THE JENKINS OF STOWTING S 



trained to break into a gallop as soon as the vicar's 

 foot was thrown across its back ; nor would the 

 rein be drawn in the nine miles between Northiam 

 and the Vicarage door. Debt was the man's proper 

 element ; he used to skulk from arrest in the 

 chancel of his church ; and the speed of Captain 

 may have come sometimes handy. At an early 

 age this unconventional parson married his cook, 

 and by her he had two daughters and one son. 

 One of the daughters died unmarried ; the other 

 imitated her father, and married ' imprudently.' 

 The son, still more gallantly continuing the tradi- 

 tion, entered the army, loaded himself with debt, 

 was forced to sell out, took refuge in the Marines, 

 and was lost on the Dogger Bank in the war-ship 

 Minotaur. If he did not marry below him, like 

 his father, his sister, and a certain great-uncle 

 William, it was perhaps because he never married 

 at all. 



The second brother, Thomas, who was employed 

 in the General Post Office, followed in all material 

 points the example of Stephen, married ' not very 

 creditably,' and spent all the money he could lay 

 his hands on. He died without issue ; as did the 

 fourth brother, John, who was of weak intellect 

 and feeble health, and the fifth brother, William, 

 whose brief career as one of Mrs. Buckner's 

 satellites will fall to be considered later on. So 

 soon, then, as the Minotaur had struck upon the 



