TRONG 
 
 S VOW
 
 A 
 
 Strong Man's Vow 
 
 JOSEPH HOCKING 
 
 Author of " The Jesuit," " The Romance of Michael Trevail," 
 " The Woman of Babylon," " A Flame of Fire," elc. 
 
 CASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD 
 
 London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne 
 1912 
 
 . OP CALIF. LIBRABY, LOS AKGELES
 
 First published February 1907. 
 
 Reprinted 1910. 
 Popular Edition May 1909. 
 Reprinted. June 1909, 1912. 
 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 BOOK I. THE MAN 
 
 CHAPTER I. MGI 
 
 ROSSINI KBVERNB 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HUGH HBNWOOD 
 
 . . 14 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 THB VISION OF A NBW WORLD . 28 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 ROSSINI'S SECOND MEETING WITH LADY BBATRICB . 44 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 ROSSINI'S CHANCE .... QQ 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 THB MAN WHO WAS READY ... 7 5 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 BLACK ROCK LIGHTHOUSE ... 02 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 ROSSINI'S SECOND VISIT TO PENWITHEN HALL . . 106 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THB MAN AND THE WOMAN ... Taj 
 
 2130157
 
 vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. , A 
 
 THE STORY OF THE VIOLIN . . . . .136 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 ROSSINI'S WOOING . . . 150 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 How ROSSINI KEPT His Vow 165 
 
 BOOK II. THE WOMAN 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 IN WHICH ROSSINI KEVBRNE REGISTERS His SECOND 
 
 Vow 180 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE SCENE ON BLACK ROCK 194 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 MIND AND MATTER 207 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 ROSSINI AS A REFORMER 221 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 REUBEN FLETCHER PLANS REVENGE . . . 234 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 A WOMAN'S HEART 247 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 THE END OF MARY FLETCHER'S SEARCH . . . 261
 
 CONTENTS. vii 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. PAGK 
 
 DR. TAMSIN KEAST ..... . 274 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 How A DOCTOR CAME TO TAMSIN KEAST'S COTTAGE , 287 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 LADY BEATRICE AND MARY FLETCHER . . . 300 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 ROSSINI'S AWAKENING . . . . . .314 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 ROSSINI'S VICTORY 328
 
 i 
 
 A STRONG MAN'S Vow 
 
 BOOK I. THE MAN 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ROSSINI KEVERNE. 
 
 NEVER before had such a thing happened within the 
 memory of the oldest inhabitant in Penwithen, and as 
 a consequence the whole neighbourhood for miles around 
 was agog with excitement. But then the circumstances 
 were peculiar. Three generations had passed away, and 
 no daughter had been born in Penwithen House, the 
 home of the Earls of Cornwall. -People regarded the 
 fact somewhat superstitiously, and perhaps it was not 
 at all wonderful that they should. For three genera- 
 tions, only one child had been born to be heir of the 
 great Penwithen estates, and that child was a son. In 
 each case he had been given the same name, Rex ; and 
 each in turn, when he entered into his possessions, had 
 married a lady befitting his rank, and in each case one 
 son, the one son only, had been born. But exactly 
 seventeen years before my story opens, a daughter had 
 been born to the Earl of Cornwall. Of course, the Earl 
 hoped for a son as well, but his desires were not realised.
 
 2 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Again only one child was born, and the child was a 
 daughter, who was named Beatrice. 
 
 The day on which she was born was the twenty-ninth 
 of June ; and when her seventeenth birthday drew near, 
 it was decided that it should be celebrated by great re- 
 joicings. It was arranged that there should be two 
 days' feasting. The first day should be a feast for the 
 people. Everyone on the Penwithen estates, young and 
 old, rich and poor, should be invited. Every inch of the 
 grounds should be open to the public, and all the people 
 should be entertained as though they were kings and 
 queens. There was not a house on the estate and it 
 stretched for miles around that was left without its 
 card, inviting the inhabitants to the great feast. In- 
 deed, that card may still be seen in hundreds of houses, 
 framed, and set in a prominent position. It was sur- 
 mounted by the Penwithen crest, and in letters of gold 
 beneath it was stated that Lord Penwithen requested 
 the honour of the company of Mr. John Fluter or some 
 other equally undistinguished name and family at 
 Penwithen House, on the twenty-ninth of June, on the 
 occasion of his daughter Beatrice's seventeenth birth- 
 day. 
 
 " We might be rail laadies an' gen'lemen," said many 
 of the villagers, as they received it. " I 'ope 't'll be vine 
 weather. Ef tes, we shall have a grand time." 
 
 a l do hear that the Earl es goin' to be ready fer 
 rain," someone would reply. "People be zayin' that 
 there's goin' to be several tents which they call markais, 
 that'll 'ould thousands of people." 
 
 " 'Ave 'ee ever seed Laady Beatrice, then ? " 
 
 rt Only when she was a lill maid. She must be quite 
 a young laady now."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 3 
 
 And so on. Young men went to Trure and St 
 Austell to get new clothes. Some went even so far as 
 Plymouth, thinking by so doing they could obtain more 
 fashionable attire. Local dressmakers were simply 
 overwhelmed with orders for new dresses. The whole 
 countryside was aroused, and everyone looked forward 
 to this June day, when the lodge-gates of Penwithen 
 would be open to them, and they would walk those three 
 miles through woods and moorland and park, in order to 
 reach the great house. 
 
 At length the great day arrived. The sun arose in 
 a clear sky, and throughout the day not a speck of cloud 
 darkened the great dome of blue. The birds sang gaily, 
 the flowers bloomed everywhere. It seemed as though 
 all Nature, as well as the simple villagers, had clothed 
 herself in her most beautiful garments to celebrate the 
 natal day of the young maid who was to be the possessor 
 of those wide, rich domains. 
 
 The people rose early that day, and ere long the 
 lanes for miles around were dotted with old men and 
 maidens, young men and children, who wended their way 
 to the one stately mansion in the district. This was in 
 accordance with Lord Penwithen's wishes. He had 
 given orders for a luncheon at noon, tea at five o'clock, 
 and supper at eight. The gates were to be opened at an 
 early hour, and no one was to be refused admittance 
 No one worked that day, save those whom the Earl had 
 engaged to give pleasure to his guests. It was to be a 
 general holiday, for all had been invited to the re- 
 joicings. 
 
 And yet I am scarcely correct in saying this. There 
 was one person who lived on the Penwithen estates who 
 had been omitted Not that he intended to stay away
 
 4 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 on account of it Rather he rose with the rest and made 
 his way thitherward The reason he had not been in- 
 vited was because the Earl did not know of his ex- 
 istence. His name was not on the list of householders ; 
 in truth, although he had lived in the parish all his life, 
 he was scarcely looked upon as an inhabitant. 
 
 There was nothing very peculiar about his history, 
 and yet it may be of sufficient interest to merit my 
 setting it forth here. 
 
 His father and mother had been drunken ne'er-do- 
 weels. His father was a tinker, who went around mend- 
 ing the kettles and pans of the various cottages. He 
 was said to be very clever at his work ; but he only 
 worked precariously, for no sooner did he earn a little 
 money than both he and his wife went on a drinking 
 bout, and never ceased to drink till it was gone. Report 
 had it, moreover, that when their child was born, they 
 did their best, by neglect and starvation, to murder 
 him. But he was tenacious of life, and friendly cot- 
 tagers, learning of his condition, gave him food 
 
 The only home they had was a disused hut in the 
 middle of Burgotha Wood. Granfer Flew, famous as a 
 wizard, had built the hut; and when he died, Uzziah 
 and Tarn sin Keverne took possession of it. Before this 
 they had slept in the open air through the summer, 
 and in some friendly barn through the winter. They 
 called their boy Rossini, after the great Italian lyric 
 composer. The villagers knew nothing of Italian music, 
 and wondered why Uzziah had called the boy by such 
 a strange name. They did not remember, however, 
 that Uzziah was a great lover of music, and that the 
 one thing he loved, and which he never ceased to care 
 for even when he was drunk, was his fiddle. He had a
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 5 
 
 fine voice, too, when he was a younger man, and when 
 no tinkering jobs could be obtained, earned a few cop- 
 pers by singing at public-houses, and sometimes at 
 farmhouses during Christmas time. 
 
 When the boy Rossini, or Zinney, as the people called 
 him, was about five years old, his father died. It did not 
 make much difference to the lad, except that he had 
 only one parent to cuff him and otherwise maltreat 
 him, instead of two. He still lived at Maji-pies, the 
 hut in Burgotha Wood, and, as usual, spent most of his 
 time alone. 
 
 After his father's death, his mother, in order to get 
 a living, hoed turnips and picked stones in farmers' 
 fields. She was also employed in gathering com during 
 harvest During the winter it was a mystery how she 
 obtained food ; but obtain it she did. 
 
 People took but little notice either of Tamsin or 
 Rossini Keverne. They simply regarded her as a 
 thriftless, drunken woman, who lived in a lonely hut 
 with a strange, unlovely boy. 
 
 When Rossini was six years old, he went to work 
 in the farmers' fields and in this way earned his living. 
 He was a sullen, silent boy, never taking part in the 
 games cf the other boys in the district Perhaps the 
 reason for this was that he was regarded as having, as 
 the villagers called it, "a screw loose." By this they 
 meant that he did not possess all his faculties. He was 
 very ignorant He did not know how to read or write ; 
 books he knew nothing of. His knowledge consisted of 
 how to manage horses and tend farm-cattle. His 
 clothes generally consisted of cast-off rags, and perhaps 
 this caused him to hide himself as much as possible frora 
 his fellow-creatures.
 
 6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 By the time he was fifteen he had attained to a 
 man's stature, but he was loosely built and walked in a 
 shuffling, shambling sort of way. There was a furtive 
 look in his eye, too, as though he were afraid of some- 
 thing. When working in the fields, he was heard 
 mumbling to himself, but he never took part in the 
 conversation of the farm-men. 
 
 Soon after he was fifteen, his mother died. She had 
 gone to the Whitsun fair at Truro, and while there be- 
 came drunk. On her way home, a distance of several 
 miles, she had been run over by a conveyance and had 
 been fatally injured. Thus Rossini was left alone in the 
 world a poor, ignorant youth, without friends, with- 
 out money, and without a home, save the hut which 
 Granfer Flew, the wizard, had built. 
 
 His mother's death made but little difference to him. 
 If it affected him at all, it was for the better. For as 
 the boy grew old enough to earn a little money Tamsin 
 grew less and less willing to earn any for herself. She 
 saw to it that all the boy's earnings came into her hands, 
 and most of the money found its way afterwards into 
 the till of some beerhouse. 
 
 Tamsin Keverne was buried by the parish, and after 
 the funeral, attended only by Rossini, the boy found his 
 way to the hut in the middle of the woods, where for a 
 long time he sat like one dazed. At night, however, 
 someone passing the hut heard the sound of a fiddle, and 
 remarked afterwards that the boy had inherited his 
 father's love for the instrument. 
 
 From fifteen to nineteen, Rossini continued to work 
 as before. He grew from a tall, ungainly boy into a 
 more ungainly young man. He walked with a slouch 
 and stooped awkwardly. He did not seem to know
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 7 
 
 what to do with his long limbs. He had the stature of a 
 giant ; nevertheless he was still the sport of every lad 
 in the countryside. Sometimes during harvest he had 
 been led to wrestle with other farm-lads, but there was 
 not one of them but could throw Rossini. He was per- 
 fectly aware that he was regarded, according to the 
 parlance of the countryside, as a "half-baked droozle- 
 head." But this awaked no resentment in his heart It 
 was what he had become accustomed to. The only 
 effect it seemed to have upon him was to make him 
 more sullen and morose. 
 
 At nineteen, therefore, he had no hopes, no ambition. 
 In a dim way he had heard of the great life of the world, 
 but it meant nothing to him. He had no definite 
 thoughts for the future. If he thought at all, it was that 
 he would one day be able to build a haystack or a corn- 
 mow, and perhaps plough as straight a furrow as the 
 best hind in the parish. 
 
 No one troubled about him. He worked for a small 
 wage and wore the cast-off clothes of others. He never 
 went to church or school, and although he had managed 
 to learn to read by looking at bills of sales of farm-stock 
 and the like, he could not write his own name. 
 
 This was Rossini Keverne, then, A great, raw, 
 ignorant youth of nineteen. Loose- jointed, ungainly, 
 and not over clean. He was not ill-featured, but he was 
 made to appear so because of his sullen ways, and per- 
 haps also by the great shock of unkempt, black hair that 
 covered his head He was a wastrel, into whose life no 
 noble force had ever come. No thought of love ever 
 came into his heart How could it? There was not a 
 maid in the parish, however low she might be, but looked 
 with scorn upon him, and he knew it
 
 8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 What spare hours he had, he spent in roaming 
 around the fields setting rabbit and bird snares, or sit- 
 ting alone in his hut, watching the flames from the wood 
 fire ascending the chimney. No friends, no companions 
 even, had he. No books, no love, no God. No tender- 
 ness had ever come into his life, no ambition had ever 
 stirred him, no hope had ever cheered him. 
 
 When Rossini heard that Lord Penwithen, Earl of 
 Cornwall, was to give a great feast in honour of Lady 
 Beatrice's seventeenth birthday, he determined that he 
 would be present. He did not expect one of those 
 golden-lettered cards, neither did he get one, but he 
 determined to go. Presently he heard of lads he knew 
 getting measured for new clothes, and then Rossini 
 counted his money and wondered if he also could get 
 some. He went to William Kurgy, the one-legged 
 tailor, who worked at people's houses for eighteenpence 
 a day and his food. 
 
 " Mr. Kurgy," he said, " make me some clothes." 
 
 " To be sure," said William. " What would 'ee like, 
 Zinney?" 
 
 " Don't know. I'm going to the feast I want to 
 look fitty." 
 
 The tailor laughed. " Oa, iss, to be sure. You do 
 want to get a sweetheart ! " 
 
 " I doan't ! " said Rossini, his eyes flashing angrily ; 
 "but I want to go and zee everything." 
 
 " Look here," said William, who had bought a piece 
 of corduroy cheap. " Now, wudden this do ? " 
 
 Rossini looked at the piece of stuff attentively. He 
 seemed to be in doubt. Presently he said 
 
 "That would do for the trousers, but not for the 
 waistcoat and the jacket"
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 9 
 
 "Oa, you d' want to be fine, I zee," said the tailor. 
 " You d' want a cloth jacket" 
 
 Rossini had no very clear idea as to what this meant, 
 but he said "Yes." 
 
 "All right," said the tailor. "Now lev me misure 
 'ee." 
 
 "No, not yet," said the youth. "'Ow much will it 
 cost ? " 
 
 " Oa, tha's oal right You can pay me so much a 
 week." 
 
 " Shaan't ! " said Rossini. " Tell me." 
 
 "I c'n tell 'ee better when I've finished," said the 
 tailor. 
 
 " If you doan't tell me now, I sh'll go to St. Austell," 
 said Rossini doggedly. "Besides, I want to see the 
 cloth." 
 
 William Kurgy looked at the boy wonderingly. He 
 was more difficult to deal with than he had imagined 
 At length, however, all was arranged: the cloth was 
 selected and the price fixed. 
 
 When the clothes were ready, Rossini carried them 
 away to his hut, and having bolted the door, he clothed 
 himself in his new attire. No society belle ever paid 
 so much attention to her ball-dress as Rossini paid to 
 that suit of clothes. He had no looking-glass, but he went 
 out to the river which ran through the wood, and there 
 examined himself. At first a feeling of joy passed 
 through his heart, but presently he felt dissatisfied. He 
 went back to the hut, put the clothes carefully away, 
 and went out into the fields. 
 
 It was now evening, and he saw Charlie Sloggett 
 on his way to see his sweetheart 
 
 Now, Charlie Sloggett was famous for one thing.
 
 io A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 This was a necktie. It shone with all the colours of the 
 rainbow and was regarded as a marvel. There was not 
 a farm-servant in the parish but envied him that neck- 
 tie. It was commonly reported that his present sweet- 
 heart would never have taken notice of him but for this 
 wonderful adornment 
 
 When Rossini saw Charlie, he stopped him. 
 
 rt Laive me look at yer necktie," he said. 
 
 Charlie, nothing loth, stopped before him. " Shall 
 I taake en off ? " he asked. 
 
 Rossini nodded his head, whereupon Charlie took 
 off the wondrous thing and placed it in Rossini's hand. 
 After that, Sloggett enlarged upon the uses of a shirt- 
 collar. When Rossini reached his dwelling-place again, 
 he counted the money that remained He had paid 
 William Kurgy, and wondered what a new shirt, a collar, 
 and new pair of boots would cost His mother had 
 been dead four years, and during that time he had saved 
 his earnings. 
 
 The next evening he walked to St. Austell. It was 
 the first time he hacV ever been so far, and he wondered 
 at the sights he saw. He wore his old clothes, and 
 people pitied the ungainly figure in rags. When he 
 reached home that night, he examined his purchases 
 carefully. 
 
 On the morning of the twenty-ninth of June, Rossini 
 clothed himself in his new attire. He put on his corduroy 
 trousers, his coat and waistcoat of rough, black cloth, 
 and his new, hobnailed shoes. Had he known, he looked 
 but little better than in his rags, for these new clothes 
 only accentuated his uncouth, awkward figure. He 
 also tied around his neck a brightly coloured necktie. 
 He had discarded a linen collar from the first
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. n 
 
 In his purchases he had been unable to afford a hat. 
 But that did not trouble him. He put on the greasy 
 thing he generally wore, but decided he would do better 
 without it. He was accustomed to go bareheaded. One 
 thing his new clothes did for him, however. It led him 
 to go to the river and have a bath on the morning of 
 that June day. When he had dried his head, his 
 shock of tangled hair looked better. It formed itself 
 into a great mass of curls which glistened in the sun- 
 light. 
 
 Rossini was early at Penwithen Park, and watched 
 the incoming crowds with great eagerness. So intent 
 was he that by and by he forgot his own new attire, nor 
 did he dream of the strange figure he made. If he 
 had come in his rags, he would have attracted less 
 attention than now. His trousers, long as were his legs, 
 were too long. His coat hung awkwardly around his 
 body. 
 
 Presently the multitude gathered close to the great 
 house. The Earl and his daughter were to appear. 
 Rossini was among the foremost 
 
 " She's seventeen to-day, is she ? " he said to himself. 
 " Well, I'm nineteen to-day. I've got a birthday as well 
 as she." 
 
 Although he failed to stand upright, he was head and 
 shoulders above the crowd. Not only did he see every- 
 thing, everyone saw him. Many jeered and teased him 
 about his new clothes, but he said nothing in reply. 
 Some, however, said there was the gleam of a devil in 
 his great, black eyes. 
 
 A great shout went up! Lord Penwithen came 
 out of the front door, and by his Lordship's side 
 was Lady Beatrice She was a beautiful fair-haired
 
 12 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 girl, with finely formed features and deep blue eyes. 
 She was but a child, although rather tall, and she looked' 
 at the crowd of her father's tenants and dependants with 
 a child's wonder and delight. Perhaps there was a certain 
 haughtiness and pride in her demeanour and carriage, 
 but that was scarcely to be wondered at. Her eyes 
 laughed, her face was radiant with smiles, her golden 
 hair gleamed in the sunshine. It was her seventeenth 
 birthday, and the world was a Paradise. 
 
 Rossini looked at her with wide-staring eyes and 
 open mouth. To him this was no maiden of flesh and 
 blood. It was an angel he saw. He would not have 
 been surprised if she had grown wings and soared 
 heavenwards. He had forgotten the crowd, forgotten 
 the singing of the birds, forgotten the far- stretching 
 park dotted with trees, and the great woods beyond 
 forgotten everything, in fact. He simply stood and 
 gazed at the face of the maiden and wondered. She 
 was the revelation of a new life, of new hope, of new 
 beauty. Nothing so wonderful had ever existed before, 
 nothing would ever be so wonderful again. This, lady 
 of high degree was an angel. 
 
 The crowd shouted and cheered. The musicians 
 burst forth with a strain of gladsome melody, the bells 
 at the village church rang out joyously, but Rossini 
 heard nothing of it. 
 
 Unknowingly, unconsciously, he crept nearer and 
 nearer to where the girl stood by her father's side, until 
 he came within a yard of where she stood. She had 
 been looking the other way, but now she turned and 
 saw him, and their eyes met Rossini felt his knees 
 trembling. He would gladly have fallen down and wor- 
 shipped her ; but as he looked, he saw her face change.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 13 
 
 He saw that she regarded him with loathing and fear 
 She drew back as one might draw back from a serpent 
 or a mad dog. 
 
 " Oh, dad ! " she said, " how did that terrible looking 
 creature come here ? " 
 
 Rossini heard. For a moment his head whirled and 
 he thought he would have fallen. But he recovered 
 himself. Into his heart came a feeling such as he had 
 never known, never dreamt of before. Worship, won- 
 der, hatred, revenge, murder, love all were in his heart 
 at that moment 
 
 " Tell him to go away, dad," said the girl " He is 
 simply awful ! " 
 
 But the Earl had no need to tell Rossini to go away. 
 The youth turned on his heel and slouched away like 
 some gaunt animal His lips trembled, his features 
 were contorted, his eyes burned with passion. 
 
 He said no word, but in his heart he registered a vow, 
 so wild, so impossible, that even to record it would 
 seem like madness. Yet away in the silent woods he 
 brooded over it and swore that he would never rest until 
 what he had vowed should come to pass.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HUGH KENWOOD. 
 
 THE great rejoicings passed away at Penwithen without 
 a single discord in the music. The great dome of sky 
 remained blue, the birds sang blithely ; Nature had done 
 her utmost for the heiress of Penwithen. The simple 
 villagers felt this, and because it is easy to laugh in 
 the sunshine, the woods echoed with their merriment. 
 Lord Penwithen was perfect as a host, while Lady 
 Beatrice charmed everyone with her winsomeness 
 and her gaiety. There was only one cloud in the 
 sky of her life that day. She regretted that she had 
 spoken harshly about the strange-looking youth who 
 had stood before her. Had she had time for thought, 
 she would have repressed her feeling of revulsion, and 
 have tried to look as kindly upon him as she did upon all 
 the rest. But the haunted look in his eyes had fright- 
 ened her, and then, with the thoughtlessness of youth, 
 she had uttered the words of which she afterwards re- 
 pented. Still, before the day was at an end, and she had 
 seen no more of him, she had well-nigh forgotten him. 
 
 The rejoicings were continued until late at night, and 
 long after sunset the boys and girls enjoyed the games 
 to the music which echoed across hill and dale. It was 
 a never-to-be-forgotten day. Long after Lady Beatrice 
 had grown to womanhood, and had taken her place in the 
 great world of which they knew nothing, youths and 
 maidens related incidents of that glad time, 
 
 '4
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 15 
 
 Rossini remembered it, too, only in a different way. 
 He never spoke of it, and no one troubled about him. 
 Why should they? Who would trouble about "Zinney 
 Vearn ? " But few noticed his absence from the festive 
 scene, and those who did only laughed at the strange 
 figure which he had cut 
 
 Nevertheless, that June day formed an epoch in his 
 life. For the first time he realised that there was a 
 world of which he knew nothing. Instinctively he felt 
 that there were forces in life unrealised by him that 
 there was a great world, far away, and different from 
 that in which he lived and moved and had his being. 
 
 In a way he did not resent the treatment he had 
 received. He had been accustomed to it from his 
 earliest childhood ; all the same, this new vision of life 
 had caused him to take the vow to which I have re- 
 ferred She, Lady Beatrice, beautiful as an angel, pos- 
 sessor of unknown wealth, and living in an enchanted 
 land, had shrunk back from him as though he were a 
 reptile. This was what haunted him, and he brooded 
 over it through the long summer day, heeding not the 
 pangs of hunger nor the loneliness of his life. 
 
 When he got back to his hut at Maji-pies, he took 
 off his new clothes, and put them in a box not care- 
 fully, but angrily, as though he hated them. 
 
 " I'll never wear 'em again," he said, " never, never 
 that is, until " But he did not finish the sentence. 
 
 After having put on his old, torn clothes, he seemed 
 to feel better. He ate his supper, and then sat down on 
 a low stool and began to brood again. Evidently, how- 
 ever, his mind refused to do the bidding of his will, for he 
 cried out passionately : " I doan't zee 'ow I c'n do et" 
 
 After this he went to a cupboard and took therefrom
 
 16 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 his fiddle. This he played hour after hour. He knew 
 nothing of the technique of music; nevertheless, the 
 sounds he brought forth from it were wonderful At 
 first they were wild and turbulent. They suggested the 
 blackness of night and the anger of storm. But pre- 
 sently his passion died out Untutored as he was, he 
 made the instrument tell of babbling brooks and singing 
 birds. One could fancy the summer wind playing with 
 the flowers, or the dew falling on new-mown hay. 
 
 A strange new light came into his eyes, too. It was 
 evident that his sluggish brain had been quickened, that 
 the new force which had come into his life had in some 
 way aroused dormant faculties. 
 
 "Tha's ev et," he said at length; "tha's what the 
 Cheap Jack zed at hes show in Zummercourt Fair. 
 ' Knowledge is power,' he zed. 'Tis true, and I doan't 
 knaw nothin'. No/nothin' t'oal." 
 
 He went out into the night. Above, the moon sailed 
 in a cloudless sky. Pale streaks of light reached him 
 through the leafy branches of the trees. Away in the 
 far distance were the woods which surrounded Pen- 
 withen Hall, near him the river murmured its way down 
 the valley. The scene he saw looked like fairyland. 
 Leaves and grass and flowers glistened in the pale light 
 of the moon. The summer wind made music as it sighed 
 its way across hill and dale. 
 
 " No, I doan't knaw nothin' t'oal," he repeated ; " but 
 I will I will- 
 He -went into the hut again and then lay down on 
 his bed of dried ferns. It was the only bed he knew 
 of, and at that time he wanted nothing better. Ere long 
 he fell asleep, to dream wondrous dreams of the coming 
 time.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 17 
 
 "Well, Zinney," said Charlie Sloggett, the owner of 
 tne wonderful necktie, and servant on the farm where 
 Rossini worked, " you ded'n git a maid yesterday ? " 
 
 This was on the day following Lady Beatrice's birth- 
 day. 
 
 "No." 
 
 "I ded. She's 'ousemaid up to Passon Childs'. 
 Nancy es goin' to ax 'er missis to laive me come to zee 
 'er every Tuesday night, and to taake 'er 'ome from 
 church every Sunday." 
 
 " What about the Passon ? " asked Rossini. " Will 
 'e likeet?" 
 
 " Oa, 'e waan't care ; 'e's allays weth hes books." 
 
 " Books ? " said Rossini, looking at Charlie with great 
 eagerness. 
 
 " Iss. Ded'n 'ee knaw ? Passon Childs do write 
 books. 'E do knaw French and all they furrin lan- 
 guages." 
 
 " What do 'ee main ? " asked Rossini 
 
 " Why, doan't 'ee knaw ? " said Charlie. " Ower in 
 France they do talk another language. How the children 
 d' git on I caan't maake out, not knawin' a word of 
 English" 
 
 Rossini was silent a minute; then he nodded his 
 head. 
 
 " Iss ; Passon Childs do knaw more than anybody fer 
 miles round," went on Charlie, " altho' I d' hear that the 
 new minister what 'ave come to Polgooth Independent 
 Chapel do knaw so much as Passon Childs ; but I doan't 
 believe et. Nancy do zay zo, too." 
 
 " 'Ave 'ee ever spoke to Passon Childs ? " asked 
 Rossini 
 
 "No. 'E's ter'ble proud, Passon es, ter'ble. 'E's a
 
 i8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 great gen'leman, you knaw nearly as big a gen'leman 
 as Loard Penwithen. No ; 'e wudden spaik to me." 
 
 "Ah!" said Rossini. 
 
 After that Charlie related his experiences during the 
 previous day, laying great stress upon his " cutting out " 
 another youth who had been courting Nancy Penvean, 
 the housemaid at the Rectory. But Rossini paid but 
 little heed to him. He hoed row after row of turnips 
 without speaking. Now and then he stopped, and seemed 
 to be thinking, and then went on with his work again. 
 
 When his day's work was over, Rossini started for 
 Polgooth. On his way he passed Penwithen Rectory 
 and looked at it longingly. He stopped at the gate, and 
 seemed on the point of going in ; but just then a horse 
 and phaeton came up. A stately gentleman in clerical 
 attire got out and looked at Rossini, who stood staring 
 at him. 
 
 " Well, my lad, what do you want ? " he asked. 
 
 " Nothin'," replied Rossini, and walked on. 
 
 " No, 'tcs no use axin' *e," mused Rossini ; " besides, I 
 doan't want nobody to knaw." 
 
 Polgooth was more than three miles away, but he 
 heeded not the distance. No thought of tiredness came 
 to him. . As he crossed Dougas Downs on his way thither, 
 he stood and gazed around him. A look of utter des- 
 pair came into his eyes, and he burst out sobbing. 
 
 " I caan't do et," he sobbed ; " I bean't no use t'oal." 
 
 But he mastered himself presently and trudged on. 
 As he came to Polgooth village he stopped. 
 
 " How can I vind un, I wonder ? " he said, and 
 looked helplessly around him. "That do look like a 
 chapel ; p'raps that be et." 
 
 He hurried forward until he came to a fairly large
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 19 
 
 building. On the notice-board were written the words: 
 " Independent Chapel." Following this, the hours of 
 service were set down, and then, at the bottom of the 
 board, the name and address of the minister. 
 
 " Rev. Hugh Kenwood, M.A., The Lilacs," he read. 
 " ' Hugh Kenwood.' Iss, it do zound oal right ; but what 
 do they letters at the end of 'is name main ? ' M.A.' 
 that might main middle-aged, but then I shudden think 
 'e'd any need to 'ave that prented." 
 
 There was a kind of fascination in the name to 
 Rossini He tried to imagine what kind of a man he 
 was. He thought of him as the man who preached at 
 the chapel, and although he knew nothing about chapels, 
 he had a vague idea that such a man must be very grave 
 and very wise. He fancied, moreover, that he must be 
 middle-aged not pompous and dignified like Parson 
 Childs, but a man of severe countenance and iron-grey 
 hair. 
 
 His heart failed him as he came to this conclusion. 
 How could he go to such a man and tell him what 
 was in his heart ? No, no ; he must think of some other 
 way. And yet to whom could he go ? He was afraid of 
 the Penwithen schoolmaster. He had known of boys 
 who dreaded to go to school and had often played the 
 truant because of the master's love for the use of the 
 cane. Moreover, the stories he had heard about him 
 drove away all possibility of seeking his help. Either 
 he must seek help from the Rev. Hugh Henwood, M.A, 
 or he must fail in the vow he had made. 
 
 "After oal, 'e caan't 'urt me," he decided at last, 
 " and 'e caan't more than order me off 'ome. I'll go." 
 
 He had no difficulty in finding The Lilacs, for Pol- 
 gooth was only a village of a few hundred inhabitants,
 
 20 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 and ere long he stood before a comfortable-looking 
 house which stood in a garden that was ablaze with 
 flowers. 
 
 His knees trembled as he knocked at the door, and 
 his heart beat so loudly that he was afraid he would be 
 unable to speak. He expected Mr. Henwood to appear 
 in person, and, in spite of his fears, he was disappointed 
 when a middle-aged and somewhat sour-faced woman 
 appeared at the door. 
 
 " What do 'ee want?" 
 
 " Es this the Independent praicher's 'ouse ? " asked 
 Rossini. 
 
 " Iss ; but 'e ed'n in. What do 'ee want ? " 
 
 " I want to zee un." 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 Rossini hesitated a second. 
 
 "Shaan't tell 'ee. Ted'n your bisness." 
 
 " Go 'way," said the woman. " Mr. Henwood doan't 
 want no tramps nor beggars." 
 
 "I bean't a tramp. I bean't a beggar," replied 
 Rossini. 
 
 " Well, 'e ed'n in. Go 'way, or I shall call the police." 
 
 " Who be you ? " asked Rossini, doggedly. 
 
 " Never mind who I be. Mr. Henwood ed'n in." 
 
 "When will 'e be in?" 
 
 " Shaan't tell'ee. Go 'way." 
 
 " You waan't tell me when 'e'll be in ? * 
 
 " No ; and ef you bean't gone to wance, 111 fetch 
 the police." 
 
 Rossini laughed quietly. "I did zee Blewitt on 
 Dougas Downs," he said ; " 'e was on his way to Leven- 
 water." 
 
 " Go 'way, I tell 'ee."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 21 
 
 "IshaanV 
 
 The woman looked at him angrily. 
 
 " Ef you waan't tell me when 'e'll be in," continued 
 Rossini, "I'll zet down 'ere in the gard'n an' wait till 'e 
 do cum." 
 
 "Go 'way, I tell 'ee," said the woman in a louder 
 voice, but at that moment both caught the sound of the 
 click of the garden gate. 
 
 " What's the matter, Mrs. Rosecarrow ? " 
 
 "This 'ere tramp do zay 'e waan't go 'way till 'e've 
 zeed you, Mr. Kenwood." 
 
 "I bean't no tramp," said Rossini, looking up into 
 the face of the new-comer. 
 
 His heart beat light as he saw him. Here was no 
 severe, middle-aged man, but a young man only a few 
 years older than himself a young man with bright, 
 laughing eyes, clean-shaven cheeks, and a well-shaped 
 head covered with crisp, brown hair. His light, springy 
 step, his cheery voice, and his merry eyes drove away the 
 fear in Rossini's heart 
 
 "I bean't no tramp," he repeated. 
 
 " Well, you want to see me ? " 
 
 " Ef you be the Rev. Hugh Kenwood, M.A., I do," 
 said Rossini slowly. 
 
 "Well, I am," said the young man, with a laugh. 
 " Now, what do you want ? " 
 
 "Tell she to go 'way," said Rossini, nodding to Mrs. 
 Rosecarrow, " an' I will" 
 
 " Ef ever I did 'ear sich imperance ! " remarked that 
 lady, but she did not move an inch. 
 
 The young minister understood the situation at a 
 glance. The youth had something to tell hirp, and his 
 housekeeper determined to know what it was.
 
 22 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Come into my study," said Mr. Henwood, turning 
 to the lad. 
 
 " What ! will 'ee taake that great, hulkin' good-fer- 
 nothin' into yer study, Mr. Henwood ? Surely you never 
 will I clamed et only to-day." 
 
 "I be so clain as you be," retorted Rossini. a l 
 baaved in the river only yesterday." 
 
 There was something in the boy's eyes which ap- 
 pealed to Mr. Henwood, and he determined to have his 
 way. Besides, he found that the time had come for him 
 to assert his rights. He had come to Polgooth only three 
 months before, and had engaged Mrs. Rosecarrow as his 
 housekeeper immediately after his arrival. That lady 
 had not been in the house a week before it was evident 
 that she determined to take entire charge, not only of 
 the young minister's domestic arrangements, but of the 
 young minister himself. She took it upon herself to 
 tell him what time he ought to rise in the morning, and 
 what time he should go to bed at night She also re- 
 garded it as part of her duty to decide what callers Mr. 
 Henwood should receive. 
 
 "I bean't goin* to taake such trouble to kip the 
 plaace like a new pin, ef sich as he c'n come in and 
 make et bais'ly," she remarked testily, still standing in 
 the doorway. 
 
 " Then I must get someone else who will, Mrs. Rose- 
 carrow," said the young man, with a laugh. "Will you 
 come this way ? " he said, turning to Rossini 
 
 Perhaps Mr. Henwood might not have been so set 
 upon getting Rossini into the house but for his deter- 
 mination to let his housekeeper see once and for all 
 that he intended to be master in his own house. As it 
 was, he led the way into the passage, while Mrs. Rose-
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 23 
 
 carrow made room for them, scarce knowing what she 
 was doing. 
 
 The sun was scarcely set, and the light was yet 
 bright in the young minister's study. Rossini gazed 
 around him in wonder. Two of the walls of the little 
 room were fairly covered with books. As ministers' 
 libraries go, it was not large, for Mr. Henwood was a 
 young man, and so had not amassed a large number of 
 books ; but to the boy it was very wonderful 
 
 " Will you sit down ? " 
 
 He said this with hesitation, for Rossini's clothes 
 were very ragged and not over-clean. 
 
 The lad sat down. 
 
 " Now tell me what you want." 
 
 " I'm tould you be a great schullard." 
 
 The young man laughed. " Well, what then ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " I want to learn things." 
 
 " What things ? " 
 
 " Things what'll give me power." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 "I once 'card a Cheap Jack at Zummercourt Fair 
 say that knowledge was power. I want knowledge." 
 
 There was a grim strength in the boy's voice that 
 interested Hugh Henwood. He looked at him again. 
 His clothes were poor and ragged, and he spoke likJ 
 one ignorant and uncared for. Still, there was strength 
 in his face, there was something out of the ordinary 
 in his great, black eyes. His head was large and well- 
 shaped. 
 
 " How much do you know now ? " 
 
 " Nothin' t'oal." 
 
 '* Not how to read and write ? "
 
 24 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "To read, but not to write." 
 
 " And yet you want to learn now ? x ' 
 
 Rossini nodded 
 
 " How old are you ? " 
 
 "Nineteen." 
 
 "And yet you do not know how to write? When 
 did this desire for knowledge come to you ? " 
 
 " Last night." 
 
 "Last night! Why?" 
 
 " I doan't want to tell 'ee that Besides, that woman 
 is hearkenin' at the door." 
 
 " Oh, you lyin' good-for-nothin' ! " remarked Mrs. 
 Rosecarrow, from the passage. 
 
 Hugh Henwood laughed. He was becoming more 
 and more interested. The lad might be dressed like a 
 tramp, but he was sure he was not one. 
 
 " Where have you come from ? " 
 
 " The other side of Penwithen." 
 
 " That's a good walk 'between three and four miles. 
 You must be hungry. Are you ? " 
 
 " I ain't 'ad nothin' to ait since twelve o'clock. I 
 doan't want nothin' ! " 
 
 " Oh, yes you do." Hugh Henwood opened the door 
 and went into the passage where Mrs. Rosecarrow 
 stood. 
 
 "Will you please bring in some supper, Mrs. Rose- 
 carrow ? " he said. " I will have the chicken and ham 
 that was left from lunch. I wish plates for two and coffee 
 for two. After you have brought the things in, I shall 
 not need you any more, so you can go to bed when you 
 like. There will not be the slightest need for you to 
 wait in the passage." 
 
 "What do 'ee main?"
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 25 
 
 " Just what I say," he said, with a smile. " Be as 
 quick as you can with the supper." 
 
 Mrs. Rosecarrow did as she was told. She realised 
 for the first time that her position as housekeeper was 
 not so secure as she had thought. She discovered, 
 moreover, that, in spite of Mr. Kenwood's pleasant ways, 
 he must be obeyed. 
 
 "Now then," said Hugh, when he returned, "you 
 have not told me your name yet." 
 
 Rossini told him, and as one thing led to another, 
 before Mrs. Rosecarrow appeared with the supper the 
 lad had related to him the incidents of his early life. 
 
 " There," said Mrs. Rosecarrow, as she finished laying 
 the table, "there's your supper, sir." 
 
 " Thank you," said Hugh, with a smile. 
 
 Mrs. Rosecarrow determined to strike another blow 
 for victory. 
 
 " I thought, sir, when, on account of my husband's 
 death, I was forced to taake a place, that you, bein' 
 a minister, would be a gentleman." 
 
 "Yes," said Hugh, with a smile. 
 
 " I've been a member of the Independent Chapel 
 for 'ears," went on the irate housekeeper. " You be a 
 young man, and can aisy lose the good opinion people 
 'ave of 'ee ; so ef you'll taake a bit of advice fram wann 
 who was a member of the Independent Chapel afore 
 anybody knawed anything about you, I should say, 
 taake care of the comp'ny you kip." 
 
 " Thank you, Mrs. Rosecarrow," replied Hugh ; " but 
 as I did not engage you as my adviser, but as my house- 
 keeper, will you kindly keep to your duties ? Moreover, 
 will you please remember that I have a fatal objection 
 to my housekeeper remaining in the passage ? "
 
 26 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " I c'n stand a graft dail," remarked Mrs. Rosecarrow, 
 "but " 
 
 " You can't stand me, eh ? Well, I think a month's 
 notice was the time you mentioned. Very well, Mrs. 
 Dain will be glad to look after me when you are obliged 
 to leave. Shall I take the notice from to-night or to- 
 morrow? Please think about it. Good-night; I want 
 to be alone now." 
 
 Mrs. Rosecarrow left the room only partly van- 
 quished. " Who'd 'a' thought he'd be sa stubborn ? " she 
 said when she entered her kitchen. " To-morrow I'll ax 
 un, with tears in my eyes, ef that's the way a minister 
 of the Gospel shud trait a widda. Ef that waan't conquer 
 'im, I sh'll have to give in, for I'm 'termined that Sarah 
 Dain shaan't come 'ere. I wonder ef I durst hearken 
 at the door ? " But remembering the look in the young 
 minister's eyes, she remained where she was. 
 
 Meanwhile Hugh and Rossini went on with their con- 
 versation. 
 
 "You do not wish to tell me why you determined 
 to obtain knowledge." 
 
 "No," replied Rossini slowly. "No, I shaan't tell 
 nobody that, but I want to knaw things. Knowledge 
 is power." 
 
 " Do you think you can learn ? " 
 
 The lad's eyes flashed brightly. " Iss," he said 
 slowly ; " I can do anything I set my mind to." 
 
 " But supposing I were to do what you ask ? That 
 is, suppose I were to teach you " 
 
 " All you d' know," broke in Rossini. 
 
 " Yes, well, all I know what then ? " 
 
 " Then," said Rossini slowly " but look 'ere. Laast 
 winter we 'ad the thrashin'-machine, and it got into the
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 27 
 
 wrong plaace. The men halved and halved, and cudden 
 move un, for et was tons weight. Then a man what 
 knawed, put a thing called a screw-jack under the axle, 
 and in a minute 'e'd got un in the right plaace. Well, 
 things be like that great thrashin'-machine. I can't 
 move 'em. But ef I do knaw then I shall 'ave the 
 screw-jack." 
 
 The young minister saw he possessed the elements 
 of thinking. After all, the massive head, untutored 
 though the lad was, meant something. 
 
 " But having the screw-jack, what would you do 
 with the threshing-machine ? " he said. 
 
 " I caan't tell 'ee that," said Rossini. 
 
 " Look here," said Hugh Kenwood presently. " I'll 
 give you a trial I'm going to set you some lessons 
 hard ones real hard ones. You must come to me in a 
 week's time, and then I shall know whether it will be 
 worth while for me to trouble any more about you." 
 
 An hour later, the lad was walking across Dougas 
 Downs with a parcel of books under his arm. 
 
 " I'll learn every bit of 'em, every bit iss, and more 
 than 'e've told me by this day week," he said grimly.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE VISION OF A NEW WORLD. 
 
 THERE could be no doubt about it, Rossini was aroused. 
 Thoughts to which he had been a stranger filled his 
 mind. Feelings which he had never experienced before 
 possessed him. Already the world was bigger. His con- 
 versation with Hugh Kenwood had enlarged his horizon. 
 He could not tell why, but his conversation with an 
 educated man made life different. For the first time, 
 the lad felt, although in a very indistinct way, that two 
 people might live in the same parish, and yet be in 
 different worlds that life depended upon what a man 
 was, rather than where he lived. He thought of those 
 rows of books with wonder ; he tried to fancy the great 
 college in the university town, where the minister had 
 gained his learning. 
 
 " Knowledge is power," he repeated again and again. 
 " Everybody have laughed at me ; but I'll let 'em knaw.' : 
 
 He stopped in the road and seemed in deep thought. 
 
 " What's that I've 'eerd ? " he said presently. " 'Twdn' 
 the Cheap Jack that zed et, but I'm sure I've 'eerd et. 
 'Twas summin' about a still tongue and a wise 'cad. 
 T,ev me zee, now." 
 
 But at that moment his thoughts were interrupted by 
 the sound of a human voice. At first, Rossini thought 
 that some men were quarrelling, for he heard loud and 
 angry words. He noticed, however, that only one voice 
 
 28
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 29 
 
 broke the stillness of the night, and on looking he saw 
 only one figure, standing out clearly on the waste land. 
 As the figure drew nearer, the voice became clearer ; 
 moreover, it rose higher and became more angry. Oaths 
 and curses, wild denunciations and terrible threatenings 
 followed one another in quick succession. He saw that 
 the figure waved its arms, as though in a mad fury, and 
 stamped savagely on the road. 
 
 "Who can et be?" thought Rossini. "T must be 
 zomebody from Bodmin 'sylum." 
 
 But as only one man appeared, he was not afraid, 
 and he waited quietly for him to come up. 
 
 Suddenly the voice ceased Evidently the man had 
 seen him. 
 
 " Who be you ? " said the voice presently. 
 
 " Who be you ? " retorted Rossini. 
 
 " Oa, tes you, Zinney ! I be ter'ble glad" 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " I was 'fraid 'twas zomebody that wud go gabbin' 
 bout me. Ded 'ee 'ear me, Zinney ? " 
 
 " Oa, tes you, Siah Yelland Iss, I 'eerd 'ee." 
 
 "Zinney, let me tell 'ee summin'. I've bin tryin' 
 an experiment" 
 
 "What?" asked Rossini. 
 
 **I was curious to knaw what my tongue wud zay 
 ef I was to laive un go. I knawed what a ter'ble chap 
 fer gab 'e was, but I zed : ' There, now, tongue, aay 
 all you can zay/ " 
 
 "Well?" asked Rossini. 
 
 "Well, as I was comin' cross Dougas Downs, and 
 there be no houses here, I just let my tongue go. 
 You 'eerd me." 
 
 Rossini nodded
 
 30 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " I sh'll never do et again. I was fair shamed, I 
 was for sure. The things my ould tongue ded zay! 
 Iss, I was fair shamed. I had to stop un. The 
 things was too ter'ble." 
 
 Rossini laughed quietly. 
 
 "Take a word of advice from me, Zinney," con- 
 tinued Josiah. " Never laive yer tongue go ; there's 
 no knawin' what he'll zay. Kip un in check. I tell 
 'ee I be fair shamed of mine." 
 
 " I'll remember," said the youth. 
 
 " ' A still tongue makes a wise head ' remember 
 that," went on Josiah, who was noted as the most 
 fluent talker in the parish. 
 
 The boy would have made a remark not very 
 complimentary to his companion, but for the fact that 
 he had just uttered the proverb which he had been 
 trying to remember. 
 
 "Rossini," went on Josiah, "you'll never tell no- 
 body what you've 'eerd my ould tongue zay ? " 
 
 " People would purtly laugh," replied the youth. 
 
 " Iss, iss, I do knaw et Tha's why I doan't want 
 'ee to zay nothin'. Doan't 'ee, now, doan't 'ee." 
 
 " I doan't zee why," remarked Rossini. 
 
 " Ef you do " said Josiah, savagely, and he 
 
 lifted his hand; but here he stopped. He was but a 
 little man, who earned a living by odd jobs of paint- 
 ing and cobbling, and felt instinctively that he was no 
 match for the large-boned youth who stood before him. 
 
 " Zinney," he continued, " I've 'eerd that you be 
 fond of the fiddle, and that you do play yer father's. 
 Look 'ere, ef you'll promise not to tell, I'll taich 'ee 
 the fiddle. I'll taich 'ee the notes. I'll taich 'ee to 
 play so that you can earn a livin' by fiddlin'."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 31 
 
 The boy's heart beat with joy. Although Josiah 
 Yelland was nearly as much of a wastrel as himself, 
 and was regarded as fair sport for everyone in the 
 parish, he could play the fiddle divinely. It was the 
 one thing Rossini had envied in him, for he loved his 
 fiddle. 
 
 " How many times will 'ee come a week ? " 
 
 " What ! ovver to Maji-pies ? " 
 
 " Iss." 
 
 "You've never seed Granfer Flew's ghoast, 'ave 
 'ee?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Ef I do come, you'll always come back with me 
 to Trewalzick Gate, waan't 'ee ? " 
 
 " Iss." 
 
 " Then I'll come twice a week but you'll 'ave to 
 give me my supper." 
 
 "Oal right." 
 
 " Then that's settled When shall we begin ? " 
 
 "A week to-morrow night," replied Rossini, after 
 a moment's hesitation. 
 
 "Tha's right, then. Never laive yer tongue go, 
 Zinney. You'll be shamed ov un ef you do. ' A still 
 tongue makes a wise head.' " 
 
 The little man turned into a path which led to 
 Five Lanes, where he lived, while Rossini trudged 
 quietly back to his hut in the woods. 
 
 " Knowledge is power," he said as he walked. " I 
 doan't zee what the knowledge of music will do for 
 me. But I do mind what the young praicher zed: 
 ' No knowledge comes amiss.' Besides, I do love the 
 fiddle. But I waan't zay nothin' to nobody. 'A still 
 tongue makes a wise head ! ' "
 
 32 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 When Rossini reached his hut that night, he lit a 
 candle, and then turned to the books and the papers 
 which the young minister had given him. He worked 
 away at them for an hour or two, and then he laughed, 
 
 "I c'n^do 'em aisy," he said. " Iss, and I'll do 'em 
 so well that when I do go to zee Master Kenwood 
 next week, he'll begin to taich me French." 
 
 He stopped a minute and he considered. 
 
 " He zed there was a God above," he said slowly, 
 "and that I must ax He to 'elp me." His eyes grew 
 large with wonder. " God," he said quietly " He 
 made the sun and the stars and the say and things. 
 He can't waste Hes time ovver me, but I'll ax Him to 
 bless Maaster Kenwood." So he knelt down. " Great 
 God," he said, "You that made everything and can do 
 anything, plaise to give Maaster Henwood anything 
 he d' ax for." 
 
 After that Rossini went to bed. 
 
 During the rest of the week, Josiah Liddicoat re- 
 marked that Z'inney Vearn was funnier than ever. 
 "He do mumble to hisself like a dog dreamin'," he 
 said to Charlie Sloggett, of necktie fame ; " but ef you 
 do ax un anything, he doan't seem to 'ear 'ee." 
 
 " He waan't say nothin' to me, neither," remarked 
 Charlie ; " but while we was 'awin' turnouts yesterday, 
 I 'eerd un zayin' : ' William the Conqueror corned 
 ovver in 1066,' and ' the Spanish Armada corned in 
 1575.' What et do main I doan't knaw. 'E must be 
 goin' maazed." 
 
 " 'E edn' sich a fool as he d' look," remarked Josiah 
 Liddicoat, the farmer, sententiously. 
 
 The truth was that Rossini was up each morning 
 at four o'clock, and worked at his lessons until seven.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 33 
 
 After he had finished his day's work at half-past five, 
 he betook himself to his books again, and worked at 
 them until far into the night. Throughout the day 
 he kept on repeating to himself what he had learnt 
 during the mornings and evenings. 
 
 His power of memory was prodigious. No sooner 
 had he read anything than he knew it; and when a 
 fact was once in his mind, it seemed as though it were 
 written on tablets of brass. His mind, which had for 
 such a long time lain dormant, now sprang into un- 
 usual activity. He seemed to know nothing of weari- 
 ness, and no sort of knowledge seemed to come amiss 
 to him. History, geography, arithmetic, his mind 
 fastened upon each with the same eagerness, and be- 
 fore the end of the week came he had learnt all the 
 lessons Mr. Kenwood had set him, and a great many 
 more. But he spoke to no one concerning what he 
 was doing, although more than once he laughed 
 quietly at the thought of what Mr. Kenwood would 
 say when he appeared before him. 
 
 When he came to Polgooth the second time, Mr. 
 Kenwood expected him, while the housekeeper ad- 
 mitted him without a word. He still wore his old 
 clothes. He had been on the point of putting on 
 those he had worn on Lady Beatrice's birthday ; but 
 when he looked at them, he threw them aside in 
 anger. " I'll go to St. Austell and git some new 
 wauns as soon as I've got enough money," he said ; 
 
 "but I'll never wear they again till " And then 
 
 he relapsed into gloomy silence. 
 
 Hugh Henwood had looked forward to Rossini's 
 coming. He thought much about the wild-eyed lad 
 through the week, and wondered what was in hir,
 
 34 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 mind. " He may be but a dullard and a wastrel, after 
 all," he said to himself. Nevertheless, he did not be- 
 lieve himself to be mistaken in his estimate of the 
 youth's character. 
 
 " Well, you've come ? " remarked the young 
 minister, as he appeared at the door. 
 
 Rossini nodded. 
 
 " That's right. I'll have a cup of tea brought in ; 
 and after that I'll see how you've learnt what I told 
 you." 
 
 " No," replied Rossini, " I doan't want no tay. I 
 want to zay what I've larned. You didn't b'lieve I 
 cud do what you towld me. Now hearken." 
 
 "All right," said Hugh Kenwood. "See, I've pre- 
 pared a list of questions on the tasks I set you. Mind, 
 I shall be a very strict teacher." 
 
 " Go on,'' said Rossini ; " ax me oal you mind to." 
 
 Half an hour later Hugh Henwood sat back in his 
 study chair amazed. The lad's mind, unprepared for 
 learning as it was, had absorbed knowledge like a 
 sponge absorbs water. Of course, the lessons he had 
 set him were elementary and superficial, but the boy 
 had already gone deeper ; his mind had been seeking 
 for principles. He had not only learned facts ; he 
 had been seeking a reason for those facts. 
 
 " Be 'ee vexed weth me ? " said Rossini, noticing 
 the look on the young minister's face. 
 
 "Vexed! Why should I be vexed?" 
 
 "'Cause I ain't larned more." Although the lad 
 had been pleased with himself on his way thither, his 
 knowledge seemed as nothing now he stood in the 
 presence of one who knew so much. 
 
 A Learned more ! " said Hugh Henwood, with a
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 35 
 
 laugh. "The miracle to me is how you have learned 
 so much." 
 
 "I've plaised 'ee, then?" 
 
 "Pleased me! I've been thinking what you can 
 know at the end of a year if you continue to learn 
 at such a rate." 
 
 " I will, I will ! " said Rossini eagerly, breaking 
 through the reserve he had determined to maintain. 
 "I'll work 'arder, I'll larn more I will, I will!" 
 
 His black eyes burned red, his nostrils dilated. 
 
 ''Well, we'll see," said Hugh, becoming more 
 guarded. " Now that I can see what you are able to 
 do, I must arrange for some method in your learning. 
 We must begin from the beginning, and lay a good 
 foundation." 
 
 " I do zee what you do main," replied the boy. 
 "When we ded buld a new barn, we 'ad to zee that 
 the foundations was all right. Ef we 'adn', the plaace 
 wud 'a' tumbled down." 
 
 " Exactly," replied the minister. He looked again 
 at the ungainly, ragged youth and wondered Here 
 was a strong nature newly born, a great mind just 
 sprung into life. What had caused the change? He 
 opened his mouth to ask him, but refrained. No ; if 
 the lad had a secret, let him keep it Perhaps the 
 time would come when a deeper and greater life would 
 be born, and then he would tell him. At present, 
 however, the lad's reserve should be respected Still, 
 there were certain things he must say. 
 
 "You want to be a gentleman, Rossini?" he said 
 presently. 
 
 " A gentleman ! 'Ow can I be ? I ain't got no 
 money."
 
 36 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Then Hugh Kenwood uttered some very common- 
 place truths, which, however, gave new thoughts to his 
 listener. He told him what a gentleman was. He 
 pictured him as kind and courteous and considerate 
 one who was gentle in deed and pure in heart. Hugh 
 Henwood was a lover of Chaucer, and he pictured 
 such a knight as the old poet would have pictured had 
 he lived in these modern days. 
 
 "You do main," said Rossini at length, "that I 
 doan't talk fitty nor look fitty." 
 
 I need not relate what Hugh Henwood said. 
 Enough that he opened the lad's mind to a new vision 
 of life. 
 
 That night, as Rossini again tramped across 
 Dougas Downs, he thought of all he had heard. Read- 
 ing, writing, arithmetic, history, geography, grammar, 
 were not everything; even those foreign languages of 
 which Mr. Henwood had spoken were not enough. 
 There was something else. He knew now that it was 
 not the young ministers knowledge that made him 
 different from the men who worked with him on the 
 farm. There was that indefinable something which 
 he could not put into words. That also was why the 
 sight of Lady Beatrice made him think of another 
 world than that in which he lived. It was not be- 
 cause of what she knew ; it was because of what she 
 was. 
 
 Not that this was very real to Rossini ; rather it 
 was all a long way off. Nevertheless, these new 
 forces had touched his life, even while he determined 
 to devote his whole strength to the amassing of know- 
 ledge rather than to those other things which he but 
 dimly comprehended
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 37 
 
 " I made un gla.ze (stare) at what I lamed," he 
 laughed ; " but lev un wait a bit. Laive me 'ave a 
 chance. I'll laive un knaw." 
 
 He was as good as his word. His strides in know- 
 ledge were simply prodigious. Each week as he pre- 
 sented himself at the study of the young minister, the 
 man who had obtained an honourable place in his 
 college was amazed at the amount of knowledge 
 Rossini absorbed. As the weeks passed by, more- 
 over, he grew more and more interested in him. He 
 was no common farm lad. The young minister realised 
 that if his rugged and uncouth but powerful mind 
 were trained and developed, he could leave an impress 
 on the life of his age. It was true that the obscure 
 part of Cornwall in which he lived offered him but 
 little opportunity for the development of his powers ; 
 but he was young, and the great world was before 
 him. 
 
 As the months went on, however, Hugh Kenwood 
 saw that the bent of Rossini's mind tended in a 
 direction which was to him a sealed book. The young 
 minister was a lover of the arts rather than of the 
 sciences. The poetry of Homer he rejoiced in with 
 a great joy; but in the realm of mechanics he was 
 utterly at sea. He could never be a wrangler because 
 he had no love for mathematics. While his pupil re- 
 mained in the world of history, literature, and lan- 
 guage, he was able to help him and inspire him ; but 
 as one subject led to another, and he found that 
 Rossini revealed a love for mechanics, he felt himself 
 to be but a poor teacher. 
 
 Rossini saw this, too, and while he did not neglect 
 the studies which the young minister loved, he knew
 
 3 6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 that if he was to make advances in those subjects 
 which fascinated him, he must go to another teacher 
 than Hugh Kenwood. 
 
 After he had been paying his weekly visit to Pol- 
 gooth for about nine months, the boy, while on a visit 
 to St. Austell in order to get some new clothes, en- 
 tered the market-house, where he saw a second-hand 
 bookstall Eagerly he read the titles of the few 
 books which were placed on the stall He was about 
 to turn away, when his eyes fell upon a volume the 
 title of which had been erased from the cover. On 
 opening it, he read the words : " Engineering for 
 Beginners." He was about to ask the bookseller how 
 much he would sell it for, when he saw the price on 
 the fly-le.af. It was ninepence, and then Rossini re- 
 flected that after paying for the clothes, for which he 
 had been so long saving, he possessed only sixpence 
 in the world. 
 
 He threw down the book with a look of despair on 
 his face. 
 
 " That book isn't in your line, I expect," said the 
 bookseller. 
 
 " Why do 'ee think so ? " said Rossini 
 
 " Because you threw it down as though you were 
 vexed But look here, I've got some fine story books. 
 Here are some of Sir Walter Scott's that I can sell 
 for threepence each." 
 
 The boy shook his head. " I read some of they," 
 he said. 
 
 "Read Sir Walter Scott?" 
 
 Rossini nodded, " I don't think so much of them," 
 he remarked. 
 
 "Why?" asked the bookseller.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 39 
 
 " They don't lead nowhere," replied Rossini. 
 " They make you forget everything else for a time. 
 They make you feel as though you were one of those 
 old men who wore iron round their body and carried 
 a sword. But when you've finished, you find you are 
 not. You've jist got your work to do, and you don't 
 know any better how to do it." 
 
 The bookseller opened his eyes with wonder at 
 this unusually long speech of what he took for some 
 wagoner's boy who had found his way to town. It is 
 true he spoke in the dialect of the county, although 
 not so strongly as when he had first visited Hugh 
 Kenwood ; but his words showed that he was no 
 common country lout. 
 
 " And you want to get somewhere ? " remarked the 
 bookseller. 
 
 Rossini was silent. 
 
 " That book you've thrown down leads some- 
 where," he went OIL 
 
 " Perhaps," replied Rossini 
 
 " Then why don't you buy it ? " 
 
 "Too much money." 
 
 "What! ninepence too much? Lots of people 
 spend as much as that in tobacco every week." 
 
 " I never do." 
 
 "What would you do with this book if you got 
 it?" 
 
 He picked up the book again and turned over the 
 leaves. He glanced at the diagrams, the definitions, 
 and the explanations. 
 
 "What would I do with it?" 
 
 "Yes. That is a book which tells about engineer- 
 ing how the idea grew. It also gives sketches of
 
 40 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 the lives of great engineers. Without knowing the 
 things which are explained there, we could not have 
 railways or steamships or machinery. What would 
 you do with it ? " 
 
 " I'd larn every word of et in a week," he said 
 savagely. " I'd git to knaw the mainin' of they hard 
 words and they pickshers. I tell 'ee oal that's in that 
 book should be mine, in my 'ead here. I would know 
 et oal, oal ! " 
 
 He forgot himself as he spoke, and unconsciously 
 relapsed into the Cornish dialect, from which he had 
 been breaking himself little by little. He spoke 
 rather to himself than to the bookseller, else he would 
 not have poured forth what was in his heart 
 
 " Ninepence isn't much." 
 
 " I've only got sixpence." 
 
 " Have you been out of work ? " 
 
 He shook his head. 
 
 " Then how have you spent your money ? " 
 
 Rossini was silent. 
 
 "Here, I'll give you the book for nothing," said 
 the bookseller. 
 
 "No," replied the boy. "Look 'ere, would you 
 lose money ef you took sixpence ? " 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "'Cos 'tis oal I've got. Ef you like to take six- 
 pence, I'll buy it; but not ef 't cost 'ee more'n that." 
 
 "Here, take the book," said the bookseller. 
 
 " You waan't be chatin' yerself ? " 
 
 "No," replied the bookseller, with a laugh. He 
 had bought a lot of books, this included, at a sale, for 
 a mere song. 
 
 Rossini counted out his sixpence in coppers, placed
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 41 
 
 them on the board where the bookseller had piled his 
 wares, then he grasped the volume eagerly. 
 
