The cliff and the little harbour beneath looked as beautiful as ever; but there was an element of sadness about the place whenever Lance went down to see Hezz, for he was pretty sure to encounter one or other of the sad-faced women busy in some way or another.  
There was no playtime for Hezz, whose big, open, boyish face had grown old and anxious-looking; but he always had a smile and a look of welcome for Lance whenever he went down, and rushed off to get the boat ready for a fishing trip somewhere or another.
 
But these were not pleasure excursions, for as soon as the boat was pushed off the two lads tugged at the oars or set the sail to run off to some well-known fishing ground, where they worked away in a grim earnest way to get together a good maund of fish, a part of which was always sold up at the "big house," and at a good price too.
 
As for the women, they worked hard in their patches of garden, or went out in couples to bait and lay the lobster pots, or set the trammel nets, sometimes successfully, more often to come back empty; but somehow they managed to live and toil on patiently with a kind of hopeful feeling that one day things would mend.
 
"Ever see any of the French smugglers now, Hezz?" said Lance to him one day.
 
The boy's eyes flashed, and he knit his brows.
 
"No," he said, in a deep growl, for there had been no squeak in his voice since the night of the fight; the last boyish sound broke right away in that struggle, and he seemed to have suddenly developed into a man. "No," he said, "nor don't want to. If it hadn't been for them the old man and Billy and t'others would ha' been at home, 'stead o' wandering the wide world over."
 
"Have you any idea where they are, Hezz?"
 
The lad looked at him fiercely.
 
"Want to get 'em took?" he growled.
 
"Of course," said Lance, smiling. "Just the sort of thing I should do."
 
"Well, I didn't know," said Hezz.
 
"Yes, you did," cried Lance. "Want me to kick you for telling a lie?"
 
"Well, you're a young gent, and young gents do such things. Look at your cousin."
 
"Now, just you apologise for what you said, or I'll pitch into you, Hezz," cried Lance. "Now then: is that the sort of thing I should do if I knew where the old man and the rest were?"
 
"No," said Hezz, grinning, "not you."
 
"Then just you apologise at once."
 
"Beg your pardon, grant your grace, wish I may die if I do so any more. That do?"
 
"Yes, that'll do. Now tell me where they are, just to show me you do trust me."
 
"Tell you in a minute, Master Lance," cried the lad earnestly, "but I don't know a bit. We did hear from a Falmouth boat as some un' had sin 'em up Middlesbro' way after the herrin'; but that's all, and p'raps they're all drownded. I say, I'll tell you something, though. What d'yer think my old woman said about your mother?"
 
"I don't know. What did she say?"
 
"Said she was just a hangel, and she didn't know what she should ha' done all through the stormy time if it hadn't been for her."
 
"Oh, bother! I didn't want to hear about that," said Lance hurriedly.
 
"But you ought to hear, and so I telled you. I say, what's gone of your cousin?"
 
"Never you mind. What is it to you?" said Lance roughly. "You don't want to see him again."
 
"Nay, I don't want to see him, Master Lance, 'cause I might feel tempted like; and I don't want to run again' hi............