versation thereupon proceeded with unrestrained vigor.

"It baffles me, his going to Carlisle. As I say, he's a 'cute sort.
What's his game in this hunt?"

"Shaf! he's bagged himself, stump and rump."

"I don't mind how soon we've done with this trapesing here and there.
Which will be the 'dictment, think ye?"

"Small doubt which." "Murder, eh? Can you manage it, Wilfrey and
yourself?"

"Leave that to the pair of us."

The perspiration was standing in beads on every inch of Robbie's body.
He was struggling with an almost overpowering temptation to test the
strength of his muscles at pitching certain weighty "bodies" off the
top of that coach, in order to relieve it of some of the physical
burden and a good deal of the moral iniquity under which it seemed to
him just then to groan.

Snow began now to fall, and the driver gave the whip to his horses in
order to reach a village which was not far away.

"We'll be bound to put up for the night," he said; "this snowstorm
will soon stop us."

The two strangers were apparently much concerned at the necessity, and
used every available argument to induce the driver to continue his
journey.

Robbie could not bring himself to a conclusion as to whether it would
be best for his purpose that the coach should stop, and so keep back
the vagabonds who were sitting behind him, or go on, and so help him
to overtake Ralph. The driver in due course settled the problem very
decisively by drawing up at the inn of the hamlet of Mardale and
proceeding to take his horses off the chains.

"There be some folk as have mercy neither on man nor beast," he said
in reply to a protest from the strangers.

Jim's sentiment was more apposite than he thought.

The two men grumbled their way into the inn. Robbie remained outside
and gave the driver a hand with the horses.

"Where's Haribee?" he asked.

"In Carlisle," said the driver.

"What place is it?" asked Robbie.

"Haribee?--why, the place of execution."

When left alone outside in the snow, Robbie began to reflect on the
position of affairs. It was past midnight. The two strangers, who were
obviously in pursuit of Ralph, would stay in this house at least until
morning. Ralph himself was probably asleep at this moment, some ten
miles or thereabouts farther up the road.

It was bitterly cold. Robbie's hands and face were numbed. The flakes
of snow fell thicker and faster than before.

Robbie perceived that there was only one ch