ood up, had been as the breath of life, and with whom
the chance of mischief was never willingly foregone. But the pedler was
wary, and knew his man. The lurking smile and sneer of the speaker had
enough in them for the purposes of warning, and he replied evasively:--

"Well, colonel, you shall see them by next Tuesday or Wednesday. I
should be glad to have a trade with you--the money's no object--and if
you have furs, or skins, or anything that you like to get off your
hands, there's no difficulty, that I can see, to a long bargain."

"But why not trade now, Bunce?--what's to hinder us now? I sha'n't be in
the village after Monday."

"Well, then, colonel, that'll just suit me, for I did calkilate to call
on you at the farm, on my way into the nation where I'm going looking
out for furs."

"Yes, and live on the best for a week, under some pretence that your nag
is sick, or you sick, or something in the way of a start--then go off,
cheat, and laugh at me in the bargain. I reckon, old boy, you don't come
over me in that way again; and I'm not half done with you yet about the
kettles. That story of yours about the hot and cold may do for the
pigeons, but you don't think the hawks will swallow it, do ye? Come--out
with your notions!"

"Oh, to be sure, only give a body time, colonel," as, pulled by the
collar, with some confusion and in great trepidation, responded the
beleagured dealer in clocks and calicoes--"they shall all be here in a
day or two at most. Seeing that one of my creatures was foundered, I had
to leave the goods, and drive the other here without them."

The pedler had told the truth in part only. One of his horses had indeed
struck lame, but he had made out to bring him to the village with all
his wares; and this fact, as in those regions of question and inquiry
was most likely to be the case, had already taken wind.

"Now, look ye, Bunce, do you take me for a blear-eyed mole, that never
seed the light of a man's eyes?" inquired Blundell, closely approaching
the beset tradesman, and taking him leisurely by the neck. "Do you want
to take a summerset through that window, old fellow, that you try to
stuff us with such tough stories? If you do, I _rether_ reckon you can
do it without much difficulty." Thus speaking, and turning to some of
those around him, he gave directions which imparted to the limbs of the
pedler a continuous and crazy motion, that made his teeth chatter.

"Hark ye, boys, jist step ou