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I gnhgeks Eiltrzixg Eilnstllilt.
"is?
T as he softly opened the door. " Not me, I
hope ?”
I instantly recognized the follow, and so
did the doctor, who had again bounded
from his chair, and was shaking all over
as if with aguc, whilst his very carbunclcs
became pallid with aifright. “ You-u-u,"
he stammerede“Y .. u-u, lVyatt: God
forbid l” -
, 5 VVyatt was, I saw, muddled with liquor.
. ' This was lucky for poor Lee. “VVell, nev-
er mind if it was me, old brick,” rejoined
the fellow; “ or at least you have been a
brick, though I'm misdoubting you’ll die a
pantilc after all. But here's luck; all’s
one for that.” He held a pewter-pot in one
hand, and a pipe in the other, and as‘ he
drank, his somewhat confused but baleful
look continued levelled savagely along the
pewter at the terrified doctor. There was,
I saw, mischief in the man.
“I'd drink yours,” continued the reckless
scamp, as he paused for breath, drew the
back of his pipe-hand across his mouth, and
stared as steadily as he could in my face-
"I’d drink your health, if I only knew
your name.”
“ You'll hear it plainly enough, my fine
fellow, when you're in the dock one of
these days, just before the judge sends you
to the hulks, or, which is perhaps the like-
lier, to the gallows. And this scamp, too,”
I added, with a gesture towards Lee, whom
I hardly dared venture to look at, “who
- Phas been pitching me such a pretty rigmar-
ole, is, Isee, a fellow-rogue to yourself.
This house appears to be little better than
a thieves’ rendezvous, upon my word."
W'yatt regarded me with a deadly scowl.
as he answered: “ Ay, ay, you're a brave
cock, Master ‘Varneford, upon your own
'; (lunghilll It may be my turn some day
Here, doctor, a word with you outside."
They both left the room, and I rang the
bell, discharged the score, and was just
going when Lee returned. He was still
I
vr
” " pale and shaky, though considerably recov-
ered from the panic-terror excited by the
sudden entrance of lVyatt.
“ Thank Heaven, he's gonel” said the
doctor; “and lcsssour and suspicious than
I feared himto be. But tell me, sir, do
you intend walking from here to Hythe ?”
“Iso purpose. Why do you ask?"
“Because the young girl you saw in the
bar went of ten minutes ago by the same
road. She was too late for a farmer’: cart
which she expected to return by. Wyatt,
too, is oli‘ in the same direction."
“ She will have company then.”
“ Evil company, I fear. Her father and
he have lately quarrelled; and her, I know,
he bears a grudge against, for refusing, as
the talk goes, to have anything to say to
him."
, I
I I “Very well; don't alarm yourself. I
’ shall soon overtake them, and you may de-
pend tho big drunken bully shall neither
insult nor molest her. Good-night."
It was a lonely walk for a girl to take
on a winter evening, although the weather
was brilliantly light and clear, and it was
not yet much past seven o'clock. Except,
perchance, a ‘ ‘ per, or a deer-stealer,
, it was not likely she would meet a human
being for two or three miles together, and
farm houses near the track were very
sparsely scattered here and there. I walk-
ed swiftly on and soon came within sight of
'Wyatt; but so eagerly was his intention
directed ahead, that he did not observe me
till we were close abreast of each other.
“ You here l" he exclaimed, fairly gunsh-
ing his teeth with rage. “ I only wiih"--
p
“ That you had one or two friends within
‘hail, eh? VVell, it‘s better for your own
, health that you have not, depend upon it.
,I have four barrels with me, and each of
1 them, as you well know, carries a life, one
"of which should be yours, as sure as that
; black head is on your shoulders."
IIe answered only by a snarl and a. mal-
edietion, and we proceeded on pretty near-
ly together. IIe appeared to be much so
borer than before: perhaps the keen air
had cooled him somewhat, or he might have
been shamming ita little at the inn to hood-
wink the doctor. Five or six minutes
brought us to a sharp turn of the road,
where we caught sight of the young woman,
who was not more than thirty or forty yards
ahead. Presently, the sound of footsteps
appeared to strike her ear, for she looked
quickly round, and an expression of alarm
escaped her. I was in the shadow of the
road, so that, in the first instance, she saw
only Wyatt. Another moment, and her
terrified glance rested upon me.
