party would come into
the old dairy, though, upon looking round, there seemed to be nothing to
bring them there.

Hour after hour glided by. The meal had long been ended, and the men
were gone outside, but never all at once; always one stayed, sometimes
two. Then Martin kept bustling in and giving orders. Once too Sir
Harry came in and entered into a discussion with the skipper,
apparently, from the few words that Hilary could catch, concerning the
advisability of making some excursion; but there seemed to be some
hindrance in the way, and Hilary's heart beat high with hope as he heard
the word "cutter" spoken twice.

It was not much to hear; but it was good news for Hilary, who concluded
that the vessel must still be lying off the coast, and in the smugglers'
way.

At last, however, the conversation ended, and Hilary saw Sir Henry leave
the place just as Allstone came in.

This made the young man's heart beat again, for either the fellow had
come to announce his evasion, or else he was about to take food into the
old chapel, when, of course, he would find his prisoner gone.

But no: he spoke quite calmly to the skipper, and after a short
consultation they went out.

Just then the noise of wheels and the trampling of horses could be heard
outside, facts which pointed to the leaving of one or more of the party.

Two of the men were still hanging about, but at last they also went, and
Allstone came in and seated himself thoughtfully upon a bench.

By-and-by, though, he cut himself some food, hesitated, and proceeded to
cut some more, which he placed in a coarse delf plate.

"My breakfast!" said Hilary to himself, and he wondered how soon the man
would go to the chapel to present it to his prisoner.

This would be the signal for Hilary's escape, and, anxiously waiting
till the man had finished his own repast, the young officer made up his
mind to run to the window, climb out, and then trust to his heels for
his liberty.

The time seemed as if it would never come, but at last the surly-looking
fellow, having apparently satisfied his own hunger, rose up slowly, and,
taking the plate, went slowly out of the door, rattling his keys the
while.

He had hardly disappeared before Hilary glided out of his hiding-place,
darted to the table and seized the remains of the bread, hesitated as to
whether he should take the ham bone, but leaving it, climbed on to the
window-sill, forced the frame open, and dropped outsi