house adjoining the mill, in fact, the same roof covered both mill and
house, which were built facing the sea. The stream of water which turned
the wheel was far more powerful than the present, as the old marks
(still partially visible) denote. Pierre Moullin, like many of his
fellow-islanders, was a strong adherent of Cromwell; his son Hirzel was
also,--though perhaps he did not go quite as far as his father in his
hatred of the Royalist party. He had nevertheless acquaintances among
the Royalist soldiers who were quartered in the strong fortress at
Jerbourg. One in particular he had made a great friend of--Charlie
Heyward. Old Pierre often used to say he knew harm would come of this
friendship, and felt his words were being proved true when he
discovered that an attachment was springing up between his daughter
Marguerite and the young soldier. On becoming aware of this his rage was
unbounded, and he repeatedly said he would be the death of Charlie if he
could manage it. He tried in every way to bring his son to his way of
thinking, but though Hirzel did not much like the idea of his sister
marrying a Royalist soldier, and besides which another friend and
fellow-countryman of his Jacques Gaultier, was also much attached to the
fair Marguerite, and had long persecuted her with his unwelcome
attentions, still Hirzel would have done anything rather than have
injured his friend Charlie, whom he liked well, though he did not like
his principles. In Jacques Gaultier the old miller saw a ready tool
towards gaining his wicked end of destroying Charlie. The latter did not
think Pierre's hatred reached the extent it did, at the same time he was
still aware there was no chance of his ever gaining the old man's
consent to his marrying Marguerite.

One night Pierre sent his son to bring Jacques Gaultier saying, he
wished to speak to him about taking some flour into the town next day.
Jacques was only too delighted to get any excuse for going to the mill,