HARRY ROUGHTON; 
 
 KEMINISCENCES OF A EEVENUE OFFICER. 
 
 LIONEL J. F. HEXHAM. 
 
 ' 
 
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 Straupcer than Hction : if it could be told, 
 How much would novels gain by the exchange! 
 
 Uow differently would men the world behold, 
 How oft would vice and virtue places change ! 
 
 The new world would be nothing to the old, 
 II some Columbus i f the monil seas 
 Would show mankind their souls' antipodes" Byron 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., STATIONERS' COURT. 
 1859.
 
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 2017227
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 MANY a vagabond has commenced his career as a poacher, 
 and ended it on the gibbet. Not that a poacher is of ne- 
 cessity an innate scoundrel, nor that the propensity to illicit 
 sporting is heinous in itself, but, because its indulgence too 
 often leads to something worse. His plea of justification is, 
 that animals, ferce naturce, are the property of no man 
 until reduced into possession, the free gift of God to the 
 great human family ; and that the rich only tyrannize over 
 the poor, when they arrogate to themselves exclusive 
 dominion over the errant denizens of the woods and wilds. 
 Grant, for the sake of argument, that it is usurpation, and 
 that the law which sanctions it is despotic. If so, repeal 
 it by legitimate means j but, so long as it is law, it is the 
 duty of every good subject to obey it. However the spe- 
 cious pretext of natural justice, as opposed to legal right, 
 may stifle the qualms of conscience, the non-qualified pur- 
 suer of hares, pheasants, and partridges, is not the less a 
 law-breaker. The rubicon once passed, the distinctions 
 between right and wrong grow less and less recognizable.
 
 When convenience or necessity impels, the transgressor of 
 one law feels the less repugnance to violate another. The 
 nightly depredator, disappointed of his coveted game, 
 substitutes, with little hesitation, the stray poultry of the 
 peaceful farmyard, for the unreclaimed fowls of the air; 
 or visits, with little reluctance, the rabbit-hutch or hen- 
 roost of his neighbour. When hunger presses, mutton or 
 veal, with slight regard to proprietorship, takes the place 
 of chicken, goose, or turkey. "A man may as well be 
 hanged for a sheep as a lamb," argues the backslider; and, 
 should the watchful guardians of some well-stored coppice, 
 warren, or preserve, cross the marauder's path, or dispute 
 his passage, no vivid perception of wrong restrains the 
 fatal shot which may lay his adversary low, and bring 
 himself to the gallows. 
 
 By analogous reasoning, the neophyte in smuggling 
 reconciles his conscience to the first infraction of the 
 Revenue Laws. By similar gradations does he arrive at 
 the climax of crime. The produce of the mother earth, he 
 argues, is, or ought to be, free to her children. To tax the 
 necessaries or the luxuries of life is a sin to evade the 
 impost a virtue. The punishment of evasion is a pecuniary 
 penalty ; and, if the smuggler can pay it, the legal obliga- 
 tion is discharged. His vocation becomes a game of chance, 
 which offers, at certain risks, a tempting harvest to the 
 successful adventurer. Thus the practice is reduced to a
 
 species of gambling, in which the smuggler and the detec- 
 tive exercise their ingenuity to outwit each other. Decep- 
 tion, perjury, subornation, bribery, and fraud, grow familiar. 
 Reverses beget desperation, success excites cupidity and 
 engenders rashness ; both lead to like results. Collisions 
 between the desperado and the revenue officer ensue the 
 pistol and the knife do their deadly work, and furnish, in 
 the perpetrators, fresh victims for the public executioner. 
 
 No crimes lead to greater evils, or find more votaries, 
 than those which have their origin in specious theories of 
 natural right. The first act in the drama, gloss it as we 
 may, is that of a dissembler ; the second, one of reckless 
 indifference ; the next, bold defiance ; and speedily is the 
 gauntlet run through its varied gradations, from self-decep- 
 tion to perdition. " If," said the culprit, in his brutal fare- 
 well to his mother, as he bit off her ear at the foot of the 
 scaffold, " if you had corrected me when I stole my school- 
 fellow's hornbook, you would not have seen me perish by 
 the hands of the executioner." 
 
 The object of the author has been to illustrate these 
 truths by authentic facts ; but it need scarcely be observed 
 that some of the characters of this story were not the par- 
 ticular individuals to whom all the incidents ascribed to 
 them actually occurred. The events and circumstances 
 related have been appropriated and detailed with just so 
 much regard to arrangement and liberty of treatment as
 
 without impairing their substantial accuracy, appeared to be 
 necessary to the consecutive character and unity of the narra- 
 tive. If the moral which the reader draws from it, be the 
 means of warning a single individual against the rocks and 
 shoals upon which so many have suffered shipwreck, the 
 author will not regret the devotion of his occasional hours of 
 leisure to the work which he now respectfully lays before 
 the public. 
 
 LONDON. 1st Jan., 1859.
 
 HAEEY KOUGHTON, 
 
 OR 
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A EEVENUE OFFICER. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " We, when our fate ca,n be no worse, 
 Are fitted for the bravest course; 
 Have time to rally, and prepare 
 Our last and best defence despair. 
 Despair, by which the gallant'st feats 
 Have been achieved in greatest streights ; 
 And horrid'st dangers safely wav'd 
 By being courageously out-brav'd." HUDIBRAS. 
 
 " STOLEN fruits are sweetest," says the adage, and that 
 son of Adam, John Bull, boasts no exemption from its 
 influence. Isolated by her everlasting moat from the rest 
 of the world, her best defence consisting in her wooden 
 walls ; dependent, as a consequence of her insular position, 
 upon her maritime resources for many things which con- 
 stitute now-a-days the necessaries of life, yet burdening 
 those very necessaries with heavy imposts for the mainten- 
 ance of the state; old England has not only been the great 
 nursery of honest Jack-tars, but the cradle of another class 
 of heroes of more exceptionable character. 
 
 It is no wonder that the rich productions of foreign climes, 
 rendered more costly by the labour and expense of procure- 
 ment and conveyance to these shores, but tenfold more so 
 
 A
 
 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 by a crushing tariff, should have excited the cupidity 
 of those who, wanting the magic of a long purse to 
 command, are the less disposed to stifle their craving 
 to acquire, by indirect means, what the letter of the law 
 prohibits. 
 
 Whether these coveted goods are the subject of absolute 
 interdict, or are rendered, by heavy imposts on their 
 importation, too costly for bond fide acquisition by the mil- 
 lion, they will, by hook or by crook, by strategy or violence, 
 ever be sought by those who have no other means of 
 attaining them ; ay, forsooth, and where the temptation is 
 great, even by those who have : though, for the most part, 
 it must be admitted that it is the man of desperate fortunes 
 who recklessly breaks through the trammels of legal restric- 
 tion, at the risk of the pains and penalties which stare him 
 in the face. These hazards serve only to sharpen the talent 
 for evasion, to whet the appetite for interdicted things, and 
 to heighten the morbid excitement of a lawless occupation 
 an excitement which rises in proportion to the danger that 
 accompanies its indulgence, until the daring marauder 
 becomes a professional contrabandist. 
 
 Thus is the smuggler called into existence, and such 
 men seldom fail to find sympathy and encouragement from 
 the unscrupulous portion of the community ; whilst the more 
 desperate of mankind are ever ready to aid, and if need be, 
 to enlist under the banner of a kindred spirit. The man 
 becomes a smuggler, the smuggler a desperado, the desperado 
 a villain, whose hand is against every man who respects the 
 law ; and his precarious existence must be maintained at all 
 hazards, regardless of the crimes to which it leads, and of 
 the blood that must be shed. Happily, however, with the 
 increase of legitimate commerce, and the modifications of 
 the tariff, the scenes of violence and rapine which until the 
 close of the last century occasionally disgraced our shores,
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 3 
 
 have well nigh ceased to exist, except in story. The fas- 
 cinating but exaggerated pictures which partial chroniclers 
 delighted to draw of the startling incidents that marked 
 the career of these by-gone desperadoes of the deep, 
 served to gild with questionable lustre their lawless exploits. 
 These legends of the past throw a poetical interest around 
 the greatest atrocities ; as if successful daring, even in a 
 degrading cause, were synonymous with high-souled 
 valour. 
 
 However glowing the colours with which the spirit of 
 romance has clothed the feats of the old sea-rovers, the fact 
 remains that they were the mere off-scourings of society, 
 fugitive felons, expatriated knaves, who sought safety in the 
 very perils they were driven to encounter, and who fought, 
 as it were, " with a halter round their necks," when dire 
 necessity compelled the combat. The acts of brute ferocity, 
 the bravery of desperation, which characterized these rene- 
 gades, deserves not to be classed with those exhibitions of 
 cool and undaunted courage which have thrown a halo of 
 undying glory around the names of our legitimate warriors 
 on the deep. 
 
 Wild and spirit-stirring as are those legends of land and 
 sea, which tell of bold adventure and hair-breadth escapes, 
 of commingled acts of cruelty and generosity, of subtlety 
 and heroism, making virtue seem almost akin to crime, 
 the homage of public opinion has declared itself in favour 
 of law and order. The fearless brigand, whatever courage 
 he might exhibit in his nefarious pursuits, would rind but 
 little sympathy in this more civilized age. 
 
 It may readily be conceived that these outcast children 
 of misery and crime could but at rare intervals associate 
 in sufficient numbers, and command the necessary resources 
 to procure, fit out, and arm vessels calculated for sucli 
 adventurous pursuits; hence it happened, occasionally
 
 HARUY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 only, that the raking craft of the smuggler appeared 
 like a spectre on the billows, sweeping through the waste 
 of waters on her illicit errand ; and then, not for the pur- 
 pose of engaging any foe she might meet, nor burning 
 with the desire for strife and bloodshed, but in the hope of 
 clandestinely discharging her contraband freight, wherever 
 an unguarded opening on the coast might present itself. 
 The warlike equipments, which gave so terrible an aspect 
 to the clipper-built craft of the smuggler, were designed 
 rather for defensive than offensive operations, to be used as 
 a dernier resort when strategy failed, and deadly strife 
 became inevitable. Thus there were more flights than 
 fights; the " Philistines," as the blockade force were called 
 more in bitterness than derision being the pursuers and 
 not the pursued. It was only when hostile collision could 
 not be averted, that the black flag was hoisted to the mast- 
 head, and the desperation of the bravo was elevated into 
 the courage of the hero. When these collisions did occur, 
 fearful was the struggle. Animated by a sense of duty, the 
 dauntless British tar quailed not before the flashing steel 
 of his remorseless adversary ; whilst the latter, in the hand- 
 to-hand struggle of life and death, was lashed into fury by 
 the dire conviction that he had no choice between such free- 
 dom as the hunted felon may enjoy, and the gallows, or an 
 ocean grave. But, however varied the success, provided the 
 battle-ground were maintained with sanguinary resolution, 
 it failed not to elicit from the poet's pen a meed of praise, 
 of which the marauder was the favoured hero. 
 
 " A monarch is he, 
 
 As bold as can be, 
 Of a strong and daring band ; 
 
 The bullet and the blast 
 
 May go whistling past, 
 And he quails neither heart nor hand.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 
 
 He lives and he dies 
 
 With his fearful prize ; 
 Like a hunted wolf he'll spring, 
 
 With trigger and dirk, 
 
 To the deadliest work ; 
 He'll fight like a smuggler-king ! " 
 
 Stript of these quasi-flattering accessories, the smuggler- 
 king could boast of little to distinguish him from the ordinary 
 contrabandist of our own days, except the savage atrocities 
 which find a parallel only in the ferocious exploits of the 
 pirate, the bandit, and the outlaw. 
 
 Distasteful as this matter-of-fact view of the case may be 
 to the ardent lover of romance, the sober-minded historian 
 must be content to sacrifice the fascinating charms of exag- 
 gerated description and poetic fiction, to the stern revelations 
 of naked truth. At all events, our coasts are no longer 
 infested by those gallant heroes of "the trigger and the 
 dirk." With the ameliorating changes in the law, the 
 reduction of customs' duties on many favourite articles of 
 illicit commerce, and the more effective organization of the 
 coast blockade, the armed smuggler has gradually disap- 
 peared and given place to a class of cunning knaves, who 
 resort only to a species of low fraud and chicanery, such as 
 the smuggler-king of the olden time would have spurned 
 with ineffable contempt. But it must not be supposed, 
 because the track of the smuggler is no longer marked by 
 blood and violence, that his vocation is abandoned, or that 
 his lawless path is exempt from difficulty and danger. Dis- 
 armed by a better policy, with fewer and diminished prizes 
 to fight for, the habits of the reckless pirate have been 
 exchanged for those of the crafty schemer. 
 
 It is, however, questionable whether the corruption of 
 morals, the social mischiefs and domestic miseries attendant 
 on the modern school of smuggling, are not more wide-
 
 6 HARRY ROUGHTON, OB 
 
 spread and more pernicious in their effects upon society at 
 large, than the evils which accompanied the more daring 
 doings of the defunct smuggler-kings. The latter were 
 comparatively few in number, and their visits, though not 
 like angels', were " few and far between." No responsive 
 hearts on shore beat in unison with those of the smuggler 
 crew. They possessed neither hearth nor home in the bosom 
 of their country ; and, being under ban, few dared or desired 
 to receive and bid them welcome. Their home was on the 
 deep ; and when they died, their influence died with them. 
 When captured, it was only to undergo incarceration, or 
 re-expatriation ; and their radius of evil influence on society 
 was circumscribed within very narrow limits. It is true 
 they had accomplices on land, but these were the few 
 monopolists of a nefarious trade, for which they found the 
 capital, and who kept up a secret correspondence with 
 their emissaries on the water " There be land-rats and 
 water-rats, water-thieves and land- thieves." The land- 
 thieves then, as in the present day on occasions of emer- 
 gency, put in request the services of their poorer neigh- 
 bours, who, allured by ample payment, and liberal 
 distributions of illicit spirits, or actuated by the love of 
 excitement, were too ready to lend their aid in the landing 
 and concealment of smuggled goods; and sometimes a hand- 
 to-hand or running fight ensued between them and the 
 preventive force. But, in these days, the fraudulent 
 offender against the revenue laws generally seeks to attain 
 his purpose by taxing his ingenuity in the art of deception, 
 until cunning, deceit, and falsehood become a part of his 
 very nature, his everyday existence. The taint more or 
 less affects all who are associated with him. The influence 
 of his good or ill fortune casts its lights and shadows over 
 other destinies than his own ; affecting, alas ! too often, the 
 peace and prosperity of the helpless and the innocent, who
 
 BEMIXISCEXCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 7 
 
 liave no sympathy with his evil courses, and yet, perforce, 
 must lend an unwilling hand towards the concealment, if 
 not the furtherance, of his misdeeds. Secrecy is deemed 
 by him to be a quality of the highest merit. He instils it 
 into the minds of all around him ; kith and kin, dependents, 
 all, are taught to practise it, at the expense of truth and of 
 every cardinal virtue. These baneful influences eat like 
 a canker-worm into the social system, lower the tone of 
 morality, habituate the mind to hypocrisy and to the con- 
 templation of petty fraud and deception, until, familiarized 
 with the crooked paths of evil, crime is at length viewed 
 with that indifference which is the last stepping-stone 
 to its actual perpetration. 
 
 Many are the struggles which wives, children, brothers, 
 friends, have to contend with, in their anxiety to screen 
 offending husbands, fathei'S, or other dear relatives, 
 whose detection and punishment must bring disgrace and 
 ruin on them and on their families. To tell the truth 
 would be to consign the offender to the hands of justice ; 
 hence where such an one has gone astray, love, surmounting 
 all regard for veracity, has drawn forth many a falsehood 
 or evasion, from which the heart at first recoiled ; but 
 deception is a treacherous reed. The deceiver is not to be 
 trusted when his own interest in turn tempts him to betray 
 those for whom he has been induced to lie ; for, when 
 respect for veracity fails, a feebler appreciation of all other 
 social virtues, as a natural consequence, ensues. Thus, 
 when the disclosure of a hidden offence promises a higher 
 bribe than secrecy can command, cupidity, despite the 
 boasted adage of " honour among thieves," makes traitors 
 of the offender's pseudo-bosom friends, and he falls a sacri- 
 fice to mercenary greed. 
 
 Heart-rending are the griefs and trials which fraud and 
 indirection bring to the domestic hearth. Many a story
 
 8 HARRY ROTJGIITON. 
 
 of distress and sorrow, lighted perchance, with here and 
 there a sunny spot, is revealed to those whose painful duty 
 it is to pursue the criminal, to investigate the details of his 
 offence, and to trace through their various ramifications the 
 attendant circumstances.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ' What can be sweeter than our native home, 
 Hither for ease and soft repose we come ; 
 If thence we fly the cause admits no doubt, 
 None but an inmate foe can force us out." DKYDEX. 
 
 ' To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds 
 Tim'rous and slothful ; yet he pleased the ear." MILTOX. 
 
 " Now Harry ! if you can just put aside those great books 
 for a minute, I will try on the little neckerchief I've been 
 hemming for you." 
 
 These words were addressed to her husband by as 
 cheerful and pretty a woman as ever gloried in the name 
 of wife ; and that husband was equally amiable and well- 
 favoured. They were seated by the fire, in a snug little 
 parlour from which a square window, consisting of a single 
 pane of glass, enabled Harry to command a view of his 
 shop, whenever he felt it necessary to pull aside the natty 
 green gauze curtain that concealed it to get a peep at an 
 incoming customer, or see that his apprentice was dili- 
 gently occupied in compounding medicines or arranging 
 fanciful packages of drugs, neatly labelled bottles, and 
 other conventional decorations of a chemist's shop and 
 laboratory. 
 
 Harry Eoughton was a chemist and druggist, of some 
 few years' standing, in an old seaport town. The books 
 upon which he was engaged told the story of profit and
 
 10 HARRY ROUGHTON. OR 
 
 loss, and judging from his somewhat triumphant expres- 
 sion, the former evidently predominated. 
 
 "Just cleared seventy-two pounds this half-year, and 
 all expenses paid; now for the neckerchief, Jane," was 
 Harry's satisfied exclamation, as he threw down the pen 
 upon his balance-sheet. 
 
 Jane tastefully adjusted the neckerchief with a jaunty 
 little bow, turned her Harry's face towards the mirror over 
 the mantelpiece, and playfully ejaculated, " Handsome as 
 ever, Harry," confirming the assurance of her sincerity 
 with a kiss. We will not dwell upon the nature of 
 Harry's acknowledgment, doubtless he repaid her in kind ; 
 but rather contemplate the joyous pair reseated and con- 
 gratulating each other on their thriving concern on the 
 other side of the little square window ; discussing the style 
 of dress in which Harry intended his darling wife to figure 
 on their next holiday-making ; the spic-span new harness 
 they had sometime meditated for Jane's pet pony; and 
 the costume most becoming their two elder children, whose 
 quiet repose left them to the undisturbed enjoyment of 
 their " ain fireside." 
 
 'Twere pity that so much happiness should be broken 
 in upon by any rude intruder, but a tap at the door com- 
 municating with the shop announced the arrival of a 
 neighbour, whose introduction gave a turn to the conver- 
 sation. 
 
 Well might the sudden interloper, Mr. Pitt, envy the 
 young couple the perfect happiness they appeared to 
 enjoy. The ruddy light of the fire danced and flickered 
 in the stove ; the flames played with the fanciful wreaths 
 of smoke ever and anon blazing up and again resuming 
 their curls of sober grey. Lights and shadows strove for 
 the mastery as they described fantastic shapes and figures 
 on the walls. The very tea-kettle, participating in the
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 11 
 
 general joy, sang cheerily on the hob ; and the baby 
 cradled at its mother's side made diverse ineffectual at- 
 tempts to break through the soft slumber which Jane, in 
 her solicitude to preserve, anticipated from time to time 
 by the action of her coquettish little foot on the rocker. 
 Many were the furtive glances, and many the blessings 
 expressed or understood that she bestowed upon the 
 charming little sleeper. 
 
 What prettier picture can be imagined than a lovely 
 woman in the prime of youth and beauty, beaming with 
 looks of love, such looks as a mother only can give when 
 gazing with fond emotion on her sleeping charge. Many 
 are the airy castles which the fertility of matenial imagi- 
 nation conjures up to fill the future of her darling child ; 
 prophetic visions too oft, alas, enjoyed only in the fond 
 dreams of a mother's love. 
 
 But to return to Mr. Pitt. He did envy the young 
 couple that domestic bliss which he possessed not the 
 power to create nor the soul to enjoy himself, though 
 perhaps not quite so powerless to destroy. 
 
 After playing carelessly with the open leaves of one of 
 Charles Dickens' inimitables, which five minutes before 
 had been destined to add another charm to their evening 
 hours, Mr. Pitt drily observed, " I just popped in, Mr. 
 Roughton, to ask you to lend me 50 for a few days." 
 
 " Fifty pounds ! " exclaimed Harry, with a look of droll 
 incredulity and well he might for Mr. Pitt in reality no 
 more wanted 50 than he did, perhaps not so much. 
 
 " Ay, my good fellow, and if it were a hundred it would 
 be none the worse. The fact is, the bank has been shut, 
 as you know, these two hours, and one of our chums 
 having disappointed us to-night, I should like to take his 
 share of the venture, that's all." 
 
 Still, it seemed incomprehensible to Harry that a man
 
 12 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 who could buy streets and build houses by dozens should 
 come to him for a loan of fifty pounds. 
 
 All this was perfectly intelligible to the practised eye of 
 Mr. Pitt, whose cold and unimpassioned gaze, though 
 wearing the aspect of careless indifference, could read 
 Harry's very thoughts ; for Roughton's honest tell-tale 
 countenance was as yet that of an innocent and unsophis- 
 ticated man. 
 
 Pitt did not wait for Harry to give utterance to his 
 sentiments, but coolly repeated, as if half-communing with 
 himself, "Ay, I should like his venture, that's all;" add- 
 ing, " It's a comfortable thing to double one's hundreds 
 in eight-and-forty hours ! that beats house-rents, banker's 
 interest, and such-like, any day." 
 
 " I don't understand you," said Harry, after a moment's 
 pause. 
 
 " No, no," said Mr. Pitt, " I dare say not, and perhaps 
 it's as well you should not. You see you're well enough to 
 do in the world, without getting rich over the left, though 
 it be a quicker road to wealth ; but never mind that, if 
 you can help me to fifty or a hundred to-night I'll return 
 it to-morrow. I can afford to give you ten per cent, for 
 the twenty-four hours' accommodation, and clear eighty 
 per cent, myself by the job then." 
 
 " A woman may forget her sucking child," and poor 
 Jane may be forgiven even by the most immaculate of 
 matrons, should they read this story, if, whilst with open 
 mouth and eager ear she drank in every word that fell 
 from the speaker's lips. She was deaf to the occasional 
 rustle within the curtain of the cradle, and ceased even 
 mechanically to move the toe that rested on the rocker. 
 She watched her Harry with feverish anxiety as his face 
 gradually relaxed into a good-humoured smile a smile 
 not bestowed upon herself but upon the wily Mr. Pitt.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 13 
 
 How eagerly did she regard every movement of her hus- 
 band's lips ! How anxiously wait for his response ! It 
 came at length. 
 
 " But, if you can make eighty or a hundred per cent, of 
 my money, Mr. Pitt, why shouldn't I?" 
 
 In an instant, as if by the most natural accident ima- 
 ginable, Jane's elbow upset the volume of Dickens. In 
 the pretended effort to save it, the little foot that had so 
 often assiduously regulated the soothing motion of the cradle 
 imparted a sudden shock to that infant dormitory, rousing 
 its inmate, and evoking a startling overture of those quasi- 
 sweet sounds, playfully called by doating mothers " the 
 music of the nursery." Harry flew to the rescue. It was 
 only the work of a moment to take up the little victim of 
 simulated maternal carelessness and fold him soothingly 
 in his father's arms. With a seemingly self-deprecating 
 apology for her stupidity, and an assumed anxiety to 
 remove a source of disturbance to their visitor, Jane ex- 
 claimed, " Pray, Harry, as you have the darling in your 
 arms, carry him upstairs for me, and I'll lull him off to 
 sleep." Up bounded Harry, followed by his wife bear- 
 ing the bei^eaunette under her arm. Scarcely was the 
 threshold of the chamber gained before Jane, in low but 
 eager accents, implored him to have nothing to do with 
 that deep, designing man. 
 
 " And why not," retorted Roughton ; " see what a for- 
 tune he has made ! " 
 
 " Harry, Hariy ! do not deceive yourself; do not be 
 deceived. Is not our business flourishing ? Have you not 
 told me this very night that we are above 70 in pocket 
 on the last half-year, and honestly earned? " 
 
 Harry paused ; his brow contracted, an inward struggle 
 convulsed his frame ; he strode rapidly up and down the 
 room, suddenly stopped, gazed earnestly at his lovely wife
 
 14 HARRY ROUGI1TON, OR 
 
 and essayed to speak, but his tongue clave to the roof of 
 his mouth. She marked the busy working of the muscles 
 of his face, and though he smiled, the intuitive perception 
 of the woman saw at once that it was not the natural, 
 winning, confiding smile that had so often cheered her 
 even amidst the occasional cares, perplexities, and trials 
 inseparable from domestic life in the happiest of homes. 
 
 " Harry," said she, " you are not yourself ; I dread that 
 plastic, insinuating man; he will lead you into mischief 
 and to misery. Do, do for my sake, shun him and his dark 
 speculations." 
 
 But, alas ! the seeds of greedy avarice were sown in 
 Harry's breast. His self-love was wounded by a wife's 
 remonstrances, and though he felt their force, he was vexed 
 that she should be so ready to discover and give warning 
 of " breakers a-head," on which his own fancied superior 
 judgment was about to suffer shipwreck. " Jane," said he, 
 half-reproachfully, " what do you know of business ? It 
 is not for women to interpose their silly fears in a question 
 between a beggarly five per cent, on a man's capital, and 
 the cent, per cent, profits which strew the high road to 
 fortune, of which others will successfully avail themselves 
 if I don't. I'll do nothing unless I can see my way. 
 Trust me, Jane ! I never have deceived you yet. You 
 had better remain here and take care of little Charley, 
 and do you get to bed early if I don't return soon." 
 
 Lonely, if not alone, being scarcely conscious of the 
 presence of the innocent babe whose soft repose she had so 
 adroitly disturbed to gain a moment's conference with her 
 Harry, Jane repeated to herself half mechanically, but in 
 a tone of subdued grief, "better remain here." Shut out 
 for the first time from the confidence of him who till now 
 had never concealed anything from her, nor spurned her
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 15 
 
 advice, she uttered a deep sigh, but, after a brief pause, 
 observed, "He may be right," and, resolving to distract 
 her melancholy thoughts by occupation, did as hundreds 
 do in like circumstances, for she sank listlessly into a chair, 
 one hand within the other, and gazing vacantly through 
 the window on the growing darkness of an autumnal night, 
 gave herself up to melancholy brooding over this, the first 
 inroad upon their domestic peace.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ' Where interest fortifies an argument, 
 Weak reason serves to gain the will's assent, 
 For souls already warped, receive an easy bent." DRYDEN. 
 
 MR. PITT had drawn up his chair by the fire, in the corner 
 just vacated by poor Jane, and, with his feet on the fender, 
 sat as comfortably as if nothing had happened to disturb 
 his colloquy, when Harry rejoined him. Pitt affected not to 
 observe the somewhat uneasy expression of Harry's face, 
 made some common-place remark, and left his newly- 
 returned companion to resume the conversation, which an 
 ordinary observer might have supposed Mr. Pitt had 
 banished from his mind. 
 
 " Mrs. Roughton don't quite like that sort of business, 
 Mr. Pitt/' said Harry, after a pause. 
 
 "What business?" inquired Pitt, in a tone of seeming 
 abstraction. 
 
 "Oh!" replied Harry impatiently, "I mean about the 
 venture; she thinks I'd better have nothing to do with it." 
 
 "Well, I dare say she's right enough there," said Pitt, 
 carelessly ; " though women know nothing about business, 
 they sometimes make a wise hit ; my wife had the same 
 silly scruples till she tasted the sweets of accruing wealth ; 
 but I don't think you're quite the man to make a clear game 
 of it and pocket a little fortune, as I did, in about eighteen 
 months; you see it wants pluck and nous too; but there's
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 17 
 
 no reason why you should'nt lend me the trifle I named, 
 nor why you should'nt douMe it ; but let that pass ; you 
 may make a good profit on the loan, without letting your 
 timid little wife into the secret at all till you've got your 
 money back, and your ten per cent, to boot." 
 
 Harry gazed abstractedly on the glowing embers, whose 
 light heightened the flush upon his burning cheek ; " Pluck, 
 nous!' 1 ' 1 muttered he to himself, mentally wincing at Avhat 
 he interpreted as an imputation on his courage and ability; 
 and, as Pitt watched him stealthily, he saw doubt and irre- 
 solution as clearly depicted in Harry's face as cunning was 
 in his own, but which Harry saw not. "I tell you what," 
 said Pitt, "your snug fire makes one thirsty, I'm not much 
 of a drinker, but if you've the bottle nigh, I should'nt 
 mind having a drop of brandy and water." 
 
 This request was speedily complied with, and Mr. Pitt's 
 civility prompted him to brew, as he called it, for both, 
 and in nothing could his modesty be more apparent, than 
 the moderation with Avhich he regulated his own allow- 
 ance, as compared with the " stiff bumper " he prepared for 
 his companion. 
 
 u Your health, Mr. Roughton, and success, if you've no 
 objection, to this night's campaign," said Mr. Pitt as he 
 raised his glass, whilst Harry almost mechanically put his 
 to his lips, and though not ordinarily a drinker to excess, 
 he did not withdraw it until he had drained the contents. 
 
 "Pluck?" again repeated Harry in a half audible tone 
 of self-interrogation ; " I think I've as much pluck as you 
 have, Mr. Pitt, and I don't see why I shouldn't have a cut 
 in." 
 
 "Better not, better not," replied Pitt, "your wife won't 
 be pleased, and I don't know whether it isn't good to be a 
 little under petticoat government sometimes." 
 
 Harry again perceptibly winced at the insinuation, and, 
 
 B
 
 18 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 seizing the bottle, refilled his glass, passed the liquor to- 
 wards Mr. Pitt and gazed moodily at the fire, whilst the 
 latter, instead of replenishing his own half-emptied glass, 
 stealthily poured an extra portion of the stimulant into that 
 of Harry. 
 
 A struggle of contending emotions was evidently going 
 on in Roughton's mind, excitement was visibly depicted in 
 his flushed countenance, his nervous brain, heated by 
 deep draughts of alcohol, to which he was little accustomed, 
 was in a whirl of confusion, his feverish ringers already in 
 imagination clutched hoards of gold. The heretofore dis- 
 creet and sober-minded Hany Roughton, was, as it were, 
 suddenly perverted into an ungovernable slave of avarice 
 and intemperance. Seizing once more his replenished 
 glass, he drained it to the dregs, and exclaimed, "Pitt! 
 what you dare, / dare ; and if my money is employed at 
 all, I'll risk it on my own account." 
 
 " Spoken like a trump," replied Pitt ; " give me your fist 
 on the strength of it." 
 
 Harry ratified his new alliance by shaking hands with 
 the villain. 
 
 Having dismissed his apprentice from the laboratory to 
 his chamber, without a word of explanation, Rough ton 
 closed the front door after him, taking the key in his 
 pocket, and, piloted by his new ally, wended his way 
 through the dreary and deserted streets to he knew not 
 whither.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1 Hark ! footsteps ! 
 
 Hark! nearer still; 
 
 I'll to the secret passage which communicates 
 With the No ! all is silent, 'twas my fancy ! 
 
 It will serve me as a den 
 Of secrecy for some hours, at the worst." BYRON. 
 
 IT was about eleven o'clock, the night was dark and gusty, 
 the lights were gradually disappearing from the windows 
 of the surrounding streets and alleys. But, ever and anon ? 
 an attentive listener might have heard the stealthy footfall 
 of one solitary wayfarer after another, creeping along the 
 streets. They bent their steps to and through a narrow 
 passage, towards an obscure tenement in one of the back 
 courts, contiguous to the water's edge. Although here 
 and there might be discovered, in the prevailing gloom, 
 the drowsy figure of a night watchman, it was evident that 
 the members of that nocturnal brotherhood thought it no 
 part of their duty to scan too closely the movements of 
 certain night-prowlers, however suspicious the localities 
 into which they slunk. It is, however, our province to 
 trace these worthies, or at least to give a brief outline of the 
 assembly and its whereabouts. 
 
 The exterior of the tenement was not remarkably 
 inviting. It presented but two windows facing the court ; 
 the one, closed with scrupulous care, was that of an upper 
 chamber, and the other, of a small room on the first floor,
 
 20 IIAHIIY KODGHTOX, OR 
 
 involved in pitchy darkness. The outer door was ap- 
 proached by a rude stone staircase, crumbling, clank, and 
 mouldy, from neglect and age. This door might have been 
 somewhat difficult for a stranger to find in the dark, or to 
 open, if he did find it; for, externally, it presented no 
 handle, latch, or other visible appliance by which the 
 uninitiated could gain access ; nevertheless, the mysterious 
 beings who bent their steps thither were sufficiently cog- 
 nizant of the talismanic spring to obtain admission, as if by 
 magic, disturbing neither friends within, nor neighbours 
 without. Through this dreary portal the privileged visitors 
 wended their way, carefully closing the door behind them, 
 and, threading the dark but well-known intricacies of the 
 passage and winding stair from thence to the upper 
 chamber, they entered without ceremony the grim and 
 miserable-looking apartment. 
 
 At the upper end of an old and dirty oaken table, sat 
 a pallid meagre-visaged man, of about fifty, habited in 
 a suit of rusty black, which, without injustice to his tailor, 
 it could hardly be conceived was originally made for him, 
 unless his lank limbs had sadly shrunk since that rusty 
 suit was new. His face wore a melancholy and seedy 
 aspect ; whilst a peculiar cast in his eye imparted to it a 
 somewhat sinister expression, which an observer might 
 readily imagine was not much at variance with the real 
 character of the man. This peculiarity was supposed to 
 have earned for him the appropriate cognomen of " Swivel- 
 eye;" though that by which he was usually accosted, in 
 reference to his occasional vocation of quack medicine 
 vender, was " Doctor." 
 
 Swiveleye's attention was rivetted on a soiled and 
 dilapidated chart of the northern coast and the river that 
 wound its way thither from beneath the walls of the house 
 in which he sat. By the fire, lounged in an old walnut
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 21 
 
 chair a tall man, attired in a pea-jacket, coarse corduroy 
 trousers, and mud boots of no ordinary dimensions. He 
 was regaling himself with a short pipe, but suspended 
 his puffing at intervals and listened attentively, as if in 
 anxious expectation of some new arrival. Suddenly the 
 door opened, and two persons presented themselves, one of 
 whom was evidently too familiar with the place and its 
 inmates to require any introduction ; but not so his com- 
 panion, who, with some uneasiness and evident misgiving, 
 scanned the gloomy chamber and its occupants by the 
 feeble rays of a solitary candle, and the flickering light of 
 the fire, .whose uncertain glimmer cast over the walls a 
 mysterious glare, the effect of which was heightened by 
 the gigantic shadows of the smoker and the doctor. 
 
 " Halloo, Jem ! " exclaimed the elder of the new comers, 
 addressing him of the mud boots, " here's a new comrade, 
 who has made up his mind to have a cut in with us." 
 
 " Humph ! " ejaculated Jem, as he scrutinized Harry 
 Eoughton from head to heel, " he looks more like a sleeping 
 partner than a go-a-head clram for us." 
 
 " Never mind," replied Pitt, "I'll warrant he's got pluck 
 enough, and," with a significant glance and a sly touch 
 of his pocket, "other valuable qualifications." 
 
 "Well," said Jem, "it won't be long before we see what 
 sort of stuff he's made of; and, as we hav'nt much time to 
 lose, the sooner he gets his christening the better; so doctor, 
 out with that half-anker and some glasses." 
 
 Swiveleye rose, and produced a little keg of spirits from 
 an obscure corner of the room', and, placing a large brown 
 jug of water, with a few tumblers, on the table, resumed 
 his scrutiny of the chart. 
 
 Pitt busied himself with filling the glasses, and having 
 placed one opposite to Jem, and another before Harry, he 
 proceeded to brew for the doctor ; but Swiveleye, with a
 
 22 HARRY ROUGHTOX. 
 
 degree of caution peculiar to Iris character, declined, signi- 
 ficantly hinting that he might perhaps have enough to do 
 in that way before midnight. He then proceeded to fold up 
 his map, and envelop himself in an old bottle-green top- 
 coat and muffler. 
 
 " It's time Jack was here," said Swiveleye, and scarcely 
 had he spoken the words when an elastic step was heard 
 bounding up the staircase, and Jack Golightly, a lad of 
 about sixteen, entered the room, and, after exchanging a 
 few words in a low tone with old Jem, quickly retired 
 with the doctor. 
 
 There was something extremely forbidding in the aspect 
 of Harry's new acquaintances and their dreary dirty abode. 
 A feeling of repugnance and disgust crept over him in spite 
 of himself, though the brandy and water he had taken, and 
 the raw spirits he was now imbibing, together with the 
 conviction that he had gone too far to retract, stifled the 
 oft-recurring inclination to repudiate the undertaking, 
 and renounce his new associates. 
 
 " We shall have a dirty night on't," said Jem; " its 
 time to be off, so another glass and away." 
 
 They each bottomed a tumbler, and, stealthily as they 
 entered, quitted the house.
 
 CHAPTER -V. 
 
 Swift-gliding mists the dusky fields invade, 
 To thieves more grateful than the midnight shade." POPE : HOM. 
 
 ' A light. It is at a distance, (if I can 
 Measure in darkness distance,) but it blinks 
 As through a crevice, or a keyhole, in 
 The inhibited direction." BYRON. 
 
 IT was a miserable foggy November night, scarcely a 
 breath of air was stirring, and the stillness was broken only 
 by the monotonous roar of the waves as they tumbled and 
 rolled along the shelving beach below Saltholme cliffs. 
 A solitary being, attired in a blue uniform bedight with 
 gilt buttons, pursued, with slow and measured step, the 
 narrow pathway which winds along the top of the cliffs, 
 often approaching, in dangerous proximity, to the edge; 
 but the poor coast-guard patrol appeared to have become 
 too familiar with his dull route, to incur much risk of devia- 
 tion from the beaten path. If, in these drowsy night rambles, 
 his mind was ever active enough to think at all, his thought 
 would naturally be " What's the use of my being exposed 
 hour after hour to the chilling blast, pacing to and fro, over 
 the same ground like a horse in a mill." But, use or no 
 use, he had the consolation of knowing that so long as he 
 could pursue this wearisome vocation, his guinea a week 
 was secure, and himself and family above want. It did 
 happen sometimes that this dull monotony was relieved
 
 24 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 by the approach of a stray traveller, sufficiently well ac- 
 quainted with the cliff to venture to take advantage of the 
 mile or two saved, by availing himself of it instead of 
 following the turnpike road to town. This was destined to 
 be one of his relief-nights, as he called them, for, no sooner 
 had he reached for the fifth time, the limit of his beat, 
 than he heard or thought he heard an approaching foot- 
 step. Turning round to resume his listless march, a faint 
 sound reached his ear ; it was a tone suggestive of misery 
 rather than a call of distress, and he listened attentively. 
 Presently a tall spare figure approached, with limping- 
 feeble gait, and, in a timid, half-inquiring accent, mut- 
 tered, "coast-guard?" 
 
 " Ay, ay," replied the man of the blue jacket and gilt 
 buttons. 
 
 Immediately after this brief response he heard the tall 
 figure fall heavily on the greensward. Approaching 
 cautiously, the patrol opened the slide of his lantern, 
 and throwing its rays upon the face of the prostrate man, 
 discovered the pale emaciated features of a miserable look- 
 ing being, the expression of whose countenance betokened 
 pain and exhaustion. 
 
 " Who are you, and what's the matter ? " asked the coast- 
 guard. 
 
 " Give me a lift," replied the wretched man, holding up 
 his thin cold hand, " I'm an unfortunate doctor, fatigued 
 and benighted -and faint; is there any house nigh at 
 hand?" 
 
 Cheerfully did the patrol extend his aid ; he raised the 
 feeble man, drew one arm through his, and offered to assist 
 him to the " Ship and Anchor," about half a mile distant. 
 The proffered help was thankfully accepted, and the coast- 
 guard led the way, lighting the path with his lantern as 
 they advanced, until they reached the little roadside inn.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 25 
 
 The doctor had leaned heavily on his companion, and 
 though the distance was not great, the latter was some- 
 what fatigued by the exertion, and nothing loth to 
 accept a glass of grog in return for the aid he had so cheer- 
 fully given. They entered the alluring kitchen, seated 
 themselves before the blazing fire and called for brandy 
 and water. The last guest of the little tavern had just 
 departed, and the notable little landlady was busying 
 herself in clearing away, all the time impatiently expecting 
 the return of her husband from the fisherman's club. So 
 the, two guests had the kitchen corner to themselves. 
 The doctor reclined in a chair near the table, and certainly 
 presented so woebegone and wretched an appearance, that 
 one might readily believe the brandy and water was to 
 him, not only a welcome, but necessary stimulant. As 
 he tremblingly stretched out his hand towards his glass, 
 he asked the patrol if he would oblige him by opening 
 the little wallet he had left near the door, and give him the 
 small bottle which he would find in it. The patrol obeyed 
 with alacrity, and handed over a phial marked " Bond's 
 Reviving Cordial," which the doctor hastily seized, and, 
 having poured into his glass a few drops, he requested the 
 patrol to replace the phial, during which operation the 
 doctor adroitly changed the position of the two glasses. In 
 two more minutes, pledging one another, each drank a deep 
 draught to his companion's health and better acquaintance, 
 and approached a step or two nearer the blazing hearth. 
 Unable to resist the sudden drowsiness which came over 
 him, the patrol speedily sank into a profound slumber. 
 
 By the light of the fire, the doctor's keen eye had 
 detected a cunning little visage peeping through the corner 
 pane of the yet unshuttered window. Pointing know- 
 ingly to the drowsy head hanging heavily on the blue and 
 gilt covered chest, and stealthily emptying into the ashes
 
 26 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 the dregs of the coast-guard man's glass, he again put his 
 own unfinished one in its place. 
 
 The hostess of the humble tavern, who saw nothing 
 extraordinary in the drowsiness of a poor fellow, who had 
 just exchanged the chilling atmosphere of a cold Novem- 
 ber night for the comfort of a warm hearth and a jorum of 
 hot brandy and water, complacently remarked " Poor 
 fellow, how he snores ! " 
 
 " Ay," said the doctor, " it's a pity to wake him till 
 he has had half an hour's nap, or so. I'm sorry I can't 
 stay to bid him good night, and thank him for his kind- 
 ness. I'm obliged to be moving, so just tell him when he 
 wakes that I couldn't stop any longer, and that I'm under 
 great obligations to him for accompanying me here." 
 Tli3n, paying for the grog, and throwing down an 'extra 
 half-crown, he added " If it aint against the rules of the 
 guv'nment give him that; but, if he wont take it, Avhy 
 keep it yourself, and there's no harm done, so good night," 
 and away went the doctor with his wallet. 
 
 Meanwhile, a busy scene was being transacted on the 
 spot from whence the unsuspecting slumberer had been 
 wheedled away by the wily doctor. Little did that kind- 
 hearted slumberer dream how the abominable impostor 
 had practised on his benevolence, or of the impending 
 consequences in which he had been thus heedlessly and 
 heartlessly involved. 
 
 The face which the artful doctor had recognized peer- 
 ing through the corner of the inn window, was no other 
 than that of the hopeful Jack Golightly, who had silently 
 dodged the steps of the doctor and his guide, whilst the 
 flickering lantern of the latter, as he threaded his Avay to 
 the inn on his benevolent mission, had been one of the 
 preconcerted signals for the smugglers. Jack, having 
 followed merely to assure himself of the full success of the
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 27 
 
 doctor and his drugs, hurried back to the cliffs, found old 
 Jem at his post, and whispered in his ear " All right, as 
 sound as a top." With no other reply than an almost 
 inaudible but satisfied grunt, Jem dropped down the edge 
 of the cliff to a projecting piece of rock, and, turning a 
 dark lantern seaward, carefully opened it for a second and 
 closed it again, repeating this operation three times at 
 distinct intervals ; he then gazed earnestly into the dark 
 fog that hung over the water until he saw a precisely 
 similar signal exhibited in the distance ; he then reopened 
 his lantern, waved it to and fro two or three times, closed 
 it again and waited a few seconds ; this movement was 
 repeated from the same spot, when Jem, quitting his 
 position on the rock, descended to the beach, and Jack 
 noiselessly slunk away. He, however, quickly returned, 
 accompanied by Pitt, Harry, and two men with a cart and 
 horses. Eoughton took up his station by the cart, and 
 Jem near the water's edge, whilst Pitt and the two carters 
 planted themselves at equal distances between the edge of 
 the cliff and the beach. These arrangements made, Jack 
 stealthily prowled round the adjacent fields to keep watch 
 and ward against any surprise. The plash of oars was 
 heard upon the water, and in a few minutes the keel of a 
 boat grated harshly on the shingle ; after which, in an 
 incredibly short space of time, sixty or seventy bales of 
 tobacco were handed up from man to man and deposited 
 in the cart. 
 
 Scarcely was the work completed when Swiveleye and 
 Jack came up in breathless haste, and the well-imitated 
 cry of a little nightbird was heard. At this sound 
 the boat shoved off again, the whip was unsparingly 
 applied to the poor horses, and, thanks to the soft green- 
 sward, the cart was borne noiselessly away. Every man 
 had disappeared from the scene of action with surprising
 
 28 HABRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 alacrity. As the cart diverged from the open field into 
 the high road, Jack, who had perched himself on the sum- 
 mit of the load, descried lights dancing about the spot 
 they had so recently quitted, and, calculating that the 
 track of the cart would lead the enemy in pursuit, they 
 made with all haste for the turnpike road, along which 
 they dashed off at their best speed.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 I told the clocks, and watched the wasting light, 
 And listened to each softly-treading step, 
 In hopes 'twas he ; but still it was not he. 
 At last he came, but with such altered looks, 
 So wild, so ghastly, as some ghost had met him. 
 All pale and speechless." DRYDEX. 
 
 WE left poor Mrs. Roughton, or ? more properly speaking, 
 her much-loved Harry had left her, to the loneliness of 
 her chamber, and to the painful meditations which MY. 
 Pitt's sudden inroad on their domestic bliss had given 
 rise to. It would be impossible to describe the painful 
 emotions which racked the bosom of the fond and affec- 
 tionate wife, as she revolved in her distracted mind the 
 events which had, for the first time, placed a barrier 
 between her and her hitherto devoted and confiding hus- 
 band. Until this moment she had been a participator, if 
 not in every thought that passed through her Hairy 's 
 mind, in every action which could in any way exercise an 
 influence over the domestic affairs of their little household ; 
 in every step which had a bearing upon Harry's business 
 relations, or which could affect their prosperity and hap- 
 piness ; and no secrets had been hidden from each other. 
 This unlimited confidence had hitherto tended not only to 
 promote their success in life, but had contributed to that 
 harmony of thought and undisturbed repose which con- 
 stitute the chief charm of the married state. Until 
 this fatal evening their whole happiness had been con-
 
 30 HARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 centrated in each other ; they had no aspirations beyond 
 themselves and their darling children, who made up their 
 " little kingdom of love at home " that home which was 
 all the world to them. In her reverie she dwelt upon 
 these things, and, despite the heartrending reverse which 
 had that evening given to her Harry's character a new 
 complexion, she recalled the ten thousand endearments 
 and affectionate attentions which had bound so indis- 
 solubly her young and trustful heart to the husband of her 
 choice. She fain would have persuaded herself that the 
 events of this evening were all a dream ; that Harry was 
 the same as ever ; that he would, after a little reflection, 
 cast off the folds of the ensnaring serpent that had for a 
 moment fascinated him ; that his better judgment would 
 surmount the wild temptation and restore him to her, 
 freed from the wiles of the wary villain whom she had 
 left below. She fancied every little noise that broke upon 
 the stillness of the night was her Harry's footstep. She 
 listened again and again, only to suffer the anguish of 
 reiterated disappointment, little dreaming that it was 
 something more than the personal attractions of the coarse 
 and repulsive wretch who had assailed and held him 
 spell-bound. She did not see that the deadly passion, 
 greed, had taken possession of his soul, and that the reck- 
 lessness of the gambler was, with resistless tenacity, 
 usurping the seat of reason. Ever and anon the faint 
 jingle of glasses reached her ear, but having confidence in 
 her husband's discretion and sobriety, she could not 
 deem his accustomed hospitality a crime, nor for a moment 
 wish that he should deny it even to a man likr Mr. 
 Pitt. 
 
 Still, she half reproached herself for her confiding 
 supineness, and resolved from time to time to descend 
 once more and interpose the influence of her presence
 
 KEMIXI3CEXCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 31 
 
 between Hany and the danger which beset him ; but 
 again his last words came ringing in her ears " Better 
 remain here." She recalled the unnatural tone in which 
 that injunction had been uttered, the strange look of 
 determination which accompanied it, and recoiled from 
 the task of interference. Then again flashed across her 
 mind his assurance " Trust me, Jane, I have never 
 deceived you yet ; " she felt the force of this truth, for it 
 was a truth j she thought of his last parting kiss and took 
 courage, but stirred not from her seat. Presently she 
 heard the movement of chairs, a few words too indistinct 
 to convey their meaning to her anxious ears, and the 
 closing of the outer door. 
 
 " Thank God ! " she exclaimed, " that man is gone, and 
 Harry will return to reason and to me." She burst into a 
 flood of tears tears in which the wounded heart sometimes 
 finds relief; but, alas ! her sobs were uninterrupted by any 
 hopeful sound. Awaking to a sense of the painful reality, 
 she rushed down to the little sitting-room, and found the 
 confirmation of her fears in the solitude of that deserted 
 chamber. The empty bottle and the dirty glasses, dimly 
 visible in the waning light of the ashy embers, stood like 
 spectres on the table ; the chair which Harry had vacated 
 was upset on the hearth ; the candles had expired in their 
 sockets ; the very table-cloth, usually so neat, hung all 
 awry ; the door which led into the shop was left ajar, and 
 all beyond it darkness but deeper and more intense was 
 the darkness which pervaded the desolate heart of the 
 lately cheerful and unsuspecting wife. 
 
 " And he is gone ! " she uttered, in a sepulchral voice, 
 " gone ! " and, in a fit of distraction she fled back to her 
 room, where, heedless of her sleeping infant, she seized 
 her bonnet and shawl, with a resolute determination to 
 pursue and bring back the fugitive to his deserted home.
 
 32 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 She reached the front door and found it locked. There 
 stood the trembling wife, a prisoner and alone. Her first 
 impulse was to apply her tiny strength to the forcing of 
 the door, but, pending this vain effort, the next thought 
 was " Where, where should I find him were I free to 
 follow?" and she gave up this last hope in a paroxysm 
 of despair. She, who at another time would not have 
 dared after dark to thread the mazes of the town without 
 her protecting husband's arm, was now only deterred from 
 the perils of a nightly ramble through the yawning streets 
 by the utter hopelessness of the task, and the barrier which 
 that husband had unwittingly interposed between her and 
 her purpose. 
 
 Grieved, ay, broken-hearted, Jane returned to her 
 chamber, clasped her sleeping infant in her arms, and 
 folding him in her shawl, she paced her dreary apart- 
 ment, a prey to agony and bewildering emotions. A 
 thousand times unconsciously she kissed the nestling in- 
 fant, as, with disordered step, she paced the floor, starting 
 at every sound, and relapsing again into her painful 
 reverie, rendered tenfold more painful by the mystery 
 which her simple heart could not unravel. Her notions 
 of the engagement into which her husband had been led, 
 carried her thoughts little further than the vague idea of 
 some clandestine meeting for the settlement of a contra- 
 band speculation ; it never crossed her inexperienced 
 mind that her Harry was daring the fury of the elements 
 on the bleak and dreary shore, or perhaps engaged in 
 deadly conflict with the guardians of the coast, or reason 
 might have failed her in this hour of peril, this first real 
 trial of her life. As it was, her sorrows were overwhelm- 
 ing, and we will not trace them through the weary hours 
 which at length began to usher in the dawn, when her ear 
 caught the sound of a weary but familiar step, which, ceas-
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 33 
 
 ing for a moment, was succeeded by the click of the 
 front-door lock. A few minutes more, and, feeble and 
 exhausted, Jane hung cold and, to all appearance, lifeless, 
 in her husband's arms. He laid her gently on the bed, 
 and gazed on that pale, changed visage with feelings of 
 bitter self-reproach and deep remorse, though stupified by- 
 sheer fatigue and mental distraction. As he realized the 
 misery of which he was the author and felt the necessity 
 for exertion, he flew down stairs to procure a restorative 
 for his fainting wife ; the brandy bottle stood where he 
 had left it the night before ; he seized it, and saw that it 
 was empty ; another pang of reproach struck upon his 
 heart ; he dropped the bottle from his hands, and, leaving 
 the broken fragments on the hearth, ran back to the 
 chamber, and, as his only resource, chafed her temples 
 and hands till returning animation restored her once 
 more to a consciousness of the miseries she had endured, 
 and to the conviction that he who stood beside her 
 had not escaped unscathed through the horrors of that 
 night. Drenched to the skin, benumbed with cold, and 
 covered with mud and dirt, there stood her once neat, 
 clean, and wholesome-looking Harry haggard, pale, and 
 stolid as a roue after a night's debauch, his teeth chattering 
 in his head, and his limbs trembling with fatigue and the 
 distressing reaction which supervenes after great exertion 
 and the excitement of a nervous frame. 
 
 Jane's impulses for the time assumed a new direction, 
 and, despite all the past, forgetting herself in her anxiety 
 for him, she seemed to gain strength with every effort 
 to give relief to her truant husband. When the hour 
 arrived at which honest men generally rise for the business 
 of the day, poor Jane was tucking up the sheets and 
 blankets in which her Harry had just rolled himself, and 
 unconscious or forgetful that sleep had not visited his poor 
 
 C
 
 34 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 wife's eyelids since his departure, he fell into a heavy- 
 slumber. 
 
 "What a Sunday morning!" exclaimed Jane, as she 
 sank in a chair by the bedside " What a Sunday morn- 
 ing to us who have never turned night into day, nor had 
 cause before to neglect our Sabbath duties."
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ' We ran like the winds and matchless was our course, 
 Now sweeping o'er the summit of a hill, 
 Now with a full career came thund'ring down 
 The precipice, and swept along the plain." LEE. 
 
 HAVING somewhat anticipated our story, we must now 
 return to the vicinity of the coast. As already related, 
 the busy actors in the clandestine landing of the tobacco, 
 had been suddenly dispersed, in consequence of an alarm 
 communicated by the almost ubiquitous and very preco- 
 cious Jack Golightly. His eagle eye had discovered, 
 looming through the haze, the portly figure of the inspect- 
 ing lieutenant of the coast-guard, and, without waiting to 
 ascertain whether the officer was followed by any of his 
 men, he had tripped stealthily up to the edge of the cliff, 
 where he fell in w r ith old Swiveleye on his way, and made 
 the talismanic signal, which had put the whole band in 
 motion, so that, when the lieutenant arrived at the de- 
 serted beat of the patrol, he shouted in vain for his absent 
 sentinel. Suspecting nothing but neglect of duty, he 
 drew his cloak around him, and with the vague idea 
 that a dram would not be unacceptable on such a night, 
 it struck him that Rogers had, for so pardonable a pur- 
 pose, sought the adjacent inn, towards which he sauntered, 
 with the laudable intention of administering a severe 
 rebuke to his truant officer. Arrived at the " Ship and 
 Anchor," he had hardly placed his fingers on the latch of
 
 36 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 the door, when he was assailed by a volume of abuse from 
 the saucy landlady, who mistook his approach for that of 
 her husband, and, judging from his fumbling with the 
 latch, that he had indulged rather more than usual, she 
 rated the new comer soundly ; but, as the door opened, and 
 the corpulent chest and glittering uniform of the lieutenant 
 met her eye, her tone as suddenly assumed its accustomed 
 blandness. With many awkward apologies, she proceeded 
 to explain her mistake, interspersing her explanation 
 with sundry maledictions against her offending lord and 
 master. 
 
 " Well ! well ! " replied the lieutenant, with cool indiffer- 
 ence, " rather late hours these for a solitary house like 
 yours, Mrs. Jones." 
 
 " Ay, late enough," said she, breaking out again into a 
 fresh torrent of abuse against her dissolute spouse, yet, 
 notwithstanding this noisy flood of vituperation, in a key 
 as shrill as a boatswain's whistle, poor Rogers slept on as 
 unconcernedly as a drunken sailor in his hammock. The 
 lieutenant gazed in astonishment at him who had ever 
 been a model of sobriety and good conduct, as honest 
 and diligent a man as any in her Majesty's service, and 
 chargeable with no faults, except, perhaps, a little want 
 of that shrewdness and tact, which ought to enter largely 
 into the composition of an efficient preventive officer. 
 
 " Drunk !" exclaimed the lieutenant, and, stepping up to 
 the slumbering lump of frail humanity, he shouted in his 
 ear with the voice of a Stentor, at which Rogers raised 
 his drooping head without opening his eyes, and muttered 
 a few almost inarticulate words, not remarkable for elegance 
 of diction, nor very palatable to an officer, accustomed only 
 to the most scrupulous respect from his subordinates. The 
 lieutenant seized him by the collar and shook him as 
 a lion would shake his prey. Roused to consciousness,
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 37 
 
 the poor fellow distended his drowsy pupils, and, gradually 
 realizing the presence and full proportions of his command- 
 ing officer, by a sudden effort rose "bolt upright before 
 him, mechanically gave the accustomed official salute, 
 dropped his hands to his sides, and, in the attitude of 
 attention, waited orders. 
 
 "Rogers!" said the lieutenant in a stern voice, "What 
 brought you here, eh ? drunk at the ' Ship and Anchor ' 
 instead of being at your post ! Follow me, to-morrow I'll 
 report you j your berth isn't worth an hour's purchase." 
 
 The shock acted partially as an antidote, the straggling 
 faculties of poor Rogers were slowly recovering themselves, 
 and he staggered and trembled under the influence of some 
 undefined apprehension of impending evil. 
 
 "I hope, Sir," said he, "I may explain to-morrow;" 
 and, not trusting himself to say more, moodily prepared to 
 follow. During this colloquy the hostess stood mute ; but 
 seeing that matters were growing serious, and fully con- 
 scious that her cellar had been guiltless of the offender's 
 intoxication, she applied herself to the vindication of the 
 honour of the " Ship and Anchor," to which the lieutenant 
 listened with commendable patience. When, however, she 
 entered upon the particulars of Rogers' arrival, in company 
 with the sick man, the solitary glass imbibed by each, the 
 sudden stupor which had prostrated the penitent patrol, and 
 the somewhat hasty departure of the feeble fainting mail, 
 leaving his previously sober, strong, and benevolent guide 
 behind, the lieutenant greedily devoured every word, occa- 
 sionally urging her on with the impatient interrogation, 
 " What next?" until he knew the whole story, when some 
 suspicion of the truth dawned upon him. Forgetting for 
 the moment the delinquency of Swiveleye's unfortunate 
 dupe, he departed in hot haste, saying, "Come along Rogers, 
 quick," and the poor fellow blundered after him through
 
 38 HAERY EOUGHTON, OR 
 
 the cold and drizzling mist. Pondering over the narrative, 
 the lieutenant hurried on at a rapid pace, followed by 
 Rogers, who with each inspiration of the cold air, and 
 his exertion to keep up with his superior, felt himself 
 gradually becoming freer from the torpor which had over- 
 come him, so that by the time they reached the station, 
 and half a dozen more men had been put in. requisition, 
 Rogers had become almost as alert as the best of them. 
 
 The little band was soon in motion, and, having reached 
 the landing-place, by the aid of their lanterns speedily dis- 
 covered traces of footprints from cliff to sand and shingle, 
 and from sand to cliff, as well as the tell-tale marks of the 
 broad-wheeled cart and horses' hoofs on the heights above. 
 Dispersing themselves to make sure that no wheel track 
 should escape them, they proceeded, with eyes intent and 
 lanterns directed to the greensward, in full pursuit of the 
 fugitives. It was the glimmer of the lights in this pre- 
 liminary exploration, that, having caught the keen eye of 
 Golightly, as the cart diverged towards the high road, had so 
 vigorously expedited the movements of the smugglers. Old 
 Jem, Harry Roughton, and Swiveleye had taken a shorter 
 route towards the place of rendezvous, than that which, from 
 the nature of the road, the cart was obliged to pursue, though 
 up to a given point their path was the same; at this point of 
 divergence the ground was too hard, from the proximity of 
 the chalkstone to the surface, to bear more than a thin scanty 
 herbage or moss, and was too impervious to wheel-tire or 
 horse-hoof to leave any track discoverable by the uncertain 
 lights of the pursuers. Here coming to a halt they held a 
 brief council, which ended in a resolution to take a wider 
 field of observation. 
 
 " Halloo," exclaimed one of the men in advance, " we're 
 on the scent again." 
 
 In a few seconds all were clustering round the spot, where
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 39 
 
 one of the little band had stumbled upon a jack-boot 
 whose fellow lay a little beyond, as if they had been kicked 
 off one after the other in the haste and confusion of flight, 
 both of them bedabbled with mud, sand, and salt-water. 
 On sped the party in the direction indicated by these 
 leathern trophies, until the footprints of the pursued 
 brought their eager pursuers once more to a stand still 
 against the rugged face of a stratum of rock, which showed 
 unmistakable traces of having been recently scaled. With 
 the agility of mountain cats, three or four fellows were 
 making their way to the summit, a feat which the bulky 
 lieutenant found himself unable to achieve with equal 
 celerity, and, whilst endeavouring to haul himself up a 
 rather precipitous shelf of rock, the sudden thought dawned 
 upon him that nothing less than magic could have borne a 
 cart and horses over this rugged impediment. Holding on, 
 therefore, till he had recovered his breath a little, he invited 
 their attention to the fact that, in their eagerness to follow 
 the route of the jack-boots, they had lost sight of the heavy 
 cart, which was much more likely to be overtaken than 
 the light-heeled gentry who had taken a road passable only 
 to agile pedestrians. Another council of war was the neces- 
 sary consequence, and this resolved itself into a separation 
 of the party into two divisions. Those who could best 
 scale the rocks were despatched in pursuit of the runaways, 
 whilst the lieutenant and three of his men retraced their 
 steps to the whereabout of the jack-boots, and thence, after 
 a tedious search, into the wheel-tracks of the cart, and, by 
 their aid, to the turnpike road. Hard as granite, the 
 macadamized highway furnished no indication, whether 
 the object of their search had turned to the right or to the 
 left. Another council was held, in which poor Rogers 
 showed his sagacity, by hinting that a cart from the sea- 
 shore was hardly likely to return to the same locality,
 
 40 HARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 whereupon they decided on turning their faces inland. 
 The wisdom of this suggestion was speedily proved by the 
 discovery of parallel indentations across the turf to the 
 roadside hovel of a farm homestead, where they found an 
 empty cart, bearing unmistakable evidence of a recent 
 transit across the greensward they had just traversed ; the 
 tackle was thrown in a heap in the corner, the pads of the 
 saddles still teeming with perspiration, and the collars and 
 breeching covered with white foam. Passing through the 
 gate of the adjacent field, they found the poor jaded horses 
 grazing as if nothing had happened, save that their coats 
 were reeking with sweat and all curled and rough, whilst 
 the bridle, which still hung on the head of one of them, gave 
 evident proof of the haste with which the poor brutes had 
 been turned out. 
 
 " Call up old Brookes," cried the lieutenant ; " search the 
 stackyard and the barns ; examine the haylofts and turn 
 over that heap of manure ; we must have the tobacco. 
 Rouse up old Brookes, I say." 
 
 A thundering knock resounded on the oaken door, and a 
 moment after the farmer's rubicund face, surmounted by . 
 the ample folds of a great cotton nightcap and tassel, 
 peered through an open window above, with a most bewil- 
 dered gaze. "What's the matter now?" bawled out old 
 Brookes. 
 
 "Matter enough," retorted the lieutenant; "down this 
 minute and let us in, either you or some of your folks. 
 Down with you, I say, in the name of the queen." 
 
 The farmer quickly made his grotesque toilet and showed 
 himself at the front door, enveloped in an old great coat, 
 with a red handkerchief muffled round his throat, his leather 
 smalls and a pair of clog shoes without stockings. The 
 bluff honest face of old Brookes showed evident symptoms 
 of manly displeasure at this untimely intrusion; but no sign
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 41 
 
 of guilt marked his open countenance, or exhibited itself in 
 the tones of his firm deep voice. " Come in," said the old 
 man ; " for it's rather coolish here, gen'lmen." 
 
 Placing one man at the back and another at the front of 
 the house, the lieutenant, followed by Rogers, walked into 
 the spacious kitchen ; the farmer applied two or three lusty 
 blows of the poker to a large block of coal resting on the 
 embers, and was rewarded by a cheerful blaze, grateful 
 enough to those who drew around it. 
 
 The lieutenant soon told the object of his visit; and, 
 notwithstanding the manifest uneasiness with which the 
 farmer heard the story of the cart and horses, his coun- 
 tenance betrayed nothing to excite suspicion, though it 
 exhibited an occasional scowl or flash of anger. 
 
 " Well," said he, after a long pause of rumination, " if 
 you please, gen'lmen, follow me ;" and taking a lighted 
 candle, he led the way to the dormitory of his two men- 
 servants, whom he found apparently fast asleep on their 
 truckle bedstead. Having scrutinized the slumberers for 
 a moment, he scratched his head, and in a satisfied manner 
 observed " I'm deceived for once, and I'm glad on't." 
 After another pause, he turned to the lieutenant and added 
 " From your account, master, I rayther suspected my 
 chaps might ha' had a hand in't; but when I come to 
 think, anybody might ha' got at my cart and horses 
 without them ; " and so saying, he was about to quit the 
 room, when his eye fell upon a pair of dirty boots and a 
 damp smock-frock. In a moment the mystery was unra- 
 velled. Seizing the fellow next to him by the shoulder, 
 the old farmer roared with a voice of thunder " Up, ye 
 louts ; let's ha' none o' your shanimin' ; wake up, I 
 tell'ee." 
 
 The fellow struggled in his master's grasp, but that 
 grasp was like the grip of a vice, and he bawled out
 
 42 HARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 "Well, maister, ye need no' pinch so hard;" then im- 
 parting a sharp nudge to his bedfellow, he grumbled 
 " Come Tom, lad, ye maun get up, d'ye hear." 
 
 With a well-affected stare, and rubbing his eyes with 
 his knuckles, Tom raised his head and sat upright in 
 bed, asking with an air of astonished stupidity " What 
 be the matter?" 
 
