"David Llewellyn, Mariner of the Royal | good; for I knew that she could not have Navy, Ferryman to King George the IIId. sixpence, and scarcely a hundred a-year Each way or both ways only Twopence. would induce me to degrade myself down Ladies put carefully over the Mud. Live to a real French wife. For how could I Fish on hand at an hour's notice, and of expect my son ever to be a sailor? the choicest Quality." This last statement was not quite so accurate as I could have desired. To oblige the public, I kept the fish too long on hand occasionally, because I never had proper notice when it might be wanted. And therefore no reasonable person ever took offence at me. One fine day towards the frosty time, who should appear at my landing-stage on the further side of the river, just by the lime-kiln not far from the eastern end of Narnton Court - who but a beautiful young lady with her maid attending her? The tide was out, and I was crossing with a good six pennyworth, that being all that my boat would hold, unless it were of children. And seeing her there, I put on more speed, so as not to keep her waiting. When I had carried my young women over the mud and received their twopences, I took off my hat to the fair young lady, who had kept in the background, and asked to what part I might have the honour of conveying her ladyship. "I am not a ladyship," she answered, with a beautiful bright smile; "I am only a common lady; and I think you must be an Irishman." This I never am pleased to hear, because those Irish are so untruthful; however, I made her another fine bow, and let her have her own way about it. "Then, Mr. Irishman," she continued; "you are so polite, we will cross the water. No, no, thank you," as I offered to carry her; "you may carry Nanette, if she thinks proper. Nanette has the greatest objection to mud; but I am not quite so particular." And she tripped with her little feet over the bank too lightly to break the green cake of the ooze. 66 You sall elave me, my good man," said Nanette, who was rather a pretty French girl; "Mamselle can afford to defigure her dress; but I can no such thing do at all." Now as I pulled, and this fine young lady, who clearly knew something about a boat, nodded her head to keep time with me, and showed her white teeth as she smiled at herself, my own head was almost turned, I declare; and I must have blushed, if it could have been that twenty years of the fish-trade had left that power in me. Because this young lady was so exactly what my highest dreams of a female are, and never yet realized in my own scope. And her knowledge of a boat, and courage, and pleasant contempt of that French chit who had dared to call me a "coachman," when added to her way of looking over the water with fine feeling (such as I very often have, and must have shown it long ago), also the whole of this combined with a hat of a very fine texture indeed, such as I knew for Italian, and a feather that curled over golden pennon of hair in the. wind like a Spanish ensign; and not only these things, but a face, and manner, and genuine beauty of speech, not to be found in a million of women, after dwelling on all these things both steadily and soberly, over my last drop of grog, before I went into my berth that night, and prayed for the sins of the day to go upward, what do you think I said on the half-deck, and with all the stars observing me "I am damned if I'll serve Parson Chowne any more." I said it, and I swore it. - And when I came to think of it, in a practical manner, next morning, and to balance the ins and outs, and what I might come to, if thus led astray, by a man in holy orders (yet whose orders were all unholy, at any rate such as he gave to ine), and when I reflected on three half-crowns for finding me in everything, and then remembered how I had turned two guineas in a day, when poor Bardie came to me, and with a conscience as clear as a spent cuttle-fish; and never a sign of my heels behind me, when squeamish customers sat Meanwhile the young lady was in the down to dinner; also good Mother Jones boat, sitting in the stern-sheets like a lieu- with sweet gossip, while my bit of flesh tenant, and laughing merrily at Nanette, was grilling, and my little nip of rum, and who was making the prettiest fuss in the the sound of Bunny snoring, while I world, not indeed with regard to her legs, smoked a pipe and praised myself; also which an English girl would have consid- the pleasure of doubting whether they ered first, but as to her frills and fripperies; and smelling my quid, she had no more sense than to call me a coachman, or something like it. However, I took little heed of her, although her figure was very could do without me at the "Jolly through the wall, and the certain knowledge how the whole of the room would meet