"Will you do that?" she asked in a doubtful voice, as though she did not know whether to be pleased or sorry. "Yes," said I, and a servant knocked at the door, and told me Parmiter wished to speak with me. I found the lad on the steps of the porch, and we walked down to the beach. "What is it?" I asked. "The Frenchman," said he, with a frightened air. "Peter Tortue?" "Yes." I led him further along the beach lest any of the windows of the house should be open towards us, and any one by the open window. "Where is he?" Dick pointed up the hill. "At the shed?" I asked. "Yes. He was lying in wait on the hillside, and ran down when he saw that I was alone. He stays in the shed for you, and you are to go to him alone." "Amongst the dead sailor-men?" said I, with a laugh. But the words were little short of blasphemy to Dick Parmiter. "Well, I was there last night, and no harm came to me." "You were there last night?" cried Dick. "Then you will not go?" "But I will," said I. "I am curious to hear what Tortue has to say to me. You may take my word for it, Dick, there's no harm in Peter Tortue. I shall be back within the hour. Hush! not a word of this!" for I saw Helen Mayle coming from the house towards us. I told her that I was called away, and would return. "Do you take Dick with you?" she asked, with too much indifference. She held a big hat of straw by the ribbons and swung it to and fro. She did that also with too much indifference. "No," said I, "I leave him behind. Make of him what you can. He cannot tell what he does not know." The sum of Dick's knowledge, I thought, amounted to no more than this--that I had last night visited the shed, in spite of the dead sailor-men. I forgot for the moment that he was in my bedroom when I rose that morning. The door of the shed was fastened on the inside; I rapped with my knuckles, and Tortue's voice asked who was there. When I told him, he unbarred the door. "There is no one behind you?" said he, peering over my shoulder. "Nay! Do you fear that I have brought the constables to take you? You may live in Tresco till you die if you will. What! Should I betray you, whose life you saved only last night?" Peter opened the door wide. "A night!" said he, with a shrug of the shoulders. "One can forget more than that in a night, if one is so minded."