ether all that Tamar had
related, he made the same reflections which she had done, and said that
he had no doubt, but that these ruins had been the rendezvous of
vagrants for years, and that there was now a plan to rob Mr. Salmon,
through the means of the secret passage. He went further, for he had no
lack of imagination, and proceeded to conjecture, that it was through
the manoeuvreing of these very vagrants, that the old curmudgeon had
been brought to Dymock's Tower, and following the connexion, he began to
put together the appearance of the young blacksmith, the gipsy who had
left Tamar at Shanty's, her second appearance and rapid disappearance,
the coming of Mr. Salmon, his supposed riches, his strange whim of
shutting himself up, and every other extraordinary circumstance, in a
jumble even more inexplicable and confusing, than any of his previous
speculations upon these events,--and when he had so done he put on his
hat, and declared that he must go forthwith to Shanty.

"To see," said Tamar, "what he can hammer out of it all, but something
must and ought to be done to put Mr. Salmon on his guard, for otherwise,
assuredly he will be robbed this night."

"And perhaps murdered," exclaimed Mrs. Margaret; "but go, brother, be
quick, and let us have Shanty's advice."

"And I," said Tamar, after the Laird was departed, "will go to the
Tower, and if possible get admittance. I will stop the going off
of Jacob."

Mrs. Margaret expostulated with her, but all her pleadings came to
this,--that she should send a neighbour to watch for Tamar on the side
of the moat, the young girl having assured her kind protectress, that
she had nothing to fear for her, and that as the Laird was proverbially
a procrastinator, he might let half the day pass, before he had settled
what was to be done.

Poor Mrs. Margaret was all tremor and agitation; at the bottom of her
heart, she did not like to be left in the cottage, so near a gang of
thieves as she felt herself to be; she was not, however, a selfish
character, and after some tears, she kissed Tamar and bade her go,
watching her the whole way through the glen, as if she were parting with
her for years.

The light step of the young girl, soon brought her to the edge of the
moat, and she arrived, as it was ordered by Providence, at a very
convenient time, for she met Rebecca on the moor, the old woman having
just parted from Jacob, whose figure was still to be seen jogging along
the hea