“Important business obliges me to leave town to-night. I must run down to Darlington and arrest this troublesome fellow. Captain Jack is no longer to be trusted: he is not now an officer of the crown, and, therefore, has no business to trouble himself about what does not concern him.”
“Leave town to-night, colonel!” said Bates, as if surprised.
“Yes, to-night.”
“It is a dangerous journey.”
“Oh, as to that I have no fears,” said the colonel; “no one will ever dare to attack me.”
“But what are we to do in the mean time?” said cunning old Bates. “Are we to give any attention to these two proclamations?”
“No, I think not,” said Blood, “at least not at present; not until I return to town again. You could never discover the girl’s place of concealment.”
“But one of my men says, colonel, that he does already know where she is.”
“Indeed!” said Blood, anxiously. “Know where Ellen Harmer is, eh? then he must be a very clever fellow, for I don’t.”
“Oh, then, colonel,” said Bates, bowing, and with a smile, “if you don’t know anything about this matter, I’m sure I do not.”