 "When you come to St. Austell again, tell me how 
 you get on with it," said the bookseller. 
 
 ''All right," said Rossini, as he walked away. 
 
 Many long miles lay between him and his hut at 
 Maji-pies, but the distance did not trouble him; he 
 was dreaming of the treasure he possessed. It was 
 the first book he had ever bought During the past 
 nine months the young minister had lent him all the 
 books he needed, and while he prized these eagerly, 
 they were as nothing to this book, which was his very 
 own. The wind blew stormily for the time was the 
 end of March, and the spring was late in coming 
 but he never heeded the cold, biting wind or the driv- 
 ing sleet. 
 
 " I've got candles," he muttered, " and plenty of 
 furze and wood to make a good fire. To-morrow is 
 Sunday, too, so I shall have nothin' much to do. So 
 much the better ; I'll be learnin' all the day." 
 
 His excitement was almost feverish as he entered 
 the hut, and his hands trembled as he lit the candle. 
 A few minutes later, a bright wood fire burnt in the 
 open chimney of the hut, while on the rickety table by 
 his side burnt a farthing candle. Chair he had none. 
 A three-legged stool was all there was to sit on, but 
 this fact did not trouble him ; he had known nothing 
 else all his life. Besides, he had forgotten everything 
 else when he began to read the book. 
 
 The volume opened with short sketches of the 
 lives of eminent engineers Stephenson, Watt, Davy, 
 Brunei. These sketches were not well written, they 
 had no literary merit whatever; but they gave out-
 
 42 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 lines of the lives of these great engineers, and, bare 
 as these outlines were, they transported him from his 
 surroundings as truly as the fabled carpet of the 
 "Arabian Nights" transported all those who sat on 
 it. He had been engrossed in Sir Walter Scott's 
 " Ivanhoe," which the young minister had lent him, 
 and which he deemed necessary to give him a larger 
 outlook on life and to make him feel the romance 
 of history. But " Ivanhoe " did not possess as great 
 a fascination for Rossini as the lives of these men. 
 Especially was this true of Stephenson and Watt 
 The well-worn stories of the early lives of these men 
 were unknown to him. He read them for the first 
 time with all the greed and hunger of a starving man. 
 
 " This is what I wanted ! " he cried, with flashing 
 eyes. " I'm glad of all I've lamed from Mr. Kenwood 
 but for that I shudden be able to understand this ; 
 but this is the rail thing. I see the meanin' of the 
 screw-jack more than ever now." 
 
 The candle burnt low in the socket of the iron 
 candlestick, spluttered, and went out Rossini lit 
 another. The wood in the chimney died out, but 
 Rossini heeded not this. He dug deep into the 
 wealth which the book offered him. When he turned 
 from the lives of the engineers to the great principles 
 which formed the basis for their work, he was for a 
 time dismayed and confounded. But he never thought 
 of giving up his task as too hard. Hour after hour 
 he worked, until both body and brain refused to 
 respond any longer to the bidding of his will. 
 
 "A few hours' sleep," he said, "then I'll go at et 
 again. 'Tis Sunday to-morrow, and there's ardly 
 nothin' to do."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 43 
 
 When morning dawned, however, and he looked 
 out of the hut to see the wild clouds flying across the 
 sky, he remembered something that Hugh Kenwood 
 had said to him, and he reflected. 
 
 " He zaid Sunday was a day of rest," he mused. 
 "He zaid that a man had a soul to feed as well as a 
 body that this life was only just a little bit of life." 
 
 He lit his fire and cooked his breakfast After he 
 had eaten it he began thinking again. Ought he to 
 go to church, as the young minister had more than 
 once suggested to him? Then his eye fell upon the 
 book he had bought, and he forgot everything else. 
 He read throughout the whole day, scarcely allowing 
 himself time to eat his food. 
 
 When the next Friday evening came, he walked 
 towards the minister's house with a strange, haunted 
 look in his eyes.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ROSSINI'S SECOND MEETING WITH LADY BEATRICE. 
 
 " MR. KENWOOD," said Rossini, when they were alone 
 together in the minister's study, "why do you stay 'ere 
 at Polgooth ? " 
 
 " Why do you ask, Rossini } " 
 
 " Because people be talkin' 'bout et They do say 
 that you be a great scholar, and that you be thrawin' 
 your talents away. They say that you be cut out for 
 one of thews great churches in one of the big towns. 1 
 can see it, too. They doan't understand 'ee, and you 
 be thrawin' away your learnin' and your talents." 
 
 " I came here because I felt it was my duty to come." 
 
 " Duty ? " repeated Rossini. 
 
 "Yes, duty," replied Kenwood. "A man must do 
 what he thinks best with the talents God has given 
 him." 
 
 "I see," said Rossini, with a far-away look in his 
 eyes. 
 
 "You see," said the young minister, "it was only a 
 few months ago that I left college. I knew nothing of the 
 world. I had no experience of the life of men. So I 
 thought I would begin in an obscure place and I would 
 seek to study the ways of the common people. If God 
 calls me to a larger sphere, I shall go. When I left 
 college, I had several calls. This was the poorest and 
 the smallest. I came here. After a few months it is 
 possible I may remove." 
 
 44
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 45 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 " I don't know. But I don't think my time has been 
 wasted." 
 
 " No," said Rossini, " you've been new life to me." 
 
 " Perhaps that was the reason God sent me here." 
 
 The lad was silent for a few minutes, then he burst 
 forth 
 
 " Have I made progress ? " 
 
 " Progress ! " and Hugh Kenwood laughed. 
 
 " Don't laugh at me," said Rossini. 
 
 " Laugh at you ! " said Kenwood. " Laugh at you ! 
 You are a marvel to me. When you came here a few 
 months ago, you were " 
 
 "No better than the cows I drove to field," sug- 
 gested Rossini. 
 
 " I don't say that ; but as you confessed, you knew 
 nothing. While now " 
 
 " Yes, now ? " said the lad eagerly. " Be 'ee plaised 
 with me, Mr. Kenwood ? " 
 
 Here he lapsed a little into the Cornish dialect ; but 
 during the last few weeks he had spoken correctly when 
 he was with the young minister. 
 
 " Pleased ! There never was such a pupil. You've 
 been learning nine months, and yet you know more 
 than most men would have known if they had given nine 
 years to study." 
 
 Rossini's eyes shone with pride. 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Kenwood," he said " You've made 
 me live in a new world." 
 
 Kenwood looked at the lad proudly. There was cer- 
 tainly a wondrous change in his appearance. For the 
 first time, he wore the new clothes he had obtained from 
 St. Austell. A fashionable tailor would have laughed at
 
 4 6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 them ; but compared with the rags he wore when he had 
 first visited the young minister, or even those which 
 William Kurgy had made for him to wear on Lady 
 Beatrice's birthday, they were quite presentable. For 
 the first time, Hugh Kenwood realised that Rossini 
 would become a distinguished-looking man. He carried 
 himself erectly and had lost most of his ungainliness. 
 The face which a few months before had been sullen, 
 and almost repulsive, had wondrously improved. He 
 was still far from what might be called good-looking ; 
 but his head was well shaped, while his features sug- 
 gested strength, determination, and daring. Purpose 
 was beginning to reveal itself in his physical form. 
 When attired in his old farm clothes, he unconsciously 
 moved in the old way ; but clad decently, he was 
 changed. He walked with decision, he lifted his head, 
 and squared his broad shoulders as if by instinct. He 
 was not yet twenty, and if he were true to the powers 
 which God had given him, he would, by the time he 
 was five-and-twenty, be unrecognisable by those who 
 had only known him as a youth. 
 
 " I'm going to leave Penwithen," he said suddenly. 
 
 Hugh Henwood was prepared for this. He had 
 no knowledge of what was in Rossini's mind, but he felt 
 sure the lad would tire of farm-work. 
 
 " When ? " he asked. 
 
 " Sunday." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " My quarter-day is up to-morrow. I shall get my 
 wages then. Josiah Liddicoat do owe me two pound 
 ten. He 7 !! pay me at five o'clock to-morrow night 
 Sunday morning I shall start for Plymouth." 
 
 " Why Plymouth ? "
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 47 
 
 " There's a new railway making near there. They 
 are advertising for men." 
 
 He drew a copy of the West Briton from his pocket 
 and showed the advertisement to Hugh. 
 
 " You'll get a job as a navvy ? " 
 
 "At first" 
 
 " And afterwards ? " 
 
 " We shall see," and Rossini's eyes became hard. 
 
 " What put that in your mind ? " 
 
 "This." 
 
 He took from his pocket the book he had bought the 
 previous Saturday. Hugh glanced at it quickly. He 
 read Rossini's mind in a moment. 
 
 " You mean to be an engineer ? " 
 
 " I mean to work on those lines," he said quietly. 
 
 " And your education ? " 
 
 " I shall go to schools in Plymouth," he replied. " I 
 read in the paper that there are all sorts of night- 
 classes held there. Classes for everything. Classes for 
 chemistry, mechanics in all departments, languages, and 
 literature." 
 
 He uttered the words with diffidence, but as one who 
 knew of what he was talking. Nine months before, he 
 knew nothing of what these things meant ; but during 
 those nine months he had, as Hugh Kenwood said, 
 learnt more than most would have learned in nine 
 years. 
 
 " And you go on Sunday ? " 
 
 Rossini nodded. 
 
 " How ? By train ? " 
 
 " I shall walk. I can easily do it in a day. It is 
 fifty miles odd. Twelve hours, at four miles an hour, and 
 I shall be nearly there. I shall start at four o'clock in
 
 48 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 the morning ; and I shall have very little to carry," he 
 added grimly. 
 
 " You don't know Plymouth, of course ? " 
 
 Rossini shook his head. 
 
 " That doan't matter," he replied, lapsing into Cornish 
 again. " I sh'll git there 'bout six in the ev'nin', and I 
 can git lodge aisy. Ef I caan't, I doan't mind sleepin' 
 out. Then I can be at the new railway early Mon- 
 day." 
 
 " And you'll not forget what I told you ? " 
 
 " I sh'll forgit nothin' you've tould me. And I sh'll 
 work from mornin' till night. I sh'll waaste no time. 
 I must git knowledge. I shall never do what I've made 
 up my mind to do else," and at these words Rossini's 
 eyes burned as if with anger. 
 
 " I wasn r t thinking of that altogether," said Hen- 
 wood. 
 
 " What, then ? " 
 
 "A man's more than an animal," said Hugh, "more 
 than a thinking machine, more than a working, money- 
 making machine. A man's a man with the breath of 
 God in him. You'll never forget that. Life would be a 
 poor business if he lived only for fifty or sixty or 
 seventy years. Man has for ever." 
 
 Rossini sat looking at the minister, but he did not 
 speak. 
 
 " You've read the New Testament that I gave you ? " 
 said the minister. 
 
 " I've had no time*" said Rossini ; " ther've bin too 
 many things to learn." 
 
 "Then you've missed the chief learning. There's 
 more wisdom in the New Testament than in all the 
 other books I lent you/*
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 49 
 
 "What?" he asked eagerly. 
 
 " You have a memory like a vice," said Hugh, " there- 
 fore I've only need to repeat two passages just once, 
 for you to carry them in your mind. The first is this: 
 'A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the 
 things which he possesseth' ; the other contains the same 
 meaning ; ' What shall it profit a man if he gain the 
 whole world, and lose his own soul ? ' ' 
 
 " I think I see what you mean," said Rossini. 
 
 " I mean that if a man cultivates his mind and gains 
 position and honour and wealth, but does not cultivate 
 the highest part of his being, he has made a miserable 
 mess of his life," said Hugh. 
 
 " That's worth thinking about," said Rossini. " Who 
 said the words you repeated just now ? " 
 
 "The greatest Teacher the world has ever known. 
 I want you to promise me something." 
 
 "I'll promise 'ee anything anything, Mr. Hen- 
 wood ! " said Rossini passionately. 
 
 "Then I want you to read the New Testament 
 through once every year." 
 
 " Yes, 111 do that. Anything else ? " 
 
 " Ask God to help you and guide you aright." 
 
 " Very well, I'll do that too, although I see no use in 
 it." 
 
 " Why ? " 
 
 "What can the great God, who made all the stars 
 and the sun and the sea and the mountains, care about 
 me ? " 
 
 "The New Testament will teach you. But you 
 promise ? " 
 
 "Yes, I'll promise," and then he repeated the two 
 passages from the New Testament which Hugh had
 
 50 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 quoted. " Ther's a wonderful mainin' in it, after all," he 
 said. " Good night, Mr. Kenwood." 
 
 " Let me make you a present before you go," said 
 Hugh. " If I'd known the drift of your mind, I would 
 have given it to you before." He went to his book- 
 shelves and took therefrom two books. They were both 
 by Samuel Smiles : one was " Self Help," and the other 
 contained the lives of some famous engineers. He 
 wrote Rossini's name in each of them. 
 
 " God bless you, Rossini ! " he said, as he gave him 
 the books. " If ever you need my help, be sure to write 
 me." 
 
 Rossini grasped his hand and looked steadily into 
 the .young minister's face. He tried to speak, and 
 failed. Tears welled up into his eyes, and a great sob 
 came into his throat. His body shook like an aspen leaf. 
 
 " I love 'ee, love 'ee, Maaster Kenwood," he said 
 passionately, and again lapsing into broad Cornish. " I'd 
 do anything for 'ee. I ain't a-prayed for myself, but 
 I've always prayed for you. I I allays will And, and 
 zumtime I'll, I'll " But he did not finish the sen- 
 tence. He was unable. " God bless you, sur ! " he 
 cried, and left the house without another word. 
 
 On the Sunday night following, as Hugh Kenwood 
 looked over his congregation, he saw Rossini. He 
 seemed to be paying but little attention during the sing- 
 ing of the hymns or the reading of the lessons ; but he 
 never took his eyes from the preacher during the ser- 
 mon. 
 
 When the service was over, Hugh Henwood tried to 
 get to him and speak to him, but he was unable. Before 
 he reached the door, Rossini was gone. Nevertheless, 
 a pleased look was in the minister's eyes.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 51 
 
 " He's not commenced his journey on a Sunday, after 
 all," he ,said to himself ; but he did not know that it was 
 Rossini's love for him r rather than because of any re- 
 ligious feeling, that kept him in Penwithen a day longer 
 than he had intended to stay. And yet, perhaps, I am 
 wrong, after all There was something religious in his 
 action. It was love for a man who had made him think 
 of the true meaning of manhood. 
 
 By six o'clock the following morning Rossini was 
 several miles on his way towards Plymouth. He had 
 bidden "Good-bye" to the only home he had ever 
 known before dawn that morning. Moreover, the parting 
 was not without pain. He left but little behind. Only a 
 three-legged stool, a rickety table, a bed of ferns, a 
 frying-pan, a kettle, a plate, a cup, a spoon, two knives, a 
 saucepan, a brandis,* and a few other simple things. 
 Yet it gave him pain to leave them. They had been 
 used by his father and mother ; and although his feel- 
 ings towards his parents were not tender, he could not 
 help thinking of them kindly. Besides, the lonely hut 
 in the middle of the wood was home to him. There he 
 had lived his life, there he had made most of his resolves. 
 He had been quiet and unmolested there. Other boys 
 had been afraid to follow him there, because the place 
 had the reputation of being haunted. He did not fear 
 anyone else coming there to live, for that reason. The 
 hut which had been the home of a wizard, and which 
 was said to be haunted by Granfer Flew, would be 
 shunned like a pestilence. 
 
 " Maybe I shall come and stay here again sometime/' 
 he said to himself. " It'll be still my home. I've made 
 
 * A triangular piece of iron, supported by three legs, on which 
 kettles and frying-pans are placed over an open fire.
 
 52 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 the roof watertight, and the place'll stand for years. But 
 I must go 'way now. P'raps when I return again, I sh'll 
 be zomebody. P'raps the people'll wonder. P'raps, 
 
 p'raps " and then he shut his lips with a snap, while 
 
 his eyes became hard and angry. The thought of Lady 
 Beatrice's words burnt in his heart even yet. 
 
 The package he carried was larger than he imagined. 
 It contained the new suit of clothes he had just bought, 
 and the other suit which William Kurgy had made for 
 him, these and one or two other articles of attire ; be- 
 sides the three books which Mr. Kenwood had given 
 him. " They'll be heavy," he said, as he placed the New 
 Testament with the two volumes of Smiles, "but I'll 
 never part wi' they, never." 
 
 But that was not all. Besides the package was his 
 fiddle. This was enclosed in a somewhat battered case, 
 but he handled it gently. " I caan't go without she," 
 he reflected. 
 
 The package containing his clothes and books was 
 wrapped in a large handkerchief ; this he carried over 
 his shoulder by means of a stout stick, his fiddle he 
 carried in his hand. He wore a suit of working clothes 
 which he had bought a few weeks before, and which he 
 had carefully brushed. His heavy, hobnailed boots 
 he had washed and greased on the Saturday night 
 before. 
 
 Mile after mile he tramped, taking long, vigorous 
 strides. There was nothing shuffling or slouching in 
 his walk now. Determination was in every step he 
 took, the light of resolve shone in his eyes. By means 
 of a map which he had borrowed from Charlie Sloggett, 
 of necktie fame, he studied the road carefully. Charlie 
 wondered what need he had of this map, and asked him
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 53 
 
 repeatedly what he wanted it for, but Rossini never told 
 him. 
 
 " You d' zeem defferent from what you did, Zinney," 
 remarked Charlie. "Anybody might think you'd got 
 a maid." 
 
 "Well, I aan't," replied Rossini. "Thank you for 
 the map. I'll let you 'ave it again to-morrow." 
 
 " Ther ed'n another in the parish," remarked Charlie 
 proudly. " My 'ome es up to Linkenhorne, and I went 
 to Liskeard and bought et when I got this plaace. I 
 gived a shellen for't I vound my way here by it" 
 
 This map, Rossini, as I said, had studied carefully, 
 and thus he had no difficulty about the road he should 
 take. After two hours' tramp he found himself at St. 
 AustelL From there he took the road to Lostwithiel. 
 Here he obtained some food and then trudged on to 
 Liskeard. By this time he was somewhat footsore and 
 weary ; but after a rest of a few minutes at a little inn 
 he started again. 
 
 " I made up my mind to get to Plymouth to-night," he 
 said grimly to himself, " and get there I will" 
 
 He spoke to no one, save when once or twice he was 
 in doubt as to which road to take, and then he spoke 
 as few words as possible. More than one turned to have 
 a second look at him ; there was something in his 
 appearance which attracted attention. His figure was 
 still gaunt and somewhat ungainly; but it was not of 
 that which people thought. It was the long, determined 
 strides he took, and the look of resolution in his eyes. 
 
 Strong as he was, however, he was very weary when 
 at length he entered Plymouth. It was quite dark, and 
 the lights of the busy town were a revelation to him. 
 Tired as he was, he would have liked to have sauntered
 
 54 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 along the well-lit streets, with their gaily dressed shop 
 windows and their rush of human life ; but he reflected 
 that he must find a place to sleep, and that he must be 
 up betimes in the morning. 
 
 " Lodgin's ? Oh, iss, I can d'rect 'ee to lodgin's," said 
 a policeman to whom he spoke. " Do 'ee want 'em for 
 long?" 
 
 " Dunnaw," he said. " I've come to look for work." 
 
 "Oh, I zee. I'll tell 'ee what to do. Join the 
 Army." 
 
 "What do you mean? Be a sodger?" 
 
 " Yes, tha's what I main. You'll be took aisy. And 
 sodgerin' es a aisy life when ther's no war." 
 
 " There's a new railway close by here, isn't there ? " 
 
 " Iss, but that do main 'ard work." 
 
 " I'd rather work 'ard," replied Rossini. 
 
 " Oh, plaise yerself. Ere, I can taak 'ee to a plaace 
 to lodge. I've just finished for to-day." 
 
 And so the friendly policeman obtained a supper and 
 a bed for him for the night, Rossini determining as he 
 lay down to rest that he'd be up by dawn in the morn- 
 ing. But in this he failed. Whether he was over-tired, 
 or whether it was the comfort of a bed, which, poor 
 though it was, was a luxury to him, he slept on until 
 nine the next morning. 
 
 " A day lost, I'm 'fraid," he said, as he ate his break- 
 fast ; " but there, I must make the best of it." 
 
 By twelve o'clock he was at the new railway, and 
 was employed without question. No one asked him 
 whence he had come or whither he was going. He 
 was young and looked strong, and that was all that was 
 needed. Work happened to be plentiful at this time, 
 and the contractor was anxious to get the work done with
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 55 
 
 all speed. But even Rossini's heart sank as he saw the 
 kind of work he had to do, and the men with whom he 
 had to work. He had dreamed of an occupation where- 
 by he might be able to add to his knowledge ; but as far 
 as he could see, nothing was expected of him but to 
 throw rubbish into a barrow, wheel it to a tip, and then 
 come back again. How could he become an engineer 
 by such means ? Still, as he reflected, he knew practic- 
 ally nothing of railway construction, and he had obtained 
 work close to Plymouth, where he would be able to con- 
 tinue his education. His study of the lives of Stephenson 
 and Watt had revealed to him how little he knew and 
 how much he had to learn. 
 
 " George Stephenson and James Watt began at the 
 bottom," he said to himself, "well, so be I." 
 
 He started to work that same afternoon, and did the 
 drudgery of a navvy with the same firm determination 
 that he had worked at the lessons Mr. Kenwood had set 
 him, the " ganger " (foreman) remarking that he was " a 
 great lerrupin' chap, that could take his place with the 
 best of 'em." When the day's work was over, he hur- 
 ried back to Plymouth, and having partaken of his even- 
 ing meal and changed his clothes, he made his way to 
 the technical school of which the young minister had 
 told him. 
 
 Almost unconsciously he kept repeating the words 
 which had come to him that night on which he had first 
 visited the minister : " Knowledge is power " ; and " A 
 still tongue maketh a wise head." 
 
 The teachers in the technical school were not long in 
 realising that their new pupil was of no common descrip- 
 tion. His prodigious powers of memory, and the ease 
 with which he grasped the principles of mechanics.
 
 56 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 astonished them. And this was not altogether because 
 of the talents with which Nature had endowed him, but 
 because of the eagerness with which he threw himself 
 into his work. He did not seem to know the meaning of 
 weariness. Hard as was his work on the railway, he 
 entered upon his studies in the evenings as though he 
 had been resting* all day. As a consequence, his pro- 
 gress was abnormal. He outstripped students who had 
 been studying all their lives. 
 
 He was no favourite with the gang of men with whom 
 he worked. He never laughed at their obscene jokes, he 
 never entered into their conversation, he never drank 
 with them. And he was always to be depended on. 
 He was never away from his work of a Monday morning, 
 which was a very common occurrence among the rest 
 of the men ; moreover, drudgery as his work was, no 
 one could help realising that he did it with more intelli- 
 gence than others. Easy as it would have been to lapse 
 into the coarse language of the men among whom he 
 worked, he was very careful about his speech. So 
 marked, indeed, was the difference between him and the 
 others that presently stories got to be afloat about him. 
 Some said one thing, while some said another ; but as 
 personal character was not much troubled about among 
 them, little notice was taken. There seemed little or 
 no chance of promotion ; nevertheless, little by little he 
 realised that he was selected for work of a special 
 nature. 
 
 Still, months passed away, and he seemed to have 
 made no headway. He still continued his studies, at 
 nights, but by day he remained a labourer on the 
 railway. 
 
 " I'm not getting on," he said again and again. " I'm
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 5; 
 
 nearly one and twenty now, and yet I'm only a navvy. 
 Will my chance ever come ? ' Knowledge is power.' 
 And yet I d' know a hundred times more about railways 
 than either the ganger or the foreman, while here I am 
 working for a pound a week." 
 
 Already his weekly wages, which at first appeared 
 wealth to him, seemed contemptible. A few days in a 
 big town had opened his eyes concerning money. He 
 realised that wealth, like everything else, was relative. 
 
 " Dr. Smiles said that the chance always comes to 
 the man who is ready," he thought, after a hard day's 
 work. He had been employed to wait upon some iron- 
 workers who were engaged in throwing a bridge across 
 a deep ravine. More than once it had occurred to him 
 that the working engineers were clumsy and ignorant. 
 They seemed to work according to the rule-of-thumb, 
 rather than according to scientific methods. They 
 obeyed the chief engineer's instructions unintelligently. 
 They did not seem to grasp the thoughts which had 
 been translated to the plans by which they worked. At 
 this Rossini grew impatient ; he felt sure he saw what 
 was in the engineer's mind, that he understood the prin- 
 ciples on which he worked. He had now been several 
 months in Plymouth, and during the whole of that time 
 had been studying under able teachers. He had worked 
 at the practical side of bridge-building while on the rail- 
 way, while studying theories at the technical school, and, 
 as his teacher had said repeatedly, the progress he had 
 made was simply astounding. Thus the knowledge 
 which Rossini had obtained made him impatient at the 
 clumsy, unscientific methods of the working engineers. 
 But he dared not speak. He was only a labourer. The 
 foreman had promoted him from the work of a navvy to
 
 58 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 that of a labourer for the working engineers; but he 
 was still a labourer, and if he dared to express his views, 
 he would be told in no very polite language to do as he 
 was bidden and to hold his tongue. 
 
 " Will my chance ever come ? " he said impatiently. 
 " It is all very well for Dr. Smiles to say that it always 
 comes to a man who is ready ; that is because of the 
 lives of the engineers he wrote about. But what about 
 those who have lived and died unknown ? There may 
 have been hundreds who knew as much as the great 
 men whose names have been put into the books, but 
 they've never had the chance. Oh, if I only had the 
 chance ! " 
 
 He trudged through the streets of Plymouth towards 
 his lodgings, heedless of everything which took place 
 around him. Presently he stopped and gazed into 
 space. 
 
 " I must make my chance," he said. " I must make 
 it; yes, and I will, too." 
 
 He clenched his fist as he spoke, and struck as if at 
 some imaginary enemy. He had no idea of what he was 
 doing had no thought, indeed, of where he was. He 
 was brought back to reality, however, by the fact that 
 his fist had come into contact with something, and by an 
 angry voice near him. 
 
 " What do you mean, fellow ? Are you mad ? " 
 
 He looked up, and then the blood rushed madly into 
 his face. Before him stood Lord Penwithen and Lady 
 Beatrice. 
 
 " Forgive me," he said hoarsely. " I was that is, 
 I didn't know what I was doing ! " 
 
 He rushed away and lost himself among the crowd. 
 "I never thought I should see her like that," he said.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 59 
 
 " What must she think of me ? I wonder if she recog- 
 nised me ? " 
 
 When he reached his lodgings, he went to his bed- 
 room and sat alone For a long time in silence. " But I 
 will make my chance ! " he cried presently. 
 
 Even then the chance he sought was near to him. 
 It was to come to him the next day, in fact
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ROSSINI'S CHANCE. 
 
 THE next morning Rossini found his way to the bridge 
 which was being thrown across the ravine, The 
 bridge was of steel construction, owing to the fact that 
 the ravine was too wide to span by means of a stone 
 arch. The chief engineer had designed what he be- 
 lieved would create an epoch in the engineering world. 
 A suspension bridge which should be rigid and of 
 great strength, was at the same time to be remarkable 
 for the smallness of its cost, its endurance, and for the 
 elegance of its appearance. Rossini had seen the 
 working drawings a hundred times while waiting on 
 the mechanics, and he was sure that he understood 
 them. He saw the thought of the inventor, and 
 grasped the principles on which he worked. Again 
 and again he had in his lonely hours reproduced them 
 on tracing-paper. He seemed to know every joint, 
 every screw in the construction. He saw the "central 
 idea in the engineer's mind, too, and he had himself 
 worked it out again and again. 
 
 He made his way to the works with more eager- 
 ness than usual, for the chief engineer was that day 
 to personally superintend the most important phase 
 of the construction. Moreover, he had heard that 
 several railway experts, as well as some of the direc- 
 tors of the company, were to be present. The contractor 
 had promised a certain section of the railway to be ready
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 61 
 
 on a given date, and the fulfilment of his promise largely 
 depended on the completion of the bridge on which, 
 they were engaged The railway company, moreover, 
 was exceedingly anxious that the piece of line should 
 be ready, owing to heavy responsibilities in connec- 
 tion with an industry in the neighbourhood 
 
 " Who'd have thought I should have seen her ? " 
 thought the young man, as he made his way towards 
 the bridge. " I don't think she recognised me, for 
 there was a laugh in her eyes. Oh, she is beautiful! 
 She is not altered a bit She looks a child still, 
 although she's more than nineteen now. What did she 
 think of me, I wonder ? " 
 
 He stopped in the road and looked at his coarse 
 working clothes. 
 
 "\She must have thought I was a drunken navvy," 
 he went on. "Just a drunken navvy. It's a good 
 job I rushed away, or Lord Penwithen would have 
 brought me up for assault." 
 
 He could not helf^ laughing. After all, the thing 
 was ludicrous. He, a labourer on the railway, had, 
 like Alnaschar, of " Arabian Nights' " fame, been day- 
 dreaming, and in his vehemence and absentminded- 
 ness had actually struck an English peer. 
 
 His thoughts were diverted from this channel im- 
 mediately afterwards, however, for on arriving at the 
 works he saw that great consternation prevailed He 
 heard whispers to the effect that the chief engineer 
 had a dangerous attack of typhoid fever, that he was 
 unconscious, and would probably remain so for days to 
 come. 
 
 These whispers were soon confirmed The con- 
 tractor arrived a little later, looking disturbed and
 
 62 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 anxious, while, when the railway experts and direc- 
 tors arrived, impatience almost amounting to anger 
 was expressed 
 
 Rossini saw them gather together and converse 
 anxiously. 
 
 "But you have the plans, the working drawings," 
 he heard one say. " What can you want more ? " 
 
 "Yes," was the reply, "we have the working draw- 
 ings; but Mr. Groster never told us the principle 
 upon which he worked. He said he would superin- 
 tend this part of the construction himself. You see, 
 his idea is ..new in bridge-building, and he was anxious 
 to keep it a secret until the thing was manifest in the 
 actual structure." 
 
 "But do you mean to say that you have had these 
 drawings for all this length of time, and yet not got 
 hold of his idea?" 
 
 At this there was silence on the part of the working 
 engineers. 
 
 ^The delay will mean thousands of pounds," said 
 someone who was evidently in high authority. "Mr. 
 Groster is ill with typhoid. He has a bad attack. 
 The doctors say it must be many weeks before he can 
 attend to his work again, even if ever he does. This will 
 mean that the whole of our plans will be disarranged, 
 contracts will have to be cancelled, and Heaven only 
 knows what ! " 
 
 A look of chagrin and dismay settled on the group 
 of faces. 
 
 " It is absurd ! " said a pompous, choleric-looking 
 man. "The chief engineer has never told his 
 thoughts to his subordinates, while they have not had 
 the brains to grasp it from the working drawings!
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 63 
 
 Therefore we shall either have to sacrifice all the 
 money we have spent on this bridge, and have draw- 
 ings for an entirely new bridge, or we shall have to 
 let the work stand idle until Mr. Groster is well enough 
 to superintend it. This may be months months 
 which will mean the loss of many thousands of pounds. 
 If I professed to be an engineer, I'd be an engineer ! " 
 he added angrily. 
 
 " Will you kindly look at the plans we have ? " 
 said one. "You will see then how difficult it is to 
 understand Mr. Groster's idea. As you know, he kept 
 his main thought a secret; and but for your absolute 
 confidence in his genius and his fame as an engineer, 
 you would not have accepted his conditions. This 
 bridge has been talked about all over the country, and 
 experts of all sorts have been speculating about his new 
 principle of construction." 
 
 Almost unconsciously Rossini drew near to the 
 group of anxious men who pored eagerly over the 
 diagrams which had been prepared. He saw that one 
 after another they examined the plans and then came 
 away nonplussed 
 
 "The shareholders will howl us down at the next 
 meeting," he heard one say. "They will call us mad- 
 men and fools." 
 
 " But what can we do ? " said another. " The man 
 did not mean to have typhoid ; he cannot help that." 
 
 " Yes ; but we need not have given way to his 
 quixotic ideas. That's the worst of having to do with 
 geniuses." 
 
 "Can we not obtain the services of an eminent 
 engineer who will work out his principle ? " said 
 another.
 
 64 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "But who would do it? There's not an engineer 
 who would accept the responsibility. One would say 
 that Groster was mad when he schemed it, and another 
 would introduce something of his own. Surely there 
 was never such a state of things known since the first 
 railway was made." 
 
 Still Rossini drew nearer step by step. His eyes 
 were shining with excitement ; his heart was beating 
 wildly. He did not realise what he was doing, or he 
 would never have dared to creep silently up, until he 
 had well-nigh joined the group of anxious and angry 
 men. 
 
 "I've no responsibility for the engineering work," 
 he heard the contractor say. "I will carry out faith- 
 fully the plans prepared, but I can't be expected to 
 guess at the thoughts in Mr. Groster's mind." 
 
 " Then we are at a deadlock," said another. " Mr. 
 Jay, isn't there a man among you that can get us out 
 of this difficulty?" 
 
 "No," said someone faintly. 
 
 "Yes" 
 
 It was Rossini who spoke. His heart was almost 
 in his mouth as the word escaped him, but he could 
 not help speaking. 
 
 Two or three turned around as he spoke. They 
 had been so intent upon Mr. Groster's plans that they 
 had not seen him come up. 
 
 " Get away, fellow ! " said someone. " How dare 
 you come here in such a way ! " 
 
 But Rossini did not move. He felt himself trem- 
 bling in every limb, while his tongue seemed to refuse 
 to give utterance to his thoughts; but he determined 
 to speak.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 65 
 
 * 
 
 "You asked if no one could help you out of your 
 difficulty," he said hoalselv. " I can." 
 
 "You?" 
 
 "Yes, I." 
 
 He had gained confidence by this time and had 
 mastered his weakness. 
 
 " Who is this ? " asked one of the directors, who 
 had been less pronounced in his views during the con- 
 ference than the others. 
 
 " One of the workmen," was the reply. " A 
 mechanic's labourer. He knows nothing." 
 
 " Get away, fellow ! " said one of the under- 
 engineers, who had first spoken. "This is no place 
 for you." 
 
 For a moment he felt like obeying. How could 
 he, he reflected, know more than these trained 
 engineers? But it was only for a moment For 
 months he had been trying to discover Mr. Groster's 
 idea, and he felt sure he had accomplished his pur- 
 pose. He would not be driven away easily. 
 
 " Forgive me," he said eagerly, speaking to the 
 gentleman who he thought regarded him more kindly 
 than the others. " But I have been working at this 
 for months. I know I have discovered Mr. Groster's 
 idea. Give me a drawing-board and a pencil, and I 
 will show you that I speak the truth ! " 
 
 Two or three laughed aloud, while others seemed 
 angry at his interference. How could a labourer ex- 
 plain what baffled trained engineers? 
 
 But the chairman of the directors, who was himself 
 no mean authority on engineering, did not laugh, 
 nor did he grow angry. Clad in coarse working 
 attire though Rossini was, and although but a boy in
 
 66 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 age, he was not to be passed by without a thought 
 The large, well-shaped head, the square, overhanging 
 forehead, the deep, shining black eyes, suggested 
 strength and insight. Sir Michael Tresize had said 
 but little during the conference even though his in- 
 fluence was greater than that of any other man pre- 
 sent. 
 
 " Give him a drawing-board and a pencil," he said. 
 
 "But, Sir Michael " 
 
 "Let him have the drawing-board and pencil," he 
 repeated. " He can do no harm, while apparently you 
 can do no good. Let us go into the office here." 
 
 A wooden structure had been erected by the side 
 of the ravine, which had been used as an office, and 
 Sir Michael Tresize made his way thither. 
 
 " Come," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. " Many 
 things are hidden from the wise and the prudent." 
 
 No man seemed to think of thwarting Sir Michael 
 Tresize, and so a movement was made towards the 
 wooden shed, Rossini going with the rest like a man 
 in a dream. 
 
 A broad desk had been fixed near a window at the 
 end of the office, on which were placed all the neces- 
 sities of a draughtsman. 
 
 " Now, my man," said Sir Michael, " let us see 
 what you know." 
 
 Rossini gazed around him almost fearfully. More 
 than a dozen incredulous men stared at him. Scorn 
 and derision were evident on most of the faces. He 
 went towards the window with fast-beating heart His 
 head was swimming; nothing seemed real. Even the 
 faces of those around him were vague and shadowy. 
 As for the plans over which he had brooded so long,
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 67 
 
 and the ideas of the great engineer, all had vanished 
 as though they were phantoms of the mind. He took 
 hold of the pencil mechanically and stretched out a 
 piece of paper on the drawing-board, while, in spite 
 of their scorn and derision, a great silence fell upon 
 all present. 
 
 He tried to collect his ideas tried to call back 
 what a few minutes before had been outlined in his 
 mind as plainly as if they were on the paper before 
 him. But in vain ; the more he thought, the further 
 did the great engineer's idea seem to fly from him. 
 He thought he was going mad. 
 
 " Oh, it won't come ! It won't come ! " he gasped. 
 
 A great laugh rose among many present, while one 
 of the engineers cried out angrily : " Get out of the 
 office, you fool ! " 
 
 Rossini cast his eyes around and saw the angry 
 and derisive looks. Doubtless these men felt that 
 they had been befooled by a mad workman. Never- 
 theless, the scornful laugh and the brutal words of the 
 engineer brought him to himself. Instead of fear, he 
 felt anger. 
 
 " Stop ! " he cried, and his voice rose above the 
 laughter, "I've got it! I've got it" 
 
 He turned to the paper and rapidly drew line after 
 line upon the plain white paper, and again silence fell 
 upon them. They could not help seeing that, whether 
 he knew Mr. Groster's idea or no, he was reproducing 
 the plan that many of them knew well. Rapidly he 
 worked Naturally, the drawing was rough and in- 
 complete, but it suggested knowledge. 
 
 "He has a good memory," said one of the en- 
 gineers. " He has seen Mr. Groster's plans, as we
 
 68 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 have, and he's reproducing them. But let him fill up 
 the gap. Let him show us the meaning of it all" 
 
 Silently they watched, while Rossini worked on. 
 Minute after minute passed away, until the paper was 
 covered with what, to the untrained eye, seemed mean- 
 ingless figures and diagrams. Presently someone 
 broke the silence. 
 
 " He's got it ! " 
 
 Still the boy worked on ; and even as he worked, 
 more than one wondered that his great hands, so 
 coarsened by labour, could guide the pencil so deftly; 
 but they wondered more because of the wondrous in- 
 sight. 
 
 "That's it," said Rossini at length. "I've been 
 working at it for months. I determined to work it 
 out ; and I have." 
 
 "Now explain," said Sir Michael Tresize. 
 
 He was confident now. His voracious memory 
 had laid hold of technicalities like a vice. He had 
 not given all his powers to the study of engineering 
 for many months for nothing. He justified Hugh 
 Kenwood's opinion of him that he could learn as 
 much in nine months as it would take most men nine 
 years to learn. 
 
 In vain did the engineers try to confound him with 
 hard questions. He had solved the problem, he had 
 shown how the great heaps of steel which had been 
 sent from the furnaces could be utilised, he had told 
 them how order could take the place of chaos. 
 
 " But could you superintend the construction of all 
 these pieces which have come fro.m the foundry ? " 
 said Sir Michael. 
 
 The lad trembled in every limb. He seemed to
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 69 
 
 be standing on the brink of a ghastly abyss. He 
 realised the significance of the question. After all, 
 was his solution of the problem complete? Might 
 there not be many difficulties which would arise in the 
 construction which did not appear on the drawings ? 
 
 "Yes," he said at length, "I could." 
 
 " You are sure ? " said Sir Michael kindly. He had 
 been simply amazed at the lad's knowledge of en- 
 gineering. He had wondered how one who was so 
 young and so unsophisticated could have mastered the 
 intricacies of a problem which had baffled trained 
 engineers. Nevertheless, he knew how much ex- 
 perience stood for, and knew, too, how much depended 
 on the most careful and minute adjustment of the 
 various pieces of steel which had been lying ready for 
 Mr. Groster to arrange. 
 
 " Yes, I am sure," said Rossini, after a moment's 
 hesitation. " But wait a minute ; let me again examine 
 the castings." 
 
 He left the office hastily and carefully examined 
 the pieces of steel. Evidently Mr. Groster had made 
 careful preparation each component part was num- 
 bered and arranged 
 
 Half an hour later he returned. As he re-entered 
 the office he heard the hubbub of voices. 
 
 " Madness ! " 
 
 " A country clown ! " 
 
 "Yes, but there are the plans." 
 
 "The boy has a wonderful mind" 
 
 " A very prodigy ! " 
 
 "Bah! he has by some means seen Mr. Groster's 
 plans and copied them. It would be madness to en- 
 trust the construction to him,"
 
 ;o A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "But what's to be done? Mr. Groster is ill. The 
 doctor says he'll be ill for weeks. Meanwhile, if we 
 wait, the shareholders' money will be lost. It's a 
 matter of many thousands." 
 
 "Yes. But to place such an affair in the hands of 
 a labourer! We should be the laughing-stock for the 
 country." 
 
 " Suggest something better." 
 
 "Yes, that's it. It's easy to sneer at one who has 
 done what has baffled the whole lot of you." 
 
 And so on. Rossini heard snatches of this as he 
 made his way to the office. When he entered a dead 
 silence fell upon the gathering. 
 
 "I think I can do it," he said, in answer to Sir 
 Michael's inquiry. "I am sure I can. But before I 
 promise, I want another hour here by myself alone." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 Rossini looked around among the men, many of 
 whom were still incredulous and angry. He felt no fear 
 of them. Their very incredulity and anger nerved him. 
 
 " You can see as well as I that this is no child's 
 play," he said. " It's a matter of completing another 
 man's work. But that is not all. I have to work 
 under difficulties. I have to divine Mr. Groster's 
 thoughts. What I want is time to check the rough 
 plans I'have made, and to see whether my calculations 
 agree with the castings. I am almost sure they do, 
 but I want to verify." 
 
 He spoke with decision. There was nothing weak 
 nor hesitating in his words; rather they revealed a 
 mind governed by necessary caution, one who saw 
 difficult work, and who would arm himself against all 
 contingencies.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. ;i 
 
 "That is but reasonable," said Sir Michael. 
 
 "There is another thing," said the boy. "There 
 are some here who desire me to fail. If I undertake 
 this work, no man must interfere." 
 
 It was a strange sight. The tall, raw-boned youth, 
 who the day before had been regarded only as an 
 intelligent labourer, now assumed a position of 
 superiority. In spite of themselves, many felt that 
 they were in the presence of a master mind. Those 
 great, black eyes and rugged features told them that 
 he was not to be trifled with. All knew that whether 
 he satisfied the directors or not, here was a man who 
 would be heard of. 
 
 It is said that on one occasion a renowned 
 scientist said to another scientist equally renowned, 
 concerning a statesman who had altered the destinies 
 of Europe 
 
 "Let that man be stranded on Salisbury Plain with 
 only one garment on his back, and still nothing would 
 be impossible to him." 
 
 Some of them felt like this concerning Rossini just 
 then. Whatever else he was, he was a strong man. 
 Besides, nothing short of engineering genius could 
 have enabled him to do what he had done. 
 
 "It shall be as you say," said Sir Michael Tresize. 
 "Mind you, I do not say you will be entrusted with 
 this work, but take the time you need for checking your 
 calculations ; after that we will confer together again." 
 
 It was not often that such excitement prevailed on 
 a railway. Great as had been the romance of en- 
 gineering, wondrous as had been the experiences of 
 such men as George Stephenson and James Watt, 
 those which these engineers were undergoing was
 
 72 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 scarcely to be surpassed. Had Rossini, before the 
 bridge had been begun, appeared before them with a 
 set of plans, plans full of unconventionality and startling 
 ideas, they would perchance have considered them 
 kindly; but for a labourer to come among them sud- 
 denly and to claim the power to explain Mr. Groster's 
 thoughts, to solve a problem which had baffled trained 
 engineers, was something unprecedented. Moreover, 
 to entrust a delicate and important piece of work to 
 such a one was staggering. And yet the very romance 
 of the situation appealed even to these men of dividends, 
 and almost in spite of their judgment they felt like 
 risking a great deal 
 
 " How," said one of the engineers, " can he do it ? 
 He has had no training, no experience. He was work- 
 ing as a navvy before he was taken on as an engineer's 
 labourer." 
 
 "Yes, but the history of engineering has been ever 
 the history of how genius has laughed at the schools," 
 said another. "The lad is a lad of genius, and genius 
 knows no laws." 
 
 And so they talked while Rossini worked in the 
 office. Time flew swiftly by, but he was unconscious 
 of it He lived in a world of mechanics, of diagrams, 
 of calculation. 
 
 At last he saw his way clearly. Everything was 
 plain in his mind. He felt sure that he could translate 
 his thoughts into the bridge. 
 
 He came out of the office. 
 
 "Well?" said Sir Michael Tresize. 
 
 "I can do it," said Rossini. 
 
 "You are sure?" 
 
 " I am sure."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 73 
 
 " Then you shall" 
 
 No man dared to dispute Sir Michael's dictum. 
 He was one of the largest shareholders, and his opinion 
 had for years been regarded as law not because he 
 was given to autocratic dealing, but because he had 
 proved himself to be invariably right in whatever 
 opinion he had advocated 
 
 "And what is more," said Sir Michael sternly, 
 "he must have a free hand He must be obeyed im- 
 plicitly. No disparaging remarks must be made. I 
 know that we have decided upon an unusual thing. 
 Our action may be taken as madness; but I will bear 
 all responsibility, I will take all the blame. If there 
 is any loss, I will bear it I say this because I am 
 sure that the one who has done what he has done can 
 do the rest. Now, then, he must be obeyed as if he 
 were Mr. Groster." 
 
 The men were called to their work, the machinery 
 was put in motion. From the dizzy height the pieces 
 of steel were fitted together, and slowly the idea which 
 was thought only to exist in the mind of the great 
 engineer took tangible shape. The preparation for 
 this time had been going on for months, and now the 
 gap which not one of Mr. Groster's subordinates knew 
 how to fill, and on which depended the whole of the con- 
 struction, was filled The work was watched breath- 
 lessly, but at length, when the last section was fitted, 
 a great shout went up. Great as was the idea of the 
 engineer whose fertile mind had first invented it, it 
 seemed scarcely less great that an untried lad should 
 have seen the end from the beginning, and have thus 
 translated another man's thoughts into actualities. 
 
 Darkness fell, and the crucial hour was past. There
 
 74 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 was still much to be done ; but all who knew anything 
 of engineering saw that what remained was only detail. 
 Important detail doubtless, but still detail The prin- 
 ciple had been grappled and mastered. 
 
 Sir Michael Tresize and all the directors who came 
 there that day had never left the spot. They were 
 almost as anxious as the lad who had thus forced him- 
 self into prominence, and who, with colourless face but 
 gleaming eyes, had directed and controlled everything. 
 
 " I have forgotten your name," said Sir Michael 
 Tresize, when work ceased. "You will forgive me, 
 I'm sure." 
 
 "Rossini Keverne." 
 
 " I shall be glad if you will come back to my hotel 
 with me to-night." 
 
 "No, thank you, sir. I am very much obliged to 
 you, but I cannot." 
 
 "Why?" asked Sir Michael, wondering at Rossini's 
 earnestness. 
 
 " I must stay on the bridge, sir." 
 
 " Surely there is no need" 
 
 " Even now an enemy might spoil the work," re- 
 plied Rossini. "I would like to ask a favour instead." 
 
 "Anything in my power I will grant," said Sir 
 Michael. 
 
 " Then, sir, I should like to choose a dozen men in 
 whom I can trust to stay here and watch. I would have 
 them armed, sir, if I might And I will stay with them." 
 
 There was something almost pathetic in the way 
 he spoke. Sir Michael felt that the matter was one 
 of life and death to him. 
 
 " Your wish shall be complied with. But how long 
 is this to last ? "
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 75 
 
 "By tomorrow night, if the men start at dawn to- 
 morrow, all should be completed, sir; but until then I 
 do not think I shall either eat or sleep." 
 
 Sir Michael laughed. A great burden had been 
 lifted from his mind. The work could now go for- 
 ward, and all contracts could be fulfilled. 
 
 " And by to-morrow night you will have nothing to 
 fear?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 Two hours later a liberal supper was sent to him 
 from Plymouth, which Rossini offered to share with 
 the men he had chosen. But he found that they also 
 had been remembered in the same way. 
 
 At dawn the next day the work was proceeded with, 
 and by nightfall it was finished. The bridge which 
 has since been regarded with wonder by many, and 
 created a new epoch in engineering, had been com- 
 pleted by one to whom the inventor had never spoken 
 nor by any means conveyed his thoughts. 
 
 " You must be tired," said Sir Michael when all was 
 done. 
 
 "No, Sir Michael," said Rossini, who by this time 
 had learnt his name. 
 
 "Then you will come and see me to-night? I 
 want a chat with you. There will be no one with us 
 only we two." 
 
 " Thank you, Sir Michael." 
 
 Two hours later he stood in the entrance hall of a 
 great hotel. 
 
 "Take this gentleman to Sir Michael Tresize's 
 private room," said the hotel manager to a waiter ; and 
 Rossini followed him like a man in a dream, wonder- 
 ing what the great magnate had to say to him.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE MAN WHO WAS READY. 
 
 4 COME in. I'm glad to see you." 
 
 Sir Michael Tresize rose and held out his hand to 
 the young man whose name was on hundreds of tongues 
 that night. The baronet was in ordinary evening dress, 
 and Rossini felt his own awkwardness and lack of savoir 
 faire as his hand grasped the hand of the man whose 
 influence was so great in the world of finance. And yet, 
 had he known it, he had no need to be ashamed. Tall, 
 angular, and almost ungainly, he had a striking person- 
 ality. Less than three years had passed since he had 
 slouched away from Lady Beatrice Penwithen's pre- 
 sence like a hungry wolf, but no one would have recog- 
 nised him. Then he was just nineteen, now he was 
 not quite twenty-two years of age. He knew nothing of 
 ordinary conventions, and he had never dreamed of buy- 
 ing evening clothes ; nevertheless, the Plymouth tailor 
 who had supplied him with the suit he wore had no need 
 to be ashamed of his workmanship. Moreover, the 
 young fellow stood erect, and the intellectual life which 
 he had been living for more than two years had set its 
 stamp upon him. Awkward he was it could not be 
 otherwise, considering his history but there was 
 strength in his awkwardness ; yes, and a certain dignity, 
 too. And this was scarcely to be wondered at. In a 
 way he was not aware that he had done anything won- 
 
 76
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 77 
 
 derful, and yet the crisis through which he had passed 
 during the last two days gave him a certain masterful- 
 ness of which he was unconscious. His heart burned 
 with a sense of victory, his eyes gleamed at the thought 
 of the future that might lie before him. Therefore, in 
 spite of his awkwardness, his appearance was striking. 
 He had the stature of a giant, and although the work he 
 had been doing tended to make his steps heavy and 
 his movements ungainly, his thoughts, his hopes, his 
 ambitions removed him infinitely from his class. No 
 one would have regarded him, as he stood before Sir 
 Michael, as a gentleman in the ordinary acceptance of 
 the word, but still less would he have been taken to be 
 an ordinary man. No one could have looked on him 
 without thinking of his future, or regarding him as one 
 who would bend circumstance to an iron will Sir 
 Michael felt it He had felt it when, dressed as a 
 mechanic's labourer, Rossini had dominated the situation 
 the day before ; he felt it more now as he took the well- 
 dressed young fellow by the hand. 
 
 " A strong man," he could not help feeling ; " a man 
 to whom almost anything is possible." 
 
 " Won't you take a glass of wine, Mr. Keverne ? " Sir 
 Michael fully realised that on the previous day his guest 
 had gone to work as a mechanic's labourer, but he 
 treated him as an honoured guest nevertheless. Com- 
 ing as he did from one of the oldest families in the West 
 of England, he realised that the true gentleman was he 
 upon whom Nature had bestowed her gifts of mind and 
 heart, or he who in spite of humble circumstances strove 
 after what was highest and best. He was not yet quite 
 sure of Rossini. Of his intellectual powers he had had 
 abnrHan1- evidence, but of the potential gentleman in the
 
 ;8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 real sense he was not so certain. Nevertheless, while 
 he was his guest, he would treat him as such. 
 
 " No, thank you, Sir Michael." 
 
 " You are an abstainer, then ? " 
 
 " Yes. I've never touched alcohol in my life." 
 
 " Of course, hard drinking is the curse of the British 
 working man," said the baronet. " Doubtless you have 
 seen enough evidences of that." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; but it is not that only," said Rossini. Then 
 almost involuntarily he burst out: "My father and 
 mother both died drunkards ! " 
 
 " Ah, I see," said Sir Michael. He did not order his 
 after-dinner wine to be brought, but he pushed Rossini 
 a box of cigars. " You smoke, I expect," he said. 
 
 " No, I never smoke ; but pray, sir, don't let me 
 hinder you." 
 
 " Well, you are a model young man," said Sir Michael, 
 lighting his cigar with evident enjoyment 
 
 " No, sir ; I do not know that there is any credit in 
 my not smoking. The truth is, I seem to have had no 
 time neither, for that matter, have I had any money 
 to buy tobacco." 
 
 " Ah ! You are not married, I suppose ? " 
 
 "No, Sir Michael. " 
 
 " Ah, then, you are a saving young man, I expect ? " 
 
 "No," replied Rossini. "I have had to spend all 
 my spare money in books and instruments." 
 
 "I see, T> said Sir Michael, interested. "What kind 
 of books ? " 
 
 "Text-books of science mainly," said Rossini 
 
 " You are fond of reading, I suppose ? " 
 
 " I am afraid I can scarcely call it reading," replied 
 Rossini " I have simply learnt."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 79 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "Well, mainly engineering, I am afraid." 
 
 " But why afraid ? " 
 
 " Well, engineering is only one phase of life, isn't it ? 
 I have struggled with Latin and French and German, 
 it is true." 
 
 " And you know those languages ? " 
 
 " Oh, no only a smattering ! . I can read in them, 
 with the aid of a dictionary, but I am not a linguist, 
 I am afraid." 
 
 " But I should think you are. How old are you ? " 
 
 "Twenty-one last June." 
 
 " Then you must be a linguist to be able to read 
 three languages besides your own, and without any 
 especial advantages in education. Where did you get 
 your early schooling ? " 
 
 " I never had any." 
 
 "What!" 
 
 " I never had any." 
 
 " Then you must have been a bookish boy all your 
 lifetime ? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " But rbut " He was interested, and wanted to 
 
 press his questions, but refrained. 
 
 " No ; that accounts for my ignorance," went on 
 Rossini quietly. 
 
 Sir Michael stared at his guest with wonder. After 
 all, it was a wonderful face that he saw. That great, 
 square brow, those black, flashing eyes and strong 
 features did not belong to an ordinary man. He must 
 get him to talk, at all hazards. 
 
 "What you have done for us has greatly interested 
 me in you," he said. " If you care to tell me anything of
 
 8o A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 your past, it might enable me to understand how I can 
 be of service to you." 
 
 "Really, there is not much to tell," said Rossini; 
 " and if there were, I could not tell it. I think this is 
 about all. I was neglected by drunken parents. My 
 father died when I was a child ; my mother lived till I 
 was fourteen or fifteen. I worked in the fields ; I never 
 went to school." 
 
 "But you picked up reading and writing, and that 
 sort of thing ? " 
 
 " I learnt to read a little, and perhaps something of 
 calculation, but nothing more." 
 
 " But what part of the country did you live in ? In 
 the West, I can tell by your accent ; but your language 
 is so pure that I cannot tell what part." 
 
 " I would rather not tell you, if you don't mind." 
 
 "Oh, certainly! Doubtless you have your reasons 
 for being silent." 
 
 " I have done nothing wrong," said Rossini, as if 
 divining the other's thoughts ; " only it is rather painful." 
 
 " Just so. And when did you start studying ? " 
 
 " Two years ago last June." 
 
 " What ! " 
 
 " Two years ago last June," repeated Rossini quietly. 
 
 " But but " cried Sir Michael in astonishment 
 
 "It happened this way," went on the young man. 
 " Up to two years ago last June, I lived as I had been 
 reared a sort of wild animal. I did not strive after 
 anything, because there seemed nothing to strive after, 
 or perhaps because everything seemed impossible. I 
 could see nothing in front of me but a great blank wall. 
 Of what lay beyond that wall I knew nothing, except 
 what came to me when I was playing the fiddle."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 81 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 " Yes, when I played that, the wall seemed to melt 
 away, and I could see a great, shadowy world beyond. 
 But it was very shadowy, very unreal ; there was noth- 
 ing for me to strive after." 
 
 " How did you learn to play the fiddle ? " 
 
 " I can scarcely remember the time when I couldn't 
 play. It was the one thing my father left me, and 
 somehow music came out of it unawares. It was the 
 only thing I loved. Then something happened." 
 
 " Something happened ? " 
 
 " Yes, something happened:" Rossini's face became 
 hard as he spoke. " It does not matter what. Some- 
 thing happened, and I seemed to wake suddenly. Some- 
 thing in my head seemed to snap, the vague, shadowy 
 world which I saw when I played the fiddle became 
 tangible. I longed for knowledge, and and I vowed 
 I would obtain it." 
 
 " Yes, yes ! " Sir Michael was eager to hear more. 
 
 " The next day I heard 'of a man, who lived some 
 miles away, who was a scholar. What gave me courage 
 I cannot explain, but I went to him. He was a Non- 
 conformist minister. He was not only a scholar, he was 
 kind ; he took pity on me. He was not a scientist ; 
 nevertheless well, science seemed to come to me. He 
 taught me the principles of mathematics, of grammar, of 
 thinking. He said I learnt quickly; I suppose I did. 
 I never forget." 
 
 He stopped here and seemed to be dreaming, while 
 Sir Michael looked at his face like one fascinated. 
 
 " I never forget," went on Rossini presently. " When 
 I once read a thing, I know it, and when I know it, I 
 never forget He was not a lover of mathematics he
 
 82 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 might have been a Wrangler but for that but he was 
 strong enough to set me going, and mathematics came 
 naturally to me. I went through Colenso's Arithmetic 
 in a week or two." 
 
 "What!" 
 
 "Yes, I did; it came so easy. There was nothing 
 to hinder! one thing led to another without any diffi- 
 culty. I suppose my mind was cast in that mould. Thus 
 when I came to algebra arid Euclid, I had no trouble. 
 At the end of a few months I had gone through all the 
 books of Euclid." 
 
 " Impossible ! " 
 
 " But I did. I learnt other things to please him 
 Latin and French and German. Yes, I worked at them 
 to please him." 
 
 " But the thing is impossible ! " cried Sir Michael 
 " Besides, you were working in the fields at this time, 
 you say." 
 
 " Nothing is impossible," said Rossini quietly. " You 
 see, I had made up my mind. Then, as I told you, I 
 never forget." 
 
 " But how many hours a day did you study ? " 
 
 "All my waking hours. I only slept six or seven 
 hours a day ; all the rest I spent in learning. I would 
 read a problem of Euclid in the morning, I would work 
 it out before I went to labour ; then, while I was on the 
 farm, ploughing or hoeing, I would again work it out in 
 my mind. Then I would' make problems myself and 
 work them out in my head. It really was very easy. I 
 did the same with the languages. Mr. that is, my 
 friend was very strong in languages. He taught me 
 the principles of construction ; he said I grasped them 
 easily. So, to please him, I would learn half-a-dozen
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 83 
 
 verbs before going out to toil ; then I conjugated them 
 in the fields that is, as I thought they ought to be. 
 When I came back, I saw whether my conjugations 
 agreed with the book. In this way I was studying 
 sixteen hours a day. You see, I was like the cattle: 
 when I was not devouring new mental food, I was 
 chewing the cud of what I had already devoured. Really, 
 it was very easy ; I did not find it a bit hard when I was 
 once started. He said I learnt as much in nine months 
 as nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand 
 could learn in nine years. But that is because of my 
 memory ; I never forget never ! " 
 
 He said this quietly, although there was a kind of 
 grim, sardonic strength suggested in his last words. 
 
 " But I have heard you say nothing about engineer- 
 ing yet ? " said Sir Michael. 
 
 "That came later. My friend knew nothing about 
 that, and I was so busy working at the other things that I 
 did not seem to think much about it. But one day I 
 saw a book on engineering on a bookstall in the market- 
 house at the town near where I lived. It also con- 
 tained sketches of the lives of great engineers. In less 
 than a week I had committed the book to memory 
 that is, all the marrow of it Then I read in a news- 
 paper an advertisement for men on the railway here. I 
 walked here ; I got work. I worked through the day, 
 and at nights I studied engineering. I went to classes 
 here ; I bought books. The teachers at the classes said 
 just what my friend said. You see, everything came so 
 easy to me. Through August and a part of September 
 the classes were not held ; but I went on with my work, 
 and and I worked out Mr. Groster's principle. That 
 was the toughest bit of work I ever did. I think my
 
 84 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 practice of working out Euclid's problems in the fields 
 must have helped me." 
 
 He spoke quietly, naturally ; there was not a sug- 
 gestion of boasting in either his words or tones. Sir 
 Michael Tresize had asked him to tell him about him- 
 self, and he had obeyed ; that was all. 
 
 Sir Michael sat back in his chair in astonishment. 
 It was like a fairy tale. But that the youth's every word 
 carried truth in it, he could not have believed it. Less 
 than three years! It seemed as wild as a story in the 
 "Arabian Nights." 
 
 " And you have studied all the time ? " 
 
 " All the time." 
 
 " But have you never taken a holiday ? '* 
 
 (( VT 
 
 iNo. 
 
 " But what have you done with your Sundays ? " 
 
 " On Sunday mornings I walked on the Hoe or away 
 into the country. I kept up my old practice. On 
 Sunday evenings I have gone to an Independent chapel." 
 
 " But why there ? " 
 
 " Because my friend, to whom I owe everything, was 
 an Independent minister, and I thought he would like 
 me to go." 
 
 " Would you mind telling me his name ? " 
 
 " I'd rather not." 
 
 " Have you written him ? " 
 
 " Yes. I did not for a long time ; I had nothing to 
 tell him. When I ceased to be a navvy, and became 
 a mechanic's labourer, I wrote to him. But my letter 
 was returned ; he had left P that is, he had left the 
 place where I saw him. The postmaster did not know 
 where he had gone. So he does not know where I 
 am. Some day I shall hear about him."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 85 
 
 " Why do you think so ? " 
 
 " Because he is a man who will be sure to be heard 
 of." 
 
