 aware that I am no rebel." 
 
 "H'm." 
 
 " Though, to be sure, 1 cannot help my 
 tastes." 
 
 " You may sufler for them, none the 
 
 1 " 
 less. 
 
 '* I am ready to pay for them. Since your 
 Majesty has taken a fancy to this young 
 man " 
 
 " Who, by the way, has maltreated a whole 
 comi)an3' of my guards." 
 
 " permit me, as his guardian, to ransom 
 
 him. Hr lias large estates." 
 
 " You forget, sir," exclaimed the King 
 haughtily, " that I am jKinisliing him. Do you 
 entertain the idea of bribing me ? "
 
 TRISTRAM IS TAKEN TO TEE WARS. 101 
 
 " I forget nothing, sire. I even remember 
 that this is England, and not Holland." 
 
 " My lord," said William, turning to the 
 Earl of Marlborough, " I pray you dispose of the 
 recruit as you think fit. Have liim removed, 
 and have the high-road cleared of these rebels ; 
 for I see my escort down the road." 
 
 And touching the sorrel with his heel, his 
 Majesty cantered back to meet the approaching 
 cavalcade.
 
 !<»•. 
 
 THE EAR]. OF M \in,nOU()U(ilI SKKKS RECRUITS. 
 
 Ntcht liad Fallen, ft was past eight o'clock, 
 and Captain Jolni and ('aj>tain Jemmy sat facinp^ 
 each otlier, one on each side of the empty fire- 
 place, in Captain John's library, 'i'hey were in 
 complete darknes.s — for Hie red il,^1ow of tobac^co 
 in the pipe which Captain Jemmy pulled de- 
 jectedly could hardly be called a lii^dit. For 
 half-an-hour no word liad been spoken, when 
 somebody tapped at the door. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Captain Barker. 
 
 " A gentleman to see you," answered the 
 voice of ]\rr. Swiggs. 
 
 " What's his name ? " 
 
 
 
 " He won't say." 
 
 "Tell him \ am busy to-night." 
 
 Narcissus withdrew, and knocked again, a 
 minute later. 
 
 " He says he must see you." 
 
 " Have you turned him out ? " 
 
 " I told him you were busy with Captain 
 Jemmy. 'Who's Captain Jemmy?' he asks. 
 ' Caj)tain Jemmy liunacles,' I answers. ' All the 
 better.' savs ho."
 
 THE EARL OF MARLBOROUGH. 103 
 
 " Excuse me," said a voice at the door ; " but 
 my business concerns both of you gentlemen. 
 Also it concerns Tristram Salt." 
 
 " Narcissus, bring a couple of candles." 
 
 While Mr. Swiggs was executing this order 
 an oppressive silence filled the room. The 
 stranger's dark shadow rested motionless b}^ the 
 doorway. Above the breathing of the three 
 men could only be heard the far-off soiuid of 
 Harwich bells still ringing their welcome to 
 King William. 
 
 When the candles were brought in and Nar- 
 cissus had retired again, after closing the shut- 
 ters, the stranger removed the broad-brimmed 
 hat and heavy cloak which he had worn till that 
 moment, and tossed them negligently on the 
 table before him. 
 
 It was the scarlet- coated cavalier who had 
 ridden beside the King that afternoon. 
 
 " The Earl of Marlborough ! " 
 
 " The same, sirs ; and your servant." 
 
 "Be kind enough, my lord, to state the 
 message you bring from your master, and to 
 leave this house as soon as it is delivered." 
 
 To Captain Barker's astonishment, the Earl 
 showed no sign of resenting this speech. 
 
 " You are wrong," he answered quieth'- ; 
 "William of Orange is not my master. If I
 
 HU Tin: BLUE PAVlLIoXS. 
 
 mistake not, yon mikI 1. Lr<'ntleni('n, acknowlcdj^c 
 l)ut one sovereiLjn lulrr. Kin;^ .Tamos." 
 
 At tliese bold words, nttered in the calmest 
 voico, the two captains cauj^lit their breath and 
 stared at each other. Captain Kunacles was the 
 first to recover. He laivj^hed incredulously. 
 
 " Your lordship appears to have forgotten 
 Salisbury." 
 
 Anv other man would have winced at this 
 taunt. But the Earl of iVIarlborough met it 
 with the face of a statue. 
 
 '• Captain Kunacles, I have neither forgotten 
 it nor am likely to. The remembrance of that 
 afTair has f<dlowed me night and da}*. I cannot 
 — even now that I am pardoned — rid myself of 
 its horror. I cannot eat ; I cannot sleep. I see 
 my crime in its true light, and am appalled by 
 its enormit}'. And yet — God help me ! — T 
 thought at the time I was saving my country. 
 Gentlemen, you, who have laced no such re- 
 s])()nsibility as then confronted me, will be apt 
 t«> iu<l<:e me without mercv. T know not if I 
 can persuade you that my remorse is honest. 
 Ihit consider — here am I at AVilliani's right 
 hand, already rich and powerful, and pos.sessing 
 limitles:-! prospects ol' increased power and riches. 
 Yet I am ready to sacrifice everything, to brave 
 evervthinir, to bring utter ruin on my fortune,
 
 THE EARL UNBUIWENS HIS SOUL. 105 
 
 if only I can rid myself of this nightmare of 
 shame. Is this the attitude of insincerity ? " 
 
 " Upon my word, my lord, I'd give some- 
 thing to know why the devil you tell all this to 
 us. 
 
 " I hardl}^ know myself," answered the Earl, 
 sighing deeply, but still without a grain of 
 expression on his handsome face. " A man 
 haunted as I am can hardl}^ account for all his 
 utterances. I have come to do you a service, 
 and, having done it, might have withdrawn with- 
 out a word. But the sight of you recalled the 
 honest words you spoke to the usurper this 
 afternoon. Sirs, I envied you then ; and just 
 now an insane longing took hold of me to set 
 myself right with two such inflexible friends of 
 King James." 
 
 " Would it not be more to the point if you 
 first obtained pardon from King James himself ? " 
 
 " I have done so." 
 
 " Well, my lord, I cannot yei see what your 
 affairs have to do with us. But if it will give 
 3'ou any pleasure that we should believe these 
 remarkable statements 
 
 " I have assured you that it will." 
 
 " Then perhaps you will produce some proof 
 of them in black and white." 
 
 The Earl drew a folded paper from his breast
 
 IOC THE IJLUE J'.W'ILIOyS. 
 
 and spread it ujxiii the taldo boforo tlieiii. It 
 was ail allc'ctionatc letter of pardon, dated a 
 montli back from tlie Court of Saint Germains, 
 ■written tlirouL,diout and signed ])y tlie hand of 
 Kini,' James himself. 
 
 " Thank you, my lord. When his Majesty 
 writes thus, it is not for his subjects to bear 
 rancour. Will you kindly state your immediate 
 business ? " 
 
 " It concerns the younu^ man Tristram Salt. 
 You desire that he should be restored to 3'ou ? " 
 
 " My lord," said Captain Barker, " that 
 young man is more to me than many sons." 
 
 " You are indignant at the recollection of 
 this afternoon." 
 
 " What has that to do with it? " 
 
 " Much. But let me continue. Your 
 adopted son, Captain J]arker, is at this moment 
 lying in the hold of his IMajesty's frigate the 
 Good Jnffiit . He is in irons." 
 
 " In irons ! 
 
 "Yes, sir. He has undoubtedly imbibed 
 3''0ur opinions with regard to the JJutch, for he 
 began his military career Ijy blacking the eyes of 
 a gentleman of that nation, who, as ill-luck 
 will have it, is his superior officer." 
 
 "The devil!" 
 
 " To-morrow :uorning he will receive six
 
 A CONDITIONAL PARDON. 107 
 
 dozen lashes — perhaps more. I take the most 
 cheerful view in order to spare your feelings ; 
 but most decidedlj^ it will be six dozen, 
 unless " 
 
 " Unless— what ? " 
 
 " Unless I remit the sentence. The young 
 man, you understand, was placed under my care." 
 
 " My lord, 3^ou will pardon him ? " 
 
 " With pleasure. Nay, I will restore him to 
 3'ou this very night " 
 
 Captain Barker leapt up from his seat in a 
 transport of gratitude, and would have caught 
 the Earl's hand had not his friend drao-g-ed him 
 back by the coat-tails. 
 
 " on conditions," his lordship concluded. 
 
 " Name them." 
 
 " In a moment. We are agreed, I believe, 
 that to blacken a Dutchman's e3^es is no great 
 sin. There are too many Dutchmen around his 
 Majesty — as you, sirs, had the courage to inform 
 his Majesty this afternoon.'' 
 
 '■ Did we say that ? " 
 
 " I understood you to hint it, at an}'' rate. 
 I assure you that I am never so much disposed 
 to regret my change of allegiance on that 
 November night at Salisbury as when I look 
 around and see how little my own countrymen 
 have profited by that action."
 
 108 '77//; 7>7./7-; I '.W I r JONS. 
 
 " A uliile ai(()," infi'i-poscd Captain Runaclos 
 sharply, " it was tlu* criiiic itself that pursued 
 \(tii with nMiiorsc." 
 
 " Tile results, sir, have helped me to see the 
 crime in its proper li<jfht. " 
 
 " ^T\- I'lrd, I have the deepest respect for 
 your t,^'uius ; but at the same time it appears to 
 me that 3'ou lack something." 
 
 " Indeed ? It would he a kindness to point 
 out in what respect " 
 
 " Let me call it — a gift. l]iit I interrupt 
 you." 
 
 "To proceed, then. We are at one on tht 
 question of these Dutchmen ; at one also on the 
 question of William's high-handed action this 
 afternoon. Let me propose a plan by which 3'ou 
 can effectively mark your disgust of both, while 
 at the same time you recover the young man on 
 whom you set so much store. Gentlemen, 3'^ou 
 are not ])ast serving your country on the seas." 
 
 " King William hinted as much to-day," 
 rejdied Captain Barker, " and I gave him my 
 answer." 
 
 " I appeal to you not in the name of 
 William, but in the name of your true sove- 
 reign, King James." 
 
 " That is another matter, I'll admit. Would 
 you mind putting the question definitely?"
 
 THE CHIEF TRAITOR. 109 
 
 " I must have your word to regard what I 
 am about to say as a secret." 
 
 "If it does not bind us in any way." 
 
 " It does not. You are free to accept or 
 reject my offer." 
 
 " We promise, then." 
 
 " Listen : I am in a position to offer each 
 of you the command of one of his Majesty's 
 ships." 
 
 " As a condition of getting back Tristram 
 to-night ? " 
 
 The Earl nodded. 
 
 " But excuse me " 
 
 " Ah, I know what you will say. It is a 
 sacrifice of your leisure. I admit it ; but from 
 certain expressions of yours this afternoon I 
 gathered that your love for this lad might over- 
 come your natural disinclination." 
 
 " You mistake. I was about to say that 
 this offer of yours strikes us as rather barren. 
 At least it might have been kept until King 
 James is restored to his country. In that event 
 he may very well prefer to give his commands to 
 younger men ; but in any case he will find us 
 obedient to his royal wish." 
 
 " That is a very loyal attitude. But, as it 
 happens, 3^ou would be required to enter into 
 your commands before his Majesty's restoration."
 
 110 THE JJLUI'J VAVIIAONS. 
 
 "Explain yourst'lf, my l<»nl." 
 
 " I am not in ii position to speak with 
 authority' or exactness of the events which will 
 shortly take place in llu- J British fleet. I am a 
 mere soldier, you understand. Jiut let us sup- 
 pose a case. Kini^ William sails early to-mor- 
 row, with Hear- Admiral llooke's squadron, tor 
 the Macse. Let us suppose that no sooner is his 
 Majesty landed at The Hague and safe in his 
 own beloved realm than our jjfallant Enw-lish 
 sailors display a just distaste lor their Dutch 
 commanders by setting those commanders ashore, 
 and running — let us say — for Calais, where their 
 true Sovereign waits to be conveyed across to 
 the country which liis rival has quitted. Ob- 
 viously, for this purpose, the tleet would need, 
 on the spot, capable officers to step into the 
 shoes of the deposed Dutchmen." 
 
 " You propose that Jack and I shall be 
 two of these officers ? " asked Captain Kunacles, 
 slowly, with a glance at his comrade. 
 
 " I think it advisable that you should be 
 at The Hague. You understand that I merely 
 sketch out a possible cour.se of events." 
 
 " (Jf course. Do you think it likely that the 
 ]3ritish .s(|uadron — supposing it to behave as you 
 say — would receive support at Calais ? " 
 
 " 1 fancy it might find a large squadron of
 
 WHAT THE CONDITIONS WERE. Ill 
 
 his French Majesty's fleet waiting there to co- 
 operate." 
 
 " And the army? " 
 
 " It is possible that events might happen, 
 about that time, among our regiments in Flan- 
 ders." 
 
 " That, in other words, they would desert to 
 King Lewis ? " 
 
 " You put it crudely, Captain Runacles. I 
 believe that our gallant soldiers will act with a 
 single eye to their country's welfare ; and I am 
 sure they will do nothing that can be construed 
 as a blot upon their country's Hag." 
 
 " I also am tolerably certain of that, my 
 lord," answered Captain Jemmy, drily. " Come, 
 Jack — your answer ? " 
 
 The little hunchback had been leaning back, 
 during the last minute or two, with his face in 
 the shadow ; but at these words he bent for- 
 ward. His cheeks were white and drawn. 
 
 " Why must I give the answer. Jemmy? " 
 
 " Because the lad is your son. It rests with 
 you to save him or not." 
 
 Captain Barker stood up. 
 
 " You'll abide by my decision ? " 
 
 " Certainly." Captain Eunacles crossed his 
 legs and took snufF deliberately. 
 
 " Then," said the little man, dragging out
 
 112 THE lil.UE I'AVlf.Idys. 
 
 the worils syllul)lo l)y sylhible, "' there, my lord, 
 are yoiir liat and cloak. Oblige ine by (juitting 
 this house ot" mine at onee." 
 
 " God bless yoii, Jack I " muttered his friend. 
 
 The Earl's brow did not even flush at the 
 rebuir. Throui^hout his career this extraordinary 
 man was able to overlook the contempt of others 
 as easily as he disregarded their sufTerings. 
 Probably, as Captain Kunacles had said, he lacked 
 a gift. 
 
 On this occasion he picked up his hat and 
 cloak without a trace of discomposure. 
 
 "1 understand you to refuse my c»ffer?" he 
 said. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " You prefer that the young man should 
 receive si.x dozen lashes to-morrow morning." 
 
 Captain Barker winced, and his mouth con- 
 tracted painfully. 
 
 " My lord, 1 took that boy from his dead 
 mother when he was a few hours old. Never in 
 his life has a hand been laid upon him in anger; 
 he will hardly understand what it means. But 
 he has been taught to know honour, and to 
 cherish it. I choose as he would choose, were 
 he here." 
 
 "Are 3'ou going, my lord?" added Captain 
 Jemmy, " Y^ou have your answer."
 
 THE GAI'TAnVS ANSWEB. 11 H 
 
 " Not quite yet, I fancy. Captain Barker, 
 you told me you took this lad from liis dead 
 mother. She was a Mistress Salt, I believe." 
 
 " Excuse me if I fail to see " 
 
 " You will see in a moment. I am not 
 wrong, perhaps, in supposing that lady to have 
 been the wife of Roderick Salt, sometime my 
 comrade in the Foot Guards. He married in 
 Harwich, I remember ; and in many respects the 
 resemblance which this lad bears to him is 
 remarkable." 
 
 " There is no likeness in their characters, my 
 lord." 
 
 " I daresay not ; indeed, I hope not. But 
 suppose now I inform you that Roderick Salt is 
 still alive " 
 
 The Earl broke off and looked at the two 
 captains narrowly. 
 
 " Did you know that ? " he asked. 
 
 There was no answer. 
 
 " I seem to remember an expression which 
 you. Captain Runacles, let fall this afternoon. 
 You told his Majesty that Tristram Salt owned 
 large estates. Is the boy's father aware of this ? " 
 
 Again he paused for an answer, but none 
 came. 
 
 " These estates are administered under trust, 
 
 I presume. Who are the legal trustees ? " 
 I
 
 lit THE BLUE rAVfTJnxS. 
 
 "1 am," Cai)taiii Jcimny r.'plicd, with a 
 sudden ell'ort. 
 
 " You alono ? " 
 
 Captain Jommy, aft-^r strng^-lin^ for a mo- 
 ment with the wrath in his throat, answered — 
 " I refuse to say." 
 
 " AVell, well, the aftair seems to need some 
 explanation, but doubtless admits of a very good 
 one. It is none of my business, and I do not 
 ask you to satisfy me. But I cannot help 
 thinking that Roderick Bait will be hardly more 
 astonished to find that his son is a man of large 
 
 estates than disposed to make inquiries " 
 
 " What do you mean, my lord? " 
 " T moan tliat, as father and son happen at 
 this moment to lie aboard the same vessel, the 
 
 Good In foil " 
 
 The chair which Captain Barker had been 
 grasping and tilting impatiently fell to the floor 
 with a crash. 
 
 " 1 foresee a scene of h:ii)py recognition 
 
 and mutual explanations. We will suppose the 
 father to learn the truth before to-morrow's 
 punishment is inllictcd. We will picture his 
 feelings" — the Earl paused, and fired a shot 
 more or less at a venture — " when he becomes 
 aware that, though by law enabled to buy his 
 son oil" from military service, he has by chicanery
 
 THE EARL BEATS A RETREAT. 115 
 
 been rendered powerless. We will imagine him 
 an enforced spectator, wincing as each, stroke 
 draws blood " 
 
 " You will do this thing ? You' will tell 
 him ? " 
 
 " My dear sirs, T shall hate to do it. In 
 proof that I speak sincerely, let me say that ray 
 offer still remains open. May T now count on 
 your accepting it? " 
 
 " No ! " thundered the little man, springing 
 forward in a fury. Captain Jemmy caught him 
 by the arm, however, and forced him back to the 
 armchair. The Earl shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " Truly you are a Roman parent," said he, 
 bowing ironicall}^ ; "but you will excuse me if 
 I find it time to seek the lad's natural father, 
 Eemember, if j^'ou please, gentlemen, your 
 promise of silence." 
 
 He opened the door, and passed quietly 
 through the hall and out of the house. In the 
 road at the foot of the garden a sergeant stepped 
 out of the shadow and saluted him. 
 
 The Earl gave a muttered order. 
 
 " Where is my horse ? " he asked. 
 
 " A little up the road. The orderly is walking 
 him up and down to keep him warm." 
 
 The Earl nodded and walked on. A hundred 
 yards further he came up with them, and, climbing
 
 11.; THK BLUE rAVTLIONS. 
 
 into till' saddlo, trotted oil" towards IFarwich, 
 the orderly at his heels. 
 
 At the Cock and Pye Stairs a boat was waiting. 
 He dismounted, and, giving his horse over to the 
 orderl}', stepped on l)nard and was rowed swiftly 
 out towards the harbour, where the lights of the 
 squadron flickered, and its great hulls brooded, 
 over the jet-black water. As the boat crossed 
 under the tilted stern and high, flaming lanterns 
 of liear-Admiral Rooke's ship, the Foresight, the 
 sentry on deck sang out his cliallenge. 
 
 It was answered. The boat dropped along- 
 side and the Earl climbed upon deck. Turning 
 at the top of the ladder, he gave his boatnum the 
 order to wait for half an hour, and, acknowledging 
 the sentry's salute, made his way aft, and down 
 the companion -stairs to the cabin set apart fo" 
 him. 
 
 In the passage below was a second sentry, 
 pacing up and down ; and by the Earl's door an 
 orderly standing ready. 
 
 " Send Captain Salt to me. After that, j^ou 
 ma}' retire." 
 
 The man saluted, and went off on his errand, 
 and the Earl stepped into his cabin. The furni- 
 ture of this narrow aj)artment consisted of a 
 hanging-lamp, a chair or two, a chest heaped 
 with dispatch-boxes, and a swing-table upon
 
 ox BOARD THE " FOBE SIGHT." 117 
 
 which a map of the Low Countries was spread 
 amid regimental lists and reports, writing ma- 
 terials, works on fortification, official seals, and 
 piles of papers not yet reduced to order. Pushing 
 aside the map and a treatise by the Marechal de 
 Vauban that lay, face downwards, upon it, the 
 Earl drew a blank sheet of paper towards him, 
 dipped pen in ink, and, after a moment's consider- 
 ation, scribbled a sentence. Then, sprinkling it 
 quickly with sand, he folded the paper, and was 
 about to seal it, when a light tap sounded on 
 the cabin-door. 
 
 " Come in," said the Earl, quietly, holding 
 the sealing-wax to the flame, and without troubling 
 to turn. 
 
 The man who stood on the threshold demands 
 a somewhat particular description. 
 
 He was tall and of an eminently graceful 
 fiij-ure. The uniform which he carried — that of 
 a captain in the 1st or Eoyal Regiment of Foot 
 — well set off his small waist, deep chest, and 
 square shoulders. His complexion was clear and 
 sanguine, albeit no longer retaining the candour 
 of 3^outh ; his wig was carefully curled, and in 
 colour a light golden-brown. Though in fact his 
 age was not far short of fifty, he looked hardly 
 a day older than thirty-five. 
 
 In many respects his resemblance to Tristram
 
 lis TlfE Bl.UK P.W'TLTONS. 
 
 was exceed i 11 L,^ly close. Tlie stature aucl propor- 
 tions were Tristram's; the nose like Tristram's 
 ill shape, but slightly longer ; the eyes of the 
 same greyish blue, though in this case deep lines 
 radiated from the outer corners. Above all, there 
 was a fugitive, baffling likeness, that belonged to 
 no particular feature, but to all. On the other 
 hand, the difference in expression between the 
 two faces was hardly less striking : for whereas 
 Tristram's beamed a modest kindliness on his 
 fellows, this face looked out on the world with 
 an unshrinking audacity. Beside it the Earl of 
 jVIarlborough's handsome countenance seemed to 
 lack intelligence ; but the Earl's countenance was 
 then, and remains to-day, an impenetrable mask. 
 
 " You sent for nie, my lord ? " Cax)tain Salt's 
 voice was silvery in tone, and pleasant to hear as 
 running water. 
 
 " I did," said the Earl, pressing his seal upon 
 the letter, and sitting down to direct it. " You 
 have the lists ? " 
 
 The other drew a bundle of papers from his 
 breast-pocket, and, advancing, laid them upon 
 the table. The Earl put the letter aside, opened 
 the bundle, and ran his eye over its contents. 
 
 " You are sure of all these men? " 
 
 "Quite." 
 
 " You seem to have enough. We mustn't
 
 BODE RIG K SALT. 119 
 
 overdo this, 3'ou understand? It wouldn't do 
 for the affidr to — succeed." 
 
 Captain Salt smiled. 
 
 " If they carry off a vessel or two," the 
 Earl went on, " it's no great loss, and it will 
 give Saint Germains the agreeable notion that 
 something is about to happen. They've been 
 plaguing me again. This time it's an urgent 
 letter in my royal master's own hand. He calls 
 on me to bring over the whole army in the 
 very first action — the born fool ! Can he really 
 believe I love him so dearly? Has he really 
 persuaded himself that I've forgotten ? " 
 
 He checked himself; but for the first time 
 that evening his face w^as suffused with a hot 
 flush. For, in fact, he was thinking of his sister, 
 Arabella Churchill ; and John Churchill, though 
 he had made no scruple to profit by his sister's 
 shame, had never forgiven it. 
 
 Captain Salt filled up the pause in his dulcet 
 voice — 
 
 " We want, my lord, such a mutiny as, with- 
 out succeeding, shall convince England of the 
 strong dissatisfaction felt by our forces at the 
 favouritism shown by his Majesty towards the 
 Dutch." 
 
 " Salt," said his lordship, eyeing him nar- 
 rowly, " you are remarkably intelligent."
 
 120 TJi /•; J! i.n-: /mi 'ri.h )xs. 
 
 " Why, my lord, should I C(jncoiil my 
 tlioughts when tlicy tally witli my honest 
 hopes? I look around, iind what do I see? 
 Dutchmen filliui^ every lucrative post; Dutch- 
 men crowding the House of Lords ; Dutchmen 
 commanding our armies ; Dutchmen pocketing 
 our fattest revenues. England is weary of it. 
 I, as an Englishman, am weary of it. My lord, 
 if I dared to say it " 
 
 " Would you mind looking out and observing 
 if the sentry is at his post?" 
 
 Ca])tain Salt stepped to the door and opened 
 it. The sentry was at the far end oi the 
 passage, engaged in his steady tramp to and 
 fro. 
 
 " ]My lord," he said, closing the door softly, 
 and returning, "let this rautiu}' fail. It will 
 serve its purpose if it brings home to the under- 
 standing of Englishmen the iniquity of this 
 plague of Dutchmen. Let that feeling ripen. 
 You will return before the winter, and by that 
 time you may strike boldly. Then, from 3'our 
 j)]ace in the House of Lords you can move an 
 address " 
 
 " Go on," murmured the Earl, as he paused 
 for a moment. 
 
 " an address praying that all foreigners 
 
 may be dismissed from his ^Majesty's service."
 
 THE BEST OF THE PLOT. 121 
 
 The Earl looked up swiftl^^ and checked his 
 fingers, which had been drumming on the table. 
 
 " Decidedly j'ou are intelligent," he said, 
 very slowly. 
 
 "What can William do if that address is 
 carried, as it may be? To yield will be to 
 discard his dearest friends : to resist will mean 
 a national rising. He will lose his crown." 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 " My lord, ma// it not he jmssible to eject 
 WiUlam ivithoiit restoring James i'" 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 " There is the Princess Anne." 
 
 The Earl looked into his companion's eyes 
 and read his own thouo-lits there. James was a 
 Papist, William a Dutchman ; but the Princess 
 Anne was an Eno-lish woman and a Protestant. 
 And the Earl and his countess held the Princess 
 Anne under their thumbs. Let her succeed to 
 the throne, and he would be, to all intents. King 
 of England. Nay, he would hold the balance 
 of Europe in his palm. 
 
 " My friend," he said, under his breath, " 3^ou 
 are too dangerous." Aloud he gave the talk a 
 new turn. 
 
 " This mutiny will not succeed," he ob- 
 served, reflectively. " The men who intend to 
 rise must be informed against."
 
 IJJ Tlin BLUE FA VI LIONS. 
 
 " It appears so." 
 
 " Jiut not too soon. Tlioy must not succeed, 
 as 1 said ; but they must have time enough to 
 show their countrymen that the discontent is 
 serious, and to convince James that only an 
 accident has prevented then* coming over to him 
 in a body." 
 
 " That is clear enough." 
 
 " The only question," the Earl pursued, is — 
 who is to give the information at the proper 
 moment ? " 
 
 " Undoubtedly that is a dilliculty." 
 
 " I thought — excu.se me if I come to tlie 
 point — I thought that ^ou might do so." 
 
 " My lord ! " 
 
 "You object?" 
 
 "Decidedly I do. Already 1 have risked 
 much in tiiis business " 
 
 " I can think of nobody," said the Earl, 
 coldly, "so well suited for the task. William 
 thinks you arc his sp3% and would receive your 
 information without suspicion. He does not 
 guess that, owing to my knowledge of your 
 past — of the alfair of the dice at Antwerp, 
 for instance, or that trivial letter from Saint 
 Gcrmains which I happen to possess " 
 
 Captain Salt's sanguine cheeks were by this 
 time white as death.
 
 RODEBIGK SALT HEARS OF HIS SON: 123 
 
 " If you insist " lie stammered in a hoarse 
 
 voice that hore no resemblance to his natural 
 tone. 
 
 " I'm afraid I must. At the same time I 
 mean to reward you," the Earl continued 
 pleasantly ; " and a portion of the reward shall 
 he paid in advance. My dear captain, I have 
 the most delightful surprise for you. You were 
 once a married man, and the lady you married 
 was a native of this port." 
 
 " Thank you, my lord ; I was aware of the 
 fact." 
 
 " You left her." 
 
 " I did." 
 
 " And in your absence she bore you a son." 
 
 " I have since heard a rumour to that effect/' 
 said Captain Salt, coldly. 
 
 " Cherish that son, for his worth to you is 
 inestimable. He lies, at this moment, on board 
 the Good Intent — I regret to say in irons. His 
 Majesty enlisted him this afternoon, somewhat 
 against his will, and he began very unluckil}" by 
 kicking his sujjerior officer from one end of the 
 frisfate to the other. It was the natural ebullition 
 of youth, and the sergeant was a Dutchman. 
 Therefore in this letter I have pardoned him. 
 Take it — a boat is waiting for you — -and convey 
 it to his captain. Thereafter seek the poor lad
 
 U4, THE BLUE V AVI LIONS. 
 
 out and iinj)rlnt tlu' parental kiss upon both 
 cheeks. Ueveal yourself to him " 
 
 '' Vi>ur lordship is excessively kind, but I 
 stand in no immediate need of lilial love." 
 
 " My dear sir, I promise you that this son 
 means thousands in your pocket. He means to 
 you a calm old age, surrounded by luxuries which 
 are hardly to be gained by espionage, however 
 zealously practised." 
 
 " In what way, may I inquire?" 
 
 " J will inform you when you have done the 
 small service I asked just now." 
 
 Captain Salt took the letter and moved 
 towards the door. 
 
 " By the way," the Earl said, " it may be 
 painful to you to be reminded of your former 
 connection with Harwich ; but did you happen 
 to know, in those da3^s, two gentlemen, captains 
 in King Charles's Navy, and natives, I believe, of 
 this tov/n — J]arker and Runacles ? " 
 
 " I did. They were both, at one time, suitors 
 for the hand of m}- late wife." 
 
 " Indeed ? I have been trying to enlist them 
 for this business of the mutiny." 
 
 " The}' were a simple pair, I remember, and 
 Would serve our purpose admirably." 
 
 " T found them a trifle too simple. Well, I 
 won't keep you just \u)\\. llemember the help
 
 AND DEPARTS TO EMBRACE HIM. 125 
 
 I expect from you ; but we will talk that over 
 in a day or two. Meanwhile, keep a parent's 
 eye upon your son (he's called Tristram), for 
 through him your reward will he attained. 
 Good-night."
 
 Vli] 
 
 CTTAPTER Vri. 
 
 TIIK CAPTAINS MAKK A FALSR START. 
 
 It was past rtiidniLj^lit wlicii Captain Iluiiacles 
 left liis friend's ]Kivilion and lot liiiiisclf tlironu'li 
 the little blue door to his own <jjarden. The 
 heavens were clear and starry, and he paused for 
 a moment on the grass-plot, his hands clasped 
 behind him, his head tilted back, and his eyes 
 fixed on the Great Jjear that hunLf directly over- 
 head, 
 
 " Poor Jack ! " he muttered, shakini^ his head 
 at the constellation, as if gently accusing fiite. 
 His nature had been considerably softened by the 
 little man's distress, and he had come away with 
 a crcnerous trouble in his heart. 
 
 " I shan't sleep a wink to-night," he decided ; 
 and went on inconsequently, " After all, a girl is 
 less anxiety than a boy. People don't lind it 
 worth their while to kidnap a girl and flog her 
 with a cat-o'-nine-tails. A turn of a die, and I'd 
 
 have been in Jack's shoes to-night ; while, as it 
 
 >> 
 
 IS 
 
 As it was, however, he seemed hardly to enjoy 
 his good fortune, for he added, still looking up — 
 " Plagn<^ soi/e it ! 1 shan't sleep a wink — I
 
 CAP TAIN B UNA CLES OB SEE VES THE S TABS. 127 
 
 know I shan't. What a magnificent show of 
 stars ! Let me see, how long is it before daybreak ? 
 One — two — three — five hours only. I won't go 
 to bed at all — I'll have a tm-n at the telescope." 
 
 He stole into the house softly, and climbed 
 up the spiral staircase. A faint light shone out 
 on the first hxnding from the half-open door of his 
 workroom. He entered and turned up the lamp. 
 
 Its light revealed a scene of amazing disorder. 
 The walls were covered with books and charts, 
 the floor was littered with manuscripts, mathe- 
 matical instruments, huge folios piled higgledy- 
 piggledy, carpenter's tools, retorts, bottles of 
 chemicals. In one corner, beside a door leadino- 
 to his bedroom, stood a turning-lathe six inches 
 deep in sawdust and shavings ; in another, a 
 human skeleton hung against the wall, its feet 
 concealed b}^ the model of a puniping-engine. 
 Hard by was nailed a rack containing a couple 
 of antique swords, a walking-cane, and a large 
 telescope. 
 
 Captain Eunacles took down this telescope 
 and tucked it under his arm. Then, unhitching 
 a dressing-gown of faded purple from a peg 
 behind the door, he turned the lamp low again, 
 and stepped out upon the landing. Here he 
 paused for a minute and listened. The house 
 was still. From the floor below ascended the
 
 128 Tin: r.iri: v.wn.ioss. 
 
 sound of brouthinGf, roi'ular and stertorous, wliicli 
 proved that Simeon was asleep. 
 
 He put his liand on the stair-rail and ascended 
 to the next floor, passing his daughter's room on 
 tip-toe. Above this, a (light of steps that was 
 little more than a ladder led up into the obscurity 
 of the attics. He climbed these steps, and, 
 entering a lumber-room, where he had to duck 
 his head to avoid striking the sloping roof, felt 
 his way to a shuttered window, with the bolt 
 of which he fumbled for a moment. When at 
 length he drew the shutter o])i'n, a whiff of cold 
 air streamed into the room and a parallelogram 
 of purple sky was visible, studded with stars and 
 crossed by the bars of a little balcony. 
 
 Captain Runacles stepped out upon this 
 balcony. Ho had constructed it two years 
 before, and it ran completely round the roof. 
 Under his feet he heard the pigeons murmuring 
 in their cote. Below were spread the dim grass- 
 plots and flower-beds of his garden ; and, far upon 
 his right, the misty leagues of the North Sea. 
 Full in front of him, over Harwich town, hung the 
 dainty constellation of Cassiopeia's chair, and all 
 around the vast army of heaven moved, silent and 
 radiant. One seemed to hear its breathing up 
 there, across the deep calm of the firmament. 
 
 He turned to the western horizon, to the
 
 1 
 
 SOPHIA. 129 
 
 spot wlieru the Pleiades liud just set I'ur tlie 
 summer months, and lifting' his glass, moved it 
 slowly up towards Capella and the Kids, thence 
 on to Perseus, and that most gorgeous tract o£ 
 the Milky Way which lies thereby. Now, in 
 the sword-handle of Perseus, as it is called, are 
 set two clusters of" gems, by trying to count which 
 the Captain had, before now, amused himself for 
 hours together. He was about to make another 
 attempt, and, in fact, liad reached fifty-six, when 
 be felt a light touch on his elbow. 
 
 He faced quickh' round. Behind him, on 
 the balcony, stood his daughter. 
 
 " Don't be angiy," she entreated in a whisper. 
 " I heard you come up. I couldn't sleep until 
 I saw you." 
 
 He looked at her stern]}-. Her feet were 
 bare, and she wore but a dark cloak over her 
 night-vail. In the years since we last saw her 
 she had grown from an awkward girl into a 
 lovely woman. Thick waves of dark hair, dis- 
 arranged with much tossing on her pillow, fell 
 upon her shoulders and straggled over the lace 
 upon her bosom. The face they framed was 
 pale in the starlight, but the lips were red, and 
 the black eyes feverishly bright. 
 
 " Father," she went on, " I have somethine: 
 I must tell you." 
 J
 
 13U 77/7; 7/7./ y; rjviLiu.W'^. 
 
 Tlicn, as lie coiitiiiucd io n^irard licr witli 
 (lis])k'asun>, she broke oil", aiul ])ut ilw (juestiou 
 that of all her trouble was U])})ennost. 
 
 " What has become of Tristram ? " 
 
 " He has i^oiie to make the campaign against 
 the Freneli. lie was enlis<:e(l to-(la3^ It was — 
 ini('X])ectecl," lier father answered slowly, with 
 his eyes lixed i>\\ hers. 
 
 " He went unwillingly,'' she said, sj)eaking 
 in a quick whisper; "he was dragged oH' — 
 trepanned. Simeon told me about it, and 
 besides, I know " 
 
 " What do you know ? " 
 
 "I know he never went willingly. Oh, 
 lather, listen "' — with a swift and pretty impulse 
 she stepped forward, and, reaching up her clasped 
 hands, laid them on his shoulder — "Tristram — 
 Tristram is very loud of nie." 
 
