many I ought to ask forgiveness of!' His voice now was getting feebler, and his utterance more irregular. After a pause, he saidTom, do you think you could say a prayer? So I knelt and began the Lord's Prayer; when I came to 'forgive us,' I thought that he was trying to repeat the words, but utterance failed him. And my prayer was scarcely ended, when a strong cold shudder shook his frame; there was a gurgle in the throat, and all was over. This was the last of poor Harry Rankin."

Lily was trembling and sobbing in his arms now "Oh,'twas terrible, Tom-too terrible!"

"Yes, Lily, 'twas a fearful scene -very fearful to think of."

"When the doctor left me to fetch a nurse or watcher, I was alone, except Dingo, for the Irish shepherd had disappeared, carrying off, I suppose, what little plunder there was. I tried hard to think of Harry as he had been in his youth and prime, but that poor, haggard, worn, remorseful face haunted me, and a sort of fascination drew my eyes always to the bed. 'Twas a sad, weary watch, and I was relieved when it was over. I stayed in the neighbourhood long enough to see him buried, and to take such steps that the property left might be made available for Emily, and then started for Sydney to commence my search for her, and to arrange about my own departure.

"Well, for a long time my search was all vain. The milliner had seen nothing of Emily for months, but had heard that she and her child had been ill, and that she had been seen at the pawnbroker's. I watched these places, and all the resorts of the poor, equally without success. One night, however, as I was returning from one of the suburbs to the town, I had turned round to look at the moonlight, when a woman, slightly and shabbily dressed, passed by me. There was something in the figure which made my heart beat. An instant after Dingo rushed towards her, gave a

VOL. XCI.-NO. DLVI.

joyous bark, and began jumping and leaping upon her. I was certian now, so I went up and said, 'Oh, Emily, I am so glad that I have found you. I have been looking for you so long.' Her impulse at first seemed to be to run away, and then she stopped and turned upon me with one of her cold, fixed looks. 'I know,' she said, 'why you seek me; the presence of that dog tells the story; so come with me and let me hear all.' So we went on together, she trying to walk firm, but shaking and staggering at every step. 'Twas a poor house she led me into, and her garret must have been the worst room in it. It had a very poverty-stricken look. 'Twas very cold and bare. On a little bed lay a poor, sick, wailing child, suffering apparently as much from want of nurture as from illness. Now, then,' she said, with the same tone and look, 'I see by your face he is dead-it is all over; now tell me all.' And I did, softening the scene as much as possible. At first she tried to seem firm and strong, but nature was too much for her, and at last she burst out into violent weeping; she was thinking more then of the lover of her youth than of the brutal husband. When she'd come to a little, I told her of the marriage certificate. Good gracious, Lily, I never expected the effect this had on her. She sprang up-gave a great shout -then seized me by the arm and said, quite fiercely, Tom, Tom, is this true? you are not deceiving me!' 'Deceiving you,' I said; 'look, here is the certificate.' She took it eagerly and read it over then, as if a great curse had fallen from her; she lifted up her hands and cried aloud, 'God, I thank thee for this -I thank thee for this hour;' next she rushed to the bed, took up the child, kissed it, and cried over it, saying, 'Then you are true born, my darling-you are no bastard.' It seemed dearer to her for that thought. 'Now, Tom,' she said, I can go home. I can carry penitence and error to his hearth, not

L

shame. I can say to him now, "Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and against thee." Now I can place that child in his arms. He will have forgotten his sternness now.' 'He never was stern-never cold,' I said, and then I showed her the intercepted letters. At first her eyes flashed at the treason, and then the knowledge that her father had not turned from his daughter comforted her, and I left her in a happy calm, praying. Next morning it was arranged that I should go back to settle her affairs and my own, and that she should go home in a ship about to sail in a few days, with a good, matronly old lady who was also homeward bound. I did not sail for more than a week after. We had agreed at parting that whoever arrived first should come here before breaking the matter to the

Fire! it is always a fearful sound -most fearful when it scares sleepers in their beds, or falls on the ears of those who have gone down to the sea in ships; yet it was fearful enough now-to still the mirth of the revellers, to blanch the faces of women, and make men's hearts beat thick. At first there was a great hush, a dead silence, and then arose a babel of noises, of shrieks and voices, and then there was a great rush for all the doors.

On coming outside, it was seen that the thatch on the eastern end of the roof, the farthest from the dove-cot, had caught, or been set on fire. The flames had not much mastery as yet, on account of the snow on the thatch, but whenever they caught one of the old dry rafters beneath, there would be a loud crackle and a burst, and a shower of sparks would flash like stars in the sky, and burning brands shoot up like sky-rockets into the air; great clouds of smoke, thick and murky, rolled away in heavy masses-threatening signs of the latent power of the fire. All was

confusion at first; men moved about in a sort of bewilderment; every one gave orders or advice, or asked questions; none seemed to think of action. It is at such a time that a man with presence of mind and will may step forth at once to take command and leadership. Sailor Dick was now the man of the occasion. "Come along, lads," said he, "let's to work, gaping and hollaing won't put out the fire. I am an old fireman, so just heed me: now all you thatchers bring ladders and hatchets, and make a great gap in the roof before the flames, so as to kill the fire; you labourers, get tarpaulins and wet blankets to spread over the stacks and ricks, and you had better take out the cattle to the field sheds if there be any; you wassailers, get every bucket and pail you can, break the ice in the pond, and hand up water as fast as you can-water will be more precious than wine or brandy to-night."