 " Get up, I tell'ee," said the farmer; "thee'll soon find 
 out, if thee doesn't know a'ready ; " and, with a some- 
 what uneasy glance at the lieutenant and his man, they 
 proceeded to put on their clothes, whilst the old farmer 
 and the officers of the coast-guard quietly looked on. 
 As Tom picked up his corduroys the farmer detected the 
 heavy chink of money. 
 
 " Ah ! Tom," said he, " thee be'est suddenly rich, I 
 think ; thee'st not often for'ard in cash, and thee'st div.wn 
 no wages o' late;" then suddenly stepping up, he thrust 
 his hand into the treacherous pocket and drew forth a 
 handful of gold and silver. Shrewdly guessing that both 
 had fared alike, he made a similar scrutiny of Charley's 
 pockets, though not with a like result. "This be the hire 
 o' my cart and horses, be it? I'll take care o' this for 
 thee till accounts be settled." Tom looked foolish, but 
 Charley hinted that they could give a good account of how 
 they came, by their money, adding, with sullen imperti- 
 nence " Some folks might repent yet o' picking other folks' 
 pockets." The farmer's blood was up, though a triumphant 
 vein of humour pervaded his tone and actions. 
 
 " Thy smalls seem 'ray ther damp," said the old man, as 
 he rubbed his rough hand down the extremities of the cor- 
 duroys ; " how come they so wet, eh ? " 
 
 " Why, didn't you send me off last thing to look arter 
 that cow down i' the meadows there last night, and aint it 
 up to the knees in mud and dirt?" growled the man.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER, 43 
 
 " Na, 'twont do, Charley ; and if 'twould, why 
 '1 wouldn't a dirtied Tom's boots an' toggery as well, thee 
 know'st." 
 
 Thus the old man bantered the slovenly knaves, till 
 they were ready to descend ; then, turning to the lieu- 
 tenant, said" Well ! I think, Sir, thee see'st how matters 
 stand, and if thee and thy man '11 jist take care on 'em, 
 I'll light thee down," and suiting the action to the words, 
 he led the way to the kitchen. Here a long string of 
 interrogatories was put to the culprits, but not a word 
 savouring of admission could be extorted. They declared 
 they knew nothing of the unwarrantable use made of their 
 master's cart and horses, nor anything about the "job," as 
 they called it. The farmer grew angry, and the lieutenant 
 became puzzled at the look of stolid indifference which the 
 two country bumpkins assumed, and the simplicity of the 
 replies with which they ingeniously fenced every question. 
 The lieutenant condescended to step aside and consult 
 with Rogers as to the risk of taking the two men into cus- 
 tody; whilst the farmer, with his hands on his knees and 
 his eyes gazing on vacancy, seemed to be absorbed in deep 
 thought. At length an idea crossed his mind, and turning 
 round he abruptly asked " Who supped the hosses up 
 last night?" 
 
 " Me, Sir," said Tom. 
 
 " An' what didst thee do with the key, lad? " 
 
 Tom, taken by surprise, suddenly put his hand to his 
 pocket, but as suddenly recovering himself, stammered 
 out " I I hang'd it up in its place, Sir." 
 
 Tom's involuntary touch of his pocket had not escaped 
 the observant eye of the old farmer, who, suddenly rising 
 and confronting Tom, said " Gi'e it me, and none o' yer 
 gammon ; out wi' it, or I'll ha' it by force." 
 
 Tom's jaw dropped, his eye quailed under the farmer's
 
 44 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 resolute frown, he fell upon his knees and craved pardon. 
 Charley looked daggers at his companion. 
 
 " Get up, mon, and gi'e me the key." 
 
 Tom rose, drew the key from his pocket, and, trembling 
 in every limb, handed it to his master. 
 
 " Be sure thee sins '11 find thee out," said the old man ; 
 " there's always some'at to detect a rogue ; and if thee'dst 
 hung that key in its place I might ha' 'spected that some- 
 body else had picked the lock to get at my tackle." 
 
 The lieutenant's colloquy with Rogers had been inter- 
 rupted by this incident, and all doubt being cleared up, he 
 called in the two sentinels from their outposts and gave 
 the men in charge. After a parley by the kitchen fire and 
 a draught of the farmer's ale, the lieutenant gave the old 
 man a hearty shake by the hand, and with many apologies 
 and thanks, bore off the prisoners to the station. Morning 
 dawned as the two captives and their escort neared the 
 town, when, from a roadside gate, a youth came up with a 
 truss of hay on his shoulder, and trudged unconcernedly 
 along by their side. He had not proceeded far before he 
 dropped his load and sang out " Bear a hand here, will 
 you, one o' you chaps, and help me up with this, or our 
 cattle will come short this morning." Whether Charley 
 recognized the voice or not, he, apparently forgetting his 
 own trouble, turned round with alacrity to give the poor 
 lad a lift. Whilst replacing the load on the lad's shoulders, 
 Charley's ears caught the whispered words " Hold your 
 tongues, come what may, and there's 20 a-piece." 
 "Come along," cried the coast-guard, and they parted 
 company with the farmer's boy and his truss of hay.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1 He finds uncertain ways unsafest are, 
 And doubt a greater mischief than despair; 
 Then to the stream where neither friends nor force, 
 Nor speed, nor art avail, he shapes his course." DEXHAM. 
 
 " His bold head 
 
 'Bove the contentious waves he kept, and oar'd 
 Himself with his good arms in lusty strokes 
 To th' shore." SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 IT must not be forgotten that there were other dramatis 
 personce in the act described in our last chapter, who form 
 too important a link in the chain of the narrative to be 
 overlooked. The last thing we saw in connection with 
 old Jem was his pair of jack-boots. Although no traces 
 of Roughton individually presented themselves, he was 
 not lost in the confusion of the flight and pursuit. The 
 detachment whom we left scaling the face of the rock had 
 struck into the main road, which they pursued at a hearty 
 pace towards the town until they reached the brow of the 
 hill, when they descried two men pushing along with 
 unusual speed. 
 
 " There they go, for a hundred," exclaimed one of them, 
 and they immediately gave chase. The fugitives were 
 old Jem and Harry Roughton. The quick ear of the 
 former was the first to catch the sound of rapid footsteps 
 in their rear. 
 
 " Run for your life, or we're done," said he ; "I'd better
 
 46 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 have kept my boots, clumsy as they were for a race, for 
 I'm footsore enough now ; but take care of yourself and 
 never heed me, I know my tack." 
 
 Scarcely had he uttered the words before two of the 
 three men were nearly up with them. Harry bounded 
 along the main road like a hunted hare, the officer close 
 upon his heels. Jem cleared the fence with the alacrity of 
 a youth, made off for an adjacent dingle, pursued by the 
 second officer, who, as he groped his way through, received 
 a blow on the back of the neck, and, with a piercing cry 
 for help, fell headlong among the brambles ; whilst Jem, 
 rushing over him, leapt the next fence, and doubling to 
 the left, threw himself into a deep ditch, availing himself 
 of the covering of the rank grass and reeds with which it 
 abounded. The third officer, hearing the cry of his com- 
 rade, flew to his assistance, leaving Harry's pursuer to 
 catch his game as best he could. The novelty of Harry's 
 situation, the disgrace attendant on exposure if caught, 
 the apprehension of consequences, vaguely appreciated and 
 magnified by alarm, combined with the thought of his 
 poor wife for we must do him the justice to say, that she 
 had hardly been out of his mind during the whole of this 
 eventful evening all these fears and emotions added wings 
 to his speed. He kept well in advance of his pursuer, 
 until he saw some one approaching in the opposite direc- 
 tion ; for the moment, he was about to give in, when the 
 sudden idea struck him that he might baffle both and 
 shorten his route at the same time, by taking to the fields. 
 With his eye fixed upon the few glimmering lights in the 
 town, he leapt the fence and dashed across the meadow. 
 He heard the hard breathing of his enemy close upon his 
 heels again, and redoubled his exertions, with such effect 
 that in a few seconds he found himself on the brink of 
 the dark, deep stream. In his haste he had not calculated
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 47 
 
 on this obstruction, and again his heart failed him. He 
 turned to face the enemy, doubting whether to fight or 
 surrender, when up came the officer with extended hand. 
 "Now or never," said Harry to himself, and with the 
 suddenness of thought he wheeled round, dashed into the 
 river, and struck off with the desperation of a man 
 swimming for his life. Fortunately, the officer could not 
 swim, he had but one resource left. Baulked in his 
 purpose, he hastily drew his pistol from his belt, the report 
 resounded through the air, the ball plashed harmlessly in 
 the water, and the momentary light showed a glimpse of 
 the receding swimmer as he nervously combated the 
 stream. "I know you, I know you," cried the officer, 
 "and I'll have you yet." Harry's heart throbbed vio- 
 lently ; he felt as if all were over. In unutterable anguish 
 he ceased to struggle, preferring death to disgrace ; 
 again the voice rang in his ears " I know you, Master 
 Smith." Harry breathed again. The conviction that the 
 officer was mistaken as to his identity imparted new vigour 
 to his exertions, and half a dozen powerful efforts brought 
 him panting to the opposits bank, from whence he found 
 his way, half dead with excitement and fatigue, through a 
 back alley to the solitary streets of the town, by which he 
 at length reached his own house without encountering a 
 soul.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ' When heavy sleep has clos'd the sight, 
 And sickly fancy labours in the night, 
 We seem to run, and destitute of force 
 Our sinking limbs forsake us in our course." 
 
 DRYDEJf. 
 
 " But few dare show their thoughts of worst or best ; 
 Dissimulation always sets apart 
 A corner for herself; and therefore fiction 
 Is that which passes with least contradiction." 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 FIVE hours had rolled on since Harry closed his weary 
 eyelids, during which agitated and uneasy slumber a 
 thousand horrible visions had flitted across his excited 
 brain. The terrors of a heated imagination had depicted, 
 with fearful intensity, the dangers and hair-breadth escapes 
 of the preceding night. Sometimes pursued by demons 
 across dreary wastes and morasses, he floundered in the 
 yielding mire of the treacherous bog and marsh, sinking 
 deeper and deeper with every struggle to extricate his toil- 
 worn limbs. He felt the hot breath of his demoniacal 
 pursuers playing round his heated temples ; he saw their 
 clenched hands ready to seize him by the hair, which stood 
 on end with horrible affright. Suddenly lifted, as it were, 
 from a yawning abyss, he again felt himself impelled 
 forward at terrific speed, when fresh dangers appeared to 
 encompass him ; every bush and brier in his path seemed 
 alive with enemies, the rattle of musketry sounded in his 
 ears, and bullets, like messengers of death, whistled round
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 49 
 
 his devoted head ; still he found himself unscathed, but 
 standing for a moment on a precipice, beneath which rolled 
 a dark and unfathomable "hell of waters;" and behind him 
 ministers of vengeance, at whose approach he staggered, 
 fell, and was precipitated headlong into the black, cold 
 waves, which hissed and yelled in his bewildered ears, and 
 overwhelmed him with an aqueous shroud. The bitterness 
 of death, though fraught with horrors inconceivable, 
 seemed in mercy to deprive him of soul and sense ; and 
 falling with intense velocity through dark and endless 
 space, he suddenly awoke again, with the vague idea that 
 the passing bell for his departed soul was booming in his 
 ears. 
 
 The cheerful chimes of St. Mary's bells, announcing 
 the hour of prayer, had disturbed his slumber, and dis- 
 pelled the horrid phantasm which his wild imagination had 
 conjured up. His eye fell upon the countenance of his 
 meek and lovely wife. Though saddened with anxiety, 
 and pale with grief, it was to him a vision of angelic 
 sweetness after the horrors of that troubled dream. He 
 gazed, but could scarcely speak ; his burning face and 
 bright but eager restless eye, his parched tongue and 
 clammy lips told too plainly of the fever that raged within. 
 Harry was ill, but durst not seek the aid of his accustomed 
 medical attendant. His mind was in a state of intense 
 alarm and apprehension, but of what he could scarcely tell. 
 His quick ear nervously caught every little sound ; he 
 started at the very rustle of the curtains, as Jane leant 
 forward to gaze upon his anxious face. The music of 
 the Sabbath bells seemed to him a mockery. Though 
 burning from head to foot, he shivered like an aspen leaf, 
 and cried for water to slake his devouring thirst. For- 
 tunately, Jane was not altogether a stranger to the little 
 medical skill of which her husband's laboratory could
 
 50 HARRY ROTJGHTON, OR 
 
 boast, and, by her care and assiduity, Harry became at 
 length more calm and collected. 
 
 When he endeavoured to bring together his scattered 
 thoughts, to nerve himself for the task of confessing to 
 Jane the details of the preceding night's adventure, and the 
 apprehensions which still haunted him, his heart almost 
 failed him, but dire necessity has no choice ; he could not 
 persuade himself that he had escaped unknown. He felt 
 no confidence in his reckless associates of the past night; 
 he knew not what had become of Pitt, Golightly, Swivel- 
 eye, or Jem ; he could not believe, after the narrow escape 
 which he himself owed to the activity of youth, that Jem, 
 comparatively old, and footsore besides, could have evaded 
 the grip of his resolute pursuers. 
 
 He pictured to himself first one and then another of these 
 worthies manacled and imprisoned ; and, despite the adage 
 of " honour among thieves," he felt that his security against 
 exposure and ruin, rested on a feeble thread, should it 
 become the interest of these unscrupulous partisans in 
 crime to secure their own immunity at the price of treachery 
 towards him. They might, however, yet be free, uniden- 
 tified and secure from detection. Harry's safety might 
 therefore still depend on secrecy, and that secrecy perhaps 
 purchasable only by deception ; he had now to teach his 
 wife to lie. "Horror of horrors!" How surely one false 
 step leads on to others ! 
 
 Little do we dream, when tempted from the path of 
 rectitude, how subtle and complicated may be the web of 
 wickedness we are destined to weave ; of what crime and 
 'falsehood the warp and woof of that destiny may have to 
 be composed, and how much misery and bitterness we 
 may have to endure, in wading through the artificial paths 
 of existence in which we may be doomed to walk. Fear 
 of detection at every turn, ay, at every word we utter,
 
 EEMIKISCEXCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 51 
 
 haunts us like a demon ; one lie must be bolstered by 
 another ; and that valuable acquisition human ingenuity 
 designed for the best of purposes, must ever and anon 
 be perverted, to sustain a fabric of hypocrisy and deceit; 
 whilst the faculty of memory is kept upon the stretch, to 
 preserve a non-betraying consistency in vice, and serve 
 the unhallowed purposes of crime and its concealment. 
 
 These, and a hundred other reflections, natural to a 
 mind till then comparatively pure, chased each other 
 through Harry's feverish brain. Still, fear predominated, 
 the first evil step had been taken ; and its consequences hung 
 like a dark pall over his spirit; it was too late to retract. 
 The game must be played out, and Harry applied himself 
 to the distasteful task. Having imparted to his confiding 
 wife as much as he deemed prudent, gilding his commu- 
 nications with exaggerated pictures of pecuniary advantage 
 to himself, his wife and children, vindicating evil that 
 fancied good might come of it his conscience all the while 
 accusing and condemning him he promised that, when 
 these golden hopes were realized, he would relinquish 
 for ever the fascinating pursuit. 
 
 The neophyte in smuggling still clung to hope for the 
 future, whilst smarting under the evils of the present. His 
 promises of reformation were clogged with chimerical con- 
 ditions. So it was, and ever will be, with the misguided 
 and obdurate devotees of unhallowed speculations. Such 
 was the spirit that lured Harry's daring but ill-fated proto- 
 type, Will Watch, to risk his life on the hazard of a die, 
 when he, for the last time, " took helm, and to sea boldly 
 steer' d out again. 
 
 " Will had promised his Sue that this trip, if well ended, 
 Should coil up his hopes, and he'd anchor on shore ; 
 When his pockets were lin'd, why, his life should be mended ; 
 The laws he had broken he'd never break more."
 
 52 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 Though Harry Bonghton had no reason to fear that " a 
 bullet next minute " might end his career, he could not 
 ignore the conviction of impending ruin, which, in case of 
 detection, must overwhelm him and all that were dear to 
 him ; whilst success promised to pave his way with gold. 
 From these hallucinations, with the astuteness of perverted 
 genius impelled by alternations of hope and fear, he 
 drew forth specious arguments to delude his wife, and to 
 secure, by working on her feelings, her co-operation in 
 the concealment of his crime, and the furtherance of his 
 nefarious designs. 
 
 Jane's heart palpitated with contending emotions ; her 
 better judgment recoiled with sincere abhorrence from the 
 contemplation of ill-gotten gain, and the sacrifice of that 
 inward peace by which it must inevitably be attended. 
 But, when Harry dwelt upon the dangers of exposure, the 
 consequences to himself and his family, the horrors of 
 incarceration in a felon's cell, the disgrace which must 
 surround them, the miseries of poverty, and the privations 
 she and her children must endure, Jane's heart sank within 
 her. She could have endured honest poverty could 
 have borne any trial or affliction which would not com- 
 promise her virtue or integrity, and would have shone 
 the brighter midst the darkness that surrounded her ; but, 
 when she contemplated the bare possibility of seeing her 
 husband consigned to the indefinable horrors of a common 
 jail stone walls, beds of straw, barred windows, bread and 
 water, gloom and darkness, pining sickness and hopeless 
 misery visions of all these floated through her brain, 
 and left her a prey to wretchedness and despair. 
 
 " Tell me, Henry ; Oh ! tell me, what must I do ? I 
 will do and dare anything for you and those darling 
 little ones." 
 
 Nay, she almost persuaded herself that the end would
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 53 
 
 justify the means, however tortuous and even criminal 
 the means to attain that end. 
 
 Harry drew her towards him, imprinted a kiss upon 
 her forehead, and burst into tears. Though she still pas- 
 sionately loved him, though her devotion was as warm as 
 ever, she received his caress with a feeling of repugnance 
 she had never known before ; and, though he wept, her 
 pallid cheek was tearless, and her countenance assumed an 
 air of resolute firmness until then a stranger to her gentle 
 nature. 
 
 " Tell me, Harry," she repeated in a sepulchral whisper; 
 " tell me what I am to do ; I am nerved for any sacrifice 
 that I can make for for those for you and those little 
 ones." 
 
 The last words died upon her lips, but she remained 
 firm. Koughton regained his composure, and proceeded to 
 impress upon his wife the deep importance of rigid secrecy 
 as to his movements, particularly those of the past night. 
 
 " Not a soul must know for the world that I was out last 
 night; if anybody inquires about me, don't breathe a 
 syllable; tell them I have a cold; know nothing till I am 
 clown to answer for myself." 
 
 " Well, if that's all, Henry, I can do that ; do not be 
 uneasy." 
 
 Easier said than done perhaps. Poor unsophisticated 
 Jane ! 
 
 " But," said Harry, and at this moment Mr. Jameson 
 was announced. 
 
 " Oh ! " said Jane, " I dare say our good rector, missing 
 us at church this morning, has called to inquire after us;" 
 and turning to the servant, she said, "Tell him I am 
 coming directly." 
 
 Harry would have checked the message, but reflecting 
 that to deny the good rector, for the first time, would excite
 
 54 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 suspicion, he sighed, " Go, Jane j be careful ; " and she 
 left the room. 
 
 " Well ! my good Mrs. Roughton, how do ye do ? And 
 how's the good husband? I missed him from his accus- 
 tomed seat this morning, and could not rest without coming 
 down to inquire after him. He's one of my best and most 
 exemplary parishioners, yon know." 
 
 "Yes," replied Jane, half mechanically, "he has taken 
 a bad cold, and required a little nursing, and I did not 
 like to leave him." 
 
 " Ah ! well, that's like a good wife ; I know you would 
 neither of you neglect your religious duties without good 
 cause." 
 
 Jane's heart smote against her side, and the good man 
 rattled on in his cheerful way 
 
 " I thought it was a cold, perhaps; for Dr. Jones, whilst 
 standing in the gateway of a patient in Gaultree Lane, 
 last night, saw Mr. Roughton hurrying past with some 
 stranger." 
 
 Jane gave an involuntary start. 
 
 " I inquired of him, you know, because he is your 
 doctor ; I was sure he would know if there were anything 
 serious the matter." 
 
 " But," timidly interrupted Jane, " don't you think the 
 doctor was mistaken ? " 
 
 " Now that's like you, Mrs. Roughton ; I love that 
 true charity that will not let the left hand know what the 
 right hand doeth. I suspected Mr. Roughton was on one 
 of his little errands of mercy ; I know he sometimes 
 benevolently extends the benefit of his medical knowledge 
 to the poor who cannot afford a doctor. Well ! a blessing 
 will come on those dear little children for all this. I have 
 confidence in that good Providence which rewards his 
 creatures according to their deserts ; though his illness, as
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 55 
 
 a consequence, may seem to our finite minds to point to a 
 different conclusion." 
 
 Oh ! the gall and wormwood to poor Jane of these 
 benevolent suggestions; she could make no reply, "but 
 drew her trembling fingers through the curls which clus- 
 tered round little Kate's innocent face, and tried to smile, 
 but sighed. 
 
 11 You're not well, Mrs. Roughton, cheer up ; shall I 
 see your good man ? a little cheerful conversation may do 
 him good." 
 
 " I think," but her voice faltered, for she scarcely knew 
 what to say; then, making another attempt, she hesi- 
 tatingly continued " I think he is asleep, it would be a 
 pity to disturb him." 
 
 The conversation turned upon other topics ; Jane grew 
 more at ease. At length the good pastor rose, and drawing 
 on his gloves, said " Give my kind regards and my 
 blessing to the sick man, and tell him I hope soon to see 
 him well again." 
 
 It was the rector's good-humoured habit to stand and 
 chat at parting, whilst he buttoned up his long coat and 
 smoothed his white cravat, and Jane felt that she must 
 say something " Mr. Rough ton desired I would give his 
 kind respects to you." 
 
 " Well, now," said the rector, laughing, " how could he 
 if he were asleep ? " 
 
 Jane blushed, and stammered out " Oh ! he was not 
 asleep when I left him, but he seemed going off. It was 
 before he fell asleep, he thought perhaps you might call ;"and 
 she blushed again. To conceal her confusion, she abruptly 
 said " I'll go and see." She ran up stairs, and returned to 
 confirm the falsehood, for Harry dared not venture to see 
 him till he had heard her story, lest his should not accord. 
 He declined to see him, and affected to shut his eyes. She
 
 56 HARRY ROTJGHTON. 
 
 told the rector her Harry's eyes were clossd, and she could 
 not wake him ! 
 
 Shaking her heartily by the hand, and repeating his 
 adieux as he closed the door after him, the unsuspecting 
 rector left poor Jane the self-convicted victim of falsehood. 
 
 She returned to Harry's room, and there he was, wide 
 awake, waiting with feverish anxiety her return. His 
 wakeful gaze seemed to reproach her for her first lie ; but 
 she smothered the emotion, and related to him the sub- 
 stance of the interview. At the mention of Dr. Jones' 
 communication, his brow grew dark, and he muttered " I 
 hate that man!" 
 
 Jane meekly observed "You were not used to hate any 
 body, Harry, and Dr. Jones was always a favourite with 
 you till now." 
 
 What strange hues our best instincts assume from the 
 false colouring of a perverted imagination ! Jane gently 
 touched upon the deception she had been obliged to prac- 
 tise, and Harry, who had ever been a model of sincerity 
 and truth, with an affectionate pressure of her hand, replied 
 " You have done well." That pressure was not returned; 
 those words smote her to the heart ; she withdrew her 
 hand from his, burst into an agony of tears, fell upon her 
 knees, and prayed.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " He has profaned the sacred name of friend, 
 And worn it into vileness. 
 See how he sets his countenance for deceit, 
 And promises a lie before he speaks." DRTDEN. 
 
 THE daylight hours of Sunday wore away ; a little sleep, 
 judicious refreshment, and Jane's good nursing, had con- 
 siderably restored Roughton's shattered nerves. The 
 approach of twilight, the hour when birds of ill omen and 
 beasts of -prey begin to rouse themselves for their nocturnal 
 wanderings, had just been succeeded by the dark canopy of 
 night, when a gentle rap was heard at the front door. The 
 servant girl and the apprentice were gone to church, and, 
 as Jane rose to open the door, Harry eagerly exclaimed 
 " I'll see nobody; say I'm asleep, say I'm ill, say anything 
 to send 'em off." 
 
 Jane descended, and, to her horror, on opening the door 
 Pitt stealthily but resolutely pushed himself in, and closed 
 it. " Mr. Roughton's ill," observed Jane, " and can see 
 nobody." 
 
 " 111 or not ill," he brutally replied, " /must see him." 
 
 " But," said Jane, and the thought of her former lie half 
 choked her, " but he is asleep." 
 
 " Then wake him," replied the unabashed villain, " for 
 I must and will see him ; " and so saying, he marched 
 across the shop, entered the little sitting-room, and threw 
 himself into a chair.
 
 58 HAURY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 " This is very strange behaviour," timidly said Jane ; 
 " my husband told me he could see no one." 
 
 " He must and shall see me; so I'll have none of your 
 gammon, nor his either. Mark my words, it's better for 
 him, and you too ; so go and wake him up directly, and 
 say I'm here. I watched your folks off to church, and I'm 
 not going to wait till they come back." 
 
 Jane felt some indefinable reason that they were in the 
 power of this coarse and impudent scoundrel ; and, noting 
 the difference between his present imperious rudeness and 
 the oily smoothness of his tone and manner on the pre- 
 ceding evening, she ascended, with Avounded feelings and a 
 beating heart, the staircase that led to Roughton's room. 
 Half afraid to say that she had admitted anyone in the face 
 of his injunctions, she faintly whispered "Here's Mr. Pitt; 
 he would come in." 
 
 "Bring him up stairs directly," said Harry, in an excited 
 tone. 
 
 Jane gazed in silence for a moment, and revolved in her 
 mind the strange incongruity of his refusal to receive their 
 much-respected minister, and the alacrity with which he 
 hailed the approach of the detestable Mr. Pitt. Whilst 
 these thoughts were passing through her mind, Harry 
 ejaculated " Show him up directly, Jane, and leave us 
 alone." 
 
 Pondering on the new-born sternness of his nature, and 
 this second denial of his accustomed confidence, she obeyed, 
 and having ushered in Mr. Pitt, returned to the solitary 
 sitting-room, to brood over the miseries which over- 
 whelmed her. 
 
 "Well, Harry I how goes it? " said Pitt. 
 
 Mr. lloughton winced at this familiarity, and replied 
 with offended dignity " Mr. Pitt, I am far from well, or 
 you would not see me here, Sir."
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 59 
 
 " Don't Mister and Sir me," said Pitt; "we're all in the 
 same boat, and must row together without wasting time in 
 ceremonies. How did you get off last night? " 
 
 " I don't mean to run such a risk again," said Harry, in 
 a querulous tone. 
 
 "Gammon!" replied Pitt, "it's nothing when you're 
 used to it. Did you see anybody that knew you ? " 
 
 " No ! but somebody, I find, saw me, and knew me, and 
 I suspect, you too, for we were together." 
 
 " Ah ! " eagerly exclaimed Pitt, " and who was that ?" 
 
 " Dr. Jones." 
 
 " Oh ! the sneaking rascal ; if he peaches I'll have his 
 weasand-pipe pinched for him." 
 
 Harry, hardly unscrupulous enough yet to acquiesce in 
 so horrible a suggestion, whether meant in earnest or not, 
 explained, notwithstanding his own suddenly-conceived 
 aversion to the doctor " Oh ! he only saw you and me 
 passing through Gaultree Lane, and fancied I was 
 poaching on his patients." 
 
 " Well, let him think so, and I'll give it out that you 
 went to see my wife, who would'nt see anybody else, 
 that'll account for both of us, and she's a regular brick 
 now, and I'll wan-ant she'll stick to it. Your little missis 
 will get better manners yet when she's up to a dodge or 
 two." 
 
 A feeling of anguish stole through Harry's mind ; he had 
 loved that woman for her charming simplicity and purity 
 of heart ; her virtues had been his pride. His face grew 
 crimson, but he stifled his emotion. 
 
 "Well, so much for the doctor; and what next?" said 
 Pitt. 
 
 " Why, as for myself, I took to my heels, and, having 
 jumped into the river, swam across it ; the cowardly coast- 
 guard behind, afraid of the water, shouted out, at the top
 
 60 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 of his voice ' I know you, Mr. Smith, and I'll have you 
 yet!'" 
 
 Here Pitt burst out into a vulgar triumphant laugh. 
 " All right," said he, " its all english'd now ; you are 
 some'at like Jack Smith the tinker, he's one of us." 
 Harry did not relish the similitude. Pitt went on " He's 
 in custody; and he'll be brought up to-morrow with old 
 Brookes' two chaps." 
 
 Harry trembled. " Do you think they'll split," said he 
 anxiously. 
 
 " Oh, no ! thanks to your 50 and that headstrong 
 lieutenant, for he has'nt got the stuff; the bales were safely 
 housed in the cabs a good ten minutes before they came up 
 to old Brookes', and, while they were bothering there, the 
 'bacco was miles off and stowed away snugly. Old Jem 
 doubled his man up like a trump and hid himself in a ditch, 
 till t'other fellow hauled off his companion, and he got off 
 none the worse for the job, barring a few scratches on his 
 trotters, and the loss of his boots. I have heard the whole 
 story from Golightly and Swiveleye ; that lad's worth his 
 weight in gold." 
 
 " But," inquired Harry with increasing interest, " how 
 did you and Swiveleye manage it?" 
 
 " Why that's soon told," replied Pitt. " I fell in with 
 him and .Tack, who shrewdly hinted that the nearer we 
 stuck to the scene of danger, the less likely would they be 
 to suspect our whereabout ; so we made for a barn within a 
 stone's throw of old Brookes' homestead, passed the night 
 there in a comfortable heap of straw, and slunk home by 
 different routes before day-break. So now, Harry, keep 
 your own counsel and all's right ; I'm off to retain Isaac 
 Sharpe to defend our three fellows to-morrow ; so good 
 night. Be sure to be up and about in the morning as 
 usual, and no flinching, mind, but put a good face on't as if
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 61 
 
 nothing had happened. If any questions are asked, don't 
 forget that my wife was bad on Saturday night, and 
 would'nt have any other doctor than you." 
 
 With this advice he closed the door after him, blundered 
 his way down stairs and strode out of the house, with a 
 familiar wink at Mrs. Roughton as he crossed the room. 
 
 " That's a disagreeable fellow," said Harry as his wife 
 entered the room. Her eye brightened with satisfaction ; 
 but Roughton added " He's a deep hand and a clever 
 fellow, and we mustn't quarrel with him." Her counten- 
 ance fell once more ; the faint hope that Harry might cast 
 him off died away, and she felt more keenly the conviction 
 that they were in his power. 
 
 "If anybody asks about Saturday night keep up the 
 story of my being out to visit the sick. Mrs. Pitt's the 
 patient, and he swears his wife will stick to it like a Briton, 
 and so we shall bamboozle the doctor, and perhaps keep 
 him at a distance too. I like the fellow better now; but 
 the better at a distance, mind." 
 
 Jane hinted that it was a pity to cast off a friend who 
 sent so many prescriptions to their laboratory. 
 
 "Never mind that," cried Harry, with a snap of his fin- 
 gers ; " we shall get more by last night's patient than a 
 thousand of his prescriptions." 
 
 Jane only thought of the sacrifice made to procure such 
 a success, and how much sweeter would be the fruits of her 
 husband's legitimate calling, than the luxury of woe, and 
 sank into a reverie, whilst Harry turned on his pillow and 
 slept.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 " There's but the twinkling of a star 
 Between a man of peace and war ; 
 A thief and justice ; fool and knave ; 
 A crafty lawyer and pickpocket ; 
 A great philosopher and blockhead." HUDIBBAS. 
 
 As the village clock struck eleven, Thomas Salt, Esq., or, 
 as he was more generally yclept, old Squire Salt, and 
 indeed, sometimes, with greater familiarity, Salt Tom, rode 
 up to the " Ship and Anchor," and was shown, with all 
 the courtesy of which the landlord was capable, into the 
 club-room, usually denominated on such occasions the 
 justice-room, where he was presently joined by a little 
 fussy looking man, attired in a suit of black and a white 
 neckerchief, but no shirt collar. His short square-cut black 
 whiskers, and hard but ruddy features, surmounted by a 
 sleek bald head, gave to his general appearance a charac- 
 ter clerical rather than legal ; nevertheless he was the 
 justice's clerk, nor could a greater contrast be well con- 
 ceived, than that which the portly justice presented in his 
 green riding-coat, buckskin breeches, and top boots, in 
 which he aped the country gentleman, though his grotesque 
 and plebeian countenance, deep sunk and cunning eyes, 
 coupled with some floating surmises that his broad acres 
 had been accumulated by rather exorbitant profits on 
 excisable articles, favoured the suspicion that his origin 
 was more obscure than present circumstances would seem
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 63 
 
 to warrant. Whilst the little man in black was busily 
 assorting diverse bundles of papers neatly tied with red 
 tape, and adjusting a few books bound in smooth calf, 
 upon the table, the justice occupied himself in a running 
 conversation with the burly lieutenant, who had just made 
 his appearance to prefer his charge against John alias 
 Jack Smith, Thomas alias Tom Broadface, and Charles 
 alias Charley Wakeful, for smuggling. 
 
 " Two separate informations, if you please one against 
 Smith, and the other against Broadface and Wakeful," 
 said the lieutenant. 
 
 " Speak to the clerk about that," replied the justice ; 
 and, whilst these preliminaries were going on, Isaac Sharpe 
 accompanied by a well-dressed lad of sixteen, as his clerk, 
 had claimed the right of a private interview with the pri- 
 soners. Smith's defence was soon arranged, an alibi con- 
 clusive. The case of the two farm-servants presented very 
 little difficulty, but for the partial confession of Tom 
 Broadface, and the tell-tale cash found in his pocket. The 
 lawyer's clerk gave a knowing wink at Charley, as he 
 seated himself at the table by his master ; and after a brief 
 consultation, carried on chiefly between the clerk and 
 Charley, their plans were all arranged, and on the an- 
 nouncement that the court was waiting, the prisoners were 
 marshalled into the room by the coast-guard, followed by 
 Isaac Sharpe and his hopeful clerk. 
 
 Salt Tom took his seat with becoming dignity. The 
 lieutenant opened his case by a graphic description of the 
 events of the preceding night ; the capture of the two men 
 by himself, and the detention of Smith by one of his officers. 
 
 " But what is it all about what do you charge them 
 with ? " roared the justice. 
 
 " Smuggling, Sir," replied the lieutenant. 
 
 " Smuggling what?" asked the justice.
 
 61 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 " Tobacco, I believe ; but we shall come to that pre- 
 sently." 
 
 " Tobacco, Sir! but where is the tobacco?" 
 
 " Oh, that they got clear off with." 
 
 " Well, but what evidence have you of any smuggling 
 at all?" asked the justice. 
 
 " Only think of the cart and horses ; the condition in 
 which the latter were found; the 5 in that waggoner's 
 pocket," pointing to Tom, " and his confession; the running 
 away of Smith ; his identification and detention ; to say 
 nothing of the seduction from his post of my best officer ! " 
 
 " Well, the unwarrantable liberty taken with the horse 
 and cart may constitute a charge against somebody, at the 
 suit of Mr. Brookes, but I do not see how that makes out 
 a case of smuggling ; but you may proceed if you think 
 you have any case : which will you take first?" 
 
 " The case against John Smith," replied the lieutenant. 
 
 Here Mr. Isaac Sharpe interposed "I believe, your 
 worship, the offence charged against my client, Smith, was 
 alleged by the lieutenant, in his opening speech, to have 
 been committed between sunset on Saturday evening and 
 sunrise on Sunday morning. Now, Sir, I think I can spare 
 him and you some trouble, and save some time to the court, 
 by accounting at once for the absence of my client from 
 the scene of action during all those hours." 
 
 The lieutenant, hoping to get something out of the 
 defendant's witness, consented, and Mr. Sharpe called the 
 landlord of the "Blue Boar;" who deposed that Smith 
 dined with a few friends at his house on Saturday night, 
 that they sat drinking there until half past twelve, when 
 the others left, and Smith fell asleep on a bench, where he 
 lay till seven the next morning, and, after drinking a bottle 
 of soda water and brandy, went home about eight o'clock 
 to breakfast.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. G5 
 
 " Your man was clearly mistaken," said the justice, 
 " and it's well you did not swear him to Smith's identity, 
 or he might have run the risk of an indictment for perjury; 
 that case must be dismissed. The next case." 
 
 The lieutenant preferred a general charge against 
 Thomas Broadface and Charles Wakeful, for being con- 
 cerned in carrying and conveying sixty bales of tobacco 
 from Saltholme cliffs to the turnpike road, and then and 
 there delivering them to some person or persons unknown. 
 
 " What have you to say in answer to the charge?" asked 
 the justice. 
 
 Wakeful maintained a dogged silence ; but the circum- 
 stantiality of the charge, the number of bales accidentally 
 hit upon, and his own conscience, frightened Tom into the 
 belief that all was known ; and hoping to find favour by 
 submission, he blurted out "Please your worship, I 
 shouldna' had nothin' to do wi' it, if I had'nt bin deceived 
 about what we was goin' to do by a young fellow." 
 
 Here Sharpe's clerk turned his keen eyes suddenly upon 
 him, and transfixed him with the gaze of a basilisk ; Tom's 
 tongue faltered, whilst Wakeful, drawing close to his ear, 
 whispered between his teeth " If you name a soul I'll kill 
 you." 
 
 " Who was that young fellow?" impatiently asked the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 Here Sharpe interposed " Don't answer that question," 
 and, turning to the justice, said " I submit, Sir, that, as the 
 defendant is not the complainant's witness, he may call his 
 own, but not put questions to my client." 
 
 An altercation ensued between Sharpe and the lieuten- 
 ant ; the justice's clerk and several other parties interfered, 
 and the justice's voice intermingled with the rest. 
 
 During this confusion, Wakeful impressed on Tom that, 
 as he had done for himself, he needn't draw anybody else 
 
 E
 
 66 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 in ; " but," said he, " stand dumb, know nothing, and they 
 can't hurt me; but if you peach I'll do for you." 
 
 Order was restored; Tom pleaded guilty to he hardly 
 knew what. Wakeful sullenly growled "Not guilty." 
 The lieutenant, delighted to have hit one bird, as he called 
 it, was satisfied with his triumph. He resolved to squeeze 
 poor Tom when he got him into gaol, and withdrew the 
 charge against his companion. 
 
 The justice felt that he had no alternative, but to com- 
 mit Broadface. Old Brookes roared out "Why, yer wor- 
 ship has committed the honester man o' the two, and let 
 the rogue go free." 
 
 " Silence," cried the clerk. 
 
 " Do you appear here to give a character to your man, 
 Mr. Brookes?" asked the justice. 
 
 "Well," replied the hearty old farmer, "I didna come 
 for that, but I'll do it tho'. He's lived wi' me five years 
 come Michaelmas next, I never lost the vally of a turkey 
 or a goose, no, not of a' egg, till arter t'other chap come, 
 some six months ago." 
 
 Here the justice interposed " We've nothing to do with 
 Wakeful, he's acquitted." 
 
 " More's the pity," cried old Brookes; "leastways more's 
 the pity he's got off, and Tom's got in for't, for he's at the 
 bottom on't I'll warrant." 
 
 A roar of laughter followed this energetic appeal of the 
 old farmer. 
 
 " Well ! well ! from all you know of him he's an honest 
 man, is he," said the justice, " this little smuggling affair 
 excepted?" 
 
 " Ay, ay ; as honest for that matter as yer worship, 
 by'r leddy," retorted Brookes ; and a momentary twinge 
 distorted the features of Salt Tom, whilst the court was 
 convulsed with laughter.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 67 
 
 The justice smote the table with his fist, and in stento- 
 rian voice cried "Order, order!" Then addressing the 
 prisoners, he said " Charles Wakeful, you've had a nar- 
 row escape, I caution you not to come before me again ; 
 and you, Thomas Broadface, convicted on your own con- 
 fession, have incurred a penalty of 100, but, in considera- 
 tion of the good character you have had," here a titter 
 ran through the court, at which the justice scowled, but 
 proceeded, "I shall mitigate that penalty to 25. In 
 default of payment it will be my duty to commit you to 
 prison." 
 
 " Never mind," muttered Sharpe, " we'll soon have that 
 out of somebody," and he gave an evil glance at the 
 lieutenant, which bespoke as plainly as if he had uttered 
 the words, an action for false imprisonment at the suit of 
 the acquitted Wakeful. 
 
 Overjoyed with his prize, this significant threat was lost 
 on the lieutenant; who, calculating upon getting all the 
 particulars out of his pliant and conscience-stricken prisoner, 
 demanded the warrant of commitment. 
 
 Sharpe exchanged a few words with his apt clerk, then 
 patiently waited till the lieutenant had obtained the last 
 document and paid the fees, whereupon he arose and said 
 " You'll please to keep hands off that man, I'm instructed 
 by my client to pay down that little fine ;" and, throwing 
 down the five and twenty pounds before the justice's clerk, 
 he called out, with a significant leer at the lieutenant 
 " Tom, lad, you're at liberty." 
 
 Old Brookes was as astonished as his man, and, after 
 staring at the lawyer with open mouth for a full minute, 
 he exclaimed " Well, this beats hoss-racing, cock-fi'tin', 
 and judges comin' down to 'ang folks at 'sizes ! you're a 
 trump, Maister Sharpe, and thee sha't come and dine wi' 
 me to-day or my name aint Brookes. Tom, come along lad,
 
 68 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 I forgie thee ; but as to thee, Wakeful, thee may'st fetch 
 thy traps away from my place, and the sooner the better, 
 for I mistrust thee greatly." 
 
 Master and man, accompanied by their new acquaintance, 
 the lawyer, marched off together to the farmer's house ; but 
 the hopeful lawyer's clerk remained to cultivate the acquain- 
 tance of Charley Wakeful. 
 
 So suddenly restored to his master's favour, Tom was 
 full of gratitude, and thought it his duty to make a clean 
 breast of it at once. 
 
 This confidence the lawyer evidently desired to check, 
 doubting the farmer for the very reason that an honest 
 man would have trusted him. Sharpe's tact, there- 
 fore, was to urge the expediency of silence : " Hedges 
 have ears, let well alone, and thank your stars that 
 you're not grinning through the bars ; only drop a few 
 words in the ear of the coast-guard, or of any spy who 
 may do it for you, and I would'nt give much for your 
 chance." 
 
 " There's a good deal in that," said the farmer, " so hold 
 thy tongue Tom, or worse may come on it; but let my 
 bosses alone in futurV 
 
 At these words poor Tom's spirit rose again, and, 
 emphatically throwing his slouched hat on the ground, he 
 exclaimed " Well, I should like my will at that young 
 scapegrace as draw'd me into this job." 
 
 "Why, you .stupid fellow," replied the lawyer, "he's 
 the best friend you have in the world, or you would'nt be 
 here now. He was duped as much as you ; do you want 
 better proof of his contrition than the sacrifice he's made 
 to get you out of trouble? five and twenty pounds is no joke 
 to a lad like that, and yet how cheerfully he forked it out ! 
 if amends like that isn't proof enough of a good heart, I 
 don't know what is."
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 69 
 
 Tom scratched his knotty curls with a puzzled look, and 
 at length gasped out "And did he find the tin?" 
 
 The lawyer nodded affirmatively, and Tom exclaimed 
 " Then I've done, so say no more about it." 
 
 "The less the better," said the lawyer, "or you may 
 get that poor fellow into the same hobble that he's just got 
 you out of, and I reckon you'd hardly do as much for 
 him." 
 
 "By no manner of means," replied Tom, "'cause I 
 could'nt, and there's an end on't ; so I'm mum." 
 
 " Amen," said old Brookes ; and with these assurances 
 of their secrecy and discretion, the lawyer took his leave, 
 and hurried home to report the result of his day's work to 
 Mr. Pitt. 
 
 As night closed in, Charley sulkily fetched away his 
 scanty wardrobe from his late master's house, and made a 
 brief visit to the cart hovel, to filch from between the rafters 
 and the thatch a little canvas bag, containing a similar sum 
 to that which the unsophisticated Tom had stowed in his 
 pocket on the night of the run. And thus, with purse 
 replenished and bundle in hand, Charley rejoined his 
 friend Jack at the turn of the road, and the reckless pair 
 trudged off to the " Blue Boar," to make a night of it, and 
 lay their plans for future operations. 
 
 The next morning as Harry entered his shop he encoun- 
 tered Jack, rigged out like a tar, as unlike the lawyer's 
 clerk as chalk is unlike cheese ; putting his finger on his 
 lips, Jack slipped a note into the hand of Mr. Roughton, 
 and departed without a word. 
 
 The missive ran thus : " All right No birds jugged 
 Jaws sewed up Vegetables well sold Swag P.M. New 
 patient better Flames.' 1 '* 
 
 * To the reader unacquainted with such jargon, the following exposition may 
 not be unacceptable : " Everything goes safely None of our party committed
 
 70 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 The hand-writing of this elegant composition was unre- 
 cognizable, but Harry required no signature to satisfy him 
 whence it came; though a stranger to the farce of the 
 Gaultree Lane patient might have been puzzled to make 
 out the author, or turn the epistle to account, had it fallen 
 into other hands than those for whom it was designed. 
 
 to prison The secrecy of the detected accomplices has been purchased The 
 tobacco has been sold to advantage The cash will be paid this afternoon The 
 farce of my wife's illness has served its purpose (this allusion is the key to the 
 authorship of this note) Burn it when read."
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 1 Then fear not if 'tis needful to produce 
 Some term unknown, or obsolete in use, 
 As PITT has furnished us a word or two 
 Which lexicographers declined to do." 
 
 MONDAY had worn away with no fresh incident to disturb 
 Roughton's composure ; and Tuesday morning, as we have 
 already seen, found him "behind his counter, as if nothing 
 unusual had happened. 
 
 Though slightly pale, and wearing a somewhat anxious 
 look, an ordinary observer Avould not have suspected that 
 any hidden canker-worm lay concealed beneath the cheerful 
 and smiling exterior that Harry assumed. It is true that the 
 sudden appearance of the sailor-boy, with his mysterious 
 missive, at the moment disconcerted him; for, until he had 
 satisfied himself of the reassuring facts it was destined to 
 convey, his morbid imagination, a prey to fear, only sug- 
 gested the announcement of some new catastrophe, or some 
 fresh sorrow to be endured. 
 
 " No birds jugged Jaws sewed up " said he to himself, 
 for as yet he was little familiar with the slang phraseology 
 of his new craft ; but, as his own fears pointed to the 
 danger of treachery, in the event of any of his indigent 
 companions being incarcerated and at the mercy of those 
 who might extort an impeachment as the price of liberty, 
 he concluded that the three prisoners of the preceding day 
 had baffled the skill of their prosecutors, and had been
 
 72 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 "bought over to silence by the wiles and the gold of Mr. Pitt. 
 The rest was plain the narcotic weed had found a custo- 
 mer, and the pelf was almost within his greedy grasp. He 
 stuck the note in his waistcoat pocket with an air of triumph, 
 and, from time to time, when he thought himself unobserved 
 by his harmless apprentice, drew it out again, to satisfy him- 
 self that he had read aright. Honest Sandys pursued his 
 vocation of compounding pills and boluses, making up 
 draughts and superintending decoctions and infusions, 
 without a thought of what was passing in his master's 
 .mind, for he venerated his master as a model of integrity 
 and human kindness. But " conscience makes cowards of 
 us all," and Harry's perverted imagination conjured up 
 suspicions of espionage and treachery in every eye that 
 turned upon him, and in everybody who approached him. 
 Even the presence of his artless and faithful apprentice was 
 irksome to him, yet he knew not why. He felt the full 
 misery of this artificial state of existence, and the more he 
 dwelt upon it the more did he become an adept at dissimu- 
 lation and imposture. Under the pretence of consulting 
 the pharmacopoeia he stuck the fascinating note between the 
 leaves, and perused it again .and again, ever and anon 
 glancing uneasily at Sandys, as if the poor lad read, and 
 comprehended with himself the full meaning of the magic 
 words. " Swag," said he to himself, thinking aloud ; and 
 then, starting at his own voice, he crimsoned at his folly, 
 hastily shut the- book, and gave a spasmodic cough. 
 
 " Did you speak to me, Sir? " asked Sandys. 
 
 " No Yes," replied Harry ; " well, never mind, go on 
 with what you are doing." 
 
 Sandys raised his eyes from a rather cramptly written 
 prescription, the latinity of which puzzled him, and said 
 " Mr. lloughton, will you please to let me look at that book, 
 Sir?"
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 73 
 
 Harry paled, and replied testily "No ; mind your own 
 "business." 
 
 " But, Sir" 
 
 " Dont but me." 
 
 The lad stared in amazement ; Harry mistook it for a 
 look of cool insolence, and was about to reply, when his 
 better judgment prevailed. He felt, in spite of himself, 
 that he was unjust, though he could not control his internal 
 misgivings, and affected to laugh, as if it were all a joke. 
 Assuming the most insinuating air, he began to coax his 
 apprentice in an obsequious and patronizing, manner, 
 as much opposed to his natural disposition as the vindic- 
 tiveness of his recent demeanour, and slipping the note out 
 of the book into his waistcoat pocket again, he said 
 "Here, my lad, take the book." 
 
 Once more he withdrew the note, and, fixing his eye on 
 the word " flames," he precipitately left the shop, and 
 threw it into the sitting-room fire. The dirty scrap, coiled 
 and twisted by the flame, rolled back on a smoking coal, 
 singed and glittering with two or three small sparks that 
 shone like diamonds on the half-ignited corner but they 
 glared on him like the eyes of a spectre. He seized the 
 poker to thrust the ragged morsel in the flames, when it 
 lightly rose on the current he had disturbed, and jauntily 
 cantered up the chimney. "Damn it!" cried Harry, as 
 he threw down the poker. 
 
 " What was that, my dear ? " said the unobtrusive Jane, 
 whom he had scarcely noticed plying her needle, and 
 occasionally brushing off a tear. 
 
 " Only an old prescription," said Harry, blushing at the 
 lie in spite of himself. 
 
 " Why should that make you so angry, Harry ? I never 
 heard you swear before." 
 
 He bit his lip, muttered some foolish excuse, and left
 
 74 HARRY ROUGUTON, OR 
 
 her again to solitude and tears. As he re-entered the shop 
 a young man in the garb of a groom, who had been 
 lounging about the door, advanced towards him, and, with 
 a wicked leer, in which Harry recognized the expression of 
 his ubiquitous and Protean friend Jack, put into his hand 
 a paper, adding with affected simplicity " Could you 
 please, Sir, to make up that prescription while I wait? " 
 
 " Shall I do it, Sir ? " inquired the obliging Sandys. 
 
 " No ; go into the kitchen, and look after those infu- 
 sions ; they'll be wanted soon." 
 
 " What does this mean ? " asked Harry. 
 
 "Gammon! " retorted the young rascal; "Master Pitt 
 says you're to be at the ' Blue Boar ' this arternoon, at five 
 o'clock, to settle with old Capt'n Marsloops and the spots- 
 man, and receive your share of the swag." 
 
 Hariy paused, not half liking that disreputable house. 
 " Can't they do without me ? Let Mr. Pitt settle for me, 
 and hand over my share at his convenience." 
 
 " Don't trust him," was Jack's significant reply j " they 
 never trusses one another." 
 
 " Well, I'll come," said Harry, with a groan. 
 
 " Be sure you slip in the back way, through Cut-throat 
 Lane, and keep your eyes open when you come out." 
 
 Roughton, musing for a moment on this perplexing 
 injunction, cast his eyes upon the ground, and, ere he 
 raised them, Jack had disappeared. 
 
 Gloomily the day rolled on ; customers came and went ; 
 the struggle to maintain his composure was almost unen- 
 durable. Five o'clock approached ; Harry stepped into the 
 sitting-room, put on his greatcoat, and took up his heaviest 
 walking-stick. 
 
 " Where now, Harry ? " said his wife. 
 
 " I want a few drugs, and must go up to old Flanna- 
 gan's ; " and, as he passed through the shop, Sandys, with
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 75 
 
 praiseworthy anxiety after his master's interest, said 
 " Please, Sir, you haven't entered that prescription that 
 came in this morning." 
 
 With a ready adroitness he replied " Oh, it's done and 
 paid for, never mind." 
 
 As Harry strode away, his conscience smote him, as the 
 many wilful falsehoods he had uttered during the last eight 
 and forty hours recurred to his mind ; but, finding how 
 much easier their utterance grew by practice, he smothered 
 his upbraidings in the contemplation - of the " swag," and 
 hurried on to the rendezvous. 
 
 As he passed by the end of Brook Street, he was accosted 
 by the bluff old spotsman, Jem, who seizing him by the 
 hand with all the familiarity of an equal, hoped he was 
 none the worse for his dousing. Roughton durst not rebel, 
 for Jem knew the secret ; and whilst the old fellow still 
 clutched Harry in his vulgar grasp, who should come up 
 but the rector? Harry, covered with confusion,' hastily 
 withdrew his hand, saluted the rector, and would have 
 moved on ; but the kind-hearted man could not pass a 
 respected parishioner, so recently an invalid, without a 
 friendly word, and, in his usually jocose vein, but with a 
 half-bantering tone, congratulated Mr. Roughton on his 
 new acquaintance. 
 
 " Oh," replied Harry, with increasing facility at decep- 
 tion, " he's very drunk, Sir; but he's an old customer of 
 mine, who will take liberties when in liquor, and one don't 
 like to hurt the feelings even of a brute." 
 
 "Well said, well said," rejoined the rector; "it's only 
 weak people who are too proud to bend to a fellow- 
 creature, and make allowances for their little failings. Pray, 
 how is Mrs. Roughton ? I was just going to call upon her : 
 I thought she did not look well on Sunday. I'm delighted 
 to see you about again good-bye, good-bye."
 
 HARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 The rector would give him credit for good, in spite of 
 himself; whilst Harry felt that every hour destroyed his 
 own Christian charity, and made him suspect evil in every- 
 body else ; but he banished these reflections, and hurried 
 on towards the purlieus of the " Blue Boar," whilst the 
 cheerful rector bent his steps towards Harry's domicile. 
 
 Mrs. Eoughton summoned her best good-looks as she 
 heard the animated tones of the worthy rector exchanging 
 a few words with honest Sandys as he passed through the 
 shop. 
 
 11 Well, Mrs. Roughton ! good-day to you ; I hope you 
 are better than you were on Sunday. I am delighted to 
 find that the good husband is about again." 
 
 " Yes," replied Jane, " I'm sorry he's riot within now ; 
 he's just gone to Mr. Flannagan's, to procure a few drugs 
 that he's short of." 
 
 "Mr. Flannagan's!" exclaimed the rector, laughing; 
 "why, I've just met him at the other end of the town, 
 exchanging some civilities with an old customer, whose 
 affectionate familiarity he could not find in his good heart 
 to rebuff ; tho' he said the poor fellow was drunk, and, in 
 his good nature, pleaded that as an excuse." 
 
 " Deceived again ! " inwardly ejaculated Jane ; adding 
 aloud, unconscious of the analogy" Oh yes ! he had to 
 call at another place I forgot;" and conscience again 
 reproached her for the fraudulent evasion. 
 
 " Will Mr. Roughton be able to attend our Sunday 
 School committee on Thursday, think you ? " inquired the 
 rector. " I shall be sorry if he cannot, he's always so hearty 
 in every good cause ; and we have, you know and I say 
 it without wishing to scandalize anybody we have here 
 so many outside Christians, men of rather questionable 
 private morals, who would sooner retard than promote our 
 philanthropic plans, that I am anxious to have all my
 
 KEMIXISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICEE. 77 
 
 sincere friends around me at that meeting. I suppose," 
 he added, musingly, "it is much the same in our sea- 
 port towns generally." 
 
 Jane shrank almost from herself, as these words brought 
 home, with a burning feeling of shame, the reflection that 
 the same veil of hypocrisy, which her heart concurred with 
 the rector in condemning, was rapidly enveloping her 
 husband and herself. She felt as if a resistless fate were 
 hurrying them to perdition ; and blushed that, whilst she 
 was bitterly experiencing this painful reality, the good 
 rector was still giving them credit for integrity and sin- 
 cerity, the semblance of which she was, by refined duplicity, 
 impelled to affect. O ! that she could have laid bare that 
 overburdened heart, and have sought consolation from him, 
 whose influence even at that hour might have snatched her 
 Harry as a brand from the burning ! But the fear of shame 
 rose like a phantom before her ; she could not expose to 
 him whose censure she most dreaded, the disgrace and 
 misery which clung to her husband and herself. Even 
 in that well-nigh broken heart, pride rode rampant over 
 every better thought ; she recoiled from the confession, and 
 maintained the mask with smiling face and bleeding heart. 
 Jane resolved that at all events Harry should be spared the 
 palpable hypocrisy of performing the part of the Christian 
 on a public stage, whilst denying the character in the actions 
 of his private life, though she herself should play the hypo- 
 crite to avert it. Nerving herself for the occasion, she 
 observed " Mr. Eoughton's business is increasing, it takes 
 him more and more from home ; I fear I cannot promise 
 for his attendance at the meeting on Thursday next." 
 
 " Ah ! my good Mrs. Eoughton, so it is ; the riches of 
 this world, the love of lucre, are the tares that overrun 
 and extirpate the wheat ; they will make you none the 
 richer in the next world 5 but I suppose they have their
 
 78 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 charms, and there are few who, like you, are blessed with 
 little ones, that do not discover a duty even in the pursuit 
 of this world's goods. May the little angels plead for you 
 before the mercy-seat ; but don't rely don't rely on it. 
 Good-bye; tell him to be there if he can, and may a blessing 
 come of it : adieu ! " and away he went, leaving Jane fresh 
 food for meditation.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 1 Gold! yellow, glittering, precious gold! 
 Gold, that will make black white ; foul, fair ; wrong, right ; 
 Base, noble; old, young; coward, valiant! 
 Ha ! ye gods, why this will pluck stout men's pillows 
 from below their heads." SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 " My destiny has so involved about me 
 Her spider web, that I can only flutter, 
 Like the poor fly, but break it not." BYRON. 
 
 WE left Harry, after parting with the rector, on the 
 threshold of Cut-throat Lane. Penetrating into that cul de 
 sac, he groped his way along the dark and slimy passage, 
 through haunts of squalid filth and misery, to the narrow 
 doorway, which, by a dirty winding stair, led the way to 
 an obscure back-room. If a coat of paint had ever fresh- 
 ened up the cheerless aspect of that gloomy chamber, it had 
 long ago disappeared with its natural enemies, soap, and 
 scrubbing brushes. An old, and once crimson curtain hung 
 in flimsy, faded folds over the dusky quarrel panes of a poor 
 apology for a window ; the corners of the room were plenti- 
 fully decorated with festoons of cobwebs, heavy and grey 
 with dust ; whilst successions of similar network were in 
 progress of formation by those ingenious blood-suckers, 
 whose sole occupation is weaving meshes for the unwary, 
 and devouring them in their toils fitting emblems of those 
 dark specimens of poor humanity whom Harry found in the 
 occupation of that dreary room. A solitary candle, of rush-
 
 80 HARRY ROUGIITON, OK 
 
 light dimensions, just sufficed to render " darkness visible." 
 Seated at a filthy beer-stained table, were three sinister- 
 looking men, in the tallest of whom Roughton at once dis- 
 covered the estimable Mr. Pitt. The one on his right hand 
 was a spare and hungry-looking man, attired somewhat 
 like a quaker, bait whose keen and twinkling eyes peered 
 cunningly into the face of the new comer. The third 
 was a thick-set, round-shouldered fellow of about forty, 
 with weatherbeaten and bronzed features, encircled by a 
 mass of thick knotted hair arid large black whiskers. A 
 short round jacket of dark naval-blue and a pair of once 
 white trousers, constituted his external garments, whilst 
 a blue checked shirt, with the lank loose ends of a 
 black neckerchief, appeared to supply the place of waist- 
 coat ; and in the belt, which served for braces, glittered 
 the handle of a rude clasp-knife. The portrait of this 
 worthy may not be very attractive, but it is due to him 
 to state that there was a bluff honesty in his countenance, 
 which forbade the supposition that he was a natural-born 
 villain. 
 
 " Mr. Roughton Captain Marsloops Mr. Mundy," said 
 Mr. Pitt, bowing to one and then to the other, as Harry 
 approached ; " and now to business take a seat Mr. 
 Roughton." The chair stuck to Harry's fingers, as he 
 touched the ditched and greasy back, and the crazy joints 
 creaked as he seated himself. 
 
 Harry felt sick and dizzy. " Why do we meet here?" 
 said he to Mr. Pitt, looking gapishly round the room, and 
 then at the dirty table. 
 
 " Better here than in a more public place," dryly 
 answered Pitt. 
 
 " The gen'lman's rayther squeamish," observed the cap- 
 tain, with a roguish leer at Mr. Mundy, who grinned with 
 ineffable contempt.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 81 
 
 " To business," reiterated Mr. Pitt; "now, captain, what's 
 your share of the plunder?" 
 
 " Master, you know there was seventy bales, and at a 
 pound a bale you can surely reckon what that comes to." 
 
 "A pound a bale!" exclaimed Harry, "that's a heavy 
 freight, isn't it?" 
 
 " The young man's rayther green, master, aint he ?" said 
 the captain with a contemptuous sneer ; " he's got to learn 
 that its quite another thing to do a job over the left, and 
 keep your tongue between your teeth." 
 
 Harry began to fear that the coveted harvest he came to 
 gather at so much pain, would be rudely diminished in the 
 winnowing, and could not help exhibiting some impatience. 
 
 u Hold your tongue, young man," said Marsloops, "my 
 time's precious ; and remember, one word from me would 
 blow you into smithereens in no time; pod down my 
 dobbers, and thank your stars that you've got to deal wi' 
 a straightfor'ard man." 
 
 Eoughton quailed beneath the threat Pitt held out his 
 hand towards Mundy, who, without a word, drew out a 
 canvas bag full of gold and notes. 
 
 " Yellow boys for me," said the captain, adding in an 
 under tone to Pitt," they tell no tales." 
 
 The point of this observation was lost on Harry, and 
 Pitt proceeded to count out seventy sovereigns, which the 
 captain carelessly swept up without re-counting, and lodged 
 them in a leather case ; then, drawing back a step or two, 
 he asked "Any wet on the strength on it?" 
 
 "No," said Pitt, " sober to night, lad." 
 
 " Then I'll mizzle," replied the sailor. 
 
 " Wait a little," said Pitt, " we've something else in the 
 wind." 
 
 " I'm your man then," said the captain, as he folded his 
 arms over his brawny chest and reseated himself* 
 
 F
 
 82 HAKRY ROUGHTON, OB 
 
 Pitt counted the rest of the cash, and replaced it in the 
 bag. 
 
 " Just makes up the 500," said Mundy. 
 
 Pitt nodded assent, and Mr. Mundy withdrew. 
 
 " But he has no receipt," observed Eoughton. 
 
 " No black and white for me, young man ; it's danger- 
 ous," whispered Mundy in a significant tone, as he brushed 
 by Harry's chair and left the room. 
 
 Whereupon Jem and Swiveleye entered, and each re- 
 ceived twenty pounds, and departed without a word. 
 Golightly came next. 
 
 " Well Jack," said Pitt, "you've had fifty you know." 
 
 "Yes," returned Jack; "twenty-five for the fool that 
 pleaded guilty, ten to old Sharpe, five for cas'alties, and 
 five pound apiece to the cabbies, and cheap too ; so there 
 goes the fifty pound, and what's better still, they know no- 
 body but me ; and now my turn if you please." And 
 thereupon Pitt counted him out twenty pounds, which 
 Jack pocketed, and walked off as gay as a lark. 
 
 " And now, Mr. Roughton, all's told, and the balance is 
 ours. First of all, there's your fifty pounds that Jack has 
 just given a good account of, and your half of the rest is 
 one hundred and sixty-five pounds. Pitt counted out the 
 sum in bank notes, observing that they would be more 
 convenient carriage to Mr. Roughton, and thrust the 
 balance of hard cash into his own pockets. 
 
 Roughton clutched the two hundred and fifteen pounds 
 with an insane delight, though he inwardly thanked God 
 that this ugly business was over, and resolved that, as 
 this was his first, it should also be his last venture in so 
 hazardous and demoralizing a speculation. With this 
 laudable resolution, he rose to retire. 
 
 " Hold hard, Harry," said Mr. Pitt, " another word with 
 you ; look upon me as a friend, and take what I have to say
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 83 
 
 in good part. You've had a fair specimen of the sort of 
 men we have to deal with ; dare-devils are necessary evils, 
 arn't they captain?" said Pitt with a cajoling smile. 
 
 "Ay, ay, Sir," grunted Marsloops, as he winked know- 
 ingly at Pitt. 
 
 " Not quite safe, eh! captain, to meet such customers in a 
 dark night after offending 'em?" observed Pitt, and then 
 turning to Roughton, added " And now Harry, my good 
 fellow, what I want to say is, don't you be uncivil to any 
 of these smart lads, for the smartest fellows are often the 
 most resentful." 
 
 Harry felt the force of this homily, and he groaned in- 
 wardly, for he still trembled for his reputation ; and, again 
 screwing up his courage to resist all further importunities 
 which might tend to widen the circle of these inconvenient 
 acquaintances, he once more rose to leave. 
 
 " Hold," said Pitt, " I'd advise you not only to button 
 up your pockets, but to wait till the captain and I are 
 ready. That passage is not the safest in the world for a 
 solitary mortal with two hundred pounds in his pocket." 
 
 Harry recalled the horrors of Cut-throat Lane, which the 
 darkness of a wintry night was not likely to render more 
 inviting, and sat like a statue. 
 
 " Now, Marsloops, I want to know how many bales you 
 could bring in that tub of yours?" asked Pitt. 
 
 " Why, for the matter o' that, let me choose the landing, 
 and I'd bring a thousand as easy as fifty." 
 
 "Well, you could make sure of five hundred at any 
 rate ; that would be close on three thousand pounds' profit, 
 and all expenses paid, anyhow. Now if I could find a 
 friend to join in a job like that, it's worth the venture 
 when could you do it?" 
 
 " I would'nt let these darks go by, or there'll be too 
 much moon for that job."
 
 84 HARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 " Right again, old fellow ! you can depend on your 
 crew?" 
 
 " Reg'lar bricks, every one on 'em you didn't see a 
 soul on 'em this last job, and consequenshally they could'nt 
 see none o' you that's the way to stop 'peaching." 
 
 " Well, three thousand pounds aint to be sneezed at," 
 said Pitt ; " we'll think about it : these little catches cost as 
 much as big ones, and the risk's the same." 
 