 "Good Lord!" 
 
 Captain Jemmy rai.>ed a hand to disengage 
 her grasp from his shoulder, but let it fall again. 
 
 " He told me so this morning at sunrise," 
 she went on rapidly. " You see, it was May 
 morning, and I went out to gather the dew, and 
 he was there, in the garden already, and he said 
 — well, he said what T told you ; ;ind Ijeiug so 
 nuisterful " 
 
 '• T can't sa}- I've observed that quality in the 
 
 I
 
 SOPHIA'S CONFESSION. 131 
 
 young man ; but no doubt you've had better 
 opportunities of judging." 
 
 " You shan't talk Hke that ! " she broke out 
 almost fiercely. It was curious that this girl, 
 who, until this moment, had alwa^^s trembled 
 before her father, now began to dominate him by 
 force of her passion. 
 
 "Ob, I mustn't, eh ? Devil take the fellow ! 
 He tumbles out of one mess into another, and 
 plays skittles with my peace of mind, and in 
 return I'm not allowed a word ! " 
 
 " Father, you will fetch him back ? " 
 
 " Now, how the " 
 
 " But you must." 
 
 "Indeed!" 
 
 " Because I love him dearlv — there ! I have 
 nobody left but you, father." She knelt and 
 caught his hand, exchanging audacity for entreaty 
 in a second. 
 
 " Little maid," said her father, with a tender- 
 ness as sudden, " get up — your feet must be as 
 cold as ice, on these slates. Go in, and go to 
 bed." 
 
 " Let me stay a little. I can't sleep indoors. 
 It was so happy this morning, and to-night the 
 trouble is so heavy " 
 
 Captain Jemmy vanished into the lumber- 
 room for a moment, and reappeared, tugging an
 
 l>2 Tin: JILUK J\[\JJJ(J.\S. 
 
 old iiiattrL'ss altrr liiiii, aii'l hi'iiriun' a latttTod 
 window-curtain under his Iclt arm. He sjjreiid 
 tile mattress on tlie balcony, motioned his 
 dauglitcr to sit, and wrapped her feet warmly in 
 liis ])urplc dressing-L^own. Then, as slie hiy 
 back, he spread tlie curtain over her, tuckinu;- it 
 close round her young body. She thanked him 
 with dim eyes. 
 
 "Sophia," he began, with much severity, 
 " you say you liave oidy your old lather in the 
 world, and I'm bound to say you seem to iiiid 
 it little enough. My dear, are you aware that 
 you've just been disapjjointing my dearest hopes?" 
 
 " iion't say that ! " 
 
 " I begin to think 1 mustn't say anything. 
 1 have brought you uj) carefully, instructing you 
 in all polite learning, and even in some of the 
 abstruser sciences. 1 have meant you, all alon^r, 
 to be the ornament of \our si-x, and now — the 
 di'vil take it ! — you j)i-el'er, aft'-r all, to be an 
 ornament of the otln i- ' I intended you, by 
 your acconii»lishments, to make that young man 
 look foolish " 
 
 " And 1 assure you, father dear, he did look 
 foolish this nu)rning, and again this alternoon in 
 the summer-house." 
 
 "Now, upon my soul, Scjphia ' T call your 
 attention to the fact I've been suspecting ever
 
 CAUSATION. 133 
 
 since you began to speak, that you're at the 
 bottom of all to-day's mischief. If that un- 
 fortunate youth hadn't been makinij^ love to j-'ou 
 when he should have been attending' to the bees, 
 the chances are they would never have taken it 
 into their heads to swarm upon that accursed 
 arch, and consequently . 
 
 There was nothing which Captain Ruuacles 
 enjoyed so thoroughly as to discover the con- 
 nection between effects and their causes. When 
 such a chance offered, it was a common experience 
 with him to be drawn into prolixity, l^ut he 
 was pained and surprised, nevertheless, after 
 twenty minutes' discourse (in which he proved 
 Sophia, and Sophia alone, to be responsible for 
 the disasters of the day), to find that she had 
 dropped asleep. He looked down for a minute 
 or so upon her closed lids, then moved to the 
 rail of the balcony and ejaculated under his 
 breath — 
 
 " woman — woman ! Wise art thou as the 
 dove, and about as harmless as the serpent ! " 
 
 He considiered the heavens for some moments, 
 and added with some tartness but with a far-off 
 look in his eyes, as though aiming the remark at 
 the late Mrs. Runacles — 
 
 " Her charm, at any rate, is not derived from 
 her mother."
 
 l.'A Till- JJLL'J'J 1'AVHJOX}^. 
 
 Ill' turned abruptly and ronsidcrod lior as 
 slic sl('])t undor tlio stars. Stoopiiif^ after a 
 minute or two, and liftiiiLC lier very i^-ently, he 
 bore litr into tbe bouse and (b)\vii to lier own 
 room. As tbcy descended tbi' ladcb'r from the 
 attic, slie stirred and opene<l ber eyes drowsil}' — 
 
 "You will briuii^ 'I'ristrani back?" slie mur- 
 mured, l)ut so softly that be liail to bend liis 
 bead to catch tlie syllables. 
 
 Her eyes closed again before lie could answer. 
 He carried her to her bed and laid her upon it ; 
 then, after waiting a while to assure himself that 
 she was fast asleep, retraced his steps softly to 
 the little balcony. 
 
 He was ]iaein!^ it, round and round, like a 
 ca^ed beast, when the stars q-rew faint and tbe 
 silver ripple of the da^'sprini^ broke over tbe sea. 
 For two hours and more be bad been tbinking 
 hard, and he reste<l bis elbows on the balcony 
 and ])aused for a minute or two to watch the red 
 ball ol" tbe sun as it heaved above tbe waters. 
 T«» the north, beyond tbe roofs of Harwich, he 
 saw the lights of the royal squadron still clear 
 in the grey dawn. Next, his gaze turned to the 
 triumphal arch in the road Im'Iow, which wore a 
 peculiarly dissipated look at this hour. Tlicn it 
 strayed back to the garden below him and be3'ond 
 the part}' hedge ; and was suddenly airested.
 
 IN CAPTAIN BAIIKEIV8 GARDEN. 135 
 
 On a rustic seat, in the far corner, sat 
 Captain Barker, tryinf^ to read in a book. 
 
 The little man, too, had obviously passed 
 the ni^ht out of his bed. His clothes were 
 dishevelled and his attitude was one of extreme 
 dejection. Pie kept his head bowed over the 
 book and was wholly unaware of the eyes that 
 Avatched him from the opposite pavilion. 
 
 But his friend above on the balcou}' displayed 
 the most nervous apprehension of being seen. 
 He took his hand from the rail, as if fearful of 
 making the slightest sound, and stole back through 
 the window, into the lumber-room. Once within 
 the house, however, he behaved with the liriskest 
 determination. Descending, first of all, to his 
 own room, he washed his face and towelled it till 
 it glowed. Then, changing his coat and wig, 
 he took up hat and cane, descended to the front 
 door, and, crossing the grass-plot, let himself into 
 Captain Barker's garden. 
 
 Captain Barker still sat and read in his book ; 
 and, as he read, the tears coursed down his 
 wrinkled cheeks. For it was the first of the 
 famous green volumes. 
 
 He looked up as his friend advanced ; and 
 Captain Jemmy was forced to regard the 
 weathercock on the roof for a minute or so to 
 make sure of the rpuirtor in Avhich the wind \\iy.
 
 i;j<i 'JJiK iiT.ri': iwnijoys. 
 
 " It's cine west," said Captain Jolin, as he 
 stare"! ujt ; ■■ ;iii<l it's cM)-! idc till nine o'clock. 
 T1k'3'11 sail ciii'ly." 
 
 "Jl'in ; J ^lioiildn't wonder. You're early 
 out of 1)<'(1." 
 
 ' well, i"(ir tlic matter ol' that, so are 3-011 
 —eh?" 
 
 "I haven't heen to l)ed." 
 
 "Nor have T.' 
 
 "I've been tliinkinj^-,"" siid Ca})tain liuna- 
 cles. 
 
 "And I \c l)r(Mi tryiny nut to think." 
 
 " AVell, hnt I've come to a conclusion. Go 
 and get your hat, .lack." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "We've got to fetch Tristram Ijack." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 " By to.ssing our consciences over tlie liedge 
 and going to see King William." 
 
 The little rnan shook liis head. 
 
 " No, demm}'. You mean i1 kindly, and 
 God hless you ! But 1 can't do it.'' 
 
 " Why not ? If I can do it " 
 
 ' Y'^ou'd repent it, Jemmy. Y'ou're letting 
 your love for me carry you too far." 
 
 "What put it into your head tliat I'd do 
 til is for love of you ? " 
 
 " For Tristram, then."
 
 A BUNAGLES TO THE llESGUE I 137 
 
 " Damn Tristram ! That youngster strikes 
 me as causing- a fuss quite out of proportion to 
 his intrinsic worth." 
 
 " Well, but " 
 
 " My dear Jack, I have reasons for wishing 
 Tristram back. You needn't ask what the}' 
 are, because I shan't tell you ; but they're at 
 least as intelligible as all the reasons you can 
 find in that volume." He caught it out of his 
 friend's hand, and read : — "June 12///. — T. io- 
 day refused his biscuit and milk at six in the 
 worning, but tooh it an hour later. Peevish all 
 nif/lit ; in part {I think) because not get recovered 
 of his weaning, and also because his 'teeth [second 
 pair on longer jaiv) are troubling him. Query: 
 If the biscuit should be boiled in the milk, or milk 
 
 merely poured over biscuit " Here he glanced 
 
 up, and seeing tlie anguish on the hunchback's 
 face, handed back the book. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Jack. But get your 
 hat and come along." 
 
 " You forget. Jemmy. AYe gave our word, 
 you know." 
 
 Captain Eunacles stared. 
 
 " Trouble has unhinged your wits, my friend. 
 Did you seriously imagine I intended to disclose 
 to his Majesty the proposal we heard last 
 night ? "
 
 138 THE BLVE I'AVILIONS. 
 
 "What, tlK'li?" 
 
 "Mv notion was tliat wo slioiild i^o and oH'cr 
 liini our swords and oui- services in ransom lor 
 'IVisiiaiii. He may lehuli' ns. On ilie other 
 liand, tliere's a cliance that he will not. ^'^ll 
 renieinl)er that lie hei^an, yesterday, l)y oU'eriiii^ 
 yon Ihis way of escape. ^^>u are io take me 
 with yon and hei;- Tor a renewal ot" tliat olVer. 
 Mavd)e he'll demnr. Von'll then point out that 
 vou have two men's service to tender him in lieu 
 of one. 1 //arc s\mAt ])owder in my time, Jaek, 
 and I once had the luck to run 1 )e Rnyter's ])et 
 ca])tain 11iiou^-h the sword-arm and to carry his 
 ship. It's the very de\il liiat I never could 
 master the fellow's Dutch name snlhciently to 
 remember it ; hut his Majesty — who has a ii;Teater 
 grasp of his mother-tongtie — may be able to 
 recall it, and the recollection may turn the 
 scale. Anyhow, we'll try." 
 
 "You can serve this ^^'illiam ? " 
 
 " I can ; tor the matter stands thus : We go 
 and sav, ' Your jNIajesty lias laid hands on a 
 young man. AVill it please your Majesty to take 
 two (»ld men in exchange?' We're a couple of 
 old hulks, .lack ; but we may serve, as well as a 
 youngster, to be battt-red by the French." 
 
 " But, suppose that this ])lot breaks out — I 
 mean that whicli Ihe Kavl liiiited at?"
 
 THE FALSE START. 139 
 
 " My friend, that proposal may be divided 
 into two parts. The first is mutiny ; the second 
 is desertion to the French. How do von like 
 them ? Could yon stand hy and help either? " 
 
 "Why, no," answered Captain liarker, with 
 a brightening face ; " because, after all, one could 
 always die first." 
 
 " To be sure. Make haste, then, and fetch 
 your hat, or we shall be too late to save the 
 boy." 
 
 Captain Runacles waited at the foot of the 
 garden, while his friend hurried into the house 
 and returned in something like glee. 
 
 " We are luck}^ Narcissus tells me his 
 Majesty is sleeping ashore at Thomas Langle3^'s 
 house in Church Street. It seems that his cabin 
 was not put rightly in order aboard the 3fa?y 
 yacht, and he won't embark until he has broken 
 his fast." 
 
 " Come along, then," said Captain Jemmy, 
 opening the gate ; " we may catch him before 
 he o;oes on board." 
 
 But scarcely had the pair set foot in the road 
 outside when a voice commanded them to halt. 
 
 In front of them, barring the highway towards 
 Harwich, stood a sergeant, with half-a-dozen 
 soldiers at his back. They seemed to have sprung 
 out of the hedge.
 
 U<> . TJfE IlLVi: I'AVUJOX.^. 
 
 " Pardon, ij^ontlcincii ; 1)ut you arc walkini^ 
 towards Uarwicli." 
 
 "We are." 
 
 " My orders are to forbid it." 
 
 " Who g-ave you that order? " 
 
 "Tlie General." 
 
 " Wliat ? l^hc Eari of Marllx.rouirli ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " So this is how he trusts our word I " 
 muttered Captain Ivunacles. " But, excuse me," 
 lu' added aloud, "our business is wiOi his 
 jNIajcsty." 
 
 " 1 am trul}^ sorry, gentlemen." 
 
 " You decline to let us pass ? " 
 
 " I hope you will not insist." 
 
 " Well, but I have an idea. You can march 
 us into Harwich as your prisoners. Take us 
 into his ^Majesty's presence — that's all I ask, 
 and I don't care how it's done. You shall have 
 owY parole if you please." 
 
 The sergeant shook his head. " It's against 
 my orders." 
 
 " Then we must try to pass you." 
 
 " Suffer me to point out that we are seven 
 to two." 
 
 "Thank you. ihit ihi^ is an affair of 
 conscience." 
 
 " Nevertheless "
 
 THE COMBAT. Ill 
 
 " Confouud it, sir ! " broke in tlio littk' 
 liuncliback. " You ure bere, it seems, to frus- 
 trate our intentions ; but I'm hanged if you shall 
 criticise them too. Guard, sirs, if you please ! " 
 
 And whipping out their swords, these in- 
 donutable old gentlemen fell with fury on their 
 seven adversaries, and engaged them. 
 
 The struggle, however, lasted but a minute. 
 Six bayonets are not to be charged with a couple 
 of small-swords ; and just as Captain Barker was 
 on the point of spitting himself like an over- 
 hasty game chicken, the sergeant raised his side- 
 arm and dealt him a cut over the head. Hat 
 and wig broke the blow somewhat ; but the little 
 man dropped with a moan and la}' (juite still in 
 the road. 
 
 Hearing the sound, Captain Jemmy turned, 
 dropped his sword, and ran to lift his friend. 
 The stroke had stunned him, and a trickle of 
 blood ran from a slight scalp-wound and mingled 
 with the dust. 
 
 " Jack, Jack ! " sobbed his friend, kneeHns: 
 and peering eagerly into his face. The hunchback 
 opened his eyes a little and stared up vacantly. 
 
 As he did so the dull roar of heavy guns 
 broke out in the direction of Harwich, shaking 
 the earth under Captain Jemmy's feet. It was 
 the town's parting salute to his Majesty-, King
 
 ]IJ Till-: I'.LVK I'AVILIOSS. 
 
 William the 'i'liird. And at tlic same moment 
 the leading sliij) ol" the royal s(jiiatlron swung 
 out of harbour on the ebb-tide and, rounding the 
 Guard Sandbank, stood majestically towards the 
 o))eu sea, her colours streaming and white canvas 
 bellying over the blue waters.
 
 143 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 TATHER AND SON. 
 
 Tristram, meanwhile, was lying in darkness on 
 board the Ctood Intent, a frig'ate of twenty-six 
 guns, converted for the nonce into a transport- 
 ship to accommodate three companies of his 
 Majesty's Second Household Regiment, the 
 Coldstreams. To this regiment the Earl had 
 thought fit to attach him at first, not only on 
 account of his fine inches, but also to keep him 
 out of his father's way, being unwilling that the 
 two should meet until he had visited the Blue 
 Pavilions and endeavoured to bring Captain 
 Barker and Captain Eunacles to terms. 
 
 It cannot be said that his first acquaintance 
 with military life had lifted Tristram's spirits. 
 The frigate — to which he had been conve3^ed 
 without further resistance — struck him as smell- 
 ing extremel}" ill below decks ; and he was 
 somewhat dashed by the small amount of room 
 at his service. Moreover, the new suit into 
 which he was promptly clapped, though brilliant 
 in colour, had been made for a smaller man, and 
 obstructed his breathing, which would have been 
 diflicult enough in an}'- case. On the gun-deck,
 
 Ill 77//; lujjh' r.wii.iit.ss. 
 
 wlieiv lie Ibiind liiinsi'lf, it w;i> iiiipossiljlc to 
 stand u])riL;'ht and i'(]uall\ iMi|)us>ible to lie at 
 k'iiL,^lli, every foot of rcjoiii Ijetweeii the tiers ol" 
 9-j)()undei's bein<^ occupied liy kits, kna])sacks, 
 chests, and mattresses littered about in all con- 
 ceivable disorder, and the intervals between these 
 bridL,^ed l)y the h-ys ol" hi.> brothers-in-arms. As 
 the C(»ldstreams were an exceedin<^dy well-<^rown 
 re<^inient, and lor the most part deeply absorbed, 
 just then, in dicing", (piarrellin*^, chuck-penny, 
 and lively discussions on the furthcomin<^ cam- 
 paign, Tristram had found the utmost difficulty 
 in avoiding- the sheaves of les^s between him and 
 the empty mattress assigned for his use. In his 
 dejection of spirits it was a comfort to find that 
 none ot" his future comrades turned a head to 
 observe him. He cast him.self down on the 
 mattress and gave vent to a profound sigh. 
 
 "Ahis, Sopliia!" he ingeminated, "how 
 liable to misconception — though doubtless wise 
 on the vvholc — are the rulings of Providence, 
 which in one short hour lias torn me from your 
 solt embrace to follow a calling which I foresee I 
 shall detest ! " 
 
 Unluckily, this emotion, though warranted 
 by his circumstances, ]>roved too great for the 
 ready -made suit which he wore. At the first 
 s\<s\\ two buttons burst Iroin his iacket, one of
 
 SERGEANT KLOMP. 145 
 
 wliicli Hew a full two feet unci struck ilic clieek 
 of a Dutcli ser<^eant who was taking forty winks 
 upon the adjacent mattress. 
 
 "Vat the devil for?" excLaimed Ser^'cant 
 Klomp, opening his eyes and glaring upon the 
 recruit. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," said Tristram. 
 
 " Zat was in fon, he}^ ? " 
 
 " On the contrary " 
 
 " Vat for, if not ? " 
 
 " It was accidental, I assure you. I was 
 unbosoming myself " 
 
 " So ; I will deacli you to onbosoni 3'Ourself 
 of his Majesty's buttons. Agsidental ! You 
 shall not be agsidental to me ! " Sergeant 
 Klomp rolled his eyes, and, picking up his 
 cane, which lay beside him, rose to his feet and 
 advanced with mennce on his face. 
 
 Tristram hastily applied his sjdlogism. " It 
 is right," he said to himself, " to resist when 
 molested in a peaceful occupation. Sighing is a 
 peaceful occupation. Therefore I must resist 
 this man." In obedience to this valid conclusion 
 he hit Sergeant Klomp in the stomach as he 
 advanced, caught the cane out of his hand, and 
 belaboured him the entire length of the gun- 
 deck. It was impossible to do this without 
 discommoding the legs of the company and
 
 I4(i Tin: ni.rr: I'Avn.Ktx^. 
 
 iinnuyiiin' llicin bi'voiul measure. And oonso- 
 queutly, at tin' rnd n\' Im mimitt's, Trish-aiii 
 IVmnd liiinscll" in iions in llic la/.aivtte, con- 
 dcnuu'd topassllic ni^lil w il li 1 wo drnnkcn mm, 
 whose siK^res were almost comfortiiiijf in the 
 pitchy darkness; for, as lie told himself, liuman 
 propinijuity, it" not exactly sym[)athy, is the first 
 step towards it: lie had been listcniiii^ to this 
 snoriiiL^ for four liours, wlien a liatchway above 
 liim was lifted, and a lantern slionc down into 
 tiie lazarette. It was carried by a corporal, who 
 came cautiously down the ladder, li^htinL,'' Ihc 
 footsteps of an ollifcr who followed and held a 
 handkerchief to his nose, for the smell of the 
 bilge was overpowering. 
 
 " Pah ! " exclaimed this olTicer, as he arrived 
 at the ladder's foot, and peered around. " Set 
 the li^ht down on the floor and leave us. What 
 a hole ! " 
 
 He waited whilst the corporal reascended the 
 laddei- and disa])peared ; then, ])icking nj) the 
 lantern, held it aloft and let its rays shine ftdl 
 on Tristram's face. 
 
 "Ah," he said, after regarding our hero in 
 silence for a few seconds, " it is unmistakable," 
 and with that he sighed heavily. 
 
 " Pardon me, sir," said Tristram, " but the 
 sight of me appears to cause you sorrow."
 
 THE RECOaxiTlOX. 147 
 
 " Ou the contrary, it fills me with jo}." 
 
 "J iim glad to hear 30U sar so, because, as I 
 am fastened here in these irons, it would have 
 been out of my power to relieve jou of my 
 presence. Since you are ghid, howev^er " 
 
 " Unspeakably." 
 
 " you would do me a great favour by 
 
 saying why." 
 
 " Because — look at me, dear lad — because 
 you are my only son." 
 
 " In that I really think 3^ou must be mis- 
 taken. There are two gentlemen yonder in the 
 corner who at present are asleep. Are you 
 quite sure one of these is not the object of 
 30ur search ? " 
 
 " Quite sure, my dear lad. It is unmistak- 
 able, as I said. You are Tristram ? " 
 
 " I am ; though I don't see why it should 
 be unmistakable." 
 
 " Those eyes — that voice ! It is impossible 
 you should not be Margaret's son ! " 
 
 " My mother's name was Margaret," Tris- 
 tram answered ; " that's true enough. She died 
 when I was born." 
 
 " Tristram," said his visitor, lowering the 
 lantern and bowing his head, " I was her un- 
 worth}' husband, and am 3 our father, Roderick 
 Salt."
 
 us THE JJLUE r.U ILKiXS. 
 
 i< rn\ 
 
 'I'lwii would ccrlaiiily In- jtl;iiisil)lr, l»ut for 
 oue dilliciilty." 
 
 " What is it?" 
 
 " My fiitlicr was drowned some iiiontlis 
 before I was born." 
 
 " You are mistaken. lie was partially 
 drowned, but not (juite." 
 
 " I admit that alters the case." 
 
 " Shall I tell you how it liap])ened ? " 
 
 " By all means, sir ; for I think the story 
 must be interestiu";. At the same time I ouLjht 
 to warn you that I ah'eady possess a father, on 
 whom you can scarcely improv^e." 
 
 " To whom do you ref(M- ? " 
 
 " He is called Captain Jiarker l)y those wdio 
 love liiiii less than I." 
 
 " Is it he, then, that has brounht you up? 
 Lursc liiiii : 
 
 U'listraiii opened his eyes. " Wh}' should 
 von eurse him ? " he asked. 
 
 " Because he has stolen your love from me." 
 
 " P>ut — excuse iiH! — it is only this moment 
 that I have heard 3'ou were coinpetini^ fen* it." 
 
 *' He has told you evil (;oncernin^- me." 
 
 " On the contrary, he lias never uttered vour 
 name. It was my nurse who told me one day 
 that you were drowned ; and even this turns out 
 to be a mistake, as you were about to prove."
 
 FATHER AND SON. 119 
 
 " My son, your words and bearing cut me to 
 tlie heart. It is no less than I have deserved, 
 perhaps ; though, could you know all, I am sure 
 you would judge me leniently. But at least I 
 can give you some small proof of my love. Let 
 me first release j-ou from those irons." 
 
 He set the lantern on the floor, drew a small 
 key from his pocket and unlocked his son's 
 fetters. 
 
 " Tliank 3'ou. That is decidedly more agree- 
 able," said Tristram, stretching his stiffened 
 limbs. 
 
 " You were sutferin"- before I came ? " 
 
 " Why, truly," Tristram replied, shrugging 
 his shoulders as he glanced around ; " I find 
 military life duller than I expected. And since 
 this is the first night I have spent from 
 home ' 
 
 " My poor boy ! Doubtless, too, you were 
 brooding on what would happen to-morrow 
 morning." 
 
 " Say rather on what happened this morn- 
 ing," corrected Tristram, his thoughts reverting 
 to Sophia. 
 
 " But surely the prospect of to-morrow's 
 punishment " 
 
 " Oh, will there be a puuishment to- 
 morrow ? "
 
 loU JUL' liLUE I'AVILIOSS. 
 
 " AVliN , Mill kicked a siTijeaiit iVoin one end 
 of liis Majesty's sliij) to tlie i)tlier ! Did you 
 iniai^inc you could do that with iiiipiiiiity ? " 
 
 " I assure you lie deserved it." 
 
 " Nevertheless, you would have been Hoiri^ed 
 on deck to-morrow had I not come with a 
 pardon." 
 
 " You astonish me : and really you have been 
 very kind to me. Still, it would have been 
 quite unjust." 
 
 Captain Salt rejji'arded his son (juietly for a 
 moment or two. In truth he was somewhat 
 staggered by this sim])licity. 
 
 " You wish to escape from this service P " he 
 asked. 
 
 " 1 dislike it more and more. Besides " 
 
 *' Tell me 3'our desires; for, believe me, 
 my sou, i have no dearer wish than to further 
 them." 
 
 Tristraiii held out a hand and took his 
 lather's. 
 
 " Forgive me, sir, for my coldness just now. 
 Kemember that 1 had never seen, had scarcely 
 heard of", you before. ^ ou are very good to me. 
 I believe, b}' looking in ^our eyes, that you love 
 me; and 1 believe — I know — that in time I 
 should love you greatly in return. But you 
 must pardon that which I am going to say.
 
 CAPTAIN SALTS GENEliOUS HEART. 151 
 
 Sir, I cannot help loving best those who have 
 dealt lovingly with me all my life. I was home- 
 
 s^ick " he broke off, as a lump rose in his 
 
 throat. 
 
 " You shall go home," said Captain Salt. 
 
 Still holding his hand, Tristram stared at 
 him incredulously. 
 
 " Why should you doubt me, my son ? Do 
 you think I despise those feelings, or can 
 neglect them ? No ; I honour them, though 
 bitterly regretting that, as fate has willed it, 
 they can never be entertained for me." 
 
 " Don't say that, my father." 
 
 " Why should I blink the truth ? " Captain 
 Salt turned and brushed away a fictitious tear. 
 " No, Tristram ; you shall go back to those you 
 love better. I only ask you to be patient for a 
 few days; for, indeed, I have but a certain 
 amount of influence with those who enlisted you 
 to-day against your will. Listen : early to- 
 morrow the squadron sets sail. If the wind 
 holds we shall be within the Maese by Sunday 
 morning. As soon as your regiment disem- 
 barks you shall be a free man : for not till then 
 shall I have an opportunity of speaking with his 
 Majesty. The squadron will be returning at 
 once to this port, and I trust you may return 
 with it. In the meantime you must give me
 
 102 TJll:: BLUE VAVlLiUSS. 
 
 your word to rciniiin where you are ; for tliout;li 
 the ])unislnn('ut is icmittcd, you arc still under 
 iiirest. T have seen your ca])tain, liowever, and 
 you will lliid matters uiadf very lii^ht for you. 
 The sentry will hrin^- v>'U IocmI jukI drink." 
 
 ]Ii' st(>j)))ed, lor 'l^ristrani had fallen on one 
 knee, and was passionately kissing- liis liand. 
 
 " How ill you must think of mc ! " lie mur- 
 mured ; " and how can I thank you? " 
 
 " By keeping one tendi-r tlumu'lit or two for a 
 Jiither wdio held aloof from yuu while it was lor 
 3'our good, and came to you wlien, for the first 
 time, you wanted him. Mine has been a liard 
 life, Tristram, and not altogether a good one. 
 By asking you to sliare it, I had done you 
 heaven know^s whal injury." 
 
 This was true eiiuuii'h, and it struck the 
 speakei- as so ]»athetic that he mainiged even to 
 stjuee/e up a tear. 
 
 " JJut come," he went on. with a sudden 
 change to vivacity, "tell me how 30U happened 
 into this scrape." 
 
 And so, with the lantern hetween them 
 casting long spokes of light on the slii])'s tim- 
 bers, the I'afters, and tlu' two druid<<'n sleepers 
 in the corner, father and son sat and talked for 
 the better part of an hour ; at the end of which 
 time Captain Salt, who dexterously numaged to
 
 TlilSTlLUI IS LEFT ALONE. 153 
 
 do nine-tenths of the listening-, was pretty \\c\\ 
 posted in the affiiirs of the Blue Pavilions and 
 their inmates, and knew almost as much of 
 Tristram's past history as if lie had spent a day 
 with the thirty-seven green volumes. It was 
 past two in the morning when he arose to return 
 to his own ship. 
 
 At parting he kissed Tristram on both 
 cheeks. " Farewell, dear lad," he said, with 
 a- manner that was admirably paternal ; " we 
 shall not meet again till the ships cast anchor 
 in the Maese. Meanwhile steel your heart and 
 look forward to a better fortune." 
 
 He picked up the lantern and, climbing the 
 ladder, nodded back reassuringly as he lifted the 
 hatch. At the same time he was secretly a 
 good deal perplexed; for in all that he had 
 learnt there was nothing to throw light on 
 the Earl's words. " Now, why the devil is the 
 lad to be looked after ? " he wondered. For in 
 fact Tristram had said nothing of the inherit- 
 ance. And the reason for this was the very 
 simple one that he himself knew nothing 
 about it, Captain Barker and Captain Runacles 
 having long ago agreed to keep it a secret Irom 
 him until he should come of age. They had 
 arrived at this resolution after many weeks of 
 discussion, and bej'ond a doubt their wisdom
 
 15-t TJllJ JiLUE I'AVi LIONS. 
 
 liiid Ix'on jiistilii'd in (lie course of the last 
 liuiir. 
 
 There was no ])erj)le\ity visible, however, in 
 the kindly smile which Tristram beheld and 
 returned with interest. A moment after, he 
 was left in blank darkness. Jiut, bein<^ by this 
 time tired out, as well as <(reatly comforted, he 
 curled himself uj) un the bare lloor, and within 
 five minutes had dropped olT into a dreamless 
 sleep. 
 
 It was mornin<^ when he awoke, though he 
 could not tell the hour ; for the only light that 
 reached his prison was fdtered through the 
 hatch above, which somebody had kindly tilted 
 open. The sounds that woke him were those 
 ot" feet moving to and fro in the captain's cabin 
 overhead, and, far forward in the ship, the clatter 
 ot" boots as the soldiers turned out. He looked 
 about him and made two discoveries. In the first 
 place, his two drunken companions had vanished, 
 or had been removed ; and secondly, their place 
 was taken by a loaf and a tin pannikin. 
 
 He reached out a hand for these, and began 
 without hesitation the first meal in his life of 
 which the green volumes were to keep no record. 
 With less hunger he might have found it 
 nauseous ; for the bread was incredibly mouldy 
 and had been gnawed all round the crust by
 
 THE -GOOD INTENT" WEIGHS ANCHOll. loo 
 
 rats, while the liquor in the pannikin was a 
 mixture of fiery rum and unclean water. The 
 first gulp fetched the tears ; but, after sput- 
 terimr a bit, he manai^ed to swallow a ijood 
 half of it. As he breakfasted he heard a deal 
 of muffled shouting above, and then a distant 
 clankino; sound that was unfamiliar. The Good 
 Intent was weighing anchor. 
 
 These noises, however, did not trouble 
 Tristram, who was minded by this time to 
 bear his fortune with hardihood. Only the 
 thought of Sophia vexed him while he ate, 
 and he sighed once or twice with a violence 
 that set the rats scampering. Then it struck 
 him that his morning prayers were unsaid, and, 
 scrambling on his knees, he committed himself 
 to the care of heaven, and afterwards felt still 
 easier at heart. Also, being a prudent youth in 
 some respects, he decided to reserve half of the 
 loaf in case no more should be brought for the 
 day ; and, because his hunger was excessive, it 
 took some time to decide on the amount to Ije 
 set aside. Indeed, he was still discussing this 
 with himself when the Good Intent shook with 
 the roar of the royal salute. 
 
 For the moment Tristram imagined that 
 he must he in the midst of a sea-fii'f'ht at 
 
 t>' 
 
 the very least. But his apprehensions were
 
 lotJ TJIE IILVE I'AVILIOXS. 
 
 presently distracted l)y tlio motions of tlic sliip 
 under liim — motions wliich at length Ix'came 
 erratic, and even alanllinL^^ F<»r tlic (/(mu/ Intnit 
 was not <iiil\" licaxiii;;' up and d(j\vii, l^ut seemed 
 to be tearinif lorwaid in a series of veliement 
 rushes, with intervals ol" lanLiuid indecision. 
 Tristram's stoinncli simhi bei^an to al)lioi' these 
 intervals, aii<l in a little while he i'ound himsell 
 wondering to what end he had set aside hall" a 
 loat from his breakfast. For, as it seemed to 
 him, he was going to die, and the sooner the 
 better. 
 
 "Decidedly," he thought, "my breakfast 
 was poisoned, else 1 could never leel like this." 
 
 The Good Itilciit took another lurch forward, 
 and a clammy sweat broke out on both sides of 
 his forehead. 
 
 ''if 1 have enemies so wicked," sighed he, 
 " ma}' (jud forgive them I " And, uttering this 
 Christian wish, he fell forward with his forehead 
 against the boards. 
 
 A little past noon the sentry brought him a 
 fresh loaf, with a plate of fat bacon and another 
 pannikin. The sea being chop])y, by this time 
 the vessel echoed from end to end with groans 
 and lamentations. 
 
 "Is it a massacre?" Tristram asked, sitting 
 up and regarding the man with wild eyes. Jhit
 
 IN THE MAESE. 1.57 
 
 the sii>ht of the bacon, wliicli was ])lt'iitirully 
 doused with vinegar, conquered him afresh. 
 The sentry chuckled and went away. 
 
 To be short, our hero passed two-and-twenty 
 hours in this extremity of wretchedness, and was 
 only aroused, early next morning', by a corporal 
 who thrust his head in at the hatchwaj^ and bade 
 him arise and come on deck with all speed, as 
 the regiment was about to disembark. And, 
 as a matter of fact, when Tristram tottered up 
 tlie ladder into the fresh air which swept the 
 deck, he found that, though he had been be- 
 3'ond remarking any difference in the ship's 
 motion, she was now 13'ing at anchor, and 
 within a cable's length from a desolate shore, 
 which began in sand-hills and ended in mist. 
 
 The rain was pouring perpendicularly from a 
 leaden sk}', and drenching the decks. The 
 soldiers, in their great-coats, huddled together 
 as they waited for the boats, and shrugged 
 their shoulders to keep the drops from trickling 
 down the napes of their necks. Somebody gave 
 Tristram a great-coat and knapsack, and pointed 
 out the group to which he was to attach himself. 
 He obeyed, though scarcely aware of what he 
 did : for his head was light, his hunger w^as 
 ravenous, and his legs w^ere trembling beneath 
 liim. A soldier cursed close by, and he cursed
 
 i.vs riih: in.ri-: r.\\iLin\s. 
 
 tni>, ('cliuiii^ tile mail's wonls witlmiit kimwinL^ 
 \vli3'. Another man slajiprd liim on tlic hack, 
 mistakinu;- liim tor a iron}', and hogged his 
 panloii. " It rcallv inaki's iiu dilltTcnce," said 
 Tristram jiulitrly, and at oner Icll to wondcriuLj 
 il" tliis remark were ahsurd or int. l>eyoiid I lie 
 u;rey veils of rain lio spied, now and then, a cluster 
 of red i-(»((fs, and a stee])le close hoside the shore. 
 
 " What j)lace is that 3()nderr" he asked the 
 man who stood at his elhow. 
 
