"But here," said Pepper, when they had almost exhausted their transports at sight of the diamonds,--"here's a purse,--fifty guineas! And what's this? Notes, by Jupiter! We must change them to-morrow before they are stopped. Curse those fellows at the Bank! they are always imitating us, we stop their money, and they don't lose a moment in stopping it too. Three hundred pounds! Captain, what say you to our luck?" Clifford had sat gloomily looking on during the operations of the robbers; he now, assuming a correspondent cheerfulness of manner, made a suitable reply, and after some general conversation the work of division took place. "We are the best arithmeticians in the world," said Augustus, as he pouched his share; "addition, subtraction, division, reduction,--we have them all as pat as 'The Tutor's Assistant;' and, what is better, we make them all applicable to the _Rule of Three_." "You have left out multiplication!" said Clifford, smiling. "Ah! because that works differently. The other rules apply to the specie-s of the kingdom; but as for multiplication, we multiply, I fear, no species but our own!" "Fie, gentlemen!" said MacGrawler, austerely,--for there is a wonderful decorum in your true Scotsmen. "Actions are trifles; nothing can be cleaner than their words!" "Oh, you thrust in your wisdom, do you?" said Ned. "I suppose you want your part of the booty!" "Part!" said the subtilizing Tomlinson. "He has nine times as many parts as we have already. Is he not a critic, and has he not the parts of speech at his fingers' end?" "Nonsense!" said MacGrawler, instinctively holding up his hands, with the fork dropping between the outstretched fingers of the right palm. "Nonsense yourself," cried Ned; "you have a share in what you never took! A pretty fellow, truly! Mind your business, Mr. Scot, and fork nothing but the beefsteaks!" With this Ned turned to the stables, and soon disappeared among the horses; but Clifford, eying the disappointed and eager face of the culinary sage, took ten guineas from his own share, and pushed them towards his quondam tutor. "There!" said he, emphatically. "Nay, nay," grunted MacGrawler; "I don't want the money,--it is my way to scorn such dross!" So saying, he pocketed the coins, and turned, muttering to himself, to the renewal of his festive preparations. Meanwhile a whispered conversation took place between Augustus and the captain, and continued till Ned returned. "And the night's viands smoked along the board!"