“Oh, Charles, thou king of clowns!” she said.  “What a weird comforter you are!”

“King of philosophers you mean!” he retorted.  “It’s taken me a long while to achieve my wisdom.  I don’t often throw my pearls about in this reckless fashion.”

She laughed.  “How dare you say that to me?  But I suppose I ought to be humbly grateful.  I am as a matter of fact intensely so.”

“Oh, no!” he said.  “Not that—­from you!”

His eyes dwelt upon her with a sort of humorous tenderness; she met them without embarrassment.  “You’ve done me good, Charles,” she said.  “Somehow I knew you would—­knew I could count on you.  You will go on standing by?”

He executed a deep bow, his hand upon his heart. "Maintenant et toujours, ma Juliette!” he assured her gallantly.  “But don’t forget the moral of my parable!  When you jump—­jump high!”

She nodded thoughtfully.  “No, I shan’t forget.  You’re a good friend, Charles Rex.”

“I may be,” said Saltash enigmatically.

CHAPTER V

THE THUNDERBOLT

Juliet lunched at the Court in Dick’s absence.  They thought her somewhat graver and quieter than usual, but there was a gentle aloofness about her that checked all intimate enquiry.

“You are not feeling anxious about the miners?” Vera asked her once.

To which Juliet replied, “Oh no!  Not in the least.  Dick has such a wonderful influence over the men.  They would never do any brawling with him there.”

“He has no business to drag you into it all the same,” said the squire.

She looked at him, faintly smiling.  “Do you imagine for one moment that I would stay behind?  Besides, there is really no danger.  His only fear is possible friction between the miners and the fishermen.  They never have loved each other, and in their present mood it wouldn’t take much to set the miners alight.”

“I’d let ’em burn!” said the squire.

“They have some cause for grievance,” she urged.  “At least Dick thinks so.”

“Well, and who hasn’t, I should like to know?” he returned with warmth.  “How many people are there in the world who don’t feel that if they had their rights they’d be a good deal better off in one respect or another than they are?  But there’s no sense in trying to stop the world going round on that account.  That’s always the way with these miner chaps.  What’s the rest of the community matter so long as they get all they want?  They’re not sportsmen.  They hit below the belt every time.”

“That’s just it,” Juliet said.  “Dick is trying to teach them to be sportsmen.”

“Oh, Dick!” said the squire.  “He’d reform the world if he could.  But he’s wasting his time.  They won’t be satisfied till they’ve had their fling.  Lord Wilchester is a wise man to keep out of the way till it’s over.”

“I’m afraid I don’t agree with you there,” Juliet said, flushing a little.  “He might at least hear what they have to say.  But they can’t get hold of him.  He is abroad.”