The little harbour opened from the sea between towering cliffs, and behind a lonely rock, pierced with many caves and blow-holes through which the sea in storm time sent its thunderous voice, together with a fountain of drifting spume. Hence, it wound westwards in a serpentine11 course, guarded at its entrance by two little curving piers12 to left and right. These were roughly built of dark slates13 placed endways and held together with great beams bound with iron bands. Thence, it flowed up the rocky bed of the stream whose winter torrents14 had of old cut out its way amongst the hills. This stream was deep at first, with here and there, where it widened, patches of broken rock exposed at low water, full of holes where crabs15 and lobsters16 were to be found at the ebb17 of the tide. From amongst the rocks rose sturdy posts, used for warping18 in the little coasting vessels19 which frequented the port. Higher up, the stream still flowed deeply, for the tide ran far inland, but always calmly for all the force of the wildest storm was broken below. Some quarter mile inland the stream was deep at high water, but at low tide there were at each side patches of the same broken rock as lower down, through the chinks of which the sweet water of the natural stream trickled20 and murmured after the tide had ebbed22 away. Here, too, rose mooring23 posts for the fishermen's boats. At either side of the river was a row of cottages down almost on the level of high tide. They were pretty cottages, strongly and snugly24 built, with trim narrow gardens in front, full of old-fashioned plants, flowering currants, coloured primroses25, wallflower, and stonecrop. Over the fronts of many of them climbed clematis and wisteria. The window sides and door posts of all were as white as snow, and the little pathway to each was paved with light coloured stones. At some of the doors were tiny porches, whilst at others were rustic26 seats cut from tree trunks or from old barrels; in nearly every case the window ledges27 were filled with boxes or pots of flowers or foliage28 plants.
Two men lived in cottages exactly opposite each other across the stream. Two men, both young, both good-looking, both prosperous, and who had been companions and rivals from their boyhood. Abel Behenna was dark with the gypsy darkness which the Ph?nician mining wanderers left in their track; Eric Sanson—which the local antiquarian said was a corruption29 of Sagamanson—was fair, with the ruddy hue which marked the path of the wild Norseman. These two seemed to have singled out each other from the very beginning to work and strive together, to fight for each other and to stand back to back in all endeavours. They had now put the coping-stone on their Temple of Unity30 by falling in love with the same girl. Sarah Trefusis was certainly the prettiest girl in Pencastle, and there was many a young man who would gladly have tried his fortune with her, but that there were two to contend against, and each of these the strongest and most resolute31 man in the port—except the other. The average young man thought that this was very hard, and on account of it bore no good will to either of the three principals: whilst the average young woman who had, lest worse should befall, to put up with the grumbling32 of her sweetheart, and the sense of being only second best which it implied, did not either, be sure, regard Sarah with friendly eye. Thus it came, in the course of a year or so, for rustic courtship is a slow process, that the two men and woman found themselves thrown much together. They were all satisfied, so it did not matter, and Sarah, who was vain and something frivolous33, took care to have her revenge on both men and women in a quiet way. When a young woman in her 'walking out' can only boast one not-quite-satisfied young man, it is no particular pleasure to her to see her escort cast sheep's eyes at a better-looking girl supported by two devoted34 swains.
At length there came a time which Sarah dreaded35, and which she had tried to keep distant—the time when she had to make her choice between the two men. She liked them both, and, indeed, either of them might have satisfied the ideas of even a more exacting36 girl. But her mind was so constituted that she thought more of what she might lose, than of what she might gain; and whenever she thought she had made up her mind she became instantly assailed37 with doubts as to the wisdom of her choice. Always the man whom she had presumably lost became endowed afresh with a newer and more bountiful crop of advantages than had ever arisen from the possibility of his acceptance. She promised each man that on her birthday she would give him his answer, and that day, the 11th of April, had now arrived. The promises had been given singly and confidentially38, but each was given to a man who was not likely to forget. Early in the morning she found both men hovering39 round her door. Neither had taken the other into his confidence, and each was simply seeking an early opportunity of getting his answer, and advancing his suit if necessary. Damon, as a rule, does not take Pythias with him when making a proposal; and in the heart of each man his own affairs had a claim far above any requirements of friendship. So, throughout the day, they kept seeing each other out. The position was doubtless somewhat embarrassing to Sarah, and though the satisfaction of her vanity that she should be thus adored was very pleasing, yet there were moments when she was annoyed with both men for being so persistent40. Her only consolation41 at such moments was that she saw, through the elaborate smiles of the other girls when in passing they noticed her door thus doubly guarded, the jealousy42 which filled their hearts. Sarah's mother was a person of commonplace and sordid43 ideas, and, seeing all along the state of affairs, her one intention, persistently44 expressed to her daughter in the plainest words, was to so arrange matters that Sarah should get all that was possible out of both men. With this purpose she had cunningly kept herself as far as possible in the background in the matter of her daughter's wooings, and watched in silence. At first Sarah had been indignant with her for her sordid views; but, as usual, her weak nature gave way before persistence45, and she had now got to the stage of acceptance. She was not surprised when her mother whispered to her in the little yard behind the house:—
'Go up the hillside for a while; I want to talk to these two. They're both red-hot for ye, and now's the time to get things fixed46!' Sarah began a feeble remonstrance47, but her mother cut her short.
