"Small fear of that," said the Captain, reseating himself on the barrel. "Come here, Ned, sit down, make yourself comfortable first. What will you have? ale--whiskey--or old Tom? all here." "Some whiskey; I am partial to it, I don't know why." "And capital whiskey it is," said the Captain, pouring him out a glass; "trust Bill for good spirits! And now for the tale; cut along, Ned." Having emptied his glass, L'Estrange commenced his narrative, and made, as he said, a clean breast of it. During the recital, to have judged by the looks of the two desperates, you would have fancied they had little or no interest in it, and vastly preferred their pipes and the frequent drams they drank; but it was far otherwise, and thoughtless as they looked they were both drinking in every word, sifting every phrase, and turning over the whole in their minds. It was some time ere L'Estrange finished, and a long time elapsed before another word was spoken. The Captain broke silence and said, as he tossed off another dram-- "So ho! sets the wind that way? I thought as much. You love a pretty girl--and she is pretty too--she loves you. My brother comes in--she likes him better--jilts you, and no wonder; most girls would prefer a coronet, when they can get one, to none. And you want to get her back, that's all. Is that your fine secret? Why, Lord bless me, you might have proclaimed that in the market-place." The Captain laughed bitterly. "No, that's not all, you forget if your brother marries _your_ hopes of a coronet are for ever gone too." "Egad," said the Captain, using his favourite expression, "you are right there, Ned; I never thought of that! True, I'd as lief see Wentworth beneath the sod as married. But what is that to you? if the girl don't like you--if she likes him better--you won't get her back. I know the sex well; let one of them take a thing into their heads and they will move heaven and earth till they get it. If Ellen Ravensworth has taken it into her head to be a countess, she is safe to be so, despite you and me, Ned. But you are sure Wentworth gave her that ring?" "Sure as death." "Ha! that looks bad! And what are you going to do?" "That is what I came here for, to find out--that is exactly what I don't know--can you assist me? Let's hear what you can devise, Bill." "Look you--this here is my advice, trap him--snare 'im--net him--set another girl in his way--a springe to catch woodcocks--eh Ned? get him to marry another girl--get the lass to forget him!" "Sage advice that, you muddle-pated idiot--that would be a joke! Wentworth marry another--if he must marry, why the devil not Ellen Ravensworth? Well, you are a greater fool than I took you for, Bill." Stacy gave an angry grunt when he saw his error. "No, no! Wentworth must not marry, that's flat!" "How will you prevent him, De Vere?"