 " A^laardinLCen," said the fellow, ^-rutlly. It 
 was Seri^eant Klom]), and Tristram turned it 
 over in his mind wiiether to offer an a])oloiry (»|- 
 no. ^\'hile he was still debatinir^ ;t brisk youni,^ 
 officer came aloni^ and called out — 
 
 " Get ready, boys. This is our turn." 
 
 Tn less than a minute after, for no apparent 
 reas(jn, the crowd around Tristram surged forward 
 to the bulwarks, and he was carried along with 
 the rush. Then he I'oiind himself swa3ing 
 unsteadily down a flight of steps and calling 
 to the men beiiind not to hustle and precipitate 
 him into one or otlier ol" the two longboats 
 that lay below. Into the nearer of these his 
 company swept him, and poured in at his heels 
 until the gunwale was nearly level with the 
 water. 'J'ho rowers ])ushed off in the nick of 
 time, and pulled their ri<-ight slowly acro.ss
 
 THE DISEMBARKATION. 159 
 
 tlie sullen tide, while the rain beat down 
 relentlessly. 
 
 As they neared the shore, a landing-stage, 
 or low jetty, of sunk piles disengaged itself 
 from the mist. This was the sole object that 
 diversified the melancholy line of sand-banks, 
 and towards it they were steered, Tristram look- 
 ing eagerly out under the peak of his cap, from 
 which a rivulet of water was by this time 
 coursins: down his nose. 
 
 Half-a-dozen grey figures were standing on 
 the jetty, and, as the soldiers scrambled up 
 its dripping steps, one of them advanced and 
 touched Tristram by the elbow. It was his 
 father. 
 
 " Safe and sound, my boy ? Fnrhhu I but 
 it's easy to see you're no accomplished sailor; 
 but that's all the better." 
 
 Tristram was feeling too faint to contest 
 this, though it appeared to him to be dis- 
 cutable. 
 
 " Let us get ahead of this mob," his father 
 went on. " Come, use your best foot — it's no 
 great distance." 
 
 He struck off the sodden track and dived 
 into the mist, Tristram following close at his 
 heels. Their way lay over hillocks and hollows 
 of sand in which thev sank ankle-decD at everv
 
 ifio Tiih' I'.i.ri: r.\\iij(}.\s. 
 
 step. Ill 1\\(» lililillirs tl|('\' lost sil^llt t»r tllO 
 
 ret^iiiniit ;iii(l were walkiiiiif wlili llicir laces set, 
 as it seemed, towards a wall ot" L^rey atmosphere, 
 iiiipciK'trable by the <y'e. After live iniimtes of 
 this, Tristram L,'roaned. He liad eateu m^thini^ 
 tor twenty-four liours, and his limbs were weak 
 as water. 
 
 " Couran'e, my son ! A f<'w paces more." 
 Almost as he s[)oke a building- loomed out 
 of the mist, and they found themselves before 
 a doorway, over which \\\uv^ the sii^n of " Tiie 
 Four Seasons." A sentry, who stood beside the 
 entrance, presented arms and let them ])ass. 
 Captain Salt led the way indoors and up a rickety 
 staircase to the rii^'ht, on the lirst landinij;- of 
 which they found two ])an-('s in waitin<^. 
 
 "Say that Captain Salt desires to see his 
 Majesty." 
 
 ■I •' 
 
 One of the passes tapped at the door, and, 
 havini^ delivered the messa^-e, commanded them 
 to enter. The place in which Tristram now 
 found himself was a low-browed room, smellini;' 
 In'n'hly of sawdust and stale tobacco. It was 
 bisected by a lon^- table of clean white deal, at 
 the end of which wi-re seated three s^entlemen 
 whose attire bespoke a (-(^nsiderable estate. All 
 three looked up as the pair entered, and in the 
 centre our hero at once recognised his Majesty,
 
 AT THE "FOUR SEASONS." 161 
 
 with the Earl of Marlborough upon his left hand, 
 and upon his right a general of a plain but 
 shrewd and honest countenance, who glanced at 
 Captain Salt for a moment and resumed the 
 writing upon which he was engaged. 
 
 King William set down the bundle of papers 
 that he had been conning with a sour expres- 
 sion, as if tasting bad wine, and ordered the 
 Captain to come forward ; which he did, with 
 a profound salute. 
 
 " I have examined the lists. Captain Salt. 
 They tally with other information which my 
 admirals and generals have been able to give 
 me; though, as they have not your advantages, 
 their knowledge is, of necessity, scantier." 
 
 Beneath his words there lurked a contempt 
 which made the Captain wince. 
 
 " Your Majesty, I have endeavoured to do 
 my duty — such as it is." 
 
 " You say well. The disgrace lies with those 
 who make it necessary." 
 
 " I am gkid your Majesty should regard it in 
 that light." 
 
 " Eest assured that I do, and admit the 
 magnitude of the service you have done us. I 
 understand you have come for your reward." 
 
 " Sa}'- rather that I have brought it." 
 
 " Explain yourself." 
 
 L
 
 mi TJll'J IILVE I'AVllAU.SS. 
 
 " J ask no reward, your ]\I;ijesty, but the 
 cli.scliarL,a' of tliis youn_<if recruit." As lie spoke 
 Captain Salt drew Tristram iorward from the 
 doorway, where he was standing- awkwardly. 
 
 "'i'liis is ver}' extraordinary-. I expected 
 some request for money, I will confess." 
 
 " There are some thiuLfs which rank above 
 nione}'," said the Captain, with ieeliui^. 
 
 " AVe are told so," replied AVilliam, drily. 
 " Jjiil miMit I ask for an instance or two? " 
 
 " There is paternal love. Your Majesty, this 
 young- man is my son." The Captain, at this 
 point, brushed away a tear with the back of 
 his hand. 
 
 " Why — but surely I remember his face." 
 
 " That is probable : for you yourself, sire, did 
 him the honour to enlist him, no longer ago than 
 last Fridav." 
 
 " I remember the occasion. But it did not 
 then appear — at least, to my recollection — that 
 he was a son of yours, Captain Salt." 
 
 " \\'\\\ your ^lajesty be good enough to note 
 till' likeness between us? " 
 
 " 1 do not doubt your word. T merely 
 remark that the two gentlemen who then 
 interceded ior him omitted to mention his 
 parentage." 
 
 " Their names, I believe "
 
 LIBERTY AND LEAVE OF ABSENCE. 163 
 
 " They were two gallaDt but wroni^-lieaded 
 gentlemen of his late Majesty's navy — Captain 
 John Barker and Captain Jeremiah llunacles." 
 
 "It is to those gentlemen, who have guarded 
 him from his infancy, that I would restore this 
 young man." 
 
 " This is very magnanimous conduct." 
 
 " A father, sire, may, for his son's good, 
 disregard his own yearnings. I would, with 
 permission, escort him back to Harwich, and 
 assure myself of his happiness. Your Majesty 
 need have no doubt of my return with the next 
 transport." 
 
 " Indeed, Captain Salt, I myself should 
 advise you, for your own safety, to be out of the 
 way until this small storm has blown over. 
 Present yourself as soon as you return. Sir," 
 he continued, addressing Tristram, " you are 
 discharged from my service, which, I must say, 
 has not bettered your looks. Return to your 
 guardians, and, if they will allow you, cultivate 
 some small amount of loyalty." 
 
 " I thank your Majesty very heartily," Tris- 
 tram replied ingenuously, "and I regret if the 
 plant has, until now, found no place in our 
 garden." 
 
 " The squadron will sail again for England 
 at midnight," said William, with a faint smile ;
 
 T:i THE BLUJJ rAVIIAuSS. 
 
 then, tiiniiii<r to tlic Ivirl of .Marlborouj^li, 
 " My lord, will you write out the order?" 
 
 At this luoiuent oue ol" the pages entered 
 with a note for the Kin<;. 
 
 " Let him coine in," said William, after 
 opening it and runniiiL,^ his eye over the con- 
 tents ; then, addressing Captain Salt, " I fear 
 this puts an end to our conversation for the 
 time. If you will wait below, the necessary 
 papers shall be brought to you. Fare well ; young 
 man ; and when you embrace them, assure 
 Captain Barker and Captain Runacles that I 
 have still some hope of their finding a better 
 mind." 
 
 They bowed and withdrew, giving place to 
 the new-comer, Avho entered at that moment — 
 an old gentleman in a suit of dai-k blue edged 
 with silver. As lie passed them in the doorway 
 his eyes scanned Tristram narrowly, and he 
 appeared to hesitate for a moment as if desirous 
 of putting a question to the youth. 
 
 Unconscious of this Ljok, Tristram followed 
 his father down the stairs of the auberge. They 
 had hardly reached the bottom, however, when a 
 voice called from the landing above, and the Earl 
 of Marlborough descended after them. 
 
 " Here are the papers," he said. " But 
 young sir, would you mind waiting here lor a
 
 THE SKITTLE-ALLEY. 165 
 
 minute or two while I speak with your father 
 in private ? " 
 
 With this he opened a door upon the left 
 and led the way through a dark passage to a 
 covered skittle-alley at the back of the house. 
 It was a deserted and ramshackle arcad(\ and 
 offered the poorest cover from the rain, whicli 
 dripped tlirough the roof and drifted under the 
 eaves. The skittles lay here and there, as if the 
 last player, weary of the game, had been toss- 
 ing them about at hapliazard. Here the Earl 
 paused, looked around him, and began in a low 
 voice, 
 
 " My friend, I regret to perceive that ^^ou 
 beo'in to act without instructions." 
 
 " In what way ? " 
 
 " You propose to return at once to Harwich 
 with this son of yours." 
 
 " Certainl}^ my lord. It appears to me that 
 I have deserved a holiday by this week's work." 
 
 " You shall take one ; but not at Harwich 
 just yet." 
 
 " And why not at Harwich ? " 
 
 " For two reasons. In the first place you do 
 no good, but harm, in returning thither at this 
 moment. Understand that I am only asking you 
 to defer the visit for a week or two. At ]:)resent 
 I am awaiting certain necessary information,
 
 1(50 Tin: ni.ri: r.wirjONS. 
 
 without wliicli you will lianlly lay your hands 
 on the 1^00(1 lortuue T inicnd for you." 
 
 "You arc mysterious, my l<»i(l. This ])oy of 
 miuo " 
 
 " Will briui^ you wealth and di<^^nity, I 
 promise, if you allow me to eonduet the alTair. 
 Tlnot " 
 
 '' What is the other reason ? " 
 
 " The other reason," replied the Earljool-cini:^ 
 down and movini;' a skiiile f^'ently with the toe 
 ol his boot — " tlic other reason is that T require 
 
 you to s])eud the first part of" 3'our lioliday else- 
 
 1 " 
 where. 
 
 " Where may that be ? " 
 
 " At Saint Germains." 
 
 " My lord, you risk ni}' neck witli much 
 
 composure ! " 
 
 "There is no risk at all, unless " 
 
 " l^ray finish your sentence." 
 
 " unless you refuse," said the Earl, 
 
 significantly. 
 
 " Proceed, my lord." Captain Salt's face 
 flushed, scarlet; then a sweat broke out on his 
 temples, where, an instant before, the veins had 
 swelled with rage. 
 
 " There is nothing to prevent your starting at 
 once. You have altered the fuses, I su])pose ? " 
 
 " Yes."
 
 HOW TO MANIl'ULATE A MUTINY. \Cu 
 
 " And made all the arrangements ? " 
 " Nothing is omitted. The guns will be 
 fired twenty minutes too soon, at ten minutes 
 after nine. As William knows nothing about 
 the signal, and has made his dispositions for 
 half -past nine, the poor fellows will have some 
 fun for their pains, after all." 
 
 "Excellent!" said the Earl, smiling. "It 
 only remains for you to start. Here are the 
 papers ; I advise you to keep them carefully 
 sorted. This, in cypher, is for James. It is 
 full of promises ; and, in addition, to keep his 
 spirits up, 3"0U can give him an account of the 
 mutiny, pointing out how near it came to suc- 
 cess. A boat shall take you to Sevenbergen ; 
 after that you know the road — the usual one. 
 The word is Modena. You will take your son 
 with you, of course, and persuade him (if you 
 can) that he is travelling back to Harwich by 
 the shortest road." 
 
 " That will be difficult." 
 
 " Erom Paris return to Dunkirk, and there 
 await a letter from me. By that time I hope to 
 be able to send you information, on the strength 
 of which 3^ou may at once sail for Harwich. 
 Meanwhile, guard that young man as the apple 
 of your eye "
 
 168 TIfE BLVE I'.W I I.K i.\'S. 
 
 AV(> will rotuni in llic subject of lliis amiiiLlc 
 advice. Tristram liad Ix'cn kickinj^ his hods for 
 ten minutes or more in the (lrauL;"hty passage, 
 and woiKh'rini,^ if lie slioiild cvei' know the taste 
 ol fond aii^ain, when tlie (h)or opened on tlie 
 landinn' above, and the old ij^entleman in hlue 
 and silver descended the stairs from his audience. 
 He was clearl}^ in something' of a hurr)', an<l 
 strode past our hero as il' unaware ol" his presence, 
 hut turn(Hl on his lied ;it the end ol" the passai^e 
 and came swiftl}- hack. 
 
 " I ask3'our pardon, younij^ man," he began, 
 in a quick, foreign voice, " but T thought I 
 heard his Majesty speaking to you of a Caj)tain 
 Kunacles as I entered the room. Forcrive me if 1 
 seem too inquisitive, but do you happen to know 
 Captain Jeremiah Runacles ? " 
 
 " T know no reason, sir, jigainst my answer- 
 ing. I know him well, and love him." 
 ^ "Pla? AVheredoes he live?" 
 
 *' In Harwich." 
 
 " He keeps hale ? " 
 
 " In excellent health for his age." 
 
 "Could he still answer for himself with a 
 small-sword? — I mean not with a young adver- 
 sary, but, say, with a man of my age? " 
 
 " I have not the slightest doul)t of it, sir." 
 Tristram stared at the old gentleman, who was
 
 CAPTAIN VJX ADETENSSEN. 169 
 
 of a tal], unwieldy figure, short, bull neck, and 
 clioleric complexion. 
 
 " You will see liim again shortly ? " 
 
 " With God's help I shall see him in three 
 days' time." 
 
 " Then I'd he obliged by 3^onr taking him a 
 message from me. Tell him, sir, that I, Captain 
 Van Adrienssen, may be heard of at the Hague 
 at any time, and have not forgotten a certain 
 promise of his (to cut my comb) whicli he 
 uttered at one time when our ships lay alongside 
 off the Texel. Assure him that, though night 
 parted us, I still retain the boot which he Hung 
 at my head and into my ship. Say that I have 
 been waiting ever since for the man who fits 
 that boot, and warn him that we are both well 
 stricken in years and have little time left in 
 which to try conclusions. You have that by 
 heart ? " 
 
 les, sir. 
 
 " Repeat it." 
 
 Tristram did so. 
 
 " Very well ; now be careful to deliver it." 
 
 And, nodding his head sharply, the old 
 gentleman hurried away on his business just as 
 the Earl and Captain Salt returned from their 
 colloquy.
 
 I70 
 
 ClIAPTEU IX. 
 
 TIIK FOUR MKN AT THE "WIIITF, LAMB." 
 
 " Wkll, my son," bof^an Captain Salt, as the 
 Kai'l roasconded tlie stairs. " 'J'lianks ho tliat 
 wo are alone t()<:;;otlior at last ! Do 1 not kocp 
 my promises ? " 
 
 " Indeed, fatlicr, vou are kind. There is 
 only one tliin<^ " 
 
 "What is^that?" 
 
 "1 should prefer to return to Harwich alive; 
 and seeing that I have eaten nothing for a day 
 and a half " 
 
 Plis father interrupted him by taking his 
 arm and hurrying him off to the kitchen of the 
 auberge, where a fat woman was basting a couple 
 of ducks before a roaring fire. 
 
 " Pardon me, mistress," he began in Dutch ; 
 " but can you give this young man a breakfast ? " 
 
 The hostess seemed to be annoj'od. 
 
 " What docs lie want ? " she inquired, 
 sharply. 
 
 Tl»e question being interpreted to Tristram, 
 he answered that he wanted (iverything, but that 
 in the meantime .the ducks would serve to break 
 the edge of his fast.
 
 TRISTRAM ORDERS BREAKFAST. 171 
 
 " But these are for his Majesty." 
 
 " What have you besides ? " 
 
 " Salt fish." 
 
 " I will begin with salt fish." 
 
 " Bacon." 
 
 " I see," said Tristram, nodding up at a 
 regiment of hams that depended from a rack 
 overhead; " I will eat these also. What else ? " 
 
 " Cheese." 
 
 " On second thoughts, I will begin \vith 
 cheese, while the fish is being prepared. Is 
 that all ? " 
 
 "Mother of God ! Is it not enouHi ? " 
 
 " How can I tell 3^et ? Let me see your 
 bread and cheese." 
 
 The woman left her ducks, and in a minute 
 had dumped down a loaf and a huge round 
 cheese of an orange colour before our hero. 
 
 " When do we start ? " he asked, with his 
 month full. 
 
 " Shortly after dark." 
 
 " Then I have plenty of time.'* 
 
 " I shonld hope so. Hostess, bring a bottle 
 or wme. 
 
 " Two bottles," Tristram interrupted. 
 
 " It will get into your head." 
 
 " I hope so, for my head is something light 
 at present."
 
 1'- TUK ni.rE T'.wnjoxs. 
 
 " You ])r()))()S(', tlicn, to sjkmhI tlif diiy in 
 oatiiiL; and drinkiiii^'-? " 
 
 "Unless 3'ou know of sonic better amuse- 
 ment with wliicli we can l)('L,niile the time." 
 
 "None wliatever. And as T must leave you 
 i"<»r sonu' time while I niMkc ari'ani^emcnts for 
 our return " 
 
 " 1 sliall not Ix' lonely," said Tristram, witli 
 a glance at the ducks, rolIow(Ml 1)\- ;in u])\vard 
 look of resip^nation dii-eclfd ;i< the rows of hams. 
 
 It was dark wlim Ca|)tain Salt returned, 
 and found liis son on the settle where he had 
 left him. Tristram was not sitting, however, 
 but stretched at length, and breathing heavil}-. 
 At the further end of the table sat the host and 
 hostess of the inn, engaged in makinii- out the bill. 
 
 " One — two — three — six bottles ! " exclaimed 
 his father, counting the ruins on the board. 
 " Why, the boy is drunk 1 " 
 
 " No, father," Tristram interrupted, sitting 
 up and rubbing his eyes; " not so much drunk 
 as asleep, and not so much asleep but that I 
 could see the landlord here add three empty 
 bottles to the two T had finished, without count- 
 ing one that came full to the table and was 
 emptied l)y him for his su]>per." 
 
 Captain Salt shot a searching glance at the 
 couple, who coloured and seemed confused.
 
 TlilSTliAM SETS OUT WITH HIS FATIIEIL 173 
 
 " What is this ? " he cried, examining the 
 reckoning. " Two ducks ! " 
 
 " Ah, I'm afraid it is true that I ate one of 
 the ducks." 
 
 " But they were for his Majesty." 
 
 " It appears they were cooked on the chance 
 of pleasing his Majesty, who left, however, with- 
 out inquiring for them. The landlord and his 
 wife have just eaten the other. Is it time to 
 start ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Tristram jumped up and stretched himself, 
 smiling amiably on the host and hostess, 
 who returned his look with no very good will. 
 Captain Salt, having made the proper deductions 
 calml}^ paid the reckoning, and they left tlie 
 house. 
 
 Outside the weather was still dirty, and a 
 wind, which had gradually risen since the morn- 
 ing, blew in their faces charged with chilly 
 moisture, The mist, however, had cleared a 
 little, and Tristram, as he rammed his hat 
 tightly on his head before facing the night, 
 could see the lights of the squadron far out upon 
 the black and broken waters of the Maese. 
 " In what ship do we return ? " he asked. 
 
 The wind, apparently, drowned his question; 
 for Captain Salt started off without replying and
 
 17-t THE ULii: I'AVll.lOSS. 
 
 led tlio way down across tlic saii(l-1)anks. It 
 seenu'd to Tristram that their patli lay to tlie 
 lol't of that by whicli they had aj)proaclied the 
 iim early in the morning*. l£e was strainini^ liis 
 e^^es on the look-out for the wooden hmdini,^- 
 stage, when suddenl}-, on climbing a ridge some- 
 what higher than the rest, he saw the white 
 fringe of the waves glimmering close under his 
 leet, and the inky shadow of a boat, in which 
 sat a couple of dark forms. One of them, 
 hearing the low Avhistle uttered by Captain Salt, 
 scrambled forward to the bows and held out 
 a hand. 
 
 Tristram looked at his father, who nodded. 
 They entered the boat in silence, and within 
 a minute were being rowed rapidl}-- across the 
 tide. It struck our hero that the oars made 
 remarkably little noise, in spite of the energy 
 with whicli they were plied. He was about to 
 speak, but checked himself on seeing his father 
 raise a finger to his lips. "What is the meaning 
 of this ? " he wondered. His enormous meal 
 had made him drow.sy ; and deciding that, if not 
 allowed to speak, he might at least nod, he 
 closed his eyes. 
 
 He opened them again with a start. From 
 the shore behind them the roar of guns had just 
 burst out upon the night.
 
 TJIJ^Y LEAVE THE SQUADRON BEUIXD. 175 
 
 This was his first impression ; but the sound 
 was not repeated, and in a moment or two he 
 fancied he must have been drearain"- of" the 
 salute he had heard in the lazarette of the Good 
 Intent, as the squadron sailed out of Harwich. 
 The boat was still moving with unabated speed, 
 and the dark, choppy water stretched all round 
 them. Through the murky night the ships' 
 lanterns still shone steadily enough, but further 
 off than before, and at a sharp angle behind his 
 riijht shoulder. 
 
 " It seems we are not steering very straight 
 for the fleet," he could not help remarking. 
 
 " We are not steering for the fleet," said 
 his father. 
 
 " But I thought " 
 
 He broke off as a series of sharp flashes 
 danced out in the distance, followed by the 
 rattle of musketry and a dull, confused shouting. 
 
 " You perceive," Captain Salt remarked, 
 "that the squadron is not the safest means of 
 reaching Harwich." 
 
 " What are they doing out there? " 
 
 " They are killing each other." 
 
 " That sounds very unpleasant." 
 
 " And as the night is too dark to distinguish 
 faces with any certaintj^ I thought you would 
 prefer to go home by another way."
 
 17(> Till': llLLE L'AVlLiuSki. 
 
 " A lonn''-!' w:iy ? " 
 
 " It is ccrtiiiiilv a trillc lonLTtT ; but tlicn, 
 as it won't expose yuu to tlie risk of being 
 killed " 
 
 " That's true. 1 won't grudge the time." 
 
 The explosions ot" musketiy, meanwhile, had 
 been folhjwing each other faster aii<l faster, and 
 at length became incessant. 
 
 " Hravo !" muttered Captain Salt to himself; 
 " this will take some time to quell." 
 
 "What did you say?" 
 
 "I was thinking, my son, that 'tis lucky you 
 have somebody to look alter you." Tristram 
 sought for his father's hand and pressed it. 
 
 " I am not ungrateful, as you think." 
 
 " Why should I think so ? You will have 
 more yet to thank me for, I hope." 
 
 The boat at this moment swun<^ to the left, 
 around a sandy promontory that liid the jets of 
 firearms behind them ; but waves of light still 
 flickered across the black sky and the shouting 
 still went on, thougli growing fainter as they 
 hurried forward. B\' one of the Hashes, more 
 vivid tlian tlie rest, and accompanied by the 
 crackle of a whole volley, Tristram saw that 
 the boat w^as now being ])roi)elled down a narrow 
 channel, both shores of which he could just 
 perceive across the gloom.
 
 TIIEY FIND TWO nORSES. 177 
 
 Captain Salt suddenly raised both hands to 
 his mouth, and, hollowing the palms, uttered 
 three mournful cries, long and loud, like the 
 wailing of a gull. 
 
 Within half a minute the sound was echoed 
 back from the darkness on the riglit shore, for 
 which the boat immediately headed. After 
 thirty strokes Tristram felt the sand rub beneath 
 the keel, and they came to a stand. 
 
 " Show the light," his father called, jumping 
 out into the water, that hardly covered the in- 
 steps of his riding-boots. 
 
 The red glow of a lantern appeared as if by 
 magic, and revealed a man standing but twenty 
 yards ahead, on a gentle slope of sand. He held 
 the lantern in one hand, and his right arm was 
 slipped through the bridles of two horses that 
 waited, side by side, and ready saddled, their 
 breath smoking out on the night wind. 
 
 "Dear me," Captain Salt observ^ed, reaching 
 a hand to Tristram, and helping him to land ; 
 " I forgot to ask if you could ride." 
 
 ''A very little, my father." 
 
 " You will find it difficult, then, to trot. 
 Therefore we will gallop." 
 
 " You intend me to climb upon one of these 
 beasts?" 
 
 " That is easy enough," 
 u
 
 178 V'///: i:lJh' y.l I7/./0.V.'?. 
 
 " T do not deny it ; but T suppose you also 
 wisli me to stay on." 
 
 "Come ; we must lose no time." 
 
 "Luckily, tlic soil of TI(tll;nid. as far as I am 
 acquainted with it, is soli and sandy. On the 
 other hand " 
 
 "AVell?" 
 
 "I was about to remark that they i^row 
 an immense qnantit}^ ot tuli])s in this countiy, 
 which demand a harder soil." 
 
 " We shall pass none." 
 
 "That is fortunate. For wlien I reach home 
 and they ask me, ' Well, what have 3'ou done 
 in Holland?' it would be sad to own, 'I have 
 done little beyond rolling on a bed of tulips.'" 
 
 With this ho climbed into the saddle and 
 thrust his feet well into tlie stirrups, while his 
 father whispered a word or two to the boatmen, 
 who were about to push oit" on their return 
 journe3^ 
 
 "Are you read}', my son?" he asked, re- 
 turn ini^ and mounting beside him. 
 
 " Quite." 
 
 "Forward, then ! " 
 
 The two horses broke into a trot. " Ugh," 
 exclaimed Tristram, bobbing up and down. 
 
 " I told you we must go faster. Stick your 
 knees tightly into thn saddle — so."
 
 A BLAZE IN THE SKY. 179 
 
 The wind and the night began to race by 
 Tristram's ears as his horse leapt forward. The 
 motion became easier, but the pace was terrifying 
 to a desperate degree ; for it seemed that he sat 
 upon nothing, but was being whirled through the 
 air as from a catapult at the heels of his father, 
 who pounded furiously through the darkness a 
 dozen yards ahead. For three minutes at least 
 he felt at every stride an extreme uncertainty as 
 to his chances of re-alighting in the saddle. It 
 reminded him of cup-and-ball, and he reflected 
 with envy that the ball in that game is always 
 attached to the cup with a string. 
 
 At the end of ten minutes Captain Salt 
 reined up, and Tristram's horse, after being 
 carried past for twenty yards by his mere 
 impetus, stopped of his own accord and to his 
 rider's intense satisfaction. 
 
 " Look," said the Captain, pointing to the 
 sky behind them, which was now illumined by a 
 broad scarlet glare. 
 
 ''What is that?" 
 
 " One of the ships on fire." 
 
 " Then I am better off where I am." 
 
 " Did you doubt it ? " 
 
 " I was beginning to. How much further 
 must we ride ? 
 
 ') 
 
 " Two leagues."
 
 180 THE BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 Tristram i^roanod, and they set off a^^ain, but 
 more slowly, for the road now was paved with 
 hricks instead of the loose sand over which 
 they had travelled hitlierto, and, moreover, it 
 ran, without fence or parapet, alon<^ the top 
 of a formidable dyke, tlie black waters of which, 
 far beneath him, caused Tristram the most pain- 
 ful ai)])rehension. Captain Salt, guessing this, 
 slackened the ])ace to a walk. The glare still 
 reddened the sky behind, but either the firing 
 had ceased or they had passed beyond sound of 
 it. At any rate, they only heard the water 
 la])ping in the dykes and the wind that howled 
 over the wastes around. 
 
 Tristram had long since lost his hat, and 
 his nose was bleeding from a sharp blow against 
 his horse's neck. He was trying to stanch the 
 flow when the chimes of a clock pealed down the 
 wind from somewhere ahead and upon his right. 
 His father halted again, and, after scanning the 
 gloom for a minute, uttered again the three calls 
 that were like the wailing of a gull. 
 
 Again the signal was answered, this time 
 from their left, and the spark of a lantern ap- 
 peared. " Dismount, my son," said^the Captain, 
 setting the example and leading his horse by the 
 bridle towards the light ; " we leave our horses 
 here."
 
 THEY FIND A CANAL BOAT. 181 
 
 " For otliers ? " 
 
 *' No, for a caiiiil-boat." 
 
 " This country may be flat," thought Tris- 
 tram ; " but decidedly the travelling is not 
 monotonous." 
 
 As he drew near the lantern, he saw, indeed, 
 that they were on the edge of a canal, wherein 
 lay a long black barge, with a boy on horseback 
 waiting on the tow-path, a little ahead of it. 
 On the barge's deck by the tiller an immensely 
 fat boatman leant and smoked his pipe, which he 
 withdrew placidl}^ from his lips as Captain Salt 
 gave the pass-word to the man with the lantern 
 and handed over the smoking horses. 
 
 " Modena ! " 
 
 The fat man spat, stood upright, and pre- 
 pared for business as the passengers stumbled 
 on board. Not a word more was spoken until 
 Tristram found himself in a long, low cabin, 
 divided into two parts by a deal partition. By 
 the light of a swinging lamp he saw that a bench 
 ran along the after compartment, and asked if 
 he might stretch himself out to sleep. 
 
 "By all means," said his father; "I was 
 going to propose it m3'self. We shall travel 
 without halting till morning." 
 
 " Then ' good- night.' " 
 
 " You appear in a hurry."
 
 18li TJIE LLLE I'AVIlAuSS. 
 
 " It seonis to me that it's my turn." 
 
 The barL;e was hardly in motion before 
 Tristram be<;an to snore. Nor did he awake till 
 the sun was up and shininn' in through the 
 little openin*^ by the stern, through which he 
 could see the legs of the fat steersman on deck. 
 AVhile lie rubbed his eyes his father appeared at 
 the cabin-door with a bundle in one hand and u 
 big market-basket in the other. 
 
 " You sleep late, my son. 1 have already 
 been marketing, as you see." 
 
 " Then we are at a standstill." 
 
 " Yes, but we move on again in three 
 minutes." 
 
 " What have you bought ? " 
 
 " Your breakfast. See " and the Captain 
 
 spread on the cabin table an enormous sausage, 
 two loaves of bread, and a bottle of red wine. 
 
 " That is good, for I warn 30U I am 
 hungry." 
 
 " But first of all you must dress." 
 
 " Am I not already dressed ? " 
 
 " Jjet me point out that the uniform of a 
 private soldier in his ^lajesty's Coldstream 
 Guards differs in so many respects from the 
 native costume of these parts that it can hardly 
 fail to excite remark. Listen : I have here two 
 suits of clothes, in which we must travel for the
 
 SLOW TRANSPORT. 183 
 
 next day or two ; I as a private gentleman, and 
 you as my lackey." 
 
 " I begin to see that tliis way back to 
 Harwich has its difficulties as well as the other," 
 sighed Tristram, while they changed their suits. 
 This reflection threw him into a melancholy 
 which lasted throughout the day, insomuch that 
 he hardly found heart to go on deck, but sat 
 on his bench in the cabin, feeding his heart on 
 the prospect of Sophia's joy at his return and 
 listening to his father, who sat and whistled on 
 the cabin hatch, to the thud of the to wing- 
 horse's hoofs, and to the monotonous " huy ! " 
 and " vuU ! " of the boatman whenever tlieir 
 barge encountered another and one of the two 
 slackened rope to allow passage. 
 
 Occasionally they were hailed from the bank 
 by travellers who desired to journey down 
 stream ; but the invariable answer was that this 
 barge had been hired by a nobleman who wished 
 to travel without company and at his leisure. 
 As Tristram, however, knew nothing of the 
 Dutch language, he imagined these to be but 
 kindly salutations of the inhabitants designed to 
 enliven a voyage which (as he judged) must be 
 inexpressibly tedious to anyone who made it 
 with any other purpose than that of being 
 restored to Sophia's embrace.
 
 I8i THE BLVE V A VI LIONS. 
 
 Towards sunset ho went on deck, and 
 observed his father steadily gazing at the lelt 
 bank of the eanal, parallel to which, and at a 
 distance of five hundred yards or less, there ran 
 an embankment with a high-road along the top 
 of it. Following the direction of Captain Salt's 
 eyes, he descried a party of four horsemen aboiit 
 half a mile behind them advancing down this 
 road at a steady trot. The Captain had paused 
 in his whistling — which had been pretty con- 
 tinuous all day — and was regarding these horse- 
 men with great interest. 
 
 " I do not like them," he said reflectively, 
 and spoke a few words to the steersman, wdio 
 glanced back over his shoulder. 
 
 " You have met them before P " Tristram 
 inquired. 
 
 " Not that I know of. Nevertheless, I do 
 not like them." 
 
 Tristram thought this odd, for it was impos- 
 sible at that distance to descry the features of 
 the riders. 
 
 " We will go below," his father announced, 
 rising in a leisurely manner. 
 
 They did so, and stood by the cabin door, so 
 that their forms were hidden while they could 
 see perfectly all that passed on the bank. The 
 four horsemen drew near and trotted b^^ at the
 
 THE FOUR HOUSEMEN. 185 
 
 same pace without seeming to turn their heads 
 towards the canal. Two rode horses of a dark 
 bay colour, the third a dapple grey, and the 
 fourth a sorrel. As soon as they had passed out 
 of sight. Captain Salt ascended to the deck again 
 and entered into a long conversation in Dutch 
 with the fat boatman. As this did not amuse 
 Tristram any more than the windmills of whicli 
 the scenery was mainly composed, he remained 
 below, and, stretching himself again on the bench, 
 began to dream of Sophia. 
 
 Three hours later he awoke, said his pra3^ers, 
 and was preparing to go to sleep again, when his 
 father entered the cabin. 
 
 " Hullo ! What are you doing ? " 
 
 " I was just thanking heaven, which, against 
 my inclinations, makes our journey a slow one." 
 
 " You do not wish to reach home in a hurry ? " 
 
 " On the contrary, I desire it ardently. But 
 having remarked that whenever I travel fast I 
 am either sea-sick or jolted raw, I feel grateful 
 for every restraint put upon my ardour." 
 
 " In that case I almost fear to announce that 
 we shall move faster to-morrow." 
 
 " I am willing to be coerced," said Tristram, 
 and dropped off again. 
 
 It was but an hour after dawn when his 
 father aroused him. The boat lay moored by a
 
 18G THE BLVE PAVILIONS. 
 
 little quay, beyond wliicli liis eye travelled to 
 clusters of" red roofs ^jlowing in the easterly sun- 
 shine, and a dominant s})ire, the weathercock of 
 whicli da/./.icd the eye with its hi-iij^litness. The 
 town was just waking u}), as could be perceived 
 from the blue wreaths of smoke that poured out 
 of the chimneys. 
 
 Captain Salt "was in an evident hurry. 
 Without giving Tristram time to wash in the 
 fore-cabin, he hustled him on shore and u]) a 
 narrow street to an inn, over the archway of 
 which Iiuug: the sii2:n of a AVhite Lamb with a 
 flag between its fore-legs. Here they rang a 
 bell, and were admitted after ten minutes by a 
 sleejDy chambermaid, who led them upstairs to a 
 low-browed sitting-room facing the street, as 
 they perceived when she drew back the shutters. 
 At the back of this room lay two bedchambers ; 
 and Tristram withdrew into the nearer, while his 
 father ordered breakfast. 
 
