At last--it was after he had collected a good deal of his money--Hayes
began to reason with himself, "Why should I stay?--stay to be insulted
by that boy, or murdered by him? He is ready for any crime." He
determined to fly. He would send Catherine money every year. No--she had
the furniture; let her let lodgings--that would support her. He would
go, and live away, abroad in some cheap place--away from that boy and
his horrible threats. The idea of freedom was agreeable to the poor
wretch; and he began to wind up his affairs as quickly as he could.

Hayes would now allow no one to make his bed or enter his room; and
Wood could hear him through the panels fidgeting perpetually to and fro,
opening and shutting of chests, and clinking of coin. At the least sound
he would start up, and would go to Billings's door and listen. Wood used
to hear him creeping through the passages, and returning stealthily to
his own chamber.

One day the woman and her son had been angrily taunting him in the
presence of a neighbour. The neighbour retired soon; and Hayes, who had
gone with him to the door, heard, on returning, the voice of Wood in the
parlour. The old man laughed in his usual saturnine way, and said, "Have
a care, Mrs. Cat; for if Hayes were to die suddenly, by the laws, the
neighbours would accuse thee of his death."

Hayes started as if he had been shot. "He too is in the plot," thought
he. "They are all leagued against me: they WILL kill me: they are only
biding their time." Fear seized him, and he thought of flying that
instant and leaving all; and he stole into his room and gathered his
money together. But only a half of it was there: in a few weeks all
would have come in. He had not the heart to go. But that night Wood
heard Hayes pause at HIS door, before he went to listen at Mrs.
Catherine's. "What is the man thinking of?" said Wood. "He is gathering
his money together. Has he a hoard yonder unknown to us all?"

Wood thought he would watch him. There was a closet between the two
rooms: Wood bored a hole in the panel, and peeped through. Hayes had a
brace of pistols, and four or five little bags before him on the table.
One of these he opened, and placed, one by one, five-and-twenty guineas
into it. Such a sum had been due that day--Catherine spoke of it only in
the morning; for the debtor's name had by chance been mentioned in the
conversation. Hayes commonly kept but a few guineas in the house. For
what was he amass