ut it," I added, seeing his thin jaw fall; "tell him
I never found you out, but just felt well enough to go, and went. When
do you expect them back?"

"It won't be yet a bit," said he.

"Good! Now look here. What would you say to these?" And I showed him a
couple of sovereigns: I longed to offer him twenty, but feared to excite
his suspicions. "These are yours if you have a conveyance at the end of
the lane--the lane we came up the night before last--in an hour's time."

His dull eyes glistened; but a tremor took him from top to toe, and he
shook his head.

"I'm ill, man!" I cried. "If I stay here I'll die! Mr. Rattray knows
that, and he wanted me to go this morning; he'll be only too thankful to
find me gone."

This argument appealed to him; indeed, I was proud of it.

"But I was to stop an' look after you," he mumbled; "it'll get me into
trooble, it will that!"

I took out three more sovereigns; not a penny higher durst I go.

"Will five pounds repay you? No need to tell your wife it was five, you
know! I should keep four of them all to myself."

The cupidity of the little wretch was at last overcoming his abject
cowardice. I could see him making up his miserable mind. And I still
flatter myself that I took only safe (and really cunning) steps to
precipitate the process. To offer him more money would have been
madness; instead, I poured it all back into my pocket.

"All right!" I cried; "you're a greedy, cowardly, old idiot, and I'll
just save my money." And out I marched into the moonlight, very briskly,
towards the lane; he was so quick to follow me that I had no fears of
the blunderbuss, but quickened my step, and soon had him running at my
heels.

"Stop, stop, sir! You're that hasty wi' a poor owd man." So he whimpered
as he followed me like the little cur he was.

"I'm hanged if I stop," I answered without looking back; and had him
almost in tears before I swung round on him so suddenly that he yelped
with fear. "What are you bothering me for?" I blustered. "Do you want me
to wring your neck?"

"Oh, I'll go, sir! I'll go, I'll go," he moaned.

"I've a good mind not to let you. I wouldn't if I was fit to walk five
miles."

"But I'll roon 'em, sir! I will that! I'll go as fast as iver I can!"

"And have a conveyance at the road-end of the lane as near an hour hence
as you possibly can?"

"Why, there, sir!" he cried, crassly inspired; "I could drive you in our
own trap in half the time."

"Oh