The Sea-Hawk | Page 8

accolade, and who dubs us pirates insults
the Queen herself. Apart from that, which, as you see, is a very empty
charge, what else have you against me? I am, I hope, as good as any
other here in Cornwall; Rosamund honours me with her affection and I
am rich and shall be richer still ere the wedding bells are heard."

"Rich with the fruit of thieving upon the seas, rich with the treasures of
scuttled ships and the price of slaves captured in Africa and sold to the
plantations, rich as the vampire is glutted--with the blood of dead men."
"Does Sir John say that?" asked Sir Oliver, in a soft deadly voice.
"I say it."
"I heard you; but I am asking where you learnt that pretty lesson. Is Sir
John your preceptor? He is, he is. No need to tell me. I'll deal with him.
Meanwhile let me disclose to you the pure and disinterested source of
Sir John's rancour. You shall see what an upright and honest gentleman
is Sir John, who was your father's friend and has been your guardian."
"I'll not listen to what you say of him."
"Nay, but you shall, in return for having made me listen to what he says
of me. Sir John desires to obtain a licence to build at the mouth of the
Fal. He hopes to see a town spring up above the haven there under the
shadow of his own Manor of Arwenack. He represents himself as nobly
disinterested and all concerned for the prosperity of the country, and he
neglects to mention that the land is his own and that it is his own
prosperity and that of his family which he is concerned to foster. We
met in London by a fortunate chance whilst Sir John was about this
business at the Court. Now it happens that I, too, have interests in Truro
and Penryn; but, unlike Sir John, I am honest in the matter, and
proclaim it. If any growth should take place about Smithick it follows
from its more advantageous situation that Truro and Penryn must suffer,
and that suits me as little as the other matter would suit Sir John. I told
him so, for I can be blunt, and I told the Queen in the form of a
counter-petition to Sir John's." He shrugged. "The moment was
propitious to me. I was one of the seamen who had helped to conquer
the unconquerable Armada of King Philip. I was therefore not to be
denied, and Sir John was sent home as empty-handed as he went to
Court. D'ye marvel that he hates me? Knowing him for what he is, d'ye
marvel that he dubs me pirate and worse? 'Tis natural enough so to
misrepresent my doings upon the sea, since it is those doings have
afforded me the power to hurt his profit. He has chosen the weapons of

calumny for this combat, but those weapons are not mine, as I shall
show him this very day. If you do not credit what I say, come with me
and be present at the little talk I hope to have with that curmudgeon."
"You forget," said Master Godolphin, "that I, too, have interests in the
neighbourhood of Smithick, and that you are hurting those."
"Soho!" crowed Sir Oliver. "Now at last the sun of truth peeps forth
from all this cloud of righteous indignation at my bad Tressilian blood
and pirate's ways! You, too, are but a trafficker. Now see what a fool I
am to have believed you sincere, and to have stood here in talk with
you as with an honest man." His voice swelled and his lip curled in a
contempt that struck the other like a blow. "I swear I had not wasted
breath with you had I known you for so mean and pitiful a fellow."
"These words...." began Master Godolphin, drawing himself up very
stiffly.
"Are a deal less than your deserts," cut in the other, and he raised his
voice to call--"Nick."
"You shall answer to them," snapped his visitor.
"I am answering now," was the stern answer. "To come here and prate
to me of my dead father's dissoluteness and of an ancient quarrel
between him and yours, to bleat of my trumped-up course of piracy and
my own ways of life as a just cause why I may not wed your sister
whilst the real consideration in your mind, the real spur to your
hostility is not more than the matter of some few paltry pounds a year
that I hinder you from pocketing. A God's name get you gone."
Nick entered at that moment.
"You shall hear from me again, Sir Oliver," said the other, white with
anger. "You shall account to me