o to bed at all. He's the most
daring and expert housebreaker that ever used a crow-bar. He laughs at
locks and bolts; and the more carefully you guard your premises from
him, the more likely are you to insure an attack. His exploits and
escapes are in every body's mouth. He has been lodged in every
round-house in the metropolis, and has broken out of them all, and
boasts that no prison can hold him. We shall see. His skill has not been
tried. At present, he is under the protection of Jonathan Wild."

"Does that villain still maintain his power?" asked the stranger
sternly.

"He does," replied Kneebone, "and, what is more surprising, it seems to
increase. Jonathan completely baffles and derides the ends of justice.
It is useless to contend with him, even with right on your side. Some
years ago, in 1715, just before the Rebellion, I was rash enough to
league myself with the Jacobite party, and by Wild's machinations got
clapped into Newgate, whence I was glad to escape with my head upon my
shoulders. I charged the thief-taker, as was the fact, with having
robbed me, by means of the lad Sheppard, whom he instigated to deed, of
the very pocket-book he produced in evidence against me; but it was of
no avail--I couldn't obtain a hearing. Mr. Wood fared still worse.
Bribed by a certain Sir Rowland Trenchard, Jonathan kidnapped the
carpenter's adopted son, Thames Darrell, and placed him in the hands of
a Dutch Skipper, with orders to throw him overboard when he got out to
sea; and though this was proved as clear as day, the rascal managed
matters so adroitly, and gave such a different complexion to the whole
affair, that he came off with flying colours. One reason, perhaps, of
his success in this case might be, that having arrested his associate in
the dark transaction, Sir Rowland Trenchard, on a charge of high
treason, he was favoured by Walpole, who found his account in retaining
such an agent. Be this as it may, Jonathan remained the victor; and
shortly afterwards,--at the price of a third of his estate, it was
whispered,--he procured Trenchard's liberation from confinement."

At the mention of the latter occurrence, a dark cloud gathered upon the
stranger's brow.

"Do you know anything further of Sir Rowland?" he asked.

"Nothing more than this," answered Kneebone,--"that after the failure of
his projects, and the downfall of his party, he retired to his seat,
Ashton Hall, near Manchester, and has remained there ever