The Second Dandy Chater

to think about it, the more the strong nature of the man rose up, to assist him to confront his difficulties. Essentially cool and calculating, he saw his desperate position, and saw, too, how

t he was not the man he claimed to be-Dandy Chater; in the second place, the young servant who had first admitted him gave him the very

would like to know whether Mr.

he housekeeper," he thought, rapidly. "But who the devil is Mr. Ogledon?" After a moment's p

im, neat, precise old lady, with a certain dignity of manner belonging to her station

t say, Mrs. Dolman, whether Mr. Ogledon will be here to-day or not. By the way, Mrs. Dolman

"Change your room, Master Dandy! Why-I never hear

hange; one gets tired of anything. Just come up

de her; but he waved her forward impatiently, and she went on ahead, and up

wdy, with a chuckle, "I s

rowdy taking careful note of its position. It was a beautifully furnished room, with

ressing-room opening out of it, and your bath-room beyond that-nothing could be more convenient, Master Dandy. If you moved into the Yellow

m for a moment, and shrugged his shoulders. "No-after all, I t

felt that he was advancing rapidly; every fresh pair of eyes which met his, and in which he saw no gleam of suspicion, gave him confidence. His one desire was to do everyth

ed the door so carefully as she had imagined; the so

d the first voice-evidently that of a woman. "I

gressively, Crowdy recognised that of the young man-servant, who had alr

s put out, don't we, Mr.

y, he strode across the room and pulled open the door abruptly. The dist

ck when he reached the head

m rather narrowly-almost frowningly, in f

wondering somewhat at the evidently well-known habits of t

d a cigar with much care, and strolled out, after

ng stick!" he said to himself, as he went down the long d

urned away from the village, and made his way across some fields, and sat down, in the winter sunlight, on the footstone

ere was a pocketbook, with various entries in regard to betting, and to sporting engagements generally. And th

s a little note of anger to be read between the lines. Yet they breathed a very true

which is more than I bargained for, when I stepped into Dandy Chater's shoes. Well, I'll go through these m

nods, and rustic curtesyings and salutations

s day. From its well sanded floors to the black beams which crossed its ceilings, it was a picture of comfort

urned her head to look at him, he had but one glance at her; yet that glance was sufficient to sweep him back through many years, and across ma

nd evidently saw in him merely the idle Dandy Chater she had been in the habit of seeing almost daily for years past. Recognising

n her work. Yet how familiar her voice was in his ears-and how he

ded. "And I wonder," he tho

adding, at the same time-"It's so deadly dull up at the Hall, that I thought I'd look

ment, as she set his glass before him. "Wouldn't yer like to step into the parlour, Master Dand

yes are looking at that dear old grey head of yours, at this moment, I think you'd jump out of your sk

ot up quickly, and came round the bar, and faced him; he saw that there was some ex

n a voice little above a wh

that this was a matter which had been consuming her for some time, and had now boiled up, as it were, and could be held no longe

me, by all means," he s

as step in here, there ain't likely to be no one in this time o' the day, Master

e followed her into the room, inward

dently at a loss how to proceed, for a few moments, and stood nervously beating her fingers o

he love of God-wher

in the darkness and the rain, upon the road outside the village-almost felt again, for an i

hould I know?"

' no mother of 'er own, 'as turned to me-natural-like-these many years. There's been w'ispers 'ere, an' w'ispers there, this ever so long; but it was only t

asked Crow

eny it, sir; I knows the truth w'en I 'ears it-'specially w'en it comes to me wi' tears an

ing about the girl," re

ou're a Chater-and you've got the Chater blood in you, I suppose-because I knowed your blessed father and mother, now in their graves. But there it ends; for you've got some other black heart in you, that never

ith a moan, he made a sudden movement, with outstretched arms, as though he would have taken her within them and comforted her. But when, a moment afterwar

bout?" he asked, slowly

ancing round at the door behind her

ink as 'ow talkin' about it would do anybody any good. But it don't matter now; an' I'd like you to know, Master Dandy, that for all

or the sake of appearances, however, he let a smil

you that you had a brother-an elder brother, Ma

hough only for the sake of appearances again-for he had

f them. It was all done quiet and secret-like; ole Cripps was doctor 'ere then-an' a drunken little rascal 'e was, though sound in 'is work. 'E'd 'ave done anything for money-that man; an' pretty 'eavy 'e must 'ave been paid by your father for it. As for me-the Lord forgive me-I'd a notion o

ecame of the boy

Crowdy, we called 'im. Then I met Siggs-my Toby-an' we 'adn't been married a year, an' I was full of care an' anxiety, over a little one o' my own-w'en

plied Philip. "And you never hea

on the very edge of the bush at that time, an' the poor lad must 'ave got lost in it,

o England?" he asked, in

ost of our money. Besides, I was always longin' for the old place where I was born; an' so at la

ation; she remembered it quickly now, and her tone changed. But it was no longer harsh; the remembrance of her boy, as she

d woman-won't you tell me w'ere I can fi

y the part he had to play, got up

. And please let us hear no more of such idle tales as these. Your

a blackguard; what would she think, if she knew that the boy she lost in the bush was saved, after all; and that he stands here to-day, in his dead b