hind
which the middy had hidden himself, "that woman knows nothing. If she
knew evil had come to the poor lad, her face would tell tales like
print. Hi! You, sir," he said, going towards where Jemmy stood
grinning.

"Mornin'," said Jemmy; "come arter some more milk?"

"No," growled Gurr.

"Don't want to take the cow away agen, do 'ee?"

"Look here, my lad, one of our boys is missing. Came ashore yesterday,
lad of seventeen in a red cap."

"Oh!" said Jemmy with a vacant look. "Don't mean him as come with you,
do you?"

"I said a lad 'bout seventeen, in a red cap like yours," said Gurr very
shortly.

"Aren't seen no lads with no red caps up here," said the man with a
vacant look. "Have he runned away?"

"Are you sure you haven't seen him, my lad?" growled Gurr; "because,
look here, it may be a serious thing for some of you, if he is not
found."

The man shook his head, and stared as if he didn't half understand the
drift of what was said.

Gurr turned angrily away, and to find himself facing Dick.

"Well, seen anything suspicious?"

"No, sir," said Dick, "on'y my fingers is a itchin'."

"Scratch them then."

"Nay, you don't understand," grumbled Dick. "I mean to have a turn at
that chap, Master Gurr, sir. I feel as if I had him for 'bout quarter
hour I could knock something out of him."

"Nonsense! Come along. Now, my lads, forward!"

Jemmy Dadd's countenance changed from its vacant aspect to one full of
cunning, as the party from the cutter moved off, but it became dull and
semi-idiotic again, for Gurr turned sharply round.

"Here, my lad, where's your master?"

"Eh?"

"I say, where's your master?"

"Aren't in; mebbe he's out in the fields."

Gurr turned away impatiently again, and signing to his men to follow,
they all began to tramp up the steep track leading toward the Hoze, with
the rabbits scuttling away among the furze, and showing their white
cottony tails for a moment as they darted down into their holes.

Dick followed last, shaking his head, and looking very much
dissatisfied, or kept on looking back at Jemmy, who stood like a statue,
resting his chin upon the shaft of his pitchfork, watching him go away.

"I dunno," muttered Dick, "and a man can't be sure. There was nowt to
see and nowt to hear, and of course one couldn't smell it, but seems to
me as that ugly-looking fisherman chap knows where our Mr Raystoke is.
Yah, I hates half-bred uns! If a man's a labourer, le