THE SMUGGLER. 1 2 1 



Thus saying, he descended into the cellar, and old Ramley 

 stood gazing down upon the three from above, with his gaunt 

 figure bending over the trap-door. At the end of a minute 

 or two he called down, "There, that ought to do, I'm sure! 

 We can't be kept bothering here all day!" 



Something was said in a low tone by one of the men below ; 

 but then the voice of Mr. Radford was heard exclaiming, 

 "No, no; that will do! We've had enough of it! Go up, I 

 say! There's no use of irritating people by unreasonable sus- 

 picions, Mr. Clinch. Is it not quite enough, Adams? Are 

 you satisfied?" 



" Oh! quite, sir," answered the other officer; "there's no- 

 thing but bare walls and an empty beer barrel." 



The next moment the party began to re-appear from the 

 trap, the officer Clinch coming up first, with a grave look, 

 and Mr. Eadford and the other following, with a smile upon 

 their faces. 



" There, all is clear enough,'' said Mr. Radford; "so you, 

 gentlemen, can go and pursue your search elsewhere. I must 

 remain here to wait for my son, whom I sent for to join me 

 with the servants, as you know ; not that I feared any resis- 

 tance from you, Mr. Ramley but smuggling is so sadly pre- 

 valent now-a-days, that one must be on one's guard, you 

 know." 



A horse laugh burst from the whole party round the table ; 

 and in the midst of it the two officers retired into the yard, 

 where, mounting their horses, they opened the gates and rode 

 away. 



As soon as they were gone, Mr. Radford shook old Ramley 

 familiarly by the hand, exclaiming, " This is the luckiest thing 

 in the world, my good fellow! If I can but get them to accuse 

 me of conniving at this job, it will be a piece of good fortune 

 which does not often happen to a man." 



Ramley, as well he might, looked a little confounded ; but 

 Mr. Radford drew him aside, and spoke to him for a quarter 

 of an hour, in a voice raised hardly above a whisper. Nu- 

 merous laughs, and nods, and signs of mutual understanding 

 passed between them; and the conversation ended by Mr. 

 Radford saying, aloud, "I wonder what can keep Dick, so 

 long; he ought to have been here before now! I sent over 

 to him at eight, and it is now past eleven." 



