Page:Joan, the curate.djvu/269

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An Innocent Rival.
263

within the month, why, I do surely believe she'll get them, whether you will or no."

"Sworn to have my kisses!" echoed the lieutenant, in amazement. "Egad, then, she'll be forsworn. Fear not, man; thy fair one has no charms for me, and truly she hath never met a man less like to bestow his kisses upon her. Where she is gone I know not: and if I were in thy shoes, I should be thankful she'd disappeared, and I should look about for something softer, something more like a woman, to whom to give my kindness!"

"Sir, one cannot give love where one will!" said poor Tom, rather ruefully. "If I do know why I love her, 'tis on account of her not being loike to every other lass in the parish; to her being so different from herself, as from all other women, that one never knows how she's going for to be two hours together! So it ain't no good of talking, sir; for, oons! I've loved her too long to go trapesing after another now!"

At that moment Tregenna caught sight of the first of his own men returning from a fruitless search for the rest of the smugglers. He turned quickly to Tom.