omes a
period of interesting excitement until the escaped felon shall have
been again taken. How can you tell where he may be, or whether it may
not suit him to find his rest in your own cupboard, or under your own
bed? And then, as escape without notice will of course be the felon's
object, to attain that he will probably cut your throat, and the
throat of everybody belonging to you. All which considerations give
an interest to Princetown, and excite in the hearts of the Devonians
of these parts a strong affection for the Dartmoor prison. Of those
who visit Princetown comparatively few effect an entrance within the
walls of the gaol. They look at the gloomy place with a mysterious
interest, feeling something akin to envy for the prisoners who have
enjoyed the privilege of solving the mysteries of prison life, and
who know how men feel when they have their hair cut short, and are
free from moral responsibility for their own conduct, and are moved
about in gangs, and treated like wild beasts.

But the journey to Princetown, from whatever side it is approached,
has the charm of wild and beautiful scenery. The spot itself is ugly
enough; but you can go not thither without breathing the sweetest,
freshest air, and encountering that delightful sense of romance which
moorland scenery always produces. The idea of our three friends was
to see the Moor rather than the prison, to learn something of the
country around, and to enjoy the excitement of eating a sandwich
sitting on a hillock, in exchange for the ordinary comforts of a good
dinner with chairs and tables. A bottle of sherry and water and a
paper of sandwiches contained their whole banquet; for ladies, though
they like good things at picnics, and, indeed, at other times, almost
as well as men like them, very seldom prepare dainties for themselves
alone. Men are wiser and more thoughtful, and are careful to have the
good things, even if they are to be enjoyed without companionship.

Mrs. Crocket's boy, though he was only about three feet high, was a
miracle of skill and discretion. He used the machine, as the patent
drag is called, in going down the hills with the utmost care. He
never forced the beast beyond a walk if there was the slightest rise
in the ground; and as there was always a rise, the journey was slow.
But the three ladies enjoyed it thoroughly, and Mrs. Trevelyan was in
better spirits than she herself had thought to be possible for her
in her present condi