wife, hold your apron." And he flung into her lap a handful of silver!

Roger gave a sudden shout of wonder, joy, and avarice and then as instantaneously turning very pale, he slowly muttered, "Hush, Ben is it bloody money?" and almost shrieked as he added, "and my poor boy Tom too, with you! God-a-mercy, mun! how came ye by it?".

Honestly, neighbour, least ways middling honest don't damp a good fellow's heart, when he means to serve you."

"Tell me only that my boy is innocent!and the money, yes, yes, I'll keep the money" for his wife seemed to be pushing it from her at the thought.

"I innocent, father? I never know'd till this minute that Ben had any blunt at all,— did I, Ben?-and I only brought him and Rover here to sup, because I thought it neighbourly and kindlike."

Poor Tom had till now been very silent: somehow the pheasants lay heavy on his

stomach.

"Is it true, Ben, is it true? the lad isn't

a thief, the lad isn't a murderer? Oh God!

Burke, tell me truth."

"Blockhead!" was the courteous reply, "what, not believe your own

son? Why, neighbour Acton, look at the boy: would that frank-faced, open-hearted fellow do worse, think you, than Black Burke? And would I, bad as I be, turn the bloody villain to take man's life? No, neighbour, Ben kills game, not keepers: he sets his wire for a hare, but wouldn't go to pick a dead man's pocket. All that's wrong in me, mun, the game-laws put there; but I'm neither burglar, murderer, highwayman, no, nor a mean sneaking thief; however the quality may think so, and even wish to drive me to it. Neither, being as I be no rogue, could I bear to live a fool; but I should be one, neighbour, and dub myself one too, if I didn't stoop to pick up money that a madman flings away."

“Madman? pick up money? tell us how it was, Ben," interposed female curiosity.

66

Well, neighbours, listen: I was a-setting

my night-lines round Pike Island yonder, more

nor a fortnight back: it was a dark night and a mizzling, or morning rather, 'twixt three and four; by the same token, I'd caught a power of eels. All at once, whilst I was fixing a trimmer, a punt came quietly up: as for me Roger, you know I always wades it through the muddy shallow well, I listens and a chap creeps ashore, a mad chap, with never a tile to his head, nor a sole to his feet, and when I sings out to him to ax his business, the lunatic sprung at me like a tiger: I didn't wish to hurt a little weak wretch like him, specially being past all sense, poor nat`ral, so I shook him off at once, and held him straight out in this here wice." [Ben's grasp could have cracked any cocoa-nut.] "He trembled like a wicked thing; and when I peered close into his face, blow me but I thought I'd hooked a white devil, — -no one ever see such a face: it was horrible to look at. What are you

arter, mun?' says I; 'burying a dead babby?' says I. Give us hold, here,-I'm blest if I don't see though what you've got buckled up there.' With that, the little white fool,-it's

I

sartin he was mad,—all on a sudden flings at my head a precious hard bundle, gives a horrid howl, jumps into the punt, and off again, afore I could wink twice. My head a'n't a soft un, suppose; but when a lunatic chap hurls at it with all his might a barrow-load of crockery at once, it's little wonder that my right eye flinched a minute, and that my right hand rubbed my right eye; and so he freed himself and got clear off. Rum start this, thinks I: but anyhow he's flung away a summut, and means to give it me: what can it be? thinks I. Well, neighbours, if I didn't know the chap was mad afore, I was sartin of it now; what do you think of a grown man,―little enough, truly, but out of long coats too,—sneaking by night to Pike Island, to count out a little lot of silver, and to guzzle twelve gallipots o' honey? There it was, all hashed up in an old shawl, a slimy mess like birdlime: no wonder my eye was a leetle blackish, when half-adozen earthen crocks were broke against it. I was angered enough, I tell you, to think any man could be such a fool as to bring honey

there to eat, or to hide,—when at once I spied summut red among the mess; and what should it be but a pretty little China house, red-bricklike, with a split in the roof for droppings, and ticketed Savings-bank :' the chink o' that bank you hears now: and the bank itself is in the pond, now I've cleaned the till out.”

"Wonderful sure! But what did you do with the honey, Ben?—some of the pots wasn't broke," urged notable Mrs. Acton.

Oh, burn the slimy stuff, I warn't agoing to put my mouth out o' taste o' bacca, for a whole jawful of toothaches. I'll tell you, dame, what I did with them 'ere crocks, wholes and parts. There's never a stone on Pike Island, it's too swampy, and I'd forgot to bring my pocketful, as usual. The heaviest fish, look you, always lie among the sedge, hereabouts and thereabouts, and need stirring, as your Tom knows well; so I chucked the gallipots fur from me, right and left, into the shallows, and thereby druv the pike upon my hooks. A good night's work I made of it too, say nothing of the Savings'-bank; forty pound o' pike and twelve of eel warn't bad pickings."