should have thought of it afore." Then inclining his head towards her, he said, slowly and emphatically"He can't be for tellin' tales of us when his tongue wont wag!" My agitation was excessive. To conceal it I moved my arm over my face, with the impatient gesture of one whose sleep is disturbed by insects, turned upon my back, and muttered as if dreaming. The wretched woman noticed it." There! see! the boy's asleep, and dreaming! He hasn't heard us, Tom; I'm sure he has'nt!" And she drew the reluctant villain from the cabin.

My limbs trembled as with an ague fit, a cold sweat broke out from every pore of my body, and my respiration was fearfully violent. It seemed as though a heavy weight had been taken from my breast.- -Reader!

have you ever suffered under a nightmare? Well, your feelings, at the moment when you threw off your phantom, were the counterpart of mine at the disappearance of my reality.

Not two minutes after the murderers had left me the light again flashed through the crevices. I durst not look this time; but I listened and my breathing again became partly suspended, as I supported myself on my elbow, and stretched my neck to catch the faintest sound. There was first the slight creaking of a bed,-and then the tread of feet, as of persons bearing some heavy body, --and then the light wavered-and disappeared-and all again was hushed.

I flung myself back upon the straw, tortured by feelings I would not know again for worlds. Before, I had been stupified with horrour, and to such a degree as to be deprived of even the idea of aiding my benefactor; but now, I was distracted with fear-pure, bodily fear. As I tossed from side to side, starting every minute as I fancied I heard the returning steps of the murderers, and straining my eyes in the darkness in expectation of seeing them re-enter, I recollected that the unfortunate stranger

had mentioned, during our walk, that the town through which he purposed passing in the morning was but five or seven miles distant in a direct line from the inn. This recollection was to me as the rain to the withered grass; I forgot my fears in the hope of bringing to jus. tice the murderers of my poor patron.

Again I listened :—the stillness of death was around me. I arose-I dressed myself-I opened the door. The moon was shining brightly. My purpose was hazardous. Should the wretches be stirring, and discover my flight before I was beyond their reach, the chance were but equal for life or death. But it would not be equal if I kept my bed. I no longer hesitated, but fled with the feet of Hippomenes; for, though the ostler was no Atalanta, the penalty of failure stood all the same :

Mors pretium tardis. Ea lex certaminis esto.

I REACHED the town without any other interruption than an occasional palpitation of the heart, as I heard the pursuing steps of nothing at all. No living thing was stirring, save a melancholy cat in the kennel, whose welllicked mistress had probably regaled herself, and some more favoured lover, with his caterwauling, while he, poor

me forget my fatigue directly. I rose to follow him. "Have a supper for us by nine o'clock, if you please, hostess." The lady readily promised, and we left the apart

ment.

When we returned we found the supper ready, though a very different one from what I expected-to wit:some slices of cold ham, and a solitary chicken, also cold, which looked as though it had had the pip since its roasting. "The devil!" exclaimed my patron, "when I had no one to dine with but myself, our hostess furnished enough for a dozen-and now, look at our supper-Mutata est in avem !'-Well! I suppose the good lady has exhausted her larder." I was too much disappointed to jest on so serious a subject; and yet philosopher enough not to neglect the present because I could not better it-so down I sat.

"Blessed be the man," said Sancho, "who invented sleep!" Blessed be the man, say I, who invented eating! Peace to your digestive organs, dear Reader! had you seen how lightly the legs of that cold pipped chicken leaped down my throat, and how swiftly the wings flew after them, and with what precipitation the other parts (soft parts, understand me,) prepared to follow, even to the grave of my stomach, those members which had been their supporters in life, their allies in death, and their fellow sufferers on the spit,-had you seen, I say, how nicely I cleaned the skeleton of the aforesaid solitary fowl, you would have been cured of dyspepsia for the rest of your life. I was about to attack the ham, when a loud goodhumoured laugh reminded me that I had a companion. I began to stammer forth some foolish excuse for my rudeness. "Don't stop to make apologies, my young friend; but thank your stars that I have no appetite to contend with you. Come, come,-no ceremony, I pray you! we will have some wine to favour your deglutition." Whether Mistress Coming had been listening or not at the keyhole, I am unable to say; but the door instantly opened VOL. I. 8

rivalled in brilliancy the flame of the candle, as it surpassed in redness the burning wick. As for me though thought unworthy of a second glance, I was desired, with a prudence that marked the man a model for housekeepers, to keep before him; while throwing open a door at our right hand, he motioned me to enter.

When we were seated, I told him all I had witnessed at the inn, naming myself simply as a lodger there. He mused a moment, uttered an emphatic "Hum!" eyed me sharply, and, depressing his head, muttered to himself “A most shocking occurrence indeed! It will tell well-capitally well! run like wild-fire !" Then moving his chair close to mine, he laid his hand upon my shoulder with the most condescending familiarity, put his face into labourpains for a smile, which after all came forth a monster, and said in a voice which he probably meant for insinuating,

"Don't tell it to any one else, I beg of you; or the Herald 'll get it; and that 'll spoil the sale of my paper, you know. Oblige me—I'm extremely honoured, I assure you, by your selection.”

I had waited with patience till the man was ready to hear me, and had observed with calm surprise the singu. lar manner in which he received my narration; but when I found that he had listened to me, only with a view to his own dirty traffic, I could hold no longer.-I sprang from my chair.

"My God!" I exclaimed, "do you think I am come here at this hour merely to furnish matter for your paper? I have knocked at your door, sir, as I would at any other man's, with the hope of being directed to the proper authority for securing the murderers."

He was by no means disconcerted; but, gently reseating me, said, in the mildest voice he could assume,—

"Well, sir, you could'nt have addressed yourself to a fitter person. I'm the particular friend of Justice Even, and will take you to his house myself."

"Let us go then immediately, for the love of Heaven!"

"And so we will:-but, sir, suppose you first favour me with a repetition of your story-if it isn't too much trouble."

"Damnation! how can you trifle so, sir? The murderers will escape before we start!"

"But consider, sir," resumed the incorrigible printer, "I shall have so fine a triumph over the Herald! I would'nt lose the chance for a hundred pounds. Pray be seated: it wont keep us a minute; and you can run over the detail as fast as you please. Now you must oblige me."

So saying, he flew to a writing desk which stood in a corner of the room, drew forth a bit of paper and a pencil, and seated himself very leisurely to take notes. I saw there was nothing to be gained by opposing him; so began, with as good a grace as I could, to relate the horrid tale anew. When I had finished, he snapped his fingers, and leaped from his chair in an ecstacy.

"Ah, it's just the thing! never was so fortunate in my life!"-and he began to read over his notes with great rapidity of utterance-"Shocking occurrente! It has become our painful duty to record-hum!-a crack in the partition-knees in the belly-hands on the throat-woman at the head-kicking and writhing-brains dashed out-head and limbs cut off and carried out in a bag— Hum!-set fire to the straw-trip up the murderer-and run away in the smoke. Never was any thing better! I'm infinitely obliged to you, sir-shall be happy to furnish you with a paper gratis.'

But, my dear sir, you need not have added those horrid particulars. He was merely ——”

"Ah, excuse me, my good friend!" said the printer, interrupting me without the least ceremony, and folding his memoranda with the utmost coolness, "it is none the worse for a little embellishment: ''twill take better-infinitely better! Now wait a minute, till I slip on my coat, and we'll rouse the justice in the turning of a rounce."