A Maid of the Silver Sea

ted out such matters as might interest him as they climbed

ley shaft-ninety fathoms below sea-level.... Pump shaft ... and yon to east'ard is Prin

se on the edge of the cliff right in the eye of the sun, as it drooped towards Guernsey in a holocaust of purple

orse flung up its head and pealed out a trumpe

's he doing down here? He's generally kept up at Eperquerie, and that's the best place f

r for company, but discreetly turned their faces away from one a

ed the whole middle portion of the house and se

Along the beams of the roof on hooks hung two long guns. One end of the room was occupied by a huge fire-place, in one corner of which stood a new iron cooking range, and alongside it a heap of white ashes and some smouldering sticks of gorse under a big bl

black oak stand-cupboard below and shelves above-was ranged a vast assortment of croc

her rooms of the house,

quare, filled with dried bracken. On the wide flat side, which looked

hing about these two, and especially about the younger of the two, which made him of a sudden more than satisfied with the somewhat doubtful venture to

in their reception of him

w, but neither their faces nor their man

and the mere sight of the girl's fine mobile face and

ting your supp

eally not very hungry"-though truth to tell he well might have been, for the food o

s. Hamon, "and it is all ready.

boy of fourteen came quietly

with a portion on a plat

m to take her meals in private, and was relieved when she came

run over and tell Mr. Le Pelley that his white stal

home," said the

not safe. You know what an awkward beast he is at t

ide him acro

't," she said, with

he grumbled. "I could man

, and threw their caps on the green bed, and sat down wi

ards the stranger. "And Peter Mauger"-Peter repeated the performance

angers always made him shy. And then there was Nance, with her great eye

but it made Peter Mauger and Tom conscious of personal uncouthness, and

the managers of the company for his experience with men, and

-shaven his age was doubtful. He might be twenty-five or forty. N

upstanding, and with no nonsense about him. A capable-looking man in every respect, and if his manner was

the impression produced upon them-an impression of uprightness, intelligence, and reserved strength-and the more strongly, perhaps, because of late

dowed a strong and more energetic development of the mines

undertake since it was her husband's wish to have the stranger live with

along with the noisy engine-house, the pumps, the damp and dirty miners, and all

sh, and of a commoner make. And feelings such as that ine

have laughed at them had he dared, but, knowing Nance's feelings towards her

e them mines p

too soon to express an op

hey get a lot of dirt out, but one

pest mines prove t

nybody to pay for it I su

the mines ha

oughed to hide his confusion

e the owners to stop work

aid old Tom. "But it's not going to happen. The si

Gard, and although he said it quietly enough, o

said heartily. "We'll all

undoubtedly much truth. And then, his little suggestion of provocation having broken

h your making up to la garche, mon

ry red in the face at this ruthl

ound her neck and give her a ki

od no word of what had passed, yet understood without possibility of doubt that Tom's speech had been mor

have been impossible at that stage of the proceedings, he was al

ad grin at the result of his delicate diplomacy, and Gard's great regret was that it was

s she always did when Tom and his father got to words, and Bernel made play with his supper, as

in a black sun-bonnet gle

is white horse is," and she disappeared, and Bernel, having p

night?" asked old Tom of his guest, anxious to i

gs. But I don't take hold till the first of the month, and I don't want to

Gard's things up. They are lying on the quay d

the way the old man was volubly explaining the many changes necessary, in his opinion, to bring the business to a paying basis. All which information Gard accepted for testing purposes, but gathered fro

ere constitutionally, he admitted, a bit more particular as to the so much than as to the fathom. While the Cornish and Welsh men,

self. Your men are quiet enough to look at, but they can boil over when they're put t

aid Gard quietly. "It never pays to mak

you can do it

a good tr

y, and inconsequently as it seemed, but following out a

er there in Sark-

s the

hy, ...the Coupée's the Coupée.... Come along, then.

avelling a well-made road, when their attention was drawn to a live

e and had forthwith decided to take him home. Peter, agreeing that it was a piece of nei

te head, and there for the moment matters hung. For the white horse, with his forelegs firmly plan

active measures. He swung his great head to one side, dragged the men off

between high banks and became a hollow way, the white beast gave a shrill squeal, flung up his heels,

Tom, and sped up th

oofs, as he disappeared with a final shrill defiance into the outer darkness on the further side of

like awe at the narrow pathway, wavering across from side to s

this?" h

d it. The path slipped in the wi

asked Gard, thinking of the girl and

d to it. Come and see!" and he led the

lor as he had been, he was not sorry when the other side was reached, and he could stand in the security of the cutting a

to cross that, first time they saw

ed at that. It's apt t

and he wouldn't put a foot on it. N

ve hundred pounds to piece him to

t's

rely light and lofty in the amber afte

among the trees, Gard beth

from the quay

n all about them, I'll be bound.

go wit

to the platform four hours before, they found that Nance and Bernel had got home and gone off

f they had happened to be on the Coupée w

reat white horse came plunging at him out of the darkness, and just as he gave himself up for lost, a sweet firm face in a black sun-bonnet appeared suddenly