than a minute he saw a figure at the entrance, and heard distinctly the breathing of something or somebody. He seized it, and, throwing it forward into the vault, shouted loudly for his master. Burghly flew to the spot, and, turning his lantern, the light fell upon the pale face of Ebenezer Brief, as he lay on the floor half stunned by the fall.

"Who is this?" inquired Burghly. "How came he here ?"

"I don't know who he is," replied Grist, "but I saw him follow me along the wall, and laid a trap for him, in which he is fairly caught."

"How did he cross the sluices?" said Burghly.

"That I can't explain," said Grist; "he must have come down in a boat, for the bridge has not been run across for any one."

"Light a lantern, and examine the walls, to see if any boat is lying there; or stay, go without a light, your eyes are accustomed to the night, and, if you see a boat within hail, slip back and

VOL. II.

let me know. I may mistake it for a flock of wild-fowl, you know, and my shore-gun carries a handful of slugs a tolerable distance. I will keep guard on this intruder, whoever he may be."

While Grist went to obey this command of his master, and search the outer premises, the Tide-ender placed his lantern close to the face of the man on the ground, who, recovering from his fall, and not relishing the light, rolled over, and turned his back to his inspector.

"Hem! I should know the features and the figure of this fellow," said Burghly; "but the dress and the bushy whiskers do not belong to the man whose figure and features I suspected them to be."

The individual, whoever it might be, gave a deep agonizing groan, and kicked convulsively at this remark.

"Give me my pistols, Grist," said Burghly to his man, when he returned to announce that all was clear round the mill, and no boat in sight. When they were brought, the Tide-ender cocked them, and the click-click of the locks seemed

to add to the convulsive movements of the in

truder.

"Lift him on his legs," said Burghly.

Grist obeyed, in spite of the struggles of his foe, who, when he saw resistance was vain, and that a brace of large horse-pistols were within an inch of his head, pulled off a large pair of bushy black whiskers and a wig of the same hue, and stood confessed as Ebenezer Brief.

"Oh, oh!” shouted Burghly, "caught in your own trap at last, Mr. Brief."

"Nabbed," said the managing clerk, having managed badly for the first time in his life.

"Come to inspect the premises, eh? and give more information to the government ?" said Burghly.

"True bill-no taxation-must pay the costs," replied Ebenezer.

"Blow his brains out, master," said Grist; "put him into a sack with some shingle-stones, and hurl him into the mill-head.

be found again."

He will never

Burghly pondered an instant, raised one of his pistols to a level with Brief's head, and seemed

about to adopt the suggestions of his man. A sudden tremor seized Brief; the perspiration burst from every pore of his body, his knees failed him, and he sank on the floor of the vault insensible.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

THE LIEUTENANT'S TALE.

On the morning following these events, Mr. Callus Coldblood, after having breakfasted, or broken his fast, which is more grammatically correct, took his usual walk around his grounds, to see how the improvements were progressing. He viewed his hothouses and greenhouses, inspected the new ice-house, gave directions for the placing of a few statues and fountains, and then ordered his carriage to take him into the Borough to the office.

As he proceeded at his usual steady pace, instead of sitting forward, as was his wont, that he might be seen and recognized, he sank back into a corner of the coach and thus soliloquised:

66

Callus, Callus, you are a lucky man, and