forget the pleasure by want of use-quickness of action."

Mr Brainshaw gave a sickly-perhaps sullen would express it better-smile of acquiescence, and murmuring an indistinct sentiment about "living as long as we may," dipped three parts of his features into the foam, and became indistinctly, if not entirely, lost to view.

"Having agreed so far," said the squire, as the gamekeeper arrived at a "ha!" in his long drink, "I hope that we may conclude our interview with the same flattering and comfortable results."

"I'm always ready to do my "

"To be sure you are," interrupted the squire; "but I want ye for a short time to forget your duty," continued he, "and listen to what I have to say with calmness and due consideration."

"I seldom get in a wax, Squire Merton," replied Tom Brainshaw. "It takes some

thing strong and touching to the tender to put my hackles staring along my back."

"That may be very true," rejoined the squire, "and yet the best-natured dog in the world may be roused to rebellion if you tread on his tail or his pads very unexpectedly."

"You might dance on mine, squire," returned the gamekeeper, stretching forth his large, thick, and iron-protected feet, "and I'll be answerable you'd not find me sing pen-an'-ink."

The squire laughed at the literal acceptation of his figurative reference, and it was some time before he could retrieve his gravity to continue. At length he said, recovering a serious voice and demeanour, "I would speak with you concerning this heart-rending trial of the supposed murderer of your daughter."

"Supposed!" ejaculated Tom Brainshaw, shivering from head to foot. "I saw him-" "Yes, yes," again interrupted the squire.

"I know that you saw him under very suspicious circumstances; but his explanation of them is far from being unreasonable or improbable."

"He confessed it was him, then, you'll remember, sir," replied the gamekeeper, unable to steady his quivering lip.

"Take some more ale," rejoined the squire, perceiving the emotions of poor Tom Brainshaw required solace and composure.

Tom did as he was instructed, and seemed in no small degree comforted by the repetition of the draught.

"The words used by him at the moment of discovery were certainly very conclusive," returned the squire, "and they might have sprung from a conscience stung by remorse; but you have heard what he says concerning even them, and from the undeviating, firm, and unflinching way in which he repeats his defence, I, with a few others who have visited him in prison, have come to the fixed belief

that he is innocent of the crime with which

he is charged."

"You didn't think so, sir, at the examinations before he was committed for trial," observed the gamekeeper.

"Nor for a long time afterwards," replied the squire. Indeed, until within these very

66

few days my opinion was unaltered; but that was in a great measure caused by the prisoner's perverse silence upon the matter. He declined saying anything more than he was innocent, and thus left the accusation to weigh as it might against him."

"Do you think he would have escaped from prison had he been able to prove his innocence ?" asked Tom Brainshaw, in the firm persuasion that he had put an unanswerable question.

"No," replied the squire, "certainly not. But, perhaps, fearing that he could not prove it-and recollect there are a great many

truths that cannot be proved-and in the belief that he was already pre-judged, he depended upon flight rather than meeting the danger which already assumed the form of destruction to him."

"Does he say so ?" inquired Tom Brain

shaw.

"Such were his words to me yesterday," replied the squire.

"Oh! then you visited him so lately?" said the keeper.

"I did, and for the last three mornings I have done so."

"He'd beat the devil at any game, I believe!" returned Tom Brainshaw, rising suddenly from his chair. "But he shan't," continued he, clenching his fist and throwing it fiercely out" but he shan't beat me. I've nailed him now, and I'll-"

"Stay, stay," said the squire, in the endeavour to soften down the gamekeeper's