Peregrine's Progress

s, turning our backs upon the silent inn of the "Jolly Wag

emotions brought on me a nausea of horror and faintness so that I stumbled more than once, whereupon my companion, tightening his grip, dragged me on, cursing me heartily; so that, contrasting his brut

my own grief in stark wonder and amaze to behold him weeping also, for upon his scarred cheek the moon showed me the gleam of tears, and even as I stared he ru

uired gruffly.

tears also,

ded. "Can't a cove grieve now

're a hi

he whipped a pistol beneath my chin, whereupon I delivered up the articles named as quickly as my consternation would allow. "And now," said he,

o you

my Ch

r wi

oman breathin' could ekal my Chloe for love an' fait

?" I repeated. "P

speed nor wind-my mare as they Bow Street dogs shot an' l

wife and babies weepi

en? A man's apt to say anything to sav

t and we walked for a w

d at last. "Your mother prayin

died three years ago-on her knees-prayin' for me-an' it's like enough s

ou are a-h

ut 'e was took at last, 'ung at Tyburn an' gibbeted on Blackheath. They took me to see 'im in 'is chains, an' bein' only a little lad, I cried all the way back 'ome to my mother a

l, dangerous life,"

ger-'t's so-so-three times shot, six times in jail an' many a rousin' gallop wi' the hue

let your mothe

the Pope, hasn't she saved me from bein' scra

rather that you

can! An' look 'ee, my lad, I'll tell ye what-you leav

very disturbing manner, so that I ventured no further remark and we walked a great w

o' honesty? d'ye know as you're liable to be took by any o' these honest uns-

ated, in agonised disma

as you 'elped me t'night wi' that cursed knot. I'd managed 'em all but one an' that were out o'

o you mean?" I q

tear in the very act o' business. She were an' old lady in a pair-'oss phaeton wi' plenty o' sparklers an' nice white hair: a rosy old creetur, comfortably plump and round-'specially in front. 'O Mr. 'ighwayman!' says she, weepin' doleful

tirred, where trees dripped upon me and wet leaves brushed my face like ghostly fingers, while rain-sodden underbrush and bracken clung about my wearied limbs. Through this clammy dreariness I followed my tir

ill!" he

nner of odds and ends and divers misshapen bundles. Having set down the candle, the highwayman drew a dingy blanket before the cave mouth and turned to scowl at me, eyeing my shrinking person over from dripping hat to sodd

t-with a curse on't. There were only three men in this 'ard world as knew o' this 'ere refuge, an' Ben Purvis was shot three y

indeed you m

ght say the secoor 'aven of a pore soul as the world don't love-if you should ever peach to a nark or speak a word of

or he turned, and from a roughly constructed cupboard took a black bottle and two mugs;

en his grip on my shoulder roused me and, starting up, I saw he had undone one of the bundles and spread the contents before me on the floor, namely: a rough jacket, cord breeches, woollen stock

f in the mud an' your own mother'll

hast and shivering at the recollect

ting himself on the small bar

me away destitute

apacious pocket, he at last drew forth my purse, stared at it, weighed it on his palm and

tattler as would bring me-take it an' be damn

is generous

, but my mother was a saint as went back to heaven, so if you must thank anybody, th

ut reaching the blanket at the cave

g Jerry!" said I, a

tretched hand as though it had been something very rare and curious;

, all at once, he took my hand, gripping it very hard, and held it thus a long moment, loosing it as

weariness and lack of sleep, I came at sunrise upon a barn into which I crept and here, with no better couc