The whole party came to a sudden stand still; there was something so strange in hearing a laugh at that moment, especially as Chillingworth was, at that moment, boasting of his knowledge of the ground and the certainty of their meeting no one.
"What is that?" inquired Henry.
"Some one laughing, I think," said Chillingworth.
"Of that there can be little or no doubt," said Charles Holland; "and, as people do not usually laugh by themselves so heartily, it may be presumed there are, at least, two."
"No doubt of it."
"And, moreover, their purpose cannot be a very good one, at this hour of the night, and of such a night, too. I think we had better be cautious."
"Hush! Follow me silently," said Henry.
As he spoke, he moved cautiously from the spot where he stood, and, at the same time, he was followed by the whole party, until they came to the hedge which skirted a lane, in which were seated three men.
They had a sort of tent erected, and that was hung upon a part of the hedge which was to windward of them, so that it sheltered them from wind and rain.
Henry and Chillingworth both peeped over the bank, and saw them seated beneath this kind of canopy. They were shabby, gipsy-looking men, who might be something else--sheep-stealers, or horse-stealers, in fact, anything, even to beggars.
"I say, Jack," said one; "it's no bottle to-night."
"No; there's nobody about these parts to-night. We are safe, and so are they."
"Exactly."
"Besides, you see, those who do happen to be out are not worth talking to."
"No cash."
"None, not enough to pay turnpike for a walking-slick, at the most."
"Besides, it does us no good to take a few shillings from a poor wretch, who has more in family than he has shillings in pocket."
"Ay, you are right, quite right. I don't like it myself, I don't; besides that, there's fresh risk in every man you stop, and these poor fellows will fight hard for a few shillings, and there is no knowing what an unlucky blow may do for a man."
"That is very true. Has anything been done to-night?"
"Nothing," said one.
"Only three half crowns," said the other; "that is the extent of the common purse to-night."
"And I," said the third, "I have got a bottle of bad gin from the Cat and Cabbage-stump."
"How did you manage it?"
"Why, this way. I went in, and had some beer, and you know I can give a long yarn when I want; but it wants only a little care to deceive these knowing countrymen, so I talked and talked, until they got quite chatty, and then I put the gin in my pocket."
"Good."
"Well, then, the loaf and beef I took out of the safe as I came by, and I dare say they know they have lost it by this time."
"Yes, and so do we. I expect the gin will help to digest the beef, so we mustn't complain of the goods."
"No; give us another glass, Jim."
Jim held the glass towards him, when the doctor, animated by the spirit of mischief, took a good sized pebble, and threw it into the glass, smashing it, and spilling the contents.
In a moment there was a change of scene; the men were all terrified, and started to their feet, while a sudden gust of wind caused their light to go out; at the same time their tent-cloth was thrown down by the wind, and fell across their heads.
"Come along," said the doctor.
There was no need of saying so, for in a moment the three were as if animated by one spirit, and away they scudded across the fields, with the speed of a race horse.
In a few minutes they were better than half a mile away from the spot.
"In absence of all authentic information," said the doctor, speaking as well as he could, and blowing prodigiously between each word, as though he were fetching breath all the way from his heels, "I think I we may conclude we are safe from them. We ought to thank our stars we came across them in the way we did."
"But, doctor, what in the name of Heaven induced you to make such a noise, to frighten them, in fact, and to tell them some one was about?"
"They were too much terrified to tell whether it was one, or fifty. By this time they are out of the county; they knew what they were talking about."
"And perhaps we may meet them on the road where we are going, thinking it a rare lonely spot where they can hide, and no chance of their being found out."
[Illustration]
"No," said the doctor; "they will not go to such a place; it has by far too bad a name for even such men as those to go near, much less stop in."