A Fatal CrisisEach at the life

"Hands off, if you please! No! I don't think as I will walk aside with
you. You might do me a mischief."

"Bosh! you are armed, and I am unarmed. How can I harm you? Come, and I
will tell you something to your advantage," coaxed Mr. Berners.

Partly urged by curiosity and partly by interest, Farmer Nye reluctantly
consented to follow where Mr. Berners led him. When they had passed out
of hearing of the negroes Mr. Berners stopped, and turned to his host,
and said: "You know who we are?"

"I know you are my new lodgers--that's all I know about you."

"Yet you must have observed something out of the common about our
party?"

"Yes; I took notice as you and your wife must have been dreadful 'fraid
of being robbed and murdered on your journey, when you kept two men to
travel with you, and guard you all day long, and sleep outside of your
doors like watch-dogs all night long. Which me and my darter made it out
between us as you must have lots of money with you to make you so
cautious. And which, if we had known you was going to be so mistrustful
of us, we'd have seen you farther before we'd have took you in."

"And so that is the way in which you accounted for matters and things
that you couldn't understand?"

"To be sure it was; and very natural too."

"Shall I tell him the whole truth?" inquired Lyon Berners of himself. "I
will sound him first," he concluded. Then speaking up, he said: "Well, you cannot blame people for being cautious, after that horrible
murder at Black Hall."