'I tell ye, girl, that my mind is made up! Both these men want ye, and only one can have ye, but before ye choose it'll be so arranged that ye'll have all that both have got! Don't argy, child! Go up the hillside, and when ye come back I'll have it fixed—I see a way quite easy!' So Sarah went up the hillside through the narrow paths between the golden furze, and Mrs. Trefusis joined the two men in the living-room of the little house.
She opened the attack with the desperate courage which is in all mothers when they think for their children, howsoever mean the thoughts may be.
'Ye two men, ye're both in love with my Sarah!'
Their bashful silence gave consent to the barefaced48 proposition. She went on.
'Neither of ye has much!' Again they tacitly acquiesced49 in the soft impeachment50.
'I don't know that either of ye could keep a wife!' Though neither said a word their looks and bearing expressed distinct dissent51. Mrs. Trefusis went on:
'But if ye'd put what ye both have together ye'd make a comfortable home for one of ye—and Sarah!' She eyed the men keenly, with her cunning eyes half shut, as she spoke52; then satisfied from her scrutiny53 that the idea was accepted she went on quickly, as if to prevent argument:
'The girl likes ye both, and mayhap it's hard for her to choose. Why don't ye toss up for her? First put your money together—ye've each got a bit put by, I know. Let the lucky man take the lot and trade with it a bit, and then come home and marry her. Neither of ye's afraid, I suppose! And neither of ye'll say that he won't do that much for the girl that ye both say ye love!'
Abel broke the silence:
'It don't seem the square thing to toss for the girl! She wouldn't like it herself, and it doesn't seem—seem respectful like to her—' Eric interrupted. He was conscious that his chance was not so good as Abel's in case Sarah should wish to choose between them:
'Are ye afraid of the hazard?'
'Not me!' said Abel, boldly. Mrs. Trefusis, seeing that her idea was beginning to work, followed up the advantage.
'It is settled that ye put yer money together to make a home for her, whether ye toss for her or leave it for her to choose?'
'Yes,' said Eric quickly, and Abel agreed with equal sturdiness. Mrs. Trefusis' little cunning eyes twinkled. She heard Sarah's step in the yard, and said:
'Well! here she comes, and I leave it to her.' And she went out.
During her brief walk on the hillside Sarah had been trying to make up her mind. She was feeling almost angry with both men for being the cause of her difficulty, and as she came into the room said shortly:
'I want to have a word with you both—come to the Flagstaff Rock, where we can be alone.' She took her hat and went out of the house up the winding54 path to the steep rock crowned with a high flagstaff, where once the wreckers' fire basket used to burn. This was the rock which formed the northern jaw3 of the little harbour. There was only room on the path for two abreast56, and it marked the state of things pretty well when, by a sort of implied arrangement, Sarah went first, and the two men followed, walking abreast and keeping step. By this time, each man's heart was boiling with jealousy. When they came to the top of the rock, Sarah stood against the flagstaff, and the two young men stood opposite her. She had chosen her position with knowledge and intention, for there was no room for anyone to stand beside her. They were all silent for a while; then Sarah began to laugh and said:—
'I promised the both of you to give you an answer to-day. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking, till I began to get angry with you both for plaguing me so; and even now I don't seem any nearer than ever I was to making up my mind.' Eric said suddenly:
'Let us toss for it, lass!' Sarah showed no indignation whatever at the proposition; her mother's eternal suggestion had schooled her to the acceptance of something of the kind, and her weak nature made it easy to her to grasp at any way out of the difficulty. She stood with downcast eyes idly picking at the sleeve of her dress, seeming to have tacitly acquiesced in the proposal. Both men instinctively57 realising this pulled each a coin from his pocket, spun58 it in the air, and dropped his other hand over the palm on which it lay. For a few seconds they remained thus, all silent; then Abel, who was the more thoughtful of the men, spoke:
'Sarah! is this good?' As he spoke he removed the upper hand from the coin and placed the latter back in his pocket. Sarah was nettled59.
