it," he said. "Keep up your spirits! no
harm will come to me. I need only keep away for a week or two, and as
soon as the ship sails, I shall be all safe."

Janet was not so satisfied as her brother appeared to be on that point.
She threw her arms round his neck, and burst into tears.

"Cheer up, cheer up!" said Dick, "I know I am a brute to have made you
all so unhappy, but when I come home again I intend to turn over a new
leaf."

Janet held his hand. An indefinite fear of what might happen seized
her. He tore himself away, half inclined to be angry with her and his
mother, for making so much fuss about the matter, and rushed outside the
house. He soon turned off the high road and hurried on along a path in
the direction of Keyhaven.

"I'll get Susan Rudall to stow me away. She'll be grateful to me for
bringing her the money, and, as I've got a few guineas in my pocket, I
can pay her well for keeping me, and it will be an advantage to her," he
said to himself. "I must take care that no one sees me going into her
cottage, and I don't suppose the young lord or that fellow Voules will
think of looking for me there."

The night was dark, but Dick, who knew the way, ran on, stopping every
now and then to listen if any one was approaching. He had got close to
Keyhaven, when it became necessary to use more caution, as people who
knew him might probably be about, and should an inquiry be set on foot
they might state that they had met him. He had almost reached Susan's
cottage when, turning up an angle of the road, he found himself close to
several men who were coming up it. He stopped, he could not go on
without passing between them. Acting on the impulse of the moment, he
turned and ran back, hoping to find some place where he might conceal
himself until they had passed.

"Stop that fellow, whoever he is!" shouted a voice, in an authoritative
tone.

A couple of men darted forward, and before Dick had got many paces away
he found himself seized by the shoulder.

"Halloa, my fine fellow! who are you? and what are you about?" asked one
of the men.

"I am going to visit a neighbour," answered Dick, trying to free
himself.

"You must come back to our officer first, and give an account of
yourself," said the first speaker, whom Dick recognised as a
man-of-war's man.

Resistance was useless, and he made no further attempt to escape. The
officer and the rest of the men soon came up, and Dick repeated the