As he had expected, she left the house at the same hour at night,this time passing his door without stealth, as if she knew very wellthat he would be watching, and were resolved to brave hisdispleasure. He was quite ready, opened the door quickly, andreached the back door almost as soon as she.

　　'Then you will go, Lizzy?' he said as he stood on the step besideher, who now again appeared as a little man with a face altogetherunsuited to his clothes.

　　'I must,' she said, repressed by his stern manner.

　　'Then I shall go too,' said he.

　　'And I am sure you will enjoy it!' she exclaimed in more buoyanttones. 'Everybody does who tries it.'

　　'God forbid that I should!' he said. 'But I must look after you.'

　　They opened the wicket and went up the road abreast of each other,but at some distance apart, scarcely a word passing between them.

　　The evening was rather less favourable to smuggling enterprise thanthe last had been, the wind being lower, and the sky somewhat cleartowards the north.

　　'It is rather lighter,' said Stockdale.

　　''Tis, unfortunately,' said she. 'But it is only from those fewstars over there. The moon was new to-day at four o'clock, and Iexpected clouds. I hope we shall be able to do it this dark, forwhen we have to sink 'em for long it makes the stuff taste bleachy,and folks don't like it so well.'

　　Her course was different from that of the preceding night, branchingoff to the left over Lord's Barrow as soon as they had got out ofthe lane and crossed the highway. By the time they reached ChaldonDown, Stockdale, who had been in perplexed thought as to what heshould say to her, decided that he would not attempt expostulationnow, while she was excited by the adventure, but wait till it wasover, and endeavour to keep her from such practices in future. Itoccurred to him once or twice, as they rambled on, that should theybe surprised by the excisemen, his situation would be more awkwardthan hers, for it would be difficult to prove his true motive incoming to the spot; but the risk was a slight consideration besidehis wish to be with her.

　　They now arrived at a ravine which lay on the outskirts of Chaldon,a village two miles on their way towards the point of the shore theysought. Lizzy broke the silence this time: 'I have to wait here tomeet the carriers. I don't know if they have come yet. As I toldyou, we go to Lulstead Cove to-night, and it is two miles furtherthan Ringsworth.'

　　It turned out that the men had already come; for while she spoke twoor three dozen heads broke the line of the slope, and a company ofthem at once descended from the bushes where they had been lying inwait. These carriers were men whom Lizzy and other proprietorsregularly employed to bring the tubs from the boat to a hiding-placeinland. They were all young fellows of Nether-Moynton, Chaldon, andthe neighbourhood, quiet and inoffensive persons, who simply engagedto carry the cargo for Lizzy and her cousin Owlett, as they wouldhave engaged in any other labour for which they were fairly wellpaid.

　　At a word from her they closed in together. 'You had better take itnow,' she said to them; and handed to each a packet. It containedsix shillings, their remuneration for the night's undertaking, whichwas paid beforehand without reference to success or failure; but,besides this, they had the privilege of selling as agents when therun was successfully made. As soon as it was done, she said tothem, 'The place is the old one near Lulstead Cove;' the men tillthat moment not having been told whither they were bound, forobvious reasons. 'Owlett will meet you there,' added Lizzy. 'Ishall follow behind, to see that we are not watched.'

　　The carriers went on, and Stockdale and Mrs. Newberry followed at adistance of a stone's throw. 'What do these men do by day?' hesaid.

　　'Twelve or fourteen of them are labouring men. Some arebrickmakers, some carpenters, some shoe-makers, some thatchers.

　　They are all known to me very well. Nine of 'em are of your owncongregation.'

　　'I can't help that,' said Stockdale.

　　'O, I know you can't. I only told you. The others are more church-inclined, because they supply the pa'son with all the spirits herequires, and they don't wish to show unfriendliness to a customer.'

　　'How do you choose 'em?' said Stockdale.

　　'We choose 'em for their closeness, and because they are strong andsurefooted, and able to carry a heavy load a long way without beingtired.'

　　Stockdale sighed as she enumerated each particular, for it provedhow far involved in the business a woman must be who was so wellacquainted with its conditions and needs. And yet he felt moretenderly towards her at this moment than he had felt all theforegoing day. Perhaps it was that her experienced manner and holdindifference stirred his admiration in spite of himself.

　　'Take my arm, Lizzy,' he murmured.

　　'I don't want it,' she said. 'Besides, we may never be to eachother again what we once have been.'

　　'That depends upon you,' said he, and they went on again as before.

　　The hired carriers paced along over Chaldon Down with as littlehesitation as if it had been day, avoiding the cart-way, and leavingthe village of East Chaldon on the left, so as to reach the crest ofthe hill at a lonely trackless place not far from the ancientearthwork called Round Pound. An hour's brisk walking brought themwithin sound of the sea, not many hundred yards from Lulstead Cove.

　　Here they paused, and Lizzy and Stockdale came up with them, whenthey went on together to the verge of the cliff. One of the men nowproduced an iron bar, which he drove firmly into the soil a yardfrom the edge, and attached to it a rope that he had uncoiled fromhis body. They all began to descend, partly stepping, partlysliding down the incline, as the rope slipped through their hands.

　　'You will not go to the bottom, Lizzy?' said Stockdale anxiously.

　　'No. I stay here to watch,' she said. 'Owlett is down there.'

　　The men remained quite silent when they reached the shore; and thenext thing audible to the two at the top was the dip of heavy oars,and the dashing of waves against a boat's bow. In a moment the keelgently touched the shingle, and Stockdale heard the footsteps of thethirty-six carriers running forwards over the pebbles towards thepoint of landing.

　　There was a sousing in the water as of a brood of ducks plunging in,showing that the men had not been particular about keeping theirlegs, or even their waists, dry from the brine: but it wasimpossible to see what they were doing, and in a few minutes theshingle was trampled again. The iron bar sustaining the rope, onwhich Stockdale's hand rested, began to swerve a little, and thecarriers one by one appeared climbing up the sloping cliff; drippingaudibly as they came, and sustaining themselves by the guide-rope.

　　Each man on reaching the top was seen to be carrying a pair of tubs,one on his back and one on his chest, the two being slung togetherby cords passing round the chine hoops, and resting on the carrier'sshoulders. Some of the stronger men carried three by putting anextra one on the top behind, but the customary load was a pair,these being quite weighty enough to give their bearer the sensationof having chest and backbone in contact after a walk of four or fivemiles.

　　'Where is Owlett?' said Lizzy to one of them.

　　'He will not come up this way,' said the carrier. 'He's to bide onshore till we be safe off.' Then, without waiting for the rest, theforemost men plunged across the down; and, when the last hadascended, Lizzy pulled up the rope, wound it round her arm, wriggledthe bar from the sod, and turned to follow the carriers.

　　'You are very anxious about Owlett's safety,' said the minister.

　　'Was there ever such a man!' said Lizzy. 'Why, isn't he my cousin?'

　　'Yes. Well, it is a bad night's work,' said Stockdale heavily.

　　'But I'll carry the bar and rope for you.'

　　'Thank God, the tubs have got so far all right,' said she.

　　Stockdale shook his head, and, taking the bar, walked by her sidetowards the downs; and the moan of the sea was heard no more.

　　'Is this what you meant the other day when you spoke of havingbusiness with Owlett?' the young man asked.

　　'This is it,' she replied. 'I never see him on any other matter.'

　　'A partnership of that kind with a young man is very odd.'

　　'It was begun by my father and his, who were brother-laws.'

　　Her companion could not blind himsel............