CHAPTER XXXII.

THE LIEUTENANT'S TALE.

MR. CALLUS COLD BLOOD was not a man likely to allow the betrayal of any one of his important secrets to occur, without using every means to discover the person through whose agency his plans had been frustrated. Soon after Burghly and Lieutenant Wilson had entered the parlour of the Dolphin, and ordered their refreshment, Jem, the postboy, received a message to ride over to Mr. Coldblood's immediately. He mounted one of his post-horses, and, going out of the back-gates of the inn, galloped over to Buyemup as quickly as possible.

He underwent a searching examination in the presence of Ebenezer, who took down his words. Nothing of consequence was elicited from him, except that he thought that the horse had been

lamed on purpose, by having a nail driven too far into the sensible part of the hoof, but by whom he had no suspicion; and that he had left the Tide-ender drinking grog in a friendly way with

the Lieutenant of the Tide-end station.

He was dismissed with a suitable admonition to take care what he was about, and returned to Chichester as speedily as he had ridden from that city. Had Burghly, instead of turning out of the turnpike-road and crossing the fields, pursued the regular path to Buyemup, he would have met him, and not have been left in doubt as to the manner in which the lawyer had heard of his interview with Wilson.

When Jem was gone, Ebenezer threw out certain suspicious hints and innuendoes with regard to the Tide-ender's good faith, which induced his master to run down the meadows, summon a boat from the Marsh-house, and put across to the mill. There, as we have seen, he questioned Mrs. Burghly closely as to her son's proceedings, and declared his intention of giving him up to the power of the law, in case he found that he had proved unfaithful to him.

At the Marsh-house he renewed his inquiries, but could find no clue to his betrayer. The landlord and all about him, who were frequently

employed in running goods inland, and sometimes in assisting in landing them, knew nothing of the capture of the chariot until some time after it was effected. Not one stranger or suspicious character had been at the Marsh-house on that day.

It never occurred to Coldblood to suspect Ebenezer, his clerk. He had always found him faithful, as far as he chose to trust him. In the affair of the lace, and indeed in many other affairs, he had never trusted him at all. He thought that, as he had no knowledge of the secret, he, of course, could not betray it. Had he been aware that Ebenezer had a set of keys that opened every drawer, desk, and door in his residence, the betrayal of his secrets would not have remained a mystery to him. As it was, he was ignorant of so important a fact. He resolved to act more cautiously than ever in his smuggling transactions, and to keep a watchful eye on every one employed by him, not including his managing clerk.

Several stratagems were invented for landing lace, silks, and other dry goods. The first time they were tried they always succeeded. A second attempt was always frustrated, and the goods seized when they were thought to be beyond the reach of danger. If a provisionboat arrived, laden with fruit, eggs, and fine fat capons or turkeys, and, after being closely overhauled by the officers, was allowed to discharge its cargo into carts, to be conveyed to a neighbouring market for sale-just before they reached their goal, in some quiet, secluded spot, they were sure to be seized by a strong party of officers from a distant post. On examining the poultry, they were found to be crammed and stuffed with articles not usually dressed, though used for dresssuch as lace veils, silk stockings, and kid

ing gloves.

On one occasion, the coffin of a poor fellow, who had died in Guernsey, and had expressed a wish to be buried in his native soil, was ruthlessly seized and broken open just before it reached the churchyard of the village where the poor deceased wished his remains to be entombed.

On re

moving the shroud and a plaster-of-Paris face, the body was found to have been metamorphosed into a mass of dry sand, in the midst of which were some very valuable articles that ought to have paid duty to the government, and which would have received christian burial and been disinterred the same night, if they had not been seized.

For nearly two years the same ill-success attended the proceedings of Messrs. Hardword and their friends. They ran one cargo safely, but were sure to lose the next. They were dismayed. The Tide-ender, without mentioning his suspicions to Coldblood, kept a watchful eye on Ebenezer, but saw nothing to justify him in accusing him openly. Coldblood, who was annoyed beyond measure at being surpassed in cunning and roguery by some one or other, could not help suspecting that the man who had proved more skilful than himself was no one else but Burghly.

His suspicions were heightened and almost confirmed by the fact that, of late, Burghly had deserted the public-house, given up his low associates and blackguard sports, and attended