 During this colloquy a terrible struggle was going on 
 between Harry's good and evil genius. He clutched his 
 first ill-gotten booty, and, when the two knowing knaves 
 talked as coolly about thousands as hundreds, the rebellious 
 spirit of evil began to gain the mastery over his better 
 judgment. His cupidity was again excited, and in spite 
 of his good resolutions, Harry felt piqued that they did 
 not ask him to join. Having endured so much for a 
 paltry one hundred and fifty pounds, he could not suffer 
 more for thousands. " One may as well be hanged for a 
 sheep as a lamb," thought he; with a thousand or two 
 more, he could quit the place, and cut his hateful associates. 
 Pitt saw it all, but spoke not, and, when they rose to go, 
 Harry said, " Well, if you venture again just give me the 
 chance that's all." Pitt scarcely vouchsafed a reply ; they 
 descended the narrow stairs, and strolled arm-in-arm down 
 the wretched lane, watching every opening with eager 
 eyes as they passed. Having gained the main street, the 
 captain whispered a few hasty words in Pitt's ear, took his 
 leave, and disappeared in the darkness. Roughton and 
 Pitt pursued the opposite route in sullen silence, till they 
 reached the corner of the street at which the roads to their 
 respective homes diverged, when Pitt, in a low but patron- 
 izing tone, said " Just take care of that cash now. Look 
 the notes over, and if you find any names scribbled on 'em 
 just scratch a pen over 'em or convert 'em a bit."
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 85 
 
 "Convert 'em?" asked Harry; "what d'ye mean?" 
 
 " Why, names are easily convertible ; turn Barnes into 
 Barnesly; Pitt, into Bitteston; or Hunt, into Hunter ; Pain, 
 into Kaintree ; and so on. It would bother the scribbler to 
 identify a note by a name so bedevilled, or to swear who 
 he got it from but, hark you! I'll tell you something 
 better still ; if a neighbour sends in a five or ten pound note 
 for change, or to pay a bill, always have a few of those 
 rogues handy ; just substitute one for the other slily, and 
 pitch it over to that young greenhorn of yours, to write 
 your neighbour's name on it a proper precaution against 
 fraud you know and I'll warrant he'll swear by it as com- 
 ing in the regular way of business ; and no matter who has 
 to account for its acquisition, so long as Sawney Sandys 
 keeps you clear, and, if it turns out a forgery, why the loss 
 is'nt yours you know. They should never catch a weasel 
 asleep ; so keep your eyes open, and look out for squalls." 
 Having delivered himself of this sage counsel, Mr. Pitt 
 abruptly quitted his companion, leaving him to pursue his 
 journey homewards, and to ruminate over the mystery of 
 wickedness which every moment appeared to thicken 
 around him. "Humble independence, ay, honest poverty," 
 suggested his good angel, " is easier to be borne than the 
 yoke of crime;" but he again convulsively clutched the 
 accursed booty in his pocket and banished the reflection. 
 
 He found his wife anxiously waiting his return. " Jane, 
 my love," said he, in a tone of affected cheerfulness, at 
 which her eyes sparkled with a momentary pleasure, 
 " there's two hundred and fifteen pounds, and two-thirds' 
 clear profit," and, with these words, he threw the bank 
 notes upon the table. 
 
 Her eyes fell mechanically upon the odious scraps of 
 paper, and she mournfully replied, " Peace of mind is a 
 rich treasure, to barter for so much sordid gain."
 
 86 HAUUY KOUGIITON. 
 
 His cheek flushed, and thrusting the notes back into 
 his pocket, he petulantly exclaimed " You're never satis- 
 fied, but I'll go for more next time, and see what you'll 
 say then." 
 
 He little dreamt how soon this rash resolve would be 
 put to the test. 

 
 
 CHAPTEK XIV. 
 
 " He wound snares round me ; flung along my path 
 Reptiles, whom, in my youth, I would have spurned 
 Even from my presence ; but in spurning now, 
 Fill only with fresh venom." BYRON. 
 
 As opportunity served, Roughton busied himself with the 
 scrutiny of the questionable notes that represented his ill- 
 gotten gains. A few misgivings as to the prudence of 
 putting them into circulation, detracted somewhat from 
 their value. Some recollections of the cunning with which 
 Captain Marsloops and Pitt had secured to themselves the 
 gold which " tells no tales," excited an occasional flash of 
 anger in his breast; but the "black and white" which 
 Mundy so bluntly repudiated, had been by the adroit 
 manoeuvres of his trusty friends shuffled upon Harry, 
 and he must make the best of it. He recalled the crafty 
 counsel of the artful Mr. Pitt; and, as he laid his plans 
 for giving effect to those subtle devices by which he could 
 throw off the scent from himself, should any future attempt 
 be made to trace those notes to him, the genius of that 
 worthy rose greatly in his perverted estimation. He 
 began to find a real pleasure in the exercise of that dia- 
 bolical ingenuity in which the veriest thief rejoices, when 
 proficiency in crime enables him to weave a net-work of 
 mischief round the innocent to avert suspicion from his 
 guilty self.
 
 88 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 With these exceptions, and a few brief and painful alter- 
 cations and recriminations "between Harry and his wife, the 
 hours rolled along, and something of the serenity, but not 
 the confidence, which formerly reigned in that once happy 
 home, was restored. At early dawn on Thursday, while 
 Sandys was occupied with his usual avocations taking- 
 down the shutters and sweeping the shop his movements 
 were narrowly watched by a pair of twinkling eyes which 
 cunningly peered from the depths of a passage on the oppo- 
 site side of the street. Presently, as Sandys was about to 
 apply himself to the lighting of the little stove, the owner 
 of those eyes stealthily emerged from his lurking-place, 
 and, in the guise of a mendicant, approached the shop 
 door, telling in whining accents a tale of woe. 
 
 Sandys gazed with mute compassion on the miserable 
 lad who, barefooted and in rags and tatters, stood trembling 
 in the cold. Sandys having no money of his own about 
 him, sorrowfully replied " My lad, I have nothing for you; " 
 but the beggar entreated him to ask for a trifle from his 
 master, who, he was sure, would not refuse him the value 
 of a penny loaf. 
 
 During this interval Mr. Roughton entered the shop, 
 and was about to eject the intruder, on hearing him repeat 
 his petition for something to eat. 
 
 " Please, Sir," ejaculated the boy, " please, Sir, you 
 know'd me once ; I used to work for Mr. Pitt." 
 
 Harry started, and looking steadfastly at the upturned 
 face, recognized his youthful ally Golightly; but with sud- 
 den presence of mind, resuming his angry tone, and winking 
 as he spoke, said " Be off, be off! you are an impostor," 
 and affected to lay hands upon him, hoping that if he were 
 the bearer of any written communication from Pitt, a chance 
 of delivering it, unseen by Sandys, would thus be afforded. 
 
 Tin lad still implored relief, and pointed to his shoeless
 
 KEMIN1SCEXCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 89 
 
 feet with a well-feigned shiver. Harry drew "back, and 
 suddenly turning to Sandys, said 
 
 " Well, the young vagrant is badly off for shoe leather ; 
 there is an old pair of mine under the stairs, go and fetch 
 them." 
 
 Sandys obeyed with alacrity, and no sooner was his back 
 turned, than Jack announced that Pitt had entered on a 
 " stunning job ;" and as Mr. Roughton wished to be in for a 
 thousand or two, he'd give him the chance, and they would 
 meet at his house that very night to settle their plans. 
 
 " At my house !" exclaimed Harry. 
 
 "Yes," replied Jack, "never twice at the same place; 
 so at seven o'clock look out." 
 
 At this moment Sandys returned from a hopeless search, 
 and Rough ton, observing him empty-handed, said " Well, 
 perhaps they have been thrown away, never mind ; here's 
 sixpence for you ; be off, and never let me see you here 
 again." 
 
 Jack thanked him, and folding his arms after the most 
 approved mendicant fashion, crawled away. 
 
 " I hate beggars," said Roughton, " but there's no know- 
 ing whether they are deserving. or not; has he ever tried 
 it on here before, Sandys '?" 
 
 " Not since I've been here ; I never set eyes on him 
 till now," replied Sandys. 
 
 Harry was satisfied, and went back to the sitting-room. 
 
 " Jane," said Harry, as he sat down to breakfast " I 
 shall want this room to-night at seven o'clock ; so you'd 
 better have a bit of fire in your bed-room." 
 
 Jane looked intently at him, and asked who was coming, 
 and why she might not be present ? 
 
 " Why, because you're so confoundedly squeamish, and 
 I fancy you would'nt enjoy the company I may have, and 
 1 do'nt exactly know yet who may come."
 
 90 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 Jane grew pale, as the worst fears rose to her rnind. 
 
 " Harry," said she, " I hope that hateful Pitt will not 
 be one of them. I could bear with any one rather than 
 that man. I implore you to have nothing more to do with 
 him." 
 
 A scowl came over Harry's face as he replied " He may 
 or he may not be here, and you will just leave me to make 
 my own arrangements, and I'll not interfere with yours ; 
 but understand, your company to-night will be better dis- 
 pensed with." 
 
 Jane said no more, the conversation dropped, and her 
 heart beat rapidly in fearful foreboding of some new evil. 
 
 Roughton by no means relished the idea of having his 
 own residence selected, without his consent, as the rendez- 
 vous for a set of designing villains ; and much as he had 
 gone through, he had never realized so fully as at that 
 moment, how hopelessly he was in their power, and to what 
 a.depth of degradation he had brought himself by an un- 
 holy league with such unscrupulous characters. 
 
 With the fear of exposure before his eyes, he lacked 
 the courage to rid himself of their companionship, and 
 trembled as the conviction came over him, that there were 
 those amongst the band who would not hesitate, if offended, 
 to betray him to glut their vengeance, even at the price of 
 their own liberty. He felt that they had no reputation to 
 lose, whilst, by association with them, he was imperilling 
 his own fair fame. He looked again with greedy eyes 
 upon his roll of notes, endeavoured to find some compensa- 
 tion for the misery he endured in the contemplation of still 
 higher gains, and applied to his own case the questionable 
 consolation which the novice in crime derives from the 
 hackneyed adage, "As well be hanged for a sheep as a 
 lamb." 
 
 Whilst those thoughts were flashing through his distem-
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 91 
 
 pered brain, conscience still struggled with him, and lie 
 with it. 
 
 " Seven o'clock !" said he to himself; " why that is the 
 hour for the Rector's meeting ; but I could not have shown 
 myself there with any comfort, even if these fellows had 
 not pinned me down for to-night. But what if the Rector 
 should, as he sometimes does, call for me on his way?" 
 
 Roughton felt there was, despite his unjust suspicion of 
 Sandys, an honesty about the lad which forbade the idea of 
 asking him to tell a lie. He could not say " Sandys, if the 
 rector calls this evening, tell him I am gone from home." 
 Still something must be done, for, far gone as he was in 
 crime and deception, he was not yet proof against the 
 shame of being discovered in such disreputable company at 
 a moment when, but for his recent lapse from the path of 
 rectitude, he \vmild have been first and foremost in a better 
 cause. 
 
 Recollections of the satisfaction and consolation he had 
 always derived from his habitual co-operation with the 
 rector in works of charity, presented themselves to his 
 mind, but the taste or inclination for such pursuits appeared 
 to have lost their hold upon him, and he began to conceive 
 some dislike even to the rector himself, much as he shrunk 
 from exposure to his disapprobation. 
 
 " I must get rid of him," said Roughton; and seizing his 
 pen he wrote a hasty note, in which was inclosed a sove- 
 reign ; and having sealed and addressed it, desired Sandys 
 to run to the rector's and leave it, without waiting for an 
 answer. Scarcely had Sandys got half way up the street, 
 before a feeling of compunction arose in Roughton's breast, 
 and for the moment he repented, but it was too late. He 
 almost unconsciously applied to himself the odious epithet 
 "hypocrite," and then with an indomitable resolution to 
 brave it out, he struck up a stave of an old favourite song,
 
 92 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OK 
 
 banished what he called childish scruples, sought imaginary 
 peace in occupation, and so whiled away the hours till the 
 almost dreaded evening came. 
 
 Punctually as the clock struck seven Mr. Pitt appeared, 
 and without ceremony passed through the shop and entered 
 the sitting-room. There sat Jane, who had made up her 
 mind, come what would, to remain down stairs, and endea- 
 vour by the gentle restraint of her presence to guard Harry 
 against falling into any snare that might await him ; but 
 the instant her eyes met those of Pitt, she turned away 
 with an unconquerable feeling of repugnance, seized the 
 only lighted candle in the room, and retired to her desolate 
 chamber. 
 
 Presently Roughton entered, accompanied by old Jem, 
 Swiveleye, and the discarded servant of old farmer Brooks. 
 Jack Goli'ghtly, though not one of the party, hovered like 
 an evil genius about the locality, carefully noting every 
 person who passed to and fro along the adjacent pathways. 
 Roughton's entrance into the room was greeted by a brut- 
 ish laugh from Mr. Pitt, and a coarse observation on Mrs. 
 Roughton's unceremonious departure with the candle, 
 which he was pleased to designate " the little devil's 
 impudence " expressions which, had they been used by 
 the same or any other spokesman a fortnight before, would 
 have met with no other response than an indignant blow 
 in the face ; for, notwithstanding Roughton's natural 
 amiability of temper, an insult to his devoted wife w^ould 
 have roused his anger to the highest pitch. And yet, now 
 that his brutal associations had ruined that temper, and 
 rendered him what is called a desperate man, he did 
 not show, whatever he might have felt, the least symp- 
 tom of resentment, but on the contrary, exhibited a sort of 
 contemptuous acquiescence in the insult to his innocent 
 wife.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 93 
 
 The business of the evening was soon opened, and as 
 speedily despatched. " It's all right this time,' ' said Swivel- 
 eye ; " I've seen Jimmy, and he'll make sure of the coast 
 guard, step in hisself at the nick of time, with just one 
 man, and seize the goods, then wink at our escape, and go 
 snacks with us in the reward." 
 
 " Who's Jimmy?" asked Koughton. 
 
 " Jimmy ? why, Cinderow to be sure ! Don't you see, if 
 we can only make it all right with a customs' officer, there's 
 no risk, or next to none, and that's our game this time." 
 
 Roughton looked first at one and then another in puzzled 
 amazement, and waited further disclosures to solve his diffi- 
 culty. 
 
 " Well," said Pitt, " four tons, say 2000, duty included ; 
 Jimmy gets half as seizing officer, that's 1000; and what'll 
 he stand out o' that, if we put it in his hands without any 
 trouble? I don't think that'll pay very well anyhow." 
 
 But Swiveleye, with a look of sinister sagacity more 
 easily imagined than described, expressed his surprise that 
 Pitt couldn't see further than that, and forthwith offered 
 an explanation, which was received with greedy delight by 
 his attentive listeners. He apprised them that he had 
 approached Cinderow with due caution, broaching the mat- 
 ter by very mysterious hints that he, Swiveleye, was up to 
 something likely soon to come off, but did not think it 
 worth his while to fish out and inform about other folks 
 unless he could see his way, and then dropped the subject, 
 leaving Jimmy to " chew the cud," as he called it, and seek 
 him if the bait should take. 
 
 Cinderow's cupidity had got the mastery over him, and 
 he did seek Swiveleye, who thus described the result 
 
 " I told him if he'd stand half what he got by the job, 
 I'd do my best to learn and let him into the secret. He 
 offered me a third, but I told him I wouldn't stand that ;
 
 94 IIARIIY KOUGI1TOX, OR 
 
 and the harder I drove the bargain, the more anxious 
 he was, and at last says he " I'm your man ; honour 
 bright between us." Since then I've been with him 
 every night telling him little bits at a time, as if I'd just 
 picked up the information now and then, and I've only 
 polished him off within the last two hours." 
 
 Pitt mused over this communication with evident satis- 
 faction, and at last exclaimed "Well, doctor, you're a 
 trump, and no mistake ; Roughton and Jem and our new 
 friend must know all, so you may as well out with it and 
 let's know how we're to do the main business, if he's to 
 have forty or fifty bales only." 
 
 Swiveleye proceeded to explain that that was only a 
 blind for Cinderow, that he had worked on his fears and his 
 avarice to make sure of getting the coast clear of the patrol, 
 which nobody could do so well as a customs' officer, whom 
 the coast guard would not suspect : " So you see," said 
 Swiveleye, " we shall have a sham for them ; land, say, 
 twenty bales in one place to amuse Jimmy and his man, 
 and run the rest in three or four other places while he is 
 occupied with his fancied prize, that's my way to get half 
 of what lie gets, and all the rest clear, and then we shan't 
 have much cause to complain of the swag." 
 
 Pitt's eyes glistened with fiendish joy. Old Jem, after 
 having listened attentively, and weighed every word, ex- 
 claimed in a bluff but satisfied tone " It'll do, doctor, it'll 
 do ; and the gen'l'men may leave the rest to you and me, 
 and Wakeful." The latter grinned his satisfaction, and, 
 as his significant clincher of the proposed plan of oper- 
 ations, brought down his brawny knuckles on the table 
 with a rap that would have done justice to an auctioneer's 
 hammer. 
 
 "Well," said Pitt, "you know this comes off to-morrow 
 night ; the captain will lay-to near the broad cliffs, within
 
 
 RE5IIXI3CENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 95 
 
 signal distance, half an hour after sun-down. Does Jimmy 
 know the time?" 
 
 " Know the time ? no ! nor the place neither yet," said 
 Swiveleye. " I promised to let him know as soon as I could 
 make out for certain ; but I don't trust him with that part 
 of the secret, until he has no time to do more than I advise; 
 and when old Jem and I have settled our plans, I must 
 leave him and Golightly and Wakeful to carry 'em out 
 with the help of Mr. Roughton and yourself, Mr. Pitt ; for 
 I shall go sneaking there with Cinderow, as a dirty informer 
 against our own goods; and the joke of it is, I've persuaded 
 him that old Garten, who went last week in his smack to 
 Jersey, is the smuggler. Won't he watch old Garten's 
 place pretty closely?" 
 
 A roar of laughter greeted this accomplished piece of 
 perfidy and hypocrisy. Scarcely had the noisy chorus 
 subsided, when the door opened, and in mute astonish- 
 ment at the heterogeneous gathering, the rector stood before 
 them. Harry turned pale as death, and immediately rising, 
 hurried to the door; and signalling the rector into the 
 shop, followed him, to make the best of his discomfiture. 
 
 To gain a moment's time for the invention of some new 
 lie, which he felt to be inevitable, he waited for the rector 
 to commence the conversation. 
 
 " Mr. Roughton," said the rector with a frigid politeness, 
 " I called in my way from the meeting, to report progress 
 to Mrs. Eoughton, thinking that the result might be grati- 
 fying to her and to you, and to thank you for your note, its 
 inclosure, and the interest you expressed in the good cause ; 
 but I must now request you to take back that sovereign, 
 and-" 
 
 Here Mr. Eoughton. interrupted him, and with an assur- 
 ance that he had arrived at an uncharitable conclusion, 
 though the company in which he found him might justify
 
 96 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 suspicion ; then raising his voice, that the scoundrels within 
 might catch a word or two, he added " The fact is, Sir, 
 having just returned home, I found these people the pony 
 race committee waiting to request my patronage to their 
 races, and to ask me to let Jane's famous little pony run 
 for the subscription stakes! My refusal of this absurd 
 request, and the terms in which I couched it had just 
 excited the rude and provoking burst of laughter which 
 your entry interrupted." 
 
 The rector looked incredulously at the speaker, and was 
 about to reply when Pitt passed through the shop, and 
 obsequiously taking his hat off to the rector, said " Then 
 we are not to have the little grey?" 
 
 " No, certainly not," retorted Mr. Roughton in a decisive 
 tone. 
 
 " Well," rejoined Pitt, " I see no harm in a little amuse- 
 ment for the people, and I don't think the rector himself 
 will gainsay that some folks are too squeamish, and so I'll 
 wish you good night." 
 
 Harry breathed again, and, with a well-assumed coldness, 
 bade Pitt good night, but intimated that, as he had nothing 
 else to say, it would be more agreeable if he would take his 
 committee with him. 
 
 " Very well," sulkily replied Pitt, returning to the room, 
 where some loud talking ensued, not very complimentary 
 to Mr. Eoughton and what they called his methodistical 
 notions. Parts of this discussion caught the ears of the 
 rector, who, in the honest simplicity of his charitable dis- 
 position, was for the moment blinded by the appearance 
 that matters had so naturally assumed, and, making a 
 hasty apology for his previous insinuations, retired. 
 
 This was the signal for renewed mirth. Harry was 
 complimented on his adroitness at humbugging a parson, 
 and Pitt upon his skill in striking the nail on the head.
 
 ' 
 
 Tin 
 
 A A 
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 97 
 
 They esteemed themselves lucky that they had no grog on 
 the table a hint upon which spirits were introduced ; and 
 after a jolly carouse of an hour and a half, they parted, each 
 to inature his plans for conducting his own share in the 
 coming expedition.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 ' Swift-gliding mists the dusky fields invade, 
 To thieves more grateful than the midnight shade." 
 
 POPE: HOMER. 
 
 ' Remember whom yon are to cope withal 
 A sort of vagabonds, rascals, and runaways." 
 
 SHAKSPEARE'S Ric. III. 
 
 NOTHING is more cheering to the good people of England 
 than a bright sunrise. It is difficult therefore to conceive 
 that anyone should find a particular cause for rejoicing in 
 the advent of a cold, wet, murky day. Yet such was the 
 morning of that Friday, the evening of which was devoted 
 by Roughton and his associates to their seaside excursion, 
 and they greeted it with delight. Portentous clouds, and 
 heavy wreaths of grey mist and fog, loomed far and wide 
 through the atmosphere, obscuring the sun, whose rays 
 struggled hopelessly to penetrate the dense curtain which 
 hung like a pall over the horizon. All nature assumed 
 a sad and gloomy aspect ; the drizzling rain, scarcely 
 distinguishable from the surrounding haze, fell incessantly, 
 to the discomfort of every luckless traveller whom neces- 
 sity compelled to brave the inclemency of the weather. 
 To whatever point of the compass he might turn his eye, 
 no promise presented itself of any improvement in the 
 dreary scene ; yet, there were not wanting reckless spirits 
 hardy enough to rejoice in the contemplation of it men 
 who, loving " darkness rather than light," revelled in the
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 99 
 
 prospect of that which to other minds suggested only 
 wretchedness and discomfort. 
 
 Old Jem, Pitt, Golightly, and WaKeful were up and 
 stirring ; to each had been assigned an active part in the 
 preparations for the coming night. Swiveleye had chalked 
 out his own stealthy course, and leaving the other worthies 
 to the more active operations of the day, we will follow 
 for a brief space the crooked paths of the doctor. 
 
 He knew that about four o'clock his new friend Cinderow 
 would retire from the routine duties of the day to his cot- 
 tage in the terrace overlooking the quay, and resolved not 
 to obtrude upon him with any show of anxiety, but was 
 equally determined, by some seeming accident, to fall in 
 with him. He took his station under a gateway by which 
 Cinderow would pass towards home, that he might keep a 
 vigilant look-out for his approach. At length the officer 
 appeared in view, and Swiveleye waited until Cinderow 
 came within about twenty yards of his retreat, when he 
 sallied forth as though he neither saw nor thought of the 
 officer, and bent his steps towards the quay. Cinderow's eye 
 was upon him, but he quickened not his pace. Swiveleye 
 reached the corner of the terrace ; but instead of turning 
 towards the officer's residence, he leisurely took the opposite 
 direction. Cinderow paused. " What," thought he, " is 
 the meaning of this ? I made sure he was making for my 
 house ; I must not lose him ; " and then hastily consult- 
 ing a memorandum book which he drew from his pocket, 
 observed that there was no mistake as to the time, unless 
 the rascals had changed their plans. Again hesitating, his 
 first impulse was to hail the doctor, but a moment's reflec- 
 tion suggested that it might attract attention at a time 
 when secrecy was advisable ; and, starting off at a tolerable 
 pace in the direction taken by Swiveleye, he at length 
 came up with him.
 
 100 HARUY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 " Hey ! doctor, is that you ? " said he, as if in doubt. 
 
 Swiveleye turned with a well-affected start, and observed 
 inquiringly " Who'd ha' thought of seeing you here, Mr. 
 Cinderow '? " 
 
 "Oh, I was just going on to the watch-house for a 
 moment, but it is not of much consequence ; " adding in a 
 careless tone" Well, have you heard any more of that 
 job?" 
 
 Swiveleye looked him in the face, and said " Yes, but 
 it's a poor little go ; I don't think it's much worth looking 
 after, so I thought I wouldn't bother you or myself any 
 more about it; you see I might get into trouble by 
 meddling with other folk's concerns, without doing either 
 you or me any good." With these words he affected to 
 move on. 
 
 Cinderow was piqued by this unexpected check upon his 
 greedy anticipations, but did not choose to relinquish his 
 game, if a seizure, however trivial, could be secured ; so 
 he stopped the doctor again, and begged he would follow 
 him to his house, adding " In about ten minutes ; No. 4, 
 you know." Cinderow then turned homeward. Seated in 
 his little parlour, he waited impatiently the arrival of the 
 doctor. Half an hour elapsed, and no Swiveleye appeared. 
 Cinderow began to suspect some treachery ; and, as angry 
 emotions succeeded to impatience, he resolved to sally out 
 in search of the culprit, when his ear caught the sound of a 
 gentle tap at the door. Cinderow flew to open it, and 
 ushered in the doctor, who, with an air of indifference, 
 accounted by some commonplace explanations, for his Avant 
 of punctuality in keeping his appointment. The two men 
 seated themselves opposite to each other, and Cinderow 
 resumed the subject he had at heart, by inquiring, in a 
 tone of seeming heedlessness, whether the little job the 
 doctor had before spoken of was a hoax.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 101 
 
 " Well, not exactly that," replied Swiveleye ; " "but, as 
 far as I can make out, they're not going to have a regular 
 haul ; it's only a few bales of leaf and stalk they expect to 
 put overside from a lugger, and run ashore in one of her own 
 boats, with a pair of hands at most ; and it's my belief they 
 mean to stow it in some of them cliff-holes till the coast's 
 clear enough to fetch it away safely." 
 
 Cinderow mused for a moment, and then suddenly put 
 the question, "Who are the parties, doctor? " 
 
 " Nay," replied Swiveleye, " I told you from the first I 
 wouldn't blow them ; it's as much as my life's worth, and 
 I'm suspected already." 
 
 " Suspected by whom ? " 
 
 " Why, you see, I chanced to fall in with one of Garten's 
 men and two of his chums, at the { Blue Boar ; ' so I slunk 
 into a corner, unobserved, and shammed a nap, while their 
 tongues was running pretty freely, and " here he checked 
 himself, and Cinderow, burning with curiosity, urged him 
 on ; but the doctor, affecting to have gone too far, said 
 " No ; I've let out more now than I meant or ought ; they 
 saw me as I left the room, and if you and me are seen 
 together I may get in for it, and for the little chance I see 
 of getting anything, I should be better out of it." 
 
 This well-sustained appearance of reluctance was pro- 
 voking enough ; but Cinderow persevered, interlarding his 
 questions and observations with flattering promises, to 
 which the doctor coyly yielded ; and having coaxed a 
 couple of sovereigns on account out of Cinderow, under 
 pretence of procuring the means for carrying off the seizure, 
 he left Cinderow preparing to start in an hour and a half's 
 time to the scene of action, within a quarter of a mile of 
 which Swiveleye was to be in waiting with a light cart 
 and horse, and a trusty driver. Half-past eight was under- 
 stood to be the hour of landing ; the spot was clearly
 
 102 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 defined ; their signals of communication agreed upon ; and, 
 by a piece of cunning for which Cinderow gave the doctor 
 great credit, instructions were to be despatched by Cinderow 
 to the coast guard, to point their attention towards Mort- 
 lake Head, in the direction of Beacon Point, with a view 
 to divert them from the real landing-place, and thus prevent 
 them, as Swiveleye shrewdly hinted, from dropping in and 
 sharing the booty, which he still doggedly maintained was 
 little enough for themselves, if they got it all. This eager- 
 ness to shut out all participation strengthened Cinderow's 
 belief in the doctor's sincerity. 
 
 The better to comprehend these arrangements and the 
 sequel, a brief description of the locality may be useful, 
 particularly with reference to the spots indicated, and their 
 relative bearings to, and means of access from, the town. 
 
 The broad river which runs from the town to the sea 
 forms an acute angle with the 1 coast ; the strip of land, 
 which divides the two, extending some fifteen or twenty 
 miles in length, and jutting down to the point, known as 
 Beacon Point, where the river discharges itself into the 
 blue water. So that to cross this narrow strip of land on 
 any decent pair of wheels, with even a sorry horse, would 
 not be the work of much more than an hour; whilst a 
 vessel of first-rate sailing qualities, with ever so favourable 
 a wind, could not thread her way through the foul sands 
 and mud banks, double the Point, and make the place of 
 intended landing under several hours. 
 
 The little revenue cutter, the Wasp, was then lying at 
 anchor in the river, just below the town. Alive to all this, 
 and knowing it to be his duty to give the earliest intima- 
 tion to the water-guard of any smuggling transaction on 
 the coast, Cinderow laid his plans accordingly. He 
 first despatched a note to the commander of the Wasp, 
 apprising him of " a run " likely to be effected round
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 103 
 
 the Point, somewhere near Mortlake Head, of the pre- 
 cise particulars of which he was not in possession, and 
 urging him to get the cutter under way with all speed ; 
 at the same time stating his intention to proceed by land, 
 to co-operate with him and the coast guard on the spot, 
 with whom, as he pretended, to save the commander a 
 moment's trouble and delay, he would himself communi- 
 cate at. once. He then addressed an artful communication 
 to our old friend the bulky lieutenant at the station, care- 
 fully directing his attention towards the Point, and the 
 vicinity of Mortlake Head ; urging him to be there with 
 all hands by half-past eight at latest, and lie in wait for 
 a prize. 
 
 Having sent off these missives, he put on an extra coat, 
 an oilskin cape, and waterproof hat, sauntered off into the 
 town, procured a horse and gig, called for one of his 
 subordinates in the service, and proceeded with him in the 
 direction indicated by his very worthy informer, and right- 
 trusty ally the doctor ; who, accompanied by an active 
 lad as his charioteer, had preceded Cinderow in a cart.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 " And now the thicken'd sky, 
 Like a dark ceiling, stood. Down rushed the rain 
 Impetuous, and continu'd till the earth 
 No more was seen. The floating vessel swam, 
 Uplifted ; and secure with beaked prow 
 Rode tilting o'er the waves." MILTON. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the rain fell in torrents, it did not damp the 
 spirit of adventure which animated the smugglers, nor shake 
 the determination of the avaricious officer to pounce upon 
 his prey. These various parties approached the scene of 
 operations by separate routes and at different times ; the 
 object of the chief actors being to avoid premature contact, 
 and, by assembling in small knots, to escape observation. 
 The doctor and his companions protected themselves as 
 best they could from the pitiless storm ; the former wrapt in 
 an old cloak, that might perchance have been at one time blue, 
 or black, or brown, or bottle-green, but whatever its original 
 colour, it now partook of those various hues, and, saturated 
 with wet, clung to his lath-like figure in dank and drooping 
 folds. His companion was attired as a waggoner's lad, 
 with a sack thrown across his shoulders, in true* country 
 fashion, to serve the purpose of a cape, whilst a slouched 
 wide-awake, pulled well over his sharp piercing eyes, gave 
 a grotesque character to his rustic costume. Comfortless as 
 Swiveleye looked, in comparison with his companion, his 
 mind was actively occupied with the object of their journey,
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 105 
 
 of which his charioteer was fully cognizant, and many were 
 the schemes they discussed for " hocussing the harpy," as 
 they denominated the ingenious process of deluding an 
 officer. 
 
 " Now, supposing the bait we've thrown into Jimmy's 
 hands should'nt satisfy him, and he gets scent of the other 
 lots?" said the doctor. 
 
 " Oh, trust me for bamboozling him," replied the lad ; 
 " even if I run you down a bit to gain his confidence." 
 
 Whilst planning this little conspiracy, they reached the 
 corner of the narrow road which branched off towards 
 the beach, and, having made the turn, they proceeded 
 along this bye-lane until they came to a road-side dingle, 
 where they drew up, according to prearrangement, and 
 awaited the arrival of Cinderow and his man. The former, 
 protected by an oilskin cape, and the latter by a water- 
 proof pilot-coat and sou'-wester, experienced little discom- 
 fort from the rain ; but neither felt quite at ease as to the 
 good faith of their dubious informer. 
 
 Cinderow taxed the ingenuity of his man to divine who 
 were Swiveleye's accomplices, or rather principals in this 
 transaction ; for he was sure the fellow was a tool in other 
 hands. " Do you think the Gartens have anything to do 
 with it?" said he. 
 
 " I rayther think not," replied the man ; " for I heard 
 only this afternoon as how the parson should say as he'd 
 seen old Pitt and Swiveleye, and another or two, at Master 
 Roughton's the other night ; and I'm rayther queered to 
 make out what they could be there for, without they'n 
 draw'd him into this job." 
 
 After a short pause, Cinderow, as if talking to himself, 
 repeated aloud " Eoughton ! Eoughton ! Why, I saw 
 him only a few days ago, with one of Pitt's gang, 
 near the Blue Boar ; " and then, recalling the doctor's
 
 106 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 subtle story of the pretended conversation at that haunt of 
 smugglers, his confidence in the main features of his infor- 
 mant's story was, with due allowance for Swiveleye's 
 natural desire to avert suspicion from the real parties, some- 
 what restored. He resolved upon his course of action ; 
 observing, that as Roughton was a new hand, and full of 
 money, he must be led on, and that if they came across him 
 they must let him go unscathed, as it wouldn't do to " kill 
 the goose that laid the golden eggs," before getting a 
 good hatch or two. 
 
 Scarcely had he concluded these sage reflections before 
 they approached the doctor's hiding-place. Descending 
 from the gig, Cinderow walked straight to the spot, his 
 narrow hatchet-face and twinkling eyes exhibiting, as he 
 peered into the obscurity beyond, that expression of cun- 
 ning which had procured for him the soubriquet of " the 
 rat." Standing bolt upright, under the shelter of a tree, 
 was the object of his search. The long dark cloak clinging 
 to his gaunt figure, the dirty-white neckcloth, the black 
 hat soaked with rain, and the cadaverous countenance of 
 the doctor, gave him the melancholy appearance of some 
 broken-down undertaker, or manager of a bankrupt funeral 
 company, rather than that of a professional smuggler ; 
 nevertheless there was no mistaking the man. Cinderow 
 at once abruptly opened the conversation with the point- 
 blank query " Where's Roughton ? " 
 
 The doctor gave an involuntary start. 
 
 " It's no use gammoning me," said Cinderow; " so out 
 with it ; you see I know all about it." 
 
 Taken by surprise, Swiveleye half believed him, and 
 trimmed accordingly. " Well, Master Cinderow," said he, 
 " I may as well be outspoken at once ; but arter all, you 
 know, a man isn't expected to blow himself and his friends 
 too ; Mr. Roughton has a feeling in it, and that's the truth,
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 107 
 
 but the tub's mine ; they'd bribed my captain, and I warned 
 him to anchor a distance off the shore, and put the stuff 
 out with a boat, so you can't touch the Phoebus. As they 
 took liberties with my sloop, it's all fair to get a share of 
 her earnings ; so you see it isn't all for love of you that 
 I let you into the secret." 
 
 Cinderow felt the force of all this, barring a strong doubt 
 as to Swiveleye's ownership of the " tub," as he called the 
 Phoebus, but resolved not to trust him an inch ; and, calling 
 the waggoner's lad aside, asked him whether he knew what 
 he was come for. 
 
 ""Well, I dunna know justly," replied the lad in a 
 tone of honest stupidity ; " but I reckon it's some'at o'er 
 the left." 
 
 Cinderow, calculating on the raw simplicity of the rustic, 
 pumped him with questions to worm out the doctor's secrets; 
 and was for the most part satisfied with the result, until the 
 lad inquired with a naive simplicity whether he should 
 come to any harm if the stuff was walked off by the folks 
 on the road home. 
 
 " What made you think of that ? " asked Cinderow im- 
 patiently. 
 
 " Why," said he, timidly glancing over his shoulder and 
 lowering his voice, " that gen'lman in the long cloak told 
 me it might be 5 in our pockets if we left the stuff some- 
 wheres on the road and swore it was reskied." 
 
 "Rescued, eh? the villain!" muttered Cinderow; "a 
 pretended rescue, eh ? So the cunning scamp thinks to 
 make a tool o' me and a fool of you, does he ? Mark me, 
 my lad, do as I tell you, or you may swing for it ; don't 
 quit that cart when we've once got the goods aboard, and 
 keep your tongue still." Then, suddenly turning round, 
 he walked off, saying to himself" Trust me for letting 
 that stuff out of my sight when I once get hold of it."
 
 108 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 This soliloquy did not escape the ears of the rustic, who 
 slunk back to the doctor's side. Cinderow summoned his 
 man to bring on the gig to the inn, called out to Swiveleye 
 and his companion to remain quiet ; and, driving off, he left 
 the doctor to the undisturbed enjoyment of the young scape- 
 grace's account of his confab with Jimmy, and the success 
 it promised. 
 
 As all the actors in this nightly drama were by this time 
 converging towards the stage on which it was to be acted, 
 a glance at the spot may serve the better to explain their 
 movements. 
 
 Right ahead, in the direction taken by Cinderow, was the 
 Oldburgh Cliff, where he anticipated effecting the seizure; 
 a little to the left, but half a mile inland, was the " Ship 
 and Anchor," to which he despatched his man with the gig; 
 a little further to the left, along the beach, was a small 
 creek called the " Devil's Grip," not far short of the coast 
 guard station ; then some three quarters of a mile to the 
 right of the Oldburgh Cliff, was a rugged pass, known as 
 " Deadman's Nook," defiling rather precipitously from the 
 greensward to the shingle; and again, between two and 
 three miles further on, stands Mortlake Cliff, previously 
 alluded to as the locality to which the attention of the bluff 
 lieutenant had been directed. To this latter place, smarting 
 under his recent defeat on the same line of coast, the hot- 
 headed commander, reeking for revenge, but with more 
 valour than discretion, had, upon receipt of Cinderow's 
 missive, hurried from his station, collecting and taking 
 with him all his available force. They arrived a full half 
 hour before any of the parties, except one, appeared upon 
 the field, and in that one he was destined, in the sequel, to 
 discover an old acquaintance. Cautiously approaching the 
 indicated spot, he directed his men to drop gently down 
 the rugged steps of the cliff, and lie close, while he crouched
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 109 
 
 just below the edge, on a projecting point, sufficiently 
 elevated to enable him to sweep with his night-glass the 
 surrounding locality, landward and seaward. 
 
 They had not long taken up their respective positions 
 before the lieutenant discovered a dark object some fifty 
 }^ards ahead of him, which, with some difficulty, he made 
 out to be a cart, in which stood some one who occasionally 
 leaned forward, as if striving to penetrate the gloom that 
 overhung the waters. 
 
 Indulging in the various reflections which the incidents 
 of his patient espionage excited, the lieutenant vigilantly 
 watched the cart, waiting for the proper moment to strike 
 the meditated blow, and triumphantly pounce upon the 
 prize, which he already felt to be securely within his 
 grasp. He had not been at his post more than half an hour 
 before some indistinct sounds in the distance aroused his 
 attention, but he could not quit the spot ; nor were the 
 objects which caused those sounds within his ken. They 
 arose from two detachments of horses, carts, and men, who 
 from different points traversed the open field. The first 
 was under the command of old Jem, who stealthily con- 
 ducted his forces towards Deadman's Nook, and reached 
 it without interruption. The second wound its way, under 
 the guidance of Mr. Pitt, to the Devil's Grip, with the 
 care and caution of long experience and all the confidence 
 of success, though the heavy rains had beaten down the 
 mist, and the stirring gusts, which indicated alternate 
 shiftings of the wind, began to blow more steadily, and to 
 dispel the clouds that shrouded the tell-tale crescent of the 
 moon. Although it was not so pitchy dark as the adven- 
 turous spirits could have wished, it was sufficiently sombre 
 to conceal them from any tolerably remote observer, and 
 yet light enough to facilitate operations, and relieve them 
 more speedily from their perilous locality.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ' "When souls that should agree to will the same, 
 To have one common object for their wishes, 
 Look different ways, regardless of each other, , 
 
 Think what a train of wretchedness ensues." HOWE. 
 
 ' Alone and neglected while bleak rain and winds 
 Are storming around her, with sorrow she finds 
 That love had but number' d a few sunny hours, 
 Then left the remainder to darkness and showers!" MOORE. 
 
 POOR Mrs. Roughton ought not to be forgotten in the midst 
 of the stirring incidents in which her husband was to par- 
 ticipate. We have seen how the other chief actors had 
 disposed of themselves towards the evening of this eventful 
 day, and it must not be supposed that Roughton was a 
 mere sleeping partner in the business. He was, however, 
 destined not to be so, at least that night. About three 
 o'clock in the afternoon of the day in question, Harry had left 
 his shop, for a short time, to the care of Sandys, and, with 
 more kindness than had usually marked his conduct of late, 
 was conversing on different topics with his wife, prepara- 
 tory no doubt to the announcement of an intended business 
 engagement for the evening, of which she was not cognizant. 
 Of the previous day's arrangements she had been kept in 
 happy ignorance. Her mind, however, was evidently 
 dwelling upon something mysterious and perplexing. 
 Presuming upon Roughton's unusual good humour, she 
 ventured to pave the way by the following inquiry 
 " Harry, what is swag?"
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. Ill 
 
 With a look of surprise, he replied, " Swag ? why 
 cash to be sure." 
 
 "Then what does jaws sewed up mean?" 
 
 His eyes dilated, and his cheek reddened as the words 
 fell upon his ear. "Where did you see or hear those 
 expressions?" he hastily asked ; but without waiting an 
 answer, sternly demanded to know what women had to do 
 with other people's affairs? "I'll sack that Sandys, I 
 will ; the fellow is a blab or a fool," intemperately added 
 Roughton, for he was sure his wife could not have read 
 that scrap of paper which he had thrown into the fire. His 
 suspicion therefore fell on the hapless Sandys, who, he 
 conceived, must have got a glimpse of it in spite of his pre- 
 cautions, when the lad innocently sought to obtain posses- 
 sion of the pharmacopoeia. 
 
 Poor Jane was alarmed beyond measure : frightened at 
 the menace, she tried to convince him that the lad knew 
 nothing of it ; but, in the blindness of his rage, he spurned 
 her protestations, and vowed vengeance against the hapless 
 lad. Still Jane pleaded as she would not have done for 
 herself, and, despite his angry impatience, tremblingly 
 withdrew from her pocket a singed and blackened piece of 
 paper, conjuring him to look at that, which would explain 
 the motive for her inquiries, without implicating the inno- 
 cent Sandys. At the sight of that miserable scrap of paper, 
 reappearing as it were in judgment against him, he 
 stood aghast for a moment ; then suddenly recovering him- 
 self, felt overwhelmed by remorse and shame at his unjust 
 suspicions. The conviction in its glaring potency came 
 upon him, that the domestic bliss and perfect confidence 
 which had subsisted between them had never been disturbed 
 until his fatal alliance with the writer of that vulgar 
 missive. 
 
 In the first emotion of this re-action, he entreated her
 
 112 HARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 forgiveness, and suddenly exclaimed u I'll cast the villain 
 
 to ;" but before the sentence was complete his eye 
 
 again alighted upon the scrap of paper. The very thought 
 of the misery he had endured from the fear of exposure, 
 which had induced him to consign it to the flames, checked 
 the half-formed, half-uttered vow, and revived the convic- 
 tion that he was no longer free. In a paroxysm of rage 
 and grief he seized the paper, and rushed from the room to 
 his chamber, there to commune with himself in solitude, 
 and seek to allay the angry passions which tormented him. 
 
 Poor Jane clasped her hands, and uttered an earnest 
 ejaculate ry prayer to the Father of mercies, that he would 
 of his great goodness avert a calamity, in the belief of the 
 existence of which she pardoned all his past conduct. For 
 oh ! grief of griefs ! she believed that her Harry, her long- 
 loved Harry, was bereft of reason a lost being, no longer 
 accountable for his actions or for the misery he had caused. 
 
 With this appalling conviction on her mind, after a vain 
 endeavour to calm her emotions, she hurried after him, 
 agonized by a thousand fearful apprehensions. Seated at 
 the table with his face buried in his hands, he moved not 
 at her approach. She stopped and watched him with con- 
 tending emotions, hesitating to disturb him, yet anxious to 
 break the oppressive silence, .and to gaze upon the features 
 which she, nevertheless, half shrunk from encountering, 
 lest she should read in the wild expression of his eye, the 
 confirmation of what, possessed with the one idea, her soul 
 most dreaded. 
 
 Left to himself, he had rapidly revolved the whole in his 
 mind reviewed the circumstances which had so changed 
 the aspect of his once happy home. Still, pondering with 
 the deepest concern on his utter helplessness, and, with the 
 strongly recurring consciousness that there was no escape 
 from the trammels with which his accomplices had sur-
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 113 
 
 rounded him, lie felt that retreat was impossible. Hopelessly 
 conceiving that he could neither retrieve the past, nor avoid 
 the present miseries of his position he the more sternly 
 resolved to secure at all risks the prospective advantages 
 which lured him on. Avarice and moral cowardice again 
 triumphed ; and when Jane timidly laid her hand upon his 
 shoulder, and gently whispered "Harry!" he started at 
 the voice, as if awakening from a dream, but suddenly drew 
 himself up, and reverting to the paper which he still 
 grasped, asked her in a half-smothered tone, where that 
 came from. 
 
 " I will tell you," said Jane, " I picked it up a few days 
 ago in the garden, and have ever since been puzzled to 
 guess what it meant ; you know we both thought that our 
 provisions, particularly the potatoes, had not lasted so well 
 lately, and I had half suspected that that note might have 
 come from some accomplice of Mary, for it said something 
 about vegetables well sold / but," added she, "I fear I have 
 done her wrong." 
 
 Harry listened in stoical silence, not unmingled with 
 contempt, regarding her observation as the silly fancy of a 
 woman, though he scarcely heeded what she said, for his 
 mind was preoccupied with other matters. Instead, there- 
 fore, of replying, he looked with a troubled expression at 
 the filthy bit of paper, then, suddenly jumping up, he 
 thrust it into his mouth, and with a savage impetuosity, 
 chewed it to a pulp, and ejecting it on the floor, crushed 
 it beneath his feet. 
 
 How strangely the first inroads of vice shake poor frail 
 humanity, and how nearly allied to superstition is that 
 .mental cowardice which trifles light as air awaken in a 
 conscience-stricken breast ! 
 
 This childish exhibition of passionate folly tended only 
 to foster poor Jane's fears for his sanity; but, as the 

 
 114 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 paroxysm subsided,, a moment's reflection made him feel 
 painfully susceptible of the ridiculous extent to which his 
 foolish infatuation had carried him. With an ill-concealed 
 feeling of shame he walked to the window and gazed 
 earnestly into the street below, as if something there had 
 suddenly attracted his attention. Unmanned by the honest 
 simplicity and gentle innocence of the weak and loving 
 woman, who, despite his unnatural and repulsive treatment, 
 had, with such self-denying and devoted attachment, 
 watched over him; he stood for some time with averted 
 face. At length he so far got the mastery over his 
 emotions as to be able to collect and redirect his ideas to 
 the subject which engrossed his mind before that scrap of 
 paper, returning like a spectre to his feverish imagination, 
 had turned the current of his thoughts. Suddenly turning 
 round and fixing his cold grey eye on Jane, who stood 
 there mute as a statue, he addressed her in a tone as 
 firm and collected as if nothing had happened to disturb his 
 equanimity "Jane, has any one else seen that paper?" 
 
 She had for the moment forgotten it ; but, glancing at 
 the scarcely distinguishable fragments on the floor, she 
 replied" No ! not a soul." 
 
 " So far so good," said he, " and remember you don't 
 mention it, or a word it contained, to any living being. 
 I have an engagement this evening which may detain me 
 several hours. If I don't return by ten o'clock, send 
 Sandys off to bed, and sit up for me yourself." 
 
 There was something so oppressively calm and senten- 
 tious in his restrained manner and tone of voice, that 
 she scarcely felt reassured; yet she was afraid to ruffle 
 him, and though anxious to prevent him leaving home, 
 she dared not venture to remonstrate, but simply asked 
 at what time he would leave, hoping that, if only 
 an hour intervened, she might devise some method of
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 115 
 
 diverting his attention. He briefly replied " About half- 
 past six or seven;" left the room and descended to his 
 shop. Oh ! how anxiously did that devoted woman, care- 
 fully concealing her face behind the green curtain of the 
 little window, watch every movement and expression of his 
 countenance ; but she discovered nothing to re-arouse her 
 fears, except that now and then a sardonic smile played for 
 a moment about his mouth, or a passing frown wrinkled 
 his brow. If a customer came in, he appeared and spoke 
 as usual, and when he shortly afterwards returned to the 
 sitting-room, she ventured to ask whether he was obliged 
 to go out that evening ? 
 
 "Yes, ask no further questions," was his curt reply. 
 Tea was brought in, and the meal having been despatched 
 in silence, he rose and deliberately put on his upper coat 
 and scarf without uttering a word, until his hand was on 
 the door, when he turned round to repeat the injunction 
 that she must not keep Sandys up a moment after ten; 
 and, leaving her in ignorance of his reason, he passed 
 through the shop and turned down the street. 
 
 Suddenly arousing herself from the saddening impres- 
 sions which occupied her mind, she sprang up stairs, put 
 on her bonnet and shawl, and following in the direction he 
 had taken, hurried, through the heavily-falling rain, down 
 the long dreary street, hoping to overtake him, or to trace 
 his footsteps to some friendly roof, where she could feel 
 assured of his safety. All her haste was vain ; she had 
 traversed the whole length of that street so rapidly, that 
 he could not, without running, have gone that distance. 
 Yet why should he run ? She could think of no house of 
 call for him on the way ; and on reaching the first inter- 
 secting street she stood in a state of bewilderment, puzzled 
 whether to turn to the right or to the left, or to give up 
 the quest as hopeless. Racked by doubts and fears she
 
 116 HARRY ROUGHTOX. 
 
 remained as it were spell-bound, lost in a reverie of perplex- 
 ing thoughts, and regardless of the elements to which her 
 delicate frame was exposed. How long she might have 
 remained in this position it would be difficult to say, had 
 no accidental circumstance arisen to rouse her from her 
 painful musings. The noise of wheels echoed along the 
 street, but, notwithstanding their rapid approach, she 
 heard them not until the driver suddenly turning his 
 vehicle round the corner, neither conscious of nor expecting 
 to see any one there on such a night, drove rapidly by. 
 She escaped the wheel, but the splash-board caught her as it 
 passed, and violently hurled her against the kerbstone of 
 the pavement. The driver hurried on, heedless or ignorant 
 of the mischief he had done. Providentially, at that moment 
 the Kector, who, notwithstanding the inclement weather, 
 had, in fulfilment of his pious mission, been visiting a sick 
 parishioner, emerged from the corner house. Throwing 
 aside his cloak and umbrella, he gently raised the injured 
 woman and led her towards the lamp, by the light of which 
 he discovered, to his surprise, that the object of his kind 
 solicitude was Mrs. Koughton. Painful explanations were 
 inevitable; but, gratefully accepting the kind pastor's 
 proffered arm, she retraced her steps, with a heavy heart, 
 to her desolate home.
 
 CHAPTEE XVIII. 
 
 1 By land, by water, they renew the charge, 
 They stop the chariot, and they board the barge." POPE. 
 
 ' Hope, fortune's cheating lottery! 
 Where for one prize, a hundred blanks there be." COWLET. 
 
 ' There with like haste to several ways they run, 
 Some to undo, and some to be undone." DENHAM. 
 
 WE left Cinderow, his man "Friday," as he was facetiously 
 called with Swiveleye, and the waggoner's lad in the 
 vicinity of Oldburgh Cliff, where we must again take 
 them up. 
 
 Cinderow, having housed his horse and gig, returned 
 with Friday to the rendezvous of the horse and cart, to 
 make further arrangements. It was agreed between them 
 that they should all remain there until the intended signal 
 for the landing was given ; and sufficient time had been 
 allowed for at least the bulk of the goods to be got ashore ; 
 and that Cinderow and Friday should then rush in and 
 seize them, whilst Swiveleye and the lad brought up the 
 cart. 
 
 They had not waited long before they saw a light gently 
 waving on the cliff. Cinderow's impatience would not 
 permit him to remain longer; so, calling his man to 
 accompany him, he directed Swiveleye and the lad to wait 
 there until he whistled, upon which they were to proceed 
 to the cliff. He then withdrew, stealthily proceeding with
 
 118 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 Friday in the direction of the lantern whose light occa- 
 sionally appeared and disappeared. As they neared the 
 cliff and looked seaward, they observed a similar light in 
 the offing; it twinkled for a moment, and was no more seen. 
 Concealed behind a little clump of stunted trees, Cinderow 
 and his man waited with becoming patience. Shortly 
 after the answering signal from the Phoebus, a boat was 
 lowered and lashed alongside the vessel, from which two 
 or three sturdy men slid down, and with wonderful rapi- 
 dity took overside about twenty bales of tobacco. Having 
 received this freight, they let go the lashings. The men 
 applied their brawny arms to the oars with such effect, 
 that in a few minutes the sharp grating of the boat's 
 keel was heard on the pebbly beach. A slight splash 
 announced the vaulting of one of these hardy fellows from 
 the boat into the water, and thence to dry land, where 
 he deposited the. bales as they were handed out by his 
 comrades, whilst another boat was similarly lowered, 
 freighted, and despatched to a different point. During 
 these proceedings, Cinderow and his man, under cover of the 
 darkness, having watched the spotsman Avith his lantern 
 out of the way, carefully approached the cliff and concealed 
 themselves ; the former in a little chasm, and the latter 
 behind a piece of shelving rock, to await the arrival and 
 deposit of the contraband cargo. The hardy seamen, 
 unappriscd of treachery, cheerfully toiled up the rugged 
 path, with bale after bale, till the last but one was depo- 
 sited on the summit of the cliff. Either Cinderow had mis- 
 counted, or his curiosity and eagerness had got the better 
 of his discretion, for he emerged from his hiding-place, and 
 crouching down in the ravine, covered with his oilskin 
 cape, peered into the pass below, when suddenly the cap- 
 tain hove in sight, with the last bale poised upon his broad 
 shoulder. Climbing fearlessly on, he had to pass over the
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. Ill) 
 
 ridge of rock beneath which Cinderow had placed himself 
 The sailor had planted his foot upon the rock, bearing aloft 
 his huge burthen, and was about to step down, when his 
 keen eye descried the dark figure of Cinderow. He paused 
 for a moment, and then challenged the obtruder with the 
 gruff interrogatory "Who are you?" Cinderow shrunk 
 in alarm, and his tongue clove to his mouth. Down went 
 the bale, and in an instant Marsloops, clenching his fist 
 and raising it above Cinderow's head, bawled out with 
 true nautical emphasis " Speak, you lubber!" Cinderow 
 recoiling from the stalwart sailor, instantly applied a 
 whistle to his lips, on which signal Friday rushed from his 
 lurking-place, and the captain, fearing an ambush, thought 
 it time to look sharp after his boat and crew. Without 
 another word he strode down to the beach, got his men 
 into the boat, and, leaping in after them, shoved her off, 
 and with all possible despatch regained his ship, where he 
 had the satisfaction to find that his other boats had safely 
 landed their cargoes, and returned. 
 
 Ciuderow at once sent off his assistant for the cart, 
 Swiveleye, and the lad, and, during his absence^ he recon- 
 noitered the adjacent locality. Approaching a gate at a 
 short distance, he encountered Roughton, behind whom 
 stood his phaeton and little grey pony ; turning his lantern 
 on his face he recognized him at once, and without more 
 ado said " Mr. Roughton, we are alone, don't fear me ; 
 I've only just time to say, that, if you do anything in this 
 way again, run no risk, but let me know ; I'll make the 
 seizure, and we'll divide the spoil ; the Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer is, you know, a good paymaster;" and with these 
 words he left him. Roughton, having ascertained that ill 
 had befallen him and his accomplices, turned his pony's 
 head and made the best of his way home, where he arrived 
 about half-past ten o'clock.
 
 120 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 Precisely similar operations were proceeding simulta- 
 neously, right and left, at the two spots before indicated 
 Deadman's Nook and the Devil's Grip. Pitt and his party 
 on the one hand, and old Jem and his fellows on the other, 
 having secured their shares of the booty, made off as 
 quietly as they could towards the point from whence they 
 came, diverging, however, as they quitted the sea-board, 
 from each other's route, so as to leave Cinderow between 
 the two, but as remote as possible from each. Neverthe- 
 less, as these matters progressed it was not very practicable, 
 with the unavoidable lumbering of the cart and the jingling 
 of harness, to make their way entirely unheard. Faint 
 sounds in the distance caught the ears of Cinderow, who 
 listened with extreme perplexity, and no little uneasiness ; 
 for, with the irrepressible conviction on his mind, that he 
 could neither trust Swiveleye, nor place implicit confidence 
 in the seemingly honest and unsophisticated waggoner, it 
 appeared to him injudicious, either to remain himself with 
 them and the seized bales, or to leave his man. 
 
 Thus tantalized by doubt and irresolution, he scarcely 
 knew whether to shape his course homeward with what he 
 already had secured, or to make a detour in the direction 
 whence the sounds proceeded, in the hope of a larger prize ; 
 for, in spite of all the cunning and satirical jeers of Swivel- 
 eye, and the comical asseverations of the country bumpkin, 
 who stood at the horse's head ready to apply the lash, 
 Cinderow could not divest himself of the notion that he had 
 been duped for once, and most likely deprived of the lion's 
 share. Although the lad told him his suspicions were 
 "all moonshine," Cinderow, in a paroxysm of anger and 
 vexation, threw himself down, and applied his ear to the 
 ground with all the eagerness of an American Indian, the 
 better to catch the uncertain sounds. At first they ap- 
 peared to come from one direction, and then from the
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 121 
 
 opposite; again he fancied they might proceed from the 
 coast-guard, returning disappointed of their expected prize ; 
 and, lest they should arrive in time to claim a share 
 in his seizure, he determined to hurry homeward with it. 
 The faint jingle of chains once more caught his ear: still 
 the bales could not be safely deserted after the warning, 
 true or false, that he had had from the lad, of sinister 
 designs to defraud him by a rescue or a sham. In this 
 dilemma he at length determined to make the best of his 
 way with ths booty ; yet eager to learn the cause of his 
 perplexity, but not daring to part with his man, he directed 
 him to take the whip, and the doctor to mount upon the 
 load, which he would follow on foot until they reached the 
 " Ship and Anchor," where he would resume his vehicle 
 and follow them. 
 
 He could not quit the spot, however, without taking 
 some steps towards satisfying his curiosity as to what was 
 going on; he therefore ventured to despatch the lad in 
 the direction of Deadman's Nook, to reconnoitre, if possible, 
 unobserved, and to rejoin him by means of the footroad to 
 old Brookes' farm, on the highway, where he would wait 
 his report of what he might discover. The lad, with a 
 well-affected stolid reluctance, complied, muttering some- 
 thing about the chances of being knocked on the head by 
 smugglers, or losing his road ; but Cinderow gave him 
 a few words of encouragement, mingled with promises, 
 upon which the lad marched off with a somewhat dogged 
 step, in the direction indicated, maintaining his slow and 
 seemingly reluctant pace until distance and the shadows 
 of night put them beyond each other's ken, whereupon 
 the young rascal took to his heels, and pursuing the same 
 course, careered along with the alacrity of a four-year-old. 
 
 During the time thus occupied by Cinderow, from his 
 first entry on the scene to his withdrawal from the field,
 
 122 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 the bluff lieutenant had remained true to his task, keeping 
 watch and ward on the heights of Mortlake Cliff, expecting 
 every moment the arrival of some little bark or schooner, for 
 whose illicit freight the cart, which the lieutenant had dis- 
 covered a little way ahead, was evidently waiting. For 
 more than three quarters of an hour had the lieutenant kept 
 his eyes rivetted on the cart and its occupants, with the 
 exception of a furtive glance now and then into the offing, 
 which he occasionally swept with his night-glass, but 
 nothing hove in sight. Presently he descried two or three 
 objects in the cart. " Those fellows," said he to Rogers, 
 whom he kept near him, " are growing impatient ; I make 
 out three heads above the cart-side ; surely they are up to 
 something now." The next moment he lost sight of two 
 of the number ; and the other, raising himself in the cart, 
 held out something in his right hand, which presently 
 emitted a faint light, the rays of which darted seaward. "A 
 signal ! a signal ! " muttered the lieutenant ; " keep a sharp 
 look out." He had no sooner spoken these words, than a 
 rumbling noise at some distance in the rear attracted his 
 attention. "Hark! " said the lieutenant, "there's something 
 unusual going on towards Deadman's Nook ; go, Rogers, 
 reconnoitre and bring me word directly." Rogers started 
 instanter, the lieutenant resumed his watch, and all was 
 still ; when suddenly one of the poor fellows, drenched to 
 the skin and shivering with cold, gave a tremendous but 
 involuntary sneeze, whereat the lieutenant waxed angry, 
 and threatened to shoot him if that sound were repeated. 
 The poor fellow, pinching his offending nose, was trying, 
 between a cough and a sneeze, to say lie could'nt help it, 
 when one of the officers pulled his lieutenant by the sleeve 
 and pointed to the south'ard, where a dim light appeared 
 to be dancing on the waters and gradually nearing the 
 coast. Rogers and the noise in the rear were forgotten in
 
 RE^nXISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 123 
 
 
 
 a moment, and all eyes were bent upon this floating appari- 
 tion, when a second signal Hazed away from the cart for a 
 moment or two, and a little cutter presently hove in sight. 
 " There she is," said the lieutenant ; " in ten minutes she 
 will "be ours ; let some of them land before we strike ; as 
 we've no boat, lie still till I give the word." A dead 
 silence reigned ; the ensuing ten minutes seemed an hour to 
 the eager lieutenant and his men. At length the cutter 
 came with a dash through the surf and buried the forepart 
 of her keel in the sand ; out jumped two or three of the 
 crew, and, to the surprise of the lieutenant, away went 
 horse, cart, and driver at full speed. 
 
 " Follow," cried the commander of the cutter,, springing 
 to the beach with his three remaining men 
 
 "Charge!" cried the lieutenant; and in two minutes 
 he and his men were hand to hand with the ship's crew 
 and their commander, who, finding themselves outnum- 
 bered, became prisoners to a detachment of the coast- 
 guard, whilst four of the lieutenant's men made themselves 
 masters of the vessel. Hardly was this accomplished 
 before, to their utter chagrin and disappointment, they 
 found the new prize was no other than the revenue cutter, 
 the Wasp, and that their prisoners were her crew. Sulky 
 and brief were the explanations they exchanged, and off 
 went the coast-guard in pursuit of the runaway culprits 
 with the horse and cart, half believing that they had carried 
 off a part of the prize and had only been disturbed and 
 deceived by the cutter, whilst waiting for the remainder, 
 The road was blind and rough, the necessity for speed was 
 no longer urgent, as the cart had slackened its pace, so that, 
 on nearing the highroad, the coast-guard were nearly up 
 with it, when smack went the whip, and off again flew the 
 horse with the pursuers close behind. Whirling into the 
 road the driver saw right ahead a laden cart followed by a
 
 124 HA RET ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 horse and gig ; sure enough it was Cinderow with his prize, 
 who, on the sudden apparition of an empty cart and several 
 men on the run behind, made sure that the threatened 
 rescue was no sham. 
 
 "Jump up and take the reins," cried he to his man; 
 "drive for your life, I'll follow you;" no sooner said 
 than done, away they went as hard as they could go. 
 The foremost of the coast-guard headed the fugitive horse 
 of the empty cart and arrested his progress, till the thick- 
 winded lieutenant came up, puffing and panting like a 
 broken- winded locomotive engine. A cordon was instantly 
 formed round the cart and its lonely driver, as if they 
 expected every moment to see three or four fine fellows 
 spring up, armed to the teeth, to defend the two-wheeled 
 citadel ; but the solitary occupant sat with undisturbed 
 composure and looked down upon the formidable guard 
 with the most stoical indifference. The lieutenant was 
 some time before he recovered his breath, so the rustic 
 charioteer was the first to break the silence. 
 
 " Well, gen'lmen, what might ye happen to wa-ant wi' 
 me." 
 
 The lieutenant startled at the voice, which he thought 
 he had heard before, jumped upon the shaft, gazed into 
 the fellow's face, and exclaiming " Wakeful ! " seized him 
 by the collar, forgetting in the excitement of the moment, 
 that he had as yet proof of nothing to warrant detention or 
 assault. 
 
 " Paws off, Pompey," said Wakeful in a taunting tone, 
 " or maybe ye'll find y'rself in the wrong box, Master Brass 
 Buttons." 
 
 The lieutenant relaxed his grasp, reflected a moment, and 
 then asked " Where are the other men who were with you 
 a little while ago?" 
 
 Wakeful pointed down into the cart, and said " There
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 125 
 
 they are, Maister Blue Jacket, I'll gie thee a light to look 
 at 'em ;" and with this, he opened and turned the blaze of 
 a dark lantern on two or three old sacks at his feet, which 
 he immediately picked up, and hanging one upon a pitch- 
 fork, and the other on a shovel, he stuck them bolt upright 
 against the side of the cart, exclaiming with a jeering laugh 
 " There be my companions." 
 
 The trick was so obvious, and the laughter it excited 
 so infectious, that none of the men could refrain from joining 
 in it. The lieutenant looked daggers at them, and was 
 again about to proceed with his interrogatories, when 
 Wakeful interrupting him, said 
 
 " I tell 'ee what, Master Roundabout, y'r wasting time ; 
 didn't thee see a loaded trap or two right ahead yonder, 
 when ye came up; now I'll pound it they'n got some 
 'bacca there: why do'sn't thee follow that?" 
 
 The lieutenant looked puzzled, and Wakeful added 
 
 " Sarcy as yu'v bin, I'll gie you and some of y'er fine 
 fellows a lift and drive arter 'em, if you'll sport five shillings 
 for the ride." 
 
 They had seen the cart, and noted that it had disap- 
 peared on their approach. They felt the force of the taunt 
 that, while they were wasting time with an empty cart and 
 its saucy occupant, they might be losing sight of a better 
 prize. Taking the fellow at his word, the lieutenant 
 and three of his men mounted by the side of Wakeful, and 
 started off in pursuit of they hardly knew what. A cart- 
 horse gallop of three or four miles brought them to the four 
 cross roads, just beyond which they descried the fugitives, 
 flogging in vain the ribs of their jaded horse. Down 
 jumped the lieutenant and his men, and bounded eagerly 
 up to the cart, behind which Cinderow and his man, who 
 had alighted, stood with their pistols cocked. 
 
