Page:Doctor Syn - A Smuggler Tale of the Romney Marsh.djvu/129

 "What do you mean?"

"That I wouldn't marry you—no, not though you got the whole village the rope!"

"You ungrateful wretch, not after all they've done for you?"

"You're not the sort of party to talk to others about being ungrateful, are you now?"

"I wasn't born of jail folk."

"No; and you can hope your children, if you're ever cursed with any, will be able to say the same, for I doubt it very greatly. Mister Schoolmaster. And as to your threats, I set no store on them, for from my heart I despise you; I despise you because you would be willing to betray your fellows, but I despise you more because I know you are too great a coward to do it."

"We shall see," said the schoolmaster, "for who's to stop me?"

"Parson Syn," answered the girl. "Parsons can bear all manner of secrets and not betray them. That's their business, and Doctor Syn's a good man, so I'll tell him everything, and in his wisdom he'll find a means of checking your contemptible scheme."

"That shows how little you know about things, Mistress Ignoramous; for it's that very same good man, Doctor Syn, who is going to read out your banns on this next Sabbath as ever is, and it's Rash who is going to make him, and if you won't come along with me to