"I'll come, I'll come, and stand within call, to be sure.Only do ye mind this, dear soul alive, not to goo telling a crumb about mun, noo, not for the world, or yu'll see naught at all, indeed, now.And beside, there's a noxious business grow'd up against me up to Chapel there; and I hear tell how Mr.Leigh saith I shall to Exeter gaol for a witch--did ye ever hear the likes?--because his groom Jan saith I overlooked mun--the Papist dog! And now never he nor th' owld Father Francis goo by me without a spetting, and saying of their Ayes and Malificas--I do know what their Rooman Latin do mane, zo well as ever they, I du!--and a making o' their charms and incantations to their saints and idols! They be mortal feared of witches, they Papists, and mortal hard on 'em, even on a pure body like me, that doth a bit in the white way; 'case why you see, dear life," said she, with one of her humorous twinkles, "tu to a trade do never agree.Do ye try my bit of a charm, now; do ye!"Rose could not resist the temptation; and between them both the charm was agreed on, and the next night was fixed for its trial, on the payment of certain current coins of the realm (for Lucy, of course, must live by her trade); and slipping a tester into the dame's hand as earnest, Rose went away home, and got there in safety.
But in the meanwhile, at the very hour that Eustace had been prosecuting his suit in the lane at Moorwinstow, a very different scene was being enacted in Mrs.Leigh's room at Burrough.
For the night before, Amyas, as he was going to bed, heard his brother Frank in the next room tune his lute, and then begin to sing.And both their windows being open, and only a thin partition between the chambers, Amyas's admiring ears came in for every word of the following canzonet, sung in that delicate and mellow tenor voice for which Frank was famed among all fair ladies:--"Ah, tyrant Love, Megaera's serpents bearing, Why thus requite my sighs with venom'd smart?
Ah, ruthless dove, the vulture's talons wearing, Why flesh them, traitress, in this faithful heart?
Is this my meed? Must dragons' teeth alone In Venus' lawns by lovers' hands be sown?
"Nay, gentlest Cupid; 'twas my pride undid me.
Nay, guiltless dove; by mine own wound I fell.
To worship, not to wed, Celestials bid me:
I dreamt to mate in heaven, and wake in hell;Forever doom'd, Ixion-like, to reel On mine own passions' ever-burning wheel."At which the simple sailor sighed, and longed that he could write such neat verses, and sing them so sweetly.How he would besiege the ear of Rose Salterne with amorous ditties! But still, he could not be everything; and if he had the bone and muscle of the family, it was but fair that Frank should have the brains and voice; and, after all, he was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, and it was just the same as if he himself could do all the fine things which Frank could do; for as long as one of the family won honor, what matter which of them it was? Whereon he shouted through the wall, "Good night, old song-thrush; I suppose I need not pay the musicians.""What, awake?" answered Frank."Come in here, and lull me to sleep with a sea-song."So Amyas went in, and found Frank laid on the outside of his bed not yet undrest.
"I am a bad sleeper," said he; "I spend more time, I fear, in burning the midnight oil than prudent men should.Come and be my jongleur, my minnesinger, and tell me about Andes, and cannibals, and the ice-regions, and the fire-regions, and the paradises of the West."So Amyas sat down, and told: but somehow, every story which he tried to tell came round, by crooked paths, yet sure, to none other point than Rose Salterne, and how he thought of her here and thought of her there, and how he wondered what she would say if she had seen him in this adventure, and how he longed to have had her with him to show her that glorious sight, till Frank let him have his own way, and then out came the whole story of the simple fellow's daily and hourly devotion to her, through those three long years of world-wide wanderings.
"And oh, Frank, I could hardly think of anything but her in the church the other day, God forgive me! and it did seem so hard for her to be the only face which I did not see--and have not seen her yet, either.""So I thought, dear lad," said Frank, with one of his sweetest smiles; "and tried to get her father to let her impersonate the nymph of Torridge.""Did you, you dear kind fellow? That would have been too delicious.""Just so, too delicious; wherefore, I suppose, it was ordained not to be, that which was being delicious enough.""And is she as pretty as ever?"
"Ten times as pretty, dear lad, as half the young fellows round have discovered.If you mean to win her and wear her (and God grant you may fare no worse!) you will have rivals enough to get rid of.""Humph!" said Amyas, "I hope I shall not have to make short work with some of them.""I hope not," said Frank, laughing."Now go to bed, and to-morrow morning give your sword to mother to keep, lest you should be tempted to draw it on any of her majesty's lieges.""No fear of that, Frank; I am no swash-buckler, thank God; but if any one gets in my way, I'll serve him as the mastiff did the terrier, and just drop him over the quay into the river, to cool himself, or my name's not Amyas."And the giant swung himself laughing out of the room, and slept all night like a seal, not without dreams, of course, of Rose Salterne.
The next morning, according to his wont, he went into his mother's room, whom he was sure to find up and at her prayers; for he liked to say his prayers, too, by her side, as he used to do when he was a little boy.It seemed so homelike, he said, after three years'
knocking up and down in no-man's land.But coming gently to the door, for fear of disturbing her, and entering unperceived, beheld a sight which stopped him short.