 It happened that these two bedrooms over- 
 looked a broad court or stable-yard behind 
 the White Lamb. Captain Salt, having given 
 his instructions, retired, whistling cheerfully, to 
 perform his toilet. He was in the best of spirits, 
 and broke now and again into snatches of song, 
 which he trolled out in a tenor voice of great 
 richness and ilexibility. Tristram listened in
 
 AT TEE ''WHITE LAMB." 187 
 
 admiration on tlie other side of the partition. 
 The songs were those of Tom d'Urfey and his 
 imitators, and dealt in a strain of easy sentiment- 
 ality with hay-rakes, milking-pails, and all the 
 apparatus of a country life as etherealised by a 
 cockney fancy ; but the Captain sang with sucli 
 a gusto, such bravura, and such an appealing 
 tremolo in the pathetic passages, that you might 
 have mistaken the splashing of water in his 
 basin, as he broke off to wash his face, for 
 tears of uncontrollable re£i'ret that he had not 
 been born a "swain " (as he put it). Suddenly, 
 however, one of his roulades ceased with more 
 abruptness than usual, and the enchanted Tris- 
 tram waited in vain for the ditty to be resumed. 
 The fact was that Captain Salt had glanced out 
 of window, and seen at a stable -door across the 
 court a man stooping, with his back to the inn, 
 and washing down the legs of a dark bay horse. 
 
 The Captain contemplated this group for a 
 moment ; then, hastily donning his coat and 
 turning into the parlour, looked out upon the 
 street. 
 
 Immediately under the signboard of the 
 White Lamb, and before the front door, stood 
 a couple of men, who chatted as they passed a 
 tankard of beer to each other. Captain Salt 
 could not see their faces owing to the extreme
 
 188 'nii: njA'H i'aviijons. 
 
 witltli of" tlicir li:it-l)riins. Hut he turned a 
 shadt' paler, and, drawin^^ l)aek from the window, 
 stej)ped to the door, wliicli opened upon the hind 
 ing". Afovin*^ softly to tlic Ijalusters, he peered 
 over. Directly beneath him, at the foot of the 
 stairs, sat yet another man in a broad-brimmed 
 hat, wlio was en<»'ai»'ed very tranquilly in polish- 
 ing- a pistol with an oil^- rai^. The barrel 
 ii'limmered in the iiirht that shone down the 
 well of the staircase from a skyli^'ht above 
 Captain Salt's head. 
 
 Jle retired to the parlour a^ain, and, after 
 trying the lock of the door, walked to and fro. in 
 deep thought For awhile. Then, from the bed- 
 room, he fetched his sword and belt, with the 
 two pistols which he had carried throughout the 
 journey. He was examining the priming of 
 these very narrowly when Tristram appeared, 
 red and jjlowinii- from his ablutions. Almost 
 at the same instant footsteps were heard ascend- 
 ing the stairs. The Captain went quickly to 
 the door, pistol in hand. 
 
 It was only the waitress, however, with the 
 tray containing their bivakfast. He told hi-r to 
 set it down, looked at the tray, and, announcing 
 that he was hungrier than he had imagined, 
 desired her to bring up a ham, another loaf, and 
 four bottles of wine. Tristram stared.
 
 THE FOUR WATGIIEIIS. 189 
 
 " You seem puzzled, my son." 
 
 "It is my turn again. Let me remind you 
 tliat, two days ago, you marvelled at my 
 appetite." 
 
 " But this has to last us for a whole day, 
 and perhaps longer." 
 
 " Are we not, then, to proceed further 
 to-day ? " 
 
 " I doubt if we can." 
 
 " Decidedly this journey gets slower and 
 slower." 
 
 The waitress came hack with the additional 
 provisions, and set them on the table. As soon 
 as she was gone Captain Salt locked the door. 
 
 '•Why is that?" 
 
 " Merely that I don't wish to be inter- 
 rupted." 
 
 They ate their breakfast in silence. Tristram, 
 as soon as it was over, rose, and, strolling across 
 the room, was about to gaze out upon the street, 
 when his father begged him to come away from 
 the window. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " My son, you should obey 3'^our father 
 without questioning," the Captain answered 
 somewhat tartly. 
 
 " Forgive me." 
 
 Tristram had been taught to obey, but,
 
 190 Tin: BLUE I'AVU.IDNS. 
 
 considering^ the wide views I'or wliicli this country 
 was notorious, lie bo^^an to reflect witli astonisli- 
 mcMit on tlie small amount he was able to 
 see. Also he remarked, as the mornini^ wore 
 on, that his father was ])orpetually at one 
 win(h»w or another, movin<^ i'roni parlour to 
 bedroom and back, and scanning now the street, 
 now the stable-yard, yet always with a certain 
 amount of caution. Captain Salt, indeed, was 
 gradually working himself into a state of restless 
 irritation. The man in the stable-yard groomed 
 awa}' at the four horses, one after another, 
 saddled them, led them back to the stable again, 
 then composed hiniseli" to sleep on the stool 
 outside the stable-door, with a straw in his 
 mouth and his hat-brim wtII over his eyes. The 
 others still lounsfed in the sunshine before the 
 inn-door. He could hear the sound of their 
 voices and occasional laughter, but not the 
 words of their conversation. 
 
 It was about six in the evening when the 
 Captain was struck with an idea. At first it 
 staggered him a little : then he thought it over 
 and looked at it from several sides. Each time 
 he reviewed the plan he got rid of a scruple or 
 two, and by degrees began to like it exceed- 
 ingly. His restlessness diminished, and in the 
 end he became quite still.
 
 CAPTAIN SALT IS BESTLESS. 191 
 
 Tristram, yawning before the fire, glanced np 
 and found liis father's eyes fixed upon him. 
 
 " My compan}' wearies you, dear lad?" 
 
 The dear Lid disclaimed weariness. But 
 Captain Salt advanced, sighed, and laid a hand 
 on his shoulder. 
 
 " Yes, Tristram ; let us not deceive ourselves. 
 I have done you a wrong, for which you must 
 forgive me. I hoped, by delaying 3'our return 
 and keeping you near me — I hoped that per- 
 haps " Here he sighed again, and appeared 
 
 to struggle with an inward grief. "Do not 
 make it hard for me by bearing malice," he im- 
 plored, breaking off his explanation. 
 
 " I don't quite understand. Are you telling 
 me that you have kept me here unnecessarily?" 
 
 " Alas ! my boy — I hoped that your affection 
 for me might grow with this opportunity, as 
 mine has grown for you." 
 
 Tristram thought that to spend a morning 
 in pacing from one window to another was an 
 odd way of encouraging affection ; but he merely 
 answered — 
 
 "My dear father, I have a confession to make." 
 
 " A confession?" 
 
 " One that will not only explain my eager- 
 ness to get home, but also will, I trust, soothe 
 your disappointment. The fact is, I am in love."
 
 192 THE JJLUE r.WlJJONS. 
 
 "Oil! lliat cortiiinl}' alters matters. With 
 wliom .-' 
 
 " With Sophia." 
 
 "Who is Sophia?" 
 
 " She is Captain Runacles' only (hnighter, 
 and lives on the other side of onr liedijre." 
 
 " My dear lad, wliy did you not tell me this? 
 Detain you! No. You shall Hy on the wings 
 of the wind. We will set out this very after- 
 noon on the swiftest horses this inn can furnish. 
 
 Tristram winced. " There are limits even to 
 a lover's zeal," he murmured. 
 
 "No, no. Ah, my ho}' ! I, too, have been 
 in love — 1 can find the key to your feelini^s by 
 searching my memory. May you be happier 
 than I ! " 
 
 He passed the back of his hand across his 
 eyes and continued more cheerfully, hilariously 
 almo.st — 
 
 " But away with an old man's memories ! 
 I was young, then, and ardent as you. Nay, as 
 I look upon you I see my very self reflected 
 across a score of sorrowful years. We are ex- 
 traordinarily alike, Tristram. Stand up and 
 measure with me, back to back." 
 
 They did so. The Captain found himself the 
 taller by a mere shade. 
 
 " It is the wig," he said. " Come, twist up
 
 A TRAJS'SFOUMATION-^CENE. l!J3 
 
 your natural liair and let me see you in tliis 
 
 wig." 
 
 Tristram obeyed, and his father fell back in 
 astonishment. " It is extraordinary ! " 
 
 " Certainly I perceive the likeness," admitted 
 Tristram, contemplating himself in the mirror 
 that hung above the mantel-piece. 
 
 " It is nothing to what could be produced 
 b}'- the merest touch or two of art. Give me five 
 minutes, and I warrant you shall deceive the 
 waitress here." 
 
 He drew the curtain, took down a candle 
 from the mantel-shelf, lit it, and set it on the 
 table ; then, |)icking up the cork of an empty 
 bottle, held it to the Hame for two seconds or 
 so, and began to operate on his son's face. 
 
 " Ah ! " he said, " to think that each 
 wrinkle, each line, that I copy with a piece 
 of cork has been traced in the original by 
 a separate sorrow ! Tristram, your presence 
 makes me young again, young and childish. 
 And in return I make you old — a pretty re- 
 compense ! " 
 
 Tristram, whose nature was profoundly 
 serious, stood up very stiff and blinked at the 
 hand which wandered over his lace, touching it 
 here and there as softly as with a feather. 
 
 " Are we not wasting time P " he protested.
 
 1:M /•///•; JILI !■: I'A\J1AU.\S. 
 
 "Not at all: and to jH'ovc it, I am about 
 to si'iul 3'ou downstairs to order li(jrses. It is 
 wondcrrul ! I waucr tlic ]i('o])l(' of the inn 
 shall not know 3011. Order a couple ot" ileet 
 iiorscs to be waiting in an hour Ironi now: that 
 will i^ivi- us ])lcnt)- of time to reacli Nieupoort, 
 and take a night's rest before sailing to-morrow. 
 Here, kick off those cliiuisy boots and take 
 mine ; also m^' cloak here, and sword. Your 
 breeches and stockings will do. Afterwards you 
 can stroll out into the town, if 3 ou will, and 
 ])urchase a keepsake for Sophia. I, myself, will 
 ])[\y a ring at Nieupoort for 3'ou to tit upon 
 her prcttv iinirer, if you succeed in tricking- the 
 lolk below-stairs. Farewell, m3' son, and CJod 
 bless 30U ! — onl3', be back within the hour," 
 
 As the door closed upon Tristram, Captain 
 Salt advanced to the key-hole and listened. 
 
 " A sound skin," he muttered to himself, "is 
 better than a dull son. Moreover, at the worst 
 he'll be taken back to the Hague, and there the 
 Marl will keej) him from me." lie examined 
 his pistols for a moment, opened the door softl3', 
 and, creeping out on the landing, began to listen 
 with all his ears. 
 
 Meanwhile our hero marched downstairs, 
 and, encountering the waitress in the passage 
 below, gave the order for the horses. The
 
 TEE FOUR WATCEEliS ARE ASTONISHED. lt>5 
 
 waitress summoned a lethargic, round-bellied 
 man from an inner parlour, who bowed as well 
 as his waist would let him, and straddled out 
 to the stables to repeat the order. Somewhat 
 pleased to find he had not been recognised, 
 Tristram sauntered w^ the dusky passage and 
 forth at the front door. As he passed out 
 leisurabl}^ he took careless note of a party of 
 three men seated a few paces to the I'ight of the 
 door, around a rough wooden table. On the othei' 
 hand, the effect of his exit upon this party was 
 extraordinary. For a moment the}^ gazed after 
 him, their faces expressing sheer amazement. 
 Then they whispered together and stared again. 
 Finally all three stood on their legs and buckled 
 on their sword-belts. Two of them started oli' 
 to follow Tristram, who had by this time reached 
 the street corner, and was gazing up at the 
 house fronts on each hand with rapt in- 
 terest. The third man waited until they had 
 gone a dozen yards, and then blew a Avhistle. 
 In less than half a minute he was joined by the 
 man from the stable-yard, and, after a short 
 colloqu}', this pair also linked arms and strolled 
 up the street. 
 
 It was drawing towards sunset, and lights 
 began to appear in several of the houses as 
 Tristram passed along. The few foot-passengers
 
 lilt; TJU'J IILUE VAVIIJD.SS. 
 
 in llic street wislicd liiin " ( Jood-niirlit " in \\\o 
 Dutch toni^'uc, and lie answered their salutations 
 aniialjly in Eni^lish, j^^uessinij^ the L,'ood\vill in 
 their voices. lie was i^reatly pleased, also, hy 
 tile nunibci- (»!' villas and small L^ardens that 
 diversified ilif houses of business, each with a 
 })ainted summer-house overtopping the wall, and 
 a j)aiiitcd motto on the i^^ate. He longed to 
 explore these gardens, and take home to Harwich 
 some rejiort of the famous Dutch tulip-beds (»n 
 which Captain Ihirker was ])erp('tnally descant- 
 iuLT. A row of these garden-walls enticed him 
 down a street to the right and out towards the 
 suburbs, where the prospect at the end of the 
 road was closed by a long line of wind-mills. 
 
 All this while he had been sauntering along at 
 the idlest pace, with a score of pauses. Suddenly 
 he bethought him that it must be time to 
 return, and was about to do so when his eye 
 was caught Ijy [i little shop on the other side of 
 the road. lie could not road the inscription 
 above it ; but the window was crowded with 
 bulbs and roots of .ill kinds, and bai^s of seed in 
 small stacks, lie crossed the road and entered 
 the low door, meaning to buy a present for 
 Sophia, whom for the last ball' an hour he had 
 comj)letely forgotten. 
 
 The proprietor of the shop sat inside behind
 
 7iV THE SEEDSMAN'S SHOT. 19? 
 
 a low counter, reading a book by the light of n 
 defective oil-lamp, the smoke of which had 
 smeared the rafters in a large, irregular circle. 
 He was a little, wizened man, with a pair of 
 horn spectacles, which he pushed high upon his 
 brow as his customer entered. 
 
 " Since my father has engaged to buy Sophia 
 a ring," said Tristram to himself, " I will get 
 her a tulip. We will sit hand in hand and 
 watch it unfold." 
 
 The prospect so engaged his fancy that he 
 entered and began a sentence in excellent 
 English. The shopman replied by shaking his 
 head and uttering a few unintelligible words. 
 
 This was dashing. Tristram cast about for 
 a few seconds, and began again in dog-Latin, a 
 tongue which he had acquired in order to read 
 the herbals to Captain Barker on winter evenings. 
 To his delio-ht the little man answered him 
 promptly. Within a minute they were charmed 
 with each other ; within two, they had the 
 highest opinion of each other; within ten, the 
 counter was heaped with trays of the rarest bulbs, 
 insomuch that Tristram found a grave difficulty 
 in choosing that which should give the greatest 
 pleasure to his Sophia. But, alas ! in changing 
 clothes with his son. Captain .Salt had found 
 it unnecessar}^ to change breeches. Tristram
 
 198 77//; liLrr-: riviniaxs. 
 
 put Ji liiind iiilii Iiis |i(ick('t ;ni<l (liscovcrcd tlial. it. 
 contiiiiK'd (iiic coin tmly — ilic sliilliiif]^ with wliich 
 ho liad Ix'cii ]»n'S(Mit('d wlicii Inrcihly ('nlist('(l in 
 Ids Majesty's ('(»ldstr('ain (Juards. 
 
 'J'lit' Latin itf ihi' ciiiliiisiastir shopman was 
 hocoininL^ ahmist ('iccnmian, when "^^rrislram 
 ])ulh'd out the coin, and, lioldini,^ it nndrr liis 
 noso, brictly stated the ease. Tlien tlie wizened 
 fiicc fell a rull incli. and ihe eloquent voice broke 
 otr to explain that an KnL,Hish s]ulliu<^, thoufifh 
 doul)tless a valid tender in KuL^'land, was not wortli 
 more than a stiver, il" tliat, to a Dnteh tradesman. 
 
 Tristram apoloi^nsed, adding- that, if tlie 
 shopman had a pennyworth of any kind of seed, 
 he would pnrchase it as ii small reparation for 
 his intrusion on the time o[ so learned a man. 
 
 The sliopman took the shilliui^ and tossed 
 upon the counter a packet of peppercress seed. 
 
 Our hero pocketed it, and was leavinL,' the 
 shop ; but paused on the threshold and began to 
 renew his a])oloi^ies. 
 
 The little man had [)icked up his book aj:,''ain, 
 and turned a deaf ear. 
 
 Tristram stepped out into the street. As he 
 did so a hand was laid on his arm, and a voice 
 said in good English — 
 
 " I arrest you in the name of King 
 William ! ■'
 
 Ib9 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE TRIBULATIONS OF TRISTRAM. 
 
 " I THINK tliere must be some mistake," said 
 Tristrnm, as he turned in surprise and saw 
 a tall man of soldierly presence, with three 
 stalwart comrades immediately behind him. 
 
 "No mistake at all," said the tall man, with 
 conviction. " My orders are to arrest and con- 
 A'ey yon back to the Hngue." 
 
 " But I am about to leave Holland, and this 
 will cause me considerable delay." 
 
 " Undoubtedly." 
 
 " In that case," Tristram replied, springing^ 
 back a pace and whipping out his sword, " I 
 must decline to follow you." 
 
 "Bah! This is folly." 
 
 " On the contrary, it is the conclusion of a 
 valid syllogism which I will explain to you if 
 you have time." 
 
 " Seize him ! " was the only answer. The 
 four men drew their swords and rushed forward 
 too-ether. Perceivino; that he must be skewered 
 against the shop-door if he awaited their onset, 
 Tristram contented himself with disarming his
 
 200 riiH ni.i i: r.iiii.ioxs. 
 
 foremost ;ls^ail;^lt ; tlicii, s])riiiL;iiiL;- \vilill\- hiick 
 
 oil lil^ l<'lt Ih'cI, lie s|(llli l-<Hlli(l ;ill(l lit'j^ail to 
 
 riui flnwii t lie sircfl fdi-dt-ar life. 
 
 His iiKiN riiu'iit liad hern s«» siiddoi lliat 
 he gained a do/fii \ards hefore liis enemies 
 rooovered froiii tlieii- -;iir|)ris(' and sof ofT in 
 pursnit. S\\M)-d in liand, Trisii-am Hew aloiiLT 
 the eausewav, under llie lii^li n-ai'd<'n-\valls. \\>v 
 tlie ojR'ii country and the windmills aheacL lie 
 hoard tlie feet pounding after him, Ijut lu(d<ilv 
 did not look behimh 'I'heref(jre lie was iirnorant 
 that liis ]i'ading pursuer carried ;i brace of 
 pistols in his helt and was pulling tuie (»ut as 
 he ran. 
 
 It was so, however; and In half a minute 
 the pistol cracked out behind him — us it seemed, 
 at the very back of his ear. 
 
 He sped on nevertheless, not knowing if he 
 were wounded or not, ])ut ver}' wisely deciding 
 that tliis was the surest way to lind out. 
 
 As It lia])j)ened. lliis pistol-shot proved of 
 the greatest service to him. I'or an inquisitive 
 bnrgh(r, hearing the outcries along the road, had 
 popped his head out of his garden door at the 
 very moment that Tristram wiiiz/.ed 1)}', followed 
 b}' the detonation. The burgher, too, was un- 
 cerhiiii about the bullet, but determined on the 
 instant to take the gloomier view. He, therefore,
 
 THE FUPiSUIT. 201 
 
 fell across the pavement on his stomach and 
 bellowed. 
 
 The distraction was so sudden that two of 
 the pursuers tripped over his prostrate form and 
 fell headlong. Their swords clanf:^ed on the 
 cohbles. With the clang- there mingled the 
 sound of a muffled explosion, 
 
 " Curse the idiot ! You've killed him, Dick." 
 
 The pair picked themselves up as their com- 
 rades leapt past them. Dick snatched up his 
 second pistol, and resumed the pursuit without 
 troublino- his head about the bury-her. 
 
 The burgher picked himself up and extracted 
 the ball — from the folds of his voluminous 
 breeches. Then he went indoors for ointment 
 and plaster, the flame of the powder having 
 scorched him severely. Later, he had the 
 bent guelder (which had diverted the bullet) 
 fastened to a little gold chain, and his wife wore 
 it always on the front of her bodice. Finall}' it 
 became an heirloom in a thriving Dutch family. 
 
 But he was a very slow man, and all this 
 took a considerable time. Meanwhile we have 
 left Tristram running, about thirty yards ahead 
 of his foremost enemy. 
 
 He gained the end of the quiet suburb, still 
 maintaining his distance, and scanned the land- 
 scape in front. Evening was descending fast.
 
 202 77//; /;/,/•/•; r.wii.ioxs. 
 
 '\\) liis ri^lii Ii(^ s:i\v llic \\:iicrs of :i l)r();i(l (•;iii:il 
 tiliiiiiiici'iiiL'- uiidii' the LifV nIcv. Slraiii'lit lu'loi-r 
 liiiii ilic liin-li-road I'liii, wiilmuh so inncli as a 
 tree to slifllf]- liim, I'oi- miles. ( )ii (lir Imrizoii ;i 
 sCdi't' of wiinliiiills \\a\i'(l tlirir ai'ius like hcckoii- 
 inir ii'liosts. lie was a LTOod s\\ iiiiiiici'. II lla^licil 
 u|)(>ii liim iliat his one lio])*' was to make lor tlje 
 canal, and strike for lln' further bank. There 
 was a reasonable clianco of shaking" oil' one or 
 more of his pursuers by this device, 
 
 lie lea])t tlie narrow ditcli that ran parallel 
 with the road, and bei>-an to bear across the 
 wreen niead(.)ws in a line which verijed towards 
 the canal bank, at an ani>le suHiciently acute to 
 prevent his foes from interceptini;- him by a short 
 cut. B}' their shouts he judg-ed that his i^uess 
 was fairly correct, and the prospect of having to 
 swim the eanal daunted them somewhat. He 
 looked over his slioidder. "^I'lie pace had told 
 up<,»n three of them, l)ut one man had actuallv 
 trained on him, and could not be more than 
 twenty strides b(diind. 
 
 "I shall have to settle with this fellow," he 
 thought. " lie is going to catch me up before I 
 reach the bank," 
 
 His first wind was failing him, and his heart 
 began to thump against his ribs. He spied a 
 beaten path at this point, that trended across
 
 THE FUBSUIT CONTINUES. 203 
 
 the meadow at a blunter angle than the one he 
 was following. Almost unconsciously he began 
 to reason as follows — 
 
 " A beaten path is usually the shortest cut : 
 also, to follow it is usually to escape the risk of 
 meetino- unforeseen obstacles. But if I change 
 the an^le at which I am running for one more 
 obtuse, I give my pursuer the advantage of ten 
 yards or so. Yes ; but I shorten the distance 
 to be covered, and, moreover, this is a long- 
 distance man, and he is wearing me down." 
 
 Though this process of reasoning appeared 
 to him deliberate enough, in point of fact he 
 had worked it out and put the conclusion into 
 practice in a couple of bounds. As he darted 
 aside and along the footpath he could hear the 
 momentary break in his antagonist's stride. 
 
 Tristram had liardlv turned into this foot- 
 path, however, before he saw the occasion of it. 
 Just before him lay a plank, and beneath the 
 plank a simken dyke, dividing the meadow so 
 unexpectedly that at fifty yards' distance the 
 green lips seemed to meet in one continuou 
 stretch of turf. And yet the dyke was full forty 
 feet wide. He leapt on to the swaying bridge 
 and across to the further edge, almost without 
 a glance at the sluggish black water under his 
 feet-
 
 •201 TJfH iii.ri: r.wiLioxs. 
 
 It is ])|-(il);il)lc tlial, his siuMi'ii wcii^lit JoHimI 
 llic |»l;iiik oui <il' ils ])(tsiil(iii. Vnv Iiai'dly was 
 lie sale oil lilt' luiT aL;aiii wIh'H lie licMid a sliarp 
 cry. TlirttwiiiLC a look hdiiml, lie saw his 
 pursuer toitcr, cliiich al tlic sli|i])iiii^ liinlicr, 
 iiud, still (•liiichiuL;" at it, turn a sonirrsaiilt and 
 disappear. 
 
 'I'ristrani ran <»ii. M'lien a scries of sliouts 
 rang in his ear, and he lo(tked behind a^'ain. 
 The other three men had come iij), and were 
 runniiiL;- aimlessly to and Iro upon the lurther 
 bank. From the pit at their feet rose a ^-uri^'ling 
 and lieart-rendinq; a]>p<-al for lielp. It was ])lain 
 the poor fellow was drowniui;-, and ecpially ]»lain 
 that his comrades could not swim. Tristram 
 took a couple of strides, and halted. Tiien he 
 faced about and walked back towards the dyke, 
 his heart still knockino- au^ainst his ribs. 
 
 " Help ! help ! '' resounded from the depths ol" 
 the dyke. 
 
 " (jrentlenien," said Tristram, "are 3'ou aware 
 that your conirade is pcrishinjjf ? " 
 
 They stared at him hcljjlessly. AVithout 
 more to-do he slipped oil' his shoes, and slidiiiL;' 
 down the bank, Hum;' hims(dr forward into the 
 icy water. In two strokes he was able to ii^rasp 
 the drowning man by the collar and began to 
 tug him towards the bank.
 
 THE FUIISUIT RECEIVES A CHECK. 205 
 
 But it appeared that the fellow had other 
 views on the right method of heing saved : for, 
 castina" his arms ahout Tristram's neck and 
 wreathing them tightl}^ he not only resisted 
 all efforts to drag him ashore, hut hegun to 
 throttle his rescuer. In the struggle both went 
 under. 
 
 As the water closed over them, the drowning 
 man relaxed his hold a little, and Tristram, 
 breaking free, rose to the surface coughing and 
 spouting like a whale. Another moment, and 
 a hand a})peared above the water, its fingers 
 hooked like a ^bird's talons. This grisl}^ appeal 
 determined Tristram to nuike another attempt. 
 He kicked out, seized the uplifted arm just 
 around the wrist, and with half a dozen iierce 
 strokes managed to gain the bank at the feet of 
 his enemies. While he dug a hand into the 
 soft mud and paused for a moment to shift his 
 hold and draw breath, one of the three unclasped 
 a leathern belt and dangled it over the brink. 
 Tristram reached out, caught it by the buckle, 
 and was helped uj) with his burden. Two pairs 
 of strong arms grasped and pulled him forward. 
 
 " Turn him — on his face and let the water — 
 run out; then on his back— give him air," he 
 gasped, and with that fainted clean away on the 
 green turf.
 
 2Uti TJIK HUE I'AVlLlnSS. 
 
 When his senses caine back, the tlirot' nicii 
 worr Ix'iidiiiL;- (ivrr Iiim. 
 
 " Where is tlie otlicr (»iie P " lie asked fe('l)ly. 
 
 "Oh, Dick's all ri-ht." An. 1. indeed, Dick 
 was sitting;- u]) a leu paces oil", and coughiuj^ 
 viulentlv. 
 
 " ]]ut liMik here, you've phi3ed us a pretty 
 trick! " the voice went ow. 
 
 Tristram did not know that his \\\'^ had been 
 lost in the struLU'gle, or that the burnt cork 
 which Captain Salt h;id applied was now i-unnini,'' 
 across bis face in a va^ue smear. He had lur- 
 gotten all about his dis^-uise. 
 
 " I was thinkinL;"," lie answered simply, 
 " that you mii^ht ^ive me the start 1 held before 
 this happened. Fifteen yards, gentlemen, is as 
 near as I can guess it. Don't you think that 
 would be fair ? " 
 
 " But why should we chase you at all "r^ " 
 
 " Upon my word, sirs, 7 don't know. 1 took 
 it for granted that you must have some motive." 
 
 " So we had; but it ajipears that you are not 
 Captain Salt." 
 
 " That is certain. A man cannot well be his 
 own father." 
 
 " Jiut you are disguised to resemble him." 
 
 " All I 1 remember. It was a fancy of his to 
 dress mcthus, an hour back. Jiut .stop a minute
 
 CAFTAIX SALT HIDES AWAY. 2U7 
 
 — 1 be^^iu to perceive. You were after my 
 father ? " 
 
 " Yes, to arrest liim. The King' suspects 
 him of carrying treasonable 25apers." 
 
 A s the full treachery of his father's conduct 
 began to dawn upon Tristram, they heard the 
 clatter of hoofs on the road at tlieir back, and 
 turned. A thin moon hung in the twilight sky. 
 It was just that hour before dark when the land- 
 scape looks flat to the eye, and forms at a little 
 distance grow confused in outline. Yet they 
 could see the horseman plainly enough to recog- 
 nise him. It was Captain Salt who flew past, 
 well out of pistol-shot, and headed soutliAvards 
 afc a stretch-gallop, his hands down and his 
 shoulders bent as he rode. 
 
 " Devil seize him if he hasn't got my mare ! " 
 roared the man Dick, forgetting his cough and 
 leaping to his feet. " I can tell the sorrel a mile 
 away ! " 
 
 '^J'hen followed a dismayed silence as they 
 watched the escaping rider. 
 
 " She's the best nag of the four, too," one of 
 the men muttered gloomily. 
 
 " Boys," said the fellow who had first arrested 
 Tristram, "he's done us for a certainty. In an 
 hour or two he'll reach the French outposts. 
 We must go back and patch up the best story
 
 208 '/•///•; iii.rr: r.ini.inxs. 
 
 \\v can tiiid. Young man," he added, turninii; 
 sliarply, " I'd like to be ciM'taiii you re as \n^^ a 
 fool as you make out. AVliere d'ye come from, 
 and where are ye bound loi"? " 
 
 Tristram told his story ingenuou-ly enouy;h. 
 
 " We'll have to search you." 
 
 They .searched him and found a sealed 
 packet. 
 
 "AVhatisthis?" 
 
 '' Pepper-cress seed." 
 
 " Pepper-cress be damned ! " was the only 
 comment. 
 
 However, when the packet was opened it 
 was found that he spoke the truth. 
 
 " Well, wc can't take you alon<^ with us, or 
 we shall have to tell his Majesty the truth, 
 which is something more improbal)le than 1 care 
 to risk. ^Moreover, you've saved a comrade " 
 
 "And many thanks for it, my lad," Dick 
 added, shaking Tristram by tlie hand. 
 
 " Therefore you're free to go. The question 
 is, Where do you want to go ? " 
 
 " Harwich." 
 
 "Harwich is a long way; and you've lost 
 your jiassport. How^ever, there's a chance you 
 may liud a l)oat on the coast to smuggle you 
 over. Cross the canal yonder, and bear away 
 to the west. There's a road '11 take you to
 
 Tnr,'<TlLUf S'7?7'S' OUT ALOXE. 209 
 
 Nieupoort. But first you'll Lave to pass this 
 cursed dyke, unless you care to follow us back 
 to the town and walk round." 
 
 " Thank you, no ; I'll push on. I've crossed 
 the dyke twice already this evening, and a second 
 wetting won't matter much. Besides, I see my 
 sword and shoes lying on the other bank." 
 
 He said farewell, slid down into the dyke 
 again, and swam across. Then, regaining his 
 property, he turned, called back another " Grood- 
 night ! " and bore resolutely across the meadow, 
 the water squishing in his shoes at every step. 
 The one purpose in his head was to reach the 
 coast. He was young and sick of heart, but 
 his gentle mind abhorred from considering his 
 father's baseness. He thought only of home and 
 Sophia. 
 
 In a minute or two he began to run, for the 
 night air searched his sodden clothes and chilled 
 him. The sky was starless, too, but he saw the 
 dull gleam of the canal, and made for it. Then 
 he followed the tow-path southward for half a 
 mile, and came to a bridge, and crossing it, found 
 himself upon a hrm high-road leading (as it 
 seemed) straight towards the west, for it certainl}^ 
 diverged from the canal at something like a 
 right angle. Unfortunatel}^ Tristram could not 
 see in the gloom that the caual here took a sharp 
 o
 
 210 'lllh' lUJH r.wii.ioxs. 
 
 IxMid inland, and in cihisimiuoicc lie tramjxMl on 
 witli liis lace set aliimst. dnc sontli, notliiiii^ 
 donM mil;" «>r Ins diivclion, Iml iKtjjiiiLr, i»s oacli lionr 
 passed, that the next would hrint;- liiin uitliin 
 sound of tlie surL'. The road ran strai^'ht for mile 
 after mile. Now and aL;ain he ])assed a small 
 eabaret brii^htly lit and merry with a iioisc of 
 talk and laui^'hter that warmed his heart lor a 
 moment. In the stretclies of darkness between he 
 met one or two wayfarers, who wished liim " (Jood 
 nig'ht " in i^-ruli' voices and passed on. Not under- 
 standing- what they said, he made no reply, but 
 pushed forward briskly, breaking into a run 
 whenever the cold began to creep upon him. 
 J]y-and-by the road was completely deserted. 
 The lights no longer shone from the lower lloors 
 of the wayside cottaofes, but, after linircrinir for 
 a while in the bedroom windows, vanished 
 altogether. The whole country slept. Then 
 followed hour after hour of doni^red walkinjr. A 
 thick haze encircled the moon, and under it a 
 denser exhalation began to creej* up from the 
 sodden land. In the silence the foj^ o-athered 
 iill it seemed to bar the way like a regiment 
 of white ghosts, wavering and closing its ranks 
 as the wind stirred over the levels. This 
 wind breathed on his right cheek steadily. He 
 never guessed that it came i'roni the sea, nor
 
 ''QUI YA LA/" 211 
 
 remembered that when he ran towards the canal 
 it had been blowing full in his face. 
 
 It was in the chilliest hour — the one before 
 dawn — that a voice suddenly calhid out from the 
 fog ahead : — 
 
 "Qui vala?' 
 
 Tristram halted, then took another step 
 forward in some uncertainty. 
 
 The voice repeated its challenge in an angrier 
 tone; and this time our hero stood stock-still. 
 The misfortune was that he knew not a word of 
 the French language. 
 
 Once more the voice called. Then a trig-o-er 
 clicked, a yellow Hare leapt out on the fog with 
 a roar, and something sang by Tristram's ear. 
 He jumped oft' the road and pelted across the 
 meadow to his rio'ht. A second shot was sent 
 after him, but this time very wide of its mark. 
 Then, as it seemed, at his very feet a dozen black 
 forms rose out of the earth. He tripped over 
 one and went floundering on to his nose. As 
 his hands touched the ground, a score of bright 
 sparks flew up and were extinguished. With a 
 cr}^ of pain he rolled upon his back, and was at 
 once pinned to the ground by a dozen firm 
 hands. 
 
 He had blundered full-tilt across the embers 
 of a French camp-iire.
 
 212 Till-: iii,rr. r.wrLiDXs. 
 
 A lantcni was lit and ilinist clctsc toliisfapo. 
 Il('l)link('(l j)aiiiriilly lor a iiniiiiciil or two, ami 
 then jxTceivod tliat lie lay uitliiii ;i circle of 
 licrco, grey-coatod soldici's, wlio were ])iiitinL;" 
 liiiii a score of (|Ucs1ions m a ioii^nic wliicli, Ih' 
 felt sure, it would lake liini a year l(j nuislcr. 
 
 He endeavcjuri'd to say so. 
 
 "Ar-r-rlil" exclaimed one of the soldiers, 
 s[)ittin^- conteni[)tuously, " O'est uu Ani^lais." 
 
 " l-]spion ! " '^ 
 
 " J'en reponds." He gave an order, and in a 
 trice Tristram's wrists were strapped, together 
 with a handkerchief. Then lie was heaved up 
 on liis feet, and a couple of meu took him, each 
 by an arm. They were about to march him oil', 
 when a voice hailed them, and up rode a general 
 olHcer, with two dragoons cantering behind him 
 for escort. 
 
 " Ou'y a-t-il, mes enfants ? " He had plainly 
 been disturl)ed by the noise of the tiring. 
 
 The soldiers niunuured, " M. de Soisson ! " 
 and })resented arms. Then the}^ exjilained 
 matters, and iliiMisI Tristram forward, holding 
 the lantern uncomfortal)!^' near his face. 
 
 M. de Soisson began an interrogatory in good 
 French. As the prisoner shook his head, he 
 harked back and repeated his cpiestions in ex- 
 tremely bad English. Tristram answered them
 
 THE BARN. 213 
 
 truthfully, wliicli liad the effect of raising dis- 
 belief in M. de Soisson's breast. After ten 
 minutes this disbelief grew to such an extent 
 that the peppery officer turned to the sergeant 
 and ordered Tristram to be taken off to the barn 
 where the deserters were kept under guard. 
 
 This barn lay a mile to the rear, across 
 half-a-dozen meadows, over which Tristram was 
 hurried at a quick trot, with the point of a 
 bayonet at his back to discountenance delay. 
 On arriving at the building he was held while 
 the sergeant unlocked the door. Then he was 
 kicked into inner darkness. He stumbled over 
 the legs of a man who cursed him volubly, and 
 dropped on to a heap of straw. Within ten 
 minutes he was asleep), utterly worn out both in 
 body and mind. 
 
