abandoned the uncharitable thoughts which though faintly, and but for a moment, I had entertained of them. The coolheaded Mrs. Snow contented herself with saying, "Who would have thought it! God only knows our hearts!" But poor Betsy went into violent hysterics, which lasted long; and on recovering from them her mother put her to bed. All thought of my own rest was now at an end. I began to think the House I was in ill-fated, and wished to quit it as soon as possible. Indeed, I was not without tremors in regard to myself, for the description of my person, my black stock and knapsack, in the Hue-and-Cry, ran in my head in a manner any thing but pleasant. I scarcely, therefore, waited for the dappled dawn, but paying my bill, which was far more reasonable than that of the affronted Mr. Chubb, I sallied forth from the West Country Barge and Eel-pie House, to regain the high road to Reading; nor did I slacken my pace, or feel thoroughly comfortable, till the pretty towers and spires of St. Giles, St. Mary, and St. Lawrence, rose to my view. Such, and often so unfortunate, it is for a man, however innocent, to fall, even unwittingly, into bad company. The sight of the good town of Reading, and the proof my safety gave me that I was not pursued, made me recover my spirits. Indeed, as I was innocent, it would have been a shame not to have done so, for all nature seemed to breathe happiness, not the less because the beauty of the morning formed a glorious contrast to the desolation of the preceding night. This variety in the weather, which occurs so often in our variable climate, almost atones for its imperfections; for though sometimes the sky frowns even to fearfulness, no one can answer how long it may last. Sir William Temple, therefore, was right in resting his defence of our weather, notwithstanding fogs, rain, and darkness, upon the possibility of our passing some part of every day out of doors. How different this from the unremitting heats and rains, and interminable frosts, of many other parts of the world. I particularly felt this when, remembering the havoc of the night-the marks of which strewed my way for many a mile. -I contrasted it with the golden morning in which I now journeyed. With Tamora I exclaimed, "The birds chaunt melody in every bush; The snake lies rolled in the cheerful sun; The green leaves quiver with the cooling wind, My fears of pedlar troubles being thus relieved, I never had a happier walk, and called lustily for breakfast when shewn into the gentlemen travellers' room at the notorious Berkshire sign of the Black Bear. Here, however, my tranquility was again a little disturbed; for not only, for my sins, was this eternal Hue-and-Cry pasted upon a board, hung up in the room, but I found all the gentlemen travellers, waiters, and two or three attorney's clerks, who generally breakfasted at the house, occupied with the robbery at Wallingford, and the arrest of Handock, who was then actually under examination in the magistrates' chamber. Had I known that my quondam friend was to have been moved to Reading, it certainly would not have been the town I should have breakfasted at that morning. However, I bad no help for it, and thought myself lucky, whether from pride or convenience, to have taken my knapsack from my shoulders before I entered the place. Putting on, therefore, an unconscious countenance, I sat down quietly to my meal, and listened to the conversation. The attorney's clerks were all very fluent and garrulous on the subject, and I found had been informed that there was an accomplice of Handcock with him at the Eel-pie House when he was taken, and they blamed the constable for not taking him into custody also, especially as he, too, was a brother pedlar, if not a brother thief, traced from the Jolly Angler at Thatcham, where he had shewn a purse of gold, and treated the whole house, which shewed that the gold could not have been honestly come by. This, thought I, is acquiring a knowledge of the world with a vengeance; and I became a little uneasy. Presently, however, my ear caught the name of Firebrass. Depend upon it, that reformer," said one of the clerks, as he gulped down his tea, "is at the bottom of this. How many robberies has he not instigated by his rascally lectures." "I don't agree with you, Styles," said a brother clerk. "What you call rascally, I called enlightened; and robbery, as Firebrass says, may not per se be a crime against the law of nature. All must depend upon the circumstances of the case." "And pray, Hopkins," replied Styles, "what justified the pedlar for breaking open the Wallingford Bank?" "There you go again," returned Hopkins. “How do we know that he broke open the bank? The poor man is only now under examination, and yet you have already found him guilty, and, no doubt, hanged him in your own mind, because he is a poor pedlar. Had he been the rich mayor, who shot the man last week for merely coming in at his window, and it was found justifiable homicide, he would, by you, be at once acquitted. See what it is to be a