Page:Lorna Doone - a romance of Exmoor (IA lornadooneromanc269blac).pdf/113

 or some trivial game of that sort. Each was smoking a long clay pipe, quite of new London shape I could sec, for the shadow was thrown out clearly; and each would laugh from time to time, as he fancied he got the better of it. One was sitting with his knees up, and left hand on his thigh; and this one had his back to me, and seemed to be the stouter. The other leaned more against the rock, half sitting and half astraddle, and wearing leathern overalls, as if newly come from riding. I could see his face quite clearly by the light of the open lanthorn, and a handsomer or a boider face I had seldom, if ever, set eyes upon; insomuch that it made me very unhappy, to think of his being so near my Lorna.

"How long am I to stay crouching here?" I asked of myself at last; being tired of hearing them cry, "score one," "score two," "No, by, Charlie." "By I say it is, Phelps." And yet my only cliance of slipping by them unperceived, was to wait till they quarrelled more, and came to blows about it. Presently as I made up my mind to steal along towards them (for the cavern was pretty wide, just there), Charlie, or Charloworth Doone, the younger and taller man, reached forth his hand to seize the money, which he swore he had won that time. Upon this, the other jerked his arm, vowing that he had no right to it; whereupon Charlie flung at his face the contents of the glass he was sipping, but missed him and hit the candle, which sputtered with a flare of blue flame (from the strength perhaps