Again I was tongue-tied, and my eyes fell before hers. I thought of her
as being the wife of young Peter Trevisa, I thought of the net which the
two Trevisas were probably trying to weave around her just then, and I
stood dumb, like a boy caught in the act of stealing.
The maid gave a sigh, and then as I lifted my eyes to hers again I saw a
look of loathing and disgust on her face.
"I have heard of you as having two names," she said, and I detected
scorn in her tones. "You have called yourself Penryn, and I have heard
that you are a Trevanion. They are both honourable. But I dare not trust
you, because you are unworthy of either. I would thank you if I could
for bringing me here, but I cannot, for there is that in your mind which
means worse to me than being the wife of a Killigrew."
"I am dismissed then?" I cried in a rage--"dismissed like a disgraced
servant. Well, let it be so."
"Yes," she cried, "I know you now, and I would rather trust to the
mercies of the Killigrews than to one who, under the guise of
friendship, would use the one who sought his help in order to carry out
some base purpose of his own."
With these words, she left the little room, and went into the chapel
where I had spent most of the morning with Uncle Anthony. The maid had
maddened me now. I felt no sympathy with her. Hitherto my mind and heart
had been divided. Sometimes I had altogether made up my mind to place
her under the protection of John Polperro, and never had I fully decided
to take her to Peter Trevisa's. Indeed, I believe that had she wept and
prayed like some maidens would have done, aye, had she appealed to my
honour as a gentleman, I should at all hazards have been led by her
will. But now all was different. She had defied me, insulted me. She had
refused to have aught further to do with me. She preferred being taken
back to Endellion, to being left under my escort.
"Very well, my proud lady," I thought, "but you have not done with me
yet. You _shall_ go to Peter Trevisa's, and neither the Killigrews, John
Polperro, nor Uncle Anthony shall prevent me from taking you."
And this I determined because I was mad, and because, in spite of the
fact that her accusation was partly just, her words rankled in my heart.
But I knew that I must be wary. I knew that Uncle Anthony was watching
me closely, so I feigned to take my dismissal kindly.
"Be it so," I laughed; "I am always glad to be rid of women. I will
leave you shortly, Uncle Anthony, but this bout with the maid hath tired
me more than wrestling, and me thinks I will rest awhile." This I said
because I wanted an excuse for staying on the rock.
"That is well," said Uncle Anthony kindly. "We must not be hard on the
maid; perchance she will think better of you presently. I will go and
fetch the pallet from the chapel."
"And, Uncle Anthony," I said with a laugh, "hermit though you are, you
must surely have a bottle of wine somewhere."
"Think you so?" replied the old man. "Well, I will see."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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