Part 8 (1/2)

Whereas it hath been huht of the 16th of April last, THOMAS MASKEW, a Justice of the Peace, was most inhumanly murdered at hoar Head, a lone place in the Parish of Chaldron, in the County of Dorset, by one ELZEVIR BLOCK and one JOHN TRENCHARD, both of the Parish of Moonfleet, in the aforesaid County: His Majesty, for the better discovering and bringing to Justice these Persons, is pleased to promise His Most Gracious PARDON to any of the Persons concerned therein, except the Persons who actually coement, a REWARD OF FIFTY POUNDS to any Person who shall furnish such INFORMATION as shall lead to the APPREHENSION of the said ELZEVIR BLOCK, and a REWARD of TWENTY POUNDS to any Person who shall furnish such INFORMATION as shall lead to the APPREHENSION of the said JOHN TRENCHARD Such INFORMATION to be given to ME, or to the GOVERNOUR of His MAJESTY'S GAOL in Dorchester

HOLDERNESSE

'There-that's the bill,' he said; 'and a vastly fine piece it is, and yet I wish that 'twas played with other actors Now, in Moonfleet there is none that know your hiding-place, and not a man, nor woman either, that would tell if they knew it ten times over But fifty pounds for Elzevir, and twenty pounds for an empty puabonds about this countryside scurvy enough to try to earn it And some of these have set the Excisemen on my track, with tales of how it is I that knohere you lie hid, and bring you meat and drink So it is that I cannot stir abroad now, no, not even to the church o' Sundays, without having so at my heels to watch ht to co these knaves like dry skins, but never thinking that the ould blow like this I am come to tell Block that 'tis not safe forfood or what not, or these ain, and 'tis best to be flitting while you ive you welcoone this very night to Poole to settle with the Bonaventure, when she should come to take us off; and at that Ratsey sees I wished to learn of him, and especially how Grace did, but felt a shyness, and durst not ask hi low-hearted and crouching over the fire So we sat huddled in the corner by the glowing logs, the red light flickering on the cave roof, and showing the lines on Ratsey's face; while the steaale blew as fiercely as ever, but the tide had fallen, and there was not so ain-

'My heart is very heavy, John, tonight, to think how all the good old tio back to Moonfleet It was as fine a lander's crew as ever stood together, not even excepting Captain Jordan's, and now must all be broken up; for this mess of Maskew's hasday before another cargo's run on Moonfleet Beach But how to get the liquor out of Mohune's vault I know not; and that re in my pouches for Elzevir an' thee'; and with that he drew forth either lapel a great wicker-bound flask He put one to his lips, tilting it and drinking long and deep, and then passed it to ht smack Here, take it, child, and warm thy heart; 'tis the true milk of Ararat, and the last thou'lt taste this side the Channel'

Then I drank too, but lightly, for the good liquor was no stranger to o that I had tasted it for the first tiertips Soon a grateful sense of warmth and comfort stole over ht so wild Ratsey, too, wore a more cheerful air, and the lines in his face were not so deeplyinfluence of the flask had loosed his tongue, and he was talking nohat I most wanted to hear

'Yes, yes, it is a sad break-up, and ill happen to the old Why Not? I cannot tell None have passed the threshold since you left, only the Duchyit felony to force theht stands, for Maskew never paid a rent and died before he took possession; and Master Block's ter and an outlaw

'But I arows thin and pale as any lily For when the soldiers brought the body back, the men stood at their doors and cursed the clay, and some of the fishwives spat at it; and old Mother Veitch, who kept house for hies, and that she was afear'd to stop under the saoes fro that poor child alone in it with her dead father; and there were not wanting soement; and called to mind how Elzevir had been once left alone with his dead son at the Why Not? But in the village there was not a man that doubted that 'twas Block had sent Maskew to his account, nor did I doubt it either, till a tale got abroad that he was killed by a stray shot fired by the Posse from the cliff And when they took the hue-and-cry papers to the Manor House for his lass, as next of kin, to sign the requisition, she would not set her naainst her father when they met at Moonfleet or on the road, and that she never would believe he was theand then attack an enemy in cold blood And as for thee, she knew thee for a trusty lad, ould not do such things himself, nor yet stand by whilst others did them'

