, the Lieutenant formed a Conclusion not very
different from what the Serjeant is just mentioned to have made before, and
immediately ordered the Centinel to be taken Prisoner. So that, by a strange
Reverse of Fortune (tho' not very uncommon in a military Life) the Guard became
the guarded.
 

                                   Chapter XV

                   The Conclusion of the foregoing Adventure.
 
Besides the Suspicion of Sleep, the Lieutenant harboured another, and worse
Doubt, against the poor Centinel, and this was that of Treachery: For as he
believed not one Syllable of the Apparition, so he imagined the whole to be an
Invention, formed only to impose upon him, and that the Fellow had, in Reality,
been bribed by Northerton to let him escape. And this he imagined the rather, as
the Fright appeared to him, the more unnatural in one who had the Character of
as brave and bold a Man as any in the Regiment, having been in several Actions,
having received several Wounds, and, in a Word, having behaved himself always
like a good and valiant Soldier.
    That the Reader, therefore, may not conceive the least ill Opinion of such a
Person, we shall not delay a Moment in rescuing his Character from the
Imputation of this Guilt.
    Mr. Northerton then, as we have before observed, was fully satisfied with
the Glory which he had obtained from this Action. He had, perhaps, seen, or
heard, or guessed, that Envy is apt to attend Fame. Not that I would here
insinuate, that he was heathenishly inclined to believe in, or to worship, the
Goddess Nemesis; for, in fact, I am convinced he never heard of her Name. He
was, besides, of an active Disposition, and had a great Antipathy to those close
Winter Quarters in the Castle of Gloucester, for which a Justice of Peace might
possibly give him a Billet. Nor was he moreover free from some uneasy
Meditations on a certain wooden Edifice, which I forbear to name, in Conformity
to the Opinion of Mankind, who, I think, rather ought to honour than to be
ashamed of this Building, as it is, or at least might be made, of more Benefit
to Society than almost any other public Erection. In a Word, to hint at no more
Reasons for his Conduct, Mr. Northerton was desirous of departing that Evening,
and nothing remained for him but to contrive the Quomodo, which appeared to be a
Matter of some Difficulty.
    Now this young Gentleman, tho' somewhat crooked in his Morals, was perfectly
strait in his Person, which was extremely strong
