Once I awoke with a greater start than ever, and sat bolt upright listening intently, every nerve strained and alert. It was unmistakable; there was something creeping in the room. For a moment I thought a hand touched my neck, but it was only my hair stiffening. I took control of myself, though my heart thumped deafeningly, and quietly reached a hand out for my father. He wasn't there. At this I think I broke down, and cried terribly, "Dad, dad, where are you?" "Heigh, Tommy, what?" he answered quickly, and was at my side. "Oh, daddy," I said, trying to hold back my tears, "I was frightened." "Why, you have your knife," he tried to pacify me. "But where were you?" I asked. "Why," he answered easily, "I must have fallen asleep in my chair." It wasn't till morning that I remembered I had already felt him in bed beside me. Waking with that thought in the grey dawn I told myself he had been listening through the floor. CHAPTER VI THE KING'S MAN I sprang out of bed feeling very much ashamed of myself for my stupid terror of the night. Daylight makes our fears seem so foolish that we wonder how we could ever have been afraid. My head was still a little dizzy and uncertain, so I scrambled into my clothes and ran downstairs and into the yard for a cooling drench under the pump. I was longer than usual, for as a rule I wasn't too attentive to this part of my toilet; but this morning there was a clinging vapoury hotness about my brow which wouldn't be readily washed away. When at length, refreshened, and doubtless with rosy cheeks and dishevelled hair, I broke back into the kitchen, I stopped short in sudden consternation to find it full of men. I at once recognized them as Dirk's fellows, but a quick glance round showed me that Dirk himself wasn't there. Now I had always thought of these rough strangers as pirates, not in the least doing them disparagement in my thoughts on that account, rather in my imagination framing them romantically in adventures on far seas; but something, I suppose, of last night's story was still beating in my head, and forgetting utterly my father's warning to steer clear of these men, I was seized by a stupid madness, and unwittingly blurted out, "The smugglers!" I was dumbfounded as soon as the words were out of my mouth, for there was a sudden stillness in the room. Talk stopped, cannikins were arrested half-way to the lips and every eye was ferociously bent on me in a sort of savage questioning. Then one fierce fellow strode up to me, and taking me by the shoulders said, "Do'st mind repeating that theer?" But I had no word to say, and only looked up at him blankly, and shook my head. He dug his fingers into my flesh and spoke more harshly, "Come now, who's been telling ee they tales?" I had it in my head to explain how I had merely fitted the fellows into my father's stories, and I began fatally as though in answer to his question, "My father..."