rkled, and his face assumed an expression
in which curiosity was mingled with rage. He bent forward, and said, in
a hoarse and contemptuous tone, "Pray, is your name Mervyn?"

I answered, without hesitation, and as if the question were wholly
unimportant, "Yes; my name is Mervyn."

"God damn it! You then are the damned rascal"--(but permit me to repeat
his speech without the oaths with which it was plentifully interlarded.
Not three words were uttered without being garnished with a--"God damn
it!" "damnation!" "I'll be damned to hell if"--and the like energetic
expletives.) "You then are the rascal that robbed Billy's house; that
ran away with the fool his daughter; persuaded her to burn her father's
will, and have the hellish impudence to come into this house! But I
thank you for it. I was going to look for you; you've saved me trouble.
I'll settle all accounts with you here. Fair and softly, my good lad! If
I don't bring you to the gallows--If I let you escape without such a
dressing! Damned impudence! Fellow! I've been at Malverton. I've heard
of your tricks. So! finding the will not quite to your mind, knowing
that the executor would balk your schemes, you threw the will into the
fire; you robbed the house of all the cash, and made off with the
girl!--The old fellow saw it all, and will swear to the truth."

These words created some surprise. I meant not to conceal from this man
the tenor and destruction of the will, nor even the measures which his
niece had taken or intended to take. What I supposed to be unknown to
him appeared to have been communicated by the talkative Caleb, whose
mind was more inquisitive and less sluggish than first appearances had
led me to imagine. Instead of moping by the kitchen-fire when Eliza and
I were conversing in an upper room, it now appeared that he had
reconnoitred our proceedings through some keyhole or crevice, and had
related what he had seen to Hadwin.

Hadwin proceeded to exhaust his rage in oaths and menaces. He frequently
clenched his fist and thrust it in my face, drew it back as if to render
his blow more deadly; ran over the same series of exclamations on my
impudence and villany, and talked of the gallows and the whipping-post;
enforced each word by the epithets _damnable_ and _hellish_; closed each
sentence with--"and be curst to you!"

There was but one mode for me to pursue; all forcible opposition to a
man of his strength was absurd. It was my province to make h