 Three hours passed, and then the door of the 
 barn was flung open and another sergeant 
 appeared with a squad of soldiers at his back. 
 He strode through the barn, kicking the sleepers, 
 among whom was our hero. Tristram sat up 
 and rubbed his eyes. He was one of at least 
 three dozen poor wretches, hollow-eyed, lean of 
 cheek, and shivering with famine, whom the 
 sergeant proceeded to drive into a small crowd 
 near the entrance, shouting an order which 
 was repeated outside. Six men appeared, each
 
 211. 77//; lUJJE I'AVILIOXS. 
 
 carry in;;' a liuulol" cliaiiis. With tlicsclic I'asteiK'd 
 Ills ])ris()n('rs tog'ethor, two and two, l)y the wrist 
 ami ankle, and marclicd llicin ont into tin' open 
 air. 
 
 Outside, the rain was deseendini^ suUenly, 
 and in tliis downjjonr the captives waited for a 
 mortal Inmr. Then throe men came alonj^, bear- 
 ing- trays heaped nj) with thick hunks of hrown 
 bread. A hnidc was doled out to each of the 
 gang, and Tristram ate his portion greedily, 
 slaking his thirst afterwards by sucking at the 
 sleeve of his cloak. lie had hardly done when 
 the sergeant gave the word to march. 
 
 That day they tramped steadily till sunset, 
 when they reached the town of Gourtrai, and 
 were halted on the outskirts. Here the}^ re- 
 mained for half an hour in the road while the 
 sergeant sought lor quarters. Tristram's com- 
 rade — that is to say, the man wIkj was attached 
 to him by the wrist and ankle — was sulky and 
 extremely dejected. As for Tristram, his very 
 soul shuddered as he looked back upon the 
 journey. He was wet to the skin and aching ; 
 his teeth chattered with an ague; his legs were 
 so wear}' that he could seai'cely drag them along. 
 But worse than the shiverings, the weariness, 
 and the weight uf his fetters, were the revolting 
 sights he had witnessed along the road — men
 
 WITH THE DESERTERS. 215 
 
 dropping with liimger and faintness, kicked to 
 their feet again, prodded with bayonets till the 
 blood ran, knouted with a thick whip if they 
 broke step, jeered at when they shrieked (as some 
 did) for merc}^ There was worse to come, and 
 he alone of all the gang was ignorant of it. Very 
 merciful was the confusion of tongues which 
 hid that knowledge from him for a few hours. 
 
 At length they were marched back half a 
 mile and turned into a barn, narrower than 
 their shelter of the previous night. Nor was 
 there any straw in it. They slept on the hard 
 bricks, pillowing their heads on each other's 
 legs, or lay awake and listened to each other's 
 moans. Two sentries with loaded muskets kept 
 guard by the door, and looked in whenever a 
 chain clanked or some unfortunate began to rave 
 in his sleep. Before morning a third of the 
 gang was down with rheumatic fever or typhus. 
 At six o'clock the sergeant entered and examined 
 them. Then he retired, and came back in 
 another hour with a covered wagon, into which 
 the sick were hoisted and packed like herrings. 
 All who had power to move their legs were after- 
 Avards turned out and treated to a pound and a- 
 half of the " King's bread " and a drink of water 
 before starting. Tristram was one of these. The 
 fever had relieved hiui of his companion, and
 
 2in TUIJ BLUE I'.W'IlJ'tXS. 
 
 tliis (lav lie iiiaiclicd with inoro coinrort, albeit 
 his \\rists were hdUiid t(»;^('tli('r and a rope ol" t(.'U 
 yards or more tit<l him hy ilie waist to a coU])le 
 of i'cttcred deserters in I'roiit. 
 
 The weatlier liad hltt'd soincwliat, hut the 
 roads were still heav}', and their })aee was le^'-u- 
 lated by the co\ered Avayi,^un, which seemed to 
 loiter malevolently, as il" to L;et every ])Ossible 
 jolt out of the rutted highway. With every 
 jolt came a scream from one or more of the sick 
 men inside. Some, however, were past scream- 
 ing, and babbled continuously in hiij^h delirium; 
 and the ceaseless, monotonous talk of these 
 tortured Tristram's ears from Courtrai to Jjille. 
 
 Thev reached ]jille Iouli" alter dark, and 
 were driven through the streets, between the 
 hriglit windows ol" hajjpicr men, to the gloomy 
 tower of Saint Vicrre, that at this time was set 
 apart for Tgalley-slaves. On entering the jn-ison 
 they were marshalled in a long corridor, where 
 a couple of gaolers searched them all over. 
 Kotliing was found on Tristram but his packet 
 of pepper-cress seed, which the searchers 
 obligingly returned. As soon as this ceremony 
 was over, all who were not broken with fever 
 were led up two llights of stone stairs. An iron 
 door was opened, and the sound of heavy snoring 
 struck their ears. Inside, they perceived by the
 
 THE TO WEB OF ST. PIEBBE. 217 
 
 lio'lit of the y-aoler's lantern a dozen liLi'ures 
 stretched on straw pallets, and between the 
 sleepers as many more empty couches, for which 
 the new-comers were left to scramble. Tristram 
 secured one as the door clanged and left them in 
 pitch-black night, but gave it up to a pitiful 
 wretch who crept near and, kissing his hand, 
 implored leave to share it. Curling himself up 
 upon the bare floor, he was quickl}^ asleep and 
 dreaming of Sophia. 
 
 A hand sliook his shoulder and aroused him. 
 
 Looking up, he saw a couple of villainous 
 faces, which he did not recognise as belonging 
 to the 2"anir he had been walkiuLic with for two 
 days. It was morning, as he could perceive by 
 the light that was strained through a cob webbed 
 grating over his head. 
 
 The two men demanded if he wished to be 
 tossed in a blanket. Tristram, not understand- 
 ing, shook his head. They thereupon demanded 
 money and began to threaten. Tristram hit one 
 violently in the eye, and, catching the other by the 
 throat, pounded his head against the wall of the 
 dungeon. He was surprised at the strength left in 
 him, and also at a fury which he had never felt 
 before in his life. A few of the prisoners roused 
 themselves listlessly and laughed. He kicked the 
 two fellows out of the way and lay down again.
 
 21.S rilh' JJLUl'J rAllUONS. 
 
 Later in tlic innniinn' Ik- witnessed tlie pime 
 tliey liad meant to })Iay witli liini. One of his 
 conn'ades, a wretelied boy, blue with starvation, 
 denied tlieiii money, lor the simple reason that 
 he had Hone in liis pocket. Four of the old 
 liands thereupon produced a filthy counterpane 
 of coarse cloth and stretched their victim upon 
 it. Then each took a corner, and, raising it as 
 luL^h as they could rrach, th(y let the counter- 
 pane fall on the stone llooring with a horrible 
 thud. Tristram leapt forward indignantly and 
 cauiiht one of these ruffians a blow on the back 
 of the neck that sent him down like an ox. 
 Uj3on this the other three dropped their sport 
 and fell upon him, like angry women, tooth and 
 nail. Nobudv interfered, lie was driven back 
 against the wall, where he leant, just contriving 
 to keep his adversaries at arm's length with his 
 fists, and feeling, now that the first spurt of 
 wrath had left him, that within three minutes he 
 must faint from very hunger and weakness. 
 
 There is no knowing how the affair would 
 have ended had not the door been thrown open 
 at this moment. A couple of priests advanced 
 between the tiles of prisoners, who sat uj) at 
 once and began to howl out a dismal litany at 
 the top of their lungs. Tristram's assailants 
 left him hurriedl}', and, shiinking back to their
 
 A DAY IN I'lilSOX. 21I» 
 
 pallets, began to lift their voices with the rest. 
 The noise was like that of a cat's battle, and the 
 priests marched to aud fro while it continued, 
 smiling to left and right and exhorting the poor 
 devils to an increase of fervour. One of them 
 spied Tristram and whispered to his brother; 
 and the pair seemed about to address him, 
 when three gaolers entered with large trap's, 
 bearing the prisoners' breakfasts. The litany 
 ceased, and the singers glanced at these trays 
 with greedy eyes. 
 
 It proved to be the best meal that Tristram 
 had swallowed since his misfortunes began, there 
 being a pint of soup to each man in addition to 
 the usual brown bread. After devouring it, 
 Tristram sat with his back to the wall, wonder- 
 ino; if the three ruffians would renew their 
 attack ; but they appeared to have forgotten 
 their resentment, and even his presence. Some 
 of his fellow-miserables fell to chatting ; others 
 to plaiting ropes out of the straw on which they 
 lay ; while some occupied themselves in keeping 
 a look-out for the rats that swarmed everywhere 
 and stole out in the dim light to gnaw the pieces 
 of bread which the prisoners saved and hid 
 away for future use. 
 
 About four in the afternoon the great door 
 was flung open again and the chief gaoler
 
 ±20 Till': iiiAJi: I'Avn.ioNS. 
 
 appcari'd, witli Idiii- liinikcys and tlic soldiers of 
 the prison yiiaid, all anucd id tlir teetli witli 
 pistols, swords and bayonets. Tlicii- object, it 
 tuniod out, was to examine tlie Icui- walls and tlie 
 Jloor veiy minutely, to see if" the prisoners were 
 nuiking an}- boles or planning- any attempt to 
 escape. They s])eut a full ball' an hour in rout- 
 ing out tlie i)risoners and searching high and 
 low witli their lanterns, using great roughness 
 and the most abominable talk, 'j'ristram watched 
 their movements lor some time, but at length 
 curled hinisell' up in his corner, which had 
 alread}^ been explored, lie was closing his eyes, 
 and putting a finger in each ear to shut out the 
 riot, when a smart blow desceiuled across his 
 thighs. 
 
 One of the soldiers was belabouring him with 
 the Hat of a sword, as a hint to stand up. 
 
 Tristram did so, and now observed that a 
 dozen of the men with whom be bad marched 
 during the two previous days were collected in a 
 little grou J) by the door, lie was taken b}' the 
 arms and hustled forward to join them. As he 
 came close and could see their faces in the dingj'- 
 twilight, he saw also that, though big, strapping 
 fellows, the most of them Avere weeping, and 
 shivering like conies in a trap. 
 
 He was still wonderinL-- at the cause of their
 
 THE BRAZIER. 221 
 
 agitation when the gaoler reopened the door and 
 they were marched out, down the stone stairs, 
 then sharply to the right and along a narrow 
 corridor. A lamp flickered at the further end, 
 over a small door studded with iron nails ; and 
 before this door another small com pan 3^ of 
 soldiers was drawn up in two rows of six, 
 with their backs to either wall of the corridor. 
 Between them the prisoners were forced to defile, 
 still cringing and weeping, as the small door 
 opened and they passed into the chamber 
 beyond. 
 
 And now for the first time Tristram felt 
 thoroughly alarmed. The chamber was narrow 
 and lofty, and without any window that he 
 could perceive. But just now it was full of 
 a red light that poured out through the e3TS of 
 a charcoal brazier in the far corner. Two grim 
 figures in leathern aprons stood over this brazier, 
 with the glare on their brutal faces — the one 
 puffing with a pair of bellows till the room was 
 filled vv^ith suffocating vapours, the other diving 
 a handful of irons into the glowing centre, 
 wherein five or six already glowed at a red heat. 
 
 Beside them, and watching these operations 
 with a business-like air, stood a gentleman in a 
 handsome suit and plumed hat. 
 
 " Premiere fournee ! ' announced the sergeant
 
 •JJJ Till': nj.li: r.wiLioxs. 
 
 in a loiul fon(\ inarslialliiiLi- I lie jii'isonors aloiiLJ^ 
 tlic wall. I''iiiii- Ml- li\r (if lliciii lia<l l»y lliis limt* 
 hrolvcn out into loud sobs ami cries For nicrcv. 
 Tlic Li;ontlemaii scarcely turned his liead, but 
 continued to watch the heating- oi" tlie irons. At 
 lenL,''th, satisfied tliat all was ready, ho turned 
 and walked in front ol" the line, cxainininL!^ each 
 prisoner attentively with an absolutely impassive 
 face. 
 
 Comiuf? to Tristram — who by this time was 
 committing- his fate to heaven — he paused for 
 a moment and, beckoning the sergeant, put a 
 question or two. The sergeant shrugged his 
 shoulders and spread out both palms apologetic- 
 ally. Then the gentleman addressed a sentence 
 to Tristiam, and receiving no answer but a shake 
 of the head, cast about for a moment and began 
 again in English. 
 
 " You are Englishman ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Not French deserter ? " 
 
 " Certainly not." 
 
 "Then what the devil 3 ou do here? " 
 
 This was a question that seemed to require 
 a deal of answering. While Tristram was per- 
 pending how best to begin, his interrogator spoke 
 
 agani- 
 
 " Speak out. I am M. de Jjandjertie, Grand
 
 .V. DE LAMBEllTIB. 223 
 
 Provost of Flanders. You liad better speak mo 
 tlie truth." 
 
 Our liero bo<]^an a recital of his woes, con- 
 densing as well as he could. After a mhiute, 
 M. de Lambertie interrupted him. 
 
 " I beg- 3'our pardon. I speak the Englisli 
 ver' Avell ; but mordk'u if I can comprehend a 
 word as you speak it ! Tenez dona — You are a 
 
 spy- 
 
 " Not a bit." 
 
 " Well, well," said the Grand Provost, alto- 
 gether gravelled, "you must be something — 
 come." 
 
 He called the sergeant again ; who plainly 
 could give no information, and was quite as 
 plainly surprised that any fuss should be made 
 over an affair so trivial. Indeed, the sergeant 
 ventured to suggest that Tristram should be 
 branded on the off-chance of its turning out for 
 his good. 
 
 " But no," said M. de Lambertie, " I am a 
 man of justice and of logic. It is incredible 
 that a youth who cannot speak a word but 
 English should be a deserter from our Majesty's 
 army. Moreover, I am a physiognomist, and his 
 face is honest. Therefore," concluded the man 
 of logic, "he shall go to the galle3"s." 
 
 This was interpreted to Tristram, who found
 
 221 Tin: r.LJ'K vwiliox;^. 
 
 the arL;Mnnrnt fallacious, hiil lill on liis kiUTS 
 ainl kissed M. dc Iiaiiiln'rti<'"s liaml. 
 
 " 'I'akt' liiin a\\a\," said ilic (Irand Trovost. 
 
 lie was di'aL,''L,^<'(l to Ins fci't ;iiid l<'d i<> tlio 
 door, luUowc'd by tlic (Icspcratc eyes ol his 
 comrades. He heard their sobs and outcries 
 renewed above the steady pant of the bellows. 
 Then the door clanu^ed. 'JMie soldiers to(dc 
 him upstairs and cast him ])ack into the ij^reat 
 duuL^eon. 
 
 The next niorninf^ he started in a chain of 
 thirty-tive slaves for the g:dleys at Dunkirk.
 
 225 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE GALLEY " l'hEUREUSE." 
 
 The archers, or constables, in charge of the 
 slaves took them through Ypres and Furnes ; 
 and, as the distance is about twelve leagues, it 
 was not till the third day that Tristram saw the 
 spires and fortifications of Dunkirk rising against 
 the blue sea. But in that time he learnt much, 
 being tied to a brisk, rotund Burgundian, the 
 cheerfullest of the gang, who had made two 
 campaigns with the English Foot Guards in 
 Turenne's time, and had picked up a smatter- 
 ing of their language. He knew, at any rate, 
 enou2"h Eiio-lish to teach Tristram the rudiments 
 of French on the road, and gave him much 
 information that went far to alter his notions of 
 the world. 
 
 Tristram was deeply shocked at the sight 
 of one or two of the men whom he had left in 
 the hands of M. de Lambertie. He now ceased 
 to wonder at the agony of apprehension they 
 had exhibited, and, while compassionating their 
 horrible case, did not forget to thank God for 
 having interposed to sa\e him from a similar 
 fate. 
 r
 
 l!:i«i TJIE BLUE J'AVJLlOyS. 
 
 "All, yi's," said liis coiiinuU' tranquilly; 
 " tlii'y are (U'scrtcrs. Fdniifrlv tluv used to 
 Itave ilieir imsrs cut oil', as well as their ears; 
 but this was lound to breed infection, and now 
 thev arc merely slit — l)esides, of course, being 
 branded with tlie ll<»wer-de-luee on either cheek. 
 13ut what matters their apjx'arauce to tliem, 
 seeini,^ tliat their sentence is lor life?" 
 
 Tristram sliiuhlered. "This Kini;' of yours," 
 said he, " must be tlie first-cousin to the devil." 
 
 " They are all alike, wou clivr. \Vhat, for 
 instance, has your Kiny done for you? Jiut 
 speak not so loud." He took a few steps in 
 silence, and added : " After all, one must dis- 
 tinguish l)etween crimes. If the ^ioor fa Kssoiiiers 
 are treated to the galleys it is absurd to suppose 
 that nothincT worse must befall a deserter." 
 
 " AVhat is a I'dusxonur V^ 
 
 " U'here is one yonder, comrade — that young 
 ])ea>-aii1 who walks like a ealf and >eems to know 
 not whither he is bound, lie is condemned 
 because he bought some salt lor his young wife, 
 Avho was ill. ' 
 
 " Is that a crime ? " 
 
 "It depends where you buy it. You must 
 know, my friend, that in most of the provinces 
 of France salt is very dear. A pint will cost 
 you four francs and a little over. Thcrelure the
 
 WITH THE CHAIN. 227 
 
 poor cannot afford it for their soup, and some, 
 for lack of it, go fasting most of the week. So 
 they starve and languish and fall sick, as did 
 this young man's wife. But In my native Bur- 
 gundy — blessed be its name ! — and also in the 
 country of Doubs, salt is cheap enough. Now, 
 this young man dwelt close on the frontier of 
 Burgundy — I have seen him times and again at 
 the vintage work — and because he was verj^ fond 
 of his wife, and could not bear to see her die, he 
 ventured across the frontier to buy salt cheaply ; 
 and, beinor taken, he has been condemned to the 
 galleys for six years. In the meantime his wife 
 will perish. But the King's taxes must be paid, 
 else how shall we exterminate his enemies? " 
 
 "But," Tristram exclaimed, trembling with 
 indignation, " how can you be cheerful in this 
 fearful land r "' 
 
 " What ! I ? Well, I am cheerful, to begin 
 with, because my nose is not slit.'' 
 
 " Tliat appears to me a very slight reason." 
 
 " You would not sa}^ so if you had run so 
 near it as I." 
 
 " Are you a deserter, then ? " 
 
 " Thanks for your good ()i)inion, comrade ! 
 No. I was never guilty of disloyalty to King 
 Lewis. But I killed my wife's mother, pardieu ! 
 — which the judge seemed to think almost as
 
 228 Tinc niAJi: I'avi lions. 
 
 vili'. lill I scut ;i Iriiiid to givasc liis palm with 
 the hist soil (»l" mv jiatriinouv. And, by <^ood 
 fortuiR', it becaiue L;iva>y ciKui^li to let nic slip 
 out of the worst." 
 
 " A uiurdt'ivr ! " u;as])cd our iuu(»cc'ut youth, 
 drawing- away from his side. 
 
 '■ She was talkative," the little luau cx- 
 ])laiu('d. with coniposure. " But let us converse 
 upon other subjects. Only I must warn you 
 that on board the galleys, whither we are bound, 
 a man can recoil from his neighbour but just so 
 I'ar a^ his chain allows." 
 
 In such converse they beguiled the way, 
 talking low whenever an archer drew near, and 
 whispering together at night until they dropped 
 asleep in the lilthy stables where they were 
 ])acked, their chains secured at either end to the 
 wall, and so tightly that they had barely liberty 
 to lie down, and none to turn, or even stir, in 
 their sleep. Hy degrees Tristraiu grew even 
 to like this volatile and disreputable comrade, 
 whose conscience was none of his own trrowintr, 
 but of the laws he lived under. 
 
 On reaching Dunkirk, however, they were 
 parted, Tristram being assigned to the galley 
 Jj J [en re use, while the J]urgundian was told oil" 
 to the M<'n-ci1li\ then commanded by the 
 Chevalier de Sainte-C^roix.
 
 AT DUNKIRK. 229 
 
 " You are in luck, comrade," lie said, as they 
 parted under the Rice -bank fort, beside the pier ; 
 " Z'lIeureKse is the Commodore's galley, and the 
 only one in which a poor devil of a slave has an 
 awning- above his head to keep the rain and sun 
 off. Ah, what it is to have six feet of stature 
 and a pair of shoulders ! " 
 
 It turned out as he said. V Jleureuse, com- 
 manded by the Commodore de la Pailletine, was 
 the head of a squadron of six galleys then quar- 
 tered in the port of Dunkirk. But it is necessary 
 here to sa}'' a word or two about these strange 
 vessels which the Count de Tourville had re- 
 cently brought round to the north coast of France 
 from Marseilles and the ports of the Mediter- 
 ranean. They were narrow craft, ranging from 
 120 feet to 150 feet long, and from IS feet to 
 20 feet by the beam. In the hold the}^ were 
 not more than 7 feet deep ; so that, with a full 
 crew on board, the deck stood less than a couple 
 of feet from the water's ed^-e : for the number 
 of men tliey held was prodigious. The Com- 
 modore's galley alone was manned by 33G slaves, 
 and 150 men of all sorts, either officers, soldiers, 
 seamen, or sers^ants. This, however, was the 
 biggest complement of all ; for while JJ Hcureuse 
 had fifty-six oars, with six slaves to tug at each, 
 none of the rest carried more than fitt}^, with
 
 230 77/y; luj'i-: i'aiijjos^. 
 
 li\'(' rowors npioco. Tlic prow of oacli ^:illoy 
 was of inm, pointed like a hcak, and so sliarp 
 dial when rowed ai I'lill sjtccd an'ainst a liostilc 
 sliij) it was like to sink licr, oi- at leasl to drive 
 deep and hold on while the boarders ])(Hired up 
 and ovei' her side. In addition 1o Ihis formid- 
 able weapon, each carried four l^muis rii;ht forward, 
 besides a lieavier piece which was worked on a 
 circular platlorni aniidslii])s, and wlien not re- 
 quired for service was stowed by the mainmast 
 for ballast. Each galley had two masts, though 
 they were next to useless, for it is easy to 
 see that vessels so laden and open at the decks 
 were fit only for the lii;-htest breezes, and in foul 
 weather must run to harbour for their lives. 
 
 Before eml)arkinL,^ in the boat which was to 
 take him on board, Tristram was led up to the 
 Itice-bank, where a barber shaved his head, and 
 where he was forced to exchange the suit he wore 
 for a coarse canvas frock, a canvas shirt, and a 
 little jerkin of red serge, sleeveless, and slit on 
 either side up to the arm-holes. The design of 
 this (as a warder explained to him) was to allow 
 his muscles free play, which Tristram ])i()nounced 
 very considerate, repeating this remark when he 
 received a small scarlet cap to keep the cold 
 from his shaven head, lie was next offered a 
 porringer of soup, consisting chiefly of oil, with a
 
 THE GALLEY. 231 
 
 dozen lentils floating on the top ; and havinpf 
 consumed it, was rowed off to be introduced to 
 his new companions. On considering his cir- 
 cumstances, he found but one which could be 
 called con soli no^. It was that he had been 
 allowed to retain and stow in his waist-belt his 
 little packet of pepper-cress seed — a favour for 
 which he thanked his persecutors with tears in 
 his eyes. 
 
 It happened that his galle}^ was bound that 
 
 afternoon on a cruise of a few miles along the 
 
 coast, and indeed was lifting anchor as he was 
 
 hauled up the side. He had, therefore, but a 
 
 hasty view of his surroundings before he was 
 
 chained to his bench, facing the great oar. He 
 
 saw only a long chamber, crossed by row upon 
 
 row of white, desperate faces. Down the middle, 
 
 by the ends of the benches, ran a gangway, along 
 
 which three overseers paced leisurably, each with 
 
 a tall, flexible wand in his hand. The stench in 
 
 the place was overpowering, and Tristram was on 
 
 the point of swooning when the fellow who was 
 
 chained beside him growled a word of advice — 
 
 "Look sharp and slip your jacket off." 
 
 Tristram obeyed without understanding. He 
 
 saw that all the figures around him were naked 
 
 to the waist, and therefore pulled off shirt as 
 
 well as jacket, but not quickly enough to prevent
 
 2:V2 THH lllAri': I'.IVI I.IONS. 
 
 ci stroke, wliicli liisscd (l(»\vn on liis sliouldcrs 
 ;ni(l nin<l<' liim set his ti-ctli with :mi;uisli. The 
 iiiaii Ix'sidc liiiii utlcnMl ;i sliar]) cry. lie, too, 
 liad li'lt tlie cut, or ])art of it; for tlie overseer's 
 waiul (lid not discriminate. 
 
 'I'hc liaiidic of llie <^reat oar .swuni^ towards 
 Tristram. Noting- how liis ncii^libour's liands 
 were laid u]i(tn it, and cojniiii^ his example, 
 he Ix'^an to tun" with the rest, risin<^ from his 
 bencli and falliiin" hack upon it at each stroke ; 
 and at the end of each stroke, where ordinarily 
 a boat's oars raille Ijriskly a^'ainst the thole- 
 pins, the time was marked with a h^ud clasji 
 of chains, and oltcn eiioiiL;li with a sharp cry 
 from some poor wretch who had been cauu'lit 
 lagfi;'in<j^ and thwacked across tlie bare shoulders. 
 The fati^'ue after a time i^rew intolerably 
 heavy. AVliiic the snn smote down thronyh 
 the awnini^f, the heat of their exercise seemed 
 never to pass up throunh it, but beat back 
 upon their faces in sickenin*^ waves, stoppinij;' 
 their breath. Of the world outside their den 
 tliey could see nothini^ but a small patch 
 of blue sea beyond the hole in which their 
 oar worked. The sweat poured off their chests 
 and backs in streams, imtil their waistbands 
 clung- to the ilesh like soaked sp(mges. Some 
 began to moan and sob ; others to entreat
 
 THIS I HAWS FIRST CBUJSE. 233 
 
 heaven for a respite, as if God were directing 
 their torture and takini^ delight in it; others 
 again hroke out into frightful imprecations, 
 cursino- their Maker and the hour of their birth. 
 And while the oars swung and the chains 
 clashed and the cries redoubled their volume, 
 tlie three keepers moved imperturbably up and 
 down the gangway, flicking their whips to left 
 and right, and drawing blood with ever}^ second 
 stroke. At length, when Tristram's head was 
 reeling and the backs of the bench-full just in 
 front were melting before his eyes and swimming 
 in a blood-red haze, the order was yelled to easy. 
 The men dropped their faces forward on the oars, 
 and rested them there while they panted and 
 coughed, catching the breath again into their 
 heaving bodies. Then one or two began to 
 laugh and utter some poor drolleries ; presently 
 the sound spread, and within three minutes the 
 whole pit was full of chatter and uproar. They 
 seemed to forget their miseries even as they 
 wiped the blood off their shoulders. 
 
 And now, while the cold wind began to creep 
 underneath the awning and dry the sweat 
 around their loins, Tristram had time to take 
 stock of his companions, and even to ask a 
 question or two of the slave that had spoken 
 to him. They were all stalwart fellows, the
 
 2:51. ///a; uli'i-: I'.wii.ioxs. 
 
 Commodore having the pick of all tlic forcah 
 (Iral'ted to liis port, and cxercisin*^- it with some 
 care, hecauso he ])ri(h'd himself on the speed of 
 his vessel. Not a few wore on their cheeks the 
 j^hastly red ilo\ver-de-luce, which he now knew for 
 the mark of deserters, murderers, and the more 
 llaii;rant criminals ; others, he learned, were con- 
 demned for the pettiest thefts, and a lar^-e pro- 
 portion for having no better taste than to belong 
 to the l^rotestant reli'^ion. The man beside 
 him, for instance, was a poor Huguenot from 
 Periirord, who had been cauji-ht on the frontier 
 in the act of escaping to a country in which he 
 had a slight]}' better chance of calling his soul 
 liis own. All these were white men ; but at the 
 end of eacb bench, next the gangway, sat a Tink 
 or ]Moor. These were bought slaves, procured 
 expressly to manage the stroke of the oar, and. 
 for their skill, treated somewhat better than the 
 Christians. '^I'he}' earned the same pa}- as the 
 soldiers, and v.ere not chained, lik(» other slaves, 
 to the benches, but carried only a ring on the 
 foot as a badge of servitude. Indeed, when not 
 engaged in service, they enjoyed a certain 
 amount of liberty, being allowed to go on shore 
 and trade, purchasing meat for such of th<' white 
 men as had any money or were willing to earn 
 some by clearing their neighbours clothes of
 
 TJ[E CHEW OF '' L^irEUREUSE." 235 
 
 vermin — a common trade on board these galleys, 
 where the confined space, the dirt, and profuse 
 sweating- at the oar bred all manner of loathsome 
 pests. 
 
 It was by degrees that Tristram learnt all 
 this, as during the week that followed he found 
 time to chat with the Huguenot and improve 
 his acquaintance with the French tongue. By 
 night he was provided with a board, a foot and 
 a-half wide, on which to stretch himself ; and as 
 he lay pretty far aft, was warned against scratch- 
 ing himself, lest the rattle of his chains should 
 disturb the officers, whose quarters were divided 
 from the slaves' by the thinnest of wooden 
 partitions. By day, indeed, these officers, as 
 well as the chaplain, had the use of the Com- 
 modore's room, a fairl}^ spacious chamber in the 
 stern, shaped on the outside like a big cradle, 
 with bulging windows and a couple of lanterns 
 on the taffrail above, that were lit when evening 
 closed in. But at night, or m foul weather, 
 M. de la Pailletine reserved this apartment for 
 his own use. 
 
 At six o'clock every morning the slaves were 
 roused up and began their day with prayers, 
 which the chaplain conducted, taking particular 
 care that the Huguenots were hearty in their 
 responses. The Turks — or Vocj tie- cw ants as they
 
 2n(; Tui: ULUI-: i'avilioxs. 
 
 were culled — were never molested on the score of 
 reliL(ion ; ])ut wliile Mass was sayin^,^ were put 
 out of tlio galley into a lon<^-l)oat, wliore they 
 diverted themselves l)y smoking" and talkini^ till 
 the Christians were throngli with their exercises. 
 AVlien tliese were done the daily portion of 
 biscuit — pretty g'ood, thouij^li coarse— was doled 
 out to each man, and at ten o'clock a porrinj^er 
 of soup. Also, on days wlnn the L,^dleys were 
 taken for a cruise, each slave received somethinj^ 
 less than a j)int of wine, niornin<( and eveniuf^, 
 to keep up liis strength. But it must not be 
 inuiirined from this that their work was \'\<j:ht 
 durinii: the rest of the week. AV^hen the weather 
 kept them in liarbour, all such as knew any 
 useful trade were taken off tlie iJialley to the 
 town of Dunkirk, and there set to work under 
 iruard, some at tlie makinir of new ch^tlies or the 
 repairini^ of ohl ones ; others at carpentry, 
 plumbini^, or shoemakinir; others, again, at 
 repairing the fortifications, and so on — thus 
 allowing room for the residue to scrul) out the 
 galley, wash down the benches and decks, and 
 set all ship-shape and in order : of which residue 
 Tristram was one, being versed in no trade but 
 that of gardening, for wdiich there seemed to be 
 no demand. But at length, having an eye for 
 colour, he was given a paint-pot and brushes.
 
 USE IS FOUND FOR TRISTUAM. -IM 
 
 slung over tlie galley's stern, and set to work to 
 touch up the Avindow-fraines of the Commodore's 
 cabin. The position was uncomfortable at first, 
 since the board on which he was slung was but 
 eight inches wide, and the galley's stern rose to 
 a considerable height above the water. Looking 
 down, he reflected that, with the heavy chain on 
 his leg, he was safe to drown if he slipped ; and 
 in spite of his miserable situation, he had not the 
 least desire to die, being full of trust in Provi- 
 dence and assured that, so long as he lived, there 
 would always be a chance of regaining his 
 beloved Sophia. And pretty soon he grew to 
 delight in the work, not for its own sake alone, 
 but because it separated him for a time from the 
 sight of his companions and their misery. The 
 paint was blue, which reminded hira of the 
 Pavilions at home, and he began to throw his 
 soul into the job, with the result tliat the Com- 
 modore expressed much satisfaction Avitli it, and 
 gave him instructions to re-paint the whole of the 
 stern, including the magnificent board with the 
 inscription L'llEUREUSE in gilt letters, and 
 the royal arms of France surrounded with decora- 
 tions in the flamboyant style. 
 
 Tlius it happened that, one fine morning in 
 the middle of June, he was hanging out over 
 the stern in his usual posture, and, having
 
 238 77/ /v' ]lJA'r: I'.W'IIJONS. 
 
 tinislicil llic letters //'//A7 , took ;i look aroiiiid 
 on tilt' hriu'litncss of i\\v day Ix'forc (li]>])in<^ his 
 l)riisli and startin*^ a^-aiii. The galley with her 
 live consorts lav in the Koyal l»asin nndor the 
 cita(h'l. and a niilf in tVoni the open sea, towards 
 wliieh the lon<^ line oi the pier extended, its tall 
 I'orts ddiiiinatinLC the sand-dnms iluit stretched 
 away to rii^lit and lell. The sands shone ; the 
 sea was a hri^ht hlni', i'dL,''ed with silver 
 where its breakers touched the shore ; a clear 
 northerly breeze came sweeping inland an<l 
 hummed in the galley's rigginij;' as it ilew by. 
 From the streets of Dunkirk sounded the eheer- 
 lul bustle of the morning's business ; and as 
 Tristram glanced up at the glistening spire of 
 the Jesuits' Church, its clock struck out eleven 
 o'clock as merrily as if it placed a time. 
 
 It was just at tliis moment, as he turned to 
 dip his l)rusli. that \\r caught sight of a small 
 boat a})j)roaching across the basin. It was rowed 
 b\' a waterman, and in the stern-sheets there sat 
 a jiii'ure the sii>lit of which caused Tristram's 
 heart to stop beating for a moment, and then to 
 resume at a gallop. He caught hold of the rope 
 by which he hung, a)id looked again. 
 
 Beyond a doubt it was his lather, lloderick 
 Salt. 
 
 Kow just as Tristram underwent this shock
 
 CAPTAiy SALT STEPS ABOARD. 23i) 
 
 of surprise, from a point about three yards above 
 bis bead anotber persou was watching the boat 
 with some curiosity. This was the Commodore, 
 M. de hi Paillctine, who stood on the poop with 
 bis feet phmted wide and his hands clasped 
 beneath his coat-tails. He was wondering who 
 this visitor could be. 
 
 Captain Salt was elegantly dressed, and the 
 cloak thrown back from his broad chest revealed a 
 green suit, thick wdth gold lace, and a white waist- 
 coat also embroidered with gold. The bullion 
 twinkled in the sunshine as the boat drew near 
 and, crossing under Tristram's dangling heels, 
 dropped alongside the galley. And as it passed, 
 the son, looking straight beneath him, determined 
 in his heart that, bad as his present plight might 
 be, he would, endure it rather than trust himself 
 in his father's hands again. The Captain stepped 
 briskly u}) the ladder and gained the galley's 
 deck. He had given the 3'oung man a glance 
 and no more. It was not wonderi'ul that he had 
 failed to recognise in the y oun^^ forraf with the 
 shaven head and rough, stubbly beard the son 
 whom he had abandoned more than a month 
 before. Besides, he was busy composing in his 
 mind an introductory speech to be let off on 
 M. de la Pailletine, in whose manner of receiving 
 him he anticipated some little frigidit3^
 
 •Jlo Till-: lilAK I'AllLlnXS. 
 
 ilowever, lie stopju'd (»n deck iiiid advanced 
 towards the oflicer on tlic iiooj) witli a pleasant 
 smile, d<)HinL;' Ills lae<'d liat with one hand and 
 lioldinL;; forward a Ictiri- in llic otlifr. M. d<' la 
 Paillcline took liis liands IVdUi hcncatli Ids coat- 
 tails and also advanced, retnrninj^ the salnte 
 very })olitely. 
 
 " The Commodore de la I'ailletine, 1 be- 
 lieve ? " 
 
 " The same, monsieur." 
 
