Part 38 (2/2)

”You have had a fine long sleep,” said Amelius. ”Have you quite got over your walk yesterday?”

”Oh yes,” she answered gaily; ”I only feel my long walk now in my feet.

It hurts me to put my boots on. Can you lend me a pair of slippers?”

”A pair of my slippers? Why, Sally, you would be lost in them! What's the matter with your feet?”

”They're both sore. And I think one of them has got a blister on it.”

”Come in, and let's have a look at it?”

She came limping in, with her feet bare. ”Don't scold me,” she pleaded, ”I couldn't put my stockings on again, without was.h.i.+ng them; and they're not dry yet.”

”I'll get you new stockings and slippers,” said Amelius. ”Which is the foot with the blister?”

”The left foot,” she answered, pointing to it.

CHAPTER 5

”Let me see the blister,” said Amelius.

Sally looked longingly at the fire.

”May I warm my feet first?” she asked; ”they are so cold.”

In those words she innocently deferred the discovery which, if it had been made at the moment, might have altered the whole after-course of events. Amelius only thought now of preventing her from catching cold.

He sent Toff for a pair of the warmest socks that he possessed, and asked if he should put them on for her. She smiled, and shook her head, and put them on for herself.

When they had done laughing at the absurd appearance of the little feet in the large socks, they only drifted farther and farther away from the subject of the blistered foot. Sally remembered the terrible matron, and asked if anything had been heard of her that morning. Being told that Mrs. Payson had written, and that the doors of the inst.i.tution were closed to her, she recovered her spirits, and began to wonder whether the offended authorities would let her have her clothes. Toff offered to go and make the inquiry, later in the day; suggesting the purchase of slippers and stockings, in the mean time, while Sally was having her breakfast. Amelius approved of the suggestion; and Toff set off on his errand, with one of Sally's boots for a pattern.

The morning had, by that time, advanced to ten o'clock.

Amelius stood before the fire talking, while Sally had her breakfast.

Having first explained the reasons which made it impossible that she should live at the cottage in the capacity of his servant, he astonished her by announcing that he meant to undertake the superintendence of her education himself. They were to be master and pupil, while the lessons were in progress; and brother and sister at other times--and they were to see how they got on together, on this plan, without indulging in any needless anxiety about the future. Amelius believed with perfect sincerity that he had hit on the only sensible arrangement, under the circ.u.mstances; and Sally cried joyously, ”Oh, how good you are to me; the happy life has come at last!” At the hour when those words pa.s.sed the daughter's lips, the discovery of the conspiracy burst upon the mother in all its baseness and in all its horror.

The suspicion of her infamous employer, which had induced Mrs. Sowler to attempt to intrude herself into Phoebe's confidence, led her to make a visit of investigation at Jervy's lodgings later in the day. Informed, as Phoebe had been informed, that he was not at home, she called again some hours afterwards. By that time, the landlord had discovered that Jervy's luggage had been secretly conveyed away, and that his tenant had left him, in debt for rent of the two best rooms in the house.

No longer in any doubt of what had happened, Mrs. Sowler employed the remaining hours of the evening in making inquiries after the missing man. Not a trace of him had been discovered up to eight o'clock on the next morning.

Shortly after nine o'clock--that is to say, towards the hour at which Phoebe paid her visit to Amelius--Mrs. Sowler, resolute to know the worst, made her appearance at the apartments occupied by Mrs. Farnaby.

”I wish to speak to you,” she began abruptly, ”about that young man we both know of. Have you seen anything of him lately?”

Mrs. Farnaby, steadily on her guard, deferred answering the question.

”Why do you want to know?” she said.

The reply was instantly ready. ”Because I have reason to believe he has bolted, with your money in his pocket.”

”He has done nothing of the sort,” Mrs. Farnaby rejoined.

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