mmm 
 
 i tmmnin,^ J 1 J jgaisgggigBgr^iggs^'^wa 

 
 LI B RARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 or ILLINOIS 
 
 8X3 
 
 M.I
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
 f^^ 
 
 r 
 
 f
 
 A BURGLARY: 
 
 OR, 
 
 UNCONSCIOUS INFLUENCE 
 
 BY 
 
 E. A. DILLWYN, 
 
 AUTHOR OF 'THE REBECCA RIOTER' AND 'CHLOE ARGUELLE. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 TINSLEY BROTHERS, 
 
 CATHERINE STREET, STRAND, 
 
 LONDON. 
 
 1883. 
 
 \All rights reserved J\
 
 COLSTON AND SON, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.
 
 V.) 
 
 CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ENTOMOLOGICAL, I 
 
 CHAPTERII. 
 
 INTRUDERS, iS 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A FUNCTION AT CWM-EITHIN, 28 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A PIG HUNT, 39 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 IMOGEN'S IDEAS, 55 
 
 CHAPTERVI. 
 
 AN HEIRESS, 79
 
 iv Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER VI I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A BURGLARY, 93 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 AN ARISTOCRATIC TOADY, ... . I20 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 IMOGEN HEARS OF IT, 1 39 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 AN INSPECTION OF FINGERS, 157 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE SUPERIORITY OF RED INDIANS, . . . I78 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A COTTAGE VISIT, 194 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A FRITILLARY, 219
 
 A BURG LARY; 
 
 OR, 
 
 UNCONSCIOUS- INFLUENCE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ENTOMOLOGICAL. 
 
 T is about half-past nine o'clock 
 on a fine night early in Septem- 
 ber, and the darkness is illumin- 
 ated outside the front door of Mr Rhys's 
 house, Llwyn-yr-Allt, by the flashing lamps 
 of a couple of carriages that are waiting 
 to convey that gentleman and his guests 
 to a ball at the neighbouring town of 
 Cwm-Eithin. 
 
 VOL. L A
 
 2 A Burglary. 
 
 ' Do look at those two little lights glim- 
 mering in the plantation ! ' exclaimed Lady 
 Elise Bolyn, as she issued from the house, 
 cloaked and shawled, and was assisted by 
 her host to enter one of the carriages. 
 ' Whatever are they ? ' 
 
 ' Oh, they're only Ralph and Imogen's 
 dark lanterns,' returned Mr Rhys. ' My 
 boy and girl have got a fit of rabid ento- 
 mology on them, and persecute the poor 
 moths and butterflies by night and day : 
 and that's w^hat takes them out now. 
 They're a regular pair of wild Indians, I 
 often think. Is there room for another in 
 this carriage ? No — not comfortably, I 
 think. Ethel and I and Sir Charles 
 Dover will follow in the next, then.' 
 
 So saying, he proceeded to offer his 
 arm to his niece, the great heiress, Ethel 
 Carton. The carriage doors were shut — 
 the footmen jumped up beside the drivers, 
 and away rolled the ball - goers to their 
 entertainment, leaving Mr Rhys's son and
 
 Entomological. 3 
 
 daughter, aged respectively nearly eighteen 
 and nearly seventeen, to pursue their oc- 
 cupation of encouraging dissipated habits 
 amongst the moths of the neighbourhood 
 by the process denominated 'sugaring.' 
 
 For this purpose, the entomologist sallies 
 forth shortly before dusk, and establishes 
 moth public-houses by smearing trunks of 
 trees with an intoxicating and sticky com- 
 pound of beer, rum, brown sugar, and treacle 
 boiled together. When it gets dark he 
 equips himself with a gauze net and a lan- 
 tern, and visits these ' sugars,' where he 
 probably finds some thirsty moths sucking 
 in the liquor greedily, and a few more 
 lying on the ground below in a state of 
 thorough intoxication. To catch these is, 
 of course, easy, for he has only to pop 
 whichever of them he wants into a pill- 
 box or bottle, with a drop of chloroform. 
 But there are others whose capture will be 
 less inglorious — moths that arrive at the 
 delicious tap at the same moment as the
 
 4 A Biirglary, 
 
 collector, dart shyly off at the approach of 
 his light, and need a quick hand and eye 
 to follow their flight with the lantern, and 
 dash the net over them before they are 
 lost in the surrounding darkness. Whether 
 Sir Wilfrid Lawson and his teetotallers 
 would consider ' sugaring ' as a strictly 
 moral proceeding may perhaps be doubted, 
 but Ralph and Imogen Rhyshad no scruples 
 on that score ; and on the night of the open- 
 ing of this story they were enjoying them- 
 selves thoroughly amongst the * sugars,' 
 whilst their rival moth-hunter, the night- 
 jar, whirred sociably about close to them, 
 and thought none the worse of a moth as 
 a delicate morsel, when it was full of the 
 heady, sweet liquor to be imbibed at these 
 drinking-places. 
 
 The brother and sister had seen the 
 carriages come to the door to convey the 
 ball-goers to their destination, and had 
 suspended their operations to watch the 
 departure of the party. The bushes and
 
 Bntofuolog'ical, 
 
 <b 
 
 grass were dripping from a heavy dew, and 
 to defy the wet the entomologists were 
 dressed in Welsh flannel, corduroys, thick 
 boots, etc., which rough and carelessly put- 
 on costumes were in stronof contrast with 
 the silks, laces, jewels, flowers, and alto- 
 gether elaborate get-up of the gentlemen 
 and ladies starting to the Cwm-Eithin ball. 
 Well aware were the boy and girl of their 
 own untidiness, and much inclined to glory 
 in it, and to look down contemptuously 
 upon a daintiness of attire which was 
 associated in their minds with the restraints 
 of high civilisation and the artificial life 
 of society. Restraints of all kinds they 
 detested, and were of opinion that the 
 greatest happiness to be found upon earth 
 consisted in being at liberty to run wild 
 from morning to night. Both alike were 
 disposed to be fiercely intolerant of fashion 
 and conventionalities ; but though this 
 feeling was stronger and more active in 
 Imogen than in Ralph on the whole, yet in
 
 6 A Burglary, 
 
 her it was at times modified by a mingled 
 sentiment of curiosity about and hankering 
 after the mysterious epoch of her Hfe which 
 lay close before her, called 'coming out.' 
 
 The time when a young lady is first 
 regularly brought into society is naturally 
 an era of great importance to her ; and 
 there is hardly any girl who does not 
 speculate to some extent beforehand as to 
 what she will find on the other side of the 
 boundary, when she shall be emancipated 
 from school-room thraldom, and enter the 
 world inhabited by her elders. Of this 
 world Imogen had, of course,, already seen 
 something. But as yet her insight into it 
 had only been from, as it were, an out- 
 sider's point of view. When older girls. 
 who had crossed the Rubicon, had admitted 
 her into their company, she had suffered 
 from a shy dread of being thought to wish 
 to thrust herself out of her proper sphere, 
 and had never been able wholly to divest 
 herself of the feeling of being with them
 
 Entoniolos'icaL 
 
 i> 
 
 on sufferance only, and to some extent an 
 intruder. But she knew she would regard 
 the matter very differently when she should 
 be * come out,' and entitled to take her 
 place amongst them by right. Her 
 mauvaise Jionte would vanish away of itself 
 as soon as she should be conscious of 
 being no longer a mere ignorant postulant, 
 but a free member of her order, and equal 
 to all others thereunto belonging. 
 
 In some ways, therefore, she certainly 
 looked with satisfaction at the prospect of 
 entering speedily into possession of the 
 full privileges which were her birthright. 
 But then as^ain she would feel a vao^ue 
 fear lest at the same time she might find 
 herself deprived of any part of that inde- 
 pendence which seemed to have pene- 
 trated to the very core of her existence, 
 to have become a necessary part of her, 
 and to be almost dearer to her than any- 
 thing else. She would declare that no 
 chains would ever be to her taste, how-
 
 8 A Burglary. 
 
 ever richly ornamented and softly padded 
 they might be, and that it was better to 
 be free than to be broken into harness of 
 any kind. 
 
 ' Next time a ball's coming off, I sup- 
 pose I shall be going, too,' she said, as she 
 watched the starting of the carriages ; and 
 then she gave a little sigh, and wondered 
 what made her do so. 
 
