men, who, panic-stricken, stood about vainly endeavoring
to seem at their ease and keep up a show of indifference.

One of the first acts had been to seize the Lottery, and orders had been
issued to arrest all or any of her crew, wherever they might be found;
but as yet no trace of them had been discovered. Jerrem and Uncle
Zebedee still lay concealed within the house, and Adam at the mill,
crouched beneath corn-bins, lay covered by sacks and grain, while the
tramp of the soldiers sounded in his ears or the ring of their voices
set his stout heart quaking with fear of discovery. To men whose lives
had been spent out of doors, with the free air of heaven and the fresh
salt breeze of the sea constantly sweeping over them, toil and hardship
were pastimes compared to this inactivity; and it was little to be
wondered at that for one and all the single solace left seemed drink.
Drink deadened their restlessness, benumbed their energies, made them
forget their dangers, sleep through their durance. So that even Adam
could not always hold out against a solace which helped to shorten the
frightful monotony of those weary days, dragged out for the most time in
solitude and darkness. With no occupation, no resources, no companion,
ever dwelling on self and viewing each action, past and present, by the
light of an exaggerated (often a distorted) vision, Adam grew irritable,
morose, suspicious.

Why hadn't Joan come? Surely there couldn't be anything to keep Eve
away? And if so, might they not send a letter, a message or some token
to show him that he was still in their thoughts? In vain did Mrs. Tucker
urge the necessity of a caution hitherto unknown: in vain did she repeat
the stories brought of footsteps dogged, and houses watched so that
their inmates dare not run the smallest risk for fear of its leading to
detection. Adam turned a deaf ear to all she said, sinking at last down
to the conclusion that he could endure such suspense no longer, and,
come what might, must the next day steal back home and satisfy himself
how things were going on. The only concession to her better judgment
which Mrs. Tucker could gain was his promise to wait until she had been
in to Polperro to reconnoitre; for though, from having seen a party of
soldiers pass that morning, they knew some of the troop had left, it was
impossible to say how many remained behind nor whether they had received
fresh strength from the opposite direction.

"I sha'n't give