"There is such a thing as a fortunate accident," Master Lord replied gravely, "and in this struggle against the king we of the colonies who are weak in numbers as compared with the force he can bring against us, must ever be on the alert for some turn in affairs which will work to our advantage. It is true that at present there are so many lobster backs on duty at the Bridewell that you cannot hope to come at your comrade; but who shall say how soon the number of sentinels there may be lessened?" "Have you enough influence among the lovers of the king to succeed in getting inside the Bridewell?" Hiram asked in a placid tone, as if the matter was of but little importance to him, and I fancied Master Lord replied to the question eagerly, as if anxious we should have full faith in him, when if he had been a true man, so it seemed to me, there would have been no question in his mind as to the possibility of our doubting his intentions: "I believe before many days have passed, aye, perhaps by to-morrow, I may be able to drop a hint to the lad that you are here in search of him." "On what pretext could you get inside that portion of the Bridewell where the prisoners who were taken at Breed's hill are confined?" Hiram asked in the same quiet, indifferent tone. "There are many people in Boston, and especially among the Tories, who are curious to see these so-called rebels; some in order to learn if perchance they may have acquaintances among them, and others to jeer at the unfortunates, reminding them how useless it is to struggle against the king's power. I can be of one party or the other; but the time must be ripe before it may be done. In other words, matters must have moved fortunately for me, when there are on guard those of the lobster backs with whom I am acquainted," and Master Lord spoke as if most eager to convince us of his loyalty. "In order to make myself of service to the Cause, it has been necessary to be friendly with these red-coated gentry who rule the town." "Yes, I can well understand that," Hiram replied in a tone of content. "We know you will do for us all that lays in your power, and are ready to take your advice in the matter," Hiram went on as if the work we had set ourselves was of no especial importance, and my heart burned with anger against him because of his seeming indifference. "In turning the matter over, I can see that from the standpoint of one who would do the greatest good to the greatest number, you cannot well afford to have this secret hiding-place of yours discovered, and we are not so selfish as to ask that you do other than seems to you wise. Go as far as you prudently can in our behalf, and then leave us to take our own way."