"Oh, no business at all," says he. "But I am weary travelling and I thought I might rest in this place."
He began for to flatter the girl and to offer her bribes, and in the latter end he got her to speak. She told him all what the mistress of the house was like; how she had a mole under her right arm and one on her left knee. Moreover she gave him a few long golden hairs she got out of the lady's comb.
The Englishman went back to M'Carthy, brought him the tokens, and demanded the payment of the bet. And that is the way the poor gentleman spent the money he had saved up for the Jew.
M'Carthy sent word to his wife that he was coming home, and for her to meet him on the ship. She put her grandest raiment upon her and started away at once. She went out to the ship and got up on the deck where she seen her husband standing. When she went over to him he never said a word at all, but he swept her aside with his arm the way she fell into the water. Then he went on shore full sure he had her drowned.
But there was another ship coming in, and a miller that was on her seen the lady struggling in the sea. He was an aged man, yet he ventured in after her and he saved the poor creature's life.
Well, the miller was a good sort of a man and he had great compassion for herself when she told him her story. She had no knowledge of the cause of her husband being vexed with her, and she thought it hard to believe the evidence of her senses that he was after striving to make away with her. The miller advised the lady M'Carthy to go on with the ship was sailing to another port, for may be if she went home after the man he would be destroying her.
When the ship came into harbour the news was going of a great lawsuit. The miller heard all, and he brought word to the lady that M'Carthy was in danger of death.
"There are three charges against him," says the miller. "Your father has him impeached for stealing you away and you not wishful to be with him: that is the first crime."
"That is a false charge," says she, "for I helped for to plan the whole elopement. My father is surely saying all in good faith, but it is a lie the whole time."
"A Jew has him accused for a sum of money was borrowed, and it due for repayment: that is the second crime," says the miller.