Adam had just recounted to his wife his interviews with the mayor and lawyer of Morbury, and had listened to her history of Mr Herbert Castleton's family, and the unhappy fate of his daughter, when a knock was heard at the door. The dame opened it, but drew back on seeing their visitor. "Good-day, neighbour," said the person who entered, a strongly-built man with a bushy black beard and a sunburnt countenance, the sinister expression of which was ill-calculated to win confidence, and whose semi-nautical costume made it doubtful whether he was a landsman or sailor. "I have come to have a friendly chat with you, if you will give me leave?" Without waiting for a reply, still keeping his hat on, he threw himself into a chair by the fire, glancing round the room as he did so. "What have you got to talk about, Mr Gaffin?" asked Adam, disdaining to give the welcome he could not heartily offer, and instead of sitting down, standing with his hands in his pockets opposite his guest, while the dame continued the work in which she had been engaged. "I hear you boarded a wreck the other morning and rescued a child from it," observed the visitor. "I did so," answered Adam, curtly. "What has become of the child, then?" asked Mr Gaffin, looking round the room as if in search of her. The visitor was Miles Gaffin, the miller of Hurlston, as he was generally called. "She has gone out for a walk," said the dame, coming up near her husband on hearing the subject of the conversation. "You will find the maintenance of a child in addition to your own somewhat burdensome in these hard times," observed the miller. "We can judge better than our neighbours whether the burden is more than we can bear," answered the dame; "so you see, Mr Gaffin, that need not make any one uneasy on our account." "Very likely, my good woman, and all very well at present; but the day will come when she will require schooling and clothing, and I suppose you had not time to bring much property belonging to her on shore, Adam Halliburt?" said Gaffin, in an inquiring tone. "No, Miles Gaffin, I had less time to bring anything away than those who visited the wreck before me," he answered, fixing his eyes on the visitor, who met his glance unmoved. "What! did any one else get on board the wreck, do you think?" "I am sure of it; and whoever they were, they were heartless villains to leave a little child to perish when they might have saved her." "Perhaps if people did visit the wreck they were not aware that any human being remained on board," said Gaffin. "Did you see any of the crew? No one has heard of them, I understand."