 '^riie two gentlemen regarded each other nar- 
 rowly for an instant; then, still smiling, Captain 
 Salt presented his letter, and stood tapping the 
 deck with tlic toe of his square pointed shoe 
 and lookiuL!' aniialjl\ ahuut liini while the Coin- 
 modore glanced at the seal, broke it, and began 
 to read. 
 
 At the lirst sentence the niu.scles of ^I . de la 
 Pailletine's forehead contracted slightly. 
 
 "Just as T expected,'' said the Kngli.shnian 
 to himself, as he stole a glance. But he cun- 
 tinued to wear his air of good-fellowshij), and 
 his teeth, which were white as milk and quite 
 even, showed all the time. 
 
 Meanwhile llie (\inniiodore's brow did Jiot 
 clear. lie was a wiry, tall man, of beautiful 
 manners and a singularly urbane demeanour, but 
 he could not hide the annoyance which this letter
 
 ^r. l)E LA I'M Ll a: TINE IS GOLD. 241 
 
 caused liim. He finished it, turned abruptly to 
 the beg-innino-, juid read it throui^h again ; tlicn 
 looked at Captain Salt witli a shade of sov<M'it\' 
 on his face. " Sir," ho said, in a carefully rcg-u- 
 lated voice, "you may count on my obeying liis 
 Majesty's commands to the letter." He laid 
 some stress on the two words " commands " and 
 "letter." 
 
 " I thank you, monsieur," answered the 
 Englishman, without allowing himself to show 
 that he perceived this. 
 
 " I am ordered " — again the word " ordered " 
 was slightly emphasised — " I am ordered to 
 make 3011 welcome on board my galley. There- 
 fore I must ask you to consider yourself at home 
 licre for so long as it may please you to stay."' 
 
 He bowed again, but very stiffl}^ nor did he 
 offer to shake hands. Captain Salt regarded 
 him with his head tilted a little to one side, and 
 his lips pursed up as if he were whistling silently. 
 As a matter of fact he was whispering to him- 
 self, " You shall rue this, my gentleman." But 
 aloud he asked the somewhat puzzling question — 
 
 " Is that all, monsieur? " 
 
 " Why, yes," answered M. de la Pailletine, 
 "except that you need have no doubt I shall 
 treat you with the respect which is your due, or 
 rather "
 
 li-2 Till-: BLUE I'M I LIONS. 
 
 " Prav ])n>('('('(l." 
 
 " (ir ralliiT, witli llio r('s|)('ot wliicli liis 
 
 i\l:i j('st\' 1 liinks is yum- (Inc."' 
 
 " All'l W lll<'ll \ oil (111 liol ." 
 
 " f]\cusc' ine, sir; I do not, vciitiiiv to sci up 
 iiiv opinion against, that of l\ing JjcwIs."' 
 
 "Yes, yes, of conrse ; l)ut, monsieur, T was 
 ti'xing to *^et at youi- own tVflinj^s. ^'ou <lo not 
 think that a ni:in who enlists against his own 
 countiy, even on the side of liis riglitliil King, 
 can be entitled to any respect ? "' 
 
 "Excuse nie " began the Commodore; 
 
 but Captain Salt interrupted with a gentle wave 
 of the hand. 
 
 " Tut-tut, my dear sir ! Pray do not imagine 
 that T resent this expression of your feelings. 
 On the contrary, I am grateful to you for treat- 
 ing me so frankly. 1 have consolations. Your 
 sovereign" — he ])oint<'d to the letter which 
 ,M . de la Pailh'tinc was folding up and placing in 
 his breast-pocket — "has a more intelligent sense 
 of my merits and my honour." 
 
 " Doubtless, monsieur," the Commodore 
 answered; "but jx'rmit me to suggest that 
 the discussion of these matters is out of place 
 on deck. Suffer me, therefore, to conduct you 
 to my cabin, which is at 3Hjur disposal while you 
 clioose to honour us."
 
 THE EXGUSiniAN MAKES FRTENDS. 243 
 
 The Englishman bowed and followed liis 
 host below. Nor could Tristram, who had 
 heard every sentence of their conversation, feel 
 sufficiently^ thankful that he had finished paint- 
 ing the cabin windows three da^'s before, and 
 was not obliged to expose his face to the chance 
 of recognition. And yet it is doubtful if he 
 would have been recognised, so direly had 
 tribulation altered him. lie finished his work 
 for the morning with less care than usual, and 
 was drawn upon deck shortly before the dinner 
 hour, by which time the galle3^'s complement 
 was brought on board for a short cruise. As 
 Tristram rose and fell to his oar, that afternoon, 
 he heard his father's voice just over his head, 
 and then the Commodore's answering it. Their 
 tones were not cordial ; but their feet were 
 pacing side by side, and it was obvious that 
 the Englishman had already- in some measure 
 abated the Commodore's dislike. 
 
 Indeed, in the course of the next week 
 Tristram learnt enough to be sure that his 
 father was making steadj^ progress in the 
 affections of the officers of the galle}^ At 
 first there is little doubt that the Captain was 
 moved to capture their goodwill from a merely 
 A^ague desire, common to all men of his character, 
 to stand well in the opinion of everj^body he
 
 24-1 Tifi-: nhi'K rwiuoxs. 
 
 met. Jlc li;i(l arrived at St. (Jcnnaiiis, and liad 
 ridden tlieiiee to meet Kiii<4- .lames, wlio was 
 returniiiL;' from Calais in a d<)n"'s ii'mper over tlu; 
 I'ailiire of tlie nnitin<»us sliips io meet liim at 
 tl)at port. Ca])<ain Salt ])resented tlio Marl's 
 letter, and 1)\' depielinL;" ilie mutiny in e(tliiurs 
 wliieb his imni^ination sup])lied, laying' stress <>n 
 the enthusiasm of ihe crews, and deelarinir Ihat 
 the success of their plot was delayed rather than 
 destroyed by the cunuini;- of Ihe usurper, he con- 
 trived to inspire hope aj^ain in the hreast of the 
 cantankerous and exiled monarch, who kept him 
 at his side duriniL^ the rest of the journey back to 
 Paris, and tliere introduced him to the favour of 
 Kini;- Lewis. The hitter monarch, who lia])pemMl 
 to be bored, asked Cajjtaiu Salt what he could 
 do for him. 
 
 Captain Salt, remembering the Earl's 
 promise, suggested that a descent on the 
 English coast might be made from Dunkirk, 
 if his Majesty were still disposed io befriend 
 the unfortunate House of" Stuart. 
 
 King Lewis yawned, remembered that he 
 had a certain number of galleys hmguishing at 
 Dunkirk for want of exercise, and suggested 
 that Captain Salt had better go and see for him- 
 self what they were hkely to effect. 
 
 Captain Salt went. His nniin ])urpose was
 
 THE GREEN PENNANT. 2i5 
 
 to live in comfortable quarters at tlie King's 
 expense, while waiting for the promised letter 
 from the Earl of Marlborono-h. On the eisrhth 
 day after his arrival, a small fishing-smack with 
 a green pennant came racing past the two 
 castles at the entrance of Dunkirk pier, slackened 
 her main-sheet, spun down between the forts 
 with the wind astern, and cast anchor in the 
 Royal Basin. Her crew then lowered a little 
 cockle-shell of a dingey, which she carried 
 inboard, and a tanned, red-bearded man pulled 
 straight for the Commodore's galley. 
 
 He bore a letter addressed to Captain 
 Roderick Salt. It was written in cypher, but 
 read as follows : — 
 
 "Dear S., — Portland suspected you and had 
 you followed. I saw his eye upon you during 
 your last interview with William. It was 
 clever to get through, nor can I discover how 
 you managed it ; for the account given by your 
 pursuers is plainly absurd. I've been turning 
 over their cock-and-bull story, which finds 
 credence here, and cannot fit it with the 
 probabilities. Yet they seem AVilliam's men. 
 I find that the horse on which one of them 
 returned is not the same as that upon which he 
 rode away; nor does their narrative account for 
 this. l?nt the main point is that you are safe.
 
 2t() THE JJLLL' rAVJLWNS. 
 
 Hy ill"' way, 1 liopc you have ki'])t your sou ;it 
 your side; for I have now received tin- informa- 
 tion aljout wliicli ! (Irojij)ed you some liints. It 
 appears tliat lie inln'i-ils rnmi a i^reat-uncle (one 
 Silvanus Tellworthy) certain American estates, 
 of wliicli you and a Captain IJunacles, of" 
 Harwich, are the legal administrators. I fancy 
 this has been kept from you ; and, if so, a 
 descent upon liarwich maybe used to furnisji 
 you with a ])rovision for your old age. Still, 
 there is a j)resent danger that you may be 
 declared a traitor, and your goods confiscate, 
 wliich would spoil all. This (since naught has 
 been proved against you, and tlie aim of your 
 journey not known) you may avert by keeping 
 3-our eyes open at Dunquerque, and writing a 
 report of it to Wm. Such a report, aptl}'^ drawn, 
 may not only check Portland, but justify me, 
 as knowing your intent from the start, and that 
 it was a move foi- AVm.'s yood. — M." 
 
 On reading this. Captain Salt cursed several 
 times, and paced the deck in iiicditation fi>r a 
 whole afternoon. Then an idea struck him. 
 
 During the week that followed he made 
 excellent progress in the affections of the 
 officers of Ij llcurcnxr. lie had a face full of" 
 /jo/ilioiu'w, an engaging knack of seeming to 
 flatter his companions while he merely listened
 
 BOLDER COUNSELS. 21.7 
 
 to their talk, a fund of anecdote, and (as we 
 know) a voice for singing that conciliated all 
 who had an ear for music. All these advantasres 
 he used. For the next few davs the? officers 
 came late to Led, and Tristram and his com- 
 panions could allay the irritation of their skins 
 as they listed. Night after night shouts of 
 laughter came from the Commodore's room : and 
 with the savour of delicate meats there now 
 reached them the notes of a tenor voice that 
 moved many of the most abandoned to tears. 
 
 The end was, that the officers admitted him 
 to their counsels, which may have been the 
 reason that the galleys, that until now had 
 taken but the shortest cruises, began to risk 
 more daring expeditions, and once or twice 
 adventured within a league of the English coast. 
 But no occasion was found for landing and burn- 
 ing a town — which was the object continually 
 debated at the officers' board. In fact, the 
 weather did not favour it ; and, moreover, the 
 whole line of coast was guarded by patrollinp- 
 parties, ready to give warning to the train-bands 
 stationed at convenient distances, so that the 
 crews ran no inconsiderable risk of beinir sur- 
 prised and cut to pieces if they landed, not to 
 speak of having their galleys taken behind them 
 by the British cruisers. And none knew better
 
 2(>< /■///; /;/,/•/•; r.wif.inxs. 
 
 than M. •!(• la I'aillctiiic tli;it llic slaves, il' lift 
 without sullicioiit Ljuai'd iu (.'Di'n.'c lliciii, were as 
 likely as not to inunlcr tlu'ii- overseers and liand 
 their galleys over to the first enemy tliey met. 
 
 Nothing of ail}' conse(|uence, therefore, was 
 done for six weeks ; and at the end of that time 
 Captain Salt sought out the Commod(jre, and 
 announeed that lie had received a letter from 
 a friend in l*aris summoning him tliither (»n 
 private business. The Commodore, wlio liad 
 really grown to like the Englishman, expressed 
 his regret. He suspected nothing.
 
 249 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 WII-LIAM or ORANGE. 
 
 On tlie third clay after Captain Salt departed for 
 Paris certain events befel at the Has^ue which 
 demand our attention. 
 
 The campaign of 1G91 in Flanders was con- 
 ducted on both sides with the utmost vigour and 
 the least possible result. Between May and 
 September the armies marched and counter- 
 marched, walked up to each other and withdrew 
 with ever}^ expression of deMance. No important 
 action was fought, though for some time less 
 than a league divided their hostility. William, 
 Avhose patience was worn out almost sooner than 
 the shoe-leather of his subjects, left the com- 
 mand in Marlborough's hands, and retired to his 
 park at Loo, whence, in the beginning of July, 
 he jDOsted to the Hague to attend a meeting of 
 the States-General. 
 
 On the 17tli day of that month, and at ten 
 o'clock in the morning — at which time the King 
 was taking the air in his famous park on the 
 outskirts of the town — a couple of old gentlemen 
 were advancing upon the Hague from the west- 
 Avard, along the old Scheveningen road. They
 
 250 ■/■///■. JlLli: l'.l\ll.l(L\S. 
 
 walked slowly, by reason of llicir years, but witli 
 a certain solenmlly of ])ace wliicli indicated 
 lliat, in tlieir own <i|)iiii(»n at least, tiiey were 
 bound uiMtn an ei'iMud of :ni]»nrtance. At inter- 
 vals tlioy j)aused in iiio]) (lieir laces ; and at every 
 jKiuse they regarded the landscape with contempt. 
 One of" these old g-entlenien was thin and wiry, 
 with a jaw tliat protrudecl lik(' a Indl-doj^^'s. His 
 companion, for wdiose sake he corrected every 
 now and then his lonn' stride, was a little hunch- 
 back of ferocious demeanour, who looked out on 
 the world from a pair of terrifyin<^ green eyes. In 
 place of a wig he wore a bandage round his scalp. 
 
 The reader will not need to be told the names 
 of this pair of old gentlemen. After his treat- 
 ment at the hands of tlie Earl of .Marlborouirh's 
 soldiers. Captain Barker had been confined to 
 his pavilion by nothing short of main force, 
 which Dr. Beckerleg had with difficulty prevailed 
 on Captain liunacles to exert. The intlammation 
 of the patient's wound increasing with his irasci- 
 bility, the doctor ended by placing a j)adlock of 
 his own on the front door, and another on the 
 garden gate, and promising the little man his 
 lil)erty on the lirst (la}' he was lit to travel. 
 
 Captain Harker (lung a monastic herbal at 
 the doctor's head; whereupon the bleeding broke 
 out afresh. Then he fainted.
 
 ^.Y ADVANCE UPON THE HAGUE. 251 
 
 Ten weeks afterwards, Dr. Beckerleg removed 
 his padlocks, setting free not only tlie little 
 Captain, but also Mr. Swiggs, who throughout 
 the time had kept diligent watch by his master's 
 bedside. 
 
 Narcissus walked out to take a look at the 
 garden. Ten weeks of neglect had played havoc 
 with the beds. He contemplated it for some 
 time, and went down to the " Fish and Anchor " 
 for a mug of beer. There he was welcomed by 
 his cronies, who had missed him sorely ; or said 
 so, at an}^ rate. 
 
 Captain Barker went to pack his handbag. 
 When Narcissus returned, he was gone. Captain 
 Runacles was gone also. 
 
 "Any orders? " said Narcissus to Simeon. 
 
 " Not as I know b3^" 
 
 Narcissus went back to the " Fish and 
 Anchor." 
 
 The two friends entered the Hague, brisk- 
 ing up their pace and stepping gallantly abreast. 
 Turning to their left, they came, towards the 
 centre of the town, upon a fiiir sheet of water, 
 with avenues of pleasant trees planted aloug its 
 northern brink, and behind these trees a public 
 road i'aced with shops and cabarets, each shaded 
 by a coloured awning. It was the breakfast
 
 '2'>.i THE /;/,/•/•; lAVlLlttSS. 
 
 liitui', and IxMicatli tlu'se awniiii^-s sat a crowd ol' 
 soldiers ol" tlie i^uard, citizi'iis and ritizciis' wives, 
 eating-, cliatteriiiij^, smokini^-, clinkinL,^ tlieir glasses, 
 and conteni])IatinLC lioni tlicir cool slieltcr tlir 
 water that twinkled Ijctwcen 1 lie trees and the 
 throng that moved njt and down the promenade. 
 Tlie two captains were hunL,n'y and thirsty. 
 They advanced, and, finding a small table nn- 
 occupied, ordered break last. 
 
 Their a])pearance, and more especially the 
 bandage around Captain 1 barker's head, attracted 
 some attention. JNIore than one group turned to 
 stare as the little man began in execrable Dutch 
 to explain his wants to the drawer. The fellow, 
 too, was more than ordinarily dtMise, and a tem- 
 pestuous scene was plainly but a matter of a 
 minute or so, when a tall ensign of the guard 
 rose from a neighbouring table, and lilting his hat, 
 addressed the Englishmen in their own lan<rua""c. 
 
 " Vardon, gentleinen, but I cannot help over- 
 hearing your diiliculty ; and Ihink, with your 
 leave, T may remove it." 
 
 Ca})lain JJarker scowled for a moment, and 
 seemed al)out to take deeper uinbraLTc. But tlie 
 tall young man seemed <|uite unconscious of this, 
 and smiled (h)wn with the serenest good-will. 
 
 " Do not say no. 1 have been in England, 
 and 1 lo\'e all men of \'onr country."
 
 TTTi: ENSIGX OF THE GUABD. 253 
 
 "Jack," growled Captain Runaclos, 'Mliis is 
 one of a new generation of Dutclimen. We are 
 getting old, my boy." 
 
 The young man's manner was so sincere 
 tlint Captain Barker gave way with a fair grace 
 — the more readily because tlierc was sDinetliing 
 in the amiable face which recalled his lost Tris- 
 tram. In less than a minute he was statinLi: his 
 desires, which were promptly translated into 
 fluent Dutch. The drawer ran off on his 
 errand. 
 
 " Since 3^ou have been so kind, sir," said the 
 little hunchback politely, " perhaps you can do 
 us another favour." 
 
 " What is that ? " 
 
 " We have come across from Harwich for the 
 purpose of seeking an audience with his Majest}^, 
 King William. Can you tell us when and where 
 we are likely to find him ? " 
 
 " His Majesty is just now at the House in 
 the Wood." 
 
 " Where may that be ? " 
 
 " Not two miles beyond the town. On fine 
 days, such as the present, he gives audience 
 every morning, between nine and ten o'clock, in 
 the open air, walking up and down an alley, 
 which is called for that reason the Promenade 
 of Audience ; and again, if no other business
 
 254 77//; ULII': /'.I 17/,/N.VS. 
 
 ])ivvonts liiiii, at five o'clock in tlic artornoon, 
 wlicn the (lay i^rows cool." lit- pulled out a stout 
 waicli and t-onsultrd it. " JJy six o'clock I must 
 be back there, lor at lliai lime my duty begins. 
 But il'3'«'U ^vill I'd nic accuiiipany you and pass 
 you tliniuuli tin- })ark gates, I will gladly hasten 
 my return, and start — shall we say? — at half- 
 past four." 
 
 He would take no denial, but rose and lelt 
 them, waving his hand, smiling, and turning, 
 after a dozen steps, to call back and assure them 
 lie would be punctual. 
 
 " Jle has the very same e3'es," Captain JJarker 
 muttered, watcbing him as be disappeared be- 
 tween tbe trees. 
 
 " I remarked it, too," assented Captain Runa- 
 cles, who understood the allusion at once. " I'd 
 no notion there was such another pair of eyes in 
 the world." 
 
 " We'd better adopt him, Jerry," tbe little 
 man went on, with a wry and hopeless smile; 
 " for it's little chance we have of finding the 
 otber one." He gulped as he uttered tbe last 
 tbree words, and 1)1 inked at the broad sunshine 
 behind tbe awning. 
 
 "Tbe fact is. Jack, tbe doctor let you out too 
 
 soon." 
 
 " Eh ? "
 
 THE LITTER. 255 
 
 " You're not fit to travel, but ought to be 
 between tlie blankets at this moment." 
 
 " Jerr}', that's false, and you know it.' 
 
 "Oh, do I? Then you'd best give over 
 talking nonsense, or by the Lord 111 take you 
 off :uid put you to bed this instant! And, 
 what's more, I'll call in a Dutch doctor." 
 
 Captain Barker could not deny that the rest 
 beneath the awning was welcome. The road 
 ii'om Scheveningen had been hot and dust}^ and 
 his illness had left him weaker than even his 
 comrade imagined. They sat sipping their beer 
 and gazing at the crowd till the town chimes 
 rang out and announced half-past four. At the 
 first note the}" saw their young friend advancing 
 from the Buitenhof. 
 
 " Here I am, 3'-ou see. But I have taken a 
 liberty, I fear, since leaving 3'ou." 
 
 " Eh ? AVhat have 3'ou been doing?" 
 Captain Kunacles inquired. 
 
 " Why, sir, perceiving that 3'our friend was 
 but lately recovered from an illness, and remem- 
 bering that though the distance to the House 
 in the Wood is but two miles or less, the distance 
 there and back is almost four, I have brousrht him 
 a litter. Perhaps I did wrong ? " 
 
 He pointed to the litter, which two men in 
 blue blouses were bringing across the road.
 
 256 rifl-: BLUE P.llVAJO.V.S'. 
 
 "Not :it all, sir. On IIh' contrary, your 
 tlioui^htfuliicss puts iiic In sliaiiic," answered 
 ('aj)lain Uunacles, willi soniciliiiii^ like a 
 hliisli. 
 
 (^i])tain r>:irk('r also lliankc*! liini,an(l a(l(lc(l, 
 " Deci<l('<ll\ , il iiii^'ht be Tristram's very sell" " — 
 a remark wliicli tlie younu^ olliccr did not under- 
 stand ill lilt' Irast. l>ut lie smiled lia]))Hl\. 'I'ln- 
 mere ])leasiire of doinn' a kindness and findiiiL;' it 
 appreciated was so siroiii;' in lliis yontli iliai lir 
 almost rejj^retted lieliad not sacridced afortniL,dit's 
 pay and hired a chariot and six horses. 
 
 Captain JJarker climl)ed into the litter, and 
 the party set out at a leisurely pace, which 
 brou<j;-ht them to the park gates in a little more 
 than half-an-hour. A couple of sentries ke])t 
 o-uard here, and within the lodi^fe a dozen others 
 were playing at dominoes, and laughing like 
 children. 
 
 " If you will permit me," said their conductor, 
 as Captain Barker alighted, " I will conduct you 
 as far as the Promenade of Audience. Otherwise 
 you will have to go with one of m}^ comrades, 
 and probably with one wliois ignorant of English." 
 
 Taking their consent for granted, he marched 
 them past the sentries and through the iron gates. 
 A broad avenue of yews confronted them, with 
 a gravelled carriage-drive that stretched away
 
 WlTllIX 'I'lfK I' AUK. 257 
 
 till lost amid interlacing bouglis. A couple of 
 gentlemen were advancing down this avenue, in 
 brisk conversation. They were about to pass 
 our friends when the elder of the pair — an old 
 gentleman in blue, with a rudd}- complexion and 
 apoplectic neck — glanced up casual ly^ uttered an 
 exclamation, and came to a halt. 
 
 Leaving his companion to stare, he advanced 
 towards Captain Runacles and saluted him with 
 punctilio. 
 
 "This is a great pleasure,^' he observed in 
 ver}^ good English. 
 
 " I'm very glad of thai . sir," Ca])taln liunacles 
 answered, "though 'pon my lite [ don't know 
 why it should be." 
 
 " I have been expecting you." 
 
 "Indeed?" 
 
 " Will you be good enough to withdraw with 
 me behind these yews, in order that our con- 
 versation may not be observed from the lodge 
 windows ? " 
 
 " Certainly, if yon wish it." 
 
 The whole party followed him, much puzzled. 
 He led them between a couple of gigantic trees, 
 glanced around him, and asked suddenly — 
 
 "The young man, I presume, gave you my 
 
 message 
 
 Now, what in the world " began Captain 
 
 K
 
 258 THE nWK I'AVILIdSS. 
 
 Ruiuicles witli II l)owil(lert'd stare. Hut the little 
 hunchbaek was (luickcr. 
 
 " What yoiiiii;- mail, sir?" lie cried sharply. 
 " Do 3'ou mean Tristram Salt? " 
 
 ■"T really ilun'l know his name; Iml hi- was 
 aeeoni])anie(l, to be sure, l)^' a Captain Suit, 
 when 1 met liim at Vlaar(linLr<'n." 
 
 Captain Harkcr L^^roancd. 
 
 " Jkit excuse me," jjursued the old i,^entle 
 man in blue, still addressin<^ Captain Kunacles, 
 "I spoke not only ut' a 3'oung man, but of a 
 messacre. Did he deliver it ? " 
 
 " If you ni(»an Tristram Salt, I have not 
 clapped eyes on him since the 1st of Mu}' 
 last." 
 
 "Then I will deliver it mv^clf. Yt)U do not 
 appear to know^ me " 
 
 " Not from Adam." 
 
 " M}' name is Cornelius van Adrienssen, and 
 you, Ca])tain Eunacles, once lluni^'- a boot at m^' 
 head." 
 
 " l)i(l [, indeed! Tt was in a moment of 
 extreme irritation, no doubt." 
 
 " We were enj^ag-ed off the Texel — June the 
 5th, '71, was the date. You were on board the 
 Gal/ojjer, I on the ZecUnnhhooj). Niyht parted 
 us 
 
 " I beirin to remember the incident,"
 
 CAPTAIN VAX ADRIEXSSEN AGAIN. 259 
 
 " Then I need not proceed. Let me merely 
 remark that I have kept that boot." 
 
 " Whatever for? " 
 
 " What for, sir? " cried the choleric old gen- 
 tleman, now fairl}' hopping with rage. " Whsit 
 for? To throw it back, sir — that's wh}." 
 
 " My dear Captain van Adrienssen, is not 
 this rather childish ? Twenty years is a long 
 time to harbour resentment." 
 
 " You shall fight me, sir." 
 
 "Tut, tut!" 
 
 " I regret that I have not the boot with me 
 to fling back at you " 
 
 " You have a pair on your feet, sir," suggested 
 the Englishman, whose temper was rising. 
 
 " but this shall do instead ! " and taking 
 
 his glove. Captain van Adrienssen dashed it in 
 Captain Runacles' face. 
 
 " By the Lord, you shall pay for this ! " 
 
 "I am read3% sir." 
 
 They tugged off their coats, and pulled out 
 their swords. 
 
 " Sirs, sirs ! " cried the young ensign ; " re- 
 member you are in his Majesty's park." 
 
 But before his sentence was out the two 
 swords were crossed, and the old gentlemen 
 attacking each other with the unregulated ardour 
 of a pair of schoolboys.
 
 2t;ii rill-: nur: /Mr//./n.vs. 
 
 ".Irn\ JciTV," iiiiniimi'cd C';i]>t;iin Harkei*, 
 "you iievrr liiid iiidch science, ImL this is foul- 
 work.' 
 
 (■;i])hiiii Ixnnuclcs licard, sfrjULrliit'iit'd liis aim 
 and CMiit rolled IiiiuscU". lie had little science, 
 l)ut an extremely t(»nL;h wrist. As for Captain 
 van Adricnssen, the veins of his neck were so 
 swolh'ii wilh ])assi(in tliat. his wii;" cin'led up at 
 till' cd'j^i' and stood out straii;'ht l}(dinnl him in 
 the iibsurdest fashion. 
 
 " The hoot — the l)oot ! " he ke])t exclaiiuin^-, 
 stamping- witli cacli huig-e. " 'I'akc that for the 
 hoot, sir ! ' He aimed a furious thiaist in tierce 
 at Captain Jiunacles' breast. 
 
 " And that for the glove, sir ! " retorted 
 his adversary, parrying- and running his 
 hlade on and through tho ex])o-ed arm l)y the 
 el how. 
 
 The .arm dropjied. Captain van A(hMenssen 
 scowled, looked round, and was caught in his 
 com})anion's arms as he fell. 
 
 " And now, sir, let me express my regret," 
 began Captain Jerry, advancing and stooping 
 over him. 
 
 " I'll have you yet ! " retorted this implacable 
 old gentleman ; and with that fainted away. 
 He awoke to find his arm bandaged, and the 
 little group still standing around him.
 
 THE DUEL. 2(il 
 
 " Peter," he said, sitting up with an elibrt ; 
 " get iny coat." 
 
 " But, captain, you cannot put it on," remon- 
 strated Peter, a squarely built man, with eyes ol' 
 a porcelain blue. 
 
 " Then how in the world do you suj)pose 
 that I'm to get past the sentries ? " 
 
 " You'll be carried." 
 
 "And let every man of them know that 
 this gentleman and I have been lighting in his 
 Majesty's park ! Tut-tut ; you'll have them both 
 arrested in a jiffy. Give me my coat ! " 
 
 " You cannot get your arm into it." 
 
 " My worthy Peter, you're m}' excellent 
 lieutenant and a fair seaman ; l)ut L begin to 
 doubt if vou'll ever make a cai)tain. You've no 
 resource. Take your knife. Now slit down the 
 inner seam of the sleeve — so. Now lift me up 
 and help me into it." 
 
 He stood on his legs. His face was a trifle 
 pale, but he kept his jaw set lirml}^ 
 
 " Now button the sleeve at tlie wrist." 
 
 " ]3ut it still gapes above." 
 
 " Of course it does. Therefore we will walk 
 arm-in-arm ; only you must hold me very gentl3\ 
 There, that's it." He nodded stiffly, and was 
 moving away on Peter's arm, when Captain 
 Barker interposed.
 
 262 Tin: iim: r.wnjoxs. 
 
 "Excuse iiu', (.';i])t;iiii \;iii Ailrirnsson, but 
 just outside I lie ]»;irk L;iili' you'll liiid a litter, 
 which 1 am lia])j>y to place at your service." 
 
 " 'JMiauk you, .sir, hut I II not use it." 
 
 "You will," said i'eter, decidedly. 
 
 " ^\ hy, sir, we have to start for Amsterdam 
 to-nie^ht." 
 
 "You'll i-et no i'urtlier than the llaLTue," 
 said Peter; " aud there you'Jl be put to 
 bed." 
 
 They walked shjwly oil, ariu-iu-arui. Draw- 
 ing near the sentries, Captain van Adrienssen 
 groaned. 
 
 " Going to faint ? " Peter asked. 
 
 " Not till I get outside." 
 
 He was as good as his word, and tliey went 
 through the gates without exciting suspicion. 
 '^I'lie litter was the)-e, aiul Peter, beckoning to 
 the men, ex])laincd the case in a whisper. Mis 
 comj)anion olTered no op})osition. Indeed, no 
 sooner was he phiced in tlie litter than he 
 swooned away. 
 
 KiuLT William was still strollinir in his 
 favourite avenue when the two captains ap- 
 proached, led by tlieir friend the ensign, who 
 was bcijrinninn" i<> wish hiniseli" well out of the 
 business. At his Majesty's side paced William
 
 THE AUDIESCE. 263 
 
 Bentinck, Earl of PortUuKl, whom we have 
 already met, in the course of this narrative, in 
 the little inn at Vlaardiugen. The two were 
 alone and in earnest converse, but looked up as 
 the party approached along- the avenue. 
 
 " H'm, it appears to nie that I know these 
 two shapes," said William. 
 
 " They are odd enough to be remembered." 
 
 " That is the figure which honesty cuts in 
 the country over which I have the misfortune 
 to rule — or rather to reign. ]\Iy friend, these 
 are two honest Englishmen, and therefore worth 
 observation. Moreover, they are about to give 
 me the devil of a time. Well, gentlemen," he 
 continued, lifting his voice as they approached, 
 " what is your bu.siness? " 
 
 " We desire your Majesty to listen to us." 
 
 " On a matter of importance ? '' 
 
 " To us — yes. It has brought us from Eng- 
 land." 
 
 " Speak, then." 
 
 " Your Majesty," Captain Barker began, his 
 voice trembling slightly, " we have come to offer 
 you, and to beg that you will accept, our swords 
 and our service." 
 
 " That is very pretty, sir," answered William, 
 after a pause, dviring which his eye kindled with 
 some triumph ; " but unless I do you an injustice.
 
 2t!i TJiK ni.ri: /-jry/joxv. 
 
 Cajitaiii llaikci- and ('.i])t;iiii K'niiacles, there is 
 some condition attaclied to lliis surrender," 
 
 " None, sire, l)ul lliat wliicli your Majesty's 
 self imposed less than three months haek. We 
 are come to redeeni. if \\c nia\', the vouuLi" man 
 of whom you ilu'n i-ohhed us." 
 
 " l{ol)i)ed ! " 
 
 *' Forgive me, sire — de])rived. See, your 
 IMajesty ; we are two old men, but active ; 
 battered somewhat, but not ig-noi-ant ; worji, but 
 not worn-out. We arc at your service : take 
 us, use us as you will. \Vv will serve you faith- 
 full}', loyally, without (jucstion, until we die or 
 your enemies break us. Only restore our son, 
 Tristram Salt." 
 
 "Gentlemen, 1 will not say but that 1 am 
 
 Lii'atified by this " William j)aused, saw the 
 
 hope spring into their vyvs, and added, with 
 
 assumed coldness " only it hai)pens that you 
 
 come too hite." 
 
 The two honest faces felh 
 
 "Too — late?" Cai)tain JJarker stammered, 
 
 staring stupidl}^ at the King. " Is ni}' Ixw 
 
 dead ? " The question came in a dull, sick tone, 
 that turned their Sovereign's heart within him. 
 
 "Forgive me, gentlemen ; I had no right to 
 play thus with your feelings. You have come 
 too late, only because I gave the young man his
 
 THE CAPTAINS SUBMIT THEMSELVES. 2(J5 
 
 discliarge, more tliau two inontlis ago, with a 
 passport to take hiui back to England. 
 
 " But he has not arrived ! " 
 
 " He started, at anj^ rate ; and in company 
 with 0]ie who appeared to have the best right to 
 take care of him — I mean his iather, Captain 
 Eoderick Salt." 
 
 Captain Barker groaned. 
 
 " May it please your Majesty," said Captain 
 Jemmy, thrusting himself forward, " but Rode- 
 rick's Salt's the damn'dest villain in your service ; 
 and that's saying a good deal. I mean no 
 olfence, of course." 
 
 " Of course not," commented the Earl ui" 
 Portland, who was hugely delighted. 
 
 " I believe that opinion is held by some," his 
 Majesty observed, with a side-glance at his friend. 
 
 " Not by me," said Portland, tran(piilly. 
 " There are worse than Salt — whom, after all, 
 your Majesty has neither enriched nor ennobled." 
 
 William frowned. For a moment or two he 
 stood, scraping the gravel gently with the side 
 of his boot. At last he spoke — 
 
 " Gentlemen, I thank you for your offer ; and 
 some day I may take advantage of it to conamand 
 you, for honest men (however wrong-headed) 
 and ^ood commanders " — this with a slight 
 bow — " are alwavs scarce. For the moment.
 
 '266 JJlh' llLIf: l-AVIIJilXS. 
 
 liowrvcr, T should lecl that I wroiiL^cd you hv 
 :icci'|)tiiiii^ " 
 
 " ^ <Mii- Majesty is jj|;ood to us. But our word 
 liolds." 
 
 " 'IMiank you I had guessed that. Ncvn-tlic- 
 l('ss, I advise y<)U, just now, to ivturu to KiiLjlaud 
 and wait. I liave sonn' knowlcd^-c of Captain 
 Salt's iiiovt'Uicnts ; and when last }<»ui' lad was 
 heard of he had parted company with his father 
 and was making for the coast. I have some quick- 
 ness in reading character ; and there is a certain 
 placid obstinacy in that young man whicli per- 
 suades me he will reach Harwich in time. 
 Keturn, therefore, and wait with what patience 
 you may. Moreover, Captain Barker, I perceive 
 that you are recovering from some wound." 
 
 "Which explains, sire, the tardiness of my 
 submission. T was starting to se(dc an audience 
 on the morning that you sailed from Harwich, 
 when your soldiers " 
 
 " My soldiers ? " 
 
 " Yes, sire ; but perhaps they erred from 
 abundance of zeal." 
 
 Portland looked at the s|>eaker shrewdly. 
 " You know more than you tell us, my friend," 
 he said quietly. 
 
 " Possibly, my lord ; but it is nothing that 
 can affect his INIajesty now."
 
 A THUNDERBOLT. 267 
 
 "You are under some promise?" William 
 asked, gravely. 
 
 " A¥e are, sire; but be assured that if it 
 touched your welfare we had never come to lay 
 our services at your disposal." 
 
 " I believe you, my friends. And now, about 
 starting for England — I was about to propose 
 that as Captain van Adrienssen's frigate " 
 
 " Captain van Adrienssen ! " 
 
 " You know him ? He is about to sail from 
 Amsterdam in the frigate J\[erry 3Taid to escort 
 a convoy of thirty-six merchantmen to the 
 Thames. If you start at once you will overtake 
 him." 
 
