"Oh, he's putt away in as nice and plisant a place as a gintleman could wish to have, sor. It's cool, and undherground, and the only way to it is down through a hole in a stone like Father O'Grady's well, and Bart fades him wid food at the ind of a long shtick. He's safe enough now. But sure and the best thing for everyone would be for him to doi by accident through Bart forgetting to take him his mate." "Starve him to death?" cried Humphrey. "Faix, no, not a bit of it, sor. He's a bad one anny way, and if he died like a sparrow in a cage, sure it would be a blessing for all of us." "And the widow Greenheys, Dinny!" "Whisht! be aisy, sor, wid a lady's name." "Dinny," cried Humphrey sternly, "how long are you going to play fast and loose with me!" "`An' is it me ye mane?' Sure I couldn't do it, sor." "Dinny, now is the time to escape, now that Mistress Greenheys is safe from the persecution of that scoundrel." "Oh, whisht, sor! whisht! Sure and I've grown shtrong again, and ye want to timpt me from the ways of vartue." "Nonsense, man! Your plan--the explosion!" "Oh, faix! It was only me fun. I couldn't do such a thing." "Do you want that man to escape or be set free, and lay claim again to that poor little woman?" "Oh, the poor little crathur! no." "Then help me to escape." "Sure and ye're good friends wid the shkipper and don't want to go, sor." "I must and will escape, Dinny, and you shall help me for Mistress Greenheys' sake." "Ah, and it's touching me on me soft place ye are," said Dinny pitifully. "For her sake, I tell you, and you shall be happy with her at home." "Sure an' I haven't got an `at home,'" said Dinny. "Then, as I promised you, I'll make you one. Come, save her from that scoundrel." "Faix, an' he is a blagguard anny way." "Who is?" said a deep voice. "Yerself for wan," said Dinny. "Sure, and Black Mazzard another; and I'm telling the captain here that he needn't grumble and call himself a prishner, for he's rowling in comfort; while as to Black Mazzard, ah, he should see his cell!" Bart scowled and stopped till Dinny had finished and gone, leaving the prisoner alone with his thoughts, which were of liberty. CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. THE PLAN OF ESCAPE. Humphrey Armstrong sat gazing through the opening of his prison at the dark forest vistas and dreamed of England and its verdant fields and gold-cupped meadows. The whole business connected with the Dells came back to him, and with it the figure of the handsome rustic fisher-girl standing as it were vividly before him, and with her his cousin, the cause of all the suffering. "How strange it is," he thought again, "that I should be brought into contact with her brother like this! Poor fellow! more sinned against than sinning; and as for her--" "Poor girl!" There was a slight sound as of someone breathing hard, and the buccaneer stood before him.