 "Then you have not read in the ordinary sense of 
 the word ? " 
 
 " Beyond works on engineering, I have only read 
 one book that is, since I left my friend." 
 
 "And that?" 
 
 " That is the New Testament" 
 
 Sir Michael Tresize again turned towards him. " Ah, 
 you have read the New Testament ! " he said quietly. 
 
 " Yes. I promised my friend I would. It is a most 
 wonderful book." 
 
 " But other books poetry, philosophy, history, ro- 
 mance ? " 
 
 " None for eighteen months. I read two of Sir 
 Walter Scott's novels the winter before last ; but since 
 I began to study engineering I have had no time. I 
 suppose they were very fine ; in a way they widened my 
 outlook. But I am very ignorant." 
 
 " You read the daily newspapers ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " You know nothing of the history of your own and 
 other countries ? " 
 
 " No, except what I have gathered from reading the 
 lives of great scientists and engineers. But I can see 
 that that must be very little." 
 
 " Yes," said Sir Michael quietly, " that is very little. 
 Nevertheless, what you have done is wonderful" 
 
 " Do you think so ? I do not. You see, I have given 
 my whole time to it, and, really, there are a great many 
 hours in a day. Besides, I never forget. My memory 
 is like a vice ; what it lays hold of, it never loses,"
 
 86 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " And what are your thoughts for the future ? " 
 
 ""At present there seems nothing else but mechanics, 
 engineering. I know that is because I am so ignorant. 
 Some day I hope to explore the greater world, but I 
 cannot do it yet." 
 
 " Why ? " 
 
 "Because I know enough to know that I have only 
 learnt the alphabet of the engineering world." 
 
 " And yet you have done during these last two days 
 what trained engineers were unable to do." 
 
 " Yes ; but they are such little men. They only walk 
 along beaten tracks. They have never tried to think 
 for themselves. That's why they were baffled." 
 
 Sir Michael Tresize sat back in his chair and closed 
 his eyes. He smoked steadily for some time, as if con- 
 sidering what to do. 
 
 " What do you think of doing to-morrow ? " he asked 
 presently. 
 
 I shall go to work," said Rossini simply. 
 
 " As a mechanic's labourer ? " 
 
 " Yes ; there is nothing else. Of course, I shall go to 
 the classes as soon as they commence again." 
 
 Again Sir Michael was silent. He did not under- 
 stand this strange young man. Was his apparent sim- 
 plicity only simulated ? How could the man who a 
 few hours before had directed a most complicated piece 
 of work again settle down to be the labourer of men 
 who, intellectually speaking, were not fit to blacken his 
 boots ? 
 
 " Do you know that you have helped the company 
 out of a very awkward fix, and saved them many thou- 
 sands of pounds ? " 
 
 " Yes, I must have done that," replied Rossini ; " but
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 87 
 
 I am afraid I had not thought of it. What filled 
 me was the desire to construct the bridge, to prove 
 that 'I had grasped Mr. Groster's idea, I shall never 
 forget the joy I felt when the thing was done." 
 
 " There should be a great future before you," said Sir 
 Michael presently. 
 
 " I mean that there shall be. There must be." 
 
 He uttered the words with set teeth, and with such 
 intensity that Sir Michael was drawn to look at his 
 face again. He saw, too, that there was that in Rossini's 
 mind which he could not comprehend. The young man 
 did not at that moment seem to be aware of his com- 
 panion's presence. His features were set and rigid, his 
 eyes seemed to be fixed upon some far-away object. 
 
 " But how are you going to attain your desires ? " 
 
 " My friend used to tell me that everything came to 
 the man who was ready," replied Rossini. 
 
 "Your friend was a believer in Cardinal Mazarin, 
 evidently." 
 
 " Who is Cardinal Mazarin ? " 
 
 " He was the minister of a French king two hundred 
 years ago. He was an Italian by birth. Of humble 
 parentage and of great subtlety of mind, he rose from his 
 obscurity to be the first minister of France. He dictated 
 its policy. It is said that he married Anne, the widow 
 of Louis XIII." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Rossini, his eyes flashing. 
 
 " On one occasion, when someone told him about the 
 impossibility of certain things happening, he replied: 
 ' Everything happens ! ' ' 
 
 " Yes, I understand," replied Rossini. " ' Everything 
 happens,' but he made things happen." - 
 
 " Yes, he made them happen."
 
 88 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " So will I," replied Rossini grimly. 
 
 There was no boastfulness in his words. Tt was 
 simply the expression of a man who was determined. 
 
 "What would you do if you had a hundred 
 pounds ? " 
 
 " I don't know. It would require thinking about" 
 
 Again Sir Michael was silent for some time, then 
 he looked at his watch. 
 
 " It is time for me to go," said Rossini, rising. 
 
 " No," replied the baronet ; " I am expecting some- 
 one just now whom I want you to see." 
 
 Rossini looked at him inquiringly, while Sir Michael 
 lit a fresh cigar, smiling as he did so. 
 
 " I was thinking of your friend's words," he said. " I 
 should judge him to be a thoughtful man. Like him, I 
 believe that everything comes to the man who is ready. 
 Ah ! this is he, I expect." 
 
 A waiter entered the room, bearing a card. 
 
 " Mr. Pentewan," read Sir Michael. " Yes, that's all 
 right. Show him in." 
 
 Rossini looked up and saw the contractor who wa.s 
 responsible for the railway on which he had been work- 
 ing. 
 
 " I'm not mistaken, Mr. Pentewan," said Sir Michael, 
 looking towards the young man. "I think you can go 
 forward." 
 
 Mr. Pentewan was a man well advanced in life; 
 nevertheless, he looked strong and vigorous. His ap- 
 pearance suggested a mixture of great caution together 
 with daring. He was a man noted for his shrewdness 
 in business and his knowledge of men and things ; but 
 he also had the reputation of being at times erratic and 
 unconventional. " He's always breaking out in a new
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 89 
 
 place, *in spite of his level-headedness," had more than 
 once been remarked about him. 
 
 In spite of himself, Rossini felt the strangeness of his 
 situation. Two days before, neither of these men would 
 have noticed him. Sir Michael would have passed him 
 by without a thought, while Mr. Pentewan would 
 have regarded him as one of his hundreds of workmen, 
 whose wages had to be paid at the end of the week. 
 Now, however, both regarded him with great interest 
 
 By degrees Rossini realised that he was plied with a 
 great number of questions, all of them bearing on rail- 
 way construction, earthworks, bridges, masonry, and so 
 forth. More than once, moreover, he found himself in 
 disagreement with these men, and while he maintained 
 his position, he did so modestly, realising that his know- 
 ledge was mainly theoretical, and having no comparison 
 with that practical wisdom which the contractor pos- 
 sessed. In this way hours passed He forgot that sleep 
 had not visited his eyelids for many, many hours, forgot 
 his unusual surroundings. It was the first time he had 
 ever conversed on such terms with such men. 
 
 Presently he was awakened to the fact that a neigh- 
 bouring clock was striking the hour of midnight, and 
 again he rose to go. 
 
 "Not yet, if you please," said Mr. Pentewan. "I 
 have a proposal to make, Mr. Rossini Keverne." s 
 
 " A proposal ? " said the young man. 
 
 "Yes," said Mr. Pentewan. "You may have heard 
 that I have signed a contract to construct a piece of rail- 
 way through a somewhat difficult tract of country in 
 Wales." 
 
 " No, I have not heard." 
 
 "Well, I have. It is, as I said, a difficult piece of 
 D
 
 90 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 work. It will mean tunnelling, viaducts, and bridges. 
 I want a manager. Will you be the man ? " 
 
 For a moment the lad was stunned. He thought a 
 moment, then he replied : " No, sir." 
 
 " Why ? " 
 
 " For two reasons. First, I have had too little ex- 
 perience. I have not studied the work experimentally. 
 I should want at least two months of guidance before I 
 should be competent" 
 
 " One," said the contractor, smiling on Sir Michael. 
 " Now the other." 
 
 " I want to be an engineer," said Rossini. " I should 
 
 like to construct bridges myself. I want " and then 
 
 he stopped, for the first time failing to find words to 
 express his thoughts. 
 
 " Two. Is that all ? " 
 ' "That's everything." 
 
 "As to the first, it shall be as you say. It is right. 
 As for the second, Sir Michael must answer." 
 
 "A great railway company like ours is always glad 
 to consider the plans ,of a good engineer," said Sir 
 Michael. " Besides, the new railway is in the neighbour- 
 hood of Cardiff, where, in my opinion, the greatest en- 
 gineer in England lives. He is simply hungry for pro- 
 mising pupils." 
 
 Half an hour after, Rossini realised that the old life 
 was at an end, and that a new life had begun. He had 
 accepted Mr. Pentewan's proposal. 
 
 Again he rose to go, and again Sir Michael Tresize 
 stopped him. 
 
 " I asked you just now what you would do if you had 
 a hundred pounds," he said. " I want you to accept that 
 sum in recognition of your services."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 91 
 
 " I did not do it for money," said Rossini 
 
 " No ; but I want you to take it. I shall be grieved 
 if you do not" 
 
 " Do you think I have earned it ? " said Rossini. 
 
 " The company will be greatly in your debt when you 
 have received it," said the baronet warmly. " Accept it, 
 then, with our gratitude and admiration." 
 
 When Rossini walked towards his lodgings a little 
 later, he was like a man in a dream.
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 BLACK ROCK LIGHTHOUSE. 
 
 "WELL, we have but little choice.** 
 . "None at all" 
 
 "You are right. This is the only scheme that 
 meets the difficulty." 
 
 "What shall we do?" 
 
 " I should say accept it" 
 
 These last words were uttered by Sir George Win- 
 field, the great consulting engineer. 
 
 " Consider, Sir George. Three times has a light- 
 house been built there, and three times it has been 
 swept away. The roughest seas which surround the 
 country roll there. The foundation-work presents 
 difficulties which are simply enormous. This we know 
 from past experience. The work has baffled our 
 greatest engineers ; indeed, as you know, the whole 
 profession has been afraid to undertake it Among 
 the drawings sent in, not one of them is of any value, 
 and " 
 
 "Save the one I have advised you to take." 
 
 "Yes, save that one. But the engineer in this case 
 is an unknown man he is only a boy, in fact one 
 whose training has been out of the ordinary and 
 whose qualifications seem questionable." 
 
 "Exactly. But consider the other aspect of the 
 business. That a lighthouse is required there f no one 
 
 92
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 93 
 
 denies. It has been the scene of innumerable 
 tragedies. Scarcely a winter passes but I need not 
 enlarge upon that True, lighthouses have been built, 
 and swept away all the more need for building an- 
 other. Moreover, you have received special instruc- 
 tions to deal with the matter. Are we to confess our- 
 selves helpless ? Now, then, among all th$ plans sent 
 in, not one, save this, gives evidence of security. All 
 the others are on the lines adopted before. This, on 
 the other hand, is original, and, as far as I am a judge, 
 supplies what the others lack. True, I do not know 
 the engineer, but I have no hesitation in saying that 
 he is a remarkable man." 
 
 The speakers were sitting in one of the rooms used 
 by the Admiralty, and were discussing a problem which 
 had for a long time baffled them. 
 
 " He is no ignoramus, who works by rule-of-thumb," 
 said another. " I was hearing about him only a few 
 days ago. Sir Michael Tresize was telling me that he 
 had carried through a most difficult piece of railway 
 in Wales, and has simply astonished the directors of 
 the railway company." 
 
 " What's his name, did you say i " 
 
 "Rossini Keverne." 
 
 " Any Italian blood in him ? " 
 
 " Haven't the slightest idea," 
 
 " Well, are we to fall in with Sir George's recommen- 
 dation ? " 
 
 " Will you pardon me a moment ? " broke in Sir 
 George Winfield. " I still hold to my opinion. I believe 
 the man has solved the difficulty, and that his plans 
 should be accepted; but not before I question him on 
 two or three matters,"
 
 94 A STRONG MAN'S VOW 
 
 " There is no difficulty in that ; he is within call" 
 
 A minute later the door of the room was opened, and 
 a young man entered, who cast a quick glance around the 
 room, and seemed to read the face of each man as he 
 did so. Strangely enough, the last face upon which his 
 eyes rested was that of the chairman ; and as he saw 
 him, he gave a start. But only for a moment. He mas- 
 tered himself and stood respectfully waiting to be 
 questioned. 
 
 Lord Penwithen, the chairman, gave him a searching 
 glance, but there was no sign of recognition in his eyes. 
 The young man before him was a stranger whom he 
 thought he had never seen before. And this was no 
 wonder. One could imagine no greater contrast than 
 that which existed between the tall, gaunt, slouching 
 youth who crept away from him on his daughter's 
 seventeenth birthday, and the fine, stalwart, well-dressed 
 young man who stood so calmly before them. 
 
 " Won't you take a seat, Mr. Keverne ? " 
 
 Rossini did as he was bid, and then again quietly 
 looked around him. There was an air of conscious 
 strength in his presence. His whole demeanour sug- 
 gested a man who had thought for himself, and was con- 
 fident as to the truth at which he had arrived. 
 
 " I think I may tell you at the outset, Mr. Keverne, 
 that we are very much interested in what you have sub- 
 mitted to us, but Sir George Winfield would like to ask 
 you a few questions." 
 
 Rossini turned to Sir George quietly, while the great 
 engineer drew nearer the table. 
 
 For the next ten minutes a conversation took place 
 which I will not attempt to reproduce. Keen, searching 
 questions were asked in quick succession questions
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 95 
 
 which were answered with the assurance of youth backed 
 by knowledge, which the engineer did not fail to appre- 
 ciate. 
 
 "That is all I wish to ask, my lords and gentlemen," 
 said Sir George presently. 
 
 " There are two others which have struck me," said 
 Lord Penwithen. 
 
 " I will do my best to answer them," replied Rossini 
 He seemed far more nervous at the thought of the 
 questions of tha chairman than about those of the 
 engineer, even although he knew that Lord Penwithen 
 knew little or nothing of engineering. 
 
 " The first is, how long would this work take ? " 
 
 " That's scarcely fair," said Sir George Winfield under 
 his breath. He knew the tremendous difficulties in the 
 way, and felt that no man should be required to give 
 an answer. 
 
 "That depends upon another question," replied 
 Rossini. 
 
 " And what is that ? " 
 
 "Upon who undertakes the work." 
 
 "That is the question I was going to ask. Is there 
 a contractor whom you could especially recommend ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 " Myself." 
 
 The members of the Board of Admiralty looked 
 up in astonishment 
 
 " I did not know you were a contractor." 
 
 "Neither am I, although I have for more than 
 two years been manager for Mr. Pentewan, who has 
 just constructed a railway through a part of Wales. I 
 may say, moreover, that Mr. Pentewan would supply
 
 96 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 me with the necessary capital. But this is my point. 
 This is no ordinary piece of work, and I doubt whether 
 you could find a contractor who would estimate for it. 
 The work is of such a nature that I doubt whether any 
 of those into whose hands you would care to entrust 
 it could give an estimate as to its cost Besides, if you 
 employ me as engineer, I should like, for my own sake, 
 to direct and control everything everything! " 
 
 He repeated the last word with emphasis, as though 
 he desired to make any misapprehension impossible. 
 
 " Of course, I need not remind you of the history 
 of Black Rock," he continued "You know how it has 
 defied both engineers and builders for generations. 
 Twelve months ago, when the matter was again brought 
 before your notice, I visited the Rock. Since then I 
 have been there many times. I have studied the tides, 
 and I have read the long story of its tragedies, and 
 of the failures to erect a lighthouse there." 
 
 "You might fail, too," said Lord Penwithen. 
 
 Rossini was silent. 
 
 " You do not think you would ? " 
 
 "I am sure I should not." 
 
 Again there was no boasting ; the tone was of quiet 
 conviction. 
 
 " But you would want to be your own contractor ? " 
 
 "I should then have to take entire* responsibility. 
 But I should also choose my men ; I should examine 
 all materials; I should superintend all works, and thus 
 be certain that my plans were carried out in the minutest 
 detail. For six months I should practically have to 
 live on Black Rock. I have had three years' experience 
 of railway construction, and " 
 
 " Three years ! "
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 97 
 
 Someone uttered the words almost scornfully. 
 
 "Yes, three years," said Rossini quietly. 
 
 "But you have had no experience of building har- 
 bours, sea-walls, and the like ? " 
 
 " None." 
 
 "And yet you are desirous of constructing a build- 
 ing, perhaps the most difficult yet known in the 
 engineering world ? " 
 
 " Excuse me, I have submitted my plans and sug- 
 gested a contractor, that is all." 
 
 There was a quiet dignity in his tones the dignity 
 of a strong, confident man. 
 
 " Do you insist on being your own contractor if your 
 plans are accepted ? " 
 
 " No ; but I ain afraid you would not accept the 
 tenders of another contractor." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Because they would be obliged to leave such a 
 tremendous margin for emergencies that you would be 
 staggered at the price they would name." 
 
 " But why should they leave such a margin ? " 
 
 " Because they could not calculate with any degree 
 of certainty either the time it would take or the neces- 
 sary cost Indeed, I doubt if any contractor of repute 
 would care to bind himself to a sum." 
 
 " And you would ? " 
 
 "I would." 
 
 " Have you, then, knowledge which other contractors 
 have not ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Lord Penwithen smiled. 
 
 " Excuse me, Lord Penwithen," said Rossini, " but I 
 hope I am not boasting. I have been working at those
 
 g8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 plans for months. I have calculated to a pound the 
 strain the building would have to bear ; I have worked 
 out to a fraction the quantities ; I have obtained the cost 
 of transports ; I have left nothing to chance or guess- 
 work everything has been worked out with mathe- 
 matical precision." 
 
 " But we may have a year of terrific storms." 
 
 " I have reckoned on that. I have studied the storm- 
 charts of the last fifty years." 
 
 " And you think you would be successful ? " 
 
 " I do not think. I am sure." 
 
 Again there was no boasting. It was simply the 
 assertion of a man who knew. 
 
 " But how can you be sure ? " 
 
 " I do not think that twice two are four I am 
 sure," replied Rossini. " The same principle holds good 
 all the way through. It is simply carrying it a little 
 further." 
 
 " Well, then, what time would you need > " 
 
 He mentioned the time. 
 
 " And the cost ? " 
 
 He named the sum. 
 
 "You have calculated on strikes, possible sickness of 
 men, storms, difficulties with granite quarries, railway 
 companies, shipping companies ? " 
 
 " Yes, I have calculated all that." 
 
 " Is there any further question, my lords and gentle- 
 men ? " 
 
 A few minutes later, Rossini had left the room, and 
 the members of the Admiralty Board were again alone. 
 
 Again they turned to Sir George Winfield. 
 
 " I stand by my opinion," said the engineer. 
 
 "The worst of it is," said someone, "he has nothing
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 99 
 
 to lose. It is true he says Mr. Pentewan is willing to 
 finance him, but I dare say he is not worth a thousand- 
 pound note. He risks nothing. If it were Mr. Pentewan 
 himself, or one of the large contracting firms, we should 
 feel safer. I suspect the statements of a man who in 
 reality risks nothing." 
 
 "Pardon me," said Sir George Winfield, "but he 
 risks more than anything you have mentioned." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " One of the greatest futures of any man in the 
 engineering world." 
 
 Two months later, the contracts for building the 
 Black Rock Lighthouse were signed by Mr. Rossini 
 Keverne. Some criticised the Admiralty for doing a 
 mad thing ; great contractors declared that the work 
 could never be done for the sum announced, neither 
 could it be finished in double the time mentioned. The 
 engineering world gossiped freely on failure and success ; 
 but the great world outside knew little or nothing about 
 it. Interviewers besieged the young engineer, begging 
 for some information as to his past career ; but without 
 success. All were met with the statement that Mr. 
 Keverne had no communication to make. 
 
 Lady Beatrice Penwithen was greatly interested, 
 however. 
 
 " Dad," she said, when Lord Penwithen had related 
 a part of the story to some guests at Penwithen, "it 
 is simply wonderful! He must be a genius." 
 
 " Doubtless he is that." 
 
 " Do you know anything about him ? " 
 
 "He is of humble origin, I believe. He was a 
 manager, or something of the sort, for a railway con- 
 tractor. I remember hearing something about him
 
 ioo A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 three or four years ago in connection with a bridge. He 
 astonished everybody then, I am told" 
 
 " But is is he presentable ? " 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Does he look like a working-man ? Does he drop 
 his g's and his h's ? " 
 
 "Oh, nothing of the sort Rather, he is a very 
 fine-looking fellow one who would be noticed in any 
 crowd. A masterful fellow, too. It was quite laughable 
 to see how quietly he snubbed Lord Barehall. Some 
 members of the Admiralty seemed quite in awe of him." 
 
 "Dad, I should like to see him." 
 
 " I'm afraid that's impossible." 
 
 " Why ? You could invite him here." 
 
 " Hardly, I'm afraid." 
 
 " But why ? " 
 
 "Well, you see, he's a sort of working-man." 
 
 " What of that ? He'll not eat us. I am interested 
 in him. I like to meet geniuses. Besides, if he's success- 
 ful, he'll be the talk of the country." 
 
 " If he's successful." 
 
 " Don't you think he will be ? " 
 
 n He says he's sure he will be." 
 
 "Then let us invite him here." 
 
 Lord Penwithen looked at the bright face of his 
 daughter. She was now twenty-three, but she still 
 looked only a child. Many had sought her hand 
 during the last three years, but for some reason she 
 had refused everyone. Nor had Lord Penwithen 
 encouraged any suitor. She was his only child, and the 
 light of the home. He could not bear the thought of 
 his daughter leaving him ; and he rejoiced in the fact 
 that she showed no desire for matrimony. Of course,
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 101 
 
 hi knew it would come some day; it could not be 
 otherwise. Nevertheless, he was glad that, although 
 a woman in years, she was still a child at heart, and 
 that contact with the world had not destroyed the 
 winsomeness which had characterised her all her life. 
 
 " Dad," she had said, after one of her suitors had 
 been rejected, "why should I marry such a man as 
 Lord Stoker? After all, how could I respect him, or, 
 for that matter those others? I cannot bear the idea 
 of marrying a nobody. What have they done ? Abso- 
 lutely nothing! Of course, they are all right. They 
 belong to good old families, and all that ; but imagine 
 being the wife of any one of them ! " 
 
 "But, my dear Beatrice, the House of Lords, with 
 but very few exceptions, is not noted for brilliancy 
 of mind. The Radicals can laugh at us there with reason. 
 Very few hereditary peers have done anything." 
 
 " Exactly. And do you know, I am tired of these 
 people who can do nothing but train horses and ride 
 and shoot You know Lord Stoker can talk of very 
 little else than dogs or horses ; while the highest 
 enjoyment which poor Korlton has, although he's heir 
 to a peerage, is in going to a music-hall." 
 
 " But all men are not geniuses, my dear. It isn't 
 every man who can get a seat in the Cabinet or lead 
 a party." 
 
 "Anyhow, I do insist on brains, and ambition of 
 some sort ! " 
 
 This was, perhaps, why Lady Beatrice was so 
 interested in the story of the young engineer, and why 
 she insisted that her father should invite him to Pen- 
 withen HalL There was something of romance about his 
 career. This young man, who had achieved so much
 
 102 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 in such a short time, inspired her imagination, and 
 she wanted to see him and speak with him. 
 
 Eventually Lord Penwithen yielded. After all, 
 there was nothing very strange in doing this. He re- 
 called the fact that several men he knew, who now 
 took their place in the world, were of humble origin. 
 Nothing was more probable than that this young man 
 would one day be renowned among the great scientists. 
 Besides, it would please Beatrice, and he could refuse her 
 nothing. 
 
 Accordingly an invitation was sent to Rossini, 
 asking him to become a guest at Penwithen Hall. 
 When the young man received it, his heart beat with 
 a great joy, and his eyes gleamed with a strange light. 
 He was tempted to seize a pen and write his accept- 
 ance of the invitation at once. But he did not. Instead, 
 he sat back in his chair and thought. 
 
 "Not yet," he said at length, "not yet. When 
 the lighthouse is an assured success, and if they ask 
 me again, I will go ; but not yet not yet." 
 
 So he wrote to Lord Penwithen, thanking him for 
 his kindness, but pleaded as his excuse for non- 
 acceptance the fact that he dared not relax his attention 
 to the work in which he was engaged, even for a day. If, 
 however, when they had reached a certain stage in the 
 construction, Lord Penwithen were to again invite him, 
 he would gladly avail himself of the opportunity of being 
 his guest. 
 
 Lady Beatrice was greatly disappointed when the 
 letter came. She had set her heart upon meeting him. 
 The stories she had heard had inspired her imagination. 
 Since she had heard such parts of his story as her 
 father had been able to tell, she had read the history
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 103 
 
 of the Black Rock lighthouses ; she had heard of the 
 tremendous difficulties which had to be mastered, and 
 she longed more than ever to see the man who had de- 
 clared that those difficulties should be overcome. 
 
 Moreover, she had eagerly read the letter which 
 Rossini had written. She had noted the strong, firm 
 handwriting, every line of which suggested boldness 
 and masterfulness. In spite of herself, she began to 
 think of what he was like. She reflected that most 
 men in his position would have been eager to accept 
 the hospitality of Penwithen Hall, and would have 
 regarded the invitation as an event in their lives. 
 As a consequence, his refusal somewhat angered her, 
 even while it made her more anxious to see him. The 
 very mystery that surrounded him heightened her inter- 
 est in him. All her life she had admired strong men, 
 men who struggled and overcame, and she had set her 
 heart upon meeting this man. 
 
 However, she said nothing about it to her father ; 
 and as a little later she went to town for the Season, 
 she forgot her disappointment. Moreover, while there, 
 an event took place which was destined to have a great 
 influence over her life. 
 
 It happened in this way. One evening she was at 
 a reception held at the house of a lady whose husband 
 occupied a high place in the world of politics, when 
 Lord Penwithen came to her. 
 
 " Beatrice," he said, " I want you to be very civil 
 to a man I am going to introduce to you presently." 
 
 " Who is he, dad ? " she asked. 
 
 " His name is Kenwood. You may have heard how, 
 about three years ago, old Sir Hugh Henwood died, 
 and that his death was followed by that of two or three
 
 104 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 others in quick succession. This led to a member of an 
 obscure branch of the family coming into the title and 
 the estates." 
 
 " Yes, I remember something about it." 
 
 "Well, the man I want to introduce to you is the 
 present baronet, and, what is more, I want him to stand 
 for the Penwithen constituency. He has the reputation 
 of being a very fine speaker and a most able politician. 
 Lord Winford has it that he'll be a member of the 
 Cabinet in a very few years." 
 
 " How interesting ! " she replied coldly. 
 
 " But, more than that, he was only a few years ago 
 a Dissenting minister at the village of Polgooth." 
 
 " Dissenting minister ! At Polgooth ! " 
 
 The words came quickly, as though surprised. 
 " Dad," she said, " think of it a Dissenting minis- 
 ter!" 
 
 "Yes, it sounds strange, doesn't it? I believe he's 
 still a Dissenter, although his health broke down, and 
 he was obliged to give up his chapel Besides, the Hen- 
 wood estates are large, and he was unable to continue 
 in his his charge, I think they call it. Anyhow, I 
 want to introduce him to you, and I hope you'll be very 
 civil to him." 
 
 " Very well," she replied, expecting only to be bored. 
 
 A few minutes later she was talking eagerly with 
 a young man about thirty years of age. 
 
 Lord Penwithen had given the facts about Hugh 
 Kenwood correctly. Not long after Rossini left Pen- 
 withen, Kenwood's lungs began to trouble him indeed, 
 so serious were the symptoms that his doctor told him 
 that to continue preaching for the present would be 
 death to him that his only hope was to travel. He was
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 105 
 
 ordered to spend the winter in Switzerland, and was 
 advised to keep out of England during the summer. 
 At the end of two years he was pronounced cured, 
 although his doctors strongly advised him not to take 
 another church. Then one after another the heirs to 
 the Kenwood title and estates died in quick succession, 
 leaving him a great landowner, and as a consequence a 
 man of great responsibilities. 
 
 "What did you think of him?" asked Lord Pen- 
 withen that night, as they rode home after the reception. 
 
 " A splendid man," replied Beatrice. " It is a long 
 time since I have met anyone who has interested me so 
 much." 
 
 "We return to Penwithen next week," he said pre- 
 sently. 
 
 " I am very glad," replied the girl. 
 
 " Sir Hugh is coming to stay with us during the 
 autumn the Whip of our party has suggested that I 
 should invite him." 
 
 "That will be delightful" 
 
 "You will be interested to learn also that the young 
 engineer has accepted my invitation. He will be a 
 famous man shortly, and you have wanted to know him 
 for a long while." 
 
 Lady Beatrice said nothing; nevertheless, she was 
 very glad that she should see the young man of whom 
 she had heard so much.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ROSSINI'S SECOND VISIT TO PENWITHEN HALL. 
 
 WHEN Rossini Keverne entered the gates of Penwithen 
 Hall for the second time, he could scarcely control the 
 wild beatings of his heart It was now between six an4 
 seven years since the day on which he had first seen 
 tlie ' face of the girl who opened his eyes to a new 
 world. He had left the neighbourhood a few months 
 afterwards, and had never until that day returned to it 
 He was not expected at Penwithen until after six in the 
 evening, just in time to dress for dinner. Nevertheless, 
 he came down from Plymouth by the first morning train, 
 and having got out at the station a few miles from his 
 old home, he gave instructions for his luggage to be sent 
 on to Penwithen Hall some time during the afternoon, 
 while he walked towards the hut at Maji-pies. It was 
 no wonder that strange feelings possessed him. When 
 he left the hut a few years before he was a great gaunt 
 labourer clad in a workman's attire. He possessed only 
 a few shillings, and he had started to walk to Plymouth 
 in order that he might obtain work as a navvy. Now 
 he was the talk of the engineering world. When the 
 lighthouse was but half finished, a great storm swept 
 over the works, which tested his new ideas of con- 
 struction to the uttermost. " If it can stand this in its 
 present condition," remarked Sir George Winfield, " it 
 can stand anything." And it had weathered the storm 
 
 1 06
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 107 
 
 even while it was incomplete and therefore more likely 
 to succumb. During the week in which the gale had 
 continued, Rossini seemed perfectly calm and collected. 
 "You will find it as you left it," he said to the men, 
 when the sea was sufficiently calm for them to again 
 venture near the rock. And he was right. Only the 
 most trifling damage was inflicted ; the main structure 
 stood as securely as the great rock on which it was 
 built. 
 
 He could not help being proud of what he had done 
 as he entered the hut at Maji-pies. This place was 
 but little altered. It was but a lonely hut among the 
 woods when he lived there, and it was that still. Even 
 the very ashes caused by the fires which he had lit there 
 had been undisturbed. Some of the simple things he 
 had left' behind were there. The fern bed had been 
 disturbed, but the wooden shutter which he had nailed 
 to the window-place had not been pulled down. He 
 called to mind what he had felt and what he had vowed 
 as he sat alone there that night after the fete at Pen- 
 withen Hall. It was all very strange, it seemed like a 
 dream ; nevertheless, it was true. His name had been 
 in hundreds of newspapers. He had succeeded in doing 
 what had baffled renowned men. He was no longer an 
 unrecognised unit in the sum total of the human race ; 
 he was a factor, and a factor of importance, in the life 
 of the world. He counted for something nay, he 
 counted for a great deal. Then he was a wastrel and 
 an outcast ; now, after nearly seven years, he was the 
 invited guest of Lord Penwithen. 
 
 He wandered among the fields where he had worked 
 as a labourer, he noted the places where he had trapped 
 rabbits, and at length came to the place where he had
 
 io8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 registered his vow. His eyes grew hard as he thought 
 of it, and then a far-away look of wonder crept into 
 them. That very night he was to meet Lady Beatrice 
 Penwithen as an equal. What should he think of her ? 
 He had never seen her but once since the day of the 
 "fete, and then he had met her father in one of the streets 
 of Plymouth. He laughed as he called the incident to 
 mind. Then he was still a labourer, for it was before 
 the wonderful happening on the bridge; but many 
 things had occurred since then. 
 
 He had no fear that she would recognise him. Lord 
 Penwithen had not done so, and why should she? He 
 knew that the shock-headed youth who crept away from 
 her on her birthday and the engineer of Black Rock 
 Lighthouse were utterly different. Besides, she had 
 seen him only twice, and then it was to turn away from 
 him with aversion. 
 
 Through the day he had spoken to people he had 
 known as a boy, but no one had recognised him. 
 He had had difficulty to keep from lapsing into the 
 Cornish dialect as he spoke to them, so great was the 
 spell which the old life had cast upon him; but he 
 refrained. He saw that they looked upon him as " sum 
 genTman from up th' country," and he did not make 
 himself known. 
 
 He felt that the greatest test of recognition would 
 be when he saw Charlie Sloggett, of necktie fame; 
 but when he came up to Charlie, who was carting 
 manure from the farmyard to the field, he saw no sign 
 in the man's eyes that they had known each other 
 years before. 
 
 " Mornin', sur," said Charlie. 
 
 " Good morning. You are hard at work, I see,"
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 109 
 
 "Doin' little, sur." 
 
 "You live in a beautiful part of the country." 
 
 "Do us, sur? I never thot nothin' 'bout eL" 
 
 " Ah, perhaps you've lived here all your life." 
 
 " No, sur, not oal my life, but several "ear." 
 
 " Ah, then you know everyone, I expect ? " 
 
 " Iss, sur, neerly everybody. Besides, everybody 
 do maake a lot more ov me since I married Maaster 
 Liddicoat's daughter." 
 
 "Who's Mr. Liddicoat?" 
 
 "Th' farmer 'ere, sur. I wos 'ere as sarvant for 
 sever'l 'ear ; then I married Miss Mary, and now, as you 
 may zay, I'm maaster." 
 
 "Ah, I should imagine you would be popular with 
 the young women in your single days." 
 
 " Iss," said Charlie rather shamefacedly, " I kipt 
 comp'ny weth sever'l. The laast maid I 'ad was the 
 'ousemaid up to the passon's ; but when I seed that 
 Miss Mary looked sweet top me, I gived up the 'ouse- 
 maid and made up to the woman I married." 
 
 "Ah, I see! By the way, I came across a curious 
 hut in the woods a little while ago ; it looks as though 
 it has been inhabited at some time." Rossini pointed 
 to Maji-pies as he spoke. 
 
 "Aw, iss, that was Granfer Flew's 'ouse. Then a 
 great chap called Zinney Vearn lived there. 'E used 
 to work weth me 'ere." 
 
 "An old man?" 
 
 " Oa, no, sur ; onnly a booy, as you may zay. 'E 
 was a funny chap, Zinney was. Maazed, zum people 
 do zay ; but 'is 'cad wadn' maade of turmuts." 
 
 " Does he live here now ? " 
 
 " Oa, no, sur 1 'E went away sever'l 'ear gone, and
 
 no A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 nobody 'ave 'eerd ov un since. Some d' think that oul 
 Granfer Flaw's ghoast made 'way wed'n." 
 
 "Granfer Flew's ghost?" 
 
 " Iss. Ya zee, Granfer Flew was a wizard, and a 
 wizard es ten times wuss than a witch. Well, 'e lived 
 there, and people zed that 'e 'tinted the plaace. After 
 'e died, Zinney lived there by hesself, and well, I 
 must zay 'e ded act as though 'e was maazed. 'E used 
 to work weth me 'ere, and 'e wud go round mumblin' 
 and talkin' to hesself, like a dog draimin' ; and 'e would 
 look so straange that zumtimes 'e made me feared. 
 Tha's why some people think Granfer Flew's ghoast 
 made way wed'n ; but Zinney wadn' sich a fool as oal 
 that. But 'e went away zum 'ears agone, and a'an't bin 
 'eerd ov sence. I 'spect 'e went to 'Merica or some sich 
 place." 
 
 " That's very interesting." 
 
 " Es et, sur ? Well, as I d' say, 'e 'ad summin* else 
 in 'es 'ead 'sides turmuts. Why, I tould un wawn day 
 that ovver in France they ded talk another languidge ; 
 and a little w'ile arter, I 'eerd un gabbin' away words 
 that I dedn' knaw the mainin' ov a bit, although I got 
 a prize waunce for spellin' words and givin' their mainin' 
 up to Churchtown Male Adult Class. So I axed un what 
 et was, and 'e zed 'twas a French verb. I've minded that 
 word 'verb' for 'ears, sur, whenever I've thought ov 
 Zinney, though I doan't knaw a bit what et do main. 
 You've never 'eerd ov Zinney, I s'poase, sur ? " 
 
 Rossini shook his head. 
 
 "What part ded you come from, maakin' sa bould, 
 sur ? " 
 
 " I came from London yesterday." 
 
 " Ah, tha's a purty big plaace, edn' et ? "
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. in 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Stayin' long, sur ? * 
 
 " Only a day or two." 
 
 "Were to, then, sur, maakin' sa bould ? " 
 
 "At Penwithen Hall." 
 
 Charlie touched his hat "Beg pardon, I'm sure, 
 sur; I dedn' main no offence. You be friendly weth 
 Lord Penwithen, I s'poase ? " 
 
 "I suppose so." 
 
 " Well, sur, ef you have a chance to tell un that the 
 barns want repairin', and that I ought to 'ave a new 
 stable, and that the rent es fifteen pound a 'ear too much, 
 I should be very glad." 
 
 Rossini went away laughing; it amused him to see 
 how anxious Charlie was to turn their conversation into 
 financial benefit. But when evening drew near, and he 
 entered Penwithen gates, all merriment passed away, 
 and he was unable to control the tumult of his heart 
 
 He had written to Lord Penwithen, telling him he 
 preferred walking to the "Hall, giving as his excuse that 
 he wanted to visit a spot near by, which he had heard 
 presented some curious geological remains ; and thus 
 his host did not regard it as at all strange that he should 
 decline the conveyance that he proposed sending. 
 
 Yes, there stood the Hall, at which he had gazed 
 nearly seven years before. Before him .vas the door from 
 which Lady Beatrice had emerged, her hand resting on 
 her father's arm. For a moment he fancied he was the 
 wild boy who had come to Penwithen to be present at 
 the rejoicings on Lady Beatrice's birthday, while around 
 him were the simple rustics who joined in the merri- 
 ment. It seemed to him that he could hear the girl 
 saying: "Tell him to go away, dad. He is simply
 
 112 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 awful ! " while he had it in his heart to slouch away, as 
 he had slouched away seven years before. 
 
 But only for a moment. He remembered the vow he 
 had taken remembered, too, that for seven years he had 
 worked almost incessantly, and so successfully that diffi- 
 culties which at first seemed almost insurmountable were 
 overcome. He, the gawky, ignorant wastrel of seven years 
 before, now stood at Penwithen Hall as a guest, while 
 the woman who had then shuddered at the sight of 
 him would probably welcome him. 
 
 Yes, he would fulfil his vow. For years he had kept 
 this hour before him ; for years he had toiled almost 
 superhumanly that he might bring it to pass. 
 
 "Mr. Keverne, sir?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Will you come this way, sir ? Your luggage arrived 
 an hour ago. There is just time to dress for dinner." 
 
 "Thank you." 
 
 It was not the first great house he had entered, for 
 Rossini had been made much of these last few months ; 
 nevertheless, he had difficulty in controlling his voice. 
 Perhaps even then Lady Beatrice was close to him. At 
 any rate, she was in the same house, and he would 
 see her, he wouM touch her hand, he would speak to 
 her. 
 
 Never in his life had he been so careful about his 
 appearance, and he looked at the mirror anxiously. A 
 tall figure, at least six feet two inches high, and the 
 chest and shoulders of an athlete. No, there was noth- 
 ing wrong with his appearance. His clothes had been 
 made by a renowned West End tailor ; they fitted his 
 form perfectly. As for his face, it was clean-shaven ; 
 every feature revealed itself clearly the square, deter-
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 113 
 
 mined chin, the strong face, the great, broad forehead 
 surmounted by a wealth of black hair. His eyes were 
 as black as coals, and shone brilliantly; his nose was 
 large, but not too large for such a face. 
 
 Even the man who helped him to dress could scarcely 
 repress his admiration. It was not often that a man of 
 such splendid proportions, of such striking appearance, 
 visited the Hall. 
 
 Lord Penwithen looked almost small and insignifi- 
 cant as presently the two stood together. The younger 
 man, in spite of his early years, was a far more striking 
 figure than the owner of Penwithen. Even the peer 
 could not help noticing the imposing appearance of his 
 visitor. It has been said that nothing indicates the 
 gentleman and the clown more truly than evening 
 clothes ; but although Rossini lacked the perfect ease 
 and the savoir faire of his host, if they met in a great 
 assembly, the peer would be passed without a remark, 
 while many eyes would be turned to have a second look 
 at the young engineer. 
 
 Presently, all Rossini's self-control was put to the 
 test. He had been expecting the entrance of Lady 
 Beatrice, and, as a consequence, had been preparing 
 himself to meet her ; but a meeting took place which, 
 for the moment, was harder to bear. 
 
 "Sir Hugh Kenwood!" 
 
 Rossini felt his heart beat loudly as his old friend 
 shook hands with Lord Penwithen. He made no sign, 
 however, but stood watching him quietly. The years 
 had made but little difference in him. He scarcely 
 looked older than on the night when he told his irate 
 housekeeper to bring refreshment for his ragged visitor. 
 
 When they were introduced, he held out his hand
 
 II 4 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 quietly, while Sir Hugh Kenwood scanned his face 
 eagerly. 
 
 "I am afraid I did not catch the name, Lord Pen- 
 withen," he said. 
 
 " Mr. Keverne, the engineer who has lately built the 
 lighthouse on Black Rock," said Lord Penwithen. 
 
 The eyes of the two men met Rossini's hard and 
 cold, but shining with a strange light, Sir Hugh Hen- 
 wood's full of wonder and inquiry. 
 
 " Have we ever met before, Mr. Keverne ? " said the 
 young baronet, as if trying to collect his thoughts. 
 
 " I have never to my knowledge met Sir Hugh 
 Henwood before," replied Rossini, never moving his 
 eyes from the other's face. 
 
 Sir Hugh was about to make a further remark, when 
 the attention of both was drawn to the presence of 
 Lady Beatrice. 
 
 Rossini waited while Henwood spoke to her ; never- 
 theless, he never took his eyes from her face. She was 
 a revelation to him when, a few years before, she stood 
 before him a happy, winsome child. Then she was clad 
 in summer attire, and seemed a part of the beauteous 
 summer day. When he had seen her in Plymouth, he 
 had obtained but a passing glance at her face. Never 
 before had he seen her in evening dress ; but even now 
 he heeded not the sparkling diamonds which hung on 
 her neck, nor the perfect contour of her white arms. It 
 was her face which charmed him a face whose beauty 
 made him wonder. True, that beauty might be en- 
 hanced by the dress she wore, but he thought not of it 
 It was the wondrous depth of her eyes, the perfect oval 
 of her face, the sensitive lips, which charmed him. And 
 he had vowed to to The thought was madness.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 115 
 
 But he controlled himself. Outwardly he was calm 
 and serene ; nothing but the quivering of the nostrils 
 suggested what he felt. Besides, the girl put him at 
 ease in a moment. 
 
 "Mr. Keverne," she said, "you are to take me in 
 to dinner. I insisted on it. Do you know, I have read 
 all the terrible stories about the Black Rock, and how 
 engineers had despaired of ever erecting a lighthouse 
 there ; and when dad told me you had succeeded where 
 everyone else had failed, and that you were paying us 
 a visit, I determined that I would sit next to you, so 
 that you could tell me everything about it. You will, 
 won't you ? " 
 
 " Still a child," he thought, " and as artless as any 
 village schoolgirl. . I see now. I am invited here as a 
 sort of curiosity. Of course, there can be no other 
 reason. How can there be ? But Sir Hugh Kenwood 
 I did not expect to meet him. I must be careful what 
 I do." 
 
 Aloud he said : " It is very kind of you to bestow 
 such an honour upon me, Lady Beatrice, especially as 
 I shall be a very dull companion. I am but a poor 
 talker. As for the lighthouse well, there's nothing to 
 say about it." 
 
 " Oh, but there is ; its story is a romance ! " 
 
 " Yes ; but, you see, you know it all ; and, after all, 
 things are not interesting." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " I mean that no building, no construction is interest- 
 ing of itself. Whenever interest attaches to anything, 
 it is because of some person. In fact, there's nothing 
 of interest in the world save a few men and women, and, 
 alas ! I am not one of those few."
 
 ii6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 They had taken their seats in the dining-hall, while 
 the waiters moved deftly among the guests. Around 
 the table sat the Vicar of Periwithen and several 
 members of county families whom Lord Penwithen had 
 invited. 
 
 " And what makes a. person interesting ? " she asked, 
 looking up at his dark, strong face. 
 
 "That depends, doesn't it?" he replied "There 
 is an interest which is ephemeral that is to say, you 
 regard a man as interesting because he has done some- 
 thing. You hear of a great painter or writer or 
 musician, and you are interested ; but that interest may 
 be the most ephemeral thing in the world" 
 
 " I do not quite understand." 
 
 " Well, last week I was invited to meet a man re- 
 nowned in the scientific world. I was delighted. I sat 
 next to him at dinner, and expected to be greatly enter- 
 tained by his brilliant conversation. I volunteered two 
 or three remarks, which were met by a kind of grunt 
 I was much disconcerted, but presently made another 
 attempt at conversation. Then he said to me quite 
 angrily : ' Excuse me, I came here to dine, not to talk ! * 
 After that I did not find him in the least interesting. I 
 knew he had done great things in his own world, but 
 somehow I forgot them. Accordingly I turned to my 
 neighbour on the other side. He was a nobody he 
 had done nothing, and no one knew anything about 
 him ; but he could talk, and, do you know, I found him 
 quite interesting." 
 
 " I think I see what you mean,** 
 
 " Well, I can't talk ; that is why I pity you. Believe 
 me, I shall not be a bit surprised if presently you turn 
 to your neighbour on the other side out of pure despair."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 117 
 
 The girl laughed merrily. Whether he were sincere 
 or not, he had become interesting to her, and she was 
 bent on making him belie his words. 
 
 " Still, it is a great thing to have become interesting 
 even for a time," she said " The man who writes a 
 great book, even although he is deaf and dumb, is in- 
 teresting ; he must be." 
 
 " Writers of books are the most uninteresting people 
 I have ever met," he replied 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 * They expect to be made a great deal of." 
 
 "Well, anyone who has done anything really great 
 deserves to be made a great deal of." 
 
 " I do not see it." 
 
 "No? How is that?' 
 
 "Well, whatever we do, we do because we have 
 certain gifts. We simply use those gifts ; that is all." 
 
 " And those gifts make us interesting." 
 
 " Yes, in a sense, I suppose, you are right." 
 
 He lapsed into silence, and Lady Beatrice won- 
 dered why he had suddenly become so taciturn. Pre- 
 sently she began to feel that he was right, and that 
 she would have to find a refuge in her other neigh- 
 bour. 
 
 "After all," Rossini burst out presently, "the in- 
 teresting person is one who conquers people, not things. 
 When you deal with inanimate things, you deal with 
 forces which have discoverable laws. Anybody can do 
 that" 
 
 " Surely no." 
 
 "Yes, if one has will, energy. After all, were men 
 like Brunei and Stephen son and Watt interesting 
 really interesting ? But Napoleon was ; so was Richelieu,
 
 u8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 so was Cromwell, so was Abraham Lincoln. A great 
 engineer is a great mathematician plus some construc- 
 tive ability, that is all; but men like Napoleon and 
 Cromwell were more. They risked more, too. I some- 
 times think I would rather be a charlatan like Cagliostro 
 than an architect like Christopher Wren." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Because he aimed at more. He sought to sub- 
 due wills instead of shape stones. A scientist may be 
 uninteresting, but a man like Cromwell never." 
 
 "Then you take no pride in building the Black 
 Rock Lighthouse ? " 
 
 " I should take more interest in conquering some- 
 one who had a strong will." 
 
 The girl felt like shuddering. 
 
 "Why?" she asked 
 
 "Because the one is a matter of calculation, of 
 mathematics. But when you get into the realm of 
 men and women, you get beyond calculation, you get 
 beyond mathematics. Of course, the human will is 
 governed by laws, but they are undiscoverable. Some- 
 times we think we have discovered them ; then some- 
 thing happens which makes fools of us." 
 
 "Then you do not find enough in engineering to 
 satisfy you ? " 
 
 " No, it is not an end of life ; it is simply a means to 
 an end." 
 
 " I do not think I agree with you." 
 
 " If you were a man you would. For example, 
 when I worked at the plans for that lighthouse, I had 
 a kind of pleasure, but it did not go to the depths of 
 my life. But one day there was a strife among the 
 men ; some of them threatened to murder me."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 119 
 
 "What!" 
 
 " Some of them threatened to murder me," repeated 
 Rossini quietly. " I would not yield to them in some 
 of their desires ; I made certain rules against which 
 they rebelled. One evening they got me alone on 
 Black Rock. They were six, and I was alone. I do 
 not think they meant to kill me, but they determined 
 to make me yield to them. I had to fight them ah 1 ." 
 
 "But that would be impossible." 
 
 " Oh, it was not a matter of fighting with hands ! 
 They would have beaten me if it came to that No, 
 it was a matter of will-power ; it was a matter of con- 
 quering men. The situation added to the interest. 
 Perhaps you have never been on Black Rock. It is 
 very wild, very lonely. I do not think I ever enjoyed 
 anything so much in my life. That was pleasure a 
 pleasure which makes one feel what a grand thing it 
 is to live." 
 
 " But who won ? Did you yield to them ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ; of course, -that would be impossible. 
 The matter would have been easy enough if they had 
 been of the ordinary convict type of men ; but there 
 was one who was their leader. He made it hard" 
 
 " Yes, I see." 
 
 "Thus presently I reduced the matter to being a 
 struggle between him and me." 
 
 "And " 
 
 "Well, I am here, and the men went quietly to 
 work the next day." 
 
 If some men had spoken in this way, it would have 
 seemed like boasting ; but Rossini spoke so quietly 
 that the girl never thought of it Moreover, his 
 presence fascinated hei.
 
 120 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Mr. Keverne," she said, " have you accomplished 
 everything you have set out to accomplish ? " 
 
 "No, not all that is, not yet but I mean to." 
 
 There was a kind of quiet intensity in his words 
 that almost made her shiver. 
 
 " Years ago I made up my mind to do something," 
 he went on. " It was very mad, seemingly impossible, 
 but I made up my mind I have not done it yet, but 
 I mean to do it" 
 
 "Something to do with your profession?" 
 
 "No; the profession was only a means to the 
 end." 
 
 " And are you near its accomplishment ? " 
 
 " I hope so." 
 
 "Of course, it was something to do with some 
 person ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Some man ? " 
 
 "No, a woman." 
 
 He looked at her steadily, and seemed to be hesi- 
 tating as to whether he should say more.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE MAN AND THE WOMAN. 
 
 As we have said, although Lady Beatrice was more 
 than twenty-three years of age, she was still a child at 
 heart, and the young man who sat by her side in- 
 fluenced her more than she could say. She realised 
 that this was no ordinary dinner-party, that her com- 
 panion had caused the conversation to drift into a 
 channel hitherto unknown to her. Course after course 
 had followed each other, and she had taken but little 
 heed of them. She had become oblivious to everyone 
 else. Rossini had spoken in such low tones that none 
 but herself had heard his words, and his presence had 
 influenced her in a way she could not understand. 
 
 " I am afraid I am making a strange kind of con- 
 fession," he said, with a low laugh. "Pray forget it 
 It is not really worthy of your notice." 
 
 "It is very interesting," she replied; "but tell me 
 more about that other matter. It makes one shudder 
 to think of being on a lonely rock with six murderous 
 men. I should so love to hear how you overcame 
 them." 
 
 A dark look passed across' his face. "It is not 
 altogether pleasant to think about," he said. 
 
 " Pray do not speak about it if it gives you pain." 
 
 " Oh, it is not the kind of pain you are thinking 
 of," he replied quickly. "The pleasure would have 
 
 E 121
 
 122 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 been in conquering those fellows alone ; but I did 
 not." 
 
 " But you told me you were alone on the rock with 
 them." 
 
 "Yes, I was for a time, but not all the time, After 
 all, I got out of the difficulty rather by chance than by 
 my own power. What I wanted to do was to conquer 
 those men by myself, and, well that is where you 
 cannot calculate in the world of men and women. 
 You think you have all the strings in your hands 
 whereby you can control the world's marionettes ; but 
 you haven't. Human nature always seems to laugh 
 at you. True, I have a sort of feeling that I could 
 have done everything by myself, but I am not sure. 
 Anyhow, in this case I was helped by another. The 
 daughter of the leader of this gang had somehow dis- 
 covered the plot, and she by herself, although only a 
 girl, rowed to the Black Rock, effected a landing in 
 spite of the treacherous tides, and and, well it was 
 really she who made her father give up his projects." 
 
 " She must have been a brave girl" 
 
 "The bravest I have ever known." 
 
 " A girl of the people ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Oh, I see, a romance ! Is she pretty, clever ? 
 What kind of a girl is she ? Do tell me ? " 
 
 A dark look crossed Rossini's face. Somehow, the 
 light, careless way in which she spoke grated on his 
 feelings. 
 
 "There is no romance," he said quietly. "She is 
 simply a cottage girl. She is a Sunday-school teacher, 
 and is extremely good and pious. Her mother was an 
 ordinary cottage woman that is all Her father is a
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 123 
 
 clever mechanic, but a good deal of a blackguard. The 
 girl herself is above the ordinary cottage girl in intelli- 
 gence, but her distinguishing feature is her brave, 
 quiet courage, her devotion to her Sunday-school and 
 her home, and her piety." 
 
 "You knew her before this this happening, 
 then ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, I had seen her at the chapel she attended." 
 
 " Oh, you go to chapel, then ? " 
 
 " Yes ; so does Sir Hugh Henwood," and he nodded 
 towards the young baronet, who was busily talking to 
 his neighbour. 
 
 " You do not know Sir Hugh Henwood ? Of course 
 not. He has been much abroad, and has but lately 
 come to his title and his estates. Yes, I've heard he's 
 a Dissenter." 
 
 "To return to what we were discussing," he said, 
 " I said just now that Nature is always laughing at us, 
 especially human nature. It is true ; we can calculate 
 the force of storms, and the resisting power of 
 masonry, but when we come to deal with men and 
 women, we are in the realm of unknown laws. I never 
 knew what was in that young girl's mind, I never had 
 a chance of finding out. But she, it seems, had been 
 watching her father for weeks, and had, unknown to 
 him, discovered his plans. More than that, she had 
 discovered the means whereby she was able to con- 
 trol him." 
 
 "Is she beautiful?" 
 
 " Yes," he replied, looking at Lady Beatrice, " she 
 is very beautiful, very. I never saw such a lovely face. 
 Yes, a cottage girl, if you like, but a Joan of Arc never- 
 theless. A Protestant saint, but with all the courage
 
 124 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 of a man. She would never be a Society beauty 
 that is, unless Society spoiled her. She is too 
 s-birituelle, too innocent. Her face is as free from 
 guile as the face of a child of seven. Her eyes fairly 
 haunt me." 
 
 In spite of herself, his words rankled a little in her 
 heart. She forgot that this man was of humble birth, 
 and that he had risen from an obscurity so great that 
 no one seemed to know what his past had been. To 
 her he was the most distinguished man in the house. 
 He was the talk of the scientific world, even although 
 he was but little more than a boy. His presence dwarfed 
 that of every other man in the room. There was 
 such an air of conscious strength about him that it was 
 impossible not to look upon him as a leader. Because 
 of this she desired to make a good impression upon 
 him, and yet he had distinctly told her that this cottage 
 girl was more beautiful than she. Moreover, she won- 
 dered whether this girl were the one concerning whom 
 he had made up his mind to accomplish what seemed 
 impossible. She determined to find out. 
 
 " Have you known her long ? " she asked. 
 
 "I hardly know her at all," he replied. "I never 
 saw her till a few months ago." 
 
 Then she remembered that it was years since he 
 had determined to accomplish an impossible thing, and 
 she wondered who the woman could be. She had 
 determined to talk about the lighthouse, but the con- 
 versation had drifted into other channels, channels far 
 more interesting. 
 
 "Were you very young when you made up your 
 mind to do that which seemed impossible ? " she asked. 
 
 " I was nineteen that very dav."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 125 
 
 "Oh! a birthday vow?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Let me hazard a guess, Mr. Keverne." 
 
 "By all means." 
 
 "You were born in the winter." 
 
 "No, I was born on the twenty-ninth of June." 
 
 "What!" 
 
 " What is there in that to surprise you ? " 
 
 "Nothing, only I was born that day also." 
 
 He was about to say : " I knew it," but refrained. 
 The time had not yet come. Instead he said : " My 
 life ought to be a very happy one, Lady Beatrice." 
 
 " Oh, I do love to hear stories about attempting 
 the impossible," she said with a laugh, and toying with 
 her food. 
 
 "Nothing is impossible," he replied gravely. 
 
 " Of course, Louis XIV. and Napoleon said that, 
 but both found out that some things were impossible. 
 As you said just now, human nature laughs at us." 
 
 " I mean to accomplish my vow, anyhow," he said 
 grimly. 
 
 Again the girl almost shivered. She fancied what 
 it would be to be the victim of this young man's will. 
 In some ways he did not seem young to her; rather 
 he appealed to her as one who had lived long and 
 had grown old in experience. Still she controlled her- 
 self. 
 
 "You see," he went on, "everything worth doing 
 in the world has been done by attempting the seem- 
 ingly impossible. Every truly great movement, every 
 great revolution, the establishment of every great reli- 
 gion, just meant attempting what the world called 
 impossible. Besides, such an attempt makes the joy of
 
 126 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 living. And I mean to accomplish yes. I mean to 
 accomplish ! " 
 
 His eyes shone with a ruddy light. To Lady 
 Beatrice there was something uncanny about him. 
 
 " I should like to hear about it," she said, almost in 
 spite of herself. 
 
 " I could not tell you no, I could not tell you," he 
 said slowly. "And yet I should like to put a case to 
 you. I should like to ask your opinion about it." 
 
 The girl's eyes sparkled. " Dinner is nearly over," 
 she said, "and dad generally likes to smoke his cigar 
 out of doors after dinner during summer. Perhaps you 
 other men will like that, too." 
 
 " And to-day is the first of June," he said. " Fancy, 
 my birthday will soon be here again/' 
 
 "And mine, too," she said with a laugh. 
 
 A little later he was walking by her side, beneath 
 the trees in the park. 
 
 " You don't mind my smoking ? " 
 
 " I shall be sorry if you don't. I think men can 
 always talk better when they smoke." 
 
 Rossini laughed quietly, and the girl looked up at 
 him, wondering at his merriment. She was a tall girl, 
 but she felt very little by his side. He was bare- 
 headed, thus revealing the great mass of raven black, 
 v/avy hair that surmounted his broad forehead. More- 
 over, his face looked even more striking now than when 
 she had first met him two hours before. In a sense he 
 was ugly at least, she thought so. His dark skin and 
 large features looked almost sinister. And yet there 
 was nothing sinister about him. His eyes had no evil 
 in them. His tall, upright form suggested open air 
 and sunshine.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 127 
 
 "I wanted to put a case to you," he said, lighting 
 his cigar with a steady hand. " Suppose a boy, a 
 poor, unknown, ignorant boy, suddenly fell in love with 
 a lady of high degree, and vowed to wed her. What 
 would you think of the vow ? " 
 
 " It depends, doesn't it ? " she replied " Such things 
 are said to have happened. I have heard, too, that 
 such things have been accomplished. 
 
 " How should you think he would set about it ? " 
 
 " In many ways. Of course, there is the orthodox, 
 melodramatic way. He should get her in his 
 power." 
 
 " How could he, if she were rich, courted, and pro- 
 tected, while he was poor, ignorant, and alone ? " 
 
 " I really cannot answer at once. For my own 
 part, although such things are said to happen, I don't 
 think they do." 
 
 " Think of Cardinal Mazarin, of Napoleon." 
 
 "Both Frenchmen." 
 
 " One an Italian and the other a Corsican ; still, 
 they succeeded." 
 
 " But does your humble boy come into daily con- 
 tact with this lady of high degree ? " 
 
 "No, he never sees her, and she knows nothing of 
 him." 
 
 "Then it would be simply foolish to talk about it 
 The young lady might go to London for the Season, 
 become engaged, and married without the boy know- 
 ing anything about it." 
 
 " I make nothing of that," said Rossini quietly. 
 " Let us assume at the outset that the boy is strong 
 and determined. Let us assume also that he possesses 
 brains inventive brains, inventive in the larger sense
 
 138 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 of the word. Well, what would such a fellow do ? He 
 would keep himself posted as to the lady's where- 
 abouts. He would know whether she were engaged. 
 That would be easy enough." 
 
 "But if she were engaged, what could he do?" 
 
 " Oh, a strong man can do anything. He could 
 easily get his rival out of the way." 
 
 " What ! if he were poor and obscure ? " 
 
 " Well, you see, such a youth as I have in my mind 
 would not remain poor and obscure. Little by little 
 he would obtain power. Oh, yes, he would quickly 
 deal with rivals if they existed." 
 
 "Ah, but," said the girl quickly, "if he were that 
 kind of man, there would be a weak place in his 
 armour. Besides, if he really loved this lady, he would 
 give her up for the sake of her happiness." 
 
 "But if he believed she could only be happy by 
 wedding him ? " 
 
 "The lady has relatives?" 
 
 " Oh, yes. I said she is well protected. Of course, 
 I am only putting a case to you that is all." 
 
 " Well, then, her relatives would protect her. 
 Marriage on her part would be out of the question. 
 How could she ever think of it? The whole thing 
 would be impossible. For example, she might go to 
 Berlin, to Vienna, and be married there." 
 
 "No," said Rossini, "such a woman as I am think- 
 ing of would be married from her father's house. You 
 see, my youth could come in at the last, and do with 
 the would-be bridegroom what he desired. My boy 
 grows to be a man of resource, a man who never for- 
 gets anything, a man who is determined to make cir- 
 cumstances bend to his will"
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 129 
 
 a You remind me of the old query," replied the girl. 
 " Suppose two irresistible forces meet each other, what 
 happens? Well, nothing happens. I think this would 
 be so in the case you have imagined" 
 
 "But something would happen," said Rossini; "it 
 would happen that my man would have his way." 
 