“Lieutenant; lVarneford 1" she exclaim-
ed.
“Ay, my good girl, that is my name.
You appear frightened-not at me, I hope?”
“ 0 no, not at you,” she hastily answered,
the color vividly returning to her cheeks.
“ This good-looking person is, I daresay,
a sweetheart of yours; so I'll just keep
astcrn out of ear-shot. My road lies past
your dwelling.”
The girl appeared to understand me, and,
reassured, walked on, “'yatt lopping sullen-
ly along beside her. I did not choose to
have a fellow of his stamp, and in his pres-
ent mood, walking behind me.
Nothing was said that I heard for about a
mile and a half, when Ivyatt, with a snarl-
ing “goodnight” to the girl, turned oli‘ by
a path on the left, and was quickly out of
sight.
“I am not very far from home now, sir,"
said the young woman hcsitatingly. She
thought, perhaps, thatl might leave her,
now Wyatt had disappeared.
“Pray go on, then." I said; “I will see
you safe there, though somewhat pressed
for time."
We walked side by side, and after awhile
she said in a low tone, and with still down-
east eyes: “ My mother lived servant in
your family once, sir."
“ The deuce! Your nameis Ransome,
then, I suspect."
“ Yes, sir-Mary Ransome.” A sad sigh
accompanied these words. I pitied the poor
girl from my heart, but having nothing
very consolatory to suggest, I held my
ace.
“There is mother l” she cried in an al-
most joyful tone. She pointed to a woman
standing in the open door-way of a mean
dwelling at no great distance, in apparent-
ly anxious expectation. Mary Ransome
hastened forwards, and whispered a few
sentences to her mother, who fondly cm-
braced her.
“I am very grateful to you, sir, for see-
ing Mary safely home. You do not, I
daresay, remember me ?”
“You are greatly changed, I perceive,
and not by years alone."
“ Ah, sir l" Tears started to the eyes 0
both mother and daughter. “Would you,"
added the woman, “step in a moment?
Perhaps a few words from you might have
effect.” She looked, whilst thus speaking,
at her weak, consumptive-looking husband,
who was seated by the fire-place with a
large green baizc-covered Bible open before
him on the table. There in no sermon so
impressive as that which gleams from an ap-
parently yawning and inevitable grave;
and none, too, more quickly forgotten, if by
any resource of art, and re-invigoration of
nature, the tomb-ward progress be arrested,
and life pulsate joyously again. I was
about to make some remark upon the su-
icidal folly of persisting in a course which
almost necessarily led to misery and ruin,
when the but pzirtially-closed doorway was
darkened by the burly figure of IVyatt.
“ A very nice company, by jingo l” growl-
ed the ruiiian; “ you only want the doctor
who quite complete. But hark ye, Ran-
some,” he continued, addressing the sick
man, who cowered beneath his scowling
gaze like a. beaten hound-“ mind and keep
a still tongue in that calf ’s head of yours,
or else prepare yourself to-to take--to
take-what follows. You know me as well
as I do you. Good night."
With this caution, the fellow disappear-
ed; and after afew words, which the un-
fortunate family were too frightened to lis-
ten to, or scarcely to hear, I also went my
way.
The information received from Dr. Lee
relative to the contemplated run near Hurst
Castle proved strictly accurate. The sur-
prise of the smugglers was in consequence
complete, and the goods, the value of which
was considerable, were easily secured.
There occurred also several of the ordinary
casualties that attend such encounters--c
ualties which always excited in my mind a
strong feeling of regret, that the revenue of
the country could not be assured by other
and less hazardous expedients. No life
was, however, lost, and we made no prison-
r-rs. To my great surprise I caught, at the
beginning of the atfray, a. glimpse of the
bottle-green coat, drab knee-cords, with
gaiter continuations, of the doctor. They,
however, very quickly vanished; and till
about a week afterwards, I concluded that
their owner had escaped in a whole skin.
I was mistaken.