 * Ah, and precious slow you'll find it, I 
 expect,' returned Ralph. ' Just see if you 
 don't get bored to death In no time amongst 
 all the nobs, and then you'll be ready to 
 give your eyes to be skylarking out here 
 instead ! Do just look at all those swell 
 clothes being bundled into the trap ! Do 
 you think you'll like being got up within 
 an inch of your life, like those poor coves 
 are } Fancy seeing a great big moth that 
 you didn't know fly past, and you not 
 daring to stir after it for fear of rumpling 
 your hair, or spoiling your shoes, or dis- 
 arranging the creases of your dress, or
 
 JEntomo logical. g 
 
 some rot of that kind ! Pah ! I never did 
 see anything so senseless as what women 
 wear of evenings — gowns with nothing 
 over their shoulders, so as to catch their 
 deaths of cold, if possible.' 
 
 * 'Tisn't only at night people wear such 
 silly, good-for-nothing clothes either,' re- 
 plied his sister. ' They're every bit as 
 foolish about their day things, and always 
 will find some reason, that's no reason at 
 all, why anything that's sensible and fit to 
 keep out wet or stand a bramble shouldn't 
 be worn ; either it's not the fashion, or not 
 becoming, or different from what other 
 people wear, or something absurd of that 
 kind that doesn't really matter one pin. 
 There goes Ethel getting in now ; I know 
 her by the opera cloak. Did you see 
 what splendid jewels she had on to-night ? 
 She's got such a lot, and all so handsome 
 that she always cuts out everyone else in 
 that line wherever she goes ; I suppose 
 she will to-night as usual.'
 
 lo A Bttrgiary. 
 
 ' And quite right that she should, too/ 
 observed Ralph. ' What's the fun of being 
 such an heiress as she is, and rolling in 
 riches, if you don't show off your tin a bit 
 sometimes ? She isn't half a bad sort, 
 Ethel isn't, and not more than four or 
 five years older than me either. I 
 declare, if she weren't my cousin, I 
 shouldn't at all mind having a try for 
 her myself by-and-by ; but it don't do 
 to marry one's first cousin unluckily, you 
 see.' 
 
 ' Not half a bad sort, indeed ! ' exclaimed 
 Imogen indignantly, for she had been 
 smitten with a romantic admiration for 
 Ethel Carton, and resented Ralph's tone 
 of cool patronage of her idol. ' Why, 
 she's just the very nicest girl in the world, 
 and you talk as if it would be condescen- 
 sion on your part to so much as look at 
 her ! I do think your impudence beats 
 everything.' 
 
 Ralph chuckled. Knowing his sister's
 
 Entomolocical. 1 1 
 
 (^ 
 
 pencha^it, he had intended to excite her 
 ire, and had succeeded. 
 
 "Thought I'd get a rise out of you 
 there, Im,' he returned. ' Well, there go 
 the carriao^es off" at last. I wonder if the 
 people in 'em are thinking of us at this 
 moment, as we are of them ? ' 
 
 ' The odds are they don't think about 
 us at all,' answered Imogen. * If they did, 
 probably they'd think us '* young bar- 
 barians all at play," in their benighted 
 state of ignorance as to what constitutes 
 true enjoyment. Hie! there goes a big 
 moth ! ' 
 
 Dashing off after the insect at full speed 
 she got another glimpse of it, made a 
 swoop at it with the net, and at the 
 same mioment rolled over into a small 
 open ditch that lay just beneath her feet. 
 Her upset was scarcely to be wondered at, 
 seeing that the whole plantation was a net- 
 work of open ditches, w^hich it was not 
 always easy to avoid even in broad day-
 
 12 A Burglary, 
 
 light. The sudden disappearance of the 
 light she carried informed Ralph of what 
 had happened to her. 
 
 ' There you go, stupid ! ' shouted he, 
 with a feeling of righteous indignation lest 
 the fall should have caused the loss of 
 the moth. ' I thought you knew your 
 geography better than that by this time ! 
 Have you got him ? ' 
 
 * Not quite sure, but I think so,' she 
 answered, struggling up out of the ditch. 
 ' 'Twasn't forgetting my geography that 
 upset me, for I remembered well enough 
 the ditch was there ; only I should inevit- 
 ably have lost him if I'd shirked a cropper 
 just then. Give us a light, now, and let's 
 see if he's in ; ha ! yes — I spot him here 
 in the tip of the net among some old 
 thistle-heads.' 
 
 ' What is he — new, or not ? ' asked 
 Ralph anxiously. 
 
 ' I think so, but can't quite make out,' 
 she replied, after inspecting the capture
 
 Entomological. 1 3 
 
 carefully through the transparent gauze of 
 which the net was formed. ' He's some 
 kind of fine big Noctua at any rate, and 
 we'll keep him.' 
 
 So saying, she proceeded to transfer the 
 insect to a pill-box, with a small dose of 
 chloroform. 
 
 ' Mark ! ' shouted Ralph, leaping up into 
 the air, and striking wildly with his net at 
 a great Geometer flying swiftly past over- 
 head. * Bother ! I've muffed him, and 
 he looked rather a good one, too ! He 
 was making for the scabious-bed, I daresay 
 — let's go there — we haven't been there 
 at all to-night yet.' 
 
 This scabious-bed was a favourite haunt 
 of moths. It was situated in a low-lying, 
 swampy field, and near by bloomed wealth 
 of thistles, honeysuckles, and other sweet- 
 scented flowers beloved of moths, who 
 flitted to and fro in numbers, and stayed 
 their flight now here, now there, to buzz 
 lovingly in the very heart of some plant,
 
 14 A Burglary. 
 
 and sip its honey. But with the advent of 
 Ralph and Imogen the blissful enjoyment 
 of the insects was at an end. Shining 
 lights betrayed their presence ; nets 
 snatched them up ; they were held close 
 to the lanterns and examined critically ; 
 some were set free again, and others kept, 
 according to their respective rarity, and to 
 how many of their kind had already been 
 secured for the collection. The sport went 
 on merrily, for the two young people 
 deemed chasing rapid -winged moths by 
 lantern-light amongst ditches, trees, bushes, 
 and brambles a most exciting and fasci- 
 nating occupation, and recked nothing of 
 what bruises and scratches might ensue as 
 they rushed hither and thither in the soft, 
 odoriferous, delicious air of the summer 
 night. Many moths have a way of flight 
 that is peculiar to themselves, and easily to 
 be recognised by the practised collector, 
 who is thus saved from wasting time in 
 pursuing the commonest ones. But the
 
 Entomological. 1 5 
 
 most experienced entomologist may be 
 deceived at times ; and even Ralph or 
 Imogen were now and again led away into 
 hunting a Plusia Gamma, or some equally 
 common insect, which seemed to have 
 suddenly assumed an entirely new kind of 
 fiight for the express purpose of annoying 
 them. For how provoking it was when a 
 brilliant catch had terminated an exciting 
 chase, to find nothing in the net but some 
 worthless moth ; and how unmercifully was 
 the captor sure to be chaffed for having 
 been thus taken in like a mere tyro ! At 
 last the two hunters thought it time to give 
 up sport for that night, and returned to the 
 house dirty, wet, and a little bit tired, but 
 thoroughly healthy and happy. There the 
 contents of the numerous pill-boxes and 
 bottles were emptied out, and the chloro- 
 form - stupefied insects were inspected. 
 Those thought worth keeping were shut 
 up again with an extra dose of the anaes- 
 thetic to put a painless end to their
 
 1 6 A Btirglary. 
 
 existence, and the others were turned out 
 into the fresh air to recover themselves 
 and fly away at their leisure. 
 
 * I wonder how they feel in the morn- 
 ing,' remarked Ralph, as he put a batch 
 of those not wanted out of window ; 
 ' they must be uncommonly chippy and 
 headachy, I expect, and not in any great 
 hurry to get up. By-the-bye, we've got to 
 make an early start to-morrow morning, if 
 we mean to have a go at those tench and 
 eels at Gwern pond ; it's quite a mile and 
 a-half off, and we ought to be there at 
 daybreak.' 
 
 'Ah! yes,' returned Imogen, yawning. 
 * We must mind not to oversleep ourselves ; 
 we ought to try and wake at about two or 
 three o'clock, and whichever wakes first 
 will have to call the other.' 
 
 ' Well, then, we'd best be off to bed 
 now, or there'll be precious little chance 
 of either of us waking,' replied Ralph. 
 ' I say, just think of those poor fellow-
 
 Entomological. 
 
 17 
 
 creatures of ours shut up in a stuffy, 
 hot room at this moment, in nasty, 
 uncomfortable, dry clothes, and having 
 to do the civil no end. Don't you pity 
 them ? / do.' 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 B
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 INTRUDERS. 
 
