88 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



"Ay'se sure it would," responded Timothy, who had 

 been listening, all attention, mixing meanwhile some 

 strange compound of eggs and rum and sugar. "Whoy, 

 measter Draa did pratty nigh drink 't out yance — that 

 noight 'at eight chaps, measter Frank, drank oop two 

 baskets o' champagne, and fifteen bottles o' 't breawn 

 sherry — 'Ay carried six on 'em to bed, Ay'se warrant it — 

 and yan o' them, young measter Clark, he spoilt me a new 

 suit o' liveries, wi' vomiting a top on me." 



"That'll do, Timothy," interposed Archer, unwilling, as 

 I thought, that the secret mysteries of his establishment 

 should be revealed any further to the profane ears which 

 were gaping round about us — "that'll do for the present — 

 give Mr. Draw that flip — he's looking at it very angrily, 

 I see! and then turn in, or you'll be late in the morning; 

 and, by George, we must be away by four o'clock at latest, 

 for we have all of sixty miles to make to-morrow, and 

 Tom's fat carcass will try the springs most consumedly, 

 down hill." 



Matters thus settled, in we turned, and — as it seemed 

 to me, within five minutes, I was awakened by Harry 

 Archer, who stood beside my bed full dressed, with a 

 candle in his hand. 



"Get up," he whispered, "get up, Frank, very quietly; 

 slip on your great-coat and your slippers — we have a 

 chance to serve Tom out — he's not awake for once! and 

 Timothy will hav^ the horses ready in five minutes." 



Up I jumped on the instant, haviled on a rough-frieze 

 pea-jacket, thrust my unstockinged feet into their con- 

 trary slippers, and followed Harry, on the tips of my toes, 

 along a creaking passage, guided by the portentous ruck- 

 ling snorts, which varied the profundity of the fat man's 

 slumbers. When I reached his door, there stood Harry, 

 laughing to himself, with a small quiet chuckle, perfectly 

 inaudible at three feet distance, the intensity of which 

 could, however, be judged by the manner in which it 

 shook his whole person. Two huge horse-buckets, filled 

 to the brim, were set beside him; and he had cut a piece 

 of an old broomstick so as to fit exactly to the width of 

 the passage, across which he had fastened it, at about 

 two feet from the ground, so that it must most indubit- 

 ably trip up any person, who should attempt to run along 

 that dark and narrow thoroughfare. 