 Upon the approach of the lieutenant Cinderow cried out,
 
 126 HARRY EOUGIITON. 
 
 " If any man attempts to touch this cart, I'll I'll shoot 
 him I'll shoot him. In the Queen's name I'll shoot 
 him." 
 
 "Why zounds, Cinderow, is that you?" vociferated the 
 lieutenant ; " what the deuce did you run for, you booby, 
 bringing us after you on this fool's errand ? 
 
 Cinderow explained that he had had warning of an 
 attempt at rescue, and fancied that it was about to be 
 verified, when he saw them after him. 
 
 "Then you've got a prize, eh?" asked the lieutenant, 
 with ill-concealed mortification. 
 
 " A mere trifle," said Cinderow, and after the exchange 
 of a few questionable compliments and a little badinage 
 on both sides, Cinderow bade them good night, and pursued 
 his route. 
 
 The lieutenant and his men faced about and regained 
 the cross roads, but AVakeful, heedless of his well-earned 
 five shillings, had availed himself of the squabble between 
 the pursuers and pursued, quietly to draw off his cart along 
 the greensward of the diverging road until out of hearing, 
 and then made the best of his way home by another, though 
 more circuitous route. The lieutenant and his party 
 sullenly pursued towards the station their dreaiy march, 
 the silence of which was broken only by the measured 
 tramp of their feet, and an occasional oath or growl of dis- 
 appointment, as the various events of the evening presented 
 themselves in one ludicrous light or another to their morti- 
 fied minds.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 ' They tug, they sweat, but neither gain nor yield 
 One foot, one inch, of the contended field : 
 Thus obstinate to death they fight, they fall. 
 
 * * v * * 
 
 As when two scales are charged with equal loads, 
 From side to side the trembling balance nods ; 
 Till, pois'd aloft, the resting beam suspends 
 Each equal weight, nor this nor that descends : 
 So stood the war. POPE : HOMER. 
 
 Ix narrating the events detailed in the preceding chapter, 
 poor Rogers and the lad, for whom Cinderow had promised 
 to wait on the highroad, have been lost sight of. Both had 
 been despatched by their respective commanders to act the 
 spy. Rogers had lost no time in obeying his lieutenant's 
 orders. Deadman's Nook was gained just in time to ascer- 
 tain the fact that a cart, accompanied by two or more men, 
 was rapidly receding from the shore, To make sure of the 
 fact, he hastened after it with more courage than prudence, 
 forgetting that if he got near enough to play the spy too 
 closely, other eyes, as good as his own, might light on him. 
 Old Jem was not the man to sleep on such an occasion, 
 and, detecting the approaching figure of poor Rogers, he 
 bade his accomplices make the best of their way and leave 
 him to deal with the sneaking scout, or " may be," said he, 
 "the whole gang of Philistines will shortly be on our 
 track." Old Jem was one of those reckless and determined 
 spirits, who, on an emergency, would brave any danger, 
 heedless of consequences ; always ready to throw himself
 
 128 HAKRY ROUCHTON, OR 
 
 in the gap between friends and foes, at the risk, if neces- 
 sary, of his own life or liberty. Having summarily dis- 
 missed his companions, he resolved at all hazards to secure 
 their safe retreat, and abruptly turned round to face the 
 stranger. The habit of the smuggler, in those days, being 
 to decamp at the prospect of discovery, Rogers was sur- 
 prised to see one of that class deliberately approaching him. 
 Could he mean to make some traitorous communication by 
 which to save himself at the expense of his comrades ? or 
 did he mean mischief? Rogers did not half like his 
 position, and, though no coward, reflecting that it was his 
 duty to seek for aid rather than to fight at such a 
 moment, he retreated towards the cliff, to regain the foot- 
 path ; but old Jem, quickening his pace, speedily lessened 
 the distance between them, upon which Rogers started off 
 at a run. Old Jem, as active as a cat, gave chase, and the 
 officer finding his pursuer close upon his heels drew his 
 pistol, not for the purpose of maiming his adversary, but 
 of giving an alarm, which would bring him timely aid from 
 his brother officers. Pointing the pistol skyward he pulled 
 the trigger, but two hours' exposure on such a night had 
 damped his powder. Old Jem was near enough to hear the 
 harmless click, but as there was not light enough to enable 
 him to see that the muzzle of the weapon was averted, his 
 suspicions suggested that it was levelled at himself. With 
 the bound of an infuriated tiger, and vowing vengeance, he 
 sprang upon the unhappy Rogers. Violently struggling to 
 free himself from the savage gripe of his enemy, the startled 
 Rogers essayed to raise a cry, but Jem's hand was on 
 his throat in a moment, and the stifled voice died in an 
 inarticulate gurgle. With the fury -of desperation Rogers 
 struck his antagonist a blow, but that blow was not 
 returned, old Jem being preoccupied with a deadlier ven- 
 geance: grappling the retreating officer with redoubled
 
 
 KKMIXISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 129 
 
 force, he urged him, despite all resistance, step by step, to 
 the very verge of the cliff. The dull roar of the breakers, 
 and a glimpse of the white surf, dimly visible in the dark 
 obscurity of the beach below, warned Rogers of his impend- 
 ing danger ; a terrific hand-to-hand struggle ensued, but all 
 his exertions seemed unavailing. Jem planted himself 
 with dogged determination for a final throw. Rogers felt 
 that one or other, or both, must perish in the deadly strife ; 
 and, revolting as was the thought of blood, the instinct of 
 self-preservation prevailed over every scruple. With hair 
 erect and a clammy perspiration on his brow, he nerved 
 himself in this moment of danger and despair for the deci- 
 sive effort, and putting forth a degree of strength almost 
 superhuman, he raised his foe from the ground and 
 poised him for a moment over the shadowy abyss. His 
 foot receding, in this last effort, from the slippery turf, he 
 involuntarily relaxed his grasp, and Jem, availing himself 
 of the critical moment, grappled poor Rogers with the 
 energy of a giant, and hurled him over the fearful preci- 
 pice ; but Rogers, seizing the skirt of Jem's coat as he fell, 
 drew him after him, and both rolled helplessly over the 
 beetling crag. 
 
 A piece of projecting rock a few feet below fortunately 
 interposed, and the two wrestlers fell, one on each side of 
 the projection. Rogers clung with an agony of despair to 
 the skirt of his foeman's coat, which, stretched across the 
 rock that separated them, constituted the sole link between 
 them and impending death. Paralysed by the sudden 
 shock, they hung face to face for some time before they 
 realized the horrors of their fearful position ; then as it were 
 by one consent, each endeavoured to find so^ie footing to 
 secure his own safety, but the saturated chalk crumbled 
 beneath their feet. In this state of frightful suspense, 
 Rogers, grasping with both hands the coat to which He
 
 130 HARRY ROUGHTUX, OR 
 
 clung, perceived that the burly figure of his antagonist wcs 
 gradually rising, whilst the coat was slipping towards him- 
 self, and he receding slowly downwards. Jem's vigorous 
 limbs had ploughed channel after channel in the treacherous 
 soil, until at length he had found a resting-place for his 
 right foot on a mass of chalk and flint stones, by the aid of 
 which he had already got his left knee on the top of the 
 rock, and saw a means of escape, if he could only detach 
 himself from his foe. The latter, scarcely aware of Jem's 
 design, from inability to see his actual position, sought to 
 work upon him by suggestions for their mutual safety 
 " I have no enmity towards yc 
 hand, let us help each other." 
 
 Jem glared upon him with a gloating satisfaction and 
 replied, as he drew his knife " I'd sooner die than save a 
 wretch who would have shot me like a dog." 
 
 These words fell like a death knell on the ear of Rogers, 
 who, as he saw the knife gleaming above him, exclaimed 
 " God forgive me, and pardon you" 
 
 In another moment the fragile "garment, by which alone 
 Rogers was suspended, would have been severed by Jem's 
 relentless bladej when a voice above arrested the villain's 
 design, and glancing upwards he saw the twinkling eyes 
 of Jack Golightly looking on with a fiendish gratifica- 
 tion. " Give me your hand, Jem, and let the beggar go," 
 said the young rascal. 
 
 This interruption had given Rogers breathing time, and 
 he suddenly exclaimed "Jem, if that be your name, I 
 declare to God and you I did not mean to shoot you ; I 
 pointed in the air intending to give an alarm ; I only did 
 my duty, why should I die for that?" 
 
 " Very true," said Jack ; " give a hand, Jem, and I'll 
 help to pull you both up together; it looks tarnation queer 
 down below there ! " 

 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 131 
 
 Jem's thirst for vengeance was somewhat subdued by 
 Rogers' declaration, for there was a truthful earnestness in 
 it which he could not help believing ; but Jem was an old 
 soldier, and resuming his knife, he looked down upon poor 
 Rogers, and in a sepulchral tone, enough to make the bravest 
 quail, he said " Swear by all that's holy, you wont peach, 
 or I'll cut the thread your life hangs on." 
 
 Poor Rogers, half fainting, said " I swear, I swear," 
 and in five minutes the two deadly foes again stood side by 
 side upon the brink of the abyss ; and Rogers, swooning, 
 fell into the arms of Jack. Whilst poor Rogers was 
 recovering from the effects of his overwrought exertion., 
 towards which the two worthies rendered every aid in 
 their power, Jack recounted the events of the night so far 
 as he was concerned. 
 
 " But what brought you here just in the nick of time?" 
 asked Jem ; " I thought you were waggoner's lad to old 
 Swiveleye, and sworn slave to Jimmy Cinderow for the 
 night?" 
 
 Jack laughed heartily as he replied " Ah ! and that 
 sent me here. He took me for some poor noodle picked up 
 by the doctor, and thought he could trust me better than 
 Swiveleye, so the old fool, hearing something going on out 
 this way, sent me to play the spy for him, because he dar'nt 
 trust his man Friday away." 
 
 Jem asked " Why not ? he'd got the stuff safe enough 
 had'nthe?" 
 
 Jack replied " O yes, but don't you see I gave him a 
 sly hint that old Swiveleye wanted to cut off with it and 
 pretend a rescue, and I thought he'd ha' bit his rat's nails off 
 when he heard your team across here and smelt the 'bacco, 
 but durst not leave the prize he'd got. Our chaps are all 
 safe off, I'll pound it;" then turning to poor Rogers, who 
 showed symptoms of returning vigour, he call'd out to him
 
 132 HARRY ROUUHTON. 
 
 "Well, how goes it, old fellow? Drink this;" and he gave 
 him a dram from a small brandy bottle. Rogers rose, and 
 after a hearty shake of the hand with old Jem, he left him 
 and Golightly to trudge home. "Wending his dreary way 
 towards Mortlake Cliff, he fell in with the crew of the Wasp, 
 but could learn no more of the lieutenant than that he had 
 started with a detachment in pursuit of the cart, and had 
 not returned. So much of his own story as was consistent 
 with his oath was soon told, and a comfortable berth 
 assigned to him on board the cutter.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 ; Seriously around surveying 
 Each character, in youth and age, 
 Of fools betrayed, and knaves betraying, 
 That played upon this human stage." COOPER. 
 
 ; I fish for fools, he is mine own, I have him, 
 I told thee what would tickle him like a trout ; 
 And as I cast it, so I caught him daintily." FLETCHEI 
 
 THE morning of Saturday dawned with more than usual 
 brightness for the season of the year. The rains of the 
 preceding day and night had cleared the air ; a refreshing 
 breeze was stirring, and the twilight had scarcely pene- 
 trated the little chamber occupied by Harry and his wife, 
 before she was up and dressed, though suffering from a 
 violent cold caught the night before. She left Roughton 
 in a sound sleep, from which she had no desire to disturb 
 him, until breakfast should be nearly ready. He had 
 reached home with comparatively little fatigue, at about 
 half-past ten. The rector had long quitted the house, and 
 Sandys had retired to rest. The success of the evening's 
 adventure, the lucky escape of all personal risks on his 
 own part, together with the singularly assuring words of 
 encouragement with which Cinderow had greeted him, at a 
 moment when he might have made him prisoner, all had 
 combined to bring him home in good time and cheerful 
 spirits. Jane concealed from him the cause of the indis- 
 position from which she was evidently suffering, and joined
 
 134 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 him in a nice little supper which she had considerately 
 prepared. She was ignorant of the business which had 
 withdrawn him from home, and ventured not on any 
 inquiries for fear of betraying the part she had taken in her 
 anxiety about him. They had then retired for the night in 
 better spirits than usual, and Jane had risen with alacrity 
 to see that all was comfortable by the time Harry should 
 come down to the morning meal. 
 
 She turned her steps towards the kitchen, where to her 
 surprise she saw Pat Murphy, the man by whose occasional 
 services her favourite pony was groomed, and the family 
 shoes and knives cleaned. " What are you doing there, 
 Pat?" asked Jane. 
 
 " What is it I'm doing, did ye say ? Its well ye may 
 ask that now," replied Pat. " Isn't it a bucket a warm 
 wather I'm wantin' ye niver see sich a sight in yer life, 
 ma'm, as I've seen this blessed mornin'. Sure as I'm 
 here, ma'm, the Devil's bin riding or dhrivin that darlint 
 pony, he has." 
 
 Jane knew too well Pat's uncontrollable volubility to 
 interfere with him, until he had run himself to a stand 
 still, so she allowed Pat to proceed. 
 
 " Well, ma'm, as I was obsarvint, its warm wather I want, 
 for a bran mash, don't ye see? Here's that pony, as I 
 supped up warm and comfortable last night at six, wid a 
 skin as smooth and as bright, beggin' yer sweet pardon, as 
 the silk ye've got on now, and behold ye, he's all bespath- 
 ered with mud and dirt, and as wet as if he'd been dhrawn 
 thro' the Shannon, sure enough an' lie is, and the stable 
 door locked all the while, just as I left it ma'm ; an' sure 
 enough it's the Devil, and no mistake, that's giv' him that 
 cough." 
 
 Poor Jane saw through the mystery the moment Pat 
 opened his eloquent communication, and she felt, as lie
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 135 
 
 concluded, who the Devil was that had thus abused her 
 pony, if the saddle was put on the right horse. She was 
 anxious to stop the colloquy, but Pat was not so easily put 
 down. 
 
 " A pretty pashun the Masther will be in, he will, when 
 he finds out the bruthal thraitmint yer own darlint pony 
 has met wid ; and plase, ma'm, it's afore dark I'd like to 
 sup him the winter nights, or not at all at all, for I don't 
 like the company he's bin in, by no manes." 
 
 This Hibernian discourse, and the many home truths 
 with which Pat unconsciously interspersed it, fell painfully 
 on poor Jane's ear. Brutal enough ! thought she, but she 
 did not give utterance to the feeling, and scarcely knew 
 what to reply, when Pat recommenced with greater volu- 
 bility than ever, as Harry, who had overheard part of the 
 dialogue whilst dressing, entered the kitchen, and to Pat's 
 utter surprise ordered him off, in an imperious tone, telling 
 him to go and clean the pony and harness, without more ado. 
 
 " It's the Devil may clane him for me," retorted Pat, 
 whose Irish blood was up, " for none but the Devil 'ud ha' 
 thraited a harmless brute baste in that way, an' he may be 
 afther doin' his own dirty work for me." 
 
 Roughton approached him with an angry scowl, and, 
 beckoning to the door, bade him begone to his work. Pat 
 did not hesitate long, but doggedly retreated, quailing 
 before his master's determined frown. Harry marched 
 moodily into the sitting room, where Jane presently joined 
 him. She was passionately fond of that grey pony, and 
 whilst breakfast was proceeding, she ventured to remark 
 how strange it was that poor Taffy should have been found 
 in such a condition. 
 
 "Do him good," said Harry, gruffly, "he wants work, 
 and you'd have thought so if you'd seen him go last night; 
 he whirled me round the corner with the speed of a racer,
 
 136 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 and almost upset some fool of a woman, who stood there in 
 the rain, as if she were waterproof." 
 
 Jane shuddered, but timidly asked "Then you took him, 
 Harry?" The reason she had missed her husband on the 
 previous night, down the long street, was now palpable 
 enough. He must have been in the stable when she left 
 home. 
 
 "^Took him, to be sure I did, and why shouldn't I?" 
 observed Eoughton petulantly. 
 
 " Oh, I don't complain of that, Harry; but do you know 
 who that poor woman was, and what became of her?" 
 asked Jane, her voice trembling with emotion. 
 
 " Knocked over, but not hurt I guess ; but what became 
 of her I neither know nor care," retorted Harry. Jane 
 burst into tears, as if this utter heedlessness were as inten- 
 tionally as it was really, applicable to herself. " You 
 cany your morbid sentimentality for these drabs of street- 
 walkers to a pretty high pitch Jane, I think," said Rough- 
 ton somewhat soothingly. 
 
 She could control herself no longer. How changed in 
 heart and conduct was her so recently fond and considerate 
 husband, thought she, as she replied " Hariy ! that un- 
 happy drab was your own wife! yes, it was your once 
 beloved Jane, whose unconquerable affection and anxiety 
 for you induced .her to expose herself to the pitiless storm 
 in her anxiety for your safety, a"hd you ran her down as 
 you would a dog ! There was a time when Harry Rough ton 
 would not have crushed a worm." 
 
 In stupified amazement, and not without some feeling of 
 compunction and self-reproach, he sat for a while as though 
 the power of speech had left him. Mutual explanations, 
 and painful reflections upon the events just passed, natur- 
 ally ensued ; but these we must pretermit to narrate what 
 occurred elsewhere.
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 137 
 
 The two heavy loads of tobacco which by the clever 
 series of manoeuvres already detailed, had got clear of the 
 Customs and the coast-guard had been successfully borne 
 off in opposite directions, and deposited in temporary 
 hiding-places, a few miles from the town. The next care 
 that occupied the minds of the smugglers, was to get it 
 safe into the hands of the ultimate receivers. As the two 
 loads had been conveyed by different parties, each respon- 
 sible to his principal, the secret of each was his own ; 
 the fact that they would not trust each other more than 
 necessary, furnishing the most striking commentary on the 
 real characters of these associates in crime. This mutual 
 distrust was not without foundation. From the turn that 
 events had taken, Swiveleye was not cognizant of the 
 localities chosen and adopted either by old Jem's party, or 
 by that of Pitt. Each of these had to devise his own time 
 and means of getting home his booty, and to determine 
 what hands he should employ ; but neither of them cared to 
 confer with or trust the doctor, whilst his desire to be con- 
 sulted and to aid arose only from an innate conviction 
 that the more he knew of them and their movements, the 
 better was his chance of securing a liberal share of the 
 proceeds of the venture as the price of secrecy. The 
 greater part of Saturday had worn away ; Swiveleye had 
 crossed the paths of Pitt and Jem at intervals during the 
 day, yet there was no sign of a desire for his advice or 
 services, and he felt piqued. " Well," said he to himself, 
 " they may seek me if they want me ; and if they don't, I 
 know my own course." 
 
 Mr. Pitt placed great faith in his new acquaintance, 
 Wakeful; he discovered in him those germs of villany 
 which make their possessor unscrupulous and bold in action, 
 and at the same time stealthy, cunning, and taciturn. 
 There was something about him of that adroitness in the
 
 138 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 adaptation of character which so distinguished his preco- 
 cious friend, Golightlj; a ready tact which would avail 
 him in case of sudden emergency ; that sang froid which, 
 in a good cause, is called fortitude in moments of difficulty 
 and peril. Pitt, therefore, was content to give up Golightly 
 to old Jem, and accept the services of Wakeful on this 
 occasion. He therefore summoned him to his counsels. 
 "Now Wakeful," said he, "you played your part well, 
 and gammoned the lieutenant in good style ; now I want 
 you to take the charge of that stuff under the railway arch ; 
 it musn't see daylight in those canvas wrappers or 'twill be 
 nailed at once ; I've secured Tom Smith's hovel behind his 
 carpenter's shop, outside the town. He will have packing 
 cases ready to-night, so you must get the bales safely 
 there, and see them packed and directed in regular business 
 style." 
 
 " Well," said Wakeful, " I'm your man ; but how am I 
 to bring 'em three miles in the night? I can't carry 'em 
 on my back." 
 
 " Wait a bit, my good fellow, and I'll tell you Here's a 
 suit of clothes that will, anyhow, justify the wearer in 
 riding in a cab ; put them on, and at ten o'clock call the 
 last four-wheeler on the stand at the end of North Street, 
 but mind you make no mistake. Look out for a short, thick- 
 set, red-faced jarvey, and hail him as i John the Baptist ; ' 
 if he answers to that name, jump in and drive clean out of 
 the town before giving him further orders ; I shall follow 
 with another trusty man." This scheme being duly con- 
 certed and acted upon, Pitt and Wakeful succeeded to 
 their hearts' content; their booty was safely housed and 
 packed. It only remained for Wakeful to convey the 
 packages, as best he could, to the premises of Mr. Mundy, 
 the tobacconist, a work of some little risk, however well 
 the packages might be disguised.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 139 
 
 These operations were studiously concealed from Swivel- 
 eye ; every inquiry that he made, direct or indirect, either 
 of Pitt or Wakeful, was ingeniously baffled or curtly 
 evaded. He tried Roughton with no better success ; in 
 fact Roughton, having left these details to those who were 
 more conversant with such matters, could tell the doctor 
 nothing ; but the latter attributed his unavoidable reserve 
 to intentional distrust, and the stronger his own conviction 
 was how little he deserved confidence, the greater grew his 
 hatred of him who withheld it. Something had evidently 
 transpired between Swiveleye and Cinderow ; probably 
 within hearing of that bright spark, Golightly, which had 
 made all parties suspicious of the doctor. Even Golightly, 
 with all his cunning, could not effectually conceal his mis- 
 givings when Swiveleye approached him ; nevertheless, he 
 invited him to take a glass with him at the " Blue Boar," 
 and talk matters over. Swiveleye, with ill-concealed satis- 
 faction, closed with his companion, and in two hours after- 
 wards they were snugly seated before a comfortable fire, 
 with a formidable jug of good brown ale between them. 
 Warming under the influence of these cheering accessories, 
 Golightly became more communicative, and the doctor did 
 not let slip the chance of worming out all the information 
 he could obtain from his youthful companion. With many 
 artful wiles and devices, that would have done credit to a 
 first-rate diplomatist, Swiveleye became master of a scheme 
 for the transport of the smuggled goods, which almost put 
 his own genius for contrivance to the blush. The road by 
 which the goods must pass was rather a dangerous locality 
 for such a venture, and, as suspicions were rife that Cinde- 
 row' s seizure was only a fragment of the proceeds of a 
 "great run," there was every reason to believe that the 
 suspected neighbourhood would be diligently watched. 
 How could they safely traverse the great road in open day,
 
 140 HAUKY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 with such a cargo ! At night it would be still more dan- 
 gerous. There was no alternative but to put a bold face 
 upon it, and achieve the difficulty in broad daylight. " A 
 hearse and two mourning coaches," said Golightly, " will 
 do the business ; we can bury the stuff in old Blakely's 
 dungheap till the nine days' wonder has blown over, and a 
 rare merry bur'in' we'll have : hurra for a mock funeral ! 
 What d'ye think o' that?" and Golightly gave his friend 
 a triumphant, hearty, patronizing slap on the shoulder. 
 
 " Capital ! " exclaimed the doctor ; " I never heard tell of 
 a more knowing dodge in all my life. Name your day, my 
 lad." 
 
 Jack took another swig at the ale, and replied " On 
 Monday the game is to come off by eleven o'clock ; not a 
 minute later they'll pass through the toll-gate, and you'd 
 better station yourself on Red Rose Hill and keep a sharp 
 look out, for there's no knowin' what may turn up, and a 
 pair of eyes are useful." Whether the doctor thought this 
 an ironical reflection upon the obliquity of his own visual 
 organs or not, Golightly could not tell, but he observed a 
 very queer expression in Swiveleye's countenance, and 
 muttered to himself " That vagabond's a traitor, I know." 
 After pausing a moment, as if vexed at the candour he had 
 exhibited, he said " Well, doctor, it's all very fine, but 
 dcn't you see, this is gammon ; the stuff's safe enough 
 where it is, so you needn't trouble yourself to mount Red 
 Rose Hill." Swiveleye looked blank. Jack took another 
 draught, assumed an uneasy air, and, curtly bidding the 
 doctor good night, departed. With his lean spindle-shanks 
 stretched out, his feet on the fender, his hands thrust into 
 his pockets, and his chin buried in his chest, the doctor 
 sat and meditated. He recalled every syllable that had 
 escaped young Golightly ; the plan was too well-laid, too 
 circumstantial in its details, to have been the invention of
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 141 
 
 the moment, and at length he arose, more convinced than 
 ever by Jack's sudden attempt to demolish it, that he was 
 on the right scent. With a bitter feeling of annoyance 
 that Golightly should have tried at last to throw him off 
 again, he left the ale unfinished, and bent his stealthy steps 
 towards the terrace. A gentle tap at No. 4 brought Cin- 
 derow to the door. The doctor was soon engaged in close 
 confab with the officer. The story was quickly told, and as 
 rapidly noted by the cunning official. His little eyes 
 glistened with a sinister expression of delight ; he forgave 
 Swiveleye the past, made every excuse for his duplicity on 
 the night of the run, rejoiced in his adroitness in getting 
 out the facts, and his promptitude in conveying the informa- 
 tion to himself. " I shall have it, at last," said he, rubbing 
 his bony hands, and took his measures accordingly. 
 
 The doctor, having bargained for a fair share of the 
 reward, slunk home, chuckling with delight. He little 
 dreamt that the twinkling eye of Golightly was rivetted 
 upon him, as he crept away from the terrace. Why 
 should Jack have gloated, with such satisfaction, on so 
 drivelling an object as the contemptible figure of the 
 doctor stealing along by his hiding-place ; knowing, as he 
 did, that Cinderow was the only man they had reason to 
 fear? But so it was, as though the young imp rejoiced in 
 accumulating difficulties for the mere excitement and plea- 
 sure of surmounting them.
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 1 Tragedians all, and well arranged in black ! 
 Who nature, feeling, force, expression lack ; 
 Who cause no tear, but gloomily pass by, 
 And shake the sables in the wearied eye. 
 
 Dark, but not awful ; dismal, but yet mean, 
 With anxious bustle moves the cumbrous scene. 
 
 When woes are feign'd, how ill such forms appear." CRAIIBE. 
 
 A DAEK cortege was seen wending its way along the high 
 road, and approaching with solemn and measured step 
 towards the turnpike-house. Shortly before eleven o'clock 
 on the Monday morning, a pair of sharp impatient eyes 
 watched, from the upper chamber of that toll-house, the 
 slow advance of the sombre-looking equipages a hearse 
 and two mourning coaches, drawn by unexceptionable 
 black horses, and driven by well-appointed drivers wearing 
 the aspect and solemnity of well-affected grief. The owner 
 of the sharp eyes was almost deceived into the belief that 
 it was what it appeared to be, and fancied either that he 
 was duped again, or that, as the approaching retinue had 
 arrived before the time appointed, the mock cavalcade had 
 yet to come. He pondered over the mafter for a brief 
 space, resolving to proceed with caution, lest he should 
 commit himself. 
 
 " Lock the gate," said he to the toll-gate keeper, " and 
 delay them awhile that I may reconnoitre."
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 143 
 
 With these words he sauntered into the road, and as the 
 hearse approached, he inquired in respectful terms and 
 courteous manner whose funeral it was. 
 
 " What's that to you?" replied the driver. 
 
 " It is something to me," said Cinderow with visible irri- 
 tability; " I suspect there's something more than a funeral 
 here, and I'll know all about it." 
 
 The driver retorted " Ask the undertaker there, it's no 
 use botherin' me ; open the gate, old fellow ; what are you 
 starin' at?" 
 
 The gatekeeper replied " I'll just trouble you for the 
 toll first." 
 
 Whilst this was going on, the undertaker descended from 
 one of the vehicles, and approaching Cinderow, asked with 
 a business-like air, who and what he was to cause the stop- 
 page, and without waiting for a reply, continued 
 
 " Pray, Sir, what is the meaning of this ? By what right, 
 Sir, do you interfere with a public funeral? Consider, 
 Sir, how painful this must be to the mourners, Sir!" 
 
 At this moment Cinderow's eye fell upon a brawny face 
 protruding with a broad grin through one of the windows. 
 " Grief with a vengeance," he exclaimed, as the head, 
 whose hat did not boast even the appendage of scarf or 
 crape, was drawn back ; " I insist on seeing the inside 
 of this hearse." 
 
 The undertaker interposed "At your peril, Sir." But 
 Cinderow, pushing him aside, tried to open the door. 
 
 " Lock'd, Sir," said the imperturbable undertaker. 
 
 " Unlock it then, or I'll force it," replied the officer. 
 " Eh ! gatekeeper ! bring me a hammer, a chisel, a coal- 
 hammer, anything, quick ; I charge you in the Queen's 
 name." The gatekeeper presently appeared with a heavy 
 poker. 
 
 "Now," said Cinderow, "we'll see;" and was about to
 
 144 HARRY KOUGIITON, OR 
 
 force the door, when the undertaker again interposed, 
 observing " Well, Sir, if you must see inside, don't 
 damage the hearse, Sir, unless you make good repairs, but 
 I prefer opening it;" upon which, drawing forth a key, 
 lie unlocked the door, and Cinderow peering into the 
 long recess, observed two bundles at the top, and forcing 
 himself two-thirds of the way in, began to pull and haul at 
 them. 
 
 At this moment two of the men of mourning suddenly 
 sprang forward, and doubling up his legs, they thrust 
 Cinderow into the hearse, and shut him up. He heard the 
 lock spring-to before he could apply his foot to the panel, 
 and found himself a prisoner in that narrow chamber of 
 death. The toll having been instantly paid, the cavalcade 
 proceeded en route at a rapid pace ; kicking, struggling, 
 and shouting were unavailing in pent up proximity to the 
 rumble of the vehicles and the clatter of hoofs. Cinderow 
 at length resigned himself to his uncertain fate, indulging 
 in such mortifying reflections as his position and circum- 
 stances were naturally calculated to inspire. At length 
 the hearse, accompanied by two or three men, diverged from 
 the main road, and drew up opposite a solitary labourer's 
 cottage. The door of this novel prison-house was opened, 
 and its unresisting inmate, overpowered by numbers, was 
 carried over the fence and into the cottage by the back- 
 door. His captors gagged him with the poker, tied him in 
 a chair, and having planted him in the middle of the 
 kitchen, politely wished him good-day, rejoined the 
 coaches in the high road and slowly returned home. 
 There was no alternative for Mr. Cinderow but to bear his 
 unexpected durance, until the innocent occupants of the 
 cottage should return from their labour; which, from the 
 common practice of carrying their dinner with them, would 
 probably not be until nightfall. But the most galling
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 145 
 
 reflection which suggested itself to Cinderow's mind, was 
 the true solution of the whole mystery. Whilst he was 
 led astray by his own cupidity, and what he unjustly 
 believed to be the treachery of Swiveleye, to waylay the 
 mock funeral, the contraband goods had been borne off in 
 undisturbed security by a cross-country road, and, in all 
 probability, placed beyond his reach for ever. The avarice 
 of some men knows no bounds. He had just learned one 
 lesson at the Oldburgh Cliffs, which ought to have shown 
 him the folly of attempting to contend single-handed with 
 a band of smugglers ; but still he had resolved, on the in- 
 formation of old Swiveleye, to make the prize all his own ; 
 and bitterly did he repent that, in his sordid desire to 
 monopolize the whole fruits of the seizure, he had not 
 availed himself of that help, which it was alike his real 
 interest and his duty to have sought on such an occasion. 
 
 The long delayed arrival of the cottagers gave him 
 ample time to indulge in these bitter reflections, to which 
 he may be safely left for the present.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 " In vain we heave for breath, in vain we cry ; 
 The nerves, unbraced , their usual strength deny, 
 And on the tongue their falt'ring accents die." 
 
 DKYDEN; VIUGIL. 
 
 ; It is an epilogue or discourse, to make plain 
 Some obscure precedence that hath been 'tofore sain." 
 
 SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 WHILST the ingenious device by which Cinderow had been 
 diverted from the contemplated seizure, was being carried 
 into operation, Wakeful was not asleep. To him, as we 
 have seen, was confided the task of removing from Smith's 
 hovel the packages which had been deposited there. For 
 this purpose, reassuming his waggoner's attire, he proceeded 
 with a cart in broad day-light, loaded all the packages 
 but two, and drove leisurely along the street. Sometimes 
 chewing a bit of straw, at others playing with the cord of 
 his whip, then again, lazily humming a stave of some 
 familiar ballad, he looked the unconcerned picture of stolid 
 innocence and rustic stupidity. No one would for a 
 moment have suspected that he was the chosen instrument 
 of a gang of keen smugglers, or that the mercantile-looking 
 packages in that cart contained smuggled commodities. 
 Thus he sauntered along, at a modest distance from his 
 load, until he came to Mr. Eoughton's, where he quietly 
 unloaded a package, deposited it in the shop, passed on as
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICE!!. 147 
 
 far as Pitt's yard, where he left another, and then proceeded 
 with the remainder in the direction of Mundy's premises. 
 Having reached the street, he scanned the length of it by 
 a furtive glance under his slouched hat, and observing 
 some one whose presence he did not altogether like, he 
 drove straight on, exchanged a side glance, unobserved by 
 any one else, with Mundy as he passed, making no stop 
 until he reached the market-place. Here he boldly halted 
 opposite to one of the most respectable shops in the town, 
 and, having entered, made some trifling purchase, during 
 which, looking across the square, he saw the man, whose 
 presence he had shrunk from, disappear through a thorough- 
 fare at the corner. This man a creature of Cinderow's 
 seeing the cart stop at Mr. Merevale's, was satisfied, and 
 had departed, whereupon Wakeful deliberately turned his 
 horse's head, retraced his steps, and deposited his load at 
 Mundy's, where the packages were speedily housed in 
 safety. The two cases left at Koughton's shop and Pitt's 
 yard, were to lie there for a favourable opportunity to dis- 
 pose of them ; and it only now remained for Wakeful to 
 get away the two remaining packages from Smith's hovel, 
 where it was scarcely prudent to keep them longer. 
 
 Leaving Wakeful to concoct his plans for this purpose, 
 we may now resume the narrative of Cinderow's misad- 
 venture. 
 
 The return of the humble cottagers at about half-past 
 five in the evening, was hailed with delight by poor Cin- 
 derow, whose limbs and jaws ached from the pressure of 
 the cords, the heavy iron gag, and the long endurance of a 
 posture, which had been little eased by his writhings and 
 vain attempts to rid himself of the thongs that bound him. 
 It was dark when the old man and his wife turned the key 
 of the door and groped their way into the kitchen. 
 
 " Dame, strike a light," said the labourer, who stood
 
 148 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 with his back towards the door resting his hand upon his 
 spade. 
 
 The good woman having ignited a match, lighted a 
 small candle, whose flickering rays, gradually growing 
 into a feeble flame, revealed to the bewildered gaze of the 
 astonished pair the strange and silent occupant of the old 
 arm chair. He sat like a spectre before them. A gleam 
 of delight, to which the gag forbade articulate expression, 
 lit up the countenance of the apparition ; but a simultaneous 
 shriek of terror escaped the poor woman, whilst her hus- 
 band was almost struck dumb with amazement. Gradually 
 realizing the idea that the object before them was real 
 flesh and blood, a droll scene of explanation ensued. Cin- 
 derow alone could unravel the mystery of the singular 
 position in which the rustics found him. Ludicrous were 
 the contortions of his face, and the gesticulations he made 
 to induce them to untie the string which secured the poker 
 between his aching jaws; and laughable enough were the 
 babbling sounds and broken words he uttered : " Ut-u-'tie 
 u'-tie 'e-'e po-o-o'er," ejaculated Cinderow, nodding his 
 head, and shaking the heavy gag as a dog would shake a 
 reptile. The peasant cautiously approached him and 
 untied the string, whilst his goodwife, maintaining a 
 respectful distance, held out the candle at arm's length. 
 Restored to the power of fluent speech, so much of the 
 story of the tantalized officer's misfortunes as he deemed 
 it prudent to communicate, was speedily told, and he took 
 his departure homewards, tortured with such feelings of 
 shame and chagrin that he felt almost glad that darkness 
 shrouded him from observation. The next morning he 
 met Svviveleye in the street, and spurned him like a dog.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 " He answers -with a very graceful bow, 
 As if born for the ministerial trade. 
 Though modest, on his unembarrassed brow 
 
 Nature had written ' gentleman.' He said 
 Little, but to the purpose, and his manner 
 Flung hovering graces o'er him like a banner." BYEON. 
 
 " With a hook nose and a hawk's eye, which gave 
 
 A smart and sharper-looking sort of grace 
 To his whole aspect, which, though rather grave, 
 Was by no means as ugly as his case." BYRON. 
 
 THE reader must now be introduced to another personage, 
 of a character widely differing from that of some others 
 with whom he has been already made familiar. This 
 individual was the respected collector of Her Majesty's 
 customs at the port. In height he was rather below the 
 middle stature, tolerably broad-set, keenly intelligent, 
 rather reserved in manners, but most gentlemanlike in 
 deportment, and not the less commanding in appearance 
 from the snowy whiteness of his hair. His age was verg- 
 ing closely upon threescore and ten years. He was 
 scrupulously neat in dress, generally costumed in blue coat 
 and gilt buttons, temporarily exchanged at this period 
 for a suit of mourning, whilst he still adhered to the old- 
 fashioned white neckcloth. He insured respect from all 
 who approached him, both by his venerable appearance and 
 aristocratic bearing. In the society of his friends, in the 
 bosom of his family, and particularly during the cheerful
 
 150 HAEKY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 hour which usually succeeds dinner, he was one of the 
 liveliest of men ; and he possessed a fund of anecdote and 
 wit that rendered his company most gratifying and delight- 
 ful. There was an irresistible fund of humour and drollery 
 about the good old collector ; the expression of his counte- 
 nance, when relaxed into a smile, was almost infectious ; 
 and, though the contour of his face was really handsome, his 
 profile on these occasions was so singularly like the con- 
 ventional portraits of our old Charivaric friend Punch, that 
 those who were on terms of sufficient intimacy with him to 
 venture on a personal joke, not unfrequently designated 
 him by that mirth-inspiring name, to which, if we adhere, 
 we shall not be far from right. But it is in his sterner 
 and more official character that we must first introduce 
 Mr. Punch to our readers. He had just passed through 
 the rather gloomy gateway of the old grey-stone custom- 
 house, and ascended the stairs leading into his office, when 
 Mr. B. Politeful, his chief clerk, announced to him that a 
 person wished to have a private interview. 
 
 "Who is it?" was the curt rejoinder. 
 
 Mr. B. Politeful bowed and hesitated, as was his custom, 
 but could not give a name to the candidate for introduction. 
 
 " Well, if you don't know, why don't you say so ? show 
 him in." 
 
 Divested of his top-coat, and installed behind his desk, 
 the collector waited the entrance of the stranger, who 
 presently made his appearance, and rather a suspicious 
 appearance he had. Costumed in black that looked much 
 the worse for wear, with a small exhibition of linen 
 decidedly guiltless of soap and water, his externals were 
 not very inviting, while his pale and haggard countenance 
 was equally forbidding. 
 
 The collector coolly eyed him from head to foot, and 
 listened expectingly for what he had to say. The stranger
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 151 
 
 evidently waited for the collector to speak, and the latter, 
 a little puzzled to know whether the man's eyes were 
 turned to him or not, for they looked two ways at once, 
 impatiently observed " If you've anything to say to me, 
 say it at once; my time's too precious to be wasted." 
 
 The cadaverous mortal made an effort to speak, and at 
 length muttered confusedly that he had a little information 
 to give. 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Punch, " in the first place, who are 
 you?" 
 
 " I'm the owner of the Phoebus, Sir." 
 
 " You the owner of the Phoebus ! what's her tonnage ?" 
 
 " Seventy tons, Sir." 
 
 " Seventy tons ! Did you steal her, then, or otherwise?" 
 
 The poor fellow looked uncomfortable, and wished him- 
 self safe out again, for Mr. Punch was a style of man he 
 had been little accustomed to. 
 
 " Well, what's your name?" 
 
 " Swiveleye," replied the man. 
 
 " Swiveleye," repeated the collector as he rose and rang 
 the bell ; " and what have you to say? Are you going to 
 inform against your own vessel or otherwise?" 
 
 At this moment Mr. B. Politeful entered bowing and 
 scraping as usual "Yes, Sir did you ring, Sir? I've 
 brought the books, Sir." 
 
 " Then take 'em back again, I'm not ready for them 
 yet, here, wait. Bring me the register of the Phosbus." 
 
 " Yes, Sir, yes, Sir," said Mr. B. Politeful as he bowed 
 himself out of the room. 
 
 " Well," resumed the collector, "go on with your story," 
 and taking up his pen, he made notes of Swiveleye's 
 narrative, in which he disclosed as much as he thought he 
 safely could to keep himself clear, making Mr. Eoughton 
 the chief object of his guarded information, and coupling
 
 152 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 him as far as possible with the recent seizures, without 
 inculpating himself 5 at the same time throwing out some 
 hints, not the most favourable, with respect to Cinderow, 
 and begging that his name might not transpire. 
 
 " A pretty fellow you are," said Mr. Punch, " the owner 
 of the importing ship, and a party to the whole transaction. 
 I suppose you are aware that I can prosecute you as well 
 as the rest of your gang ? You want to save yourself at 
 their expense, eh?" 
 
 " I suppose I'm entitled to my share in the reward, Sir?" 
 
 " We shall see about that, keep your own tongue still 
 here, stop a bit sign this I'll read it over first." Then, 
 reading aloud the deposition, he handed him the pen. " Is 
 that all true?" asked Mr. Punch. 
 
 " It is, Sir." 
 
 " Then sign it." 
 
 Swiveleye with a trembling hand affixed his signature, 
 and Mr. Punch, taking the pen by the top leather, threw 
 it into the fire, just as Mr. B. Politeful re-entered with the 
 register. The collector glanced it through, and then said 
 
 " Who found the money for this ship?" 
 
 Swiveleye faintly ejaculated " I did, Sir." 
 
 " That's a lie," replied Mr. Punch. " You may go now, 
 and don't come again till I send for you, unless you've 
 something more to communicate;" and Mr. Swiveleye 
 withdrew from his interrogator's presence in a frame of 
 mind not the happiest in the world. 
 
 "A precious vagabond that," said the collector musingly 
 as the door closed on the retiring informer. 
 
 " Yes, Sir, yes, Sir," echoed Mr. Politeful with three or 
 four obsequious bobs, as he laid the routine books before 
 Mr. Punch. These being audited, and Mr. Politeful having 
 in turn retired, the collector sat down and prepared his 
 report to Her Majesty's Commissioners of Customs in
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 153 
 
 London, and then instructed a confidential officer, to keep 
 his eyes open in certain quarters, although from Cinderow's 
 share in the transaction, it was necessary to communicate 
 to some extent with him also.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 " Fool and blind, 
 
 Still credulous I heard, and still pursued 
 The airy meteor glittering thro' the mire, 
 Thro' brake and bog, till more and more ingulf d 
 In the deceitful quag, floundering I lay." DODD. 
 
 LITTLE did Mr. Roughton dream that treachery, of which 
 he was the object, was at work, or he would have felt ill at 
 ease, with a witness against him within his own walls ; 
 indeed as it was, he did not much relish the idea of keeping 
 on his premises the package which Wakeful had deposited 
 there. His confidence, however, rose, as he reflected on the 
 overtures made to him by Cinderow ; and, anxious to culti- 
 vate that connection as a cloak for himself, as well as a safe 
 means of prosecuting his new avocation of a smuggler, he 
 resolved upon a bold throw upon his own account. His 
 recent success had intoxicated his giddy brain ; he grew more 
 and more hardened every day; the narrow escape he had 
 had on the night of his first adventure had lost its influence 
 over his mind. He determined to lose no time in securing 
 Cinderow's countenance and advice, and therefore betook 
 himself at once to the terrace ; boldly announcing his design 
 to bribe a crew and freight a ship, if Cinderow would make 
 all arrangements to secure the prize, and divide the reward 
 with him. Cinderow entered with avidity into the nefari- 
 ous scheme, and gave him the benefit of his official experi- 
 ence. " Take care," said he, " to procure a worthless old 
 boat," a captain you can rely on, and a crew of lads. If I
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 155 
 
 seize her afloat, and all concerned that is, the crew the 
 reward is greater. We shall get half what the ship sells 
 for; the boys are sure to get off they never prosecute 
 young lads and, as for the captain, why, he'll be liable 
 to a penalty of 100 ; and if there's plenty of tobacco, the 
 reward will leave margin enough for that, and a good 
 surplus for us ; that's a sure game, and no mistake." 
 Roughton and Cinderow parted sworn friends. The 
 former, all eagerness, lost not a moment in communicating 
 with Marsloops, and arranging for the meditated venture. 
 He soon had the satisfaction of knowing that his ship was 
 ploughing through the channel on her lawless errand ; but 
 the same evening brought him news of a more dishearten- 
 ing character news which made him tremble every time his 
 thoughts turned to the miserable package ; which so long 
 as it lay within the precincts of his domicile, haunted his 
 imagination, and excited a thousand guilty fears, robbing 
 him of rest and peace of mind. It rose before his trou- 
 bled eyes, like a vision of ill omen, in his sleep; at one 
 time standing like a mocking witness against him; at 
 others, floating over him as if threatening to descend on 
 his devoted head; and again, poising on his chest, oppressed 
 him with its weight, like a horrid nightmare from which 
 he seemed to struggle vainly to escape. Writhing under 
 the leaden incubus, he would wake with a fearful start; 
 and gazing into the dark obscurity, search with eager eye 
 for the object of his alarm, until slowly recovering his 
 scattered senses, he realized the conviction that it was all 
 a dream, and sought to dispel the demon fear from his 
 disturbed imagination. Yet, even daylight could not alto- 
 gether disarm him of the terrors which seemed inseparable 
 from the close companionship of that great square box ; 
 though carefully stowed away in an obscure chamber com- 
 municating with the shop. He could not pass the entrance
 
 156 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 to that gloomy recess without casting furtive glances into 
 its dim obscurity ; as if he fancied the package would 
 take to itself legs, and stalk like a phantom into open 
 daylight ; and involuntarily he always connected with 
 these strange vagaries the absorbing idea of the presence 
 of police, and of preventive and detective officers. He 
 resolved to get rid of the hideous box, or to find some 
 means of destroying it, valuable as were the contents, and 
 great as had been the trouble wasted on its acquisition. 
 At times, indeed, he felt half-inclined to renounce his new 
 vocation, with all its flattering prospects of speedy affluence ; 
 but whenever they rose before his mind he faltered in his 
 purpose, and his better resolutions succumbed to these 
 gilded visions of wealth. The spirit of the gambler had 
 taken possession of his soul. The occasionally-recurring 
 qualms of conscience, repulsed and suppressed as they 
 arose, grew fainter and fewer with every struggle. His evil 
 genius got the mastery, until reckless desperation banished 
 every suggestion of good but still he could not endure the 
 retention of that bugbear of an unopened box, whose con- 
 tents so ill accorded with the furniture of a chemist's shop, 
 although indorsed with the flimsy talisman of deceit 
 "Drugs, with care." He therefore started off in search of 
 Wakeful, on whose ingenuity he relied to get it away with 
 the same skill that he had exhibited in bringing it. 
 
 Mr. Eoughton had not long started on this errand before 
 a prescription was presented to Sandys, with instructions 
 to prepare it immediately, as the patient was very ill, and 
 the case brooked no delay. 
 
 " I'll send it up directly," said the diligent apprentice, 
 and the messenger departed ; but, on turning to the little 
 phalanx of bottles arranged on the shelf behind him, Sandys 
 discovered that the most important ingredient was wanting, 
 whereupon he flew with all haste to Mrs. Eoughton, carry-
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 157 
 
 ing the exhausted "bottle in his hand ; and, having explained 
 the urgency of the case, suggested whether, as Mr. Rough- 
 ton was gone out, she -would not have the chest in the back 
 shop opened. 
 
 " By all means," replied Jane ; and, putting her head 
 through the window, she called Pat Murphy from his 
 knifeboard to come and help Sandys to take off the lid. 
 Pat obeyed with alacrity. Without loss of time the box 
 was dragged to the light, the hammer and chisel were 
 applied with hearty goodwill, and, as the lid sprang up, 
 in came Mr. Roughton, trembling with anxiety, and pale 
 as death. His eye fell upon the guilty chest and the two 
 innocent operators. 
 
 " It's afther smelling uncommon strong," facetiously 
 observed Pat, scarcely conscious of his master's arrival, 
 but of which he became suddenly aware by the rapid whirl 
 of Roughton's stick, as it descended on poor Sandys' 
 shoulders, whilst his left hand grappled the astonished Pat 
 by the throat. 
 
 "Villains!" cried Roughton, "what the devil are you 
 doing? Avaunt ! or I'll break your heads." 
 
 The sharp cry which had escaped poor Sandys had called 
 Mrs. Roughton into the shop, and supposing that the fear- 
 ful anger depicted in Harry's countenance had fallen on 
 the two faithful servants in consequence of her orders, timid 
 woman as she was, she immediately exclaimed " Harry, 
 Harry, dear! I told them to open it." 
 
 " You told them to open it, you ! Curse your woman's 
 curiosity!" he vociferated ; "I'll teach you to meddle in 
 my affairs;" and in his ungovernable rage he raised his 
 hand. She drew back in terror towards the window, and 
 his eye following in the same direction, fell upon those of a 
 stranger gazing through the window. His arm dropt, his 
 cheek grew livid, and with a trembling hand he beckoned
 
 158 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 Jane towards the sitting-room, to which she retreated, and 
 fainted on the floor. " What a fool I am," muttered the 
 disconcerted man, as the folly of his hot-brained passion 
 rose forcibly to his mind. " To the stable, Pat," said he, 
 in a commanding but softened tone, " and wait till I come 
 to you. To your work, Sandys," added he ; " I'll explain 
 to you directly;" and then, with a desperate effort, he 
 forced the innocently-offending chest back into the recess, 
 and ran to the street door. 
 
 " Away with that stuff directly," whispered the rogue 
 whom he had seen gazing through the window, " or the 
 harpies will be on you ; they are at Pitt's." 
 
 This was Golightly ; but before Eoughton could reply 
 he had disappeared, and with him the last chance that 
 offered of obeying the hurried injunction ; for Wakeful was 
 not forthcoming. 
 
 Roughton hastened to the stable, and in passing through 
 the sitting-room found his wife raised into a chair, and 
 Pat, with all the tenderness of a woman, bathing her temples 
 with his brawny hands " Why didn't you call Mary?" 
 said he, as he took the basin from Pat's hand. 
 
 " I'm afther thinkin'," replied Pat, " that too many eyes 
 have been on this job a'ready, and by good luck Mary 
 was busy in the washhouse." 
 
 Roughton shuddered at the shrewd inuendo, and patro- 
 nizingly repeating his wish that Pat should retire to the 
 stable and wait for him, he applied himself to the restora- 
 tion of his fainting wife. She slowly returned to con- 
 sciousness. He assisted her to her room. By this time 
 Sandys had again realized the idea that he was in a hurry 
 to procure the indispensable drug, and, notwithstanding the 
 inexplicable treatment he had met with, he, from a sense 
 of duty, sought his master. Roughton came down stairs 
 at the lad's call, and said " Sandys, my lad, I'm sorry I
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 159 
 
 was so hasty ; run off to Mr. Somerfield's, get what you 
 want from him, and send off the medicine as quickly as 
 possible." 
 
 Away flew Sandys. 
 
 " Pat," said Harry, on entering the stable, " do you know 
 what was in that box?" 
 
 Pat, with a knowing look, replied " How is it that I 
 should, masther, seeing that ye took such good care I 
 shouldn't?" 
 
 Pat's manner was evasive, and the expression he had 
 used in the sitting-room satisfied Harry that his secret was 
 no longer safe, unless he could secure Pat's co-operation, 
 and that no time was to be lost. 
 
 " Now, Pat," said he, " d'ye think you could get that 
 box fairly out of my way anyhow, and without loss of 
 time?" 
 
 Pat looked puzzled, and after turning and twisting his 
 little black eyes about in all directions, as if searching for 
 an idea, he exclaimed " Troth, masther, an' it's not much 
 I like daling with things o' that natur', but maybe I'd run 
 a little risk for the sake o' yer honor, barrin' the t'rottler ye 
 gave me ; and the poor missis, bless her heart, she takes on 
 so ; an' a bether lady never walk'd than she, an' yer honor 
 knows it." 
 
 Harry winced at Pat's homespun honesty, but impatiently 
 replied " Whilst you're talking you might be doing. 
 AVhat do you propose?" 
 
 " That's jist it, yer honor. What is it I propose ? Per- 
 haps ye'd jist tell me where you want to git it to." 
 
 Koughton briefly replied "Mundy's ;" and then, re- 
 marking that Pat gave a slight start, added, " or anywhere 
 else ; the river, if you like, so that I get it off my premises, 
 and quick." 
 
 Pat made no reply, but slipping on his jacket, pulled
 
 160 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 from amongst some lumber an old truck "An 7 if that 
 goes wid it, it's no great loss we'll have," said he to him- 
 self, and "boldly wheeling it round into the shop, with the 
 help of Sandys he hastily renailed the lid of the chest, put 
 it on the truck, and with apparent unconcern started off up 
 the street, nodding familiarly to here and there a passenger 
 whom he recognized, as if nothing was the matter. The 
 known honesty of poor Pat averted from him all suspicion. 
 At length he reached Mr. Mundy's shop, and observing 
 the flap of the cellar steps wide open, he wheeled his load 
 straight up to it, and throwing the box off with a resolute 
 jerk, left it to find its way down the steep descent without 
 waiting the result. Heedless of a smothered oath, which 
 sounded somewhat like a cry of pain, he deliberately turned 
 his face homeward again, and arrived once more without 
 the slightest interruption at his master's yard. He resumed 
 his duties as if nothing had happened ; but in passing his 
 master's shop he had turned his head, to bestow upon him 
 a sort of triumphant glance, which, however, he forbore on 
 seeing that celebrated rat, Cinderow, engaged in a colloquy 
 with his master. " Jist in time," said the cunning little 
 Pat ; and he rejoiced in the belief that, at his own risk, he 
 had perhaps saved his kind mistress, whom he cared most 
 for, from some impending trouble.
 
 CHAPTEE XXV. 
 
 ' Presence of mind, and courage in distress, 
 Are more than armies to procure success." DRYDEX. 
 
 " If you give way, 
 
 Or hedge aside from the direct forthright, 
 Like to an entered tide they all run by, 
 And leave you hindmost." SHAKSPEAEE. 
 
 THE cause of Eoughton's sudden alarm, and the conse- 
 quences which ensued from the fit of excitement it had 
 produced, arose from a rumour, partly founded in fact, that 
 had reached his ears, of the capture of a quantity of smug- 
 gled tobacco, and the detention of a man, whom Roughton 
 was satisfied could "be no other than Wakeful; but that 
 which most quickened his apprehensions, was the general 
 belief that information had transpired relative to a recent 
 run of tobacco of some magnitude, and the discovery, 
 through some treacherous medium, of the principal parties 
 concerned. "What," thought Harry, " if my name should 
 be one upon the list, and that unexplainable package should 
 be found upon my premises, falsely branded f Drugs!'" 
 
 It appeared that the collector had discovered some clue 
 to the depository of Wakeful's two remaining packages on 
 Smith's premises, and that he had made known his sus- 
 picions to two of his officers; Cinderow was one, and 
 Watterson the other. The latter, a stout active man, but 
 rather too corpulent for a racer, had been instructed to 
 watch in the neighbourhood of Smith's house, and Cin-
 
 162 HARRY ROUGHTON, OK 
 
 derow to direct his attention to several other suspected 
 parties. Wakeful having his own reasons for surmising 
 that all was not safe, had already secured one of the 
 packages, and, emboldened by his uninterrupted success, 
 had returned for the other with a handcart a vehicle 
 as unlikely as any to excite suspicion. He had not only 
 quitted Smith's premises with his load, but had turned the 
 first corner with it, when he saw two men approaching, 
 one of whom he knew in a moment to be an old familiar 
 of Cinderow's, and in the other recognized Cinderow him- 
 self. They suddenly halted when they saw him ; but, 
 having arranged his plan of operations with the rapidity of 
 thought, he pushed on towards them with impudent indif- 
 ference, hoping to reach the narrow lane which, by sundry 
 turns and angles, led through the back fields ; his first 
 intention being, as the loss of the tobacco seemed inevitable, 
 to scale the high wall whicli fenced in the lane, and secure 
 his retreat through the adjacent gardens. The two men 
 evidently kept a steady eye upon his movements, but with 
 the covert intention of pouncing upon him as lie passed, 
 affected to be conversing carelessly together. Wakeful 
 having gained the desired point, suddenly turned the hand- 
 cart into the passage, and, twisting it round to throw a 
 temporary obstacle in the way of any pursuers, took to his 
 heels. The officers instantly gave chase, and arrived at 
 the entrance in time to see the fugitive disappear behind 
 the first angle in the walls; a moment sufficed to pull aside 
 the cart and give them passage way, and on they ran. 
 Wakeful felt himself in an awkward predicament, for, as 
 he proceeded he heard voices ahead; but time did not suffice 
 to ascertain whether they were beyond the next turn in the 
 very path he was on, or over the wall, in either of which 
 cases, if he ran or leapt as a fugitive into the midst of them, 
 his 1 escape would have been impossible, But his ready
 
 ; -
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 1 G3 
 
 tact never failed liim. In less time than it has taken to 
 state this dilemma and his passing thoughts, he had 
 knocked in the crown of his hat, pulled his shock of hair 
 over his forehead, taken off his coat and thrown it over his 
 arm, tucked up his trousers to his knees, and, reversing his 
 steps, reeled "back with a staggering gait towards his pur- 
 suers. As they came breathlessly round the corner, they 
 met the stupid, lubberly, drunken-looking rascal full in the 
 face, with his tongue half out of his mouth, his blinking 
 eyes peering vacantly at the top of the wall, and, to all 
 appearance regardless of their approach, muttering inar- 
 ticulately to himself "Niver see sich a thing (hiccup), 
 niver (hie) in my life!" 
 
 " Hallo, old fellow," said Cinderow ; " have you seen a 
 man running this way?" 
 
 With a stolid look Wakeful replied " Niver see sich a 
 bloo' fool in a' my life ! " 
 
 " Confound you," retorted the officer, " has any body run 
 this way?" 
 
 " OvV there (hie), ov'r there," pointing helplessly at 
 the top of the wall ; " niver see sich a jump (hie) in a' my 
 life!" 
 
 The officers conferred a moment, whilst the rubicund 
 Watterson wiped the perspiration from his bald pate, and 
 then helped each other on to the wall, whilst Wakeful 
 staggered and fell upon his face muttering to himself, 
 whereat the officers laughed; and before he had time to 
 rise they had both disappeared on the other side of the 
 wall, a drop-leap of some nine or ten feet, and were off 
 across the gardens, in full cry after some poor fellow whom 
 they had descried in the distance, clambering over a gate 
 into the bridle road beyond. As the officers toiled through 
 the heavy wet soil, making sure of their man, they indulged 
 in sundry jokes at the expense, as they thought, of the
 
 1G4 HARRY KOUGI1TON, OR 
 
 drunken fool they had encountered in the lane, when sud- 
 denly Watterson halted, and turning as red as a turkey- 
 cock, sagely observed " "We're wrong, we mayn't catch 
 this fellow after all, and we can't identify him ; we had 
 better turn back and secure the handcart and package." 
 
 " Oh! " replied the other, " I noticed the miserable scamp 
 as he came up the street, and trust me for knowing him if 
 ever I set eyes on him again." Little did he dream of the 
 metamorphosis which had so cleverly given the lie to his 
 boasted powers of identification ; but the ground was 
 heavy, and their physical energies had already been 
 severely taxed ; so, after another brief debate, they retraced 
 their steps to the formidable wall, which, however, they did 
 not find quite so easy to reclimb. After searching some 
 time for a more accessible point, they at length succeeded 
 in regaining the lane, little doubting that their booty would 
 be found where they left it ; but on turning the selfsame 
 angle in the wall where they met their drunken informant, 
 they saw their way clear before them and no cart to 
 obstruct their path. In vain did they quicken their pace ; 
 for no sooner had Wakeful assured himself of the safe 
 retreat of his enemies, than he was off like a shot from a 
 nine-pounder, and shaking down what had lately worn the 
 semblance of clumsy knee-breeches over dirty white stock- 
 ings and laced boots, and throwing his coat on his load, 
 he trudged away with a will, and got it safe housed long 
 before his late pursuers had time to regain the street. 
 Wakeful made the best of his way to Mr. Pitt, to report 
 progress and caution him to get rid of his remaining 
 package. In an instant Pitt was on the alert. Wakeful 
 must venture again, but to repeat the visit to Mundy's 
 was not to be thought of, so Wakeful was despatched with 
 his new load, to a shoemaker's shop, where Pitt still earned 
 on business, and which was kept by a trusty old female
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 165 
 
 servant. But luck was not so much in Wakeful's favour 
 this time, for scarcely had he trudged two hundred yards 
 before his two recent pursuers reappeared at the end of the 
 street, and "Wakeful had no alternative but to sacrifice his 
 load, and run for his liberty. No friendly house or con- 
 venient passage here presented itself, and fearing lest he 
 should be recognized after his hairbreadth escapes, he 
 sought safety in flight and concealment. 
 
 " Got it at last," cried the officers, as they seized upon 
 the deserted prey; "that fellow must have found some 
 readier road out of those confounded gardens than we did ; 
 but you see it wasn't for either Mr. Pitt or old Mundy, 
 after all, for he was going in a contrary direction." Re- 
 joicing in their great success they made the best of their 
 way to the custom-house ; and hence the story of the large 
 seizure, cart and all, and the reason why Wakeful was not 
 at Roughton's -service in time of need. 
 
 Mr. Cinderow presented himself at Roughton's house; the 
 latter received him with all the ease of a man who had just 
 got a heavy burden off his mind ; and, on being told his 
 errand, actually invited a search with all the confidence of 
 conscious innocence. That search was slight; Cinderow, 
 politely considering the feelings of Mrs. Roughton, con- 
 fined his examination to the purlieus of the shop and busi- 
 ness premises, then just walked into the sitting-room, 
 chatted with Mrs. Roughton, took a glass of wine, shook 
 hands, and retired with as much urbanity as if the new 
 acquaintance with Mr. Roughton were a friendship of long 
 standing. When that worthy had turned his back on Mr. 
 Roughton's house, the latter hurried to the stable-yard to 
 make all right, as he termed it, with Pat Murphy. " Just in 
 time and well done, Pat," said Roughton, as he confronted 
 the brisk little Irishman; " there's a sovereign for you." 
 
 Pat, with an offended air, replied " Devil a bit ; Pat
 
 166 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 Murphy fingers no gold for the likes o' that, begging your 
 honour's pardon.'' 
 
 Much as he admired the blunt honesty of poor Pat, Mr. 
 Roughton could not conceal his annoyance. He strove in 
 vain to prevail on Pat to take the proffered bribe; but 
 baulked in this, he said "Well, Pat, I suppose I can 
 trust you to keep your tongue still." 
 
 Pat's eye flashed with honest indignation, as he answered 
 (i I thought yer honour had known Pat Murphy too 
 well to suspict him of threachery ; but it's a diract lie I'll 
 tell for nobody, though maybe I'd bother a question or 
 two if they're oncivilly put me." 
 
 With this assurance Roughton felt somewhat relieved ; 
 his confidence in Pat's shrewd wit was unbounded, and he 
 quitted him more at ease. Half an hour had probably 
 elapsed after this interview, when Pat again presented 
 himself before his master, and, after twirling his hat round 
 once or twice in his fingers, he said " Sir, I've been 
 thinkin', worst come to the worst, I may some day be axed 
 some ugly questions about this job." 
 
 " What do you mean by that?" retorted Roughton, with 
 rather a puzzled look. 
 
 "Well now that's jist an ugly question, and maybe it's 
 as well I'd not answer," replied Pat dryly; "but I'd jist 
 remind yer honour of that great hape o' waste paper in 
 the back room there, and I wouldn't wonther if Masther 
 Mundy mightn't turn it to some account." 
 
 "Well?" replied Roughton expectingly. 
 
 " Well, by yer honour's lave, there's a great box in the 
 same place, an' I'd like just to fill it and make another 
 trip, by the same rule, to Masther Mundy 's." 
 
 " If that will afford you any satisfaction, Pat, you may 
 do it," said Roughton, and as Pat still stood immovable, 
 he added "And what next, Pat?"
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 167 
 
 " Well, by the same rule, yer honour, I wouldn't object 
 to dhrink yer honour's health for that same." 
 
 Harry threw him a crown piece, with a caution not to 
 oil his tongue with it all at one time. 
 
 " Thrust me for that," said Pat, and away he went to 
 perform his eccentric commission. Pat turned back as he 
 reached the door, and, with a cunning leer, observed " I 
 suspict there were a few laves in that other chest, yer 
 honour?" 
 
 There was no need for further concealment with honest 
 Pat ; and Harry replied " Right enough, Pat, there were 
 a few leaves in it." And Pat, with a knowing wink, closed 
 the door after him. 
 
 " Masther Sandys," said he, as he bundled up the paper, 
 "it's the masther wants to be rid of this, jist lend a, hand 
 to weigh it, and make out a little bill at fourpence a 
 pound, to the 'bacconist, Misther Mundy, if you plase." 
 The box and the bill complete, Pat bowled away with his 
 load, and deposited it, to the surprise and apprehension of 
 Mr. Mundy, in that worthy gentleman's shop. " There's 
 the bill, Sir," said Pat, " an' all right ; never mind the tin ; 
 masther can thrust yer honour," and, with a significant 
 nod, he left him to ponder over the unexpected consign- 
 ment. 
 
 Mundy hobbled after him to the door to call him back, 
 but Pat was not anxious to enter into a discussion, or 
 continue longer than necessary in that locality, so, touching 
 his hat, as he glanced at a red handkerchief bound round 
 Mr. Mundy's shin, he said " Sorry to see yer honour 
 lame, nothin' serious I hope ; ye'll find the contints of the 
 box to yer satisfacshin," and ?> regardless of Mundy's 
 rejoinder, he bid him good-by, and hurried away.
 
 CHAPTEE XXVI. 
 
 ' The secret enemy, whose sleepless eye 
 Stands sentinel, accuser, judge, and spy, 
 The foe. the fool, the jealous, and the vain, 
 The envious who but breathe in others' pain. 
 
 To find in hope but the renewed caress, 
 
 The serpent-fold of further faithlessness, 
 
 If such may be the ills which men assail, 
 
 What marvel if at last the mightiest fail?" BYRON. 
 
