liberately, now, gentlemen; but yet we must be very quick in getting out the inmates, for the wind is high, and things will burn rapidly. Rouse the landlord some of you. Call his wife. Bid them secure their money, if they have any. Has he children? Let us first open a way, and see that the coast is clear." This was done; and the seamen were found gone, having their dead or wounded with them.

The landlord and his family, and a few of his effects, were got safely out, and lodged in a grassy hollow at a proper distance from the house.

"Jenkins' body?" remarked Douglas, looking to Bucke, and both rushed away humanely to rescue it from the flames. As they got to the door, a gun was heard from the ship, which was nearly opposite in the Frith, and in the same moment they were covered with a drift of sand ploughed up by the shot, which was heard, in upward recoil, shearing through the boughs of the trees behind the house. They paused, and looked at each other. A second bang!-a second shot passed crashing through the house. A third-a fourth-rent the walls to their very foundations, and the whole fabric fell in; and the flame, which had now reached the spirituous liquors, rose over all, in one bright pyramid. To heighten the confusion of the scene, a chaise, with two horses tied behind it, which had come with Bucke and his party, and had been stationed about a hundred yards above the Anchor Inn, came now rattling down the shore, dragged by a young horse, which, having taken fright at the fire, came dashing on, despite the animals behind, and its own more sober yoke-fellow-despite, moreover, the resistance of the dismounted coachman, who, true to his hold of the reins, allowed himself, as he yet cried loudly for help, to be hauled along by the side of the plunging and snorting brute. The horses which were fastened behind the carriage took the thing at first pretty quietly, and followed with heads and necks outstretched, till, gradually roused by the jolting vehicle before them, and coming near the central point of alarm, they swerved from the noise of the cannon on the one side, and the blazing house on the other, and bursting their fastenings,

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galloped madly over the sands. At the same time, the coachman was obliged to relinquish his hold, and the chaise went soon out of sight at a furious rate, still pursued, however, by the faithful driver.

Douglas and Bucke were looking at the ship, which was now fast bearing down the white Frith. A distinct flash was seen from her side, and in the twink of an eye the shore was again torn up not more than five yards from their feet.

"She has a long arm, I'll warrant her," observed Bucke; "but I think we shall have no more of her. As for her poor captain's body, I suspect it is needless now to think of getting it."

"A handful of black ashes is all that remains of him," said Douglas." "His rite of sepulture has been in keeping with his wild and fanciful character and life, I believe.”

On returning to the main party, and finding all unhurt, "It is wonderful that it is so," said the Captain. "Let us thank God:" And, accordingly, the soldier said a short prayer, which, though given in rather a blunt military style, was yet honestly sincere. They then found that their prisoners had escaped. Finally, it was settled that for the remainder of the night the whole of them should repair together to the next inn, which was only a mile or two distant. Meanwhile, Bucke was tying a red-spotted handkerchief round his head as a substitute for his hat, which somehow he had lost, and the want of which (for he was very careful of his health) he was beginning to be at leisure now to feel sorely.

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Come, you curly-headed little rogue, I have taken a fancy for you," said the Captain, sitting down to get one of Landlord Martin's children on his back; and the varlet, probably from the quick tact of childhood, which saw that he was a presiding master of safety among them all, instantly left his mother, and sprawled manfully up upon the soldado's back, who arose with his burden. The party then set forward, with Bucke in the van-a curious figure, clipped as his head was with the red-spotted handkerchief, whose confinement of his hair gave double sway

to his large red nose; whilst ever and anon he stood still, violently to shake the little urchin on his back, who, finding himself quite at home, was springing and spurring at a great rate, and at the same time taking improper liberties with the Captain's whiskers.

They reached the inn, and gained admittance. The kind-hearted Bucke saw the children fed and carefully put to bed; then whispering to Douglas that he had still duties to do ere the morning, but that he would join him there at breakfast, he left the house.