'Good or bad, it's good enough for me! Take it or leave it as you like,' she said, to which he replied quickly:
'Nay60 lass! Aught that concerns you is good enow for me. I did but think of you lest you might have pain or disappointment hereafter. If you love Eric better nor me, in God's name say so, and I think I'm man enow to stand aside. Likewise, if I'm the one, don't make us both miserable61 for life!' Face to face with a difficulty, Sarah's weak nature proclaimed itself; she put her hands before her face and began to cry, saying—
'It was my mother. She keeps telling me!' The silence which followed was broken by Eric, who said hotly to Abel:
'Let the lass alone, can't you? If she wants to choose this way, let her. It's good enough for me—and for you, too! She's said it now, and must abide62 by it!' Hereupon Sarah turned upon him in sudden fury, and cried:
'Hold your tongue! what is it to you, at any rate?' and she resumed her crying. Eric was so flabbergasted that he had not a word to say, but stood looking particularly foolish, with his mouth open and his hands held out with the coin still between them. All were silent till Sarah, taking her hands from her face laughed hysterically63 and said:
'As you two can't make up your minds, I'm going home!' and she turned to go.
'Stop,' said Abel, in an authoritative64 voice. 'Eric, you hold the coin, and I'll cry. Now, before we settle it, let us clearly understand: the man who wins takes all the money that we both have got, brings it to Bristol and ships on a voyage and trades with it. Then he comes back and marries Sarah, and they two keep all, whatever there may be, as the result of the trading. Is this what we understand?'
'Yes,' said Eric.
'I'll marry him on my next birthday,' said Sarah. Having said it the intolerably mercenary spirit of her action seemed to strike her, and impulsively65 she turned away with a bright blush. Fire seemed to sparkle in the eyes of both men. Said Eric: 'A year so be! The man that wins is to have one year.'
'Toss!' cried Abel, and the coin spun in the air. Eric caught it, and again held it between his outstretched hands.
'Heads!' cried Abel, a pallor sweeping66 over his face as he spoke. As he leaned forward to look Sarah leaned forward too, and their heads almost touched. He could feel her hair blowing on his cheek, and it thrilled through him like fire. Eric lifted his upper hand; the coin lay with its head up. Abel stepped forward and took Sarah in his arms. With a curse Eric hurled67 the coin far into the sea. Then he leaned against the flagstaff and scowled69 at the others with his hands thrust deep into his pockets. Abel whispered wild words of passion and delight into Sarah's ears, and as she listened she began to believe that fortune had rightly interpreted the wishes of her secret heart, and that she loved Abel best.
Presently Abel looked up and caught sight of Eric's face as the last ray of sunset struck it. The red light intensified70 the natural ruddiness of his complexion71, and he looked as though he were steeped in blood. Abel did not mind his scowl68, for now that his own heart was at rest he could feel unalloyed pity for his friend. He stepped over meaning to comfort him, and held out his hand, saying:
'It was my chance, old lad. Don't grudge72 it me. I'll try to make Sarah a happy woman, and you shall be a brother to us both!'
'Brother be damned!' was all the answer Eric made, as he turned away. When he had gone a few steps down the rocky path he turned and came back. Standing73 before Abel and Sarah, who had their arms round each other, he said:
'You have a year. Make the most of it! And be sure you're in time to claim your wife! Be back to have your banns up in time to be married on the 11th April. If you're not, I tell you I shall have my banns up, and you may get back too late.'
'What do you mean, Eric? You are mad!'
'No more mad than you are, Abel Behenna. You go, that's your chance! I stay, that's mine! I don't mean to let the grass grow under my feet. Sarah cared no more for you than for me five minutes ago, and she may come back to that five minutes after you're gone! You won by a point only—the game may change.'
'The game won't change!' said Abel shortly. 'Sarah, you'll be true to me? You won't marry till I return?'
'For a year!' added Eric, quickly, 'that's the bargain.'
'I promise for the year,' said Sarah. A dark look came over Abel's face, and he was about to speak, but he mastered himself and smiled.
'I mustn't be too hard or get angry tonight! Come, Eric! we played and fought together. I won fairly. I played fairly all the game of our wooing! You know that as well as I do; and now when I am going away, I shall look to my old and true comrade to help me when I am gone!'
