What will you do next, cousin Marmaduke?«
    »What can I do, Richard, but trust to time, and the will of Heaven? Here is
another letter, from Connecticut, but it only repeats the substance of the last.
There is but one consoling reflection to be gathered from the English news,
which is, that my last letter was received by him, before the ship sailed.«
    »This is bad enough indeed! 'duke, bad enough indeed! and away go all my
plans of putting the wings to the house, to the devil. I had made arrangements
for a ride, to introduce you to something of a very important nature. You know
how much you think of mines« -
    »Talk not of mines,« interrupted the Judge; »there is a sacred duty to be
performed, and that without delay. I must devote this day to writing; and thou
must be my assistant, Richard; it will not do to employ Oliver in a matter of
such secrecy and interest.«
    »No, no, 'duke,« cried the Sheriff, squeezing his hand, »I am your man, just
now; we are sisters' children, and blood, after all, is the best cement to make
friendship stick together. Well, well, there is no hurry about the silver mine,
just now; another time will do as well. We shall want Dirky Van, I suppose?«
    Marmaduke assented to this indirect question, and the Sheriff relinquished
all his intentions, on the subject of the ride, and, repairing to the breakfast
parlour, he despatched a messenger to require the immediate presence of Dirck
Van der School.
    The village of Templeton, at that time, supported but two lawyers, one of
whom was introduced to our readers in the bar-room of the Bold Dragoon, and the
other was the gentleman of whom Richard spoke, by the friendly, but familiar
appellation of Dirck or Dirky Van. Great good nature, a very tolerable share of
skill in his profession, and, considering the circumstances, no contemptible
degree of honesty, were the principal ingredients in the character of this man;
who was known to the settlers as Squire Van der School, and sometimes by the
flattering, though anomalous title of the Dutch, or honest lawyer. We would not
wish to mislead our readers in their conceptions of any of our characters, and
we therefore feel it necessary to add, that the adjective, in the preceding
agnomen of Mr. Van der School, was used in direct reference to its substantive.
Our orthodox