Jonathan Bradford : or, The Murder at the road-side inn. A romance

Front matter

; OR, TRE MURDER AT THE ROAD-SIDE INN. A ROMANCE BX IBB AUTBOB OF " TBS HIBBBW MAIDSB," "IBB WIIB'i lieBBt," &«., *0. LONDON: raretBB ami fubuibid bt b. worn, ialisbubt-mmtabb, >»b soid b» atl boombmbbs MURDEH AT THE EOADSIDE INN. j. Uontatue oj Œ smiling Interest. THE PltOJECTED JOURNEY. — OMENS OF MISF03TUNE, ftc. " Nay my dear husband, I wish you would not laugh at my warning, and call my fears groundless, for there is a terrible presentiment in my mind, that if you persist m No. 1, going this journey you will never return home a'ive. You disregard my warning because it is grounded upon a dream, hut how many times have I heard of dreams being realised, and of persons falling beneath the hand of an assassin when the terrible calamity might have been prevented had the prognostication been attended to.

Do, therefore, oblige me this once, and relieve my mind of its alarm by postponing your journey till to-morrow." «.Thus spoke Mrs. Hayes to her husband, and the earnestness witb which she gave utterance to the entreaty, proved how much reliance she placed in the superstitious seeling that had taken possession of her mind. Mr. Hayes was not altogether unmoved by her words, but throughout his life he had been a man of strict business habits, and as the matter he had in hand was of considerable importance, he felt that he was for Once compelled to make a firm stand against the entreaties of his wife. " My dear Katherine,'' he said after a little deliberation, " you know how willing I am always to yield to your slightest wish, but in this instance I cannot do so without making myself ridiculous in the sight of all my friends.

To-morrow morning I have to complete the purchase ofthe Oakdale estate, and unless I keep the appointment, I shall not only forfeit the monev I have already paid down, bat shall lose the property I so much covet into the bargain. And all through a foolish dream of yours, that you would yourself laugh at if you would only give the matter the slightest consideration." "I have tried to drive it from my thoughts," answered the lady, " but all in vain, for still do I feel as much assured as ever thai if this coarse is persisted in, some heavy affliction will befal us." " Then, for goodness sake, my dear, don't tell your fears to any one, or we shall be the laughing stock of our fellow citizens of Oxford.'' " Their derision would not last long," again sighed the lady, " if my fears should be verified.

Chapter II

A WIFE'S FEARS AND ANXIETIES. — A PAIR OF LOVERS. — BRADFORD'S RETURN HOME' THE TRAVELLERS. No sooner had the shades of evening began to show themselves than Mrs. Bradford X manifested her ar.xiety at the prolonged absence of her husband. Till the present I occasion he had always returned home at an early hour in the afternoon, and now e»ery _ moment seemed an hour to her, for she thought that nothing but a serious accident S could have detained him, and in the restlessness of her alarm she left the house to look 5 for him from the summit of a hill which commanded a long view ofthe road from Oxford. I Still, however, was she doomed to disappointment, for the darkness of night soon came X on, and yet he for whom she was looking presented himself not before her. More < alarmed than ever, she returned to the house ; and then her faithful servant, Sally, X, volunteered to go out tnd listen for the clattering of a horse's footstep, promising to? give the eailiest information of any news that might afford a hope of the anxiously ex- > pected ariival.

In the yard at the rear of the premises Jack Rackbottle was occupied > in cleaning boots, and occasionally keeping up his spirits by singing snatches of various > songs with which he was wont to amuse the visitors of the tap-room in long winte > evenings. < "Ah!" he exclaimed, communing with himself, " its j ust half a year to-day, by the < notches I cat in the horse-trough, since I bad the honour of becoming boots to the X George Inn — tho very best house of entertainment all the way from London, and kept X by Mister Jonathan Bradford, who, I will say, is as honest and warm-hearted a landlord _ as ever poured out a noggin of ale, or d ove cork into a bottle. There's no double- > scoring here; no short measure ; no adulterated liquors ; none of your London ticks upon travellers, but everything lair and above board.

Money's-worth for your money ; is my masters maxim — ay, and mistress's too, for that matter, for I always notice that S when she measures out the gin and brandy at the bar she likes to see the glasses mn X over, just as if she set it sparkling by her own eyes. Then as for the boots ofthe ' establishment, where will they find a fellow that understands his business better than I X do? Why, no where to be sure, for I'm civil and obliging to everybody, and have a > light heart that sets the world and all its troubles at defiance." > Upon this he burst forth with another song, which was, liowev.r, soon interrupted by the aproach of Sally, who was returning from the mission she had undertaken." " Heigho!" she sighed, "i.pon my word Mr. Rackbottle, you seem to be uncommonly merry this evening." " To he sure I am, Sally," he replied ; " and in my opinion its a bad conscience in deed that makes people melancholy without a cause.

