Suddenly they came to a house
that they did not remember having seen before. The windows were bright
and light, and they could hear the shouts and laughter of a very merry
company within; they were just wishing themselves inside when a window
was thrown open and they were invited to come in, an invitation they
very willingly accepted, and they soon began to enjoy themselves,
drinking deeply and waxing merrier every moment, the parson singing
songs that were quite unfit for a priest, entirely forgetting the
sanctity of his calling, while the clerk followed his master's example.
They stayed long, and when, with giddy heads and unsteady legs, they
rose to depart, the parson said he was sure he could not find the way,
and he must have a guide, even if it were the devil himself. The man who
had invited them into the house said he would put them on the right way
for Dawlish, and led them to the top of the road, and telling them to go
straight on, immediately disappeared. When they had gone a little way,
they thought the tide uncommonly high, as it reached their feet,
although a minute before they were sure they were on dry land; and the
more they attempted to ride away the faster rose the water! Boisterous
laughter now echoed around, and they shouted for help, and a bright
flash of lightning revealed the figure of their guide, who was none
other than the devil himself, jeering and pointing over the black stormy
sea into which they had ridden.
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