"In short, then," said Ned, "we must recur at once to the road; and on
the day after to-morrow there will be an excellent opportunity. The old
earl with the hard name gives a breakfast, or feast, or some such
mummery. I understand people will stay till after nightfall; let us
watch our opportunity, we are famously mounted, and some carriage later
than the general string may furnish us with all our hearts can desire!"

"Bravo!" cried Tomlinson, shaking Mr. Pepper heartily by the hand; "I
give you joy of your ingenuity, and you may trust to me to make our peace
afterwards with Lovett. Any enterprise that seems to him gallant he is
always willing enough to forgive; and as he never practises any other
branch of the profession than that of the road (for which I confess that
I think him foolish), he will be more ready to look over our exploits in
that line than in any other more subtle but less heroic."

"Well, I leave it to you to propitiate the cove or not, as you please;
and now that we have settled the main point, let us finish the lush!"

"And," added Augustus, taking a pack of cards from the chimney-piece, "we
can in the mean while have a quiet game at cribbage for shillings."

"Done!" cried Ned, clearing away the dessert.

If the redoubted hearts of Mr. Edward Pepper, and that Ulysses of
robbers, Augustus Tomlinson, beat high as the hours brought on Lord
Mauleverer's fete, their leader was not without anxiety and expectation
for the same event. He was uninvited, it is true, to the gay scene; but
he had heard in public that Miss Brandon, recovered from her late
illness, was certainly to be there; and Clifford, torn with suspense, and
eager once more, even if for the last time, to see the only person who