gipsy, whom I only knew by the name of _Will_, inquired of
me the name by which the little girl was known, and my answer was,
Smith; as I took it for granted that, in a large seminary, there must be
one, if not more, of that name. Acting upon this, he made inquiries of
the maid-servant to whom he paid his addresses, and made very handsome
presents, if there was a Miss Smith in the school; she replied, that
there were two, one a young lady of sixteen, and the other about twelve
years old. Of course the one selected was the younger. Will had seen
me in my livery, and his plan was to obtain a similar one, hire a
chariot, and go down to Brentford, with a request that Miss Smith might
be sent up with him immediately, as you were so ill that you were not
expected to live; but previous to his taking this step, he wrote to
Melchior, requesting his orders as to how he was to proceed when he had
obtained the child. The answer from Melchior arrived. By this time, he
had discovered that you were in Ireland, and intended to visit him;
perhaps he had you in confinement, for I do not know how long you were
there, but the answer desired Will to come over immediately, as there
would be in all probability work for him, that would be well paid for.
He had now become so intimate with me, that he disguised nothing: he
showed me the letter, and I asked him what it meant; he replied that
there was somebody to put out of the way, that was clear. It
immediately struck me, that you must be the person, if such was the
case, and I volunteered to go with him, to which, after some difficulty,
he consented. We travelled outside the mail, and in four days we
arrived at the castle. Will went up to Melchior, who told him what it
was that he required. Will consented, and then stated he had another
hand with him, which might be necessary, vouching for my doing anything
that was required. Melchior sent for me, and I certainly was afraid
that he would discover me, but my disguise was too good. I had prepared
for it still further, by wearing a wig of light hair: he asked me some
questions, and I replied in a surly, dogged tone, which satisfied him.
The reward was two hundred pounds, to be shared between us; and, as it
was considered advisable that we should not be seen after the affair was
over, by the people about the place, we had the horses provided for us.
The rest you well know. I was willing to make sure that it was you
before I struck the sc