ace the
redoubtable Sir Miles, and get committed, for rumours of overwhelming
evidence to convict him were rife about Lobourne, and Farmer Blaize's
wrath was unappeasable. Again and again young Richard begged his cousin
not to see him disgraced, and to help him in this extremity. Austin
smiled on him.

"My dear Ricky," said he, "there are two ways of getting out of a
scrape: a long way and a short way. When you've tried the roundabout
method, and failed, come to me, and I'll show you the straight route."

Richard was too entirely bent upon the roundabout method to consider
this advice more than empty words, and only ground his teeth at Austin's
unkind refusal.

He imparted to Ripton, at the eleventh hour, that they must do it
themselves, to which Ripton heavily assented.

On the day preceding poor Tom's doomed appearance before the magistrate,
Dame Bakewell had an interview with Austin, who went to Raynham
immediately, and sought Adrian's counsel upon what was to be done.
Homeric laughter and nothing else could be got out of Adrian when he
heard of the doings of these desperate boys: how they had entered Dame
Bakewell's smallest of retail shops, and purchased tea, sugar, candles,
and comfits of every description, till the shop was clear of customers:
how they had then hurried her into her little back-parlour, where
Richard had torn open his shirt and revealed the coils of rope, and
Ripton displayed the point of a file from a serpentine recess in his
jacket: how they had then told the astonished woman that the rope she
saw and the file she saw were instruments for the liberation of her son;
that there existed no other means on earth to save him, they, the boys,
having unsuccessfully attempted all: how upon that Richard had tried
with the utmost earnestness to persuade her to disrobe and wind the rope
round her own person: and Ripton had aired his eloquence to induce her
to secrete the file: how, when she resolutely objected to the rope, both
boys began backing the file, and in an evil hour, she feared, said Dame
Bakewell, she had rewarded the gracious permission given her by Sir
Miles Papworth to visit her son, by tempting Tom to file the Law.
Though, thanks be to the Lord! Dame Bakewell added, Tom had turned up
his nose at the file, and so she had told young Master Richard, who
swore very bad for a young gentleman.

"Boys are like monkeys," remarked Adrian, at the close of his
explosions, "the gravest actors of fa