 THE in-and-out transactions, mixed up and narrated bit by 
 bit as events jostled against each other, were quietly over, 
 with the loss of only a solitary package, always excepting 
 the twenty bales of tobacco offered up to the Moloch of 
 Cinderow's cupidity, part of the proceeds of which, by 
 honourable compact between him and Swiveleye, was to 
 come into hotchpot on the final settlement of accounts 
 between Roughton, Pitt, and their worthy accomplices. 
 The run was, upon the whole, cleverly and successfully 
 accomplished, and the large profits were all the sweeter for 
 the difficulties and dangers overcome. 
 
 It was uncertain when Cinderow's contribution would be 
 forthcoming, but the parties met in high spirits ; and after 
 exchanging congratulations as earnest as those of the two 
 great generals, Wellington and Blucher, after the battle of 
 Waterloo, they squared accounts, assigning to Swiveleye 
 all that he had stipulated for with Cinderow ; and by a 
 joint contribution handed him in cash, as his share, five 
 sovereigns, an arrangement in which, to their surprise, not
 
 HARRY ROUGHTOX. 169 
 
 unmingled with distrust, the needy doctor acquiesced 
 without a murmur, whilst he accepted the five pounds with 
 expressions of gratitude. 
 
 The serenity of the next few days was grateful even to 
 the feelings of these restless individuals, and they rejoiced 
 in their ill-gotten gains with peculiar satisfaction. Mr. 
 Roughton received the agreeable intelligence that his new 
 venture, all his own and Cinderow's, was almost within 
 his reach, and the latter was apprised that no one might 
 forestall the golden prize. 
 
 In the meantime Her Majesty's representative of the 
 customs had received a somewhat formidable missive from 
 London, in the shape of a writ of capias, for the apprehen- 
 sion of Mr. Roughton. As it had reference to the transac- 
 tion in which Cinderow had figured as the seizing officer 
 of the twenty bales, the warrant was indorsed to him as 
 the proper arresting officer. Mr. Punch had his misgivings ; 
 but, considering the position of his officer, he resolved to 
 lose no time in putting the instrument into his hands, 
 with a curt and unmistakable intimation to do his duty. 
 Cinderow was somewhat disconcerted at receiving this 
 unexpected commission, the execution of which must savour 
 of a breach of faith with his new accomplice. He took 
 special care not to exhibit his emotion, for he knew that Mr. 
 Punch was a gentleman not to be trifled with ; he therefore 
 took his instructions with well-feigned avidity, resolving 
 all the time to temporize so as to make sure of the coming 
 prize, in which case the diabolical idea that the new seizure 
 might be all his own, when his victim was helpless and 
 in prison, flashed across his mind, and he cherished it with 
 savage delight. Quitting the presence of the collector, he 
 avoided the haunts of Mr. Roughton with scrupulous care, 
 watched him from his own house, and then took the oppor- 
 tunity of stepping in to inquire for him, taking special
 
 170 II ARE Y ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 precautions to be seen in his pretended search, though 
 giving himself more trouble to avoid his man than he 
 would, in ordinary cases, have taken to secure him ; but 
 the very next morning he unexpectedly met Mr. Roughton 
 full in the face on the public quay. They were not the 
 only persons there the situation was a difficult one. The 
 expected ship was not in the roads, and the winds were 
 contrary. Should he speak to him ? He feared that other 
 eyes would be drawn to him. Should he hint to him the 
 danger that was impending? That would only compromise 
 himself, and self was his idol. He turned and walked away. 
 As he approached the custom-house, Mr. Watterson accosted 
 him with the startling observation " Roughton's on the 
 pier." He was taken aback for the moment, and then, 
 with his usual tact, said " I can find him when I want 
 him," and passed on. Three hours later he was summoned 
 into the collector's room. His fears suggested half a dozen 
 difficulties, but he relied on his own ingenuity to get over 
 them. 
 
 " Mr. Cinderow," said the collector, with a firm and 
 studied courtesy, " I don't ask you whether you have 
 arrested Eoughton or otherwise ; but if he is not in 
 your custody in an hour's time, return me that warrant." 
 Cinderow was about to reply. " Do as I tell you, or some 
 one else shall." 
 
 "Yes, Sir; but" 
 
 " Yes, Sir ; but ! Don't yes and but me. Go and do 
 your duty, or otherwise " 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Sir; I'll go." 
 
 The collector cut him short with a withering frown 
 
 " Go to ." Cinderow bowed, and backed out without 
 
 waiting for another word ; and the collector rang his bell 
 " Send Mr. Watterson to me," said he to the messen- 
 ger, "directly, d'ye hear?" Mr. Watterson appeared.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 171 
 
 " Cinderow is just gone by my orders to arrest Roughton : 
 follow him, and report to me what you see." 
 
 Mr. Watterson obeyed. Cinderow proceeded moodily 
 towards Roughton's house ; as he approached the shop he 
 looked stealthily up and down the street, and beheld Wat- 
 terson passing quietly along the opposite side. Roughton 
 was in his shop ; there was no alternative. Cinderow 
 entered with an uncertain step and uneasy expression. 
 " Mr. Roughton," said he, " I am very sorry, but there has 
 been some treachery somewhere." 
 
 Roughton turned pale " What do you mean ; surely no 
 one else has seized her? She's just arrived below the 
 sand-bank." 
 
 Cinderow could not restrain a smile of satisfaction. 
 Selfishness nerved him for his duty, and he said " No, Mr. 
 Roughton, I'm sorry to say it's not that," but fumbling in 
 his pocket he produced his missive, adding " I'm grieved 
 to tell you that I have no alternative but to make you my 
 prisoner. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but other eyes 
 were on us." 
 
 Roughton was for the moment speechless. At length his 
 anger rose, and setting Cinderow down as the direst villain 
 under the sun, asked, with bitter irony " It was for the 
 arrival of the Crown that you waited? and having got 
 that information. I must be sacrificed to your avarice and 
 treachery !" and he raised his clenched fist. 
 
 Cinderow drew back a step or two, and producing a 
 pistol and a pair of handcuffs, said " No nonsense, Mr. 
 Roughton ; I'm grieved to have so painful a duty thrust on 
 me, but I must do it." 
 
 Roughton recoiled at the sight of those manacles, and 
 resignedly said " I'll follow you quietly anywhere, Mr. 
 Cinderow, rather than be dragged through the streets like 
 a felon with gyves upon his wrists ;" then, reflecting for a
 
 172 HARRY ROTJGHTON, OH 
 
 moment, lie thought of his wife, of his recent coldness, and 
 frequent brutality ; and he felt, in spite of all this, that she 
 would be more grieved and broken-hearted to see him in a 
 gaol than he would himself. All his tenderness for her 
 seemed to roll back into its natural channel, as the convic- 
 tion came home to him that her ardent love and faithful 
 devotion would be, if possible, tenfold greater for him as a 
 suffering and degraded inmate of a prison, ay, even as a 
 beggar, than in his happiest days. He felt that he had 
 wronged her, and that, if he had listened to her wise coun- 
 sels, the little sitting-room, from which a frail partition 
 only separated him, would have been his happy retreat for 
 that very night, which he was about to spend in a melan- 
 choly cell without her soothing voice to cheer, or the smiles 
 of his little ones to enliven him. "Wretch that I am," 
 said he, and the strong man melted into tears. Even 
 Cinderow stood aloof, and respected that intensity of grief. 
 A brief struggle and the paroxysm was over. With sup- 
 pressed emotion he asked, in a tone of unnatural calmness 
 "Am I not entitled to give bail?" He waited with deep 
 anxiety the reply. 
 
 " If you can procure good and sufficient bond to appear 
 and take your trial." 
 
 " Trial ! " The word struck terror into his very soul. 
 " A public spectacle for vulgar eyes to gaze at, and envious 
 neighbours to gloat over ! " The loss of the externals of 
 respectability grieved him more as yet than the sin which 
 had involved him in this woeful degradation. " Trial ! " 
 he repeated ; " cannot I escape that bitter ordeal ?" 
 . " By paying the penalties, of course," said Cinderow. 
 
 " And what amount?" eagerly inquired the prisoner. 
 
 Keferring to his documents, Cinderow replied "Six 
 hundred pounds." 
 
 Roughton's mind recurred in a moment to his invest-
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 173 
 
 ment on the water, now so nearly within his grasp, and to 
 his compact with the man whose hand was on his shoulder. 
 Hasty and passionate, his revengeful spirit suggested that 
 he would not surrender that to the villain who, he believed, 
 had betrayed him. " Six hundred pounds ! There's time 
 enougli for that. The bail first the bail, Mr. Cinderow. 
 Will you walk with me to Mr. Pitt's ?" 
 
 " Oh, certainly, with pleasure," said Cinderow. 
 
 Eoughton turned to poor Sandys, who had been a silent 
 but trembling and astonished spectator of this unexpected 
 scene, and whispered " Sandys, not a word of this to any 
 one not to Mrs. Eoughton, above all. If any one inquires 
 for me, I'm gone out for a short time on business ; " and ; 
 taking Cinderow's arm, the two men marched up the 
 street like bosom friends to all eyes, except those of Mr. 
 Watterson, who still kept them in view, and watched them 
 into Mr. Pitt's. 
 
 Pitt's practised eye discovered in a moment that there 
 was mischief in the wind, and mechanically buttoned up 
 his pockets, addressing him at the same time with unusual 
 warmth " Hallo ! my dear fellow, there's nothing wrong, 
 I hope?" 
 
 Eoughton came to the point at once " I want bail, and 
 who should I think of coming to but you?" 
 
 "Why me?" retorted Pitt, winking knowingly in 
 Eoughton's face ; " of course I know nothing about it ; 
 what's it for? What amount ?" 
 
 " Six hundred pounds," interposed Cinderow, exchang- 
 ing an intelligible glance with Pitt, for the sudden thought 
 had crossed his mind that if Eoughton escaped his clutches 
 that night the Crown might escape him too. His greedy 
 spirit suggested, " that must be all my own, by hook or by 
 crook now." 
 
 " Can't do anything of the sort, Mr. Eoughton," said
 
 174 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 Pitt. " It might compromise me. Better find some other 
 friend," adding, with a whisper in Harry's ear, " some one 
 above all suspicion. You understand me?" 
 
 "I don't," retorted Harry. 
 
 " Why, you see," said Pitt, " if I go bail for you, that 
 keen old taut-hand of a collector will be sure to think I've 
 some interest in it, and I shall have no peace. Don't you 
 think so, Mr. Cinderow?" 
 
 "Mr. Punch is a deep and determined hand, certainly," 
 observed Cinderow ; " but it's not for me to interfere, you 
 know, between friends, and perhaps Mr. Roughton may 
 have an opportunity of doing as much /or you" added he, 
 significantly. 
 
 Pitt started', a glance from Cinderow reassured him; 
 and taking Roughton by the button he drew him towards 
 the window, and endeavoured to cajole him into the belief, 
 that what had escaped Cinderow rendered it the more expe- 
 dient that he should not interfere " For," said he, " I fear 
 it will be my turn next. I never give nor ask bail ; I 
 always pod down the money on such occasions, and save 
 my credit." 
 
 Harry cursed the cold-blooded scoundrel in his heart, and 
 abruptly turning away said, " Mr. Cinderow, follow me," 
 and led the way home. His mind was made up. Arrived 
 there, he counted out 500, a sum which Cinderow had 
 intimated would be accepted if offered in lieu of bail, little 
 thinking that Eoughton could find it on the spur of the 
 moment. He, however, tendered it, and demanded his 
 discharge. 
 
 " Can't take it," said Cinderow, rather astounded ; "you'd 
 better go with me to the collector." 
 
 " Very well ; away with you," and in half an hour he 
 was discharged, minus 500 of his recently acquired capital. 
 " Now," said he, "that rascal shall find his match," and,
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 175 
 
 ordering a cab, he drove to the river side, dismissed the 
 vehicle, watched it clear oft, then hailed a boat, and 
 pulled away in the direction of the locality where he 
 expected to find the Crown. Unfortunately, he had taken 
 the wrong channel, the tide was ebbing fast, the long sand- 
 bank lay between him and the object of his search, and 
 the captain was not within hail. " Back," vociferated 
 Harry to the boatman, " we must double the point of this 
 dirty sand-bank ; bring me within hail of that schooner in 
 fifteen minutes and I'll give you a sovereign ; I'll lend a 
 hand myself," and, seizing one of the oars, he cried " Pull 
 away." Vigorously they plied the oars, and after a severe 
 tug they reached the longed-for channel, and, running with 
 the ebb, were presently within a hundred and fifty yards 
 of the schooner. Harry, who had twenty times looked 
 over his shoulder whilst straining at the oar, observed that 
 the canvas was fluttering in the breeze, and the vessel 
 already in motion, floating with the tide. The captain, on 
 the alert, had made him out with his glass, and shrewdly 
 guessing there was mischief brewing, had weighed anchor, 
 making all haste to run out of danger. In the excitement 
 of the moment Harry rose in the boat, gave the captain a 
 hearty cheer, and waving his handkerchief, signalled the 
 captain to hurry seaward. As both boat and schooner 
 were in motion, the little distance between them dimi- 
 nished more gradually, the captain gave a sign of intelli- 
 gence, and as the sails were filling with a favouring breeze 
 Harry's heart bounded with delight. He strained his eyes 
 with eager satisfaction as she gallantly ran before the wind. 
 " All's right," he ejaculated ; but as he uttered the words 
 his eye caught a glimpse of a little galliot shooting athwart 
 the stream, and, to his utter dismay, he descried Cinderow 
 astern, eagerly urging his boatman towards the devoted 
 craft. Harry relinquished the oar, threw himself back in
 
 176 HARRY ROUGHTOX. 
 
 the boat overcome with fatigue and disappointment, uttered 
 the monosyllable, " Home," and abandoned himself to the 
 bitterest reflections. The waterman lazily pulled round 
 the boat, and slowly regained the stairs from whence they 
 started, pocketed the sovereign which Harry gave him with 
 a sigh, and, mechanically touching his hat, gazed after the 
 melancholy retreating figure, with the deep interest of a 
 man who was evidently no stranger to such emotions him- 
 self ; and as Harry disappeared, the man uttered with a 
 significant shrug " He's a poor unhappy ." But the 
 last word died on his lips.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 For he so crafty was of forge and face, 
 So light of hand, so nymble of his pace 
 So smooth of tongue, and subtile in his tale, 
 That could deceive one looking in his face." 
 
 SPENCER'S FAERY QUEEN. 
 
 " HARRY ! Harry ! why do you grieve ? I am far happier 
 now than I have ever been. I can bear poverty with your 
 confidence and, affection, better than strife with riches. 
 Let us only think how we can best defend ourselves, and 
 look cheerfully to the future, when these troubles shall be 
 over." 
 
 Thus Jane, from whom the facts could be no longer 
 concealed, reasoned with her husband, who, overwhelmed 
 by the miseries he had brought upon himself, was alter- 
 nately the victim either of deep depression and anguish, 
 or of violent and ungovernable rage. It was poor Jane's 
 unceasing endeavour to assuage his grief or allay his 
 turbulent emotions. She cherished hopes for the future, 
 where all seemed blank to him, and strove to allay that 
 gnawing and remorseful anger which drove him almost 
 to madness, whenever his thoughts turned towards those 
 who had seduced, betrayed, and then deserted him. His 
 animosity towards Cinderow was great, but his wrathful 
 indignation against Pitt knew no bounds, nor did he now 
 seek to conceal it. 
 
 Pat Murphy, who, since the affair had got noised abroad, 
 
 M
 
 178 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 had received more of his master's confidence than before, 
 was ever on the alert for such information as might be 
 useful or interesting to him. 
 
 Rumours were rife of arrests or searches after various 
 parties ; and, though Pitt's name was in every one's mouth 
 as particeps criminis, no one seemed to expect that he was 
 in any danger of capture. 
 
 " Oh, he stands too well with Cinderow," said one. 
 
 " He knows how to keep his head above water, let who 
 will sink," said another ; whilst a third surmised that when 
 two men are thick enough to wear one another's coats, the 
 one hasn't much to apprehend from the other. 
 
 Full of these on dits, Pat appeared in the little sitting- 
 room with his budget ; and, as he concluded, said 
 
 " Och, thin, don't I know that that thief, Cinderow, called 
 at Pitt's for his big-coat and wrapper the selfsame night 
 as thim divil's tricks was played wid that darlint pony?" 
 
 A shade passed over Harry's brow at the mention of the 
 pony, but his thoughts were engrossed with Pat's comments 
 on Mr. Pitt, and he broke out into violent declamations 
 against the scoundrel, mixed with many threats of what he 
 would do little short of killing him. 
 
 " Don't, Harry, I implore you ; don't lay a hand on 
 that man, for my sake don't. You know how he insulted 
 me, but I forgive him ; now pray don't disgrace " 
 
 " Disgrace!" interrupted Harry bitterly; but Pat again 
 interposed 
 
 " Was it your ownself he insulted, ma'am ? Is it that 
 ye say now?" 
 
 " Never mind," replied Jane as she saw the colour 
 mantle in Pat's cheek, whilst a momentary glare of ferocity 
 lighted up his eye, " I ought not to have mentioned it." 
 
 " Never mind !" ejaculated Harry, " but I do mind ; and 
 if he comes across me, I'll break his head."
 
 KEMIXISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 179 
 
 " Well, beggin' yer honour's pardon," said Pat, suddenly 
 assuming a subdued tone of remonstrance ; " if I may be 
 so bould as to spake now, I'd advise yer honour not to 
 throuble yerself wid that ruffian. Lave him to God and 
 his conscience and the punishment that's sure to befall him 
 widout yer honour's help." 
 
 "That's right, Patrick," ejaculated Jane; "I do hope 
 your master will follow your Christian-like counsel." 
 
 " Maybe it's not very Christian, the advice that Pat 
 Murphy's able to give, but leastwise, if his honour '11 con- 
 discind to take it, I think he'll find it satisfactory in the 
 long run." 
 
 Having thus acquitted himself, Pat retired. 
 
 " That's a good gentle creature, though he is so rough," 
 observed Jane. 
 
 Harry nodded a sort of equivocal assent, as much as to 
 say " Believe that, Jane, if it will be any satisfaction to 
 you ; but if I know Pat Murphy's disposition at all, I shall 
 hear more about this." Assuming a smile, which belied 
 the feelings of his heart, he rose from the breakfast table 
 to brood over the treachery of Pitt, and devise some method 
 of retaliation. 
 
 Nor was Harry Koughton the only one of the desperate 
 clique whose thoughts were occupied with new designs of 
 vengeance despite the common tie which bound them 
 together, or made them dependant upon each other for 
 their personal safety. Matters had reached the culminat- 
 ing point at which treachery and revenge, spurred on by 
 rankling suspicion, however unjust, inevitably bring the 
 hapless participators in fraud into antagonism with each 
 other. 
 
 Whilst Roughton was abstractedly pondering over the 
 topics of the breakfast table, as he commenced with heavy 
 heart his duties behind the counter, a busy throng of officials
 
 180 HARRY ROUGHTON, OB 
 
 and others were gathering under the ancient gateway of 
 the custom-house, and again dispersing right and left to 
 their various avocations. A youth of shabby genteel appear- 
 ance, furtively watching the motley groups, had taken his 
 stand on the opposite side of the street, where he loitered, 
 until he saw a fussy-looking middle-aged gentleman turn 
 in and ascend the stairs leading towards the collector's 
 office. With a foot as light as a fawn the youth crossed 
 over, and was close upon the heels of the gentleman he was 
 following before his approach was perceived, when he gave 
 a slight cough, which drew that worthy's attention towards 
 him. He turned round, and with a polite bow, which he 
 could not have restrained had he been addressing a mendi- 
 cant, Mr. B. Politeful inquired what he wanted. 
 
 "I beg pardon, Sir; has my father been here?" 
 
 11 Your father I don't know you, Sir ; who do you mean?'' 
 
 tl Has Mr. Swiveleye been here?" 
 
 " What ! the owner of the Phoebus ? " 
 
 " Yes, Sir, that's him." 
 
 " He hasn't been here since he saw the collector on " 
 but suddenly recollecting himself, and that Swiveleye's 
 visit was confidential, he stammered out, amidst half a 
 dozen bows " No, I have not seen him to-day " and 
 hurried on leaving his interrogator, who, however, retired 
 evidently satisfied with the result of his inquiries. 
 
 Wakeful was sitting moodily over a few smouldering 
 embers in an obscure garret the confinement of which was 
 not very consonant with his restless, and at that moment, 
 revengeful spirit when the door opened, and in sprang 
 Jack Golightly. 
 
 " All right, Wakeful," said he, " Swiveleye's the villain 
 I've just heard it from the lips of old Bow-and-Scrape 
 himself.
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 181 
 
 " The devil you have," muttered Wakeful ; " do you 
 think I can safely turn out of this hole?" 
 
 "Why not?" replied Golightly, "them two fools have 
 no more idea who you was than the man in the moon 
 they suspect old Jem." 
 
 " Tak' me for old Jem ! " exclaimed Wakeful ; " why he's 
 old enough for my grandsire, the bullet-headed asses." 
 
 " Never mind the compliment, Wakeful," rejoined Jack, 
 " as long as it keeps you clear ; change your toggery and 
 turn out. Shall you leather the old thief? I'll back you." 
 
 Wakeful made no answer, but donned his countryman's 
 attire and stalked off in his white smock-frock and leather 
 gaiters, wearing close over his eyes a wide-awake con- 
 tributed by Golightly to the rustic wardrobe. He bent 
 his steps towards the custom-house, and procured an inter- 
 view with the collector. His story, in which a cadaver- 
 ous looking man, with a cast in his eye, was described as 
 having played a prominent part, was soon and cleverly 
 told. Shrewd as was Mr. Punch, he, for once, was de- 
 ceived by the rude simplicity of the man, who appeared 
 before him as the ignorant dupe of a gang of unscrupulous 
 smugglers, who had availed themselves of the poor fellow's 
 aid in carting away and hiding a " heavyish load of biggish 
 bags well nigh ha'f a hundredweight apiece." 
 
 Having gratified his vengeful feelings against the traitor 
 to whom he attributed the recent peril from which he had 
 so narrowly escaped, by paying him off in his own coin, 
 he marched out as happily as one scoundrel could feel in 
 the supreme satisfaction of having victimized another. 
 Meeting Golightly in the street, he at once addressed him 
 with the cheering intelligence that his mind was quite 
 easy now, and proposed an adjournment to the "Blue 
 Boar," to drink Swiveleye's good health and a safe lodging 
 to him.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIIL 
 
 'Now justices of the peace must judge all pieces 
 Of mischief of all kinds, and keep the game 
 And morals of the country from caprices 
 Of those who've not a license for the same." BYI 
 
 WHEN the estimable Cinderow boarded the Crown, he 
 found Marsloops in no very good humour, though three 
 sheets in the wind. His first impulse on seeing the galliot 
 close under the bows of the schooner, was to knock the 
 officer's brains out with a marline-spike the moment he set 
 foot on deck. Second thoughts are sometimes best. It 
 was well for Cinderow that Marsloops, ere too late, arrived 
 at that conclusion. Reflecting on the inconvenience which 
 might accrue to himself from violence with other eyes upon 
 him, he slunk back in sullen mood, threw himself on a 
 cask, and waited with folded arms the approach of his 
 captor. 
 
 " It's you is it, Master Marsloops," ejaculated Cinderow 
 with an affectation of surprise. 
 
 A scowl of unmitigated contempt was the only return. 
 
 " Sorry to interfere unpleasantly, captain," continued 
 Cinderow ; " but I must do my duty." 
 
 " Is it by information?" doggedly asked Marsloops. 
 
 " No," replied Cinderow ; and leaving his man on deck, 
 he hauled off the hatches and dropped into the hold. 
 
 " All right," shouted he, as his head peered above the 
 hatchway, " swing her round ; don't be downhearted, old 
 fellow, it's the fate of war you know."
 
 HAKRT ROUGHTON. 183 
 
 " Fate o' war," growled Marsloops ; " if I'd knowed as 
 much as I know now, you wouldn't ha' bin here." 
 
 " Why not?" asked Cinderow. 
 
 " Why if I'd knowed as ther'd bin nobody but you and 
 your man, Friday, on the cliffs yonder the last time we 
 met, I'd ha' just doubled you up like a sprat and tuck you 
 off to sea as sure as your name's Jimmy." 
 
 Cinderow didn't much like the manner of his captive, 
 and kept at a respectful distance till they came alongside 
 the pier, where, plenty of help being at hand in case of 
 need, all his valour returned, and marching Marsloops and 
 his crew along with him, he consigned them to the care of 
 the officers at the station, and proceeded to the custom- 
 house to report proceedings. 
 
 The crew consisted of two or three raw lads, but along 
 with them was poor Jones the fisherman, who earned a 
 casual subsistence under Tom Eice, the real owner of the 
 Crown, which had been hired for this trip, and who had no 
 concern whatever in the venture, having merely come on 
 board half an hour before to have a stare at the old familiar 
 craft, and refresh acquaintance of some years' standing 
 with Captain Marsloops; but poor Jones being, as Cinderow 
 expressed it, " found on board a ship liable to forfeiture," 
 must share the same fate as the rest. 
 
 Marsloops, seated on a locker in the station-house with 
 his elbows on his knees, was so thoroughly absorbed by 
 his own thoughts, and those none of the pleasantest, that 
 he was quite unconscious of all around him ; though poor 
 Jones and the youngsters paced to and fro before him, like 
 restless animals in a menagerie, whilst at intervals some- 
 thing like a growl did justice to the simile. An occasional 
 imprecation escaped the compressed lips of the captain, as 
 he now and then threw down his cap upon the boards and 
 mechanically regained it.
 
 184 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 " How came this mishap?" was the all-engrossing idea 
 of the chagrined sailor. " Why was he such a fool as to 
 listen to the advice of a greenhorn like Roughton, and 
 take up his moorings in the very teeth of danger, instead 
 of running his cargo in a more secluded spot? He's a 
 fool, and I forgive him," muttered he ; " but if I make out 
 who peached, I'll " and he clenched his brawny fist, 
 whilst his eyes flashed fire, and his brow grew dark with 
 savage emotion. 
 
 He was disturbed from his meditations by the return of 
 Cinderow, who gruffly summoned Marsloops and his com- 
 panions to follow him. Presently they found themselves 
 standing in a gloomy apartment, with a green covered 
 table intervening between them and a somewhat austere- 
 looking personage perched on a high chair, in whom they 
 recognized the magistrate upon whose fiat their fate de- 
 pended. Beneath this more elevated dignitary sat the 
 justice's clerk, and on either side stood two or three blue- 
 coated officers of police, whilst the open space behind was 
 occupied by idle gazers, amongst whom the keen eye of 
 Marsloops descried Roughton, notwithstanding the cloak 
 he was muffled in, and the wrapper that enveloped his 
 mouth and chin. 
 
 Plenty of preparation, thought Marsloops, looking round 
 as if the court had been improvised for his especial benefit. 
 The business, however, was sooner over than he expected. 
 
 Caught in flagrante delicto the fact was proved against 
 him by Cinderow in a score of words " Found on board the 
 Crown with tobacco in her hold 180 bales on rummage 
 illegal sized packages." 
 
 Marsloops being in due form called on for his defence, 
 said 
 
 " It's all true enough ; but this here man," pointing to 
 Jones, " had no more to do wi' the job than the babe
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 185 
 
 unborn, and Cinderow knows it ; an' if he pushes the job 
 agin' him, he'll find it out yet." With these words, and a 
 contemptuous curl of the lip, he turned his back on Cin- 
 derow. 
 
 The magistrate rebuked the irate captain for attempting 
 to intimidate a respectable officer in the execution of his 
 duty. 
 
 A brief turn of the head, a sudden flash of the eye, with 
 a satirical but guttural echo of the word "respectable," 
 was all the notice he took. 
 
 The magistrate adjudged him to pay a penalty of 100, 
 committing him to prison until that sum should be paid. 
 
 The boys shared the same fate, with a recommendation 
 to the customs' authorities to discharge them by reason of 
 their tender age. 
 
 Then came old Jones' turn. Notwithstanding all his 
 protestations of innocence, and his heart-rending appeals 
 to Mr. Cinderow, the latter showed no sign of moderation. 
 Doubtless he thought of the head-money, and he urged the 
 conviction, though he knew the man was innocent, and 
 the justice had no alternative but to adjudge the penalty. 
 
 " Please yer honour, I can't'pay it ; I have a wife and five 
 children, yer honour have mercy," pleaded the poor fellow. 
 
 The justice exhibited some symptoms of compassion, 
 and the old fisherman's eye glistened with a transient 
 gleam of hope. Seizing the favourable moment, he urged 
 the foolish plea 
 
 " Please yer honour, I'm Ralph Jones as sent your 
 honour that fish the other day do have mercy." 
 
 A vision of Sir Matthew Hale and the haunch of veni- 
 son floated before his worship's eyes, as he replied 
 
 " I have not half-a-crown in my pocket to discharge the 
 obligation, and I can only give you in return a few months' 
 maintenance in prison;" and with this semi-dignified,
 
 186 HARRY ROUGHTON, OE 
 
 quasi-facetious observation, the poor man's hopes were 
 dashed to the ground. 
 
 Cinderow marched off in triumph with his captives. 
 
 It seldom happens that an officer, whether civil or mili- 
 tary, revenue or police, gets a culprit into his clutches 
 without contriving to pump him on his way to his dun- 
 geon, particularly if the desponding captive, in the hope of 
 securing better terms for himself, is inclined to impeach an 
 accomplice, or let slip anything which may further the 
 officer's ulterior views. 
 
 Cinderow was not the man to let such a chance escape ; 
 but Marsloops was not one of such tender mould as to be 
 easily susceptible of cajolery, however subtle. Yet, hav- 
 ing a point to gain, he did not " fight shy " of Cinderow's 
 overtures to a conversation en route. The design of the 
 one was to learn by indirect means by whom he had been 
 betrayed ; and of the other, to ascertain whether, despite 
 Roughton's assurances to the contrary, there were any 
 others over whom he could throw his net. 
 
 A hundred questions arid observations on both sides 
 failed of their effect. Cinderow studiously evaded all 
 inquiries tending to the discovery of the source of his 
 information, which Marsloops so eagerly desired to learn. 
 One additional inducement to reserve on this point, was 
 the questionable .position in which he stood with his real, 
 but now discarded, informer, Mr. Roughton. 
 
 To throw Marsloops off the scent, and to sound him as 
 to the possible participation of others, Cinderow threw out 
 a speculative suggestion, pointing to another not improbable 
 quarter. 
 
 " Come, cheer up, old fellow, it's only 100 ; and surely 
 Mundy will come down with the dust, seeing you couldn't 
 help it." 
 
 The captain fixed his eye on Cinderow's face, as if he
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 187 
 
 would read his inmost thoughts; and the latter returned 
 his gaze with an equally inquisitive cunning. Each 
 formed his own conjecture from the tone and looks of the 
 other ; but neither of them spoke another word. 
 
 " Struck dumb with that hit," thought Cinderow; "sure 
 enough, if there's anything in that blank stare, it means 
 that he thinks I know all." 
 
 Marsloops, on the other hand, drew the inference that 
 Mundy, being in with Roughton, and hand and glove with 
 Cinderow, had betrayed both Roughtori and himself ; 
 whilst the conduct of Roughton, in his vain attempt to 
 ward off the seizure, only confirmed the captain's suspicion, 
 which he fostered in gloomy silence, till his footsteps 
 re-echoed within the gateway of the gaol, where Cinderow 
 consigned him to the care of the turnkey. 
 
 Shown into a dimly -lighted cell, he threw himself down 
 upon the bench, and, dreaming only of treason and ven- 
 geance, he fell asleep. 
 
 When the grey dawn of morning broke through the 
 stanchioned window, Marsloops was sitting moodily on 
 the bench, which had formed his couch of the preceding 
 night, collecting his straggling thoughts, like a man just 
 roused from a fitful dream. 
 
 Whilst Marsloops was thus casting off the lethargy of a 
 dull cold sleep, a youth attired in a blue jacket and white 
 ducks, with a jaunty bit of a black handkerchief round the 
 collar of a blue checked shirt, sought an interview with his 
 uncle, Captain Marsloops. 
 
 The gaoler could not refuse so natural a request, on the 
 condition that he should be present, and the youth was 
 accordingly ushered in. 
 
 Up rose the captain, who recognized in his early visitor 
 young Golightly, and, stretching out his brawny hand, 
 exclaimed
 
 188 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 " Hallo, Jack ! how goes it ?" 
 
 " Middling, thank you, uncle" replied Jack with a 
 knowing wink, laying peculiar emphasis on the last word, 
 from which Marsloops took his cue, and adopted the new 
 relationship. 
 
 "Well, Jack, here I am, thanks to somebody what's 
 happened while I've been afloat?" 
 
 Jack made a sign to the captain to sing slow, as the 
 gaoler was jingling his keys at no great distance. 
 
 "All bad," says Jack; "Roughton's been arrested by 
 Cinderow, and the doctor's in quod, I guess, by this time. 
 Wakeful' s had a narrow escape, and I think they're after 
 old Jem, but he's wide awake, and Pitt braves it out like 
 a rare 'un, but his place was searched last night. 
 
 "Well, an' what about Mundy?" asked Marsloops 
 with eagerness. 
 
 " I can't exactly say," replied Jack ; " but I twigged 
 him having a bit o' sly jaw with Cinderow last night, as if 
 'twas all right there." 
 
 Marsloops fell into a brown study, regardless of Jack's 
 prattle ; and after brooding for a short time, he rose and 
 threw his cap down with unusual force upon the stone floor. 
 
 " Hey, old fellow ! that means mischief, I know ; I never 
 see you do that for nothing." 
 
 But the captain, still gazing at his prostrate cap, as if 
 gloating over some fallen enemy, maintained a dogged 
 silence, until, suddenly recollecting himself, he drew up 
 his athletic form, stretched out his clenched fist, and swore 
 that Rough ton should be avenged. 
 
 Jack had no more to say ; Marsloops was in no mood to 
 talk; with a silent shake of the hand the two friends 
 parted, and the captain resumed his seat and his reflec- 
 tions, muttering to himself" Roughton arrested, then it 
 ain't him Pitt's house searched Wakeful had a narrow
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 189 
 
 escape Swiveleye in quod Cinderow hand and glove 
 with Mundy, last night, too and me in quod. By George 
 it's Mundy! and afore many days are over, he shall be 
 inside this jug;" and with these words down went his cap 
 again.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 "At first both parties in reproaches jar, 
 And make their tongues the trumpets of the war ; 
 They clutch their horny fists, exchange such furious blows, 
 One scarce escapes with more than half a nose." TATE. 
 
 ' All seek their ends, and each would other cheat, 
 They only seem to hate, and seem to love, 
 But int'rest is the point on which they move ; 
 Their friends are foes, and foes are friends again, 
 And, in their turns, are knaves and honest men." DRYDEN' 
 
 FOR the third or fourth time Pat Murphy was walking past 
 Pitt's gateway, when he saw that worthy gentleman step 
 leisurely into the street. Pat approached, and Pitt accosted 
 him familiarly " Hallo ! Pat ; how are you?" 
 Pat retorted" Hallo ! Pitt ; how are you ?" 
 "Pitt, Pitt!" said he, reddening, for George Gaunt the 
 coal-heaver was discharging a load on the opposite side of 
 the street ; " who do you call Pitt ? Repeat that and I'll 
 pull your nose for you." 
 
 Pat, with a most provoking leer, protruded that organ 
 towards Mr. Pitt and dared him to the experiment. There 
 was something in Pat's manner so excessively irritating 
 that Pitt's temper could not withstand the impudent chal- 
 lenge ; but no sooner did Pat feel the fingers of offended 
 dignity on his nose, than he let fly right and left with his 
 bony fists in Pitt's face, and followed up his attack with 
 such ferocious determination, that his adversary measured 
 his length in the yard, to which he had retreated, and lay
 
 HAKRT EODGHTON. 191 
 
 sprawling on his back in a state of savage bewilderment ? 
 whilst Pat, cutting an ecstatic Hibernian caper, and point- 
 ing derisively with his finger, looked down upon him with 
 contemptuous satisfaction. ^Recovering himself in a few 
 moments, Pitt sprang to his feet, and, goaded by the taunt- 
 ing bursts of laughter bestowed on him by the delighted 
 coal-heaver, he rushed upon Pat with blind fury, only to 
 receive at his hands a repetition still more severe of his 
 first discomfiture. 
 
 " Down agin, Misther Pitt ; shall I give yer honour a 
 lift," said Pat, with patronizing irony. 
 
 "Up, maister, and at him again; I'll see fair play," 
 cried the coal-heaver. 
 
 Pitt gathered himself up, looked foolish, and drew out 
 his pocket handkerchief to staunch the copious flow of 
 blood from his flattened nose. Pat looked on with pro- 
 voking coolness. Pitt muttered " I'll have you up for 
 this, Mr. Murphy." 
 
 " Oh ! it's Misther Murphy now, is it ? I accept your 
 apology, and as to having me up, Misther Pitt, I'd jist 
 advise," and he stepped up and whispered some talis- 
 manic words in his ear, that acted like the subduing charm 
 of the celebrated horse-tamer. 
 
 " Well, you're a brave fellow, Pat ; come in and have a 
 glass o' grog." 
 
 Pat replied" Me honour's satisfied, and it's no grudge 
 I owe any man, leastways whin I've paid him in full for it ; 
 so I'll not be above dhrinkin' your honour's health on the 
 strength on't," and thus the champions adjourned. 
 
 Pitt was in no trim to enjoy the spirits, which Pat im- 
 bibed with unusual relish ; but having applied himself to 
 the cleansing of his besmeared face and garments, he seated 
 himself, uncomfortable as he was, to open a negociation in 
 order to secure himself against the consequences which
 
 192 HARRY ROL'GHTON, OR 
 
 might ensue, were the talismanic communication, "before 
 alluded to, breathed in other ears than his own. 
 
 Meanwhile the plot was thickening in other quarters. 
 True it was, as already stated by Golightly to the captive 
 Marsloops, that a formal search had been conducted by 
 Cinderow on the premises of Mr. Pitt, and that the doctor 
 was in quod. Mr. Cinderow had proceeded from Mr. 
 Roughton's shop to the house of Mr. Pitt, in both of which 
 cases, as already narrated, he had been just too late to find 
 the packages, which would have been " witnesses strong as 
 death" against them. It was not, however, true that all 
 was right with Mundy because Golightly had seen him 
 and Cinderow together in apparently social conversation 
 with each other ; for that was a mere prelude to a more 
 unpleasant result, for which Cinderow was only waiting the 
 arrival of his man. Jack's simple habits sometimes, as in 
 this instance, made him form too hasty conclusions, and he 
 had no sooner slipt away from the scene of Mundy's collo- 
 quy with Cinderow, than the latter, reinforced by his man's 
 arrival, suggested an adjournment to the premises of the 
 disconcerted tobacconist, where, after diligent search, sundry 
 bales of tobacco were discovered, together with a yet 
 unemptied chest, to the lid of which still adhered a card 
 addressed to Eoughton, and indorsed in large letters 
 " Drugs, with care." 
 
 " Queer sort of drugs these," observed Cinderow, as he 
 marked the Crown's broad arrow on the chest, and trans- 
 ferred the card from the lid to his pocketbook. Then, 
 having secured his seizures, he proceeded to the custom- 
 house, where he found the collector waiting 'for him with 
 another warrant for the arrest of Swiveleye. Cinderow 
 felt less compunction at executing this commission against 
 the poor doctor than he had experienced on being directed 
 to take Roughton. He proceeded with alacrity to perform
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 193 
 
 his new task, and finding the miserable half-starved wretch 
 in his comfortless cottage, announced the object of his 
 visit. Poor Swiveleye, who had risen to his feet on the 
 entrance of Cinderow, turned paler if possible than ever, 
 staggered like a drunken man, and would have fallen had 
 he not clutched the time-worn deal table, which, with three 
 antique chairs, constituted the furniture of the gloomy 
 habitation. At length he gasped out "I thought an 
 informer was entitled to protection." 
 
 " But how does that protect you ? " asked Cinderow. 
 
 " Why, the collector took my information against Mr. 
 Roughton." 
 
 "What for?" anxiously inquired Cinderow. 
 
 " The stuff from the Phcebus" replied the doctor. 
 
 The light dawned at once upon Cinderow's mind. He 
 felt that he was suspected, or the collector would not have 
 made him the blind instrument of these arrests without 
 confiding to him the information ; but how comes it, thought 
 he, that Swiveleye's arrested? On consulting the docu- 
 ments in his possession he found it was for the first offence, 
 and briefly told the doctor that it was tit for tat ; he had 
 informed, against Roughton for the one offence, and some 
 one else had returned the compliment for the other; but 
 who that " some one else" was neither of them could 
 divine. Be that, however, as it might, there was no alter- 
 native but to submit, and Mr. Swiveleye speedily took up 
 his abode in the same mansion as Marsloops.
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 1 If imputation and strong circumstances, 
 Which lead directly to the door of truth, 
 Will give you satisfaction, you may have it." SIIAKSPEAKE. 
 
 " But I do know 
 
 A many fools that stand in better place, 
 Garnisht like him, that for a tricksy word ' 
 Defy the matter." SHAKSPEARE, 
 
 RUMOURS were rife throughout the town of grave and 
 mysterious proceedings going on within the walls of the 
 custom-house, of which the gossips knew little, but as usual 
 talked much. Two strangers had appeared on the scene of 
 action. Each morning as the clock struck ten they might 
 have "been seen turning into the gateway of the building, 
 accompanied by the worthy collector. Many were the sur- 
 mises touching these strangers, but all agreed that their visit 
 had for its object the investigation of the circumstances relat- 
 ing to the late contraband transactions. These gentlemen 
 did not escape the scrutinizing eyes of Jack Golightly, who 
 contrived, unseen himself, to watch them from day to day. 
 Eagerly did he desire to penetrate the gloomy walls of 
 that old grey pile, to play the spy and gratify his keen 
 curiosity; but, for once, even the fertile genius of Jack 
 Golightly was at fault. Poor Harry Roughten's own fears 
 naturally suggested to him the unwelcome truth, that these 
 gentlemen were emissaries of the Crown, who had been 
 commissioned by the metropolitan board to pursue himself
 
 HARRY ROUGHTOX. 
 
 and the other unfortunates who had been denounced by 
 some treachery or other, and that these formidable steps 
 towards their vigorous prosecution rendered it essential 
 that he and they should strain every nerve to prepare for 
 their defence. But what was his position ? He had already 
 deposited 500 of his recent plunder in lieu of bail, because 
 Pitt had deserted him when fortune ceased to smile, and 
 he had been deterred, either by pride or shame, from seek- 
 ing aid in any other quarter. He had also expended 
 a considerable sum in that unlucky venture, which he 
 had fondly hoped would have given him and his late 
 pseudo-friend, Cinderow, a richer prize than his previous 
 transactions had promised or afforded. His greedy desire 
 to secure to himself the whole, had left him without a friend 
 to share the risk and loss. Thus his ready money, ay, 
 even the honest earnings of his previous half-year's business 
 his boasted seventy pounds all were gone, with the 
 exception of about 100, consisting of some of those ques- 
 tionable notes which had been thrust upon him by his 
 accomplices in the first fraud to which he had become a 
 party. Under these untoward circumstances, Roughton's 
 pecuniary resources were not of the most satisfactory cha- 
 racter. Law was not to be had without money, and other 
 urgent claims were impending. Whilst he was dwelling 
 with some uneasiness on the important desideratum of ways 
 and means, he received a visit from Tom Rice, the owner 
 of the Crown, who, after abusing him in no measured 
 terms for the loss of that vessel, demanded, with a resolution 
 that brooked no delay, compensation for his ship, adding, 
 with a threat, at which Roughton trembled, that unless he 
 paid the money clown he would instantly expose him as 
 the importer of her illicit cargo. Roughton saw nothing 
 but ruin staring him full in the face ; and although he had 
 taken measures to prevent Marsloops from impeaching him,
 
 196 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 and relied on Cinderow's having reported the seizure as 
 being made without information, he felt that so long as 
 the owner of the seized craft was unconciliated, a heavier 
 prosecution, in point of amount, would ensue than that on 
 which his first arrest had proceeded. He had no alter- 
 native but to liquidate the extravagant claim of the out- 
 raged fisherman ; and, thus, little more than 20 remained 
 of his impoverished resources to meet the demands of 
 attorneys-at-law and counsellors, always excepting a few 
 outstanding debts and the value of his stock in trade. 
 In his prophetic imagination he saw that symbol of ruin 
 the auctioneer's hammer already hovering in the air, 
 ready to do its master's bidding " going, going, going " 
 and his heart sank within him as the appalling " gone " 
 seemed to sound in his ears. Still the fisherman's 
 demands must be satisfied, and the rest must take its 
 chance. He told out the money with trembling and 
 reluctant hand, saw the hard-visaged man stalk off with 
 cold indifference, and, being left to himself, began to reflect 
 on what he had done and the probable result. So long as 
 that man stood before him he could not think ; and now 
 he could only command his thoughts, when too late to 
 turn them to account. 
 
 " I have paid," said he to himself; " I have paid that 
 imposing rascal -at least one-fourth too much for the crazy 
 old craft, in order to secure myself against exposure ; but 
 have I secured that end ?" 
 
 Alas ! no ; the vessel and its owner were as well known 
 as Mr. Punch himself. The owner was primarily respon- 
 sible for the fraud in which his ship had been engaged ; 
 and, whether Roughton had paid him or not, he would be 
 called to account; nor could he avert the consequences 
 without giving up the man who had hired her. As 
 Eoughton mentally realized these truths, all his fears
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 197 
 
 returned with renewed force, and he was overcome by 
 despair. 
 
 What could he do to ward off this calamity ? Could he 
 persuade Marsloops to hold himself out as the wrong-doer, 
 since his position could not well be worse? and could he in 
 that case induce the cunning fisherman to confirm this story? 
 
 Roughton would at that moment have given his last 
 shilling to accomplish this infamous expedient, regardless 
 of the accumulation of sin upon sin, so deadened had his 
 moral perceptions become by the influences of repeated 
 crime. Indeed he saw now so little wrong in what he 
 sought to justify as measures of necessity, that he resolved 
 at once to lay the whole case before his wife that wife 
 whose advice he had spurned when it might have saved 
 him and consult her upon his nefarious plans. He felt, 
 now that difficulties and dangers overwhelmed him, that 
 she was after all the only one to whom he could unburthen 
 his overcharged mind the only one on whose counsel he 
 could rely. 
 
 He little thought what renewed anguish he should 
 inflict on her by the disclosure of the fact that he had 
 so far diverged from the paths of rectitude had been so 
 debased in mind as to propose, apparently without repug- 
 nance, the deliberate commission of a new crime to cover 
 its predecessor ; and great was his surprise to find that she 
 was prepared to encounter the lowest depths of poverty 
 and misery, rather than seek to escape by fraud and false- 
 hood from the evils, however terrible in prospect, in which 
 they were involved. 
 
 In the midst of this discussion the door opened, and the 
 rector slowly walked into the room. 
 
 Harry's face was flushed and burning with excitement ; 
 Jane's cheeks were bedewed with tears, and her eyes were 
 red with weeping. Neither of them rose to greet the new
 
 108 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 comer, who saw that their apparent indifference was the 
 result of confusion and shame, not of disrespect. His was 
 an errand of love, and he would not forego it, but quietly 
 and unasked took a chair, and waited a few minutes to 
 give the unhappy pair time to compose themselves. 
 
 To relieve them from their embarrassment he was the 
 first to break silence. 
 
 " I am not come, Mr. Koughton, to upbraid you, but to 
 offer you such sympathy and advice as I know, under pre- 
 sent circumstances, you so much need. I have heard with 
 much pain the^ events of the last few weeks. I am willing 
 to believe, Mr. Koughton, that you have been the dupe of 
 designing persons, at whose door already lies the ruin of 
 many. You, Mrs. Koughton, I well know have been the 
 helpless sufferer, the innocent victim of a series of evils 
 over which you could have no control, and the causes of 
 which you could not approve. For you and for your hap- 
 less children I deeply grieve. I know why neither you 
 nor Mr. Koughton have sought my advice. I am sufficiently 
 consonant with the emotions of the human heart to divine 
 the cause of your constrained estrangement from me ; and, 
 in thus intruding, I only seek to do you good." 
 
 Poor Jane was almost overwhelmed with mingled feelings 
 of hope and dejection as the good rector proceeded. 
 
 Koughton buried his face in his hands, and, despite his 
 endeavours to restrain his feelings, sobbed audibly. 
 
 "I came," continued the rector, "to advise you to make 
 your peace with the customs' authorities ; to denounce those 
 unscrupulous men who have brought on you this misery ; 
 in fact, to ' make a clean breast of it,' and leave, yourselves 
 to the clemency of the Crown." 
 
 He paused. Roughton raised his head, and, summoning 
 all his energies, replied 
 
 "I can never play the traitor. 1 know 1 have been
 
 EEMIXISCEXCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 199 
 
 victimized ; but I will defend myself as best I can, and 
 leave the others to do the same." 
 
 " That is a false, a mistaken pride, Mr. Roughton ; you 
 not only owe a duty to your suffering wife and children, 
 but to your God and your country, whose laws you have 
 been induced to outrage ; your conscience cannot be dis- 
 charged of the heavy weight which presses you down, 
 until you have discharged that debt. I will aid you. I 
 will see the collector in your behalf, and will secure you 
 an interview with the revenue solicitor, who is now in the 
 town ; and, if you act on my advice, I think you may yet 
 escape the impending ruin." 
 
 Jane urged her obdurate husband to follow the advice 
 of their good pastor. 
 
 Harry's conscience told him it was the only jight course 
 to pursue ; but the deceitful promptings of his rebellious 
 spirit, his mistaken pride, warred against the dictates of 
 his better judgment. He would not yield either to the 
 sober arguments of the rector, or the earnest entreaties of 
 his wife. 
 
 " No," said he with dogged perversity, " I will die rather 
 than turn informer to save myself." 
 
 " Well," replied the rector, " I will not urge you now, 
 but will leave you to reflect upon it ; I trust you will be 
 induced to take a clearer view of the duty you owe to 
 yourself, to your family, and tie offended laws of your 
 country. Do not be rash, promise me that you will give 
 your earnest and prayerful consideration to the subject ; 
 and, should you change, your mind, you have only to com- 
 municate with me, and to command my poor services in 
 your behalf ; but, let me tell you frankly before I leave 
 you, that, if the weight of affliction under which you now 
 suffer is not enough to soften your unyielding heart, you 
 only challenge, by resistance, a heavier visitation, at the
 
 200 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 merciful hand of him of whom it is truly said ' Whom 
 he loveth he chasteneth.' Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. 
 He will not always strive, though he does not willingly 
 afflict the children of men. He only waiteth to be gracious. 
 Do not delay, but remember how fearful a thing it is to 
 become a cast-off. I had hoped better things of you, and 
 I still have hope. I conjure you to repent ere it is too 
 late, and do that which your own conscience must approve. 
 Give me your hand, and look on me as your sincere friend ; 
 and do let me hear from you, and that soon. I shall 
 rejoice to serve you may God bless and guide you aright." 
 With these words he bade them adieu. 
 
 Harry felt the force of this exhortation, and Jane im- 
 plored him not to disregard it. His obstinacy was shaken; 
 he resolved to act upon the good man's advice, rose, put 
 on his greatcoat, and bent his steps towards the custom- 
 house. 
 
 As he neared that building he endeavoured to collect 
 his bewildered thoughts, and to shape the story he was 
 about to divulge | but in the midst of his meditations he 
 was accosted by Golightly. 
 
 " Hallo ! Master Roughton, I'm afeard the game is up ; 
 I've just seen Swiveleye and Smith go into the custom- 
 house with Watterson. I know that dirty squinting thief 
 is at the bottom of all this ; there isn't another man among 
 'em as would ha' let himself down to do the dirty work of 
 informer ; but he has peached, I know, or he wouldn't be 
 going with Watterson to see them London chaps. 
 
 " Dirty work of informer " " peached," repeated Rough- 
 ton to himself; and mentally applying the galling imputation 
 to himself, he recoiled from the ignominy which, even in the 
 mind of that young scapegrace, it carried with it spurned 
 the course he was about to have pursued forgot in an 
 instant the paternal injunctions and Christian-like counsels
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 201 
 
 of his once revered pastor yielded to the taunts of a young 
 and reckless vagabond turned upon his heel, and directed 
 his steps to the office of the pettifogging lawyer, Sharpe 
 the defender of Wakeful before old Squire Salt. All hope 
 of even a middle course vanished : he had committed him- 
 self to the care and guidance of one of those black sheep, 
 who regard only the interests of their clients through that 
 partial and often distorted medium which appears most 
 calculated to secure their own. So much more powerful 
 are the influences of evil than of good in the conflicts with 
 which poor human nature has to contend in this world of 
 trial.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 ' It is reported you possess a book, 
 Wherein you have quoted, by intelligence, 
 The names of all notorious offenders 
 Lurking about the city." WHITE DEVIL, 0. PL. 
 
 ' A little curly-headed, good-for-nothing, 
 
 And mischief-making monkey from his birth ; 
 His parents ne'er agreed except in doating 
 
 Upon this most unquiet imp on earth." BYRON. 
 
 "HALLO! Wakeful," exclaimed Jack Golightly, as he 
 entered the garret in which his friend had taken up his 
 abode, " I've seen these gents again along with old Punch, 
 and I think they're somebodies o' some note, I mean." 
 
 "Why!" inquired Wakeful; "what makes ye think 
 that?" 
 
 " Well, I'll just tell you how I put this and that together. 
 You know it ain't everybody as can touch old Punch with 
 a long pole ; he's gen'ly as stiff as a lord, and looks a good 
 deal like one to my thoughts ; but he seems all hand-in- 
 glove-like with them gents, and laughs and jokes with 'em 
 as if they were all brothers." 
 
 " Go on, go on," said Wakeful, impatiently ; " I know 
 old Punch well enough ; but I want to hear some'at about 
 t'other chaps ; for I know they're come down about our job." 
 
 " Don't hurry," replied Jack, " and I'll tell you all I 
 know. You see one on 'em 's rather a stout, thickset gent, 
 with sandyish hair and a sharp eye in his head, as bolt
 
 HARRY ROIJGHTON. 203 
 
 upright as a' admiral, and as bustling as if lie didn't mean 
 the grass to grow under his feet ; and then the one as tuk 
 his arm was rayther thinnish, but I'm bothered if I know 
 whether he's a young un or not, for his hair is as white as 
 old Punch's, and in his black coat and white choker looks 
 more like a parson nor anythink else, only he had a bundle 
 o' papers under his arm, tied up with red ribbons." 
 
 " I'll bet any money that's the lawyer," ejaculated 
 Wakeful. " Did he look like a hang-dog sort of a chap ?" 
 
 "No; I can't say that," rejoined Jack. "He didn't 
 look as if he'd hurt anybody ; but there's no knowin' how 
 much devil lies behind smooth looks ; but onyhow he's the 
 oldest young man or the youngest old man as ever I set 
 eyes on. So now you know as much about 'em as I do ; 
 but I mean to know more." 
 
 "An' how's that to be come at, Jack?" 
 
 " Why, you see they ain't come here for nothin', and I 
 think I shall jist git a hearin' wi' 'em to tell 'em a bit o' 
 my mind, an' I may get a bit o' theirs. I can offer myself 
 as a' evidence for Jimmy Cinderow, an' I can tell 'em as 
 much an' as little as I like, you know, and mayhap may 
 learn some'at, and blind 'em a bit into the bargain." 
 
 " P'rhaps yis, and p'rhaps no," observed Wakeful ; " and 
 I think. Jack, lad, you're as well away, or you may put 
 your foot in it." 
 
 Jack ruminated a little while, and then, taking an extra 
 glass of beer, started off again on his explorations. 
 
 His descriptions of the two strangers were not very 
 inapt. The first of these gentlemen was Mr. Pugh, a 
 highly-intelligent and smart officer from another port, sent 
 there expressly to co-operate with Mr. Punch ; the other 
 was the revenue solicitor. Nor was this long a secret, for 
 the more Jack and his rustic friend, Wakeful, pried into 
 the movements and occupations of these gentlemen; the
 
 204 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 more convinced were they of the object of their visit, and 
 of the dangers which appeared to thicken around them and 
 their accomplices; but the reckless activity of Golightly 
 would not suffer him to be quiet. The only wonder was 
 that he had not, despite all his astuteness, attracted earlier 
 notice and suspicion. After leaving Wakeful at the Blue 
 Boar, he dropt in at the gaol to pay a brief visit to the 
 captain. He had become familiar with the turnkey ; 
 admission at any time was now easy, and his attentions to 
 his newly-adopted uncle frequent. As he left the cell lie 
 encountered the two gentlemen who had been the object of 
 his speculations. He slunk by them, as he thought, unob- 
 served ; but to his great mortification could get nothing out 
 of the usually garrulous turnkey touching these strangers, 
 the object of their visit, or what had led to it. This 
 whetted more than ever his desire to make their acquaint- 
 ance, so he hurried off to the custom-house once more to 
 waylay his friend Cinderow, and procure through him the 
 requisite introduction. He had not long taken up his 
 position opposite the gateway, before the two mysterious 
 gentlemen suddenly came upon him on their return, but 
 passed apparently without farther notice than an ordinary 
 stranger would attract. Jack saw them turn in and mount 
 the dark staircase in lively conversation ; but no Cinderow 
 appeared to take him in tow ; yet the longer the young 
 scapegrace was kept on the tenter-hooks, the stronger grew 
 his desire to accomplish his end and gratify his curiosity. 
 At length Mr. Watterson approached, and the youngster 
 boldly accosted him " I beg your pardon, Sir ; but there's 
 some gen'l'men down from Lunnun, ain't they?" 
 " Well ! and what is that to you, my lad?" 
 " Why," replied he, " if they're wanting to know about 
 that Oldburgh consarn, I think I could tell 'em some'at." 
 " Come along, then," replied Watterson, and Jack fol-
 
 REMI^SCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 205 
 
 lowed him to the door of the room occupied by the strangers. 
 " Wait there a bit," said Watterson, as, after a gentle rap, 
 he entered the room. 
 
 Jack's ear was instantly applied to the keyhole, but with 
 little advantage, for the only words he caught from one of 
 the strangers, as Mr. AVatterson's hand was laid on the 
 handle of the door, were " Show him in." Jack had 
 just time to recover his perpendicular as Mr. Watterson, 
 making a sign to enter, opened the door and then closing 
 it upon him, left him to his coveted encounter with Mr. 
 Pugh and the solicitor. 
 
 Notwithstanding all his accustomed effrontery and tact, 
 he felt somewhat abashed and awkward as the two gentle- 
 men coolly surveyed him from head to foot, and without 
 speaking, beckoned him to the table opposite which they 
 were sitting. 
 
 The solicitor tore off a scrap of the blotting paper which 
 lay before him and handed it to Mr. Pugh, who recognized, 
 in a rough sketch of the previous day, the figure of the 
 lad who had twice crossed their path at the gaol and 
 opposite the custom-house, and who now stood before 
 them. Mr. Pugh laughed, put the scrap into his waist- 
 coat pocket, and, turning to young Golightly, asked drily 
 " Well, what do you want?" 
 
 The question was so simple that it rather puzzled Jack 
 to know how to answer it ; so after giving his hat, in 
 which he seemed to be looking for a reply, two or three 
 ungainly twists round his thumb, he said " I dunna know, 
 gen'l'men, as I want onythink egzacly." 
 
 " Then, what are you come here for?" resumed Mr. Pugh. 
 
 " Well ! why I thought mayhap I might tell ye some'at 
 about that job." 
 
 " What job?" provokingly inquired Mr. Pugh. 
 
 "I mean about that consarn at Oldburgh, Sir."
 
 206 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 "And pray, what do you know about it?" 
 
 " Why you see, Sir, I was there, Sir." 
 
 " Very well ; then you know all about it, and you had 
 better tell your own story, if : your own way ; it's of no use 
 beating about the bush, our time is valuable." 
 
 " Sir, I'm come to answer any questions you like to ax 
 me, Sir." 
 
 " Tell your own story, man ; and then, if we've any 
 questions to ask, it will be time enough. Now, go on." 
 
 This was not precisely what the hopeful young gentle- 
 man had anticipated. He had expected to be met by a 
 series of questions, from the complexion of which he had 
 flattered himself he should worm out what they knew or 
 were driving at, and that he could fence with them, and 
 answer as might best suit his purpose. He felt himself in 
 a dilemma from which there was no escape, and appre- 
 hended no inconsiderable difficulty in complying with the 
 injunction to give a straightforward statement, lest he 
 should let slip something that might open the eyes of the 
 strangers to what might be safer concealed. Whilst 
 revolving these thoughts in his mind, Mr. Pugh suddenly 
 exclaimed 
 
 " Well ! have you anything to say or not ? " and, without 
 waiting for an answer, added "What's your name?" 
 
 "My name, Sir?". 
 
 " Yes, surely you know your own name." 
 
 " John Riley, Sir ; that's my name, Sir." 
 
 " Very well, John Riley, or Jack Golightly. or whatever 
 it is, now for your story." 
 
 " I can't say as I know much about it, Sir ; only you see, 
 Sir, it was me as druv the cart, Sir ; I was hired for the 
 job by Mr. Cinderow, Sir. 
 
 " Hey ! who ? Mr. Cinderow ; mind, are you right about 
 that?"
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 207 
 
 " Well, Sir, I was not egzacly hired by him, but for 
 him." 
 
 "And who by?" 
 
 " I can't justly say what his name is ; but I mean the 
 doctor Swiveleye; that's it, Sir." 
 
 " What, then, you don't justly know the name of your 
 own father. Is that what I am to understand?" 
 
 "My own father, Sir?" gasped Golightly, blushing, 
 perhaps for the first time in his life. 
 
 " Yes, he's your father, when your filial duty leads you 
 here to make inquiries after him. Is it not so?" 
 
 " I don't egzacly know what you mean, Sir." 
 
 " Oh ! you don't," observed Mr. Pugh, as he extended 
 his hand to the bell. He then wrote two or three words 
 on a slip of paper, which the servant who answered the 
 summons silently carried away. 
 
 " Then Mr. Swiveleye is not your father. Is that what 
 you mean?" But, before the question was answered, Mr. 
 B. Politeful bowed himself into the room and up to the 
 table. 
 
 " Do you know this young gentleman, Mr. B. Politeful ?" 
 asked Mr. Pugh. 
 
 "I've seen him before, Sir," replied Mr. B. Politeful, 
 with two or three profound bows. 
 
 " I ask, do you know him? Pray give an answer." 
 
 Bowing again, and turning towards Jack, he said "Yes, 
 Sir; yes, Sir; Mr. Swiveleye's son, Sir." 
 
 "And how do you know that?" asked Mr. Pugh. 
 
 With another bow he replied " Because he told me so 
 himself a day or two ago." 
 
 "Very well, that will do; the dutiful son had either 
 forgotten his father or forgotten himself for the moment. 
 That's all; you need not wait;" and Mr. Politeful bowed 
 himself out again.
 
 208 HARRT ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 " Well now, Mr. Riley, Golightly, Swiveleye, your story 
 if you please." 
 
 Jack proceeded most uncomfortably to recount such of 
 the events of the night on which the twenty bales were 
 seized, as he thought he might safely divulge, and on 
 making some allusion to the captain, Mr. Pugh again 
 interposed 
 
 " You mean your uncle, Captain Marsloops, I suppose ? " 
 
 " My uncle, Sir, he ain't no uncle of mine." 
 
 " Then either he or you don't know how to speak the 
 truth, for he told us you were his excellent nephew, and as 
 good a lad as ever walked on English ground." 
 
 " Oh ! that was only his fun, Sir," replied Jack, with a 
 comical grin. 
 
 " Fun! was it? Then I suppose it was only your fun too, 
 when you got admission to the captain in that character, on 
 the same pretence to the gaoler?" 
 
 " I don't see as how there's ony harm i' that, no how," 
 replied Jack. 
 
 "Well! let that pass. So you were employed by Messrs. 
 Cinderow and Swiveleye on the night of the last run. 
 Pray what force had Mr. Cinderow for the occasion?" 
 
 " There was four on us." 
 
 "Who were they?" 
 
 " His own man and himself, and me and the doctor." 
 
 " The doctor ! you mean Swiveleye ! He was the owner 
 of the ship, I believe. Did Mr. Cinderow know that ?" 
 
 " I reckon he did, Sir ; I heard 'em a talkin' about 
 it." 
 
 "And you saw the ship and the captain?" 
 
 " Well I can't egzacly say as how I did ; but I seed the 
 boat and I seed the captain." 
 
 " Could'nt Cinderow and his three assistants have taken 
 the captain and the boat?"
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 209 
 
 " Mayhap he might ; yes, no doubt ; but ye see, Sir, that 
 wa'n't the bargain." 
 
 " The bargain, oh ! then there was a bargain not to seize 
 them, was there ? And pray, who did Cinderow make that 
 bargain with?" 
 
 "Swiveleye, Sir! Ye see, he said, as how he was 
 reg'lar innocent of the job, 'cause his captain had agreed 
 with somebody to fetch the stuff unbeknown to him." 
 
 " Then that was a reason why he so much wished to 
 save the captain?" 
 
 " I can't tell nothin' about that, Sir." 
 
 " Perhaps you can tell me who that somebody was that 
 the captain was to fetch the stuff for?" 
 
 " No, Sir, I can't say as how I can." 
 
 " Why ! Did you see nobody there ready to receive 
 it?" 
 
 "No, Sir, I'm blest if I did." 
 
 " Oh, then, I am to suppose that the captain was to put 
 the stuff ashore, and leave it on the beach till somebody 
 fetched it. Now, Mr. Golightly, was not Mr. Cinderow 
 that somebody?" 
 
 "Well, Sir; you see I'm no partic'lar scholar, and I 
 can't tell the upshot of sich consams. 
 
 " But it does not require any great scholarship to answer 
 a simple question like that. Surely a lawyer's clerk ought 
 not to plead his want of learning." 
 
 " Lawyer's clerk, Sir!" 
 
 " Yes, lawyer's clerk ; you act occasionally in that capa- 
 city, and I presume Mr. Sharpe does not complain of your 
 inability." 
 
 "That wasn't about this job," said Jack, exhibiting 
 much surprise and confusion of manner. 
 
 " No," replied Mr. Pugh, " the previous case, in which 
 your friend Wakeful first figured at your request."
 
 210 HARKY KOUGI1TON, OB 
 
 Golightly's eyes flashed, as he sharply demanded " Did 
 he tell you that, Sir?" 
 
 " Never mind. But why do you ask ?" 
 " 'Cause nobody else could." 
 " Well, then, you don't deny it?" 
 " It's no use denyin' on it." 
 
 "Then, perhaps, you'll just tell me who that active 
 young sailor was who delivered that little note to Mr. 
 Roughton?" 
 
 " Can't say, Sir." 
 
