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96 not bear it! Perhaps, at this moment, with the true anxiety of a worthy chief, the Captain is designing something for our welfare!"

"Captain, indeed," muttered Long Ned, darting a wrathful look at Clifford, who had not deigned to pay any attention to Mr. Pepper's threat; "for my part I cannot conceive what was the matter with us, when we chose this green slip of the gallows-tree for our captain of the district. To be sure, he did very well at first, and that robbery of the old Lord was not ill-planned—but lately"

"Nay, nay," quoth Augustus, interrupting the gigantic grumbler, "the nature of man is prone to discontent. Allow that our present design of setting up the gay Lothario, and trying our chances at Bath for an heiress, is owing as much to Lovett's promptitude, as to our invention."

"And what good will come of it?" returned Ned, as he lighted his pipe: "answer me that? Was I not dressed as fine as a lord—and did not I