may question them
while I eat my breakfast, so as not now to lose a moment," he called
after his retreating host.

All this was done as he directed. And when the family and the house
servants were assembled in the breakfast room, and Purley examined and
cross-examined them as to whether they had seen or heard anything of the
prisoner or her husband during the night, they could all answer with
perfect truth, that they had not. So old Purley got no satisfaction from
them.

The bailiff hastily dispatched his breakfast, and the horses being
ready, he called to his young assistant to follow him, and he went out
and got into his saddle.

"Where the deuce am I to go after them, when there are so many roads to
choose from?" groaned old Purley, in sore perplexity of spirit.

"Would they not be likely to make straight for the east and a seaport?"
inquired farmer Nye suggestively.

"To be sure they would," exclaimed Mr. Purley. "So now, Munson, we will
go right back upon the road we came last night," he added, being still
in ignorance as to the lost day.

"And as the stable boy told me, they had taken the wagon horses to ride,
and those horses were then fairly knocked up with fatigue, while ours
are now quite fresh, we may very soon overtake them," put in Munson,
artfully.

And waving their hats in adieux to the farmer and his family, they rode
off at full speed in pursuit of the fugitives. But they had not ridden
more than a hundred yards, and had but just reached the four
cross-roads, when they were both startled by a shrill--

"Whist!"

They drew their reins, and looked around just as the head of a negro boy
emerged from the bushes, exclaiming

"Hallo, Marster!"

"Who are you? What do you want?" demanded Purley.

"I'm Bill, and I don't want nothing. But I know what _you_ want!"

"What do I want?"

"To know which way the run-a-way lady and gemplan went."

"I do know, they went this way," said Purley, pointing straight before
him.

"No, they didn't neyther! they was too sharp for that, they said how you
would be sure to search for 'em on that road, just as you are a doing of
now; so they would take another road."

"That was likely too! Boy, do you know which road they took?"

"Yes, sir_ree_."

"Then tell me."

"I will if you'll give me a quarter," was the moderate conditions of
this treaty.

"Here, take it!" exclaimed Mr. Parley, pitching the boy the silver coin
in question.

"Thanky, Marster," gr