414 THE SMUGGLER. 



as soon as Mr. Eadford beheld him, he exclaimed, " This is a 

 base and infamous plot to defeat the ends of justice. I under- 

 stand it all: the military power called in, right willingly, I 

 have no doubt, to take away the documents which prove that 

 felon's guilt. But this shall be bitterly repaid, and I hold you 

 responsible, sir, for the production of these papers." 



''Certainly, Mr. Radford," replied Layton, with a caltn 

 smile, "I will be responsible. But as you object to the mili- 

 tary power, we will hand you over to the civil. Hart," he 

 continued, speaking to the soldier, "call up Mowle or Birchett, 

 or any of the other officers, and let them bring one of the 

 constables with them, for this is not purely a case for the 

 customs. Then tell Serjeant Shaw to bring on his men from 

 the back, as I directed, seeing that nothing, not an inch of 

 ground, not a shed, not a tool-house, remains unexamined." 



" Of what am I accused, sir, that you dare to pursue such 

 a course in my house?" demanded Mr. Radford. 



" Of murder, sir," replied Sir Henry Layton. 



" Murder!" exclaimed Mr. Eadford, and then burst into an 

 affected laugh. 



"Yes, sir," replied the young officer; "and you may find 

 it not so much a jest as you suppose; for though the law, in 

 consequence of the practices of yourself and others, has slept 

 long ineffective, it is not dead. I say for murder; as an 

 accessory before the fact, to the armed resistance of lawful 

 authority, in which his majesty's subjects have been killed in 

 the execution of their duty, and as an accessory after the fact, 

 in harbouring and comforting the actual culprits, knowing 

 them to be such." 



Mr. Radford's countenance fell ; for he perceived that the 

 matter was much more serious than he at first supposed. He 

 trusted, indeed, from the laxity with which the law had lately 

 been carried into execution, that he might escape from the 

 gravest part of the charge ; but still, if Sir Henry Layton was 

 in a condition to prove the participation of which he accused 

 him, in the crimes that had been committed, nothing short of 

 transportation for life could be anticipated. But he had other 

 sources of anxiety. His wretched son, he expected to present 

 himself every minute; and well aware of the foul deed which 

 Richard Radford had that morning perpetrated, and of his 

 person having been recognised, he was perfectly certain, that 