'I'll help you none,' said Eric, 'so help me God!'
'It was God helped me,' said Abel simply.
'Then let Him go on helping74 you,' said Eric angrily. 'The Devil is good enough for me!' and without another word he rushed down the steep path and disappeared behind the rocks.
When he had gone Abel hoped for some tender passage with Sarah, but the first remark she made chilled him.
'How lonely it all seems without Eric!' and this note sounded till he had left her at home—and after.
Early on the next morning Abel heard a noise at his door, and on going out saw Eric walking rapidly away: a small canvas bag full of gold and silver lay on the threshold; on a small slip of paper pinned to it was written:
'Take the money and go. I stay. God for you! The Devil for me! Remember the 11th of April.—ERIC SANSON.' That afternoon Abel went off to Bristol, and a week later sailed on the Star of the Sea bound for Pahang. His money—including that which had been Eric's—was on board in the shape of a venture of cheap toys. He had been advised by a shrewd old mariner75 of Bristol whom he knew, and who knew the ways of the Chersonese, who predicted that every penny invested would be returned with a shilling to boot.
As the year wore on Sarah became more and more disturbed in her mind. Eric was always at hand to make love to her in his own persistent, masterful manner, and to this she did not object. Only one letter came from Abel, to say that his venture had proved successful, and that he had sent some two hundred pounds to the bank at Bristol, and was trading with fifty pounds still remaining in goods for China, whither the Star of the Sea was bound and whence she would return to Bristol. He suggested that Eric's share of the venture should be returned to him with his share of the profits. This proposition was treated with anger by Eric, and as simply childish by Sarah's mother.
More than six months had since then elapsed, but no other letter had come, and Eric's hopes which had been dashed down by the letter from Pahang, began to rise again. He perpetually assailed Sarah with an 'if!' If Abel did not return, would she then marry him? If the 11th April went by without Abel being in the port, would she give him over? If Abel had taken his fortune, and married another girl on the head of it, would she marry him, Eric, as soon as the truth were known? And so on in an endless variety of possibilities. The power of the strong will and the determined76 purpose over the woman's weaker nature became in time manifest. Sarah began to lose her faith in Abel and to regard Eric as a possible husband; and a possible husband is in a woman's eye different to all other men. A new affection for him began to arise in her breast, and the daily familiarities of permitted courtship furthered the growing affection. Sarah began to regard Abel as rather a rock in the road of her life, and had it not been for her mother's constantly reminding her of the good fortune already laid by in the Bristol Bank she would have tried to have shut her eyes altogether to the fact of Abel's existence.
The 11th April was Saturday, so that in order to have the marriage on that day it would be necessary that the banns should be called on Sunday, 22nd March. From the beginning of that month Eric kept perpetually on the subject of Abel's absence, and his outspoken77 opinion that the latter was either dead or married began to become a reality to the woman's mind. As the first half of the month wore on Eric became more jubilant, and after church on the 15th he took Sarah for a walk to the Flagstaff Rock. There he asserted himself strongly:
'I told Abel, and you too, that if he was not here to put up his banns in time for the eleventh, I would put up mine for the twelfth. Now the time has come when I mean to do it. He hasn't kept his word'—here Sarah struck in out of her weakness and indecision:
'He hasn't broken it yet!' Eric ground his teeth with anger.
'If you mean to stick up for him,' he said, as he smote78 his hands savagely79 on the flagstaff, which sent forth80 a shivering murmur21, 'well and good. I'll keep my part of the bargain. On Sunday I shall give notice of the banns, and you can deny them in the church if you will. If Abel is in Pencastle on the eleventh, he can have them cancelled, and his own put up; but till then, I take my course, and woe81 to anyone who stands in my way!' With that he flung himself down the rocky pathway, and Sarah could not but admire his Viking strength and spirit, as, crossing the hill, he strode away along the cliffs towards Bude.
During the week no news was heard of Abel, and on Saturday Eric gave notice of the banns of marriage between himself and Sarah Trefusis. The clergyman would have remonstrated82 with him, for although nothing formal had been told to the neighbours, it had been understood since Abel's departure that on his return he was to marry Sarah; but Eric would not discuss the question.
'It is a painful subject, sir,' he said with a firmness which the parson, who was a very young man, could not but be swayed by. 'Surely there is nothing against Sarah or me. Why should there be any bones made about the matter?' The parson said no more, and on the next day he read out the banns for the first time amidst an audible buzz from the congregation. Sarah was present, contrary to custom, and though she blushed furiously enjoyed her triumph over the other girls whose banns had not yet come. Before the week was over she began to make her wedding dress. Eric used to come and look at her at work and the sight thrilled through him. He used to say all sorts of pretty things to her at such times, and there were to both delicious moments of love-making.
The banns were read a second time on the 29th, and Eric's hope grew more and more fixed though there were to him moments of acute despair when he realised that the cup of happiness might be dashed from his lips at any moment, right up to the last. At such times he was full of passion—desperate and remorseless—and he ground his teeth and clenched83 his hands in a wild way as though some taint84 of the old Berserker fury of his ancestors still lingered in his blood. On the Thursday of that week he looked in on Sarah and found her, amid a flood of sunshine, putting finishing touches to her white wedding gown. His own heart was full of gaiety, and the sight of the woman who was so soon to be his own so occupied, filled him with a joy unspeakable, and he felt faint with languorous85 ecstasy86. Bending over he kissed Sarah on the mouth, and then whispered in her rosy87 ear—
'Your wedding dress, Sarah! And for me!' As he drew back to admire her she looked up saucily88, and said to him—
'Perhaps not for you. There is more than a week yet for Abel!' and then cried out in dismay, for with a wild gesture and a fierce oath Eric dashed out of the house, banging the door behind him. The incident disturbed Sarah more than she could have thought possible, for it awoke all her fears and doubts and indecision afresh. She cried a little, and put by her dress, and to soothe89 herself went out to sit for a while on the summit of the Flagstaff Rock. When she arrived she found there a little group anxiously discussing the weather. The sea was calm and the sun bright, but across the sea were strange lines of darkness and light, and close in to shore the rocks were fringed with foam90, which spread out in great white curves and circles as the currents drifted. The wind had backed, and came in sharp, cold puffs91. The blow-hole, which ran under the Flagstaff Rock, from the rocky bay without to the harbour within, was booming at intervals92, and the seagulls were screaming ceaselessly as they wheeled about the entrance of the port.
'It looks bad,' she heard an old fisherman say to the coastguard. 'I seen it just like this once before, when the East Indiaman Coromandel went to pieces in Dizzard Bay!' Sarah did not wait to hear more. She was of a timid nature where danger was concerned, and could not bear to hear of wrecks94 and disasters. She went home and resumed the completion of her dress, secretly determined to appease95 Eric when she should meet him with a sweet apology—and to take the earliest opportunity of being even with him after her marriage. The old fisherman's weather prophecy was justified96. That night at dusk a wild storm came on. The sea rose and lashed97 the western coasts from Skye to Scilly and left a tale of disaster everywhere. The sailors and fishermen of Pencastle all turned out on the rocks and cliffs and watched eagerly. Presently, by a flash of lightning, a 'ketch' was seen drifting under only a jib about half-a-mile outside the port. All eyes and all glasses were concentrated on her, waiting for the next flash, and when it came a chorus went up that it was the Lovely Alice, trading between Bristol and Penzance, and touching98 at all the little ports between. 'God help them!' said the harbour-master, 'for nothing in this world can save them when they are between Bude and Tintagel and the wind on shore!' The coastguards exerted themselves, and, aided by brave hearts and willing hands, they brought the rocket apparatus99 up on the summit of the Flagstaff Rock. Then they burned blue lights so that those on board might see the harbour opening in case they could make any effort to reach it. They worked gallantly100 enough on board; but no skill or strength of man could avail. Before many minutes were over the Lovely Alice rushed to her doom101 on the great island rock that guarded the mouth of the port. The screams of those on board were faintly borne on the tempest as they flung themselves into the sea in a last chance for life. The blue lights were kept burning, and eager eyes peered into the depths of the waters in case any face could be seen; and ropes were held ready to fling out in aid. But never a face was seen, and the willing arms rested idle. Eric was there amongst his fellows. His old Icelandic origin was never more apparent than in that wild hour. He took a rope, and shouted in the ear of the harbour-master:
'I shall go down on the rock over the seal cave. The tide is running up, and someone may drift in there!'
'Keep back, man!' came the answer. 'Are you mad? One slip on that rock and you are lost: and no man could keep his feet in the dark on such a place in such a tempest!'
'Not a bit,' came the reply. 'You remember how Abel Behenna saved me there on a night like this when my boat went on the Gull93 Rock. He dragged me up from the deep water in the seal cave, and now someone may drift in there again as I did,' and he was gone into the darkness. The projecting rock hid the light on the Flagstaff Rock, but he knew his way too well to miss it. His boldness and sureness of foot standing to him, he shortly stood on the great round-topped rock cut away beneath by the action of the waves over the entrance of the seal cave, where the water was fathomless. There he stood in comparative safety, for the concave shape of the rock beat back the waves with their own force, and though the water below him seemed to boil like a seething102 cauldron, just beyond the spot there was a space of almost calm. The rock, too, seemed here to shut off the sound of the gale103, and he listened as well as watched. As he stood there ready, with his coil of rope poised104 to throw, he thought he heard below him, just beyond the whirl of the water, a faint, despairing cry. He echoed it with a shout that rang into the night. Then he waited for the flash of lightning, and as it passed flung his rope out into the darkness where he had seen a face rising through the swirl105 of the foam. The rope was caught, for he felt a pull on it, and he shouted again in his mighty106 voice:
'Tie it round your waist, and I shall pull you up.' Then when he felt that it was fast he moved along the rock to the far side of the sea cave, where the deep water was something stiller, and where he could get foothold secure enough to drag the rescued man on the overhanging rock. He began to pull, and shortly he knew from the rope taken in that the man he was now rescuing must soon be close to the top of the rock. He steadied himself for a moment, and drew a long breath, that he might at the next effort complete the rescue. He had just bent107 his back to the work when a flash of lightning revealed to each other the two men—the rescuer and the rescued.
Eric Sanson and Abel Behenna were face to face—and none knew of the meeting save themselves; and God.
On the instant a wave of passion swept through Eric's heart. All his hopes were shattered, and with the hatred108 of Cain his eyes looked out. He saw in the instant of recognition the joy in Abel's face that his was the hand to succour him, and this intensified his hate. Whilst the passion was on him he started back, and the rope ran out between his hands. His moment of hate was followed by an impulse of his better manhood, but it was too late.
Before he could recover himself, Abel encumbered109 with the rope that should have aided him, was plunged110 with a despairing cry back into the darkness of the devouring111 sea.
Then, feeling all the madness and the doom of Cain upon him, Eric rushed back over the rocks, heedless of the danger and eager only for one thing—to be amongst other people whose living noises would shut out that last cry which seemed to ring still in his ears. When he regained112 the Flagstaff Rock the men surrounded him, and through the fury of the storm he heard the harbour-master say:—
'We feared you were lost when we heard a cry! How white you are! Where is your rope? Was there anyone drifted in?'
'No one,' he shouted in answer, for he felt that he could never explain that he had let his old comrade slip back into the sea, and at the very place and under the very circumstances in which that comrade had saved his own life. He hoped by one bold lie to set the matter at rest for ever. There was no one to bear witness—and if he should have to carry that still white face in his eyes and that despairing cry in his ears for evermore—at least none should know of it. 'No one,' he cried, more loudly still. 'I slipped on the rock, and the rope fell into the sea!' So saying he left them, and, rushing down the steep path, gained his own cottage and locked himself within.
The remainder of that night he passed lying on his bed—dressed and motionless—staring upwards113, and seeming to see through the darkness a pale face gleaming wet in the lightning, with its glad recognition turning to ghastly despair, and to hear a cry which never ceased to echo in his soul.
In the morning the storm was over and all was smiling again, except that the sea was still boisterous114 with its unspent fury. Great pieces of wreck55 drifted into the port, and the sea around the island rock was strewn with others. Two bodies also drifted into the harbour—one the master of the wrecked115 ketch, the other a strange seaman116 whom no one knew.
Sarah saw nothing of Eric till the evening, and then he only looked in for a minute. He did not come into the house, but simply put his head in through the open window.
'Well, Sarah,' he called out in a loud voice, though to her it did not ring truly, 'is the wedding dress done? Sunday week, mind! Sunday week!'
Sarah was glad to have the reconciliation117 so easy; but, womanlike, when she saw the storm was over and her own fears groundless, she at once repeated the cause of offence.
'Sunday so be it,' she said without looking up, 'if Abel isn't there on Saturday!' Then she looked up saucily, though her heart was full of fear of another outburst on the part of her impetuous lover. But the window was empty; Eric had taken himself off, and with a pout118 she resumed her work. She saw Eric no more till Sunday afternoon, after the banns had been called the third time, when he came up to her before all the people with an air of proprietorship119 which half-pleased and half-annoyed her.