Why aint you as merry as I am I You have a nice easy place of it here." " That's very true," answered Sally ; "but it make3 me dull to see poor missess take on so about master's being absent longer than usual. Besides, did'nt I lose my husband scarcely six months ago ? and if that's not enough to fake away one's spirits, I don't know what is." " Ah !" exclaimed Jack, slily, " and the worst of it is that to do the think gentee'ly No. you must remain a widow six months longer before you think of taking another husband." " That's the worst of it," again sighed Sally, " that is — I meant to say " " That it's a great pity, having lost your old Boots, you cannot immediately take up with new Boots — meaning myself.1' "Indeed, Mr. Jack, I meant no such thing," she replied tartly ; " and though my husband was old, and we were not united above three months, I fret about him a great deal more than I'll ever let anybody know.

You shall never know how I think of him in the night, and what dreams and apparitions frighten me almost out of my senses! Would you believe it, it was only last night that I thought he was jealous of me as usual ; and there he was, raging and stamping, and running after me with an old boot in his hand round the room as if he meant to kill me. Ah ! you needn't laugh a me, for I was terribly frightened at the dream, I can tell you." " Well, then," replied Jack, " the sooner you change your dream for a reality the better." "What do you mean by that, sir." " I would only ask you," he replied, " what is a woman by herself? Isn't she a boot without a foot — a brush without a back — a currycomb without a horse — a " You are right enough there Jack," she exclaimed. "I feel that I am a miserable lost woman ; but how can I help myself?"

"Why, think about marrying, to be sure." " To confess the truth, I have thought of it very often," answered Sally, " for there's that little bit of money that my poor dear husband left me — it's mouldering away, as I may say, in my keeping, when it might serve to set up an honest, industrions couple in some snug little business." "To be sure it would," replied the other. "Now, there's the little public-house on t'other side the common to be let, and with an active little body, something of my figure, and a genteel, pretty landlady, something of your figure, the house could hardly fail to do well." " Come, come, Mr. Rackbottle, none of your insinuations I desire, for I never give any encouragement to such foolish notions as you are speaking about. Consider my situation — a widow only six months, and you talking as if it was likely I should so far forget myself as to marry again for a long time to come."

" Why, you ain't offended with me, are you ?" " No, I'm not offended wtih you," she replied, " but it wouldn't be right, you know, to listen to these sort of things without taking you down a bit. However, if, when the children are in bed, you like to come into the kitchin, and advise me for the best, I'll ake it very kind of you, and perhaps " "Will you let me talk about love, Sally?" "That will depend upon circumstances,'! she replied, "for I am very unhappy, though I don't choose, as I said before, to let everybody know it." " Then the best way that I know of, to cure yourself of this melancholly, is to take another husband." I'll think of it, Jack," she replied ; '.' but between ourselves I can't think of marrying till after the first twelvemonth of my widowhood has been completed. The world would call me a good-for-nothing creature if I did, and one must not lose a good character through being in too great a hurry to be married again."

"And what, after all, has the world to do with it ?" asked Jack. " People are not to pine and fret themselves away with melancholy ; and I should advise you to follow your own notions, and not to think of what anybody may say of you." " Well," she replied, " I don't know but you are right, and perhaps upon a little farther consideration I may consult you again upon the subject. But don't speak a word to anybody about it, or I shall forbid you to come into my presence any more." "I'll not give so much as a hint about it," answered Jack ; " but in return, I hope you'll not throw cold water upon my love." "You must be very cautions, then," she replied, "for I wouldn't have master or misses know of it for the world." "Why not?" " Because they'd think it very hard-hearled and cruel to forget my last husband so soon."

" But he was old enough to have been your father." "True." " And was jealous of you without a cause.'' " That's very often the case, when there is such a difference in years between husband and wife. But I believe he loved me, for all that, and the least I can do in return is to treat his memory with respect." " That's right enough," answered the oilier, " and I like you all the better, Sally, for saying so. All I want is, that you will look kindly upon me, and then I promise not to ask you to become Mrs. Rackbottle till the year of widowhood is up." " And all I want," she replied, " is lhat, you will give me time for consideration. Husband's are not to be chosen at a moment's notice; and I should like to see a little more of you before I give any encouragement to your addresses." " Manyn't I ask you a few more questions upon the subject when I see you by and by ?'' " You can ask as many as you like," answered Sally ; " but I may perhaps think pro per to leave you as much in the dark as ever."

