dice, but
even added to his terrors, by threats of effectually silencing them.

These fears had so wildly worked upon the man's mind, that prison
itself appeared to him an elysium to the hell he endured; and when his
confession was ended, I said, "If you can be freed from this place,
would you repeat before a magistrate all that you have now told me?"

He started up in delight at the very thought; in truth, besides his
remorse, and that inward and impelling voice which, in all the annals of
murder, seems to urge the criminal onwards to the last expiation of his
guilt--besides these, there mingled in his mind a sentiment of bitter,
yet cowardly, vengeance, against his inhuman accomplice; and perhaps
he found consolation for his own fate, in the hope of wreaking upon
Thornton's head somewhat of the tortures that ruffian had inflicted upon
him.

I had taken down in my book the heads of the confession, and I now
hastened to Jonson, who, waiting without the door, had (as I had
anticipated) heard all.

"You see," said I, "that, however satisfactory this recital has been, it
contains no secondary or innate proofs to confirm it; the only evidence
with which it could furnish us, would be the remnant of the broken
knife, engraved with Thornton's name; but you have heard from Dawson's
account, how impossible it would be in an extensive wood, for any to
discover the spot but himself. You will agree with me, therefore, that
we must not leave this house without Dawson."

Job changed colour slightly.

"I see as clearly as you do," said he, "that it will be necessary for my
annuity, and your friend's full acquittal, to procure Dawson's personal
evidence, but it is late now; the men may be still drinking below; Bess
may be still awake, and stirring; even if she sleeps, how could we pass
her room without disturbing her? I own that I do not see a chance of
effecting his escape to-night, without incurring the most probable peril
of having our throats cut. Leave it, therefore, to me to procure his
release as soon as possible--probably to-morrow, and let us now quietly
retire, content with what we have yet got."

Hitherto I had implicitly obeyed Job; it was now my turn to command.
"Look you," said I, calmly, but sternly, "I have come into this house
under your guidance solely, to procure the evidence of that man; the
evidence he has, as yet, given may not be worth a straw; and, since I
have ventured among the knives of your associate