'Nein, nein-you leave that to me, Sturm-wetter! I know you of old. But, hark ye, what am I, Dirk Hatteraick, to be the better of this?'

"Why, is it not your interest as well as mine? besides, I set you free this morning.'

You set me free! Donner and deyvil! I set myself free. Besides, it was all in the way of your profession, and happened a long time ago, ha, ha, ha!'

'Pshaw! pshaw! don't let us jest; I am not against making a handsome compliment—but it's your affair as well as mine.'

"What do you talk of my affair? is it not you that keep the younker's whole estate from him? Dirk Hatteraick never touched a stiver of his rents.'

'Hush-hush, I tell you it shall be a joint business.' Why, will you give me half the kitt?'

What, half the estate? d'ye mean we should set up house together at Ellangowan, and take the barony, ridge about?'

'Sturm-wetter, no! but you might give me half the value-half the gelt. Live with you? nein-I would have a lust haus of mine own on the Middleburgh dyke, and a blumen-garten like a burgomas. ter's.'

'Ay, and a wooden lion at the door, and a painted sentinel in the garden, with a pipe in his mouth! But hark ye, Hatteraick; what will all the tulips, and flower gardens, and pleasure-houses, in the Netherlands do for you, if you are hanged here in Scotland?'

Hatteraick's countenance fell. Der deyvil! hang

ed?'

VOL. II.

'Ay, hanged! mein heer captain. The devil can scarce save Dirk Hatteraick from being hanged for a murderer and kidnapper, if the younker of Ellangowan should settle in this country, and if the gallant captain chances to be caught here reestablishing his fair trade! And I won't say, but as peace is now so much talked of, their High Mightinesses may not hand him over to oblige their new allies, even if he remained in faderland.'

'Poz hazel blitzen and donner! I doubt you say true.'

'Not,' said Glossin, perceiving he had made the desired impression, not that I am against being civil;' and he slid into Hatteraick's passive hand a bank-note of some value.

'Is this all?' said the smuggler; ' you had the price of half a cargo for winking at our job, and made us do your business too.'

But, my good friend, you forget-in this case you will recover all your own goods.'

Ay, at the risk of our own necks-we could do that without you.'

'I doubt that, Captain Hatteraick; because you would probably find a dozen red-coats at the custom-house. Come, come, I will be as liberal as I can, but you should have a conscience.'

'Now strafe mich der deyvil! this provokes me more than all the rest! You rob and you murder, and you want me to rob and murder, and play the silver-cooper, or kidnapper as you call it, a dozen times over, and then, hagel and wind-storm! you speak to me of conscience! Can you think of no fairer way of getting rid of this unlucky lad!'

'No, mein heer, but as I commit him to your charge'

'To my charge-to the charge of steel and gunpowder! and-well, if it must be, it must-but you have a good guess what's like to come of it,'

'O, my dear friend, I trust no degree of severity will be necessary.'

'Severity!' said the fellow, with a kind of groan, . I wish you had had my dreams when I first came to this hog-hole, and tried to sleep among the dry seaweed. First there was that d-d fellow there with his broken back, sprawling as he did when I hurled the rock over a-top on un-ha, ha! you would have sworn he was lying on the floor where you stand, whirling like a crushed frog;-and then'

'Nay, my friend, what signifies going over this nonsense? if you are turned chicken-hearted, why, the game's up, that's all; the game's up with us both.'

'Chicken-hearted? No. I have not lived so long upon the account to start at last, neither for deyvil nor Dutchman.'

'Well, then, take another schnaps-the cold's at heart still. And now tell me, are any old crew with you?'

your

of your

'Nein-all dead, hanged, drowned, and damned. Brown was the last-all dead but Gipsy Gab, and he would go off the country for a spill of money— or he'll be quiet for his own sake-or old Meg, his aunt, will keep him quiet for her's.'

'Which Meg?'

'Meg Merrilies, the old deyvil's limb of a gipsy witch.'

'Is she still alive?'

'Yaw.'

'And in this country?'

'And in this country. She was at the Kaim of Derncleugh, at Vanbeest Brown's last wake, as they call it, the other night, with two of my people, and some of her own blasted gipsies.'

'That's another breaker ahead, Captain! will she not squeak, think ye?'

'Not she-she won't start-she swore by the salmon, if we did the kinchin no harm, she would never tell how the gauger got it. Why, man, though I gave her a wipe with my hanger in the heat of the matter, and cut her arm, and though she was so long after in trouble about it up at your borough-town there, der deyvil! old Meg was true as steel.'

Why, that's true, as you say. And yet if she could be carried over to Zealand, or Hamburgh, or -any where else, you know, it were as

-or

well.'

Hatteraick jumped upright upon his feet, and looked at Glossin from head to heel. I don't see the goat's foot,' he said, and yet he must be the very deyvil! But Meg Merrilies is closer yet with the Kobold than you are-ay, and I had never such weather as after having drawn her blood. Nein, nein, -I'll meddle with her no more-she's a witch of the fiend-a real deyvil's-kind-but that's her affair. Donner and wetter! I'll neither make nor meddle-that's her work. But for the rest-why, if I thought the trade would not suffer, I would soon rid you of the younker, if you send me word when he's under embargo.'

In brief and under tones the two worthy associates concerted their enterprize, and agreed at which of his haunts Hatteraick should be heard of. The

stay of his lugger on the coast was not difficult, as there were no king's vessels there at the time.

CHAPTER III.

You are one of those that will not serve God if the devil bids you— Because we come to do you service, you think we are ruffians.

Othello.

WHEN Glossin returned home, he found, among other letters and papers sent to him, one of considerable importance. It was signed by Mr. Protocol, an attorney in Edinburgh, and addressing him as the agent for Godfrey Bertram, Esq. late of Ellangowan, and his representatives, acquainting him with the sudden death of Mrs. Margaret Bertram of Singleside, requesting him to inform his clients thereof, in case they should judge it proper to have any person present for their interest, at opening the repositories of the deceased. Mr. Glossin perceived at once that the letter writer was unacquainted with the breach which had taken place between him and his late patron. The estate of the deceased lady, should by rights, as he well knew, descend to Lucy Bertram; but it was a thousand to one that the caprice of the old lady might have altered its destination. After running over contingencies and probabilities in his fertile mind, to ascertain what sort of personal advantage might accrue to him from this incident, he could not perceive any mode of avail ing himself of it, except in so far as it might go to assist his plan of recovering, or rather creating a