SECTION VII.

pro

"BEING now quite well," said Bucke, next morning, explaining to Douglas how he had been led to interfere so timeously on the preceding night at the Anchor Inn, “I left London, and took my way home to my native village. I came by Dumfries, there to pause on my road, and spend a few days with an old friend. I was out yesterday, rambling about an old castle at some distance, and evening coming on me in my everies, I made a cut through the fields to bring me to the main road. After I had ceeded a considerable way, I found myself unexpectedly in a shrubbery before a neat little cottage. Somebody says. that 'truth is stranger than fiction-mark what follows:Hearing the opening of the door, I stepped back behind a tall bush that I might cause no alarm; and whom should I see look out but Diana Clement herself, with a lamp in her hand, which shewed me her face distinctly? Ere I could recover from my astonishment, out came somebody, carried by two fellows, one of whom I saw was Jenkins. The light enabled me to recognise him; and Diana having once or twice advanced her lamp near the face of the person thus borne out, I saw and knew your features; and as they appeared to me to be very pale, I thought you were dead. From a brief conversation which ensued between Clement and Jenkins, I learned that you were to be taken down to Martin's Anchor, there to lie till midnight, and then to be taken on board some ship. The lady then re

tired into the house with her lamp; and Jenkins and his associate carried you down an avenue, and put you into a chaise at the foot of it. This I saw, having cautiously followed them. Knowing already where they were going to take you to, I hastened to a Magistrate in Dumfries, and stated enough of the matter to him to make him see the necessity of issuing a warrant for the apprehension of Jenkins and his companion, and the recovery of your body, it being my firm belief that you had been murdered by Jenkins, and that your body was to be taken out to sea, and then thrown overboard, that no traces of you might ever be found. Accordingly, I joined the officers who bore the warrant; and two or three more men with fire-arms having been added to our party, in the belief that we had smugglers to deal with, we hastened down to Martin's, and were in good time. We were stoutly resisted-but you know the rest."

Douglas, in his turn, stated to Bucke how he had been decoyed by the letter, and by what means he had been cast into that deep sleep, all of which, doubtless, had been contrived by Diana Clement.

"But wherefore?" asked the Captain: "Can you guess a reason for it ?"

Scarcely," answered Douglas; "but we shall have her to-day, if possible, and know all. And, by the way, we ought immediately to go before a Magistrate and state the strange affairs of the night. Jenkins' death is a serious matter. Has she been long in this part of the country, can you tell me? Do you think she took this cottage for the mere purpose of more conveniently managing this mysterious plot?"

"Probably she did," replied Bucke; "but I know nothing distinctly. Indeed, I merely knew that she was

away from London.

But now let us take Martin and the

rest of our party with us, and go to the Magistrate."

SECTION VIII.

Ir remains now only to say what became of Diana Cle

ment, after her plan of revenge against Hinton Douglas, or rather against Marjory Russell, had been so signally defeated.

When Captain Bucke left the inn on the night, or rather morning, of Douglas' rescue, he went straight to her house, and, having given his name, and said that he had matters of life and death to communicate to Miss Clement, he gained admittance. He was shewn into a room by his old friend Vaulpas; and here Diana herself, her face awfully pale, came shooting rapidly forward, and met him with, "Your errand, Sir ?"

"Ere Bucke, who was startled, could reply, she burst into a long fit of laughter, and then sat down exhausted on a sofa.

"Madam-Madam," said the soldier, evidently much offended, “Mr Jenkins has shot himself: Hinton Douglas is not on board a ship: I presume I need not say anything farther ?"

Up started the lady, her whole frame in a moment changed from the relaxation of laughter to a locked and intense energy. She looked at Bucke with such earnestness that her face grew thin and sharp. Then came trembling; but she hurried through the room, as if making a violent effort to check her emotion and appear at ease. Prithee, Mr Bucke," said she, stopping full before him, remove that handkerchief from your head, else the god of the thunder himself shall not hinder me from yet expiring with laughter. We shall then speak of certain matters."

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The Captain could only feel his ears tingling and his nose growing redder, as with fumbling hands he hastened to untie from his head the spotted napkin, which his generous haste to see Miss Clement had kept him from remembering to take off.

"Now, Sir," said Diana, "I think you spoke of Mr Jenkins?"

"Madam-young lady," said Bucke eagerly, "I took care, last night, to hide your being in the matter; but we must soon be before a Magistrate, and there being now leisure