Part 9 (2/2)

”I should think so, indeed. That was a terrible thing to see.”

The opening of the mines, and the influx of the Welsh and Cornishmen and their wives and children, with their new and up-to-date ideas of living and dressing, had wrought a great and not altogether wholesome change upon the original inhabitants.

All the week they were hard at work in their fields or their boats, but on Sunday the lonely lanes leading to Little Sark were thronged with sightseers, curious to inspect the mines and the latest odd fas.h.i.+ons among the miners' wives and daughters.

Odd, and extremely useless little parasols, were then the vogue in England. The miners' women-folk flaunted these before the dazzled eyes of the Sark girls, and Sark forthwith burst into flower of many-coloured parasols.

The mine ladies dressed in printed cottons of strange and wonderful patterns. The Sark girls must do the same.

”Tiens!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Nance more than once, as they walked. ”Here is Judi Le Masurier with a new pink parasol!--and a straw bonnet with green strings!--and every day you'll see her about the fields without so much as a sun-bonnet on! And Rachel Guille has got a new print dress all red roses and lilac! Mon Gyu, what are we coming to!”

She had many such comments and still more unspoken ones. But Stephen Gard, glancing, whenever he could do so unperceived, at the trim but plainly-dressed little sun-bonneted figure by his side, vowed in his heart that the whole of these others rolled into one were not to be compared with her, and that he would give all the silver in the mines of Sark to win her appreciation and regard.

As they turned the corner at Vauroque, they came suddenly on a number of men lounging on the low wall, and among them Tom Hamon, pipe in mouth and hands in pockets.

As they pa.s.sed he made some jocular remark in the patois which provoked a guffaw from the rest, and reddened Nance's face, and caused Bernel to glance up at Gard and jerk round angrily towards Tom.

”What did he say?” asked Gard, stopping.

But Nance hurried on and he could not but follow.

”What was it?” he asked again, as he caught up with her.

”If you please, do not mind him. It was just one of his rudenesses.”

”They want knocking out of him.”

”He is very rude,” said Nance, and they pa.s.sed the Vicarage and turned up the stony lane to the church.

Gard was surprised by the speedy verification of Bernel's weather forecast. Before the service was over the wind was howling round the building with the sounds of unleashed furies, and when they got out it was almost dark.

They bent to the gale and pressed on, Gard with a discomforting remembrance that the Coupee lay ahead.

As they pa.s.sed Vauroque there seemed a still larger crowd of loafers at the corner, and again Tom's voice called rudely after them.

Gard turned promptly and strode back to where he was sitting on the wall, dangling his feet in devil-may-care fas.h.i.+on. Tom jumped down to meet him.

”Say that again in English, will you?” said Gard angrily.

”Go to--!” said Tom.

Then Gard's left fist caught him on the hinge of the right jaw, and he reeled back among the others who had jumped down to back him up.

”Well--? Want any more?” asked Gard stormily.

”You wait,” growled Tom, nursing his jaw, ”I'll talk to you one of these days.”

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