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Show -. -- . 350 OHAP'l'ER XLVIII. '.fHE AFFAIR GROWS i\IORE I NTRICATE. - " The Innd wnnts such· As dare with vigor execute the lnws ; Her fcilt.ered memlH.H'S must. l)C lnrtced and tented : llc's n bad slll'gcon thnL for· pity spnres The pnr·t. con·upt.cd, till the gn ngrcne sprcnd~ And nil the body pcr-io>h: Ue t.hnt's mcr·ciful Unto the brld is cruel to the good."-H.A:-<Dot.t•u. FoSTER received the t idings of Eber ly 's fl ight with wellaffected astonishment. Putting on the sternest expression of countenance, he looked on me with suspicion. "And you were set to watch him, ' Villiams. llow is this 1 I fear you have been neglectful-you have slept upon your wn.tch - I can not think that you have had any intelligence with Eberly/' In answering the speaker, I strove to throw into my eyes n counselling ex1Jression, which it was my hope to make him comprehend. My answer, shaped to this object, had the desired effect. " I have not slept, and you do me only j ustice, when you t hink tlmt I have had no intelligence with the fugitive. But I have volunteered to pursue him, and will execute your j udg· ments UI)Oll him, if I can ; even though lw ~.Jwuld put the Ohio between us." The reader will r emember, t hat the phrase here italicised was employed by Foster himsel f, in g iviug his pnrting counsels to Eberly. Foster readily r emembered it., and I could detect - so I fancied-in the tone of voice with which he nrldrcssed me in reply, a conviction t hat I was privy to his own partial, and, perhaps, pardonable treachery to his comrades. In every THE Al~l-'AJH GROWS MOBE INTHICATE. 351 oth er respect he seemed unmoved, and his reply was instantaneous. " And ."'c accept y onr ofl'c r, " ' illiams - you shnll !Jr1vc tlJC opportuntty yon seek to prove your fidelity, and secure the confitlc nce of tiLe club. "\.Y c ore ngrecd, "\V ebbcr, nrc we not, tllflt "\Vill iams shall t:tkc the t rack of E berly 1" " Ay-to-morrow, though I cnre not that he should strike till tiLe day following, if it Le that I conjecture rightly on one matter." " "\Yhat matter 1 "\Vlw.t is it that y ou conj ecture 1" demanded Foster, suspiciously . "\nty, t ltat Eberly is about to nmrry J ulia Grafton. It would not sm.'pris.e me much if the a !fait· takes place in a day or two. I th ud< 1t must be so, from his 1nescnt flllx icty." 11 Jlc woultl be a fool, indc<'d, to think of such a thing, without out· permission," replied :E'ostcr ; " but even if such be the cnse, wherefore would y ou defer execution upon him till the day following, supposing tbat "\Villiams siJOuld get a chance to str ike as we blow." "I ·would have t iLe ma rringc completed," wns the answer. " ! would have Grafton's pride hum Lied by his daughter's union '\\'_L th one whom we should be able, not only to destroy, but chshonor. By all t lwt is devilish in my heart, Foster, I could r isk my l ife freely , to tell Grnfton nil this story, with my own lips the day a fter his daughter's nuptials." u ' Vell, you hate fcn·ently enoug h," said F oster; "anrl, perllnps, where one's lmnd's in, he mny ns well th rust awny with !tis whole soul. But this helps 110t our IHlrposc. It is agreed, you say, that 'Villiams goes upou this business 1" "Yes." " 'r hen his course must take him nt once to Grafton's neighborhood.'' <~Yes -that is out· course too. "\Ye meet to-morrow, you recollect, with Dillon and others, at the' Blind.' Our beginners must be examined there." "But "\Villiams mnst stnrt before us." " No-it needs not,' ' said ' Yebber. " \Ve need be in no lmrry now, since there can be no doubt that we shall be able to find Eberly at any moment with in the three uext days. |