DICK ROOK. 197 



honesty, his pride, or rather the decision of his 

 character, all occurred to me, and here I saw him, 

 uneducated and ignorant as he was, rough as the 

 the heaths on which the greatest part of his life 

 had been passed, melted into gratitude and ten- 

 derness on hearing that he had a hope of pardon. 

 I urged him to let me send a clergyman to him. 

 This he declined. " I never spoke to one while 

 I was well/' replied he, fc and I will not see one 

 now I am ill." After using my feeble endeavours 

 to direct his hopes to the only source from which 

 they could be derived, he led the conversation to 

 the little girl I had seen in the room. 



I have already hinted at Dick's early attach- 

 ment to Susan Jones. That it influenced his 

 feelings during the remainder of his short life, 

 there can be no doubt. He had now nothing to 

 conceal from me, but he shewed much distress of 

 mind and strong feeling, while he gave me the 

 following little history. " I would have shel- 

 tered her from every harm/' he said, " as I have 

 seen our ragged sheep protect their young on the 

 wild heath, when a bird of prey has attacked 

 them, but Susan would not let me. She was al- 

 ways wilful, and laughed at my advice and warn- 

 ings. I knew that she kept company with one 

 of the wildest characters in the neighbourhood, 

 who took her to dances at fairs, and to see the 

 play-actors. Many a time have I hid myself on 