Every one recognised at once the reasonableness of these orders, and set about to carry them out.

"There should be a captain to every gang," continued he: "I'll lead the firemen on the roof."

"I'll be captain of the bucket brigade," said old Kit.

"And in coose," added old Robin Lob the hind, who felt himself equal to acting, now that he was under directions, "I'll look arter the stacks and the beastes; there's a little ingin too, which was in bravish order some months back." "Well, I'll take charge of he," said Jim. The dame, hearing the directions given, moved quietly to issue all the things required buckets and pails were haled forth in numbers; and what a store of blankets she had, without touching a bed! such a store, enough to wrap and warm many forthcoming generations of Penrices. The work thus organised soon showed progress. The preliminary precautions were speedily carried out; wet cloths were thrown on the ricks, and men stood at the nearest points with buckets ready to quench the first spark at once. Luckily there was little wind, and that little blew from the mowey. Every one was doing something. The curate, like a good muscular Christian, had taken off his coat and become an energetic drawer of water-the wassailers were passing the buckets as though they had been cans of beer. James and his engine were rather a failure. It never got beyond a threat of water, or a little virulent spirt over the men on the roof. Still the fire burnt fiercely on the thatch; it had hold of the dry wood of the rafters now, and fierceforked flames shot up vengefully amid the thick smoke. The firemen were, however, making strong head against it, and had already made a little chasm between it and them. Aid, too, was coming in now in all directions. The villagers had heard the alarm, and were appearing in force. Sailor Dick said he wished there were fewer hands and more buckets, or that he could turn some of the new comers into pails or water-butts.

One man alone was unhelping and helpless; this was Guy Penrice. He seemed quite stupefied and overwhelmed by the event, and stood gazing vacantly, muttering at times, "burnt out like an ould badger; my roof-tree gone over my head. 'Twas all along of my bragging 'bout the thatch-all along of my fatness of heart, as the curate said."

The dame having done her part had come back, and was trying to rouse and comfort him. "Look, Guy," she said, "the men are driving the flames backward now, and there won't be much hurt."

This drew his attention to the point where the fire was most powerful, and which happened to be just over the turret. An idea at once seemed to seize him "Not much hurt? why, my chamber is all a-blaze, and the papers will be burnt; the deeds and the titles, and there's the girl's cup— worth all Tregarrow, and I'm trustee for her-if he goes I'm a ruined man. This last thought seemed to rouse him with a sudden impulse, and, jamming his hat down over his head, he rushed forward to enter the house. The dame tried to stop him, but he broke easily from her and was soon lost in the gloom and the smoke, leaving her wringing her hands and imploring help. Lily, meanwhile, had gone to the foot of the ladder and called down Tom. "Good God," said he, when Lily told what had occurred, "the dear old man will go stumbling about in all this smother, and fall, and with his weight be suffocated. He is gone up the big staircase too-I must after him and let the roof take its chance. Who'll come with me?"

"I," said Jim, who had relinquished the engine as an unprofitable command-"I'll follow whereever you go, Maister Tom."

Lily's heart failed her almost as she saw these two dash also into the midst of the fire.

Meanwhile the vicar had arrived. He had gone to his observatory before going to bed as usual, had seen something extraordinary about Tregarrow, had saddled his pony and

come on at once, giving the alarm as he came. He was comforting the dame now.

"Oh! he will be stifled, suffocated, he is so stout, and he has gone the long way by the great staircase."

66

But the men went in close after him, and must find him before harm can come. But what made him so rash as to rush into such danger?" said the vicar.

The group was standing now by the turret, and hiding in the shadow of it was the dark female figure we have seen so often to-night. At first her object seemed only to look and gaze on the different faces and figures; but as the conversation went on, she strained forward to catch every word.

"Oh, you know the curate was saying something about the cup the cup that came with Lily, and 'twas brought down, and the curate aprose it, and said 'twas of as great vally as all Tregarrow; and now tonight, when poor Guy saw the fire burning so fiercely over the chamber where 'twas kept, he cried out that it and the title-deeds would be burned, and that he should be ruined and dishonoured for breach of trust, and he rushed away like mad."

"'Twas an unlucky occurrence, but 'twas just like him. However, we shall soon hear what has happened; meantime, let us hope and trust."

