"There is a little fishing village on the south coast, called Brighthelmstone. It lies in a pleasant enough valley stretching to the sea. There you can remain quite unsuspected of Todd, and enjoy the fair sea breezes that make the place delightful, without a thought of danger, for it is not that way he will go, as the place is not a port from which he could take shipping if he wished to leave England; and if he did not wish to leave at all, nothing could be further from his thoughts than going so far from London, and the spot upon which all his revenge could alone be attempted to be gratified."
"We will go," said Johanna, appealingly looking at Mark Ingestrie as she spoke.
"Certainly," he replied.
"Well, then," said Sir Richard, "since that is so far settled, I have a favour to ask of you both."
"You have but to name it," said Ingestrie. "You ought rather to say that you have a command to give us both."
"Yes," said Johanna, "that is so."
"No. If I thought that, I should not like to mention it. But I appeal to your candour to say 'yes,' or 'no,' to the request, according as you really feel inclined when you hear it. You know how anxious Todd has been to take the life of the poor lad, Tobias, who has suffered so much at his hands."
"Oh, yes—yes," said Johanna.
"Well. Have you any objection to take him with you?"
"None in the least," cried Mark.