he left the circle:--

"That, by the eternal God, he shall never do. Are you satisfied now of
the necessity of silencing him?"

Munro simply made a sign of silence, and took no seeming note of his
departure; but his determination was made, and there was now no obstacle
in that quarter to the long-contemplated vengeance of his confederate.

While this matter was in progress among the villagers, Counsellor Pippin
vexed himself and his man Hob not a little with inquiries as to the
manner in which he should contrive to make some professional business
grow out of it. He could not well expect any of the persons concerned,
voluntarily to convict themselves; and his thoughts turned necessarily
upon Ralph as the only one on whom he could rest his desire in this
particular. We have seen with what indifferent success his own adventure
on the field of action, and when the danger was all well over, was
attended; but he had heard and seen enough to persuade himself that but
little was wanting, without appearing in the matter himself, to induce
Ralph to prosecute Rivers for the attempt upon his life, a charge which,
in his presence, he had heard him make. He calculated in this way to
secure himself in two jobs--as magistrate, to institute the initial
proceedings by which Rivers was to be brought to trial, and the expense
of which Ralph was required to pay--and, as an attorney-at-law, and the
only one of which the village might boast, to have the satisfaction of
defending and clearing the criminal.

Such being the result of his deliberations, he despatched Hob with a
note to Ralph, requesting to see him at the earliest possible moment,
upon business of the last importance. Hob arrived at the inn just at the
time when, in the court in front, Ralph, in company with the woodman,
had joined the villagers there assembled. Hob, who from long familiarity
with the habits of his master, had acquired something of a like
disposition, felt exceedingly anxious to hear what was going on; but
knowing his situation, and duly valuing his own importance as the
servant of so great a man as the village-lawyer, he conceived it
necessary to proceed with proper caution.

It is more than probable that his presence would have been unregarded
had he made his approaches freely and with confidence; but Hob was
outrageously ambitious, and mystery was delightful. He went to work in
the Indian manner, and what with occasionally taking the cover, now of a
bush,