 "You said just now that human nature is always 
 laughing at us," said the girl. " It seems to me you 
 are assuming that the lady of high degree, as you call 
 her, is an automaton ; you are imagining that she has 
 no will, no personality." 
 
 " Her will, her personality, is not as strong as his." 
 
 "That may be, but a woman's heart laughs at 
 strong wills and strong personalities. No, no, Mr. 
 Keverne, I think your case is weak.'' 
 
 Rossini laughed quietly. 
 
 " Oh, I trust a woman's wit and woman's heart, 
 rather than the strong man's brains," she laughed ; 
 " besides, I assume he is not a villain." 
 
 " No, he is not a villain." 
 
 "Well, then, he would not seek to wreck the life 
 and happiness of this woman, even if he has the 
 power, for it would wreck her life to marry a poor 
 man." 
 
 " But he is not poor, he becomes rich." 
 
 " Even yet it is not possible. No, your case might 
 do very well for a melodrama, but it does not happen 
 in real life." 
 
 " One day," said Rossini, " I remember being in the 
 company of a great man. He quoted some words of 
 Cardinal Mazarin, who was an Italian peasant, but who 
 became a cardinal, the first Minister of France, and hus- 
 band of the Queen of Louis XIII."
 
 130 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "Yes," said Lady Beatrice, "what were they?" 
 
 " Someone remarked to him one day that some- 
 thing could never happen. He replied: 'Everything 
 happens." I believe him. It is only a matter of being 
 able and willing to pay the price. You do not believe 
 it?" 
 
 "No," said the girl; "frankly I do not" 
 
 Rossini looked at his companion, and his eyes 
 gleamed with a strange light Yes, she was very beau- 
 tiful, and she possessed that air of nobility which only 
 generations of refinement, culture, and association with 
 great and far-reaching events can give. He reflected 
 that her fathers had helped to fashion the life of the 
 nation. She was heir of an old name, she was in some 
 way linked with the best life of the nation. Was she 
 right ? 
 
 " But the man I have in my mind would make you 
 believe it ! " he said quietly. 
 
 " That's because you believe you will accomplish 
 the thing upon which you have set your mind." 
 
 "Perhaps," he said quietly. "But here is Lord 
 Pen wi then coming." 
 
 " Beatrice, my dear," said Lord Penwithen, " I really 
 must take you in ; the dew is falling, and the grass is 
 damp." 
 
 "Is it, dad?" said the girl. "Mr. Keverne and I 
 have been discussing such an interesting problem that 
 I had forgotten all about it." 
 
 "Besides," went on Lord Penwithen, "Sir Hugh 
 wants a chat with Mr. Keverne." 
 
 " Some da'y, Mr. Keverne, we must continue our 
 discussion," said the girl, with a laugh. 
 
 "That will be delightful," replied the young man,
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 131 
 
 and then he turned towards the young baronet who 
 stood by his side. Both looked at each other steadily, 
 while father and daughter made their way back to the 
 house. 
 
 Presently Sir Hugh spoke. 
 
 "Well, Rossini," he said, "you have obtained your 
 screw-jack." 
 
 " Nearly," replied the other. 
 
 " I wondered whether it might be you when I read 
 about it in the newspapers," went on Sir Hugh. " I 
 could scarcely believe it possible, even although I had 
 some knowledge of your marvellous powers in 
 learning." 
 
 Rossini was silent 
 
 " Does anyone know who you are ? " 
 
 "Not unless you have told them." 
 
 "Of course I have not done that. I saw that you 
 did not wish to be recognised just now, and so I have 
 not said a word. But your history seems like a fairy 
 story." 
 
 " Not so much as yours." 
 
 "Oh, mine is a very simple affair. Sometimes I 
 feel almost ashamed of it. You see, I had nothing 
 whatever to do with it My health broke down, I was 
 forbidden to preach, and I had to go out of the country. 
 While I was away, one of those strange series of events 
 took place which landed me where I am. I did 
 nothing. Thus I have wealth and position simply 
 through chance. You, on the other hand, have done 
 everything for yourself." 
 
 "Yes," said Rossini a little proudly, "I did every- 
 thing by myself. Yet no. That is not true. But for 
 you, all would have been impossible."
 
 132 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "Nonsense. Such a fellow as you would find a 
 way somehow. I happened to turn up ; but I was not 
 indispensable. If it had not been I, it would have been 
 someone else." 
 
 "I owe everything to you," said Rossini quietly. 
 
 " And yet you never wrote me ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did. As soon as I had anything to tell you, 
 I wrote ; but my letter was returned. You had left 
 Polgooth, and there was no trace of you." 
 
 "What had you to tell?" 
 
 " Simply that I had ceased being a navvy and had 
 become a mechanic's labourer." 
 
 "Well, what happened after that." 
 
 " Oh, I kept on working, practically night and day 
 Then one day the engineer of the railway was taken 
 ill, and no one was able to interpret his plans." 
 
 " And you did ? " 
 
 " Yes. I did. That led to my being made a fore- 
 man, and presently manager for a large railway con- 
 tractor. Of course, I kept up my studies, and my rail- 
 way work gave me experience. Then this lighthouse 
 affair came on and, well, that is all." 
 
 Sir Hugh could not help gazing at the young fellow 
 with astonishment. He had accomplished marvels, 
 and yet he spoke of his career as though it were the 
 most commonplace thing imaginable. He pictured 
 him as he was the first time they met. He saw a 
 gaunt, ungainly, shock-headed, ragged youth. Now he 
 stood in the presence of a man who would be noted 
 anywhere, the invited guest of a peer of the realm; 
 and the change had been made in less than seven years. 
 
 "Yes, you have your screw-jack," laughed Sir 
 Hugh. " Well, what are you going to do with it ? "
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 133 
 
 "I cannot tell that even to you," he said quietly. 
 
 " That was your secret years ago, I remember." 
 
 " It is still." 
 
 " You are not married ? " 
 
 " No, not yet." 
 
 """And yet you could marry if you would. You have 
 a position, and you must have money." 
 
 "Yes, I could marry if I would. In a year or two 
 I shall be fairly rich, I suppose." 
 
 " And some of the best homes in England are open 
 to you." 
 
 "People are inclined to make a fuss of one who 
 has done something which others have failed to do, 
 and which gets talked about in the newspapers," re- 
 plied Rossini "And you, Mr. Kenwood that is, Sir 
 Hugh you are not married ? " 
 
 "No, not yet." 
 
 " And yet you could ? " 
 
 " I do not know. That is, I do not know if I could 
 marry the only woman I should care to marry." 
 
 " And she ? Have I ever heard of her ? " 
 
 B Ah ! " said Sir Hugh, " that is my secret." 
 
 " You are not sure she would have you ? " 
 
 Sir Hugh was silent. 
 
 " Because," went on Rossini, " if I made up my mind 
 to win a woman, I would win her. Nothing should 
 stand in my way nothing." 
 
 "Look here, Keverne, forgive me for mentioning 
 it, but you promised me that you would read a certain 
 book through once a year. Have you done so ? " 
 
 "I never failed in my word yet," replied Rossini. 
 
 The young baronet looked at the other's face, as 
 i$ trying to read his thoughts, but he utterly failed. He
 
 134 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 opened his lips to put another question, but he re- 
 frained. He realised that the old Rossini was dead. 
 
 " Are you staying here long ? " he said at length. 
 
 " Only to-morrow. I must get back to work." 
 
 " 1 suppose you have many things on hand ? " 
 
 "Yes, one thing leads to another. If I were ten 
 men, I should still have more work than I could do. 
 And you?" 
 
 "I shall be staying in the neighbourhood. Lord 
 Penwithen wants me to stand for this constituency at 
 the next election. I came here to thoroughly go into 
 the matter. Shall we go back to the house ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Rossini " at least, not now ; I want to 
 be quiet for a minute. You don't mind, do you ? " 
 
 " Of course not 1 say, Keverne, we were friends 
 nearly six years ago." 
 
 "You were my friend," replied Rossini. "I owe 
 everything to you." 
 
 " That's all nonsense ; but we are thrown together 
 again, and " 
 
 " Do you wish us to be friends still ? " said Rossini, 
 speaking eagerly for the first time during the evening. 
 
 " I do ; I sincerely hope so, too." 
 
 "I shall never cease to be your friend, Sir Hugh. 
 I do not believe you will ever cease to be mine." 
 
 The two men clasped hands, and then Rossini went 
 away alone to the spot where he had crept on the day 
 he had been driven from Lady Beatrice's presence, and 
 where he had made his vow. 
 
 Presently he returned to the house again. As he 
 drew near, he heard the laughter of girlish voices. 
 
 " Where are the men ? " said one. 
 
 "In the billiard-room and in the smoke-room that
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 135 
 
 is, except Mr. Keverne. Sir Hugh Kenwood tells me 
 he has gone for a walk in the woods by himself." It 
 was Beatrice who spoke. 
 
 " What a wonderful looking fellow he is ! " 
 
 " He is wonderful He is a man who can do any- 
 thing." 
 
 " And most men can do nothing." 
 
 " That's why you haven't married ? * 
 
 " That's partly why I have married neither of those 
 men we have been talking about. I never could marry a 
 man who has done nothing; but, on the other hand, 
 one can't help respecting the man who can bend every- 
 thing to his will." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Rossini, as he found his way into the 
 house.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE STORY OF THE VIOLIN. 
 
 ROSSINI found his way into the conservatory, the in- 
 fluence oT the conversations he had had with Lady 
 Beatrice and Sir Hugh Kenwood still strong upon him. 
 
 "Now or never," he said, as he paced among the 
 flowers and plants. " I cannot woo as other men woo. 
 It may be that I shall never be invited to this house 
 again. I am here because I am a sort of a lion. People 
 she especially wanted to see me. I am regarded as 
 a sort of prodigy. If I am to take the fortress, it must 
 be by sudden assault." 
 
 He continued to walk among the exotic shrubs, heed- 
 less of the aroma they cast about him, heedless of the 
 fact that he was scarcely polite to his host by remaining 
 there alone. He was in deep thought. He felt that the 
 crisis in his life had come, tha the hour for which he 
 had been struggling and fighting for nearly seven years 
 had nearly come. 
 
 "Now or never," he repeated, "now or never. I 
 have always said that the hour should be on her birth- 
 day, and mine ; but I must not wait even for one short 
 month. There is no time to wait" 
 
 He seemed to be making plans to map out the 
 events which he intended should take place. A few 
 minutes later, he had entered the drawing-room, where 
 a number of people had assembled. 
 
 "Do you sing, Mr. Keverne ? "
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 137 
 
 It was Beatrice who spoke. 
 
 " Only poorly, I am afraid I play the fiddle a little." 
 
 " Do you ? We have some violins in the house, but 
 I suppose none of them would suit you ? " 
 
 " I always bring my own with me." 
 
 "Do you? That is delightful Shall I not send 
 for it?" 
 
 " I will fetch it, if you really wish me to play." 
 
 " Oh, yes, please. There is no instrument I love so 
 much." 
 
 A number of other voices joined in this cry. Evi- 
 dently all present were eager to hear the performance 
 of the man who had been the wonder of the engineering 
 world. During the evening, scores of stories had been 
 rife about him. Some said one thing, some another. 
 One had it that he was of a noble family in Italy, but 
 had been discarded by his parents ; another, that he had 
 run away from his home as a boy and had vowed never 
 to return until he had made a position for himself equal 
 to that which his father had bestowed upon him. An- 
 other still, that his parentage was unknown, and that 
 he was found in a field by some worthy cottagers. None 
 of them came near the truth, but all of them intensified 
 the interest that was felt in him. As for Sir Hugh 
 Kenwood, he said nothing. He knew that Rossini de- 
 sired that nothing should be known, and he respected 
 his wishes. He was as keenly interested in his old pupil 
 as ever, and marvelled, not only at the way in which he 
 had made a great reputation in the world of science, 
 but at the way in which he could adapt himself to such 
 surroundings. True, his manners were somewhat un- 
 conventional ; but there was nothing awkward about 
 him. If he had not known otherwise, he could have
 
 138 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 imagined him to have associated with people of position 
 all his life. 
 
 Thus, when Rossini returned with his old violin, all 
 were eager to hear him. What could this young en- 
 gineer, who had spent so much time in studying his 
 profession, know about one of the most difficult of in- 
 struments ? 
 
 "I have some violin music here," said Lady Bea- 
 trice ; " perhaps you know some of it. I shall be 
 pleased to accompany you." 
 
 " Thank you ; but I'm afraid it will be of no use. 
 Besides, I know nothing of the theory of music." 
 
 A silence fell upon the company. How could a man 
 knowing nothing of the theory of music think of offer- 
 ing to play to them ? Still, he was no ordinary man. 
 He was capable of anything. 
 
 He took an old, battered instrument from a battered 
 case. No one knew that, years before, this same fiddle 
 had been played in nearly every public-house and beer- 
 shop for miles around. No one dreamed that it had 
 been the property of a vagrant tinker who had played it 
 at the village feasts, while tipsy men and farm servant- 
 maidens had danced to its music 
 
 "Your violin seems to have seen service, Mr. 
 Keverne." 
 
 "It has." 
 
 " It looks old, too." 
 
 " It belonged to my father, and to his father before 
 him." 
 
 " You treasure it, doubtless ? " 
 
 " More than almost anything else." 
 
 He passed his fingers lovingly over the strings, as he 
 tightened them. Lady Beatrice gave him the keynote
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 139 
 
 on the piano, remarking as he did so on the pallor of 
 his face and the brightness of his eyes. 
 
 When all was ready, he drew his bow across the 
 strings and began to play. Had a great violinist been 
 present, he could doubtless have found many things in 
 the performance to criticise. He would have urged that 
 certain faults must be corrected and that many points 
 of technique should be attended to ; but even he would 
 have been moved. Scarcely a dozen notes had been 
 played before Rossini had forgotten his surroundings. 
 He was a boy again, back in the old hut at Maji-pies. 
 In his mind he had gone back nearly six years. He 
 had been to the birthday -file and been driven away as 
 though he had been a pestilence. He felt as he had felt 
 that night when his eyes were opened to a new world. 
 Ignorant as he was of the theory of music, having learnt 
 only from Josiah Yelland, who had come to teach him 
 in his lonely hut, the fiddle was almost a part of his 
 being. It had been his one uplifting and solacing in- 
 fluence in childhood. He had played it on the night 
 his mother was buried, it had been his companion 
 through the years. Even when he was working out his 
 calculations for building the lighthouse, he had often 
 stopped and dreamed for a few minutes over his fiddle, 
 and somehow the sounds he drew therefrom strength- 
 ened his brain and cleared his vision. 
 
 Thus it was that he had forgotten even the pre- 
 sence of Lady Beatrice that is, the Lady Beatrice to 
 whom he had spoken that night ; as for the other mem- 
 bers of the gathering, they did not exist to him. 
 
 He found himself putting into music that twenty- 
 ninth of June, nearly seven years before. He fancied 
 himself on the way to the fitt, walking by himself
 
 1 4 o A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 through flowery lanes. The birds were singing, the winds 
 were making music amongst leafy boughs and scented 
 flowers. The smell of new-mown hay came to him, the 
 unripened corn swayed in the summer wind, while the 
 great dome of the blue sky was overhead. It was all 
 plain to him, and he made his listeners feel it. Then 
 came the shouts of rejoicing, the laughter of hundreds 
 of voices. On* could almost hear the laughter as he 
 drew his bow across the strings. After that came a 
 change, for his mood had changed. He had been 
 driven away, and he sat alone, brooding among the 
 willows by a running stream ; there also he made his 
 vow. 
 
 Then night came on ; the moon sailed high in the 
 heavens, the birds had gone to rest, the sound of the 
 river was far away, the wind sighed. A great longing, 
 a great despair, had seized him, and again the instru- 
 ment interpreted his feelings. After that a quietness 
 came on, but through the coming stillness he felt as 
 though he were sobbing himself to sleep. 
 
 He stopped. All the time he had been playing with 
 his eyes closed ; now he opened them, to see the whole 
 company gazing at him in astonishment. He saw that 
 tears had welled up into Lady Beatrice's eyes. He had 
 not played in vain, his hand had not lost its cunning. 
 He heard a great sigh around him. 
 
 "Wonderful, wonderful!" 
 
 He heard this on all hands. Even those who, as 
 a rule, cared but little for music were almost carried 
 away by it, while to such as Beatrice, who loved it 
 dearly, it seemed like the revelation of a new world. 
 
 His presence had dominated all the others. There 
 seemed to be no one else of interest in the room. It
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 141 
 
 was not a performance of some piece of music which 
 they had heard, he had created an atmosphere of music 
 His father's old fiddle had helped him more than he 
 knew. 
 
 " Mr. Keverne," said Lord Penwithen, " I congratulate 
 you. It was simply marvellous. Who was your 
 teacher ? " 
 
 " I never had a teacher." 
 
 " Never had a teacher ! * 
 
 "Well, perhaps I am wrong. A village wastrel 
 taught me what little of the theory of music I know. 
 But I do not remember the time when I could not 
 play. The fiddle, and the power to love it, was the one 
 inheritance I had from my father." 
 
 Lord Penwithen wanted to ask him further questions, 
 but he felt it would not be courteous on his part to do 
 so. Besides, Rossini was not a man with whom one 
 could take liberties. He was not some -parvenu whom 
 one could regard as an inferior. 
 
 " Please play again." 
 
 For reply, Rossini put the fiddle in the case. 
 
 " I am afraid I cannot," he said. " I feel as though 
 at present my friend here has nothing more to say to 
 me. She has told her story and wants to be quiet Do 
 you think fiddles have souls, Lady Beatrice ? " 
 
 The girl, who had never uttered a sound after the 
 moment he had played the first note, looked up at 
 him in astonishment 
 
 " I sometimes think mine has. No one ever speaks 
 to me like my sweetheart here. When I die, I shall 
 give commands that she be buried in my coffin." 
 
 " Why ? " asked someone. 
 
 " I should feel that it was sacrilege for anyone else
 
 142 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 to play it. You see, I have been told that my grand- 
 father made it, and that during his life no one but he 
 ever touched it. After his death, no matter how that 
 is, my father always guarded it carefully, and would 
 allow no one but me to place hands on it. Since I 
 have had it, I have guarded it just as carefully. In my 
 heart of hearts I do not call my friend here ' it,' I call 
 her ' she.' She is my sweetheart. I tell my secrets only 
 to her." 
 
 He locked the box carefully. " I will take her back 
 to my room, if you don't mind," he said. 
 
 When he returned, he found that they were still 
 talking of his marvellous performance. " It was like 
 nothing I ever heard before," they said again and again. 
 
 Moreover, his music had cast a spell upon them ; 
 they spoke in subdued tones, as though they were in a 
 church. It was impossible to be flippant after a man 
 had laid bare his soul through the medium of music. 
 
 " Do you sing, Mr. Keverne ? " 
 
 It was the first time Lady Beatrice had spoken, the 
 music had stirred her in a way she could not explain. 
 
 " Only badly, I am afraid." 
 
 " But you do sing ? " 
 
 "A little, only a little." 
 
 " Please look over my songs here, and if there is one 
 among them that you know, I should be glad if you 
 would sing it." 
 
 He did as he was bid, and presently placed a song 
 in her hands. 
 
 " As I told you before, I know little or nothing of 
 the theory of music," he said. " My time will be all to 
 pieces ; it is possible I may sing wrong notes, too. I 
 think it is very hard to sing someone else's music."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 143 
 
 " Is that your own composition which you played ? " 
 
 "Yes, and no. It came to me, that's all. It's a 
 memory, an experience, a vow. Some I think I com- 
 posed, the rest the fiddle supplied." 
 
 The girl almost shuddered as she opened the song 
 he had selected. The man seemed to be playing on 
 her nerves. 
 
 She played the prelude to the song, and then almost 
 stopped as he commenced singing. Again a silence 
 fell on the room, and all listened to Rossini as he sang. 
 Technically, it was a poor performance. As he had said, 
 his time was wrong, while many of his notes were not 
 written. And yet he held everyone spellbound. As 
 they had expected, he had no dulcet, tenor voice ; 
 rather it was a baritone, strong and rich and deep. 
 Some might have said that the song was not suitable 
 to such a voice ; nevertheless he sang as he had 
 played the song seemed to express the feeling of his 
 heart 
 
 It might have been some knight of romance singing 
 a song about the lady he had dreamed of. There 
 seemed conviction in his eyes, strength in his voice. 
 That which he sang about would surely come to pass. 
 It was an ordinary sentimental song, yet no one thought 
 of it as such. This tall, strong man was singing about 
 the woman who was one day to be his wife. There was 
 a triumphant tone in his voice as he entered into the 
 spirit of the song. He would not dream of her tall 
 and stately, he would not think of her as men thought 
 of the women they were to love. When she came to 
 him, all would be well. She would be his queen. And 
 yet, as he sang the last verse there seemed to be a note 
 of warning.
 
 144 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 But she must be courteous, she must be holy, 
 
 Pure in her spirit the maiden I love ; 
 Whether her birth be noble or lowly, 
 
 I care no more than the spirits above. 
 And I'll give my heart to my lady's keeping, 
 
 And ever her strength on mine shall lean, 
 And the stars shall fall, and the angels be weeping 
 
 Ere I cease to love her, my queen, my queen 1 
 
 This time, instead of silence, great applause greeted 
 him when he had finished. They had forgotten the 
 technical errors he had made, in the triumphant strength 
 of the singer. As it was remarked again and again, 
 here was a man who could accomplish anything, a man 
 who would sweep away all difficulties. 
 
 " Forgive me," said Rossini, " I ought to be ashamed 
 of myself for consenting to make an exhibition of my- 
 self. I thought so much about the words that I am 
 afraid I forgot the way the man who wrote the music in- 
 tended it to be interpreted." 
 
 At this there was general dissent, but Rossini noticed 
 that Beatrice did not say a word One man present, 
 however, came to him and shook him by the hand. He 
 was an Italian count, and a great lover of music. 
 
 "Ah, Mr. Keverne," he said, " I am told that you 
 are a great engineer that you have, in fact, worked 
 wonders in your profession for one so young. But give 
 up your engineering give it up, I beseech you! The 
 great God intended you for something better." 
 
 " What, Count Piozzi ? " 
 
 " What ? The only thing on earth which is really 
 divine. Music! Music interprets everything. Sorrow 
 and joy, passion and peace, beauty, and above all, re- 
 ligion. Music interprets them all." 
 
 " I thiuk you are right."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 145 
 
 "Aye, and you have it in you. You have it in you. 
 Tell me, have you Italian blood in your veins ? " 
 
 " Why do you ask ? " 
 
 "Why, you have the passion, you have the soul of 
 an Italian. Keveme. Keverne. No, that is not Italian." 
 
 "But my Christian name is." 
 
 " What is that ? " 
 
 " Rossini." 
 
 " Rossini ! I command you to give up engineering. 
 I command you! In the name of music, in the name 
 of the great lyrical composer to whom you are related, I 
 command you! You cannot play, you cannot sing as 
 you ought ; but oh, man, you have it in you ! That 
 violin piece it was full of error, full of weakness ; but 
 it was divine. I know. The birds sang, the flowers 
 bloomed, the brooks babbled ; I saw all, heard all ; 
 I felt the passion, the despair, the revenge, the victory, 
 too. I felt it all. But you murder music yet You 
 must give your life to it! You must, you must. Con- 
 struct bridges, build breakwaters, lighthouses! What 
 is it ? To deal with mud, dust, dirt ! that is all. But 
 music! Music is divine, Cielof there is nothing else! " 
 
 " Dante did not say so." 
 
 " You know Dante ? " 
 
 " I have begun to know him, that is all." 
 
 " In his own tongue. Parla Lei Italiano ? " 
 
 " Un poco solamente." 
 
 "Ah, but you do know it a little. You must come 
 to Italy. You must visit Florence, where he lived and 
 saw his Beatrice. You must visit Ravenna, where he died." 
 
 The party had broken up in groups and were talking 
 together ; no one was near them but Lady Beatrice, who 
 had heard every word.
 
 U6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Dante was able to love Beatrice without music," 
 said Rossini, looking askance at Lady Beatrice. 
 
 "Yes, yes, but he married another. A poor, com- 
 monplace thing. Ah ! but Dante would never have done 
 that had he been a musician as well as a poet. He 
 could not, I tell you, he could not." 
 
 Rossini laughed. "What do you think, Lady Bea- 
 trice ? " he said. " Count Piozzi here says that Dante 
 would never have married Gemma Donati, but have 
 remained faithful to his love for Beatrice, if he had been 
 a musician as well as a poet. What do you think ? " 
 
 " I do not think Dante ever loved Beatrice at all," 
 said the girl. '"That is, as men love women. She was 
 simply a dream, a poem, an inspiration. She was not 
 human to him, she was a saint, an angel. He only saw 
 her from afar. Had he loved her, as some say, he would 
 never have married another. Even as it is, that part of 
 Dante's life always saddens me." 
 
 " Why ? " asked Count Piozzi. 
 
 " Because it makes one think of Dante as a man 
 rather than as a poet. Having seen Beatrice, and loved 
 her, he should have loved her for ever. He should 
 never have even thought of Gemma Donati. Beatrice 
 should have been the one woman in the world to him. 
 There should never have been another." 
 
 " Do you not think a man can love more than one 
 woman, then ? " 
 
 "Not really and truly." 
 
 " But a woman can love more than one man ? " 
 
 " I do not know. A woman is different from a man. 
 She always looks for a protector ; but a man should be 
 strong. He should remain true to his one true love. 
 That's why I like the song you sang, Mr. Keverne. I
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 147 
 
 know life isn't like that ; but it ought to be. Perhaps 
 if we lived in a primitive age like Dante, we might be 
 more natural." 
 
 " Primitive age ! " cried the Count. " Florence in 
 the days of the Medicis primitive ! Why, it was the 
 time when life was at its flower. The arts, poetry, 
 music, learning, were all in their glory. Call the days 
 of the ' Vita Nuova,' the ' Divine Commedia,' primitive ! 
 Ah, lady, but you do not know Italy. When I am in 
 Florence now, I grieve. Yes, yes, we have tramcars, 
 electricity, machinery, ah, yes! Oh, I love my city, 
 cara mia forgive me, but I am an old man and when 
 I look on the hills around Florence, and cast my eye 
 away to the distance, and see Vallombrosa, I rejoice. 
 ' Bellissima, bellissima!' I say, but Florence is only a 
 copy now. Our statuary, our pictures. What are they ? 
 Only copies of what once was. No, no, Lady Beatrice, 
 the times of the Medicis were not primitive, rather they 
 were over-ripe. The progress made since ? Machinery ! 
 The discovery of steam, electricity! It is not progress. 
 It only makes smoke, it makes fan go ! " 
 
 The Count would have continued in this vein, but 
 someone claimed his attention, leaving Rossini and 
 Lady Beatrice together. 
 
 " I want to continue that conversation which we had 
 this evening," he said. 
 
 " What conversation ? " asked the girl. 
 
 "About the poor lad who made a vow concerning 
 the lady of high degree. You promised me you would." 
 
 " Yes ; well, to-morrow we may have an opportunity." 
 
 " No, to-night." 
 
 She looked around the room ; on every hand people 
 were talking.
 
 I 4 8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Yes, I know. It is impossible to discuss it here. 
 I want to make a daring proposal, Lady Beatrice." 
 
 "Yes, to whom." 
 
 " To you." 
 
 " To me ? " 
 
 "Yes, it means much to me. More than you can 
 think. I want to ask you a favour, a great favour. I 
 know it seems like madness on my part ; for you never 
 spoke to me until to-day. But you must grant my re- 
 quest, indeed you must." 
 
 The influence of the man was strong upon her. The 
 memory of what he had played on the old violin haunted 
 her. She heard again and again the birds singing. 
 She heard the cry of despair. She wanted to know 
 more about him ; being in his presence had a strange 
 charm for her. 
 
 " I want to tell you something," he said quietly. " I 
 want to tell you something to-night. Will you hear me ? " 
 
 Again she looked around on the guests. 
 
 " Yes, yes, I know," he said, " I know that you cannot 
 leave your friends. I know, too, that we cannot talk 
 freely while they are here. But they will be going soon. 
 Give me an hour after they are gone." 
 
 " What do you want to speak to me about ? " 
 
 "That concerning which we spoke after dinner. I 
 want to tell you about it. It is not fancy ; it is real. I 
 must tell you." 
 
 The man had cast a kind of spell upon her. She 
 forgot that he was but a stranger to her, forgot that 
 he was said to be of humble birth. All that was no- 
 thing now. He was a strong man who interested her 
 more than anyone she had ever met ; he was a man 
 whose presence charmed her. She remembered his
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 149 
 
 wondrous music. Never before had she heard such 
 sounds drawn from an instrument. Besides, she wanted 
 to hear what he had to tell her. Who was this poor 
 lad who vowed to wed a lady of high degree ? Who 
 was this woman ? She wanted to know, and in her 
 excitement she scarcely realised what she was saying. 
 
 Still something held her back. "I am afraid it is 
 not possible," she said. 
 
 " Please," he said. " More depends on it than you 
 think." 
 
 "I am at a loss to know why you wish to tell me, 
 especially why you wish to tell me to-night," she said. 
 
 " You refuse, then ? " 
 
 " Would not to-morrow do ? " 
 
 "No, to-morrow would not do." 
 
 She lifted her eyes to his, and then, in spite of her 
 judgment, the man was master. His great, black eyes 
 made her promise. 
 
 " Very well," she said. " The guests will soon go ; 
 and after they are gone, I will wait for a few minutes 
 here in the drawing-room."
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ROSSINI'S WOOING. 
 
 ROSSINI stayed a few minutes in the smoke-room, then 
 went to his bedroom and locked the door. He h'vi 
 succeeded beyond his expectations. That night he 
 would see Lady Beatrice alone. 
 
 He did not know how angry she was at her pro- 
 mise ; for she was angry. Directly he had left her, she 
 felt that she had done a foolish thing. Not that she ever 
 thought of his attempting to extract any foolish promise 
 from her ; and, angry as she was, she did not altogether 
 repent. She was young, and young life always loves 
 the mysterious. 
 
 She did not think of going back upon her word. In 
 a few minutes he would say what he had to say, and 
 then she would bid him " Good-night." After all, it 
 was probably of no importance. 
 
 A little later, the great house was nearly silent. Now 
 and then the sound of laughter came from the smoke- 
 room, but evidently nearly all in the house had gone to 
 bed. She sat in the drawing-room, and having drawn a 
 chair close to a lamp, tried to read. But she could not 
 fasten her attention on the story. The romance of the 
 young engineer was more interesting to her than the one 
 on the printed page. What did he wish to tell her? 
 And why had he chosen her as his confidante ? 
 
 Presently her imagination caused her to have strange 
 thoughts. Had he committed some crime, and longed 
 
 150
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 151 
 
 for someone to whom he could confess it ? Or was he 
 going to tell her the story of his life ? In a way, al- 
 though she had seen him that day for the first time, 
 she felt that she had known him for years. 
 
 The clock on the mantelpiece ticked on, and she 
 wished he would come. After all, it was not pleasant 
 sitting there alone, even although she heard her father's 
 laugh in the distance. Probably the men in the smoke- 
 room would not go to bed for some time yet. She 
 had heard her father say that he meant to have a good 
 talk with Sir Hugh Kenwood that night about the poli- 
 tical situation in that constituency. What a fine fellow 
 Sir Hugh Kenwood was! clever, interesting, and hand- 
 some. True, he was not so striking in appearance as 
 Mr. Keverne, nor did he command attention in the 
 same way ; but she liked him, nevertheless. On the 
 whole, she was glad he was ~io be their guest for a few 
 days. On the other hand, Mr. Keverne was soon to 
 leave them. What a wonderful man he was ! She was 
 glad she had persuaded her father to invite him. More- 
 over, it was natural for Lord Penwithen to do so, seeing 
 that the Admiralty was going to give him another com- 
 mission of great importance. But what did he wish 
 to say to her ? 
 
 The door opened, and Rossini entered. He was 
 covered almost from head to foot by a long summer 
 overcoat At another time she would have wondered 
 at this, but now she was almost frightened by the 
 strange look in his face. 
 
 " Thank you, Lady Beatrice, for being so kind to me," 
 he said. His voice was almost hoarse, and she thought 
 she detected a tremor in it. In spite of herself, fear came 
 into her heart She thought he looked taller than ever in
 
 152 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 the long dust-coat; and as she looked at him, she 
 thought no more of Sir Hugh Kenwood. Rossini's pre- 
 sence had driven everyone else from her mind. 
 
 He took a seat at some distance from her. There 
 was nothing of the confidence in his demeanour which 
 he had manifested an hour before. He seemed to hesi- 
 tate in his movements. Neither did he speak for a 
 few seconds. He might have been a man who had 
 been fighting some battle in his own heart 
 
 " I wanted to tell you a strange story," he said. " I 
 want also to make a confession to you." 
 
 She did not answer, but her heart beat painfully as 
 she waited for him to proceed. 
 
 " I told you that I had made a vow to accomplish 
 some impossible thing years ago," he said, "and then 
 I put a sort of imaginary case to you." 
 
 " Yes," she said, " but that was surely not a sufficient 
 excuse to wish to see me in this way ? " 
 
 "Yes," he replied, "for you have something to do 
 with it" 
 
 "I!" 
 
 " You, Lady Beatrice. Let me tell you a true story." 
 
 He hesitated a second, while she waited for him to 
 proceed. 
 
 " Seven years ago," he said presently, " there lived in 
 a certain parish a poor, ignorant waif. He was almost 
 as ignorant as the cattle he drove. Ke lived alone. No 
 one had taught him any good no one. His father 
 was a drunken vagabond, who had died when he was a 
 child. His mother was also a drunkard. She died 
 when he was fifteen. Both of them had neglected him, 
 starved him, ill-treated him. When they died, he was 
 better situated than when they were alive. But there
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 153 
 
 was nothing to lift him out of his degradation. The 
 neighbours looked upon him as hopeless. Some 
 thought him mad, others said he was a fool, or what 
 they termed half-baked Perhaps he was. Nothing 
 stirred his life. Then one day, when he was nineteen, 
 something happened. A great lord had sent invitations 
 to all the people who dwelt on his estates, to be present 
 at a fete on the occasion of his daughter's birthday. 
 This boy received no invitation, however; no one 
 thought of him, the great lord did not know of his 
 existence. But he went. He had saved a few shillings, 
 and with them he bought a suit of clothes, which made 
 him look almost worse than he looked in the rags he 
 generally wore. He wore these and made his way to 
 the fete. When he came near the great house, he heard 
 shouts of rejoicing ; music, merriment, revelry were 
 everywhere. The boy, however, thought little of this. 
 His eyes were fixed on the entrance door of the great 
 hall, from which emerged the lord of the estates and 
 his daughter, whose birthday was being celebrated 
 They came out on the lawn, the hand of the daughter 
 resting on her father's arm. The boy drew nearer and 
 nearer, like one fascinated. He did not think of the 
 man who was owner of everything, he thought only of 
 the young girl by his side. He had never seen anyone 
 like her before. To him she was a beautiful creature 
 from another realm. She made him feel that there 
 was another world than that which he had known. In 
 his heart of hearts he fell on his knees and worshipped 
 her. He loved her with a mad, blind love. He knew 
 nothing of her, save that she was infinitely above him. 
 She was as pure as a saint, as lovely as an angeL All 
 his heart went out to her. Up to that moment no 
 F
 
 154 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 thought of love ever came into his life. Now he wor- 
 shipped. He would gladly have died to have won 
 a smile from her, so fair, so kind, so gentle was she. 
 He saw that her face was wreathed with smiles. She 
 was a part of that glad day. The singing birds, the 
 flowers, the blue sky above were no more a part of the 
 day than she. Fascinated by the vision of her face, 
 and not knowing what he was doing, the boy, tall, 
 gaunt, and repellent, crept nearer and nearer, till he 
 came so near that he could have touched her with his 
 hand. But he did not do it No such thought entered 
 his mind. He simply worshipped from afar. As he 
 stood gazing and wondering, the girl turned and saw 
 him, and then she started back with a look of terror. 
 ' Oh, dad, what an awful creature ! ' she said. ' Tell him 
 to go away, dad ! tell him to go away ! ' Had he been a 
 mad dog, a viper, she could not have shrunk away with 
 greater disgust. The boy saw that she loathed his pre- 
 sence." 
 
 He ceased speaking, while Lady Beatrice looked at 
 him with a great fear in her eyes. Little by little the 
 meaning of his story had come to her, until she felt her 
 face become alternately flushed and pale. 
 
 " Were you that boy ? " she gasped. 
 
 He threw off the dust-coat with which he had en- 
 veloped himself, and stood before her, clothed as he 
 had been clothed seven years before. 
 
 " Do you recognise me ? " he said, as he slouched 
 towards her, and again the girl felt like shrinking from 
 him. 
 
 "I am so sorry," she said impulsively; "I was but 
 a child. I did not realise what I was doing." 
 
 "The boy did not wait to be ordered away," said.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 155 
 
 Rossini. "The girl's face was enough for him. He 
 went away maddened, and yet he still worshipped her. 
 He loved her with a mad, unreasoning love. From that 
 moment life became new to him ; he felt as though 
 something snapped in his brain and in his heart The 
 world was a new world. For a moment everything was 
 possible. Sitting down by the trout-stream which runs 
 through your park, he made a great vow, a vow as 
 seemingly impossible of fulfilment as ever man made. 
 He vowed that he would rise to her position, and that 
 he would win her for his wife." 
 
 Rossini stood before her as he had stood seven years 
 before. Unconsciously his shoulders had taken on their 
 old stoop. He had grown but little in height since that 
 day, and so the badly fitting clothes made him still look 
 like a great, overgrown clown. The same wild look 
 was in his eyes ; moreover, the same expression of won- 
 der and worship was there. " Yes," he went on, " I 
 vowed that I would make you my wife, and that I would 
 not degrade you in doing so. Throughout the day I 
 kept on repeating it ; then when night came on, I went 
 back to my hut, where I lived alone, and took off these 
 clothes, vowing I would never wear them again until I 
 stood before you, having won a position worthy of your 
 love. 
 
 " You fear me, don't you ? I do not wonder. I fear 
 myself every time I look at these things. There " he 
 threw on his long dust-coat again. " Need I tell you 
 the rest ? I have never ceased thinking of you through 
 all the years. I have worked night and day with you 
 in my mind. And have I not succeeded ? " There was 
 a touch of triumph in his voice now. " Seven years ago 
 I could scarcely write my name. I was more ignorant
 
 156 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 than any farm-servant in the parish. Well, you know 
 what I have done. I heard of Sir Hugh Kenwood. He 
 was then the minister of a small Congregational church at 
 Polgooth. He set me tasks, hard tasks, but I did them. 
 He told me I learnt more in nine months than any other 
 man he knew could have learnt in nine years. I became 
 interested in engineering, and I walked from here to 
 Plymouth and obtained work as a navvy. I went to 
 technical classes at Plymouth, and each teacher said I 
 astounded him by the progress I made. But I did it 
 all for you, all for you. The months sped on, until three 
 years had passed from the day I first saw you ; then 
 one day I was walking along Plymouth streets, fretting 
 at the slowness of my progress. I was blind to all that 
 passed, and I remember clenching my fists and declar- 
 ing that I would succeed whatever might happen. In 
 my forgetfulness I struck out as against an imaginary 
 foe. I heard an angry voice, and coming to myself, I 
 saw you and your father. In my madness I had struck 
 him. Do you remember ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes ! Was that you ? " 
 
 " It was I. I was still a labourer, but I was near- 
 ing success. It was sure to come. I had made up my 
 mind that it should. This evening you suggested a 
 difficulty when I stated a supposititious case. You said 
 that the lady might marry another man. Do you think 
 I would have let another man marry you? Do you 
 think I should not have known if you had become be- 
 trothed? I knew the position of your family in the 
 West of England, and that your marriage engagement 
 would be the talk of the whole countryside. Had you 
 become engaged to another man, that man would never 
 have married you."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 157 
 
 "What would you have done?" said the girl, 
 frightened. 
 
 " I do not know ; but you would never have married 
 him. There is but little more that I need tell you now. 
 Mr. Groster, the engineer, who had constructed a new 
 bridge, was taken ill, and no one could interpret his idea. 
 I need not enlarge on this. Delay meant great loss of 
 money, and Mr. Groster was suffering from a malady 
 which promised to keep him away from the bridge for 
 many weeks. Things were at a deadlock until I, who 
 for months had been trying to grasp the principle on 
 which he worked, offered the directors who were there 
 that day, to carry out what Mr. Groster had in his 
 mind." 
 
 " And did you do it ? " 
 
 "Yes, I did it It was something which I deter- 
 mined to make happen. I did it. After that all the 
 rest has been easy. Now I am no longer poor, I am no 
 longer obscure." 
 
 He ceased speaking, while the girl looked up at 
 him. He was standing erect now, his massive frame 
 making her, tall and well-grown as she was, look diminu- 
 tive. His great mass of hair hung in tangled confusion 
 over his large, well-shaped head. His eyes shone like 
 fire. 
 
 " Now you know why I wanted to speak to you 
 to-night," he said. " I could not help it I made up 
 my mind to ask you, when I ceased playing my old 
 fiddle. What I played to-night, I played on the night 
 of your birthday, seven years ago, when I sat alone in my 
 hut. I worshipped you then, I worship you now. Lady 
 Beatrice, can you give me any hope ? " 
 
 " That I shall marry you ? " said she, like one aghast
 
 158 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "Yes, you must, you must I vowed it long ago. 
 You must. Can't you see? You caused me to be re- 
 born, you strengthened me to conquer difficulties." 
 
 " Oh, you cannot understand," said the girl. 
 
 "Yes, I can. You are thinking of oflr relative posi- 
 tions. I know that you are the child of one of the 
 oldest houses in England. I know that you have the 
 world at your feet. But think, no man'can give you the 
 position I will give you. I mean it Do you want 
 riches ? In a year or two I will be rich. I have calcu- 
 lated everything. I am rich now, as some call 
 rich, but in two years I will be rich even from your 
 standpoint. Do you want to be the wife of a famous 
 man? I will be famous. I have won some fame al- 
 ready, but I will win more. Other scientists have ob- 
 tained titles, perhaps I will. Or, if you wish, I will go 
 into Parliament, and in a year or two I will gain the 
 ear of the nation. Don't you believe me? Oh, but I 
 can do it, and I will, I will ! " 
 
 The man's great strength dominated her again, the 
 girl felt the truth of what he had said. Here was a man 
 to whom nothing was impossible. And, yes, she ad- 
 mired him ; more, she was fascinated by his presence. 
 
 " I know you admire a brilliant Parliamentary 
 career," he went on ; " and you know, too, the difficulty 
 in climbing the Parliamentary ladder. It is not really 
 difficult The House of Commons is simply crying out 
 for men who have brains to think, and language to ex- 
 press their thoughts. Let me tell you a story. I was 
 in a certain town in England the other day, and a 
 Cabinet minister came there to speak I was invited 
 to the platform. That Cabinet minister failed to con- 
 vince or arouse the audience. And yet the subject on
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 159 
 
 which he spoke was one on which he was supposed to 
 be a specialist His words fell flat His arguments 
 were unconvincing. I was asked to move a vote of 
 thanks to him. I had never spoken in public in my 
 life, but I consented, in order to test my power. In 
 five minutes the audience was in a tumult of wild en- 
 thusiasm. What he failed to do, I did. When I had 
 finished, that Cabinet minister begged me to enter Par- 
 liament ' You can be anything you like,' he said. And 
 I will, too, if you wish." 
 
 The girl believed it. Her heart beat loudly as he 
 spoke. Here was a man of whom any woman could be 
 proud. Not a well-bred mannikin, but a man a strong 
 man, to whom nothing was impossible ; and there was 
 nothing she so much admired as a strong man. 
 
 " Do not think of me as a braggart," he went on, 
 "Ask those who know me best, and they will tell you 
 that I am a silent man that I keep my own counsel 
 and make but few promises ; but you know why I speak 
 thus to you. You, for seven years, have been the dream, 
 the hope of my life. I have hidden nothing of the 
 past from you, that is why I make promises. I love 
 you, I love you. Tell me, Lady Beatrice, may I 
 hope? Nay, you must tell me, else all life is a 
 mockery." 
 
 " Oh, I am bewildered ! " said the girl. " I cannot 
 think" 
 
 " Yes forgive me. I know all this must seem mad- 
 ness to you. Thank you for hearing me patiently, for 
 you have been patient Besides, I will not press for an 
 answer now yes, I will! Give me a conditional pro- 
 mise. Wait for me two years ; and if in two years from 
 now T am not on the high road to fulfilling the promises
 
 160 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 I made to you, I will ask nothing from you. But if I 
 succeed then will you promise ? " 
 
 She longed to promise him, but she was afraid- 
 afraid of the influence he had over her, afraid of his 
 tremendous power of will. She felt but a child by his 
 side, he seemed to sweep aside the will of others. 
 
 " I am tired frightened," she said. " I cannot pro- 
 mise now not now." 
 
 " But when ? " he asked. 
 
 She looked up into his eyes. They were not master- 
 ful now, but pleading. If his influence over her was 
 great, so was her influence over him. For years he had 
 worked and struggled for her ; and now that they stood 
 face to face, she seemed the one thing in the world to 
 live for. 
 
 " Tell me," he said ; " do not make all my years of 
 struggle a mockery." 
 
 She saw his lips tremble ; she, Lady Beatrice, had 
 conquered the strength of this strong man. Her heart 
 glowed at the thought of what he would do for her. 
 She never felt towards another man as she had felt 
 towards him. All her other suitors were but pigmies 
 compared with him. And oh, how he must have loved 
 her! At that moment she thought nothing of difficul- 
 ties, nor of what her father would say. For a 
 moment she felt like promising him all that he desired, 
 and telling him that there was no need to wait longer. 
 But only for a moment. Something which she could 
 not understand forbade her. 
 
 " Father told me he was going to ask you to come 
 here for my birthday," she said presently. " If you can 
 come then, I will give you my answer." 
 
 " Thank you, Lady Beatrice," he said ; " thank you."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 161 
 
 " But I promise nothing nothing now," she said. 
 
 "Yes, but you will, you will," he replied. He bent 
 over her hand and kissed it, and then walked away to 
 his room without another word. 
 
 When morning came, he was the old Rossini again. 
 He came down to breakfast, and was as cool and col- 
 lected as if nothing had happened. He met Beatrice 
 with a grave smile, but neither by word nor look did he 
 give a hint of what had taken place between them the 
 night before. Throughout the day he did not seek her 
 society. She felt almost hurt at this, although she 
 almost feared being alone with him. The only differ- 
 ence in his behaviour towards others was that he entered 
 into their discussions more freely. He argued the 
 political situation with Lord Penwithen, and showed a 
 knowledge of public affairs which surprised the man 
 who had spent his life in the public service. He dis- 
 cussed with Sir Hugh Kenwood his chances of winning 
 the next election in the Penwithen constituency. 
 
 " You surprise me, Keverne," said Sir Hugh pre- 
 sently. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " I thought you had no interests outside engineering." 
 
 " Oh, one's life enlarges as one grows older. Pro- 
 bably I may be a candidate for Parliamentary honours 
 myself some day." 
 
 " You would be a wonderful success if you did." 
 
 " Do you think so ? " 
 
 " I am sure of it I have often thought of the words 
 you said to me seven years ago : ' I c'n do anything I've 
 a mind to, ef I set my mind on it' You could, too. And 
 yet I almost hope you'll not go into Parliament." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 F*
 
 i62 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Unless a man feels a call in that direction, I can 
 think of nothing more miserable. To be a mere voting 
 machine is terrible ; but to be a party hack, or one who 
 stumps the country for Parliamentary fame, is worse." 
 
 " Then what are you thinking of going into Parlia- 
 ment for?" 
 
 "For the same reason I went into the ministry. 
 Because I believe God wills it. Even as it is, I am in a 
 strait betwixt two. I am often tempted to take another 
 church. But for my doctor's express command, I should. 
 He says that the work of a church, the continuous 
 preaching year in and year out, besides all the duties 
 such a work entails, would kill me. If I go into Parlia- 
 ment, I shall go there to attain the same ends." 
 
 " And they ? " 
 
 " To try and uplift the life of the people ; to make 
 it easy to do right and difficult to do wrong ; to sweep 
 away abuses ; to obtain religious equality for all sections 
 of the community. If I did not believe I could help 
 towards this, I would not touch it. Otherwise it would 
 be sacrilege." 
 
 Rossini was silent 
 
 " Do you ever go to church, Keverne ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "Which church?" 
 
 " To the Independent church." 
 
 a But why to that ? " 
 
 "Because you belong to it I have had no other 
 reason." 
 
 " And, as you told me last night, you read the New 
 Testament once a year ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 ' Well ? " and Sir Hugh looked at him steadily.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 163 
 
 " I don't know," replied Rossini ; " but it is a won- 
 derful book." 
 
 "And those two passages which we repeated to- 
 gether one night ? " 
 
 "I don't know," said Rossini again. 
 
 The following day he left Penwithen HalL He was 
 not as jubilant as he expected to be ; nevertheless, the 
 same look of determination was upon his face. He said 
 " Good-bye " to Lady Beatrice courteously, but he 
 showed no sign of emotion, even although he looked 
 steadily into her eyes as he spoke. 
 
 When at length he was in the railway carriage, he 
 sat for a long time engrossed in deep thought. 
 
 The following Sunday morning he made his way to 
 the little church he had frequented during the time he 
 had been living in the neighbourhood where Black Rock 
 Lighthouse was being built On his way he passed a 
 tall, respectably dressed, but somewhat morose-looking 
 man. 
 
 " Good-morning, Fletcher." 
 
 " Good-morning, sir." 
 
 " I shall be on the lighthouse to-morrow, to see that 
 all is finished satisfactorily." 
 
 "I think you'll find everything to your liking, sir. 
 I've kept a strict eye this last week while you've been 
 away." 
 
 "That's right." 
 
 " I wonder who conquered that man ? " mused 
 Rossini, as he walked on. " Was it his daughter Mary, 
 or was it I ? " 
 
 He entered the church. As he went to his pew, a 
 young girl who saw him went pale and rosy by turns. 
 She was the daughter of Reuben Fletcher, but no one
 
 164 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 would have thought of her as a mechanic's daughter. 
 Rossini watched her face often through the service. And 
 this was scarcely wonderful. It was a wondrous face. 
 He was not wrong, even after he had seen Lady 
 Beatrice, in saying that she was the most beautiful girl 
 he had ever seen. And yet the young engineer paid 
 no heed to her after the service was over. One day 
 during the following week he met her in the street, but 
 he gave her only a careless, passing nod. 
 
 tr He does not know. He does not care," she sobbed, 
 as she found her way home. " And yet " 
 
 No, Rossini did not know. He did not care. His 
 mind was filled with thoughts of another, and it was 
 with a fast-beating heart that he started for Penwithen 
 Hall a week or two later.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 HOW ROSSINI KEPT HIS VOW. 
 
 THERE were to be no great public celebrations on this 
 twenty-ninth day of June, as there were on that day 
 when Rossini first saw Lady Beatrice Penwithen. A 
 few friends were invited, and that was all Nor 
 would the weather have been favourable for such a 
 celebration. Midsummer though it was, the clouds 
 hung heavily in the sky, and the rain fell in torrents. 
 Even the flowers looked what the Cornish folk call 
 "bedavered." The heavy rain had beaten them into 
 the earth, and the leafy woods, which in the bright 
 days glinted in the sunshine, now appeared gloomy and 
 forbidding. 
 
 But Rossini heeded not this as he sat in the train 
 which made its way across Saltash Bridge, Brunei's 
 great triumph, and then through the undulating country 
 which lay southward. He had left Plymouth by the first 
 train, and hoped to arrive at Penwithen Hall for lunch. 
 
 " I wonder whether she will like my birthday pre- 
 sent," he said, as he took a small jewel-case from his 
 pocket 
 
 There was no one in the carriage with him, and so 
 he could examine it at leisure. He had bought it the 
 day before in Plymouth for a sum which six years be- 
 fore he would have regarded as beyond the dream of 
 avarice. He smiled as he thought of it ; even to him 
 his wondrous success was a marvel. 
 
 He opened the jewel-box and took therefrom a 
 165
 
 166 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 ring. The jeweller who sold it told him that, for the 
 quality of its stones and the chasteness of its design, it 
 was the finest he had ever seen. And Rossini had 
 bought it. Did he not intend giving it to a peer's 
 daughter ? 
 
 When he arrived at the station nearest Penwithen 
 Hall he found a carriage awaiting him. A few minutes 
 later the horses dashed through the rain towards the 
 great house. To Rossini the ordeal of going there was 
 greater even than it was a month ago. What would 
 she say? Was it possible that she, Lady Beatrice Pen- 
 withen, would, after what he had told her, be his wife ? 
 
 He noticed the lanes where he had slouched bare- 
 footed as a boy. Away in the distance he saw the 
 woods where the hut in which he had lived still stood. 
 Everything was familiar, and yet everyone seemed 
 different. He wondered what those men who had 
 served him so obsequiously would say if they knew 
 that seven years before he had come among them a 
 ragged outcast ? He called to mind the time when he 
 had dreaded to go to the station. He was the butt of 
 all their jokes. Everyone thought they might laugh at 
 Zinney " Vearn " ; and they had laughed at him, from 
 station-master to porter. To-day they had touched 
 their caps to him, and vied with each other as to who 
 should take his luggage to the carriage, and humbly 
 thanked him as he threw them two silver pieces. 
 
 "The great engineer what's stayin' with Loard 
 Penwithen. 'An'some fella, edna, then ? ' 
 
 " Iss, I'd like to 'ave the brains 'e've got" 
 
 " Made 'caps of money, I d'ear." 
 
 " Nothin' to what 'e will maake." 
 
 Thus they spoke of him, and no one suspected that
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 167 
 
 this was he at whom they had laughed on the day of 
 Lady Beatrice Penwithen's birthday fete. 
 
 In truth he felt he was not the old Rossini Keverne 
 at all. He was another maa The past was but a 
 dream, the present only was a reality. 
 
 He arrived at the Hall just before lunch, and met 
 Lady Beatrice almost immediately. His heart beat 
 wildly as he saw her. He admired her graceful move- 
 ments, her slight, lissom figure. Still a child in many 
 ways, but with all the pride of her race in her eyes. 
 He noticed how pale she was. Why should that be, on 
 her birthday? 
 
 Nay, more, he thought, in spite of the proud ex- 
 pression in her eyes, there was also a look of fear. What 
 did that mean ? 
 
 Sir Hugh Kenwood and many others were there. 
 Sir Hugh was now the accepted political candidate for 
 the district, and believed he had a fair chance of un- 
 seating the present member. He would have Lord 
 Penwithen's influence, and it was understood that Pen- 
 withen Hall was to be his home during his visits to his 
 constituency. Rossini noticed, too, that Lord Pen- 
 withen seemed to regard Kenwood with special in- 
 terest. There was a certain familiarity of speech and 
 a friendliness of demeanour which the young man did 
 not quite understand. 
 
 Lady Beatrice did not sit by Rossini during lunch ; 
 instead, she had Sir Hugh Kenwood as her neighbour. 
 This disturbed the young engineer somewhat, but he 
 felt the little jewel-case in his waistcoat pocket, and 
 then his eyes hardened with a look of resolution. 
 
 "She promised that she would tell me to-day," he 
 said to himself again and again, and he asked himself
 
 1 68 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 what he would feel like if he were the accepted suitoi 
 of the heiress of all the countryside which stretched 
 out before him. 
 
 During the afternoon the sky cleared, and then, 
 seeing her go out on the lawn alone, he hurried after 
 her. 
 
 " At last ! " he said, as he came to her side. 
 
 The girl looked up at him, but she did not speak. 
 
 " You know why I have come," he said. " You pro- 
 mised you would tell me to-day. Besides, I want to 
 give you your birthday present, which, I trust, may be 
 something more than a birthday present." 
 
 Still she did not speak. She could not, her heart 
 was fluttering too wildly. 
 
 "Look," he said, taking the case from his pocket 
 and touching the spring, "will you accept my gift, 
 Lady Beatrice will you ? " 
 
 The girl trembled as she looked at the man by her 
 side, and then at the ring he held in his hand. She 
 knew what it meant. 
 
 "Don't, don't. I am afraid," she whispered. 
 
 Her answer angered him. " Why, are you afraid ? " 
 he said. " Am I such an ogre ! " 
 
 " No, no, 1 did not mean that Only I came out to 
 be alone." 
 
 They were walking side by side along the pathway 
 through the woods. The trees had scarcely ceased 
 dripping, after the rainfall, the stream in the near dis- 
 tance was swollen by the heavy rains. 
 
 He hesitated a second. " I want to show you some- 
 thing, Lady Beatrice," he said. She walked by his side 
 until they had come to the bottom of the valley, where 
 the muddy stream ran.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 169 
 
 " You see that clump of willow bushes ? " he said. 
 " Seven years to-day, I went there. I sat there for hours. 
 It was there I vowed to win ^ou as my wife to con- 
 quer all difficulties, to sweep aside all obstacles, never 
 to rest until I had won you. You must promise me. 
 Don't mistake me," he went on, as he saw the angry 
 look in her eyes ; " not because of my vow, but because 
 of the love that caused me to make it. Nay, it was 
 more than love, it was wild, unreasoning worship. I 
 cannot take ' No ' for an answer, I simply cannot. How 
 can I ? " 
 
 By this time he was gaining his old ascendency over 
 her. Again he was the only man in the world to her 
 the man who could do anything, the man before whom 
 all things yielded. 
 
 " Do you really mean it ? " she said 
 
 " Mean it ! " His eyes flashed fire. " Mean it ! Is 
 there any need to ask that ? " 
 
 " No, no ; but but I do not think you understand 
 My father " 
 
 " Forgive me. Yes, I think I understand I have 
 not been accustomed to the ways of those who live in 
 your world; but I can easily arrange all that I will 
 go to your father and ask him " 
 
 " No, no ; you must not do that." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Because oh, you frighten me ! " 
 " But I love you. You believe that ? You do not 
 doubt that?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " And you care for me ? " 
 
 "Yes that is " 
 
 " Is there someone else ? n
 
 1 70 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 She was silent. 
 
 Rossini laughed. " You know what I told you about 
 a rival," he said. "We will not trouble about him, if 
 you please. I have lived seven years for this hour, and 
 I am not going to be displaced by a rival." 
 
 She was angry with him. All the pride of her race 
 rose within her. She longed to tell him to leave her, 
 but she could not. The man conquered her by the 
 strength of his personality and will. Yes, she loved 
 him, but she was afraid of him. Thus her love was not 
 perfect, " for perfect love casteth out fear." 
 
 " Do you love this other man, this rival ? " 
 
 ^Yes no, no; I do not love him," and the latter 
 part of her answer was true. At that time the man 
 by her side was everything to her. 
 
 " Lady Beatrice," said Rossini gently, " I do not wish 
 to force your answer. I can wait, even although you 
 promised to tell me to-day. And yet you do not know 
 the joy it would give me if you would take this ring. 
 Will you wear it, then, as the gift of one who has loved 
 you for seven years? And then perhaps you will at 
 some time allow me to place another ring on another 
 finger." 
 
 He held out the box to her, which she took like one 
 in a dream. 
 
 " I promised to tell you to-day," she said ; " but not 
 now not now. Wait till after dinner to-night. Will 
 you?" 
 
 There was a look of pleading in her eyes. 
 
 " Wait ! " he cried " I would wait till I was a 
 decrepit old man, if at the end of my waiting I knew 
 that I should have your love." 
 
 The girl's heart gave a great leap of joy. It was
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 171 
 
 wondrous to be loved so. She almost longed to tell 
 him to put the ring on the finger, so much did his pre- 
 sence and his ardent words move her; and yet she 
 hesitated. 
 
 "To-night, then," she said, and he saw her eyes 
 soften as she spoke. "And now I would be alone a 
 few minutes." 
 
 He strode away, a conqueror. He knew he had 
 won his battle, although no promise had been made. 
 He, too, wanted to be alone and to think of the future 
 of his life. Yes, he was sure she would want him to go 
 into Parliament Well, he would go. Perhaps she 
 would not want her engagement to be known until he 
 had risen in Parliamentary life. Perhaps, too, she 
 would not desire even her father to know what had 
 passed between them. But that did not matter. He 
 would soon win the Parliamentary position that she 
 desired. At that very moment a great question was 
 before the country, which agitated the minds of men 
 sorely. He would make himself master of it ; he would 
 speak on it ; he would gain the ear of the nation. That 
 night she would promise to be his wife. The look in 
 her eyes had told him that. 
 
 He strode across the park joyously. The sun had 
 come out and the birds were singing gaily. He could 
 not help rejoicing. 
 
 "I say, Keverae." 
 
 He turned and saw his old friend, Sir Hugh Hen- 
 wood. 
 
 "What a fellow you are, Keverne! Here have I 
 ever since lunch been wanting to speak to you, and yet 
 here you are tramping alone, like the misanthrope you 
 are."
 
 172 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Rossini laughed aloud. Sir Hugh did not know. 
 
 " I wanted to tell you something, Keverne," said the 
 young baronet, becoming grave. 
 
 " What about your prospects as a politician ? " 
 
 " No, about something of far more importance." 
 
 Hugh Kenwood's voice told how deeply in earnest 
 he was. 
 
 "I want to tell you something," he said. "I feel I 
 must unburden my heart to someone, and I know I can 
 depend on you, can't I ? " 
 
 " I hardly need answer, do I ? In a sense you have 
 been the one friend of my life. At any rate, you were 
 my one friend when I most of all needed a friend ; and, 
 as I used to tell you, I never forget, never. Besides, 
 there is no man on earth who : but there is no need to 
 talk about that." 
 
 "I understand, Keverne. That's why I feel I can 
 talk to you freely. You remember when we met here 
 a few weeks ago ? " 
 
 "I remember." 
 
 " You asked me if I were married, and I replied that 
 I did not know if the only woman in the world I could 
 marry would care for me." 
 
 "Yes, I remember." 
 
 " You asked me if you had ever seen her, and I re- 
 plied that that was my secret." 
 
 "Yes; but, Sir Hugh, surely there is no difficulty, is 
 there?" 
 
 " Yes, there is. Keverne, I may speak freely to you, 
 but all my life is gone out to a young girl. I love her 
 devotedly, passionately love her like my own life. I 
 am afraid you cannot understand me. You are one of 
 those self-contained fellows who cannot feel what I
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 173 
 
 feel I, on the other hand, am not self-contained, and 
 I tell you that unless I am successful in this well " 
 
 " Is it really as bad as that? " 
 
 " It is really. You knew me as I was when at Pol- 
 gooth. Up to that time I had been at college, and had 
 made no matrimonial engagement. During the time I 
 was there I saw no one for whom I cared a straw. Then 
 my health broke down, I had lung trouble, and I was 
 ordered out of England For years I travelled, and ray 
 life was too full of other things to care for women. But 
 some months ago, in London " 
 
 "In London?" 
 
 "Yes, she was in London. I loved her from the 
 first moment That love has been growing ever since. 
 Man, I tell you that, humanly speaking, this world will 
 be black if I cannot win her love. I should pray to 
 die if she says ' No.' " 
 
 Rossini looked at Kenwood, and he saw that he 
 spoke truly. His face was pale and drawn with pain. 
 
 " I am older than you," went on Kenwood. " I am 
 turned thirty now, and am no longer a boy. It is no 
 passing fancy, and I tell you I shall never have another 
 day's happiness if she refuses me." 
 
 " Well, she will not refuse you. You are not the 
 kind of fellow to be refused." 
 
 " You don't know. She is rich, high-born, courted." 
 
 " Have you spoken to her ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Well, what does she say ? " 
 
 " I believe she loves me ; indeed, she as good as told 
 me so ; but she seems afraid to promise." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " I hardly like telling you, for it seems as though I
 
 i; 4 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 were betraying her secret. She says she is in a way 
 promised to another." 
 
 " And she loves this other ? " 
 
 " No. I do not believe she does. And yet I cannot 
 feel sure. But the fellow, whoever he is, seems to 
 exercise a kind of mysterious influence over her. She is 
 afraid of him, afraid of what he would do if she refused 
 him. Indeed, I gathered that although she did not love 
 him, she felt that she could not refuse him." 
 
 " And you do not know who he is ? " 
 
 " No, I have no idea. She would give me no clue. 
 That's why I wanted to see you. You are the man who 
 can help me, if any man can." 
 
 "What do you want me to do?" 
 
 " Find out who he is. You can do it ; you are one 
 of those fellows who can do anything. Having found 
 out who he is, discover the secret of his power over 
 her." 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 "This. You are my friend, Keverne, and you can 
 conquer him ; you can make him relinquish his hold on 
 her. For she does not love him, I feel sure she does 
 not." 
 
 "How can I do it?" 
 
 "Just the same as you can do anything else. Oh, 
 I know it is a delicate and difficult task ; but, Keverne, 
 you said you were my friend and would do anything 
 for my happiness." 
 
 "Yes," said Rossini quietly. "Do you know what 
 was the first prayer I ever offered to God ? " 
 
 " No, I do not know that" 
 
 "I prayed that you might have everything you 
 desired."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 175 
 
 " Did you ? Well, my dear fellow, I want to win 
 the only woman in the world to me. I want to make 
 her happy. I have obtained her father's consent. It 
 is only this one man that stands between us a man who 
 has by some means obtained power over her." 
 
 " I'll do anything in my power," said Rossini pre- 
 sently. 
 
 "Thank you, my dear fellow. I felt sure you 
 would." 
 
 " But there are certain things you must tell me. I 
 must know her name. Who is she ? " 
 
 " Have you no idea ? " 
 
 " None whatever." 
 
 " Lady Beatrice Penwithen." 
 
 Rossini made no sound nor motion. He walked 
 quietly on, as though Kenwood had not spoken, and yet 
 he felt as though an icy hand had gripped his heart. 
 
 " I thought you would have guessed," said Sir Hugh 
 quietly. 
 
 Rossini hated him at that moment All the past 
 was for the time blotted out Only the present had to 
 be dealt with. 
 
 "And you have no idea who who the other man 
 is ? " he said presently. 
 
 " Not the slightest" 
 
 "I see." 
 
 He felt as though the foundations of his life were 
 slipping away, but he made no sign. With stern-set 
 face he walked steadily on. 
 
 How terrible was the struggle, how hard the battle, 
 none but himself knew. Seven years of fighting for a 
 prize within his grasp, and now 
 
 "I am afraid I cannot help you," he said.
 
 176 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "Can't you? Why?" 
 
 " Well, you see, such work is not in my line. Besides, 
 I do not exactly belong to your circle, do I? Fancy 
 Rossini Keverne, the ragged boy, who was ordered away 
 from your house by Mrs. Rosecarrow, interfering in the 
 love affairs of Lady Beatrice Penwithen! The thing 
 is too absurd." 
 
 "But, Keverne Rossini, I believe you could help 
 me, I am sure you could." 
 
 " Yes," said Rossini quietly, " I could." 
 
 "Then will you not? For the sake of the prayer 
 you offered ; for the sake of the old times when when 
 oh, Rossini, the loss of her would be death to me ! " 
 
 An angry reply rose to his lips. If the loss of her 
 meant so much to Kenwood, who had known her only 
 a few months, what must it mean to him who had 
 struggled as few men struggle for seven years ? 
 
 He looked at the man by his side. Never did he see 
 such a look of dread anxiety. This was the man who 
 helped him as a boy, who instilled into his mind what 
 little of good he knew. They had knelt and prayed to- 
 gether the last time he was in his house ; he, when he 
 was a young minister at Polgooth, had led him to see 
 the wondrous meaning of the Gospel which he preached. 
 And he yes, he loved this woman as truly as himself. 
 
 " Does it really mean so much as that Kenwood ? " 
 
 " It does. I am sure, too, I could make her happy. 
 She as good as told me so." 
 
 "I must think it out alone," he said presently. 
 " You see," he went on, " I never promise to undertake 
 a thing without making up my mind to succeed. I must 
 think it out alone. I will let you know before the day 
 is over."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 177 
 
 Without a word he strode away into the woods, and 
 there for hours he tramped Presently he fell on his 
 knees and prayed. 
 
 Again all the past swept before his mind, all those 
 seven years of wild passion and weary working. Still he 
 kept on praying. 
 
 "I told him I would be his friend years ago," he 
 thought presently, " told him there was nothing I would 
 not do for him. But this oh, God, this ! " 
 
 " ' Greater love hath no man than this, that a man 
 lay down his life for his friends/ " he said to himself. 
 " Yes, and this would be laying down my life. And yet 
 yet " 
 
 He thought it all out again, and again he prayed. 
 After all, the religious teaching which Hugh Henwood 
 had given him as a boy was not in vain. He could not 
 help thinking of the Greatest Life ever lived. 
 
 Presently he went back to the Hall and found his 
 way to his room, where he sat down and wrote two 
 letters. 
 
 The first ran as follows, and was written in a bold, 
 steady hand : 
 
 " DEAR LADY BEATRICE, I have found out the 
 truth of the words which passed between us a few 
 weeks ago. Human nature laughs at us. We make our 
 plans and think that nothing can hinder our desires 
 from being realised ; then we find out how foolish we 
 have been. For love is stronger than human will or 
 human ambition. Be happy with the man you love. 
 He has not conquered you by fear, but by something 
 nobler. He is the noblest man I have ever known, 
 and he is worthy of you. Will you please accept my
 
 178 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 present as coming from one who throughout all his 
 life will pray for your happiness? 
 "Yours faithfully, 
 
 " ROSSINI KEVERNE." 
 
 The second was to Sir Hugh Kenwood. 
 
 " MY DEAR HENWOOD, I have thought it all out 
 and, as fortune would have it, I believe I know the 
 man. Yes, I will manage it for you. You may count 
 on the whole affair as settled. Please do not be sur- 
 prised at not seeing me any more. I have received a 
 message this afternoon which demands my instant de- 
 parture. Still, although I have been able to stay only 
 a few hours, I am glad I came, for by coming I have 
 learnt how I can help my friend. 
 
 " I was never given to talking much about myself in 
 the old days, was I ? But for fear that you shall think 
 your influence over me to be in vain, I may tell you 
 that I am trying to learn the secret of the life of Him 
 who was your inspiration in the old days, and who, I 
 believe, is still the guide of your life. 
 
 " Be happy, my friend. I shall watch your career 
 with joy. Some time, perhaps, I shall visit your home 
 and see your happiness. But at present I see nothing 
 but work. " Always your friend, 
 
 " ROSSINI. 
 
 " P.S. Pardon my giving a word of advice. Do 
 not let the sun go down before obtaining the promise 
 which will mean your happiness." 
 
 Half an hour later, Rossini was on his way to the rail- 
 way station, while Lord Penwithen wondered why he
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 179 
 
 had left so hurriedly. Neither Sir Hugh Kenwood nor 
 Lady Beatrice knew he had gone. When presently he 
 sat in the train that swept northward, there was a strange 
 light in his eyes, and a feeling in his heart which he had 
 never realised before. But those who saw him did not 
 think of him as either a sad or a disappointed man.
 
 BOOK II. THE WOMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 * 
 
 IN WHICH ROSSINI KEVERNE REGISTERS HIS SECOND 
 
 VOW. 
 
 THE carriage in which Rossini Keverne sat was nearing 
 Plymouth. For more than an hour he had sat, regard- 
 le'ss of the stations at which the train had stopped, re- 
 gardless of the people who had entered the carriage, 
 and then had left it when they arrived at their destina- 
 tion. The porters had shouted the names of the stations 
 in their easy-going West-country manner, and had 
 passed their pleasantries outside his carriage window. 
 More than one had noted him and wondered at the 
 strange look in his eyes. Some had gone so far as to 
 ask questions about him, while others had formed con- 
 jectures concerning him. But fie had remained oblivious 
 to them all Sitting there, in the Great Western Rail- 
 way carriage, he had been living through the last six 
 years again. Seven years before, he had gone to the 
 birthday -fite of Lady Beatrice Penwithen gone as an 
 uninvited guest He, an ignorant, raw-boned clown, 
 had been driven away from her presence as though he 
 were a pestilence, and then he made a vow, that he, 
 Rossini Keverne, known in the parish as "Zinney," 
 
 1 80
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 181 
 
 would never rest until he had won this patrician lady's 
 love, and won her as his wife. He had vowed, too, that 
 in winning her as his wife, he would not degrade her 
 vowed that he would offer her a name and a position 
 worthy of her. That vow made, he had devoted all his 
 powers to accomplish his purposes, and, wonder of won- 
 ders, he had succeeded. In the face of difficulties he 
 had climbed the ladder of fame and position, until he, 
 the wastrel of Penwithen parish, was received into the 
 best houses in England. He had bent circumstances to 
 his will. It had become part of his life's creed that 
 nothing was impossible to the man of determination, 
 and he, as he had thought, had proved his creed to be 
 true. Then he had paid his court to Lady Beatrice, the 
 woman who had told him that the human heart laughed 
 at the projects of men. He had conquered her, he had 
 bent her will to his, and he had as good as extracted 
 the promise from her that she would be his wife. Yes, 
 the thing he had vowed had come to pass ; he had re- 
 moved insurmountable obstacles, he had laughed at the 
 word " impossible." 
 
 Then, in a moment, his castle of cards had fallen. 
 In a moment the toil, the struggle, the fighting, the 
 victories of seven years, had come to naught. The human 
 heart had laughed at him. He had discovered that the 
 one man who had befriended him in those days when 
 he was alone in the world also loved the woman whom 
 he worshipped and vowed to win as his wife. That 
 man, not knowing of Rossini's love, had told him that 
 life's happiness was bound up in the love of Lady 
 Beatrice Penwithen, and he had appealed to him to help 
 him, Sir Hugh Henwood, to remove the obstacle which 
 stood in his way. And he, Rossini Keverne, was the
 
 1 82 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 obstacle. He who, as he thought, owed everything to 
 Sir Hugh Henwood, stood in the way of his friend's 
 happiness. 
 
 Moreover, he had discovered, as he thought, another 
 truth. Lady Beatrice did not love him. He had con- 
 quered her, not by love, but simply by force of will. He 
 could command her obedience, but he had not won her 
 love. It had come to him that day that not her heart, 
 but only her will, was his. Her heart was given to Sir 
 Hugh Henwood the man who had won his boyish love, 
 the man who had been his friend. Thus, when that friend 
 pleaded with him to help him to remove the obstacle 
 which stood between him and happiness, Rossini had 
 realised that the human heart laughs at men's vows and 
 frustrates all our vainly concerted schemes. He, while 
 vowing to possess Lady Beatrice as his wife, had re- 
 nounced her. He had preferred the happiness of his 
 friend to his own happiness ; and thus, while his heart 
 was all torn and bleeding, he pictured her walking hand- 
 in-hand with the man for whom he had sacrificed every- 
 thing. 
 
 It was then that Rossini Keverne fully knew what 
 puppets men are knew that the human heart can be 
 governed by no known laws, and that what we deter- 
 mine one day we give up on the next. 
 
 And yet he was not altogether unhappy. He did 
 not feel that he was a beaten or a disappointed man. 
 What he had done, he had done of his own free will, 
 only in a way which he could not understand ; his will 
 had not been his own, but another's. 
 
 When the train arrived at Plymouth, it was still 
 early in the evening ; so, giving his luggage to a hotel 
 porter, he walked up on the Hoe, and pictured himself
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 183 
 
 as he was when, working as a common labourer in Ply- 
 mouth, he struggled to obtain an education, and strove 
 to obtain a footing on the ladder of life. From the Hoe, 
 where the blue waves rippled on the sand beneath him, 
 he turned and walked to the bridge where he had won 
 his first great triumph. Yes, there the bridge stood 
 the bridge which many said created a new era in the 
 engineering world and he had constructed it. It was he 
 who had grasped the great engineer's idea ; it was he who 
 had performed what baffled the others. Since then he 
 had been feted and honoured The engineering papers 
 had been full of his name. Poetical journalists had 
 spoken of him as " the new star which had arisen in the 
 scientific firmament." Yes, he had won everything ex- 
 cept the woman who had been the inspiration of his 
 life ; the woman he had sacrificed for another. 
 
 Well, what should he do ? His strong, positive 
 nature could not live on negatives ; he must go back to 
 his work. But more. He must drive Lady Beatrice 
 Penwithen from his mind and heart She was to be the 
 wife of Sir Hugh Henwood, his dearest friend ; thus, for 
 his sake, for her sake, for his own honour's sake, he must 
 drive her from his mind 
 
 While he was in the railway carriage, he thought he 
 had fought his battle and won it Now he found he 
 had not. It is true he had sacrificed his love, but he had 
 not driven it from him. He loved her still, and it was 
 not honourable, it was not loyal to his friend, to let that 
 love burn there. 
 
 He must cast it out ; he must conquer it 
 
 It was then that he found what his sacrifice meant. 
 By a supreme effort, he had made the great renuncia- 
 tion, but to drive his love from him that was something
 
 1 84 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 greater. It meant a harder battle, it meant a more ter- 
 rible struggle. 
 
 " Love must die, unless it is fed," he said. " If I re- 
 fuse to think of her, save as my friend's wife ; if I never 
 cherish a thought about her, save as one who can never 
 be anything but a stranger to me, then my love must die, 
 simply of starvation." 
 
 But the thought of it was terrible. To think of her 
 only as the wife of another, and, as years went by, the 
 mother of another man's children, was maddening. 
 
 '^"ou cannot do it ! " his heart cried out. 
 
 " But I will do it," he said, as if in answer. 
 
 Night had now come on. The midsummer air was soft 
 and balmy. The birds, which were nestling among the 
 leafy bushes, had gone to rest, and made no sound, save 
 now and then to give a faint chirp. Below him in the 
 deep valley a river made music as it found its way to the 
 sea, while the cattle, lying in the rich meadows which 
 stretched down to its banks, chewed their cuds in lazy 
 content. Above, in the azure sky, the stars crept out 
 one by one, until the moonless heavens were bespangled 
 by their glory. 
 
 Rossini looked upwards, and the spirit of the night 
 entered his soul. 
 
 " Great God, it is Thy will ! " he said. " Thy ways 
 are past finding out ; but I have sought to do Thy will 
 Wilt Thou help me, for I feel how weak I am ? " 
 
 And still no sound reached him, save the occasional 
 faint twitter of the birds, the ripple of the river, and the 
 murmur of the distant sea. 
 
 " Yes, I will do it," he said aloud. " I will remember 
 that she is to be my friend's wife, and I will drive her 
 from my mind and heart. She shall be nothing to me ;
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 185 
 
 I will never think of her save as the wife of my friend. 
 And if ever an unworthy thought comes to me, I will 
 drive it away as a sin. Yes, by God's help, I will ! " 
 
 Thus Rossini had registered another vow. 
 
 Seven years before, he had vowed that he would win 
 her as his wife ; that she should be always in his 
 thoughts ; that he would think only for her, work only 
 for her, live only for her. And now all had changed, 
 and he had vowed that which meant utter destruction to 
 all which had aforetime been dear to him. 
 
 Thus man proposes, and God disposes. 
 
 He was quite calm when he reached the hotel It 
 was the hotel to which he had come to see Sir Michael 
 Tresize on the night after his first great triumph at the 
 bridge. Then he had come to visit a great man he 
 who was a nobody; now he entered as an honoured 
 guest. 
 
 " I have seen that you have a good room," said the 
 manager, who saw him enter. He had stayed there 
 more than once during the last year or two, and so met 
 with a welcome. Moreover, the manager regarded it 
 as an honour to speak to the brilliant young engineer. 
 
 " Thank you," said Rossini quietly. " I am afraid I 
 am very late ; but if you have a little dinner " 
 
 "Oh, certainly, Mr. Keverne; it can be managed 
 easily, in a few minutes. I will see that you have all you 
 want. By the way, an old friend of yours is staying 
 here." 
 
 "Indeed! Who?" 
 
 "Sir Michael Tresize." 
 
 Rossini did not speak. He had no desire for com- 
 pany that night ; his heart was too full of other things. 
 
 " I to$ him you had come here," went on the manager
 
 1 86 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 smilingly, " and I know he is expecting to see you. Sir 
 Michael gets fonder and fonder of Plymouth. He says 
 that the Hoe is the finest place in the world. Why, here 
 he is coming now/' 
 
 They had been standing in the vestibule during the 
 time they had been talking, and ^thus there was no 
 escape. Sir Michael came up with outstretched hand. 
 
 "Ah! Mr. Keverne/' he said, "there is no man I 
 would rather see. Come up and have a chat, will you ? " 
 
 "A starving man is never good at talking," said 
 Rossini " I have eaten nothing since lunch." 
 
 "Ah! it is grand to be young," said Sir Michael, 
 " grand to have an appetite. I'll warrant that you never 
 sit down to a meal without being hungry. At your age 
 
 I never did. But now Still, thank God, I enjoy 
 
 good health. But you look tired, young man. You've 
 been working too hard." 
 
 " I have been rather busy," said Rossini ; " but, as 
 you've told me often, hard work never kills." 
 
 " No, but don't overdo it, that's all. Anyhow, you'll 
 come up to my room presently, won't you? There are 
 several things I want to speak to you about" 
 
 " Yes, I'll come up in about half an hour." 
 
 "That's right. Where have you been to-day, and 
 what have you been doing?" 
 
 Sir Michael's question was like a knife in the young 
 man's heart, but he showed neither by word nor look 
 the pain he felt. 
 
 "I've just come from the bridge where you and I 
 first met, Sir Michael/' he said quietly. 
 
 "What, viewing the scene of your triumph! Well, 
 that was a wondrous feat of yours, Keverne. I believe 
 I was almost as excited as you were. But you've gone
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 18; 
 
 far since then. I've marked you every step forward, my 
 lad, and I am proud of you." 
 
 " Thank you, Sir Michael Ah ! there's my dinner. 
 I'll join you presently." 
 
 " I suppose I must go and have a chat with him," said 
 Rossini, with a sigh, as he sat down to his meal. " I am 
 in no humour for gossip just now, and Sir Michael is 
 rather prosy." 
 
 He did not recall the fact that, a few years before, he 
 regarded it as the great honour of his life to be invited 
 into the great man's room, and that this invitation meant 
 a new era in his life. After all, the best of us have short 
 memories, and success makes us all critical Thus life 
 is for ever a compromise. If it takes away with one 
 hand, it gives with the other. To the youth who had as 
 yet done nothing in the world, Sir Michael was a great 
 man, whose society was fascinating, and whose every 
 word was weighty ; but to the young man who had 
 tasted the sweets of praise and popularity, Sir Michael 
 was simply a rich, prosy old man. 
 
 Nevertheless, after he had finished his dinner, Rossini 
 found his way to Sir Michael's room. His heart was 
 very sore, and his sky was very black ; still, he showed 
 no signs of his trouble. He was still the same taciturn, 
 self-contained Rossini of other times. 
 
 Sir Michael rose eagerly to welcome him as he 
 entered 
 
 " Still a teetotaler, Keverne ? " said the baronet, as he 
 rang for a waiter. 
 
 " Still a teetotaler," replied Rossini. 
 
 "Ah, well, we won't argue," said Sir Michael "I 
 wanted to discuss two or three important matters of 
 business with you/'
 
 1 88 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 For an hour or more they talked business. Sir 
 Michael's connection with finance and railways was very 
 extensive, and, as a consequence, the position which 
 Rossini occupied in the engineering world caused them 
 to have much to say to each other. But presently Sir 
 Michael looked disappointed. Rossini did not enter 
 into his schemes with the enthusiasm of former days. 
 
 " Are you well, Keverne ? " he asked presently. 
 
 " Quite well, thank you. Why do you ask ? " 
 
 " You look tired jaded, my boy." 
 
 " Neither the one nor the other, Sir Michael" 
 
 " Then you are not happy." 
 
 Rossini was silent 
 
 " And yet you have everything to make you happy. 
 Do you remember the night when you first sat here? 
 You have made tremendous strides since then. You are 
 the envy of the engineering world." 
 
 " And what is that worth ? " asked Rossini. 
 
 " Surely you've won a position that any man might 
 be proud of." 
 
 " And, I repeat, what is it all worth ? " said the young 
 man. 
 
 a Come, come now," said the baronet " At an age 
 when nine hundred and ninety-nine men out of a thou- 
 sand have not begug to rise in life, you have become 
 famous. You have succeeded where those bearing great 
 names have failed. You have won the approbation, not 
 only of the crowd, but of the select and cultured, while 
 nothing should be impossible to you in the future." 
 
 " What is possible to me in the future ? " urged 
 Rossini. 
 
 11 What ? " exclaimed the baronet. " Why, if you go 
 on as you have begun, I can imagine you receiving
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 189 
 
 honours from the Sovereign of England. I can see you 
 honoured everywhere; aye, and rich, too. Yes, and 
 more. Although I regard you as before all other things 
 an engineer, you can at some future time become a 
 member of the British Parliament, and who knows ? 
 a member of the Cabinet." 
 
 " And then ? " said Rossini quietly. 
 
 "Then?" said Sir Michael. "Is not that enough? 
 Is it not enough to have an honoured name and take 
 part in the Legislature of our great Empire ? " 
 
 " It seems to me that a man can be all that and still 
 a miserable man," said Rossini "Bobbie Burns was 
 right. After all, as far as I can see, the whole parapher- 
 nalia of worldly honours and riches is only so much 
 thistledown. ' It's not in title nor in rank, it's not in 
 wealth of London bank, to make us truly blest.' I know 
 I've not quoted correctly, but I've got at the sense 
 of it." 
 
 Sir Michael looked at the young man keenly. " This 
 is not like you, Keverne," he said. " On former occa- 
 sions you have rejoiced in your profession rejoiced in 
 conquering difficulties, rejoiced in climbing the ladder 
 of fame." 
 
 "As the years go on, one realises that it leads 
 nowhere," remarked Rossini. " You see," he went on, 
 " you can only sleep on one bed at a time, whatever you 
 are, and however much you possess." 
 
 " Who's the woman ? " said the baronet, with a laugh. 
 
 Rossini never moved a muscle of his face. He looked 
 steadily at Sir Michael and said slowly: "There is no 
 woman, Sir Michael." 
 
 The baronet laughed heartily. " Ah ! " he said, " I've 
 got to the bottom of the whole business. Why, my boy,
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 before I was your age, I had fancied myself in love half- 
 a-dozen times. Of course, these loves meant nothing; 
 no love does, I am inclined to think, until one reaches 
 five-and-twenty. When I met Lady Tresize all other 
 women became as nothing. Well, evidently you are not 
 a lady's man. I have been told that you never look at a 
 woman, and that all your life has been given up to your 
 work. Engineering has been your wife, eh ? " 
 
 " Yes, and will continue to be," said Rossini. 
 
 "Ah! there you are wrong. No man's life is com- 
 plete without a wife. Certainly no man is happy unless 
 he has a wife, to love, to help, and to inspire him." 
 
 Rossini laughed quietly. "You speak like one who 
 has had much experience, Sir Michael," he said. 
 
 Sir Michael laughed. He was in a communicative and 
 garrulous mood 
 
 "That may be," he said "As I told you, when I 
 was a boy, I had several love affairs before I was five- 
 and-twenty. Every boy has, I fancy." 
 
 " No, not every boy," replied Rossini. " But tell me, 
 Sir Michael, do you think any man can really love more 
 than once ? " 
 
 "Of course he can," replied the baronet. "Why, 
 when I was eighteen or nineteen, I fell madly in love, or 
 thought I did, with the daughter >f a neighbouring 
 squire. I almost worshipped the ground she walked on. 
 Moreover, I thought I was the favoured suitor. This 
 lasted for years. Then one day I heard she was to be 
 married to Squire Dingle, a man old enough to be her 
 father. But did I love my wife any the less because of 
 that? Not a bit of it. As I told you, when I saw her, 
 every other woman became as nothing." 
 
 " And how long did it take you to get over your dis-
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 191 
 
 appointment ? " asked Rossini ; " for I presume you felt 
 very bad." 
 
 "Bad, my boy?" said Sir Michael, with a laugh. 
 " Why, I even contemplated suicide. But that was only 
 for a day or two. I said : ' There's as good fish in the 
 sea as ever was caught' I did not go mooning around. 
 I went into Society, and presently a new affection dis- 
 placed the old. For my own part, I can't understand 
 these young fellows who go mooning around because one 
 woman fails to see their value. I dare say if I kept on 
 brooding, I should have done something desperate ; but 
 I didn't. No man gets over a disappointment of that 
 sort by trying to drive her out of his mind ; he gets over 
 it by getting in love elsewhere. That's my experience. 
 Ha ! ha ! " and the old man laughed merrily. " As I've 
 heard you say more than once, Keverne, ' Life's positive, 
 not negative.' " 
 
 Rossini tired of Sir Michael's conversation. More- 
 over, it was painful to him. The older man, in recalling 
 the memories of his early days, wounded the heart of the 
 young man who that very day had deliberately re- 
 nounced the one great passion of his life. He found an 
 excuse for leaving his friend, therefore, and went to his 
 room. But he could not sleep. Try as he would, he 
 could not drive from his mind the scenes through 
 which he had passed that day. 
 
 "No," he said, as presently the morning light 
 streamed into his room, "my only solace must be in 
 work. I will think of that, and only that. Perhaps 
 God has designed that only by work shall I drive her 
 from my mind." 
 
 Early the following morning he continued his 
 journey northward
 
 IQ3 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Work ! work ! " he repeated again and again to 
 himself. He thought of all he had promised to do, as 
 well as the enterprises which were yet incomplete. "I 
 will go to the lighthouse to-night," he said to himself. 
 "After all, that is my first real achievement That is 
 the work I did by myself. Perhaps it will enable me to 
 forget. It was there I did what others failed to accom- 
 plish." 
 
 The sun was setting as he arrived at the port nearest 
 to Black Rock Lighthouse; nevertheless, he deter- 
 mined to visit it. Away in the distance he saw the 
 black rock, surmounted by the massive structure which 
 he had planned ; and as he looked, his eyes flashed with 
 pride. Yes, there was joy in conquest, after all. Other 
 engineers had made attempts to build a lighthouse 
 there, and had failed ; but he had succeeded. Storm 
 after storm had beaten upon it, but his work had defied 
 them. 
 
 He called to mind, too, the time when a number of 
 men had defied him, and when he was there alone with 
 them they had threatened to kill him if he would not 
 concede to their wishes. He remembered that things 
 looked very dark with him, when Mary Fletcher, the 
 daughter of the leader in the rebellion, came and saved 
 him. She had defied her father, and had dared the 
 anger of the others in order to save him. 
 
 He gave but little thought to her, however; after 
 all, there was but one woman in the world for him, in 
 spite of Sir Michael Tresize's experience. 
 
 Nevertheless, his heart quickened somewhat when, 
 on leaping from the boat to the rock, he saw a woman's 
 dress. A minute later he stood face to face with Mary 
 Fletcher, the woman who had saved him months before.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 193 
 
 He saw, too, that a look of terror was in her eyes, while 
 her face was as pale as death. 
 
 " Mary Mary Fletcher, why are you here ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 "Oh, thank God you've come, Mr. Keverne!" she 
 gasped, and Rossini knew that something dreadful had 
 happened.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE SCENE ON BLACK ROCK. 
 
 " WHAT is the matter, Mary ? " he asked. He saw that 
 the girl was trembling violently, and that she could 
 scarcely control herself. Moreover, night was almost 
 come, and although it would not be really dark, because 
 the moon had risen high in the heavens, he felt sure 
 that it could have been no light matter that had brought 
 a girl across several miles of water to this lonely rock in 
 the sea. Besides, the tide around Black Rock was 
 very treacherous, and only those who knew the currents 
 well were safe in trying to land. 
 
 " Hush ! " she whispered ; " they will hear you." 
 
 "Who will hear me?" 
 
 She looked around fearfully. 
 
 " Which way did you come ? " she asked. 
 
 " Straight from Port St. Mary. Why do you ask ? " 
 
 " You did not come around Hell's Mouth ? " 
 
 "No, there was no need. The sea was so smooth 
 that I rowed straight to the jetty." 
 
 " Then they did not see you," she said in tones of 
 relief. 
 
 " Who did not see me ? " 
 
 Again she seemed afraid to answer him. Casting 
 fearful glances, first on the one side and then on the 
 other, she said : " Did you hire a boatman ? " 
 
 "No, I rowed myself." 
 
 " So did I ; I took our own boat ! *
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW, 195 
 
 " What ! did you row yourself ? " 
 
 "Yes, I was afraid anyone should know. Oh, Mr. 
 Keverne, you must be very careful." 
 
 " Tell me what the trouble is ? " he asked im- 
 patiently. "Who are here on the rock? Where is 
 the lighthouse-keeper ? " 
 
 " I'm afraid he's been murdered ! " 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " Either he has been murdered, or else " and 
 
 again she looked around fearfully. 
 
 They were standing beneath the shadow of a great 
 rock which rose so high above them that they were not 
 only hidden from anyone who might be near, but they 
 were also unable to see what was taking place on any 
 other part of Black Rock. 
 
 " You'll not be hard on my father, will you ? " she 
 asked fearfully. 
 
 Rossini's eyes hardened. His mind swept back to 
 that other occasion when those men, with Reuben 
 Fletcher, Mary's father, at their head, made certain de- 
 mands on him and threatened to kill him if he did not 
 yield to them. He remembered, too, that Mary had 
 come to his aid, and that Reuben Fletcher was mas- 
 tered. He had often wondered since what they would 
 have done if Mary had not come, and he had wondered, 
 too, whether the man had been really conquered, or 
 whether he still cherished some kind of vengeance in 
 his heart. 
 
 " You mean that your father has been hatching an- 
 other plot against me ? " he said. 
 
 " Don't tell him that I told you," she said hoarsely. 
 "He has no idea that I found it out; if he did, he 
 would kill me. Even now "
 
 i 9 6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Your father is here now ? " he said, when she 
 hesitated in her speech. 
 
 "Yes, he's on the other side there with four others. 
 It's to take place at midnight. What time is it now ? " 
 
 Rossini Keverne became a dangerous man at that 
 moment The old look of grim determination settled 
 upon his face, the savage in him was aroused. Al- 
 though Mary Fletcher had only hinted at the truth, he 
 knew pretty well what was happening. 
 
 "You mean," he said, "that your father has never 
 forgiven me for getting the better of him in that affair 
 when you came to my aid. That ever since he has 
 been nursing a scheme of revenge, and that this scheme 
 is to be carried out to-night. I see. What do they 
 mean to do ? Oh, yes, I understand they mean either 
 to undermine or blow up the lighthouse." 
 
 " How did you know ? " she asked. 
 
 " I am right, am I not ? " 
 
 "Yes. I have seen for a long time that father had 
 something on his mind, and I did not like the way 
 he was constantly meeting those men. You remember 
 them Jack Brag, Jimmer Yelland, Frank Flew, and 
 Ganger Blewitt. They were constantly meeting and 
 talking. Then one day I saw him reading in the news- 
 paper something that was written about you. The 
 papers said that you had done what all other engineers 
 had failed to do, and that the Black Rock Lighthouse 
 would stand for centuries." 
 
 "Well?" said Rossini quietly. 
 
 "Well, he laughed and said that it would not last 
 twelve months, and that instead of being praised up to 
 the skies, you would be laughed out of the country." 
 
 Rossini's teeth became clenched, and his hands
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 19; 
 
 clasped and unclasped themselves quickly. But he still 
 spoke calmly. 
 
 "Go on." 
 
 " You'll not be hard on him, will you ? " she asked 
 Now that Rossini was there, she seemed to be certain 
 that her father would be again overcome. 
 
 "Go on," he repeated, "tell me the rest." 
 
 "He made me afraid," said Mary Fletcher. "I 
 knew how much this lighthouse was to you, and I felt 
 sure that he meant to to " 
 
 " Go on," repeated Rossini, as she hesitated ; " I 
 understand." 
 
 "For a long time I could find out nothing. He 
 seemed to suspect me, and after saying what he did 
 when he read those things about you in the news- 
 paper, he never said a word to me." 
 
 " Did you ask him anything ? " 
 
 " No. If I had, he would have been more careful 
 than ever. You know how clever, how suspicious he 
 is. I said nothing, but I watched." 
 
 A look of admiration came into Rossini's eyes, but 
 all he said was : " What did you find out ? " 
 
 " Nothing for a long time ; but four nights ago, 
 when coming home rather late from chapel, I heard 
 father say to Jack Brag: 'We must all meet at the 
 Smugglers' Cave to-morrow night and settle everything. 
 But mum's the word ; for if we are found out, we 
 shall swing.' " 
 
 "Yes, and then?" 
 
 " I made up my mind that I would go to the Smug- 
 glers' Cave the next night and find out everything." 
 
 " Did your father see you when he was speaking 
 to Jack Brag ? "
 
 ip8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "No, I slipped in at the back door. I am sure he 
 never saw me." 
 
 " Good," said Rossini. " But you did not go to the 
 Smugglers' Cave, did you ? It is two miles from your 
 home, there is no house near, and it can only be reached 
 by boat, and no one could enter it by boat without 
 those in the cave knowing." 
 
 "Yes, there is another way, Mr. Keverne." 
 
 " Only down the face of the cliff. No woman dare 
 descend there." 
 
 The girl was silent. 
 
 " You do not mean that you went that way ? " cried 
 the young man. 
 
 " It was not so very hard," she said ; " besides, it 
 was the only way I could get there." 
 
 Rossini looked at her in wonderment. A month be- 
 fore he had told Lady Beatrice Penwithen that this girl 
 was a heroine ; but he did not believe then that she 
 could have done this. The cliff pathway to the Smug- 
 glers' Cave was seldom attempted by the most daring 
 climbers, an3 never except in broad daylight. A false 
 step meant certain death, it meant a fall of more than 
 a hundred feet upon the great jagged rocks that lay 
 near the mouth of the cave. Nothing in her appear- 
 ance suggested such a feat of daring. It was true she 
 was a well-formed, strongly built girl, and in this re- 
 spect presented something of a contrast to Lady Bea- 
 trice Penwithen, but there was nothing of the Amazon 
 in her appearance. There was a look of .quiet deter- 
 mination in her large, grey eyes, but they were not the 
 eyes of a woman who reckoned nothing of difficulties. 
 Besides, why should she have done so much for him, 
 to whom she had spoken scarcely a dozen times ?
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 199 
 
 " Then you reached the place in safety ? " he said 
 
 "Yes," she said "If my father had known, I be- 
 lieve he would have killed me. He was terribly 
 angry." 
 
 " Tell me," said Rossini, as he saw her pause. 
 
 Again she looked around fearfully. "Listen," she 
 said ; " I thought I heard a footstep." 
 
 Rossini climbed up a steep path, and then, hiding 
 himself behind a rock, surveyed all the visible part of 
 the island. There was no one near, and all was silent 
 as death. The sun had sunk, and the sea, instead of 
 reflecting the blue of the sky, looked dark and forbid- 
 ding in the growing darkness. A mist was creeping 
 over the waters like a grey mantle, and a chilly feeling 
 had come in the air, although it was a midsummer 
 night. 
 
 He looked at his watch. " Midnight," he said to him- 
 self. " There is plenty of time yet" 
 
 He descended to the spot where the girl was. He 
 was perfectly calm now. He knew that danger was 
 near that within the sound of his voice were Reuben 
 Fletcher and four men, who would not hesitate to 
 murder him. But he was in the mood for battle. He 
 almost rejoiced in the thought of matching himself 
 against these men. 
 
 "There is no one in sight," he said. "You can 
 speak freely no one can hear while you speak 
 quietly." 
 
 "They must be keeping out of sight," she said. 
 "That was their plan, otherwise I should never have 
 been able to remain here so long unnoticed." 
 
 He did not question her further; all the same, he 
 was full of wonder at the girl's daring.
 
 200 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " They have carried out their plan so far," she said. 
 "They arranged to come over here last night, and, if 
 the lighthouse-keeper made any difficulty, to, as they 
 said, 'do away with him.' And then they agreed to 
 put dynamite into various parts of the lighthouse, and 
 to connect them by a fuse. They agreed to have a 
 long piece of ' safety ' to reach to the rock from which 
 they would leave the island, and they decided to light 
 the fuse when they left." 
 
 A cold feeling came into Rossini's heart. He did 
 not fear for himself, but he feared for the lighthouse. 
 He knew that if a quantity of dynamite were to explode 
 at the base of the building upon which he had bestowed 
 so much time and thought, it would be shivered to the 
 ground. And he thought that he had conquered Reu- 
 ben Fletcher! This man, who had for months been so 
 quiet, had been nursing this scheme of revenge. As 
 for the other men, they were but tools in his hands. 
 
 " And they came last night ? " he said. 
 
 "Yes, I watched them leave. It was nearly mid- 
 night ; no one saw them but me." 
 
 " And you when did you come ? " 
 
 " I did not know what to do," said the girl. " My 
 father had said that this was the time to do what they 
 planned to do, because you were down in Cornwall, and 
 therefore could get no inkling of their intentions. But 
 I did not know in what part of Cornwall you were, or 
 I would have written to you." 
 
 " Why did you not inform the police ? '* 
 
 For the first time she looked at him almost angrily. 
 
 " He is my father," she said. 
 
 "Yes. But if you would tell me, why not tell the 
 police ? Do you know what will happen ? Every one
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 201 
 
 of those men will be sent to penal servitude. Your 
 father will suffer worse than the others he is the ring- 
 leader." 
 
 "No," she said quietly. 
 
 " Why ? " asked Rossini. 
 
 " Because because " But the girl did not com- 
 plete the sentence ; instead, she looked out through 
 the rocks towards the darkening sea. " I have not told 
 you all yet," she said. 
 
 "No," said Rossini; "you have not told me when 
 you came." 
 
 "I came last night," she said quietly. "No sooner 
 had they gone than I went to the little cove where we 
 keep our boat, and rowed across in the darkness." 
 
 He looked at her in astonishment, but he did not 
 speak Mary Fletcher made him wonder more and 
 more. 
 
 " I was afraid that if I waited until morning, they 
 would see me," she said, "so I followed them in the 
 dark." 
 
 " But where did you land ? " 
 
 " The night was bright enough to let me see where 
 they landed, and so I went to the other end of the 
 rock." 
 
 "But the tides are terrible there." 
 
 " Yes, I know. Still, the sea was calm, and, although 
 it was very rough just there well, I knew it was my 
 only chance." 
 
 "And you landed?" 
 
 "Yes, my plan was to hide myself through the day 
 and to watch where they placed the fuse, and then, 
 directly they had gone, to detach the ' safety ' from 
 the dynamite. It seemed all I could do. I thought
 
 202 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 by that means I might save your work, and that that 
 my father " 
 
 Again she paused and looked eagerly around her. 
 She did not look so fearful now as when Rossini had 
 first landed. His presence had given her strength and 
 confidence. Evidently she had great faith in Rossini's 
 power. 
 
 " And have they been at work through the day ? " 
 
 "No, they have not worked since six this morn- 
 ing. They worked all the night, but not since. Hark, 
 I believe they are at work now." 
 
 He listened. Yes, the sound of steel against granite 
 was to be heard plainly. 
 
 " They are afraid," she went on. " I think they have 
 been drinking through the day, and my father is terrible 
 when he has been drinking. He does not get wild, 
 nor does he talk loudly ; he is very quiet, but he is simply 
 terrible, he will stop at nothing." 
 
 "And have you found out where your father is 
 laying his trains of powder ? " 
 
 "No, and that was why I was so afraid when you 
 came. I was not sure I could save the lighthouse." 
 
 She did not seem to think of herself or of her own 
 danger. She must have known that if the explosion 
 took place while she was on Black Rock, her life would 
 not have been worth a pin's purchase, and yet she 
 never referred to it. Her great thought was for 
 Rossini's work. 
 
 After this he asked her many questions sharp, 
 searching questions, which she answered readily, al- 
 though she gazed around in fear. When they had 
 finished speaking, he seemed to think deeply for a few 
 minutes. The hard look in his great black eyes grew
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 203 
 
 harder evidently he was making some resolve. Mary 
 Fletcher watched him with dumb, doglike devotion as 
 he thought, but he did not seem to heed her. Perhaps 
 he was thinking how he could match his strength against 
 the men who determined to be revenged on him for not 
 yielding to them months before. 
 
 The sound of the steel borers against the granite 
 of which the lighthouse was built continued to reach 
 him, while the grey mantle of sea-mist which now 
 covered the waters grew darker and darker. 
 
 He had no. thought of fear, but he knew that it 
 would be no child's play to match himself against these 
 men. They were miles from the mainland, and no one* 
 would think of coming there that night. His only 
 helper was this girl, whom he must shield from her 
 father's anger. Whatever else happened, she must not 
 be harmed. She had done one of the bravest deeds 
 a woman had ever done in coming there that night, 
 and he must protect her. But how ? 
 
 He was perfectly calm, and, in a sense, a sort of 
 grim joy filled his heart He had told Lady Beatrice 
 Penwithen that the truly great man was he who con- 
 quered men. That to calculate how to resist the force 
 of storms was only a matter of mathematics and en- 
 gineering. A man need be neither great nor strong to 
 do that ; to conquer men was another matter. But he 
 would do it. They might be five to one ; but he would 
 master them, and his eyes grew bright at the thought 
 of it 
 
 " What are you going to do, Mr. Keverne ? " asked 
 Mary Fletcher at length. 
 
 " You must stay here," he said quietly. " I thank 
 you very, very much for what you have done ; and had
 
 204 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 you not been one of the bravest girls that ever lived, 
 you would not have done it But you must stay here 
 now." 
 
 " But what are you going to do, Mr. Keverne ? " 
 she repeated eagerly. 
 
 " I am going to them," he replied. 
 
 " You dare not, you must not ! " she gasped. " They 
 would kill you." 
 
 Rossini laughed quietly. There was no merriment 
 in the laugh, but he seemed amused nevertheless. I 
 have been told that brave soldiers have laughed when 
 they have been commanded to charge the enemy, even 
 though the command meant death to them. 
 
 " I am not so easily killed," he replied. 
 
 " But you do not know my father," she urged. " He 
 has been drinking, and he will be maddened by it He 
 will be very quiet, but he will stop at nothing." 
 
 " Neither will I," said Rossini grimly. 
 
 " But let me go with you," said the girl 
 
 " No, you must stay here," he replied. 
 
 "But, but " 
 
 " Your father must not know that you have told me 
 anything," said Rossini. "You know what you said 
 just now." 
 
 " But what can you do ? They are five, and you are 
 only one." 
 
 Her fear for his safety had taken away her confi- 
 dence in his powers. At first she feared what would 
 happen to her father, now her only fear was for 
 him. 
 
 " We shall see," he replied quietly. " For the present 
 you must remain here." 
 
 She looked up at his face as though she would have-
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 205 
 
 liked to disobey him ; but as she saw the look in his 
 eyes, she dared not 
 
 Without another word he left her and walked 
 away towards the lighthouse, whence he had heard the 
 sounds of the workers. His one thought was that he 
 would conquer these men. He had no plan of action. 
 What he did must depend on circumstances. All he 
 knew was that he must preserve the work that had 
 become so dear to him. His heart beat a little more 
 quickly than was its wont, but not much. Rossini had 
 nerves of steel. If it came to a matter of physical 
 strength, he knew he would be conquered. If they had 
 only been two, he would not have hesitated to do battle 
 with them. He knew the men, and he would have 
 mastered them. But five was another matter ; only a 
 madman would attempt such an impossible thing. Be- 
 sides, whatever happened to him, he must save the 
 lighthouse. In his present mood his own life was not 
 very dear to him, but his work was dear, and he made 
 up his mind that it should not be destroyed. 
 
 Slowly he walked towards the men. Yes, there 
 they were, at the base of the building, working away 
 at their scheme of vengeance. He knew that Reuben 
 Fletcher was the mind behind it all. He had been told 
 again and again that this man never left what he be- 
 lieved to be an injury unrevenged that in this sense 
 of the word he never left a debt unpaid. More than 
 once he had doubted whether Mary Fletcher were his 
 child at all. It seemed incongruous that a sweet and 
 pure girl such as she was could be the child of this 
 dark-browed, sullen-eyed man. But few had a good 
 word for Reuben Fletcher, although all admitted that 
 he was the cleverest mechanic in Port St. Mary.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 The sea-mist which had fallen enveloped these men 
 in its dark folds, so that their forms, clothed as they 
 were in corduroy, appeared but dimly. Once he thought 
 of devising some plan to frighten them. All such men 
 were superstitious, and he thought of appealing to their 
 superstitious fears. But only for a moment. No, he 
 would face them boldly and he would conquer them. 
 
 He stood quietly watching them while they worked. 
 He was only a few yards away so near, in fact, that 
 had they looked up, they could, in spite of the gathering 
 darkness, have seen him plainly. Above them loomed 
 the walls of the lighthouse, around him and beneath 
 him was the great, lonesome rock ; beyond was the dark 
 sea which sobbed and moaned, as it gathered itself into 
 breakers, and then found its way into echoing caverns 
 and over the great stones. 
 
 " Anything the matter, my men ? " 
 
 They dropped their tools and looked up in amaze- 
 ment Standing on a grey, lichen-covered stone just 
 above them, there was something almost spectral in his 
 appearance. 
 
 " Anything the matter, my men ? " he repeated, in 
 a steady voice. 
 
 "Who are you?" 
 
 It was not Reuben Fletcher who spoke, but one of 
 the others. 
 
 Rossini descended from the eminence on which he 
 stood, and took a few steps towards them. 
 
 " Is that you, Jack Brag ? " he said. " Ah, yes, I see 
 it is. Is anything the matter ? " 
 
 Jack Brag did not speak; but Rossini saw that 
 Reuben Fletcher left his work and was coming 
 stealthily towards him.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MIND AND MATTER. 
 
 To say the least of it, the situation was grave. Rossini 
 saw the look of murder in Reuben Fletcher's eyes ; he 
 saw, too, the steel borer which he carried in his hand. 
 One blow of that steel borer, dealt by the hands of 
 Reuben Fletcher, meant death a blow which the man 
 evidently meant to deal As for the others, they were 
 but tools in his hands, and waited to do his bidding. 
 Physical opposition was therefore out of the question. 
 Flight also was just as impossible, even if he contem- 
 plated it The island was small, and he could be easily 
 overtaken before he could reach the boat by which he 
 had come. But Rossini never thought of flight. He 
 had come to these men to master them, and he deter- 
 mined he would. It was a battle of mind against matter, 
 of personality against brute strength. 
 
 "Ah, Reuben Fletcher," he said, still quietly, al- 
 though his voice sounded somewhat unnatural ; " what 
 are you doing here ? " 
 
 "That's my business," said the man. 
 
 " I have a suspicion that it is my .business, too." 
 
 " Your business'll be settled in quick time," replied 
 the man, gripping the steel borer with a tighter grip. 
 
 Rossini took in the situation with a lightning glance. 
 Fletcher was only four yards from him now ; the others 
 were close behind him. It would be idle to pretend 
 any longer that he did not know their purpose. 
 
 307
 
 208 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Put down that borer, Fletcher ! " He took a step 
 towards him as he spoke, and the man insensibly 
 lowered his weapon. 
 
 "I do not know whether you know it or not," he 
 went on, " but you are playing a mad, deadly game." 
 
 "Yes, for you, my young bantam cock," replied 
 Fletcher. 
 
 "Oh, no," and he answered quietly, "my game is 
 harmless enough. I naturally came to see how things 
 are going on here. But think a moment, Fletcher. You 
 have known me some time now. Did it ever suggeet 
 itself to you that I was not a fool ? " 
 
 The man lifted the borer again. 
 
 "Yes, talk," he said in reply "you can always do 
 that But you'd better say yer prayers. Now, then, 
 young cove, I'll give you just three minutes to say yer 
 prayers, and then it's either heaven or hell for you." 
 
 "Three minutes? Now, that's sensible of you, 
 Fletcher. I think you've just saved your necks by say- 
 ing that." 
 
 " Our necks are all right, young codger. Say yer 
 prayers to wance now, or I'll send you to hell, without 
 giving you another chance." 
 
 " Yes, and what do you think would happen to you ? " 
 
 " I'll take my chance o' that." 
 
 "Yes, and a poor chance, Fletcher. Do you think 
 I came here without anyone knowing? Do you 
 think if I'm not back at Port St Mary in an hour, people 
 will not come after me ? " 
 
 " Why should they ? " asked Fletcher. A look of 
 doubt had come into his eyes, and although he could 
 not tell why, the young man standing so calmly took 
 away some of his nerve.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 209 
 
 " As though your meeting in Smugglers' Cave could 
 be kept a secret ! " said Rossini ; and although he felt 
 little like it, he laughed as he spoke. 
 
 The man muttered an oath as Rossini spoke, but 
 the steel borer was insensibly lowered again. " No- 
 body met in the Smugglers' Cave," he said. 
 
 " Don't be a fool, Fletcher. If there was no meet- 
 ing there, how should I know it? It was yesterday 
 week at midnight You thought no one would know 
 of it, but don't you see what a fool you are ? " 
 
 Fletcher turned towards his companions with mad- 
 ness in his eyes and a savage oath on his lips. " If 
 any of you have blabbed " he said 
 
 " There is no need for them to blab, Fletcher," went 
 on Rossini. He felt himself gaining the mastery, and 
 was almost enjoying the encounter. Physical fear he 
 had none, and the bame of wills made his heart burn 
 with a strange joy. " Do you think I have no friends 
 in Port St. Mary ? Do you think that no one has seen 
 you fellows together, and heard you vow that you'd pay 
 me out ? Well, do you think you could go away together 
 at midnight arid not be watched ? Why, it was a child's 
 game. Then think what a silly plot you made. A more 
 bungling, botched-up game I never heard of. Do you 
 think you could bore holes in the lighthouse, and place 
 dynamite and ' safety,' without being found out ? " 
 
 "Who could find out?" 
 
 "Who? Well, the fact that I've found out shows 
 how easy it was. Well, now think. Suppose you were 
 to have your way. You can't blow up a place like this 
 without an explosion. Do you think they wouldn't 
 hear over at St Mary? It is true you fixed it for 
 midnight, but even there some people are awake at
 
 210 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 that time. Well, what would follow? I'll tell you: 
 Reuben Fletcher, and Ganger Blewitt, and Jack Brag, 
 and Jimmer Yelland, and Frank Flew, would all swing." 
 
 He saw that the men were growing more and more 
 uneasy. Given time, mind always gains the victory 
 over matter, and Rossini was gaining time. After all, 
 these men were only overgrown children ; their 
 thoughts, even in Reuben Fletcher's case, were only 
 elementary, and they felt their ground undermined by 
 Rossini's cold, cutting words. Still, that stubborn 
 hatred of being beaten burned in their hearts. Rossini 
 had fought and beaten them once before, and they had 
 sworn to be revenged. 
 
 " You talk a lot, young master," said Fletcher, " but 
 I. tell you we mean business." 
 
 " Well, then, do it ; but you'll swing, and your 
 bodies will be burned by quiclfiime ; and no parson'll 
 say a prayer for you; and your children well, God 
 only knows what will become of them ? " 
 
 He knew how to deal with these men. He had 
 been amongst them for years. He knew that although 
 they might profess atheism, they were superstitious at 
 heart, and he knew that the thought of hanging struck 
 terror to their souls. Besides, they were not sure how 
 much he knew. To them his cleverness seemed un- 
 natural If he knew of their meeting at the Smug- 
 glers' Cave, he might have safeguarded himself in ways 
 they could not understand. Every man of them would 
 have given up the wild scheme but for Reuben 
 Fletcher. It had been his scheme of vengeance, and 
 he hated being beaten. 
 
 " If they caught us ! " he snarled. 
 
 " As though you could escape ! " said Rossini.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 211 
 
 " Why, when the explosion is heard, it will be a signal 
 to watch every cove and creek on the coast You 
 could not land without being taken ; and do you think 
 you could escape pursuit in a cockleshell of a boat ? " 
 
 "Well, if we can't do away with the lighthouse, we 
 can do away with you." 
 
 " Could you ? Well, I have my doubts about that. 
 But if you did, the result would be the same you'd 
 swing." 
 
 " You're a liar. No one knows you are here." 
 
 "You are quite mistaken. As a matter of fact, I've 
 been talking with someone within the last hour. There 
 are eyes watching us while we are talking." 
 
 The men looked around fearfully. "Where be 
 they ? " they asked. 
 
 " I tell you, everything is known. Even as it is, I 
 shall have my work cut out to save you from the dock." 
 
 " All gammon ! " said Reuben Fletcher ; " all gam- 
 mon! I know yer sort, my young cock bantam. If 
 it's as you say, you'd 'a' told the police, and they'd 'a' 
 come over and nabbed us. Who's watching us ? There 
 now, tell us straight ! " 
 
 " It isn't the lighthouse-keeper ; you've taken care of 
 that" 
 
 Again the men looked around fearfully. The young 
 man who stood so calmly before them seemed to know 
 everything. 
 
 " 'Ow did you know 'bout him, guv'nor ? " one asked 
 " S'welp me, we ain't a-done nothin' to 'urt 'im." 
 
 "Then I may be able to keep him quiet. I don't 
 know. But look here, if you'll take my advice, you'll 
 be off and get back quietly." 
 
 "Yes, and be nabbed," said Reuben Fletcher. He
 
 212 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 was beginning to lose his head now. " No, by gum, 
 we'll carry the job through now, swing or not swing ! " 
 He gripped the steel borer more tightly, although he did 
 not lift it. " 'Ere," he continued, " you said you'd like to 
 do for him, Jimmer Yelland. Now's yer chance. Give 
 him one on his nut" 
 
 But Jimmer did not move. 
 
 "I've done with it, Reu Fletcher," he said; "an' if 
 I'd known you was sich a fool, I wouldn't 'a' listened 
 to you. I believe you've blabbed yourself." 
 
 Reuben Fletcher took a step towards the man, but 
 as he saw the faces of the others, he hesitated. He 
 knew now that his power had gone. The young en- 
 gineer had beaten him again. 
 
 " Don't you see," he said, " as 'ow he's got us all in 
 his power if we don't do for 'im ? " 
 
 " I'd rather be in his power than swing. He turned 
 out trumps last time ; you know he did." 
 
 The battle was won now. Rossini knew it, and Reu- 
 ben Fletcher knew it, too. All his plans were like a 
 castle of cards, which this strong man had destroyed by 
 one sweep of his hand. 
 
 " Look here," said Rossini, " I don't want to be hard 
 on you chaps. Fletcher has just told you lies and 
 poisoned your minds. As nothing has happened, people 
 will not trouble to ask questions ; so if you like, you 
 can go back quietly. As for Fletcher " 
 
 " Yes, mister, what about me ? " 
 
 " As for you, Fletcher, you and I will have to work 
 out this business alone. But first of all, you must bring 
 me all your dynamite." 
 
 The men moved away to obey him, as if glad that 
 the battle was over.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 213 
 
 " You shall not do it ! " cried Fletcher with an oath, 
 trying to stop them. But they threw him aside. While 
 he was the strongest man present, they obeyed him ; 
 but another and a stronger had come, and they preferred 
 obeying him. It was but a repetition of history. Most 
 men are but grown-up children, and they must have a 
 master. 
 
 Still Fletcher continued to fight his battle. "It's 
 all bunkum," he said. " He can't know anything. Be- 
 sides, if he does, it can't make no difference now. And 
 do you think he'll let us off ? He ain't promised us 
 nothing. You are just playing into his 'ands, that's 
 what yer doin'. What's to 'inder 'im from sendin' us all 
 to Dartmoor ? " 
 
 The men hesitated as he spoke. After all, there 
 was something in what Fletcher had said. But their 
 hesitation soon passed. Rossini did not mean to let 
 the power slip out of his hands. 
 
 "Yes, stop a minute," he said, "and listen while I 
 put the case before you. This first. You and I are 
 not the only ones that know what you decided to do at 
 Smugglers' Cave. You were watched, and followed, 
 and every word you said was heard. In fact, you had 
 been watched and followed for a long time." 
 
 " If I know'd who did it," said Reuben Fletcher, " I'd 
 just " 
 
 " Yes, I've no doubt ; but it's true. Your plan is no 
 secret. What's more, you've been followed here. I'm 
 not the only person on Black Rock besides yourself. 
 At this very moment we're watched. Now, then, suppose 
 you did all you meant, do you think it would not be 
 found out ? I tell you it would. And what then ? 
 Why, if you murdered me, you'd swing, every one of
 
 214 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 you. Then what would be the good of your plans. 
 You, Jimmer Yelland, you have three dear little child- 
 ren, who would be ashamed to hear their father's name 
 mentioned. How could they help it ? Who would like 
 to be told that their father was hanged for murder? 
 Now listen to the other side. You know me. 
 You've never known me to break my word, 
 and I promise this: Give me the dynamite and 
 the ' safety,' and then if you give me your promise that 
 you will behave like men in the future, nothing more 
 shall be said about it." 
 
 " You mean that, guv'nor ! " 
 
 " Honour bright." 
 
 " A bargain, guv'nor." 
 
 " But what about me, mister ? " said Fletcher. 
 
 " As for you, Fletcher, you deserve hanging, for you 
 are the ringleader in this affair. As it is, you and I must 
 have it out together. For there must be no more of 
 this sort of thing. For the present, you may go with 
 the rest" 
 
 " And you'll be mum ? " 
 
 " Yes, I'll be mum. Now bring me that stuff." 
 
 They became as obedient as dogs. A few minutes 
 later the men had rowed away over the misty sea to- 
 wards Port St. Mary. 
 
 " Oh, it was wonderful, wonderful ! " 
 
 Rossini turned and saw Mary Fletcher. 
 
 " I saw all, heard all," she said. " It was wonderful." 
 
 Rossini laughed grimly. "Nothing of the sort," he 
 said. " They were only children. But for your father 
 I should have had no trouble at all. They were glad to 
 get off so cheaply. As a matter of fact, I doubt if any 
 but your father ever really meant to do anything. He is
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 215 
 
 a dangerous man, Mary. But for you, I would have 
 kept him there. I am afraid he'll try and stir up those 
 other fellows again. But there's no time to discuss 
 that now. Mary, do you think you can pull your boat 
 up by the jetty?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, but what about you ? " 
 
 "I must give the lighthouse-keeper his liberty, and 
 make things right with him, then you and I must row 
 back to Port St. Mary. We must get to your house be- 
 fore your father." 
 
 "Why, sir?" 
 
 "Because he must not find you out of the house 
 when he returns." 
 
 It was but a matter of a few seconds to set the light- 
 house-keeper at liberty, and it was not difficult to ex- 
 plain matters to him. He did not know who had bound 
 him, he said. Those who had attacked him had covered 
 their faces, and he had no suspicion who they were. He 
 had suffered no harm, he had only been terribly fright- 
 ened In a few minutes Rossini had calmed his fears ; 
 he had assured him that the men had gone away, and 
 that he himself would return early the following morning. 
 
 The mist had somewhat lifted as Rossini and Mary 
 rowed away. They were able to see each other quite 
 plainly. The girl looked at him with a sort of awed 
 admiration. To her he was no ordinary man, but one 
 who made other men appear weak and common. She 
 knew that the others had started before them, and that 
 four of them would be able to row, while the fifth 
 steered ; nevertheless, she had no doubt that she would 
 be able to get to her home before her father. What 
 would be impossible to other men would be possible 
 with Rossini.
 
 216 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Rossini did not speak. In spite of his nerves of 
 steel, the experiences through which he had passed had 
 tried him sorely. The last two days seemed a kind of 
 dream from which he would presently awake. Yester- 
 day he had been talking with Lady Beatrice Penwithen, 
 she had almost promised to be his wife ; to-day he was 
 back to the old life again. Nay, it was not the old 
 life. Nothing could ever be the same again. He rowed 
 steadily. The boat was but a light thing, which under 
 his powerful strokes fairly skimmed over the water. 
 
 "You are not afraid you'll overtake them, Mr. 
 Keverne ? " 
 
 " No. I shall row for the Children's Cove ; it is 
 nearest to your house. They will row around by way of 
 Bantock." 
 
 " Why ? " asked the girl " Have they told you ? " 
 
 " No, they will row there because there will be less 
 chance of being seen. There are no houses there, and 
 they will escape the coastguard. That will enable you 
 to get to your home before your father." 
 
 She did not speak. This man seemed to the simple 
 girl to be wondrous wise. 
 
 "Can't I help you, sir?" 
 
