WYLDER'S HAJVD.
437
She saw the glimmer of the gold watch, and, distinctly,
the great black whiskers, and the face pallid in the moon-
light. She was afraid for a minute, during which he loi-
tered there, that he was going to seat himself upon the
cloaks which he had just thrown upon the ground, and
felt that she could not possibly escape detection for many
seconds more. But she was relieved; for, after a short
pause, leaving these still upon the ground, he turned,
and walked slowly, like a policeman on his beat, toward
Brandon.
With a gasp she began to recover herself; but she felt
too faint and ill to get up and commence a retreat towards
Redman's Farm. Besides, she was sure he would return
— she could not tell how soon — and although the clump
of alders hid her from view, she could not tell but that
the next moment would disclose his figure retracing his
leisurely steps, and ready to pursue and overtake, if by a
precipitate movement she had betrayed her presence.
In due time the same figure, passing at the same rate,
did emerge again, and approached just as before, only this
time he was carelessly examining some small but clumsy
steel instrument which glittered occasionally in the light.
From Tamar's description of it, I conclude it was a re-
volver.
He passed the pile of cloaks but a few steps, and again
turned toward Brandon. So soon as he was once more
concealed by the screen of underwood, old Tamar, now
sufficiently recovered, crept hurriedly away in the opposite
direction, half dead with terror, until she had descended
the steps, and was buried once more in friendly darkness.
Old Tamar did not stop at Redman's Farm; she passed it
and the mills, and never stopped till she reached the
Vicarage. In the hall, she felt for a moment quite over-
powered, and sitting in one of the old chairs that did duty