ckets of all the plate, and crawled away. It is
supposed he threw away the plate, either to soften Reginald's offense,
or in the belief that he had received his death wound, and should not
require silver vessels where he was going.

Bassett picked up the articles and brought them in, and told Jessie to
light the fire and make him a cup of coffee.

He replaced all the plate, except the articles left in Reginald's
pocket.

Then he went upstairs, and told his wife that burglars had broken into
the house, but had taken nothing; she was to give herself no anxiety.
He told her no more than this, for his dark and cruel nature had
already conceived an idea he did not care to communicate to her, on
account of the strong opposition he foresaw from so good a Christian:
besides, of late, since her daughter came home to back her, she had
spoken her mind more than once.

He kept them then in the dark, and went downstairs again to his coffee.

He sat and sipped it, and, with it, his coming vengeance.

All the defeats and mortifications he had endured from Huntercombe
returned to his mind; and now, with one masterstroke he would balance
them all.

Yet he felt a little compunction.

Active hostilities had ceased for many years.

Lady Bassett, at all events, had held out the hand to his wife. The
blow he meditated was very cruel: would not his wife and daughter say
it was barbarous? Would not his own heart, the heart of a father,
reproach him afterward?

These misgivings, that would have restrained a less obstinate man,
irritated Richard Bassett: he went into a rage, and said aloud, "I must
do it: I will do it, come what may."

He told Jessie he valued her much: she should have a black silk gown
for her courage and fidelity; but she must not be faithful by halves.
She must not breathe one word to any soul in the house that the burglar
was there under lock and key; if she did, he should turn her out of the
house that moment.

"Hets!" said the woman, "der ye think I canna haud my whist, when the
maister bids me? I'm nae great clasher at ony time, for my pairt."

At seven o'clock in the morning he sent a note to Sir Charles Bassett,
to say that his house had been attacked last night by two armed
burglars; he and his people had captured one, and wished to take him
before a magistrate at once, since his house was not a fit place to
hold him secure. He concluded Sir Charles would not refuse him the
benefit of the law, however