me, if I could deny myself enough to go among them; — these things made me lose myself, as in this sentence I have tion, I found it the best to start clear done, in longing to find old times and again; because Parson Chowne, and my places, and old faces, once again, and some one to call me " Old Dyo." Now who would believe that the whole of all this was wrought in my not very foolish mind, by the sight of a beautiful high-bred face, and the sound of a very sweet softening voice? Also the elegant manner in which she never asked what the passage would come to, but gave me a bright and true half-crown for herself and that frippery French girl. I must be a fool; no doubt I am, when the spirit of ancestors springs within me, spoiling all trade; as an inborn hiccough ruins the best pipe that ever was filled. For though I owed three tidy bills, I had no comfort until I drilled a little hole in that bright half-crown, and hung it with my charms and knobs and caul inside my Jersey. And thus the result became permanent, and my happiness was in my heart again, and all my self-respect leaped up as ready to fight as it ever had been, when I had shaped a firm resolve to shake off Chowne, like the devil himself. I cannot imagine a lower thing than for any man to say and some were even to that degree base- that I thus resolved upon calculation, and ability now to get on without him, and balance of his three half-crowns against the income of my ferry, with which I admit that his work interfered. Neither would anyone but a very vile man dare to cast reflections upon me, for having created by skill and eloquence a small snug trade in the way of fish, and of those birds which are sent by the Lord in a casual way, and without any ownership, for the good of us unestated folk. While I deny as unequivocally as if upon oath before magistrates, that more than fifty hares and pheasants - but there! I may go on for ever rebutting those endless charges and calumnies, which the mere force of my innocent candour seems to strike out of maliciousness. Once for all, I never poach, I never stab salmon, I never smuggle, I never steal boats, I never sell fish with any stink outside of it, and how can I tell what it does inside, or what it may do afterwards? -I never tell lies to anybody who does not downright call for it; and you may go miles and miles, I am sure to find a more thoroughly honourable, good-hearted, brave, and agreeable man. manner towards him (which for the life of me I could not help), also my service under him, and visit at his house, and, so on, and even my liking for Parson Jack (after his sale to Satan, though managed without his privity), as well as my being had up for shooting pheasants with a telescope; these and many other things, too small now to dwell upon may have spread a cloud betwixt my poor self and my readers; and a cloud whose belly is a gale of wind. It is not that I ever could do any unworthy action. It is simply that I can conceive the possibility of it seeming so to those who have never met me; and who from my over-candid account (purposely shaped dead against myself) may be at a loss to enter into the delicacies of my conduct. But you shall see by-and-by; and seeing is believing. Now it was a lucky thing, that on the very morning after I had made my mind up so, and before it was altered much, down came Chowne in a tearing mood, with his beautiful black mare all in a lather. I was on board of the Rose of Devon, smoking my first after-breakfast pipe, and counting my cash from the ferry business of the day before-except, of course, the half-crown which lay among my charms, and strengthened me. The ketch was aground in a cradle of sand, which she had long ago scooped for herself, and which she seldom got out of now, except just to float at the top of the springs. She stood almost on an even keel, unless it were blowing heavily. Our punt (or rather I should call her mine by this time, for of course she most justly belonged to me, after all their breach of contract, and desertion of their colours) at any rate, there she was afloat and ready for any passenger, while my notice to the public flapped below the mainboom of the ketch. 