 MOGEN woke early next morn- 
 inor with a vao^ue consciousness 
 that there was some special 
 reason for arousing herself instead of 
 settling off to sleep again, as she felt in- 
 clined to do. With a heroic effort she 
 overcame the temptation to give way to 
 sleepiness, and began trying to recollect 
 what it was that had made her want to 
 wake early. The projected fishing expedi- 
 tion soon came to her mind, and she re- 
 membered, too, that Ralph would have to 
 be called. It was pitch dark, so she struck
 
 Intruders, 1 9 
 
 a match and looked at her watch. Only 
 half-past one, and that was still too soon to 
 be moving ; so for another hour she allowed 
 herself to sleep lighdy and fitfully, occasion- 
 ally waking up altogether and looking at 
 the watch. 
 
 Even the most energetic of mortals can- 
 not tear themselves from their couches while 
 still sleepy, without a pang. But when half- 
 past two had arrived, she hardened her 
 heart, jumped out of bed rubbing her eyes 
 vigorously, and emerged into the pass- 
 age without troubling to carry a candle, 
 as she knew every inch of the house too 
 well to need one. Groping her way to 
 Ralph's room, she went in and shook him 
 till he was too thoroughly awake for there 
 to be much danger of a relapse into slum- 
 ber, and then returned to her own room to 
 plunge into a big bath of cold water, and 
 perform her toilette. This was quickly 
 accomplished, and when she issued forth 
 into the passage for the second time, she
 
 20 A Burglary. 
 
 was attired In a strong serge dress and 
 jacket, Welsh flannel petticoat turned up 
 at the bottom with waterproof lining, thick 
 greased boots that had never known black- 
 ing, and leglets, i.e., short leather gaiters 
 reaching from the top of the boot to half- 
 way up the leg. It was a costume that 
 was, no doubt, more serviceable than 
 elegant ; but it was eminently workman- 
 like, and showed clearly that its wearer 
 meant business in the matter of wet, mud, 
 and briars. 
 
 The ball-goers had returned early from 
 Cwm-EIthln, and were already in bed, so the 
 house was perfectly still as she proceeded 
 gently downstairs to join her brother, who 
 had already got out the fishing rods and 
 tackle, and was waiting for her. 
 
 * I say, Im,' whispered he, ' I'm fright- 
 fully hungry ; ain't you ? ' 
 
 ' Yes, pretty well,' she answered in the 
 same tone. * Let's go to the larder and 
 see what's to be had there.'
 
 Intruders, 2 1 
 
 To the larder, therefore, they went, and 
 found disappointment in store for them. 
 They had fully anticipated that the door 
 would be locked and the key taken away, 
 but had never doubted that they would be 
 able to rout it out from wherever it might 
 be hidden, as they had done on sundry 
 occasions previously. 
 
 The cook, however, had been too many 
 for them this time. She strongly objected 
 to their surreptitious visits to the pro- 
 visions, and had endeavoured to baffle 
 them by concealing the larder key in all 
 kinds of unlikely and out-of-the-way places. 
 But as she found that they invariably un- 
 earthed it from the remotest hiding-places 
 she could devise for it in the kitchen, she 
 had at last determined to secure herself 
 from future incursions by taking it to her 
 own room with her. This was a measure 
 which she only adopted unwillingly as a last 
 resort, because, as no power on earth 
 would ever have made her think she could
 
 2 2 A Burglary, 
 
 sleep safely In any house unless her bed- 
 room door were locked or bolted, it fol- 
 lowed that when she kept the larder key 
 in her own possession at night, she was 
 obliged in the morning to leave her com- 
 fortable bed in order to hand it out to the 
 kitchenmald earlier than was at all agree- 
 able to her. But even this hardship she 
 would endure sooner than not preserve her 
 larder inviolate. 
 
 ' Wot bizness has they young limbs got 
 to come a-helping of theirselves to things 
 in my kitching in the middle of the night ? ' 
 grumbled she to the butler. ' But I 'ont 
 put up with it — that I 'ont ! To 'ave a 
 missis come in once a day at a reg'lar 
 hour, as one can prepare and 'ave things 
 straight for, is quite as much as hany 
 cook's temper can be hexpected to stand — 
 and more too, sometimes — and I'm blessed 
 if I bears more hinkisltions than that into 
 my privit haffairs. So there ! ' 
 
 The hungry intruders, however, had no
 
 Int7'uders. 23 
 
 suspicion of this malice on the cook's 
 part, and began ransacking the kitchen 
 in search of the precious key. 
 
 * Have you looked under the mat In 
 the passage ? ' asked Ralph ; ' it's put 
 there sometimes.' 
 
 ' Not there now though,' returned Imo- 
 gen, lifting the mat and shaking it. ^ Try 
 if it's in the drawer of the pepper-grinder 
 — I found it there once. Or perhaps It 
 may be hanging under the round-towel in 
 the scullery — or else stuck upon the ledge 
 under the tap In the sink.' 
 
 But after these and various other pos- 
 sible hiding-places had been explored in 
 vain, the invaders came to the unwelcome 
 conclusion that some new and undiscover- 
 able receptacle for the key had been hit 
 upon. In foraging, however, they had 
 come upon the relics of a peach tart that 
 had been put Into a cupboard and for- 
 gotten, and with this they managed to 
 take the rough edge off their appetites.
 
 24 -^ Burglary. 
 
 As the last crumbs of the tart were being 
 demoHshed, Imogen suddenly remembered 
 that they had not provided bait for the 
 fishing the evening before. 
 
 ' Whatever shall we do about bait ? ' she 
 exclaimed ; ' we ought to have got it ready 
 last night. There isn't half such a good 
 place for getting it down at Gwern as 
 there is here, but Fm afraid it's too dark 
 yet to see to dig worms. Shall we wait a 
 bit till it's lighter, before we start, and get 
 the bait first 1 ' 
 
 ' Oh, bother! No ; I vote we don't do 
 that,' answered Ralph. ' I'm not going to 
 be dawdling about doing nothing after I've 
 had the grind of getting up, I can tell you ! 
 Tell you what ! there's crams of worms in 
 the stables' manure heap, and if we take 
 our mothing lanterns there, I back it we'll 
 be able to get as many as we want in no 
 time.' 
 
 This seemed a good idea. The lan- 
 terns were fetched and lit, and then the
 
 Intruders, 2 5 
 
 brother and sister went into the smoking- 
 room, which was on the ground floor, 
 opened the window, and jumped over the 
 sill and out into the fresh, sweet morning 
 air. 
 
 Outside the window lurked a man to 
 whom their exit at this unexpected hour 
 caused considerable discomposure. When 
 he heard them unbolting the fastenings 
 inside he drew back hastily behind a pro- 
 jecting corner of the house and crouched 
 down, making himself as small as possible, 
 and wondering who they were and what 
 could bring them there at so strange a 
 time. What should he do if they chanced 
 to turn their lanterns so that the light 
 should reveal his presence } Should he 
 try to account for being there ? or should 
 he take flight ? or — the look on his face 
 was not a pleasant one as he contemplated 
 the third alternative that occurred to him, 
 and felt for the butt of a revolver that was 
 in his pocket.
 
 26 A Burglary, 
 
 His alarm was needless. The couple 
 closed the window after them, and walked 
 off happily towards the stables, talking and 
 laughing as they went, and all unsuspicious 
 of danger, though they passed so close to 
 the man that he could have touched them 
 by putting out his hand. 
 
 ' A boy and girl, by Jove ! ' muttered 
 he, staring into the darkness after them 
 with the utmost astonishment ; ' I can tell 
 that by their voices, though I can't see 
 them. What can they be up to ? Their 
 going out is a good job for me any- 
 how, for as they've left the window un- 
 fastened, I sha'n't need to use any tools 
 to get in.' 
 
 Just then Imogen was laughing at some 
 small joke, and as he listened to the 
 joyous, innocent laughter, his face softened, 
 and a half-wistful expression came into 
 it. The sound still rane In his ears after 
 she had gone out of hearing. There was 
 something in her tone that affected him
 
 Intruders. 2 7 
 
 strangely, reminding him of the time when 
 he, too, had been unstained by evil, and 
 making him feel almost ashamed, in spite 
 of himself, of the difference by which he 
 was now removed poles apart from such 
 as Imogen. 
 
