Part 18 (1/2)

Little did good Miss Stivergill imagine that she had dug a mine that night under Rosebud Cottage, and that the match which was destined to light it was none other than her innocent _protegee_, little Bones.

Throwing herself into the receptive arms of her mother, two days after the events just described, Tottie poured the delight and amazement of her surcharged spirit into sympathetic ears. Unfortunately her glowing descriptions also reached unsympathetic ears. Mrs Bones had happily recovered her husband, and brought him home, where he lay in his familiar corner, resting from his labours of iniquity. The unsympathetic ears belonged to Mr Abel Bones.

When Tottie, however, in her discursive wandering began to talk of pearls, and rubies, and diamonds, and treasures worth thousands of gold and silver, in a box on the sideboard, the ears became suddenly sympathetic, and Mr Bones raised himself on one elbow.

”Hus.h.!.+ darling,” said Mrs Bones, glancing uneasily at the dark corner.

Mr Bones knew well that if his wife should caution Tottie not to tell him anything about Rosebud Cottage, he would be unable to get a word out of her. He therefore rose suddenly, staggered towards the child, and seized her hand.

”Come, Tot, you and I shall go out for a walk.”

”Oh, Abel, don't. Dear Abel--”

But dear Abel was gone, and his wife, clasping her hands, looked helplessly and hopelessly round the room. Then a gleam of light seemed to come into her eyes. She looked up and went down on her knees.

Meanwhile Abel went into a public-house, and, calling for a pint of beer, bade his child drink, but Tottie declined. He swore with an oath that he'd compel her to drink, but suddenly changed his mind and drank it himself.

”Now, Tot, tell father all about your visit to Miss Stivergill. She's very rich--eh?”

”Oh! awfully,” replied Tottie, who felt an irresistible drawing to her father when he condescended to speak to her in kindly tones.

”Keeps a carriage--eh?”

”No, nor a 'oss--not even a pony,” returned the child.

”An' no man-servant about the house?”

”No--not as I seed.”

”Not even a gardener, now?”

”No, only women--two of 'em, and very nice they was too. One fat and short, the other tall and thin. I liked the fat one best.”

”Ha! blessin's on 'em both,” said Mr Bones, with a bland smile. ”Come now, Tot, tell me all about the cottage--inside first, the rooms and winders, an' specially the box of treasure. Then we'll come to the garden, an' so we'll get out by degrees to the fields and flowers. Go ahead, Tot.”

It need scarcely be said that Abel Bones soon possessed himself of all the information he required, after which he sent Tottie home to her mother, and went his way.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

MISS LILLYCROP GETS A SERIES OF SURPRISES.

What a world this is for plots! And there is no escaping them. If we are not the originators of them, we are the victims--more or less. If we don't originate them designedly we do so accidentally.

We have seen how Abel Bones set himself deliberately to hatch one plot.

Let us now turn to old Fred Blurt, and see how that invalid, with the help of his brother Enoch, unwittingly sowed the seeds of another.

”Dear Enoch,” said Fred one day, turning on his pillow, ”I should have died but for you.”

”And Miss Lillycrop, Fred. Don't be ungrateful. If Miss Lillycrop had not come to my a.s.sistance, it's little I could have done for you.”

”Well, yes, I ought to have mentioned her in the same breath with yourself, Enoch, for she has been kind--very kind and patient. Now, I want to know if that snake has come.”