'Not yet, mister!' she said, pushing him away, as the other girls giggled120. 'Wait till Sunday next, if you please—the day after Saturday!' she added, looking at him saucily. The girls giggled again, and the young men guffawed121. They thought it was the snub that touched him so that he became as white as a sheet as he turned away. But Sarah, who knew more than they did, laughed, for she saw triumph through the spasm122 of pain that overspread his face.
The week passed uneventfully; however, as Saturday drew nigh Sarah had occasional moments of anxiety, and as to Eric he went about at night-time like a man possessed123. He restrained himself when others were by, but now and again he went down amongst the rocks and caves and shouted aloud. This seemed to relieve him somewhat, and he was better able to restrain himself for some time after. All Saturday he stayed in his own house and never left it. As he was to be married on the morrow, the neighbours thought it was shyness on his part, and did not trouble or notice him. Only once was he disturbed, and that was when the chief boatman came to him and sat down, and after a pause said:
'Eric, I was over in Bristol yesterday. I was in the ropemaker's getting a coil to replace the one you lost the night of the storm, and there I saw Michael Heavens of this place, who is a salesman there. He told me that Abel Behenna had come home the week ere last on the Star of the Sea from Canton, and that he had lodged124 a sight of money in the Bristol Bank in the name of Sarah Behenna. He told Michael so himself—and that he had taken passage on the Lovely Alice to Pencastle. 'Bear up, man,' for Eric had with a groan125 dropped his head on his knees, with his face between his hands. 'He was your old comrade, I know, but you couldn't help him. He must have gone down with the rest that awful night. I thought I'd better tell you, lest it might come some other way, and you might keep Sarah Trefusis from being frightened. They were good friends once, and women take these things to heart. It would not do to let her be pained with such a thing on her wedding day!' Then he rose and went away, leaving Eric still sitting disconsolately126 with his head on his knees.
'Poor fellow!' murmured the chief boatman to himself; 'he takes it to heart. Well, well! right enough! They were true comrades once, and Abel saved him!'
The afternoon of that day, when the children had left school, they strayed as usual on half-holidays along' the quay127 and the paths by the cliffs. Presently some of them came running in a state of great excitement to the harbour, where a few men were unloading a coal ketch, and a great many were superintending the operation. One of the children called out:
'There is a porpoise128 in the harbour mouth! We saw it come through the blow-hole! It had a long tail, and was deep under the water!'
'It was no porpoise,' said another; 'it was a seal; but it had a long tail! It came out of the seal cave!' The other children bore various testimony129, but on two points they were unanimous—it, whatever 'it' was, had come through the blow-hole deep under the water, and had a long, thin tail—a tail so long that they could not see the end of it. There was much unmerciful chaffing of the children by the men on this point, but as it was evident that they had seen something, quite a number of persons, young and old, male and female, went along the high paths on either side of the harbour mouth to catch a glimpse of this new addition to the fauna130 of the sea, a long-tailed porpoise or seal. The tide was now coming in. There was a slight breeze, and the surface of the water was rippled131 so that it was only at moments that anyone could see clearly into the deep water. After a spell of watching a woman called out that she saw something moving up the channel, just below where she was standing. There was a stampede to the spot, but by the time the crowd had gathered the breeze had freshened, and it was impossible to see with any distinctness below the surface of the water. On being questioned the woman described what she had seen, but in such an incoherent way that the whole thing was put down as an effect of imagination; had it not been for the children's report she would not have been credited at all. Her semi-hysterical statement that what she saw was 'like a pig with the entrails out' was only thought anything of by an old coastguard, who shook his head but did not make any remark. For the remainder of the daylight this man was seen always on the bank, looking into the water, but always with disappointment manifest on his face.
Eric arose early on the next morning—he had not slept all night, and it was a relief to him to move about in the light. He shaved himself with a hand that did not tremble, and dressed himself in his wedding clothes. There was a haggard look on his face, and he seemed as though he had grown years older in the last few days. Still there was a wild, uneasy light of triumph in his eyes, and he kept murmuring to himself over and over again:
'This is my wedding-day! Abel cannot claim her now—living or dead!—living or dead! Living or dead!' He sat in his arm-chair, waiting with an uncanny quietness for the church hour to arrive. When the bell began to ring he arose and passed out of his house, closing the door behind him. He looked at the river and saw the tide had just turned. In the church he sat with Sarah and her mother, holding Sarah's hand tightly in his all the time, as though he feared to lose her. When the service was over they stood up together, and were married in the presence of the entire congregation; for no one left the church. Both made the responses clearly—Eric's being even on the defiant132 side. When the wedding was over Sarah took her husband's arm, and they walked away together, the boys and younger girls being cuffed133 by their elders into a decorous behaviour, for they would fain have followed close behind their heels.