 But he despised that feeling as mere 
 sentimental weakness ; and as soon as 
 the coast was clear, he lost no time in 
 lifting up the sash by which she and her 
 brother had issued, climblnor on to the 
 sill, and so by stealth making an entrance 
 into the house. 
 
 MS^f^%L
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A FUNCTION AT CWM-EITHIN. 
 
 HE day on which this story 
 opens had been a glorious one 
 for Cwm-EIthIn, there having 
 taken place a grand Inauguration of 
 something or other which was, for the 
 time, regarded by the townspeople as of 
 first-rate Importance. It was Indispens- 
 able to their well-being, would develop 
 their trade, ensure their lasting prosperity, 
 supply all future needs, put their town on 
 a par with every metropolis In Europe, 
 be a magnificent success, a beautiful object 
 to behold ; the only wonder was how the 
 town had ever managed to get on at all
 
 A Function at Cwm-Eithin, 29 
 
 without It. In a couple of years again It 
 would probably be very differently con- 
 sidered, as by that time those who now 
 upheld it would have got some fresh 
 maggot into their heads, have tired of 
 this present fancy, and become supremely 
 indifferent to it, or perhaps have taken to 
 grumble at it as a mistake, a failure, or an 
 eyesore, which was far from impossible. 
 But just now any suggestion of such 
 a change of opinion would have been 
 scouted as absurd. There was a reo^ular 
 
 o 
 
 epidemic of admiration for, and intense 
 excitement about the all-important sub- 
 ject, an unlimited amount of fuss and 
 expense was bestowed upon it, and the 
 day of its inauguration was made the 
 occasion of extraordinary demonstrations 
 of rejoicing. 
 
 There was an imposing procession, a 
 ceremony, military escorts, bands, a public 
 luncheon, toasts, flags, bell-ringing, firing 
 of guns, singing, illuminations, fireworks.
 
 30 A Burglary, 
 
 and enthusiasm. All classes with any 
 claim to consideration, were represented 
 at the function, — lords, commons, clergy, 
 soldiers, sailors, volunteers, dissenters, 
 railway directors, friendly societies, and 
 tradespeople. Immense efforts had been 
 made to secure the presence of as many 
 notables and school children as possible — 
 the former to make speeches, be gazed at, 
 and regaled upon salmon, chickens, pine 
 apples, champagne, and similar delicacies ; 
 and the latter to swell monster choruses 
 in the open air, and enjoy the magnificent 
 feast of one plum-bun apiece. Some mag- 
 nates of very first-rate importance, indeed, 
 had been induced to attend from a distance, 
 and all local grandees were present as a 
 matter of course. Wealth in every shape 
 and form was conspicuous in all the best 
 places, whilst poverty was graciously per- 
 mitted to stand and stare wherever the 
 police thought It would not be in the way 
 of Its betters ; and might further look
 
 A Fitnction at Cwm-EitJiin. 31 
 
 forward to the high privilege of sharing 
 with them in bearing the burden of addi- 
 tional taxation, which would fall upon all 
 ratepayers as a necessary consequence of 
 the costly decorations and entertainments 
 in which the town thoug^ht fit to indulge. 
 
 When the question of how much money 
 should be spent upon the proceedings had 
 been mooted, one or two individuals had 
 been daring enough to wish to reduce the 
 amount proposed, but had been promptly 
 snubbed into silence. They had been 
 told to remember the enormous advantages 
 that were going to accrue to the town ; 
 they were reminded, too, that there would 
 be large profits to be made out of an influx 
 of visitors consuming quantities of meat, 
 bread, wine, beer, poultry, milk, butter, 
 etc., and were told that what with that, 
 and the high prices at which seats in 
 windows and gardens would be sure to 
 let, whence views of the procession, cere- 
 mony, or fireworks could be had, the towns-
 
 32 A Burglary, 
 
 people would be easily able to recoup 
 themselves for the extra rates they might 
 have to pay. In reply to this, It had been 
 urged that such arguments were not exactly 
 applicable to the case of anyone who did 
 not sell provisions, or whose house hap- 
 pened to be situated In some out-of-the- 
 way back street through which the pro- 
 cession would not pass, and whence no 
 view of anything attractive was to be 
 had. On this the objectors had been told 
 severely that a selfish, mean, grudging 
 spirit was most unbecoming to great oc- 
 casions like the present one ; that It would 
 be ridiculous to allow the wishes of a 
 whole community to be interfered with 
 on account of a few petty Interests ; and 
 that minor considerations must always 
 give way to what was for the good of 
 the majority. And as the final decision 
 of the matter rested with municipal rulers 
 and influential merchants, whose shops 
 and residences lined the route of the pro-
 
 A Function at Cwm-Eithin. 33 
 
 cession, and who were sure of reaping an 
 abundant harvest from visitors to the 
 town, It need hardly be said that the 
 open - handed way of looking at things 
 prevailed, and that public money was 
 lavished in the most liberal manner. 
 
 The day's festivities culminated in a 
 ball, on an unusually large scale, given 
 to the town and its distinguished visitors 
 by the borough member. Sir Cadwallader 
 Gough. It was given in the Town Hall, 
 as being the only building big enough to 
 accom.modate the crowd of guests, who 
 came in shoals — and their best clothes. 
 Everyone was asked who had the slightest 
 pretension to local standing — even though 
 it might be no more than was afforded by 
 the possession of a good-sized shop ; and 
 tradespeople and nobodies had the gratifi- 
 cation of finding themselves, for once in 
 their lives at least, fellow - guests with 
 individuals of exalted rank. A ball to 
 so large and mixed a collection of people 
 VOL. I. c
 
 34 ^ Bu7'glary. 
 
 naturally partook more of the nature of 
 a state function than a dancing assembly. 
 Everyone's chief object was to show them- 
 selves and their smart attire, to stare at 
 everyone else, and to enjoy the supper, 
 which was understood to be going to be 
 * very well done indeed,' and was conse- 
 quently looked forward to as one of the 
 most important features in the evening's 
 proceedings. 
 
 Under these circumstances, terpsicho- 
 rean twisting and twirling became quite a 
 secondary consideration, and there was a far 
 greater number of spectators than of dancers. 
 
 The company occupied itself chiefly In 
 promenading solemnly round the hall, 
 criticising one another's appearance, dis- 
 cussing the events of the day, and dis- 
 playing their wit by ridiculing the speeches 
 that had been made — taking due precau- 
 tions, of course, to ascertain before doing 
 so, that the speakers and their families 
 were safely out of earshot.
 
 A Function at Cwm-Eithin. 35 
 
 Those who considered themselves as 
 the creme de la crhne of the ball found 
 ' quizzing the vulgarians ' a very amusing 
 occupation. Anything in dress, style, or 
 manner that was at all different from 
 what they were accustomed to see, was 
 unhesitatingly condemned as vulgar, ab- 
 surd, and outlandish. Satirical remarks 
 upon the lower orders were received as 
 the height of wit. This was quickly 
 perceived by that acute observer, Mr 
 John Scriven, who had come with the 
 Duke of Clanthistle's party, and there- 
 upon he devoted himself for the rest of 
 the evening to hunting out peculiarities 
 that had, as yet, passed unnoticed, and 
 pointing them out to the fashionables 
 and aristocrats with whom he consorted, 
 pluming himself as greatly on being the 
 first to draw attention to any oddity, as 
 though he had achieved some clever and 
 valuable discovery. 
 
 The objects quizzed, meanwhile, blissfully
 
 36 A Burglary, 
 
 Ignorant of the sport they were affording, 
 gazed to their heart's content on the great 
 people to whose company they had the 
 fehcity of being for once admitted on 
 apparent terms of equahty ; and pointed 
 out to one another any of the swells 
 whom they knew by sight, with a proud 
 consciousness of the extra importance 
 which that knowledge conferred on them 
 in the eyes of their own set. What 
 dignity did it not give to be able to 
 say, — ' Oh ! that young lady with the 
 magnificent jewels is Miss Carton, the 
 great heiress, whose jewellery is so cele- 
 brated, you know ; ' or else, * the tall 
 gentleman with a short chin and grey 
 hair Is the Marquis of Scllly,' etc. 
 
 Thus both upper and lower classes gave 
 mutual satisfaction in one way or other, 
 and proved the truth of Miss Burney's 
 saying In Cecilia, that ' Pleasure given in 
 society, like money lent In usury, returns 
 with Interest to those who dispense It.'
 
