he day Harry went over to the village and saw many
of his boy friends. Bill Simpkins, however, his great chum, happened
to be away, but his parents said that he would be back at nine in the
evening. He had gone over to Winchester to see a brother who was in a
regiment quartered there. Accordingly, soon after nine o'clock Harry
said to his father that he would just walk over to have a chat with
his friend, and be back in an hour or so.

"Thou had best stop at home and go to bed at once," Jane Langley said;
"if thou hast to start at three o'clock, it were time thou wert in bed
now."

"I am accustomed to short nights," Harry said, laughing, "and I shall
be able to sleep long to-morrow."

Putting on his hat, he nodded to the old couple, and went off at a run
into the darkness.

The road was a wide one, and but little frequented, and the grass grew
thick over a considerable portion of the sides, therefore as he ran
along with a light, springy tread the sound of his footsteps was
deadened. As he came along by the cottage of which he had been
speaking to Peter Langley he heard the sound of voices within. Being
curious to see what this mysterious Frenchman was like, Harry paused,
lightly lifted the latch of the gate, and entered the little garden.
He had intended to peep in at the window, and having satisfied his
curiosity to be off; but just as he reached the door the latter opened
suddenly, and Harry had only time to draw back behind the little porch
before two men came out. In one Harry recognized by his voice the
smuggler Black Jack; the other was by his halting English evidently
the foreigner. They stopped for a moment, looking out into the night.

"I tell you," the smuggler said, "it's going to be a storm, and no
mistake. The _Lucy_ is a tight craft, and has weathered gales when
many a bigger ship has gone down. Still, I don't like running out into
it without necessity."

"Necezity," said the Frenchman. "I sould have sought zat ze earning of
five hundred pounds was as urgent a necezity as was wanted."

"Aye, the money will be handy enough," the smuggler said, "though one
does put one's head into the noose to earn it. However, the sum is
bigger than usual, and, as you say, the affair is important."

"Bah!" the Frenchman said, "what does it matter about ze nooze? It
hasn't got over your zick neck or my zin one, and till it does we
needn't trouble about it. I tell you zis is ze most important dispatch
we have ever