at the gate.

'"You'll say something more than Hallo! when you see what we've got
inside here," promised the corporal.

'Then they bundled my grandfather out in the light of day, and the
corporal proudly told the sentry to summon the agent at once.

'"Good Lord!" said the sentry, "if it bain't Farmer Mugford!"

'Just then, as it happened, forth stepped the agent himself from the
wicket, starting for his walk that he took for his health's sake
every afternoon. Captain Sharpland his name was, and later on, when
the Americans mutinied, he was accused of treating them harshly, but
my grandfather said that a kinder-hearted man never stepped.

'"Hallo," says Captain Sharpland, halting and putting up his
eyeglass. "Why, Mugford, whatever is the meaning of this?"

'"You'd best ask the Jew here, sir," my grandfather answered, nursing
his sulks.

'"If you pleathe, noble captain," put in the Jew, who didn't yet
guess anything amiss, "we've thecured the ethcaped prithoner--after a
tuthle--"

'"And pray, who the devil may you be?" asked Captain Sharpland,
screwing his eyeglass into his eye. He disliked Jews, upon
principle.

'"Tho pleathe you, noble captain, my name 'th Nathan Nathaniel, of
Thouththide Thtreet, Plymouth: and on my way thith morning, ath you
thee, I came on the prithoner--"'

'"Prisoner be--" began Captain Sharpland, but broke off to swear at
the sentry, that was covering his face with his hands to hide his
grins. "My good Mr Mugford, will _you_ explain?"

'"With pleasure, sir," my grandfather answered, and told his story,
while the Jew's eyes grew wider and wider, and his jaw dropped lower
and lower.

'"You claim compensation, of course?" said Captain Sharpland at the
close, and as gravely as he could, though he too had to smooth a hand
over his upper lip.

'"Why, as for that, sir"--my grandfather was taken aback--"I took it
for a joke, and bear no grudge against Government for it."

'"It wouldn't help you if you did," said Captain Sharpland. "But I
suggest that Mr Nathan, here, owes you a trifle--shall we put it at
twenty pounds?"

'But here Mr Nathan cast up his hands with a scream, and would have
sat down in the roadway. The soldiers caught him, and held him
upright, and you may guess if, in their temper at being fooled, they
twisted his arms a bit.

'"Take him to my quarters, and we will discuss it," commanded Captain
Sharpland, turning back to the wicket again, and leading the way.