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Show 201 RTCTlAlliJ JIUHOIS. toget11cr into the woodR, nnd, 115 l left tl1c plantation for J\fobilc, an hour aftN, I saw no wore of either of thrm on tbat occasion. rrhe business of the stran gc>r may Lest be told in .John Ilun1is's own words. That very nfternoon he went to tho cottage of Pickett, whom he summoned forth, as was his custom, by a signalng rccd upon between tl10m. "\Yhcn together, in n voice of grcnt agitatiOIJ, ,John bcgnn the dialogue ns follows:- "I :un ruined, Pickett-ruined, undone for ever! "\Vho do you tl1ink hns come to me-presented ltimsclf at tho Ycry house, tmd dem::mdcd to see me 1" Pickett looked up. but exhibited no sort of surprise at this speech, as he replied by a simple inquiry: "\Vho 1'' "A messenger from this d-d confcder::~cy. A fellow with his cursed signs-and a summons to meet the members at some pl:~ce to which he is to give me directions nt a fu ture time. I :un required to be in readiness to go lleavcn knows where, and to meet with Heaven knows wl1o-to do Heaven knows wlwt !" Pickett answered coolly enougl1, and with an nit· of resignn· tion to his fate, which confounded IIm·dis:- " He has boon to me too, and given me tlJC same notice." "II a! nnd what did you tell him-what answer-what an. swer?" "rrlmt I would come-tl1at I was Hlways ready. I suppose you told him so, likewise 7" u Ay-you may well suppose it-what else, in tl1r name of all the fiends, could I tell him. I have no help-! must submit-! am nt their mcrcy-th:mks to your bungling, Ben Pickett-you l1ave drawn us both i11to a bog which is closing upon us like a gulf. I told him as you told him, though it was in the gall of bitterness thnt I felt myself forced to s~1y so much, that I would obey the summons and be ready when tl1c time came to meet the 'mystic confederacy.' Hell's curses upon their confederates and mystery - that I was at their disposal as I was at their mercy, to go as they bid me, and do as they commanded-! was their servant-their slave, their ox, their ass, their nnything. Death! death! that I should move my tongue to such admission, and feel my feet bound in obedience 1vith my tongue." "It's mighty hard, 'squire, but it's no use getting into a pas- DE~P.\ Tit OF Til F. VTCTTMS. 295 sion nbout it. \Ve'rc in, nnd, like the l10rsc in thC' mire, we mustn't think to holt, till WC'-'rc out of it." "It's mighty hn.rd, aiHl no use p;C'tting in a. pnssion," said Ilnrdis ironicnlly, nnd with bitterness repeating tLc words of his compnnion. '' \VC'll, T know not, 13en Pickett, what !lituation would nuthorize a man in LC'coming angry and prts!lionntc if this docs not. You ~ccm to take it coolly, however. You'1·c morr of a philosopher, 1 sec, thn11 l can eYC'rhope to mnkc myself." " \\'(']],'squire, it's my 11ofion," said the other, "that wlwt's 11 0t to be helped by grumbling, will hmt the gnnnhlcr. I've found it so nlwnys; and now that I think of it, 'squire, there's less reason for yon to grumble nnd complnin than anybody I know; and as it's just as well to spetlk tl1e trutl1 first as la st, I may say now once for nll, that it wns you that bungled, not m~, or we shouldn't have got into tl1is bog; or we might lwve got ont of it." "Indeed! I bungle, aml how, I lJray you. J\fr. Pickett 1 \V nsn't it you thnt wns ('nught in your own mnbush ?" "Y cs- but who sent me 1 T wm; doing your business, 'squire, as wrll ns I could; and if yon didn't like my ability, why did you trust it 1 \Vhy didn't you go yomsclf? I didn't want to kill Richard IImdis- I wasn't his brother." "And then to mistake your man too-that wns another specimen of yonr bungling.'' "I... ook you, 'squire, the less you say about that matter, tl1e better for both of us. rrhe bungling is but a small part of that business that I'm sony for. I'm sorry for the whole of it, and if sorrow could put back tl1e life in Bill Carrington's heart, n.nd bo security for Dick llm·dis's hereafter, tl1ey'd both live for ever for me. But if I was such a hunglcr at first, 'squire, there's one thing T may tell you, nnd tell yon ]1lainly. I wns never afraid to pull trig-ger, when CYcryt!Jing depended on it. The cure for all my bul1gling wns in your own hands. VVhen the man first talked with us in these same woods, under tl1em wil. lows, wl1at did I say to you 1 Didn't I offer to close with him, if you'd only agree to usc your pistol? And wasn't you afraid 7" "I was not afraid- it was prudence only that made me put it off," said Hnrdis hastily. "And what made you put it off when you waylnid him in |