 A Function at Cwm-Eithin, 2)7 
 
 And mixing freely amongst all in the 
 throng, moving hither and thither with 
 a smile and pleasant word for everyone, 
 affable, genial, agreeable alike to high and 
 low, were to be seen local M.P.'s and 
 their wives, and whoever had an eye to 
 political interests, present or future, in 
 that part of the world. 
 
 The much-expected supper took place 
 as soon in the evening as could be 
 managed, and proved sufficiently sump- 
 tuous fully to justify the anticipations 
 that had been formed about it. It was 
 a stately and ceremonious banquet to 
 which the long string of guests were 
 marshalled in due order of precedence, 
 as though at a state dinner-party. As 
 soon as it was over, aristocrats and demo- 
 crats alike seemed to feel that there was 
 no particular reason for staying any longer. 
 Carriages rolled up to the doors and de- 
 parted in rapid succession, and the great 
 hall was speedily emptied.
 
 38 A Burglary, 
 
 And thus the Llwyn-yr-Allt party re- 
 turned home much earlier than is usually 
 the case from a country ball ; and this 
 was how it came about that the whole 
 household was already in bed and asleep 
 at between two and three o'clock in the 
 morning, when Ralph and Imogen set 
 off for Gwern pond, and the stranger 
 entered the house by the window they 
 had left unfastened.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A PIG HUNT. 
 
 IGGING for worms by lantern 
 light in the manure heap was 
 a successful operation, and the 
 tin box in which the bait was carried was 
 soon full. Then the brother and sister 
 extinguished their lanterns, deposited 
 them beneath a bush, and set off for 
 Gwern, which was the residence of an 
 unmarried uncle and aunt of theirs, and 
 where there was a pond well stocked 
 with tench and eels. The roads were 
 deserted at that early hour, and the only 
 people they saw were some gipsies moving
 
 40 A Burglary. 
 
 camp, who stared with surprise at meeting 
 a young lady and gentleman striding along 
 in the dim grey dawn, and carrying fishing 
 rods and basket. 
 
 ' Queer lot some of those gentry be ! ' 
 said one gipsy, turning to look after them. 
 ' What should make they, that might sleep 
 in the night, be waking, and they that 
 might ride, be tramping afoot ? ' 
 
 But the surprise which they excited 
 was quite unsuspected by either Ralph 
 or Imogen. They were merely doing 
 the thing they liked ; since it was pleasant 
 to them, it seemed to them natural and 
 reasonable for it to be the same to every 
 one else ; and it never entered their heads to 
 suppose that their tastes were in any way 
 peculiar as judged by those of the majority 
 of the world. 
 
 On reaching the pond, the rods were 
 at once taken out of their cases, and the 
 reels and lines adjusted. Live bait was 
 prohibited as cruel, so the worms were
 
 A Pig Htmt, 4 1 
 
 killed by sprinkling with salt before being 
 stuck on to the hooks and flung into the 
 water, and as soon as this was done, the 
 two fishers settled themselves down at the 
 edge of the pond, and fixed their attention 
 on their respective floats. 
 
 How delightful is it to a sportsman to 
 watch his float when there is a fish about 
 the hook ! First comes an unsteady 
 quivering, just strong enough to send 
 tiny ripples circling away from the cork. 
 Is it an indication of a nibble, or is it 
 merely caused by the wind ? No ; it is 
 certainly a fish, for now one end makes 
 a hasty curtsey into the water that can 
 only have resulted from a tug at the end 
 of the line. Then the float relapses into 
 quietude and remains motionless for per- 
 haps a minute or so. Why doesn't the 
 stupid thing move again ? Wouldn't it 
 be well to pull up the line and see if the 
 fish has sucked off the bait and gone 
 away ? for of course it is mere folly to
 
 42 A Burglary. 
 
 go on fishing with a bare hook. Only 
 then supposing the fish to be still there, 
 a premature pulling-up might frighten 
 him away altogether. Hurrah! he's still 
 on, for there go a couple of unmistakable 
 ripples shooting away from the float. 
 What sort Is he likely to be, and how big ? 
 Two or three very decided dips down- 
 wards come next, and then all of a sudden 
 away rushes the cork at a tremendous 
 rate, bobbing violently as it goes. This 
 tells the fisher that the time has come to 
 strike sharply, and he presently lands in 
 triumph an eel, tench, or fish of some 
 kind or other. But great as his satisfac- 
 tion may then be, it is not quite equal to 
 what he felt whilst looking at the antics 
 of the float, and waiting for the right 
 moment to strike. 
 
 In watching that bit of wood writing 
 on the water what is going on below, 
 there Is a keen, subtle enjoyment of an- 
 ticipation, which disappears as soon as
 
 A Pig Hunt, 43 
 
 the uncertainty Is over, the fish in his 
 power, and he knows all about it. 
 
 Ralph and Imogen had good sport at 
 first, but by-and-by it appeared that the 
 breakfast hour of the fishes was past, for 
 neither tench nor eel gave a sign of 
 further appetite, and matters threatened 
 to become slow. The fishers, however, 
 were not unprepared for this contingency, 
 and had provided themselves with a book 
 a-plece. The author whom they most 
 affected was Captain Mayne Reid, and 
 they were soon perched upon some rails 
 that bordered the pond, and deep in 
 The White Chief and The Scalp Hunters 
 respectively, only raising their eyes from 
 the pages at Intervals to make sure that 
 the floats were still undisturbed. 
 
 At last Ralph put down his book, 
 stretched himself, and remarked, — 
 
 ' I don't fancy cold tart is very feeding ; 
 anyhow I know I feel just as peckish as 
 if I hadn't had anything to eat all the
 
 44 -^ Burglary, 
 
 morning-. What if we make a raid on 
 the garden ? The fish don't seem Hke 
 biting now, and the rods '11 take care of 
 themselves till we come back if we stick 
 'em into the ground.' 
 
 * All right,' replied his sister, jumping 
 off her perch ; * 'tisn't six o'clock yet, so' 
 there'll be no one about. I wonder if 
 we'd best get into the garden by the 
 japonica over the w^all, or shove back the 
 rusty old lock of the further door with a 
 nail as we did last week ? ' 
 
 * Oh, picking the lock will be safest, I 
 think,' returned Ralph ; ' if we were to 
 slip in climbing the japonica and smash 
 some of its precious old boughs, we should 
 get into awful hot water. Come along ; 
 I'm just starved, and I know there's plenty 
 of morella cherries left still' 
 
 The lock of the kitchen-garden door 
 was easily opened from the outside and 
 shot back again from the inside, so that 
 all might appear right on the arrival of
 
 A Pig Hunt. 45 
 
 the gardeners ; and then the famishing 
 couple hurried to the cherry-tree and fell 
 upon the beautiful black berries, glistening 
 temptingly In the early sunlight. 
 
 These proved eminently satisfactory, 
 and It was not long before the well- 
 covered tree was stripped of every cherry 
 within reach, and the earth beneath strewn 
 with an abundance of shlnlnor stones. 
 Then a few supplementary peaches, nec- 
 tarines, and greengages were disposed of; 
 and as by this means the fishers felt their 
 inward cravings somewhat appeased, they 
 scaled the wall with the help of a pear- 
 tree, dropped down on the other side, and 
 began returning towards the pond. 
 
 ' Ah ! ' said Ralph, with a sigh of satis- 
 faction, ' no one knows what the flavour 
 of morellas really is until he's been to the 
 garden like this to breakfast on them — 
 picking them straight off the tree.' 
 
 ' I guess the gardeners '11 be a little 
 puzzled to account for their sudden diminu-
 
 46 A Burglary. 
 
 tlon, though/ observed the girl ; * they'll 
 think the birds were uncommonly hungry 
 for fruit last night. I say, let's go and 
 turn out the pigs and have a jolly good 
 hunt, whilst there's no one about to see 
 us/ 
 
 This seemed to Ralph a capital idea, 
 and they at once turned their steps towards 
 the pig-sty, which was at that time in- 
 habited by two pigs, who had already 
 given them several excellent runs on 
 previous occasions, though unfortunately 
 they could only enjoy this sport by stealth, 
 as it was one of which they felt grave 
 doubts whether the authorities would 
 approve. A pig is a first-rate runner if 
 not too fat, and these two had been 
 effectually prevented from putting on a 
 superfluity of flesh by the attentions paid 
 them during the last few weeks by Ralph 
 and Imogen. Not only were the animals. 
 kept thin by the actual exercise involved 
 in being hunted, but there was also to be
 
 A Pig Hunt. 47 
 
 taken into account the anxiety of antici- 
 pating the chase beforehand and medi- 
 tating upon it afterwards. For if you 
 put yourself into the pigs' place you will 
 see that the mental wear and tear, result- 
 ing from such harassing thoughts, would 
 certainly be enough to interfere with the 
 digestion of the most well-regulated pig 
 that ever grunted, and hinder him from 
 duly concentrating his energies on that 
 faculty for getting fat, which distinguishes 
 him from the rest of creation. 
 
