130 THE SMUGGLER. 



what I was to say or do, I hurried on as fast as possible. Now 

 you have the whole story, and you must come away from this 

 place." 



" Very willingly," answered the young officer; adding, with 

 a smile; "which way shall we go, Miss Groyland? To 

 Widow Clare's?" 



"No, nol" answered Zara, blushing again. "Do not tease 

 me. You do not know how soon, when a woman is agitated, 

 she is made to weep. My father is out, indeed," she added, 

 in a gayer tone, "so that I should have time to bathe my 

 eyes before dinner, which will be half an hour later than usual ; 

 but I should not like my aunt to tell him that I have been 

 taking a crying walk with Sir Edward Digby." 



"Heaven forbid that I should ever give you cause for a 

 tear!" answered the young baronet; and then, with a vague 

 impression that he was doing something very like making love, 

 he added, "but let us return to the house, or perhaps we 

 may have your aunt seeking us." 



"The most likely thing in the world," replied Zara; and 

 taking their way back, they passed through the gardens, and 

 entered the house by one of the side doors. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



IT was a custom of those days, I believe, not altogether done 

 away with in the present times, for magistrates to assemble in 

 petty sessions, or to meet at other times for the dispatch of 

 any extraordinary business, in tavern, public-house, or inn: 

 "a custom more honoured in the breach than the observance," 

 except where no other place of assembly can be found. It 

 thus happened that, on the day of which we have been speak- 

 ing, some half-dozen gentlemen, all justices of the peace for 

 the county of Kent, were gathered together in a good-sized 



room of the inn, at the little town of . There was a 



table drawn across the room, at which was placed the magis- 

 trates' clerk, with sundry sheets of paper before him, several 

 printed forms, and two books, one big and the other little. 

 The magistrates themselves, however, were not seated in due 

 state and dignity, but, on the contrary, were in general stand- 

 ing about and talking together; some looking out of the win- 



