‘The days of our age are threescore years and ten’, and the rest.

Now, whenever I handled the locket, my thoughts were turned to Mohune’s treasure; and it was natural that it should be so, for the locket reminded me of my first journey to the vault; and I laughed at myself, remembering how simple I had been, and had hoped to find the place littered with diamonds, and to see the gold lying packed in heaps.  And thus for the hundredth time I came to rack my brain to know where the diamond could be hid, and thought at last it must be buried in the churchyard, because of the talk of Blackbeard being seen on wild nights digging there for his treasure.  But then, I reasoned, that very like it was the contrabandiers whom men had seen with spades when they were digging out the passage from the tomb to the vault, and set them down for ghosts because they wrought at night.  And while I was busy with such thoughts, the door opened in the house below me, and out came Grace with a hood on her head and a basket for wild flowers in her hand.

I watched to see which way she would walk; and as soon as she took the path that leads up Weatherbeech, made off through the dry brushwood to meet her, for we had settled she should never go that road except when Maskew was away.  So there we met and spent an hour together on the hill, though I shall not write here what we said, because it was mostly silly stuff.  She spoke much of the auction and of Elzevir leaving the Why Not?, and though she never said a word against her father, let me know what pain his doing gave her.  But most she grieved that we were leaving Moonfleet, and showed her grief in such pretty ways, as made me almost glad to see her sorry.  And from her I learned that Maskew was indeed absent from home, having been called away suddenly last night.  The evening was so fine, he said (and this surprised me, remembering how dark and cold it was with us), that he must needs walk round the policies; but about nine o’clock came back and told her he had got a sudden call to business, which would take him to Weymouth then and there.  So to saddle, and off he went on his mare, bidding Grace not to look for him for two nights to come.

I know not why it was, but what she said of Maskew made me thoughtful and silent, and she too must be back home lest the old servant that kept house for them should say she had been too long away, and so we parted.  Then off I went through the woods and down the village street, but as I passed my old home saw Aunt Jane standing on the doorstep.  I bade her ‘Good day’, and was for running on to the Why Not?, for I was late enough already, but she called me to her, seeming in a milder mood, and said she had something for me in the house.  So left me standing while she went off to get it, and back she came and thrust into my hand a little prayer-book, which I had often seen about the parlour in past days, saying, ’Here is a Common Prayer which I had meant to send thee with thy clothes.  It was thy poor mother’s, and I pray may some day be as precious a balm to thee as it once was to that godly woman.’  With that she gave me the ‘Good day’, and I pocketed the little red leather book, which did indeed afterwards prove precious to me, though not in the way she meant, and ran down street to the Why Not?