e Devil to be out and busy, I suppose he
was looking over his shoulder, if anybody could have seen him.'

'Ah!' returned the gruff voice; 'for all old Luke's winning through
thick and thin of late years, I remember the time when he was the
unluckiest and unfortunatest of men. He never took a dice-box in his
hand, or held a card, but he was plucked, pigeoned, and cleaned out
completely.'

'Do you hear what he says?' whispered the old man. 'Do you hear that,
Nell?'

The child saw with astonishment and alarm that his whole appearance had
undergone a complete change. His face was flushed and eager, his eyes
were strained, his teeth set, his breath came short and thick, and the
hand he laid upon her arm trembled so violently that she shook beneath
its grasp.

'Bear witness,' he muttered, looking upward, 'that I always said it;
that I knew it, dreamed of it, felt it was the truth, and that it must
be so! What money have we, Nell? Come! I saw you with money
yesterday. What money have we? Give it to me.'

'No, no, let me keep it, grandfather,' said the frightened child. 'Let
us go away from here. Do not mind the rain. Pray let us go.'

'Give it to me, I say,' returned the old man fiercely. 'Hush, hush,
don't cry, Nell. If I spoke sharply, dear, I didn't mean it. It's for
thy good. I have wronged thee, Nell, but I will right thee yet, I will
indeed. Where is the money?'

'Do not take it,' said the child. 'Pray do not take it, dear. For
both our sakes let me keep it, or let me throw it away--better let me
throw it away, than you take it now. Let us go; do let us go.'

'Give me the money,' returned the old man, 'I must have it.
There--there--that's my dear Nell. I'll right thee one day, child,
I'll right thee, never fear!'

She took from her pocket a little purse. He seized it with the same
rapid impatience which had characterised his speech, and hastily made
his way to the other side of the screen. It was impossible to restrain
him, and the trembling child followed close behind.

The landlord had placed a light upon the table, and was engaged in
drawing the curtain of the window. The speakers whom they had heard
were two men, who had a pack of cards and some silver money between
them, while upon the screen itself the games they had played were
scored in chalk. The man with the rough voice was a burly fellow of
middle age, with large black whiskers, broad cheeks, a coarse wide
mouth, and bull n