Tom had not been unprepared for this denouement, and yet when he
saw himself in the habiliments of a highway robber, his heart
throbbed with a painful sense of wonderment at how it had all come
about. Yet the fascination exercised over him by his companion, and
his own love of adventure and excitement, were so strong, that he
did not know whether he dreaded or desired the coming struggle.
"What are we going to do?" he asked in a low voice.
"To take our due that they will not give us," was the stern reply.
"They had their choice, and must abide by their blindness and
obstinacy. I am not going to be treated with contempt; no one who
has ever tried to do so has done it with impunity. Every man has a
right to his own--is it not so, honest Tom?"
"Yes, truly," answered Tom, with a note of indignation in his
voice. "Those who withhold our due must suffer for it."
"They shall suffer in pocket; and if what we shall obtain this
night be more than our due, the fault is theirs, not ours. Tom, you
are to taste a new experience this night--one which is full of joy
to those who have drunk often of the cup. There be times when I say
that I am happiest dressed as tonight, a good horse beneath me, a
bright moon above, and a booty worth having well in view.
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