note,
It seemed the music melted in the throat."
--DRYDEN.

The piece of money left by Pyn might have been a curse; no one would
touch it. While the women stood in groups talking of poor John
Penelles and Denas, the men held an informal meeting around the table
on which it lay.

"This be the communion table," said Jacob Trenager; "some one ought to
take the money off it. And I think it be best to carry the gold to the
superintendent; he will tell us what to do with it;" and, after some
objections, Jacob took charge of the sinful coin, and the next morning
he went up the cliff to St. Penfer with it.

The preacher heard the story with an intense interest. "Jacob," he
answered, "I suppose there be none so poor in your village as to feel
it might do them good?"

"Man, nor woman, nor child, would buy a loaf with it, sir; none of us
men would let them. If Denas Penelles have gone out of the way, sir,
she be a fisher's daughter, and the man and the money that beguiled
her be hateful to all of us."

"Your chapel--is it not very poor?"

"Not poor enough to take the devil's coin, sir."

"Well, Jacob, I cannot say that I feel any more disposed to use it
than you do. We know it was the wage of sin, and neither the service
of God nor the poor will be the better for it. I think we will give it
back to the young man. It may help to show him how his fellows regard
the thing he did."

"That be the best way of all, sir. But he be in London, and hard to
find no doubt."

"I will take it to his sister. I do not hold her quite guiltless."

So Jacob threw the sovereign on the preacher's desk, and it lay on the
green baize, a yellow, evil-looking thing. For men love to make their
thoughts palpable to their senses, and this bit of gold was visible
sin--part of the price of a desolated home.

It was singular to see this same personification troubling the
educated preacher as well as the unlearned fisherman. The Rev. William
Farrar, when left alone with the unwelcome coin, looked askance at it.
He did not like to see it on his desk, he had a repugnance to touch
it. Then he forced himself to lift the sovereign, and by an elaborate
fingering of the coin convince his intellect that he had no foolish
superstition on the subject. Anon he took out his purse for its safe
keeping, but suddenly, after a moment's hesitation, he snapped the
clasp tight, and threw the bit of money on the chimne