66 You precious rascal," cried Chowne, from the wharf, with his horse staring at the tarpaulin, and half inclined to shy from it; who was it crossed the river twice in your rotten ferry-boat yesterday?" "Please your Reverence," I answered, calmly puffing at my pipe, which I knew would still more infuriate him: "will your Reverence give me time to think? Let me see- why, let me see-there was Now I did not mean to say any of this, Mother Pugsley from up the hill, and when I began about it; neither am I in Mother Bidgood from round the corner, the habit of deigning even to clear my- and Farmer Skinner, and young Joe self; but once beginning with an explana-Thorne, and Eliza Tucker from the mill, and Jenny Stribling, and Honor Jose, first cousin to our captain, and well I think that's nearly all that I know the name of your Reverence." "I thought you knew me better now than to lie to me, Llewellyn. You know what I mean as well as I do." "To be sure, to be sure, your Reverence; I beg your pardon altogether. I ought to have remembered poor old Nanny Gotobed." The wharf was high, and our gunwale below it; he put his mare at it, clapped in the spurs, and before I could think or even wonder, he had me by the nape of the neck, with his knuckles grinding into me. and his face, now ashy white with rage, fixed on me, so that I could not move. "Will you tell me?" he cried. "I won't," said I; crack came his hunting-whip round my sides crack, and wish, and crack again; then I caught up a broken spar, and struck him senseless over the tail of his horse. The mare ramped all round the half-deck mad, then leaped ashore, with her legs all bloody, and scoured away with her saddle off. up in the tackle-fall, so as to hang at about the right height. Moreover, I put the spar well away; and then with a sluice of water, I fetched his Reverence back to himself again. I found him very correct this time, and beginning to look about pretty briskly, therefore I turned him away and said, "Your Reverence must not look at it-it will make your head go round again; either shut your eyes or look away, your Worship." He seemed not to notice me, so I went on, "Your Reverence has had a narrow escape. What a mercy your head is not broken! Your Reverence went to chastise me, and lo! your horse reared and threw your Reverence against that great boom which that lubberly Jose has left there ever since we broke cargo." "You are a liar," he said; "you struck me. To the last day of your life you shall rue it." CHAPTER XXXVI. The voice of his throat ran cold all through me, being so low and so cold itself; and the strength of his eyes was coming back, and the bitter disdain of his countenance. The devil, who wanted him for Chowne lay so long insensible, that a a rare morsel in the way of cannibalism, cold sweat broke through the heat of my stood at my elbow; but luckily thought it wrath, to think that I had killed him. And sweeter not to hurry it. The foulest man but for his hat, I had done no less, for I on all God's earth, who made a scoff of struck with the strength of a maddened mercy's self, lay at my mercy for a minute, man, and the spar was of heavy Dantzic. defied it, took it, and hated it. For the I untied his neckcloth, and ran for water, sake of myself, I let him go. For the and propped him up, and bathed his fore- sake of mankind, I should have slain head, although my hands were trembling him. so that I could scarcely hold the swab. And now as I watched his pale stern face, without a weak line in it even from fainting, I was amazed at having ever dared to lift hand against him. But what Royal Navyman could ever put up with horsewhip? At last he fetched a strong breath, and opened the usual wickedness of his eyes, and knew me at once, but did not know exactly what had befallen him. I have had a good deal to do with knocking down a good many men, and know that such is their usual practice; and that if you take them promptly then, they will sometimes believe things very freely. Therefore I said, "Your Reverence has contrived to hit yourself very hard, but I hope you will soon be better again." "Hit myself! Why, somebody hit me!" and then he went off again into a doze, from the buzzing of his head perhaps. Perceiving that he would soon come to himself, and desiring to be acquitted of any violent charge of battery, I jumped down into the hold and fetched an old boom that was lying there, and hoisted it UNDER FAIRER AUSPICES. KNOWING now what I had to expect from Parson Chowne, and from all his train (whether clothed or naked), and even perhaps from Parson Jack, who lay beneath his thumb so much, and who could thrash me properly; I seized the chance of a good high tide, and gave a man sixpence to help me, and warped the Rose of Devon to a berth where she could float ard swing, and nobody come a-nigh her without a boat or a swimming-bout. Because I knew from so many folk what a fiend I had to deal with, and that his first resort for vengeance (haply through his origin) generally was to fire. They told me that when he condescended to do duty in either church for two he had, as I may have said - all the farmers took it for a call to have their ricks burned. They durst not stay away from church, to save the very lives of them, nor could they leave their wives behind, on account of the unclothed people: all they could hope was that no offence had come from their premises, since last service. The service he held