ke flying in
the face of Providence to take any risks that were not absolutely
necessary.

We would be bound to incur so much of danger in order to make an attempt
at releasing Silas, that to put all this on the hazard, simply to
satisfy what I believed only a whim, was to my mind little less than
criminal folly.

You can fancy we were not heartened after Job Lord had spoken so
decidedly regarding the certainty that Hiram would speedily come to
grief, because the pass he believed to be of so much value could avail
nothing when he was come upon by the patrol.

I fancied it was possible to see on that double-faced villain's
countenance joy because of what was being done, and there could be no
question but that he firmly believed Hiram had, as people say,
overturned his dish of porridge.

It may be simply because I was in such a wretched frame of mind that I
imagined it; but for the time it was to me a fact that Seth had regained
a goodly portion of his courage on seeing Master Lord so well pleased,
and even found his tongue once more, saying vindictively, even as had
the man who hoped to have betrayed us, that we were about come to the
end of our rope, when he would have his turn.

That Archie was nearly as disturbed in mind as I, and had quite as many
fears regarding the future, I knew when he said angrily, leaning over
the bed as if to strike the Tory lad:

"It is not well for you to crow yet a while, Seth Jepson. Up to this
moment you have been so cowardly as hardly to know what was going on,
and therefore it is we will have no words from you."

"It can do you no more harm to hear me speak, than when Master Lord
talks," he muttered, and Archie replied with no slight show of temper:

"Job Lord has not shown himself to be the white-livered cur you have.
One may take from him who gives proof of some little courage, more than
would be listened to from a veritable coward."

Seth glanced toward Master Lord as if thinking he would bear him out in
his insolence; but however traitorous the elder prisoner was, he had
neither love nor sympathy for such as Seth Jepson had shown himself to
be, therefore remained silent, and the Tory lad did not venture to speak
again.

We could not talk of our plans for the future without being overheard by
Job Lord, and this would have been, so I argued, in the highest degree
dangerous, for there was yet the possibility he might succeed in making
his escape before we could leave the t