was
quickly undeceived. Every moment her feet caught in the brown trailing
plants, tangled like hair, which were sea-weeds littering the pathway.

At the Cross of Plouezoc'h she bade good-bye to the old man, and begged
him to return. The lights of Paimpol were already in view, and there was
no more occasion to be afraid.

So hope was over for this time. Who could tell her when she might see
Yann again?

An excuse to return to Pors-Even would have been easy; but it would
really look too bad to begin her quest all over again. She would have to
be braver and prouder than that. If only her little confidant Sylvestre
had been there, she might have asked him to go and fetch Yann, so that
there could be some explanation. But he was gone now, and for how many
years?

CHAPTER IV--HIS RELUCTANCE

"Me get married?" said Yann to his parents that same evening. "Me get
married? Good heavens, why should I? Shall I ever be as happy as here
with ye? no troubles, no tiffs with any one, and warm soup ready for me
every night when I come home from sea. Oh! I quite understand that you
mean the girl that came here to-day, but what's such a rich girl to do
with us? 'Tisn't clear to my thinking. And it'll be neither her, nor any
other. It's all settled, I won't marry--it ain't to my liking."

The two old Gaoses looked at one another in silence, deeply
disappointed, for, after having talked it over together, they were
pretty well sure that this young lady would not refuse their handsome
Yann. But they did not try to argue, knowing how useless that would be.
The mother lowered her head, and said no more; she respected the will
of her son, her eldest born, who was all but the head of the family;
although he was always tender and gentle with her, more obedient than
a child in the petty things of life, he long ago had been her absolute
master for the great ones, eluding all restraint with a quiet though
savage independence. He never sat up late, being in the habit, like
other fishermen, of rising before break of day. And after supper at
eight o'clock, he had given another satisfactory look to his baskets and
new nets from Loguivy, and began to undress--calm to all appearances,
and went up to sleep in the pink-curtained bed, which he shared with his
little brother Laumec.

CHAPTER V--SAILORS AT THE PLAY

For the last fortnight Gaud's little confidant, Sylvestre, had been
quartered in Brest; very much out of his element, but very qu