 " Oh ! you can't. Well you, perhaps, can help me to the 
 name of the servant lad who left a curious prescription with 
 Mr. Roughton one morning, or tell me, who was the shiver- 
 ing beggar that got sixpence out of his pocket. Was it not 
 Mr. Swiveleye's waggoner's lad, Mr. Sharpe's clerk, or, in 
 other words, Riley, alias Swiveleye, alias Golightly?" 
 " I don't see as it's ony use my stoppin' here, Sir." 
 " Perhaps not ; but that's no answer to my question." 
 " I don't know no thin' about Mr. Roughton." 
 " No ! what, not know the gentleman you met at the 
 Blue Boar with your excellent father Mr. Swiveleye, and 
 your uncle Marsloops?" 
 
 " I tell you they ain't my father and uncle." 
 " Then what relation may Mr. Mundy be?" 
 " He's no relation of mine, no more nor you is." 
 "How was it they were so generous to you? For you 
 know you pocketed a nice little sum of money." 
 
 " I don't see as how my private cansarns has ought to 
 do with this 'ere job." 
 
 " Perhaps not ; but I suppose you are not in the habit of 
 working for nothing, and that the money was paid for some 
 ' good services of yours ? " 
 
 " I'd rayther say nothin' about that, Sir." 
 
 " Very good ; but if you object to say why you were so
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 211 
 
 well paid, you have no objection to tell me why Swiveleye 
 was such a fool as not only to put into Cinderow's hands 
 twenty bales of tobacco, but himself too?" 
 
 " Well, Sir, you see he was to go shares with Master 
 Cinderow in that job ; and it's what I call shabby to do the 
 poor fellow out of that, and quod him for it an' all." 
 
 "But besides sharing in what was seized, was it not 
 part of the plan to get clear off with two other lots at 
 places on both sides?" 
 
 "I'd nothin' to do with that, Sir. Can't say nothin' 
 to it." 
 
 " How was it the coast-guard were not there ?" 
 
 " They was busy somewheres else." 
 
 "And who sent them somewhere else?" 
 
 "Idon'no, Sir." 
 
 " You don't ! Now, if the coast-gaurd had been there, 
 wouldn't they have taken some of the crew, and have 
 helped in the seizure of the goods?" 
 
 " Why, to be sure they would ; but then, you see, Mr. 
 Cinderow wouldn't ha' had the job to himself?" 
 
 " Exactly so ! Then do you mean to tell me that they 
 were not thrown off the scent on purpose ?" 
 
 " Can't say, Sir." 
 
 " Now, do you mean to tell me that you don't know that 
 they were watching your friend Wakeful and his empty 
 cart two or three miles off, and that they did not start 
 until after Cinderow and you had reached the lane end 
 leading to the cliffs?" 
 
 "Well, that's true, Sir." 
 
 " And who took Mr. Cinderow's note to the lieutenant 
 just before he started? Didn't you, now?" 
 
 " I took a note sure enough ; it's no use denyin' it." 
 
 During this dialogue the solicitor sat with apparent 
 unconcern, playing carelessly with his pen, and occasionally
 
 212 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 scratching something on a sheet of paper, scarcely ever even 
 turning his eye upon Jack ; but at length suddenly break- 
 ing in upon the conversation with the simple inquiry 
 " Oh, this is Golightly, is it ? Now, Golightly," continued 
 he, as he glanced at his sheet of paper ; " then I understand 
 you to say that you were concerned in two runs of tobacco 
 near Oldburgh cliff. That Mr. Roughton, Marsloops, 
 Swiveleye, Wakeful, yourself, and some others were the 
 persons engaged in these transactions that the parties 
 concerned escaped by agreement with Mr. Cinderow that 
 the coast-guard were designedly kept out of the way, that 
 they might not participate in the seizure that Mr. 
 Mundy was the receiver of part of the goods, and that you 
 took your share in the plunder. Now is all that true?" 
 "-Well, Sir, I can't say as how it isn't." 
 "Then can you say that it is?" 
 
 " Then it is, if you must know ; it's no use denyin' it, 
 for I see you know all about it." 
 
 "Then sign it," said the solicitor, as he pushed the 
 paper towards him and held out the pen. Jack drew back, 
 observing 
 
 " I didn't come here to sign nothink." 
 " I don't know what you came here for," rejoined the 
 solicitor ; " I can only say I didn't send for you ; but you 
 have made out a pretty good case against yourself, my lad, 
 and I'll either take it as your own confession against your- 
 self, or your evidence against your accomplices just as 
 you please." 
 
 Jack, half stupified, pondered over these last words for 
 some time, gazing blankly at the paper, and at length, as if 
 prompted by some sudden nervous impulse, he seized the 
 pen, scribbled rather illegibly his name, and then, with a 
 gasp, ejaculated " There ! I've done it, and I am a cuss'd 
 informer."
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE Ol-FICER. 213 
 
 "You may go," said the solicitor. Jack did not wait 
 to be told so twice, and, as he descended the stairs, mut- 
 tered to himself " If I'd ha' know'd as it had ha' come 
 to this, blow me if iver I'd a trusted mysen in the clutches 
 of them snapdragons." Wiping the perspiration from 
 his brow with his sleeve, he emerged into the street and 
 slunk away, as if he were thoroughly ashamed of himself, 
 his weakness, and his previously undreamt-of treachery. 
 Poor Jack's ingenuity in the preservation of character, the 
 cat-like celerity with which he stealthily transported him- 
 self from place to place, the cunning with which he played 
 the spy, and the praise which his adroitness had elicited 
 from the men whom he so indefatigably served, had given 
 him such an exalted opinion of his own skill that he had the 
 vanity to think that he could cope with anybody. Imagining 
 that the depth and cunning which are held in such high 
 repute by the low and designing devotees of fraud and 
 chicanery, would serve his purpose equally well when 
 coming into contact with antagonists of a higher character 
 and more intellectual attainments, he had thus entered the 
 lists with the two strangers, in the full confidence that his 
 powers of artifice and deception would enable him to bam- 
 boozle them, as he called it. Jack was, therefore, deeply 
 chagrined as he recalled the various episodes of the recent 
 encounter, in which the tables had been so completely 
 turned upon himself. He wondered how they could have 
 acquired the information relating to his own movements, 
 by which he was tripped up at every turn, and compelled, 
 by force of circumstances, to confirm and strengthen the 
 case against himself and his own friends. He had for- 
 gotten, or rather, perhaps, he had not as yet had experience 
 enough to learn, that whenever the associates in crime begin 
 to discover the great truth, that " their sins will find them 
 out," and, that the day of reckoning is at hand, those of
 
 214 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 them who hare been foremost in the conspiracy to deceive 
 their neighbours, or to violate the law, are the first to 
 betray their accomplices, in order to secure immunity for 
 themselves. Golightly's eyes began to be opened as he 
 recalled the many things with which the two strangers were 
 as well acquainted as himself, and which, as he turned 
 them over in his mind one by one, he knew must have 
 come from different sources. Swiveleye could only know 
 such and such facts ; Marsloops must have told so and so ; 
 Wakeful only could have divulged another piece of infor- 
 mation. "Why, curse them!" exclaimed Jack, in bitter 
 soliloquy, " the scamps have all informed one against 
 another, without letting me into the secret, and, perhaps, I 
 am one of their victims too." This sudden conviction was 
 maddening. " I can trust none of 'em," said he ; " I'll cut 
 the brutes for ever." With this resolute conclusion, Jack 
 disappeared from the scene, and was never heard of more, 
 unless the prevalent conjecture was right, that a young 
 fellow answering to his description, who had started by 
 the parliamentary train that night for Leeds, and who was 
 subsequently hanged for some great offence at Lancaster, 
 was the identical Jack Golightly. 
 
 He, however, was gone, and the two gentlemen at the 
 custom-house reviewed the various depositions they had 
 taken, concluding with that of young Golightly. 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Pugh, " and what do you think of the 
 case?" 
 
 " Why, as good a case as ever went into court," replied 
 the solicitor, " when we have cleared away all the falsehood 
 with which it abounds, and reconciled with truth the con- 
 flicting statements of these treacherous fellows." Then, 
 turning over the manuscript pages,' he commented upon 
 them one by one. " Old Swiveleye lies like a Trojan, and 
 suppresses half the truth ; Marsloops contradicts him ;
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 215 
 
 Cinderow's statement is at variance with both ; Wakeful 
 is as far off the mark ; Smith flatly opposes him ; and 
 Riley alias Golightly gives the lie in many particulars to 
 all the others. Now let us go to dinner." 
 
 The two gentlemen adjourned, and whilst discussing the 
 events of the day over their bottle of wine, both concurred 
 in opinion that, although they had not seen Koughton, the 
 chief object of the prosecution, the most painful considera- 
 tion connected with the whole affair was, that he was 
 perhaps more to be commiserated than any of the party, 
 whilst the greatest scamp would probably escape. 
 
 Mr. Sharpe learnt very speedily the leading features of 
 his new client's case. It appeared to him that unless 
 Cinderow allowed the fact to escape that he had seen 
 Roughton near the place of landing on the night of the run, 
 and his accomplices did not impeach him, there was but 
 little known to connect him with the transaction. Cinderow 
 was not likely to volunteer information which might sub- 
 ject himself to censure for not securing Roughton on the 
 spot ; and when Mr. Sharpe learned from Roughton the 
 unholy suggestion made on that occasion by Cinderow, and 
 the compact subsequently based upon it, although the 
 design, so far as Roughton was concerned, had failed, he 
 rejoiced in the belief that the most material secret was 
 safe ; and, rubbing his hands with evident satisfaction, he 
 exclaimed "Good, good! Mr. Roughton, we must win, 
 eh?" 
 
 "I am glad you think so," replied Roughton rather 
 dubiously ; " but I cannot exactly see how." 
 
 " Well, but we must win, I say," rejoined Mr. Sharpe ; 
 " my motto is win win honestly if you can, but anyhow 
 win. Leave it to me, I must see you again soon, and if 
 anything turns up let me know." 
 
 " Mr. Roughton strolled homewards in no very enviable
 
 216 HARRY ROUGHTOX. 
 
 state of mind, and dulled as his own appreciation of the 
 distinctions between right and wrong had become by 
 familiarization with the by-paths of fraud, he could scarcely 
 suppress a feeling of repugnance as he contemplated the 
 loose code of morality which governed his legal adviser.
 
 CHAPTEE XXXII. 
 
 " Sages esteem 'd 
 
 And venerably learn'd, as in the school 
 Of legal science, or in that of worth 
 And sentiment exalted, fill the bench." DODD. 
 
 " Here stern law, 
 
 With visage all unbending, eyes alone 
 The rigorous act. Confession here is guilt, 
 And restitution perfect loss." DODD. 
 
 IT must not be imagined that, whilst the prosecutors were 
 busily occupied in stringing together the various facts as 
 they transpired, and testing by every means the truth of 
 the different statements offered for their consideration, the 
 unfortunate defendants, of whom Roughton was viewed 
 as the principal, were idle in the preparation of their 
 defence. Many were the visits to, and anxious confer- 
 ences of Mr. Roughton with, his legal adviser, Mr. Sharpe. 
 Every shilling he could raise was swallowed up by the 
 pocket of the rapacious little attorney-at-law. Many were 
 the dark suggestions thrown out by that estimable man of 
 the necessity for procuring, by which he meant manu- 
 facturing, evidence to rebut the case against his client; 
 and, curious as it may seem, much of poor Roughton's 
 money was diverted into the pockets of the very men who 
 were at that moment, by giving information to the Crown, 
 playing the game of traitor towards him a fact which it 
 remained for their victim to discover when they should
 
 218 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 appear in their true colours in the witness-box. Rough- 
 ton's coffers were exhausted ; his outstanding bills were 
 well nigh all got in, at the risk of offending his customers ; 
 his business was daily failing with his reputation. He 
 felt that he never could again hold up his head in that 
 town, even if the flattering assurances of Mr. Sharpe should 
 be realized, and his client gain a verdict. He must sooner 
 or later dispose of his business, and he had better do so 
 before it grew worse. It was hurried into the market and 
 sold stock-in-trade, household goods and furniture all 
 at a ruinous sacrifice, and the proceeds set aside to defray 
 the expenses of the coming trial and to maintain himself 
 and family in lodgings, until that eventful day was over, 
 when he hoped to resettle in a small way somewhere else. 
 And so matters went on until the fatal morning, which 
 was either to see him a convicted smuggler, hampered by 
 heavy penalties which he could never pay, and his wife 
 and children beggars ; or himself restored to the world 
 with a damaged character, even if the law should, through 
 the skill of Mr. Sharpe, fail to reach its victim. 
 
 The court opened with the usual solemnities which pre- 
 cede the investigation of the hundreds of cases upon which 
 ruin, loss of liberty, ay, and life itself hang as it were 
 upon a thread. Many hearts beat high with hope and 
 expectation ; others palpitating with agonizing anxiety, or 
 alternating between hope and fear. It is not merely the 
 felon in the criminal's cell awaiting his doom, who feels 
 the pressure of overwhelming doubt ; nay, many of the 
 hardened and incorrigible inmates of the common gaol, 
 steeped in wickedness and crime of the deepest dye, and 
 who have the last penalty of the law in immediate prospect, 
 really suffer less mental agony in the anticipation of their 
 fearful doom, than the unfortunate debtor or creditor, suitor 
 or defendant, on the civil side, often feels in the contem-
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 219 
 
 plation of a verdict, which may consign him to pecuniary 
 ruin, make shipwreck of his character, and precipitate his 
 wife and children from the comforts of the domestic hearth 
 to the confines of the workhouse, and himself into the jaws 
 of a gaol. The position and feelings of the unhappy dupe, 
 Harry Roughton, were analogous to these. Jane had 
 accompanied him with all the solicitude of an anxious and 
 devoted wife. She would not leave his side, when such 
 support and consolation as she could give might be most 
 needed, although she utterly disapproved of the course he 
 had taken in repudiating the advice of their kind-hearted 
 rector, and making himself more obnoxious to his prose- 
 cutors by an obstinate and probably vain resistance. 
 
 Hour after hour of feverish anxiety rolled on. Case 
 after case was disposed of, struck out of the list, or post- 
 poned by arrangement, and at length the monotonous cry 
 was heard 
 
 " The Attorney-general against Eoughton." 
 
 " The special jury in the Queen v. Roughton." 
 
 A dozen gentlemen were seen hurrying across the hall, 
 or along the avenues to the court. 
 
 Mr. Sharpe, with his accustomed effrontery and brus- 
 querie, bustled up to Mr. Roughton, rubbing his hands, 
 and exclaiming 
 
 " On at last ; the case is just called on. They are 
 swearing the jury. Would you like to go into court?" 
 
 " Yes," eagerly replied Roughton. 
 
 " And I will go, too," added Jane. 
 
 " Come along, then," said the attorney, bounding off 
 with his clients at his heels. They stumbled on Pat 
 Murphy in their way, but he had only time to say, with 
 an expressive twinkle of his half-closed eye 
 
 " Suppened on the other side." 
 
 "All right; glad of it," replied Sharpe.
 
 220 HA.RRY KOUGHTON, OB 
 
 Harry and his wife wondered why ; but Sharpe hurried 
 them into court, and placed them in one of the back rows, 
 behind the ranks of counsel. 
 
 Before they were well seated, Jane whispered 
 
 " They are talking about us ;" for during the bustle and 
 confusion outside, and up to the moment they found them- 
 selves in court, the usual forms of law had progressed with 
 the routine matter-of-fact speed of such preliminaries ; the 
 twelve men who were to try the issue joined, were seated 
 in a double row in the jury box, and the counsel for the 
 prosecution was opening his case, which he assured the 
 jury would, as the facts were brought before them, disclose 
 such a tissue of fraud and daring crime as was seldom pre- 
 sented to a jury, except in the criminal courts, although 
 here the Crown only sought the recovery of pecuniary 
 penalties. He detailed, with dry precision, the leading 
 facts of the case, which he was about to prove ; pointed 
 out forcibly that the object of these prosecutions was not 
 merely the protection of the revenue, the suppression and 
 punishment of fraud, but the protection of the honest 
 trader, who duly paid the duties imposed by law on his 
 legitimate importations, and who could not compete with 
 his unscrupulous neighbour. The clandestine importer, 
 by a shameless violation of the law, evaded the payment 
 of those duties, and could afford to undersell the conscien- 
 tious merchant and dealer in the same article. Thus the 
 honest man was ruined, and the rogue enriched at his 
 expense. 
 
 " Yes, gentlemen, and at your expense, at the expense 
 of the whole community, excepting, perhaps, the dishonest 
 purchaser ; inasmuch as every shilling of duties thus dis- 
 placed or fraudulently diverted from the treasury, must 
 necessarily be replaced by income or other taxes upon you, 
 upon me, upon the people of this country."
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 221 
 
 Whilst the learned gentleman related the various cir- 
 cumstances of the case with as much accuracy as if he had 
 been an actual spectator of the transaction in all its stages, 
 Harry's heart sunk within him, and in his pallid and care- 
 worn countenance was unmistakably written the utter 
 hopelessness that overwhelmed him. 
 
 Mr. Sharpe, anxious to preserve appearances, rather than 
 from generosity of feeling, leaned back to reassure his 
 client, to beg of him to look cheerful, and put a good face 
 on it. " All mere statement, mere statement, I assure you," 
 said he. " He has got to prove it yet ; we'll see, we'll see ! 
 don't be down-hearted." 
 
 Harry smiled faintly, but conscience brought the dam- 
 ning conviction of the truth of the narration home to him, 
 and made that smile a hollow mockery. By the time the 
 opening address was ended he felt himself a convicted 
 scoundrel, whatever might be the decision of the jury. 
 
 Mr. Cinderow, as the seizing officer, was the first witness 
 called. He looked more like a culprit than an independent 
 witness of truth, but he detailed, with great care, the 
 naked facts relating to the two seizures at Oldburgh Cliffs, 
 for both had been combined in the information; but he 
 avoided everything which was likely to evoke an examina- 
 tion into those parts of his conduct, which might, if the 
 truth came to light, place him in a questionable position 
 with the authorities of the department in which he was 
 employed. He avoided even the least allusion to Mr. 
 Roughton, except when called upon to produce the card 
 which he had taken from the chest at Mr. Mundy's. 
 
 "But what," interposed Mr. Snubbs, the defendant's 
 counsel, " What on earth had my client to do with Mr. 
 Mundy, or Mr. Mundy with him?" 
 
 " I'll show you presently," retorted the counsel for the 
 prosecution, and he proceeded to read the card, addressed
 
 222 HARRY ROUGI1TON, OR 
 
 " Mr. Eoughton Drugs, with care." " I'll show you 1 -y 
 and by what drags these were." 
 
 " But I must protest," said Mr. Snubbs ; " I submit, my 
 lord" 
 
 Here his lordship drily interposed "I presume it is 
 intended to identify the defendant with that card." 
 
 " Yes, my lord, I'm corning to that presently. This card 
 was found upon " 
 
 " Nay, if my learned friend is going to give evidence let 
 him be sworn," interposed Mr. Snubbs. 
 
 " Now really, Mr. Snubbs, you will save the time of the 
 court by leaving me to take the natural course." 
 
 " But my lord ! I appeal to your lordship, not one word 
 has been said about my client by the witness, nothing to 
 connect Mr. Mundy with him in this transaction." 
 
 " No," replied his lordship ; " it is a fact in the case ; a 
 chest of tobacco was seized upon the premises of Mundy, 
 this card was attached to the chest ; that is a fact in the 
 case. It will not affect your client one way or other, unless 
 he is identified with it." 
 
 "But, my lord," interposed Mr. Snubbs, "my learned 
 friend does not even suggest that this card is in the hand- 
 writing of my client, or that he knew anything of it. 
 
 "No," replied his lordship, "I do not understand that 
 that is even suggested. That would be inconsistent. It 
 is addressed, not by, but to the defendant. At present it 
 is a naked fact that this card was upon the seized chest, 
 bearing the name of Roughton, and some reference to his 
 trade or calling. I agree with you that unless. Rough ton is 
 identified with it by further evidence, it will not affect him 
 any more than it would affect you or me, had Mundy or 
 any one else affixed your name and address, or mine, to 
 one of his chests." 
 
 " Exactly so, my lord," replied the counsel for the Crown;
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 223 
 
 " I shall call a witness to show from whence that chest 
 came, and to show the defendant's connection with it. ' I 
 only put in the card now because the witness who found it 
 can alone produce it. He is now in the box. It will save 
 the necessity for recalling him." Then turning to the 
 witness he proceeded 
 
 "Now, Mr. Cinderow, you found that card, you say, 
 attached to the lid of a box in Mr. Mundy's cellar?' 1 
 
 "I did, Sir." 
 
 " And that box contained tobacco similar to what you 
 seized at Oldburgh Cliff?" 
 
 "It did, Sir." 
 
 " I have no other question to ask," observed the counsel 
 for the prosecution. 
 
 "I submit, my lord," said Mr. Snubbs, "this may be 
 good evidence against Mr. Mundy, but it is not admissible 
 against my client. There is no evidence of my client being 
 either at Oldburgh Cliff, or at Mr. Mundy's." 
 
 " At present it does not affect him," replied his lordship, 
 " I have said so before ;" and then turning to the witness, 
 his lordship asked "Did you see anything of the defendant 
 at the place on the night of the landing?" 
 
 Cinderow looked uncomfortable, affected not to hear or 
 understand the question. The judge repeated it, adding 
 " It is a very plain question ; speak out, man." 
 
 " I believe he was there, my lord." 
 
 " You believe he was. I ask'd, did you see him there ?" 
 
 " I did, my lord." 
 
 His lordship gave a knowing, but blank sort of look at 
 the counsel on both sides, as he quietly laid down his pen, 
 rested his elbow on his desk, and waited the result of the 
 contention, which he conceived the bone he had given 
 them to pick would awaken, 
 
 " I will just ask another question upon that," said the
 
 224 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 counsel for the Crown; " Mr. Cinderow, do I understand you 
 that the defendant was at the landing?" 
 
 " Yes, Sir," said Cinderow in a confused tone. 
 
 "Why did you not detain him?" 
 
 " You see, Sir, I had made the seizure, and some of the 
 crew of the vessel were at hand; so if I had resorted 
 to violence with Mr. Roughton, he might have given an 
 alarm and caused me and my man to be overpowered, and 
 I might have lost the goods, and perhaps been injured 
 myself for no good, and I knew I could find him any 
 time." 
 
 " Exactly so ; discretion is the better part of valour 
 that will do." 
 
 Uprose Mr. Snubbs, and putting on a grave and 
 stern look, very sententiously reminded Mr. Cinderow of 
 the solemnity of an oath, and then proceeded " So, Mr. 
 Cinderella," 
 
 " Cinderow's my name," observed the witness, drawing 
 himself up. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Cinderow then So you saw Mr. Roughton 
 at Oldburgh Cliff, you say ; now why did you not take him?" 
 
 " He has answered that question once," interposed his 
 lordship. 
 
 " Yes, my lord, but I put it again. Why did you not 
 take him?" 
 
 " I've already explained that, Sir." 
 
 " Never mind, explain again." 
 
 " I might have lost the seizure and the prisoner as well, 
 if I had brought the party on me." 
 
 " Then why did you not secure the aid of the coast- 
 guard?" 
 
 " They did not happen to be there, Sir." 
 
 " Oh ! they didn't happen to be there. Then will yon 
 tell me how you chanced to be there?"
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVEXCE OFFICER. 225 
 
 " I expected something was going to be done." 
 
 " Pray, what made you suspect that?" 
 
 " I had had some information, Sir." 
 
 "To what effect?" 
 
 " That there was likely to be a run there." 
 
 " You live in the town, I believe, some eight or ten miles 
 off?" 
 
 "Yes, Sir." 
 
 " Then you must have been informed that there was 
 going to be a run there, before you took a run there your- 
 S3lf,eh?" 
 
 " Of course I was, Sir." 
 
 " Of course Well now, pray, who was your informer ? " 
 
 " I object to that," observed the Crown's counsel ; " he is 
 not bound to answer that question." 
 
 The judge nodded assent. 
 
 " Well I know the great power of the Crown I believe 
 I cannot press that ; but come, Mr. Cinderow, perhaps you 
 can tell me whether there was a person there called 
 Swiveleye?" 
 
 " There might be." 
 
 " Yes, I know there might be, but I ask was there?" 
 
 " I believe there was." 
 
 " Very well Now had you any conversation with that 
 man, before you went there, before you left town?" 
 
 " I am not obliged to answer that question." 
 
 " Yes you are ; come, was it not so ?" 
 
 " I have conversations with many people." 
 
 " Y-e-s, and that man amongst the number, eh?" 
 
 " Well, Sir, there's no harm in that." 
 
 " Oh no ! certainly not, but in consequence of that con- 
 versation did you go to Oldburgh?" 
 
 " I object to that," said the Crown counsel. 
 
 " You may object as much as you please," retorted
 
 226 HARRY ROUGHTON, OB 
 
 Mr. Snubbs, in a confident tone, " but I shall go on. I do 
 not ask what was the conversation, but I ask again Did 
 you not go in consequence of it?" 
 
 " My lord," interposed the counsel for the prosecution, 
 " I must protest " 
 
 " Very well," exclaimed Mr. Snubbs, " I'll put it another 
 way. Did you not go after your conversation with 
 Swiveleye in town?" 
 
 "Of course I did." 
 
 " Of course you did," repeated Mr. Snubbs, with a 
 triumphant look at the jury ; " and now let me ask 
 Did Mr. Swiveleye go with you?" 
 
 " No indeed I" replied Cinderow, with an indignant air. 
 
 " No ! That would be infra dig. I suppose Then who 
 did he go with?" 
 
 " A young man of the name of Golightly." 
 
 " He is here, I suppose?" asked Mr. Snubbs in a half- 
 bantering tone. 
 
 " No, he is out of the way, Sir." 
 
 " Oh ! he is out of the way, is he? how comes that?" 
 
 " I can't say, Sir." 
 
 " Why he was examined by the customs' solicitor, at 
 your custom-house, was he not?" 
 
 " I believe he was, Sir." 
 
 " And he is not here ? very well ! very well ! Now how 
 did these two gentlemen go?" 
 
 " I believe they went in a cart, Sir." 
 
 " And you in a gig ?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 " Then you went the fastest, I suppose?" 
 
 " I suppose I did." 
 
 " You suppose you did Now which got there first, you or 
 they?" 
 
 " Really, Mr. Snubbs, I must interpose," said the Crown's
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 227 
 
 counsel ; " this is wasting time with trivial questions, the 
 object of which I cannot divine." 
 
 " Perhaps not, perhaps not ; we'll see," replied Mr. Snubbs. 
 " So you had a conversation, Mr. Cinderow, with SAvivel- 
 eje before you left town ; he started long before you in a 
 heavy cart, and, though you went in a gig, he was there 
 first. Is that so?" 
 
 " It is, Sir." 
 
 " Now, Sir, was it not your duty to apprize the coast- 
 guard of any intended landing within your knowledge, and 
 to secure their aid?" 
 
 Cinderow looked blank. Mr. Snubbs insisted on an 
 answer, and obtained a reluctant affirmative. 
 
 " Then did you give any notice to the coast-guard ? " 
 
 " I had not time." 
 
 " Not time ! why could you not have despatched a mes- 
 senger to the station in less time than Swiveleye could get 
 to Oldburgh in a cart?" 
 
 " I had a good deal to see to before I started," replied 
 Cinderow. 
 
 " And was that the reason ?" 
 
 " Yes, Sir." 
 
 " Take care. Now, upon your oath, Mr. Cinderow, was 
 it not understood between you and Swiveleye that no 
 other officer should participate in the seizure?" 
 
 " I decline to answer that question." 
 
 "And why?" 
 
 " I'm not bound to tell you what my informer said." 
 
 "Oh!" ejaculated Mr. Snubbs with a triumphant 
 chuckle ; " it is out at last," and he glanced blandly at 
 the jury. 
 
 " So you would not tell me before, and my learned 
 friend objected to your telling me who was your informer; 
 but now the cat is out of the bag, let us hear a little more
 
 228 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 of your friend Swiveleye. Pray is he not the owner of 
 the vessel that brought the seized tobacco?" 
 
 11 1 dont see how he could find money enough to buy a 
 ship." 
 
 " No evasion, Sir ; that is another question. But I ask 
 you Is he not the registered owner?" 
 
 Well, yes, Sir, I believe he is, Sir." 
 
 " You may stand down." 
 
 Mr. Swiveleye himself was next called, and he cut a 
 more miserable figure even than Cinderow. He was fol- 
 lowed by several others, and amongst the number by 
 Patrick Murphy, at whose presence in the box Roughton, 
 notwithstanding he had been prepared by Pat himself for 
 his appearance as the Crown's witness, could not suppress 
 a feeling of uneasiness. 
 
 After a few preliminary questions of little moment, the 
 counsel for the prosecution pressed him hard as to the box 
 or chest which he had taken to Mr. Mundy's from his 
 master's. 
 
 "Will you swear that there was no tobacco in that 
 chest?" 
 
 I will, Sir." 
 
 " You will, Sir. Think again." 
 
 " It's little use thinkin', yer honour, whin I'm sure." 
 
 The learned gentleman turned over the pages of his 
 brief in evident perplexity. A rapid colloquy, in a whis- 
 per, ensued between him and the solicitor, and he returned 
 to the charge. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Murphy, you say there was Ho tobacco in 
 that chest. Was that the only chest you ever took to Mr. 
 Mundy?" 
 
 " It's not a word of a lie I'd tell yer honour ; I did take 
 another, and that's thrue for you, Sir." 
 
 " Oh ! I thought so ; and what did it contain?"
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 229 
 
 (l "Well, Sir, I can't exactly say. I know the other 
 contained paper, waste paper, yer honour, for I packed it 
 myself. It was all laves o' paper." 
 
 " But I am not talking of that, I mean the other What 
 did that contain?" 
 
 " Plase yer honour I can't give an evidence on that." 
 
 " Do you mean to swear you don't know what was 
 in it?" 
 
 " I do, yer honour, 'cause I niver seed the contints." 
 
 " Didn't you hear what was in it?" 
 
 " No more nor what Masther Roughton himself said." 
 
 " Oh ! now we're coming at it And, pray, what did Mr. 
 Roughton say was in it?" 
 
 " Well, plase yer honour, I heerd him say there was 
 laves in it, and I consheinshusly belave there was; and 
 shall I tell yer honour why?" 
 
 "Do." 
 
 " 'Cause whin I'd took the first, masther says, says he, 
 Pat, there's another box in the back shop, says he ; go fill 
 that' wid waste paper, and take it to Misther Mundy's, says 
 he; an' I did." 
 
 " But how does that prove that the other contained 
 paper?" 
 
 " Why, doesn't yer honour be after seeing that masther 
 was claning out his waste paper, an' one box following 
 t'other ; whin I know'd that I put the laves in one, and I'd 
 heerd him say there was laves in t'other why should I 
 doubt it?" 
 
 " Well ! I don't want to hear your reasoning ; I want 
 your evidence, or nothing." 
 
 " Maybe ye do ; but didn't yer honour ax for it, and 
 isn't it that yer honour sees I was just correctin' yer 
 honour's ignorance?" 
 
 " Come, Sir, let me have none of your impertinence."
 
 230 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 " Impertinince did yer honour call it, now? Faith, and 
 beggin 1 yer honour's pardon, I meant not a bit of it. I 
 thought yer honour didn't see through it quite as sharp as 
 ye might, an' I take it rayther ungrateful I'd be found 
 fault wid for insensing yer honour." 
 
 " I tell you what, my man, you are doing yourself no 
 good by this. You know more about this business than 
 you are willing to admit, or I am wrongly instructed." 
 
 " I think so, too, ye are." 
 
 " Come, Sir, don't be flippant. I've no more questions 
 to ask; but," with a significant glance at the jury, he 
 added, " I shall not hand you over to my learned friend 
 without observing that I would not believe you on your 
 oath." 
 
 " Beggin' yer honour's pardon, I had a good caracther 
 for spakin' truth till I made yer honour's acquaintance." 
 
 " Honest till I found you out, you mean. Remember 
 it's a serious matter to trifle with the solemnity of an oath." 
 
 " It's yer honour put me in this box, and on that same 
 oath ; and if ye say I can't spake the truth, I take leave to 
 tell yer honour, I can do that same betther nor yer honour's 
 self." 
 
 "Go down, you saucy fellow," replied the barrister 
 angrily. 
 
 " I beg yer honour's pardon," replied Pat, with imper- 
 turbable good humour ; " but I'll take lave to make one 
 little obscrvashun before I go." 
 
 " I don't want your observations, Sir," retorted counsel 
 angrily. 
 
 " May be not, but," pertinaciously proceeded Pat, " the 
 observashun I was about to make's only jist this If yer 
 honour's thinking of takin' out a patent for impudence, ye 
 needn't raigester it, for ye'll niver find an imitator." 
 
 The judge attempted to rebuke the loquacious Pat 1 ; but
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 231 
 
 the court was convulsed with laughter, and his lordship, 
 unable to escape the contagion, could not refrain from 
 joining in it, with a vehemence almost derogatory to the 
 solemnity of the judicial character. 
 
 Mr. Snubbs did not think it necessary to cross-examine 
 this witness, or rather perhaps he thought it prudent to 
 abstain, as matters stood very well ; he, therefore, sat down 
 with a wicked smile upon his rubicund face, and, with a 
 sly grimace at the jury, said complacently " I've no ques- 
 tions to ask him." 
 
 A short colloquy again ensued between the customs' 
 solicitor and his counsel, in which the latter expressed 
 some annoyance at such a case being put into his hands, 
 and suggested a compromise. 
 
 " No," replied the solicitor, " as regards the case, you 
 thought it a good one, and advised the prosecution before 
 the information was filed, and its rather late to turn round 
 upon me ; but I maintain it's a good case. I am decidedly 
 opposed to any compromise. Pray, oblige me by calling 
 the next witness." 
 
 " Very well," retorted the counsel petulantly ; " if the 
 next witness breaks down as this fellow has done, I'll 
 throw up the case ;" but assuming an air of confidence, he 
 called " Thomas Kice." % 
 
 Thomas Rice made his appearance to the great discom- 
 fiture of poor Rough ton, whose imagination conjured up 
 the whole scene of his disaster with the Crown, embittered 
 by the keen recollection of his folly in supposing that by 
 satisfying the hard-hearted man's rapacious demands, he 
 should secure his neutrality. He, poor man, expected the 
 fellow was come there for the sole purpose of proving 
 against him the transaction with the Crown, and of aug- 
 menting his loss by the additional penalties it would 
 entail. Mr. Sharpe bade him not fear that, because that
 
 232 HAEEY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 was no part of the information they were trying. The 
 counsel, however, proceeding with his case, handed up to 
 Mr. Thomas Rice a small packet of bank notes, with an 
 injunction to examine them carefully. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Rice, did you ever see them before?" 
 
 " I have, Sir." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 " I received them from Mr. Roughton, chemist and 
 druggist, Sir." 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 " In part payment for my ship, the Crown, Sir, which I 
 lost through him." 
 
 " I believe, my lord," said the learned gentleman, " I 
 cannot ask any questions about that ; it relates, as your 
 lordship may be aware, to another smuggling transaction, 
 the subject of a further information against the defendant." 
 
 Harry's heart sunk within him. 
 
 " I object," said Mr. Snubbs angrily, "to such observa- 
 tions in the hearing of the jury, to the prejudice of my 
 client. He has a good defence to that." 
 
 " Very well," replied the learned counsel ; " I was 
 merely explaining why I called this witness ; it was sim- 
 ply to identify these notes, and show whence they came. 
 I shall now proceed to trace them further." 
 
 Mr. Snubbs was silent, and evidently chagrined at the 
 unexpected train of evidence looming before his astute 
 legal imagination, and began in his turn to devise some 
 pretext for an offer of compromise; but another witness 
 was already in the box. , 
 
 " Mr. Cashem, you are, I believe, manager of the Great 
 Northern Provincial Bank?" 
 
 " I am, Sir." 
 
 " You have examined these notes ; tell me what you 
 know of them."
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 233 
 
 " They were paid, Sir, to Mr. Mundy, in exchange for 
 a cheque of Mr. Builder, tobacconist, Leeds. I have the 
 cheque here, Sir." 
 
 " Never mind, that will do. Have you any questions 
 to ask?" added he, turning to Mr. Snubbs. 
 
 " No." 
 
 James Bullock was next called, and Eoughton's hair 
 stood on end as he recognized under that cognomen his 
 ancient friend, old Jem. 
 
 The solicitor for the customs significantly whispered to 
 his counsel "What terms may I ask, if defendant is 
 willing to compromise?" 
 
 " Compromise," retorted counsel ; " absurd ! there never 
 was a clearer case, and compromises should never be lis- 
 tened to by the Crown. We must make examples in such 
 cases." 
 
 The solicitor smiled, and turning to the papers before 
 him, amused himself by sketching the judge on the back 
 of a brief, whilst counsel proceeded to elicit from old Jem 
 all the particulars of the case, step by step, drawing the 
 net closer and closer round the unfortunate defendant. 
 
 Mr. Snubbs cross-examined old Jem with great astute- 
 ness, but made little impression. Wakeful, Smith, and 
 one or two other witnesses, successively gave their testi- 
 mony ; and at length the learned counsel for the Crown 
 sat down, observing, in a tone of confident satisfaction 
 " That is the case, my lud." 
 
 " It is now nearly seven, my lord," observed Mr. 
 Snubbs, glancing at the clock ; " I shall have, I fear, to 
 address the jury at some length. I don't know whether 
 your lordship may be disposed to sit any longer this 
 evening I may have many witnesses to call." 
 
 Ah ! Mr. Snubbs call witnesses ! Full surely had he 
 made up his mind to do nothing of the sort j but to stake
 
 234 IIA.KRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 the chance of a verdict on an appeal to the jury. To 
 prepare for this, the respite of a few hours was not to be 
 despised; and delighted was he when the judge, rising 
 from his seat, acquiesced, with a terrible yawn, in the 
 suggested adjournment till the morrow. 
 
 In five minutes the deserted arena of wordy strife was 
 as still as a charnel-house.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 ' Why do we punish ? Why do penal laws 
 Coercive, by tremendous sanctions bind 
 Offending mortals ? Justice on her throne, 
 Rigid on this hand, to example points ; 
 More mild, to reformation upon that ; 
 She balances and finds no ends but these." DODD. 
 
 THE sun rose as usual upon the just and the unjust. 
 The ninth stroke of the hammer of the great clock had 
 scarcely ceased to reverberate, ere the almost deserted 
 streets began to fill with people of all ranks and conditions, 
 in carriages and on foot. It would seem as if everybody 
 had agreed, by common consent, to break their fast and go 
 abroad at the selfsame hour; and a superficial observer 
 might have concluded that the minds of all who constituted 
 the motly procession were animated by the same spirit 
 and object, fqr all were bending their steps in the same 
 direction, eagerly hurrying to the same place of rendezvous 
 the area in front of the great hall of the law courts; 
 but a more astute observer of the human countenance 
 would have discovered that, beneath the surface of this 
 stream of human beings, notwithstanding the seeming 
 concurrence of design in one particular, there were under- 
 currents of thought and feeling widely diverse in character, 
 depth and intensity; and in the great majority of instances 
 these inward emotions were strongly depicted in that tell- 
 tale index of the heart, the human face.
 
 236 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 The measured pace of the ponderous and slowly-mov- 
 ing vehicle, which contained the judges, appeared to be 
 regulated by the gravity of its inmates. Preceded, followed, 
 and surrounded by trumpeters, javelin-men, and sheriffs' 
 officers, the cortege, glittering with gay liveries and hal- 
 berds, conveyed to the vulgar eye what such solemnities are 
 intended to impress a character of dignity and importance, 
 suggestive of the majesty of law ; whilst the unconcern and 
 indifference of the gay retainers, smiling with imaginary 
 self-importance, provoked in the mind of the cynical looker- 
 on a vague idea of hollow mockery. It had its attractions 
 for the mob ; men, women and children, with no incon- 
 siderable display of rags, filth, and other evidences of 
 squalid misery, formed a sad contrast to the gaudy cavalcade. 
 Close upon the heels of these were jurymen, witnesses, 
 plaintiffs, defendants, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, 
 sons and daughters of incarcerated criminals, and hundreds 
 of others, attracted either by morbid sympathy, idle curiosity, 
 or other undefinable motives. By the side of splendid 
 equipages, whose occupants revelled in the excitement of 
 the scene, and laughed and joked with as much apparent 
 satisfaction as if they were going to a theatre, might be 
 seen the dejected and careworn relatives of the forlorn 
 inmates of dreary cells, which they might be about to 
 exchange for exile or the gallows. Wigs and black gowns, 
 clerks with blue and crimson bags, keen and eager attor- 
 neys, as well as anxious clients, might be seen flitting 
 about here and there, holding short colloquies, or listening 
 to flying commentaries on the coming events ofthe day. 
 
 In the midst of all this, though the ringing of the heart- 
 less bells, which announced the approach of the ministers 
 of the law, rather detracted from the solemnity of the 
 occasion, little groups of pickpockets and thieves were 
 busily plying their trade under the eye, as it were, of the
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 237 
 
 executioner making a harvest of crime out of the very- 
 institutions which were created to suppress and punish it. 
 Candidates for a place in the ensuing calendar made their 
 market of the miseries of the wretched beings who had 
 only preceded them. 
 
 At length the great gates were thrown open ; the judges 
 and other functionaries proceeded to their respective posts ; 
 the portals of the hall devoured with ponderous jaws the 
 rushing masses as they came, until the wonder was where 
 or how they could be stowed away within the precincts of 
 those walls ; and yet that so much order and decorum 
 should prevail throughout those densely-crowded courts. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Roughton rose after a night of sleepless 
 anxiety, not much alleviated by the assurances of the 
 subtle Mr. Sharpe that a verdict of acquittal awaited them. 
 The exposure which they dreaded was, in his judgment, 
 only a nine clays' wonder, soon to be forgotten; and the 
 verdict, if gained, a legal whitewasher. 
 
 They were speedily conducted to the place they had 
 occupied on the previous day. Mr. Snubbs was already on 
 his legs, twisting a bit of red tape round his fingers, and, 
 ogling the jury with an air of confidence and conscious 
 innocence, assumed to reflect the feelings of his injured 
 client. 
 
 Silence was called, and he began in honeyed tones to 
 address the court. 
 
 " May it please y'r ludship. Gentlemen of the jury 
 If I had proceeded with this case last evening, I should 
 undoubtedly have called witnesses of the most respectable 
 character and unquestionable veracity to rebut the case 
 which my learned friend has, with the extraordinary skill 
 and talent peculiar to himself, endeavoured to make out 
 against my client ; but, after a careful review of the 
 evidence, I feel that I may safely leave the case in your
 
 238 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 hands, with no apprehension as to your verdict, which 
 must be one of acquittal, since my learned friend has so 
 signally failed in making out a case ; and yet, gentlemen, 
 I am bound to say, in deference to his superior and match- 
 less ability, that he has not failed from lack of skill or 
 exertion, but because the materials with which he had to 
 work were not such as could do credit to the most efficient 
 master of the art in which he excels. By materials, 
 gentlemen, I mean the testimony, I won't call it evidence, 
 upon which my learned friend had to rely. Gentlemen, if 
 the case of my learned friend had been supported by the 
 uncontaminated evidence of honest witnesses, there coul< 
 have been no doubt of his success ; and, if perchance his 
 efforts should in this case command that success, it will be 
 due rather to the rhetorical ability of the advocate, than to 
 the merits of his case. But, gentlemen, I feel that I may 
 confidently rely on the nice discrimination which charac- 
 terizes the special juries of this country, to distinguish 
 between what is due to the advocate, and what to the value 
 of the testimony upon which his argument is founded. It 
 is perfectly true, gentlemen, as my learned friend told you 
 in his opening address, that the smuggler is an enemy to 
 the fair trader, a foe to the honest competitor in those 
 articles of commerce on which the latter pays the duty ; 
 whilst, by his greater integrity, he disqualifies himself for 
 competing with the fraudulent knave who evades those 
 duties. It is true that the taxes which you and I, which 
 every honest man must bear, are augmented by every 
 illegal inroad upon the coffers of the Queen's exchequer. 
 The smuggler is undoubtedly a pest to society. I am 
 prepared to echo every word of my learned friend on that 
 head ; but, gentlemen, because we cordially acquiesce in all 
 these abstract truths, does it follow that my client is that 
 nefarious smuggler that he is the dishonest competitor
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 239 
 
 of the fair trader that he is the knave who, by fraud, 
 undersells his neighbour that he is the speculator who 
 robs the Queen's exchequer and entails unjust taxes upon 
 us that he is that pest of society whom my learned friend, 
 no doubt with an eye to the character of his own witnesses, 
 has so eloquently described a character with which he 
 so adroitly endeavoured to identify my client ? No, gentle- 
 men, it requires evidence to prove that. No one knows 
 better than my learned friend how to captivate the judg- 
 ment of the most astute listener, and to prejudice the victim 
 he designs to immolate, by interweaving with his narrative 
 commonplace truths, from which none can dissent, and, 
 by the most delicate of all rhetorical artifices, to lead his 
 hearers, whilst seemingly asking only a willing assent to 
 abstract propositions, to involve his victim in the acquittal 
 or condemnation which that unqualified assent would carry 
 with it. 
 
 " Let us, then, gentlemen, approach the consideration of 
 this question with dispassionate and impartial minds. Let 
 us, if you please, start with a hypothesis the opposite of 
 that with which my learned friend set out. Let us con- 
 sider the defendant absolved from the gross imputation 
 cast upon him, until it appears by the evidence, and not 
 by the statements of counsel, that he is guilty. 
 
 " Now, gentlemen, what is that evidence, and how does 
 it touch my client ? If you give full credence to the wit- 
 nesses who have been called on the part of the Crown, it 
 amounts to this a smuggling transaction has undoubtedly 
 taken place, and that near a public road, on which my 
 client, if you believe the only witness who says so, was 
 seen about the time. A box or chest was conveyed from 
 the premises of one tradesman to another, the former being 
 my client and the latter a Mr. Mundy, who, it is alleged, 
 but not proved, is a smuggler. In the common course of
 
 240 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 business my client pays an honest debt, with notes honestly 
 acquired it does not appear from whom ; which notes, at 
 some previous period, had, it seems, passed through the 
 hands of Mr. Mundy. 
 
 " Now really, gentlemen, this is the whole case against 
 my client. I feel that I should almost be insulting your 
 judgments, your keen perception of justice, were I to enter 
 into any lengthened discussion upon a point on which I 
 am sure, on consideration of the simple proposition I have 
 just put, you must already, in your own minds, have given 
 me a verdict. But, gentlemen, when I look at the atrocities 
 with which the case for the Crown has been surrounded ; 
 when I reflect upon the character of the witnesses, and the 
 testimony they have given, I feel myself irresistibly com- 
 pelled to denounce such a proceeding, and to hold up to 
 public scorn and derision a set of men I was about to say 
 miscreants who dare to enter that box, and, regardless of 
 the solemnity of an oath, endeavour to fasten upon the 
 innocent a crime of which they themselves have been 
 guilty ; ay, most of them, directly guilty ! and the others, 
 with a single exception, criminal participators. Gentle- 
 men, it is a scandal to our courts, a disgrace to the Crown, 
 an insult to the people, thus to attack the liberties of the 
 subject under the- sanction of law, and to select, even if he 
 were guilty at all, the most innocent of the offenders to 
 offer up on the shrine of perjury as a sacrifice a scape- 
 goat for the unscrupulous approver: the approver who 
 purchases his own indemnity by basely fastening his crime 
 upon another. 
 
 " Gentlemen, it is not merely indemnity that these 
 wretches secure to themselves as the price of their ques- 
 tionable testimony or treachery ; but such is the protection 
 which the power of the Crown extends to these privileged 
 individuals, that I could not be allowed even to ask how
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER, 241 
 
 much was to be given to them for their dirty work, nor 
 whether it is in proportion to the success achieved, or the 
 amount recovered, of which your verdict is the measure. I 
 strongly suspect it is. As regards the officer, I know it is ; 
 for he is entitled by rule to a given share of the plunder 
 secured. I trust, gentlemen, you will give them nothing. 
 I have alluded to the officer, that precious specimen of 
 official avarice, Mr. Cinderow ; I will not dismiss him 
 without a few observations. You saw him in the box, 
 and you could not peruse that man's countenance with- 
 out discovering, as I did, the wily ferret-like character 
 which he so singularly exhibited during his examination. 
 But what did he tell us ? Why, hearing that a wholesale 
 smuggling affair was to come off, in the darkness of a 
 yovember night, on the dreary cliffs of Oldburgh, a run, 
 as it is called, which implies the arrival of a ship with her 
 boats and crew ; the landing of a cargo of contraband goods ; 
 the guiding star or lantern of a spotsman to warn the ship 
 of danger, or to assure her of a safe approach ; the prepara- 
 tion and presence of vehicles and men to receive and cart 
 away by land the illicit cargo brought by sea. What, I 
 say, did he tell us? Why that, knowing all this, he 
 quietly proceeded in a one-horse chaise to the scene of this 
 assemblage of nautical desperadoes and of reckless land- 
 lubbers, to seize and take out of their hands the fruit of 
 all their clandestine toil. And this with no other aid than 
 an inferior officer or boatman, unless we except that bright 
 specimen of integrity. Mr. Swiveleye, and the youth, called 
 Golightly, whom they have not dared to produce before 
 you. And we are to believe, forsooth, that this was done 
 purely, simply, and honestly, in the fair discharge of his 
 duty, without fraud or connivance with the parties or any 
 of them. Gentlemen, do you believe it? Why! What 
 are the facts according to that man's own showing? It 
 
 Q
 
 242 HARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 was his admitted duty to invoke the aid of the coast-guard. 
 On "being asked why he did not, he replied, he had not 
 time. Had not time ! Yet, on cross-examination, he tells 
 us that he learnt the secret of the run in town, ten miles 
 from the spot, from a man who actually got to that spot in 
 a heavy cart long before he did ; and yet, although the 
 coast-guard station was within gunshot, he had not time 
 to give notice there. That, then, gentlemen, is obviously 
 false j and if so, of what value is that man's oath ? Would 
 you convict a dog upon such testimony ? But who was the 
 man who preceded Mr. Cinderow in the heavy cart ? We 
 have it from the lips of both. The veritable Mr. Swiveleye 
 the owner of the smuggling ship ! Ay, ay ! Mr Cin- 
 derow. He would have had us believe that he did not 
 know that fact. You observed how he shuffled and evaded 
 the question, until constrained to admit that lie knew 
 Mr. Swiveleye was the registered owner of that ship ; and, 
 gentlemen, you know that, though it was his duty to seize 
 her, that ship was not seized. Could these things be 
 without direct complicity and connivance between those 
 two men ? Who, then, is the greater scoundrel ? the man 
 whose sworn duty it is to protect the revenue, or the 
 miserable wretch with whom he connives to defraud the 
 Crown, in order to secure the contemptible reward? I say 
 the miserable wretch ! for we had it from Cinderow's own 
 lips that Swiveleye was too poor to purchase the ship of 
 which he was the ostensible owner. It is, gentlemen, 
 matter of curious speculation whence the money came that 
 made an ostensible owner of a man whose next act is smug- 
 gling with that very ship, in concert with the seizer of her 
 cargo, whilst she and her crew escaped unharmed. This 
 brings me to the first point in Cinderow's evidence, which 
 affects to touch my client. It will be in your recollection 
 that my learned friend scrupulously avoided asking any
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 243 
 
 questions about m y client's alleged presence on the spot ; 
 but it did not escape his lordship, in reply to whom Mr. 
 Cinderow, for the first time, stated that my client was seen 
 there. Now, gentlemen, I do not think you are bound 
 on such evidence to believe that he was there at all ; but, 
 assuming that he was Where was he ? and what was he 
 doing? Why he was on a public road in a little pony 
 carriage, and had alighted at the gate across that road, 
 for the purpose of opening and passing through it a very 
 natural circumstance : a respectable tradesman out on 
 business in his own vehicle, not a very suitable equipage 
 for smuggling, is seen upon the road, accosted by a cus- 
 toms' officer, and allowed to pass without let or hindrance ; 
 and, because it happens that that officer was himself 
 engaged in a smuggling adventure hard by, it is to be 
 inferred that the accidental traveller is a party to that 
 transaction ! Gentlemen, it behoves you and me to be 
 very cautious how we take a drive in our own carriages, 
 if our so doing may be tortured into evidence of our com- 
 plicity with any rogues who may perchance be pursuing 
 their nefarious calling in the vicinity of our route. Away 
 with such stuff ! If my client were there, it is an incident 
 in the case of which my learned friend has made the most, 
 and he is welcome to it. Of Mr. Swiveleye I shall trouble 
 myself to say nothing. I leave him, his character and 
 his testimony, as an admitted accomplice, to that estimate 
 which you, as men of the w r orld, know how to form of such 
 a drivelling creature. But, gentlemen, I cannot find words 
 adequate to the expression of the utter contempt I feel for 
 that man who, as an officer of the revenue, should have 
 done his best to repress fraud, but who has been the chief 
 instrument in bringing about the crime which he has 
 the audacity to come here and charge against my client. 
 Having disposed of the allegation, whether true or false,
 
 244 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 that my client was there, and shown how valueless it is, 
 even if true, I now proceed to the episode of the chest, the 
 magic box which found its way from my client's premises 
 to those of Mr. Mundy. Yes, gentlemen, a box. A box 
 containing what? Why, waste paper. A precious box, 
 indeed, for my learned friend to get into. We have the 
 particulars from the lips of his own witness. What do 
 they amount to ? My client, according to custom, was 
 clearing out the rubbish and waste paper, which were 
 valueless to him as a chemist and druggist, whose parcels, 
 as you all know, are enveloped in white or fancy papers ; 
 he found a customer, perhaps for the hundredth time, in a 
 retail tobacconist ; and, because this particular box happened 
 to be on that man's premises, and to have been made the 
 receptacle for smuggled goods, we are asked to conclude 
 that the metamorphosis which the waste paper underwent 
 lies at the door of my client. Ah ! gentlemen, but there 
 was a card attached to that box. You could not fail to 
 observe the great anxiety with which my learned friend 
 sought to introduce that scrap of pasteboard to your notice 
 as an isolated fact, shrouded in mystery, which was after- 
 wards to be cleared up to your satisfaction ; and to identify 
 my client beyond all doubt with the fraudulent transaction 
 alleged against him. And who was to do this? No other 
 than Patrick Murphy, who proves that he was the bearer 
 of that box, that he actually packed it himself, and that it 
 was full of of what ? Leaves of paper, gentlemen ! ' Oh ! 
 but,' exclaims my learned friend, when the ground slips 
 from under him, 'is that the only box you ever took.' 
 1 No.' ' I thought not ; ' said he ; ' and pray what did the 
 other contain?' The witness honestly confessed he did 
 not know, except from what his master said. ' And now 
 we're coming at it,' said my learned friend ; l and what 
 did your master say?' Why, leaves of paper still! and
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 245 
 
 so they all turned out blanks to my learned friend, and he 
 found himself in the wrong box again. 
 
 " Now, gentlemen, I come to the only point in the case 
 which gives the slightest colour to the charge made against 
 my client. Certain bank-notes have been put in, and 
 proved to have been received from the hands of my client. 
 It was also shown by the only decent witness called, that, 
 at some previous day, these notes had been paid into the 
 hands of Mr. Mundy ; and, we are asked therefore to jump 
 to the conclusion, not only that my client received these 
 notes direct from Mr. Mundy's hands, but that he received 
 them as the price of smuggled tobacco, and that that 
 tobacco was not only supplied by my client, but that it 
 was some of the tobacco which, in one or other of the runs 
 spoken of, was landed at Oldburgh. Now really, gentle- 
 men, this is too much ; we are not to hang a man upon 
 half a dozen presumptions, however ingeniously strung 
 together by the smooth sophistry of my eloquent and 
 learned friend. This, gentlemen, I must however confess 
 was the only point upon which I doubted whether I should 
 call witnesses ; perhaps I ought to have done so, in order to 
 show you how my client became possessed of those notes ; 
 that they did not come to him direct from Mr. Mundy, but 
 from a totally different quarter, though, it is more than 
 probable, they might have passed through half a dozen 
 hands after they left those of Mr. Mundy, and before they 
 reached my client. It would have been perfectly com- 
 petent to me to rebut the presumption raised by such 
 evidence ; but, gentlemen, one presumption, which falls 
 short of proof, is as good as another ; and why on earth 
 have we not as good a right to presume that my client got 
 them in the fair course of business, as that he obtained them 
 dishonestly, not having a tittle of proof to support such a 
 violent inference. Gentlemen, I did not call witnesses,
 
 246 HAURY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 not only for the reason I have just given, but because, 
 taking the case as a whole, viewing the witnesses for the 
 Crown in the light in which they alone can be viewed, as a 
 set of contaminated witnesses, laying aside the banker's 
 clerk; ay! all the others, the officer not excepted, were 
 tainted accomplices, seeking not only their own security, 
 but the reward of villany, by trumping up a case against 
 an innocent man. An innocent man ! I repeat it, gentle- 
 men, as I believe it, and that innocent man is my client. 
 Now I put it to you, gentlemen, even assuming that the 
 little they have attempted to prove against him was true, 
 have they not proved tenfold more against themselves? 
 Have they not admitted that they were stained and double- 
 dyed in fraud prime movers and actors in every stage of the 
 mysterious and clandestine transactions they have detailed? 
 Do they not come here red-handed, steeped in crime, un- 
 blushingly confessing their own guilt, in order, by inter- 
 weaving a few concomitant circumstances, in themselves 
 innocent, to raise an inference that my client was particeps 
 criminis in their offence? If, I ask again, if those circum- 
 stances were true, and some connivance could be inferred, is 
 it not strange that the least guilty should have been selected 
 to be victimized, on the contaminated testimony of the vilest 
 and most treacherous of a desperate gang, headed and 
 encouraged by the very man, of all others, who should 
 have sought to suppress, and not to incite a breach of the 
 revenue laws of those laws which he was sworn and bound 
 to respect and uphold? Gentlemen, have not those wit- 
 nesses been convicted of falsehood before your eyes ? If so, 
 you cannot believe them at all, and my client is entitled to 
 an acquittal. I appeal to you as men of business. I appeal 
 to you as men of honour and of humanity ; and, by the oath 
 which you have taken, to give a verdict according to the 
 evidence. I ask you to acquit that unfortunate man, whose
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 247 
 
 prospects will be mercilessly blasted, himself and his family 
 ruined, and his character destroyed for ever; if, on the 
 testimony of perjured villains and cowardly traitors you 
 should consign him to a gaol, and leave him to the triumph- 
 ant mockery of those wretches who, to secure their own 
 indemnity, have remorselessly, sacrificed truth and con- 
 science to his undoing. The liberties of the subject 
 tremble in the balance. The eyes of England are upon 
 you ; the destinies of my client are in your hands ; and 
 I leave him there with no misgivings as to the result." 
 
 Mr. Snubbs sat down amidst loud cheers from the back 
 of the court, but which were quickly suppressed. The 
 counsel for the Crown, who had gone out of court whilst 
 Mr. Snubbs was addressing the jury, was apprised by 
 desire of the judge ; but, having an important case in hand 
 in the other court, he only stepped in for a minute ; and, 
 blandly observing that he should not avail himself of the 
 Crown's right to reply in so clear a case, but would leave it 
 in the hands of his lordship, bowed politely, and again 
 withdrew. 
 
 His lordship very briefly summed up the evidence, 
 suggested to the jury that they might safely dismiss from 
 their minds very much of what had fallen from the lips of 
 counsel, and confine themselves to the facts of the case, to 
 which he would direct their attention. There was no 
 doubt, observed his lordship, that two serious smuggling 
 transactions had taken place, and that the circumstances 
 related by the witnesses were substantially true, though, in 
 some particulars, those witnesses did not come before the 
 court in so creditable a manner as could be wished. In 
 some respects their credit and character had been materially 
 shaken by their own admissions ; it was, therefore, import- 
 ant to look with great jealousy at their evidence as a 
 whole. Nearly all the witnesses were tainted by their
 
 248 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 complicity; nevertheless, they were confirmed in many 
 material particulars, by evidence and facts over which they 
 had no control. The first witness, certainly, had not 
 appeared in a very favourable light; his own evidence 
 almost went the length of an admission that if he were not 
 in the strict sense of the word an accomplice, he was, for 
 his own venial purposes, an abettor of the fraud, and had 
 connived at the escape of some of the guilty parties, in 
 order to secure to himself the whole advantage of the 
 reward for the seizure ; and, perhaps it was to be feared, to 
 encourage, or leave them at liberty to pursue fresh frauds 
 upon the revenue, in which he might participate, or, at least, 
 secure to himself the reward due to legitimate detection 
 and seizure. Be it so ; this, however, only confirms the fact 
 that the transactions alleged did take place, and, however 
 disgraceful may have been the conduct of the officer, that 
 does not exempt the other parties from the consequences of 
 their participation. Nay, further, had it been distinctly 
 proved in evidence, as a part of the Crown's case, that these 
 nefarious proceedings had been carried on with the direct 
 connivance of the officer throughout, this could not be set 
 up by his accomplices as a legal defence. The question is, 
 whether the offences alleged in the information were com- 
 mitted, and whether, as against the defendant, it is proved 
 to the satisfaction of the jury that he was a party? Now, 
 it is shown that these smuggling transactions did take 
 place ; that other tobacco than that seized by Cinderow 
 was landed, and afterwards conveyed to various localities ; 
 and, amongst others, to the premises of Mr.TMnndy, who 
 appears in the capacity of a receiver of smuggled tobacco. 
 It is proved that the defendant was, at a late hour of the 
 night, near the spot where the run took place ; and, beyond 
 the ingenious explanation of his counsel, he has given no 
 good reason in evidence for hV presence there. It is shown
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 249 
 
 that two Iboxes or chests were about that time removed 
 from the defendant's premises to those of Mundy, and 
 that one of these was found there to contain smuggled 
 tobacco. It is true that the rather facetious Irish witness 
 called by the Crown, proved that one of these boxes only 
 contained waste paper ; that might be a blind to cover- 
 the others if inconvenient questions were asked; and, 
 it could not escape notice that this man, evidently an 
 unwilling witness and a partisan of his master, did not 
 distinctly negative the fact that the other chest contained 
 tobacco, though he most ingeniously raised such an infer- 
 ence an inference, strongly rebutted, however, by the fact 
 that tobacco was found in the chest bearing the defendant's 
 name and address, and other words indicative of his calling 
 as a druggist. Well, gentlemen, this point has been ably 
 argued by Mr. Snubbs ; and I must confess if the case 
 rested there, I should strongly incline to recommend a legal 
 acquittal ; but then comes evidence of much more extensive 
 transactions between the tobacconist and the chemist 
 whose trades have little affinity with each other than the 
 sale of a few boxes of waste paper would account for. 
 Here are bank-bills traced to the hands of Mundy by the 
 unexceptionable evidence of the banker, received from the 
 hands of the defendant by a witness, whose testimony has 
 not been impeached, and actually produced and identified 
 here. It has been suggested by the defendant's counsel, 
 that this is not conclusive evidence that the notes came 
 direct from the hands of Mundy, though he once had them ; 
 but the Crown has gone as far as it could to establish prima 
 facie proof of the fact, and it was for the defendant to rebut 
 it by the simple and easy proof, if it existed at all, that 
 the defendant derived the possession of those notes from 
 another source. He has failed to do that, and it is for you 
 to say whether or not you are satisfied that the defendant
 
 250 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 was a party to this transaction, and if so, to find your ver- 
 dict for the Crown. If you are not so satisfied, you will, of 
 course, give a verdict for the defendant ; and here let me 
 observe, it is not for you to determine whether the defend- 
 ant is the most or least guilty ; it is not for you to try the 
 measure of his guilt, but simply to say guilty or not guilty. 
 Some of the accomplices may have shown themselves in 
 very odious colours, but the Crown, no doubt, has its 
 reasons for selecting which of the defendants shall be 
 prosecuted. It may be there is more behind the curtain 
 than has here transpired. If the defendant, moving in a 
 respectable sphere and carrying on a profitable business, 
 has employed these men sub rosa to do the dirty work for 
 which he may have found capital and without such men 
 perhaps wholesale frauds of this kind could not be carried 
 out at all he may be the most to blame. I do not say 
 it is so, but I only point out that it is for the prosecution 
 to determine, in such cases, who to prosecute ; and for you 
 to say whether a case is made out against the defendant 
 irrespective of other considerations. I will not conclude 
 without observing that the conduct of the first witness 
 appears to me to have been disgraceful ; it will, however, 
 be for the Crown to deal with its own officer according 
 to his deserts; with that you have nothing to do, but 
 only with the defendant. Consider your verdict, gentle- 
 men. 
 
 The jury, without retiring, laid their heads together for 
 five minutes, which to Koughton and his wife seemed an 
 hour. The foreman turned round and said 
 
 "Verdict for the Crown, my lord." 
 
 The verdict was then taken in due form, the quantity of 
 tobacco stated, and the amount of penalty, being treble the 
 duty-paid value, adjusted. During this process poor Jane 
 had swooned, and was carried out of court by her husband,
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 251 
 
 who, but for this new cause of excitement, would himself 
 almost have sunk under the blow. A crowd of idlers 
 swarmed around the poor woman in the great hall as she 
 hung lifelessly on her husband's arm ; and, beautiful 
 though pale, she attracted the admiration of several gentle- 
 men of the long robe, who not only sympathized but gave 
 that assistance which the stolid mob never offered a 
 smelling bottle was presented by one, a cab called by 
 another, whilst a third assisted Harry in conveying his 
 half-revived but interesting charge to the vehicle, in which 
 she Avas conveyed to her wretched temporary abode.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 " Why waste we time in vain ? 
 See what effect our low submissions gain : 
 Liked or not liked, his words we must relate." COWPE 
 
 ' Woe to the wrong' d and the avenger ! Woe 
 To the destroyer ; woe to the destroy'd ! 
 Woe to the dupe and woe to the deceiver ! 
 Woe to the oppressed and woe to the oppressor ! 
 Woe both to those that suffer and inflict!" SHELLEY. 
 
 IN a little dingy apartment, at the back of an obscure 
 public-house situated in the vicinity of the court, was 
 assembled as forbidding a looking group as could well be 
 imagined. They were seated round a table, upon which 
 jugs and glasses, reeking with steam, sent forth a combined 
 odour of gin, rum, and brandy, mingled with tobacco 
 smoke. The principal personage of this very select party 
 was no other than Mr. Pitt, who, although he had scrupu- 
 lously avoided attracting notice during Roughton's trial, 
 had contrived, from one obscure corner or another, to see 
 and hear all that passed publicly, and, through the medium 
 of his spies, to learn everything which had transpired 
 privately amongst the principal actors, some of whom now 
 surrounded him in the dirty back parlour which had been 
 his secluded and recherche abode during the last three 
 eventful days. Old Jem, Swiveleye, Smith, and Wakeful 
 had each of them, for reasons best known to themselves, 
 claims on Mr. Pitt which he could not ignore j and, the
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 253 
 
 trial being over, they had resolved not to separate until 
 they had come to an understanding with their chief. He 
 would have treated them with gin and water till they drank 
 themselves blind, but that would not satisfy his satellites 
 and accomplices in crime. Old Jem was the principal 
 spokesman, and argued with much shrewdness that nothing 
 less than 30 should satisfy him, and that the others should 
 have 20 each. " Didn't we all agree with Lawyer Sharpe 
 to drop every word that could pull you in?" said he to Mr. 
 Pitt. " Didn't we agree to tell them Lunnun chaps what 
 he set down for us, and no more and' didn't he say as 
 you'd come down wi' some'at 'ansome, if we minded our p's 
 and q's and kep' you 'clear, whether Mr. Boughton sunk 
 or swum? aint we turned up trumps?" 
 
