The Lighthouse | Page 5

had scarcely raised her
eyes from the ground since sitting down on a niece of flower-studded
turf near the edge of the cliff, and that she certainly had not turned her
head in the direction of the town. Yet she saw him,--however absurd
the statement may appear, we affirm it confidently,--and knew that he
was coming. Other eyes there were that also saw youth--eyes that
would have caused him some degree of annoyance had he known they
were upon him-- eyes that he would have rejoiced to tinge with the
colours black and blue! There were thirteen pair of them, belonging to
twelve men and a lieutenant of the navy.
In those days the barbarous custom of impressment into the Royal
Navy was in full operation. England was at war with France. Men were
wanted to fight our battles, and when there was any difficulty in getting
men, press-gangs were sent out to force them into the service. The
youth whom we now introduce to the reader was a sailor, a strapping,
handsome one, too; not, indeed, remarkable for height, being only a
little above the average--five feet, ten inches or thereabouts--but noted
for great depth of chest, breadth of shoulder, and development of
muscle; conspicuous also for the quantity of close, clustering,
light-brown curls down his head, and for the laughing glance of his
dark-blue eye. Not a hero of romance, by any means. No, he was very
matter of fact, and rather given to meditation than mischief.
The officer in charge of the press-gang had set his heart on this youth
(so had another individual, of whom more anon!) but the youth, whose
name was Ruby Brand, happened to have an old mother who was at
that time in very bad health, and she had also set her heart, poor body,
on the youth, and entreated him to stay at home just for one half-year.
Ruby willingly consented, and from that time forward led the life of a
dog in consequence of the press-gang.
Now, as we have said, he had been seen leaving the town by the

lieutenant, who summoned his men and went after him--cautiously,
however, in order to take him by surprise for Ruby, besides being
strong and active as a lion, was slippery as an eel.
Going straight as an arrow to the spot where she of the golden hair was
seated, the youth presented himself suddenly to her, sat down beside
her, and exclaiming "Minnie", put his arm round her waist.
"Oh, Ruby, don't," said Minnie, blushing.
Now, reader, the "don't" and the blush had no reference to the arm
round the waist, but to the relative position of their noses, mouths, and
chins, a position which would have been highly improper and
altogether unjustifiable but for the fact that Ruby was Minnie's
accepted lover.
"Don't, darling, why not?" said Ruby in surprise.
"You're so rough," said Minnie, turning her head away.
"True, dear, I forgot to shave this morning."
"I don't mean that," interrupted the girl quickly, "I mean rude and--
and--is that a sea-gull?"
"No, sweetest of your sex, it's a butterfly; but it's all the same, as my
metaphysical Uncle Ogilvy would undertake to prove to you, thus, a
butterfly is white and a gull is white,--therefore, a gull is a butterfly."
"Don't talk nonsense, Ruby."
"No more I will, darling, if you will listen to me while I talk sense."
"What is it?" said the girl, looking earnestly and somewhat anxiously
into her lover's face, for she knew at once by his expression that he had
some unpleasant communication to make. "You're not going away?"
"Well, no--not exactly; you know I promised to stay with mother; but
the fact is that I'm so pestered and hunted down by that rascally

press-gang, that I don't know what to do. They're sure to nab me at last,
too, and then I shall have to go away whether I will or no, so I've made
up my mind as a last resource, to--" Ruby paused.
"Well?" said Minnie.
"Well, in fact to do what will take me away for a short time, but--"
Ruby stopped short, and, turning his head on one side, while a look of
fierce anger overspread his face, seemed to listen intently.
Minnie did not observe this action for a few seconds, but, wondering
why he paused, she looked up, and in surprise exclaimed--"Ruby! what
do you--"
"Hush! Minnie, and don't look round," said he in a low tone of intense
anxiety, yet remaining immovably in the position which he had
assumed on first sitting down by the girl's side, although the swelled
veins of his neck and his flushed forehead told of a fierce conflict of
feeling within. "It's the press-gang after me again. I got a glance of