d steward took on himself to send
for the keepers, and down went the serving-men to the mill with all the
idle lads of the parish at their heels, thinking a maiden-hunt very good
sport; and of course taking a view of the case as favorable as possible
to Rose.

They reviled the miller and his wife roundly for hard-hearted old
heathens; and had no doubt that they had driven the poor maid to throw
herself over cliff, or drown herself in the sea; while all the women of
Stow, on the other hand, were of unanimous opinion that the hussy had
"gone off" with some bad fellow; and that pride was sure to have a fall,
and so forth.

The facts of the case were, that all Rose's trinkets were left behind,
so that she had at least gone off honestly; and nothing seemed to be
missing, but some of her linen, which old Anthony the steward broadly
hinted was likely to be found in other people's boxes. The only trace
was a little footmark under her bedroom window. On that the bloodhound
was laid (of course in leash), and after a premonitory whimper, lifted
up his mighty voice, and started bell-mouthed through the garden gate,
and up the lane, towing behind him the panting keeper, till they reached
the downs above, and went straight away for Marslandmouth, where the
whole posse comitatus pulled up breathless at the door of Lucy Passmore.

Lucy, as perhaps I should have said before, was now a widow, and found
her widowhood not altogether contrary to her interest. Her augury about
her old man had been fulfilled; he had never returned since the night on
which he put to sea with Eustace and the Jesuits.

*"Some natural tears she shed, but dried them soon"

as many of them, at least, as were not required for purposes of
business; and then determined to prevent suspicion by a bold move; she
started off to Stow, and told Lady Grenville a most pathetic tale: how
her husband had gone out to pollock fishing, and never returned: but how
she had heard horsemen gallop past her window in the dead of night, and
was sure they must have been the Jesuits, and that they had carried off
her old man by main force, and probably, after making use of his
services, had killed and salted him down for provision on their voyage
back to the Pope at Rome; after which she ended by entreating protection
against those "Popish skulkers up to Chapel," who were sworn to do her a
mischief; and by an appeal to Lady Grenville's sense of justice, as to
whether the queen ou