 Mr. Pitt listened uneasily to the bluff eloquence of the 
 speaker, and, without affecting to deny the truth of his 
 assertions, argued that Houghton was in for it anyhow, and 
 he didn't see that there was any great matter to boast of, 
 in their not needlessly betraying another of their own 
 party. 
 
 "All very fine," retorted old Jem sulkily; "I don't 
 want to peach agin nobody, but I don't see why you should 
 get all the swag, an' Roughton, as you draw'd in, get all 
 the 'prisonment, an' we, as kept you clear, get nothin'!" 
 Here the others chimed in, backing their leader with no 
 small clamour; under which encouragement the orator 
 waxed warm, and bringing down his brawny fist on the 
 table like a sledge-hammer, to the manifest danger of 
 breaking half the jugs and glasses, which jingled in chorus, 
 he swore with a tremendous oath, that he'd have 50 and 
 the others should have 30 apiece. " If we are to go for 
 it at all, we may as well go for a sheep as a lamb ; and if 
 you," added he, turning to Mr. Pitt, " if you don't come 
 down wi' the dust to us, you shall pay through the nose to
 
 254 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 the Queen, that's what you shall ; and now, lads," address- 
 ing his companions, " stand by me an' we'll show him up 
 fair, and get more by the job than he seems disposed to 
 give us. We know the way to the custom-house." 
 
 " We do, so we do, and we'll go," vociferated the others ; 
 upon which old Jem looked round with the air of an orator 
 fully satisfied with the impression he had made, and added 
 " There now, there, that's my say ; and now I'll shut 
 up." With these words he magnanimously bottomed his 
 glass, deposited the empty vessel on the table, and, with 
 all the dignified resolution he could assume, thrust his 
 hands into his breeches' pockets, drew himself up to his full 
 height, and complacently gazed at his compeers. 
 
 Mr. Pitt did not like the aspect of affairs ; he knew that 
 old Jem was not the man to be trifled with, nor in the 
 mood to be refused. He tried his arts of cajolery in vain, 
 until the bright thought struck him that he might buy old 
 Jem to sell the others! Drawing him into a corner, he 
 suggested that he should give old Jem 60, if he would 
 affect before his comrades to be satisfied with 20 for him- 
 self, and 10 for each of the others ; and, having extorted 
 an acquiescent wink from the veteran scamp, they returned 
 to the table ; when old Jem, with well-feigned sulkiness, 
 observed " There's a good deal in what you say ; I didn't 
 know as you'd stood the racket of this job for Rough ton, 
 an' that you'd made all right with Jimmey Cinderow. 
 Well, I reckon we maun't be too hard on you, but I sha'n't 
 tak' less nor 25 onyhow, an' you ought to stand 15 
 apiece to these 'ere chaps." 
 
 " No," returned Pitt, " I've honestly told you my rea- 
 sons ; I don't care a snap of the finger for you all ; don't 
 ye see ye're under my thumb ? But I want to act fair and 
 liberal I'll stand 20 for you and 10 apiece for them 
 either take that or nothing." With these emphatic words
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 255 
 
 he walked out of the room, encountering Sliarpe in the 
 passage. 
 
 During Pitt's absence a warm discussion ensued, in 
 which Jem persuaded his comrades to take the niggard at 
 his word, or they might get nothing. He was their oracle, 
 and they bowed to his advice. In the meantime Pitt had 
 requested the lawyer to regale himself, at his expense, with 
 a glass of grog at the bar, whilst he disposed of his ugly 
 customers, as he called them, in the parlour ; where, after a 
 little further sham fighting between him and old Jem, the 
 bargain was concluded, and beginning with Wakeful they 
 were told off, and departed one by one with their 10 each, 
 till Jem's turn came. No sooner was the room clear of the 
 others, than Jem boldly faced Mr. Pitt, and in a resolute 
 tone said " I'm not going to be gammoned, and if you 
 don't come down with half what I've just saved you, beside 
 my 60, I'll blow you, and that's the fact. You know I 
 can do it. Them twenty bales lie hid yet, and you can't 
 put your hand on 'em without me ; so 80, honour bright, 
 or the game's up." 
 
 "Do you mean it?" asked Pitt. 
 
 "I do." 
 
 Burning with ill-concealed mortification Pitt told out the 
 80, and the two sharpers bid each other a sullen good- 
 night. 
 
 It was now Mr. Sharpe's turn. Mr. Pitt speedily sum- 
 moned him. They drew up to the fire, side by side. Pitt 
 waited for his companion to break silence. Presently the 
 lawyer whispered something in his ear at which he started, 
 exclaiming " 200 ! I can't stand it out of all character 
 nothing of the sort nothing of the sort, Mr. Sharpe ; 
 I'll die in a gaol first." 
 
 " Perhaps so," said the lawyer with provoking com- 
 posure, " I might get more by that, eh? and this is grati-
 
 256 HARRY ROUGHTOJT, OR 
 
 tude, is it? you were lavish enough in your promises till 
 poor Roughton was sold, at your bidding, beyond redemp- 
 tion ; and now that's over and you think yourself safe, you 
 repudiate what I've done for you? Be it so, and take the 
 consequences; I'm content." 
 
 Mr. Pitt's countenance fell, and after brooding for a short 
 time over the lawyer's pointed remarks, he rejoined " Now 
 you know, Mr. Sharpe, I heard every word, and there was 
 nothing in the case to touch me." 
 
 "And who have you to thank for that?" 
 
 Instead of answering that question Mr. Pitt said 
 " Well, I don't want to be shabby j I'll stand 100 and 
 make an end of it." 
 
 No, Mr. Pitt, I ought to have 500 ; and if you don't 
 come down with 200, I leave you to take your own course, 
 and I'll take mine." So saying, he rose and took up his 
 hat. 
 
 " Nay, nay," said Pitt, "you're such a testy fellow you 
 can't take a joke." 
 
 " Joke or no joke, Pitt, you know very well that if 1 
 hadn't handled those witnesses and made them up for the 
 Crown as I did, at Roughton's own expense too, and no 
 thanks to you, he might have been free now and money in 
 pocket, and you, Mr. Pitt, in his place. You can't say I 
 have not acted honourably, and if you don't choose to deal 
 fairly by me, mark my words, you don't escape quite as 
 easily as you flatter yourself. 
 
 " Well, well ! hear me out: I was only going to say that, 
 considering you've made a good thing out of Mr. Hough- 
 ton's defence and a nice defence you've made of it for the 
 poor devil I should have thought 100 from me would 
 have been downright handsome, and yet you want 200." 
 
 " I don't wish to argue the point, Mr. Pitt. As regards 
 making a good thing out of Roughton, you're out of it
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 257 
 
 there ; he owes me at least 50 now. I am as sorry he 
 was not acquitted as you are, and, if it had'nt been for 
 saving you, he might have got off. You have to thank me 
 for that, I tell you ; but do as you like." Then, holding 
 out his open palm, he added, in a bantering tone " 200, 
 Mr. Pitt, 200, or we are not quits." 
 
 Pitt heaved a deep sigh and drew out his cheque-book. 
 The operation of filling up that scrap of paper appeared to 
 be as agonizing a pastime as the drawing of a double 
 tooth. At the conclusion of each word he wrote came 
 another deep sigh ; and when his name was attached to it, 
 he threw himself back in his chair with the resignation of 
 a martyr. " Now for a little peace," said Mr. Pitt to him- 
 self, as he closed the door on the pertinacious lawyer ; " I 
 hope I've done with these precious rascals." Having dis- 
 charged himself of this comforting observation, he threw 
 his feet upon the fender, folded his arms, and resigned 
 himself to his meditations.
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 "And can it be? or is it all a dream, 
 A vapour of the mind ? I scarce believe 
 Myself awake and acting. Sudden thus 
 Am I so compass'd round with comforts late, 
 Health, freedom, peace torn, torn from all, and lost!" DODD. 
 
 OVERWHELMED by the severe shock which they had sus- 
 tained, poor Roughton and his wife, a prey to the most 
 heart-rending despondency, sat in mute grief over the 
 dying embers of a little fire in the miserable lodging they 
 had occupied during the last three eventful days. An 
 ejaculation or broken sigh now and then escaped the lips 
 of Mrs. Roughton, responded to only by exclamations from 
 Harry, not very complimentary to those to whom they 
 felt that the sad fate which had overtaken them was 
 mainly attributable. They were neither of them yet in a 
 frame of mind to hold an unbroken conversation, or afford 
 any consolation to each other. 
 
 " An unfortunate finish," exclaimed Mr. Sharpe, as he 
 unceremoniously opened the door and entered the room. 
 
 "Unfortunate indeed," replied Harry in a tone of 
 poignant distress, as he raised his head from his hands, 
 and fixed his melancholy gaze on the face of the intruder. 
 "Very different to what you led us to expect." 
 
 " Well, well, my good friend, that's true ; but remember 
 it was your own fault; a man should never deceive his 
 own lawyer. Why didn't you tell me about those notes '?
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 259 
 
 I might have got some evidence to prove that they did not 
 come from Mundy to you." 
 
 " But they did come from him" replied Roughtou 
 pettishly. 
 
 " It's no use arguing that now," retorted the lawyer. 
 " I had some notes from Mundy myself not long since, and, 
 if I'd known ten days ago, I could have exchanged them 
 with you, and have sworn that I paid them into your 
 hands, without being very particular about the numbers. 
 With a little mystification about the dates and figures, we 
 could have raised a mist about it, so as to claim the benefit 
 of the doubt; but it's too late now. What I want to 
 know is, what has Pitt made by this job? I suppose he's 
 had the lion's share ? 
 
 " No doubt," replied Harry, " he has made a little fortune 
 out of it, and yet he wouldn't lend a hand to save me;" 
 for again Harry's thoughts reverted to the night on which 
 the notes were thrust on him, the villanous advice the 
 fellow gave him whilst he was rejoicing in the possession 
 of the " gold that tells no tales," and his refusal to give 
 bail for him when captured by Cinderow. Sharpe saw 
 that Harry's countenance lowered at the very name of 
 Pitt, and, being the last man to lose an advantage, he laid 
 his plans accordingly, observing 
 
 " The object of rny visit, Mr. Koughton, was to ask 
 whether it is convenient to you to settle the balance of my 
 account?" 
 
 " The balance of your account, Mr. Sharpe ! why, you 
 know you have had every shilling I could rap and ring- 
 together. I only wonder what's become of it, and I can't 
 conceive how I can owe you a farthing ; and, if I did, I 
 wonder you should come to me, a ruined man, on the very 
 night of a disaster against which you pledged yourself to 
 hold me harmless. You know that in less than a month I
 
 260 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OK 
 
 must either flee the country or be consigned to a goal for 
 those enormous penalties which it seems the law trebles 
 against a a smuggler." 
 
 " But only reflect, Mr. Koughton. If no more had come 
 out than you told me, you would have been acquitted. It's 
 not my fault ; I did my best ; and when I come to sum up 
 the expenses of witnesses, counsel's fees, inn bills, &c., I 
 see that I am fifty pounds, hard cash, out of pocket ; and, 
 after all I have done, surely you do not wish me to be a 
 loser." 
 
 " I wish no man to be a loser by me, Mr. Sharpe. I 
 always did pay my way honestly, till well, it's of no use ; 
 I can't pay, and there's an end of it." 
 
 " Oh ! I see you mistake me altogether. I know you 
 can't find the money, but I know who can." 
 
 "Know who can?" interrupted Harry. "I haven't a 
 friend in the world who would now advance a shilling?" 
 
 " Perhaps not ; but you may have an enemy who 
 can." 
 
 Roughton looked at the lawyer with inquisitive incre- 
 dulity. 
 
 " Who drew you into this mess, Mr. Roughton ? How is 
 it that you are the scapegoat of a set of traitors? Who 
 has schooled all the witnesses to suppress even Avhat might 
 have served you, in order to screen himself? Ought he to 
 escape? No, Roughton. I wish to serve you, but I am 
 hampered. You know I cannot afford to. quarrel with a 
 good client; but, keep my name snug, and I'll tell you 
 how you can force him to make some reparation." 
 
 " But what are you driving at, Mr. Sharpe 7" 
 
 " Why, to tell you the truth, I was driving at my bill ; 
 and when I turned the whole matter over in my mind, 
 reluctant to press you at such a time, it occurred to me 
 that you might get double the amount out of him, and so
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 261 
 
 pay me, and have 50 left to procure some comforts for 
 yourself and Mrs. Roughton while you are in prison, if it 
 conies to that. Just write him such a note as I will dic- 
 tate, and stick to him. Take my word for it you'll get the 
 money. Threaten to inform against him and the receivers. 
 He can't stand against that." 
 
 "Mr. Sharpe," retorted Harry, "if I had taken the 
 rector's advice instead of yours, I should have done that 
 before I was ruined, and have saved myself. Now it's too 
 late you recommend it." 
 
 " No I don't," said Sharpe. " I don't recommend you 
 to inform ; only threaten. Now, just permit me to let you 
 into a secret, and I think you won't be so squeamish. Did 
 not you observe when old Jem and Swiveleye and Wake- 
 ful were pressed in the witness-box to name their accom- 
 plices, how carefully they evaded naming Pitt, but did not 
 let you off so easily ? I could not understand that, knowing 
 as 1 did and as you did, that while they were playing the 
 double game of witnesses for the Crown, they were schooled 
 by me, and promised to keep you clear, and what they 
 were to say as Crown witnesses was to tell double for you ; 
 yet none but Pat Murphy kept his word." 
 
 " I see no secret in that," said Harry bluntly. 
 
 " No, no ; I'm coming to that. What I say is, I couldn't 
 understand how your own witnesses, as one may say, 
 played false to you and saved Pitt. But, would you 
 believe it, this very night as I was passing the Blue Posts 
 inn, who should I see slinkin' in there but those very men ! 
 so I watched 'em in and then took a seat in the bar, where, 
 over a glass o' grog, I pumped the landlady, and got out 
 of her that Mr. Pitt occupied that room, and had been 
 there for two or three days ; and the waiter told me after- 
 wards that there was a good deal of money passing between 
 'em. That was enough for me; so, thinks I, that's the
 
 262 HAURY EOUGIITON, OR 
 
 man that's victimized my client to save himself, and now 
 he's paying them the wages of treachery." 
 
 " The scoundrel !" exclaimed Harry ; " I'll expose him, 
 cost what it will, or my name's not lloughton ;" and, rising 
 from the table, he paced the room in a fit of uncontrollable 
 anger. 
 
 Jane had listened to all this with mingled feelings of 
 pain and disgust. Her mind was distracted by conflicting 
 emotions ; but, from the bewilderment of grief and agony, 
 she had only half comprehended the story of underhand 
 villany and selfishness which the lawyer had so artfully 
 divulged ; but the agitation of Harry roused her from her 
 state of abstraction. She sought to soothe him by every 
 means in her power, and Sharpe came to her assistance, 
 begging of him to calm himself, and not act hastily. 
 
 " Mr. Pitt might not have intended to harm anyone 
 else, but only to screen himself; whatever his motives, 
 however," added Sharpe, " he has succeeded at your 
 expense ; and, if I were you, I would get it out of him by 
 hook or by crook." 
 
 " Say the word what shall I do ?" replied Harry with 
 an air of resolution. 
 
 Sharpe drew from his pocket an old envelope, and wrote 
 with his pencil as follows : 
 
 " Sir I am, as you know, ruined by the transactions 
 into which I was led by you. That is no reason why I 
 should starve, whilst you are enjoying alL the profits of 
 that nefarious business. I am now penniless, and, but for 
 you, I might at least have been acquitted. I have reason 
 to know that I owe my present position to the underhand 
 contrivances of yourself and that scoundrel Sharpe, and 
 t.iat you have been paying the very men, who have screened 
 you and ruined me, the blood-money which they stipulated 
 for as the price of perjury, and I, the only real sufferer, am
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 263 
 
 left without a shilling ! Sharpe has the audacity to dun 
 me, in my present forlorn condition, for the balance of his 
 bill. You are aware that I know the whole story, and 
 that you and the receivers are in my hands, if I choose to 
 impeach. A friend has offered to secure me an interview 
 with the solicitor to the customs, but I would not give an 
 answer until I had afforded you an opportunity of making 
 the only reparation in your power. I have, therefore, to 
 request that you will at once send me 100 for my present 
 necessities, without delay. I am, &c." 
 
 Mr. Sharpe handed over this finished composition to 
 Eoughton, remarking " I have been rather sharp upon 
 myself, but that will throw Pitt off his guard, and perhaps 
 lead him to consult me, and then I'll take care to make it 
 all right. Copy that, and post it immediately." 
 
 Roughton applied himself to the task ; Mr. Sharpe 
 talked to Mrs. Roughton, whilst her husband was writing, 
 and contrived to be just on the point of starting as the 
 letter was being sealed ; when turning short round, as he 
 held the handle of the door, he said " By the by, I am 
 going by the post-office I might have offered to put it in ; 
 give it me, Mr. Roughton I'll drop it in the box as I go 
 by." Without giving Roughton a moment for reflection, he 
 took the letter from the table, bid them goodnight, and 
 hurried off to his inn ; where, having called for candles 
 and seen the waiter safe out of the room, he turned the key 
 in the door, seated himself at the table, carefully melted 
 the wax by the flame of the candle, opened the letter, 
 deliberately converted 100 into 200, resealed it, sallied 
 off to the post-office, ascertained the hour of delivery, and 
 left the letter to find its way to its destination. 
 
 At about ten minutes past ten the next morning, Mr. 
 Sharpe might be seen prowling about the avenues leading 
 to the Blue Posts, watching eveiybody who passed in that
 
 264 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 direction, until his eye fell upon a rapid walker in a blue 
 coat and red collar, with a bundle of letters in his hand ; he 
 kept his eye upon him until he had reached the domicile of 
 Mr. Pitt, executed his commission there, and strolled off 
 again. Not to appear too precipitate, he amused himself 
 by watching the door of the public-house for about a 
 quarter of an hour ; during which interval, that he might 
 not attract notice, he affected to be scrutinizing the books, 
 pictures, engravings, and caricatures in the window of a 
 neighbouring stationer's shop. 
 
 " Well," said he to himself, " he hasn't left the inn since 
 the letter was delivered ; I have given him law enough 
 What excuse shall I resort to for dropping in?" Scarcely 
 had he concluded this reflection ere he saw the very man, 
 with flushed face and scowling brow, pass quickly into the 
 street, and march off at a hurried pace towards the very 
 spot at which the lawyer was standing. 
 
 Mr. Sharpe instantly reapplied himself with apparent 
 earnestness to the examination of the prints, and, as if 
 unconscious of the approach of any one, he burst into an 
 affected fit of laughter at a droll caricature. 
 
 " Hallo, Sharpe," said Mr. Pitt, " you seem to be very 
 merry this morning. 
 
 " Bless me, Mr. Pitt," said the lawyer, with well-feigned 
 astonishment, " who'd have thought of seeing you here ? 
 I was amusing myself with this caricature ; just look 
 here." 
 
 " Curse your caricature," replied Pitt j " I'm in no humour 
 for laughing." 
 
 " Nothing gone wrong, I hope these are ticklish times 
 what's the matter?" 
 
 " Matter enough, read that," growled Pitt, as he drew 
 Roughton's letter from his pocket, and handed it to Sharpe ; 
 " curs s the vagabond, I hate traitors."
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 265 
 
 Mr. Sharpe took the letter, read a few lines, raised his 
 eyes in astonishment, read them again, as if to be assured 
 that he had not misunderstood them, uttered several ejacu- 
 lations of surprise as he proceeded, and, at last, said 
 " Confound the fellow ; who could have expected this from 
 such a chicken-hearted fool as that? I tell you what, 
 Pitt," added he, returning the letter, " some scamp or 
 another has been tutoring him I don't half like it. Those 
 revenue harpies have been at him. He must be muzzled, 
 or worse will come of it. Let's see what did he say he 
 required?" 
 
 " Required, the scamp ! why, 200 ; can't you read?" 
 
 "I beg pardon," said Sharpe, "but I was so taken by 
 surprise I was thinking so much more of the consequences 
 than the money, that I had hardly given any attention to 
 the amount." 
 
 " Consequences ! What consequences ? What have I 
 to fear from a convicted scoundrel like that?" 
 
 " Oh, nothing ! but to have to pay all the penalties or 
 change places with him, and he'll be grinning through the 
 bars before long, if he don't play a deep card j and that 
 would'nt be very pleasant." 
 
 Pitt's cheek blanched at the prospect placed before him ; 
 he paused, his colour came and went, he breathed hard, 
 then stamped his foot and swore with frantic vehemence. 
 
 Sharpe tried to quiet him, and at length succeeded, by 
 reminding him that hedges and walls have ears. Pitt 
 seized Sharpe by the arm, and marched back with him to 
 his inn. Sharpe begged to be excused, avowing that he 
 was only waiting an appointment nearly due ; Pitt would 
 have no excuse, but forthwith dragged the lawyer into his 
 room, and before they had time to sit down, demanded 
 "What's to be done?" 
 
 " Done?" replied Sharpe; "stop his mouth."
 
 26G HA.RRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 KHowf" 
 
 " Buy him off, make the best terms you can ; offer him 
 half, and if that won't do, give him all. It will be cheapest 
 in the long-run. Can't you see him at once?" 
 
 " No ! I'll never speak to him again. It won't do, Mr. 
 Sharpe. I refused to bail him when he was quodclecl." 
 
 " Oh ! I'm sorry for that, Mr. Pitt," said Sharpe ; " that's 
 a misfortune. That explains a good deal ; but it's no use 
 talking ; get some mutual friend some one, mind, who is 
 already in the secret; too many know already." 
 
 " Why can't you do it?" 
 
 " Well, you see, I've pressed him for my bill, and you see 
 how he speaks of me in that cursed letter. Hang the cur, 
 I could strangle him ; but I treat his lying abuse with 
 contempt. He can't hurt me I'm privileged. But think 
 of some one else, Mr. Pitt ; pray do." 
 
 " I can't trust nobody, without it's Cinderow ; I'll ask 
 him, we're hand and glove." 
 
 "A good thought," said the lawyer, "he's the man! 
 No, stop that won't do neither I forgot ; Roughton loves 
 him as the devil loves holy water. He arrested him you 
 know, after leading him into the last scrape and promising 
 to screen him ; nobody can convince Rough ton that Cin- 
 derow couldn't help himself in that affair." 
 
 " Well, that's true ; then you must go, and there's an end 
 on't." 
 
 " Mr. Sharpe hesitated, and at length replied " I don't 
 half like it, but I can't see a friend at a fault, and no 
 time's to be lost. Give me his letter. Have you got the 
 cash?" 
 
 Here again Mr. Pitt uttered a tremendous oath, and 
 seemed more resolved to retract than conform ; but the wily 
 Mr. Sharpe wormed him round, worked upon his fears, 
 obtained a cheque for 100, and cash for 100 more,
 
 KEMIXISCEXCE8 OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 267 
 
 promising to 'bate Eoughton down, if possible, but not to 
 return without securing his pledge of secrecy. 
 
 " I'll have it in black and Avhite, Mr. Sharpe," said Pitt 
 emphatically. 
 
 " Better not, safer not, Mr. Pitt, for you," said Sharpe, 
 though thinking only of the difficulty which Pitt's deter- 
 mination might throw in the way of his own selfish designs; 
 but, Mr. Sharpe was fertile in expedients, and, relying on 
 his ingenuity, he acquiesced, and started on his mission. 
 
 " I've been called in as I expected, the business is done," 
 said Mr. Sharpe, as he entered Roughton's room and threw 
 down the cheque ; " but he will have an acknowledgment, 
 an acquittal, in exchange." Harry's eyes sparkled at the 
 sight of the money, but Mr. Sharpe proceeded " I've had 
 a hard job to squeeze that out of the old scamp you have 
 to thank me I know you have cash by you, and I presume 
 you will settle my bill ; that's the least you can do." 
 
 Jane interposed her advice in favour of Mr. Sharpe, 
 observing that both justice and gratitude dictated compli- 
 ance ; whereupon Harry counted out 30, and promised to 
 send the balance when the cheque was cashed. 
 
 "Now for the memorandum," said Sharpe, and he wrote 
 " Dear Sir In acknowledging the 100 which you have 
 kindly advanced to me, I feel it to be but just to you, for 
 fear of any misconception, to state that you are free from 
 all imputation of guilty participation in the unfortunate 
 business which has led to my prosecution. I am, &c. 
 
 "Can you sign that, Harry?" said Mrs. Roughton; "I 
 would not write a falsehood for all Mr. Pitt's gold ! " 
 
 Roughton threw down the pen, and Mr. Sharpe snatched 
 up the cheque, saying " Do as you please ; I can't leave 
 this without my honour is at stake." 
 
 Some modification of the words was contrived by Mr. 
 Sharpe, which, without telling a direct untruth, would
 
 268 HARRY ROUGHTON, OK 
 
 serve the purpose. Mr. Rougliton signed and gave it to 
 Mr. Sharpe ; who, first calling at his inn on the way just 
 to turn the 100 into 200, proceeded to assure Mr. Pitt 
 that Roughton was inexorable, as that memorandum would 
 show ; and Mr. Pitt sulkily stowed it away in his pocket- 
 book, cursing the whole band as a set of knaves, in which 
 Mr. Sharpe piously joined. 
 
 "Is that a full and undeniable acquittal to me?" asked 
 Mr Pitt. 
 
 " It is," replied the lawyer. 
 
 " Roughton can't do anything against me as long as I 
 hold this?" 
 
 " Of course not at least, if he should attempt it, you 
 know it will furnish you with a full answer, and he 
 wouldn't be believed on his oath." 
 
 "You're quite sure I'm safe?" 
 
 "No doubt of it." 
 
 " Then I know my course," triumphantly observed Mr. 
 Pitt, and wishing Mr. Sharpe good-day, he sat down and 
 wrote a note to his banker. 
 
 As soon as Roughton was in a position to visit the bank 
 and present the cheque he did so ; when the officiating 
 clerk behind the' counter politely apprised him there were 
 no assets to meet that cheque. Harry was thunderstruck, 
 and on pressing his inquiries as to when he should 
 again present it, and whether it would be honoured, 
 the clerk distinctly assured him that it would not; Mr. 
 Pitt having ordered not only that it should be dishon- 
 oured, but stopped ; and the clerk quietly laid it in the 
 drawer. Poor Roughton, after standing aghast for a 
 moment, dropped his head and retired in the most pitiable 
 state of anguish anguish so intense and so mortifying, 
 that anger was supplanted by despair. Sharpe too had 
 got his last 30, and Roughton, almost penniless, was
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 269 
 
 without a home, and being penniless, was without the 
 means of redress, even had the law afforded him an open- 
 ing in a case not only fraught with suspicion in itself, but, 
 being based in antecedent fraud, unexplainable without 
 reverting to that which must condemn it. 
 
 The only hope left was that Mr. Sharpe, who, as he 
 conceived, was at least an innocent party to this cruel 
 deception, might set it right. He durst not return to 
 Jane until he had tried this expedient. Screwing up his 
 courage, he presented himself at Mr. Sharpe's office, and 
 fortunately found him there. 
 
 The revulsion of feeling had by this time made him 
 desperate. He announced the result of his application at 
 the bank without preface. Mr. Sharpe was taken aback 
 at the sudden intelligence, and mistaking Harry's look of 
 blank despair for sullen and settled determination, he knew 
 not where it would end. Eegaining his self-possession, he 
 said "Pitt is a greater scamp than I thought. Take 
 back your 30. If you never get any more, I cannot 
 retain it, Mr. Roughton ; take it though I may lose it. 
 I'll do what I can, Mr. Roughton, to mollify the scoun- 
 drel ; but, if he will not repay the money, I will never 
 ask you for that 30 again, but treat your debt to me as 
 cancelled." 
 
 Harry, overpowered by the frank generosity of his legal 
 friend, and thinking of his wife and children, grasped his 
 hand with fervent gratitude, ejaculating with tears in his 
 eyes " God bless you, bless you, Mr. Sharpe." 
 
 Even Mr. Shai-pe felt a pang of remorse as he witnessed 
 the emotion of poor Roughton, and bade him be of good 
 cheer ; but his sincerity was momentary, for he added 
 " If I don't succeed, Mr. Roughton, never breathe a word 
 of this ; I should not like the world to know how, in the 
 guilelessness of my heart, my confiding disposition has
 
 270 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 been imposed upon. It would not do for the world to 
 think a lawyer could be so fooled." 
 
 Harry gave his promise, with an affectionate farewell ; 
 and in another hour Mr. Sharpe was closeted with Pitt. 
 After rating him soundly and swearing he would expose 
 him, since, as he said, his own honour was at stake, he 
 succeeded in obtaining a note to his banker authorizing 
 him to cash the cheque to the bearer, Mr. Roughton's 
 solicitor. Of this authority Sharpe soon availed himself, 
 and strutted out of the bank rubbing his hands in an ecstasy 
 of delight, as he muttered to himself " Better than bar- 
 gain; I hardly anticipated such luck as bagging 170 out 
 of the old rascal's 200." In high good humour with 
 himself, and with virtuous integrity, he sat down imme- 
 diately on regaining his office, wrote a kind note to Mr. 
 Roughton, assuring him of his sympathy, giving him a 
 full discharge for the balance of his bill, and begging him 
 to retain the 30 as a proof of his sincere condolence !
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 " See they ope 
 
 Their iron jaws ! See the vast gates expand, 
 Gate after gate and in an instant twang, 
 Closed by their growling keepers. When, again, 
 Mysterious Powers ! Oh ! when to ope on me ? 
 Mercy, sweet Heaven, support my faltering steps, 
 Support my sickening heart ! " DODD. 
 
 WE must pass over the short period of misery and suspense 
 that intervened between the trial and the issue of execution 
 against the defendant. He did not avoid the process, 
 because he well knew he could not discharge his debts, 
 except through the intervention of the court ; and that he 
 could do nothing for himself and family until that mill- 
 stone was removed from his neck. He had retired with 
 his wife and little ones into very humble lodgings, and 
 husbanded his 30 as carefully as he could. Twenty 
 pounds of this still remained ; when one evening, as he sat 
 by an economical fire, with his wife and children around 
 him, a knock was heard at the door ; the latch was raised 
 and the rude visitor unceremoniously entered before they 
 had time to answer the summons. " Muster Roughton 
 if I'm not mista'en?" said the forbidding-looking intruder. 
 " My name's Henry Roughton, if you want me." 
 " The same, Sir at your service you'll please to come 
 along wi' me." 
 
 Long as they had been prepared for it, when the moment 
 arrived Jane's heart sunk within her, and she burst into
 
 272 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 tears. With childlike sympathy the little ones crowded 
 round the mother's knee and wept, they knew not why. 
 
 "No use blubbering ma'm," said the officer; "you'd 
 better shut up it dunno' sinify to me, I'm used to it ; but 
 it ony mak's them as isn't wuss, and spiles the partin'." 
 
 " Let him remain to-night, my good man," cried Jane 
 imploringly; "he will go with you in the morning; indeed 
 he will." 
 
 " By no manner o' means," replied the man ; " it can't 
 be done nohow. This consam a'n't bailable. It's a hexe- 
 cution, an' no mistake ; an' I mun do my dooty ; so come 
 along, old feller, you'll be used comfortable." 
 
 Notwithstanding the man's rough exterior, he evidently 
 was not a hard-hearted man by nature, and Jane obtained 
 a respite of an hour, to make arrangements for Harry's 
 departure ; whilst the man quaffed a jug of ale and smoked 
 a pipe in the chimney corner, with the perfect composure 
 of a man not unaccustomed to such scenes, having merely 
 taken the precaution of putting the outer-door key into his 
 coat-pocket. At length the parting came. It is needless 
 to dwell upon the harrowing scene between the wretched, 
 but affectionate husband and father, and his devoted wife 
 and loving little ones. The only consolation was that Jane 
 should follow with her children, and lodge in the vicinity 
 of the gaol ; she having learned with melancholy satisfac- 
 tion that she would not be precluded from visiting him and 
 ministering to his comfort in prison. 
 
 Mr. Roughton at length found himself the solitary in- 
 mate of a prison cell, about ten feet long by six feet wide, 
 possessing, however, one recommendation, cleanliness : for 
 its walls Avere certainly well whitewashed, emb^matical 
 of the condition, perhaps, of the preceding occupant^ and of 
 that which Harry had now to anticipate; but when the 
 happy moment of discharge would come was all involved
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 273 
 
 in mystery. He surveyed at leisure the little furniture of 
 his dreary abode. A narrow iron bedstead and a straw 
 mattress occupied one side, a deal table the other, and a 
 solitary chair stood between them. The window was just 
 large enough to admit light and air, when opened; but its 
 scanty panes were disagreeably crossed by iron bars, which 
 gave a depressing character to the place, suggestive as they 
 were of the loss of liberty, so dearly prized by Englishmen. 
 Seated on that solitary chair, and gazing at the window 
 which so dimly admitted the light of heaven, with his arms 
 folded across his chest, Harry Roughton, for the first time, 
 felt what it was to be a prisoner and alone. He revolved 
 in his distracted mind the events of the last few months, 
 which crowded on his thoughts like the busy phantoms of 
 a dream. The more he dwelt on the hardships he had 
 undergone, and the more he reflected upon the character 
 and conduct of the chief actors in the drama of frauds, the 
 more he became convinced that he had throughout been made 
 the dupe of a set of designing scoundrels, whose friendship 
 was only coextensive with the prosperity of their victim ; 
 and that, in the moment of adversity, they were the worst of 
 enemies. Treachery and hypocrisy were clearly traceable in 
 every step of their course. Vying with each other in protes- 
 tations of friendship and sympathy, they had contrived to 
 lead him on, in a hopeless defence, that they might offer him 
 up a victim to the law, and by betraying him procure their 
 own freedom. So long as he was at large, and in communi- 
 cation with these wretches, he had not been allowed time 
 for cool reflection, but had been led on by delusive hopes, 
 which it was their interest to feed. Doubts of Sharpe's 
 integrity began to take forcible possession of his mind; and, 
 the more he indulged in these reflections, the darker grew 
 his suspicions, which involuntarily mixed themselves up 
 with Pitt, until he became lost in surmises as to which was 
 
 s
 
 274 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 the greater villain Pitt or the lawyer. As his memory 
 recalled fact after fact connected with these men, a sort of 
 mental agony oppressed him ; self-abasement, remorse, 
 revenge, by turns racked his soul ; and in the bitterness of 
 his heart, he cursed their duplicity, and his own credulity. 
 He tried to banish these distressing thoughts, but his 
 more violent emotions only gave place to dark and gloomy 
 despondency. While thus absorbed, the door opened, and 
 Jane, with a beaming smile upon her face, entered' the 
 little cell. Her presence was like a ray of sunshine burst- 
 ing through a cloud ; he sprang to his feet, and, despite the 
 presence of the gaoler, they were instantly locked in each 
 other's arms. 
 
 "Well that's him, ma'am, and no mistake," said the 
 guardian of the ward, as he shrugged his shoulders and 
 retreated, jingling his keys. 
 
 The first burst of emotion having subsided, as many 
 questions followed on both sides as if they had been sepa- 
 rated for months ; next came a review of the slender 
 accommodations afforded to the prisoner, to which, with a 
 woman's tact, a variety of convenient additions were con- 
 trived, and Jane's management of old Cerberus secured 
 their introduction before the gates were closed for the night. 
 Saving that he was a prisoner, and she free to go, she left 
 him with more comforts than she had provided for herself 
 in her miserable lodging, of which, however, she had 
 spoken to him in such glowing terms, that he felt little 
 present uneasiness on her account. Throwing himself on 
 the bed which had been superadded to the mattress, on 
 which he had in vain sought slumber the night before, he 
 fell asleep with feelings of sufficient satisfaction to give a 
 pleasing colour to his dreams. Alas, poor Jane ! her only 
 remaining bed was devoted to her little ones. Her couch 
 for that livelong night was a ricketty twig-bottomed chair,
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 275 
 
 in which, with a mind distracted by a hundred cares, it 
 would have been a wonder had sleep visited her tearful 
 eyes. Jane held in her possession the last remnant of their 
 broken fortunes ; but few pounds remained of the thirty, 
 which had evoked a blessing on the crafty lawyer's head, 
 when fear of exposure prompted him to that act of seeming 
 generosity. How were those few pounds to be doled out, 
 so as to pay her lodging, maintain her children, and pro- 
 vide daily comforts for her Harry, whom she could not 
 suffer to live on gaol allowance, so long as she had a shilling 
 in her pocket? How long was his incarceration to last ?
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 ' Oh ! I have cause to curse my life, my being ; 
 To curse each morn each cheerful morn that dawns 
 With healing comfort on its balmy wings, 
 To ev'ry wretched creature but myself: 
 To me it brings more pain and iterated woes." HOWE. 
 
 1 Patience, accomplish thy labour ; 
 Accomplish thy work of affection ; 
 Sorrow and silence are strong, and 
 Patient endurance is godlike." LONGFELLOW. 
 
 As the dawn of another morning approached, poor Jane, 
 after a weary and sleepless night, overcome by fatigue, 
 sank into a lethargic reverie, a sort of waking dream ; in 
 which, though physically inert, her mind was busy with a 
 thousand distracting thoughts. She had not the energy to 
 rouse herself, until the grey dawn of morning peeped in 
 through the lattice, and her children began to show symp- 
 toms of wakefulness, after the long sleep of early innocence 
 so often denied to those of riper years. Her baby uttered 
 a faint unconscious cry, to which a mother's ear, however 
 insensible to other signs and sounds, is ever quick. Spring- 
 ing from her uneasy chair, and suddenly gazing around, 
 she almost wondered how she came into that dull strange 
 apartment. She felt for the moment as if in a dream ; 
 chilled and comfortless, she could scarcely shake off the 
 drowsy feeling which benumbed her frame and confused her 
 senses. Another and a louder ciy, acting like a talisman,
 
 HARRY ROCGHTON. y 277 
 
 recalled her to consciousness ; the illusion vanished ; realiz- 
 ing her own hopeless misery, she flew to her children, and 
 sought to divert her melancholy by soothing attentions to 
 the little waking darlings. Their innocent smiles threw 
 a gleam of sunshine on the dreary scene. Having washed 
 and dressed them, she occupied herself in preparing their 
 morning meal, but ever and anon came the anxious thought 
 " How long shall I be able to secure even such a simple 
 repast as this?" The needle she considered her only 
 resource; and, however hard the task might be, she re- 
 solved to seek employment until Harry regained his 
 liberty. Even this thought cheered her; and no sooner 
 was breakfast over, than she hurried off to gaol to inquire 
 after the well-being of her incarcerated husband. She 
 found him up and dressed, but pale and melancholy, sitting 
 in his chill and lonely cell. Some coffee she had brought 
 with her was soon smoking on the table, and delighted was 
 she, concealing all her lassitude and grief, to join him in 
 that meal and cheer his desponding spirit. In reply to his 
 inquiries how she had passed the night, she readily replied 
 " Oh ! I have a nicer bed than you, Harry, so you see 
 how selfish I am ; " but she did not add that that bed had 
 been devoted exclusively to her children, nor did he suspect 
 her gentle words. When she left him for a few hours, her 
 duty to her children was a satisfactory plea for her absence, 
 though in reality much of that time was spent in search of 
 work, which she obtained in small quantities. Her time 
 was divided by these occupations of love and duty, and so 
 the days wore on ; but all her laborious exertions, at the 
 miserable prices she could secure, afforded but a meagre 
 and precarious addition to their little stock. At the end of 
 a few weeks, Jane saw that it would shortly be beyond her 
 power, either to contribute to her husband's comforts, or 
 keep herself and children out of the workhouse. These
 
 278 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 apprehensions preyed upon her spirits ; she was no longer 
 able to maintain her wonted cheerfulness in his presence, 
 or to bear up against the trial that awaited them ; her 
 cheek grew pale and wan from anxiety and severe absti- 
 nence, nor was Roughton insensible to the change. At 
 length she was obliged to confess the truth, for she had none 
 to consult but him as to what they could do. Despair, 
 mingled with the hope that joint consultation might lead 
 to some practical suggestion, induced the confession from 
 Jane, that her funds were rapidly failing, though she 
 meted out her daily expenditure with the painful economy 
 of the starving boat's crew on the wide ocean. Was there 
 no chance of putting an end to this ruinous imprisonment? 
 Harry's once resolute determination to die rather than turn 
 informer began to falter. Although he might have had 
 courage to hold out for years upon the pauper pittance of 
 a gaol, were he alone concerned, he could not endure the 
 anguish which Jane's emaciated form excited in his mind, 
 nor the evasive and dubious answers he received to his ever 
 anxious inquiries about his little ones. They, alas ! were 
 also suffering from privation to which they had formerly 
 been strangers; and Jane's daily struggles to maintain 
 composure in Harry's presence, were only succeeded by 
 heart-rending grief, as she returned to her wretched lodging 
 to contemplate the pallid, sickly features of her once rosy, 
 laughing children. 
 
 Though sad was the lot of the suffering wife, still there 
 was an indefinable something which sustained her in the 
 most trying moments. Even in the darkest hour a faint 
 spark of hope glowed in her breast, and she cherished it 
 with a confident fidelity. Through the clouds of sorrow 
 and uncertainty which hung around her, she saw with the 
 eye of faith the dawn of a brighter day, and often, almost 
 unconsciously, did she turn her eyes heavenward and utter
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 279 
 
 an ejaculatory prayer that her fond dream of hope might 
 speedily he realized. It was this habitual pious constancy, 
 this heaven-derived patience and fortitude, that supported 
 her through trials under which many of sterner mould 
 would have sunk. She felt that it was her part to do and 
 to suffer, in humble submission to the divine will ; and, 
 having marked out what she conceived to be the line of 
 duty allotted to her, she resolved to pursue it to the end.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 ' "Tis she, 'tis she ! my weeping, fainting wife ! 
 And bast thou, faithful, found me? Has thy love 
 Thus burst thro' ev'ry barrier? Hast thou trac'd 
 Deprest in health, and timid as thou art 
 Trac'd the desolate wild street, 
 Thus, in a prison's gloom, to throw thy arms 
 Of conjugal endearment round the neck 
 Of thy lost husband?" DODD. 
 
 THE hand of affliction weighed heavily upon poor Jane. 
 Night after night, as she consigned her children to their 
 humble couch, she knelt upon the mattress she had pro- 
 vided for herself and poured out her sorrows in earnest 
 prayer, from which she never rose without relief. But it 
 was only that mental consolation and inward confidence, 
 which resignation, faith, and hope impart, amidst the 
 darkness and gloom of earthly desolation. No change of 
 outward circumstances furnished any visible sign that her 
 prayers were heard. Such was the case as she rose one 
 morning from her knees, and, having partaken with her 
 sickly children of their scanty repast, hurried off to visit 
 her immured husband. Everything around her wore 
 an aspect of misery and depression, a thick fog filled the 
 streets, the very teams plying through the thoroughfares 
 moved lazily, and the passengers looked listless and spirit- 
 less as they glided through the murky atmosphere, jostling 
 each other, apologizing with little more than an inarticulate 
 growl, or an ungracious nod. These were all strangers to
 
 HARRY ROUGHTOX. 281 
 
 the solitary woman, who felt that there was nothing left 
 to her but her children, her husband, and her God ; yet, 
 despite all surrounding circumstances, she felt a lightness 
 of heart she could scarcely explain, as if some flickering 
 hope, however intangible, were dawning through the 
 gloom. With these feelings she approached the outer gate 
 of the heavy prison walls, when her ear caught the sound 
 of a well-known voice within, urging some earnest petition 
 on the gaoler. 
 
 " Och ! now, but don't ye see he's after bein' a kind 
 frin' o' me own, and I the like to him? It's five words 
 I'd jist spake to him wid ye'r honour's lave, and a blessin' 
 rest on ye for that same." 
 
 " Can't do it, man, without an order," returned the 
 gaoler. With these words he threw open the gate, and, 
 with his keys jingling in one hand, he beckoned towards 
 the street with the other; but the man was immovable 
 until he caught sight of Jane, presenting herself for 
 admission. 
 
 " Heav'n be preesed! " he exclaimed ; " it's right glad am 
 I to see your own swate self, though by the Powers I'm 
 cut to the heart to see ye wid that pale face o' yer own. 
 It's sorrow enough ye've had I see, and may heav'n 
 lighten it for ye." 
 
 " Why, Pat ! " said Jane, " is it you my faithful friend ?" 
 and she extended her thin trembling hand ; but Pat, 
 warmhearted as he was, and despite her change of circum- 
 stances, felt the same intense respect and admiration for his 
 former mistress, now that she was in poverty and misery, 
 as he had done in happier days ; so, instead of taking the 
 proffered hand, Pat reverentially took off his hat, gave a 
 respectful tug at his forelock, and exclaimed 
 
 " The Lord bless ye ! If it's fire and wather I would 
 have to go through to sarve yer swate self, Pat Murphy's
 
 282 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 the boy to do it ; an' if it's badly off ye are, I won't offend 
 ye by the gift of it, but here's a thrifle I've saved, an' let me 
 lend it ye, and wish ye bether days to repay it me agin ; 
 an' if that's niver, Pat Murphy '11 be none the poorer for 
 that same." With these words, Pat held out a dirty canvass 
 bag in which a few sovereigns jingled. Jane, bursting into 
 tears, turned to the gaoler and implored that the dear kind- 
 hearted man might be allowed to see her husband. Old 
 Cerberus himself was softened ; and, with a short grunt of 
 assent, beckoned them to follow, as he strode up to Harry's 
 cell, where he left them to free communion with the 
 prisoner. 
 
 A long story had poor Pat to tell. The first kind greet- 
 ing over, he seated himself at the corner of the bed, drew 
 from his capacious pocket a bottle of whisky, and, having 
 respectfully presented it to his old master, he ran over the 
 history of events since the trial with his accustomed volu- 
 bility. Old Jem had not been sober a single day until 
 about a fortnight before ; when, having spent his ill-gotten 
 gains, and being mad for drink, as Pat expressed it, he had 
 made an attempt to rob a cottage in the country, and got 
 caught in a trap of his own making. Jem having cut a 
 hole in the shutter and introduced his arm to remove the 
 bar, the master of the house, who had overheard him and 
 watched the proceeding from within, slipped a noose over 
 his wrist, and drawing the other end tight over a hook 
 above, had secured him there; then, having satisfied 
 himself that the burglar was alone, had ventured out and 
 kicked from under the delinquent an old tub on which he 
 stood, leaving him suspended by the arm whilst he fetched 
 the parish constable, to whom he consigned him. So poor 
 Jem was waiting his doom at the next assizes. Lawyer 
 Sharpe had been detected in some fraudulent transaction, 
 which had led to the search of his house and an examina-
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 283 
 
 tion of his papers, from which it turned out that, in addition 
 to other frauds, he had received from the respectable Mr. 
 Pitt and his bankers several hundred pounds, obtained on 
 the evening of the trial, as well as other sums on account 
 of other persons, which he had coolly applied to his own 
 use ; constituting in Mr. Pitt's, as in other cases, a charge 
 of obtaining money under false pretences. 
 
 Roughton's ears tingled at this recital, as the whole story 
 of the lawyer's manoeuvres on the night of the trial rushed 
 back on his recollection. "And what," asked he, "has 
 Pitt done to the scoundrel ?" 
 
 "Och! faith," replied Pat, ''nothin' at all at all; his 
 pashun was big at first, but second thoughts bein' best, 
 conscience or something got the masther of his spite, and 
 no persecution he'd follow on the poor divil, said he ; but 
 it's not so chicken-hearted are the others that he has done 
 out o' their money ; so it was to prison wid him at onst, 
 and I heerd they're goin' to strike him off the roll, I 
 think they call it." 
 
 Harry's curiosity was excited by Pat's narratives. He 
 could not cease questioning him until he had learned the 
 whole history, as far as Pat could give it, of his late accom- 
 plices. Wakeful had disappeared about the same time that 
 old Jem was caught in his own trap ; and ill-natured folks 
 would have it that he was concerned in that affair, because 
 he happened to be seen running at the top of his speed 
 from the vicinity of the cottage, to the shutter of which 
 Jem had become a temporary fixture. Marsloops had 
 obtained his discharge, as some people would have it, 
 because he had given an ample deposition of facts relating 
 to various contrabandists by whom he had been from time 
 to time employed, and pledged himself to come forward 
 and prove them when required. It was strongly suspected 
 that these disclosures somewhat damagingly affected Mr.
 
 284 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 Cinclerow. Poor old Swiveleye had been set at liberty on 
 his giving evidence for the Crown against Roughton ; but 
 he was suffering the most abject poverty as well as bitter 
 disappointment; the latter, because he could not obtain 
 from Cinderow his reward as an informer, for the best of all 
 reasons, viz., that, in consequence of the figure he made on 
 the late trial, the observations of the court, and other dis- 
 closures which had been made, the customs' authorities had 
 not only refused to pay Mr. Cinderow the usual share of 
 the proceeds of his seizures, on which Swivel eye relied for 
 his reward, but had placed it beyond hope by the dismissal 
 of that officer from the service, whilst sundry rumours 
 were current of prosecutions for fraud and conspiracy, to the 
 serious discomfort of that officer. Mundy was at large 
 on bail, but looking forward with trembling anticipation 
 to impending notice of trial, the result of which would 
 probably reassociate him with his former friend, Roughton, 
 as an inmate of the same dwelling. Yet all this time 
 Pitt was still free, but grumbling at losses which he 
 declared had ruined him. 
 
 " And the end of all this is," said Jane, as she drew 
 breatli at the close of Pat's recital, " that what is don'e in 
 a corner is sure to be made manifest fraud cannot prosper 
 with any in the 'long run. At all events those who escape 
 detection and public retribution, suffer in mind, body, and 
 estate. Some are overtaken sooner than others, and per- 
 haps it is well for them ;" and, turning to Harry, she added 
 " and I am sure you will never lend yourself to such 
 wretches again after this severe ordeal is over." Here 
 Jane paused as the thought crossed her mind How long- 
 is this to be endured ? and she burst into tears. 
 
 " Swate lady now," exclaimed Pat, " don't be afther 
 breakin' the masther's heart that way, nor afflictin' your 
 humble sarvint nayther. It's no goodj belave me ; tears
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 285 
 
 won't wash away prison walls ; though, as the recther said 
 but yesterday, there's a way out o' this presently ; an' it's 
 that partly brought me here now." 
 
 " And have you seen him?" asked Jane eagerly. 
 
 "And what is the way?" inquired Harry in the same 
 breath. 
 
 " Tell the whole story," replied Pat, " and no reser- 
 vashun. Show how ye've been led into this, and who are 
 the varmint. Justice demands it, says the recther; an' 
 most especially, said I, justice to yer honour; and the 
 recther said, amen." 
 
 "But how is it to be done?" demanded Harry. 
 
 " Faith ! don't ye see that all the scamps that 'ticed yerself 
 in dhrew themselves out by 'peachin', an' got well paid for 
 it into the bargain, though they've made ducks and dhrakes 
 of it ? No matter for that ; what's got over the divil's back 
 they say is sure to go the divil knows where." 
 
 "But how is it to be done?" repeated Harry, "seeing 
 that I am a prisoner and have missed my opportunity. 
 Honour wouldn't let me impeach the scoundrels who have 
 one and all betrayed me, and now I'm ruined." 
 
 " Well, that's thrue, every word of it ; but yer honour 
 knows a grate dale, which maybe 'twould ha' bin bether 
 ye shouldn't ha' knowd ; but that's nayther here nor there. 
 What I mane is, ye know the gen'lm'n that rig'larly 
 resaved that same 'baccy, and the whole workin' o' that 
 hole and corner business, more's the pity for you ; but that 
 same informashun might be worth more to yer honour now 
 than Misther Pitt's gold." 
 
 "That's probably true enough, Pat; but here I am 
 cooped up within these four walls. How could I give this 
 information if I would?" said Harry sorrowfully. 
 
 11 By yer lave, I was jist goin' to spake of that same. 
 Don't ye see ? the recther says as how the revenue solicitor
 
 286 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 would take the thrubble to go to yer honour, as yer honour 
 can't go to him ; or, lasteways sind a clerk at oust, if ye'd 
 jist let his honour know that ye'r ready to make a clane 
 breast on it; an' the recther says, ban-in' this last job that 
 bro't ye here, he'll give you a caracter, wid a letter of 
 interducslmn to his honour." 
 
 " Do, do," cried Jane, emphatically, " take the rector's 
 advice ; think of your children. I don't ask you to care for 
 me, but think of those little ones, whom I have left this 
 morning to see you, when I ought to be nursing them ; 
 think" 
 
 " Are they ill ? " interrupted Harry, in a troubled tone. 
 
 " They are ill," said Jane; "I have not told you how thin 
 and sickly they have become, as I would not give you fresh 
 cause of anxiety so long as it could be concealed ; but they 
 are ill, and for their sakes, Harry, do, do, do follow the 
 good rector's advice." 
 
 Roughton buried his face in his hands, sighed deeply, 
 and at length exclaimed " Go Pat, my good fellow, go to 
 the rector, thank him for his kindness to his unworthy 
 parishioner, and bring me the letter. It will be time 
 enough to decide then." 
 
 " I'll write to him myself," said Jane. 
 
 "Go to the dear children," said Harry; and she and 
 Pat, taking an affectionate farewell of his old master, left 
 Harry to ponder once more over the worth of that dear 
 wife, and the kindness of the rector. 
 
 Pat Murphy accompanied Mrs. Roughton to her humble 
 domicile, renewed his acquaintance with the~ children, and 
 deplored not a little the painful contrast between this 
 miserable abode and the comfortable home from which his 
 master's indiscretion had driven them. Most of all did Pat 
 lament over the loss of the roses which formerly blushed 
 so deeply on the dimpling cheeks of the little ones, and
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 287 
 
 more faintly though healthily on those of their mother. 
 All exchanged for lilies, and those of a sickly hue ! He 
 forbore to comment on the change, and affected not to see 
 it, that he might not add another pang to the poignancy of 
 that grief which was evidently undermining her strength. 
 Having penned a hasty note to the rector, she delivered it, 
 with many cautions, to the faithful Pat, who had volun- 
 teered to bear it to its destination. Bidding each other a 
 kind farewell, Pat went off at the top of his speed to the 
 railway station, and the pleasure of a long ride in " the 
 parliamentary" a very inappropriate term to apply to 
 Pat's carriage on this occasion ; for sick at heart the poor 
 fellow could not summon up spirit to exchange a word 
 with his companions either on his own or the opposite 
 benches.
 
 CHAPTEE XXXIX. 
 
 ' When the heart goes before, like a lamp, and illumines the pathway, 
 Many things are made clear, that else lie hidden in darkness ; ' 
 And thereupon the priest, her friend and father-confessor, 
 Said with a smile, ' Oh, daughter! thy God thus speaketh within thee.'" 
 
 LONGFELLOW. 
 
 " Injustice swift, erect, and unconfin'd, 
 Sweeps the wide earth, and tramples o'er mankind ; 
 While pray'rs to heal her wrongs move slow behind." POPE. 
 
 AMIDST all Jane's trials and miseries, faith and hope were 
 never entirely strangers to her breast. She looked through 
 the clouds and darkness of sorrow and care witli a con- 
 soling confidence in the supreme disposer of events. Two 
 weary days had passed over since she despatched her note 
 to the rector. Jane was seated by her humble fire, with 
 one of her children on her knee, pondering over her present 
 woes, yet cherishing bright hopes for the future, when she 
 was suddenly aroused from her reverie by a sharp double- 
 knock at the door. Up she flew in an instant, and received 
 with trembling hand and beating heart a letter, in the 
 superscription of which she recognized the handwriting of 
 Mr. Jamieson. It evidently contained inciesures, but she 
 almost feared to open it, from the dread of those reproaches 
 to which their recent backslidings had deservedly exposed 
 them. She feared lest the feelings of her husband, who 
 was eager to hear the result of Pat's mission, should be 
 wounded by the rebukes of his former friend and much
 
 HARRY ROUGHTON. 289 
 
 revered pastor. Having broken the seal, she opened the 
 letter; she devoured the contents with eagerness. The 
 epistle ran thus : " I know full well that the sin lies not at 
 your door, at least that you were not originally a consent- 
 ing party to the unhappy transactions which have brought 
 you and your children into misery, and consigned your 
 husband to a gaol. I am willing to entertain every possi- 
 ble excuse for him, who has fallen a victim to the rapacity 
 {ind treachery of evil men, by whose arts of deception many 
 ] arsons of previously good repute and of no mean intellect 
 have been led astray. I know the fascinations by which 
 those artful men have too often practised upon the young 
 and inexperienced ; and I would not willingly say one word 
 to aggravate Mr. Roughton's sufferings or yours, since the 
 severity of the law has asserted its rights, and visited him 
 with punishment, which, sooner or later, overtakes those 
 who blindly as well as wilfully stray from the paths of 
 rectitude. Still, were 1 to say I do not blame him, I 
 should neither be truthful nor faithful. Had he confided 
 in me when I proffered my humble advice, he might have 
 been spared much of that misery which has overtaken him ; 
 but it was not to be ; and, I am bound to believe, that for 
 some wise and merciful end his heart was hardened, though 
 it is difficult for our finite minds to realize the justice of 
 visitations which involve, in the same abyss of wretched- 
 ness, the helpless and innocent family of the offending one ; 
 but the ways of the Omniscient are inscrutable and past 
 finding out. It is sufficient for the believer to know that 
 our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for 
 its a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, May 
 this be your lot, and may your husband come out of this 
 fiery ordeal chastened and improved in heart. I feel for 
 him as for one who for a time did run well, but being 
 tempted fell away; though I trust the germ of better 
 
 T
 
 290 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 things is not eradicated, and that he may return to society 
 a reformed character, and experience that there is yet a 
 blessing for those who eschew evil and learn to do good. 
 He has my prayers, earnest as your own, and I trust that 
 he neglects not himself to look up to the throne of grace, 
 without aid from whence his future is a blank. And now 
 to business ; I inclose a note addressed to the solicitor of 
 Her Majesty's customs. Let Mr. Roughton send that, with 
 a message to the effect that he is ready to disclose, without 
 reserve, all he knows of the recent disgraceful transactions, 
 to which he owes all his griefs and sorrows. If I mistake 
 not, he will, receive a visit from that gentleman, or some 
 confidential agent ; but remember candour and truth, or 
 nothing ! Let him ponder well before he acts, not forget- 
 ting to seek divine guidance in his meditations, and I am 
 fully persuaded that he will not only do right, but reap a 
 rich reward. Wishing your hearty success, I subscribe 
 myself your sincere friend, J. JAMIESON." 
 
 Jane read and reread the letter with palpitating emotion ; 
 and, with a pure-hearted woman's energy and resolution, 
 determined to lose no time in conveying the good rector's 
 communications to her husband. Her spirits felt lighter 
 than they had done for many months, and, notwithstanding 
 the impoverished position in which she stood, would have 
 been happy for the moment, but for the melancholy fore- 
 boding with which she ever and anon contemplated the 
 pale emaciated features and lack-lustre eyes of her eldest 
 and once blooming child. Indeed, they all betrayed symp- 
 toms of impaired health, and many a bitt&r pang wrung 
 that loving mother's heart as she gazed on them ; but her 
 firstborn wore an aspect of suffering agony which bespoke 
 some deep-seated enemy within. Every glance from that 
 child's confiding but gentle eye sent a chill through the 
 fond mother's frame ; still her attentions must be divided
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A KEVENUE OFFICER. 291 
 
 between the prison cell and the sad domestic hearth ; and, 
 having ministered as far as she could, to the comfort of her 
 little ones, she sped with contending emotions to lay before 
 Harry the rector's letter, and conjure him to pursue the 
 course recommended. She did not, however, approach her 
 husband without some misgivings as to the view he might 
 take of the suggestion to divulge, without reserve, the 
 whole story of fraud and crime which it was in his power 
 to lay bare. 
 
 " AVell ! Harry," said she, with a tone of well-affected 
 cheerfulness, as she entered the barred chamber, " here is 
 a kind letter from the good rector ; it gives me hope, and I 
 already begin to fancy you at large again, and happy in 
 the bosom of your family. Do take his advice." 
 
 With these words she placed the letter in his hands. 
 Eagerly watching his countenance whilst he read, she 
 tremfcled as a cloud occasionally flitted across his brow. 
 She spoke not, but let him finish and even reperuse the 
 epistle, or parts of it several times. His eyes still rambled 
 over the lines, resting here and there, whilst the furrows of 
 intense thought deepened on his forehead. He at length 
 laid down the letter in visible agitation, wiped the per- 
 spiration from his face, and exclaimed with unusual vehe- 
 mence " Jane, I cannot do it, I would rather lie and rot 
 in gaol ; this involves the exposure of all who have been 
 concerned directly or indirectly in these unhappy trans- 
 actions receivers as well as smugglers; I can neither brook 
 being taunted with the opprobrious epithet of informer, nor 
 purchase my own liberty by the ruin and destruction of 
 half a dozen others, and and Jane, they may have wives 
 and children too!" 
 
 Jane was pale with agitation and alarm ; but, step by 
 step, she armed herself with arguments to overcome his 
 scrupulous objections to impeach his deadliest enemies, the
 
 292 HARRY ROTJGHTON, OR 
 
 disturbers of his peace, the destroyers of his fortune. She 
 felt that the tempter was a greater criminal than the dupe, 
 that the receiver was worse than the smuggler himself, and 
 that her husband, having been betrayed by those who had 
 led him into sin, was at full liberty to retaliate without 
 shame. But when he hinted that his partisans in crime 
 might have children, she paused, as if overcome by those 
 generous feelings of humanity which sometimes usurp the 
 place of judgment, even where the bias of self-interest tends 
 the other way. The revulsion of feeling, of which impul- 
 sive natures are most peculiarly susceptible, came to Jane's 
 relief. " Children!" said she to herself j "have not we 
 children?" Rising from her seat with a mind made up 
 to the course she would pursue, she bade Harry an affec- 
 tionate adieu, cautioned him to make no rash vows ; but, 
 as duty called her home for half an hour, implored him to 
 wait for her arguments. 
 
 With the letter lying before him, the prospect of liberty 
 on certain terms, the odium those terms involved, the 
 misery and discomfort inseparable from rejection, the 
 incertitude of its duration, the primary causes of his ruin 
 and incarceration, the treachery of those in whom he had 
 confided, these and ten thousand other thoughts flitted 
 through his brain, and racked him with a degree of anguish 
 not easily conceivable by those who have not experienced so 
 tiying an ordeal. He longed for some friend to consult and 
 advise with. Jane was gone, for the present at least, and 
 even were she there he felt that her judgment was not free. 
 " Oh ! that I could have one half hour with Here the 
 names of half a dozen former friends crossed his mind, with, 
 however, the simultaneous reflection that they were friends 
 no more. His disgrace had isolated those who would have 
 stood by him had not his misfortunes been the offspring of 
 crime. He stood alone. Mechanically raising his eyes, he
 
 REMIXISCEXCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 293 
 
 gazed upon the iron bars -which separated him from his 
 fellow-beings, and obscnred the very sunshine which cheered 
 the beggar in the streets. Freedom never wore so inviting 
 a mask as when viewed through those odious staunchions. 
 He longed for liberty; but, with a morbid repugnance, 
 sickened at the terms offered to secure it. Again he paused, 
 and at length exclaimed " Truth can purchase it, and is 
 truth grown so unpalatable that my tongue refuses to give 
 it utterance ? Yet in this alone I discover the key to those 
 gloomy gates which stand between me and " Whilst he 
 was thus soliloquizing the door opened. Jane presented 
 herself, leading gently by the hand their sickly firstborn. 
 Roughton turned and started as if an apparition from the 
 grave had risen to affright his bewildered senses. Stagger- 
 ing back a pace or too he exclaimed " Can that be little 
 Jane?" and in a moment he rushed forward, seized her in 
 his arms, overwhelmed her with passionate caresses, and 
 then burst into tears. 
 
 " That," said Jane in a measured and melancholy voice, 
 as she threw herself into a chair, "that is the strongest 
 argument I have to offer Harry ! I know you will not see 
 your children pine and die rather than do an act of justice. 
 Self-immolation may savour of great firmness of purpose. 
 I would share your cell and die with you rather than give 
 you pain, though I think you wrong. But between us 
 and our children, Harry, you shall be the judge. Take 
 your own course, I shall not upbraid you. For better or 
 for worse I am ever yours ; as to our children I can give 
 them little more than our prayers now ; our little stock is 
 well-nigh exhausted, though I have earned eightpence a-day 
 by needle work to eke out our scanty means." 
 
 Harry heard eveiy word she said, though he never with- 
 drew his eyes from the pallid cheek of his little girl until 
 Jane had finished speaking; then, mournfully raising his
 
 294 HAKRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 head, his first impulse was. to upbraid that suffering patient 
 woman for not having sooner apprised him of what she 
 and his children must have suffered, but which the silent 
 eloquence of that pale, wan, and sickly visage so forcibly 
 revealed. A moment's reflection checked the rebuke which 
 hung upon his lip. He felt that consideration for him had 
 made her endure it all herself; and, in tones of affectionate 
 entreaty, he faltered out" Jane, will you may I ask you 
 will you see the solicitor ? Will you yourself convey the 
 rector's note to him ? Will you go to-day ? My mind is 
 made up ; I shall not shrink come weal come woe ; I must 
 return ere long to you and to my little ones. If they 
 perish in this crowded city I shall not forgive myself! 
 We must remove. May heaven hear our prayers and send 
 us speedy deliverance." 
 
 Jane spoke not, but withdrew the child and took the 
 note. Harry watched them with deep emotion as they 
 left him to his harrowing reflections, and to that solitude 
 which now seemed tenfold more unendurable than ever. 
 He felt the chastening hand of God weigh heavy on his 
 conscience-stricken soul. His stubborn knees bent under 
 him. With hands clasped, in an agony of mingled remorse 
 and hope, his spirit, humbled and subdued, rose from the 
 dreary, dismal cell, the dark abode of earth, to the bright 
 portals of the throne of grace.
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 " Methinks I see hope's lamp rekindled bright, 
 A living lustre ; shedding, like the sun 
 After thick mists, illumination's smile 
 O'er all my countenance, marr'cl, dimm'd, and wan." DODD. 
 