 "No, you had better steer. You can see the direc- 
 tion, can't you ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, I can see the light on Port St. Mary jetty. 
 It's clearer now, sir, and and I am sure I could help 
 you." 
 
 He did not speak, but rowed steadily on. He had 
 a kind of grim joy in the victory he had won, in spite 
 of the fact that the future seemed dark. Presently 
 the keel of the boat struck the sand. He felt sure that 
 the others had not yet reached Bantock Bay, and
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 217 
 
 Bantock Bay was a mile farther away from Port St 
 Mary than Children's Cove. 
 
 He leapt into the shallow water, while Mary Fletcher 
 prepared to follow him. 
 
 "No, Mary, sit in the stern of the boat," he said. 
 He waited for an incoming wave, and then pulled the 
 boat nearer the land. 
 
 " Will you give me the anchor ? " he said quietly. 
 
 The girl obeyed without a word. It seemed like 
 heaven to her to do this man's bidding. He threw the 
 anchor on the sand and held out his arms. 
 
 "Let me carry you to the dry land," he said. 
 
 A few minutes later they were on the headland, 
 walking to Reuben Fletcher's house. * 
 
 " Mary," said Rossini quietly, " this is the second 
 time you have saved my life." 
 
 "No, Mr. Keverne; I I did nothing. You did 
 it all" 
 
 " But for what you told me, I could not have got 
 the upper hand of those men. It was you, Mary all 
 you. You saved my life, and more you have saved 
 my work. I thank you with all my heart. Sometime 
 I may have a chance of repaying you." 
 
 The girl burst out sobbing; why, she did not 
 know, but she did know that a wild joy filled her 
 heart. 
 
 " Why do you cry, Mary ? Are you afraid ? " 
 
 " No, Mr. Keverne only don't laugh at me ! " 
 
 "Laugh at you! No, Mary; you are the noblest, 
 bravest girl I ever knew. If ever you want a friend, 
 you'll let me be that friend, won't you ? " 
 
 "Yes oh, it's nothing nothing! Why, I'd wil- 
 lingly " The sentence was again lost in a sob.
 
 218 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "Why do you cry, Mary? You are afraid, or else 
 you are sad ? " 
 
 " No, Mr. Keverne no ; only I expect I've been 
 frightened through the day, and " 
 
 " Of course I am very thoughtless. Please forgive 
 me." 
 
 "Forgive you! Oh, don't talk like that, Mr. 
 Keverne !" 
 
 They came to Reuben Fletcher's cottage. The house 
 was quite dark. Evidently Rossini was quite right in 
 his surmise. 
 
 " Good night, Mary ; and thank you very much." 
 
 " Good night, sir, and and God bless you and keep 
 you safe, Mr. Keverne ! " 
 
 The girl entered the lonely house. Her mother 
 had died but lately, and she lived alone with her father. 
 The silence of the place oppressed her. She threw 
 herself on her knees. 
 
 " Oh, God, bless him and preserve him ! Oh, great 
 Saviour, save him from harm ! " She sobbed out the 
 words, while her body shook with emotion. 
 
 Presently, when she rose from her knees and lit a 
 candle, a look of despair was in her eyes. "He does 
 not know ; he does not think ; he does not care ! " she 
 said. " But oh, if God would only make me worthy for 
 him to love me ! " 
 
 It was true. Rossini did not think. His heart was 
 full of gratitude towards Mary Fletcher, but nothing 
 more. For the first few minutes after leaving Reuben 
 Fletcher's cottage, he walked slowly and thoughtfully. 
 Presently a plan seemed born in his mind. 
 
 " Yes ; it will be interesting," he said, as he 
 quickened his steps.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 219 
 
 He struck into a lonely lane, which dipped into a 
 valley. Above him waved high trees ; on each side of 
 him grew a thick hedge of hazel bushes. Presently he 
 heard the low hum of voices and the stealthy approach 
 of steps. Seeing a gateway, he leapt over it and stood 
 hidden in the meadow behind the hedge. 
 
 Two men came along. 
 
 " The others are white-livered, Jack" It was Reuben 
 Fletcher who spoke. "They gave in to him like a lot 
 of measly children. But we'll be even with him yet, 
 Jack." 
 
 " Clever as the devil hisself," remarked Jack Brag 
 briefly. 
 
 " Yes, but I 'ave my plans. No man 'ave ever got 
 the better of me yet in the long run, Jack." 
 
 Jack was silent. 
 
 " I tell you, I'll be even with him, and so shall you, 
 Jack." 
 
 " The others say if he don't blab, they'll stand by 
 him," replied Jack. 
 
 "A lot of white-livered, weak-kneed, thin-blooded 
 cowards, with no more pluck than a dodderin' old 
 woman. But you'll stand by me, Jack, and we'll be even 
 with him. We're men, Jack I've got my plans, plans 
 as he'll never dream of." 
 
 " He found out this one. He could make us suffer 
 for it He acted fair." 
 
 " But why ? 'Cause he was afraid. If the others 
 hadn't been such cowards, we'd 'a' carried it through. 
 My scheme this time shall not only mean payin' 
 out, but a fortin to us both, Jack" 
 
 " A fortin ! 'Ow much ? " 
 
 "A thousan' apiece."
 
 220 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " That's different," said Jack. " Tell me how." 
 They passed on, and their voices became indistinct 
 When they were out of hearing, Rossini laugked grimly. 
 He even enjoyed hearing these men's plans, but his 
 heart was very sore nevertheless. 
 
 The next morning early he started for the light- 
 house again.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ROSSINI AS A REFORMER. 
 
 ALTHOUGH Rossini had laughed at the threat of 
 Reuben Fletcher, it was by no means a laughing matter. 
 The man was vindictive in the extreme, and notwith- 
 standing he had again been beaten by the young engi- 
 neer, he had no intention of being robbed of his revenge. 
 Moreover, although, like the rest of his class, he was ill 
 able to judge the true proportion of things, the statement 
 he had made to his companion was not without founda- 
 tion. 
 
 For Rossini Keverne, during the time he had lived in 
 Port St. Mary, had not only aroused the admiration and 
 obtained the friendship of many who lived there, he had 
 also made enemies. It is true he had been the means 
 of bringing a great deal of prosperity to the little town, 
 for the building of the lighthouse had meant the em- 
 ployment of a great deal of labour ; but he had made 
 many enemies by fighting against the curse which had 
 robbed him of both his father and mother. When the 
 lighthouse was practically complete, the authorities 
 determined to build a new harbour for Port St Mary, 
 and, as .was natural, the work was given to Rossini ; 
 thus it came about that not only were a large number 
 of skilled workmen required, but also a crowd of 
 navvies found their way to the little town. Many of 
 
 aai
 
 222 - A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 these were of the worst type of humanity. Drunken- 
 ness increased By leaps and bounds, gambling was 
 common, while wild, brutal orgies became frequent 
 
 In setting himself to fight these things, Rossini had 
 aroused a great deal of enmity. The keepers of low 
 drinking taverns muttered their curses, while book- 
 makers looked on him as the most serious hindrance to 
 their gathering a great harvest Reuben Fletcher knew 
 of this. More than once he had heard tavern-keepers 
 and bookmakers say that they would give a big sum of 
 money to any man who could get rid of the young en- 
 gineer. Doubtless these threats were made under the 
 influence of anger and drink, and, in all probability, far 
 less was meant by them than Reuben Fletcher thought ; 
 still, he thought much about what he heard, and this was 
 what he meant when he spoke to his companion as they 
 found their way back to their cottages after what had 
 taken place at the lighthouse. If he could bargain with 
 these men to give him a big sum of money, he would 
 be doing well for himself, as well as having revenge upon 
 the man who up to now had proved too clever for him. 
 
 As for Rossini, we have seen that he regarded 
 Reuben Fletcher's anger lightly. He was almost a 
 stranger to physical fear, and anything like opposition 
 would only make him more than ever determined to 
 carry out the thing he had made up his mind to do. 
 And Rossini had made up his mind to fight these tavern- 
 keepers and bookmakers. He was not altogether un- 
 selfish in this, although a great deal that was noble came 
 into his calculations. He knew that one of the chief 
 causes of contractors failing to fulfil their contracts was 
 the fact that it was often impossible to get men back 
 to their work after pay-day. The men were in the
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 223 
 
 main paid on Saturdays, and then many of these same 
 men failed to put in an appearance until the following 
 Wednesday morning. 
 
 Up to this time, however, he had taken no organised 
 steps to meet the evil, but lately he had felt that if he 
 was to successfully fight against the men, who were not 
 only enemies to his own interests, but enemies to the 
 community, he would have to prepare his plans care- 
 fully. 
 
 Perhaps there were something like a score of low- 
 class taverns in Port St. Mary. Their keepers grew fat 
 on the earnings of the labouring class ; and lately, since 
 the large influx of labourers, each and all of them had 
 become gambling-dens. This, as may be imagined, 
 meant misery and want in the town, and gave Port St. 
 Mary a bad name in the district As Rossini found his 
 way to the lighthouse on the following morning, the 
 events of the previous night almost passed from his 
 mind. Although his life and his great work had been 
 in danger, he thought rather of Lady Beatrice Pen- 
 withen. After all, he had determined to be a great en- 
 gineer, and to become famous in order to win her as his 
 wife. And now, even in spite of his vows to forget her, 
 he found himself recalling their last interview, when he 
 had, as he thought, practically won his battle. 
 
 What was anything, everything, now ? Of what use 
 were fame, riches, and position, when he was destined 
 to live his life in loneliness and lovelessness ? For he 
 would kill his love, he would be true to his friend Sir 
 Hugh Kenwood, and he would not sully his life by even 
 dwelling on the thought of the love he bore for a woman 
 who by this time had promised herself to another. And 
 yet his strong, positive nature clung to life. That was
 
 224 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 why he felt a kind of stern joy in fighting those men on 
 the previous night. Life was a joy ; even although it 
 were a continuous battle, ending only with disappoint- 
 ment, it was still a joy to live and to fight. 
 
 The lighthouse rose bold and stately on the great 
 Black Rock. The mists were now dispelled and the 
 sun shone brightly upon the little island He did not 
 stay long ; he only called to assure the lighthouse-keeper 
 that he had no need to fear a repetition of yesterday's 
 experiences. He would take steps, he said, to make 
 such a thing impossible, and then he impressed upon the 
 man the necessity for silence. His arguments were evi- 
 dently convincing, for the man promised to keep his own 
 counsel, and to bury, as far as he was concerned, what 
 had taken place. Before noon he was rowing back to 
 Port St. Mary again, and was making his way towards 
 the new harbour. No constructive work had begun as 
 yet. Ail the energies of the men were spent on pre- 
 paring the foundations. 
 
 It seemed almost absurd that this boy for he was 
 even yet only a boy should control the great crowd 
 of men, as well as superintend all the operations which 
 were taking place ; for as in the case of the lighthouse 
 Rossini was not only engineer, but contractor. The 
 arrangement was not ordinary, but he had stated his 
 preference for it, and the authorities had yielded to him. 
 
 Near a gang of workmen he saw a thick-set man who 
 evidently occupied the position of foreman. He gave a 
 glance towards two of the gang, but he gave no sign of 
 the fact that he had met them on the previous night on 
 Black Rock. These men looked towards him almost 
 fearfully, but they went on with their work without a 
 word.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 225 
 
 " Jinks," he said to the foreman, " I want to speak 
 to you." 
 
 " Yes, sir," said the man, giving the young engineer 
 a suspicious glance. Rossini was not in love with him ; 
 he had never employed him before ; but Jinks had been 
 recommended to him as one who had had a large ex- 
 perience in harbour building, and one who had always 
 got on well with his workmen. 
 
 "Perhaps we had better go into the office," said 
 Rossini quietly. 
 
 Again Jinks looked at him suspiciously. He did not 
 like the look in his young master's eyes. 
 
 "As we have only just begun this job, Jinks," said 
 Rossini, " I may as well have a little talk with you about 
 the work generally. During the last few weeks my 
 mind has been occupied with other matters so much 
 so that I haven't found time to talk with you about my 
 plans for building this harbour." 
 
 a Oh, you may take things easy," said Jinks. " 1 
 knows my work, Mr. Keverne. I've been on these kind 
 of jobs all my life." 
 
 " Yes, that's all right ; but it's a weakness of mine to 
 know of everything that goes on in connection with 
 every job I have." 
 
 " My guv'nors have always trusted me," said 
 Jinks. 
 
 " I am glad of that," said Rossini quietly. " For my 
 own part, I will never keep a man a day on a job that 
 is, in a post of trust if I lose confidence in him." 
 
 Jinks gave another look at Rossini. He tried to 
 measure his man. Jinks prided himself on not being 
 afraid of any man. 
 
 " This is a big job, Jinks," went on Rossini ; " before 
 
 H*
 
 226 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 we have finished, we shall have to employ a large num 
 her of men, a very large number." 
 
 " I've been used to big jobs," said Jinks. " Why, 
 afore I came here I had as' many as seven hund " 
 
 " Yes, that's all right ; I had very good credentials 
 with you, too, and that gives me confidence in saying 
 what I wish to say. There are two or three things, 
 Jinks, about which I wish us to have a very clear under- 
 standing two or three things which I am going to insist 
 on." 
 
 Jinks gave a start. 
 
 " First of all, there is the question of ' subs ' to the 
 men," said Rossini. " I know in lots of works it is the 
 custom for one man on the job to advance men money 
 in the middle of the week. Of course, you can see that, 
 as a general- rule, this is not good for the men. Those 
 who advance money make a charge on the money they 
 advance, with the result that the workmen are a shilling 
 or two worse off at the end of the week." 
 
 " Do you mean 'to say," said Jinks, " that if a chap 
 gits 'ard up, nobody's to be allowed to lend him five 
 bob?" 
 
 ' That's my decision," said Rossini. " I've made up 
 my mind to be here every day, and so if any man finds 
 himself hard up, he must apply to me. Moreover, I have 
 determined to pay the wages myself, Jinks." 
 
 Jinks was silent for a moment, although his eyes 
 became bloodshot. 
 
 JLt S "It S ' * 
 
 " Not ordinary ? No, I know that ; still, that's my 
 will about the matter. Moreover it may seem hard, but 
 I shall sack any man who lends money in this way, 
 Jinks. If any man wants a sub, let him come to me ;
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 227 
 
 and if he can give a fair reason for wanting it, I shall 
 advance it, and not charge any interest on it" 
 
 "You mean that you don't trust me," said Jinks. 
 
 " Haven't I told you that I have had excellent 
 credentials with you, Jinks ? " said Rossini quietly. " But, 
 then, I have a weakness for having things done in my 
 own way." 
 
 Jinks muttered an oath. " I don't approve of en- 
 gineers being contractors," he said aloud. 
 
 " No," said Rossini, with a smile. " I am sorry for 
 that, but then it is not your affair, is it ? It's a matter 
 for the authorities. I pan assure you they have safe- 
 guarded themselves by appointing a man to see that my 
 work shall be well done and according to contract. So, 
 having eased your mind in that direction, I think it fair 
 to tell you that during dinner-hour I shall tell the men 
 what I have told you." 
 
 Jinks ground his teeth with rage. In the past he 
 had made many a pound by advancing money to men in 
 the middle of the week, and then charging a large per- 
 centage on it He had looked forward to a similar ar- 
 rangement here ; but although he was terribly angry 
 with his young master, he did not feel strong enough to 
 battle with him. 
 
 " You see, Jinks," went on Rossini, " as a respectable 
 man yourself, you will rejoice in anything that is done 
 for the welfare of the men. You know, as well as I, 
 that work is often stopped because we can't get them 
 on the job on Mondays, and sometimes Tuesdays." 
 
 " Men must have their pleasure," said Jinks sulkily. 
 
 "Exactly," said Rossini. "They have their Satur- 
 day afternoons, and they have their Sundays free ; but 
 we know that if they don't work on Mondays and
 
 228 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Tuesdays, they lose their pay and, worse than that, it is 
 generally because they are in some public-house spend- 
 ing what they have already earned. So I feel sure that 
 you will try and help me to keep the men sober, and 
 encourage them to take home their earnings to their 
 wives and children." 
 
 It was impossible for Jinks to disagree with Rossini ; 
 moreover, he spoke so naturally and so pleasantly that 
 he could do no other than nod his head, although he 
 did so with many unpleasant misgivings. 
 
 " That is the first thing, Jinks ; but there is some- 
 thing else. If men fail to turn up on Monday mornings, 
 I shall, after a fair warning, unless they can give some 
 reasonable excuse for not doing so, get rid of them." 
 
 "I've never found it pay to be hard on men," said 
 Jinks. " Besides, the working man isn't like he used to 
 be he's come to 'is own, as it were, and is terribly 
 independent." 
 
 " True, true, we must admit that ; and, on the whole, 
 I am glad of it. We want to get the men to have more 
 respect for themselves. In that way we shall help them 
 and help ourselves. Up to now I've never had any 
 trouble in getting men " 
 
 " You're young yet," interpolated Jinks. 
 
 " Yes ; but I've had a good deal to do with them. 
 Up to the present, then, Jinks, I've never had any 
 trouble in getting men. I've always paid good wages, 
 and I've always tried to recognise merit. I don't think, 
 therefore, I shall find any difficulty in getting men to 
 work for me, even if I have to sack a number whom I 
 can't depend on." 
 
 Again Mr. Jinks nodded, although he felt more and 
 more uncomfortable.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 229 
 
 " Then there is another thing, Jinks. There are two 
 things which I absolutely forbid. The first is this: 
 I am not going to have beer brought on the works ; and, 
 second, I am not going to have any betting or gambling. 
 If any of those bookmakers come here during the dinner- 
 hour, they must be sent about their business in double- 
 quick time, and you are to put a stop to anything in the 
 shape of betting or gambling on the works." 
 
 "You can't put a stop to a game of cawds on the 
 works, guv'nor," said Mr. Jinks. "This plyce ain't no 
 bloomin' chapel." 
 
 " I repeat that I'll have no betting or gambling on the 
 works, Jinks." 
 
 Jinks was unable to contain himself any longer. 
 
 " I tell you what it is, guv'nor," he said. " You can't 
 carry on a job like this on those lines. Men is men, 
 and they won't stand it You'll 'ave to get another fore- 
 man if you want to turn the plyce into a bloomin' chapel" 
 
 " Of course, if you want to go, Jinks, you must go," 
 said Rossini quietly. " I will never persuade a man to 
 stay with me who is not contented I can get another 
 foreman or, for that matter, I could do your work 
 myself. Not that I want to, for you are a very useful 
 man, and, as I said, your credentials were very good." 
 
 "The men'll go on strike," said Jinks, evading 
 Rossini's words. 
 
 "We shall see. Ah! there's the dinner-bell; and 
 now I'll have a few words with them. I dare say I 
 shall finish in ten minutes, and they can add the ten 
 minutes to the dinner-hour." 
 
 He stepped out of the office as he spoke, and asked 
 the men to gather around. Wonderingly they did as 
 they were bid, and then Rossini spoke. He did not
 
 230 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 speak long. He told them of his desire to act in the 
 best interests of the workmen, and then repeated to 
 them what he had said to Jinks. As may be imagined, 
 the effect was very marked. Some received his words 
 gladly, but others looked darkly one at another. An 
 onlooker would, at first glance, have said that it seemed 
 almost absurd to see this lad telling men who were 
 grey-bearded what he would have and what he would 
 not have ; but had he looked a second time, he would 
 have altered his opinion. The men instinctively felt 
 his power and yielded to U. 
 
 " I mean nothing but kindness to you," he con- 
 cluded ; " but those of you who know me at all know 
 that I mean what I say. So I give you fair warning. 
 Over what you do when you are away from these works 
 I have no control, but while you are here I will have 
 no drinking, no gambling in any form. If my orders are 
 disobeyed, you must get a job elsewhere, for you will 
 not work for me." 
 
 Someone tried to raise a cheer, but it was a feeble 
 attempt, and when he left them he was followed by 
 many dark looks and angry mutterings. He had barely 
 got into the town when he heard someone calling him. 
 
 "Mr. Keverne." 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Williams," he said, " what is it ? " 
 
 *' I heard that you are wanting to put down the 
 gambling and drinking in the place, Mr. Keveme. I 
 only want you to know that I'm with you, heart and 
 soul" 
 
 Mr. Williams was the minister at the chapel where 
 Rossini sometimes went, and where Mary Fletcher sang 
 in the choir. 
 
 "It'll be a terribly difficult business, Mr. Keverne,"
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 231 
 
 went on tEc minister ; " but you have a great deal of 
 power." 
 
 " I mean to use what power I have, Mr. Williams," 
 said Rossini. " I've just taken one step this morning." 
 
 " What have you done ? " asked the minister 
 eagerly. 
 
 Rossini told him. 
 
 The minister looked thoughtful. " I am with you 
 heart and soul," he said ; " but I suppose you've counted 
 the cost." 
 
 " What cost ? " asked Rossini. 
 
 " The hatred of a certain class of your men, and the 
 enmity of the publicans and the bookmakers." 
 
 " Yes," said Rossini, " I have reckoned that all up, 
 and am prepared for it But that is not all, Mr. 
 Williams ; and here you can help me. The great curse 
 of Port St. Mary is some twenty or thirty of the low 
 drinking-taverns in the town. I want to get certain facts 
 about these places, statistics which can be proved up to 
 the hilt, and then we can go to the licensing magis- 
 trates at the ziext licensing-session and get them to 
 refuse to renew the licences." 
 
 " You mean that, Mr. Keverne ? " 
 
 " Else I should not have said it." 
 
 " And you'll stand by your determination ? " 
 
 An angry look flashed from Rossini's eyes, but he 
 only replied : " Yes, I shall stand by what I have said." 
 
 There was a joy that was almost savage in his heart 
 as he spoke. Hitherto he had only thought of these 
 things in a general sort of way, and although he had 
 done enough to make both publicans and bookmakers 
 regard him as their enemy, he had not taken the interest 
 he was taking in it now. He rejoiced because the work
 
 233 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 offered an escape -valve for his feelings. He would fight 
 the organised forces of wrong in the town. Yes, by 
 fighting the cause ot righteousness he would be able to 
 kill a love that meant disloyalty to his friend. 
 
 "Well, as I said, I'm with you, Mr. Keveme," said 
 the minister. 
 
 Before the day was over, nearly everyone in Port 
 St. Mary was talking about what Rossini had said to 
 his workmen, and ere long rumours were afloat concern- 
 ing what he meant to do in relation to the licences. 
 
 Publicans and bookmakers met and talked the 
 matter over; and as they talked, they swore that be- 
 fore the next licensing-day came, Rossini would have 
 no further desire to meddle with their business. 
 
 " Won't the work be stopped if anything happens 
 to him ? " one asked. 
 
 " Stopped ! " another replied. " If anything hap- 
 pens to him, well another contractor'll have the job. This 
 isn't like the lighthouse he's not the only man who 
 can do this." 
 
 Presently Reuben Fletcher took part in their talk, 
 and as much drink as he desired was supplied to him. 
 The man spoke but little, but he listened with great 
 care to all that was said. 
 
 " You are not afraid, are you, Reuben ? " 
 
 "Afraid! All I want is the chance. But we must 
 be careful. Mum's the word, for he has a way of finding 
 out everything. 7 know that" 
 
 After this there was much bargaining and much 
 more talk, and much more drinking. Perhaps they im- 
 perilled their plans by plying him with drink so freely, 
 for although it was said that Reuben could carry more 
 drink than any man in Port St. Mary without showing
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 233 
 
 it, he was led to speak more freely than those v^io 
 employed him desired 
 
 One night a young girl was sitting with Mary when 
 he returned, and as he entered the room he heard the 
 girl say 
 
 " I hear Mr. Keverne has discharged six men to-day 
 for breaking rules." 
 
 "He won't discharge many more," he said quietly. 
 But as Mary saw the look in his eyes, a great fear came 
 into her heart for the man she loved, and she deter- 
 mined to discover all that was in her father's mind, and, 
 if needs be, watch him night and day.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 REUBEN FLETCHER PLANS REVENGE. 
 
 SEVERAL weeks passed away, and Rossini never heard 
 a word as to whether Sir Hugh Henwood was engaged 
 to Lady Beatrice. He had examined the newspapers 
 daily, but had found nothing. Either it was determined 
 not to make the engagement public, or something had 
 hindered a final settlement. He had given her up be- 
 cause he believed she loved his friend, and yet as the 
 days went by and he heard nothing from her, he was 
 sometimes led to wonder if he had done right. He did 
 at least expect that either one or both of them would 
 have answered the letter he had written, but not a 
 solitary line had come to him. But he made no in- 
 quiries, neither would he deceive himself by fond 
 fancies ; it was for him to fight his love and to kill it 
 
 This was one reason why he threw himself so 
 eagerly into the work he had set out to do a work 
 which appealed to him more and more strongly as the 
 days went by. Now that he had fairly launched on it, 
 its necessity and nobility became more and more mani- 
 fest, and the difficulties it presented only made him 
 more determined to succeed. 
 
 As we have mentioned, he had discharged some 
 hands for disobeying the orders he had given. This 
 had greatly incensed the more dangerous class of the 
 workmen, and had also led to frequent interviews 
 between Reuben Fletcher and the publicans. 
 
 2j(4
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 235 
 
 " Has the engineer been to chapel to-night, Mary ? " 
 asked Reuben one Sunday night 
 
 "Yes," said Mary quietly. 
 
 " I suppose people look upon him as a very religious 
 kind of a chap ? " 
 
 "The best people in the town think he is a very 
 noble young man," replied Mary more warmly than she 
 meant to speak. 
 
 " I suppose these chapel people think he'd a perfect 
 .right to sack a lot of men just for having a friendly 
 bet?" 
 
 " They disobeyed his orders." 
 
 " Orders ! " said Fletcher, with an oath. " And this 
 young puppy thinks he has a right to let women and 
 children starve, just because he wants to turn the works 
 into a bloomin' chapel ! That's religion, I s'pose ? " 
 
 " Only two of the men have wives and children," re- 
 plied Mary ; " and they have not been allowed to 
 starve." 
 
 " How do you know ? " 
 
 The girl became crimson as her father bent his eyes 
 on her, but she replied quietly. 
 
 "It is the talk of the town," she said 
 
 "Look here, Mary" and Reuben Fletcher looked 
 at her searchingly "has this fellow ever made love to 
 you, or aught of that sort ? " 
 
 " Never ! " said the girl She had become deathly 
 pale now, and she dreaded lest her father should ask 
 her whether she loved him. 
 
 But evidently Fletcher was satisfied with the answer 
 she had given. He had never known her to tell a lie, 
 and although suspicions had crossed his mind, he knew 
 of no sufficient reason for them.
 
 236 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Why are you interested in Mr. Keverne, father ? " 
 she asked. She felt that the time was opportune for 
 knowing something of her father's thoughts. 
 
 "Why?" said Reuben Fletcher angrily. "Didn't 
 he beat me on the lighthouse ? You was there yourself, 
 and you ought to know. But for you, I'd 'a' killed him 
 that night ! " 
 
 " What night ? " she asked with fast-beating heart 
 
 "The night when but you know. You came and 
 said that mother was ill, and ' 
 
 " Yes ; she died a few days after," replied Mary. 
 
 Fletcher was silent. He had well-nigh broken his 
 wife's heart, but in his own way he had loved her. 
 
 "He's beaten me again since then," he said pre- 
 sently. 
 
 "When?" asked Mary. 
 
 " Never you mind ; you don't know about it, nor 
 never will know. But it's all right I'm going to be 
 even with him ! " 
 
 " But he's never done you any harm." 
 
 " Ain't he ? That's all you know ! Just because 
 he took a dislike to me, he sacked me. If I had my 
 rights, I should 'a' been foreman at the harbour, with 
 three quid a week ! " 
 
 "How could he give you such a post when you've 
 worked against him? You know very well that after 
 that night just before mother died, he took you on 
 again and gave you a very good post" 
 
 "Yes, and set men to spy on me! Think I don't 
 know? I tell you, Mary, no man ever got the better 
 of me yet, and I'll see to it that he don't no, not if 
 I've got to swing for it ! " 
 
 "For what?" l
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 23; 
 
 " Oh, nothing nothing ! " 
 
 "Father," said Mary, "I want to ask you some- 
 thing." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " How is it, seeing you never work now, that you 
 have plenty of money ? " 
 
 " Never you mind, Mary. There's other people in 
 the world besides that young engineer. He's lost his 
 head because he's got on in the world, and wants to 
 boss everybody about ; but he won't, mind that Per- 
 haps his little game may be stopped sooner than he 
 thinks." 
 
 " What little game ? And how is it to be stopped ? " 
 
 " Never mind. But what I've got to say is this : If 
 you ever have anything to say to him " 
 
 " Father, how dare you ! " 
 
 " Oh, well, I'm only telling you ; and he must not 
 think he can do as he likes with his men." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " said Mary, with a laugh which she 
 did not feel. "Mr. Keverne is a man who always has 
 his own way." 
 
 "Oh, has he?" 
 
 " Why, yes. If anyone has plans to hurt him, he can 
 find them out in a minute, and if anyone tries to hurt 
 him, it will be worse for them than for him." 
 
 " Will it ? " said Reuben Fletcher quietly, but there 
 was a sinister gleam in his eyes. 
 
 " Why, you know it will," said the girl. " People are 
 saying that the publicans and the bookmakers are trying 
 to drive him out of the town, because he means to stop 
 a great deal of their trade. But he's more brains in his 
 little finger than the whole lot of them put together. 
 They drive him out ? Why, it's absurd ! "
 
 238 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Absurd, is it ? Why, I can tell you that " 
 
 This was the point in the conversation which Mary 
 had tried to reach, but in doing so she had overreached 
 herself. As Reuben Fletcher spoke, he turned towards 
 his daughter, and saw in her eyes such a look of intense, 
 eager inquiry that he did not finish his sentence. He 
 was a cunning, cautious man, even when in drink, and 
 the suspicions which flashed through his mind silenced 
 him. 
 
 "Perhaps you are right," he said, looking at the 
 clock ; " he's a clever chap. I think I'll go and have a 
 pint of beer before closing time." 
 
 He put on his cap and went out, Mary watching 
 him closely all the time. He had not gone a dozen steps 
 before she threw a shawl over her head and followed 
 him. There was no moon, but the night was not dark, 
 and so she was easily able to follow him. She had 
 expected that he would find his way to that corner of 
 the town where the larger part of the public-houses 
 which Rossini meant to fight were situated. But in this 
 she was mistaken. He had not gone far before he 
 turned into a lane which led to the country. In follow- 
 ing, she was careful to keep out of sight, and as she 
 wore light, thin shoes, she walked as silently as a cat 
 The lane was full of sudden turns, so that she often 
 lost sight of him, but she was able to hear the clatter of 
 his heavy shoes on the hard roadway. When she had 
 followed for very nearly a mile, he came to a "cross- 
 lanes," where he stopped. Presently he gave a low 
 whistle, which was answered by another low whistle 
 not far away. Instantly Reuben Fletcher jumped over 
 the hedge into a meadow that lay beyond. 
 
 The girl rushed on swiftly until -she came to the place
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 239 
 
 where her father had disappeared, and looked into the 
 meadow, but she could see nothing. The night was 
 perfectly still. A heavy grey sky hung overhead, but 
 no wind blew. Presently she thought she saw a dark 
 form some distance away. No dwelling-houses were 
 near, but she remembered an old cowshed that stood in 
 the corner of the field. Still acting on impulse, she got 
 over the hedge and made her way beneath the shadow 
 of a row of trees towards the shed. More than once she 
 stopped and listened intently; but all was silent as 
 death. 
 
 As she drew near the shed, she slackened her speed 
 and strained her ears to catch the faintest sound. Her 
 heart gave a bound surely she heard the low murmur 
 of voices ? Nearer and nearer she drew ; yes, she felt 
 sure now. The sound of voices became plainer ; if she 
 could but get up close, she could hear what was said. 
 Every fibre of her body trembled with fear, but she 
 had no thought of turning back. She believed she was 
 serving the man she loved, and although he neither 
 knew of nor cared about her love, she would serve 
 him. 
 
 Stealthily she crept nearer and nearer. " It's all 
 right," she heard someone say. "Nobody's got the 
 slightest inkling." 
 
 " And everything's fixed up ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " You are sure nobody can give him a tip ? * 
 
 " Nobody knows." 
 
 "We mustn't make a mistake this time." 
 
 " I've took good care of that." 
 
 It was her father who spoke, and she shivered as 
 she h.eard the sound of his voice.
 
 240 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "How's that?" 
 
 " If anybody knows anything, it's these bloomin' 
 chapel people. Well, there isn't a shadow of suspicion. 
 I asked Mary only to-night in an innocent sort of way, 
 and I tell you that while there is all sorts of women's 
 talk, nobody's got any inkling." 
 
 "Then it's all fixed up, and everything is mapped 
 out." 
 
 " But how shall we " 
 
 The speaker dropped his voice and muttered some- 
 thing which she could not hear. 
 
 "No, no; that's not the lay. He'll go then all 
 alone he'll Jimmer mum's the word." 
 
 She heard these disjointed words, but could not 
 connect them. The only thing of which she was sure 
 was the name of Jimmer. But it was enough to make 
 her fear for Rossini. 
 
 Again she heard the confused murmur of voices, 
 and in her desire to catch what they said, she crept 
 nearer to them ; but in so doing, a twig cracked beneath 
 her feet. . 
 
 " I heard someone ! " cried a voice. " We are 
 watched ! " 
 
 Without waiting a second, Mary rushed up beside 
 the hedge. When she had gone some distance, she 
 stopped and listened. 
 
 " It was nobody," she heard someone say. 
 
 " I am sure I heard a footstep." 
 
 "You were dreamin', I tell you." 
 
 This was again followed by confused voices, but 
 nothing more could she hear plainly. Evidently they 
 had gone back to the shed again. She would have 
 liked to have returned ; but she reflected that probably
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 241 
 
 someone would be watching, and therefore she would 
 be injuring Rossini rather than helping him by doing so. 
 
 " I must tell him. I must tell him ! " she repeated 
 again and again. But how? Like all other small towns, 
 Port St. Mary was noted for its gossip. If she went to 
 the house where he lodged, his landlady would wonder 
 why she came, and would talk. Besides, the fact of 
 her visit would be sure to reach her father's ears. No, 
 she must write to him. But she must be very careful. 
 Moreover, she must not mention her father's name ; if 
 she did so, and anything were to happen, she might be 
 doing him a serious injury. For, small as her reasons 
 were for loving her father, she did love him sincerely. 
 
 On her way back she tried to compose a letter 
 whereby she could warn Rossini, and still fail to im- 
 plicate her father ; but somehow there seemed to be 
 objections against everything she could think of. 
 
 As she neared the town she heard a quick, firm foot- 
 step behind her. She drew her shawl more closely so 
 as to hide her face. 
 
 "Good night!" 
 
 It was only the customary words with which all 
 country people greet each other after dark. If anyone 
 fails to give it, suspicion is immediately aroused against 
 such a one. And yet for a moment she did not speak. 
 It was Rossini who spoke, and his presence seemed to 
 take away her power of speech. 
 
 He passed on, and then she realised the opportunity 
 she was missing. 
 
 " Mr. Keverne ! " she stammered. 
 
 He turned quickly. "Why, it is Mary Mary 
 Fletcher ! " he said. " Is it not late for you to be out 
 alone, Mary ? "
 
 34* A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "Yes, sir, it is; but please, Mr. Keverne, will you 
 let me tell you something ? " 
 
 "Yes, of course. I'll walk back to the town with 
 you, and then you can tell me on the way." 
 
 " No, sir, I'd rather not that is, I don't want us to 
 be seen together." 
 
 He heard the tremble in her voice. He knew that 
 some fear possessed her. 
 
 "There is something the matter with you, Mary. 
 Tell, me, can I help you in any way ? " 
 
 " No, sir, it's not that ; but please will you be very 
 careful, Mr. Keverne ? " 
 
 " Careful of what, Mary ? " 
 
 " Of everything, Mr. Keverne. Be careful never to 
 go out except you have friends with you. Don't go out 
 of a night, sir." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Because it is not safe. Because you have enemies." 
 
 Rossini laughed. " Yes, I know that, Mary," he re- 
 plied. "But who are they? A number of drunken 
 labourers whom I have discharged, and a few publicans 
 and bookmakers." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but you don't know. They are plotting 
 against you, and they'll kill you if they can." 
 
 " How do you know, Mary ? " he asked. 
 
 " Because, because oh, sir, don't ask me ! " 
 
 Rossini hesitated a second. "Ah, I see! Your 
 father is hatching another plot, is he ? " 
 
 " It's not only he, sir ; he's only a tool in someone 
 else's hands. He's paid for it : I know he is." 
 
 " How do you know ? " 
 
 She had not meant to tell him anything, but he 
 seemed to compel her to speak.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 243 
 
 "He does not work," she said, "and yet he has 
 plenty of money. How does he get it? Besides, he's 
 drinking hard Who gives it to him ? " 
 
 " Mary," he said quietly, " tell me what you know." 
 
 She looked around as though she were afraid, and 
 then she told him what she had just heard. Rossini 
 looked very stern. The thought that this man still 
 nursed his plans of revenge angered him ; but he 
 realised that it was not only Reuben Fletcher now 
 there were others. 
 
 " Don't go out of a night," pleaded Mary ; " and be 
 very careful And please, sir, don't stay with me any 
 longer ! " 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Someone might see us, sir, and tell father, and 
 then he'd guess I knew something." 
 
 " Very well. Good-night, Mary, and thank you very 
 much." 
 
 " Good-night. And you'll be very careful, won't you ? " 
 
 The two separated, he to think of what she had told 
 him, she to hurry back home before her father could 
 possibly arrive. 
 
 " Oh, God, preserve him save him ! " she prayed 
 again and again as she hurried along. The life of this 
 man was more than anything else on earth to her. She 
 knew he cared nothing for her, and yet she was willing 
 to give her life to keep him from harm. 
 
 As for Rossini, he pondered deeply over what Mary 
 had said, and while he determined to be reasonably 
 careful, he made up his mind that nothing she had told 
 him should alter his plans. His fight with the publicans 
 and bookmakers had helped him to forget his heart- 
 wounds. Besides, the more he thought about his
 
 244 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 purposes, the more did he realise his duty to try and make 
 the town clean and pure. Naturally, he was no enemy 
 of the men he employed ; he knew their hardships, their 
 temptations, their difficulties. He knew, too, that a 
 large number supported him in what he was doing ; for 
 while a number of them were enslaved by drink and 
 lust, many others were clean-minded, pure-living men. 
 
 Thus, while he was careful not to put himself in the 
 way of danger, he insisted that his orders should be 
 carried out When anyone broke them, he in every case 
 gave the offender warning that if he disobeyed again, 
 he would be discharged. Several continued to disobey, 
 and they were forthwith dismissed. Naturally a cer- 
 tain section of the men were maddened by this, with 
 the result that, their anger being fostered by the pub- 
 licans he was fighting, many regarded him with black, 
 scowling looks, and some swore that they would " do for 
 him." 
 
 Some time passed by and nothing happened. Mean- 
 while he had been carefully collecting evidence against 
 certain of the publicans and bookmakers. The licens- 
 ing-day drew nearer, and the tavern-keepers knew that 
 he was the prime mover in the agitation against them. 
 But for him, they would be able to defy their enemies ; 
 he was the man of brains, of influence, of power, and 
 if he were not removed out of their way, their cause 
 would be lost 
 
 But he heard nothing further of the plot which Mary 
 Fletcher believed she had discovered. If such a plot 
 had been made, they guarded its secret well; and as 
 the days went by, and Rossini heard nothing about it 4 
 he concluded that either she had been mistaken, or they 
 had abandoned their plans.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 245 
 
 On one occasion he had met Reuben Fletcher, and 
 had spoken to him concerning what had taken place at 
 the lighthouse, but Reuben had said nothing in reply. 
 
 " I have decided, for the sake of the fellows whom 
 you led away, to take no further action in the matter, 
 Fletcher," he said ; " but remember this is the last time. 
 I have a habit of keeping my eyes open, and I know 
 what is going on. Whatever you do, I shall find it out ; 
 and if there are any more of your tricks, I shall have 
 no mercy." 
 
 Reuben Fletcher listened sullenly, but answered 
 never a word. When they had parted, however, the man 
 shook his fist at Rossini's retreating form. K Find out, 
 will you ? " he snarled. " And you won't have no mercy, 
 won't you ? The boot'll be on the other foot, my young 
 cock bantam, and it'll be I who'll have no mercy mind 
 that!" 
 
 As for Mary Fletcher, she watched her father as 
 closely as she was able. Moreover, she questioned him 
 as closely as she dared ; but, in spite of everything, she 
 discovered nothing. Whatever Reuben had in his mind 
 he kept his own counsel, and as the days went by and 
 he seemed more cheerful and natural, she was fain to 
 hope that she had been mistaken. 
 
 " Father has thought better of it," she reflected. 
 " He has realised that Mr. Keverne is too clever for him, 
 and has given up all thoughts of harming him." 
 
 This feeling became strengthened when one day he 
 announced that he was going away to try and get work. 
 
 " The money has run out, Mary," he said, " and I'm 
 going over to Downdelly to get work. You'll be all 
 right, won't you ? " 
 
 <f Why go to Downdelly? " she asked " I don't like
 
 246 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 being left here alone ; and while I earn my living by 
 dressmaking, it'll be very lonely here without you." 
 a It's not much you've seen of me, Mary." 
 a No ; but you come home to meals and to sleep." 
 " Well, it can't be helped. I'm sick of Port St. Mary. 
 Besides, I must get work ; the chaps won't lend me any 
 more." 
 
 " But why not get employment here ? " 
 " Because that engineer chap has given me a bad 
 name that's why. No, I'm off in the morning. I shall 
 come back at week-ends. You can get Polly Bray to 
 come and sleep in the house, so that you won't be lonely. 
 Fll send you a letter from Downdelly." 
 
 The next morning he took a little bundle and started. 
 He seemed more affectionate than usual, and Mary's 
 heart beat high with hope that her father had turned 
 over a new leaf, and that Rossini would no longer be in 
 danger because of him. Two days later she received a 
 letter from him, stamped with the Downdelly postmark. 
 He stated that he had got work and would earn good 
 wages. He moreover told her that in all probability he 
 would be back on the following Saturday week That 
 same evening Polly Bray, the girl who had promised to 
 sleep in the house, rushed to the room where she was 
 sitting, with wild excitement in her eyes. 
 
 " Have you heard the news, Mary ? " she asked. 
 "What news?" 
 
 " Mr. Keverne, the young engineer, went out last 
 night to go to a party over to Mr. Kenyon's at the 
 Manor Farm, and he's not returned since 1 "
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 A WOMAN'S HEART. 
 
 MARY FLETCHER'S heart almost ceased beating as she 
 heard the words which Polly Bray had spoken. She 
 felt sure that her father's absence on the pretence that 
 he was going to Downdelly had something to do with 
 Rossini's disappearance. To her the news came as a 
 double calamity, for with it came the conviction that 
 the man she loved was murdered, and that her father 
 would be convicted of the murder. For a few seconds 
 she was too overcome to speak, but presently she mas- 
 tered her feelings enough to speak quietly. 
 
 " Isn't it terrible ? " continued Polly Bray, not dream- 
 ing of what the news meant to Mary. 
 
 "Tell me about it," she said, and although there 
 was a quiver in her voice, the other did not notice it. 
 
 "Well, you know Mr. Keverne had rooms at Mrs. 
 Beagle's. Beautiful rooms they are I saw them my- 
 self. As you know, Mrs. Beagle is a lady herself, and 
 never would think of takin' in lodgers in the ordinary 
 way. But I s'pose Mr. Keverne paid her well. Three 
 pound a week, some say, but I don't believe it was as 
 much as that. Why " 
 
 "Yes, yes, never mind that," said Mary impatiently. 
 "Tell me about the accident." 
 
 "We don't know that it was an accident. Some 
 think Mr. Keverne had his reasons for not coming back. 
 It's the talk of the town that he can't pay the men 
 
 247
 
 248 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 their wages, and so he's run away. But he paid Mrs. 
 Beagle up to last Saturday, I know that; and Franky 
 Flew told me he got his wages all right " 
 
 " But you say he went to Mr. Kenyon's 1 party last 
 night." 
 
 " No, I didn't I only said that he told Mrs. Beagle 
 that he was going there. Mrs. Beagle said that he put 
 on his evening clothes those clothes, you know, like 
 the waiters at ' The Bull ' put on when there's a big 
 dinner there." 
 
 "Yes, well?" 
 
 "Well, I'm telling you as fast as I can," went on 
 Polly. " He told Mrs. Beagle that he expected to re- 
 turn about twelve o'clock, and that he should walk back, 
 as it was a fine night. I've heard that a lot of the 
 gentry around were at the party, and that they had a 
 band to play dance music, and all that ; for, as you 
 know, Mr. Kenyon is a gentleman farmer who farms his 
 own land." 
 
 Mary Fletcher could scarcely repress her impatience, 
 but she let Polly, who was of a garrulous disposition, 
 tell her story in her own way. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Keverne has a latch-key, and comes and 
 goes just when he likes, and Mrs. Beagle went to bed. 
 She told the housemaid to put a jug of hot milk on the 
 hob in Mr. Keverne's sitting-room, so that he could 
 have it when he came home. Eliza Trudgeon she's 
 called, and she came from Glanellan. Well, she put 
 the milk on the hob, for she told me so herself ; and she 
 told me that Mr. Keverne has hundreds and hundreds 
 of books all around the room, and a lot of funny instru- 
 ments and all that sort of thing." 
 
 " What time did he leave Mrs. Beagle's { " said
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW 249 
 
 Mary, trying to get Polly back to the subject, which 
 was of such tragic interest to her. 
 
 " Oh, he left about seven o'clock It's a good hour's 
 walk to Manor Farm, and he carried a pair of shiny 
 slippers with him. Eliza wrapped 'em up for him. 
 Well, as I said, Mrs. Beagle and the servants went to 
 bed and fell asleep. This morning Eliza went to his 
 bedroom door and knocked; but she didn't get no 
 answer, so she just put his hot water outside the door 
 and proceeded to do her work. She thought as he'd been 
 out late the night before, he might want to lie a bit 
 longer. 'Bout ten o'clock the cook went to Mrs. 
 Beagle, and told her that Mr. Keverne's breakfast was 
 spoiled, as she'd cooked it two hours before. Mrs. 
 Beagle went up to his room and knocked, and when 
 she got no answer, she entered. It was just as the 
 housemaid had left it the night before. The bed had 
 never been slept on, and so Mr. Keverne had not come 
 back." 
 
 " Well, and what then ? " asked Mary excitedly. 
 
 "Well, Mrs. Beagle didn't think nothin' much, al- 
 though she couldn't quite make it out Well, 'bout 
 eleven o'clock, Mr. Jinks, who is the ganger down to 
 the harbour, sends up word that Mr. Keverne was 
 wanted, and would he please come at once. This sets 
 Mrs. Beagle wonderin', so she just sends over a boy 
 to the Manor Farm with a letter tellin' Mrs. Kenyon 
 that Mr. Keverne was wanted, and, as he hadn't come 
 back from there the night before, would she kindly tell 
 him to come back at once. Two hours after that was 
 about two o'clock the boy comes back with a letter 
 from Mrs. Kenyon." 
 
 " Well, what did she say ? "
 
 250 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "I don't know the exact words of the letter, but 
 Mrs. Kenyon told her that they had been very dis- 
 appointed the night before that Mr. Keverne had not 
 come. No one had even seen him, and they thought 
 it must be the very thick mist which came on about 
 eight o'clock that kept him away, especially as two or 
 three others had been kept away for that reason. As 
 you know, the Manor Farm is not far from the Ashdown 
 Moors, and at this time of the year they moors are 
 sometimes just terrible. Anyhow, this terribly upset 
 Mrs. Beagle ; she didn't know what to do, being a 
 widow woman and having no man in the house." 
 
 " But couldn't she have sent for Inspector Blewitt ? " 
 
 " Well, she was 'fraid to do that. For, as you know, 
 Mr. Keverne is a very proud young man, and would be 
 very vexed if the police were set to find out where he 
 was. You see, he may have got a message which called 
 him away. Jemmy Hendy, the postman, says he gave 
 him some letters as he left Mrs. Beagle's last night, and 
 one of the letters may have asked him to go some- 
 where." 
 
 " But he could not read the letters in the dark ! " 
 cried Mary impatiently. " It was dark an hour before 
 he left Mrs. Beagle's, and if the postman gave him the 
 letters after he left the house, how could he read them ? " 
 
 " No, I never thought of that," assented Polly ; " still, 
 there's no knowin' the ways a clever young man like Mr. 
 Keveme may have of reading letters." 
 
 Mary Fletcher had learnt all that Polly Bray could 
 tell her now Rossini started out for Mrs. Kenyon's the 
 night before and had never returned. Under ordinary 
 circumstances this need not have caused so much 
 anxiety ; but knowing what she knew she felt sure that
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 251 
 
 something terrible had happened to him. But what 
 made it harder to bear was that she could do nothing. 
 If she told her story, suspicion would be fastened upon 
 her father. What the people called the Brewster 
 Sessions would soon be held, and it was well known 
 that Rossini was determined to take away the licences 
 from a number of bad houses in the town. It was he 
 who had collected evidence, and it was he who would 
 have to oppose the renewal of licences before the 
 licensing magistrates. It was the natural desire of the 
 publicans, therefore, to get him out of the way, but 
 doubtless they would have taken care that no suspicion 
 would fall upon them. No, if the truth came to light, 
 the guilt would be traced to her father. It was well 
 known that Reuben Fletcher hated the young engineer, 
 and had more than once made sinister vows concerning 
 him. 
 
 Polly Bray went on talking about the gossip of 
 Port St. Mary, but Mary did not hear her ; she was 
 trying to think of what she ought to do. Presently 
 Polly rose to go. 
 
 " Are you going out ? " asked Mary. 
 
 " Yes," replied the girl ; " I'm going to see if there is 
 any more news. And I say, Mary, would you mind if 
 I did not come back here to sleep to-night ? " 
 
 Mary looked at her inquiringly. 
 
 " Oh, I'll come if you like," said Polly. " Only my 
 cousin Tom has come home from sea, and he's coming 
 to our house to supper. You know what good company 
 he is, and and Of course, if you think you'd be 
 afraid, I'll " 
 
 " No, no, all right," said Mary. " I can manage all 
 right. I've often slept in the house alone since mother
 
 252 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 died. As you know, father hasn't always come home of 
 a night." 
 
 "That's all right, then," said Polly. "Of course, 
 I'll come back if you think you'd be afraid ; but I hate 
 having to come away when everybody else is enjoyin' 
 themselves." 
 
 " All right ; what time is your cousin Tom coming ? " 
 
 " Why, he must be at our house by now," said Polly, 
 looking at the clock. "Good-night, Mary." 
 
 The girl was left alone with her thoughts now, and 
 she tried to think what to do. Presently the room 
 became unbearable. She must go out and try and hear 
 if there were any further news. Carefully locking the 
 door behind her, she went into the street and found her 
 way into the centre of the town, where the people con- 
 gregated. 
 
 She found that Rossinfs absence was the one topic 
 of conversation. The young engineer had loomed 
 largely in the life of Port St. Mary, and thus the stories 
 which had been circulated about him aroused everyone 
 to the tiptoe of curiosity. 
 
 "I think the police ought to tak et up," she heard 
 someone say. 
 
 " Yes, but Inspector Blewitt do zay that et's all a 
 great fuss 'bout nothin'. He do zay that he might 
 have took a laate train and gone to Plymouth, or some 
 other place. The young engineer ed'n a chap to tell 
 everybody about his business." 
 
 "But I don't believe he'd go away at a time like 
 this." 
 
 "Why, the Brewster Sessions is to-morrow, and it 
 was arranged that he should meet Mr. Williams and 
 Mr. Tresidder to-night."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 253 
 
 " Did you tell Inspector Blewitt ? " 
 
 " Of course I did ; but he only laughed. He said 
 he wasn't going to git laughed out of the town by 
 organising search-parties to find a gentleman that's gone 
 away somewhere on business." 
 
 " Exactly, but he promised to go to Mrs. Kenyon's 
 last night" 
 
 "Blewitt do zay that he ded'n promise properly. 
 He told Mrs. Kenyon that he would go ef he could." 
 
 " But Mrs. Beagle said that he started to go there." 
 
 Mary listened to all this eagerly. She wandered 
 from group to group, but she could hear nothing but 
 groundless gossip. Nevertheless, the fact that Rossini 
 had not returned haunted her. Ought she not to go 
 to Inspector Blewitt and tell him her fears? But that 
 would place her father in danger. No, she dared not 
 do that. 
 
 Presently she found her way back to the house again. 
 The cottage looked dark and lonely as she entered. 
 Even when she had lit the lamp, she was afraid. The tick- 
 ing of the clock seemed like the sound of a "death 
 watch " the silence of the cottage was horrible. 
 
 How could she spend the night there alone, knowing 
 all the time that the man she loved was perhaps lying 
 stark and dead by some lonely hedge-side, or perhaps 
 in the power of her father and the other men who had 
 been with him in the shed on that night when she 
 followed him ? The thought was fearful. Why should 
 Polly have chosen that of all nights to ask that she 
 might sleep at home ? , If she could only do something! 
 How long she brooded and wondered and prayed she 
 knew not ; but presently she started as though some- 
 one had touched her, and her eyes shone with a strange
 
 254 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 light. She drew aside the curtains and looked out 
 The night was cloudy and forbidding ; no wind blew, 
 but the air seemed to portend a storm. 
 
 " I am all alone in the house," she said aloud. " I 
 am free to do what I like, to go where I like. No one 
 will know." 
 
 A few minutes later she was out in the street again. 
 No one was in sight, for Port St. Mary was now asleep. 
 She did not turn in the direction of the town, but 
 towards the country ; she had no definite plan in her 
 mind, she only knew that she was going to try and find 
 the man she loved. Even yet she might be in time to 
 save him, although more than twenty-four hours had 
 passed since he left Mrs. Beagle's house. 
 
 Her instinct led her in the direction of Manor Farm, 
 where Rossini had been expected on the previous night 
 If her father had made his plans to harm him, he would 
 have arranged to waylay him on his way thither. She 
 did not see what good she could do by going in search 
 of him, but she knew that she could not do otherwise. 
 He was all the world to her, and she would find him. 
 
 She met no one along the silent lanes in which 
 she walked. No sound of human footstep or living 
 thing broke upon her ears. Away in the distance she 
 could hear the sobbing of the sea, and now and then 
 the wind, which had risen slightly since she came out, 
 wailed its way across the lonely moors which lay beyond 
 Manor Farm. But she felt no fear now. The thought 
 that she was doing something, vague and undefined 
 though it might be, seemed to give her courage. 
 
 After an hour's walking she reached the end of the 
 lane which led up to the Manor Farm house. Here she 
 stopped, undecided what to do. It was no use going
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 255 
 
 up there and asking Mrs. Kenyon the question which 
 had doubtless been asked her before ; besides, it would 
 attract suspicion. She felt that the very fact of her 
 being known to ask questions. about Rossini would lead 
 people to think of her father. But what could she do ? 
 She had left the highway now and was in a lane almost 
 exclusively used by Mr. Kenyon and his people. The 
 roads at her right practically ended at the moors, al- 
 though there were cart-tracks which led to some cot- 
 tages which were scattered over the wide expanse of 
 the moors. 
 
 For the first time she realised the uselessness of 
 her errand She had come out without any definite 
 plan as to what ought to be done. She only had a 
 feeling that, seeing Rossini come to the Manor Farm, 
 her father would waylay him on his way thither, and 
 then work his will on him. Therefore she wanted to 
 be near the place where her father had wreaked his 
 vengeance. She felt that she would be able to help 
 Rossini better that way. 
 
 For some moments she remained undecided, and 
 in the silence of the night a great fear possessed her. 
 She had no idea of what time it was. She only knew 
 that it must be getting very late, and that she was out 
 there in the lonely countryside all alone. Presently, 
 however, her thoughts began to shape themselves some- 
 what. She knew her father. More than once when 
 he had been breathing out vengeance against Rossini, 
 he had said he'd "like to get him away to some lonely 
 place and do for him." Like most men of his class, Reu- 
 ben Fletcher believed that the more lonely the place 
 at which a crime was committed, the less would the 
 chances be of discovery.
 
 256 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Mary Fletcher turned and made her way towards 
 the moors. She was still following the impulses of 
 her simple nature. Reason had very little to do with 
 the action she was taking. She only knew that she 
 must find the man she loved, and that she must, if 
 possible, save her father from a terrible doom. 
 
 Directly she left the lane and came upon the moors, 
 a feeling of desolation possessed her. There had been 
 a sense of companionship in the trees and the hedges ; 
 besides, her nearness to the Manor Farm had made her 
 feel that she was not far from human beings. But now 
 that she had reached the moors she felt all alone. The 
 waning moon had by this time risen, and revealed to 
 her the drear outline of the moors. It was not flat 
 tableland which she saw, but a wild, desolate region 
 that rose sometimes in rocky tors, and then again sank 
 into dark, swampy valleys. On leaving the lane and 
 entering the moors she had crossed a stream, and this 
 stream seemed to have cut her off from all human com- 
 panionship. 
 
 These moors were said to be haunted by moor 
 spirits, and many a tale had she been told concerning 
 the doleful happenings to those who had dared to cross 
 them after dark. In her excited imagination she fan- 
 cied she heard dismal cries and woeful wailings, as 
 though dark spirits of the dead were vainly trying to 
 find rest 
 
 But although Mary Fletcher had been taught to 
 believe in such things, she did not yield to her fears. 
 In her simple faith, she believed that God was behind 
 all things, and that He would listen to her prayers. 
 It was natural, therefore, that when she found herself 
 out on the moors, her heart turned to prayer.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 257 
 
 " Oh, dear Lord Jesus," she said, " take care of me, 
 and help me to find him ! " 
 
 The prayer brought" her comfort, as prayer ever 
 does. In a dim, undefined way she felt that God was 
 near her, and that in His presence she was safe. She 
 had a kind of belief, too, that God would help her to 
 find the man she loved. 
 
 All at once she thought of a lonely pond on the 
 moors, which she had once come to see years ago in 
 company with her father and mother. The day had 
 been fine, and the sun was shining brightly, and so 
 she never thought of fear then. She felt sure that 
 if her father had a dark deed to do, this was the kind 
 of place he would choose. The pond, or "tarn," as 
 the people called it, was situated between two rocky 
 peaks, which the Port St. Mary people called "tors," 
 and was seldom visited by the villagers because of its 
 lonely situation. The moon shot into a clear sky be- 
 tween the clouds, and she saw the moors more clearly. 
 She could see one of the tors. It was more than a 
 mile away, and the tarn lay beyond it Yes, she would 
 find her way to it. 
 
 " God, help me ! dear Lord Jesus, help me ! " she 
 prayed again and again, as she made her way towards 
 the distant tor. The night became clearer now, and 
 she had no difficulty in keeping to the track, until 
 presently she descended into a valley, where it lost itself 
 in a swampy place. 
 
 The ground here was covered by a coarse kind 
 of grass, and was altogether unlike the heather and 
 gorse amongst which she had been walking. Nor 
 could she see any of the white " spar rocks" over which 
 she had stumbled on her way thither. Her feet sank
 
 258 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 in the slimy mud, and she knew she had got away from 
 the track. It was nol dangerous, nevertheless she 
 wanted to keep on the track which led to the tor. She 
 looked anxiously around her, and saw what seemed to 
 her the top of a grey rock. 
 
 "That will be the cart-track," she reflected. "If 
 I can get to that, I shall be all right." Hurriedly she 
 found her way thither, but when she put her foot on 
 what she thought was rock, it sank beneath her feet ! 
 
 It was only paper, after all, but in placing her foot 
 upon it she touched something that attracted her atten- 
 tion. She stooped and examined ft, and as she did so 
 her heart almost ceased beating. It was a dress-slip- 
 per. Like lightning her mind reverted to what Polly 
 Bray had told her. Rossini had told Mrs. Beagle that 
 he intended walking to Mrs. Kenyon's at Manor Farm, 
 and he had taken a pair of dress-slippers with him. 
 
 Again the moon shone out between the clouds, and 
 she saw it more clearly. Yes, it belonged to a man ; 
 it must be Rossini's. In the simple life of Port St 
 Mary such things were but little used, and there was no 
 one else to whom it could belong. 
 
 She searched in order to find.the companion slipper, 
 but failed ; nevertheless she had no doubt of what had 
 taken place. Her father and the other men had taken 
 him to this lonely place upon the moors, and possibly, 
 when they came here, he had struggled with them, and 
 in the struggle this had been dropped. With this dis- 
 covery vague uncertainty became conviction. God had 
 put it into her heart to come hither, and she in coming 
 had obeyed His commands. 
 
 Struggling across the swampy place, she reached dry 
 land again. Her heart was filled with a great fear, but
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 259 
 
 she felt sure that she would find Rossini. She was con- 
 vinced that her father would try to murder him, but 
 then she had great faith in Rossini's power to take care 
 of himself. Had he not defeated her father twice be- 
 fore, and would he not defeat him again ? And yet she 
 was not sure. This plot was more deeply laid than 
 the others, and she knew that for months her father 
 had been in a desperate mood. Still, she must go on. 
 God had called her, and her heart had gladly responded. 
 
 " Oh, Lord Jesus, help me to save him ! " she pleaded 
 again and again. She thought not of her own happi- 
 ness, she never dreamt of reward ; she only obeyed the 
 pleadings of her great love, and even had she known 
 that her life would have to be the forfeit of Rossini's 
 safety, she would gladly have given it. 
 
 The ground was higher now. Up and up she 
 climbed, the top of the tor being her only guide. For 
 there was no further sign of the cart-track. That had 
 either ended at the swamp or it led away in some other 
 direction at the foot of the hill 
 
 " They would try to kill him, and then throw him 
 in the pond," was the thought that haunted her ; and 
 then she made her way towards the lonely tarn she 
 remembered visiting years before. 
 
 Presently she reached the summit of the tor, and 
 saw lying at its foot a stretch of dark water. The place 
 was drear enough in the daytime, when the larks were 
 singing and the sun was shining ; but it was terrible 
 now. No habitation was near, no sound was heard save 
 the soughing of the wind and the occasional chatter of 
 a night bird. 
 
