There was no opportunity afforded to Sybil, Lyon and their new friend to
speak together in private; and as day followed day and night succeeded
night in this hopeless manner, their spirits fell from despondency even
to despair.
But as it is said to be darkest just before dawn, and that when things
are at their worst they are sure to mend, so it proved in their case.
On the evening of the fourth day of their tedious journey, they stopped
to sup and sleep at a lonely farm-house, where for "a consideration,"
the poor farmer consented, whenever he got the chance, to entertain
travellers.
Here their wagon and horses were comfortably stabled, and themselves
were lodged and feasted.
Here, as usual after supper, Mr. Purley accompanied his charge to her
bedroom, which, to his perplexity, he found to have two doors; the one
opening upon the upper hall, and the other communicating with an
adjoining vacant chamber.
After some consideration, he solved the difficulty of guarding his
prisoner by saying to his assistant: "Well, Munson, all that can be done is this: one of us will have to
sleep across one door, and the other across the other. And as I hav'n't
slept in a room for three nights, I reckon I'll take the vacant room,
and you may take the hall. But mind, don't forget to draw the key out of
the door when you lock it, and put it into your pocket. And mind also,
to be sure to pull your mattress quite up to the door and lay directly
across it, so that if the lock should be picked, no one can pass without
going right over your own body; and, last of all, mind to sleep only
with one eye open, or all the other precautions will be of no use at
all."
"I will be very careful, sir," answered young Bailiff Munson, touching
his hat to his superior officer in military style.
"And now, as your legs are younger than mine, I wish you would run down
stairs and ask the farmer to send me up a mug of that home-brewed bitter
beer he was talking about."
"Yes, sir," answered the young bailiff starting off with alacrity, while
the elder remained on guard at the door of his charge.
In five minutes or less time, Munson returned with a quart measure of
the "home-brewed," which he handed to Purley.
"Souls and bodies! but it is bitter, sure enough! I have heard of bitter
beer, but this beats all for bitterness that ever I tasted! However, the
bitterer the better, I suppose; and this is really refreshing," said
Purley, as he drained the mug, and handed it empty to a negro boy, who
had just brought in and laid down the mattress upon which Munson was to
sleep.