Page 298 - A Jacobite Exile

again. They looked up carelessly, and Harry said:

"Fine weather for this time of year."

The man replied by a grunt, and then passed on into the landlord's private
room.

"That is the fellow, sure enough, Charlie," Harry said, in a low tone. "I
thought your eyes might have deceived you, but I remember his face well.

Now what is to be done?"

"We won't lose sight of him again," Charlie said. "Though, if we do, we

shall know where to pick up his traces, for he evidently frequents this place.
I should say he has taken to the road. There were a brace of pistols in the

holsters. That is how it is that we have not found him before. Well, at any
rate, there is no use trying to make his acquaintance here. The first question
is, will he stay here for the night or not--and if he does not, which way will

he go?"

"He came from the north," Harry said. "So if he goes, it will be towards
town."

"That is so. Our best plan will be to pay our reckoning and start. We will go
a hundred yards or so down the road, and then lie down behind a hedge, so

as to see if he passes. If he does not leave before nightfall, we will come up
to the house and reconnoitre. If he does not leave by ten, he is here for the
night, and we must make ourselves as snug as we can under a stack. The

nights are getting cold, but we have slept out in a deal colder weather than
this. However, I fancy he will go on. It is early for a man to finish a

journey. If he does, we must follow him, and keep him in sight, if possible."

Two hours later they saw, from their hiding place, Nicholson ride out from

the lane. He turned his horse's head in their direction.

"That is good," Charlie said. "If he is bound for London, we shall be able to
get into his company somehow; but if he had gone up to some quiet place