"Oh, William! brother, dear brother! is it you? and—the knife?"
She had caught his hand in her terror, and amaze and bewilderment overspread her features.
"Sleep on, Bell, sleep on; you are a good girl, and needn't fear."
He kissed her as he spoke, and, with the fondness of a sister, and the thoughtlessness of a girl, she began to prattle to him; but he bade her be quiet, and, taking the light with him, descended to the lower apartment, adjoining the bar-room, where his father usually slept. To his surprise he was not there, but a gleam through the door led the son to the place where the old man usually served his customers. The picture that met his eye was an amusing one. There, at length upon the floor, the landlord lay. A candle placed beside him, with a wick doubled over and blazing into the tallow, lacked the friendly aid of the snuffers. The old man was too deeply engaged in his vocation to notice this. His head, resting upon one hand, was lifted upon his elbow, and before him were sundry shingles, covered with tallies in red chalk and in white, against his sundry customers. The landlord was busily engaged in drawing from these chronicles, the particular items in the account of Sergeant Hastings, which he transcribed upon a sheet of paper which lay before him. A tumbler of Jamaica, of especial body, stood conveniently close, from which he occasionally drew strong refreshment for his memory. He was too earnest in his labour, to notice the entrance of his son at first; but the other had too little time to spare, to scruple much at disturbing his father at his unusual labour.
"Ah, bless me. Bill—that you? Why, what's the to-do now? What brings you so late?"
"Business, business, father, and plenty of it. But get up, rouse you and bustle about, and get away from these scores, or you won't understand a word I tell you."
The landlord rose immediately, put his shingles aside, picked up the sheet containing the amount in gross charged against Sergeant Hastings, which he sighed deeply to survey, and, in a few moments, was prepared to listen to what his son could say. He heard the narrative with horror and astonishment.
