hard to suit.]

"It is painful to part with even you, good woman," he continued; "but
the hour has come, and I must go. What is left in the house is yours;
to me it could be of no use, and it may serve to make you comfortable.
Farewell--we may meet hereafter."

"In the regions of darkness!" cried a voice that caused the peddler to
sink on the chest from which he had risen, in despair.

"What! another pack, Mr. Birch, and so well stuffed so soon!"

"Have you not done evil enough?" cried the peddler, regaining his
firmness, and springing on his feet with energy; "is it not enough to
harass the last moments of a dying man--to impoverish me; what more
would you have?"

"Your blood!" said the Skinner, with cool malignity.

"And for money," cried Harvey, bitterly; "like the ancient Judas, you
would grow rich with the price of blood!"

"Aye, and a fair price it is, my gentleman; fifty guineas; nearly the
weight of that scarecrow carcass of yours in gold."

A figure stood in the shadow of the door, as if afraid to be seen in
the group of Skinners; but a blaze of light, aided by some articles
thrown in the fire by his persecutors, showed the peddler the face of
the purchaser of his little domain. Occasionally there was some
whispering between this man and the Skinner nearest to him, that
induced Harvey to suspect he had been the dupe of a contrivance in
which that wretch had participated. It was, however, too late to
repine; and he followed the party from the house with a firm and
collected tread, as if marching to a triumph, and not to a gallows. In
passing through the yard, the leader of the band fell over a billet of
wood, and received a momentary hurt from the fall. Exasperated at the
incident, the fellow sprang to his feet, filling the air with
execrations.

"The curse of heaven light on the log!" he exclaimed; "the night is
too dark for us to move in. Throw that brand of fire in yon pile of
tow, to light up the scene."

"Hold!" cried the speculator; "you'll fire the house."

"And see the farther," said the other, hurling the brand in the midst
of the combustibles. In an instant the building was in flames. "Come
on; let us move towards the heights while we have light to pick our
road."

"Villain!" cried the exasperated purchaser, "is this your
friendship--this my reward for kidnapping the peddler?"

"'Twould be wise to move more from the light, if you mean to entertain
us with abuse, or we may see too well