night.

Dick went to his room, but could not sleep. The storm itself, though it
whistled and howled around the cottage, would not have kept him awake.
He thought over all that had happened, what he himself had said, and how
Lord Reginald had looked and replied. "Whatever the gamekeeper may say,
that other young fellow is against me, and if they take me before the
magistrate, Mr Jackson will be upon his oath, and compelled to
corroborate the midshipman's statement. It all depends on what they
choose to do. There is no doubt I did threaten to shoot Lord Reginald,
and I felt wonderfully inclined to do it, too. There's only one way I
can see to get out of it and save father, and that is to take advantage
of Ben Rudall's offer and to keep out of the way until the affair is
blown over; I won't tell father or mother or they may be wishing to stop
me; but I'll write a letter just to wish them and Janet good-bye for a
short time, without saying where I am going, for that would spoil the
whole thing. Ben says I shall like the life on board the lugger; so I
shall, though I would not have gone if there had not been this good
reason. I cannot fancy that either father or mother will be really
sorry when they find that I am safe out of the way." So said Dick to
himself, and having come to this resolution, he at length fell asleep.

It was not a wise one, for it was like falling out of the frying-pan
into the fire. There was a very remote risk of his being summoned
before the magistrates, and if summoned, of his being committed for
trial, whereas, in addition to the dangers of the sea, if captured on
board the lugger, he would to a certainty be condemned as a smuggler and
be sent to jail, if even worse did not come of it. For a lad to be sent
to jail in those days was a fearful punishment, for there was no
separation of prisoners, and should Dick go there he would be herded
with ruffians of every description, and could scarcely fail to come out
again without being very much the worse for his incarceration. Just
then, however, he only thought how he could best keep out of the way of
Mr Gooch, and thus prevent him from inducing his father to yield up his
rights, which he might do, notwithstanding his resolutions to the
contrary, should he be thus able to save his son from punishment.

Dick awoke just as the light of the early dawn made its way into the
room. The storm had ceased, and the clouds were fast disappearing,
givi