 " It will be there," she said. " I must go down 
 there," and thither she made her way, drawn on by the
 
 2<5o A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 conviction that it was there she would find the man she 
 loved. No pillar of fire went before her, as it went 
 before the Israelites of old ; no voice spoke out of the 
 nfght, telling her to be of good cheer ; but a great love 
 such as only a pure woman can feel burned in her 
 heart, and a great faith that God was near possessed 
 her souL In life and in death, God lived ! 
 
 Away in the eastern sky was the faint glow of the 
 dawn.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE END OF MARY FLETCHER'S SEARCH. 
 
 MARY FLETCHER made her way towards the lonely 
 tarn. Not a house was near, no sound reached her 
 ears. In after years, when she tried to recall the ex- 
 periences of that night, she found that she had little 
 recollection of anything that took place from the time 
 she found the dress-slipper to the time she stood by the 
 side of the pool, whose waters looked as black as ink 
 in the first grey light of the morning. The only feeling 
 to which she could confess was an utter loneliness. The 
 ancient mariner who spoke of his crew as being 
 
 " . . . . The first which ever burst 
 Into that silent sea," 
 
 felt no more lonely than she, except for the one great 
 consciousness which he did not possess. Lonely as it 
 was, God was there, and in the strength of that thought 
 she scrambled down the rocky slopes of the tor until 
 she stood on the edge of the mountain-pool. 
 
 She neither saw nor heard anything which told her 
 that she would be successful in her search, but she felt 
 sure nevertheless that she was on the brink of some 
 discovery. The old people in Port St. Mary said that 
 Mary's grandmother was endowed with the gift of 
 second sight, and even yet stories were told of Betsy 
 Pentraze having seen, in a vision of the night, a vessel 
 
 261
 
 262 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 sinking outside Port St. Mary, and the sides of the 
 vessel were gored by the cruel rocks near the lonely 
 island on which Black Rock lighthouse was now built 
 She also told the names of those whom she had seen on 
 her decks, and, strange to relate, it was said that she 
 had faithfully described the story of the wreck. The 
 generation to which Mary belonged had ceased to be- 
 lieve in such stories, and yet it might be that she in- 
 herited something of that peculiar gift which laughs at 
 investigation and brings to naught the theories of men. 
 Be that as it may, her journey that night was not in- 
 fluenced by any chain of reasoning. She had followed 
 the leadership of her heart, and that was all. 
 
 Slowly she walked around the pool, ever casting 
 furtive glances at its deep, black waters ; but nothing 
 did she see which rewarded her search There was no 
 suggestion of the man she sought. The surface of the 
 pool was untroubled. No breath of wind, even, ruffled 
 the -waters. Still she did not give up hope. It had 
 come to her by this time that she had not come hither 
 in vain. She had asked God to guide her, and He 
 would guide her. Alive or dead, the feeling possessed 
 her that she would find the man she loved. 
 
 The light was now increasing rapidly. Objects 
 which had been at first indistinct now revealed them- 
 selves clearly. Her second excursion around the pool 
 was not so fruitless as the first. It was but little she 
 discovered, but what she saw confirmed all her feelings. 
 Close by the edge of the pond, and on a soft and marshy 
 place, she saw footprints. There were not many, but 
 some were plainly to be seen. Mostly the ground was 
 covered by a coarse, sharp grass which the country-folk 
 called " spires." This kind of grass grew only in
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 263 
 
 marshy places such as she saw here. When winter came 
 on, the pond would cover these " spires" completely ; 
 but now, although the ground was somewhat spongy, it 
 afforded a fairly good foothold. The footmarks she saw 
 vwere between the clumps of grass. 
 
 Eagerly she searched for other signs that the place 
 had been lately visited, but she saw none. She tried 
 hard to think what these might mean. If they were 
 made by Rossini and those who sought to do him harm, 
 then there was only one sequel Rossini had been led 
 to this silent, lonely place, he had been thrown into the 
 pond, and then left to die. It would be just such a 
 scheme as her father would invent it would appeal to 
 him as safe and effective. 
 
 She looked long and steadily into the pond, but 
 could see nothing. The water looked as black as ink, 
 and only by dredging would it reveal what lay beneath 
 its calm surface. She carefully examined the grass that 
 grew near the footmarks. She thought it gave evidence 
 of being trodden upon and bruised ; but she was not 
 sure. Whatever had been done, scarcely a sign had 
 oeen left behind. 
 
 The silence of the place oppressed her. Around 
 rose the great, grey, rocky tors, at her feet lay the chill 
 waters of the mountain-tarn. No sign of life was any- 
 where to be seen. Not a bird chirped, not even a 
 breath of wind stirred. No more gloomy or silent place 
 could be found. Probably this spot was not visited 
 from October to March. Who would come hither, to 
 see barrenness and loneliness? More than once it 
 seemed to her that she had come on a mere will-o'-the- 
 wisp chase, and perhaps she would have been over- 
 powered by the thought did she not hold in her hand
 
 264 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 the slipper she had found on the other side of the tor 
 that rose up in front of her. 
 
 No, it was impossible to find him here. If her 
 father and his companions had worked their wills, 
 Rossini lay at the bottom of the pool, and she woi^i 
 never see him again. The thought maddened her. 
 Without him, it seemed to her that there was nothing 
 to live for. He rilled the whole horizon of her desire ; 
 if he were dead, the sun of her life had been blotted 
 out. But what should she do ? She could not let this 
 terrible uncertainty remain an uncertainty. Besides, 
 if she went back to Port St. Mary, and told Inspector 
 Blewitt that she had found the slipper and seen the 
 footmarks, it would lead to further investigation*. She 
 would be asked why she had taken this journey, and 
 enquiry would lead to her telling what she believed 
 about her father's schemes of vengeance. 
 
 She felt faint and weary. The sun was now be- 
 ginning to appear behind one of the tors which stood 
 at the eastern end of the tarn, so that for many hours 
 there would be light But it would be useless to stay 
 there she must do something, she must find out the 
 truth. But how? 
 
 Again she walked around the mountain-pool, only 
 to return to the place where she had discovered the 
 footmarks. But here she thought she saw something 
 else. It seemed to her that near the spot where these 
 footmarks were, the grass was somewhat discoloured. 
 A kind of red slime covered the ground. What could 
 it mean ? 
 
 " Oh, Lord Jesus, tell me what to do ! " she cried 
 again and again ; but her mind seemed a blank. 
 
 Presently, however, she began to reason. She knew
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 265 
 
 how clever Rossini was, and she had all along been 
 sustained by the feeling that, although her father and 
 the other men had him in their power, he would find 
 some way of frustrating their plans. He had done it 
 before, an'd would he not do it again ? 
 
 Then something else struck her. She noticed a 
 tiny stream which emptied itself into the tarn, and she 
 noticed that the bed of the stream was red. Doubtless it 
 came from a mineral spring, and the mineral in the water 
 had left a deposit of red as it flowed along. She saw, 
 too, that the ground through which it flowed was dis- 
 coloured. 
 
 Her heart began to beat rapidly now, and she looked 
 eagerly around for some means whereby she could 
 put to a test the hope which had flashed into her mind. 
 She tried to find some stick or bush, but the place was 
 perfectly barren ; not even a furze bush was to be seen. 
 Quick as thought, she turned the sleeve of her dress up 
 to the shoulder, and then knelt down by the water. 
 A moment later, her arm was shoulder-deep in the 
 water ; indeed, she would have fallen into it, had she 
 not supported herself by holding a clump of grass firmly 
 with her left hand. When she drew her right hand 
 from the water, she held a handful of red slime. It was 
 the same kind of mud as that which had discoloured 
 some of the grass by the edge of the pond. 
 
 Her eyes flashed with a new light. All feelings of 
 faintness and weariness were gone. It was but little 
 she had discovered, but it had given her hope. That 
 grass might easily have been discoloured by someone 
 who had crawled out of the pool. This red slime could 
 not have been there long it would be washed away by 
 the first shower of rain When had it rained last?
 
 266 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Certainly not for two days. That fact would account 
 for the red slime drying on the grass and remaining 
 there so long. 
 
 She felt sure now that Rossini had outwitted his 
 enemies, and she felt angry with herself for thinking 
 that her father and his companions were more than a 
 match for the man whom she almost deified. But if he 
 were not in the pool, where was he ? 
 
 Again she looked eagerly around, but still nothing 
 could she see, save the tarn at her feet, and the great, 
 rocky tors, which rose up around her. The tarn stood 
 in a basin between the hills, and was fed by the streams 
 which flowed from them. At the bottom of the hills, 
 close by the water, lay large rocks which had rolled down 
 their steep slopes ; but beyond that, nothing. 
 
 Still she was not afraid. The conviction that 
 Rossini had been thrown into the tarn, and had then 
 crept out again, grew upon her. If that were true, he 
 might have tried to find shelter somewhere. She knew 
 there were lonely cottages among these moors ; perhaps 
 he had found his way to one of them. Now that the 
 day had come, she would be able to find out. Seeing 
 what seemed to her like a pathway between two of the 
 tors, she started to climb out o^ the hollow in which 
 she was. When she had gone perhaps a hundred steps, 
 she stopped, for again she saw that the grass was dis- 
 coloured by the same red slime she had noticed on the 
 bank of the tarn. She felt sure Rossini had come along 
 here. A little later she found that the task of getting 
 out of the hollow in this direction was harder than she 
 had thought. Great boulders lay everywhere. Pro- 
 bably in the far-back past there had been some great 
 upheaval, and the rocks from the hill-tops had rolled
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 267 
 
 towards the valley. Still she went on eagerly ; she felt 
 sure that Rossini was alive, and it was for her to find 
 him. 
 
 Again she stopped suddenly. Close to her she 
 heard the sound of a human voice. It was faint and 
 indistinct, but she was sure she was not mistaken. 
 Eagerly she looked around, but she could see nothing 
 save the dreary scene she had been scanning for the 
 last hour. Again the sound of a voice reached her. 
 It was close by her, and yet no one could she see. A 
 moment later her heart gave a great bound. Lying 
 behind a great rock, his clothes sodden and discoloured, 
 his face bloodstained, she saw the man whom she had 
 come to seek. 
 
 She gave a cry of joy and leapt to his side. 
 
 "Mr. Keverne!" she cried. "Oh, thank God, I 
 have found you ! " 
 
 But there was no answer to her cry, no look of 
 recognition in his eyes. He moaned as if in pain, and 
 then talked in an incoherent fashion. 
 
 " Mr. Keverne," she said, " don't you know me ? 1 
 am Mary Fletcher." 
 
 But the eyes which she had so often seen flash with 
 the light of purpose were expressionless now. It 
 seemed to her that a film had gathered over them, and 
 that they were staring into vacancy. 
 
 " Black and cold," she heard him mutter ; " but there 
 was no other way. If I can only get to the other side 
 yes, that's it. Oh, yes, I can dive right enough. Down, 
 down, down. Yes, I'm at the bottom now. Who said 
 there was no bottom to the pool? They are all wrong. 
 There is a bottom, and little devils live there," and 
 mirthless laughter escaped his lips.
 
 268 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "It's all right, Mr. Keverne," she said. "Don't 
 fear; you'll soon be better." 
 
 But still he went on, unheeding. " I can swim it 
 yes, I can swim it right enough only there's the pain 
 in my arm, and my head is so heavy. The fellow didn't 
 hit me hard ; he meant to, but he didn't. I just dodged 
 him ; it was a clever trick. But it is terribly cold, cold, 
 cold ! If the sun would only shine, it would make the 
 water hot. Isn't it funny that I can breathe down here 
 at the bottom of the pond ? But perhaps I'm dead. 
 Who knows? Are they coming? No, I dodged them. 
 When they saw me sink to the bottom, they thought I 
 was done for. If my head didn't ache so, and my right 
 arm were better, I should be all right. Oh, yes, Reuben 
 
 Fletcher is a clever man ; but there If I could 
 
 only go to sleep ! " 
 
 "You are not at the bottom of the pond, Mr. 
 Keverne," she said ; " you are all safe now." 
 
 "What I can't make out," he continued, still un- 
 conscious of her presence, " is that I can be cold and 
 thirsty at the same time. How can a man be lying 
 at the bottom, of a pond, and still be thirsty? What 
 did I say to Lady Beatrice? Human nature is always 
 laughing at us. I expect she's married now. I told her 
 to marry ; but wasn't it rather mean of her never to let 
 me know ? There's Henwood, too ; I thought he would 
 play the game. Oh, she doesn't know what it cost me 
 she never will ! Why should I tell her that ? 'Twould 
 be a mean thing. What is love worth if it is not pre- 
 pared to suffer? I tell the doctors they don't know 
 anything. Here am I, like a fish, living in the water, 
 and yet I'm parched with thirst." 
 
 Mary Fletcher was kneeling by his side now and
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 269 
 
 praying that God would tell her what to do. She had 
 found the man she had sought, but she seemed power- 
 less to help him. And yet she would have given her 
 life for him. 
 
 " I'm so tired, tired, tired," he went on ; " and no- 
 body knows nobody cares ! " 
 
 There was a plaintive wail in his wanderings now, 
 and the girl's tears fell as she heard it. 
 
 " Somebody does care, Mr. Keverne ! " she cried. 
 " I've been out all night trying to find you." 
 
 But still he took no heed. " Nobody knows and no- 
 body cares," he went on. 
 
 Her heart seemed breaking, and yet a great joy 
 filled her "being. She found him, she and no other. 
 She was alone with the man she loved. Oh, how 
 gladly she would give her life for him! Eagerly she 
 looked around again, but no one was near. The place 
 was as silent as death. Bending her face to his, she 
 kissed him, and then started back as if frightened at 
 what she had done. 
 
 Her touch seemed to arouse him to momentary con- 
 sciousness. 
 
 " Who are you ? " he asked. " You are not Reuben 
 Fletcher, or Jimmer; you are " 
 
 " Mary Fletcher, sir. I am come to take you 
 home." 
 
 " Isn't it strange that one should be so thirsty at 
 the bottom of a pond, Mary ? " he said. 
 
 His words brought her to a sense of activity. She 
 must do something. Although she felt afraid to leave 
 him, she scrambled among the rocks until she came 
 to a tiny stream. Making the palms of her hands into 
 a cup, she carried some water to him and bathed his
 
 2;o A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 parched lips, and some drops trickled through his teeth 
 into his mouth. 
 
 This aroused him still more. A gleam of intelli- 
 gence, of memory, flashed into his eyes. 
 
 " Don't tell anyone, Mary," he said. " Not a word ; 
 no, not a word. You understand ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Whatever people ask you, don't tell them. It'll 
 be all right not a word. But isn't it strange that I can 
 live so long under water? And these little devils are 
 shaped like eels ; they crawl, and crawl, and crawl. Oh, 
 I can't bear this much longer ! " 
 
 She started up again. " I must find a place for 
 him," she said ; " he needs a doctor, and and 
 
 She stood by his side for a little time, as if unable 
 to tear herself away ; then, with the speed of a deer, she 
 ran up the ravine. From rock to rock she leapt, heed- 
 less of falls and bruises. What was her own pain now ? 
 God had answered her prayers. She had found Rossini ; 
 now she must find some house where he could rest and 
 get better. 
 
 Presently she reached a point from which she could 
 see the broad expanse of the moors, and to her delight 
 she saw, some distance away, a cottage. Without hesi- 
 tating a second, she ran towards it, and when she 
 reached it, she saw to her joy that it was inhabited. 
 Opening the door, she entered ; and sitting by the open 
 fire were an old man and woman, eating their morning 
 meal 
 
 Both of them looked up questioningly. 
 " Wher'd you come from ? " asked the man. 
 
 " From the pool," she panted. " Come at once. 
 He'll die if he's not taken care of."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 271 
 
 " Who'll die ? What do 'ee main ? You bean't up 
 to no good, you bean't." 
 
 " Never mind me. He must have been in the pool. 
 I've only just found him. Come." 
 
 "Whobe'eetalkin"bout?" 
 
 " Come, come, I tell you. He'll die if you don't. 
 I've been searching all night ; it's only a little while 
 ago since I found him. But he must have been there 
 all yesterday and all the night We must have a 
 doctor, too. Don't fear, I'll pay for the doctor." 
 
 "No doctor doan't come near this 'ouse," said the 
 old woman. " But go, Eli, and zee what she do main." 
 
 " That's it, come. But we must bring a stretcher or 
 something ; he can't walk." 
 
 " I mus' knaw more 'bout this," said the old man. 
 " Who be 'ee talkin' bout ? " 
 
 For some time the girl tried to explain what was the 
 matter, bearing in mind all the time Rossini's instruc- 
 tions that she must tell nothing. At length she per- 
 suaded the man that help must be rendered first, and 
 explanations could come afterwards. 
 
 " A man ? " said the old woman, as they prepared 
 to start. ' r A heavy man, es a?" 
 
 "Yes, yes." 
 
 "Then you two caan't car' un. I must whistle for 
 Tobias." 
 
 " But we can't wait," said Mary, in a fever of anxiety. 
 
 " Doan't Ve be a vool ! " said the old woman tartly. 
 
 A few minutes later a great, gawky youth of about 
 eighteen came into the house. 
 
 " Hay-pook poles, some ropes, and some hay," she 
 said. 
 
 " What vur ? " asked Tobias.
 
 272 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Hold yer gab, and do as you be towld." 
 
 Without a word, the youth obeyed her bidding, and 
 a little later Mary Fletcher was leading the way to the 
 tarn. 
 
 They found Rossini where she had left him, but she 
 saw at a glance that he was worse. He was staring 
 wildly, and crying aloud as if in anguish. 
 
 " They mean to kill me ! " he shouted. " One I don't 
 mind, nor two ; but there are such numbers. There, 
 drive them off ! If only my arm wasn't so heavy, and 
 there there I'm blind again, I can't see ! " 
 
 "Don't be afraid, Mr. Keverne," she said. "No 
 harm shall come to you." 
 
 Her presence quietened him, but he did not know 
 her. " You are a woman," he said, " and if you can do 
 nothing else, you can hide me." 
 
 "Yes, yes, I'll hide you. You can't walk, so we 
 are going to carry you." 
 
 He seemed to pay no heed while they lifted him 
 on to the stretcher which they were able to improvise, 
 and a little later they were struggling up towards the 
 old man's cottage. How they reached it Mary never 
 knew. To the youth called Tobias the burden did not 
 seem so great; rather he seemed proud of exhibiting 
 his prowess. But to Mary it was a different matter. 
 For Rossini was no light weight, and she insisted on 
 helping to carry him. Indeed, it was necessary for her 
 to do so, for although old Eli knew an easier way than 
 she had discovered, he was too decrepit and weak to 
 bear such a burden. But she thought not of over- 
 strained muscles and aching limbs. Her only thought 
 was that she was carrying the man she loved to a place 
 of safety ; and although she was well-nigh faint, she
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 273 
 
 struggled on, until at last they laid him on the little 
 bed which the old woman had prepared. 
 
 " Ee's a gen'leman, for sure," said the old woman, as 
 they brought him in. 
 
 But Mary did not answer. Her strength had at 
 last given way, and no sooner had they placed him on 
 the bed than she fell down in a faint. 
 
 " Never mind 'bout she," said the old woman quietly ; 
 " she'll, soon come to. Here, Eli, 'elp me to undress 
 un." 
 
 "I be feared," said Eli. "He do look as ef ee's 
 dead." 
 
 " Now, doan't 'ee be fullish," replied his wife. " You 
 jist do what you'm towld."
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DR. TAMSIN KEAST. 
 
 THE cottage into which Rossini Keverne had been taken 
 was owned by Eli and Tamsin Keast They had come 
 into the neighbourhood some time previous, with their 
 son Tobias. The cottage was situated on the loneliest 
 spot on the great Ashdown Moors, and no other house 
 was visible from it. Eli and Tamsin had come from a 
 distant town, where the latter had made quite a reputa- 
 tion as a doctor. Indeed, it is to be doubted whether 
 any qualified medical practitioner in the town had a 
 " practice " which approached anything like the dimen- 
 sions of Tamsin' s. People came for miles around to see 
 her indeed, according to local gossip, many a patient, 
 given up by the ordinary doctor, had been cured by 
 Tamsin. Her knowledge of herbs was remarkable, and 
 although her medical training was of the most elemen- 
 tary order, the cures she wrought were for years the talk 
 of the town. Tamsin had her regular hours for seeing 
 patients, just as other doctors had, and from nine o'clock 
 of a morning until half-past one her little kitchen was 
 literally besieged by patients. Having had the good 
 fortune to live for two years in Tamsin's house, I can 
 testify to the truth of this, as well as to the efficacy of 
 her medicines. Eli Keast owned a fairly large garden, 
 and as he supplied a number of people with vegetables 
 and fruit, he contributed his share towards household 
 expenses. Young Tobias worked with his father in the 
 
 374
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 275 
 
 garden. Mrs. Keast also took in a lodger. She had a 
 spare bedroom and sitting-room, which were at the dis- 
 posal of any eligible single man for a consideration. 
 For two years I happened to be the eligible single man. 
 A middle-aged woman looked after the house and 
 attended to the lodger, while Mrs. Keast looked after 
 the patients. 
 
 After some years, however, Mrs. Keast felt a desire 
 to retire. The old couple had saved sufficient to meet 
 their needs during the remainder of their lives, and so, 
 with Tobias, their son, they moved to a town about five 
 miles away. But Tamsin's patients followed her, and she 
 found that instead of having less work, she had more. 
 After a great deal of discussion they came to the con- 
 clusion that the only chance Tamsin would have of being 
 free from her patients would be to get to some thinly 
 populated part of the country where no one would know 
 of her skill. Both Eli and Tamsin had been reared in 
 the country, and both had " a 'ankerin'," as they put 
 it, after farming. As chance would have it, Eli's brother, 
 who had reclaimed a piece of land on Ashdown Moors 
 and built a house on it, had died just at the time that 
 Eli and Tamsin were wondering " 'ow they could git 
 away somewhere where they wuddn't be knawed." More- 
 over, Eli found himself the owner of the said piece of 
 reclaimed land. Without informing anyone of their in- 
 tention, they moved to their new property, and at the 
 time of which I am writing they had been on their farm 
 about a year. 
 
 At first Tamsin had enjoyed her freedom from the 
 worry of her patients, but as time went on, although 
 she was fairly happy among her cows and pigs, she 
 longed for an opportunity of occasionally putting her
 
 2;6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 medical skill into practice. Moreover, as was natural 
 to such a person, she had an intense dislike for doctors. 
 They had often expressed the opinion that it ought to 
 be made illegal for this " ignorant old woman to pretend 
 to doctor people." 
 
 This may account for her remarking, when Mary 
 Fletcher had said that Rossini would need a doctor, that 
 no doctor should enter her house. 
 
 A stranger coming into this lonely moorland cottage 
 would be surprised at its comfort. As a matter of fact, 
 Tamsin had kept not only her kitchen furniture, but 
 that which had been used by her lodgers. As a con- 
 sequence, the room into which Rossini was brought was 
 replete with all things necessary for one in his con- 
 dition. 
 
 " 'Ee's a gen'leman, I tell 'ee," repeated Tamsin, after 
 she had spent an hour at Rossini's side. " I've 'ad 
 fower curates and five young Independent passons 
 lodgin' with me, and I ought to know." 
 
 " But what's the maid doin' 'ere ? " asked Eli. 
 
 " Time enough to ax that when she's better. She's 
 come round a bit, ed'n she ? " 
 
 " Iss, she's settin' in the armchair in the kitchen. She 
 do zay she's all right, and do want to know 'ow 'ee 'es." 
 
 "I'll talk to. she presently; but at present 'ee've got 
 to be 'tended to." 
 
 " What do 'ee think on 'im ? " asked Eli. 
 
 "A ghastly wound in his 'ead, 'is arm brokked, and 
 'igh faiver," replied Tamsin. 
 
 " Will 'ee pull round?" 
 
 " Ef'ee can be got better, I'll git 'im better," she re- 
 marked rather tartly. 
 
 "Because " and Eli hesitated.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 277 
 
 " Because what ? " 
 
 " Well, ef 'ee doan't git better, lots o' questions'll be 
 axed. You d' know the law. The doctor must sign a 
 death cettifficut." 
 
 " There shaan't no doctors cum 'ere while I d' live 
 'ere," replied Tamsin ; nevertheless, there was an 
 anxious look in her eyes as she turned to Rossini. 
 
 " How is he ? " 
 
 It was Mary Fletcher who appeared at the door and 
 asked the question. 
 
 " Now, then, go 'way, and I'll talk to 'ee d'reckly," 
 replied Tamsin. 
 
 "Will he get better?" 
 
 " Of course he will. Go 'way, do 'ee, now." 
 
 Mary went back to the kitchen in a dazed kind of 
 way. She was still faint from the experiences of the 
 night, while the strain she had undergone in helping 
 to carry Rossini to the cottage would be felt for many 
 days to come. 
 
 As for Rossini he talked incessantly. He evidently 
 believed he was still at the bottom of the pool, and in 
 his mind wanderings he told how he had got there. 
 Sometimes he grew almost violent, and tried to get out 
 of bed. He must fight his enemies, he said, for there 
 would be no safety for him while they followed him. 
 
 " Don't you see them ? " he cried ; " they are stand- 
 ing on the edge of the pool, now ! The moment I rise 
 to the surface, they'll be upon me ! " 
 
 Presently, however, he became quieter. Tamsin had 
 given him some medicine, and although he showed no 
 sign of consciousness, it was evident that the fever was 
 considerably reduced. 
 
 It was not until midday that Tamsin was able to
 
 278 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 leave his room, and then she came into the kitchen, 
 where she found Mary eagerly waiting for news. 
 
 " Now, then, be you better ? " she asked. 
 
 " I'm all right ; how is he ? " 
 
 "He's better now." 
 
 " But you'll let me go for a doctor ? " 
 
 " No, I shaan't, so there now. P'raps you doan't 
 know, but Fve bin a doctor for more'n twenty year, so 
 there's no need of no more." 
 
 But, but " 
 
 " I shaan't 'ave one 'ere, now, mind that. I d' know 
 what 'ud happen. Doctors doan't know nothin' 'bout 
 curin' people. 'Tes all opperations, opperations with 
 they. Chloroform, and the knife, tha's oal doctors do 
 think 'bout. I do hail people, that's what I do. I've set 
 his arm as well as any bonesetter, and his faiver es gone 
 down. Plaise God I'll make 'im better ; but no doctors 
 shall come 'ere with their falde-rals." 
 
 " But can you cure people ? " 
 
 " I've cured 'undreds. I've cured scores what the 
 doctors 'ave said cuddn't be cured. I've set scores of 
 broken bones, so doan't you trouble. But tell me who 
 es a ? And 'ow did 'ee find un ? " 
 
 The girl was silent. He had told her to tell nothing, 
 and his command must be obeyed. 
 
 " 'Ow did 'ee find un ? " repeated Tamsin. 
 
 " I've told you," replied Mary. " I found him lying 
 beside the rock, where I brought your husband." 
 
 " But how long had he been lying there ? " 
 
 " I don't know. It must have been all day yester- 
 day." 
 
 " All day 'esterday ! 
 
 "Yes. But I can't tell you anything. Haven't you
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 279 
 
 heard him ? All the way as we carried him he was cry- 
 ing to us not to tell anybody anything." 
 
 " That's all wind," replied Tamsin ; " a thing like this 
 must come to light. Besides, I've larnt a lot already. 
 Look 'ere, ed'n 'ee the young engineer what did build 
 the lighthouse?" 
 
 " How did you guess ? " asked Mary. 
 
 " I thought 'ee was. Ah, that 'counts. I heerd 'bout 
 un when I was ower to Port St. Mary market with 
 butter. Ter'ble 'ard 'pon the drunkard-makers and 
 card -sharpers, 'ee was, so I was towld. Ah ! " 
 
 Tamsin evidently found food for thought in this re- 
 mark, for she remained quiet for several seconds. 
 
 " But what I want to know es, 'owdid you find him ? " 
 she asked presently. 
 
 Mary Fletcher was silent. She felt by instinct that 
 Tamsin was a woman of more than ordinary penetra- 
 tion, and she was afraid of implicating her father. 
 
 Tamsin gave Mary a suspicious glance and theiK 
 went to Rossini's bedside again. He was lying very 
 quietly now, and his face, save for a flesh wound on his 
 left cheek, had become very pale. The old woman 
 watched him attentively. 
 
 "I'm better, now, Kenwood," she heard him say 
 presently, " very much better. Oh, yes, don't trouble. 
 But tell me, Henwood, are you married? I wrote to 
 Lady Beatrice, and advised her to to accept your love ; 
 but you've told me nothing, neither has she." 
 
 After this he was silent again for a time, then he 
 went on : " He doesn't know what it cost me. He never 
 will, for I'll not tell him. It would be mean. He was 
 my best friend, and and well, I could not help' doing 
 what he asked me. I had loved her for years ; but it
 
 280 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 does not matter. She was all the world to me, my every 
 thought was for her ; but it does not matter. Besides, 
 fancy Rossini Keverne marrying Lady Beatrice Pen- 
 withen! And yet I might I might! But I gave her 
 up, and came away into the darkness." 
 
 " Poor young gen'leman ! " murmured Tamsin ; " his 
 mind is wanderin'. Es there anything in it, I wonder? 
 But, then, people do talk queer stuff when they've 
 got a faiver." 
 
 She was a kind woman, was Tamsin Keast, in spite 
 of a somewhat sharp tongue, and she placed her hand 
 with motherly tenderness on Rossini's hot brow. " Poor 
 deear, poor deear ! " she murmured. 
 
 The action seemed to arouse Rossini, for he opened 
 his eyes and looked up towards her. 
 
 " Who are you ? " he asked, with half-awakened 
 intelligence. 
 
 " Think I'm yer mauther, my deear," she said, " and 
 mind all the time that no 'arm can 'appen to 'ee, and 
 that I'm going to make 'ee better." 
 
 He seemed to try and understand what she had 
 said. " If there was only something to get better for," 
 he murmured. "If only Lady Beatrice were But 
 what's the use? Keep your hand there, it does me 
 good." 
 
 A few minutes later he fell into a kind of doze, at 
 which Tamsin gave a sigh of satisfaction. When she 
 took her hand from his brow, and turned towards the 
 door, she saw Mary Fletcher watching her. Tamsin led 
 the girl into the kitchen. " Was you 'arkenin' ? " she 
 asked. 
 
 Mary nodded. Her face was pale, and in her eyes 
 was a look of terror.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 281 
 
 - All the time ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Be you Lady Beatrice Penwithen ? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Who be you, then ? * 
 
 Mary told her. 
 
 " Be you his sweetheart, or anything of that sort ? " 
 
 "No, no." 
 
 "Ah, but you do love un." 
 
 "Don't tell him, don't tell him!" she sobbed "If 
 you did Oh, don't tell him ! Promise you won't" 
 
 But this time Tamsin was silent. 
 
 " I must go back now," said Mary presently ; " but 
 tell me, may I come and nurse him ? " 
 
 " What do you know 'bout nursin' ? " 
 
 " I'll do whatever you tell me, anything, everything ! " 
 
 Again Tamsin looked at her keenly. By this time 
 she had drawn conclusions which were very near the 
 truth. 
 
 " Ef you do go back, you'll have to tell people where 
 'ee es," remarked Tamsin. 
 
 " No, not a word," said Mary. " He told me not, you 
 know. You won't say anything, will you ? " 
 
 " No," said Tamsin, after hesitating a second, " I 
 shaan't tell nothin'. All the same " 
 
 "What?" said Mary. 
 
 " People'll be sure to ax questions. They'll be sure 
 to search for un. 'Ee ed'n like a ordinary man. What 
 'bout all the men 'ee've employed ? " 
 
 "We'll wait a day or two, won't we?" said Mary. 
 " Perhaps by that time he'll let us know what to do. 
 He's so clever." 
 
 Tamsin shook her head. " You'd better go back and 
 J
 
 282 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 vind out all you can," she sajid, " and then come back. 
 By that time I shall 'ave summin' to tell 'ee." 
 
 " And Eli and Tobias will say nothing ? " 
 
 " Catch 'em," said Tamsin grimly. " There, now, I'll 
 go back to un again." 
 
 " May I come too ? " 
 
 " Ef you don't spaik a word" 
 
 The two crept quietly into the bedroom. Rossini 
 was still dozing. Now and then he murmured, but on 
 the whole be kept fairly quiet. Tamsin put her hand 
 on his forehead again. 
 
 " The faiver ed'n wuss," she said, " and 'tes time for 
 un to 'ave some more med'cine." 
 
 She lifted a glass to his mouth. "'Ere, my deear," 
 she said, " drink this. I'll make 'ee better." 
 
 Rossini opened his eyes again. " Who are you ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 "Think of me as yer mauther, my deear," said 
 Tamsin. 
 
 " They'll find out," he said. " The men'll want their 
 wages. If someone would write to Mr. Pentewan and 
 say I was all right, he would attend to everything." 
 
 Tamsin shook her head. " The poor thing doan't 
 knaw what 'ee's talkin' 'bout," she said. 
 
 "I'm glad I'm out of the water at last," went on 
 Rossini ; " all the same, no one must see me. No one 
 must know anything. Only Mr. Pentewan. He would 
 know what to do. You are sure those men are not 
 watching through the windows. Yes, I know the light- 
 house is built, and I don't think even Reuben Fletcher 
 will try and blow it up again. But the harbour must be 
 finished, and then there's that licensing business. But 1 
 can't think it out now. My head is all of a buzz ; it's
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 283 
 
 not as bad as it was, but it keeps on buzz, buzz, as 
 though a swarm of bees were inside. I wonder if there 
 is?" 
 
 Thus he wandered on, while Mary Fletcher and 
 Tamsin Keast listened. 
 
 " I'll attend to everything, sir," said Mary. 
 
 " Who are you ? " asked Rossini. 
 
 " Don't you know, sir ? I'll attend to everything." 
 
 "Always do things yourself if you want them well 
 done," he murmured. "That's what Sir Michael said, 
 so did Mr. Pentewan, and they were right But what 
 does it matter? Why should I care? No one cares. 
 Sir Hugh has never written, nor Lady Beatrice Pen- 
 withen. She doesn't care. I wonder if they are married. 
 It's strange I've never heard anything oh, if they 
 shouldn't be married, if she really loves me, after all! 
 Then I should have something to live for," 
 
 Tamsin bathed his forehead with a preparation she 
 had made. " Ah, that's it that does me good," he mur- 
 mured ; " but I wish someone would tell Mr. Pentewan ; 
 yes, I do not anyone else, but he would know; yes, 
 he would know what to do." 
 
 " I'm going," said Mary, presently. " May I come 
 back again to-night Tell me I may." 
 
 A little later Mary started out for her five miles walk 
 to Port St. Mary. When she arrived there, 3he found 
 that the little town was all agog with excitement. The 
 whereabouts of the young engineer was still a mystery, 
 and, in spite of all the inquiries which had been made, 
 no one had the suggestion of a clue. . No one took any 
 notice of her, and no one knew that she had been away 
 from her cottage. Polly Bray had not called through 
 the day, and as a consequence had no suspicion of what
 
 284 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 had taken place. She longed to tell what she knew, 
 and yet she spoke no word. She felt she must not dis- 
 obey Rossini, and, more than that, she was anxious that 
 no suspicion should fall upon her father. 
 
 As she walked along the streets of Port St. Mary, 
 listening to the gossip of the people, Polly Bray touched 
 her arm. 
 
 " You are not vexed with me, are you, Mary ? " 
 
 "Vexed! Why should I be ?" 
 
 " Because I haven't been to see you all the day. But 
 my cousin ,Tom is such good company, and I thought 
 you wouldn't mind." 
 
 " No, it's all right. I hope you enjoyed yourself ? " 
 
 " Oh, I've had such a glorious time. Only it's terrible 
 about Mr. Keverne, isn't it ? " 
 
 " Has nothing been found out ? " 
 
 " Nothing. I hear if there is no news by to-morrow 
 morning, they are going to organise search-parties. I 
 say, would you mind if I didn't come to-night again? 
 You see, Tom asked me to go to the Town Hall with 
 him, and " 
 
 "It's all right," said Mary eagerly. "Perhaps 
 perhaps I may not stay the night here. You see well, 
 you know, father has got work at Downdelly." 
 
 " And you want to go to him ? Then you'll not want 
 me to-morrow, either. That's splendid, for Tom wants 
 to take me to Plymouth to see his ship. Oh, I do hope 
 they'll find Mr. Keverne. You've heard that a new con- 
 tractor has taken on his work." 
 
 " A new contractor ? " 
 
 " Yes ; a Mr. Pentewan. I suppose they couldn't 
 wait." 
 
 Mary did not utter a word, but she thought quickly.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 285 
 
 If the harbour authorities believed Rossini to have left 
 his work without making proper provision, it might mean 
 his ruin. 
 
 " Is is Mr. Pentewan here ? " she asked. 
 
 " Yes ; I hear he's down at the works now," said 
 Polly, who seemed to be acquainted with the news of 
 the town. 
 
 "I shall not expect you to-night, then," said Mary; 
 " and if I am not at home when you call at the house, 
 you'll not be surprised ? " 
 
 "Oh, no. It happens just exactly right; for, Mary,' 
 listen. You'll not tell anybody, now, will you ? " 
 
 " Oh, no." 
 
 " Well, then, you know, Tom is only a second cousin, 
 and and well, he wants to buy me a ring when we go 
 to Plymouth to-morrow." And then, before Mary could 
 reply, Polly ran away, laughing. 
 
 " I must see Mr. Pentewan," said Mary. " I must 
 see him to-night, and I must tell him all I dare." 
 
 She wended her way towards the harbour. The bell 
 for closing work was ringing as she drew near, and a 
 few minutes later the road was full of men. But she took 
 no heed of them, she was eager to get to the new 
 works, where she hoped to find the man whom Rossini 
 had mentioned in his mind-wanderings. She waited for 
 some minutes, not knowing what to do ; moreover, she 
 was afraid to make inquiries. 
 
 " I expect he's staying in town," she said presently. 
 " Perhaps I'd better go home, and then " 
 
 But she did not formulate her thoughts into words, 
 for the sound of voices broke upon her ears. 
 
 " Then we're to go on just as if he was here ? " 
 
 "Exactly."
 
 286 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " But he've been away two days. Some people think 
 he's been made away with." 
 
 " I'll take all responsibility." 
 
 "But, but " 
 
 "You'll get your wages at the end of the week as 
 usual, Jinks ; so will the men. And I'll be responsible 
 for all results." 
 
 " Of course, Mr. Pentewan, if you'll be responsible ; 
 only 
 
 "There is no 'only,' Jinks. All arrangements will 
 be made with the harbour authorities. And mind, Jinks, 
 I look to you to carry out Mr. Keverne's orders." 
 
 A minute later Mary Fletcher saw an elderly looking 
 gentleman, who left the harbour and walked away to- 
 wards the town. 
 
 " If you please, Mr. Pentewan " 
 
 " Yes," and the contractor turned quickly. 
 
 "T have something to tell you. I want to see you 
 alone." 
 
 Mr. Pentewan gave her a searching glance. He was 
 old enough to be her grandfather, and he was a good 
 judge of character. 
 
 " Yes," he said ; " but what do you want to tell me 
 about ? " 
 
 " Mr. Keverne, sir," she said in a whisper. 
 
 " Is it important ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir; but it must be in secret. If you. could 
 call at my house, sir," and she told him where she lived. 
 
 " I will call in half an hour," said Mr. Pentewan.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 HOW A DOCTOR CAME TO TAMSIN KEAST'S COTTAGE. 
 
 " Now, then, young lady, tell me what you know," said 
 Mr. Pentewan, as he sat in Reuben Fletcher's cottage. 
 
 And Mary told her story as she had planned to tell 
 it during the half hour she had been alone. It be- 
 gan when she reached the lonely tarn, and finished at 
 the point at which Rossini had expressed the wish that 
 Mr. Pentewan should be informed of his whereabouts. 
 The old contractor listened carefully, and when she had 
 finished, he opened his mouth to ask her the questions 
 which Mary dreaded. But he did not ask them. Mr. 
 Pentewan was a keen-sighted man ; moreover, he knew 
 a great deal more than Mary was aware of. Rossini 
 had told him of his encounters with Reuben Fletcher, 
 and of the man's continuous threats against him ; and 
 when he discovered that Mary was Reuben's daughter, 
 he drew his own conclusions. That he entirely be- 
 lieved in the girl was evident. No one, he thought, 
 could look at her face without believing in her. 
 
 He remained quietly thinking for some time after 
 Mary had completed her narrative, and seemed to be 
 trying to find links to connect the broken parts of her 
 story. He had come to Port St. Mary to pay an ordi- 
 nary visit to Rossini that day, and when he arrived he 
 found that the " works " were in a state of confusion, 
 on account of Rossini's absence. The simple facts of 
 the case had been much magnified, and all sorts of 
 
 287
 
 288 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 rumours were afloat. But Mr. Pentewan was not so 
 much disturbed by them as others seemed to be. It 
 was true he knew of Fletcher's threats, but then he had 
 infinite faith in Rossini's power to defend himself. " The 
 lad's all right," he said to himself, and then he set to 
 work to bring the operations at the harbour into a state 
 of order. He was a well-known contractor, and many 
 were aware that Rossini had been associated with him 
 in the past. Of course, he was able to give no informa- 
 tion about Rossini, but his air of confidence did much 
 to stop the wild imaginings of the men. 
 
 "You have done quite right in coming to me, Miss 
 Fletcher," he said presently, " and I congratulate you on 
 your success in finding him, especially as you had no 
 clue ; for you had no clue, had you ? " 
 
 " No," said Mary, " I had no clue." 
 
 Mr. Pentewan looked at her steadily for a few 
 seconds, and then he went on. 
 
 " I can put a stop to all wild talk now. I can go 
 to his landlady's house and tell her " 
 
 "But you'll not tell where he is you know what 
 he asked me ! " 
 
 " I shall tell nothing, except that I have heard from 
 him, and that he'll return in due time. That'll be suffi- 
 cient to stop the tongues of most of the gossips. I'll 
 also go to the police ; and then if I say a few words to 
 the workmen in the morning, everything will settle down 
 to its normal condition. But I must see him. Can you 
 take me to the place where he is, young lady ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes," said the girl. " But no one must know ; 
 and it's five miles away." 
 
 " I'm an old man," replied Mr. Pentewan ; " all the 
 same, I'm still good for a ten mile walk ; but is there
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 289 
 
 not a railway station nearer to Ashdown Moors than 
 Port St. Mary ? I think there must be." 
 
 "Yes," said Mary, "there is Pendiggle." 
 
 " Ah, that should save me two miles, and I could go 
 there without attracting attention. I can manage it 
 with your assistance. I am inclined to think, however, 
 that when I see Mrs. Keast, I shall have to persuade 
 her to admit a doctor." 
 
 For half an hour they talked together, and then 
 Mary Fletcher again prepared to leave the house and 
 go out alone. But in spite of the fact that she had 
 found Rossini, and in all probability saved his life, her 
 step was heavy and her heart was sad. For some- 
 how, in a way she could not understand, he seemed 
 farther away from her than ever now. Hitherto she 
 had loved him secretly, and, as far as she knew, with- 
 out hope that he would ever care for her. Nevertheless, 
 the words she had heard him speak about Lady Bea- 
 trice Penwithen seemed to blot out all sunlight from 
 her life. Up to that day, even while she had no hope 
 that he could ever care for her, she did not think of 
 him as loving anyone else. Now she knew that she was 
 less than nothing to him, for all his heart had gone out 
 towards the lady he had mentioned in his mind-wander- 
 ings. For of course he was mistaken about this lady 
 not loving him. Who could know him and not love 
 him, and who could prefer another to him ? Therefore, 
 although she rejoiced that she had been the means of 
 saving his life, she felt that she had saved him for another. 
 
 Not that this altered her course of action. No 
 thought of self entered into her love. Her every 
 thought had been as to how she could serve him. So, 
 although her step was weary, she made her way to Eli
 
 2QO A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Keast's cottage again. She did not go by way of the 
 Manor Farm this time, but struck upon a moor track fai 
 nearer Port St. Mary. More than once she stopped and 
 listened, for she feared she was followed. She imagined 
 that her father and his companions might not be sure 
 about the success of their work, and as she had saved 
 Rossini ir> the past, Fletcher might still have suspicions 
 about her. Besides, he might have come to the house, 
 and, finding the cottage empty, have drawn his own con- 
 clusions. On the other hand, however, she felt sure 
 he would desire to stay away from Port St. Mary, for 
 she knew that he had gone to Downdelly in order that 
 he might wreak his vengeance without attracting sus- 
 picion to himself. 
 
 " I have saved him from being a murderer," she 
 said to herself again and again, and yet in her heart 
 she knew that her father was as much a murderer as if 
 his plans had succeeded. 
 
 When she arrived at Eli Keast's cottage, it had been 
 dark for two hours. The old man had gone to bed, 
 while Tobias sat in the armchair by the kitchen fire. 
 
 " Mawther's in theer," said Tobias, nodding to 
 Rossini's bedroom. " She zed you'd come again that 
 was why I stopped up. Set down, will 'ee ? " 
 
 " How is he ? " she asked. 
 
 "I reckon 'ee's better. Mawther'll zoon put 'im 
 to rights." Then he spoke in a whisper. " She towld 
 me not to ax questions, but you'll tell me everything, 
 waan't 'ee ? " 
 
 " I've nothing to tell," said Mary. 
 
 "Aw, iss, you 'ave. You must. Besides, I won't 
 tell nothin'." 
 
 " I've nothing to tell," repeated Mary.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 291 
 
 " Es 'ee your sweetheart ? " asked Tobias. 
 
 " Oh, no, no," said the girl. 
 
 Tobias gave a sigh of relief. During the day he 
 had thought a great deal about the beautiful girl who 
 had brought news of the sick stranger, and although 
 he was not a susceptible youth, his heart beat rapidly at 
 the thought of her coming. 
 
 " Be you goin' back to Port St. Mary to-night ? " 
 he asked presently. 
 
 "No. Why?" 
 
 " Cos, ef you was, I'd walk back with 'ee. I bean't 
 'fraid of ghoasts. Not a bit. Besides, you seed how 
 strong I was this morning. I cud 'a' carr'd un by myself." 
 
 At that moment Tamsin entered the room. 
 
 " Iss, 'ee's better," she said in reply to Mary's look 
 of inquiry, " but 't'll be a long job." 
 
 Mary heaved a sigh of thankfulness. 
 
 " What 'ave 'ee done down to Port St. Mary ? " went 
 on Tamsin. " What be 'em sayin' ? " 
 
 Mary looked at Tobias and did not reply. Tamsin 
 fully understood. 
 
 " 'Bias," she said, " you be off to bed to wance. You'll 
 be slaipy in the mornin', that's what you'll be. Off, now ! " 
 
 Tobias cast a longing glance at Mary, but did as he 
 was told. Evidently he regarded his mother with 
 great awe. 
 
 " Ther, now, he's gone," said Tamsin. " Look 'ere, 
 my deear, ef ever you do git married, begin as you do 
 main to hould out Men must allays do as they be 
 towld. Ef you doan't git 'em into that way, ther's no 
 livin' with 'em. 'Usband or sons, 'tis jist the same." 
 
 "Doesn't that depend on the man?" asked Mary, 
 thinking of Rossini.
 
 292 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Nothin' of the sort, my deear. The way is to begin 
 right. For the fust year I was married, Eli wanted to 
 be maaster ; but I jist beginned as I mained to hould 
 out, and at the end of the year 'ee was as tractable as a 
 lamb. But ther's various ways of doin' ev it, my deear. 
 The right way es to git your own way, but to make yer 
 man think 'ee's gittin' his. Tha's the saicret of married 
 happiness. Aw, iss, I do know what you be thinkin' 
 'bout. 'Ee's better, my deear. 'Ee'll git on all right." 
 
 "There's a gentleman coming to see him," said 
 Mary. 
 
 " Then, 'ee caan't see un," replied Tamsin ; " but who 
 esit?" 
 
 Mary explained who Mr. Pentewan was, after which 
 Tamsin became less pronounced in her decision that no 
 one should see her patient. When Mr. Pentewan 
 arrived, however, Rossini was sleeping quietly, and 
 although the old gentleman went into his room and stood 
 by his side for a few minutes, no word was spoken. 
 
 " You'll be staying all night, I expect ? " Mr. 
 Pentewan said to Mary. 
 
 " Yes," said the girl. 
 
 " Then you had better go and sit with him while I 
 have a few minutes' talk with this lady," he remarked. 
 
 " And, mind, not a sound," said Tamsin. 
 
 Mary took her place by Rossini's bed, and watched 
 him as he lay. She felt happier now that she was near 
 him, and into her heart came a sense of possession which 
 she had never known before. Now and then he mur- 
 mured in his sleep, but on the whole he was sleeping 
 restfully. 
 
 " I saved him ! I saved him ! " she murmured again 
 and again ; " but for me be would have died"
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 293 
 
 She rose and placed the candle where she could see 
 him more plainly. His face was very pale now ; evidently 
 the fever had been much lessened. 
 
 " I wonder if he'll ever know how I love him ? " she 
 thought as she watched him. "That Lady Beatrice 
 may be very grand and beautiful, but she does not love 
 him as I do. She could not" 
 
 She looked anxiously around the room, and then she 
 fistened interftly. No one was looking, and she knew 
 by the murmur of voices that Tamsin and Mr. Pentewan 
 were busily talking. 
 
 She leant over the bed and kissed him ; then, like 
 one frightened, she snatched the candle away and hid 
 herself in a shadow. 
 
 But Rossini heeded her not. He was unconscious 
 of her presence. Once he murmured something about 
 building a bridge, and again he mentioned the name of 
 Lady Beatrice Penwithen, but he seemed to have no 
 thought of her who would glady have laid down her life 
 for him. 
 
 Meanwhile Tamsin Keast and Mr. Pentewan were 
 talking earnestly. Each had a great deal to ask of the 
 other, but neither had anything to communicate. 
 
 " I think you had better get a doctor," said Mr. 
 Pentewan presently, as he rose to leave. 
 
 " Not ef I do know et," replied Tamsin. " I do know 
 more 'bout curin' people than any doctor in Port St 
 Mary, even though I do say it myself." 
 
 " But if he should die ? " 
 
 " 'Ee waan't die, I tell 'ee ; 'ee'll git better." 
 
 " It's not a matter of expense," went on Mr. Pente- 
 wan. " Your patient has considerable means ; and even 
 if he hadn't, I would pay everything."
 
 294 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " I tell 'ee the doctors would only put un back," per- 
 sisted Tamsin. " I ain't a-bin a doctor for nothin'." 
 
 " But you'll see that he wants for nothing," said Mr. 
 Pentewan. " Let him have everything that is necessary, 
 and let no thought of cost hinder you." 
 
 " 'Ee shall 'ave everything of the best," said Tamsin ; 
 " and 'ee'll git better ; but no doctor must come 'ere." 
 
 Mr. Pentewan went into Rossini's bedroom again 
 before he left, and then he went away in a very thought- 
 ful frame of mind. 
 
 A week passed away, and Mary Fletcher spent aa 
 much time as possible at Tamsin Keast's house. When 
 she went to her own home, it was in fear and trembling, 
 for she dreaded her father coming back. But she had 
 no need to fear. Reuben Fletcher never came near Port 
 St. Mary. He wrote to her from Downdelly, telling her he 
 was getting good wages, and that he thought of taking 
 a house there, so that she might come to him. But he 
 never mentioned Rossini's name, nor did he suggest that 
 he knew anything of his disappearance. Mary dis- 
 "covered, moreover, that Mr. Pentewan had silenced much 
 of the gossip about Rossini. The operations at the 
 harbour went on as usual, and the workmen expected 
 the " young boss " back daily. 
 
 But Rossini did not come. The injuries he had re- 
 ceived seemed to be far less than Tamsin had feared ; 
 moreover, the fever had passed away quickly ; and yet 
 he did not recover. The wound in his head healed, and 
 the broken arm progressed satisfactorily, and yet he 
 failed to gain back his strength ; neither did he take any 
 interest in those things which Mary Fletcher had 
 thought were the joy of his life. When his mind be- 
 came clear, she told him of what Mr. Pentewan had
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 295 
 
 done, and he had sighed like one relieved of a great 
 burden. 
 
 " That will be all right," he said quietly, and then he 
 seemed to dismiss it from his mind 
 
 Moreover, he showed but little disappointment when 
 she told him that the magistrates had renewed the 
 licences of the public-houses he had determined to 
 destroy. Rather, he seemed in a state of torpor, out of 
 which nothing could arouse him. 
 
 Mr. Pentewan visited him frequently, and, as the 
 time passed, began to grow anxious. There seemed no 
 reason why he should not grow strong quickly. After 
 all, as the old man reasoned, Rossini's constitution was 
 strong and vigorous ; and even though he had passed 
 through terrible experiences, he could not understand 
 why his youth and strength should not assert themselves 
 and bring him back to health again. 
 
 Presently he again approached Tamsin Keast with 
 the suggestion that a doctor shoulu visit him, but the old 
 woman stubbornly refused 
 
 " I tell 'ee, no doctor c'n do un good," she urged 
 "And I'll not 'ave 'em 'ere, now, then. Laive un alone, 
 an' 'ee'll git better." 
 
 The next visit Mr. Pentewan made, however, deter- 
 mined him to do without Mrs. Keast's consent what he 
 could not do with it. In this he was partly influenced 
 by Mary Fletcher, who besought him to overrule the 
 old woman's prejudices. 
 
 "He does not seem ill, and yet he does not get 
 better," she urged. "There must be something Mrs. 
 Keast does not understand ; and, oh ! if he should die ! " 
 
 Mr. Pentewan said nothing, but on his next visit he 
 was accompanied by a quiet, middle-aged gentleman
 
 296 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 named Pollard, who talked to Mrs. Keast about rearing 
 poultry in such a way that she thought he must have 
 given his life to poultry-farming. Mr. Pentewan told 
 her, however, that Mr. Pollard was greatly interested in 
 the harbour, and that it was necessary for him to have 
 a short chat with her patient. 
 
 "'Ee caan't bear much excitement, mind that," said 
 Mrs. Keast, " for 'ee's as waik as a kitten. And more 
 than that, you mustn't stay more'n a quarter of an hour." 
 
 " Oh, I think I shall be able to say all I've got to say 
 in that time," said Mr. Pollard quietly ; but Mr. Pente- 
 wan noticed a smile lurking around his lips and a 
 twinkling in his eyes as he spoke. 
 
 "Well, Keverne," said Mr. Pentewan as he entered 
 the room, " how are you to-day ? " 
 
 " Oh, all right," said Rossini, with a wan smile. 
 
 " Then why don't you get up ? " 
 
 " Oh, I don't know. I am very tired, I think. Be- 
 sides, there's nothing to get up for." 
 
 " Why, that's not like you, Keverne. There's a great 
 deal to get up for. They want you down at the har- 
 bour. I'm only a very poor makeshift, you know. It's 
 true I've arranged with the powers that be, but they 
 naturally expect you there." 
 
 " I don't see that it matters much," said Rossini. 
 " As you know, you were regarded as a sort of sponsor 
 for me, and if I never turn up well, it'll be all right." 
 
 " But what about you ? " 
 
 " I scarcely count, do I ? " he said feebly. 
 
 "And, meanwhile, who's to fight the pothouse- 
 keepers and the bookmakers ? " 
 
 Something of the old Rossini's look came back 
 into his eyes, but it quickly passed away.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 297 
 
 " I'm afraid I attempted an impossible task," he said 
 presently, and there was a tone of intense weariness in 
 his voice. 
 
 " This from you, who used to say there was nothing 
 impossible to a determined man." 
 
 " To a determined man aye, but there's the rub." 
 
 " Well, aren't you a determined man ? " 
 
 "What is there to be determined about? Is any- 
 thing worth while ? " 
 
 At this point Mr. Pollard took up the conversation, 
 and presently Rossini found himself talking about his 
 experiences. He would say nothing of the men who at- 
 tacked him ; he simply stated that he had been attacked, 
 and that he had been dragged to the edge of the tarn 
 by men who determined to murder him. He said it was 
 a popular belief that the tarn had no bottom, and that 
 they believed if he were to sink into the pool he would 
 never rise again. He had, however, managed to slip 
 from these men's grasp and plunge into the water, but 
 not before one of them struck him a heavy blow with 
 a cudgel which was meant to kill him. Fortunately, 
 however, the blow only grazed his head, but it injured 
 his arm so badly that he was obliged to swim with one 
 hand. 
 
 This led to an examination of his head and arm, and 
 to a thorough examination of his physical condition. 
 
 " There should be no reason why you should not be 
 strong and well in a few days," said Mr. Pollard, when 
 he had finished his examination. 
 
 "Ah, you are a doctor," said Rossini, with a wan 
 smile. " I see. Mr. Pentewan has managed to smuggle 
 you here in spite of Mrs. Keast's objections." 
 
 " "Mrs Keast's treatment has been all that could be
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 desired," said the doctor. "Personally I can see no 
 earthly reason why you should not be on the high-road 
 to convalescence." 
 
 They talked a few minutes longer and then left him. 
 
 " Well ? " said Mr. Pentewan as they left the house. 
 
 " The man's case is very critical," said Dr. Pollard. 
 
 " You mean that it is doubtful if he will get better ? " 
 asked Mr. Pentewan in dismay. 
 
 "That's what I do mean. He's had a tremendous 
 nervous shock, but that I should not trouble about if 
 he wanted to get better. But he doesn't. I believe 
 he wants to die. I say, Pentewan, has he any sweet- 
 heart, or has he had any love affair ? " 
 
 " No," said Mr. Pentewan ; " the only sweetheart or 
 love affair Rossini Keverne has ever had has been his 
 work and his love for his profession." 
 
 "Vouare sure of that?" 
 
 "I have known him for seven years ever since he 
 was a boy, in fact and I've never seen him take the 
 slightest notice of any woman." 
 
 " Then," said the doctor, " I am nonplussed Physic- 
 ally there is no reason why he should not soon recover, 
 the reason he does not is that he lacks the desire to live. 
 He wants motive force. His desire is to die rather 
 than to live. Excuse me for asking again, but are you 
 sure he loves no one ? No woman, I mean ? " 
 
 " As sure as a man can be." 
 
 "Well, I think differently. I believe he loves some 
 woman, and it is only that woman who can save his life." 
 
 "That can't be," said Mr. Pentewan. "I tell you, 
 he isn't that kind of man." 
 
 " That is the kind of man who generally has some 
 love affair hidden in his heart. What he wants is some-
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 299 
 
 thing to live for. If, as I believe is the case, there is 
 some woman that he loves, that woman could give him 
 motive force to live." 
 
 "But, assuming there is a woman, supposing she 
 does not care for him, supposing she has married some- 
 one else ? What then ? " 
 
 "Answer the question for yourself, Mr. Pentewaa 
 Here is a fellow with a splendid physique. Every organ 
 in his body is perfect. Now, then, you admit that you 
 have seen, a change in him these last few months what 
 has caused that change ? Still, he has been strong and 
 vigorous until until this strange happening. He re- 
 ceives a terrible shock, he has been very near death. 
 But he has been carefully and skilfully attended to. 
 Yes, I admit that this old woman knows her business, 
 and has nursed him carefully. The fever is gone, the 
 wounds are healed ; but he does not get better. Why ? 
 With such a constitution he should be on the high-road 
 to health ; but what is the state of things ? His pulse 
 is weak, he is deathly tired, he takes no interest in any- 
 thing, he does not want to live. Why? I have given 
 you my opinion." 
 
 "Then you can do nothing?" 
 
 " No doctor can help him. What he needs is motive, 
 it is the desire to live, and that I cannot give him." 
 
 Although he did not know it, Mr. Pentewan was not 
 the only listener to the doctor's words. Mary Fletcher 
 had heard all, and when they had returned to Port St. 
 Mary, she fought a great battle in her own heart 
 
 a The doctor is right," she said ; " and, after all, it is 
 not I who can save his life." 
 
 Presently she made up her mind what she should do, 
 and a little later she was on her way to Penwithen HalL
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 LADY BEATRICE AND MARY FLETCHER. 
 
 THE next day Mary Fletcher stepped out of the train 
 at the station nearest Penwithen Hall with a strange 
 feeling at her heart. 
 
 "Which is the way to Lord Penwithen's house?" 
 she asked one of the porters. 
 
 "Follow thickey road till you come to the lodge 
 gates. You caan't miss et," replied the man, eyeing her 
 keenly. " Be 'ee come from far? " he added. 
 
 " Yes," replied Mary. " Do you know whether 
 that is is the family at home ? " 
 
 "Iss, I reckon. Oh, iss, I know they be. I seed 
 Lady Beatrice out drivin' yesterday. Be you Lady 
 Beatrice's new maid ? You beean't a sarvent, be 'ee ? " 
 
 " No," said Mary, " I'm not a servant. Good-day, and 
 thank you." 
 
 " I wonder who she es ? " said John Beel to himself 
 as she walked away. " I shudden wonder ef I ain't a-bin 
 taakin' liberties with my betters. But then a lady wouldn't 
 come in sich a way. She ain't a-got no luggage, and 
 ther ed'n no carriage to mit her. But she es purty. 
 Purty as Lady Beatrice es, she ed'n so purty as she; 
 and she do look like a laady, too." 
 
 But Mary did not trouble about John's questions, 
 nor his speculations, as she walked towards Penwithen 
 Hall ; her mind was too much occupied with other things. 
 
 300
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 301 
 
 Never until this moment had she realised the strange- 
 ness of her mission. When she had heard what Dr. 
 Pollard told Mr. Pentewan, it seemed easy for her to go 
 and tell Lady Beatrice what she knew. During the 
 hours she had sat by Rossini's bedside and listened to 
 what he said in his delirium, it seemed to her that she 
 had learnt to know a great deal about the woman he 
 loved. For Rossini had repeated much of the conversa- 
 tion they had had together. It is true that a great deal 
 he had said was disconnected and meaningless ; never- 
 theless, she had pieced his confessions together in such a 
 way that she felt that Lady Beatrice loved him, and that 
 they had only been parted through a misunderstanding. 
 It is true she had been much puzzled about the refer- 
 ence to Sir Hugh Kenwood, but she had no doubt that 
 all would be explained. It was for her to go to Lady 
 Beatrice and tell her what had happened, and then she 
 felt sure that this proud lady would rush to his side. 
 
