Page:Doctor Syn - A Smuggler Tale of the Romney Marsh.djvu/126

 banns up in the church, and you refused. Now I know why. You think because that young fool Cobtree is pleased to admire you, that you will catch him in your toils, do you? You're a clever one, ain't you? I dare swear that sooner or later you'd succeed in getting hold of him—let the young idiot ruin you, eh? Then make a virtuous song about it to the squire, and a settlement to keep your mouth shut, perhaps."

"Beast!" cried the girl, and she struck him sideways across the mouth with her clenched hand.

"Hello!" thought Jerk, crouching in the bushes, "here's another one having a 'go' at him; well, the more the merrier, so long as I'm the last."

The schoolmaster recoiled, trying to look as if the stinging blow had not hurt, but the blood was flowing from his lip and from the hand of the girl as well.

"So that's it, is it?" he sniggered, "a real love match, p'haps? The squire's consent, the wedding bells, and live happily ever after, eh? Ecod! my lady, I think not. Rash is your man, see? and lucky you are to get him; you whose father's gibbet chains are still swinging in Rye."

"And yours are swinging a bit nearer than that!" said Jerry Jerk to himself.

"You leave my father out of it," went on the girl, "for from all I've heard of him he was a better man than you, and he was fond of me, too; so it's lucky for you he's not here to hear you speaking bad of his child."