to maurice malherb it seemed that he was living his life over again. upon the second disappearance of his daughter, the old turmoil recurred; but less fury marked his manners and more method. grace had gone for a long tramp over the moor, and had never returned home. she set out after her mid-day meal and was no more seen. neither had any man nor woman heard of her. tom putt, indeed, remembered the letter that he had conveyed to her through mr. cloberry; but he also knew this missive came from john lee. therefore he felt no alarm, but doubted not that john was working with cecil stark, and that grace was safe.

when the catastrophe at prince town became known and it transpired that not a few besides stark were reported missing, the americans declared their compatriots were fallen in the struggle and had been hastily buried by night, that the numbers of the slain might not challenge too much attention; but the history of the time may be relied upon in this matter, and it is safe to assume that those unaccounted for upon that unhappy night escaped in the subsequent confusion, even as cecil stark had done.

so, at least, concluded maurice malherb; and, awake to the significance of the incident in connection with his daughter's disappearance, he was first minded to yield and let her have her way; but then he came back to himself, and fury awoke him, and he sought peter norcot, that the wool-stapler might assist him to recover his daughter.

malherb rode over the moor to chagford upon the morning after the tragedy at prince town; and on his way he reflected concerning his own peculiar position.

it was now generally known that in a fit of rage he had slain an ancient woman upon cater's beam. but since the attributes of lovey lee and her history came also to be apprehended; so soon as it was understood that lovey had plotted with the american prisoners and herself was hiding from a rope when malherb destroyed her, no further concern in the matter touched men's minds. the times were troublous; there was much to think of; none made it his business to take action, and malherb's only punishment lay within his own heart and brain.

his personal grief did not lessen; his wife alone knew of the tortures that he still suffered. his physical health began to break under the strain, for the man's old zest in food departed; his zest in sport was dead; and his zest in life and the work of life had wholly vanished. remorse ate him alive.

to chagford he came, and gertrude norcot, who had not seen him for many days, started to find the master of fox tor farm much changed. his demeanour had altered; his carriage had grown humble; his head had sunk forward under the blows of time. native pugnacity had given place to melancholy; even the incisive and stern methods of his speech were merged into a hollow and phlegmatic indifference, as of one careless of affairs.

yet to-day he was sufficiently himself to be eager, and even passionate, as he recounted events.

"peter has heard all," said miss norcot. "he has not been idle. indeed, for three days he has lived in the saddle. certainly we have seen very little indeed of him here."

"your daughter must have a strange disposition," said a weak voice; and, turning round, malherb saw a little clergyman, who held out his hand. he was flat-faced, meek and humble.

"our kinsman, mr. relton norcot," said the lady. "peter had occasion to go to london recently, and on his way back through exeter he picked up relton. my cousin stands in need of rest, for he works too hard."

"it is the duty of man to toil," said the minister. "what is life without work? a formless void."

"and where is peter now?" inquired malherb.

"heaven knows," answered gertrude. "he may return to dinner, or he may not do so. will you stay with us for the night?"

"no, no; i must home to my wife. i am sorry to miss him. let him know that cecil stark has escaped from the war prison. this will quicken his wits as it has quickened mine. i have watchers set round about holne. and also at dartmouth. and yet there is that in me which begets a great indifference now. it is vain to fight the young, for time is on their side."

"you must be brave, dear mr. malherb."

miss norcot put a light hand upon his arm.

"you can touch me," he said, "knowing what you know?"

"indeed, yes. you have atoned."

he shook his head, and the clergyman spoke.

"who shall fling the first stone, my dear sir? who shall hale you before your outraged country?"

malherb stared at him, as a man who sees an unpleasant insect suddenly where before there was none. then his expression changed.

"you say well. who shall? there is but one man. his duty it is, and he hangs back."

miss norcot was much interested.

"you mean her grandson? but he cannot, dear mr. malherb, for he, too, stands in danger of the law. he ought to have been hung long ago."

"i mean maurice malherb," he said, speaking to himself rather than to her. "farewell. tell peter that i have been here. if he learns anything of comfort, let him hasten to us at fox tor farm."

"be of good cheer," said the clergyman; but malherb did not answer. he departed and left them whispering together.

hardly had his horse gone out of the courtyard when peter appeared. he had been above, in his bedchamber.

"you have made your sister say the thing which was not, my dear peter," said the clergyman mournfully.