 What it had cost her to come to this decision, no 
 one but herself knew. Though she had never cherished 
 the hope that Rossini would ever love her, yet the 
 thought that he loved another was like death to her. 
 For a time she hated the thought of Lady Beatrice Pen- 
 withen, and passionately resented the idea of another 
 woman entering Rossini's life ; but when she heard Dr. 
 Pollard's words, there seemed nothing for her to do but 
 to go to her and tell her what she had to tell. She felt 
 like one signing her own death-warrant in doing this, 
 but her love for Rossini demanded it of her, and she 
 must do it What was her life, what was anyone's life, 
 compared with his? She thought she had saved him 
 after that terrible night on the moors ; now she knew 
 that there was a harder task still to accomplish.
 
 302 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Presently she reached the lodge gates, and her heart 
 almost failed her as she entered the park and walked 
 towards the house. How would Lady Beatrice receive 
 her, and what must she say to her? This had not 
 seemed a difficulty the day before, but now all was dif- 
 ferent Would not the woman who had been reared 
 amidst such surroundings resent her presence as an un- 
 pardonable intrusion? Had she not better turn back? 
 Perhaps, after all, Rossini would get better, and then in 
 time he might forget all about the lady she was going 
 to see. And then who knew? perhaps when he 
 realised that it was she Mary Fletcher who had saved 
 his life, he might think of her kindly. Besides, why 
 should she throw away her own happiness by going to 
 this woman ? She did not love him really. If she did, 
 she would not have treated him badly; for Mary was 
 sure she had treated him badly that was why his 
 heart was breaking now. 
 
 But all this failed to satisfy her. Rossini's life hung 
 in a balance, and it was the woman who lived at the 
 great house which she dimly saw through the trees who 
 would be able to turn that balance. After all, who was 
 she, Mary Fletcher? Only the child of the man who 
 had sought to murder him. What right had she to 
 expect aye, even to dream that he could care for her ? 
 And his life must be saved, no matter what the cost 
 might be to her. 
 
 Presently the great house burst upon her view, and 
 to her it seemed a kind of enchanted palace. She knew 
 nothing about such places. Her life had been passed 
 amidst humble surroundings, and she had no knowledge 
 of the rich and the great. For a moment she wondered 
 that even Rossini should have dared to love the owner
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 303 
 
 of such a mansion, but only for a moment. Nothing 
 was too great or too good for him, nothing was too diffi- 
 cult for him to accomplish. Besides, the very grandeur 
 of the old house, and the ideas it inspired, seemed to 
 confirm her in her belief that Lady Beatrice could win 
 Rossini back to health. 
 
 Tremblingly she went up to the main entrance and 
 rang the bell. She heard its clang re-echoing through 
 the rooms, and it seemed to her like a death-knell to 
 her every hope ; and presently, when a servant appeared, 
 she could scarcely speak. 
 
 " Is Lady Beatrice Penwithen at home ? " she asked. 
 
 The man looked at her almost rudely ; evidently he 
 was trying to estimate her positioa That she was not 
 the kind of lady visitor which usually came to the Hall, 
 he was quite sure. On the other hand, he felt sure that 
 she was not of the servant class. True, she was quietly 
 and plainly dressed ; nevertheless, there was an air of 
 dignity and of refinement not only in her person, but in 
 her manner of speech. 
 
 " I don't know," he said. " If you'll tell me your name 
 and business, I'll see.' 
 
 " She would not know my name," replied Mary. " As 
 for my business, I can only tell it to her." 
 
 " Then I'm afraid she's not at 'ome," said the man ; 
 " but if you'll give me your card, as I said, I'll see." 
 
 " I have no card," said Mary. " Nevertheless, it's 
 very important that I see her most important" 
 
 " I dare say," said the man. He had drawn his con- 
 clusions by this time. She was not a lady, and was most 
 likely come to beg, or something of that sort. "No 
 doubt your business is very important All the same, 
 I can safely say that she's not at 'ome."
 
 304 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " But I've come many miles to see her," urged 
 Mary. 
 
 " Very likely," said the man. " May I inquire if you 
 have an appointment ? " 
 
 "No," said Mary. "All the same, I know Lady 
 Beatrice would be very sorry if I went away without her 
 seeing me. It's a matter of life and death," she added. 
 
 "Well, I'll see," said the man. She might not be a 
 lady, but there was something in her presence which 
 commanded respect. "Will you sit here in the 'all a 
 minute ? " 
 
 A few minutes later he returned. "Will you be 
 pleased to follow me, miss ? " he said. 
 
 Mary followed him with a fast-beating heart, and so 
 much was her mind filled with her mission that she 
 scarcely noticed the spacious halls and what were to her 
 the strangely beautiful rooms. The man led her up a 
 flight of stairs and along a thickly carpeted corridor, until 
 he stopped at the door of a room at which he knocked. 
 A moment later the man had gone, and Mary found 
 herself face to face with the woman of whom Rossini 
 Keverne had spoken in his delirium. 
 
 She looked at her eagerly. This was the lady whom 
 Rossini loved ; this was the woman whom she believed 
 would save his life. At first she was disappointed Yes, 
 doubtless she was beautiful, and, besides her beauty, 
 there was something in her presence which baffled her. 
 Nevertheless, a sad feeling crept into her heart. This 
 lady, beautiful and rich as she was, could never make 
 Rossini happy. He was great, he was passionate, he 
 laughed at conventionalities ; but this lady was well, 
 she could not put her thoughts into words, but she felt 
 that she was smaller than he. She thought she would
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 305 
 
 have been afraid of her, but she was not This lady 
 could not love as she loved 
 
 "I am told that you wish to see me," said Lady 
 Beatrice, dropping her pen, for she had been writing. 
 " What can I do for you ? " 
 
 " My name is Mary Fletcher," said the girl, hardly 
 knowing how to begin. " I do not suppose you ever 
 heard of me?" 
 
 " No," said Lady Beatrice, " I never heard of you." 
 
 " Of course, he would never think of mentioning me 
 to you," said Mary. She did not mean to say this, but 
 the words escaped from her before she was aware. 
 
 " Who would never think of mentioning you ? " asked 
 Lady Beatrice. Like the servant, she was trying to 
 draw conclusions as to what kind of a person her visitor 
 was. Why she had received her, she hardly knew ; per- 
 haps it was because the man had repeated Mary's words, 
 that her visit was a matter of life and death. Now that 
 she stood before her she became interested. There was 
 something in the look in her visitor's eyes, and more in 
 the tone of her voice, which arrested her. Besides, she 
 was beautiful, and the simplicity of her dress added to 
 her beauty. 
 
 " Who ? " said Mary. " Why, Mr. Keverne." 
 
 Lady Beatrice started. " Mr. Keverne ! " she cried 
 "Did he send you here?" 
 
 " No, no ; he does not know. He would be angry if 
 he did I am sure ; but I could not help it The doctor 
 says he will die if if " 
 
 She did not finish the sentence, because she did not 
 know how to put her thoughts into words. 
 
 "Die! What do you mean? Is he ill? Tell me 
 quickly ! "
 
 30(5 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Her face became white as she spoke. Evidently 
 she had not forgotten him ; evidently, too, the news of 
 his illness moved her greatly. 
 
 "Promise that you'll not telL I'm sure he would 
 never forgive me if he knew that I told what I must 
 tell" 
 
 " Who are you ? " asked Lady Beatrice quickly. 
 "Are you a friend of Mr. Keverne's? Why do you 
 come to speak to me about him ? " 
 
 " Because But promise you'll not tell. You see, 
 
 he does not know. He has been ill He was nearly 
 killed by by " 
 
 " By whom ? " 
 
 " I dare not tell you that ; besides, there is no need." 
 
 Like lightning Lady Beatrice's mind flew back to 
 the night when she had first met Rossini. He had told 
 her that he had been attacked by a gang of men, and 
 had been saved by the daughter of the leader of the 
 gang. She remembered, too, that Rossini had described 
 her as a beautiful girl, a modern Joan of Arc. * 
 
 "You are the daughter of that man who tried to 
 kill him, aren't you ? " she asked. 
 
 " How did you know ? " gasped Mary. 
 
 "He told me." 
 
 "He told you? What about? When?" 
 
 "That night on Black Rock, when some men 
 attacked him ; and you came and saved him. Has your 
 father tried to harm him since ? " 
 
 " Oh ! but he is njy father, and I must not harm 
 him. But this is why I've come. Mr. Keverne is ill, 
 dying perhaps. And the doctor says he's dying because 
 he has no desire to live. I heard him tell Mr. Pentewan 
 that he was sure Mr. Keverne loved some woman, and
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 307 
 
 he was dying because this woman had had refused 
 him. You see, he does not desire to get better, because 
 there's nothing to live for. But you could save him, 
 my lady, I know you could. Because you love him, 
 you know." 
 
 " I love him. How dare you say so ? " 
 
 "Because you could not help it. How could you, 
 when he loves you so ? No one could help loving him." 
 
 Lady Beatrice looked at her keenly. " Tell me more, 
 tell me everything ! " she cried She had forgotten the 
 difference in their social positions ; they were two 
 women talking about a man whom Lady Beatrice, in 
 spite of everything, could not forget 
 
 Little by little Mary told her story, until Lady 
 Beatrice knew almost everything that had happened 
 since that day when she had received a letter from 
 Rossini telling her to marry the man she loved. 
 
 "Then your father has tried to murder him twice 
 since that night when " 
 
 " But you'll tell nothing, my lady, will you ? Besides, 
 I I found him and now, he'll get better if if you 
 go to him and tell him that but you know what 
 to say." 
 
 "And he talked of me while he was unconscious, 
 did he ? " said Beatrice. " Tell me again what he said." 
 
 " Oh, it is not fair to make me tell you more than 
 I have told you. Besides, you know. He said he gave 
 you up because his friend loved you, and he did not 
 believe you really loved him, although he loved you 
 more than his own life. But you do love him, and 
 you'll go to him, won't you? You'll tell him to hope, 
 won't you. Then hi will soon be strong and well again. 
 Say you will 1 "
 
 3o8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Lady Beatrice looked at the girl keenly. 
 
 "You love him," she said. 
 
 Mary was silent. 
 
 Lady Beatrice took a step nearer to her. 
 
 " You love him," she repeated. " Tell me, you love 
 him, don't you ? You have done all this because you 
 love him." 
 
 The tone of her voice aroused Mary Fletcher's anger. 
 
 " Yes," she said, "I do ; and if he loved me as he 
 loves you, I I would not have driven him to to his 
 death." 
 
 " How dare you ! " 
 
 " How dare I what ? " asked Mary. 
 
 "Love him." 
 
 The question angered the girl still more. There 
 was something scornful in her voice, something which 
 seemed to tell her that she had been guilty of presump- 
 tion in lifting her eyes to such a man. 
 
 " If you loved him really, you would not have asked 
 that," said Mary. " I see now why you drove him 
 away. You are not capable of loving such a man as 
 he ought to be loved." 
 
 For a moment Beatrice Penwithen almost forgot 
 herself in her anger. She was about to say something 
 for which she would have been sorry, but she checked 
 herself. 
 
 " I think there is nothing more to say now," she 
 said quietly. " I will order some refreshments for you 
 before you go." 
 
 "I do not want any refreshments. I must go back 
 and nurse him. But you will come to him, won't you ? 
 Forgive me if I said anything wrong ; but you can 
 save his life. Say you will."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 309 
 
 But Beatrice Penwithen did not speak ; she seemed 
 to be pondering deeply. 
 
 " Even if you do not love him," said Mary, " you 
 can go to him ; perhaps the sight of you would save 
 his life." 
 
 " How could that help him ? " she said. " Besides, 
 he may have ceased to love me ; and perhaps when 
 he realises what you have done, he will " 
 
 " Oh, I am nothing to him. He never thinks of me. 
 I have sat by his side for hours, and I have heard him 
 talk of all sorts of things; but never of me. Oh, yes, 
 I will say it I love him a thousand times more than 
 you are capable of loving; I would face death to 
 win a smile, a kind word from him ; I would die even 
 now, if I 'could bring him back to health ; but I am 
 nothing to him ; he never thinks of me. It is you he 
 wants. If you go to him, you will give him something 
 to live for yes, and he will live. Come with me now ; 
 I will show you the way." 
 
 "You scarcely understand, I think," Lady Beatrice 
 said after a moment's hesitation. " I have not seen 
 him for months never, in fact, since he told me in a 
 letter to marry his friend." 
 
 "And you have not married his friend you are 
 not engaged to him ? " 
 
 "No-o that is, no, I am not engaged to him. 
 But I do not think I can go to Mr. Keverne. You 
 see " 
 
 " But you can save his life ! " 
 
 " You do not understand What would my father 
 the world say, if they knew I went away to this lonely 
 house on the moors ? You cannot realise how such an 
 action might be construed."
 
 3 io A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " What does that matter ? " 
 
 "I tell you, you can't understand. I must think 
 about it. It is no use my explaining things to you. 
 You could not enter into my feelings." 
 
 Again her words angered Mary Fletcher. 
 
 " I cannot enter into your feelings ! " she said. " I 
 wonder if you understand what it cost me to come 
 and tell you what I have told you? Do you think I 
 came for my own pleasure ? Why, it has been like 
 tearing my heart out to come here to plead with you 
 
 to go to his side, when But, there, you do not 
 
 know what love is. Don't you see? He's perhaps 
 dying, and you can save him! What does it matter 
 what people say ? What does anything matter ? If you 
 really loved him, you would be on your way to him 
 even now." 
 
 It gave Mary a sort of savage pleasure to say this. 
 She could not understand the cold demeanour of this 
 proud girl. Rossini loved her. The doctor had made it 
 known to her that she could save his life. What need, 
 then, was there for persuasion? 
 
 " You are sure I shall not ring for refreshments ? " 
 said Lady Beatrice. " No ? Then I think I need not 
 detain you. Good-day." 
 
 Mary left the great house like one dazed. In one 
 sense she rejoiced that this woman would not go to 
 
 Rossini's side. Perhaps perhaps And a thousand 
 
 wi/d hopes rose in her heart. Nevertheless, she was 
 angered beyond words at her reception. 
 
 Meanwhile, Lady Beatrice Penwithen sat alone in 
 deep thought. Mary Fletcher had aroused feelings 
 within her to which she thought herself a stranger; 
 and yet she hesitated what to do. Months before, whea
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 311 
 
 she received Rossini's letter, she felt that he had treated 
 her badly. She did not know until he was gone how 
 much he was to her. So great, indeed, was the shock, 
 that she had refused Sir Hugh Kenwood when he 
 pleaded his cause, and the most she could promise him 
 was that he could speak to her in a year's time. When 
 Sir Hugh had left the house, Rossini's action appealed 
 to her more and more strongly. The young engineer 
 loved her like his own life, and yet, for the sake of his 
 friend, and believing that she loved his friend, he had 
 given her up, to go away into the darkness. Through 
 the months which followed, her mind had been torn 
 by doubts, and often she found herself thinking of 
 Rossini and wondering what had become of him. 
 Often, too, she recalled the words he had said to her, 
 and her heart thrilled at the thought of the look in 
 his eyes and the tone of his voice. And yet she hesi- 
 tated what to do when Mary Fletcher came to her. 
 How could she go to the lonely cottage on Ashdown 
 Moors, and what could she say to him if she went ? It 
 was easy enough for this cottage girl to tell her what 
 to do, but not so easy for her to put her desire into 
 practice. 
 
 Presently she found herself growing angry with 
 Mary. What right had this cottage girl to enter into 
 Rossini's life at all ? And how dare she tell her, Beatrice 
 Penwithen, her duty ? Besides, it angered her that 
 Mary Fletcher, good and pure as she might be, should 
 know anything of what had passed between the young 
 engineer and herself. But this feeling did not remain 
 long, for she began to realise more and more the pur- 
 port of Mary's visit. What if Rossini should die ? The 
 thought was horrible to her, and she would never forgive
 
 3 i2 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 herself for neglecting to do what she was able to do 
 for him. After all, it was quite easy for her to go to 
 him. Her father was not at the Hall, and and 
 
 Thus, little by little, she began to make plans 
 whereby she could reach Rossini's side without 
 attracting attention. 
 
 The next day Mary arrived at Tamsin Keast's 
 cottage as usual " How is he to-day ? " she asked. 
 
 "'Bout the same," said Tamsin rather sharply. She 
 was a little angry that her patient should be so long 
 in recovering. 
 
 " May I go and see him ? " 
 
 "Iss, you can go in weth me now." 
 
 Rossini lay in a kind of stupor. Never since Dr. 
 Pollard had left had he shown interest in anything. 
 Tamsin had tried to rouse him by talking about the 
 harbour and the lighthouse, but all in vain. Often he 
 sighed wearily, as though life were a burden to him. 
 He did not complain, but he would lie for hours staring 
 into vacancy. 
 
 "Are you better, sir?" 
 
 It was Mary who spoke to him, and she looked at 
 him eagerly as she waited for his reply. 
 
 "I'm all right, Mary, only I'm very tired." 
 
 " Is there anything I can do for you, sir ? " 
 
 "No, I think not Perhaps I had better try and 
 get a little sleep." 
 
 It was almost piteous to see him, and Mary's heart 
 grew hot with anger as she remembered her interview 
 with Lady Beatrice Penwithen the day before. 
 
 " Is there anyone you'd like to see, sir ? Or can I 
 take any message to anyone for you ? " 
 
 For a moment a bright light flashed into his eyes,,
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 313 
 
 but only for a moment. The old look of languor came 
 back again, and he sighed with utter weariness. 
 
 At that moment there was a sound of wheels out- 
 side the door, and a woman's voice reached them. 
 Rossini heard it plainly, and he spoke like one startled. 
 
 " Who's that ? " he asked quickly. 
 
 " I'll go and see," said Tamsin. 
 
 "It might be her voice," he murmured. "It was, 
 I'm sure it was ! And yet how can it be ? Why should 
 she come here ? No, no, my mind must be wandering." 
 
 "A laady es come to see you, sur," said Tamsin, 
 returning to the room. 
 
 " A lady ! What lady ? What is her name ? " 
 
 " She dedn't tell me, sur." 
 
 Such a look as Mary Fletcher had never seen before 
 came to his face, and the girl felt her heart grow like 
 lead as she saw it. 
 
 " Can I bring her in, sur ? " 
 
 "Yes, yes if if she will come," he said. 
 
 A moment later Lady Beatrice Penwithen entered 
 the room.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ROSSINI'S AWAKENING. 
 
 ROSSINI looked at her with eyes full of wonder. He 
 could not understand her presence. How did she get 
 there? Who had told her where he was? 
 
 The girl went straight to his bedside, taking no notice 
 either of Tamsin or Mary Fletcher. 
 
 " I am sorry to see you so ill, Mr. Keverne," she said. 
 
 Rossini was aroused now. All lethargy, all weariness 
 were gone. He felt that his heart was beating wildly, 
 and for a moment he could scarcely speak. He remem- 
 bered the circumstances when he had seen her last ; 
 then his strength and health were almost brutal in their 
 vitality ; then, too, he had well-nigh won the promise 
 from this proud lady that she would be his wife. 
 
 He looked around the room and saw that Tamsin 
 and Mary were leaving them. He did not, however, fail 
 to notice the deathly pallor on the latter's face. 
 
 " It is very kind of you to come," he said at last ; 
 then he added almost grimly : " I'm an illustration of our 
 first conversation, Lady Beatrice the facts of life laugh 
 at our plans." 
 
 He hardly knew what he was saying, so overwhelmed 
 was he at the thought of her being by his side. 
 
 "I'm so grieved to hear of what has happened to 
 you," she said " and to see you so ill," she added after 
 a moment's pause.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 315 
 
 " How did you know what had happened to me ? " he 
 asked " Who told you I was ill? " 
 
 " Don't you know ? " 
 
 " No, I know nothing ; tell me." 
 
 " That girl who was here just now ; she came to me 
 and told me." 
 
 " How did she know of you ? I never breathed your 
 name to anyone." 
 
 Lady Beatrice was silent She did not know how to 
 answer the question he had put to her. 
 
 " But never mind that now," he went on ; " you have 
 come to me. Thank you very much. I did not think 
 you cared enough. How how is Hen wood that is, 
 Sir Hugh?" 
 
 " I do not know. I have not seen him since since 
 immediately after you left us." 
 
 "Then you are not his wife?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Nor have you promised to marry him ? " 
 
 " N-n-o" 
 
 Rossini closed his eyes and tried to realise what her 
 words meant Lady Beatrice was still free she had 
 not taken advantage of the sacrifice he had made. What 
 did it mean ? Could it be that, in spite of everything, 
 she she 
 
 He looked at her again, while the girl sat on a chair 
 a little distance away. The light from the window 
 shone upon her face so that he could see every feature. 
 
 " When I heard you were ill," went on Lady Beatrice, 
 "I thought I would call and see you. I thought, per- 
 haps, that when you got better, father would like you 
 to come to the Hall for a few days." 
 
 It cost her a great deal to say this, for she felt she
 
 3 i6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 was departing from all conventional rules. And yet she 
 hardly knew why she was saying it, except that she was 
 very anxious for him to get better. Besides, she remem- 
 bered what Mary Fletcher had told her, and although 
 she was riot sure of her own heart, she wondered greatly. 
 
 " I may not get better," he replied presently. 
 
 " Oh, yes, you must, Mr. Keverne. Everything de- 
 mands that you should Your profession, and and 
 then your friends want you to get better." 
 
 "Who would care if I didn't?" 
 
 He said the words with a kind of new-born strength, 
 and yet there was a touch of bitterness in his tone. 
 
 " Many would care," she replied 
 
 Again Rossini looked at her steadily. He did not 
 understand her presence, and in a vague way he won- 
 dered why she had come. 
 
 "Do you know why I left you so suddenly last 
 June ? " he asked 
 
 "I think so." 
 
 "You saw the meaning of my letter?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Was I mistaken?" 
 
 She was silent. 
 
 " Was I ? Were you not glad that I wrote it ? " 
 
 "I would rather not speak of it now, Mr. Keverne. 
 I'm sure I hope you'll soon be better." 
 
 "Is Kenwood coming back again? " 
 
 "I suppose so." 
 
 "When?" 
 
 "Next June." 
 
 " You told him he might ? " 
 
 Again she was silent for a few seconds, then she 
 said
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 317 
 
 " I am afraid I must go now. I hope you will soon 
 be better ; and when you are, I know my father will be 
 glad to see you at the Hall." 
 
 She rose as if to go, and held out her hand. 
 
 " No, don't go yet," said Rossini. " There is so 
 much I want to ask you. Why did Mary Fletcher tell 
 you I I was ill ? " 
 
 " Do not ask me. I would rather not tell you." 
 
 " But but you know what what happened to me ? " 
 
 " Yes, it was very terrible. That awful man should 
 be sent to prison for life. He, and the others, they all 
 ought to be hanged. You told me about them when 
 you visited us, do you remember ? " 
 
 " Yes, I remember. Then Sir Hugh is coming to see 
 you again next June ? " 
 
 "Yes, I expect so." 
 
 " Why is he waiting so long ? Did you tell him ? " 
 
 She did not answer him something seemed to seal 
 her lips. 
 
 " I am sure I had better go now," she said presently ; 
 "and when you are well again, I know that my father 
 will be delighted to see you. Good-day ; I hope to hear 
 soon that you are quite well again." 
 
 He let her go ; he knew not why. He wanted her to 
 remain longer, and yet he did not try to keep her. It is 
 true she had come to his side without his bidding, and 
 yet it seemed to him that there was an invisible barrier 
 between them all the time they were together. When 
 she had gone, he no longer felt a desire to sleep. 
 Rather his mind was preternaturally awake. He was 
 trying to find an answer to the question which he had 
 put to Lady Beatrice in vain. He had asked her why 
 Mary Fletcher told her of his illness, and she had refused
 
 3i8 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 to tell him. But he was not long in finding the answer. 
 In his delirium he must have mentioned her name, and 
 then Mary Fletcher, who had heard him, must have 
 either written to her or have gone to her. 
 
 " She wants me to go and see her wnen I am 
 better," he mused. "What does that mean? Well, I 
 shall know soon." 
 
 When Tamsin Keast brought him food, he ate it 
 almost heartily. He no longer complained of tiredness, 
 he was no longer lethargic or careless of what happened. 
 A new light had come into his eyes, the old Rossini 
 was asserting himself. 
 
 " How long will it be before I am well again, Mrs. 
 Keast ? " he asked. 
 
 " Not long now, I reckon," the old woman answered 
 significantly. 
 
 " I must be up soon," he said after a few minutes' 
 silence ; " there is so much to do." 
 
 " Iss, ther's a lot to do," replied Tamsin. 
 
 Meanwhile, Lady Beatrice had left the cottage. Out- 
 side, in the farmyard, a lumbering conveyance stood, 
 which had brought her from the station. She was mak- 
 ing her way towards it when Mary Fletcher came and 
 spoke to her. 
 
 " You said you would not come," she said quietly. 
 
 " But I have, you see." 
 
 "Yes. Tell me, did he seem very tired? Did he 
 seem as though he didn't want to live ? " 
 
 " No," replied Lady Beatrice. There was a sugges- 
 tion of triumph in her voice, as though she rejoiced at 
 being able to do what no one else had done. 
 
 Mary Fletcher still kept near her. "Did did you 
 speak about my father ? " she asked.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 319 
 
 " Yes," she replied. " He must be a terrible man." 
 
 "But you'll tell nothing? You promised that, you 
 know." 
 
 Lady Beatrice looked at her doubtfully. "That 
 depends," she said. She was angry with herself for 
 speaking in this way, but the look on the girl's face 
 compelled her. " I mean," she went on, " that neither 
 of us must say anything about your visit to me, nor of 
 its results." 
 
 " As though I would think of it ! " replied Mary 
 angrily. " But tell me, do you think he'll get better ? " 
 
 " Yes, I believe he will." 
 
 Again there was a suggestion of triumph in her 
 voice, but although Mary looked steadily in her face, 
 she could not see what she expected to find. 
 
 " This woman does not know my name, does she ? " 
 said Lady Beatrice quickly. 
 
 " No, and she never will from me," replied Mary. 
 
 Lady Beatrice entered the conveyance and drove 
 away, while Mary stood watching. 
 
 " Oh, she does not love him ! " she said again and 
 again. " I am sure she does not. If she did, and if 
 
 she could make him happy, I I " But she did 
 
 not finish the sentence. A little later she sat by the 
 kitchen fire like one dazed. 
 
 Presently Tamsin Keast came to her, and then Mary 
 looked up with eager questioning in her eyes. 
 
 " He'll soon git better now," said Tamsin. 
 
 " Why ? How do you know ? " 
 
 " He've ait his broth with a relish, my deear, and 
 he's axin' how soon he can be out and around again. 
 That'll be his young laady, I s'poose. Well, my deear, 
 she've done for un more than all the doctors can do.
 
 320 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 He's a defferent man, my deear, a defferent man. The 
 look in his eyes es defferent, the tone of his voice es 
 changed." 
 
 Mary listened, but did not speak. 
 
 Presently she said: "I'm going home." 
 
 "All right, my deear. You're a very good maid. 
 Ef ever you do want a charatter as a nurse, I'll give 
 'ee wan." . 
 
 " You don't want me any more now, do you ? " 
 
 " Not ef you do want to go 'ome, my deear. When 
 will 'ee come over again ? " 
 
 "I don't know." 
 
 " I doan't expect I shall need 'ee. He'll soon be all 
 right now. Ef I shud want 'ee, I'll send Tobias 
 over." 
 
 A little later Mary was on her way to Port St. Mary. 
 She felt she was no longer needed now, and her feet 
 dragged heavily. Not that she was sad. Rather she 
 rejoiced with a great joy. She felt sure now that 
 Rossini would soon be well again, and that was enough 
 to dispel her sadness. For Mary Fletcher's love had as 
 little of the alloy of self in it as it is possible for a 
 woman to have in this world. Ever since she had known 
 him, the thought of self had taken little part in her love. 
 All her thought had been for Rossini's welfare and hap- 
 piness. That obtained, it mattered little about herself. 
 It is not always thus ; nay, such love as hers is very rare. 
 In many cases the love of women is rather a love for 
 self than for the person loved. They think of their own 
 happiness rather than the happiness of the one to whom 
 they imagine they have given their love. The question 
 they ask is : " How can I be happy ? " rather than " How 
 can I make him happy ? " As a consequence they miss
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 3*1 
 
 the end and purpose of life. Happiness is not gained by 
 seeking it, but by seeking to give it. 
 
 Thus Mary Fletcher rejoiced in spite of everything, 
 as she wended her way homeward. Rossini would get 
 well, and she believed, although Lady Beatrice had 
 disappointed her, that he would be happy. And yet her 
 feet dragged heavily, and, to a certain extent, purpose 
 had gone out of her life. There was nothing more she 
 could do now. Even if she had not saved Rossini's life, 
 she had taken her part in a work that was dearer than 
 all else to her. That done, she must go into silence and 
 solitude again. 
 
 Day after day she had gone to the cottage on the 
 moors, only too glad to render the most menial service 
 for the man she loved. Now and then great hopes 
 had entered her heart, but she had quickly driven 
 them away. How could Rossini ever think of her ? 
 Hers was the happiness of loving and serving, rather 
 than the happiness of being loved and being served, and 
 between these two the poles are placed. 
 
 And yet as she found her way back to her home 
 she could not help feeling that she had no desire to 
 live. It was not for her to think of the man whose 
 thoughts were given to another. He would be happy, 
 and henceforth she could have no part or lot in his life. 
 
 She was nearing the edge of the moor when she 
 heard a quick footstep behind her. 
 
 " Mary," said a voice, " where have you been ? " 
 
 She turned quickly and saw her father. There was 
 a look of terror in Reuben Fletcher's eyes, and his whole 
 appearance was gaunt and haggard. 
 
 " Where have you been ? " he asked again ; and 
 Mary shuddered as he spoke. 
 
 K*
 
 322 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "Why?" she asked, for she knew instinctively the 
 thoughts in her father's mind. 
 
 " Tell me," he cried, " tell me everything ! " 
 
 " What is there to tell, father ? " she said. " Have 
 you left Downdelly ? When you wrote to me last, you 
 said you should take a house there, and that I must 
 come to you. Have you done so ? " 
 
 " Look here ! " he cried, " what is it about the young 
 engineer ? " 
 
 " Yes," she said quietly, " what about him ? " 
 
 " He's dead, isn't he ? " 
 
 The words seemed dragged out of the man, and 
 there was agony in every tone. 
 
 She still retained her presence of mind and looked 
 steadily into her father's face. 
 
 " Why should he be dead ? " she asked. 
 
 " Because look here I've been told that he hasn't 
 been at Port St. Mary for weeks, and that Mr. Pente- 
 wan says that he met with an accident some time ago, 
 but that he'll soon be back. There's some mystery 
 about him ; tell me what it is." 
 
 "How should I know?" 
 
 " Look here ; you came to us on Black Rock one 
 night before mother died. How did you know we meant 
 to harm him ? And, more than that, who told him that 
 we meant to blow up the lighthouse ? Did you ? " 
 
 "Yes." The word came from her suddenly, even 
 before she was aware she had spoken it. 
 
 " How did you know ? " 
 
 "How did I know you meant to murder him up 
 on the moors, you and the rest of them ? " she asked 
 quietly. " You thought you killed him, didn't you ? " 
 
 " And didn't we ? " he asked, forgetting all caution.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 323 
 
 " As though you could master such a man as he ! " 
 she said scornfully. 
 
 " And he isn't dead ? " 
 
 "It is the talk of the town that Mr. Pentewan has 
 been to see him," she replied. " He has told the men 
 at the harbour that he'll soon be back." 
 
 "Yes, I've heard of it. People say he got hurt on 
 the night of the Manor Farm party, and then he wrote 
 to Mr. Pentewan to take his place. They say he was 
 up to no good on the night he got hurt that's why 
 he's never let anybody but Mr. Pentewan know where 
 he is. But that can't be true ; he must be dead If 
 he isn't " 
 
 " Yes, if he isn't, what then ? " said Mary, looking 
 at her father's wild, bloodshot eyes and haggard face. 
 
 " He must be dead, I tell you. No man could get 
 out. I tell you he's dead ; all the rest is made up. 
 Why, if he isn't dead, he could " 
 
 " He could bring you up for trying to murder him," 
 said Mary. 
 
 " How do you know ? " 
 
 " If you could see yourself, you'd have no need to 
 ask," replied the girl. 
 
 " And do you believe he's alive ? " 
 
 " I'm sure of it." 
 
 "Then you know more than the rest of them. 
 Tell me what you know, tell me everything." 
 
 " No, I shall tell you nothing," replied the girl. 
 
 He lifted his hand to strike her, but the blow did 
 not fall Reuben Fletcher was a different man from 
 what he had been a few weeks before. All his grim 
 strength was gone, the look in his eyes was the look 
 of a frightened, hunted animal
 
 324 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Mary," he said, " let me tell you something. The 
 others are gone. They've hooked it. I'd have gone, 
 too, but I couldn't leave you. I say, Mary, come away 
 with me. Let us go somewhere where our names are 
 not known where nothing is known. Will you? I 
 
 tell you, He'll have the law on me, he'll he'll 
 
 God only knows what he'll do. I'm afraid. I've hardly 
 eaten anything for days meat chokes me ; and my 
 strength is gone. Sometimes I've believed him dead, 
 and then I've thought his spirit haunted me ; and some- 
 times, when I've thought him alive, I've seen his black 
 eyes looking at me from every quarter. He'll pay me 
 out, Mary and I'm afraid. Come with me, my girl; 
 come with your old father, and we'll go where no one 
 knows us. Will you, Mary ? " 
 
 " Why should I go with you ? " asked the girl. 
 
 "Because oh, because of mother," he stammered 
 " She loved me, Mary, although I was a bad un. And, 
 look here I say, is that engineer anything to you? 
 Has he ever courted you ? " 
 
 " No, never ! " said the girl passionately. 
 
 "Then let's go. Oh, come with me, Mary. I'm 
 afraid of him, alive or dead. He's mastered me. When 
 I thought he was dead, I was afraid of him ; and now 
 you say he's alive, I'm afraid of him. But how do you 
 know he's alive, Mary? I struck him on the head; I 
 heard the sound of the stick, a heavy one, on his skull ; 
 I saw him sink in the bottomless pool. Are you sure 
 he's alive, Mary ? " 
 
 "Yes, sure." 
 
 " How are you sure ? " 
 
 " I found out ; never mind how, but I found out 
 He'll soon be back at Port St. Mary again."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 325 
 
 "Then I must be off. Come with me, Mary, will 
 you? God knows what I shall do if you don't" 
 " Very well," said Mary, " I'll come with you." 
 " But the furniture, Mary, what about that ? " 
 " I'll see to it. Come back home now, and then we 
 can arrange everything." 
 
 "Not till dark, Mary. When 'tis dark, I'll come. 
 I can trust you, can't I ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied the girl, "you can trust me." 
 
 The following day Rossini Keverne was much 
 stronger and better. He had slept well throughout the 
 night, and on waking had felt hungry. 
 
 " You'll soon be all right now," said Tamsin, as she 
 brought him food. 
 
 "Yes, I feel I shall. I must be careful about my 
 arm, though, mustn't I ? " 
 
 " Iss, you mus' be careful, but 'tis goin' on oal right" 
 
 " Do you think I can sit up a bit to-day ? " 
 
 " Why not ? " said Tamsin. 
 
 An hour or so later Rossini called Tamsin to his side. 
 
 " Is Mary Fletcher coming to-day ? " he said 
 
 "I dunnaw." 
 
 " But she has come every day, hasn't she ? " 
 
 "Nearly every day." 
 
 "I should have died but for her, shouldn't I?" 
 
 "Iss, ther's no doubt about that." 
 
 " I've been a brute," said Rossini presently. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " I've never thanked her. Why, she she " He 
 
 did not finish the sentence, but remained for a long time 
 in deep thought
 
 3 26 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " She did not tell you whether she was coming to-day, 
 did she ? " he asked presently. 
 
 "No, I hardly think she will You see well, I 
 towld 'er I didn't think I should want 'er any more. 
 But she's a good maid; besides, she must have gived 
 up a lot of work to come here and help me in the way 
 she did." 
 
 "You mean that Yes, I see. But of course I 
 
 must make that all right." 
 
 Mary did not come that day, although Rossini 
 asked many times for her. When the next day passed 
 and she did not come, Rossini evidently grew anxious. 
 " Why does she not come ? " he asked. 
 
 " Ef she doan't come by to-morrow, I'll send Tobias 
 over and ax about her," remarked Tamsin. 
 
 " But why not to-day ? " asked Rossini. 
 
 " Tobias is busy," replied Tamsin ; " besides, there's 
 nothing she can do. You're all right now. In a day 
 or two more you'll be able to go back to Port St. 
 Mary." 
 
 When the next day came, and Mary did not arrive, 
 Rossini insisted on Tobias going to Reuben Fletcher's 
 cottage to make inquiries. 
 
 " She may be ill, you know," he said ; " she looked 
 terribly pale when I saw her last" 
 
 After Tobias had left for Port St. Mary, he sat in 
 an easy-chair with a look of expectation in his eyes. 
 Often he turned to the clock, as though anxious to know 
 the time, and again he struggled to the window and 
 looked out across the moor. 
 
 " She can't be long now," he repeated to himself 
 again and again. 
 
 Presently Tobias returned with a look of terror in
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 32? 
 
 his eyes. Evidently he had come back with great speed 
 for he panted freely. 
 
 " What's the matter ? " asked Tamsin. 
 
 " Miss Mary's gone ! " 
 
 " Gone where ? " 
 
 "Dunnaw. People be sayin' that ther's bin foul 
 play. Her father corned back t'other night, and since 
 then she ain't a-bin seed." 
 
 Tamsin asked many questions, but Rossini sat 
 looking at the youth without a word. The colour had 
 left his cheeks, however, and in his eyes was a look of 
 terror. 
 
 " Mrs. Keast," he said, " will you lend me your pony 
 and trap ? " 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 "I'm going to Port St. Mary." 
 
 "You bean't goin' to do nothin' of the sort Why, 
 you be as waik as a babby yet." 
 
 " Will you lend me your pony and trap ? " repeated 
 Rossini. 
 
 " Iss, perhaps to-morrow." 
 
 "No, to-day." 
 
 " No ; you bean't fit for the journey to-day. I 
 shaan't laive 'ee 'ave it" 
 
 " Then I shall walk back," said Rossini, rising to 
 his feet
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ROSSINI'S VICTORY. 
 
 s 
 
 TAMSIN KEAST looked at Rossini with amazement as 
 he spoke. There was a tone in his voice which she 
 had never heard before, while his black eyes flashed 
 dangerously. 
 
 " You caan't main it," she said weakly. 
 
 " If you had known me longer, Mrs. Keast," he said, 
 " you would know that I never say anything without 
 meaning it" 
 
 " But but be 'ee sure you be strong enough ? " 
 
 " I know that I'm going to Port St. Mary at once," 
 said Rossini. 
 
 Unconsciously the woman yielded to the grim 
 strength by which this young man had bent circum- 
 stances to his will. 
 
 " Well, ef you must 'ave et, you must 'Bias, go and 
 harness Smiler right away." 
 
 " Must I drive en ovver ? " asked Tobias. 
 
 " Of course you must Now, what be 'ee waiting 
 for ? Off you go ! " 
 
 Tobias went without a word. He knew his mother 
 too well to ask questions. 
 
 " You must wrap up warm," said Tamsin. 
 
 " Your husband's overcoat will do." 
 
 " T'll be dark by the time you git to Port St. Mary." 
 
 " All the better," said Rossini quietly. 
 
 A little later, Rossini walked to the trap which stood 
 328
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 329 
 
 at the farmyard gate. His arm was still in a sling, but 
 he walked uprightly as in the olden days. His face 
 was pale, but in his eyes was that look of determination 
 which had so impressed Hugh Henwood long years 
 before. 
 
 " Here, drink this before you go," said Tamsin. 
 
 " Thank you, Mrs. Keast," he said ; " and thank you 
 for all the kindness you've shown me. I'm afraid I've 
 been a bad patient, but you shall not lose by doing all 
 you've done for me." 
 
 "I hope you'll find the maid," said Tamsin, look- 
 ing at him suspiciously. 
 
 " I shall find her," he replied, and then he got into 
 the trap, with less help than she had believed possible. 
 
 Tobias sat by his side and drove a shaggy pony 
 which he called Smiler. Often the youth cast furtive 
 glances at him, but he dared not speak. There was a 
 look on the young man's face which forbade him. The 
 young engineer was a mystery to him. All he knew of 
 him was that he had constructed the lighthouse, was 
 building a great harbour, and that he had been lying 
 like one dead on the moors when Mary Fletcher found 
 him. Since he had helped to carry him to the house, 
 he had seen but little of him, although he wondered 
 why Miss Mary, as he called her, should come so often to 
 his mother's house to help to nurse him. But his mother 
 had told him to ask no questions, and to tell no one 
 anything of what had happened ; and he dared not dis-. 
 obey. All the same, " Miss Mary " had a great fascina- 
 tion for him, and he thought of her much during the 
 lonely days on the farm. 
 
 He had obeyed his mother without question when 
 she told him to drive the young engineer to Port St.
 
 330 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 Mary, as he obeyed her in everything else ; nevertheless, 
 he did not like the masterful young man who sat so 
 quietly by his side. What was he thinking about ? And 
 why should he be so anxious to find " Miss Mary M ? 
 
 " We shall soon get there ? " said Rossini presently. 
 
 " Iss, 'bout ten minnits." 
 
 "You know where Mr. Pentewan stays when he 
 comes to Port St. Mary ? " 
 
 " Iss." 
 
 " Is he there now ? " 
 
 " Dunnaw." 
 
 "You must go and see directly after we arrive at 
 Mrs. Beagle's. You must tell him I want to see him 
 at once." 
 
 " All right" 
 
 When Rossini arrived at his lodgings, Mrs. Beagle 
 almost went .into hysterics ; but the young man was 
 quiet and calm. 
 
 "You see I have turned up again, Mrs. Beagle." 
 
 " I was afraid you was dead, sir," replied that lady. 
 "Tis true Mr. Pentewan came and told me you was" 
 all right, but I couldn't believe it, sir. You see, nobody 
 knew where you were. Why didn't you let us know 
 where you were staying, sir? I'm sure I'd have come 
 to nurse you, gladly. Tell me, sir, have you been very 
 ill ? You do look poorly." 
 
 "Oh, I'm all right, Mrs. Beagle. I didn't let any- 
 one know where I was because I wanted to be quiet. 
 Will you light a fire in my sitting-room, and air some 
 clothes for me, Mrs. Beagle? I expect a visitor pre- 
 sently." 
 
 " Certainly, sir." She badly wanted to question him 
 concerning his absence, but the look in Rossini's eyes
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 331 
 
 stopped her. He was not the kind of man with whom 
 she could take liberties. 
 
 " I shall never know from him where he's been or 
 what's happened to him," she said to herself, as she 
 went into the kitchen to order the servant to carry out 
 Rossini's wishes. " Here's all the town been agog for 
 weeks to know about him, and yet he's come back 
 quietly as though nothing had happened." 
 
 Half an hour later, Rossini was sitting by a cheerful 
 fire, while Mrs. Beagle prepared a tempting meal for 
 him. Often she came into the room and asked him 
 questions as to the state of his appetite, and what he 
 had been in the habit of eating during his sickness, 
 hoping thereby to learn something of what had hap- 
 pened to him ; but she learnt nothing. For one thing, 
 Rossini had no desire to tell the story of his happenings, 
 and for another, he was busy thinking of other matters. 
 
 Presently he received a message to the effect that 
 Mr. Pentewan was not staying at Port St Mary that 
 night, but that he was expected the next day. Rossini 
 said nothing, neither did he give any sign that he was 
 disappointed. Nevertheless, when he was alone again, 
 he sat for a long time staring into the fire. 
 
 He was still far from strong, although since Lady 
 Beatrice Penwithen's visit, strength had come back to 
 him in a marvellous way. It had been a turning-point 
 in his recovery, and his vigorous constitution had 
 asserted itself. So that while far from possessing the 
 strength which he had before the night when Reuben 
 Fletcher had planned to kill him, he was capable both 
 of thought and action. He was not able to use his 
 arm, but beyond an occasional twinge it gave him no 
 pain. In a few days it would be as well as ever.
 
 332 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 "My coming back will be the talk of the town," 
 he said presently, "but I shall not trouble about that. 
 Let people say and think what they will. I have always 
 been regarded as somewhat of a mystery, and this will 
 confirm people in their opinions ; but it does not 
 matter." 
 
 He looked around the comfortably appointed room, 
 and as he did so, the events which had taken place 
 since he was there last seemed almost like a dream. 
 The dreadful night on the moors, the struggle on the 
 edge of the tarn, the fight for life, and then the great 
 darkness all seemed like some hideous nightmare. 
 And yet he knew that they had changed his life. Life 
 now and life before that night was different; he was 
 different. 
 
 Almost in spite of himself, he began to review the 
 last few years. He thought of the time when he, the 
 wild, half-savage youth, found his way to Penwithen 
 Hall and saw Lady Beatrice Penwithen. He thought 
 of the vow he had made, and then of his endeavours 
 to fulfil that vow. How he had worked, had struggled, 
 to obtain the position he had coveted! How he had 
 worshipped the proud lady he had vowed to win as his 
 wife! 
 
 He recalled the last visit he had made at the Hall, 
 that twenty-ninth day of June, when he had determined 
 to win Lady Beatrice's promise to be his wife. And 
 practically he had won it. If he had turned a deaf ear 
 to Sir Hugh Kenwood, and pressed his suit, he might 
 have obtained her consent. But was he sure ? Did she 
 ever love him ? And his heart told him she did not 
 
 But she had come to him only a few days before. 
 Why did she come? Her visit had aroused him to
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 333 
 
 life. Directly he had heard her voice, all lethargy, all 
 indifference to life had gone ; but did he love her ? 
 Had he ever loved her ? With all the mad, unreasoning 
 passion of boyhood he had worshipped her; but now, 
 remembering her visit, thinking of the look in her eyes, 
 and recalling her words, did he love her ? 
 
 The question startled him. Never in all his life had 
 he felt like criticising her till now. Never had he dared 
 to ask the question which he had just asked of his heart. 
 She had not married Sir Hugh Henwood there- 
 fore But did he want to go to Penwithen Hall? 
 
 Yes, he remembered the invitation, but did he want to 
 go ? He recalled that second vow he had made ; but 
 had it not become meaningless ? If Lady Beatrice Pen- 
 withen cared so little for Sir Hugh Henwood, why need 
 he regard the vow as binding? Marriage with her 
 would be the realisation of his wildest hopes. But 
 would he be happy? Would she satisfy the deepest 
 desires of his heart? Was not her nature little and 
 shallow? Was she capable of a great, passionate love 
 such as he had dreamed of ? 
 
 He was no longer a boy. He knew now that the last 
 few weeks had marked an epoch in his life. He had 
 stood by the very gates of death, and for a time he had 
 longed to enter them. And this had caused him to 
 reflect. During the hours of loneliness and silence he 
 had thought and brooded much, and he knew that what 
 would have satisfied him years ago failed to satisfy him 
 now. The thought of Lady Beatrice Penwithen was 
 different now from what it had been a few months 
 before. 
 
 Why? 
 
 The answer came to him in a moment, but he would
 
 334 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 aot admit of its truth. Were the dreams of years to end 
 in this ? Was he who had been the suitor for the hand 
 of a lady of high degree, he who had surmounted all 
 sorts of difficulties that he might have the right to 
 speak to her, to cast everything aside and confess to 
 this ? But even as he tried to repel the idea, the picture 
 of the cottage girl rose in his mind. He remembered 
 her as he saw her on the night when he had first taken 
 notice of her. She had rowed out to Black Rock alone, 
 that she might save him. She hacl saved his life then, 
 and she had saved it since. Even on the night he had 
 returned from Penwithen Hall, it was she who had saved 
 his work from destruction. It was she who had braved 
 all sorts of dangers in watching her father, and it was 
 she who had watched over him and protected him. But 
 for her, Reuben Fletcher and the others would have 
 succeeded in their project. She had saved him. Tarn- 
 sin Keast had told the story of her coming to her 
 cottage in the early morning, and how day by day she 
 had come to nurse him. 
 
 How blind he had been ! Here was love indeed, and 
 he had never dreamed of it Yes, he had spoken of 
 her to Lady Beatrice Penwithen, and had described 
 her as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 
 He had spoken of her as a modern Joan of Arc, and 
 he realised how true his description had been. 
 
 Unwittingly, almost, he compared them. Lady 
 Beatrice Penwithen, the daughter of one of the oldest 
 families in England, a woman surrounded with all the 
 refinements, with all the culture that civilisation and 
 wealth could give her. Yes, she was beautiful and she 
 was good but she was shallow. No great purpose 
 moved her, no great love inspired her. Then he thought
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 335 
 
 oi Mary Fletcher: a cottage girl, the daughter of a 
 drunken, bad man, yet a saint, a heroine. He thought 
 of her service to him, he realised what she had done for 
 him, and his heart burned, his pulses throbbed wildly. 
 
 And yet he would not admit it He had dreamed 
 of wedding a lady of high degree, of associating with tht 
 rich and the great. Should he give up all by giving his 
 life to a cottage girl? 
 
 Where was she now? He remembered that he had 
 come home quickly to make inquiries about her. He 
 had felt it his duty to see that no harm happened to one 
 who had done so much for him. But now he knew it 
 was because of a deeper reason. He realised now why 
 he had been asking for Mary Fletcher ever since the 
 day when Lady Beatrice had called to see him. 
 
 He started up from his chair and walked across the 
 room excitedly. In the morning he did not believe he 
 was strong enough to do this ; then it was with difficulty 
 that he had tottered from the chair to the window in 
 Tamsin Keast's cottage. Now a new strength seemed 
 to be born within him. 
 
 " Mary, Mary ! " he cried out ; " may God make me 
 worthy ! " 
 
 " I cannot rest ; I must know ! " he went on presently. 
 " If her father has come back, he may have learnt what 
 she has done, and in his frenzy he may have murdered 
 her!" 
 
 The thought was maddening. What would life be to 
 him now without her ? His heart had fought the battle 
 with his pride and his ambition ; and in the battle his 
 pride and ambition were driven to the winds. 
 
 He heard a knock at the door, and Mrs. Beagle 
 entered.
 
 33 6 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " How are you by this time, Mr. Keverne ? " she 
 asked 
 
 " All right, thank you." 
 
 a You feel quite well, sir ? " 
 
 " Yes, quite well and strong. 
 
 "Can I get you anything before I go to bed, sir? 
 Tis good to have you back again." 
 
 " You are very good, but I do not wish for anything, 
 thank you." 
 
 "You you are sure, sir? You look rather weak, 
 sir." 
 
 " Nothing, thank you. Good-night." 
 
 Rossini waited a few minutes, and then he rose from 
 his chair again. 
 
 " I must know ! " he cried. " I can't remain here like 
 this ! It may be madness, but I must go ! " 
 
 He put on his boots and an overcoat, and quietly let 
 himself out of the house. It was not until he stood 
 alone in the street that he realised how weak he was ; 
 but he set his teeth firmly together and struggled along 
 towards Reuben Fletcher's cottage. How he reached it 
 he never knew, but presently he stood outside the door. 
 He had expected to find the house in darkness, and had 
 determined to ask of the neighbours whether they knew 
 anything of Mary. To his surprise, however, he saw a 
 light in the window, and he heard footsteps within. 
 
 Without hesitation he knocked. There was a 
 shuffling of feet, and then a heavy step came towards 
 the door. When the door opened, he saw Reuben 
 Fletcher, standing with a candle in his hand. As 
 Rossini saw him he realised that perhaps he had again 
 placed himself in the power of this man, but his old 
 coolness did not forsake him.
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 337 
 
 "Ah, Fletcher," he said, "is that you?" 
 
 " My God ! " said Fletcher, and Rossini noted that 
 his voice trembled 
 
 a I want a word with you, Fletcher," said Rossini. 
 
 "Are the police with you?" asked the man fear- 
 fully. 
 
 Rossini's mind worked like lightning, and he saw all 
 that the man's question meant. 
 
 " May I come in ? " he asked, not seeming to notice 
 what Fletcher had said 
 
 The man led the way into the kitchen, A cheerful 
 fire burnt in the room, but no one was there. 
 
 " Fletcher," said Rossini, " where is Mary ? " 
 
 " How did you know we had come back ? " he cried. 
 " For God's sake, sir, be merciful ! " 
 
 The young man felt he was master of the situation 
 as far as Reuben was concerned All his insolence had 
 gone, all his determination to conquer the young en- 
 gineer had vanished. 
 
 " I will sit down if I may," he said, taking a chair. 
 
 In spite of his cool demeanour, he felt his legs 
 shaking under him. Compared with Fletcher, he was 
 weaker than a child, but he gave no sign that had he 
 not sat down he must have fallen on the floor. 
 
 " You say that Mary is with you ? " he continued, as 
 he watched Reuben Fletcher's haggard face. 
 
 " She's upstairs. Oh, sir, be merciful ! " 
 
 " You know what would happen if I told everything 
 to the police ? " 
 
 " Yes. But don't, sir ! For God's sake, don't ! " 
 
 "You were preparing to leave Port St Mary, 
 Fletcher" 
 
 " I thought I might get away before you came back
 
 338 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 I had arranged that is, Mary and I to go away where 
 we were not known." 
 
 Rossini reflected a moment. What did this mean? 
 He knew the thought in Fletcher's mind, but what was 
 Mary's motive in doing this ? 
 
 "You'll let me go, sir? I'll promise never to " 
 
 The man broke off, shuddering. He had spoken 
 truly when he told Mary that his strength had all gone. 
 
 " Why should I let you go ? " asked Rossini. " Why 
 should I not call in the police and have justice done 
 to you ? " 
 
 " I go mad at the thought of it," said the man. 
 " I'm told that they put such as I in solitary confinement 
 in a black cell, and and Don't, sir ! " 
 
 " Fletcher," said Rossini, " you might have been in 
 a good position by this time if you had been a man. 
 You are a good workman, and could be a good 
 servant." 
 
 " Why speak of that now ? " 
 
 Something like the man's old sullenness had come 
 back to him. It seemed to him cruel that Rossini 
 should taunt him before calling in the police, as he 
 believed he meant to do. 
 
 " Because," said Rossini slowly, " I have made up my 
 mind to give you another chance." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " I have made up my mind to give you another 
 chance," said the young man. " I am not satisfied with 
 Jinks, my foreman, and I have decided to offer you his 
 place. I believe you will be faithful to me. Reuben 
 Fletcher, will you take the post ? " 
 
 " Don't, don't mock me, sir ! You mean it, on your 
 word as a gentleman ? "
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 339 
 
 ""I always say what I mean," replied Rossini quietly. 
 
 " Then you forgive me for all I've done ! God for- 
 give me, I tried to murder you. I've done you all the 
 harm I've been able. I I " 
 
 " But that's all over now, Reuben Fletcher. I know 
 all you say, and more ; but shall we wipe the slate clean 
 and begin anew ? Will you take the post ? " 
 
 " Take the post ! To be a man among men again ! 
 To be free from all I have feared! To stay at Port 
 St. Mary, where I've been born ! Sir, Mr. Keverne, I'll 
 serve you like a dog, I'll slave for you night and day ! 
 
 I'll I'll " But he could not finish the sentence. 
 
 He was sobbing like a child 
 
 " There's only one stipulation that I have to make, 
 Reuben Fletcher," said Rossini. " You must never touch 
 the drink again." 
 
 "Touch it again! Never! never! And I'll help 
 you to fight those publicans, and the cardsharpers, and 
 the bookmakers ! " 
 
 For a moment the man seemed to have taken leave 
 of his senses. It was as though he had been taken from 
 hell to heaven in a moment 
 
 " I must go and tell Mary, sir," he said presently. 
 " She's upstairs, busy packing things. Her heart is 
 breaking, I think, at the thought of leaving her old 
 home." 
 
 "No, wait another moment before you do that, 
 Reuben Fletcher. Shall I tell you why I have done 
 what I have done? Partly it is because I have all the 
 time believed that you had the making of a man in you, 
 and I wanted to see you become the man you could be. 
 But that is not all. Except for another reason, I doubt 
 whether I should have forgiven you so easily. I know
 
 340 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 this, Fletcher, that although your daughter has saved me 
 again and again from you, she loves you dearly. And 
 then there is something else. I want to ask her to be 
 my wife." 
 
 " Mary, your wife ? " 
 
 "Yes, Fletcher; may I?" 
 
 The man was so overwhelmed that he could not 
 speak, but tears of joy ran down his face. 
 
 "That's all right; I have your consent, then. Will 
 you ask her to come down, Fletcher, and then leave us 
 alone for a few minutes ? But don't tell her anything of 
 what has passed between us." 
 
 A minute later Mary Fletcher entered the room. 
 She knew it was Rossini who had been there, and she 
 had wondered what he had been talking to her father 
 about. She came to his side quickly. 
 
 " I did not know you were well enough to come home, 
 sir," she said. " I am so glad. But are you sure you 
 did wisely in coming so soon ? " 
 
 "That depends, Mary," said Rossini. 
 
 " On what, sir ? " 
 
 " On you, Mary." 
 
 " I I don't understand," she stammered. Then she 
 went on : " Father is almost mad with fear. He is afraid 
 that you will not let us go away that you will 
 She shuddered as she spoke, but she did not finish the 
 sentence. " We had hoped to be away from here before 
 you returned ; but but will you forgive him again, sir ? 
 I know he does not deserve it; but but you will let 
 us go away, won't you ? " 
 
 "No," said Rossini quietly, and there was a touch 
 of grim humour in his voice as he spoke. " I cannot 
 let you go away."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 341 
 
 She looked at him fearfully. " Oh, sir, do be merci- 
 ful ! " she said. " It would kill me if if he were 
 disgraced." 
 
 " No, I am not going to let him go away, Mary. Do 
 you know why ? " 
 
 There was a look of fearful expectancy in her eyes, 
 but she did not speak. 
 
 "I cannot let him go away, Mary, because I want 
 you to be my wife. Will you ? " 
 
 " Your wife sir ! " 
 
 " That is it, Mary. Will you ? " 
 
 " Please don't laugh at me. That beautiful lady, 
 Lady Beatrice Penwithen, is to be your wife. That 
 is why I went to her. I heard Dr. Pollard say that 
 if you were not aroused, that if you were given no 
 interest in life, you you would die. Then I knew what 
 you wanted. I had heard you speak of her when 
 when that is, after I I found you on the moors ; and 
 I said: If she comes, he will want to live. I went to 
 her, and she came. That was why you got better. 
 You love her please don't laugh at me." 
 
 " I love you, Mary ; only you. There is no one else 
 to me in the world but you. Do you hear ? no one. 
 Will you marry me ? " 
 
 The girl's eyes were full of wonder. The thought 
 was too great She had idealised Rossini ; she regarded 
 him as one as far above her as the stars are above the 
 earth. How could he, who loved Lady Beatrice Pen- 
 withen, ever think of her? It was joy beyond words. 
 It translated the cottage kitchen into a Paradise ; but 
 it could not be true. 
 
 "Mary," went on Rossini, "I love you, love you. 
 Do you love me ? "
 
 342 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Love you, sir ! Love you ! Why, you must know 
 that I do. I would go across the wide world to serve 
 you. I would die for you. Oh, sir! love for you 
 swallows up everything else. But but I am not 
 worthy. I am only a poor, ignorant cottage girl. 
 Besides, what of the great lady who visited you ? " 
 
 " Listen," said Rossini. " Let me tell you a story." 
 Then he told her of his boyhood. He related to her 
 the story of his life ; while Mary's eyes were wide with 
 wonder. 
 
 " When she left me the other day," he said, when 
 he had finished, "it was not of her that I thought, 
 but of you. It was not she I wanted, but you. I 
 did not know why, but I knew that it was so. When 
 Tobias Keast came back to-day, and told me you had 
 left Port St. Mary, I felt I must come and find you, 
 although even then I could not have told you why. 
 But it has come to me since, Mary. Lady Beatrice Pen- 
 withen is nothing to me, and you are everything. I 
 cannot be happy without you, Mary. Will you be my 
 wife ? " 
 
 " Cannot be happy without me ? " cried Mary. 
 " Then why why, oh, my love ! Oh, you cannot mean 
 it. Say you do again ! " 
 
 "I cannot be happy without you, Mary; you are 
 everything to me. There, Mary, kiss me, and tell me 
 you will be my wife." 
 
 He drew her towards him until their lips met. 
 
 " Oh, if you think I can ever be worthy of you, I 
 will oh, will do anything to be worthy. I will work, 
 I will learn, I will try to be clever." 
 
 " No, none of these things. Love me, Mary ; that 
 is all I want."
 
 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 343 
 
 "Why, I cannot help doing that," she replied, with 
 a sob. " I I have loved you from the first hour I saw 
 you." 
 
 Then Rossini Keverne knew that he had won the 
 greatest victory of his life. 
 
 The people of Port St. Mary formed many wild 
 conjectures as to what happened to Rossini Keveme 
 on the Ashdown Moors, but they never knew the 
 truth. Many knew that Reuben Fletcher hated him, 
 but how could he have harmed him, when he was 
 appointed Rossini's foreman ? Besides, he became 
 another kind of man on his return, and people said 
 he watched over his young master with all the tender 
 solicitude of a mother watching over her child. But 
 no one guessed that Mary had promised to be the young 
 engineer's wife, |Until one day the registrar of marriages 
 told the inhabitants that Rossini had been to him to 
 make arrangements for his wedding. 
 
 The little Independent chapel was crowded on the 
 wedding-day as it had never been crowded before, and 
 when it was known that the officiating minister was 
 an English baronet, the excitement of the people knew 
 no bounds. 
 
 "Rossini, old man," said Sir Hugh Kenwood, after 
 the service was over, "no one congratulates you so 
 heartily as I. No one. I'm sure you know that." 
 
 "Yes, I know it," replied Rossini. 
 
 "And and I hope you will come to my wedding, 
 old man. Beatrice has promised me at last." 
 
 " Good," said Rossini quietly ; " I was sure she 
 would."
 
 344 A STRONG MAN'S VOW. 
 
 " Do you know, Keverne," and Sir Hugh Kenwood's 
 eyes had a strange look, "at one time I thought that 
 you were the man who stood between me and Beatrice." 
 
 " I ? " said' Rossini, with a laugh. " My wife is the 
 only woman that I could ever love." 
 
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