"Ha! that looks bad! And what are you going to do?"
"That is what I came here for, to find out—that is exactly what I don't know—can you assist me? Let's hear what you can devise, Bill."
"Look you—this here is my advice, trap him—snare 'im—net him—set another girl in his way—a springe to catch woodcocks—eh Ned? get him to marry another girl—get the lass to forget him!"
"Sage advice that, you muddle-pated idiot—that would be a joke! Wentworth marry another—if he must marry, why the devil not Ellen Ravensworth? Well, you are a greater fool than I took you for, Bill."
Stacy gave an angry grunt when he saw his error.
"No, no! Wentworth must not marry, that's flat!"
"How will you prevent him, De Vere?"
"How prevent him? lots of ways! If the thing depended on such thickheaded fools as you and Bill, you would want your lass, as the Scotch say, and Wentworth would not want his. But, thank heaven, you have a wily customer in me, and if I don't bring matters straight call me a fool—an idiot! Now what do you think of this?" he continued, and for several minutes, in a low voice, whispered some dark plan or scheme. The changing expression of L'Estrange's face from gloom and doubt, till at last, when the Captain ceased, he exclaimed with joy, "Bravo! well done! it is the counsel of a Nestor," showed he at least thought well of it, and augured its success.
"You're a gallows bird—a crafty old fox—a rascally dog, you are," said Bill; "and what, my hearty, if I refuse, what if Bill says his daughter shan't?"
"Then I say I'll twist your neck, you old smuggler, and rid the world of such a scoundrel, and be thanked for doing so! that's what I say; so you had best comply."