"pardon me," she answered. "i did nothing of the sort. he asked where my brother was, and i said that heaven knew. that was not to say i did not know."

they fell to talking, and maurice malherb went slowly towards chagford. for a moment he stopped at norcot's place of business beside teign river, and asked if peter was there; but a doorkeeper shook his head, and the master went on his way to the "three crowns," that he might bait his horse before returning home.

and as he passed the great manufactory, maurice malherb had been within twenty yards of his daughter; for there she was hidden; there, where hundreds of busy men and women circled round about her and the roar of water-wheels and the hum of looms made grand music of industry from dawn till eve, grace malherb was securely shut up in norcot's private rooms. two apartments had been prepared for her, and peter's sister visited the girl every night after dark. the full extent of her brother's purpose gertrude only suspected when he returned from london and brought the rev. relton norcot along with him; but how peter proposed to compass the marriage his sister had not yet comprehended. her sympathies were with him, however, and she was true and trustworthy. she guessed which way things were tending. she understood now that peter's sole reason for going to london was that he might procure a special license of marriage; and she knew that he had got it. gertrude doubted not that days—perhaps hours—would bring the sequel; and nightly she exhausted her powers of persuasion upon grace from eleven o'clock until one, in the silent factory; but as yet the captive showed no signs of being tamed. norcot had also striven with her, and now she was a chained fury, so that peter told his sister frankly that he went in fear of his eyes. even his equanimity had given out, and he was casting round to know by what channel the ceremony might be celebrated as quickly as possible. but no course of action appeared until the night before malherb's visit. then lovey lee had brought her news out of the cottage on sittaford's side, and, from that moment, peter began to see light. long ago he had asked himself whether cecil stark could be made of any service in the great matter of grace; and now, when he learned that the american was almost at his door, peter's spidery instincts served him well. while yet he waited, confident of the speedy advent of stark, the future began to unfold, and a project as extraordinary as it was difficult matured in the merchant's brains.

"an enterprise involving violent melodrama, no doubt," he told himself, "but then these are melodramatic times, and in the rush and hurry of wars, and rumours of wars—in the scare of bonaparte and the tragedy over the hills at prince town, a little lawlessness must pass unnoticed. tut, tut! does not the world still think that fool at fox tor farm a murderer? yet no hand is lifted against him. and there is a source of strength there; for when we tell him that he is innocent of blood, he'll be so overjoyed that he'll forgive anything and anybody. and she—once married all must right itself. let it work then. come, mr. cecil stark of vermont! i'm nearly ready for you; indeed, 'tis perfectly plain that i can't get on much further without you. but pray god malherb don't run upon him riding home! yet 'tis improbable, for he'll hardly stir till nightfall. then the man lee will bring him hither. and now to see my lady. here's news indeed for her."

all that afternoon norcot was closeted with grace, and when he left her, she let him kiss her!

"may the night bring him," she said, "for each moment is a century when i think of my dear ones at home and all their sufferings now."

and that night cecil stark arrived. as a fugitive himself, liable to be recaptured and returned to prince town by any man eager to earn three pounds, the young sailor exercised caution; and for the sake of his guide it was also necessary that he should incur no risk; but ere midnight he came, and norcot himself ushered him into the house.

"a hearty welcome!" he said, with the most genial handgrip. "i expected you. had you not escaped yesterday, i was coming to prince town to see short and go bail for you; but love has a thousand wings and a thousand voices. come in, mr. stark. henceforth you are my guest."

he offered his hand, but the other did not take it.

"one word, sir. is miss malherb here?"

"come in, come in. you gladden my heart; for heaven can bear witness that i took to you from the first moment ever i saw you—when you came so near to braining that beautiful lady. i'm 'a beast of company but not of the herd,' as plutarch says. give me a friend or two, not a regiment of 'em. there was that in your face—

born to command, to conquer and to spare;

as mercy mild, yet terrible as war.'

come in."

"'wolves do change their hair, but not their hearts'!

there's a quotation for yours," said stark suddenly and bluntly.

mr. norcot started.

"tut, tut! i thought we were old friends."

"answer me. is miss malherb here?"

"here, yet not here," replied peter, pressing his breast.

"'smiling then love took his dart

and drew her picture on my heart.'

but i can relieve your mind. the maiden is well and exceedingly happy."

"then was john lee right; you abducted her."

"ah! that agile lad! mercury's a fool to him."

stark took off his hat and entered the house.

"i am here to escort miss malherb to her parents, mr. norcot."

