OCR Text |
Show 07U IUCIIAltl> !iURDTS. . . l nlcred tile np:nlmcnt. They. were openecl the cloOl, ant e s' rrht and thourrh 1t was 1 d they met my 1o • • 0 clo_sely grapp e as Eberl studiously a,·oiiled tlJc applicntion ovulcnt cnoug:h that_ " . Y t Grafton, it was not l11e lcs~ of his whole fMce 111 ".'010'~~e 11° in the cnde:wor to elude him, oi,Yious that he was 11~'-';0 1 tn 'l.USC .1 moment to bcl1old the and break away. I t Lt ]l\Ol P~ . cd, the ftwitive nronnd tl1c 'f b . k' 1.,. forwnn' gl<tsp o . f'ln c, ut '~·'. ~~ 1,jm from the floor, laid him, in anothel· mstnn~, bod~·· and llftmo it 'l'his done, I put my knee upon lns nt full length upOl~ · a· ·k knife to his throat I exacted breast, and prescntlllg my n - . . . from him a constrained and sullen subnHSSLOn. STR ATAGE~tS. CIIAP'l'ER LI. STRA'I'AGE~IS, "Tin· sun hns se>t; A grntcful cvcuing doth dt•scellli upun us, A1hl bt·ings on the long uig:ht.''--.~cuu.u:u. 877 To DISPOSE of l1im now was a next consideration, and one of some little difficulty. It was no ·wish of mine, and certainly still less n. wish with Colonel Grafton, to hold tho unfortunate and mi'=guidctl youth in bondage for trial by the laws. rl'h is was tacitly understood between us. By the statements of his associates, it was clear enough that he had been a profitless comrade, doing nothing to earn the apl>lansc, or e'·cn appro,·nl of the criminal; and as little, if we except the mere fact of his being connrcled with such a fraternity, to merit the punishment of the laws.. His hands lwd never been stained by Lloocl; and, setting aside l1is first offence ngainst virtue, and that which brought l1im into such perilous companionshilJ with vice, we knew nothing against him of vicious performance. A1>art from this, the ncar approximation whicl1 he had made toward a union with the family of Colonel Grafton, IJOwevcr mortifying such an event may have become to l1is pride, was calculated to produce a desire in his mind that as little notoriety as possible should be given to the circumstances, and even had Eberly Lccn more guilty than he was, I, for one, would rather infinitely have suffered Lim to escape, than to subject tl1e }JOOr girl, whose affections he had won, to the constant pain wliich she mu::;t hav-e felt by the publication of the proceedings against him. Even as it was, her trial was painful enough, as well to thoso who witnessed her sufferings, as to the poor heart tlmt was compelled to bear them. Enough of this at prese11t. But it was essential at this moment, when it wns onr design |