in front."

The coachman observes that _these_ are _his_ parcels, shuts the door,
mounts the box, and drives away, with the outsides grinning and the
insides stretching their heads out, leaving Mr Sudberry transfixed and
staring.

"`One or two small parcels,'" murmured the good man, recalling his
wife's words; "`and mind you bring 'em up.' One salmon, two legs of
mutton, one ham, three dozen of beer, a cask of--of--something or other,
and a bag of--of--ditto, (groceries, I suppose), `and mind you bring 'em
up!' How! `_that_ is the question!'" cried Mr Sudberry, quoting
Hamlet, in desperation.

Suddenly he recollected the beggar-man. "Halloo! friend; come hither."

The man rose slowly, and rising did not improve his appearance. He was
rather tall, shaggy, loose-jointed, long-armed, broad-shouldered, and he
squinted awfully. His nose was broken, and his dark colour bespoke him
a gypsy.

"Can you help me up to yonder house with these things, my man?"

"No," said the man, gruffly, "I'm footsore with travellin', but I'll
watch them here while you go up for help."

"Oh! ahem!" said Mr Sudberry, with peculiar emphasis; "you seem a stout
fellow, and might find more difficult ways of earning half a crown.
However, I'll give you that sum if you go up and tell them to send down
a barrow."

"I'll wait here," replied the man, with a sarcastic grin, limping back
to his former seat on the bank.

"Oh! very well, and I will wait _here_," said Mr Sudberry, seating
himself on a large stone, and pulling out his letters.

Seeing this, the gypsy got up again, and looked cautiously along the
road, first to the right and then to the left. No human being was in
sight. Mr Sudberry observed the act, and felt uncomfortable.

"You'd better go for help, sir," said the man, coming forward.

"Thank you, I'd rather wait for it."

"This seems a handy sort of thing to carry," said the gypsy, taking up
the sack that looked like groceries, and throwing it across his
shoulder. "I'll save you the trouble of taking this one up, anyhow."

He went off at once at a sharp walk, and with no symptom either of
lameness or exhaustion. Mr Sudberry was after him in a moment. The
man turned round and faced him.

"Put that where you took it from!" thundered Mr Sudberry.

"Oh! you're going to resist."

The gypsy uttered an oath, and ran at Mr Sudberry, intending to
overwhelm him with one blow, and rob him on the spot. The big blockhead
lit