ned out before him, with his back turned towards the door; and,
whilst Mary Musgrove was engaged in removing the furniture of the table,
he found means to write a few lines to Philip Lindsay. He took the same
opportunity to pen a short letter to Mildred; and then to set down some
directions for Horse Shoe Robinson, the purport of which was that the
sergeant should take the two letters and depart, with all despatch, for
the Dove Cote, and to put both into the hands of Mildred, with a request
that she would procure him the necessary reply from her father. Horse
Shoe was also directed to explain to Mildred such particulars of
Butler's history as were necessary to be made known for the
accomplishment of the object of the mission.

When these papers were finished they were folded up into a small
compass, and in the course of the evening put into Mary's hands, with a
request that she would herself read the instructions intended for the
sergeant, and apprise him of their contents when she delivered the
papers to him.

So far all had succeeded well, and Butler found additional reason to
dispel the gloom that hung upon his spirits, in the prospect that was
now opened to him of enlisting strong and authoritative friends in the
scheme of his liberation.

CHAPTER XXXII.

MARY MUSGROVE'S PERPLEXITIES.

As a mariner who watches the heavens from the deck, and notes the first
uprising of the small cloud, "no bigger than a man's hand," that to his
practised eye shows the sign of tempest; and anon, as the speck quickly
changes into a lurid mass, whence volume after volume of dun vapor is
driven in curled billows forward, covering the broad welkin with a
gloomy pall, he looks more frequently and more intently upwards, anxious
to lay his vessel safe, and assure himself of his proper course to
steer: so--not with the same doubt of safety, but with the same restless
inspection of the heavens--did Mary watch the slow approach of night.
First, she looked wistfully at the declining sun, and observed with
pleasure the night-hawk begin to soar: then, through the long twilight,
she noted the thickening darkness, and saw the bat take wing, and heard
the frog croaking from his pool. And as the stars, one by one, broke
forth upon the night, it gladdened her to think the hour of her mission
was approaching, for she was troubled in her spirit and anxious to
acquit herself of her charitable office; and perhaps, too, it may be
told of her,