There was a lull now; the workmen had heard that the yeoman was in the house, and nothing could be done whilst his safety was doubtful. How long the moments seemed! How suspicious was every sound! Every crack in the rafters was supposed to be shriek or groan -every gust of smoke a hilloa. At last young Pretty Tommy, who had established himself as a vidette at the foot of the staircase, rushed out shouting, "They'm coming, they've got un!" "Thank God-thank God," was the universal exclamation. Presently the two men emerged from the house, bearing the yeoman

between them, apparently senseless and lifeless. There was a rush made at once towards him, but the vicar motioned every one back, saying that the throng would oppress and keep the air from him. The dame already had her arms round him, and was murmuring, "Guy, Guy-my dear Guy-my dear old husband, can't you speak-oh, you are not hurt he is not dead?" "No, marm," says James, "he've only swounded. Hadn't we better," he added, turning to the vicar, "take un more into the open and out of the way; up by the arbour perhaps would be best place."

"Yes, James is right," said the vicar, who had meanwhile been feeling his heart and pulse; "he is only in a swoon. Get a chair and take him up to the arbour. I know something of the doctor's art, and hope we'll soon bring him to."

Sailor Dick had relinquished his charge now, and returned to see how affairs were progressing on the roof. The men seemed at last to have baffled and to be conquering the fire. There was now a yawning gap between it and the flames, where there was nought to feed it; and on the edge of this it was burning feebly and fitfully, merely throwing out spiteful tongues at the charred rafters. At the end near the chimney, however, it was still in force, and there now all the manpower and water-power was being concentrated.

Sailor Dick, or rather, Tom, seeing that things were going on well, skirted along the privet hedge and gained the chestnut shade, whence he could look out on the group centred round the yeoman.

Young Pretty Tommy was standing in the court as the yeoman was borne off, open-mouthed in astonishment at all the events of the night, when the same dark figure glided from behind the turret, and the woman touched him on the shoulder, saying, "Now, Tommy, if you wish to do the farmer a good turn, come with me." Tommy followed mechanically as she led him

66

round the back of the buildings, and in through a back court. "Take up this crowbar," said she, and I will take a lanthorn in case we should want it, though there seems light enough up there."

"Please, young woman," said Tommy, at this point, "here's this 'Stralian dowg a-follaring us; is he to go?"

"Yes," said she, "Dingo comes with us.'

On they went now through the back kitchen, and up a little back stair, making their way with difficulty, for the rafters were cracking over their heads, and the smoke burst upon them in fierce gusts. At length they reached a door, which she seemed surprised to find open through it they entered a small chamber. In truth there was light enough here, for ever and anon the flames shot and leapt fiercely through it. "Here it is," said the woman, going up to a desk in the corner. "Come here, Tommy, and break this open here are the things the farmer wants." As she spoke she touched the lid, which lifted at once with her hand. A glance within was enough to show that it was empty.

66

some

"O God!" she cried, 66 one has been here before us—some thief for plunder." At this moment Dingo gave an angry growl, and made a fierce leap forward. A man at the same time rushed past them. "Hey, Dingo!" said the woman; come Tommy." But they had to grope now in the smoke and fire, for the thief had shut the door on them, though Dingo had passed through after him. Half-scorched, half-suffocated, they found the door just in time; for the floor was beginning to glow beneath their feet, and Tommy would have fainted, but for the woman's support. All the time they had heard Dingo's growls; and, on reaching the foot of the stairs, found him standing over a prostrate man, and holding him by the throat. The man had stumbled from haste, or fright, and there lay

at the dog's mercy. A large tin box had dropped from his hand as he fell, and now lay on the floor. The woman eagerly seized upon it, saying, "this is partly what we want, but there is something more.'

"Lor!" said pretty Tommy, looking down on the thief, "if it ben't Rich Jope."

"For God's sake take off this cussed dowg," gasped Jope, halfthrottled, half-dead with terror.

"Back, Dingo!" said the woman, and the dog quitted his hold of the throat, but still stood close, grinding his teeth, and glaring at his enemy. "Now, give up the box with the cup, or I'll set the dog on again."

"Cup! what cup?-what box? I ha'n't got no cup nor box," growled Jope, doggedly.

66

Then seize him, Dingo," she cried. At this the wretch sprang to his feet with an agonised shriek, and brought out the box from beneath his coat, and presented it to the woman, begging and praying that she would take away the dog and let him off.

"Here, Tommy," she said, " carry these to the farmer; give them to none but himself, and you are made for life." Then turning round to the dog, she pointed to the man, and said, "Keep, Dingo."

"What! you surely ben't going to leave me alone with the dowg!" shrieked Jope. "For massy's sake take 'un away, take 'un away," and he sobbed aloud in his terror. But the woman turned away inexorable, and glided off in the same direction as Tom had gone. So the dog and Jope stood alone. In vain did Jope summon courage to make a rush by him, or to hazard an attack; the remembrance of the teeth at his throat, of the hot breath on his face, and the glaring eyes, had quite unmanned him, so he moved helplessly to and fro, the dog following and keeping his eye fixed on him. At last he saw a small door, leading out of the backlet. Thinking this might be a means of escape, he made a frantic rush for it, and