Mary Anerley: A Yorkshire Tale

d caprice, may yet take the phantom of bold Robin Lyth by the right hand, and lead it to a pedestal almost as

his path in life, notwithstanding a certain ticklish sense of being shot at undesirably. This had befallen him now so often, without producing any tangible effect, that a great many people, and especially the shooters (convinced of the accuracy of their aim), went far to believe that he possessed some c

practiced in the world, was scarcely old enough yet to have learned the advantage of misapprehension, which, if well handled by any man, helps him, in the cunning of paltry things, better than a truer estimate. But without going into that, he was pleased with the fancy of being invulnerable, which not only doubled his courage, but trebled the discipline o

er could live if their minds did the same, like the minds of stationary landsmen. Therefore their minds are of stanch immobility, to restore the due share of firm element. And not only that, but these men have compressed (through generations of circumstance), from small complications, simplicity. Being out in all weathers, and rolli

ns. However, it is in them, and at any moment waiting opportunity of action-a shipwreck or

and no pious mariner would dare to doubt, act as a whetstone in all weathers to the keen edge of the eyes. Semble-as the lawyers say-that this idea was born of great phonetic facts in the d

an he could say, because he knew of no such parent; and of that other necessity, a mother, he was equally ignorant. His first appearance at Flamborough, though it made little stir at the moment in a place of so many adventures, might still be considere

re was not a horse standing down by a pool, with his stiff legs shut up into biped form, nor a cow staring blandly across an old rail, nor a sheep with a pectoral cough behind a hedge, nor a rabbit making rustle at the eyebrow of his hole, nor even a moot, that might either be a man or hold a man inside it, whom or which tho

, exhilarating yet substantial, the heat of the summer day defrauds its increased length for feeding. For instance, to cite a very trifling point-at least in some opinions-August has banished that bright content and most devout resignation which ensue the removal of a petted pig from this troublous world of grunt. The fat pig rolls in wallowing rapture, defying his friends to make

pan hangs on the cellar nail with a holiday gloss of raw mutton suet, yet is there still some comfort left, yet dappled brawn, and bacon streaked, yet golden-hearted eggs, and mushrooms quilted with pink sati

le time that mellows thirst. The long ride of the summer sun makes men who are in feeling with him, and like him go up and down, not forego the moral of his labor

e untilted day, and solace themselves in the morning. For lack of dew the sun draws lengthy sucks of cloud quite early, and men who have labo

ould be only waste of time, because it has all been eaten so long ago; but the farmer was vexed because there were no shrimps. Not that he cared half the clip of a whisker for all the shrimps that ever bearded the sea, only that he liked to seem t

ipe for the relief of snapping at fifty others. Mary, who could read him, as a sailor reads his compass, by the corner of one eye, awaited with good content the usual result-an outbreak of words upon the indolent Willie, whenever that young farmer should

. Then an inferior noise of men, crying, "Good dog! good dog!" and other fulsome flatteries, in the hope of avoiding any tooth-mark on their legs; and after that a shaking dow

o be spoken to, "the breath of us all is hard to get, with doing of our duty,

fense, I am under your orders, in your own house." Carroway was starving, as only a man with long and active jaws can starve; and now the appearance of the farmer's mouth, half full of a

hit upon the right time for coming, too; though there might 'a been more upon the table. Mary, run, that's a dear, and fetch your grandfather's big Sabbath carver. Them peaky littl

down yet; but this was his manner of letting p

ing with a courtesy the brave lieutenant's scrape, "I fear h

f in bed again, with the sun upon his cov

." Before they had finished their thanks for this honor, the quart pot was set down empty. "A very pretty brew, Sir-a pretty brew indeed! Fall back, men! Have heed of discipline. A chalked line is what they want, Sir. Mistress Anerley, your good health again. The air is now thirsty in the mornings. If those fellows could be given a bench against the wall-a bench ag

t down without them. Look at their small-clothes, the dust an

looking out, here, there, and every where, for victuals everlastin

orns up. Mary, wait you upon the officer. Captain Ca

our own house. Men of the coast-g

in, and began to feed rapidly; and verily their wives would have said that it was high time for them. Feeding, as a duty, was the order of the day, and discipline

er of me, though void of his own writing. Mounted Fencibles, Filey Briggers, called in the foreign parts 'Brigadiers.' Not that I stand upon sermonry about it, excep

uch for that. Captain, you are a married man. But reason is reason, in the middle of us all, and what else

uty. In those days no girl was ashamed to blus

er back; "no call to look at all ashamed, my dear. To my mind, captain, though I may be wrong, h

Captain, you have seven children, or it may be eight o

d not to be among so many men. But her

aptain, you never heard me say that the lass were any booty, but the very same as God hath made her, and thankfu

ith a clinch of his fist, "or even to Portsmouth, where my wife came from,

s hand before his mouth, and said, "Never, no, never in the morning!" But

ooks, and holding of candles, and curling of hair. When I was Mary's age-oh dear! It may not be so f

nd I will say Amen. Why, my eldes

th a square old bottle, "how goes the fighting with the Crappos no

other officer, Captain Anerley. Half a crown for you, if you catch the rogue, half a crown each, and promotion of twopence. Attention, eyes right, make yourselves scarce! Well, now the rogues are gone, let us make ourselves at home. Anerley, your question is a

xtent he felt it. He had got the worst side of some barg

urer? When you were at sea, had you ever a

and I could have tossed him on a marling-spike. And instead of feeding well, Sir, he quite wore himself away. To my firm knowledge, he would scarcely turn the scale upon a g

ugh I do love to hear of the Lord's Lord Nelson, as the

eeth, and a boarder's pistol in each hand. Madam, I leaped, in that condition, a depth of six fatho

how dreadful! What ha

about; and I did it to some purpose. This little slash, acros

his morning, and strong necessity of quenching it, could ever have led him to speak about himself,

muscle of excitement, "you know that a man should drop these subjects when he has got a large family. I ha

Those free-traders now are come to such a pit

very morning my men shot at the captain of all smugglers, Robin Lyth, of Flamborough, with a hundred guineas upon his head. It w

when I were getting up this morning. I said, 'Why, there's some poacher fellow popping at the conies!' and out

pursuit of one notorious criminal-t

ut your own word for it, I never would believe th

ied three guns only. It was not

go you not for to stir yourself amiss. To look thunder at me is what I laugh at. But man

order. I was never so much as a cable's length behind, though

were out of reach of hollering. At our time of lif

l foot it with any man for six leagues, but not for half a mile, ma'am. I depart from nothing.

matters are out of your line altogether; because you have never taken any body's blood. The captain

e gave way to a pleasant smile. For this officer of the British Crown had a face of strong features, and upon it whatever he thought was told as plainly as the time of day is told by the clock in the kitchen. At the same time, Master Anerley was thinking that he might h

self for the good words she had used. Then the farmer, who never drank cordials, although he liked to see other people do it, set forth to see a man who was come about a rick, and sundry other business. But Carroway, in spite of all his boasts, was stiff, though h