men," he said coldly. "She is very weak
and ill."

"Oh! of course," said Hilary; "we've searched here, sir; she can lie
down again."

Adela uttered a low sigh of relief, and she longed to dart a grateful
look at the young officer, but she dared not; and knowing that in place
of looking pale and ill a warm flush of excitement was beaming in her
cheeks, she hastily drew her hand closer over her face, and let her
father place her upon a rough couch of dry nets.

"Heaven bless him!" muttered Sir Henry to himself; "but it was a
struggle between friendship and duty, I could see."

Meanwhile the lugger was ransacked from end to end, three more men being
called from the cutter for the purpose. Tubs were turned over, spare
sails and nets dragged about, planks lifted, bunks and lockers searched,
but nothing contraband was found, and all the while the skipper of the
lugger and his crew stood staring stupidly at the efforts of the king's
men.

"Labour in vain, Leigh," said the lieutenant at last. "Into the boat
there. Confound that scoundrel! I wish he was overboard."

The lieutenant did not say what for, but as soon as the men were in the
boat he turned to the skipper:

"Look ye here, my fine fellow, you've had a narrow escape."

"Yes," said the man stolidly, "I thought you'd have hit us."

The lieutenant did not condescend to reply, but climbed over the side
into the cutter's boat, and motioned to Leigh to follow, which he did,
not daring to glance at the passengers.

"Are you quite done, officer?" growled the skipper.

No answer was given, and as the boat reached the side of the cutter the
sails of the lugger were being hoisted, and she began to move quickly
through the water at once.

"Lay her head to the eastward," said the lieutenant sourly; "and look
here, Leigh, don't you rouse me up again for one of your mare's nests,
or it will be the--"

"Worse for you," Hilary supposed, but he did not hear the words, for the
lieutenant was already down below, and the young officer took the glass
and stood watching the lugger rapidly growing distant as the cutter
began to feel the breeze.

A curious turmoil of thought was harassing the young man's brain, for he
felt that he had been a traitor to the king, whose officer he was, and
it seemed to him terrible that he should have broken his faith like
this.

But at the same time he felt that he could not have done otherwise, and
he stood watching the lugger, and then