 No sooner was the door of the sty 
 opened than its inmates, recognising the 
 voices of their persecutors and knowing 
 what was in store, rushed out with many 
 expostulating grunts and squeaks, charged 
 at full speed down a hilly field, forced 
 themselves through a wire fence at the 
 lower end, and got in a small lawn beyond. 
 Here there was a check in the pursuit, 
 for as Imogen took a flying leap over the 
 wires, she caught her foot in the top one
 
 48 A Burglary, 
 
 and rolled over like a shot rabbit. Ralph 
 stopped to laugh at her tumble, and this 
 gave the pigs time to cross the lawn and 
 a hedge on the other side, enter a little 
 plantation, and ensconce themselves pant- 
 ing in some bushes. Consequently when 
 the hunters went on again and jumped 
 over the hedge, they could see nothing 
 of their game, and were at fault. 
 
 ' Where in the world can the brutes 
 have got to ? * exclaimed Ralph, after 
 searching for a few minutes in vain. * I'm 
 positive they didn't go further than this 
 plantation, for I've been keeping my eye 
 on the other side whilst I ran, and should 
 have seen if they'd gone on that way. 
 What a cracking pace they went ! They 
 must be rather blown, I expect, wherever 
 they are.' 
 
 * They've stowed themselves away pretty 
 snugly, at all events,' said Imogen ; ' we 
 must beat the bushes regularly and see if 
 that'll rout them out'
 
 A Pig Hunt. 49 
 
 Thump, thump, whack, whack, went the 
 sticks upon every tree and thick place in 
 the copse ; but it was to no purpose. 
 Piggies lay close, and their pursuers 
 emerged from the plantation looking 
 blankly at each other. 
 
 ' Well, they're bound to be in here 
 somewhere,' cried Imogen, 'for they cer- 
 tainly can't have vanished into thin air ! 
 But what's become of them, passes me to 
 find out.' 
 
 * Let's try through again more care- 
 fully,' suggested Ralph. ' We only beat 
 the tops of the bushes that time. Sup- 
 pose we see what's to be done by poking 
 our sticks right into every hole and 
 corner.' 
 
 This mode of drawing the cover was 
 successful. When the clump in which 
 the pigs lay had merely been shaken and 
 struck with a great deal of noise that did 
 them no harm, they had been too cunning 
 to move. But when a random thrust 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 A Burglary. 
 
 through the leaves probbed them sharply 
 in the ribs, they thought it high time to 
 make an effort to save that bacon which 
 there seemed at present but a very remote 
 chance of their ever becoming. Uttering 
 vigorous and indignant protests, they 
 quitted the plantation, again took to the 
 open, and rushed helter-skelter up and 
 down a field. 
 
 Next to this field lay a small flower- 
 garden, enclosed by a trim, well-made 
 hedge. Being very closely pressed, they 
 presently charged the hedge wildly, broke 
 a gap in it, careered over the flower-beds 
 beyond, to the destruction of many a 
 cherished geranium and other plant, 
 forced a way out at the opposite side, 
 and burst into the carriage drive leading 
 to the house. 
 
 Here the fun came to a premature con- 
 clusion, for, as the hunters came dashing 
 after them, they found themselves sud- 
 denly face to face with the bailiff on his
 
 A Pig Hunt. 5 1 
 
 way to the farm, who stood In amazement 
 at the unexpected apparition. 
 
 Nothing was further from the wishes of 
 Ralph and his sister than that their pig- 
 hunting exploits should be discovered and 
 reported to their uncle and aunt. For the 
 first moment, therefore, they were con- 
 siderably taken aback at thus meeting the 
 bailiff with appearances so much against 
 them, but promptly recovered their self- 
 possession, and were quite equal to the 
 emergency. 
 
 * Oh, good-morning, Jones,' said Ralph, 
 with the utmost aplomb. ' You'd better 
 see to getting those pigs back to their 
 proper place. They were in the upper 
 flower-garden just now, so we've been 
 driving them out' 
 
 Which statement, though strictly true, 
 was not calculated to give the hearer an 
 altogether accurate impression of what 
 had been taking place. 
 
 'In th' upper flower-garden, sir!' re- 
 
 Of 
 
 l/8f?>,r- "'"'^^ 
 
 Iffy
 
 52 A Burgla7y. 
 
 peated Jones, In extreme surprise. ' Why, 
 how the dickens was they get there, I 
 wonder ? I'll take my oath as they was 
 safe In the sty last thing last night, with 
 the door fast upon 'em. And the fence 
 round the garden is as sound as can be, 
 without no gap In It not nowhere — at 
 least there wasn't none yesterday, what- 
 ever ! ' 
 
 ' Well, there's a pretty big one there 
 now, at all events,' answered Ralph. 
 * However, as you've come, you can see 
 the pigs out of mischief, and there's no 
 need for us to trouble about them any 
 longer.' 
 
 So saying he and his sister left the road 
 and returned to the pond, congratulating 
 themselves on the fortunate accident of 
 the creatures having broken Into the 
 garden, and thus furnished them with an 
 excellent and truthful excuse for the un- 
 lawful occupation at which they had been 
 caught.
 
 A Pig Hunt, 53 
 
 Jones meanwhile went on his way 
 scratching his head, and not a little 
 mystified. He was not really as con- 
 fident as he pretended to be that the 
 pig-sty door had been properly fastened 
 overnight, for he had an uneasy con- 
 sciousness of having neglected to go and 
 see to it, as he ought to have done. 
 Yet, even if their escape from the sty 
 might possibly be explained in this way, 
 he was still utterly at a loss to imagine 
 what attraction they could have seen or 
 smelt in a garden full of nothing but 
 flowers to induce them to make a gap 
 through a stiff fence in order to get into 
 it. Past experience of pig nature gave 
 him no clue to solving the problem. But 
 some slight knowledge of former pranks 
 played by Ralph and Imogen made him 
 generally inclined to suspect that, if any- 
 thing went wrong when they were in the 
 neighbourhood, it was by no means un- 
 likely for them to have had some hand
 
 54 
 
 A Bu7^glary. 
 
 in the mischief; and the poor man was 
 beginning, too, to have a hazy kind of 
 idea that, somehow or other, the Gwern 
 pigs never did seem able to get fat in 
 hohday time !
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 IMOGEN S IDEAS. 
 
 S^^§ H E interlude of fruit breakfast 
 and pig-hunt, which had served 
 to reheve the monotony of fish- 
 ing, had taken some time ; and on re- 
 turning to the pond, it was found that 
 Ralph's bait had been carried off without 
 catching anything, and Imogen's hook had 
 been swallowed by a fine eel, which had 
 subsequently twisted itself into an almost 
 inextricable knot with the line. Disen- 
 tangling the creature was a difficult and 
 slimy operation ; but it was at last accom- 
 plished successfully, and then the two hooks
 
 56 A Burglary, 
 
 were re-balted, and again cast Into the 
 water, while the fishers settled themselves 
 comfortably on the rails as before. 
 
 Imogen's energetic nature was a some- 
 what curious compound of ardent love of 
 running wild, with genuine desire to do 
 right, and vague aspirations after some- 
 thing more elevated than the merely 
 savao^e existence which she found so de- 
 lightful. Some accidental circumstance 
 now happened to set these aspirations stir- 
 ring within her, and she felt a sudden 
 longing to get her brother to sympathise 
 with her. But It was by no means easy 
 to her to express the Inner self that she 
 was conscious of and wanted to make him 
 understand ; for she was Intensely shy of 
 giving vent to any sentiment that sounded 
 at all high-flown, and If ever she did want 
 to utter anything noble, chivalrous, ro- 
 mantic, beautiful, or exalted, was apt to 
 conceal it In slangy and common-place 
 language. Many was the time that she
 
 l7nogens Ideas, 57 
 
 had thus, when really in her best moods, 
 laid herself open to the charge of vulgarity 
 from those who could detect nothing of 
 the beautiful thought that was underlying 
 the coarse outer wrapping of speech that 
 she had used. For it is not everyone 
 whose perceptions are keen enough to dis- 
 cover a nugget of precious metal when it is 
 enveloped in a coating of mud ; and, there- 
 fore, people should beware lest they set up 
 as diggers for gold, either physical or moral, 
 without having the requisite qualities to fit 
 them for that office. 
 
