She, unable to bear them, turned suddenly on Sir Ensor, and caught (as she fancied) a smile on his lips, and a sense of quiet enjoyment.

“All the Doones are gentlemen,” answered the old man gravely, and looking as if he had never smiled since he was a baby.  “We are always glad to explain, madam, any mistake which the rustic people may fall upon about us; and we wish you clearly to conceive that we do not charge your poor husband with any set purpose of robbery, neither will we bring suit for any attainder of his property.  Is it not so, Counsellor?”

“Without doubt his land is attainted; unless is mercy you forbear, sir.”

“Counsellor, we will forbear.  Madam, we will forgive him.  Like enough he knew not right from wrong, at that time of night.  The waters are strong at Porlock, and even an honest man may use his staff unjustly in this unchartered age of violence and rapine.”

The Doones to talk of rapine!  Mother’s head went round so that she curtseyed to them both, scarcely knowing where she was, but calling to mind her manners.  All the time she felt a warmth, as if the right was with her, and yet she could not see the way to spread it out before them.  With that, she dried her tears in haste and went into the cold air, for fear of speaking mischief.

But when she was on the homeward road, and the sentinels had charge of her, blinding her eyes, as if she were not blind enough with weeping, some one came in haste behind her, and thrust a heavy leathern bag into the limp weight of her hand.

“Captain sends you this,” he whispered; “take it to the little ones.”

But mother let it fall in a heap, as if it had been a blind worm; and then for the first time crouched before God, that even the Doones should pity her.

CHAPTER V

AN ILLEGAL SETTLEMENT

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Good folk who dwell in a lawful land, if any such there be, may for want of exploration, judge our neighbourhood harshly, unless the whole truth is set before them.  In bar of such prejudice, many of us ask leave to explain how and why it was the robbers came to that head in the midst of us.  We would rather not have had it so, God knows as well as anybody; but it grew upon us gently, in the following manner.  Only let all who read observe that here I enter many things which came to my knowledge in later years.

In or about the year of our Lord 1640, when all the troubles of England were swelling to an outburst, great estates in the North country were suddenly confiscated, through some feud of families and strong influence at Court, and the owners were turned upon the world, and might think themselves lucky to save their necks.  These estates were in co-heirship, joint tenancy I think they called it, although I know not the meaning, only so that if either tenant died, the other living, all would come to the live one in spite of any testament.