 " Unfortunately, sire, Captain van Adrienssen 
 will not be able to start for many days." 
 
 " Eh? " 
 
 " He is unvvell." 
 
 " Unwell ? Why, it is not an hour since 
 he left me ! " 
 
 " Nevertheless " 
 
 "Let me explain, sire," said Captain llunacles, 
 stepping forward again. " It happened thus. 
 We met Captain van Adrienssen on our way 
 from the Hague." 
 
 " Yes, yes." 
 
 " And it appeared — though I had forgotten 
 it — that twenty years ago I had the imprudence
 
 2«kS Jill-: III. IK l'.WILJ()Xi<. 
 
 to lliiMw a boot at his head. It was oft" tlie 
 
 i v\vl 
 
 " llavi- you lost your senses? " 
 
 " I ]n"j; your ^lajesty to listen, 'i'lie siijlit 
 o\' iiic revived tliai ]>aiiirul i-eeollection. We 
 pulled out our swords and I'ell on each other, 
 loru'ettiiiii", alas ! that now we are both servants 
 of your Majesty. it is annoyin<;-; but belbre 
 we could reuieniber it, Captain van Adrieiissen 
 was wounded." 
 
 AVilliain's brow was black as niyht. 
 
 " A duel ? " he t^aid sternly. 
 
 "Your ISfajesty, it could hardly be dignilied 
 by that name. Say rather " 
 
 " ^Vhat shall T do with these inccrri^'ibles ? " 
 asked the Kiui;', turniiiL;' to I'oitland. "At this 
 time, too, when I've not a .^iii^le other com- 
 nuuidcr of value within call ! " 
 
 " li' I ma)' advise 3'ou, sire — but, first, will 
 you command these gentlemen to retire? " 
 
 AVilliam dismissed them with 11 wave of the 
 hand, and they withdrew to a little distance 
 among the trees, where they waited in consider- 
 able trepidation. 
 
 it was a full half an hour before Portland 
 came towards them, trying to hide a siuile. 
 
 "Pouf! " lie said, "that was a tough busi- 
 ness, gentlemen. I ha\e persuaded his iMajesty
 
 poiri'LAyn. 2f!9 
 
 to accept the otl'er he declined a wliile ago, and 
 to use your services." 
 
 " In what way, my lord ? " 
 
 " You will g-o at once to the Hague, and 
 find out the condition of Captain van Adrienssen. 
 If, as I suspect, he be unfit to travel, 3'ou will, 
 with this authority, take over his papers and 
 post to Amsterdam, where you will iind the 
 Merry Maid frigate with her convoy. You are 
 to escort this convoy to the Thames — but you 
 will read your instructions in the papers which 
 A^m Adrienssen will give you. You, Captain 
 Barker, are the senior, I believe. Yes ? I thought 
 so ; and therefore you will take command. 
 Unless your friend declines to act on this occasion 
 as your lieutenant " 
 
 " My lord, how can we thank you ? " 
 
 " By serving his Majesty," answered Port- 
 land ; and added significantly, " rather than the 
 Earl of Marlborough." 
 
 The two friends walked away, treading on 
 air. But perhaps their friend the ensign, from 
 whom they parted affectionately at the foot of 
 the avenue, was happier even than they. For 
 not only did his heart rejoice at their good 
 fortune, but his Majesty had failed to inquire 
 whether the duel had been fought within or 
 without the park gates.
 
 270 
 
 CHAlTKi; Xlir. 
 
 rNPTMN SALT F.KKKCTS ONK SURIMUSE AM) TT.ANS 
 
 TWO MOKi:. 
 
 <)\ tlio sixth (lay iiftor liis dcparturo, Captain 
 Salt r<'i)irn<'(l to Dunkirk nncxix'ctodly. 
 
 Jit' arrived abont four in tlic afternoon, and 
 was rowed at onee to the Commodore's ^'alle}'. 
 He climbed on deck, and looked about him. 
 The lieutenant stepped forward. Captain Salt 
 shook hands, and asked — 
 
 " Where is the Commodore ? " 
 
 " In his cabin." 
 
 " Alone ? " 
 
 "No; he is holdint^ a council of war. All 
 his captains are there." 
 
 Captain Salt whistled softly to himself. 
 
 " IIow loUL^ lia\'e Ihey been sittini^?" he 
 asked. 
 
 " Less than len minutes. Tii fact they have 
 but just arrived." 
 
 " Thank you. I'll go down and look in." 
 
 " My friend," he said to himself, as he walked 
 aft and descended the ladder, " the chance has 
 come sooner than you expected. You'll have to 
 play this game boldly.
 
 THE COUXOIL OF WAR: 271 
 
 He knocked at the cabin door and entered, 
 with the dust of travel thick upon bim. He 
 had ridden thirty-six miles since breakfast, along 
 dusty roads and under a broiling sun. Never- 
 theless, his manner was cool enongli as he bowed 
 to all ])resent. 
 
 " T must apologise, gentlemen, for the state 
 of my clothes ; but I beard you were sitting, 
 and could not rest until I had saluted you." 
 
 They welcomed him heartily as he dropped 
 into a vacant chair. M. de la Pailletine reached 
 across the table and shook hands with him. 
 
 " It is very thoughtful of you," said the 
 Commodore. " We were about to draw up a 
 plan of the cruises to be taken tbis week, and 
 shall be glad to have your advice." 
 
 " I'm afraid, gentlemen, I'm too weary to 
 offer much advice. But that need not prevent 
 my listening with attention to the wisdom of 
 others." 
 
 There was the faintest shade of derision in 
 his voice, if they had any cause for suspecting 
 it. As it was, however, not a man present had 
 the slightest mistrust of him. He had con- 
 quered all their prejudices. 
 
 The Commodore resumed the short speech 
 he had been making ; and when he had concluded, 
 one captain followed anotber with criticism and
 
 i.'7j ■riii: ni.ur: /mi //./'/.vs. 
 
 rri->li proposals — Captain Uaiuliis, of Ac /'f/o//, 
 tlic CMn'\alier dr Saiiite-Cruix, ot" La Mi'rri'i//i\ 
 Captain Dcnoyre, <»! I lie Sattspfirri/. During- 
 tlit'ir sjx'oches Caphiiii Salt sat ixTlrcMy silent., 
 eitlicr rcsiinn" liis head on liis hands and stillini;" 
 his yawns, as though politcl}' conccalin*,' his 
 weariness, or drunnnini;' (piii'tly with his lini^-rrs 
 on tht' tahle and starini;' uj) at the ceiling; Wkr 
 one lost in tli<ini,dit. 
 
 Ihit, all of a snddm, as M. de hi I'aillftine 
 was in IIh' aft of oU'erinn" some remarks npon a 
 schrme of Captain I )onoyre's lor a di-seent ujion 
 the Isle of Thanet, the Englishman, still yawii- 
 inii', ifot upon his Icn's and said ver\' earelesslv — 
 
 "T re<^'ret to lDterruj)t M./c C/icf (fcscadiuf, 
 but we waste time." 
 
 The Commodore paused, open-mouthed, in 
 the middle of a sentence, and stared. 
 
 " Yes, yes," repeated Captain Salt, noddinic 
 at hiiu with the coolest assurance; "we are 
 really wastin£( time. Be so good as to lend 
 me your attention while J sketch out a little 
 plan that I have drawn \\y for a descent u])(»n 
 Harwich." 
 
 The oflicers round the board were fairly taken 
 aback by this stroke of impudence. The C(jni- 
 modore was the first to recover his presence ot" 
 mind, and said, drawing himself up —
 
 THE CAPTAIN AND THE COMMUVOBE. 273 
 
 " Monsieur appears not to have observed 
 that I was speaking." 
 
 " Pardon, sir, but I observed that you were 
 speaking overmuch. But let me proceed. Har- 
 wich, as you know, is a port at the mouth of 
 the Eiver Stour, at the extreme north-east corner 
 of Essex. I give you this information, gentle- 
 men, as I am not sure if any of you have travelled 
 so far." 
 
 The captains looked at one another, and the 
 eldest among them, M. Baudus, of the Fao)i, 
 stood up. 
 
 " Monsieur will forgive the remark," he said, 
 " but it appears to me that he forgets his place." 
 
 " Tut-tut," answered the Englishman, with 
 an air of sliglit impatience ; " I must trouble you 
 to sit down, sir, and attend. Really," he con- 
 tinued, looking around, " I must insist upon the 
 attention of everyone, as I shall need your 
 intelligent co-operation. My plan is this : I 
 mean to make this a night attack. We should 
 leave the harbour here in four days' time — that 
 is to say, on the 23rd, if the weather holds, and 
 not later than six o'clock in the morning. It 
 may possibly be earlier, but that will depend to 
 some extent on the wind." 
 
 M. de la Pailletinc by this time was white 
 with passion. He began to comprehend that
 
 27-1 TJIE BLUE I'AVILIONS. 
 
 Ills guest would not diirc to speak thus without 
 some liii^Ii autliurity to back him. 
 
 " Arc wc to uudcrstand, ^i^, tliat in this ])ni- 
 posed c'X})cditi()ii we sail under your orders ? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " Ma}' 1 ask to see your authority ? " 
 
 " or course you may." 
 
 Captain Salt put a hand into his breast and 
 drew out a folded paj)ei'. Laying this on the table, 
 he let his eyes travel round with a quiet smile. 
 
 It was signed in the handwriting and sealed 
 with the seal of his Majesty King Lewis. 
 
 j\I. dc la I'ailletine picked up the ])aper with 
 a shaking hand and read it through. There 
 was no room for demur. The Xing com- 
 manded him, as chief of the squadron of galleys 
 lying in iJunkirk, to place his ships, othcers, and 
 crews at Captain Halt's disposal, and to follow 
 his instructions implicitly throughout the ex- 
 pedition. Moreover, the Intendant was ordered 
 to furnish whatever stores, artillery, etc., Captain 
 Salt should find necessary to the success of his 
 design. If he should require it, the fighting 
 strength of the galleys should be supplemented 
 by drafts from the regiments stationed in the 
 citadel, the llice 15ank, and Forts Galliard, Rever, 
 and Bon Espcrance. 
 
 The Commodore read all this, and laid the
 
 THE CAPTAIN PLAYS A BIG CARD. 275 
 
 paper down on the table. The officers around 
 him scanned his face and saw there was no 
 hope of resistance. Nevertheless, for a moment 
 they looked mutinous. 
 
 Their superior officer, however, set the 
 example of graceful obedience. He stood up, 
 and looked the Englishman straight in the face. 
 Then he spoke with a voice that trembled a 
 little over the opening words, but after that j)ro- 
 ceeded smoothly and composedly enough. 
 
 " Monsieur, it is my honour to serve his 
 Majesty without reservation, even when he 
 chooses to put a slight upon his tried servants. 
 Unfold your scheme. We will listen, and lend 
 you our best co-operation." 
 
 " I thank you, monsieur. Is that all? " 
 
 " No, sir ; not quite all. You will permit 
 me in addition to remark that n^ou are a very 
 dirty blackguard, and that, if you choose to resent 
 this criticism, I am your very obedient servant." 
 
 " Ah, yes. We will discuss that, if you 
 please, as soon as this business is over. Mean- 
 while let me proceed with my remarks." 
 
 That same evening Captain Salt assumed the 
 command, and within half an hour it was patent to 
 every slave in the squadron thatsomething beyond 
 the ordinary w^as afoot. Tlie new commander
 
 276 TJli: BLUE I'AVJLIUXS. 
 
 bo«;an to* issue orders at once. Curiously cuou^li, 
 one ol' till' lirst (d" these was ^nven to the 
 lishinL,''-sniack with the j^reen pennant, which 
 had broujjfht him the lOarl ol" MarlhorciULih's 
 letter live days before, and had lain at anchor 
 ever since in tlie J>asin. It was ])r<'tty well 
 known to everyone in Dunkirk that tiiis little 
 craft plied to and I'nj in the Jacobite service, and 
 was allowed to pass the forts witiiout challenge. 
 Indeed, she had a special permit. Therefore 
 nobody wondered when Captain Salt paid her 
 red-bearded skipper a visit that eveninj^, (^n his 
 way to the citadel ; nur was the skij)p('r aston- 
 ished to receive a letter for the Earl ol' Marl- 
 borough's secret agent at Ostend, and be bidden 
 to leave the harbour that night. 
 
 Yet the red-bearded skipper would have been 
 considerably astonished had he been able to read 
 the cypher in which this letter was written, or 
 had he the faintest idea that the small mark on 
 the corner of the wrapper meant that it was to 
 be translated at once and despatched post-haste 
 to King William. 
 
 For, indeed, the captain was now playing 
 not merely a double, but a triple, and })erhaps a 
 quadruple, game. JIc was not only })Iaying for 
 AVilliam again.st James, and for James against 
 William, but lor the Earl against both, and for
 
 THE GREEN PENNANT LEAVES DUNKIRK. 277 
 
 himself above all. For the moment he wished 
 to get to Harwich with power over the two old 
 men who (as he conceived it) Avere defraiidint^ 
 him of his privileges ; and to obtain full pos- 
 session of those privileges he must stand well 
 with William, who at present suspected him. 
 
 ' What better proof could he offer that his 
 journey had been all in his master's interest 
 than by engaging the six galleys at Dunkirk in 
 an attack upon Harwich, and forewarning the 
 Kino- of his design ? Or how could the Earl 
 have a better chance of clearing himself of the 
 King's suspicions than by receiving this warning 
 and passing it on to the King ? 
 
 Unfortunately, this accomplished schemer 
 omitted to take account of three accidents, 
 for the simple reason that he could not have 
 anticipated them : — 1st, the two old men whom 
 he meant to terrify at Harwich were at that 
 moment in Holland ; and, 2nd, the son, in 
 whose name he meant to terrify them, slept 
 every night within a foot of his head, a galley- 
 slave, disguised beyond recognition, and tilled 
 with a just resentment. No. 3 will be mentioned 
 hereafter. 
 
 The little fishing-smack sailed out of Dunkirk 
 that evening, an hour after sunset. 
 
 During the next three days Caj)tain Salt
 
 l]78 TiriC llLUh: PAVILIONS. 
 
 worked liard. Sulliciciit storos were laid in to 
 last for a week's eniisc?. Tlio slaves who workod 
 nil shore ut'i'e hroiinht on Ixtai'il. The i^alleys' 
 heaks were tested, the L,nnis examined, oars and 
 rigging carefully overhauled. A iVesh supply of 
 anmiunition was drawn fr«Mii the citadel, and the 
 Hghting crew of each vessel increased by fifty 
 men, with a few Swiss artillerymen from the 
 batteries of Bourgogne, Auguenois and Santerre. 
 In all this, i\I. de la Pailletine lent the readiest 
 aid. He had postponed his animosity to the 
 da}' when the}' sliould return to harbour; and 
 to the casual eye he and the Englishman were 
 excellent friends. 
 
 By the night of August '2'2in] all was read}'. 
 
 At nine o'clock next morning the six galleys 
 started in solemn procession j)ast the forts and 
 f)ut into the open sea, which was smooth as glass. 
 A light but steady breeze breathed across the 
 sky from ilie north-east. They could have hoped 
 for nothing better. The broad lateen sails were 
 spread, and the slaves sat rpiietly before theii- 
 oars, ready to row, though lor hour after hour 
 there was no need of rowing. The six vessels 
 kept within easy distance of each other, and 
 Captain Salt, on the deck of IJ Ilcnreuse, directed 
 their movements with a serenity that cheered 
 even the poor nun on the benches below him.
 
 THE DESCENT UPON HARWICH. 279 
 
 As ilie awuino- shook and the musts creaked, 
 gently above them, they stretched their limbs, 
 drew long breaths, and felt that after all it was 
 good to live. 
 
 So stead}" did the wind keep all day that 
 about five in the evening they brought the 
 English coast in sight. It was the opinion of 
 all the captains that they should run up for 
 Harwich at once ; but the Englishman had 
 other views. 
 
 " It is too early," he told M. de la Pailletine. 
 " There are cruisers about, and if we are seen 
 the game will be spoiled." 
 
 He ofave orders to lower the sails and stand 
 off till nightfall. The captains, of course, obeyed. 
 
 They had not lain to above an hour when 
 the man who had been sent to the mast-head of 
 L' Heureme shouted out — 
 
 " A fleet to the north ! " 
 
 " Whither bound?" called up Captain Salt. 
 
 " Steering west." 
 
 " What number ? " 
 
 The man was silent for a moment, then 
 answered — 
 
 " Thirty-six sail, all merchant-built, and an 
 escort. 
 
 " What is she like ? " 
 
 " A frigate, of about thirty guns."
 
 ii8u 
 
 CMlAl'Ti:!.' \IV. 
 
 THI. (iAI.I.I.^S \M) I II I. IKKiATF.. 
 
 T. — Tlic I'riijfih'. 
 
 Tiir, ^^rrn/ Mnhl \vm\ left llic Texol by tlu' 
 narrow gut called De Witt's Diep, ^vith her 
 convoy followin*^ in line and in adniiraMi; order. 
 The breeze was fair for England. A full round 
 moon rose over the sand-banks behind them as 
 Captain IJarker sent the pilots ashore and stood 
 easily (»ut to sea, for the most of his merchant 
 ships were shig-gish sailers, and not a few over- 
 laden. So clear was the night that, as he paced 
 the (|narter-deck with the dew fidling ste:idil3' 
 around liim, he could not only count their thirty- 
 six lanterns, but even discern their piled canvas 
 glimmering as they stole like ghosts in his wake. 
 That night he left his watch for an hour 
 only, when shortly before dawn Captain 1 luna- 
 cies came to relieve him, threatening mutiny- 
 unless he retired to snatch a little slumber. Jiut 
 the sun was scarce up before the little man 
 reappeared. The pride of his old profession was 
 working like yeast within him. , His breast 
 swelled and Iiis chin lifted as he found the 
 convoA'' still sailiuM' in close ordei-, obevinir his
 
 THE ^'MEBRY MAID" AND HER CONVOY. 281 
 
 signals smoothly and intelligently as a trained 
 pack obeys its huntsman. He was delighted 
 with the frigate and her crew, who were English 
 to a man. To be sure there was a fair sprinkling 
 of Dutchmen among the soldiers ; but his heart 
 had begun to warm somewhat towards that 
 nation. As he shambled to and fro, jerking out 
 from time to time some necessary orders, he saw 
 that he had the respect of all these fellows, 
 even while they smiled at him. They felt that 
 this distorted little framework held a man. He 
 divined this with the quick sensibility that marks 
 all deformed people. His green e3'es kindled. 
 In the pride of his soul he had almost forgotten 
 Tristram. 
 
 The sight of the English coast, dim and 
 purple beneath the declining sun, brought it 
 back to him with a pang. After all, Tristram 
 was still lost, and his journey to Holland had 
 been a failure therefore. With a sudden con- 
 tempt for all that a moment before he had been 
 enjoying, he turned to his friend and asked him 
 to take charge for a while. 
 
 Nothing more was said, but Captain Runacles 
 gfuessed what drove the little man below like a 
 wounded beast, and began to pace the deck 
 gloomily. 
 
 " He'll never take it up again," he muttered.
 
 282 ';///•; inji': rAVn.mNs. 
 
 " ri's ;ill very well, and ln' lliinks lie's ^'ctliiiL,' 
 coml'Drt imt of it. r>ii< il wont do." 
 
 lie j)aus«'d tor a nionicnt, contcniplaitMl flic 
 distant, coast, and rcMiiiKM] liis tread, rej)eatinL( — 
 " It won't do, Jack ; it won't do ;i hit, my boy." 
 
 Ca})tain Barker sat in liis cabin alone, 
 starinu' at a knot of wood on the table before 
 liim. There were traces of tears on his cheeks. 
 
 Somebody ta})ped at the door. 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " The devil," answered Captain Riniacles' 
 voice, coolly. " Six i;alleys to the south, between 
 us and the Thames ! " 
 
 Captain Barker sprang- up and hurried up on 
 deck. 
 
 "So those are the craft I've heard so muJi 
 about," he remarked, taking down the glass 
 through which he had been e3'eing them for a 
 couple of minutes. 
 
 " What do you propose. Jack ? " 
 
 "Propose? Why, propose to do what I'm 
 here for — to save the convoy," 
 
 " That's very pretty. But do you know how 
 fast those sharks can move ? " 
 
 " No, I don't. But I know they can out- 
 pace ns. Nevertheless, I'll save tlie convoy." 
 
 "How?"
 
 THE GALLEYS COME IN SIGHT. 283 
 
 " There's only one way." 
 
 " And that is " 
 
 " By losing the frigate." 
 
 Captain Runacles looked at him for a second, 
 and then placed a hand on his shoulder. This 
 simple gesture expressed all his heart. Captain 
 Barker turned briskly. 
 
 " Sio^nal the convoy," he shouted, " to make 
 all sail and run for the Thames ! " 
 
 II.— The GaUei/s. 
 M. de la Pailletine was in some respects a 
 weak man. He was impatient. Up to this 
 moment his behaviour in an extremely galling 
 position bad been perfect. He had been content 
 to bide his time and had furthered every ordei 
 issued by his rival with the cheerfullest alacrity. 
 But when the man at the mast-head an- 
 nounced the advance of the mercliant fleet, he 
 allowed himself to be tempted and turned to 
 Captain Salt, who stood beside him. 
 " You will follow them, of course ? " 
 " Of course I shall do nothing of the sort. 
 On the contrary, I intend to steer to the south, 
 out of their sight." 
 
 " You will fling away this splendid prize ? " 
 " Let me remind you, monsieur, tbat we are 
 bound for Harwich."
 
 2b4 riir: /;/,/•;■; I'.wiijoxs. 
 
 " r.ui this is f(.lly, Captain Salt! Ilarwicli 
 will ri'iiiiiiu wlici'c it is, and we can ravat^e \\ at 
 any iinic. Never ai^ain may we liave so line an 
 ()])|)(>i'tnnity of ('a])turin<^ tliirty-six morclianl men 
 and a liritisb friL,Mto almost witlioni a l)]n\v." 
 
 "Excuse me, M. dc j,i l*;iillftini', hul I do 
 not allow my orders to be ciit ieised." 
 
 "Then listen to me, sir," retorted the Com- 
 modore, his fare red witli lury, as he drew from 
 his coat the oi'ders wliich the Xing had addressed 
 to him. "Yon see this ])aper ? V(My well ; I 
 destroy it." lie tore it into shreds, and. let the 
 pieces Mutter over the galley's side. 
 
 " Are you aware of wdiat that action means ? " 
 Captain Salt was white to the lips. 
 i am, sir. 
 
 "It is treason." 
 
 "You think so, perhaps. But a Frenchman 
 should best know what is due to the King 
 of France. Nevertheless, I shall summon the 
 captains to confirm my action. Will you attend 
 them in my cabin ? " 
 
 " Thank you; no, sir. I am ijuite sure tliat 
 they will support you. Jt remains to see what 
 his Majesty will say when I report your contempt 
 of his orders." 
 
 " That is for the future to decide. Mean- 
 while be good eiiDiigh to recollect that T com-
 
 CAPTAIN SALT IS DEPOSED. 285 
 
 mand the squadron from this moment. Should 
 you choose to volunteer, well and good. If not, 
 my cabin is at your disposal as soon as the 
 captains have left it." 
 
 He bowed, and turned away to summon the 
 captains. 
 
 They came in haste, and were, of course, 
 unanimous ; though it is difficult to say how far 
 they were influenced by sound argument and 
 how far by pique and a desire to thwart the 
 Englishman. While they sat. Captain Salt 
 remained on deck cursing quietly and examining 
 the approaching enemy with no pleasant stare. 
 
 Orders were issued to all the six galleys to 
 attack the fleet. Four were told off against the 
 merchantmen and commanded to make all speed 
 to get between them and the Thames ; while 
 L' Ileureuse herself and La Merveille (commanded 
 by the Chevalier de Sainte-Croix) were to attack 
 and take possession of the frigate. 
 
 Immediately they began to make all possible 
 haste with sails and oars. Captain Salt with- 
 drew to the cabin in dudgeon, and M. de la 
 Pailletine took his place. From their benches 
 below the slaves heard his voice shouting out 
 orders right and left, and at once they had to 
 catch up their oars and row. The English fleet 
 when lirst spied was coming right across their
 
 28() Tllh' BIAJK PAVILIONS. 
 
 course, and still licM mi ils way wIhmi it p(>r- 
 coivcd ilic Frcnclinian s iiitciil. In |)ursiiiincc' ot 
 this iiilciit the four ^allcvs nuule oil' with all 
 speed to place themselves between tlie nicrchant- 
 111(11 and the coast, while the Commodore and 
 the Chevalier de Sainte-Croix bore down on the 
 frigate, straight as an arrow. 
 
 And now beLraii a hard time for Tristram 
 and his companions below. They tugged and 
 sweated, and presently L' lleurcusc began to leap 
 throufjh the water. Above the swisli of the lonir 
 sweeps rose a tumult of oaths, imprecations, out- 
 cries, sobs, as the overseers plied their whips, 
 not caring where they struck. Overhead they 
 heard the guns running out, the rolling of shot 
 and trampling of feet, the shouts and replies of 
 officers and men. They could see nothing of the 
 frigate for which they were bound, but i'roin the 
 confusion and hurry expected cverj' moment to 
 feel the shock as the galle3^'s beak drove into 
 her. 
 
 Then for a second or two all the noise ceased. 
 
 The reason was this. For some little while 
 the frigate held on her course ibr the mouth of 
 the Thames. Not a sail more did she carry than 
 when she first came in siui'ht. It almost seemed
 
 THE "2IEEBY MAID" BEARS DOWN. 287 
 
 as if her captain had not seen the enemy flying 
 to destroy him. For thirt^^-five minutes she 
 hekl quietly on beside her convoy. And then 
 the helm was shifted, and she came down 
 straight into the Frenchman's teeth. 
 
 It was a gallant stroke, and a subtle — so 
 subtle that M. de la Pailletine mistook its 
 meaning and gave a great shout of joy. He 
 fancied he saw the English delivered into his 
 hand. But his rejoicing was premature. 
 
 To begin with, he perceived, the next 
 moment, that the frigate, by hastening the 
 attack, had caught his galley alone. Into this 
 trap he had been led partly by the excellence 
 of his crew. Not only was his the fleetest vessel 
 of the six, but he had always been jealous to 
 choose the strongest forcats to man it. More- 
 over, M. de Sainte-Croix had been slow in start- 
 ing, and by this time La Merveille was a 
 league or more behind her consort. 
 
 still the Commodore was in no way disturbed. 
 He admitted to his lieutenant beside him that 
 the frigate was showing desperate gallantry ; but 
 he never doubted for a moment that his galley 
 alone, with two hundred fighting men aboard, 
 would be more than a match for her. 
 
 Down came the Merrij Maid, closer and 
 closer, her red-crossed flag fluttering bravely at
 
 288 THE BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 tlio peak; and on ruslicd tlic LTalloy, until the 
 \\\o were within cainiou-sliot. IM. dc la Paille- 
 tine gave the order, and sent ii shot to meet her 
 from one of the ("our L;iins in the prow. As the 
 thunder of it died awa}^ and the smoke cleared, 
 he waiti'd lor the KnL;-lish man's reply. There 
 was none. The frigate held on her course, silent 
 as death. 
 
 IU.~Thc Frirjafe. 
 
 The two English captains stood on the 
 quarter-deck, side by side, the tall inaii and the 
 dwarf. Beyond issuing an order or two, neither 
 had spoken a word for twenty minutes. Once 
 Captain Barker glanced over his shoulder to see 
 how the merchantmen were faring, and calculated 
 that within half an hour their enemies would 
 intercept them. Then he looked down on his 
 men, who stood, ready h}' the guns, motionless, 
 with lips set, repressing the fury of battle ; and 
 beyond them to the galley as she came, churning 
 the sea, her oars rising and falling like the 
 strong wings of a bird. 
 
 " ]\Iy God ! " he said softly, " if only Tris- 
 tram were here to see 1 " 
 
 TV.— The Ga/frifs. 
 
 When the frigate failed to answer his salute, 
 M. de la Paillctinc jumped to a fresh conclusion.
 
 THE nrjNK OF THE TRAGEDY. 289 
 
 " Mordieu ! " he cried, here is another 
 English captain who, like our friend Salt, is 
 weary of carrying his Sovereign's colours. He 
 doesn't mean to strike a blow. A minute and 
 we shall see his flas: hauled down." 
 
 CD 
 
 But the minute passed, and another, and yet 
 a third, and the English flag still flew. 
 
 By this time they were within musket-shot. 
 One by one the four guns had spoken from the 
 galley's prow, and still there was no answer. On 
 the brink of the tragedy there was silence for an 
 instant. Then a few of the French musketeers 
 seemed to find this intolerable, and fired without 
 receiving the order. Followed a silence again, 
 and still the Me ny Maid came on, as if to impale 
 herself on the galley's beak. 
 
 And then, suddenly, when in five minutes 
 the vessels must have collided, round flew the 
 frio-ate's wheel. For a minute and a half she 
 fetched up, as if awaking to the consequences 
 of her folly ; shuddered and shook against the 
 wind ; and, as her sails filled again, fetched away 
 on the westerly tack for her life. 
 
 For a full two minutes the French were 
 taken aback. 
 
 " Fools, fools ! " shouted M. de la Pailletine, 
 beside himself with joy. 
 
 The order flew for the slaves on the larboard 
 
 T
 
 •2!t<t Tin: r.l.VE rAVlLlnSS. 
 
 boiiclios t(» liold wuicr lor a minute, and tlie 
 L,Mllt'y's licud caiiio loimd. Nutliinj^ <^ives more* 
 spirit ilian a llvim;" ciirmy. Fr<»m moutli to 
 mouili rail the wliispci- tliat the EiiL;lisli were 
 showiiii;" tlioir liecls ; and in a moment tlicsc 
 ])()or devils, wlio owed all their misery to Fnmoo, 
 wero jjullini;' like madmen. .leers rose IVoni llie 
 deck. 
 
 " If ^ronsiour tlie EnL,dislinuin does not strike 
 
 within two minutes, down he goes to the bottom." 
 
 " The idiot, to expose his stern ! " 
 
 " On the whole, it is just as well that La 
 
 Merveille is so far behind. We shall have all the 
 
 glory to onrselves — eh, my cluldren ? " 
 
 -:r $- * -;|:- * # 
 
 On board the Frigate, Captain Bai'ker said 
 four words only — 
 
 " Take the wheel, .lemni}'." 
 
 Captain liunacles stepjKvl to it, and Ihe 
 steersman gave place. 
 
 In truth the hunch1)aek, though this was 
 his first ac(|naintance with a galley, knew well 
 enough that she would strike; for the frigate's 
 stern as the weakest point. '^I'his was precisely 
 what he wished her to do. 
 
 Captain Uunacles stood with his hands on 
 the wheel, and waited, glancing back over his 
 shoulder.
 
 VIIEUREUSE MISSES HER AUL 291 
 
 Captain Barker stood by the taffrail with one 
 eye upon the galley and his face turned in profile 
 to his friend. His right hand was lifted. 
 
 ^ ^ 7^ TK ^ 7^ 
 
 The Commodore had made all his disposi- 
 tions. The galley was to plunge her beak 
 straight into the Merry Maid's stern, and its 
 crew, after one discharge of cannon to clear the 
 frigate's poop, were to board at once. The men 
 stood ready with their hatchets and cutlasses, 
 and set up a wild yell as they drove straight for 
 her. From below the slaves echoed it with a 
 melancholy wail. 
 
 On they tore. As they yelled again 
 L' Heiireuse s beak was but twenty yards from her 
 prey. A few more leaps and it would strike. 
 
 " One — two " 
 
 The little man looked back in their faces and 
 smiled. 
 
 " Three — four — five " 
 
 He dropped his hand. Quick as lightning 
 Captain Jerry spun the wheel round. The stern 
 swung sharply off. 
 
 The next moment the galley flew past. Hei 
 beak, missing the stern, rushed on, tearing great 
 splinters out of the Merry Maid's flank. Her 
 starboard oars snapped like matchwood, hurling 
 the slaves backwards on their benches, and
 
 L»92 TJIK IlLVE J'AVILIUXS. 
 
 killiiiL;' a dozen on the spot. Then slie brou<iflit 
 u]), lielplessly disabled, ri^^-lit under the Irit^ate's 
 side. 
 
 And then at leni'tli the EnLrlisli cheer ranir 
 
 forllj. Ju an instant the ij^nipplinLj-irons Avere 
 out, and tlio i'ri<;ate lield lier Ibe, chisped, strained 
 dose against her ribs. 
 
 And at len^^'tli, too, witli a Ijlindini;' Hash 
 and a roar, tlie Eni^'lish <;uns spoke. A minute 
 had done it all. Sixty seconds before the ii^allant 
 vessel had lain apparently at the Frenchman's 
 mercy. Now the Frenchman wis fastened in- 
 extricably, while the crowd upon deck stood as 
 much exposed as if the galley were a raft. 
 
 Down swept the grape-.shot, tearing ghastly 
 passages through them. They were near enough 
 to be scorched by the tiarae of it. Down and 
 across it rent them, as they crouched and fought 
 with each other to get away and hide. There 
 was no hiding. Before the breath of it they 
 went down in rows, strewing the deck horribly, 
 mangled, riddled, blown in miserable j^ioces. 
 
 In a trice, too, the English masts and rigging 
 were swarming with musketeers and sailors who 
 poured hand-grenades among them like hail, 
 scattering wounds and death. The Frenchmen 
 no longer thought of attacking. Such was the 
 panic among othcers as well as common men that
 
 GBAPrLING-IBONS AND GRAPE-SHOT. 293 
 
 they were incapable even of resistance. Scores 
 who were neither killed nor wounded lay flat on 
 their faces, counterfeiting death and hoping to 
 find safety. 
 
 This carnage lasted, perhaps, for five minutes. 
 L' Heureuse s consort was still near upon a league 
 behind, and the other four galleys were still 
 busily chasing the merchantmen. 
 
 Captain Barker looked, and was well content. 
 But he had much work still before him, and to 
 do it properly he must husband his ammunition. 
 
 He gave the order to board. Forty or fifty 
 men dropped over the Merry MaicVs side, cutlass 
 in mouth, and rushed along the galley's deck, 
 hewing down all who ventured to oppose them, 
 and sparing only the slaves, who made no re- 
 sistance. At last, and merely by the weight of 
 numbers, they were driven back. But this did 
 the Frenchmen no good. Instantly the frigate 
 opened fire again and murdered them by 
 scores. 
 
 It was in this extremity that M. de la Paille- 
 tiue cast his eyes around and found himself 
 forced to do what Captain Barker from the first 
 bad meant him to do. The four galleys that 
 had started after the convoy were by this time 
 sweeping along on the full tide of success. In 
 another five minutes the pathway to the Thames
 
 294 THH liLVK I'AVIIJnNS. 
 
 would 1)0 blockod, and all the luercliant vosst-ls 
 at tlu'ir mercy. 
 
 M. de la Paillotine hoisted the Hag; of distress. 
 ILe called them to Ins help. 
 
 A wild liurrah broke out from the crew of 
 the iriLi'ate. 'J'he order meant their destruction : 
 for liow couhl the JJcjr// Moid contend against si.x 
 <;alleys ? Yet they cheered, for they liad guessed 
 what their captain had in his mind. And the 
 little man's greenish eyes sparkled as he heard. 
 
 " Good boys ! " he said bricHy, turning to 
 liis friend. " The convoy is saved, my lad : and 
 0, but Jemmy, you did it prettily 1 " 
 
 v.— The Gallcij {in llic hold). 
 
 Let us go back, for a minute or two, to 
 Tristram, 
 
 The oar at which he tugged was one of the 
 starboard tier; and when ]J Ifriirci/.se missed her 
 stroke, as we have told, it went like a sugar- 
 stick, flinging him and his companions back 
 across the bench. Further than this they could 
 not fly, because the stout chains which fastened 
 them were but ten feet long. Tristram, indeed, 
 was hurled scarcely so far as the rest, lor his 
 seat was the inmost from the gangway, and 
 right against the galley's side ; so tliat he got 
 the shortest swing of the oar.
 
 TEE GUN. 295 
 
 They scrambled up just as the fire of grape- 
 shot opened. And then Tristram made an 
 appalling discovery. 
 
