He then bolted the door, and coming to the table took up one of the candles and read the letter, which he handed to Mr. Hastings.  Now we have already stated that this gentleman, whilst looking on at the destruction of Reilly’s property, never once opened his lips.  Neither did he, from the moment they entered Reilly’s room.  He sat like a dumb man, occasionally helping himself to a glass of wine.  After having perused the note he merely nodded, but said not a word; he seemed to have lost the faculty of speech.  At length Mr. Brown spoke: 

“This is really too bad, my dear Reilly; here is a note signed H.F., which informs me that your residence, concealment, or whatever it is, has been discovered by Sir Robert Whitecraft, and that the military are on their way here to arrest you; you must instantly fly.”

Hastings then got up, and taking Reilly’s hand, said: 

“Yes, Reilly, you must escape—­disguise yourself—­take all shapes—­since you will not leave the country; but there is one fact I wish to impress upon you:  meddle not with—­injure not—­Sir Robert Whitecraft.  Leave him to me.”

“Go out by the back way,” said Mr. Brown, “and fly into the fields, lest they should surround the house and render escape impossible.  God bless you and preserve you from the violence of your enemies!”

It is unnecessary to relate what subsequently occurred.  Mr. Brown’s premises, as he had anticipated, were completely surrounded ere the party in search of Reilly had demanded admittance.  The whole house was searched from top to bottom, but, as usual, without success.  Sir Robert Whitecraft himself was not with them, but the party were all but intoxicated, and, were it not for the calm and unshrinking firmness of Mr. Brown, would have been guilty of a very offensive degree of insolence.

Reilly, in the meantime, did not pass far from the house.  On the contrary, he resolved to watch from a safe place the motions of those who were in pursuit of him.  In order to do this more securely, he mounted into the branches of a magnificent oak tree that stood in the centre of a field adjoining a kind of back lawn that stretched from the walled garden of the parsonage.  The fact is, that the clergyman’s house had two hall-doors—­one in front, and the other in the rear—­and as the rooms commanded a view of the scenery behind the house, which was much finer than that in front, on this account the back hall-door was necessary, as it gave them a free and easy egress to the lawn we have mentioned, from which a magnificent prospect was visible.

It was obvious that the party, though unsuccessful, had been very accurately informed.  Finding, however, that the bird had flown, several of them galloped across the lawn—­it was a cavalry party, having been sent out for speed and passed into the field where the tree grew in which Reilly was concealed.  After a useless search, however, they returned, and pulled up their horses under the oak.