Moonfleet

out, friend. Thing

couple: leave them

powerless to bend Elzevir from his purpose. But he called me back and bade me wait with him, for that I might be use

lf-buried and half-stuck up out of the turf. There he sat keeping his eyes on the ground, and was breathing less painfully than when he was first brought, but still very pale. Elzevir stoo

and let me go. I am a magistrate of the county, and if

made me recite a battle-piece of Mr. Dryden before my betters; and how I could scarce get out the bloody threats for shyness and rising tears. So it

, but resolved; and yet with melanchol

pin dropped and gave thee right to turn me out from my old home. And now this morning thou shalt watch that flame again, for I will give thee one inch more

the onyx head which he had used in the Why Not? and fixed it in the tallow a sho

eling; for, whereas, but a few minutes ago, I would have thought nothing too bad for Maskew, now

wed much balder than when it was well trimmed; his face, too, was drawn with heavy lines, and there were rings under his eyes. Beside all that, he had got an ugly fall in trying to escape, and one cheek was muddied, and down it trickled a blood-drop where a stone had cut him. He was a sorry sight enough, and looking at him, I remembered that day in the schoolroom when this very man had struck the parson, and how our master had sat patient under it, with a blood-drop trickling down his cheek to

e flame askew. And so the candle guttered down one side till but little tallow was left above the pin; for though the flame grew pale and paler to the view in the growing morning light, yet it burnt fre

his life. 'Spare me,' he said; 'spare me, Mr. Block: I have an only daughter, a young girl with none but me to guard her. Would you rob a you

hose pistol was it that flashed in his face and took his life away? Do you not know? It was this very s

re it had lain, and turning his back on Maskew,

med a fearful thing before to stand by and see a fellow-creature butchered, it seemed now ten thousand times more fearful. And when I thought of Grace, and

d let me say my say till I was out of breath, and bore wit

d a little thing enough to take his evil life. But now these morning airs have cooled me, and it goes against my will to shoot a cowering hound tied hand and foot, even though he had murdered twenty sons of mine. I have thought if there be any way to spare his life, and leave this hour's agony to read a lesson not to be unlearned until the gr

of to soften his purpose; but he pushed me off; and though I saw that he was loth to do it, I had a terrible

ay beside him on the turf, tied to him with a black silk riband. The face of it was turned upwards, and as I passed I saw the hand pointed to five. Sunrise was very near; for though the cliff shut out the east from us, the w

his back and hold them up in supplication. He offered money; a thousand, five thousand, ten thousand pounds to be set free; he would give back the Why Not?; he woul

o a deaf man for all h

cock the pistol and prim

ee nor hear what followed, but in a second changed my mind and opened them

s by him beside Elzevir and me, and was shouting to them for help. The sun had risen, and his first rays blazed on a window

crying to him to stop. It was an unequal struggle, a lad, though full-grown and lusty, against one of the powerfullest of men, but indignation nerved my ar

espite had brought to Maskew. For at the pistol shot 'twas as if a mask of horror had fallen from his face, and left him his old coun

earer, and there was a mingled sound as of men shouting to one another, and gathering in from different places. 'Twas from the cliff-top that the voices came, and thither Elzevir and I looked up, and there too Maskew kept his eyes fixed. And in a moment there were a score of men stood on the cliff's edge high above our heads. The sky behind them was pink flus

and then all shouted at once. 'Yield at the King's command: you are our prison

if we die, this traitor shall go before us,' and h

vil's name,' screams Mas

of thunder, and a fut, fut, fut, of bullets in the turf. And before Elzevir could get at him, Maske

ock felled by a pole-axe, and had a scorching pain in my left foot. Elzevir looked back. 'What, have they hit thee too?' he said, and ran and picked me up like a c