The Watchers

esco over to St. Mary's where the stocks were set. It was an u

of how he had before spoken to me

ness of disgrace. Cullen strolled to the window, and seeing that I had placed my men securely about the house and that my boat was ready on the sand not a dozen yards awa

rd; and you that sets up for a gentleman! Oh, Cullen, Cullen!' He wagged his head from side to side, and so brought his fist upon the table with a bang which set all the plates dancing. 'Devil damn me,' said he, 'if I don't sail to church

er out of sight. But Adam kept his head erect and showed a face of an extraordinary good humour. You may be certain that the parson got the scantiest attention imaginable to his discourse. For one thing, Adam Mayle

I was one of the last to come out of the porch. The first thing that I saw was Adam walking a little

rbuck, for I was anxious

ed with Adam Ma

in the church. I do not know, but I fancy he br

was this

eet of Hugh Town. I made haste to join Helen," Clutterbuck continued, and explained his words with an unnecessary confusion. "I mean, I would not have it appear that she shared in the disgrace which had befallen Cullen Mayle. So I walk

fine a gentleman should be so barbarously used. The elders on the other hand answered that he had come over late to his deserts, while a few, with a ludicrous pretence o

ore his son. He had composed his face to an unexceptionable gravity, and

aid, 'that ever I saw a pair of

, indifferently; and the old man lifted

the steps where his boat was moored. He went down into it with Mr. Glen, and the

I do not know what may happen when Cullen is set free a

or twice across the room as though he was troubled even now with t

which I hoped meant more than friendship. Indeed, I would have staked my life she was ignorant of duplicity; and with Cullen she seemed always at some pains to conceal a repugnance. Well, I was young, I suppose; I saw with the eyes of youth, which see everything out

id not hear a word of them, and talked politely upon indifferent topics to us and Mr. Glen. Adam, however, was not to be silenced that way. His banter became coarse and vindictive; for one thing he had drunk a

g it, emptied the bottle on to the grass beneath the sill. Then he came back to his seat and said suavely to Mr. Glen: 'My father ca

face. He used no oaths; he sat staring at his father with his dark sleepy eyes, and languidly accused him of every crime in the Newgate Calendar, with a great deal of detail as to time and place, and adding any horrible detail which

for here it seemed was the quarrel ended. We counted, however, without Cullen. He

e hall and listened to their voices. The old man bellowed as though he was in pain, and shook the windows with his noise; Cullen's voice came to us only as a smooth, continuous murmur. For half an hour perhaps we stood thus in the hall--interference would have only made matters w

tly came down the stairs; Adam rushed out after him

him out, Clutterbuck, and we'll see what damn

into the hall. Adam repeated his order an

en he pulled on his boots deliberately, stood up and felt in his pockets. From one pocket he drew o

hind his head, whence they fell on to the stairs and rolled one by one down into the hall. No one spoke; no one moved. The brutal violence of the action for the moment paralysed every one; even Adam stood shaking at the stair head with his wits wandering. One by one the guineas rolled down the staircase, leaping from step to step, rattling as they leaped; and for a long time it seemed,

and that, it caught the light, seemed to throw out little sparks of fire, and flashed with a dazzling brightness. The eyes of the company were caught by it; they watched it with a keen attention, not knowin

Then he looked round the hall and saw Helen staring at the watch with a queer intentness. I remember that her hand was at that moment resting upon my sleeve, and I

moodily lost in his recollections, and whe

to provoke his father yet more. You must know that the old man had just one tend

them; and to everybody's surprise Helen lifted her eyes slowly from the watch until they met Cullen's, and kept th

rence upon his part and all the appearance of aversion upon hers. Yet here was she subdued in an instant at the prospect of hi

to miss an advantage in the gratification of his malice. He sh

ll wait

ever wavere

she an

must have been more humiliating for Adam. With a hand upo

eadful oath and in a voice

it. He was pitting his will against his father's. I saw him suddenly draw himself erect. 'Or, better sti

Come wit

n of us all, Helen crossed the floor towards him. I tried to detain her. 'Helen,'

d in the face. You cannot expect she will listen to you,

o heed to

o more heed to my prayers. 'What wil

we shall do very well, and further to the best o

I should not have argued at this moment with Culle

ndon, Cullen Mayle, Lieutenant Clutt

turned Cullen as pleasantly as possible, 'fo

way; in another second she would have crossed the threshold. But with a surprising agility Adam Mayle jumped down the stairs, ran across the hall, an

ried, and I sprang for

it! B

not content. When I spoke to Helen two days later, and taxed her with her passion for Cullen,--would you believe it?--she was deeply pained and hurt. She would not have it said that she had so much as thought of following Culle

took up his hat when he

s, is not worth a

of Dick Parmiter, I was thinking, but not at all of Helen Mayle. I drew the map towa

r come out from th

I an

wn on this business to the West will, in very truth