ndlord full in the face. "Come, you know he bribed
you to stow it away, and say nothing about it if questions were asked."

I never saw anybody look so astonished as the landlord did when Jerry
said this.

"How should you know anything about it?" he asked.

"I know a good many things," answered Jerry, with a knowing look.
"Come, mate, tell us what Mr Biddulph Stafford paid you for stowing the
things away, and I will promise that it shall be doubled if you can find
them."

I did not know at the time that this was all a guess of Jerry's, but he
had hit the right nail on the head.

"Is it a bargain?" asked the landlord. "I suppose that Mr Biddulph
can't do me any harm?"

"It's a bargain, and I will see that you are not the sufferer," said
Jerry. "Come, what did he give you?"

"Ten pounds," answered the landlord.

"You shall have twenty; and that you may be sure of it, I will write out
the promise to pay you."

The landlord, thus taken by surprise, agreed; and Jerry, who followed
the wise plan of "striking while the iron is hot," made him then and
there bring pen and paper, when he wrote out an order on his
brother-in-law for twenty pounds. The landlord then begged that we
would come upstairs, and, going through a trapdoor in the roof, he let
down two small trunks, such as ladies might use for travelling. They
were both locked.

"There they are," said the landlord; "and the sooner you take them the
better. They have made me uncomfortable ever since they have been in
the house; I didn't like to destroy them, and I didn't know where to put
them. As it is so long since Mr Biddulph Stafford came here, I don't
suppose that he will trouble me again about them."

We waited till dark, and the landlord then getting us a boy to carry one
of the trunks, I shouldered the other, and we set off back to my house.

Though Susan was naturally curious to see their contents, we agreed that
we would not open them ourselves, but wait till Mrs Stafford could do
so, as she was more likely than anyone else to recognise their contents.
We then talked over what was best to be done. I was for telling
Captain Leslie, for I was sure that he had still as kind a feeling
towards Harry as ever, and that he had acted as he had done to prevent
him and his daughter from making what he considered an imprudent match.
Jerry at last came to agree with me, and he consented to write to Mr
Pengelley and ask his advice. Mr Pengelley thought as