, he emerged from the
wood and came upon a spot where the road forked. Having no clue
whatever as to the direction in which Lewes lay, he sat down upon a
heap of stones and waited patiently for morning. He had no doubt
that the burglary had been a successful one, and he bitterly
regretted his neglect to keep a watch down the lane, to see that he
was not surprised by the men he had heard were coming. At any rate,
he hoped that he should be able to give such information as would
set the constables upon the track.

It seemed to him that some three hours passed before a faint light
began to dawn in the sky. By this he knew that it must be about
half-past six, and calculated, therefore, he must have set out in
the trap about half-past one. He now started to walk along the
road, hoping that he should soon meet some labourer going to work.
Stopping by a small stream which ran across the road, he washed his
head and face; as he had lain on the ground after being struck, the
blood had not flowed on to his clothes.

After the wash he proceeded with a brisker step. Half an hour later
he met a ploughman, riding one of his team to the fields.

"Is this the road to Lewes?" Reuben asked.

"Lewes? Noa, this baint the road to Lewes. I don't know nothing
about the road to Lewes. This bee the road to Hastings, if you goes
further. So they tell me; I ain't never been there."

"Is there a village anywhere about here?" Reuben asked.

"Ay, half a mile or so on."

Reuben walked on till he got to the village; and then, going to a
public house, obtained some refreshment and learned, from the
landlord, the direction he should take to get to the main road
leading to Lewes; which was, as he expected, some twenty miles
away. He found that the cart had not followed the main road towards
London, but had driven by crossroads for a considerable distance,
before turning north.

It was late in the afternoon before Reuben arrived at Lewes, for he
had been obliged to rest often by the way, and had made but slow
progress. When within a few doors of his mother's house, one of the
constables of the town came up to him and touched him on the
shoulder.

"I arrest you in the king's name!"

"Arrest me! What for?" Reuben exclaimed.

"For breaking into the house of Squire Ellison, of Tipping, that's
what it's for."

Reuben laughed.

"You have got the wrong man this time. I have no more to do with
the burglary than a child."

"It's no laughing ma