I had passed the evening at the house
whither my steps were directed when I es-
corted Mary Iiansome home, and it was
growing late, when the servant-maid an-
nounced that a young woman. seemingly in
great trouble, after inquiring if Lieutenant
Warneford was there, had requested to see
him immediately, and was waiting [below for
that purpose. It was, I found, Mary Ran-
some, in a state of great iiurry and excite
ment. She brought a hastily-scribbled note
from Dr. Lee, to the edect that Wyatt,
from motives of suspicion, had insisted that
both he and Ransome should be present at
the attempt near Hurst Castle; that the
doctor, in his hurry to get out of harm’s
way, had attempted a leap which, owing to
his haste, awkwardness, and the frosty at-
mosphere and ground, had resulted in a
compound fracture of his right leg; that he
had been borne off in a state of insensibili-
ty ; on recovering from which he found him-
self in Wyattfs power, who, by riding his
pockets, had found some memoranda that
left no doubt of Lee's treason toward the
smuggling fraternity. The bearer of the
note would, he said, further explain, as he
could not risk delaying sending it for anoth-
er moment-only he begged to say his life
depended upon me.
“ Lifel" I exclaimed, addressing the
pale, quaking girl ; “nonsense l Such gen-
try as Wyatt are not certainly particular to
a shnde or two, but they rarely go that
length."
“They will make away with father as
well as Dr. Lee." she shudderingly replied:
“ I am sure of it. “'yatt is mad with
rage."
She trembled so violently as hardly to be
able to stand, and I made her sit down.
“ You cannot mean that the scoundrel
contemplates murder ? ”
“ Yes-yes! believe me, sir, he does.
You know the Fair Rosrmwnd, now lying
oil‘ Marchwood ‘.7 ” she continued, growing
every instant paler and paler.
“ The trader to St. Michael's for oranges
and other fruits ? "
“That is but a blind, sir, she belongs to
the same company as the boat: you captured
at Hurst Castle. She will complete landing
her cargo early to-morrow morning, and drop
down the river with tho ebb-tido just about
dawn.”
“ The deuce they will! The cunning
rascals. But go on. What would you further
say ? ”
“ Wyatt insists that both the Doctor and
my father shall sail in her. They will be
carried on board, and-and when at sear-you
l;.. y understand"
“ Be drowned, you fear. That is possible,
certainly; but I cannot think they would
have more to fear than a good keel-hauling.
Still, the matter must be looked to, more
especially as Lee's predicament is owing to
the information he has given the king's odi-
cers. Where are they confined?”
She described the place, which I remem-
bered vcry well, having searched it not more
than a fortnight previously. I then assured
her that I would get her father as well as
Lee out of the smugglers hands by force, if
necessary; upon hearing which the poor
girl's agitation came to a climax, and she
went off into strong hysterics. There was
no time to be lost, so committing her to the
care of ascrvant, I took leave of my friends,
and made the best of my way to Hythe, hard
off which a boat, I knew, awaited me; re-
volving, as I sped along, the best mode of
procedure. I hailed the boat, and instructed
one of the men--Dick Redhead, he was
generally called, from his fiery poll-a sharp,
clever fellow was Dick-to proceed immedi-
ately to the house I had left, and accompany
the young woman to the spot indicated, and
remain in ambush, with both eyes ' wide
open, about the place till I arrived. The
Rose was fortunately on‘ Southampton Quay ;
we soon reached her, shifted to alarger boat,
and I and a stout crew were on our way, in
very little time, to have a word with that
deceitful Fair Rosamond, which we oould
still see a couple of miles up the river. We
were quickly alongside, but, to our great
surprise, found no one on board. There
was, however, a considerable quantity of
contraband spirits in the hold; and this not
only confirmed the girl's story; but consti-
tuted the Fair Rosamond a. lawful prize. I
left four men in her, with strict orders to
lie close and not show themselves: and with
the rest hastened on shore, and pushed on to
the doctor‘: rescue. The night was dark
and stormy, which was I0 far the betwl‘ fol‘
our purpose; but when we reached the
place, no Dick Redhead oould be Swill
This was queer, and prowling Itealthily
round the building, we found that it won le-
curely barred, sheltered and fastened up,
although by the light through the chinks,
and a confused hum, it seemed of merry
voices, there was a considerable number of
guests within. Still, MAIN!‘ Dick did um
show, and I was thoroughly at 3 lug how to
act. It would not certainly have bunrdifi-.
cult to force an entrance, but] doubted that
=-,
ID‘ Cousteau on has no