till, no doubt, as heretofore, from the blindness and infirmity of
his passion for Miss Walladmor: merely to see her--is perhaps some
relief to his unhappy mind: _that_ however is a gratification he can
seldom have; for she now rarely stirs out of the castle. His old
anxieties too may be again awakened by the re-appearance of Sir Charles
Davenant at Walladmor. Then, as to the intimacy of his connexions with
this neighbourhood, you must remember that, if _that_ exposes him to
some risque, he is also indebted to it for much kindness and
assistance. Just now indeed, when the smugglers are returned to this
coast, what with the open assistance he receives from them, and the
underhand support and connivance he meets with from the country people,
he contrives effectually to baffle the pursuit of the police."

At this moment a sound swelled upon the wind: Bertram and Mr. Williams
were looking down from the battlements upon the park: and in a few
seconds a herd of deer rushed past with the noise of thunder; and
shortly after the heavy gallop of two bodies of horse, one in pursuit
of the other, advanced in the direction of the castle. It was bright
moonlight. About two hundred yards from the walls, some smart
skirmishing took place: random discharges of pistols and carbines
succeeded at intervals; the broad swords of the cavalry, and the
cutlasses of sailors, could be distinguished gleaming in the moonlight:
and it became evident that the party under Captain Nicholas had fallen
in with Sir Charles Davenant somewhere in the neighbourhood, and were
now retreating before him. The smugglers, it was pretty clear, had been
taken at great disadvantage; for they were in extreme disorder when
they first appeared--being wholly unfitted by the state of their
equipments and horses for meeting a body of dragoons so superbly
mounted and appointed. Their horses, though of the hardy mountain
breed, wanted weight and bulk to oppose any sort of resistance to the
momentum of the heavy dragoon horses--and were utterly untrained to any
combined movement. It was obviously on this consideration that Edward
Nicholas, whose voice was now heard continually giving words of
command, had drawn his party to this point where the broken ground
neutralized in a great measure the advantages of the dragoons. He was
now upon ground every inch of which he knew; in which respect he had
greatly the advantage of Sir Charles Davenant; and he availed himself
of it so as