mended to his client's disinterested charity, the wary solicitor drew in his pecuniary horns.
"Mr. Rugge," said he, " I understand from your words that you cannot place the child Sophy, alias Julia Araminta, in my hands. You ask;^ioo to inform me where she is. Have you a lawful claim on her ."
"Certainly, Sir; she is my property."
"Then it is quite clear that though you may know where she is, you cannot get at her yourself, and cannot, therefore, place her in my hands. Perhaps she is—in heaven!"
- ' Confound her, Sir! no—in America! or on the seas to it."
"Are you sure?"
"I have just come from the steam-packet office, and seen the names in their book. William and Sophy Waife sailed from Liverpool last Thursday week."
"And they formed an engagement with you—received your money; broke the one, absconded with the other. Bad char- acters indeed!"
"Bad! 3^ou may well say that—a set of swindling scoundrels, the whole kit and kin. And the ingratitude!" continued Rugge: "I was more than a father to that child " (he began to whimper): "I had a babe of my own once—died of convulsions in teething. I thought that child would have supplied its place, and I dreamed of the York Theatre; but "—here his voice was lost in the folds of a marvellously dirty red pocket-handkerchief.
Mr. Gotobed having now, however, learned all that he cared to learn, and not being a soft-hearted man (first-rate solicitors rarely are), here pulled out his watch, and said:
"Sir, you have been very ill-treated, I perceive. I must wish you good-day; I have an engagement in the City. I cannot help you back to your;^ioo, but accept this trifle (a;^5 note) for your loss of time in calling " (ringing the bell violently). "Door—show out this gentleman."
That evening Mr. Gotobed wrote at length to Guy Darrell, informing him that, after great pains and prolonged research, he had been so fortunate as to ascertain that the strolling player and little girl whom Mr. Darrell had so benevolently requested him to look up, were very bad characters, and had left the country for the United States, as, happily for England, bad characters were wont to do.
That letter reached Guy Darrell when he was far away, amidst the forlorn pomp of some old Italian city, and Lionel's tale of the little girl not very fresh in his gloomy thoughts. Naturally, he supposed that the hoy had been duped by a pretty face and