" Then I suppose I'm to understand lhat you don't care about me ?" " It will be time enough for you to understand tbat, when I have told you as much, she replied. "If tbe truth must be told, I have not a very bad opinion of you, Mr Rackbottle ; but you must prove yourself worthy of it, or you will never get m y consent I can tellyou." " Ain't I honest and industrious ?" " I believe you are." "What more would you have, then?" " I must be convinced that your temper is a good one." " Well, it ain't for me to sound my own praise," exclaimed Jack Rackbottle ; " but I believe there's not a living soul that can say they e7er saw me in a passion." " Very likely not," answered Sally ; " but people's disposition very often change after they are married, and I am not going to run the risk of making myself unhappy through not taking care in good lime.

So have a little patience, and I dare say by and by everything will be as you wish. But hush, here comes our mistress, and by the look of her she's more uneasy than ever about tfee long absence of her husband." " Well, Sally," exclaimed Mrs. Bradford, " have you seen or heard anything of your master yet ?" "No, ma'am," she replied, "but I have teen up to the top ofthe bill, and though I listened the.e for a long time." " Then, alas! I fear there can no longer be any doubt that some evil hath befallen him," sighed her mistress. ! "What do you think may have happened to him ?" X \ " I have thought of many things," answered Mrs. Bradford ; " but my chief fear is that X X he has been met by a highwayman on his road." / " But I think you said he took very little money with him." i I " The sum was only sufficient to defray the expenses of his journey," answered her ( \ mistsress ; " yet that serves not lo remove my fears, for I know his resolution and daring } \ and wereany ruffian to stop him on his way he would resist and perhaps lose his life in ?

J the conflict." X X " Heaven forbid," exclaimed Sally ; " and yet why should you give way to this S \ alarm when it is to be hoped he will soon return home safe and sound." 5 _ "But he is so much beyond his usual time." i j •' Which I dare ay there is a reason for," replied the other ; "he may have met with gj X a siiend and stayed with him longer than he intended, or a dozen other thing may have , ; happened that he will be able lo explain to yeur satistaction when he conies back." 5 "I know not of any friends that he is likely to have met with, in Oxford," replied the ( -? mistress, "and if he had it is scarcely probable that he would have remained > > with them so late when he knows how the road is sometimes infested with highway- 5 i men." I ; OR, 12 | ".Don't you think it very likely that he has waited for company on his way »°nl« ' "It is scarcely probable," answered Mrs. Bradford, " for few persons are to be found who will run the risk of travelling at so late an hour as this.

I" truth, I have endeavoured to console myself with the hope that my fears are groundless, but the more 1 reflect upon the subject the less reason do I see to believe that he has not met with some serious accident." _ . „ ,„, . , , , ,M „__ " Try to forget it for a little time," exclaimed Sally, " and I'll be bound he 11 soon return home as well as he went out. As for highwaymen, I think there s not much chance of his having met with any of them, for we bave not heard of one being in the neighbourhood for a long time past, and that is perhaps the reason why he has remained out a little longer than usual to-night." "Nay," answered her mistress, "it is kind of you to try and comfort me as you do, but nothing will convince me of his safety, till I have ocular proof of it. " Then you will not be very long without it," exclaimed Sally, "for I hear the i ounl of horses tramping up the hill ; and if I'm not mistaken, master will presently be "'Tis he, I have no doubt," answered Mrs. Bradford, in a tone of pleasure ; "so return to the house, Sally, and make all things ready for his reception."

The faithful domestic instantly obeyed this command, and her mistress remained where she was in anxious expectation of her husband's appearance. Bradford, as we have already seea, went first of all to put up his horse, and having done this be was making his way towards the house, when he encountered his wife, whose alarm for his safety had been so unnecessarily excited. A few words of explanation were all tbat were required j and then taking from his pocket a small packet, he placed it in her hand, saying— " I have played the truant from you longer than usual, my dear Ann, but the contents of that parcel will prove to you that I have not forgotten you during my absence. It is a pair of buckles— not of diamonds it is true, but such as are more fitting the station we occupy in society. Wear them, Ann, for my sake ;— to-morrow is your birthday, and a happy day we'll make of it, come what may."

" Come what may 1" exclaimed his wife, half reprovingly ; " ah, Jonathan, say not so, for a thousand things may happen that we dream not of. In this world, nothing, you know, is certain." " Ah," replied her husband, laughing, " it is thus that all you women look out for the coming storm. 'Tis your nature to do so ; find yet, how much better it is to hope all things for the best." " Forgive me, my dear husband," she replied, " for my thoughts have been sso gloomy, that I have not yet been able to dissipate them. The buckles you have bought me I will wear to-morrow, and with Heaven's good leave it shall be a merry holiday to all beneath our roof." "Why that's well said, wife," exclaimed Jonathan, "for noth'ng ever affords me half so much happiness as when I see you happy and free from care. And now.

Ann, I have news for you; and I have brought guests with me who will remain here to-night." " Indeed, who are they?'' " One, Mr. Dozey, a lawyer ; another, Mr. Redpole, the surveyor of Oxford ; and the third, Mr. Adam Hayes, a wealthy gentleman, who is here to complete the purchase of the Manor House." "Does he intend to reside there?" " He will remove there without delay, I believe," answered her husband, " and we shall then change the present churlish possessor, for a man of whom everybody reports most favourably. That, at any rate, will be an advantage to our neighbourhood, which sadly needs a few spirited gentlemen such as Mr. Hayes." " Has he any family ?" " A wife and daughter," answered Bradford ; " but the former only will accompany him, for the young lady, I understand, is about to be married immediately, and will remain at Oxford."

" How long will Mr. Hayes be our guest?" asked Mrs. Bradford. " Only till about the middle of the day to-morrow," answered her husband ; " for he has only come to complete the purchase of the estate; and as soon as he has paid the remainder of the money he will return home to quiet the fears of his wife, who enter tains a superstitious notion that ke will be murdered for the sake of the money he has brought with him." " Was it not inconsiderate of him to travel with money about him at so late an hour V J ." Why, it would have been'so," answered Bradford, "but he had plenty of company on the road ; and it was therefore hardly likelv that robbers would venture to make an attack upon him. Besides, he took care not to divulge tbe secret of his being in possession of a large sum, so that he would have no reason for suspecting that he would be attacked on the road.' " But when the purpose of his visit here is known, may it not be imagined that he is a piey worth attacking ?" '.' It would be too dangerous an experiment to make," answered Bradford, " for our house is nearly full of people, and an act such asjyou speak of would lead to the imme diate captuie of the evil doer.

Besides, he will have it with him in his own bed chamber, and no one, I should think, would run the risk of being taken in the act of commit ing a robbery. Then to-morrow, at an early hour, the money will be paid away, and he will be at liberty to return home, and soothe the fears of his wife, who, it seems, has been frightened by a foolish dream.' " Have you no faith in dreams, then ?" she asked. " Not the slightest." " And yet," answered his wife, "we have heard of many instances in which dreams have been most strangely realized." " Mere chance, depend on it," exclaimed Bradford; " for what can dreams possibly have in connection with the events of our lives? They are the offspring of superstion and when indulged in, too frequently lead to unhappiness. Such has been the case with Mrs. Hayes, who, in spite of her present notion upon the subject, will by and by confess that she has been deluded by a mere chimera ofthe brain."

"Is her husband as sceptical upon the subject as you are?" " Quite so," answered Bradford, " though I fancied that on our way here he sometimes gave way to the warning he had received previously to his leaving home. However, I believe he got rid of the notion as s on as he found himself near the end of his j ourney, and that he now sees tbe absolute folly of giving way to the impressions that were pro duced by nothing more substantial than a mere dream." " Did you meet no one on the road ?" asked Mrs. Bradford. " Only two men." "Where they strangers?" " 1 believe so ; but it was too dark for me to see who they were, and we passed them without interruption." " "Which might not have been tbe case, observed his wife, " had they suspected that one of your party was in possession of a large sum of money."

" If they were' rogues, we wete too many for them," answered Bradford ; " but I rather think they were a couple of honest travellers, on there way to London." " Then they are coming towards our house?" Most assuredly they are," he replied ; " and I think it quite probable that they will pay us a parting visit." " But not to stay here I hope." " I think it vere likely they may want a night's lodging," replied Bradford ; " and it so, I don't see how we can refuse them, seeing that we have beds to spare, and if would be bard to turn them adrift, since they would not find another house of public accommodation without walking at least half a dozen miles farther. So we must be prepared to receive them, and I dare say they will leave us early in the morn ing- Mr. Hayes and his two friends now made their appearance, and Mrs. Biadford instantly hurried away to make the necessary preparations for the accommodation of her guests.