"and a pleasant enough task too—for both of you. now enter and rest your weary limbs—nay; don't look suspicious. there's no mystery here—merely the library of a very busy man."

stark sat down and rubbed a wounded foot, while mr. norcot regarded him with a very whimsical expression.

"so you are a new quixote, come to rescue distressed maidens? yet, if you could see the joy on grace malherb's countenance at this moment, you might suspect that your disinterested labour was in vain, mr. stark."

"only her own assurances will satisfy me. as for you, in the past i owe you much, mr. norcot. with a single-hearted generosity that i cannot sufficiently admire and i cannot quite understand, you exerted yourself on behalf of strangers and captives. but now——'

"now, perhaps, i am doing the same thing again, mr. stark. would it surprise you to hear that within this month i have been to london on your behalf?"

"why should you do so?"

"ah!—my modesty refuses to reply. but believe the fact: for you and grace malherb i have been as industrious as a man can be. she knows and blesses me. you have yet to know."

"is this true, sir?"

"why not? and yet against one of your credulous character a lie would be a good weapon."

"yes, for a slave to use," said stark.

"it's a nice point. i'm a casuist, you know. i could mention a few classical lies that have helped to make the world what it is to-day—

"'why should not conscience have vacation

as well as other courts o' the nation?'"

"you jest to ask such a question, or you mistake me, mr. norcot."

"'tis easy to understand how willingly men would give their monitor a life-long holiday if they could. yet, 'he that sins against his conscience sins with a witness.' fuller. that inimitable man! i wish my young clerical cousin had something of his sublime sense and understanding. but relton's a good lad, and no bishop can marry you tighter."

"be frank, mr. norcot," said stark. "here am i, and i trust you. i accept your word that miss malherb is also here, and that she is well. but i am determined to take her back to her father and mother, because i learn that they are ignorant of her safety, and are suffering much, as it is natural they should suffer."

peter beamed upon his visitor.

"'how fresh and green you are in this old world!' now i understand why your plots miscarried and you failed of your heroic enterprises, cecil stark. think you that if i'd been rogue enough to bear off this maid for selfish ends, i should welcome you so warmly and prepare so frankly to tell you the truth? suppose—as doubtless you do suppose—that i had miss grace here, and my parson cousin here, and my special license to marry her here, should i make you a welcome and honoured guest? what was your plan of action then? do reveal it. as a student of character i should like to know."

"i trusted to right and honour, and still do so."

"yet you'd have cut but a poor figure if i had proved that wolf-hearted wool-dealer you so rudely described."

"i judged from what john lee told me. your passion for grace malherb and your determination to marry her are widely known."

"well, granted; but first john lee. have a care there. he's malignant and dangerous. powerless himself, he would leave no stone unturned to do me a hurt—or you a hurt. yet all that ever i did was to try and save his neck. remember his granddam."

"i believe him to be honest."

"i know him to be a very silly rascal. he has much endangered miss malherb's happiness. 'a whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back'; but better still, a bullet for the fool's head. the fools—the fools—they make nearly all the trouble in the world."

"lee is a good man and no fool, if i am any judge. at least, he seems shrewd enough to me. he has served both his mistress and me nobly before to-day. he correctly guessed all along where miss malherb was now, and he brought me to you."

"because 'twas his own folly helped to bring her here. we may use a fool in the affairs of life; and often there's no better tool. but be careful that no inkling of your ends is trusted to the fool."

cecil stark seemed to see a sinister personal significance in this speech. he regarded norcot's smiling countenance with the closest attention.

"i might take that hint to myself," he said.

"you might; but you would be wrong and ungenerous if you did," answered the other. "i'm your friend, and i'm going to prove it under the hand and seal of a greater than either of us."

"her own?"

"alas! no. i'm coming to that. if she could have written, she would have done so. but for the moment it is unhappily impossible. she desired a thousand messages, but these i would not bring, because i could only give my word that they were true. but the written word is none the less convincing."

"begin at the beginning if you are being honest with me," said stark.

"i would say with the man in the play—

"'a sudden thought strikes me,

let us swear an eternal friendship';

but, under the circumstances, i'll leave that quotation for you. when you hear what i've got to say, you'll make it, if you're as just and honourable as i believe."

"speak then."

peter looked at the clock over the mantelpiece.

"like a sermon, what i have to say must be set forth under three heads. the application i shall leave with you," he answered. "first, however, here's a glass of wine. allow me to drink before you do so. you would not be justified in trusting me until you have heard more."

mr. norcot poured out two glasses of port, sipped his own and began his explanations.