never did see such a
noisy rogue. He is Robin Lyth all over."

"I'll be blest if he is, nor under nayther," cried the biggest of the
coaly men; "this here froggy come out of a Chaise and Mary as had run up
from Dunkirk. I know Robin Lyth as well as our own figure-head. But what
good to try reason with that there revenue hofficer?"

At this, all his friends set a good laugh up, and wanted to give him a
cheer for such a speech; but that being hushed, they were satisfied with
condemning his organs of sight and their own quite fairly.

"Lieutenant Carroway," his Worship said, amidst an impressive silence,
"I greatly fear that you have allowed zeal, my dear Sir, to outrun
discretion. Robin Lyth is a young, and in many ways highly respected,
parishioner of mine. He may have been guilty of casual breaches of the
laws concerning importation--laws which fluctuate from year to year, and
require deep knowledge of legislation both to observe and to administer.
I heartily trust that you may not suffer from having discharged your
duty in a manner most truly exemplary, if only the example had been the
right one. This gentleman is no more Robin Lyth than I am."

CHAPTER XVI

DISCIPLINE ASSERTED

As soon as his troublesome visitors were gone, the rector sat down in
his deep arm-chair, laid aside his spectacles, and began to think. His
face, while he thought, lost more and more of the calm and cheerful
expression which made it so pleasant a face to gaze upon; and he sighed,
without knowing it, at some dark ideas, and gave a little shake of his
grand old head. The revenue officer had called his favorite pupil and
cleverest parishioner "a felon outlaw;" and if that were so, Robin Lyth
was no less than a convicted criminal, and must not be admitted within
his doors. Formerly the regular penalty for illicit importation had been
the forfeiture of the goods when caught, and the smugglers (unless
they made resistance or carried fire-arms) were allowed to escape and
retrieve their bad luck, which they very soon contrived to do. And as
yet, upon this part of the coast, they had not been guilty of atrocious
crimes, such as the smugglers of Sussex and Hampshire--who must have
been utter fiends--committed, thereby raising all the land against
them. Dr. Upround had heard of no proclamation, exaction, or even capias
issued against this young free-trader; and he knew well enough that the
worst offenders were not the bold seamen who contrac