 The hole through which their oar was worked 
 had been split wider by the crash ; and now, 
 looking out, he saw that it lay just opposite the 
 mouth of an English cannon. In this position 
 they had been brought up by the frigate's 
 grappling-irons. 
 
 It took him but an instant to see also that 
 the cannon, as it stared him in the face, was 
 loaded. 
 
 The two vessels, moreover, lay so close that 
 by reaching up with his hand he could have laid 
 his hand on its muzzle. 
 
 It was a horrible moment. There were four 
 Frenchmen and a Turk ranged along the bench 
 beside him. He looked into their faces. They 
 were ashen grey to the lips. No one could move 
 to get out of the way : the chains prevented that. 
 The Huguenot was praying wildly. Only the 
 Turk preserved his composure, and even he had 
 turned pale under his bronze skin. 
 
 Somebody cried : " Lie flat ! " 
 
 In a second every one of Tristram's com- 
 panions had flung himself flat on the bench. 
 Tristram glanced again at the gun. Even at 
 that moment he had enough presence of mind to
 
 '2M THE BLUE rAVJJJUNf^. 
 
 note tliiit it was pointed downwards, and at such 
 an anL^dc that those who lay flat must ini'alllbly 
 receive all its contents. lie noted this even 
 while it seemed that every one of his faculties 
 was frozen up. He felt that he could move 
 neither hand nor loot ; and somehow he knew 
 that since, because of the chain, he could not 
 leave the bench, he must sit uprii^ht. And so 
 he stiffened his back, laid his hands on his lap, 
 and waited, with his eyes on the ^'un. 
 
 ThrouL;li the purt-hole he could see the 
 Engli.sh ijjunner. He saw the fuse in his hand. 
 He counted the seconds ; wondered, even, how 
 the fellow could be so deliberate. He heard the 
 explosions all around, and speculated. Would 
 the next be his turn? Or the next? Would 
 it be painful ? What was the next world like? 
 And \vould his body be badly mangled ? 
 
 The gunner had the match ready, when the 
 lad's lips moved, and a cry broke from them — a 
 cry which astonished him as he uttered it, for he 
 had no notion that his brain was busy with such 
 matters. 
 
 " O, m}' Father, have 2^ity on my poor soul! 
 I have loved all men and one woman. Give 
 comfort to her, and have mercy on my poor 
 soul ! " 
 
 As the last word dropped from his lips, a
 
 TIIISTBAM OPENS HIS EYES. 297 
 
 great calm fell upon him, and his eyes rested 
 quietly on the gunner's hand as the man set the 
 
 lighted match to the touch-hole of the gun. 
 
 ****** 
 
 It was night when Tristram opened his eyes 
 again. A p:ile ray of moonlight slanted across 
 liis face. His head was pillowed on something 
 soft and warm. He lay for a while and stared 
 at the moonlight ; and by degrees he made out 
 that it was pouring through a rent in the galley's 
 side. Then he turned his head and lifted him- 
 self a little to see what it was on which his head 
 rested. It was the dead body of one of the 
 three overseers, who had been killed almost by 
 the first shot tired by the frigate. 
 
 He pulled himself up, and crept towards the 
 bench ; then put a hand down to his feet. The 
 ring was there, but no chain. Next he felt 
 along the bench with a wish — quite stupid — to 
 get back to his seat. His comrades were still 
 lying on their faces. He imagined for a moment 
 that their foolish fears still held them there, and 
 he laughed feebly. He was weak, but i'elt no pain 
 from any wound, nor suspected that he was hurt. 
 
 Then he began to eye the fellows roguishly, 
 taking a malicious pleasure in the continuance of 
 their terror. He tittered again, and suddenly 
 found himself out of patience with them.
 
 298 TJlh' JSIAJI-: l'AVILInM>i. 
 
 " Conio, j^i't up — get up ! 'V\n' (langL'r's all 
 over long ago." 
 
 He received no answer, and put out his liand 
 towards the nearest, it was tlie Turk — a fellow 
 wlio had Ix'cn a janissary, and had ilie reputation 
 oi" not knowing what fear was. 
 
 "Hullo, Ysouf ! Get up, tor shame — get 
 11]), man ! And you — that wr callcMl so hi'ave ! " 
 
 Ysouf lay still. Tristram hent forward and 
 took his hand. 
 
 The hand came away from the body. It was 
 icy cold. 
 
 Still holding it, Tristram leant back and 
 stared ; and as he stared a pettish anger took 
 him. He tossed the hand back on the body. 
 And now for the first time he began to hear; 
 and as this lost sense crept back to him he knew 
 that the place was full of moaning, and that over 
 his head feet were trampling to and fro. The 
 noise caused him agony, and he put his two 
 hands to his ears. 
 
 Jle was sitting in this p(jsture when he felt 
 somethin*^ warm and moist trickle down his 
 body, which was naked to the waist. He took 
 a hand from his ear and put it to his breast. It 
 was all wet, but in the darkness nothing could 
 be distinguished. Suspecting, liowever, that it 
 must be blood from some wound, and following
 
 THE SURVIVOR. 299 
 
 the smear with his fingers, he found that his 
 shoulder, near the clavicle, was pierced right 
 through. There was no pain. 
 
 Then he began to feel himself all over, and 
 found another gash in the left leg, below the 
 knee. He searched no more, feeling that it was 
 useless, as he was bound to die in a little while. 
 The men before him and behind him were dead. 
 Of eighteen men on the three benches he — who 
 had been blown the full length of the coursier — 
 was the only one left; and all owing to the 
 explosion of one cannon only. But such was 
 the manner of grape shot : after the cartouche of 
 powder, a long tin box of musket-balls rammed 
 in ; and as the box breaks, destruction right and 
 left. 
 
 As he sat, waiting listlessly for death, the 
 sense of pain came suddenly upon Tristram ; 
 and then he swooned away. 
 
 VL—The FH(/ate. 
 As soon as the galleys saw M. de la Paille- 
 tine's signal, and turned reluctantly back from 
 their chase, the capture of the Merrt/MaidhQQ,'SimQ 
 but a question of time. The Merveillc was the 
 first to come up, and, striking fairly at her stern, 
 riddled her windows with a gust of artillery 
 and prepared to board : a feat that was thrice
 
 3(»U TJIK ni.Ul-: fAVJLluSS. 
 
 prevented by ('aptain L'lmaclcs and a couple of 
 dozen marines, Enj^disli and Dutch. Then fol- 
 lowed Captain Denoyre witli tlie Saiispnrril, who 
 a])proached from the starboard side, and lost both 
 his masts as lie did so. In fact, the execution 
 done upon liis galley was only second to that 
 suifered i)y 1/ JlcurcKfn'. But as Le Paon fol- 
 lowed from the same (piarter, with the Ni/inphe 
 and the Bc/h; J idle heading- down as fast as oars 
 could take them, Ca])taiii Barker cast a look back 
 and touched his old friend's arm. 
 
 The first of the merchantmen was entering 
 the Thames. 
 
 " Better get back to the fo'c's'le, Jemmy, 
 and intrench yourself." 
 
 Captain Runacles nodded. " And you ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 "Oh, I'm going down to the cabin — first of 
 all." 
 
 Captain I'unacles nodded again. They looked 
 straight into each other's eyes, shook hands, and 
 parted . 
 
 It was obvious that the men of the Mcriy 
 Maid could no longer keep the deck. She was 
 hemmed in on every side, and it onl}'^ remained 
 to board her. 
 
 Twenty-five grenadiers from each galley were 
 ordered upon this service. Those of La Merveille
 
 THE CARBYING OF THE "MERRY MAID." 301 
 
 were the first to start, and they swarmed over 
 the stern without opposition. Jint no sooner 
 were they crowded upon the frigate's deck than 
 a volley of musketry mowed them down. Cap- 
 tain Kunacles and his heroes then ran back and 
 entrenched themselves in the forecastle ; and to 
 advance to close the hatchway was certain death. 
 Nor were they forced to surrender until long 
 after the English flag was hauled down : and, 
 indeed, were only silenced when M. de la Paille- 
 tine hit on the happy idea of setting fifty men to 
 work with axes to lay open the frigate's deck. 
 A score and a half of men were lost over this 
 piece of work. However, the forecastle was 
 carried at last by means of it ; and the prisoners 
 were brought on deck — among them Captain 
 Eunacles, with his right hand disabled. 
 
 " Are you the gallant captain of this frigate?" 
 asked M. de la Pailletine, doffing his hat; for as 
 yet he had received no sword in token of the 
 Merrji MauVs surrender. 
 
 " No, sir," Captain Eunacles answered ; " 1 
 have the honour to be his lieutenant." 
 
 " He is killed, perhaps ? " 
 
 " I fancy not." 
 
 " Then where is he ? " 
 
 " Excuse me, monsieur, it strikes me he has 
 yet to be taken."
 
 302 vv//; iiLui': r.wnjoNS. 
 
 " But tlic slii]) is iiiirs ! " 
 
 " \\\'\\, inoMsitiir, you luivo hauled down our 
 colours, and I can't deny it. Tint as for the 
 fris^'at*', 1 (li)ulit if ynu can call it yours just 
 
 " What do you moan, sir? " 
 
 " Wliy, simply that you liavo not yet takon 
 Caj)tain llarker; and excuse me if, knowing- 
 Captain Jiarker hetter than you can possibly do, 
 I warn you that that part of the ship which he 
 sees fit to occupy at this moment will probably 
 be dangerous for some time to come." 
 
 As if to corroborate his words, at this 
 moment the hush which had fallen u])on the 
 frigate's deck was broken by the report of a fire- 
 arm, and two French grenadiers rushed upon deck 
 from below and came forward hurriedly , one with 
 a hand clapped to a wound in his shoulder. 
 
 " That," said Captain Kiinacles, "is probably 
 Ca})tain Barker. There is a shutter to his cabin 
 door." 
 
 " Hut this is trivial," exclaiinccl \\\r Fi-cnch 
 Commodore, frowning: 
 
 " If Monsieur will excuse me, it is scarcely 
 so trivial as it looks. Captain Barker is within 
 ten paces of the powder-magazine. Moreover, 
 between him and the powder-magazine there is 
 a door."
 
 CAPTAIN BARKER HOLDS OUT. 303 
 
 M- de la Pailletine jumped in liis shoes. 
 He rushed aft to the companion leading to the 
 captain's cabin, and called on him to surrender. 
 
 "Go away ! " answered a very ill-tempered 
 voice from below. 
 
 "But, sir, consider. Your ship is in our 
 hands " 
 
 " Then come and take it." 
 
 " your gallant officers have surrendered. 
 
 You have behaved like a hero, and there is not 
 one of your enemies but honours you. Monsieur, 
 it is magnificent — but come out." 
 
 " I slian't." 
 
 " Monsieur, even this noble obstinacy extorts 
 my veneration ; but permit me to inquire. How 
 can you help it ? " 
 
 " Very simply, sir. Time is of no concern to 
 me. I have plenty of victuals and ammunition 
 down here ; and if any man comes to take my 
 sword I shall kill him." 
 
 " You cannot kill five or six hundred men." 
 
 " No ; when I am bored, I shall fire the 
 powder-magazine." 
 
 " Monsieur " 
 
 There was no answer but the sound of a man 
 blowing his nose violently, and the ring of a 
 ramrod as it was thrust home. It was absurd 
 that one man should hold a ship against
 
 liiindiTcls. Nevertheless, it was t lie case, and llie 
 Commodoni did not see liis way out of it. 
 
 " i*erniit iu<', sir,'' said Captain IJunaeles, 
 st(^j)))inL;' (orwai-tl, " to add my assurance, if such 
 be needed, that Capiaiii Harkcr is a man nf his 
 
 Wol-cl. 
 
 The Commodore essayed i^entler tactics. 
 
 " Listen, monsieur," he calN-d down. 
 
 " Go away ! " 
 
 " I have the pleasure to announce to you that 
 you shall meet only with such treatment as your 
 bravery deserves. Dismiss all apprehension of 
 imprisonment " 
 
 At this point he skipped backwards with such 
 violence as to knock a couple of sailors sprawling-. 
 A bullet had embedded itself in the timbers at 
 his feet. 
 
 He determined to use summary measures, and 
 ordered twelve grenadiers, w^tli fixed bayonets, 
 to advance to the cabin door, break it open, and 
 overpower the Englishman. 
 
 The twelve men advanced as they were 
 bidden. The sergeant was half-way down the 
 ladder, with his detachment at his heels, when 
 the report of a musket was heard, and down he 
 dropped with a ball in his leg. The grenadiers 
 hesitated. Another shot followed. It was pretty 
 clear that the besieged man had plenty of fire-
 
 CAPTAIN BARKER COMES OUT. 305 
 
 arms loaded and ready. They scrambled up the 
 steps again. " It was all very well," they said; 
 " but as they could only advance in single file, 
 exposing their legs before they could use their 
 arms, the Englishman from behind his barricade 
 could shoot them down like sheep." 
 
 M. de la Pailletine stamped and swore, up- 
 braiding them for their cowardice. He was 
 about to order them down again when a diversion 
 occurred. 
 
 A door slammed below, a wheezing cough 
 was heard, and Captain Barker's head appeared 
 at the top of the ladder. 
 
 " Which of you is the French captain ? " 
 
 M. de la Pailletine lifted his hat. 
 
 " H'mph ! " 
 
 He stepped up on deck, and the French 
 officers drew back in sheer amazement. They 
 looked at this man who had defied them for 
 pretty near an hour. They had expected to see 
 a giant. Instead they saw a tiny man, hump- 
 backed, wry-necked, pale of face, with a twisted 
 smile, and glaring green eyes, that surveyed 
 them witli a malicious smile. His wig was off, 
 and his bandaged scalp, as well as his face, was 
 smeared black with powder; and it appeared 
 that he could not even walk like other men, for 
 he moved across the deck with a gait that was 
 u
 
 o06 THE BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 sometliiiiijf botwoon ;i trot iind a sluimblo, and 
 iiulescriljaljly liuliorous. 
 
 Yet all this abated bis dij^nity no wbit. He 
 trotted straiij^bt up to M. de la I'ailletine (wbose 
 astonisbment mastered bis manners for tbe 
 moment, so tbat be stared and drew back), and 
 working- bis jaw, as a man wbo lias to swallow a 
 bitter pill wbicb sticks in bis moutb, lie beld out 
 bis sword witbout ceremony. 
 
 "Here you are," be said: "I've done witb 
 it ; can't waste words." 
 
 " Sir," tbe Comniodure answered, bowing, 
 " l)elieve me, 1 receive it witb little gratification. 
 The victory is ours, no doubt ; but tbe honour 
 of it you have wrested from us. Sir, T am a 
 Frenchman ; but I am a sailor too ; and my 
 heart swells over such a feat as yours. Suffer 
 me, then, to remind you that your present cap- 
 tivity is but the fortune of war, against wbicb 
 3'ou have struggled heroically ; that your self- 
 sacrifice has saved your fleet ; and tbat, as France 
 knows bow to appreciate gallantry in her adver- 
 saries, your bondage shall be merely nominal." 
 
 " H'mph," said tbe little man, " fine talk, 
 sir, line talk. As for the ships, I saw tbe last 
 of 'em slip into tbe '^fliames, ten minutes since, 
 from my cabin window. Sorry to keep you 
 parleying so long, but couldn't come out before."
 
 THE SURRENDER. 307 
 
 He blew his nose violently, cocked bis bead 
 on one side, and added 
 
 "... tbougb, to be sure, sir, your words 
 are devilisb kind — devilisb kind, 'pon my soul ! " 
 
 M. de la Pailletine, witb a pleasant smile, 
 lield out bis sword to bim, 
 
 " Take it back, Monsieur — take back a weapon 
 no man better deserves to wear. Forget tbat 
 you are my prisoner : and, if I may beg it, 
 remember ratber tbat you are my friend." 
 
 Tbe face of tbe little Imncbback flusbed 
 crimson. He besitated, took back tbe sword 
 clumsily, hesitated again, then swiftly held 
 out his hand to M. de la Pailletine, witb a 
 smile as beautiful as bis body was deformed. 
 
 " Sir, you have beaten me. I fought your 
 men for awhile, but I can't stand ujd against this." 
 
 VII.— The Galley. 
 
 There was one man, however, who soon had 
 reason to repent that the little man had been 
 g^iven his sword ao-ain. 
 
 Dark had fallen when M. de la Pailletine con- 
 ducted him courteously over the frigate's side and 
 across the deck of V Heiireuse towards bis own 
 cabin. Flinging the door open, he bowed, 
 motioning Captain Barker to precede bim. 
 
 As tbe hunchback entered, a figure rose from
 
 308 TJIl-J BLUE J'AVILIitNS. 
 
 beside the table iukIit tlie s\vinL,'ini,^-lamp. It 
 was Roderick Salt, who had been sitting there 
 and sulkiiif;' since the eni^agernent bei^an. 
 
 Captain Barker juni2)ed back a foot and 
 stared. 
 
 " You ! " 
 
 Captain Salt had been expecting the Com- 
 modore, and was waiting to pay him a dozen 
 satirical comphments on the issue of the engage- 
 ment. Triumph shone in his eyes. It went out 
 like a candle-llame before a puit' of wind. 
 
 " You ! " 
 
 In a Hash the hunchback was runninij on 
 him with drawn sword. ]\I. de la Pailletine, 
 in a trice, interposing, knocked the blade up and 
 out of his hand. But he rushed on, and, dealing 
 the traitor a sound blow on the face with his fist, 
 began to kick and cuff and pummel him without 
 mercy. 
 
 "Take him off — take him off'!" gasped 
 Captain Salt, but offered not the least resistance. 
 
 The Commodore, amused, and secretl}^ pleased, 
 caught the little man in his arms and dragged 
 liiiii away by main force. 
 
 " Messieurs," he said, slijtping between them, 
 and still panting with the effort, " circumstances 
 compel me to leave you together for a while. 
 But before I go, 1 must exact a paro/e from
 
 FACE TO FACE. 309 
 
 both of you that you will keep the peace towards 
 each other." 
 
 " But, Monsieur," Captain Barker exclaimed, 
 " I want to kill him ! " 
 
 " Doubtless ; but if, sir, you have that con- 
 sideration for me which you professed by shaking- 
 hands with me just now, you will ^-efrain. 
 Captain Salt will tell you, sir, that we have a 
 small affair to discuss together as soon as we 
 reach France again. When that discussion is 
 over, no doubt he will be at your service." 
 
 The pair gave their promise reluctantly, and, 
 as the Commodore left the cabin, sat down, 
 facing each other across the table — Captain Salt 
 with his back to the shattered stern-windows, 
 which, a week or two before, Tristram had 
 touched up with fresh paint and simple enthu- 
 siasm. 
 
 They knew nothing of this. Yet the first 
 question asked by Captain Barker, after he had 
 glared at his enemy in silence for twenty minutes, 
 was — 
 
 " Where is Tristram ? " 
 
 " Tristram? " 
 
 " Ay ; your son. You have seen him, and 
 have been with him." 
 
 " I do not know. I lost him." 
 
 "When? Where?"
 
 oio THE iifjUhJ PAvrijnys. 
 
 " Two moiitlis since. We were travollinor 
 south toii^ethc'r " 
 
 " What rii^Hit liiid you " 
 
 " Excuse UK', T was al)out to jmt a siuiilar 
 questiou. To Ix'^iu wiili, you do uot deuy, I 
 su])j)ose, tliat tlie lad is uiy sou ? " lie paused 
 a secoud (»r two, aud listeuod ; i'or a sudden shout 
 had gone u]) from the galley's deck above tlieiu. 
 He continued, "Secondly, the boy is heir to 
 consideralile estates ; thirdly, he has been so for 
 many years; fourthly, 1 am legally an adminis- 
 trator of those estates; fifthly, you knew that 
 I was alive — what the devil is that noise ? " 
 
 " Never mind the noise. Proceed with your 
 remarks." 
 
 " I have simply to say that you, Captain 
 Barker, together with your friend Kunacles, 
 have for years been playing off a fraud on the 
 law, and that I am going to exact my rights to 
 the last farthing." 
 
 " Really, you must excuse me ; but do you — • 
 a traitor, on board a French ship — imagine that 
 you possess any rights in England ? " 
 
 There was certainly a loud trampling of feet 
 on the galley's deck at this moment. But 
 Captain Barker knew that the French would 
 make haste to clear their dead at once and g-et 
 into motion with their prize, for the merchant-
 
 THE END OF CAPTAIN SALT. 311 
 
 men must, before this, liave given the alarm, 
 and the coast was continually patrolled by 
 British cruisers. 
 
 " You have a very imperfect knowledge of 
 my position. Captain Barker; and it naturally 
 leads you to jump to very wrong conclusions. 
 To begin with, you imagine me a traitor." 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " To whom ? To King William, I suppose ? " 
 
 " Well, as William is the king whose law 
 seems most likely to interfere with your j)resent 
 threats, I will instance King William." 
 
 " You are mistaken. Until you came into 
 sio-ht this squadron was advancing on Harwich 
 under my command. You understand? Well, 
 before it started I had sent word to William of 
 its intention. In other words, from first to last 
 I designed the whole expedition in his interests. 
 Had we gone on, by this time half a dozen 
 British frigates would have been upon us." 
 
 " M^ God ! And ihei/ are here ! " 
 
 As Captain Barker yelled it out, a broad flame 
 illumined the cabin, and the crash of broken 
 glass and rending timbers mingled with a roar 
 that shook the seas for miles. 
 
 And in the light of this thunderous broadside 
 Captain Salt rose slowly, lifted his arms, swayed 
 and dropped forward, striking the table with his
 
 312 THE BLUE PAVIUnXF!. 
 
 brow ; tlion slid down n])oii the floor, stono- 
 deud. 
 
 I'lll.— nr GaJh'ii {hi Ihr hold). 
 
 From liis second swoon Ti-istnun ;i\V(»k(' lo 
 find the li<jjlit of :i lantern llasliin<r in liis face. 
 
 The Merry Maid's IIhl;" liad scarcely been 
 hauled down before night fell ; and almost with 
 its falling, while the men of the other galleys 
 were helping to clear J/ Ilcifrpuses decks, the}' 
 perceived lights twinkling off the mouth of the 
 Thames. 
 
 At once concluding that these were the 
 lights of English men-of-war sent to pursue 
 them, they used the utmost despatch. Their 
 first concern was to throw the dead overboard 
 and stow the wounded in the hold. Uut so 
 closely were they pressed by the fear of losing 
 their prize and being made prisoners, that it is 
 to be feared as many of the living were thrown 
 over for dead as of those who were dead in reality. 
 
 This, at any rate, came near to being 
 Tristram's fate. For when the keeper came to 
 unchain the killed and wounded of his seat he 
 was still without consciousness, lying among the 
 corpses, bathed in their blood and his own. 
 
 " A clean sweep of this bench," said the 
 keeper.
 
 CLEARING THE BENCHES. 313 
 
 He and his fellows, therefore, without further 
 examination, did but unchain the slaves and 
 then fling them over. It was suflicient that the 
 body neither spoke nor cried. 
 
 Tristram's comrades, it is true, were in no 
 doubtful plight. The hand of death had im- 
 pressed them beyond chance of mistake. They 
 were thrown over limb by limb. 
 
 Tristram's was the only body that remained 
 entire, and to all appearance he, too, was dead. 
 Now, he had been chained by the left leg, in 
 which (as we have said) he was severely 
 wounded. The keeper, not knowing that the 
 chain had been blown away, grasped this leg in 
 his hand, felt for the ring, and tried to wrench 
 it open. 
 
 Fortunately he tugged so lustily, and in- 
 flicted so sharp a pang in the wounded limb, 
 that Tristram opened his eyes and sobbed with 
 the anguish of it. The fellow let go his grasp. 
 
 Then, suddenly perceiving what their in- 
 tention had been, the poor youth screamed out 
 at the top of his voice — 
 
 " Please do not throw me over. I'm not 
 dead yet ! " 
 
 Upon this they carried him to a small 
 chamber in the hold and tossed him down 
 among a heap of groaning wounded, upon a
 
 SH THE BLUE rAVJLTONS. 
 
 Ciible iniulo up into ii roulomi, porluips the liardost 
 bed on wliicli a sick man can lie. About bini 
 were stretched indiscriminately petty officers, 
 sailors, soldiers, and slaves. The air could 
 reach this den only throui^h a scuttle about 
 two feet square, and the heat and stench were 
 therefore something intolerable. A suri^^eon 
 was at work anioni;' the sufferers. Reachintf 
 Tristram at length, he stopped the bleeding of 
 his wounds with a little spirits of wine. He 
 had no bandages ; nor did he come again to 
 see if his patient was dead or alive. 
 
 But, indeed, our hero was past caring for 
 this, and when he regained consciousness after a 
 third swoon it was to find himself in other hands. 
 
 For the pursuing English, aided by the 
 wind (which had shifted a little further to the 
 northward), had swept down upon the galleys 
 and taken them, with their prize, and were iiovv 
 towing them triumphantly into Sheerness. 
 
 IX. — At Sheerness. 
 At ten o'clock next morning, after a pro- 
 digious breakfast at Sheerness, Captain Barker 
 and Captain Kunacles (whose wounded arm was 
 sluu"- in a silk kerchief) strolled down to the 
 water-side to have a look at the strange vessels 
 they had so obstinately defied. They explored
 
 AT SHEERNESS. 315 
 
 with especial care tlie unfortunate L'lleureme, 
 visiting first the Commodore's cabin, upon the 
 boards of which the blood of Eoderick Salt was 
 hardly dry. It cannot be said that they felt much 
 sorrow for his fate ; for to pity a traitor was a 
 height to which the faith of this pair of imperfect 
 Christians did not soar. But they uttered no 
 word of exultation, and quickly resumed their 
 examination of the deck and hold, discussing this 
 or that rent, debating over every splinter, proving 
 that such and such a groove was ploughed by a 
 ball from such and such an angle, and so on. 
 
 From the deck they descended to the long 
 chamber where now row upon row of battered 
 and deserted benches told of a tragedy more 
 pitiful than any that can befall men who are 
 free to stand up and fight for their lives. 
 
 " Merciful heaven ! " exclaimed the little 
 hunchback, standing with his arms folded and 
 gloomily conjuring up the scene of yesterday; 
 " Jemmy, we must have mown the poor brutes 
 down like swathes of meadow grass. See 
 here " 
 
 He bent to examine a bench along which a 
 broadening groove ran from end to end, telling a 
 frightful tale. 
 
 But Captain Eunacles did not answer. He 
 was standing by a battered hole in the galley's
 
 31fi TJfK BLUE J'AVTLJONS. 
 
 starboartl side and lookinn- down at tlio floor. 
 A sunbeam fill 11iiX)UL;h ilic licdc and slanted 
 aloni;" I lie j)lanks oL" the llourinu^. His eyes were 
 follovvini^ this sunbeam, and his face was like a 
 i^diost's. 
 
 " Jemmy ; come and look — here's a whole 
 benchlul Mccotinlcd fni- at one swoop." Still 
 Jemmy did not reply. The sunbeam drifting 
 between the benches before him fell on a little 
 patch of earth — a patch collected by one of the 
 slaves whose comrades, humouring his whim, 
 had brought him a handful or two in their 
 pockets whenever they returned from shore. 
 Upon this patch of earth were sunk the prints 
 of a pair of feet, far apart ; and between these 
 footprints glimmered two lines of green, with 
 two other lines uniting them. 
 
 They were two lines of pepper-cress, un- 
 harmed and fresh as if they grew in some 
 sheltered garden, open only to the sun and rain. 
 And as Captain Jemmy looked, the two green 
 lines resolved themselves into two words ; thus 
 bracketed : 
 
 r SOPHIA. "1 
 Ltristram.J 
 
 " Jemmy — Jemmy, confound you ! Do you 
 hear ? " 
 
 "Yes, 3'es." Captain Eunacles turned sud-
 
 CAPTAIN BUNACLES MAKES A DISGOVERY. 317 ' 
 
 denly and took his friend by the arm. " Yes — 1 
 see — very curious. Now let's go." 
 
 " You're in a great hurry." 
 
 " Yes, I want to go up and have a look at 
 the wounded in hospital." 
 
 " AVhy, what's taken you ? We haven't 
 looked at the beak vet ; and that's the most 
 important of all." 
 
 " Very well, come along, and examine it 
 while I run up to the hospital. Come " — he 
 took the little man's arm — " I won't be gone ten 
 minutes." 
 
 " Now, why on earth you've taken this 
 
 fancy " began Captain Barker as he regained 
 
 the deck. And then he put his hands behind 
 him and stared ; for Captain Jemmy was already 
 hurrying away for his life. 
 
 It was fifteen minutes before he returned, 
 and the little man was hanging over the bows 
 with half his hody over the bulwarks and his 
 head twisted to get a better view of the for- 
 midable beak. 
 
 " Jack ! " 
 
 " Oh, you're back. I say, just lean over 
 
 here " 
 
 " Jack," Captain ituuacles caught him by 
 the coat-tails, and tore him back. " Now listen ; 
 you're not to speak ; you're not to ask questions ;
 
 318 THE BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 you're not to open your inoutli. You've just to 
 come — that's all." 
 
 He took the little uian and hurried him 
 ashore, lie was breathless ; but he ran Ca|)tain 
 Barker over the i^^ang-plank like a charging bull. 
 
 " One moment, Jemmy — Jemmy ! Damme 
 I iu/7/ ask " 
 
 " Ask away, then — and wait for the answer." 
 
 And so it happened that Tristram, stretched 
 in the hospital at Sheerness, with his head to the 
 wall, and thirty wounded men on either side of 
 him, heard in his painless doze a sharp cry, and 
 then a voice that seemed to call him across miles 
 of empt}' space. 
 
 "0, my dear God! Tristram — my son, 
 my son ! " 
 
 He opened his eyes ieebl}'-, smiled, and 
 whispering one word — " Dad ! " — sank back into 
 a dreamless slumber.
 
 319 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 BACK AT THE BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 Four weeks afterwards Tristram was put into a 
 boat, and taken up to London, whence after two 
 days' rest he was removed by easy stages back 
 to Harwich. 
 
 At the gate of Captain Barker's pavilion he 
 passed into the care of Dr. Beckerleg, who put 
 him to bed at once and dared him to get up. 
 As he was borne up the garden-path, Sophia 
 peeped through a chink of the little blue docfl' ; 
 and got not another glimpse of her lover for 
 another six weeks. 
 
 It was a soft and sunny mornicg in October 
 month when Dr. Beckerleg, having given his 
 patient leave to dress and set foot outside the 
 door for the first time, stepped down into the 
 garden to seek the two captains and send them 
 upstairs to help the invalid. 
 
 As he opened the front door a searching odour 
 caused him to pause in the porch and sniff. 
 He traced this odour round to the back of the 
 house, and there found Captain Barker, Captain 
 Eunacles, and Narcissus Swiggs. Between them 
 they had managed to clear the garden of an
 
 320 THE BLUE V AVI LIONS. 
 
 enormous crop of weeds, of wliicli tlioy were 
 now iiiakinti^ a hoiilli'c I)cliiii(l llic thick and 
 yellowish coils of smoke, J)r. iieckerleg could 
 just discern the Inrnis of the two captains. 
 By their gestures they seemed to be en<i^a<j^ed 
 in an acrimonious discussion. Narcissus, little 
 heedins^, stoUdly poked the honlire with a ciiarred 
 stake. 
 
 "I will not,'' said Captain llunacles. 
 
 " But I say that you shall," said Ca[)tain 
 Barker. 
 
 " The lad is yours, and yours only.' 
 
 " He is yours also." 
 • " By a cast of dice you won him. 
 
 *' By law he was given back to you. 
 
 *' You have brought him up." 
 
 " You found him again when I lost 
 mi. 
 
 " Yes, by means of" an art which you taught 
 im. 
 
 " Gentlemen, gentlemen," interposed the 
 doctor, advancing, " what is all this fuss ? " 
 
 " AVhy," began Captain Barker, " I was 
 proposing that, for the future, we should take 
 equal shares in the superintendence of Tristram's 
 education ; and he won't listen to it." 
 
 " Certainly T won't," Caj)tain llunacles 
 assented stoutly. 
 
 j> 

 
 AN ALTERCATION. 321 
 
 The doctor looked from one to the other with 
 a good-humoured smile. 
 
 " And why won't you ? " he asked, addressing 
 Captain Jemmy. 
 
 " Why won't I ? Because, as you are aware 
 — for you were present — we once cast the dice 
 over this boy, and Jack won." 
 
 "Did he?" 
 
 " You know he did. He flung two sixes. 
 Bless my heart, doctor, you must remember 
 that ! " 
 
 " I do, perfectly. And you — what did you 
 throw ? " 
 
 " I— well, I " 
 
 " You threw the dice, and the box with 'em, 
 out of the window : that's what 3^ou did." 
 
 " Very well, then. That settles it. I don't 
 back out of my luck." 
 
 " Gentlemen," said Dr. Beckerleg, clearing 
 his throat, " I have something to tell you. It 
 is a fact, and I don't pretend to explain it. You 
 know the proverb about doctors and their un- 
 belief. Well, if I had been inclined — and I am 
 not — to deny a controlling wisdom in this scheme 
 of things, I should have been startled somewhat 
 when Captain Barker flung those two sixes. 
 That apparent chance should give an approval 
 so decided to Captain Barker's adoption of this
 
 322 THE BLUE PAVILIONS. 
 
 urpluui child \v;is, to say tlie least, ronuirkiiblc, 
 for 1 thoiitrht then, and now I am suro, that no 
 better father could be found for the babe." 
 
 " That's what I say," Captain Eunacles put in. 
 
 " Do not interrupt me, please. I say uo 
 hc/fcr father could be found. I did not say that 
 none could be found as good. My dear Kunacles, 
 vou tossed the dice out of the window and 
 flounced olY in a huff. As they had been 
 borrowed, and without their owner's con.sent, I 
 thought lit to step across the street and pick 
 them up. They were lying not a yard apart, in 
 the gutter. You w^re wrong, captain, in not 
 giving them a look." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Sivtp/i/ because, as they lay, fu-o sixes were 
 ujjpermosty 
 
 The two captains stared at him. 
 
 " I give you my word," he said quietly. 
 
 " Mv dear Jack " 
 
 " That settles it, Jemmy." 
 
 They took each other's hand. 
 
 " liut excuse me," said Dr. JJeckerleg, " this 
 is not what I came to tell you. Just now I have 
 given Tristram leave to stroll out into the garden 
 for an hour, and he is waiting for you to dress 
 him." 
 
 But here the doctor made a mistake, for when
 
 THE LOVERS. 323 
 
 tliey went upstairs there was no sign of Tris- 
 tram. He and his clothes had disappeared. 
 
 They ran down to the front door, and looked 
 around. There was no sign of him. 
 
 Finally, Dr. Beckerleg advanced to the little 
 blue door in the hedge, opened it, and poked his 
 head into Captain Runacles' garden. Then he 
 turned softly and, putting a finger to his lip, 
 beckoned to the others. They advanced on tip- 
 toe and peeped through. 
 
 Beside a garden-bed, half a dozen yards away, 
 and with their backs to the door, knelt Sophia 
 and Tristram. The youth's left arm was around 
 the girl's waist, and the youth's hair mingled 
 with the girl's as unconscious of observation 
 they bent over the mould. It was the same 
 mould in which Sophia, years before, had buried 
 her doll, and now Tristram was helping Sophia 
 to sprinkle it with peppercress seed ; holding her 
 ri":ht hand as she traced this : — 
 
 The watchers withdrew as softly as they had 
 advanced. But on his w^ay back to the bonfire. 
 Captain Barker darted into the house and emerged 
 again with an armful of green volumes.
 
 3-21 THE BLUE I'AVILIOXS. 
 
 "What's the nu'iinini,^ of this?" iiskcd Dr. 
 Beckerleg. 
 
 The little nuui trotted round iind shot his 
 burden right on top ol" the pile which Narcissus 
 had by this time stirred into a ]>laz«' 
 
 " There doesn't seem to be any I'urther use 
 for 'em," he explained, ]>antin2f and ninnini,'' back 
 to the house. 
 
 He fetched another arini'ul,and then another; 
 and as he discliarged the last upon the bonfire, 
 turned and laid a hand upon Captain Runacles' 
 arm. 
 
 " Jemmy, old friend, we needn't to have 
 made such a fuss about it, after all." 
 
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