"Now, landlord," exclaimed the first-named gentleman, " having first seen to the ; OR, 14 comfort of our horses, we will next pay some little consideration to our own. We shall need supper, of course; and after a few glasses of wine, we shall be glad to go to bed, to repose ourselves after our journey." " Everything will be in readiness for you presently," answered the host, " for my directions have been already given, and I may venture to promise that all will turn out to your satisfaction. Luckily, all our best rooms are j ust now disengaged, so that you can have the choice of which ever you please." " Have you seen anything of the two men we passed on the road?" asked Lawyer Dozey. " They have not arrived yet," replied Bradford'; " but I dare say they will presently call in as they pass."

" I only wish I could fancy that they intended to pass," exclaimed Redpole, "for though I have not much about me to lose, I have a queer notion about those two fellows that I cannot get rid of." " Why have you a queer notion," asked Mr. Hayes, "when they offered us no incivility ?" " They don't interrupt us I grant," answered the surveyor ; " but for all that I can't help thinking that they are not the best of characters. I may be mistaken, and yet somehow or other, I didn't like the look of them." "Psha!" exclaimed Mr. Hayes, " why it was too dark to see what they were like." •' So it was, but I can't think what business they could have to be out so late at night." " They might think the same of us.'' "That's all very true," answered Redpole; "but if called upon we could all give a good account of ourselves, which I have a notion is more than they could do."

" Upon my life," observed Mr. Hayes, " I think you arc a little too hard upon those men, who I dare say are every bit as honest as ourselves. They seem to be a couple o travellers who, I suppose, are making their way towards London." "And why," asked the other, " shouldn't we believe them to be a brace of highwaymen ?" "Because they offered us no molistation." " For a very good reason ; — they saw we were too man? for them, and it was ever natural to suppose that we were armed." " Well," said Mr. Hayes, " you are bigotted in your opinion of them, I see, so I shall argue no further upon the subject. All that I hope is that I may not lose my money, and if things go on smoothly, to-morrow night may see me snugly seated at my own fireside." "What time," asked Mr. Dozey, " will you see the lawyer who is to transfer this new property to yeu ?"

"As soon as possible after breakfast," replied the old gentleman, "for I suppose the business will occupy three or sour hoars, and I am anxious io return to Oxford before night sets in. It is true, 1 shall nol then have much money about me, but sometimes that is so much the worse, for under the circumstances travellers are in more danger of being murdered by the disappointed villains who attempt to rob them." " Pray don't talk about being murdered," exclaimed Rodpole, " for it will make me so nervous I shall not be able to get a wink of sleep to-night." " Excuse me, sir," interposed Jonathan Bradford ; " but you may make yourself quite easy, for in my house no danger is likely to happen to you." " It's not for myself that I'm speaking," returned Mr. Rodpole, "but my friend Hayes has a large sum of money in his possession, and I am thinking that if it were known to any body it might prove too great a temptation."

"^Phsa !" retorted the old gentlen.an, "how can it possibly be known?" "It mav very naturally be surmised that you have not come to make a purchase of an estate, without having the necessary sum about you to complete the bargain." " Then don't alarm me when there is no' occasion for it," exclaimed Mr. Hayes. For my own part I have got over the foolish notion that just now possessed me; a nd if I am only left alone, I shall go to sleep as full of confidence as ever I did in my life. " I am glad hear you say so, sir," observed Bradford; " for, in my own mind, I am confident you have nothing to fear. It's some time now since we had any highwaymen in these parts, and I think it's hardly likely we shall ever be troubled with any more, for five or six of them were hung about a year ago, and ever since we have been quite clear of their company."

"And don't you think some of their comrades may return when the affair is a little blown over?" asked Rodpole. " There's no saying how that may be," replied the host ; " but it's no use looking at the worst side of the question ; and, for my own part, I have a notion that this neigh bourhood is too hot for that kind of gentry. The people hereabouts have armed them selves, and we take it by turns to patrol the roads for the protection of each other." "Then you feel quite confident in your own mind that there is no ground for apprehension ?" " I do, sir; and would almost venture to stake my existence that nothing will occur to injure or alarm those who have savoured me with this visit. But supper is now ready, gentlemen ; and if you will follow me I will conduct you into the house." This invitation was a very agreeable one ; and accompanying the host , they entered th snug parlour of the George Inn.