THE SMUGGLER. 281 



no, nor one thousandth part of what I have suffered. Even 

 the next dreadful three hours for he was fully that time ere 

 he came to Harbourne were full of horror, inconceivable to 

 any one but to him who endured them. At length, he made 

 his appearance: calm, grave, self-possessed, with nought of 

 his somewhat rude and blustering manner, and announced, 

 with an affectation of feeling to the family, that poor Clare, my 

 keeper, had been found dying with a wound in his side." 



" I recollect the day, well!'' said Edith, shuddering. 



"Do you not remember, then," said Sir Robert Croyland, 

 " that he and I went into my writing-room: that awful room, 

 which well deserves the old prison name of the room of tor- 

 ture ! We were closeted there for nearly two hours, and all 

 he said I cannot repeat. His tone, however, was the most 

 friendly in the world. He professed the greatest interest in 

 me and in my situation ; and he told me that he had come to 

 see me before he said a word to any one, because he wished to 

 take my opinion as to how he was to proceed. It was neces- 

 sary, he said, that I should know the facts, for, unfortunately 

 they placed me in a very dangerous situation, which he was 

 most anxious to free me from; and then he went on to tell 

 me, that when he had come up, poor Clare was perfectly sen- 

 sible, and had his speech distinctly. * As a magistrate,' he 

 continued, ' I thought it right immediately to take his dying 

 deposition, for I saw that he had not many minutes to live. 

 Here it is,' he said, showing his pocket-book; 'and, as I 

 luckily always have pen and ink with me, I knelt down, and 

 wrote his words from his own lips. He had strength enough 

 to sign the paper; and as you may see, there is the mark of 

 blood from his own hand, which he had been pressing on his 

 side.' I would fain have taken the paper, but he would not 

 let me, saying, that he was bound to keep it; and then he 

 went on, and read the contents. In it the unfortunate man 

 charged me most wrongfully with having shot him in a fit of 

 passion ; and, moreover, he said that he had been sure, before- 

 hand, that I would do it, as I had threatened him on the 

 preceding day, and there were plenty of people who could 

 prove it.'' 



" Oh! how dreadful!" cried Edith. 



"It was false, as I have a soul to be saved!" cried Sir 

 Robert Croyland. " But Mr. Radford then went on, and, 



