re of the same sort. Seeing
what an effect he had produced upon me, he then told me that he had
seen Sir John receive a large sum of money, that would more than pay our
debts, and set us up like gentlemen: and, at last, he proposed to me
to rob him. Intoxicated as I was, I was somewhat startled at this
proposition. However, the slang terms in which Thornton disguised the
greatness and danger of the offence, very much diminished both in my
eyes--so at length I consented.

"We went to Sir John's inn, and learnt that he had just set out;
accordingly, we mounted our horses, and rode after him. The night had
already closed in. After we had got some distance from the main road,
into a lane, which led both to my house and to Chester Park--for the
former was on the direct way to my lord's--we passed a man on horseback.
I only observed that he was wrapped in a cloak--but Thornton said,
directly we had passed him, 'I know that man well--he has been following
Tyrrell all day--and though he attempts to screen himself, I have
penetrated his disguise; he is Tyrrell's mortal enemy.'"

"'Should the worst come to the worst,' added Thornton, (words which I
did not at that moment understand) 'we can make him bear the blame.'"

"When we had got some way further, we came up to Tyrrell and a
gentleman, whom, to our great dismay, we found that Sir John had
joined--the gentleman's horse had met with an accident, and Thornton
dismounted to offer his assistance. He assured the gentleman, who proved
afterwards to be a Mr. Pelham, that the horse was quite lame, and that
he would scarcely be able to get it home; and he then proposed to Sir
John to accompany us, and said that we would put him in the right road;
this offer Sir John rejected very haughtily, and we rode on.

"'It's all up with us,' said I; 'since he has joined another person.'

"'Not at all,' replied Thornton; 'for I managed to give the horse a sly
poke with my knife; and if I know any thing of Sir John Tyrrell, he
is much too impatient a spark to crawl along, a snail's pace, with any
companion, especially with this heavy shower coming on.'

"'But,' said I, for I now began to recover from my intoxication, and
to be sensible of the nature of our undertaking, 'the moon is up, and
unless this shower conceals it, Sir John will recognize us; so you see,
even if he leaves the gentleman, it will be no use, and we had much
better make haste home and go to bed.'

"Upon this, Thornton cur