Part 9 (2/2)

Then I told her of the secret sense that Master Ratsey's words put into the texts written on the parchain now; and she read and read again the writing, while I pointed out how the words fell, and told her I was going away to get the diamond and come back the richest man in all the countryside

Then she said, 'Ah, John! set not your heart too much upon this diamond If what they say is true, 'twas evilly co evil with it Even this wicked ive it to the poor; so, if indeed you ever find it, keep it not for yourself, but set his soul at rest by doing with it what hea curse upon you'

I only sirlish fancy, and did not tell her why I wanted sotalked long about ht to ask after herself, and what she was going to do She told me that a month past lawyers had come to Moonfleet, and pressed her to leave the place, and they would give her in charge to a lady in London, because, said they, her father had died without a will, and so she ed them to let her be, for she could never live anywhere else than in Moonfleet, and that the air and co that they ht stay here or not, and here she yet was This made me sad, for all I knew of Chancery was that whatever it put hand on fell to ruin, as witness the Chancery Mills at Cerne, or the Chancery Wharf at Warehah to ruin the Manor House, for it was three parts in decay already

Thus we talked, and after that she put on a calico bonnet and picked h the sun was beating down froht me bread and meat from the house Then she rolled up a shawl to make me a pillow, and bade et to sleep, for I had told her that I had walked all night, and ht She went back to the house, and that was the most sweet and peaceful sleep that ever I knew, for I was very tired, and had this thought to soothe me as I fell asleep-that I had seen Grace, and that she was so kind toa piece of work The heat of the day was somewhat less, and she told me that it was past five o'clock by the sun-dial; so I knew that I o She made me take a packet of victuals and a bottle of milk, and as she put it into, my pocket the bottle struck on the butt of Maskew's pistol, which I had in my bosom 'What have you there?' she said; but I did not tell her, fearing to call up bitter ain, as we had done in the , and she said: 'John, you ander on the sea, and h you have not been here of late, I have kept a candle burning at theevery night, as in the past So, if you coht, and know Grace remembers you And if you see it not, then know that I aht till you co to say, for my heart was too full with her sords and with the sorrow of parting, but only drew her close to me and kissed her; and this tiain

Then I cliet out over the wall than to go back to the front of the house, and as I sat on the wall ready to drop the other side, turned to her and said good-bye

'Good-bye,' cried she; 'and have a care how you touch the treasure; it was evilly coood-bye,' I said, and dropped on to the soft leafy bottom of the wood

CHAPTER 14

THE WELL-HOUSE

For those thoustone-Scott It wanted yet half an hour of ht when I found myself at the shaft of the marble quarry, and before I had well set foot on the steps to descend, heard Elzevir's voice challenging out of the darkness below I gave back 'Prosper the Bonaventure', and so caain to sleep the last tiht There was a spring-tide with fulloff the land which left the water s in the Channel before sundown, and after the darkness fell she lay close in and took us off in her boat There were several reeted us kindly, and ain, and yet felt a pang at leaving our dear Dorset coast, and the old cave that had been hospital and home to me for two months

The wind set us up-Channel, and by daybreak they put us ashore at Cowes, so alked to Newport and ca Such asin the street paid no heed to us but took us doubtless for soht corn in from the country for the Southaain 'Tis a little place enough this Newport, and we soon found the Bugle; but Elzevir ood a carter that the landlord did not know hih he had his acquaintance before So they fenced a little with one another

'Have you bed and victuals for a plain country man and his boy?' says Elzevir

'Nay, that I have not,' says the landlord, looking hiht use their eyes inside, and perhaps get on the trail of the Contraband ”Tis near the Summer Statute and the place over full already I cannot entleood house, and not so full as this'

'Ay, 'tis a busy tis prosper,' and Elzevir marked the last word a little as he said it

The man looked harder at hi

'Prosper the Bonaventure,' was the answer, and then the landlord caught Elzevir by the hand, shaking it hard and saying, 'Why, you are Master Block, and I expecting you this ain, and Elzevir smiled too Then the landlord led us in 'And this is?' he said, looking at me

'This is a well-licked whelp,' replied Elzevir, 'who got a bullet in the leg two o in that touch under hoar Head; and is worth uineas on his head-so have a care of such a precious top-knot'

So long as we stopped at the Bugle we had the best of lodging and the choicest meat and drink, and all the while the landlord treated Elzevir as though he were a prince And so he was indeed a prince a afterwards, for captain of all landers between Start and Solent At first the landlord would take nothat he was in our debt, and had received ood turn froold from Dorchester before we left the cave and forced hih to lie between clean sweet sheets at night instead of on a heap of sand, and sit once more knife and fork in hand before a well-filled trencher 'Twas thought best I should show myself as little as possible, so I was content to pass my time in a room at the back of the house whilst Elzevir went abroad to make inquiries hoe could find entrance to the Castle at Carisbrooke Nor did the ti heavy onthem several to my taste, especially a History of Corfe Castle, which set forth how there was a secret passage from the ruins to some of the old marble quarries, and perhaps to that very one that sheltered us

Elzevir was out most of the day, so that I saw him only at breakfast and supper He had been several times to Carisbrooke, and told me that the Castle was used as a jail for persons taken in the wars, and was now full of French prisoners He hadwith the out that he was himself a carter, aited at Newport till a wind-bound shi+p should bring grindstones frois Thus he was able at last to enter the Castle and to see well-house and well, and spent soet at the ithout n; but in this did not succeed

There is a slip of garden at the back of the Bugle, which runs down to a little strea the air there after dark, Elzevir returned and said the time was come for us to put Blackbeard's cipher to the proof

'I have tried every way,' he said, 'to see if we could work this secretly; but 'tis not to be done without the privity of the man who keeps the well, and even with his help it is not easy He is a man I do not trust, but have been forced to tell hi where it lies or how to get it He pro one-third the value of all we find, for his share; for I said not that thou and I were one at heart, but only that there was a boy who had the key, and claimed an equal third with both of us Toates by six o'clock for him to let us in And thou shalt not be carter any ot coats in the house, brushes and trowels and li to Carisbrooke to plaster up a weak patch in this same well-side'