The way from the church led down to the back of Eric's cottage, a narrow passage being between it and that of his next neighbour. When the bridal couple had passed through this the remainder of the congregation, who had followed them at a little distance, were startled by a long, shrill134 scream from the bride. They rushed through the passage and found her on the bank with wild eyes, pointing to the river bed opposite Eric Sanson's door.
The falling tide had deposited there the body of Abel Behenna stark135 upon the broken rocks. The rope trailing from its waist had been twisted by the current round the mooring post, and had held it back whilst the tide had ebbed away from it. The right elbow had fallen in a chink in the rock, leaving the hand outstretched toward Sarah, with the open palm upward as though it were extended to receive hers, the pale drooping136 fingers open to the clasp.
All that happened afterwards was never quite known to Sarah Sanson. Whenever she would try to recollect137 there would become a buzzing in her ears and a dimness in her eyes, and all would pass away. The only thing that she could remember of it all—and this she never forgot—was Eric's breathing heavily, with his face whiter than that of the dead man, as he muttered under his breath:
'Devil's help! Devil's faith! Devil's price!'
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1
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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2
fathomless
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| a.深不可测的 | |
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3
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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4
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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5
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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6
spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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lessening
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| 减轻，减少，变小 | |
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jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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9
shears
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| n.大剪刀 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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serpentine
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| adj.蜿蜒的，弯曲的 | |
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12
piers
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| n.水上平台( pier的名词复数 )；（常设有娱乐场所的）突堤；柱子；墙墩 | |
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13
slates
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| （旧时学生用以写字的）石板( slate的名词复数 )； 板岩； 石板瓦； 石板色 | |
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14
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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15
crabs
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| n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 ) | |
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lobsters
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| 龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉 | |
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17
ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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18
warping
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| n.翘面，扭曲，变形v.弄弯，变歪( warp的现在分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾， | |
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19
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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20
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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22
ebbed
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的过去式和过去分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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23
mooring
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| n.停泊处；系泊用具，系船具；下锚v.停泊，系泊（船只）(moor的现在分词) | |
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24
snugly
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| adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地 | |
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25
primroses
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| n.报春花( primrose的名词复数 )；淡黄色；追求享乐（招至恶果） | |
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26
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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27
ledges
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| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
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28
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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30
unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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32
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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34
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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35
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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36
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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37
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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38
confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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39
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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40
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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41
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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42
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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43
sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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44
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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45
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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46
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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47
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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48
barefaced
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| adj.厚颜无耻的，公然的 | |
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49
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
impeachment
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| n.弹劾；控告；怀疑 | |
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51
dissent
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| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
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52
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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53
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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54
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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55
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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56
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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57
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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58
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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59
nettled
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| v.拿荨麻打，拿荨麻刺（nettle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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60
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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61
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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62
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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63
hysterically
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| ad. 歇斯底里地 | |
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64
authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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65
impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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66
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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67
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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68
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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69
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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72
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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73
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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74
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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75
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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76
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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77
outspoken
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| adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的 | |
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78
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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79
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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80
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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81
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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82
remonstrated
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| v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫 | |
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83
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84
taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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85
languorous
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| adj.怠惰的，没精打采的 | |
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86
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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87
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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88
saucily
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| adv.傲慢地，莽撞地 | |
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89
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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90
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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91
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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92
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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93
gull
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| n.鸥；受骗的人；v.欺诈 | |
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94
wrecks
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| n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 )；（事故中）遭严重毁坏的汽车（或飞机等）；（身体或精神上）受到严重损伤的人；状况非常糟糕的车辆（或建筑物等）v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 )；使（船舶）失事，使遇难，使下沉 | |
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95
appease
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| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
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96
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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101
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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102
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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103
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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105
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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109
encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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111
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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113
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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114
boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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115
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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116
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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117
reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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118
pout
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| v.撅嘴；绷脸；n.撅嘴；生气，不高兴 | |
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proprietorship
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| n.所有（权）；所有权 | |
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120
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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guffawed
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| v.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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spasm
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| n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作 | |
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123
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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124
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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125
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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disconsolately
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| adv.悲伤地，愁闷地；哭丧着脸 | |
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127
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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128
porpoise
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| n.鼠海豚 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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130
fauna
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| n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系 | |
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131
rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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132
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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133
cuffed
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| v.掌打，拳打( cuff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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134
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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136
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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137
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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