 'This sort of life's awfully jolly,' re- 
 marked Imogen, by way of leading up to 
 what she wanted to say ; ' but I suppose it 
 wouldn't do to have it go on always.' 
 
 * I don't see why not,' replied Ralph, a 
 little astonished at her remark. ' How- 
 ever, it can't — worse luck ! for as soon as 
 the holidays come to an end, I shall have 
 to go on grinding at my work again. I 
 haven't the gift you have of escaping
 
 58 A Burglary, 
 
 lessons, and being let to be as lazy as you 
 please. Let's see. How many governesses 
 was it you managed to turn out of the 
 house in the last six months before the 
 article was finally discontinued as hopeless ? 
 Were there four or five that went in that 
 time?' 
 
 ' Oh ! I'm positive there weren't more 
 than four, at any rate,' she answered 
 quickly ; ' but you needn't say it was all 
 my doing. Two of them gave notice of 
 themselves, so their departure was no work 
 of mine, you see.' 
 
 Ralph laughed. 
 
 ' But if you made their lives so unbear- 
 able in one way or other that they posi- 
 tively declined to stay, that comes to much 
 the same thing, doesn't it ? ' said he. 
 * There was old Mrs Brown, for instance. 
 You couldn't suppose she would consent to 
 stay at a place where her false brown front 
 was occasionally found to have been dipped 
 in the ink, and her rouge-pot had a trick
 
 Imogens Ideas, 59 
 
 of disappearing mysteriously, to say nothing 
 of the strange frequency with which dust 
 accumulated In the wards of her keys and 
 choked them up/ 
 
 ' Nasty, painted bewigged old thing ! ' 
 returned Imogen. 'What did she go and 
 get herself up like that for, I should like 
 to know ? Much good anyone would get 
 from associating with such an old sham. 
 I'm sure it was no loss when she took her 
 departure.' 
 
 ' Well, then, there was Mademoiselle 
 Peyron,' continued Ralph ; * she used rather 
 to amuse me with her readiness to make 
 eyes at any male creature whatever, and 
 get up a flirtation with him. Why, she 
 wasn't above keeping In her hand even on 
 me when there was no one better to be had. 
 / shouldn't have minded her in the house 
 for a bit, but you were too much for her, 
 as usual ; and you know she vowed she 
 wouldn't stay with a pupil who never 
 walked with her, sat with her, except
 
 6o A Btirglary. 
 
 during lessons, or did anything whatever 
 to amuse her. The situation was too triste 
 to be endured.' 
 
 ' Mademoiselle Peyron, indeed ! ' cried 
 Imogen, scornfully. 'It wasn't likely that 
 I'd spend more time than I could help 
 with a woman like her, who was more cut 
 out for a ladles' maid than a governess. She 
 hadn't an atom of pluck, was always col- 
 lapsing and being abiinee or desoUe about 
 something or other, and could never talk of 
 any subjects but making love and dresses. 
 Such a pig as she was too ! You wouldn't 
 believe the state she'd let her things get 
 into before she'd think It necessary to 
 change them or have them washed. There 
 wasn't any possible pleasure or profit 
 either to be got out of her society.' 
 
 ' Somehow or other that seemed to be 
 the conclusion you arrived at In regard to 
 all your governesses,' said Ralph, 'so at 
 last papa had to give it up as a bad job, 
 and determined not to inflict any more of
 
 Imogen s Ideas. 6 1 
 
 them on you — or not to inflict you on any 
 more of them would perhaps be the pro- 
 perest way of putting it. And the con- 
 sequence is that now you can be just as 
 idle as you please. You really have been 
 uncommonly leary about shirking w^ork, 
 Im, and I only wash I could learn the 
 dodge of it from you.' 
 
 The charge of laziness was not very 
 pleasant to the high - spirited, energetic 
 girl, w^ho felt that she did not really 
 deserve it. 
 
 ' I never tried to shirk work at all ! ' she 
 exclaimed ; ' it was quite accidental that 
 the governesses didn't happen to stay — 
 they w^ere such a wretched lot that I'm 
 sure 710 07ie could have got on with them. 
 And it's not fair to call me idle when I'm 
 doing just as much work by myself as 
 ever I did in the schoolroom. I'm trans- 
 lating Silvio Pellico, and trying to learn 
 Italian, because I want to read Dante, 
 and I'm writing a r^sumd of Menzel's
 
 62 A Burglary, 
 
 Geschichte der Deutschen, and doing lots of 
 other things as well. So there ! But to 
 go back to what I was going to say when 
 I started : It is awfully jolly, and no mis- 
 take, to live as we do now ; but yet, I can 
 understand that it may be as well not to be 
 able to keep on doing it always. You see 
 mothing, and fishing, and larking, can't do 
 any real good in the world — " it don't get 
 no forrarder " for them, as the farmer in 
 Punch remarked, a propos of drinking 
 claret. When one feels what a stunning 
 lot of go there is in one, it seems as if 
 there's bound to be something to sop it 
 all in somewhere or other. And if every 
 chap's got some sort of work cut out for 
 him to do, I calculate we must have it 
 too. I wonder what ours is ? ' 
 
 ' You needn't bother your head about 
 the matter though, at any rate,' answered 
 Ralph, with an air of more superiority 
 than his twelve months of seniority en- 
 titled him to assume, in her opinion. ' A
 
 Imogen s Ideas. 63 
 
 man's got to do something, of course ; so 
 he goes into the army or navy, or some 
 other profession. But a woman can't 
 have any profession except to marry, 
 and it's absurd of her to go taking up 
 some particular line when she doesn't 
 know what her husband '11 be like, or what 
 sort of position she'll have to fill. Didn't 
 I see in some book the other day — '' Felix 
 Holt" I think it was — that "a woman's 
 lot is made for her by the love she ac- 
 cepts " ? That's about what my idea of 
 the matter is.' 
 
 This was a sentiment to which Imopren 
 objected strongly — as Ralph very well 
 knew. The popular idea that it was the 
 natural destiny of all women to get mar- 
 ried if possible, seemed to her to be an 
 insult to her sex, and she was always 
 ready to oppose it fiercely whenever it 
 was brought forward in her presence. To 
 marry without being in love was a thing 
 which, she felt vaguely convinced, must
 
 64 ^ Bwgla7y. 
 
 be wicked ; and falling in love she re- 
 garded in the light of a piece of folly — ■ 
 a thing not exactly wrong, but a sort 
 of contemptible weakness of which, she 
 was convinced, she would herself never 
 be guilty. Probably the Shaker colony 
 described by Mr W. D. Howells in The 
 Undiscovered Country, would have cor- 
 responded pretty well to her ideal of 
 the proper mutual relations between the 
 male and female sex — a relationship to 
 be characterised by absolute equality and 
 independence. 
 
 ' That's just so much stuff and non- 
 sense,' she replied, positively. * Lots of 
 women never marry at all, and I've quite 
 made up my mind that / won't, for one. 
 I'm sure there's no one in the world that 
 I should stand having to live with all 
 my life long — unless,' she added, as a 
 sudden thought struck her — ' unless it 
 were you, Ralph, perhaps. You see I'm 
 pretty well used to you by now, so per-
 
 Ljiogens Ideas. &$ 
 
 haps I might not disHke keeping house 
 for you by way of an occupation. What 
 should you think of that plan ? ' 
 
 ' What gracious condescension ! ' said 
 her brother, laughing. ' I'm sure I feel 
 immensely flattered, old lady. But then, 
 what if I were to get a wife some fine 
 day? It's a thing fellows have a trick 
 of doing, you know ; and whenever that 
 happened, " I dinna ken how ye'd agree, 
 lassie," as the gentleman in Htmtmgtower 
 observes, when there is a question of 
 introducing a second wife into the house, 
 where there's one established already.' 
 
 Imogen's proposal had been made in 
 perfect seriousness and good faith, and 
 she was a litde bit netded at Ralph's 
 indifference to the distinction conferred 
 upon him. 
 
