A Maid of the Silver Sea | Page 8

narrowness of its entrance, amazed her, but she did
not stay long for it gave her the creeps.

These were some of the ways by which little Nance grew to a larger
estate than most of her fellows, and all these things helped to make her
what she came to be.
When she grew old enough to assist in the farm, new realms of delight
opened to her. Chickens, calves, lambs, piglets--she foster-mothered
them all and knew no weariness in all such duties which were rather
pleasures.
It was a wounded rabbit, limping into cover under a tangle of gorse and
blackberry bashes, that discovered to her the entrance to the series of
little chambers and passages that led right through the headland to the
side looking into Port Gorey. Which most satisfactory hiding-place she
and Bernel turned to good account on many an occasion when brother
Tom's oppression passed endurance.
It had taken time, and much screwing up of childish courage, to explore
the whole of that extraordinary little burrow, and it was not the work of
a day.
When Nance crept along the little run made by many generations of
rabbits, she found that it led finally into a dark crack in the rock, and,
squeezing through that, she was in a small dark chamber which smelt
strongly of her friends.
As soon as her eyes recovered from the sudden change from blazing
sunlight to almost pitch darkness, she perceived a small black opening
at the far end, and looking through it she saw a lightening of the
darkness still farther in which tempted her on.
It was a tough scramble even for her, and the closeness of the rocks and
the loneliness weighed upon her somewhat. But there was that glimmer
of light ahead and she must know what it was, and so she climbed and
wriggled over and under the huge splintered rocks till she came to the
light, like a tiny slit of a window far above her head, and still there
were passages leading on.
Next day, with Bernel and a tiny crasset lamp for company, she

explored the burrow to its utmost limits and adopted it at once as their
refuge and stronghold. And thereafter they spent much time there,
especially in the end chamber where a tiny slit gave on to Port Gorey,
and they could lie and watch all that went on down below.
There they solemnly concocted plans for brother Tom's discomfiture,
and thither they retreated after defeat or victory, while he hunted high
and low for them and never could make out where they had got to.
Then Tom went off to sea, and life, for those at home, became a joy
without a flaw--except the thought that he would sometime come
back--unless he got drowned.
When he returned he was past the boyish bullying and teasing stage,
and his stunts and twists developed themselves along other lines.
Moreover, sailor-fashion, he wore a knife in a sheath at the back of his
belt.
He found Nance a tall slim girl of sixteen, her childish prettiness just
beginning to fashion itself into the strength and comeliness of form and
feature which distinguished her later on.
He swore, with strange oaths, that she was the prettiest bit of goods
he'd set eyes on since he left home, and he'd seen a many. And he
wondered to himself if this could really be the Nance he used to hate
and persecute.
But Nance detested him and all his ways as of old.
CHAPTER III
HOW THE NEW MINE CAPTAIN CAME
Tom Hamon and Peter Mauger seated themselves on a rock within a
few feet of the narrow slit out of which Nance and Bernel had been
looking.
"Ouaie," said Tom, taking up his parable--"wanted me to join him in

getting a loan on farm, he did."
"Aw, now!"
"Ouaie--a loan on farm, and me to join him, 'cause he couldn' do it
without. 'And why?' I asked him."
"Ah!"
"An' he told me he was goin' to make a fortune out them silver mines."
"Aw!"
"Ouaie! He'd put in every pound he had and every shilling he earned.
An' the more he could put in the more he would get out."
"Aw!"
"'But,' I said, 'suppos'n it all goes into them big holes and never comes
out--'"
"Aw!"
"But he's just crazy 'bout them mines. Says there's silver an' lead, and
guyabble-knows-what-all in 'em, and when they get it out he'll be a rich
man."
"Aw!" said Peter, nodding his head portentously, as one who had
gauged the futility of earthly riches.
He was a young man of large possessions but very few words. When he
did allow his thoughts out they came slowly and in jerks, with lapses at
times which the hearer had