Part 25 (1/2)

”No,” said Mrs. Sowler shortly; ”I don't.”

”Do you know where to find the child?”

Mrs. Sowler slowly stirred up the remains of her grog. ”I know no more than you do. Any more questions, miss?”

Phoebe's excitement completely blinded her to the evident signs of a change in Mrs. Sowler's temper for the worse. She went on headlong.

”Have you never seen the child since you gave her to the lady?”

Mrs. Sowler set down her gla.s.s, just as she was raising it to her lips.

Jervy paused, thunderstruck, in the act of lighting a second cigar.

_”Her?”_ Mrs. Sowler repeated slowly, her eyes fixed on Phoebe with a lowering expression of suspicion and surprise. ”Her?” She turned to Jervy. ”Did you ask me if the child was a girl or a boy?”

”I never even thought of it,” Jervy replied.

”Did I happen to say it myself, without being asked?”

Jervy deliberately abandoned Phoebe to the implacable old wretch, before whom she had betrayed herself. It was the only likely way of forcing the girl to confess everything. ”No,” he answered; ”you never said it without being asked.”

Mrs. Sowler turned once more to Phoebe. ”How do you know the child was a girl?” she inquired.

Phoebe trembled, and said nothing. She sat with her head down, and her hands, fast clasped together, resting on her lap.

”Might I ask, if you please,” Mrs. Sowler proceeded, with a ferocious a.s.sumption of courtesy, ”how old you are, miss? You're young enough and pretty enough not to mind answering to your age, I'm sure.”

Even Jervy's villainous experience of the world failed to forewarn him of what was coming. Phoebe, it is needless to say, instantly fell into the trap.

”Twenty-four,” she replied, ”next birthday.”

”And the child was put into my hands, sixteen years ago,” said Mrs.

Sowler. ”Take sixteen from twenty-four, and eight remains. I'm more surprised than ever, miss, at your knowing it to be a girl. It couldn't have been your child--could it?”

Phoebe started to her feet, in a state of fury. ”Do you hear that?” she cried, appealing to Jervy. ”How dare you bring me here to be insulted by that drunken wretch?”

Mrs. Sowler rose, on her side. The old savage s.n.a.t.c.hed up her empty gla.s.s--intending to throw it at Phoebe. At the same moment, the ready Jervy caught her by the arm, dragged her out of the room, and shut the door behind them.

There was a bench on the landing outside. He pushed Mrs. Sowler down on the bench with one hand, and took Phoebe's purse out of his pocket with the other. ”Here's a pound,” he said, ”towards the recovery of that debt of yours. Go home quietly, and meet me at the door of this house tomorrow evening, at six.”

Mrs. Sowler, opening her lips to protest, suddenly closed them again, fascinated by the sight of the gold. She clutched the coin, and became friendly and familiar in a moment. ”Help me downstairs, deary,” she said, ”and put me into a cab. I'm afraid of the night air.”

”One word more, before I put you into a cab,” said Jervy. ”What did you really do with the child?”

Mrs. Sowler grinned hideously, and whispered her reply, in the strictest confidence.

”Sold her to Moll Davies, for five-and-sixpence.”

”Who was Moll Davis?”