THE SMUGGLER. 3?1 



the next day. Then a post-chaise and four, and a good tight 

 boat on the beach, and you are landed in France in no time. 

 Everything is ready, everything is settled ; and with her for- 

 tune, you will have enough to live like a prince, till you can 

 come back here." 



All this intelligence did not seem to give Richard Kadford 

 as much satisfaction as his father expected. " I would rather 

 have had little Zara, a devillish deal!" he replied. 



4 'Very likely," answered his father, with his countenance 

 changing, and his brow growing dark; " but that won't do, 

 Dick. We have had enough nonsense of all sorts; and it 

 must now be brought to an end. It's not the matter of the 

 fortune alone ; but I am determined that both you and I shall 

 have revenge." 



" Revenge!" said his son; " I don't see what revenge has 

 to do with that." 



" I'll tell you," answered old Mr. Radford, in a low tone, 

 but bitter in its very lowness: "The man who so cunningly 

 surrounded you and the rest yesterday morning, who took all 

 my goods, and murdered many of our friends, is that very 

 Harry Lay ton, whom you've heard talk of. He has come 

 down here on purpose to ruin you and me, if possible, and to 

 marry Edith Croyland; but he shall never have her, by ," 

 and he added a fearful oath which I will not repeat. 



" Ay, that alters the case," replied Richard Radford, with 

 a demoniacal smile ; " oh 1 I'll marry her, and make her happy, 

 as the people say. But I'll tell you what, I'll have my revenge, 

 too, before I go, and upon one who is worse than the other 

 fellow; I mean the man who betrayed us all." 



" Who is that?" demanded the father. 



"Harding," answered young Radford, "Harding." 



" Are you sure that it was he?" asked the old gentleman; 

 "I have suspected him myself, but I have no proof." 



" But I have," replied his son ; " he was seen several nights 

 before by Little Starlight, talking for a long while with this 

 very colonel of dragoons upon the cliff. Another man was 

 with him, too, most likely Mowle; and then, again, yesterday 

 evening, some of these good fellows, who were on the look-out 

 to help me, saw him speaking to a dragoon officer at Widow 

 Clare's door; so he must be a traitor, or they would have taken 

 him." 



