"You will hang higher than Haman when the dragoons find you," he gritted out.
"On your information?"
"On mine and Mr. Stair's."
"Ye lie!" shrieked the miser. "I tell't ye to keep hands off, ye bletherin' little deevil, ye!"
"Never mind," said I; "what's done is done. But it must be undone, and that swiftly and thoroughly. Lie out of it to Colonel Tarleton and the others as you will; Captain John Stuart and the baronet are not here to contradict you, and you are the only witnesses. Knock together some story that will hold water and lose no time about it. Do you understand?"
Seeing he was not to be put to the wall and spitted on the spot, the lawyer recovered himself.
"'Tis not the criminal at the bar who dictates terms, Captain Ireton," he said, with his hateful smirk. "You are under sentence of death, and that by a court lawful enough in war time."
"You refuse?" I said.
He shrugged.
"Speaking for myself, I shall leave no stone unturned to bring you to book, Captain,—when it suits my purpose."