bbles as they came. It was now
past midnight, but the month being September, there would be no light
for several hours.

At length Cap'n Jack looked at a huge silver watch, which he had taken
from his pocket, and seemed to be making some mental calculations.

"Fine and loanly, ed'n et, Jasper?" he remarked.

"Very."

"This es a very loanly caave. I thot nobody knawed anything 'bout et,
'ciptin' our chaps and Betsey and Eli."

"Betsey?"

"Iss, aw Betsey do knaw everything. Besides, Granfer Fraddam was--you
zee et do run in the family!"

I said nothing, but I called to mind many things I had heard Betsey say.

"Anything might be done 'ere, an' nobody the wiser," he said with a
leer.

"Yes."

"But I'm a man of paice, I be. A stiddy, thinkin' sort ov man as you may
zay. I shudden like for nothin' to 'appen to you, Jasper. Tha's wy I
stopped 'em jist now. 'ow be 'ee thinkin' to git the money to buy back
Pennington, Jasper? 'T'll be a stiff job, I tell 'ee."

I did not reply.

"I've 'eerd oal 'bout et, Jasper. Ah, I've knowd they Tresidders for a
good long while. Deep, deep, sonny, you ca'an't git 'em nohow. Besides,
'twas 'ard that you shud zee thicky purty maid for the fust time when
you was covered with mud, and egg yuks, and fastened on to that gashly
thing, wad'n et then?"

I gave a start, and I felt my face crimson.

"I shud like to be a friend to 'ee, Jasper, I shud. Betsey 'ave told me
'bout 'ee, and I like 'ee, Jasper. Besides, I'm allays a friend to the
oppressed I be, allays. I shud like to put 'ee in the way of spitin'
they Tresidders, and buyin' back the 'ome that es rightfully yours,
that I shud. Now, Jasper, my sonny, I could put 'ee in the way of
gittin' 'nough in a year or two to get yer oan. A clain off chap like
you, with schullership, one as can read ritin' an' knows figures like,
why, you could, with a bit of tittivatin', git on anywhere, that is,
with the blessin' of Providence, so to spaik."

"How?" I asked.

"Put yerself in my 'ands, Jasper."

"You mean become a smuggler, a wrecker, and a general law-breaker."

"Law?" cried Cap'n Jack. "Now what's law, Jasper? Es et fair now? The
law 'ave put you in a nice pickle, and tho' Pennington ought to be
yours, an' the Barton ought to be yours, an' shud be yours ef I, a fair
an' honest man, cud 'ave the arrangin' ov things, they've been tooked
from 'ee by law. An' you might wait till you was black an' blue, and the
law wudden give et ba