MARSHLAND AND SEA 275 



would, Mr Dash wood felt, weigh very little with 

 a jury should the said Giveen take an action 

 against him for wrongful imprisonment; and he 

 felt distinctly that Giveen, despite all his softness, 

 was just the man to take such a course. The 

 craft of Giveen was fully demonstrated by the 

 way in which he had acted the night before. 

 BeUeving himself in the power of a lunatic, he 

 had adapted himseK to the situation, feigning 

 unconcern as a beetle feigns death. Besides 

 gloomy forebodings as to the ultimate issue of 

 his illegal proceedings, Mr Dashwood had to face 

 the immediate prospect of Giveen's close com- 

 panionship for ten days or so. But, as a set-off 

 to these undesirabilities, he had the pleasant 

 vision of French liberated from his difficulties, 

 Garryowen passing the winning-post with a beaten 

 favourite behind him, and last, but not least, 

 Violet Grimshaw^'s face when he told her all. 



Enlivened by the thought of this, he sprang 

 out of bed, pulled the bed away from the door, 

 and opened it. The bleak morning had broken 

 fully now upon the marshlands and the sea; a 

 cold wind was blowing from the south-east, bend- 

 ing the wire grass and bringing with it the chilly 

 sound of small waves breaking on the shore; 

 electric white gulls were circling and crying by 

 the distant sea-edge, and the marble-grey clouds 

 were running rapidly overhead. 



He shut the door on this dismal prospect and 

 turned his attention to the fireplace. 



