about what I said
to him when we were walking on the sandhills; and be off, lad, as fast
as you can, lest he should let it out before you get there."

"Anything to do with smugglers?" inquired the boy, with a knowing look,
as they stood outside the door.

"Why, n-no, not exactly."

"Well, good-night, Bax; good-night, old Jeph."

Tommy departed, and the two men stood alone.

"God bless the lad. You'll be kind to him, Jeph, when I'm away?"

"Trust me, Bax," said the old man, grasping his friend's hand.

Without another word, Bax turned on his heel, and his tall, stalwart
figure was quickly lost to view in the dark shadows of the night.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

TOMMY BOGEY FORMS A MIGHTY RESOLVE, AND MR. DENHAM, BEING PERPLEXED,
BECOMES LIBERAL.

When Tommy Bogey discovered the terrible fact that his friend Bax had
really gone from him, perhaps for ever, he went straight up to the
cottage, sat down on the kitchen floor at the feet of Mrs Laker, laid
his head on her lap, and wept as if his heart would break.

"My poor boy!" said the sympathising Laker, stroking his head, and
endeavouring to comfort him more by tone and manner than by words.

But Tommy refused to be comforted. The strongest affection he had ever
known was rudely and suddenly crushed. It was hard in Bax to have done
it; so Tommy felt, though he would not admit it in so many words. So
Bax himself felt when the first wild rush of sorrow was past, and he had
leisure to consider the hasty step he had taken, while sailing away over
the distant sea towards the antipodes. Bitterly did he blame himself
and repent when repentance was of no avail.

Tommy's grief was deep, but not loud. He did not express it with a
howling accompaniment. It burst from him in gasping sobs for a time,
then it subsided into the recesses of his young heart and gnawed there.
It did not again break bounds, but it somewhat changed the boy's
character. It made him almost a man in thought and action. He
experienced that strong emotion which is known to most young hearts at
certain periods of early life, and which shows itself in the formation
of a fixed resolve to take some prompt and mighty step! What that step
should be he did not know at first, and did not care to know.
Sufficient for him, that coming to an unalterable determination of some
indefinite sort afforded him great relief.

After the first paroxysm was over, Tommy rose up, kissed Mrs Laker on
the cheek, bad