Nohat Ratsey said eeter than any music in my ears, and I felt myself a better man, as anyone must of whohtly to deserve such praise Then I resolved that coht I would land, and see Grace; so that I ht tell her all that happened about her father's death, saving only that Elzevir had meant himself to put Maskeay; for it was no use to tell her this when she had said that he could never think to do such a thing, and besides, for all I knew, he never did h I thus resolved, I said nothing of it to Master Ratsey, but only nodded, and he went on-

'Well, seeing there was no one save this poor girl to look to putting Maskew under ground, I ether a sound coffin and digging as fair a grave for him as could be made for any lord, except that lords have always vaults to sleep in Then I got Mother Nutting's fish-cart to carry the body down, for there was not a man in Moonfleet would lay hand to the coffin to bear it; and off we started down the street, I leading the wall-eyed pony, and the coffin following on the trolley There was no hter, and she without a bit of black upon her, for she had no tirief writ plain enough upon her face

'When we got to the churchyard, a croas gathered there, men and wostave and Monkbury They were not coibes to sho much they hated hihin the church, and there he waited, for the cart could not pass the gate, and we had no bearers to lift the coffin Then I looked round to see if there was any that would help to lift, but when I tried to meet a man's eye he looked away, and all I could see was the bitter scowling faces of the wo on the ground She had a little kerchief over her head that let the hair fall about her shoulders, and her face was very white, with eyes red and swollen through weeping But when she knew that all that croas there to mock her father, and that there was not a man would raise hand to lift hi her face in her hands, and sobbed bitterly'

Ratsey stopped for a ain deep at the flask; and as for reat lu how hatred and passion have power to turn h man,' Ratsey resumed, 'but tender-like withal, and when I saw her weep, I ran off to the church to tell the parson hoas, and beg him to come out and try if o could lift the coffin So out he came just as he ith surplice on his back and book in hand But when the men knehat he was coirl bowed down over her father's coffin, their hearts were moved, and first Tom Tewkesbury stepped out with a sheepish air, and then Garrett, and then four others So noe had six fine bearers, and 'twas only wo, and even they said no word, and not a boy beat on his pan

'Then Mr Glennie, seeing he was not wanted for bearer, changed to parson, and strikes up with ”I areat text, John, and though I've heard it scores and scores of times, it never sounded sweeter than on that day For 'twas a fine afternoon, and ith their being no wind, but the sun bright and the sea still and blue, there was a cal that seemed to say ”Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace” And was not the spring with us, and the whole land preaching of resurrection, the birds singing, trees and floaking froraves? Then surely 'tis a fond thing to push our enrave, and perhaps even he was not so bad as we held hiht to hunt down the contraband I know not hoas, but so like this caot hin or word from any that stood there There was not one sound heard inside the church or out, except Mr Glennie's reading and my amens, and now and then a sob from the poor child But when 'twas all over, and the coffin safe lowered, up she walks to Toh her tears ”I thank you, sir, for your kindness,” and holds out her hand So he took it, looking askew, and afterwards the five other bearers; and then she walked away by herself, and no oneher pass out like a queen' 'And so she is a queen,' I said, not being able to keep fro, for very pride to hear how she had borne herself, and because she had always shown kindness to me 'So she is, and fairer than any queen to boot'

Ratsey gavelook, and I could see a little sh,' said he, as though reflecting to himself, 'but white and thin Mayhap she would make a irl; if she were not rich, and thou not poor and an outlaw; and-if she would have thee'

It vexed me to hear his banter, and to think how I had let my secret out, so I did not answer, and we sat by the e, while the wind still blew through the cave like a funnel

Ratsey spoke first 'John, passthe cliff of those poor souls of the Florida'

