"You are turning your back on your own good fortune, my pretty lady," he said. "Could you but see the lodging and apparel that awaits you, you would change your tone. I pray you give me a word for my master." "I will give you this word, not for your master, but yourself," said I, at last. "If you ever dare to accost me again, I will tell my Lord and Mr. Penrose of your practises, and have you set in the village stocks for a vagrant and mischief-maker, as you are." The fellow was silent, and slunk out of sight. As soon as I got home, I threw all his comfits in the fire, not knowing what charms might be contained in them, though, I believe, a pure loving heart that trusts in God, may set all charms and enchantments at defiance. It is very strange that we hear nothing from Walter. _September 28._ I must write, if I cannot speak. Oh that I dared tell the whole to my Lady, or to Madam Corbet, my second mother! This morning I went down to the Cove to carry some comforts to a sick woman Mr. Penrose had been telling my Lady of, and after I had finished my visit to her, I turned into Jan Lee's cottage. I knocked, and the door was opened to me by Will Atkins, who greeted me with such a perturbed and anxious countenance as made me exclaim at once: "O Will, have you any news of Walter,—of Mr. Corbet?" "In sooth, I fear so, and that none of the best, madam," answered Will. "Come in, if you please, and give us your advice how we shall deal with the matter." He gave me a chair as he spoke, and I sat down, with a curious feeling of being in a kind of dream. "I was over at Exeter yesterday," said Will, "and there whom should I meet but Tom Andrews, who you remember went away with Mr. Corbet. At first, I could get naught out of him, save that some great misfortune had happened to Walter; so dazed and muddled was he. But by questioning him, I at last made out that his master had been set upon one night, as he drew near to Salisbury, by a party of highwaymen, and, as he believed, murdered." "You are too hasty, son Will!" exclaimed old Jan, rising from his seat. "The young lady is fainting." "No, no!" I exclaimed, putting him back with my hand. "I am not fainting. Let me hear all, I beseech you! No one has a better right than I." Will then went on with his tale. He said he had questioned and cross-questioned the man, and had at last discovered that Tom did not stay to see the end of the fray, but had hastened to save his own neck, and had then been ashamed to show himself. He told a great story of the number and strength of the assailants, and was quite sure that Mr. Corbet and John must have gone down among them.