Jasper folded his arms. He said nothing, but waited till the boy’s mad pranks came to an end. At last Watt, seeing that he could not provoke his brother, desisted, and came to him with affected humility. ‘There, Jasper—Saint Jasper, I mean—I will be quiet and go through my catechism.’ ‘Then tell me why you are here.’ ‘Well, now, you shall hear our scheme. Martin and I thought that you had better patch up your little quarrel with father, and then we knew we should have a good friend at his ear to prompt forgiveness, and so, perhaps, as his conscience stirred, his purse-strings might relax, and you would be able to send us a trifle in money. Is not this reasonable?’ Yes, there could be no denying it, this was reasonable and consistent with the characters of the two, who would value their father’s favour only by what it would profit them. Nevertheless Jasper was unsatisfied. Watt was so false, so unscrupulous, that his word never could be trusted. Jasper considered for a few minutes, then he asked, ‘Where is Martin—is he here?’ ‘Here!’ jeered the boy, ‘Martin here, indeed! not he. He is in safe quarters. Where he is I will blab to no one, not even to you. He sends me out from his ark of refuge as the dove, or rather as the raven, to bring him news of the world from which he is secluded.’ ‘Walter, answer me this. Who met Miss Eve this evening on this very rock? Answer me truly. More depends on this than you are aware of.’ ‘Miss Eve! What do you mean? My sister who is dead and gone? I do not relish the company of ghosts.’ ‘You know whom I mean. This is miserable evasion. I mean the younger of the daughters of Mr. Jordan. She was here at sundown this evening and someone was with her. I conjure you by all that you hold sacred——’ ‘I hold nothing sacred,’ said the boy. ‘I conjure you most solemnly to tell me the whole truth, as brother to brother.’ ‘Well, then—as brother to brother—I did.’ ‘For what purpose, Watt?’ ‘My dear Jasper, can we live on air? Here am I hopping about the woods, roosting in the branches, and there is poor Martin mewed up in his ark. I must find food for him and myself. You know that I have made the acquaintance of the young lady who, oddly enough, bears the name of our dear departed mother and sister. I have appealed to her compassion, and held out my hat for money. I offered to dance on my head, to turn a wheel all round the edge of this cliff, in jeopardy of my life for half a guinea, and she gave me the money to prevent me from risking broken bones.’ ‘Oh, Watt, you should not have done this!’ ‘We must live. We must have money.’ ‘But, Watt, where is all that which was taken from my pocket?’ ‘Gone,’ answered the boy. ‘Gone as the snow before south-west wind. Nothing melts like money, not even snow, no, nor butter, no, nor a girl’s heart.’ Then with a sly laugh, ‘Jasper, where does old addle-brains keep his strong box?’ ‘Walter!’ exclaimed Jasper, indignantly.