acing his hand upon the arm of his
companion, and drawing him deeper into the copse, at the moment that
Forrester, who had just left the chamber of Ralph, emerged from the
tavern into the open air. The outlaw had not placed himself within the
shadow of the trees in time sufficient to escape the searching gaze of
the woodman, who, seeing the movement and only seeing one person, leaped
nimbly forward with a light footstep, speaking thus as he approached:

"Hello! there--who's that--the pedler, sure. Have at you, Bunce!"
seizing as he spoke the arm of the retreating figure, who briefly and
sternly addressed him as follows:--

"It is well, Mr. Forrester, that he you have taken in hand is almost as
quiet in temper as the pedler you mistake him for else your position
might prove uncomfortable. Take your fingers from my arm, if you
please."

"Oh, it's you, Guy Rivers--and you here too, Munro, making love to one
another, I reckon, for want of better stuff. Well, who'd have thought to
find you two squatting here in the bushes! Would you believe it now, I
took you for the Yankee--not meaning any offence though."

"As I am not the Yankee, however, Mr. Forrester, you will I suppose,
withdraw your hand," said the other, with a manner sufficiently haughty
for the stomach of the person addressed.

"Oh, to be sure, since you wish it, and are not the pedler," returned
the other, with a manner rather looking, in the country phrase, to "a
squaring off for a fight"--"but you needn't be so gruff about it. You
are on business, I suppose, and so I leave you."

"A troublesome fool, who is disposed to be insolent," said Rivers, after
Forrester's departure.

"Damn him!" was the exclamation of the latter, on leaving the copse--"I
feel very much like putting my fingers on his throat; and shall do it,
too, before he gets better manners!"

The dialogue between the original parties was resumed.

"I tell you again, Munro--it is not by any means the wisest policy to
reckon and guess and calculate that matters will go on smoothly, when we
have it in our own power to make them certainly go on so. We must leave
nothing to guess-work, and a single blow will readily teach this youth
the proper way to be quiet."

"Why, what do you drive at, Guy. What would you do--what should be
done?"

"Beef--beef--beef! mere beef! How dull you are to-night! were you in yon
gloomy and thick edifice (pointing to the prison which frowned in
perspective before th