"In short, then," said Ned, "we must recur at once to the road! and on the day after to-morrow there will be an excellent opportunity: the old Earl, with the hard name, gives a breakfast, or feast, or some such mummery; I understand people will stay till after night-fall; let us watch our opportunity, we are famously mounted, and some carriage later than the general string may furnish us with all our hearts can desire!"
"Bravo!" cried Tomlinson, shaking Mr. Pepper heartily by the hand, "I give you joy of your ingenuity, and you may trust to me to make our peace afterwards with Lovett; any enterprise that seems to him gallant he is always willing enough to forgive; and as he never practises any other branch of the profession than that of the road,—(for which I confess that I think him foolish,)—he will be more ready to look over our exploits in that line than in any other more subtle but less heroic."
"Well, I leave it to you to propitiate the cove or not, as you please; and now that we
