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and had undoubtedly given himself up for lost: but he now began to discover that he had done a meritorious and manful action, and for the first time, since he had fired the fatal shot, ventured to speak, "Faith it was lucky that I shot then," said Edward; but neither of his companions answered either good or bad. Alice, though rather grown desperate, behaved and assisted at this bloody affair, better than might have been expected. Edward surveyed the pistols all round, two of which were of curious workmanship. "But what do you think he was going to do with all these?" said Edward. "I think you need not ask that," answered Richard. "Faith it was a mercy that I shot after all," said Edward, for if we had loosed him out, we would have been all dead in a minute. I have given him a devil of a broadside, though. But look ye, Richard, Providence has directed me to the right spot, for I might as readily have lodged the contents of Copenhagen in one of these empty boxes." "It has been a deep laid scheme," said Richard, to murder us, and rob our master's house; there must certainly be more concerned in it than these two."
Ideas beget ideas, often quite different, and then others again in unspeakable gradation, which run through and shift in the mind with as much velocity as the streamers