just as suited his mood; sometimes three months, and the church-door locked; sometimes three Sundays one after the other, man, woman, and child demanded. Whenever this happened, the congregation knew that the parish had displeased him, and that he wanted them all in church; while his boy was at the stackyards. He never deigned to preach, but made the prayers themselves a comedy, singing them up to the clerk's " amen," and the neigh of his mare from the vestry. I cannot believe even half that I hear from the very best authority; therefore I set nothing down which may be overcoloured. But the following story I know to be true, because seven people have told it me, and not any two very difierent. Two or three bishops and archdeacons (or deacons of arches, I know not which, at any rate high freemasons) desired to know some little more about a man in their jurisdiction eminent to that extent, and equally notorious. They meant no harm at all, but just to take a little feel of him. Because he had come to visitation, once or twice when summoned, with his huntsman and his hounds, and himself in leathern breeches. There mast have been something amiss in this, or at any rate they thought so; and his lordship, a bishop just appointed, made up his mind to tackle him. He came in a coach-and-four, and wearing all his high canonicals, and they managed somehow to get up the hill, and appear at Nympton Rectory. Then a footman struck the door with a gold stick well embossed; and he struck again, and he struck again, more in dudgeon every time. aphat wishes to see him." "Mr. Jehoshaphat," she replied, "you are just in time, and no more, sir. How we have longed for a minister! You are just in time and no more, sir. Will you have the kindness to come this way, and to step as quietly as you can?" His Lordship liked not the look of this; being, however, a resolute man, he followed the stony woman up the staircase, and into a bedroom with the window-curtains three quarters drawn. And here he found a pastille burning, and a lot of medicine-bottles, and a Bible on the table open, and on it a pair of spectacles. In the bed lay some one, with a face of fire heavily blotched with bungs of black, and all his body tossing with spasms and weak groaning. "What means this? asked his Lordship, drawing considerably nearer to the door. "Only the plague," said the stony woman; "he was took with it yesterday: doctor says he may last two hours almost, particular if he can get anybody to take the symptoms off him. I expect to be down with it some time tonight, because I feel the tingling. But your Highness will stop and help us." "I am damned if I will," cried the Bishop, sinking both manners and dignity in the violence of alarm; and he ran down the stairs at such a pace that his apron-strings burst, and he left it behind, and he jumped into the coach with his two feet foremost, and slammed up the windows, and ordered full speed. Then Parson Chowne rose, and threw off his mask, and drew back the window-curtain, and sat in his huntingclothes, an 1 watched with his usual bitter smile the rapid departure of his foe. he had the Bishop's apron framed, and hung it in the parsonage hall, from a reddeer's antlers, with the name and date below. And so of that Bishop he heard no more. And Because no man had yet been seen, nor woman on the premises; only dogs very wild and mad, but kept away from biting; "Strike again," said his lordship, nodding Now a man who had beaten three bishunder his wig, with some courtesy; "we ops, and all the archdeacons in the counmust never be impatient. Jemmy, strike try, was of course tenfold of a match for again, my lad." Jemmy struck a thunder- me; and when he rode down smoothly to ing stroke, and out came Mrs. Steelyard. me, as he did in a few days' time, and She looked at them all, and then she said, never touched on our little skirmish, exwith her eyes full on the Bishop's, "Are cept with a sort of playful hit (so far as you robbers, or are you savages? My master in that state and you do this!" And they all saw that she could not weep, by reason of too much sorrow. "It is the Lord Bishop," said the footman, keeping a little away from her. "Excellent female," began his Lordship, spreading his hands in a habit learned according to his duties, "tell your master that his * Jehosh *? Diocesan. his haughty mind could play), and riding another horse without a word about the mischief which his favourite mare had taken, and demanded, as a matter of justice, that having quitted his service now, I should pay back seven-and-sixpence drawn in advance for wages, I was obliged There are several entries of deaths from plague in parish registers of North Devon, circa 1790 Perhaps it was what they now call "black fever," the most virulent form of typhus. thrashed so for not