he sergeant, the fellow's
boastings and his possession of the seal Adam treated as an idle tale,
its possibility vanquished by his conviction that Eve could have had no
share in it. It was the letter from Jerrem which was the damnatory proof
in Adam's eyes--the proof by which he judged and condemned her; for had
not he himself seen and wondered at Jerrem's anxiety to go to Guernsey,
his elation at finding a letter waiting him, his display of wishing to
be seen secretly reading it, and now his ultimate betrayal of them by
sending an answer to it?

As for Jerrem--oh he would deal with him as with a dog, and quickly send
him to that fate he so richly deserved. It was not against Jerrem that
the depths of his bitterness welled over: as the strength of his love,
so ran his hate; and this all turned to one direction, and that
direction pointed toward Eve.

He must see her, stand face to face with her, smite her with reproaches,
heap upon her curses, show her how he could trample on her love and
fling her back her perjured vows. And then? This done, what was there
left? From Jerrem he could free himself. A word, a blow, and all would
be over: but how with her? True, he could kill the visible Eve with his
own hands, but the Eve who lived in his love, would she not live there
still? Ay; and though he flung that body which could court the gaze of
other eyes than his full fathoms deep, the fair image which dwelt before
him would remain present to his vision. So that, do what he would, Eve
would live, must live. Live! Crushing down on that thought came the
terrible consequences which might come of Jonathan's tale being told--a
tale so colored with all their bitterest prejudices that it was certain
to be greedily listened to; and in the storm of angry passion it would
rouse everything else would be swallowed up by resentment against Eve's
baseness; and the fire once kindled, what would come of it?

The picture which Adam's heated imagination conjured up turned him hot
and cold; an agony of fear crept over him; his heart sickened and grew
faint within him, and the hands which but a few minutes before had
longed to be steeped in her blood now trembled and shook with nervous
dread lest a finger of harm should be laid upon her.

These and a hundred visions more or less wild coursed through Adam's
brain as his feet took their swift way toward Polperro--not keeping
along the open road, but taking a path which, only known to the
inhabi