"Oh, bosh!" said Jack, sharply; "if Brand interferes, I'll kick him into kingdom come. You're all right with the psalm-singer. He has promised to marry us, so he'll look after you in the mean time."
It was not always easy to make Tera see sense. She was as unreasonable as a child. At present she was filled with the idea that Brand might part her from Jack; and she thought herself safe only when on board the Dayspring. Indeed, now that the day of her return to Koiau was drawing near, she seemed to be losing the little control of herself she had acquired. This was particularly evidenced by her refusal to respond to her baptismal name of Bithiah. Jack was by no means far-seeing, but he had a shrewd suspicion that by the time Tera reached Koiau, her veneer of civilization would have worn off, and she would relapse into the wholly savage state natural to her. However, this idea troubled him very little. A semi-barbarian himself in many ways, he preferred the genuine savage to the half-baked article. But while he remained in England, and particularly in Grimleigh, where his rigid uncle lived, it was necessary to observe certain of the proprieties of life. He decided that Tera could not possibly return to the schooner until they were married. So, after much arguing and a show of anger, he induced her to come ashore, and again take up her quarters with Johnson. Tolai, as Tera's shadow, accompanied them. Pharaoh Lee, who had once more relapsed into his sullen humour, of course remained on board. He had no very high opinion of the police, but he deemed it wise, for the present at all events, not to leave his place of refuge.
As Tera and Jack, with Tolai in close attendance, walked arm-in-arm up the hill to the minister's house, they came face to face with Mr. and Mrs. Slade. The ex-policeman no longer wore a uniform. He was in plain clothes now, permanently, so far as the police force was concerned. Jack had heard of his dismissal, and stopped now to speak to him.
"Well, sonny," said he, cheerfully, "so you've left the force."
"I've bin kicked out for doing my duty," growled Slade, glowering at his wife, "and it's Jemima's doing, with her jealousy. She never would behave sensible-like."
"You needn't begin again, Jeremiah," whimpered Jemima, wiping her eyes with the corner of her shawl; "you've been at me all day."
"Ain't I got cause to? Ain't you got me turned out of the force? Ain't I got to leave Grimleigh?"
"Where are you going?" asked Tera.
"To London," replied the ex-policeman; "there ain't no chance for a man like me getting on here. I'm bent on being a detective--like those fellows in novels. Ah! there's some chance in London."
"What have you done with the pearl Mr. Mayne gave you?" demanded Jack,