In such discourse as this, the precious pair beguiled the way to Highgate, from which they proposed crossing to Hampstead. Notwithstanding the liberal potations that they had taken at the Alderman's house; and notwithstanding the brandy that had since been discussed, they neither of them felt any the worse for the imbibition. Probably, the active exercise they took carried off all bad effects. But, certainly, when they reached Highgate, both Todd and Lupin were hungry.
"Let us turn into the Old Gate-House Tavern," said Lupin.
"Don't you think a more obscure place," suggested Todd, "would be better for us, as we do not by any means court popularity?"
"No; there is more safety in a large place like the Gate House, where plenty of guests are coming and going continually, than in a little bit of a public-house where we should be looked at, and scrutinised from top to toe, from the moment we went in to the moment we came out."
"Very good," said Todd. "I think you reason well enough upon the point, and I give in to your better judgment completely. Ah! my good friend, I really don't know what I should have done at all without you."
"Been hanged!" said Lupin.
Todd gave a shudder, which was a tolerably convincing proof of how fully he agreed in what Mr. Lupin said; and then they went into the Old Gate-House Tavern, at Highgate, where they had a very plentiful breakfast; and by getting into a corner of the room, in which they sat, they did not attract any observation beyond the mere casual regards of the visitors to the house.
Before they left though, Todd had the horror of hearing a great confusion of voices in the passage, and in a few moments one of the waiters came into the room, quite bursting with his news.
"Gentlemen," he said, "the notorious Todd, and a man named Lupin, who was a murderer likewise, have escaped from Newgate!"
"Escaped?" said Lupin. "You don't say so?"
"Dear me, when?" said Todd.
"Last night, gentlemen, last night; and—coming—coming!"
The waiter was compelled to leave the room, as a bell rung violently.
"Let us go," said Todd.
"Yes, I think, now that the news has reached here, it will be wise to do so."
"Come along, then."
Todd rose in a moment; but Lupin in a whisper strictly cautioned him not to show any symptoms of hurry or alarm; and he was so far master of himself to see the necessity of such a caution, so that they both got safely out of the Gate-House Tavern, and took the route to Hampstead by Swains Lane, without having anything said to them.
"This is an escape indeed," said Todd.
"Yes," said Lupin, "you may depend that in a very little time there will be some officers at the Gate-House; but if we can get to the wood within the next half hour, I think we are safe enough. What do you think?"
"I think that if our safety depends upon getting into Caen Wood in half-an-hour, we ought to be there in half the time."
"Do you? Then come on for a run."
"Oh, dear," said Todd. "I am all aches and pains, and not at all fit for running; but I suppose I must. Don't go very fast, Mr. Lupin, or I shall never be able to keep up with you."
"Then you go first and run as fast as you can without greatly distressing yourself, and I will adopt my speed to yours."
"That will be better," said Todd.
Off they both set down Swains Lane, and as the first part of that well-known thoroughfare from Highgate to Hampstead goes down hill, they got on speedily with very little exertion; but when the foot of the little slope was reached it was quite another thing, and Todd was fast subsiding into a walk, when Lupin cried to him—
"We are pursued!"
At these words, Todd fell flat in the roadway.
"Up—up!" said Lupin, "there is a turn in the lane just ahead of us, and when we reach that we must get over the hedge and hide. I don't know that they are actually after us, but there are horsemen in the lane coming from Highgate."
Todd got up as far as his hands and knees, and then, as his ears were close to the ground, he said—
"We are lost, for I can hear horsemen coming from the other direction too."
"The deuce you can!"
Mr. Lupin stooped to listen, and in a moment he was assured of the fact. He seized Mr. Todd by the collar, saying—
"Now, Todd, if you want to escape, rouse yourself and follow me; but if you don't care about it, say so at once, and I will look after my own safety."
"Care about it?" cried Todd, "what else do you suppose I care about in all the world?"
"Come on, then."
"Here I am. Oh, yes I'm coming on—as quick as you like now, Lupin. The dread of capture banishes all fatigue. I can now run like a hunted hare."
"There is no occasion," said Lupin. "This way. We must hide now; speed would do us but little good against horsemen.—This way."
Lupin ran on until he got to the turn of the lane, which hid the horsemen from Highgate effectually from their view; and as the mounted party coming from the direction of Hampstead had not got so far as to appear, he thought it was just the place to halt at.
"Now, Todd," he said, "we must get over the hedge here, and our only chance of safety, if these men are really on the look-out for us, is to hide in the meadow."
Without waiting for Todd to make any remark upon the very doubtful means of escape presented, Lupin scrambled through the hedge. Todd then followed him, and the first care of Lupin's was to arrange the twigs that had been displaced in the hedge by their passage through it, so that there should not appear to be any gap at all there.
Immediately upon the other side of the hedge which they had thus crossed there was a ditch, and a large heap of manure. Mr. Lupin, without the slightest ceremony, laid himself down, and pulling a lot of the manure heap over him, he nearly covered himself quite up.
"This is very shocking," said Todd.
"It's quite a luxury compared to a cell in Newgate," replied Lupin. "You had better be quick."
The word Newgate acted upon the imagination of Todd as a very powerful spell, and he at once lay down and began to follow the example of his friend, Lupin; and indeed so very anxious was he while he was about it to hide him............