Without more ado, slipping off the Squire’s raiment, he donned the scarecrow’s, after carefully shaking out the hay, which, from many alternate soakings and bakings in rain and sun, had become quite broken up, and would have been almost dust, were it not for the mildew which damped it.  But sufficient of this wretched old hay remained adhesive to the inside of the breeches and coat-sleeves, to produce the most irritating torment.

The grand moral question now came up, what to do with the purse.  Would it be dishonest under the circumstances to appropriate that purse?  Considering the whole matter, and not forgetting that he had not received from the gentleman deceased the promised reward for his services as courier, Israel concluded that he might justly use the money for his own.  To which opinion surely no charitable judge will demur.  Besides, what should he do with the purse, if not use it for his own?  It would have been insane to have returned it to the relations.  Such mysterious honesty would have but resulted in his arrest as a rebel, or rascal.  As for the Squire’s clothes, handkerchief, and spectacle-case, they must be put out of sight with all dispatch.  So, going to a morass not remote, Israel sunk them deep down, and heaped tufts of the rank sod upon them.  Then returning to the field of corn, sat down under the lee of a rock, about a hundred yards from where the scarecrow had stood, thinking which way he now had best direct his steps.  But his late ramble coming after so long a deprivation of rest, soon produced effects not so easy to be shaken off, as when reposing upon the haycock.  He felt less anxious too, since changing his apparel.  So before he was aware, he fell into deep sleep.

When he awoke, the sun was well up in the sky.  Looking around he saw a farm-laborer with a pitchfork coming at a distance into view, whose steps seemed bent in a direction not far from the spot where he lay.  Immediately it struck our adventurer that this man must be familiar with the scarecrow; perhaps had himself fashioned it.  Should he miss it then, he might make immediate search, and so discover the thief so imprudently loitering upon the very field of his operations.

Waiting until the man momentarily disappeared in a little hollow, Israel ran briskly to the identical spot where the scarecrow had stood, where, standing stiffly erect, pulling the hat well over his face, and thrusting out his arm, pointed steadfastly towards the Squire’s abode, he awaited the event.  Soon the man reappeared in sight, and marching right on, paused not far from Israel, and gave him an one earnest look, as if it were his daily wont to satisfy that all was right with the scarecrow.  No sooner was the man departed to a reasonable distance, than, quitting his post, Israel struck across the fields towards London.  But he had not yet quite quitted the field when it occurred to him to turn round and see if the man was completely out of sight, when, to