 WELL and faithfully had Jane, with beating heart, found 
 her way through the mazes and windings of that heavy 
 monstrosity of architecture, the London custom-house ; 
 where, after ascending flight after flight of granite steps, 
 and traversing a maze of passages and corridors, dark as 
 Erebus, leading everywhere, yet seeming to lead nowhere, 
 she found herself face to face with the Cerberus' who 
 guards the precincts of the solicitor of Her Majesty's 
 customs. Her timid inquiries for that functionary were 
 briefly answered. In a few minutes she was introduced 
 into a spacious room, where she found herself face to face 
 with that gentleman. Much depended on the result of 
 this almost dreaded interview. Poor Jane felt her position 
 an embarrassing one, but was soon relieved from all anxiety 
 on that head ; for the solicitor, whom she had expected to 
 find an incarnation of official dignity and cold reserve, was 
 the first to break the silence. Politely requesting her to 
 take a chair, he inquired kindly after her husband, and 
 what had brought her to the custom-house. Upon which 
 Jane, instead of replying, burst into tears. The rector's 
 note was produced and handed to the solicitor, who read it 
 through twice, and then, laving it down before him, said 
 " Mrs. Roughton, it is no pleasure to me to prosecute
 
 296 HARRY ROCGHTON, OB 
 
 persons who offend against the revenue laws. It is a 
 painful duty, sometimes very painful, as in this case, to 
 be the instrument for vindicating the law. It would 
 appear that Mr. Roughton. is desirous of making every 
 reparation in his power, by disclosing all he knows of the 
 smuggling transactions which have led to his imprison- 
 ment. When proceedings were first commenced against 
 him, he was supposed to have been the principal offender 
 the originator of the scheme the person who found the 
 capital for the venture. Subsequent investigations have 
 induced the belief that it was not altogether so, but that 
 he was led into it ; in fact, the dupe of others. If he is 
 now prepared to take a step in the right direction, the 
 probability is that the commissioners of customs will, par- 
 ticularly after the assurances of Mr. Jamieson, receive it 
 in a favourable point of view." 
 
 These observations and the obviously kind and frank 
 tone in which they were conveyed, gave encouragement 
 to the poor feeble woman. Hope lighted up her pallid 
 features as, with the one prevailing thought upon her mind, 
 she eagerly asked 
 
 " Do you think, Sir, if my husband would tell you all 
 about it, he would be set at liberty?" 
 
 There w r as such an expression of earnest anxiety in 
 Jane's countenance, such an eager pleading look, such a 
 depth of true womanly feeling in her tone and manner, 
 that the solicitor felt pained to say anything which might 
 blast her hopes ; but he could not make the promise she 
 was so eager to obtain. After a moment's pause he said 
 
 " I hope, Mrs. Roughton, all may come right yet ; but 
 I must tell you that anything your husband has to com- 
 municate, may, perhaps, have to be used in evidence ; and 
 I can receive no statement from him unless given quite 
 unconditionally. Let him be frank and honest, tell me
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 297 
 
 all he knows, and leave the rest to me. When a man, 
 particularly one who may have been the unwary dupe 
 of others, is desirous of taking the proper course, I can 
 assure you that the commissioners are willing to lend a 
 favourable ear. They have no vindictive feeling against 
 individuals. It is a pleasure to them to encourage men 
 when disposed to return to the paths of rectitude. I can 
 say no more ; but, as I understand your husband is pre- 
 pared for the interview, tell him he shall see me or one of 
 my confidential clerks to-morrow morning, when I hope 
 he will have the good sense to throw off all reserve and 
 mental evasion. At present you will excuse me saying 
 more, as I am very busy." 
 
 Jane rose, retreated a few steps, hesitated, advanced 
 again, paused, and observing that the solicitor's look was 
 not repulsive, she ventured timidly to say 
 
 " I have three little children, Sir ; they were all well 
 and healthy when my husband was taken ; they are now 
 all ill, and the eldest I fear is dying the result of 
 severe privation. Do, Sir, do, if you can, do something 
 to free him." 
 
 The tears rolled down her cheeks ; in vain she tried to 
 suppress them, as she rivetted her eyes w r ith an inquiring 
 gaze on the solicitor. It was enough to melt a heart of 
 stone. With a nervous twitching at the contents of his 
 snuff-box, and a somewhat choked utterance, betraying 
 some emotion in spite of himself, the solicitor replied 
 " I'll do my best. Good morning." 
 With a curtsey and a blessing Mrs. Eoughton withdrew ; 
 and, as she closed the door after her, the solicitor muttered 
 to himself 
 
 "Criminal prosecutors ought to be made of cast-iron;" 
 adding with singular incongruity " Confound the smug- 
 glers ; I wish they were all-hanged."
 
 298 IIAKRY ROUGIITON, OK 
 
 It was with no little trepidation that Roughton listened, 
 on the following morning, to the approach of a stranger's 
 footsteps up the stone staircase which led to his solitary 
 cell. The whole of Jane's colloquy with the solicitor 
 had been repeated by her again and again in her husband's 
 eager ears. A hundred inferences had been drawn from 
 the words to which that gentleman had given utterance ; 
 but, in spite of Jane's assurances that he was a kind and 
 unrepulsive man, Harry could not help shrinking from the 
 ordeal of the searching examination which he expected he 
 should have to encounter. At length the door opened. 
 The solicitor introduced himself; and in five minutes the 
 two were engaged in a free and animated conversation 
 which lasted for a couple of hours. 
 
 During this colloquy the whole history of the smuggling 
 in which Roughton had been mixed up was discussed ; 
 and, to his surprise, the facts and circumstances, as well as 
 the names of the parties concerned, appeared to him to 
 have been as fully known to the solicitor as to himself. 
 
 " Well," said the solicitor, " having heard your story, I 
 may as well make a few memoranda whilst the facts are 
 fresh on my mind." Drawing a roll of paper from his 
 pocket, he availed himself of Roughton's pen and ink for 
 the purpose of committing the narrative in a succinct form 
 to paper. In a very short space of time he bespoke Mr. 
 Roughton's attention, whilst he read over a statement, 
 drawn up in the shape of a deposition, which, to the 
 astonishment of Roughton, was correct in every par- 
 ticular ; whilst, from the consecutive order of the details, 
 notwithstanding the incongruous and disjointed manner 
 in which they had been elicited in a two-hours' desultory 
 conversation, Roughton saw at once, and he reddened 
 as he realized the fact, that a complete chain of evidence 
 was established against half a dozen guilty parties, whom
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 299 
 
 lie had never dreamt of making the subject of prose- 
 cution. He could not, however, deny the truth of the 
 statement, nor to refuse to affix his name when the solicitor 
 handed him the pen for that purpose. With a promise to 
 prefer an application to the board for the favourable con- 
 sideration of Roughton's case, the solicitor retired, leaving 
 the prisoner in a state of astonishment at the extraordinary 
 effort of memory which his interrogator had exhibited in 
 putting together his rambling statements. 
 
 So little did he think, whilst talking the subject over in 
 the way he had done, that such was the solicitor's mode of 
 arriving at information, that he had once or twice set it 
 down in his own mind as idle preliminary gossip, and 
 wondered that he did not proceed to business. On revolv- 
 ing in his mind the communications made by the solicitor 
 relative to his accomplices, he could not help realizing in 
 those disclosures unequivocal evidence of that retributive 
 justice which sooner or later overtakes the criminal. He 
 felt this most strongly in the case of Pitt, with respect to 
 whom, he learnt that a large portion of his ill-gotten gains 
 was represented by a handful of parchment and papers, 
 handed to him by his bankrupt friend, former associate, 
 and legal adviser, Isaac Sharpe, to whom he had intrusted 
 his money to place out on mortgage. Having duly received 
 all interest on his loans through that worthy limb of the 
 law, he entertained no suspicion as to the validity of the 
 title-deeds, until he found that Sharpe had spent the 
 principal, and that his mortgage securities were mere 
 forgeries. Nor had Pitt's last speculation been more 
 favourable. Notwithstanding the heavy advances he had 
 made at the close of Harry's trial for securing his own 
 immunity, relying on the realization of the value of the 
 large deposit of tobacco, not only for reimbursement but 
 profit, he had the mortification to learn that old Jem had
 
 300 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 sold it, and then betrayed the purchaser ! and that the old 
 vagabond, as if to add to the chagrin of the relentless 
 Mr. Pitt, was, by the operation of law, placed beyond 
 the reach of personal vengeance, having by his untoward 
 attempt at burglary been caught in his own trap. This 
 accumulation of losses had completed Pitt's ruin. As 
 Harry dwelt on these things he became more recon- 
 ciled to the course he had been induced to take. His 
 heart grew lighter despite the infamy which, in a worldly 
 sense, he still felt to attach to him as an informer. 
 Brooding over these things he longed for the return o'i 
 his wife, that he might commune with her, and relieve 
 his overburdened mind 5 but she came not. Hour after 
 hour passed away, and, as evening approached, he was 
 lost in perplexity as to the cause of her non-appearance. 
 Solitude became more irksome than ever, after the dreams of 
 speedy liberation which he had indulged in in the morning. 
 A prisoner and alone, he had no servant at command to 
 despatch to his wife, in order to solve the mystery of her 
 absence. Could any accident have overtaken her was 
 she ill was she detained by the bedside of one, or all, 
 of their sickening children? The last thought weighed 
 heavily on his mind as he retired to a sleepless couch, from 
 which he only arose in the morning to learn that his fears 
 were verified.
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 ' As once I wept, if I could weep, 
 My tears might well be shed, 
 To think I was not near to keep 
 One vigil o'er thy bed 
 To gaze, how fondly on thy face, 
 To fold thee in a faint embrace." BYROX. 
 
 " GOOD heavens, Jane, how pale you look ! What is the 
 matter?" exclaimed Roughton, as his wife entered his cell 
 shortly after breakfast. 
 
 She made no reply, but sank into a chair and gave vent 
 to a flood of tears ; whilst Roughton sought by every 
 means in his power to console her. As soon as she could 
 compose herself sufficiently for the painful task, she ex- 
 plained to her husband the cause of her unusually long 
 absence from him. On arriving at home after she last 
 quitted that cell, she found her eldest child rapidly sinking. 
 The hand of death was upon her, and the little sufferer 
 herself was fully aware that a fatal change had taken place. 
 
 " Do not weep, mother, but I am dying," faintly mur- 
 mured the helpless child. " I am going to a happy home ; 
 pray do not grieve for me ; give my fond love to my dear 
 father, and tell him God will be my only father now, and 
 you will come to me there ;" and she turned her still bright 
 eyes heavenward. 
 
 Jane could scarcely speak from overpowering emotions 
 emotions such as mothers only feel when contemplating the
 
 302 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 failure of the silver cord which links the evanescent spirit 
 of the child of earth to its tenement of clay. Despite her 
 grief a holy calm came over that doating mother, as she 
 dwelt upon her dying daughter's words, and felt that the 
 lessons of piety she. had assiduously sought to instil into 
 the minds of her children had not returned unto her void. 
 How much it softened the pang of those parting moments, 
 to feel that one so young had realized in her tender mind 
 the full force of a Saviour's love ; that saving faith was as 
 manifest in the last moments of this dying little one, as in 
 those of the most matured of God's saints on earth. Every- 
 thing was done that a mother's love could do, to alleviate 
 the pain and soothe the dying hours of her darling child, 
 whose pillow she watered with her tears ; though her own 
 heart told her that it was a sin to grieve over the transit 
 of an immortal soul from a world of woe and sorrow to 
 those heavenly mansions, where tears shall be wiped from 
 off all eyes and sorrow be no more. Poor Jane sought 
 relief, in this hour of trial, from that source whence only 
 true consolation comes. She was strengthened for the 
 duties she had to fulfil, witnessed the departure of the last 
 spark of life from the pallid but beautiful form, whose 
 countenance still wore that serene aspect which almost 
 deceives the beholder into the belief that it is "nature's soft 
 restorer balmy sleep," and not the icy touch of death, that 
 seals the portals of the soul. Having discharged the sad 
 offices which precede the removal of all that is mortal to 
 the tomb, Jane hastened to break the mournful tidings to 
 Harry, and hence the exclamation with which he greeted 
 her reappearance at the prison. 
 
 He listened with mute attention to Jane's broken narra- 
 tive ; but, despite every effort to stifle the reproofs of con- 
 science, his accusing angel still held the mirror to his 
 mind's eye, and he could not but see in the retrospect it
 
 ^sne/^tew,
 
 REMINISCENCES OP A REVENUE OFFICER. 303 
 
 presented, that, humanly speaking, this new weight of 
 affliction was traceable to his own folly and self-will. This 
 conviction added tenfold to the intensity of his grief, 
 llougliton had been carefully brought up by respectable 
 parents, whose example had early inspired him with a 
 reverence for sacred things. His moral conduct, until he 
 fell into the hands of Pitt, had been irreproachable. He 
 had indeed been regarded as a religious man, and so far as 
 externals were concerned, there was little reason to impeach 
 his sincerity. Regular in his attendance on divine worship, 
 prompt in the furtherance of every good work, whether for 
 educating the poor at home, the support of the missionary 
 cause abroad, the maintenance of Sunday schools, or the 
 promotion of public charities, the minister of the parish at 
 all times calculated on his cheerful aid. Roughton's heart, 
 however, had never really been warmed by the power of 
 divine grace. He rested on his own strength, trusting in 
 his own righteousness ; and, when the hour of temptation 
 came, his strength became weakness and his righteousness 
 of no avail. He succumbed, and, striving against his own 
 convictions, fell deeper and deeper into the gulf of sin. 
 Though racked by remorse and buffeted by despair, repent- 
 ance found no place in his breast, until the hand of affliction 
 fell sorely on him, when a terrible awakening from spiritual 
 torpor came. Glimpses of hope and consolation, from that 
 source to which his faithful wife lost no suitable opportunity 
 of directing him, at length broke in upon his troubled soul. 
 His long incarceration, his bitter experience of the insta- 
 bility of all tilings human, had chastened his obdurate 
 heart, but had not entirely eradicated the evil. The 
 announcement of the death of his daughter, whilst he, a 
 prisoner, was unable even to take a last farewell, over- 
 whelmed him with terrible anguish. For a moment his 
 spirit rebelled ; but, as he gazed on the pale and emaciated
 
 304 HAKRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 features of his calm and patient wife, reflected on the trials 
 she must have endured, from the pangs of which she had so 
 considerately exempted him, his stoicism failed, and he wept 
 bitterly. His dying child's last message to him, the assur- 
 ance breathed by those infant lips of the certain hope of a 
 blessed immortality, sank deep into his heart. He longed 
 ardently for the peace which she had so happily attained ; 
 realizing for the first time the saving efficacy of a firm and 
 humble reliance on the Redeemer. " My child," at length 
 he exclaimed, "my departed child has saved me;" and 
 then he sank into deep thought. 
 
 Jane, after a short pause, reminded him that the funeral 
 must be cared for, and desired to learn his wishes. Their 
 means were scanty, and Jane, on seeking for her purse, 
 could not find it it was nowhere to be seen. In vain she 
 searched her pockets, her work-bag, and her little basket. 
 Her purse with the two pounds ten shillings which it 
 contained, the last portion of her scanty means, was gone ! 
 She knew it was in her possession when she quitted her 
 melancholy home. Suddenly she recollected that, on 
 attempting to. cross a crowded thoroughfare, some one had 
 politely assisted her through a throng occasioned by an 
 accident in the street, and that the stranger had as politely 
 bowed to her and disappeared when she set her foot upon 
 the causeway, without giving her time to thank him for his 
 courtesy. She became convinced that his officious aid was 
 lass disinterested than she had imagined, and that her purse 
 was past recovery. This was a new and unexpected blow. 
 Roughton and his wife gazed at each other in- utter hope- 
 lessness. What was to be done ? In the midst of this a 
 sharp rap announced an arrival ; they both started as the 
 door swung on its hinges, and the bulky form of the good- 
 natured gaoler obtruded his rubicund face. 
 
 " Bless me, what on airth can be the matter? Nothing
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 305 
 
 new gone amiss I hope," exclaimed he, as he gazed at the 
 sorrowful countenances of the unhappy pair. Eoughton 
 explained their sad position. The gaoler entered into their 
 feelings with warm-hearted earnestness, expressed his 
 sincere sorrow, and suggested, that in such a case he could 
 put them in the way of getting a decent allowance from the 
 parish for the funeral. They instinctively recoiled from 
 the suggestion. Harry relapsed into a momentary repining 
 at the decrees of Providence, which robbed him of his child, 
 of the means of consigning her respectably to the tomb, 
 and of the opportunity of following his lost one to the 
 grave. 
 
 "Well," said the gaoler, "I dunna know; I'll think 
 about it, but you'd better look at this here letter," which 
 all this time he had held between his thumb and finger. 
 Harry seized it with impatience, though lie had not the 
 slightest notion whence it came. He read "The solicitor of 
 customs requests Mr. Roughton to call upon him on receipt 
 of this note." Eoughton trembled, as he read it again and 
 again, and, in a fit of strange bewilderment, exclaimed 
 
 "Is it a mockery? How can I, a prisoner in these 
 dreary walls, comply with his request?" 
 
 "Oh!" rejoined the gaoler, "I daresay I could English 
 that; the gemman as brought this note lodged some dis- 
 charges with the guv'nor down below. Mayhap you're 
 among the lucky uns ; and if so don't preach agin 
 Providence. Howsomever I wish you joy, though I'm 
 sorry to lose you." 
 
 Few were the arrangements which the tenant of the 
 solitary domicile had to make on quitting his place of 
 durance. It was as the gaoler anticipated. Amongst the 
 wan-ants of discharge was that of Henry Roughton. In a 
 few minutes he and Jane were on their way towards the 
 poor lodging, which, now that their purse was gone, 
 
 u
 
 306 HAKRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 contained their all in this world. Notwithstanding the 
 disastrous circumstances under which Roughton found 
 himself at large again, there was something so cheering to 
 his English heart in the sudden re-enjoyment of liberty, 
 that he could not repress a feeling of delight as he looked 
 up to the clear blue vault above him illumined by the broad 
 cheering rays of an unclouded sun, such as rarely greets us 
 in this sea-girt isle. His step was firm as he retrode the 
 broad pavement of the public streets ; he was elated as he 
 gazed around him on the busy crowds that thronged the 
 thoroughfares. He felt that, like them, he was free and 
 ready to begin the world again, with a dear-bought expe- 
 rience of the past, and a heart chastened by the afflic- 
 tion he had endured. In this almost delirious frame of 
 mind he reached the door of Jane's long sojourn. As it 
 opened to receive him the reaction of agonizing feeling 
 almost overcame him ; he gazed in mute dejection on the 
 miserable hovel and its wretched furniture, and his eye 
 rested on the marble-like face of his dear, dead child, lying 
 in unconscious but placid loveliness. So rivetted were his 
 thoughts on that cold lifeless form, that he was scarcely 
 aware of the other two little ones, who, on his approach, had 
 crept from the corner of that chamber of death, in which 
 they had crouched in childlike timidity during the 
 absence of their mother. He new to the bed, and throwing 
 his arms around the inanimate remains of his lifeless child, 
 imprinted a thousand kisses on her cold forehead ; then 
 withdreAV from the couch and wept tears of bitter sorrow. 
 Jane thought it better to leave the strong impulse of grief 
 to have its own course ; and, with her arms around the 
 children, sat upon the straw mattress which had served her 
 for a bed. At length the little boy timidly sobbed" Pa." 
 The utterance of that magic monosyllable recalled him to 
 himself; he drew the two children to him, and fondled
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 307 
 
 them with a wild inexplicable mixture of sorrow and 
 delight. 
 
 Then gazing round him ? he exclaimed with a choked 
 voice " And all this is my doing ! Jane, is this the com- 
 fortable home in which you led me to believe you had found 
 a refuge? Is that the couch on which you have sought 
 repose, whilst I have had the luxury of a feather-bed? 
 The living and the dead consigned to a single chamber, 
 whilst you have ministered to my comforts! All this 
 misery endured for me, ay, caused by me Jane, forgive 
 me ; may Heaven forgive me too !" Jane rose and kissed 
 his forehead, but made no other response save that which 
 he could read in the deep and sympathizing expression of 
 her face, wherein the intense affection of a fond confiding 
 heart was mirrored.
 
 CHAPTER XLI1. 
 
 "Who that lives, and living thinks, 
 But adds another to an endless train 
 Of sad confessors since the world began?" MONTGOMEHY. 
 
 ' Fate's dark recesses we can never find. 
 But fortune at some hours to all is kind." DRYDKX. 
 
 Mr. Roughton was ushered into the room at the custom- 
 house occupied by the solicitor, who was attended by Mr. 
 Pugh, the gentleman who had co-operated with him in the 
 earlier stages of the prosecutions in which Roughton had 
 been so fatally involved. Scarcely comprehending his 
 sudden release from prison and the object of the summons 
 he had received, he approached the office not without a 
 feeling of embarrassment, from which, however, he was 
 speedily relieved on confronting the solicitor, who at once 
 frankly addressed him " Good morning, Mr. Roughton ; 
 your information has been useful, and what is more, careful 
 inquiry has proved that your statements are perfectly 
 accurate, and they are corroborated by conclusive evidence. 
 Take a seat, take a seat, Mr. Roughton." Without giving 
 him an opportunity of replying, the solicitor added " The 
 fact is, I shall require your attendance here, from day to 
 day, for some time to come. To arrange this was the chief 
 object of my note." 
 
 "I am much indebted to you, Sir," replied Roughton, 
 for my timely liberation. I will do anything in my power
 
 HARRY ROUGHTON. 309 
 
 to serve you. I received your note at a moment of deep 
 distress, having had the misfortune " 
 
 " Oh yes," interposed the solicitor, " I was sorry to hear 
 of your loss. Your liberation had been determined upon 
 when the tidings reached me ; not a moment was lost in 
 lodging the requisite document with the governor." 
 
 Roughton was about to interrupt the solicitor again, by 
 a delicate allusion to his destitute condition and the impos- 
 sibility of giving the required attendance from day to day; 
 but, as if his every thought was anticipated, the solicitor 
 proceeded " I fear you have not the means of subsistence, 
 Mr. Roughton, from all I hear ; but you may understand at 
 once, that for the present a guinea a week will be allowed 
 to you, and you may take the first instalment now if you 
 please." 
 
 Roughton looked at the solicitor with surprise and 
 delight, not unmingled with painful emotion ; for, although 
 the generous announcement, thus freely volunteered, pro- 
 mised present relief to his starving family, whose misery 
 and destitution he had that morning contemplated with an 
 apprehension bordering on despair, his thoughts reverted to 
 his lost child, whose ashes he had not the means of decently 
 consigning to their premature grave. 
 
 " Well," said the solicitor, observing this hesitation, and 
 divining the cause of Roughton's silence, "does not my 
 proposition suit you?" 
 
 " I am deeply grateful to you, Sir," stammered Roughton ; 
 " a guinea a week is more than has sufficed for our support 
 since my incarceration ; we might manage to subsist with 
 less, and I appreciate it as a blessing to myself, my wife, 
 and surviving children, but I have one who remains un- 
 buried ;" and he covered his face with his hands. 
 
 " I see, I see," said the solicitor ; " you shall have an 
 advance of five pounds on account, and the guinea a week
 
 310 HARRY ROUGHTOX, OR 
 
 shall go on, until you can better afford to refund the loan. 
 What say you?" added he, turning to Mr. Pugh. 
 
 "I quite concur," replied the latter; "we had arrived at 
 the conclusion that Roughton had been the dupe of design- 
 ing knaves ; we are satisfied that he is now the witness of 
 truth ; and, as the board of customs always adopts the most 
 lenient view of a man's case, when he takes a step in the 
 right direction, I am sure the course you suggest will meet 
 their approval." 
 
 " I don't doubt it I'll risk it," observed the solicitor ; 
 " so make your mind easy on that head, Mr. Roughton. 
 You shall take the six guineas away with you, and now let 
 me ask another question. You know one Mr. Sharpe, an 
 attorney is any information from that source worthy of 
 credit, Mr. Roughton?" 
 
 " No, Sir," was the emphatic reply. 
 
 "You would not believe him on his oath, eh?" 
 
 " No, Sir, unless it was his interest to speak the truth ; 
 and I believe, if it would serve any sinister purpose of his 
 own, he would not hesitate to swear away the life of his 
 own father." 
 
 " I thought as much. Do you know where he is?" 
 
 " I have heard that he is ruined and in prison for fraud 
 or embezzlement, if not on bail." 
 
 " You are right ; but the gentleman offers his testimony 
 against all his former clients if I will interest myself to 
 procure his liberation." 
 
 " Well, Sir, to secure his own ends I believe he would 
 give any evidence you like for or against anybody 
 guilty or innocent and sleep none the worse for the 
 perjury." 
 
 "I am of your opinion, Mr. Roughtoii; and what of 
 Patrick Murphy ? Is he to be trusted ?" 
 
 " Yes, to any extent. I would trust him with untold
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 311 
 
 gold, if I had it. I 'do not believe he would swear a lie for 
 all the wealth of Indies." 
 
 " Say you so ? Why, didn't you hear his evidence on 
 the trial?" 
 
 " I did, Sir, and I can satisfy you that every word he said 
 was literally true; though I must confess that he so skilfully 
 evaded the questions, or so gave his answers, as to lead to 
 conclusions opposed to the facts. The truth is, Sir, he was 
 a faithful and attached servant ; and though he would not 
 tell a lie to serve me, he would ingeniously steer clear of 
 telling a truth which could injure me." 
 
 " I believe it, Mr. Roughton. Do you know where he 
 is?" 
 
 " I cannot exactly say, Sir, but I could find him." 
 
 " Oh, never mind," replied the solicitor as he summoned 
 a clerk, whom he directed to pay Rough ton six guineas on 
 account, and arrange for his future attendance ; whereupon 
 he cut the conversation short. 
 
 Mr. Roughton made his bow and retired. As he quitted 
 the custom-house, with a heavier purse and a lighter heart 
 than when he entered, he was hailed in the street by a 
 familiar voice " An' is it yer honour I see there ? By the 
 Powers it's right glad I am to see ye brathin' the free air 
 of the blessed heav'n, I am." 
 
 "Why, Pat! is that you?" exclaimed Roughton, as he 
 grasped the Irishman's hand with a cordial grip. " I'm 
 right glad to meet you ; but what brings you here?" 
 
 " Och ! sure enough and it's a letter I got from the cus- 
 tom-house that brought me, an' it's not an hour since I was 
 there and saw the commissioners myself." 
 
 "Saw the commissioners!" replied Roughton, with an 
 incredulous tone of mixed astonishment and interrogation. 
 
 " Ay, faith an' I did, Sir, and right pleasant gentlemen 
 they are too."
 
 312 HARRY ROUGHTON, OK 
 
 "Why, what are they like, and what did they talk 
 about?" 
 
 " As for the likes of 'em, they're different enough for that 
 matter, as different as fat and lean ; and the leanest had the 
 whitest head of a young 'un I iver set eyes on, and talked 
 to me as free as wather. An' it's right little ye'd keep 
 sacret from him too, it is ; faith ! an' he has sich a winnin' 
 way wid him, he'd whistle the birds out of the bushes if 
 needs be, an' it's a great deal I tould him of yerself, I did, 
 and couldn't help it ; lastewise he know'd all about it in 
 the first place, and he bid me untherstand that it's no harm 
 I'd do to yer honour by lettin' out the trut' so I did." 
 
 " Well Pat, you're quite right about that, but you're 
 mistaken about the gentlemen ; it was not a commissioner, 
 but the solicitor whom you saw." 
 
 " Faith, ye don't say that now, or maybe I'm done ! for 
 I'd be chary how I opened my mouth to a lawyer that way 
 anyhow, an' I hope no harm's done." 
 
 " Not a bit of it ; make your mind easy about that, and 
 tell me where you're going?" 
 
 " Why, d'ye see, my first duty is to pay my respicts to 
 the mistress, havin' seen yerself, and it's there I was going ; 
 afthef which it's a lodgin' I'll seek for the next week or 
 two, seeing his honor, the solicitor, wants my presence, 
 and gives me fifteen shillings a week to make sure of it." 
 
 " Then come with me, Pat, as I must look out a lodging 
 too for the same purpose. Let us try to get under the same 
 roof, and let me henceforth consider you as. a friend, for- 
 getting our former relation to each other." 
 
 " Your sarvent, Sir," was Pat's laconic reply, and they 
 trudged on together, discussing the past and the present 
 affliction, and considering how they could best minister to 
 the comfort and consolation of Jane and the little ones, and 
 concerting plans for the future, knowing that their retainer
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 313 
 
 at the custom-house was but precarious ,' added to which, 
 Roughton was already seriously animated with the laudable 
 desire of once more achieving independence and of redeem- 
 ing, by an exemplary future, the errors of the past.
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 " Resigned in ev'ry state, 
 
 With patience bear, with prudence push your fate : 
 By suffering well, our fortune we subdue ; 
 Fly when she frowns, and when she calls pursue." DJRYDEN. 
 
 IF gorgeous sable plumes nodding proudly on the velvet- 
 covered hearse, the well-appointed mourning coaches, 
 crowds of hirelings bedecked in silken scarfs of snowy 
 whiteness, glittering in magpie contrast with their sombre 
 garments if these are the true exponents of heartfelt grief, 
 and sincere affection for the dead then was little Jane borne 
 to her narrow house of clay with slender evidences of sorrow 
 and respect. But, to the passing stranger, who gazed upon 
 the modest funeral of the departed child, the grief worn aspect 
 and agitated mien of the humble mourners told of deeper 
 grief; of anguish more intense than the eye can realize in 
 all the pomp and pride and panoply of state, that marks the 
 exit of the millionaire. The little maiden sleeps beneath 
 a solitary mound of grass-grown earth. Flowers planted 
 by a mother's hand and watered by her tears, bloom upon 
 the lonely grave. , 
 
 It is needless to dwell upon the sad offices" of love that 
 Eoughton and his wife bestowed upon their departed first- 
 born, or to trace their ramblings after more convenient 
 lodgings for themselves and the faithful Murphy. Nor 
 is it essential to dilate upon the complicated proceed- 
 ings at law, by which, through the instrumentality of
 
 HARRY ROUGHTON. 315 
 
 Eougliton's information, the solicitor and his energetic 
 friend, Mr. Pugh, succeeded in breaking up a notorious 
 gang of receivers of contraband goods ; suffice it to say, 
 the ringleaders were convicted, fined, and imprisoned, to 
 the great satisfaction of the honest tobacconists, who had 
 suffered so long from unfair competition. As the receiver 
 of stolen goods is worse than the thief, so the purchaser of 
 contraband goods is worse than the smuggler ; and, what- 
 ever morbid sympathy is felt for the poor sailor, who perils 
 his life and liberty to pander to the avarice of the more 
 affluent land-lubber, who bribes him to undertake the risk, 
 nothing short of scorn and contempt can be felt for the 
 nefarious trader, when conviction and punishment overtake 
 him. All this poor Roughton had experienced in his own 
 case, but the lesson of adversity had not been lost upon 
 him. He emerged from the horrors of a gaol to the light 
 of liberty, a chastened and a better man. No sooner was 
 he released from dancing attendance on the ministers of 
 justice, whom he so usefully aided in the prosecution of the 
 criminals who had betrayed him, and the repression of tfie 
 crime to which he had been a martyr, than he resolved to 
 begin the world again, starting with new hope, and a firm 
 determination never again to listen to the insidious voice of 
 the charmer, or to lend himself to anything which the 
 dictates of conscience warned him to eschew. But it is a 
 very difficult thing for a man, with an empty purse and a 
 damaged character, to regain his position in society, and 
 carry out, with stoical virtue, the laudable resolutions 
 which he may, however sincerely, have formed in his own 
 mind. Harry Roughton had changed the last sovereign 
 with which he had been favoured by the Crown in return 
 for the services he had rendered. He had neither wasted 
 his little hoard, nor neglected to seek honourable employ- 
 ment, however humble; but, having only one referee to
 
 316 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 character his former rector he always found, to his 
 great mortification, that whenever he answered an advertise- 
 ment, or applied for a vacant place in any respectable firm, 
 uniformly referring to his old and sincere friend, the result 
 was a polite rejection of his services. This was simply 
 because, however high the general eulogium of the reverend 
 referee in other respects, conscience would not allow that 
 gentleman to omit the mention of the disastrous episode 
 in Harry's life, which had rendered him a suppliant for 
 employment, even on the most moderate terms. In these 
 disheartening circumstances, now that he had only a 
 few shillings in his pocket, a wife and family to care 
 for, and no present signs of profitable occupation, the 
 tempter tried him hard. A noted smuggler bid high for 
 his services in his tobacco warehouse. Harry looked 
 wistfully at the glittering bait, rendered tenfold more 
 alluring by contrast with starvation which stared him in 
 the face. He wavered, halting between the dictates of 
 conscience on the one hand, and the seductions of worldly 
 advantage on the other. Harry's integrity trembled in 
 the balance. Had he yielded to the impulse of the 
 moment, conscience would, probably, have kicked the 
 beam. " When in doubt," says the gambler's oracle, 
 11 win the trick." " When conscience warns," says 
 wisdom, " ponder ere you act." Fortunately, the latter 
 prevailed, Harry took time to consider ; nor did he, in this 
 emergency fail to consult witli her, the disregard of whose 
 advice had entailed the ruin from which they suffered. 
 She saw the struggle, and, with a woman's tact, resolved 
 to commit him to a safe course. " Write," said she, " to 
 the rector ask his advice whatever he recommends I 
 shall cheerfully acquiesce in." He seized the pen and 
 detailed, in moving terms, the painful position in which he 
 was placed. Goaded, however, to distraction by the
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 317 
 
 apparently hopeless prospect before him, he could not 
 refrain from expressing sentiments which drew upon him 
 a kind but energetic reproof from the faithful minister. 
 When that answer came he read it, handed it to his wife 
 with a feeling of chagrin, and moodily waited the result of 
 her perusal of it. 
 
 " Well, Harry,", said she, " I think you ought not to 
 have asked him to forego, in future, all allusion to that 
 unhappy business. His integrity is proof against the pre- 
 vailing vice of the age, with reference to servants ; which, 
 from mistaken sympathy for the place-seeker, induces the 
 suppression of faults or facts which the employer ought to 
 know. I agree with him that God will never desert those 
 who place their trust in him ; for, although he hides his 
 face for a time, and tries his people in the furnace of afflic- 
 tion, he only waits to be gracious. It remains for us to be 
 faithful." 
 
 " Jane," replied Harry in a deprecatory tone, as a 
 dubious expression came over his face, "that's my last 
 halfcrown!" 
 
 "Take it then," said Jane, "I have another; pray go 
 and answer this advertisement in person ; something seems 
 to tell me that you will be successful this time;" and she 
 handed him the newspaper. 
 
 He gazed abstractedly at the dazzling lines, and at 
 length exclaimed " Your faith is firm and strong I ought 
 to do it cheerfully it will be a long walk, and I can't 
 afford to ride." With these words he made ready for his 
 departure ; and, calculating on being back by seven o'clock 
 in the evening, took an affectionate leave of his wife and 
 children. , He started with a comparatively light heart, 
 meditating on the rector's letter, and the beautiful example 
 set by Jane, of humble trust and patient submission to the 
 divine will.
 
 CHAPTER XLIY. 
 
 " Heav'n has to all allotted, soon or late, 
 Some lucky revolutions of their fate ; 
 Whose motions, if we watch and guide with skill, 
 (For human good depends on human will,) 
 Our fortune rolls, as from a smooth descent, 
 And from the first impression takes the bent." DRYDEX. 
 
 IT was a hot and sultry day. The sun had attained his 
 meridian height, and his scorching rays tried severely the 
 patience of the wayworn traveller. The horses which 
 toiled along the dusty roads lagged lazily. Their drivers, 
 as if infected by the same slothful influences, crawled 
 drowsily along, almost too idle to apply the whip. The 
 humble pedestrian ever and anon wiped away the sweat 
 and dust from his brow, or halted to rest for a few minutes 
 on the roadside bank. Even the wild flowers nodded 
 their many-tinted heads, and closed their flimp and faded 
 petals ; whilst the trees drooped in harmony, as if repose 
 were the order of the day. Nevertheless there are excep- 
 tions to every rule, and this day was destined to furnish 
 an illustration of that maxim. 
 
 Towards the summit of a rising ground "on the road, 
 weary and solitary, a poor foot-passenger might have been 
 seen plodding his way, when an unusual sound caught his 
 ear. Turning round in the direction from whence it came, 
 he saw a cloud of dust rolling rapidly towards him, heard 
 the rapid clatter of horses' hoofs, and, as the sound came
 
 HARRY ROUGHTOX. 319 
 
 nearer and nearer, he observed that an open carriage was 
 attached to the frantic animals, and that the freight con- 
 sisted of a middle-aged gentleman and a very young lady 
 the latter, pale as a lily, but as composed and calm to all 
 appearance as if nothing were the matter ; whilst the former 
 exhibited in his countenance intense anxiety, but no lack 
 of presence of mind ; for he was busily occupied with whip 
 and rein in the management of his steeds, which were 
 evidently and, to all human probability, irreclaimably 
 running away. These observations, of course, would only 
 be the effort of a moment ; the next brought the infuriated 
 animals within a few paces of the astonished pedestrian. 
 His course was resolved upon in an instant. By the side 
 of one of the horses trailed a broken rein. At his head 
 the traveller dashed, and, seizing the bridle, whilst the 
 charioteer tugged at the remaining rein, the courageous 
 fellow was dragged along the road some forty or fifty 
 paces, tenaciously holding on, in spite of pain and bruises, 
 until the two animals came to a stand, within three or four 
 yards of the crown of the hill. Had they once passed the 
 summit and whirled down the descent, nothing short of a 
 miracle could have saved the travellers from destruction. 
 They were, however, safe ; the gentleman alighted ; the 
 peril was over ; and the lady had fainted away. 
 
 " Can you hold the horses a moment, whilst I go to my 
 daughter's assistance?" asked he eagerly, as he observed 
 her head drooping over the side of the curricle. 
 
 " I think I can," was the reply ; and, seizing the bits of 
 both horses, he held on until the gentleman had, on dis- 
 covering some signs of reanimation, gently lifted out the 
 young lady and placed her on the greensward. The 
 gentleman then returned to his horses, and commenced a 
 temporary reparation of the broken reins. Whilst thus 
 occupied, his eye fell upon the countenance of the poor
 
 320 HARRY ROUGHTON, OR 
 
 fellow who had come so opportunely to the rescue; and 
 not only observed the deathly pallor of his cheek, and 
 other symptoms of acute pain, but that he was supporting 
 himself on one leg. 
 
 " I fear you are hurt," said he feelingly. 
 
 " Not seriously ; only a few slight bruises, and, I am 
 afraid, a sprained ancle." 
 
 " I think I can safely trust my horses," replied the gen- 
 tleman, " after the hard breathing they have had j and the 
 rein is secure enough now. You must, therefore, allow 
 me to assist you into the carriage, and accompany me to 
 the next inn." 
 
 It was vain to refuse the proffered help, for he could not, 
 walk. He was fain, therefore, to take his seat in the car- 
 riage by the side of the young lady, and also to hold the 
 reins ; for, despite the sultriness of the day, and the fatigue 
 and excitement he had undergone, the gentleman would 
 not leave the horses' heads, but insisted on walking by the 
 side of them, though the distance was several miles. 
 
 During this time the young lady, who had regained her 
 composure, showed symptoms of the return of that rosy 
 tint which adds such a charm to the beautiful features of 
 youth ; and her loquacity revived with it. So adroitly 
 did she interrogate her companion, in whose manners and 
 conversation she discovered something more than his 
 threadbare and shabby genteel appearance seemed to indi- 
 cate, that before they reached their halting-place, she had 
 elicited his whole history. The roadside inn was gained, 
 some suitable refreshment served up, and- a comfortable 
 bed put in requisition for the invalid. Medical aid was 
 sent for, against which no arguments that the sick man 
 could adduce were of any avail. After expressing the 
 deep sense of gratitude he felt, the stranger took his leave, 
 promising to return in the morning. The medical man
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 321 
 
 had prescribed and departed. A potent mixture had been 
 administered. Overcome by pain, fatigue, and opiates, the 
 patient fell into a deep sleep, which lasted several hours ; 
 when he awoke, and wondered, after a delirious dream, 
 where lie was, and how he came there ! As the events of 
 the day came back to his wandering thoughts, and the 
 appearance of the golden rays, which dimly illumined his 
 chamber, told him it was near nightfall, he suddenly 
 turned to consult his watch, and as suddenly recollected 
 that that article had been some time since consigned to 
 the care of a certain worthy who rejoices in the appellation 
 of "uncle." The fleeting vision of the three golden balls 
 reminded him of those for whose sake that and many 
 similar sacrifices had been made of the object of his day's 
 journey, thus strangely frustrated of his promise to return 
 home by seven o'clock that evening, whereas it was now 
 nearly ten at night of the anxiety his wife would suffer 
 on his account of the disappointment it would be to her 
 to learn that his mission had so fatally failed ; and of the 
 impossibility at that hour, penniless as he almost was, of 
 despatching a messenger to relieve her suspense. Every- 
 thing seemed to thwart his schemes and annihilate his 
 hopes. In a momentary feeling of bitterness he exclaimed 
 
 " The fates appear to conspire against Harry Roughton, 
 and there is nothing for him but disappointment and 
 despair!" 
 
 He sank into a fit of despondency, which at length 
 again gave way to the influence of narcotics, and sleep 
 closed his eyelids. 
 
 The drowsy hours rolled on. Midnight was long past. 
 The latest revellers were preparing to retire. Roughton 
 still slept on, but not easily ; confused dreams flitted 
 through his brairj. An indefinite idea that he was mixed 
 up inextricably in some sudden brawl or riot was occupy- 
 
 x
 
 322 ITARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 ing his busy imagination, probably created by what was 
 going on below ; for, half awaking from his feverish slum- 
 ber, his ear caught the electrifying sound of a well-known 
 voice shouting in a high key 
 
 " By the Powers see him I will ; an' sure enough the 
 doctor's orthers to keep him quiet '11 be betther attended to 
 whin he claps his eyes on me, than by shuttin' him up 
 there lasteways it '11 relave his onaisy mind, it will." 
 
 " But," remonstrated the landlord, "you don't know that 
 it's the person you're seeking for." 
 
 " Maybe I don't ; but sure enough I am it is ; an' jist 
 a peep at him 'ud set that matther at rest in no time." 
 
 " Bless me," interrupted the chambermaid, who stood at 
 the foot of the stairs, "that's number fifteen's bell, I declare; 
 the gentleman must be awake ; and before she had finished 
 the sentence, Roughton's half-choked voice was heard at 
 the top of the stairs " Pat, my good fellow, is that you ? 
 Come up here;" and off bounded Pat, upsetting the maid 
 and her candle, guided only by the sound, as he blundered 
 up stairs in the dark, and found himself in Roughton's arms. 
 
 "A light here, ho! don't ye hear?" cried Pat. The 
 landlord was quickly on the spot, and assisting to remove 
 the patient to his bed again ; for, in his haste to welcome 
 poor Murphy, he" had forgotten for the instant his sprained 
 ankle and bruised limbs, and could scarcely have crawled 
 back without help. "An' all this," cried Pat, "comes of 
 their previntin' me paying me respects to yer honor at onst, 
 for I knew it was yourself, I did. Maybe ye'll rest a bit, 
 an' thin I'll tell ye what brought me here, I will." 
 
 The room was soon cleared of all but Roughton and his 
 faithful Pat, who would not budge from the bedside. 
 Having regained a little ease, he eagerly pressed Pat with 
 inquiries about Jane and the children, and the reason of 
 his appearance there.
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 323 
 
 " Let it alone," says Pat, " an' be aisy now, and I'll tell 
 it all in me own way, I will. Don't ye see, at seven ye 
 were to ha' bin' back, an' ye didn't, an' whin eight o'clock, 
 and then nine and ten in their turns came, the missus, 
 God bless her, had lost all heart. Comfort she wouldn't 
 abide. The big tears stood in her eyes, they did, an' she 
 hoped the best, while she feared the worst ; and the divil 
 put a thought in her swate mind that I couldn't stand no- 
 how, I couldn't ; for, says she, ' I fear he has been disap- 
 pointed again to-day, and what despair may have driven 
 him to I dare not contemplate;' and she wrung her hands 
 and took on so, that, says I, first, says I, don't cry, but 
 make yerself aisy ; and, secondly, says I, it's off I'am goin' 
 and I'll not be back till I find him ; and wid that same I 
 took the way yer honor wint in the mornin', hopin' I'd 
 mate ye every minit ; an' tired I was whin I got here to 
 rest a bit, not knowin' that yerself was under the same roof 
 at all ; but I heard 'em talk of the sick gin'l'man up stairs, 
 an' the time o' day whin he came in hurt ; and me own con- 
 science tould me that Masther Koughton was not the man 
 to dhrown himself. So, says I, it's the man I want, an' it's 
 see him I will, an' I would, too, in spite of all their blarney. 
 And that was the cause of the row ye heard. So make 
 yerself aisy now, an' I'll bid ye good-night, since the 
 missus '11 nayther know what's sleep nor pace o' mind, she 
 won't, till it's safe she knows ye are." 
 
 Having delivered himself of this speech, Pat took his 
 leave, without much reluctance on the part of Koughton ; 
 who well knew what a weight would be removed from his 
 wife's mind by tidings of his safety. He knew the faith- 
 ful Pat would cheerfully trudge back every step of the 
 way, rather than prolong her suspense by taking a few 
 hours' repose himself. As soon as Pat had closed the door 
 after him, Eoughton gave himself up to sleep, and did not
 
 324 HARRY ROUGIITON, OR 
 
 awake again until a late hour in the morning; when, 
 aroused "by the gentle pressure of a hand upon his forehead, 
 he raised his eyes and beheld those of his faithful wife, 
 gazing intently into his face. Many were the explanations 
 which ensued. Notwithstanding numberless cautions from 
 Jane to her husband not to fatigue and excite himself by 
 talking, an incessant dialogue was kept up, in which she 
 irresistibly played her part. The whole story of the fruit- 
 less journey, the accident which had rendered it abortive, 
 the probability of Roughton being unable even to travel in 
 search of employment for some time to come, much less 
 perform it if obtained ; and the conviction that a fatality 
 hung over all his efforts to recover his lost position, preyed 
 upon his mind. The reflection that the day before they 
 had divided their last crown-piece between them, rendered 
 their prospect cheerless enough to contemplate ; but Jane 
 would hear nothing of the doctrine of fate and ill-luck; 
 insisting, in the f^ce of all these crosses and misfortunes, 
 that everything is overruled for good to those who put their 
 trust in the great Disposer of events. Stiff and sore, still 
 smarting from his braises, and somewhat weak and feeble, 
 Roughton felt no little difficulty in struggling against that 
 despondency which it was Jane's delight to combat ; but, 
 in the midst of 'her endeavours to soothe him, they were 
 interrupted by a tap at the door. Jane opened it. A tall 
 gentlemanlike person, bowing politely, inquired after the 
 invalid, and asked if it were convenient for him to enter. 
 Supposing it to be the doctor, of whose kind attentions 
 Harry had spoken, she ushered him in at once ; but only 
 to discover the next moment, that it was the gentleman 
 whose unruly horses had given rise to her Harry's confine- 
 ment to a sickbed. She thought, too, notwithstanding the 
 courtesy of his behaviour towards her, that he would prefer 
 being left alone with her husband, and was about to retire,
 
 HKMIXISCENCES OF A BEVEHUe OFFICEK. 325 
 
 when tlie gentleman politely stepped forward and inquired 
 whether he had not the pleasure of speaking to Mrs. 
 Rough ton ? Being answered in the affirmative, he said 
 " Then do allow me to introduce you to my daughter, who 
 waits in the adjoining room." Leaving the two ladies 
 together he returned to Roughton's bedside, and, after a 
 few introductory observations, he said " I have learnt the 
 whole of your history from my daughter. It singularly 
 happens that I am personally acquainted with Mr. Jamie- 
 son, the clergyman of whom you spoke. You have met 
 with your present misfortune in your zeal to save me and 
 my daughter. I feel fully sensible that we owe our preser- 
 vation, humanly speaking, to your praiseworthy courage 
 and presence of mind. I also feel that it is my duty to 
 make you every amends in my power for the injury and 
 inconvenience you suffer on our account." Roughton. 
 blushed, and was about to reply that he had simply done 
 kis duty, and could not accept of anything at his hands ; 
 but the gentleman interrupted him " My good friend, do 
 not misunderstand me let me come to the point at once ; 
 I am a man of business myself, and, curiously enough, I 
 was looking out for just such a person as yourself to 
 manage one of my country establishments ; arid, as you 
 were probably prevented, through me, from obtaining the 
 situation you were in pursuit of, the least I can do is to 
 offer you mine, with an assurance that we shall not disagree 
 as to the terms. My daughter is interested in your story. I 
 doubt not by this time she is on good terms with your wife, 
 who, if I may judge from appearances, and on so slight an 
 acquaintance, is as amiable as she looks." Harry was 
 overcome by this unexpected kindness, and could only con- 
 vey his thanks by the unmistakable expression of gratitude 
 which was portrayed in his countenance, as his generous 
 benefactor quietly retired from the room.
 
 326 HARRY ROUGHTON. 
 
 Harry wished lie could have recalled his new friend, 
 that he might pour into his ear the grateful feelings with 
 which his heart overflowed ; but he was gone, and Harry 
 was left to his meditations. Thus absorbed, and uncon- 
 scious of all around, he was startled to hear a voice close 
 to his ear ; and turning his head, he beheld the sparkling- 
 blue eyes of his darling Jane gazing earnestly through the 
 curtains. Although she had already learned the particu- 
 lars from the frank yet delicate communications of the 
 amiable daughter, she could not refrain from seeking to 
 hear Harry's version of what had passed between him and 
 the father, that they might exchange their heartfelt mutual 
 gratulations. "Well, Harry!" said she, after a pause, " I 
 have often told you that out of evil comes good. Blessings 
 fall upon us when we least expect them. God is gracious. 
 His ways are not our ways; and, what we are prone to 
 view as a calamity, turns out to be the harbinger of better 
 things." 
 
 Harry gave an assenting smile, as he could not but 
 realize in the recent event, a signal instance of that good 
 providence which his perversity under trial had often led 
 him to doubt. Passing over the days and hours of conva- 
 lescence, the rest is soon told. Installed once more in a 
 comfortable home, with an adequate stipend, a confiding 
 and benevolent employer, a good prospect before him a 
 new scene of industry and happiness dawned on the long- 
 tried pair.
 
 CHAPTEE XLV. 
 
 ' A spark of virtue, by the deepest shade 
 Of sad adversity, is fairer made." WALLER. 
 
 u BLESS me!" exclaimed Jane as she raised her eyes from 
 her needlework, on observing a shadow cross the window ; 
 " Why Harry ! that's the rector, I declare ! Who'd have 
 thought it?" Down went Harry's book. They were at 
 the door in an instant, each seizing a hand of the worthy 
 rector, who gazed at them with his accustomed benevolent 
 smile; and, still retaining the friendly grasp of his old 
 parishioners, marched between them into the cheerful 
 sitting-room. The history of his visit to that locality, 
 which he could not quit without seeing them, was soon 
 explained. The varied incidents which had occurred since 
 Harry's unhappy exit from his native town were rapidly 
 passed in review. 
 
 " Ah ! well," said Harry, with a satisfied air, " I've been 
 my own worst enemy ; but we are very comfortable and 
 happy now, notwithstanding all we've gone through." 
 The rector looked blank. Harry repeated, merely varying 
 the phrase " Yes, I have been the greatest enemy to 
 myself; but " 
 
 Here the rector interposed "Lay not the flattering 
 unction to your soul which that hackneyed phrase implies. 
 It is only the charitable gloss with which friends sometimes
 
 328 iiAiiuy ROUGIITOX, OE 
 
 seek to palliate the indiscretions of reformed rakes, or 
 apologize for the departed victims of intemperance and 
 vice ; and which we sometimes apply to ourselves when 
 returning from our crooked courses. A man is seldom an 
 enemy to himself without being so to others ; an inference 
 which, in the general acceptation of that phrase, is too apt 
 to be ignored." 
 
 Harry, somewhat taken aback, sought to illustrate his 
 position by reference to his own pecuniary losses, and to 
 the fact, creditable in itself, that he had already entered 
 on the liquidation of the pecuniary liabilities which he 
 left undischarged when he bid adieu to his once happy 
 home. 
 
 " True, true," replied the rector ; " I heartily commend 
 your honesty, but to give a man credit for what he ought 
 to do is only negative praise. A man may discharge the 
 claims of his common creditors, and yet owe a debt to 
 society of which he is not so easily absolved. Can you 
 lay your hand upon your heart and say with self-com- 
 placency, not merely that you owe no man a shilling, but 
 that you have made due reparation for, and stand acquitted 
 of all the evil which your past conduct has brought upon 
 others as well as yourself? Pitt still walks the streets 
 with uneasy gait and haggard look ; his wan and furrowed 
 face, his restless and suspicious eye, tell the painful story 
 of never-ceasing inward strife ; of a conscience ill at ease ; 
 of fearful retribution yet to come in this world or the 
 next. His poverty-stricken aspect furnishes a sad com- 
 mentary on the instability of the world's ill-gotten gain. 
 This may be the just punishment of the many vices, the 
 many crimes, in which he was the chief actor; and in 
 some of which you, though the dupe it may be of your 
 late associate in crime rather than the originator, were a 
 guilty participator."
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENUE OFFICER. 329 
 
 Here Eoughton again interrupted the rector, but the 
 latter stopped him " Nay, I anticipate what you would 
 say, but can you say as much of the discarded Cinderow, 
 upon whose cupidity you practised, and whose compliance 
 ruined him without benefiting you? I have reason to 
 believe that this was not his first departure from the line 
 of duty ; but the case in which he became involved with 
 you was the immediate cause of his destruction. Cashiered 
 and turned adrift, shut out for ever from a service of which 
 he might have been an honourable member, he lives on the 
 bounty of others, a stranger to the balm which conscious 
 rectitude imparts amidst " the ills which flesh is heir to." 
 Swiveleye is the beggared inmate of a workhouse a passing 
 shadow of what he was ! His cunning and astute intellect 
 has succumbed and given place to vacant imbecility a 
 species of living death which unhappily supervened with- 
 out a sign of repentance, or a ray of hope. Of G olightly, 
 who so suddenly disappeared before your capture, I can say 
 nothing, except that well-founded rumour has consigned him 
 to an untimely end. Poor Jones, t the fisherman, who fell 
 a victim to his indiscretion in visiting his old comrade 
 Marsloops, on board the vessel which your ill-fated cargo 
 condemned, whilst it unhappily implicated him, died in 
 poverty of a broken heart ! You know that he was inno- 
 cent of any participation in that fraudulent adventure. 
 Mundy's once flourishing business, lost by long incarcera- 
 tion in a gaol, failed to support him when restored to liberty. 
 Reduced to the contemptible level of the petty smuggler, 
 adding crime to crime, he is slowly filling up his cup of 
 misery. Of Marsloops I know nothing. Of the fate of 
 old Jem and Wakeful, who suffered on the gallows, you 
 know as much as I do. Oh ! Mr. Roughton If you, and 
 such as you, had not, by your money and your example, 
 encouraged these men, particularly the humbler of them,
 
 330 IIAKKY HOL'GHTON, OR 
 
 in such nefarious occupations, some of them, at least, who 
 have lost cast and character and honest employment, whilst 
 they have acquired a knowledge of, and a thirst for, 
 irregular pursuits, might, humanly speaking, at this moment 
 have been decent members of society, honestly pursuing 
 their respective proper callings. Have you then nothing 
 to answer for beyond mere pecuniary short-comings? 
 Ask yourself whether you feel that your conscience is 
 purged from the guilt and responsibility of having con- 
 tributed, by your countenance and participation, to the 
 cumulation of this dark catalogue of misery and degrada- 
 tion?" 
 
 Eoughton, who had listened with all the anguish of a 
 convicted and awakened sinner, to the rector's brief but 
 truthful summary of crime and its consequences, cast down 
 his eyes abashed and confounded by the reflections it 
 excited. He felt that it was no exaggerated picture. 
 Memory, despite every struggle to banish her unwelcome 
 resuscitations, remorselessly recalled a thousand half-for- 
 gotten incidents connected with his past career. Accom- 
 plices in crime, who had played only subordinate parts in 
 the drama, and who had learned, perhaps, their first 
 lessons under the chief actors, rose up as witnesses against 
 him! 
 
 Although retributive justice had overtaken, ay, well- 
 nigh extirpated the ringleaders of the unholy band, he 
 felt, for the first time, the appalling conviction in all its 
 force, that the germs of social mischief, so recklessly sown, 
 were fraught with evils more injurious and more lasting than 
 he had ever dreamed of, and that the sin lay at his door. 
 The bitter pangs of compunction and remorse for a time 
 overpowered his utterance. At length he raised his eyes, 
 gazed hopelessly at the face of the rector, and exclaimed 
 " I have sinned more grievously than I thought ; and the
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVEXCE OFFICER. 331 
 
 conviction that many of the evils that I have committed 
 are irremediable overwhelms me with despair!" 
 
 " Not so, not so," replied the rector ; " the door of mercy 
 is not barred against the returning sinner! God is 
 gracious seek his forgiveness with true contrition of 
 heart, and pray earnestly for the comfort of the holy spirit 
 and for divine guidance. Remember that, although you 
 have been instrumental in bringing about the sad evils 
 which I have recalled to your mind, the supreme disposer 
 of events overrules the actions of all, even the most sinful 
 of his creatures, for wise and good purposes. But, as 
 ' His ways are not our ways,' and ' His thoughts are past 
 finding out' by the erring light of human wisdom, let us not 
 pause now to inquire into the inscrutable designs of provi- 
 dence; but remember that God is faithful, and that those 
 who call on him He will in nowise cast out. All I wished 
 was to warn you against the spirit of self-righteousness, 
 upon which so many have made shipwreck, not to cast 
 you into the slough of despond without hope of redemption. 
 It is a wholesome exercise to recall the past, and contem- 
 plate the evil you have done the sins to be repented of. 
 Your own reflections tell you that the outline which I drew 
 comprehended not all the mischief incident to your mis- 
 deeds. You have passed through a fiery ordeal, through 
 much tribulation. Snatched, as it were, like a brand from 
 the burning, you have escaped the fate which has over- 
 whelmed your ungodly associates. Some of them have 
 disappeared from the scene, leaving wives and children 
 friendless, homeless, helpless, pennyless ; ay ! each leaving 
 in his own circle the contaminating influence of evil 
 example, whose mischiefs may be incalculable, for sin is 
 infectious. But I will not dwell on these details, though, 
 if searched out and followed through their various ramifi- 
 cations, they might exhaust a volume to relate. I only
 
 332 HARRY ROUGIITOX, OR 
 
 advert to them now to illustrate the solemn truth that the 
 sin of one man may be the bane of many ! and when 
 human frailty lures us from the paths of rectitude, who 
 shall presume to estimate the length and breadth and depth 
 of misery to which our erring steps may lead ourselves as 
 well as others." 
 
 The good rector's homily was not thrown away upon 
 Harry Roughton. He rose from the friendly infliction a 
 better man. The benevolent pastor lived to see the happy 
 fruit of his exhortations manifested in the life and conduct 
 of his once-erring disciple. Faith, hope, and love, char- 
 acteristics of Jane's confiding nature, had been her solace 
 in many a trying hour, a light that never failed her in 
 adversity and which though perhaps conversely to the 
 general rule, shone even more brightly in prosperity. 
 She now found unspeakable happiness in contemplating 
 the growth in her Harry's heart of that true piety which 
 thiows a cheering lustre over the Christian's pathway 
 through this vale of tears. 
 
 The loss of little Jane had been replaced by other little 
 smiling faces, in addition to those who had been spared 
 when the hand of affliction almost threatened them with 
 annihilation. 
 
 The pretty cottage which now sheltered Eoughton and 
 his family, if not a paradise on earth, was as happy a home 
 as the frail children of mortality could reasonably hope to 
 enjoy in this land of pilgrimage, where no continuing city 
 is. 
 
 Schooled by adversity and chastened by affliction, Harry 
 RoOghton realized the salutary truth, that a modest com- 
 petency, honourably earned and rationally enjoyed, confers 
 more solid pleasure than wealth, without moral rectitude, 
 could purchase or bestow. He endeavoured faithfully to 
 inculcate, by precept and example, the wholesome lessons
 
 REMINISCENCES OF A REVENGE OFI-ICEU. 333 
 
 he had learned. Self-righteousness no longer maintained 
 its ascendency in his "breast. He neither denied nor 
 palliated the errors of his former ways ; and, when his 
 neighbours sought his guidance and counsel in doubt or 
 difficulty, he failed not to raise an emphatic warning voice 
 against the insidious suggestions of evil, frankly concluding 
 his admonitions with his familiar aphorism "Eschew 
 evil, and learn to do good ; honesty is the best policy, for I 
 h^ve tried them both." 
 
 THE END.
 
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 Pages of Letterpress and Six Portraits. The Portraits, engraved on steel, are copied 
 from original and authentic sources, and executed in the highest style by some of the 
 first artists of the day. To give additional interest to the Work, Biographical 
 Sketches of eminent individuals still living are inserted. These are distinguished by 
 an asterisk before their names. The initials of the contributor are appended to all 
 the more important articles. 
 
 Now Publishing, in imperial octavo, in Parts at Is., and in Divisions, cloth yilt, 
 
 IQs. Cyd. each, Illustrated by nearly 1000 Engravings on Wood, 
 And Embellished with a Series of Portraits of Distinguished Chemists. 
 
 CHEMISTRY, 
 
 THEORETICAL, PRACTICAL, AND ANALYTICAL, 
 
 AS APPLIED AND RELATING TO 
 
 THE ARTS AND MANUFACTURES. 
 
 BY DE. SHEEIDAN MTJSPEATT, F.E.S.E., M.E.I.A., 
 
 Founder and Principal of the College of Chemistry, Liverpool ; Honorary Fellow of the New York College of 
 Pharmacy: Fellow of the R,,y;,I Agricultural Society of Kn^and ; '.Memlnv ,1.; la Socicte U'Encourage- 
 ment: Membra de I'Acadcmir National.! .In France: Author of Outlines of Analysis: Chemistry of 
 Vegetation ; Influence of Chemistry ; and Editor of Muspratt's Plattner on the Blowpipe, Ac, <tc. 
 
 DEDICATED TO BARON DUMAS AND SIR ROBERT KANE. 
 
 THE Work will be completed in about Fifty Shilling Parts, each containing Thirty-two 
 Pages, and every alternate Part will be enriched with a Portrait of some distinguished 
 Chemist. The Illustrations embrace every branch of the Arts and Manufactures, and 
 are intrusted to the most competent hands. No expense is being spared to render 
 every department as perfect as the importance of the various subjects, and the exist- 
 ing condition of human acquirements, will admit. 
 
 WILLIAM MACKENZIE, 
 
 22 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON; 45 & 47 HOWARD STREET, GLASGOW; 
 39 SOUTH BRIDGE, EDINBURGH.
 
 PREPAEING FOR PUBLICATION, 
 
 Illustrated by upwards of 300 Wood-cuts and a Series of highly-finished Engradfags, 
 drawn by C.Landseer, F. OfFinch, and other Artists; and coloured from Natnn . 
 or from Specimens in the British Museum, under the immediate superintendence of 
 tJte Authors. 
 
 MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY; 
 
 HEISO A POPCLAB ACCOUNT OF THE 
 STRUCTCBE, HABITS, AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OP THE 
 
 QUADRUPEDS, BIRDS, REPTILES, FISHES, SHELLS, AND INSECTS, 
 
 INCLUDING THE INSECTS DESTRUCTIVE TO AGRICULTURE. 
 BF 
 
 SIR JOHN RICHARDSON. C.R., F.It.S. LOND.. Hox. F.R.S. EDIN., 
 Author of the Fnuna Borenii ; Arctic Search after Sir John Franklin 
 
 WILLIAM" S. DALLAS, F.L.S.. <tr. 
 Curator of York Mascara ; Author of Treatise on Zoology ; Elements of Entomology, &c. &c. 
 
 AND 
 
 "WILLIAM BAIRD. M.D., F.L.S., & ADAM WHITE, ESQ., 
 
 Author of Natural History of British Entomostraca ; Author of popular Treatises on Zoology 
 
 Cyclopaedia of the Natural Sciences, Ac. Insects, Crustacea, Ac. ' 
 
 THE Work will be published in Imperial Octavo, and completed in about Twenty 
 Parts, at Two Shillings, each Part containing Five Plates and Thirty-two Pages of 
 Letterpress, profusely illustrated by Wood Engravings. The Coloured Plates arid 
 Wood Engravings constitute one of the most striking and important features of this 
 work ; their accuracy is insured by the subjects having been engraved from Drawings 
 by C. LANDSEER, F. 0. FINCH, and other eminent Artists ; and coloured from Nature, 
 or from specimens in the collection of the British Museum, under the immediate 
 superintendence of the Authors. For beauty of execution and scientific accuracy, 
 the illustrations of this Work are equalled by few, even of the most expensive plates 
 of Zoological subjects, whilst they cannot be compared for a moment with those which 
 usually accompany popular works. 
 
 In Active Preparation, to be Published in One Volume, Demy 8vo, Illustrated by 
 
 nearly 300 Engravings on Wood, 
 
 THE 
 
 TEXT-BOOK OF THE TELEGRAPH; 
 
 BEING A COMPLETE ACCOUNT, HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE, 
 OF THE 
 
 ELECTRO-MAGNETIC, ELECTRO-CHEMICAL, & MAGNETO-ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS. 
 
 TO WHICH IS PREFIXED 
 A HISTORICAL TREATISE ON FRICTIOXAI, AND VOLTAIC ELECTRICITY, ELECTRO- 
 
 MAGNKTISM, AXI> THERMAL AND MAGNETO-ELECTRICITY. 
 
 WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE OLD SEMAPHORE, AND THE VARIOUS METHODS 
 OF TELEGRAPHING BY SIGNALS I Ko.M THE EARLIEST TI.Miv 
 
 BY GEORGE BLAIR, M.A.. 
 
 THE Work will be illustrated by Two or Three Hundred First-class Engravings, now 
 in course of preparation under the immediate superintendence of a gentleman who 
 has been long practically acquainted with the whole subject; and while it is hoped 
 th;ir it will be found highly interesting to the general reader, even as a mere narrative 
 <>r history of the progress of discovery in this direction, till it culminated in one of the 
 greatest scientific triumphs of modern times, it is likewise intended to be invested with 
 so much of a practical character that persons actually engaged in the working of the 
 telegraph will find in it what its title implies a useful Text-Hook for liet'erence. 
 
 WILLIAM MACKENZIE : 
 
 22 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON: 15 A.- 47 IIOVfAKD STREET, GLASGOW; 
 39 SOUTH BRIIXJE, UMNISUJGH.

 
 A 000 020 1 94