Mr. Winkle replied in the affirmative; and perceiving that he had not alarmed his companion sufficiently, changed his ground.

“Snodgrass,” he said, in a voice tremulous with emotion, “if I fall, you will find in a packet which I shall place in your hands a note for my⁠—for my father.”

This attack was a failure also. Mr. Snodgrass was affected, but he undertook the delivery of the note as readily as if he had been a twopenny postman.

“If I fall,” said Mr. Winkle, “or if the doctor falls, you, my dear friend, will be tried as an accessory before the fact. Shall I involve my friend in transportation⁠—possibly for life!”