Mehalah (Gothic Classic). Baring-Gould Sabine

      'He did not like my going to Mersea—to you.'

      'I dare say not. He knew what was in the wind.'

      'What do you mean, George?'

      'He tried to prevent your going on?'

      'Yes, he did, more than once.'

      'Then he is in it. I don't like Elijah, but I did not think so badly of him as that.'

      'What do you mean, George?'

      As they talked they walked down the meadow to the saltings. They were obliged to go slowly and cautiously. The tide had fallen rapidly, and left the pools brimming. Every runnel was full of water racing out with the rush of a mill stream. 'You see, Glory, the new captain of the coastguard has been giving a deal of trouble lately. He has noticed the single-flashing from the Leather Bottle at the city, and has guessed or found out the key; so he has been down there flashing false signals with a lanthorn. By this means he has brought some of the smugglers very neatly into traps he has laid for them. They are as mad as devils, they swear he is taking an unfair advantage of them, and that they will have his life for it. That is what I have heard whispered; and I hear a great many things.'

      'Oh, George! have you not warned him?'

      'I! my dear Glory! what can I do? He knows he is in danger as well as I. It is a battle between them, and it don't do for a third party to step between. That is what we have done to-night, and near got knocked over for doing it. Captain Macpherson is about, night and day. There never was a fellow more wide awake, at least not on this station. What do you think he did the other day? A vessel came in, and he overhauled her, but found nothing; he sought for some barrels drawn along attached behind her, below water level, but couldn't find them. As he was leaving, he just looked up at the tackling. "Halloo!" said he to the captain, "your cordage is begun to untwist, suppose I have your old ropes and give you new?" He sent a man aloft, and all the ropes were made of twisted tobacco. Now, as you may suppose, the smugglers don't much like such a man.'

      'But, George, he would hardly go about at night with a lanthorn in his boat.'

      'That is what he does—only it is a dark lanthorn, and with it he flashes his signals. That is what makes the men so mad. It is not my doctrine to shoot a man who does his duty. If a man is a smuggler let him do his duty as one. If he is a coastguard, let him do his duty by the revenue.'

      'But, George! if he were out watching for smugglers, he would not have carried his light openly.'

      'He might have thought all was safe in the Rhyn.'

      'Then again,' pursued Mehalah, 'I spoke, and there was a second shot after that.'

      'Whoever was there waiting for the captain may have thought you were a boy. I do not believe the shot was at you, but at me.'

      'But I held the light up. It would have been seen that I was a woman.'

      'Not a bit. All seen would be your cap and jersey, which are such as sailor boys wear.'

      Mehalah shook her head thoughtfully and somewhat doubtfully, and paced by the side of De Witt. She did not speak for some time. She was not satisfied with his explanation, but she could not state her reasons for dissatisfaction.

      Presently she said, 'Do you think that it was Rebow who fired?'

      'No, of course I do not. He knew you were out, and with a light; and he knows your voice.'

      'But you said he was in the plot.'

      'I said that I supposed he knew about it; he knew that there were men out in punts waiting for the captain, he probably knew that there was some fellow lurking in the Rhyn; but I did not say that he would shoot the captain. I do not for a moment suppose he would. He is not greatly affected by his vigilance. He gets something out of the trade, but not enough to be of importance to him. A man of his means would not think it worth his while to shoot an officer.'

      'Then you conjecture that he warned me, and went home.'

      'That is most likely, I would have done the same; nay more, I would not have let you go on, if I knew there were fellows about this night with guns on the lookout. He did not dare to speak plainly what he knew, but he gave you a broad hint, and his best advice, and I admire and respect him for it.'

      'You and Rebow are cousins?'

      'His father's sister is my mother. The land and money all went to Elijah's father who is now dead, and is now in Elijah's hands. My mother got nothing. The family were angry with her for marrying off the land on to the water. But you see at Red Hall she had lived, so to speak, half in and half out of the sea; she took to one element as readily as to the other.'

      'I can trace little resemblance in your features, but something in your voice.'

      'Now, Glory!' said the young man, 'here is the boat. How fast the tide ebbs here! She is already dry, and we must shove her down over the grass and mud till she floats. You step in, I will run her along.'

      The wind had risen, and was wailing over the marshes, sighing among the harsh herbage, the sea-lavender, sovereign wood, and wild asparagus. Not a cloud was visible. The sky was absolutely unblurred and thick besprint with stars. Jupiter burned in the south, and cast a streak of silver over the ebbing waters.

      The young people stood silent by each other for a moment, and their hearts beat fast. Other matters had broken in on and troubled the pleasant current of their love; but now the thought of these was swept aside, and their hearts rose and stretched towards each other. They had known each other for many years, and the friendship of childhood had insensibly ripened in their hearts to love.

      'I have not properly thanked you, George, for the promise of help in our trouble.'

      'Nor I, Mehalah, for the medal you have given me.'

      'Promise me, George, to wear it ever. It saved your life to-night, I doubt not.'

      'What! Does it save from death?'

      'From sudden death,' answered Mehalah. 'I told you so before, in the boat.'

      'I forgot about it, Glory.'

      'I will tell you now all about it, my friend. The charm belonged to my mother's mother. She, as I daresay you have heard, was a gipsy. My grandfather fell in love with her and married her. He was a well-to-do man, owning a bit of land of his own; but he would go to law with a neighbour and lost it, and it went to the lawyer. Well, my grandmother brought the charm with her, and it has been in the family ever since. It had been in the gipsy family of my grandmother time out of mind, and was lent about when any of the men went on dangerous missions. No one who wears it can die a sudden death from violence—that is'—Mehalah qualified the assertion, 'on land.'

      'It does not preserve one on the water then?' said George, with an incredulous laugh.

      'I won't say that. It surely did so to-night. It saves from shot and stab.'

      'Not from drowning?'

      'I think not.'

      'I must get a child's caul, and then I shall be immortal.'

      'Don't joke, George,' said Mehalah gravely. 'What I say is true.'

      'Glory!' said De Witt, 'I always thought you looked like a gipsy with your dark skin and large brown eyes, and now from your own lips comes the confession that you are one.'

      'There is none of the blood in my mother,' said she, 'she is like an ordinary Christian. I fancy it jumps a generation.'

      'Well, then, you dear gipsy, here is my hand. Tell my fortune.'

      'I cannot do that. But I have given you a gipsy charm against evil men and accidents.'

      'Hark!'

      Out of the clear heaven was heard plaintive whistles, loud, high up, inexpressibly weird and sad, 'Ewe! ewe! ewe!' They burst shrilly on the ears, then became fainter, then burst forth again, then faded away. It was as though spirits were passing in the heavens wailing about a brother sprite that had flickered into nothingness.

      'The