Evening star., 1924-08-30
CHAPTER I.


1t was late evening when John Pen
hale left the Helston lawyers Office.
\ fine drizzlt- was blowing down Coin
age Hall street: thin beams of light
pierced the chinks of house shutters
and curtains, barred the blue dusk
with misty orange rays, touched the
street puddieS with alchemic fingers,
turning them to gold. a Chaise clat-
tered uphill, the horses steam hang
ing round them in kind OF lamp-lIt
nimhus, the post boys head bent
against the rain.
Outside an inn an old soldier with
a wooden leg and very drunk stood
wailing street ballad. both eyes
shut, imperviouS TO the fact that his
audience had long since left him.
penhale turned into The Angel,
went on straight into the dining room
and sat down III the far corner with
the right side of his face to the wall.
He did 50 from habit. A trio OF
squireens in mud despatched riding
coats sat near the door ard made
considerable noise. They had been
hare hunting and were rosy with
sharp air and hard riding. They
greeted every appearance of the ripe
serving maid with loud whoops and
passed her from arm to arm she
protested and giggled. Opposite them
a
"A creditor from Plymouth to the best
bottle the town afforded. The com
pany was made UP by u very young
ensign of Light Dragons bound to
Winchester to join his regiment for
the first time. painfully self conscious
and aloof in his new scarlet. Pen
hale beat on the table with his knife.
The maid escaped from the festive
sportsmen and brought him plate of
i s.h a C
about to set the plate befSTe him one
of the hare hunters lost his balance
and fell 70 the ground with loud
crash of his chair and yell of de-
light from his companions.
The noise caused Penhale to turn
his head. The girl emitted an "ach'
of horror dropped the plate on the
table and rccoiled Is though some
one had struck her. Penhale pulled
the plate toward him, picked up his
knife and fork and quietly began to
cat. He was quite used to these dis
plays. The girl backed away, staring
in sort of dreadful fascination. A
squireen caught at her wrist calling
her his sweet slut" but she wrenched
herself free and ran out of the door
She did not come near Penhale
again; the tapster brough: him the
rest of his meal. Penhal" went on
eating, OutNdruIy utliioN eA' iie iiao
been subject to these outourStS, on
and on, for Is years.
Eighteen years previously myrladS
of birds had been driven south by the
hard winter upcountry. One early
morning. after particularly bitter
snap, a hind had run in 20 say that
the pond on Polmenna Downs. above
the farm, was covered with wild duck
Penhale took an old f1intlock fowling
nf hi "a bPan
hanging neglected over he fireplace
for years and made fos Polmenna,
loading as he went.
AS the hind had said. the pool was
covered with duck. Penhale crouched
under cover of some willows, brought
the five-foot gun to his shoulder and
blaZed into the brown.
An hour later a fisherman setting
rabbit snares in a hedge above the
Luddra saw what he described as "a
red man" fighting through the scrub
and bramble that fringed the cliff. 1t
was John Penhale; the gun had ex-
ploded, blowing half his face away.
Penhale had no intention of throwing
himself over the Luddra, he was blind
with blood and pain. The fisherman
led him home with difficulty. and then,
being of practical mind. returned to
the pond to pick up tb. duck
An old crone who had the reputation
of being white witch was sum-
moned to Bosula and managed to stop
the bleeding by means Of incantations,
cobwebs and dung-principally dung.
The hind was sent on horseback to
Penzance to fetch Doctor Spargo.
Doctor Spargo had been making
night of it with his friend the Col
lector of Customs and a stray ship
captain who was peculiarly gifted in
the brewing of rum toddieS. The
doctor was put to bed at dawn by his
household staff, and when he was
knocked up again at IL he was
not the best pleased. He bade his
housekeeper tell the Bosua messenger
that he was out-called out to a con-
finement in Morvah parish. and was
not expected back till eveninS-and
turned over on his pillow.
The housekeeper returned. agitated