e--if he could only have known it.

"Well, gentlemen, have you seen Simmons?"

"No," said Mr. Parkin.

"What, not been to see the poor fellow who owes his death to you?"

"He is not dead yet."

"No, thank Heaven! He has got a good work to do first; some hypocrites,
assassins, and cowards to expose."

Parkin turned pale; Grotait's eye glistened like a snake's: he made
Parkin a rapid signal to say nothing, but only listen.

"He has begun by telling me who it was that put gunpowder into my forge,
and how it was done. I have forgiven him. He was only the tool of much
worse villains; base, cowardly, sneaking villains. Those I shall not
forgive. Oh, I shall know all about it before long. Good-morning."

This information and threat, and the vindictive bitterness and
resolution with which the young man had delivered it, struck terror into
the gentle Parkin, and shook even Grotait. The latter, however, soon
recovered himself, and it became a battle for life or death between him
and Little.

He invited Parkin to his own place, and there the pair sat closeted.

Dan Tucker and Sam Cole were sent for.

Tucker came first. He was instantly dispatched to Simmons, with money
from the Saw Grinders' box. He was to ascertain how much Simmons had let
out, and to adjure him to be true to the Trade, and split on no man but
himself. When he had been gone about twenty minutes, Sam Cole came in,
and was instructed to get two other men in place of Simmons, and be in
readiness to do Little.

By-and-by Tucker returned with news. Simmons had at present split only
on himself; but the women were evidently in love with Little; said
he was their only friend; and he, Tucker, foresaw that, with their
co-operation, Simmons would be turned inside out by Little before he
died.

Grotait struck his hand on the table. "The Unions are in danger," said
he. "There is but one way, Little must be made so that he can't leave
Cairnhope while Simmons is alive."

So important did the crisis appear to him, that he insisted on Parkin
going with him at once to Cairnhope, to reconnoiter the ground.

Parkin had a gig and a fast horse: so, in ten minutes more, they were on
the road.

They reached Cairnhope, put up at the village inn, and soon extracted
some particulars about the church. They went up to it, and examined it,
and Grotait gave Parkin a leg up, to peer through the window.

In this position they were nailed by old George.

"What be you at?"