i

them, and I now dared not move from the place where I was, for ftill at intervals came the voices that fo alarmed me; and therefore I fancied I could not move without rushing into perils that my very foul recoiled but to think of.

In one of the longest intervalsof filence f crept up the bank, and looked over it around the heath; then I heard the founds of terror more diftinctly, and looking towards the fide where they feemed to come from, I perceived a barn, which I concluded was the rendezvous of fome nightly depredators (either robbers or gipfies, or both) for fmoke iffued from it, as I could now plainly diftinguish, and the wind came loaded with loud noises of finging, hallowing, and quarrelling. The morning was juft dawning-I dreaded leaft iffuing from their den any of these ruffians fhould difcover me where I was; I dreaded, leaft on the other hand, the perfons who would undoubtedly be employed by Darnell fhould overtake me as foon as I was miffed, whether I ftaid in

or

or left this place of concealment. The light, however, rapidly advanced. The fong of the larks, to which I had fo often delighted to liften, now on this wide plain, as it announced the appearance of the fun above our horizon, feemed to tell me only of danger and horror, while the probability of difcovery appeared greater thanever. The noife, however, of the men,, gradually funk away, and I hoped that, like other animals of prey, those which had occafioned to me fo much terror. were retired to their reft for the day.

"Yet how pass the lane into which the road led almoft close to the barn? how return, to meet directly thofe whom I had fled from?-Every moment that I debated, the danger became more preffing. It was abfolutely neceffary to determine on fomething. Oh! Delmont, how did my heart then fwell with painful, recollections of my mother and of you; mingling with felf pity as I faid, Moft beloved of mothers, and you, my dear, Delmont, how little do you know the defolate,

6

defolate, the perilous ftate of your Medora. Several ploughed fields, and others of grafs, adjoined the common. I was in hopes that farmers fervants might appear, to whom I could apply; yet even from them I might dread the ill office of being betrayed to the Darnells. At length I heard a village clock at fome diftance ftrike feven. It was an hour at which I knew I fhould be miffed; and even while I hefitated, the perfons fent by Darnell might perhaps be approaching. I arose therefore, and perceiving that in the lane was certainly the most beaten tract, I hurried along it, looking fearfully towards the barn, from whence I expected to fee fome of those ruffians appear, whofe difcordant and hideous voices had fo much alarmed me. I paffed for about three hundred yards unmolefted; at length, at an abrupt turning of the lane, I rushed immediately on a a place where two women were boiling fomething in a kettle, and under a fort of tent, compofed of a piece of rug fuf

pended

pended on two poles, a man, a most terrific figure, and a boy, lay apparently. half asleep. One of the women exclaimed on feeing me, (for I was within a few paces of them) Hey day! what have we here?' The other gave a fort of fhout, which roufed the man, who started up, and rubbing his eyes, afked, in a gruff voice, what was the matter. You may imagine that inftinctively I hurried on, though well aware that no fpeed I could make would relieve me from the confequences of these people's pursuit, if to pursue me was their purpose.

"The boy, who appeared about fifteen, and two other bare-footed children, inftantly overtook me, and began to beg.. I knew not whether it was fafeft to ftop and fatisfy their demands or to proceed. I looked back, the man was hastening after me, and, I could perceive, gave a fign to the boy to detain me, for he held me by my gown, clamoroufly demanding my charity. Heaven only knows what would have become of me; but at that

moment

moment a fmall tilted cart appeared, coming along rather faft, in the fame direction. Difengaging myself, I know not how, from my purfuers, I darted towards it, and shrieking rather than speaking, implored the driver, who fat on a little feat before, to receive and protect me. The gipfy man whom I had fo much dreaded, now retreated with evident marks of ferocious disappointment, while the driver, who had stopped his horfes, faid, in answer to my entreatiesWhy, Mifs, I'd take you in with all my heart, but we be but a baddifh fort of a party. I've got a fick woman and her children in this here cart. They've become chargeable, and not belonging to our parish, the overfeers have got an order to move them to Skipton. Theyfays 'tis a fort of a catching fever; and fure enough the poor fouls are defperate ill.' 'Oh never, never mind,' cried I, 'what it is; do but allow me to get into your cart, and I will make it worth your while.'

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