d to escape by
the knoll."

"Oh! spare her, if possible," said Tamar, "or let her escape, if you can
do nothing else to save her; I beseech you spare her!" Shanty made no
reply, but led the way to an upper room of the Tower, which had in old
time, when there were any stores to keep, (a case which had not occurred
for some years,) been occupied as a strong-hold for groceries, and other
articles of the same description; and there, besides the prisoner, who
stood sullenly leaning against the wall, with her arms folded, sat
Dymock and Salmon,--the Laird looking all importance, his lips being
compressed and his arms folded,--and old Salmon, being little better in
appearance than a _caput mortuum_, so entirely was the poor creature
overpowered by the rapid changes in the scenes which were enacting
before him.

Shanty had met Rebecca running down the stairs as he was bringing up
Mrs. Margaret, and he had seized her and brought her in, saying, "Now
old lady, as we are coming to a clearance, it might be just as well to
burn out your dross among the rest; or may be," he added, "you may
perhaps answer to the lumps of lime-stone in the furnace, not of much
good in yourself, but of some service to help the smelting of that which
is better,--so come along, old lady; my mind misgives me, that you have
had more to do in making up this queer affair than you would have it
supposed." The more Rebecca resisted, the more determined was Shanty;
neither did he quit his hold of the old woman, until the whole party had
entered the room, the door being shut, and his back set against it,
where he kept his place, like a bar of iron in a stanchion.

Chairs had been set for Mrs. Margaret and Tamar, and when they were
seated Dymock informed the prisoner that she might speak. Tamar had
instantly recognized her; so had Shanty; and both were violently
agitated, especially the former, when she began to speak. We will not
give her story exactly in her own words; for she used many terms, which,
from the mixture of gipsy slang and broad Border dialect, would not be
generally understood; but, being translated, her narrative stood as
follows:--

She was, it seems, of gipsy blood, and had no fixed habitation, but many
hiding places, one of which was the cavern or passage connected with
Dymock's Tower. Another of her haunts was Norwood Common, which, every
one knows, is near London, and there was a sort of head-quarters of the
gang, though, as was their cu