Page 287 (1/2)

It appeared to me that I could do no better than secure hiht take possession when Herbert

returned: whom I expected in two or three days That the secret must

be confided to Herbert as a matter of unavoidable necessity, even if I

could have put the i it with

him out of the question, was plain to me But it was by no means so

plain to Mr Provis (I resolved to call him by that name), who reserved

his consent to Herbert's participation until he should have seen hinoreasy little clasped black Testament out of

his pocket, "we'll have him on his oath"

To state that my terrible patron carried this little black book about

the world solely to swear people on in cases of eency, would be to

state what I never quite established; but this I can say, that I never

knew him put it to any other use The book itself had the appearance of

having been stolen froe

of its antecedents, coave