"Has nothing been seen of my son Harry?" he asked. "Perhaps, Captain Headland, you would favour me by riding over to Hurlston to ascertain whether the cutter in which he embarked has returned."
Headland said that he should be very happy to do as Sir Ralph wished.
He looked towards Julia, doubting whether he might venture to ask her to ride in the same direction.
Sir Ralph seemed to divine his thoughts, for he immediately said--
"Julia, I wish to have some conversation with you during the morning; we will afterwards, if you please, take a canter round the park."
The hint was too broad Headland saw to be misunderstood.
Julia looked annoyed, but quickly recovering herself, replied--
"I will come to you, papa, whenever you wish."
Algernon soon after came in, looking pale and ill. His father seemed struck by his appearance, and asked with more concern than usual if he had not slept well.
"Not particularly so; my cough somewhat troubled me, but with the advantage of a few warm days, I daresay I shall be soon to rights again."
The baronet"s thoughts seemed to be diverted from their former channel by his anxiety for his son.
General Sampson and Mrs Appleton did their best to make the conversation more lively than it might otherwise have become, for Lady Castleton had evidently some anxiety on her mind, and was less able than usual to act the part of the hostess.
The old gentleman had discovered that Julia and Headland were in love before they were aware of the fact themselves, and he had a shrewd suspicion also that Master Harry had some greater attraction at Downside than his old maiden cousins could personally offer. He was now certain that some hitch had occurred. He had already paid a longer visit than usual, but a better motive than mere curiosity prompted him to stay to see the upshot. He had a sincere regard for Harry and Julia, and was much pleased with Headland, who took his jokes in most excellent part.
"I may lend the young people a helping hand, and give my friend Sir Ralph, a stroke the right way," he thought.
Soon after breakfast, Headland"s horse was brought to the door. He saw Julia only for a moment in the hall.
"Although I have had no opportunity of speaking to my mother, she, I suspect, guesses the truth, and has thought it best at once to speak to Sir Ralph, for she dare not conceal anything from him. I would rather you had been the first to inform him of our engagement, but he evidently wished to prevent you doing so, by begging you to go to Hurlston."
"I wish I could have spoken myself, but, pray, a.s.sure your father that I would have done so had he given me the opportunity. But as we have nothing for which to blame ourselves, we must trust that his prejudices will be overcome, and that he will not withhold you from me."
The old general entering the hall at that moment, prevented Headland from saying more.
Mounting his horse, the captain road on to Hurlston. He met several of the _Nancy"s_ crew. The cutter had not returned, and Ned Brown again expressed his conviction that if the lugger was to be caught, it would not be till after a long chase. Knowing that the ladies of Downside would be anxious to hear any news he could give, he proceeded thither.
The Miss Pembertons welcomed him cordially. May was on the point of setting out to visit Dame Halliburt. She had from early dawn kept a look-out over the ocean, and was aware that the cutter had not returned.
He was more than ever struck by her beauty and unaffected manners, though her anxiety on Harry"s and Jacob"s account made her paler and graver than usual. She expressed her regret at being compelled to set off at once, and Headland therefore did not mention Sir Ralph"s arrival till she had gone.
"I am sorry to hear of it," said Miss Jane, "for I fear that it will terminate Harry"s and May"s present happiness, and that the troubles and trials which I foresee are in store for them will at once begin, though I trust that they may overcome them in the end."
Captain Headland felt the remark applied equally to his own case, though he did not say so. He had omitted on the previous evening mentioning his meeting with Gaffin. He now did so, remarking--
"I understood that he was the leader of the party carrying off the young fisherman, but he a.s.sured me that he knew nothing of the matter, and was several miles distant when it occurred."
"I almost wish that he had been of the party if such is the case, for if he remains here, I fear that our May will be exposed to danger," said Miss Jane.
"Surely no one would venture to injure a young lady living with you,"
observed Headland.
Miss Jane then told him of the annoyance to which May had been subjected from Gaffin"s son.
Headland naturally felt indignant.
"Strong measures must be taken to get this man Gaffin and his son out of the way," he remarked. "As soon as Harry returns we will see what can be done. In the meantime I will ride down to the cottage and ascertain that your young friend has reached it in safety, and will wait to escort her back."
He soon caught sight of her at about half-way to Adam"s cottage. At the same moment a person resembling the man who had spoken to him on the previous night appeared and seemed about to address May, who quickened her pace, when catching sight of Headland he apparently thought better of it and advanced to meet him.
"Good-day, Captain Headland," said the man, looking up at him with cool a.s.surance. "Your friend, Mr Harry Castleton, will have a long chase after the lugger, a wild goose chase I suspect it will prove. I have been enquiring into the truth of the story you heard, and I find that it was spread by a wretched old mad woman whom the people about here take to be a witch. The sooner she is ducked in the sea, and proved to be an ordinary mortal who has lost her senses, the better. It is disagreeable for a man in my position to have his character belied in this way."
