ne; for with his
intelligent face, and quiet self-assured bearing, he looked very
much more like a gentleman than many young fellows in a far better
position in life.

The stars were shining brightly when he started, at seven o'clock
in the evening; and he walked with a brisk step, until he arrived
within half a mile of the village. As he passed by the end of a
lane which ran into the road, he heard a horse impatiently pawing
the ground; the sound being followed by a savage oath, to the
animal, to stand quiet. Reuben walked on a few steps, and then
paused. The lane, as he knew, only led to some fields a short
distance away. What could a horse be doing there? And who could be
the man who spoke to it? There had, lately, been several burglaries
on lonely houses, in that part of the country; and the general
belief was that these had been perpetrated by men from London.

"I daresay it's nothing," Reuben said to himself. "Still, it is
certainly curious and, at any rate, there can be no harm in having
a look."

Walking upon the grass at the side of the road, he retraced his
steps to the end of the lane, and then stood and listened. He heard
a murmur of voices, and determined to follow the matter up. He
walked quietly down the lane. After going about a hundred yards, he
saw something dark in the road and, approaching it very cautiously,
found that it was a horse harnessed to a gig. As he was standing
wondering what to do next he started, for the silence was broken by
some voices near him.

"It was a stupid thing to get here so early, and to have to wait
about for four hours in this ditch."

"It was the best plan though," another voice replied. "The trap
might have been noticed, if we had been driving about the roads
after dark; while in the daylight no one would give it a second
thought."

"That's right enough," the first speaker said, "but it's precious
cold here. Hand me that flask again. I am blest if the wind does
not come through the hedge like a knife."

The voices came from the other side of the hedge, on the opposite
side of the lane. Reuben crossed noiselessly. There was a gate just
where the cart had stopped, and the men had evidently got over it,
to obtain the shelter of the hedge from the wind. Reuben felt the
gate, which was old and rickety; then cautiously he placed his feet
on the lower bar, and leaned forward so as to look round the hedge.

"What time are the others to be here, Tom?"

"They said th