238 THE SMUGGLER. 



brought in by the servants, regarding the encounter which 

 had taken place so close to the house; and all agreed that 

 never had so terrible a disaster befallen the smugglers. Their 

 bands were quite broken up, it was said, their principal leaders 

 taken or killed, and the amount of the smuggled goods which, 

 with the usual exaggeration of rumour, was raised to three or 

 four hundred thousand pounds, was universally reported to be 

 the loss of Mr. Radford. His son had been seen by many in 

 command of the party of contraband traders ; and it was clear 

 that he had fled to conceal himself, in fear of the very serious 

 consequences which were likely to ensue. 



Mr. Croyland rubbed his hands: " I will mark this day in 

 the calendar with a white stone 1" he said. "Seldom, my 

 dear Edith, very seldom, do so many fortunate circumstances 

 happen together; a party of atrocious vagabonds discomfited 

 and punished as they deserve; the most audacious rogue of 

 the whole stripped of his ill-gotten wealth; and a young ruf- 

 fian, who has long bullied and abused the whole county, driven 

 from that society in which he never had any business. This 

 young officer, this Captain Osborn, must be a very clever, as 

 well as a very gallant fellow." 



l - Captain Osborn!" murmured Edith; "were they com- 

 manded by Captain Osborn?" 



"Yes, my dear," answered the old gentleman; "I saw him 

 myself over the garden wall. I know him, my love; I have 

 been introduced to him. Didn't you hear me say, he is coming 

 to spend a few days with me ?" 



Edith made no reply; but somewhat to her surprise, she 

 heard her uncle, shortly after, order his carriage to be at the 

 door at half-past twelve. He gave his fair niece no invitation 

 to accompany him; and Edith prepared to amuse herself, 

 during his absence, as best she might. She calculated, indeed, 

 upon that which, to a well-regulated mind, is almost always 

 either a relief or a pleasure, though too often a sad one : the 

 spending of an hour or two in solitary thought. But all human 

 calculations are vain ; and so were those of poor Edith Croy- 

 land. For the present, however, we must leave her to her 

 fate, and follow her good uncle on his expedition to Woodchurch, 

 whither, as doubtless the reader has anticipated, his steps, or 

 rather those of his coach-horses, were turned, just as the 

 hands of the clock in the vestibule pointed to a quarter to one. 



