The secretary put his hand before his eyes to shade them from theglare of the lamp, and for some moments looked at Hugh with a frowning brow, as if he remembered to have seen him lately, butcould not call to mind where, or on what occasion. His uncertaintywas very brief, for before Hugh had spoken a word, he said, as hiscountenance cleared up:
"Ay, ay, I recollect. It"s quite right, John, you needn"t wait.
Don"t go, Dennis."
"Your servant, master," said Hugh, as Grueby disappeared.
"Yours, friend," returned the secretary in his smoothest manner.
"What brings YOU here? We left nothing behind us, I hope?"
Hugh gave a short laugh, and thrusting his hand into his breast,produced one of the handbills, soiled and dirty from lying out ofdoors all night, which he laid upon the secretary"s desk afterflattening it upon his knee, and smoothing out the wrinkles withhis heavy palm.
"Nothing but that, master. It fell into good hands, you see."
"What is this!" said Gashford, turning it over with an air ofperfectly natural surprise. "Where did you get it from, my good fellow; what does it mean? I don"t understand this at all."
A little disconcerted by this reception, Hugh looked from thesecretary to Dennis, who had risen and was standing at the tabletoo, observing the stranger by stealth, and seeming to derive theutmost satisfaction from his manners and appearance. Consideringhimself silently appealed to by this action, Mr Dennis shook hishead thrice, as if to say of Gashford, "No. He don"t know anythingat all about it. I know he don"t. I"ll take my oath he don"t;"
and hiding his profile from Hugh with one long end of his frowzyneckerchief, nodded and chuckled behind this screen in extremeapproval of the secretary"s proceedings.
"It tells the man that finds it, to come here, don"t it?" askedHugh. "I"m no scholar, myself, but I showed it to a friend, and hesaid it did."
"It certainly does," said Gashford, opening his eyes to theirutmost width; "really this is the most remarkable circumstance Ihave ever known. How did you come by this piece of paper, my goodfriend?"
"Muster Gashford," wheezed the hangman under his breath, "agin" all Newgate!"
Whether Hugh heard him, or saw by his manner that he was beingplayed upon, or perceived the secretary"s drift of himself, he camein his blunt way to the point at once.
"Here!" he said, stretching out his hand and taking it back; "nevermind the bill, or what it says, or what it don"t say. You don"tknow anything about it, master,--no more do I,--no more does he,"
glancing at Dennis. "None of us know what it means, or where itcomes from: there"s an end of that. Now I want to make one againstthe Catholics, I"m a No-Popery man, and ready to be sworn in.
That"s what I"ve come here for."
"Put him down on the roll, Muster Gashford," said Dennisapprovingly. "That"s the way to go to work--right to the end atonce, and no palaver."
"What"s the use of shooting wide of the mark, eh, old boy!" criedHugh.
"My sentiments all over!" rejoined the hangman. "This is the sortof chap for my division, Muster Gashford. Down with him, sir. Put him on the roll. I"d stand godfather to him, if he was to bechristened in a bonfire, made of the ruins of the Bank of England."
With these and other expressions of confidence of the likeflattering kind, Mr Dennis gave him a hearty slap on the back,which Hugh was not slow to return.
"No Popery, brother!" cried the hangman.
"No Property, brother!" responded Hugh.
"Popery, Popery," said the secretary with his usual mildness.
"It"s all the same!" cried Dennis. "It"s all right. Down withhim, Muster Gashford. Down with everybody, down with everything!
Hurrah for the Protestant religion! That"s the time of day,Muster Gashford!"
The secretary regarded them both with a very favourable expressionof countenance, while they gave loose to these and otherdemonstrations of their patriotic purpose; and was about to makesome remark aloud, when Dennis, stepping up to him, and shading hismouth with his hand, said, in a hoarse whisper, as he nudged him with his elbow:
"Don"t split upon a constitutional officer"s profession, MusterGashford. There are popular prejudices, you know, and he mightn"tlike it. Wait till he comes to be more intimate with me. He"s afine-built chap, an"t he?"
"A powerful fellow indeed!"
"Did you ever, Muster Gashford," whispered Dennis, with a horriblekind of admiration, such as that with which a cannibal might regardhis intimate friend, when hungry,--"did you ever--and here he drewstill closer to his ear, and fenced his mouth with both his openbands--"see such a throat as his? Do but cast your eye upon it.
There"s a neck for stretching, Muster Gashford!"
The secretary assented to this proposition with the best grace hecould assume--it is difficult to feign a true professional relish: