第43章 WHICH EMBRACES A PERIOD OF SEVEN YEARS.(7)
"Suppose we go and see the old girl？" suggested Mr. Wood. "No harm can come to us now." And his comrade always assenting， they wound their way towards the village， and reached it as the evening came on. In the public-house where they rested， Wood made inquiries concerning the Hayes family； was informed of the death of the old couple， of the establishment of John Hayes and his wife in their place， and of the kind of life that these latter led together. When all these points had been imparted to him， he ruminated much： an expression of sublime triumph and exultation at length lighted up his features. "I think， Tim，" said he at last， "that we can make more than five pieces of that boy.""Oh， in coorse！" said Timothy Macshane， Esquire； who always agreed with his "Meejor.""In coorse， you fool！ and how？ I'll tell you how. This Hayes is well to do in the world， and--""And we'll nab him again--ha， ha！" roared out Macshane. "By my secred honour， Meejor， there never was a gineral like you at a strathyjam！""Peace， you bellowing donkey， and don't wake the child. The man is well to do， his wife rules him， and they have no children. Now， either she will be very glad to have the boy back again， and pay for the finding of him， or else she has said nothing about him， and will pay us for being silent too： or， at any rate， Hayes himself will be ashamed at finding his wife the mother of a child a year older than his marriage， and will pay for the keeping of the brat away.
There's profit， my dear， in any one of the cases， or my name's not Peter Brock."When the Ensign understood this wondrous argument， he would fain have fallen on his knees and worshipped his friend and guide. They began operations， almost immediately， by an attack on Mrs. Hayes.
On hearing， as she did in private interview with the ex-corporal the next morning， that her son was found， she was agitated by both of the passions which Wood attributed to her. She longed to have the boy back， and would give any reasonable sum to see him； but she dreaded exposure， and would pay equally to avoid that. How could she gain the one point and escape the other？
Mrs. Hayes hit upon an expedient which， I am given to understand， is not uncommon nowadays. She suddenly discovered that she had a dear brother， who had been obliged to fly the country in consequence of having joined the Pretender， and had died in France， leaving behind him an only son. This boy her brother had， with his last breath， recommended to her protection， and had confided him to the charge of a brother officer who was now in the country， and would speedily make his appearance； and， to put the story beyond a doubt， Mr. Wood wrote the letter from her brother stating all these particulars， and Ensign Macshane received full instructions how to perform the part of the "brother officer." What consideration Mr. Wood received for his services， we cannot say； only it is well known that Mr. Hayes caused to be committed to gaol a young apprentice in his service， charged with having broken open a cupboard in which Mr. Hayes had forty guineas in gold and silver， and to which none but he and his wife had access.
Having made these arrangements， the Corporal and his little party decamped to a short distance， and Mrs. Catherine was left to prepare her husband for a speedy addition to his family， in the shape of this darling nephew. John Hayes received the news with anything but pleasure. He had never heard of any brother of Catherine's； she had been bred at the workhouse， and nobody ever hinted that she had relatives： but it is easy for a lady of moderate genius to invent circumstances； and with lies， tears， threats， coaxings， oaths， and other blandishments， she compelled him to submit.
Two days afterwards， as Mr. Hayes was working in his shop with his lady seated beside him， the trampling of a horse was heard in his courtyard， and a gentleman， of huge stature， descended from it， and strode into the shop. His figure was wrapped in a large cloak； but Mr. Hayes could not help fancying that he had somewhere seen his face before.
"This， I preshoom，" said the gentleman， "is Misther Hayes， that Ihave come so many miles to see， and this is his amiable lady？ I was the most intimate frind， madam， of your laminted brother， who died in King Lewis's service， and whose last touching letthers Idespatched to you two days ago. I have with me a further precious token of my dear friend， Captain Hall--it is HERE."And so saying， the military gentleman， with one arm， removed his cloak， and stretching forward the other into Hayes's face almost， stretched likewise forward a little boy， grinning and sprawling in the air， and prevented only from falling to the ground by the hold which the Ensign kept of the waistband of his little coat and breeches.
"Isn't he a pretty boy？" said Mrs. Hayes， sidling up to her husband tenderly， and pressing one of Mr. Hayes's hands.
About the lad's beauty it is needless to say what the carpenter thought； but that night， and for many many nights after， the lad stayed at Mr. Hayes's.
第一章ENUMERATES THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MASTER THOMASBILLINGS--INTRODUCES BROCK AS DOCTOR WOOD--AND ANNOUNCES THEEXECUTION OF ENSIGN MACSHANE.
We are obliged， in recording this history， to follow accurately that great authority， the "Calendarium Newgaticum Roagorumque Registerium，" of which every lover of literature， in the present day knows the value； and as that remarkable work totally discards all the unities in its narratives， and reckons the life of its heroes only by their actions， and not by periods of time， we must follow in the wake of this mighty ark--a humble cock-boat. When it pauses， we pause； when it runs ten knots an hour， we run with the same celerity； and as， in order to carry the reader from the penultimate chapter of this work unto the last chapter， we were compelled to make him leap over a gap of seven blank years， ten years more must likewise be granted to us before we are at liberty to resume our history.