ounted them yet," said the
villain turning to me, "but I think I have between sixty and seventy
guineas, which are all freely at your disposal, excepting a trifle for
myself and Paddy there. There's no plaster like gold for a sore head,
your Reverence. I made each one of them dismount and take off his
saddle and throw it in the pile; then I had them mount again and drove
them with curses toward London, and very glad they were to escape."

"He did not get the papers again," wailed Paddy, who was not taking as
jubilant a view of the world as was Jem at that moment.

"I knew nothing of the papers," protested Bottles. "If you had told me
about the papers, I would have had them, and if I had been carrying
the papers these fellows would not have made away with them."

"Then," said the horrified priest, "you did not commit this action in
punishment for the injury done to your friend? You knew nothing of
that at the time. You set on these men thinking they were simple
travellers."

"O, I knew nothing of what happened to Paddy till later, but you see,
your Reverence, these men themselves were thieves and robbers. In
their case it was nine men against one poor half-witted Irish lad--"

"Half-witted yourself," cried Paddy angrily.

"But you, sir," continued his Reverence, "were simply carrying out the
action of a highwayman. Sir, you _are_ a highwayman."

"I was, your Reverence, but I have reformed."

"And this pile of saddles attests your reformation!" said the old man,
shaking his head.

"But you see, your Reverence, this is the way to look at it--"

"Keep quiet, Jem!" cried I in disgust.

"How can I keep quiet," urged Bottles, "when I am unjustly accused? I
do not deny that I was once a highwayman, but Mr. O'Ruddy converted me
to better ways--"

"Highways," said Paddy, adding, with a sniff, "Half-witted!"

"Your Reverence, I had no more intention of robbing those men than you
have at this moment. I didn't know they were thieves themselves. Then
what put it into my head to jump into the wood and on with a mask
before you could say, Bristol town? It's the mysterious ways of
Providence, your Reverence. Even I didn't understand it at the time,
but the moment I heard Paddy's tale I knew at once I was but an
instrument in the hand of Providence, for I had not said, 'Stand and
deliver!' this many a day, nor thought of it."

"It may be so; it may be so," murmured the priest, more to himself
than to us; but I saw that h