A Search For A Secret (Vol 1 of 3)

they could trace back their history very little beyond the commencement of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, of pious and Protes

those of the great majority of their neighbours. They could not, for the life of them, see why-because the Royal family had all of a sudden come to the conclusion that the old Roman r

ted upon them for nonconformity. Still, whether from information privately sent to them previous to these researches, or whether from the superior secrecy and snugness of their "Priest's chamber," certain it is, that

ucements to desert them. Over and over again they went through "troublous times," especially when those God-fearing and enlightened Puritans domineered it ov

althy race, they would speedily have been shorn of all the little property they then possessed. But it was not so. The more t

uch as fines and imprisonments, was, that the Harmers never took any part in political affai

that there might be at least one house in the country-and that, from its proximity to the sea-coast, peculiarly suitable to the purpose,-where, in cases of necessity, a secure hiding-place could be relied on. Mother Church is very good to her obedient children; and if the Harmers gave up their personal feelings for her benefit, and sheltered her ministers in time of peril, she no doubt took care that in the long run they should not be losers. And so, while their

er useful, the Harmers ceased to enlarge their boundaries, and lived retired live

accordance with the strictest traditions of his race; Robert was also similarly educated, in order to be fitted to take his brother's place should Edward not survive his father, or die leaving

pon him for some trifling offence, he quitted his home, leaving a letter behind him stating his intention of never returning to it. Herbert Harmer was not of the stuff of which a docile son of Holy Church is made; of a warm and

grounds of the mansion except to attend mass at the Roman Catholic chapel at Canterbury, and this only upon grand occasions, as the famil

seldom, as they also were abroad, being educated in a convent; Edward and Robert were young men nearly ten years older than himself, and were when

polemical writings formed the principal part of the library, together with a few volumes of travel and biography which had somehow found their way there. On a library so limited as this the boy could not employ his whole time, b

ears absence, had lately returned with only one arm, having lost the other in a naval engagement. On his return he had been received with open arms by his father, as at that time (that is, in the year 1795) all England was wild wi

quietly away to meet Robert Althorpe, and would sit for hours under the trees listening to tales of the world and life of which he knew so little. Robert had in his period of service seen much; for those were stirring times. He had taken part in the victories of Howe and Jervis, and in the capture of the nu

s mind was, that first of all he would go to sea, and that then he wou

ich was opened by his brother Edward as the head of the house, the old man having been three years before laid in the family vault. Gregory too was dead, having died years previously of a fever contracted amo

r were taken into formal consideration. A joint answer was then drawn up, stating the horror and indignation with which his communication had been r

which is a characteristic of the Roman Church when roused. At the end, each of the family signed his

had caused all this commotion o

aving his ship, had determined to cast his lot. After various employments, he had finally obtained a situation as a clerk to a planter up the country

with her, he had come to the conclusion that the Reformed Church more closely carried out the precepts and teachings of that book than his own. That he was afraid this would prove a serious annoyance to his fathe

ceased to have any existence. It was nearly twenty years before they again heard of him, and then the news came that he had returned to England, a widower, bringing his o

r brother, but immediately it was opened, and the first line showed from

. Edward and Robert had both been married, but were, like their brother, widowers. Edward never had ch

the view they had taken of religion and its duties, very unhappy-and this was the only count to which they themselves would have pleaded guilty-very unhappy because the old line of Harmer would die with them, and that there was none of the name to inherit after them; for that Herbert the apostate should succeed them, that a Protestant Harmer should dwell where his Catholic ancestors

to some of them soone

llage of Herne Bay. She was an open boat, of about eight tons, and was considered a good sea-boat for her size. In this, with two men to sail her, under the command of an old one-armed sailor, whom they employed because he had once lived on the estate, they would go out for hours, once a week or so; not on fine sunny days-in them they had no pleasure-but when the wind blew fresh, and the waves

till the one-armed captain would say, touching his hat, "It is getting wilder, your honours; I think we had better put about." Then they would give an assenting gesture, and

gh not strong, coming in short sudden puffs, and then dying away again. The brothers started early, and drove over, through the village of Herne, to the li

of going out to-day, y

asked; "don't you think t

ong; there is a gale brewing up there;" and the old man shaded his

to blow as the sun goes down. What then? It is nearly easterly, so if we sail straight out we can always turn and run ba

ough the waves, which were breaking with a long, heavy, menacing roar. It was not rough yet, but even in the quarter of an hour which had elapsed between their arrival at the village, and reaching the side of the yacht, the aspect of the weather had changed much; the gusts of wind came more frequently, and with far greater force, whitening the surface of the water, and tearing of

n; but they gave no signs of doing so. Their faces were both set in that expression of stern pleasure which they always wore on occasions like this, and with another disapproving shake of his head, even more decided than those

her way through the ever increasing waves, dashing them aside from he

ry minute, and blew with a

to go farther. He saw that the force of the wind was already more than the boat could be

and the sea to the two men sitting beside him. There was no thought of turning back there. Their lips were hard set, yet half smiling; their eyes wide open, as if to t

eir faces; he glanced at the dark green water, rushing past the side, and sometimes as she lay over combing in over the gunwale; he felt the boat quiver under the shoc

, it is time

y did not hear him, and he had to touch them to attract their not

und the boat, and struck her with a force that threatened to break her into fragments. And then Edward said, "Yes! by all means, if indeed it is not already too late. God forgive us for bringing you out into it; peccavi, cul

d came up into the wind. There was a momentary lull, and then as her head payed round towards the shore, a fresh gust struck her with even greater force than ever. Some rope refused to run, it was but for an instant, but that instant sealed the fate o