ep your word," said Edward.

Far wiser would it have been for the brother and sister if they had kept
out of the way of temptation; but mutually compounding with their
consciences, that there could be no harm in going to see the boat off,
since they did not mean to sail with her crew, they left the paternal
roof together, and tripped hand-in-hand toward the spot where the Queen
Anne, with her new crimson pennon, lay in readiness for the launch,
surrounded by a gayly-dressed group of females, young and old, in their
holiday attire, jovial seamen, and blithe young bachelors of the town,
among whom, but superior to them all, stood Arthur Blackbourne, in his
sable fur cap with a bullion cordon and tassels. His nautical dress
differed little in fashion from that of the rowers of the yawl, only
that his doublet was of a smarter cut and finer material, and surmounted
with a full ruff of Flanders lace, a piece of foppery in which the
handsome mate of the Jolly Nicholas imitated the fashion of the court of
James I., and was enabled, by his trading voyages to Antwerp and
Hamburgh, to indulge without any great extravagance. He had brought home
half-a-dozen yards of this costly adornment and a damasked gown for the
vicar's fair daughter, and he communicated the fact to her in a loving
whisper, when, after springing half-way up the cliff at three bounds to
meet her, he had fondly encircled her waist with his arm, to aid her in
the descent to the beach. "And the damask is white damask," pursued he,
"on purpose for your wedding gown; and I have a pocket full of silver
and gold besides, to treat you with any thing you may fancy at Dunwich
fair, my sweeting."

"Dear Arthur, it is of no use talking of it; father was very angry with
me for asking his leave to go, and so I can not go. I told you how it
would be!" said Elizabeth, with mingled wrath and sorrow in her tones.

The mate of the Jolly Nicholas looked troubled for a moment, and then
said, "Never mind, my darling girl, you shall go to Dunwich fair for all
that, and so shall little Teddy."

"Oh, dear Arthur, I am so glad! Hurrah for Dunwich fair!" shouted the
boy.

"Be quiet, foolish child, we can not go without my father's leave," said
Elizabeth.

"Yes, yes, you can; it is but for once, and I will take all the blame
upon myself," cried Arthur Blackbourne.

"Goodness, Arthur! I never disobeyed my father in my life."

"Then you have been a very good girl, Bessy, and he can n