betraying, was Captain Drake's sweetheart, the ward of Sir Philip. to touch my hat, as if I had never made | mention it), the lovely young lady I ferstroke at his, or put my knee upon him. ried across, and whose name I was He had flogged me to such purpose that I ever must admire him; for the flick of the boatswain's lash was a tickle compared to what Chowne took out of me; and if I must tell the whole truth, I was prouder of having knocked down such a wonderful man than of all of my victories put together. But one of my weak and unreasonable views of life is this, that having thrashed a man, I feel a great power of goodwill to him, and a desire to give him quarter, and the more so the less he cries for it. One of the most hateful things in Chowne was, that he never did anything in the good old-fashioned manner, unless it were use of the horse whip. And it now rejoiced my heart almost to be shown into a fine dark room, by the side of good long passages, with a footman going before me, and showing legs of a quite superior order, and then under my instructions boldly throwing an oaken door wide, and announcing, "Mr. David Llewellen, ma'am !" But, on the whole, I was not so young, For though I had left Felix Farley beafter all that was said by everybody, as to hind, from a sort of romantic bashfulness, imagine for a moment that I had felt the I had seen in the hall a coloured gentlelast of him. The very highest in the land man, who seemed justly popular; therehad been compelled to yield to him; as fore I had just dropped a hint (not meant when he turned out my Lord G- -'s to go any further) concerning my risk of horses from the stabling ordered at Lord life and fortitude for the sake of black G's inn. Would such a man accept men. And this made the women admire defeat from a crazy old mariner like me? me, for it turned out that this worthy Feeling my danger, and meaning never to negro stood high in the house, and had knock under any more, I refused, as a saved some cash. The room which I enmatter of principle, to restore so much as tered was large and high, with an amaza halfpenny; and if I understand law at ing number of books in it, and smelling all, he was bound to give me another exceeding learned. And there in a deep week's wages, in default of notice. How-window sat the young lady, with the light ever, I could not get it; and therefore am glad to quit such trifles. From all experience it was known that this man never hurried vengeance. He knew that he was sure to get it; and he liked to dwell upon it, thus prolonging his enjoyment by the means of hope. He loved, as in the case of that unfortunate Captain Vellacott, to persuade his enemies that he had forgiven, or at least forgotten them, and then to surprise them, and laugh to himself at their ignorance of his nature. So I felt pretty sure that I had some time till my life would be in danger. For, of course, he knew that my ferry business, growing in profit daily, would keep me within his reach for the present, over and above the difficulty of getting across the Channel now. However, he began upon me sooner than I expected, on account, perhaps of my low degree. But in the meanwhile, feeling sure that I could not stand worse with him than I did-desiring moreover to ease my conscience, and perhaps improve my income, by an act of justice-I crossed the river to Narnton Court, and getting among the servants nicely sent word in to Miss Isabel Cary that the old ferry-man begged leave to see her upon business most particular. For, of course (although in the hurry of things I may have forgotten to from the river glancing on the bright elegance of her hair. And when she rose and came towards me, I felt uncommonly proud of having been even thrashed for her sake: nor did I wonder at Captain Drake's warm manner of proceeding, or at Chowne's resolve to keep so jealous a watch over her. Over and above her beauty, which was no business of mine, of course, she had such pretty eyebrows and so sweet a way of looking, that a thrill went to my experienced heart, in spite of all experience; and women seemed a different thing from what I was accustomed to. Therefore I left her to begin; while I made bows, and felt afraid of giving of fence by gazing. She, however, put me at my ease almost directly, having such a high-bred way, so clarified and gentle, that I neither could be distant nor familiar with her. Only to be quite at ease, like, respect, and love her. And this lady was only about seventeen! It is wonderful how they learn so much. I need not follow all I said, or even what she said to me. Without for a moment sacrificing my true sense of dignity, I gave her to understand very mildly, that I had seen something, and had taken a vague sense of its import, when I chanced to be after wild-ducks. Also that strong at |