Cruel As The Grave

"Oh, our deliverer!" fervently exclaimed Sybil, as he softly entered the

room and closed the door behind him, holding up his finger in warning to

them to be silent.

"And now sit close for a few minutes, while I tell you what I have done

and am going to do," said Munson, drawing a stool and sitting himself

upon it, before Mr. and Mrs. Berners.

"Go on," muttered Lyon, fervently pressing the hand of his friend.

"Oh, yes, go on, dear Bob!" eagerly whispered Sybil.

"First I put nearly half an ounce of laudanum in old Purley's bitter

beer, which made him think it so uncommon prime and bitter, that he

drank the whole quart."

"Good heaven! Munson, you have killed the man!" said Lyon, in dismay.

"No, I have only doubled the dose I gave him before, which took no

effect on him, so this will only put him to sleep for twelve hours or

so. Lord, listen how he snores! A thunderstorm wouldn't wake him."

"Well?"

"Next, as soon as he was asleep, I went into his room in my

stocking-feet, and closed all the solid wooden shutters, to make him

believe it is still night when he does awake and feel drowsy, as he will

be sure to feel, so that he shall go to sleep again, and sleep until

evening, and that will give you nearly twenty-four hours start of him."

"Right! Quite right," said Mr. Berners.

"Well, well; but go on, dear Bob," impatiently murmured Sybil.

"I locked his door on the outside, and took away the key, to make the

farmer or any of the family, if they should go into his room to see why

he slept so long, think that he had locked himself in. For the rest I

shall stay here and pretend to sleep very late myself. In fact I shall

sleep until they wake me up, and then I shall be very angry, and tell

them they had better not play that game on Mr. Purley, as he would be in

a fury if his rest should be broken. And so I will guard these two rooms

from intrusion, and your escape from being discovered, as long as I

possibly can."

"But when it shall be discovered, my poor fellow, will you not get

yourself into trouble?" inquired Lyon.

"Even if I should, what will my trouble be to this lady's? But at worst

I shall only be cussed by old Purley, and turned out of my place by the

sheriff; and as I'm used to being cussed, and don't like my place, it

don't matter."

"And in any case, you shall be well rewarded, dear Bob. Not that such a

service as you are about to render us can ever be adequately rewarded;

but, as far as--"