"Thank God, I am safe from him. I shall be at Temple shortly."
"Ah! but, of course, you don't know that Temple is shut up. Your father left almost as soon as the funeral was over. Some of his neighbours had called upon him to keep his promise of helping to drive out the foreigners as the law was powerless, and he quarrelled with them. He went away, vowing never to return, so they say."
So vanished for the present my hope of reconciliation with him.
"I have heard nothing of him. I know little of what has been doing in the Isle, for I came back only yesterday morning. I did not hear of your death till then."
She paused with some choking in the throat, but in a moment resumed--
"You must lose no time in making yourself known to your friends. If the soldiers find you before that is done, they will drag you off to Hull."
"Some in Epworth, and some in Crowle," she replied.
Now I understood the by-play at the Bull. The blacksmith's man had gone to seek the officer, and the smith had not ventured to attempt to hold me until the soldiers came. Perhaps he had not felt entirely comfortable at the thought of giving up a poor wretch to life-long misery. I told Bess of the colloquy.
"Oh, you must go," she cried. "They may be on your track already."
"I will push on to my aunt's--to the Crowle vicarage," I answered.
"And I will go toward Epworth, and send the soldiers on a wild-goose chase, if I meet them," said Bess.
"But these men of war cannot all be looking for Ulceby, surely?"
"No, no; the search-party has returned to Lincoln, but these men are billeted hereabout to keep the Islonians in check, because of the attacks which have been made on Sandtoft; but there is a reward offered for the capture of Ulceby, and poor Daft Jack may be taken, if he is found. I meant to try to find and warn him, but now I must go the other way. But you must go at once."
"Stay yet half a minute," I said. "Do you know where Boswell is, and what he is about?"
"To-morrow night at Daft Jack's cottage, I will tell you all I know. You must not lose more time. And take my purse, for you must be penniless."
"In an hour I shall be at the vicarage," said I, declining.
"Then you can give it back to me to-morrow night."
She thrust it into my hand, and we went our different ways.