e evening at their inn. "If you look over them,
I shall be able to tell you the best route to take in order to call on
the persons to whom they are directed. Your friend made it a great
point that you should deliver them in person, and I am sure that he is a
gentleman you would wish to oblige." He fixed his keen glance at Jack
as he spoke. "The greater number are, I see, directed to gentlemen in
Yorkshire. You may well consider it an honour to be so employed. Sir
Herbert Willington, I see; Colonel Slingsby, Joe Hovingham of Hovingham
Hall, Master Haxby of Haxby Grange, are all good men and true. In
Northumberland too, I see you have a few to Oxminston, and Widdrington.
It will take you some time to get through them all, for they're not men
who let you come to their door and ride away again without showing you
hospitality. It will give more time to Jock McKillock to get the herd
together."

Deane made many inquiries of his companion with regard to the character
of the people on whom he was to call, and he was somewhat surprised to
find that they were all strong Jacobites, the greater number indeed
being Romanists. Still, his suspicions were not sufficiently aroused to
make him refuse to deliver them. This would of course have been the
wisest thing to have done. He was, in truth, anxious in every way to
please Mr Harwood. He still continued to indulge in dreams of some day
winning the fair Alethea. He very naturally thought that if he could
please her father, he would have less difficulty in so doing.

The horse Pearson had selected for Deane showed wonderful speed and
bottom, and seemed scarcely fatigued when, between sunrise and sunset,
he had gone over the best part of a hundred miles. When once in
Yorkshire they proceeded at a somewhat slower pace, having somewhat
longer time to rest at the houses at which they called. On these
occasions, Pearson assumed the character of Jack's servant, and
invariably accompanied the horses to the stables, and stayed during the
visit with the grooms and other servants. He was not idle, however,
though he might have appeared to be so. He lost no opportunity of
making inquiries as to what was going on in the neighbourhood, as well
as informing himself of the proceedings of their masters.

Jack had no cause to complain of any want of hospitality on the part of
those to whom he delivered Mr Harwood's letters, but in several
instances he was received with an air of stiff