With that he took another heavy pull, and flung a log on the fire, till sparks flew about as in a sain and leapt out white, blue, and green froht danced and flickered I saw a piece of parch at Ratsey's feet: and this was none other than the writing out of Blackbeard's locket, which I had been reading when I first heard footsteps in the passage, and had dropped in my alarm of hostile visitors Ratsey saw it too, and stretched out his hand to pick it up I would have concealed it if I could, because I had never told him how I had rifled Blackbeard's coffin, and did not want to be questioned as to how I had co hold of it would only have spurred his curiosity, and so I said nothing when he took it in his hands

'What is this, son?' asked he

'It is only Scripture verses,' I answered, 'which I got soainst Spirits of Evil, and I was reading them to keep off the loneliness of this place, when you came in and made me drop theot theiven them to me The heat of the flames had curled the parch it in the firelight

”Tis ritten,' he said, 'and good verses enough, but he who put theether for a spell knew little how to keep off evil spirits, for this would not keep a flea fro not without sos,' and he nodded seriously; 'and though I never yet met any from the other world, they would not take me unprepared if they should coraveyard or church, and 'twould be as foolish to move about such places and have no words to meet an evil visitor withal, as to bear money on a lonely road without a pistol So one day, after Parson Glennie had preached from Habakkuk, how that ”the vision is for an appointed tih it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry”, I talked with hi texts such as spectres fear more than a burned child does the fire I will learn them all to thee soot by heart: ”Abite a elis ejus” Englished it means: ”Depart froels,” but hath at least double that power in Latin So get that after me by heart, and use it freely if thou art led to think that there are evil presences near, and in such lonely places as this cave' I hu as he desired; and that the rather because I hoped his thoughts would thus be turned away fro; but as soon as I had the spell by rote he turned back to the parch, 'He was but a poor divine rote this, for beside choosing ill-fitting verses, he cannot even give right nue are three-score years and ten; and thoughthat they coth then but labour and sorrow, so soon passeth it away and we are gone”, and he writes Psalm 90,21 Now I have said that Psalm with parson verse and verse about for every sleeper we have laid to rest in churchyard mould for thirty years; and know it hath not twenty verses in it, all told, and this same verse is the clerk's verse and cometh tenth, and yet he calls it twenty-first I wish I had here a Common Prayer, and I would proveme back the parchment scornfully; but I folded it and slipped it in ht that his last words had brought to me Nor did I tell hi to exaht, after he should have gone

'I ood fire and liquor I would fain wait till Elzevir was back, and fainer till this gale was spent, but it hts are short, and I must be out of Purbeck before sunrise So tell Block what I say, that he and thou must flit; and pass the flask, for I have fifteen ht chills'

He drank again, and then rose to his feet, shaking hi briskly across the cave twice or thrice to ht, that the Ararat milk had not confused his steps Then he shook my hand ware- n of a lull between the gusts I stood at the opening of the passage, and listened till the echo of Ratsey's footsteps died away, and then returning to the corner, flung more wood on the fire, and lit the candle After that I took out again the parchment, and also my aunt's red prayer-book, and sat down to study them First I looked out in the book that text about the 'days of our life', and found that it was indeed in the ninetieth Psalm, but the tenth verse, just as Ratsey said, and not the twenty-first as it rit on the parchain the Psaliven correct, but the verse o, and not six, as my scribe had it It was just the saht but the verse wrong So here was a discovery, for all was painfully written smooth and clean without a blot, and yet in every verse an error But if the second number did not stand for the verse, what else should it mean? I had scarce formed the question to myself before I had the answer, and knew that it must be the nu I was in as great a fever and excitement nohen I found the locket in the Mohune vault, and could scarce count with treers as far as twenty-one, in the first verse, for hurry and amaze It was 'fourscore' that the number fell on in the first text, 'feet' in the second, 'deep' in the third, 'well' in the fourth, 'north' in the fifth

Fourscore-feet-deep-well-north