damned Tory!" "And you," replied Styles, "would let every robber go free, provided the person he robbed had a title, or was richer than himself. See what it is to be a damned Whig !" "Let's ask Mr. Jelly brand," said Hopkins, "what he thinks of the question." "I know no more what the question is," said a staid and sensible-looking person, "than you seem to do yourselves; but if you ask me my opinion of you two, I think you are a couple of blockheads." At this the gentlemen travellers, or as, near London, they are called, the commercial gentlemen, laughed heartily, in which I could not help joining, though unwilling to bring myself into notice, especially among lawyers. Another man of law, however, now came in, straight from the magistrates' chamber, and told us that Handcock had implicated Dr. Firebrass, the lecturer on political economy, in the robbery at Wallingford. "That's the best news I have heard yet," cried Styles; "I hope it's true." "I hope not," said Hopkins. "But Firebrass is too prudent a man, even if he was not too high principled, to commit a robbery." "But he may instigate others," responded Styles, "which is quite as bad." "What was the case?" asked Jelly brand, who seemed to have much weight with the young men, being, as I was afterwards told, the managing clerk of their master. 66 This," "said the new-comer. "A written paper was found in Handcock's pack, signed by Firebrass, whose hand writing was proved, which ran thus:-Being applied to for my opinion, whether it is lawful for a destitute man, or one of inferior condition, to help himself out of the superfluities of another superior to himself, I hold, from undeniable truths of the law of nature and the equality of mankind, that he may so act, if he pleases, and thinks it expedient, without being guilty of a crime. But of the expediency, he himself, and he only, is to judge.' "A very convenient doctrine," said Jelly brand, "and likely to do a great deal of good. No wonder the doctor has established a sect, which daily spreads and has such disciples as Hopkins. But how does this implicate him in the robbery at the bank ?” "Aye; make out that if you can," said Hopkins. Depend upon it, the law cannot reach him." "It has at least excited suspicion," said he from the court, whose name I found was Catchpole; "for Handcock being asked, who had required this opinion from the doctor, and how he came by it, first prevaricated, and then refused to answer; so he is remanded, and Firebrass is ordered to attend. Moreover, fifty pounds of the bank paper were also found in his pack, which he said he had taken in the way of his trade." "And why not?" asked Hopkins. "If he or Firebrass are convicted, they will die martyrs to the tyranny of the laws." "They both deserve to be hanged," said Styles. "I should tell you, however," proceeded Catch pole," that the person who was with Handcock when he was arrested is also to be apprehended, if he can be found; for though Handcock did not know his name, he let out that he was acquainted with Firebrass, and was proceeding hither on purpose to attend his lectures." This completely decided my plan of proceeding, and altered my design of remaining a day or two at Reading, which I found was no place for me. As soon, therefore, as the lawyers had paid for their breakfasts and retired, I did the same; for I waited their retreat, not liking to show my knapsack to people who studied the Hue-and-Cry. When gone, however, I took it off the peg on which I had hung it, and in order to avoid danger, resolved to make it part company with my shoulders for a time, and proceed per coach, if I could find one, to the next town I meant to visit. This was about seven miles off, and I luckily succeeded, as what was called the Forest coach was just setting off. Bidding, therefore, adieu to Reading almost before I had seen it, I took the road to Oakingham, in Windsor Forest. CHAPTER XVII. I FALL IN WITH ANOTHER LANDLORD, VERY DIFFERENT FROM HIM OF THE JOLLY ANGLER. My crown is in my heart, not on my head, SHAKSPEARE.-Henry VI. Are you a courtier an't like you. Winter's Tale. WINDSOR forest! Ah! dear and delightful region! seat of my youth, and always of happiness! where I have wandered, careless of restraint, a votary of nature, through paths, aud fields, and woods, literally strewed with flowers! Where, “under the shade of not melancholy boughs," I have lost, but not neglected "the creeping hours of time!" Ah! blissful retreat, where in delicious solitude (to me delicious from being satiated with crowds) I have wooed and found the not unwilling Muse, who gave me gifts, which far "Outshone the wealth of Ormus or of Ind!" Ever dist thou soothe and restore my mind to health, when scorched by ambition, or plunged too deeply in reckless pleas ure. Yes! beautiful forest! haunt of retired study and holy contemplation, it was thou who first taught me there were things even in this world more to be coveted than the gifts of fortune or the fascinations of power. I hail thee, therefore, with joy! hail this reminiscence of |