"We certainly heard a story from a mad woman, but she spoke in a way which led us to suppose she described an actual occurrence," said Headland. "From what you say I conclude you are Mr Gaffin who addressed me last night."
"The same at your service, Captain Headland. I have no further questions to ask, however, since you can give me no account of my old shipmate; I am sorry to hear of his death; good-day to you, sir," and Gaffin moved on, taking the direction of the mill.
This last interview left a still more unfavourable impression on Headland"s mind of Mr Miles Gaffin. He did not like the expression of the man"s countenance or the impudent swagger of his manner; while it was evident by the way he talked that he was a person of some education.
Headland tried to recollect whether he had before seen him, or whether his old protector had ever mentioned his name.
As he rode on slowly, keeping May in sight, he suddenly recollected the description Jack Headland had given him of the mate of the ship on board which he had been placed by his supposed father, when a child. "Can that man in any way be connected with my history?" he thought. "He certainly must have known poor Jack Headland; he had some motive, possibly, in speaking of him."
The more he thought the more puzzled he became. The only conclusion he arrived at was that Gaffin and the mate of the vessel in which he had been wrecked might possibly be one and the same person, and if so, from Jack"s account, he was undoubtedly a villain, capable of any crime.
Having seen May enter Halliburt"s cottage, he rode to the Texford Arms and put up his horse, resolving to wait in the neighbourhood till she should again come out. He would then have time to get back and mount his horse--which he told the hostler to keep saddled--and follow her.
He in the meantime took a few turns on the pier, and got into conversation with two or three of the old seafaring men who were standing about; the younger were at sea in their boats, or had gone home after the night"s fishing. He made enquiries about the man he had just met. They all repeated the same story; their opinion was that he had been a pirate or something of that sort on the Spanish main, or in other distant seas, and having for a wonder escaped, he had returned home to follow a more peaceful and less dangerous calling, though still in reality unreformed and quite ready to break the laws of his country.
From the description they gave of his wife, Headland thought that she must have been an Oriental, and this strengthened his idea that he was the man of whom Jack had spoken. Had he enquired about the Halliburts he might have learned the particulars of May"s early history, but he still remained under the impression that she was a ward of the Miss Pembertons, and had merely come down to visit the dame as she would any other of the villagers suffering from sickness or sorrow.
Notwithstanding Gaffin"s a.s.sertion that he knew nothing about Jacob being carried off, the men were certain that though he might not have been present, it had been done at his instigation, as his crew were known to be ready to engage in any daring undertaking he might suggest.
They, however, feared that there was very little prospect of the lugger being captured.
"That mate of his would sooner run her under water or blow her up than let a king"s officer come on board, and it will be better for poor Jacob if the cutter does not come up with her," observed one of them.
Headland borrowed a gla.s.s and swept the horizon several times, but no craft like the cutter appeared. At length he went back to the spot whence he could watch Adam"s door for May"s appearance. She came out at last, and he hurried to the inn to get his horse. He soon again caught sight of her and followed her at a distance till she reached Downside.
If Gaffin was, as he supposed it possible, watching her, that person took good care to keep out of his sight.
After waiting for a few minutes, Headland rode up to the cottage. He thought it would be prudent to let Miss Jane know of his having again seen Gaffin, and he took an opportunity, while May was out of the room, to tell her. She thanked him warmly.
"We must keep a careful watch over the safety of our young friend," she observed, "and while that dreadful man remains at the mill, must not allow her to go out alone. I hear that Sir Ralph"s steward has given him warning to quit it at the end of his present lease. He will be unable to find another place of similar character suitable to his purposes."
When May came in Headland had the opportunity of conversing with her, and no longer felt surprised that she should so completely have won Harry"s affections. Though he thought her inferior in some respects to Julia, he acknowledged to himself that she was one of the most charming girls he had seen, and was as much struck with her modesty and simplicity as with her sprightliness and beauty.
"It is a pity Sir Ralph could not be induced to see her," he thought; and he resolved to advise Julia to try and get her father to call at Downside, if possible, before he was aware of Harry"s attachment, so that he might be perfectly unprejudiced.
Headland naturally wished to be back at Texford, though unwilling to go without being able to take any news of Harry.
At last as evening was approaching he rode once more to a point in the village where he could obtain an uninterrupted view of the sea, but the cutter was still not in sight. Accordingly, wishing the Miss Pembertons and May farewell, he set off on his way to the park.
He could conscientiously a.s.sure Lady Castleton that she need not be at all anxious about her son, as there was nothing surprising in the cutter not having returned. Sir Ralph seemed vexed at not seeing him, but made no other remark.
Captain Headland felt conscious that though Julia was anxious to be with him, her mother took every means in her power to prevent their meeting alone without showing too clearly that she was doing so. Julia found an opportunity, and told him her father was aware of their love, but had said that he would reserve any expression of his intentions till he had seen Harry. With this Headland was compelled to be content.