"And I've been thinking, sir, of the accident that stopped me from finishing that there yarn ye speak of, and of the hearty thanks I owe ye for the stout heart and ready hand that saved my Peter. But thanks is easily said; and I mean more than words come to. I'd not have ye suppose as I'd give all trust and confidence to a man just because he's done a brave act for me and mine. But as I told you once afore, and speaking out man to man, I like the looks of ye, and ever did; and seeing as how ye've found out a good bit of our little secret already, and seem like you'd an interest to know more of it; for that, and likewise because of another thing, as I've just found out myself, and it may be as important as any--well, I'll tell ye what about Agatha there is to tell." At this moment, however, we passed round a clump of oak trees, and found ourselves right at the entrance of the little gorge where I had had my adventure the night before. Poyntz halted, and fixed his eyes gravely upon the scene for several moments. "Ay, the same old harbour," said he; "it's changed a bit now, but it brings it all back to me the last time I was here. This is the Laughing Mill, Mr. Feuerberg. And this here is the Black Oak, and here is poor Gloam's grave, d'ye see? with the bit of gray stone a-sticking out of the end of it." "Why was he buried here?" "Well, 'twas his wish; that's all. He was crazed the last years of his life, with grieving on the death of the young girl as he'd picked up on the beach, that I was telling you of. A sad thing it was altogether. She went wrong, d'ye see, with the fellow David, the Scholar's brother, and was drowned here along with him; but how that came to pass was never rightly known. 'Tis thought the Scholar had meant for to marry the girl himself. And so would David have married her, I doubt, if he'd known what I know." "About the family?"