No matter now, aunt Rachel—you’re wanted Sir—they’re all on the look-out for you now—you’re a goin’ to be tried to-morrow for your life—I come here half an hour ago to tell you so—but I saw one o’ the Shapes here right by the winder....
A what?—
—A Shape—an’ so d’ye see, I cleared out ... and so, and so—the sooner you’re off, the better; they’re a goin’ to swear your life away, now—
His life, murmured Elizabeth.
My life—mine—how do you know this, boy?
How do I know it Sir?—well enough ... they’ve been over and waked Bridgy Pope, and want her to say so too—and she and Abby—they sent me off here to tell you to get away as fast as ever you can, all three of you, if you don’t want to swing for it, afore you know where you be——
Robert Eveleth!—
O, it’s all very true Sir, an’ you may look as black as a thunder-cloud, if you please, but if you don’t get away, and you—and you—every chip of you, afore day-light, you’ll never eat another huckleberry-puddin’ in this world, and you may swear to that, all hands of you, as we say aboard ship....
Robert Eveleth, from what I saw of you the other day——
Can’t help that Sir ... you’ve no time to lose now, either of you; you do as I say now, an’ I’ll hear you preach whenever you like, arter you’re all safe—no, no, you needn’t trouble yourself to take a chair—if you stop to set down, it’s fifty to five an’ a chaw o’ tobacco, ’t you never git up agin ... why! ... there’s Mary Wa’cote and that air Judith Hubbard you see ... (lowering his voice) an’ I don’t know how many more o’ the Shapes out there in the wood waitin’ for you....