 'Well — I'm sure /don't want it \i you 
 don't,' she replied, tossing her head. * If 
 I were to try, it would be just as likely 
 as not that I should find you too great 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 66 A Burglary, 
 
 a plague to put up with after all — and 
 I wouldn't be too positive about the wife 
 either, if I were you ! No one'll have 
 you, perhaps. But this isn't the point 
 I'm driving at. What I'm wondering is, 
 what we've got to do with our lives to 
 make 'em '' something real, something 
 earnest," as some fellow says — how we're 
 to go ahead so as to be of real use in 
 the world, and make some solid difference 
 to it ? ' 
 
 'Why not let things slide, and see 
 what'll turn up ? ' returned Ralph. ' That's 
 what I guess people in general and girls 
 In particular had best do. Only I suppose 
 that's not sensational enough to satisfy a 
 soaring ambition like yours. I see clear 
 enough that you're hankering to cut a 
 tremendous dash, and become a public 
 character, and get well talked about.' 
 
 * How provoking you are ! ' exclaimed 
 Imogen ; ' I don't want anything of the 
 kind, and shouldn't care if no one were
 
 Imogens Ideas, 67 
 
 ever to hear a word about me. All I want 
 is just what I say, to be of some real use 
 in the world. It's my belief that every 
 man-jack of us is meant to do that, and 
 that the coves who don't, are failures.' 
 
 ' Take my word for it you'll be a failure 
 if you don't marry,' returned her brother 
 sagely. ' However, if you really want me 
 to suggest something marked and desperate 
 for you to do, I'll endeavour to assist you. 
 Let me see — what is there ? What do 
 you say to cooking ? You'll be none the 
 worse for that whoever you may chance to 
 marry. Even if a man is too great a swell 
 to require a wife who can cook his dinner 
 for him herself, yet he'll probably approve 
 of her having some practical knowledge of 
 the art to bring to bear upon the cook.' 
 
 His sister had caught readily at the 
 suggestion, and not attended to the last 
 part of his speech. 
 
 • Cooking ! ' she repeated, thoughtfully. 
 * Yes — I'm not sure that's not a good idea.
 
 68 A Burglary. 
 
 If some of the poor women about here 
 knew a lot about it, I daresay that would 
 help them to save money and make their 
 homes very comfortable. I don't know 
 any poor people, it's true ; but still I might 
 start a cookery class, and — ' 
 
 ' Oh, but that's not at all what I'm 
 recommending,' interrupted Ralph, who 
 enjoyed teasing her a bit at times ; ' I said 
 — learn yourself for the benefit of your 
 future husband ; I never said a word about 
 classes for cottagers. Of course, though, 
 a woman who could feed her husband upon 
 soitffldeSy creams, bouchdes, and all that 
 sort of muck would be no end of a treasure 
 for a farm labourer — we mustn't lose sight 
 of that fact on any account ! ' 
 
 ' Oh, Ralph, you see I'm not chaffing,' 
 cried Imogen; 'please do talk seriously 
 for once, like a good fellow. I do want — ' 
 
 Here she hesitated. There was in her 
 nature a frank, fearless, speak-truth-and- 
 shame-the-devil sort of feeling which im-
 
 Imogens Ideas. 69 
 
 pelled her not to be ashamed of saying out 
 the real thought that was in her, be it 
 what it might ; but this feeHng was now 
 held in check by her great aversion to say 
 anything that could be regarded as fine or 
 ' goody ' in any way. After pausing for a 
 moment, however, honesty carried the day, 
 and she went on speaking — flushing and 
 hurrying as though saying something very 
 dreadful. 
 
 ' You see I was confirmed this year, and 
 somehow I don't think one can go on just 
 the same after that as one did before ; and 
 I do want to keep straight, and be on the 
 square, and do what's got to be done. I 
 don't think so always, I know, but I do so 
 sometimes. There's a couple of lines by a 
 chap called Arnold, saying — 
 
 " Tasks in hours of insight willed, 
 May be through hours of gloom fulfilled." 
 
 And I expect he's about right there. If 
 one were to fix up what one's got to do
 
 70 A Burglary. 
 
 some time when one's in a pretty tidy 
 humour, I daresay one would find it easier 
 to stick to the thing afterwards when one's 
 in a bad humour, and not feehng good a 
 bit. If one was to be always staring up 
 at something miles overhead, I suppose 
 almost any one might turn out tolerably 
 creditable at last. I say — do you think 
 you see what I mean, old boy ? ' 
 
 It had been a great effort to her to get 
 over her shyness enough to say so much 
 as this, and her voice shook a little with 
 nervousness as she ended. There was, 
 too, a wistful, half-pleading tone in it 
 which told her eagerness to have in her 
 occasional cravings after higher things the 
 same companionship which she required in 
 her lower amusements. As she worked 
 herself up In this appeal for Ralph's 
 sympathy, she fancied her need of It to 
 be greater than it really was, and pictured 
 to herself how nice It would be If he 
 would agree with her, and how helpful
 
 Imogens Ideas. 71 
 
 too — for, of course, it would be ever so 
 much easier to be good if some one else 
 were trying to be good also ! Whether or 
 not he would take the same view of the 
 matter as she did, she did not at all know ; 
 but, at all events, it was worth trying for 
 she thought. 
 
 Ralph was a good deal astonished, and 
 a little bit aggrieved at this sudden fit 
 of earnestness and moralising, and his 
 response to her appeal was not very 
 satisfactory or sympathetic. Although he 
 was a year older, more sophisticated, and 
 less enthusiastic than his sister, yet in his 
 secret heart he by no means disputed the 
 correctness of the sentiments she had 
 uttered, and, indeed, rather approved of 
 them than not. But then it did not at all 
 follow that he should want to have them 
 put into words, and, as it were, flung plump 
 at his head when he was not in the humour 
 for that sort of thing. Consequendy, at the 
 present moment he felt a good deal in-
 
 72 A Burglary. 
 
 clined to give her a decided and sharp 
 snubbing, just to teach her not to go blurt- 
 ing out moraHsings at inappropriate and 
 unexpected seasons in this sort of way. 
 His conscience, however, did not allow 
 him to go quite as far as that, so he con- 
 tented himself by answering shortly, — 
 ' H'm — oh yes — I see ! ' 
 
 Having delivered himself to this effect, 
 he proceeded to take up the fishing-rods, 
 and examine the state of the bait, in order 
 to introduce a diversion both into the 
 current of her ideas, and also into the con- 
 versation. His plan succeeded. For a few 
 minutes she felt a little quamp and disap- 
 pointed, and then that and all her other 
 sober feelings were forgotten as she gave 
 her mind to the consideration of whether 
 it would be best to throw a line under the 
 big ash, or beyond the blown-down oak ; 
 what could be the cause of her bait going 
 so fast although the float never gave a single 
 bob ; by what route the otter had reached
 
 hnogens Ideas. 73 
 
 the pond last week ; and other similarly 
 weighty matters. 
 
 An eel or two was caught at intervals, 
 but the sport was not as good as it had 
 been at first. Before long the hoarse 
 sound of a hooter at some distant works 
 was heard. 
 
 ' There goes the workmen's breakfast 
 hooter/ said Imogen, ' and that means 
 half-past eight. We may as well reel up, 
 I should think, for by the time we've got 
 home and tidied ourselves, I expect the 
 swells will be beginning to come down 
 after their ball, and there'll be a chance 
 of getting breakfast. I'm powerfully 
 hungry in spite of those snacks of cold 
 tart and fruit — aren't you ?' 
 
 ' Just aiiit I ? ' returned Ralph, with 
 emphasis ; ' and then I mean to spend the 
 rest of the day trout-fishing on the Dwrwen. 
 I shall take a couple of biscuits for lunch, 
 and get off as quick as I can after 
 breakfast, for it's good three miles to the
 
 74 -^ Burglary. 
 
 nearest point for striking the river. Will 
 you be able to come too, or do you 
 suppose you'll be wanted to do the civil 
 at home ? ' 
 
 ' Of course I'll come, and bring the 
 butterfly net too/ she replied promptly. 
 * Catch me losing a jolly day's outing to 
 stay at home ! Thank goodness I'm not 
 old enough for papa to reckon on me for 
 going pottering about after company yet, 
 and he's got Aunt Sophia to attend to 
 this lot for him. I shall hate when I 
 come to have to do that sort of work, I 
 know. There won't be much jam about 
 being bound to spend the day dowagering 
 in a carriage with fine ladies, talking 
 pretty to visitors, picking one's way 
 through the mud in one's best clothes 
 because the guests must be taken for a 
 gentle constitutional, or some other abomi- 
 nation of that kind, when all the time one's 
 dying to be free and out of doors, and 
 doing as one likes. Ugh ! '
 
 Imogens Ideas. 75 
 
 Ralph grunted sympathetically at this 
 moving picture of horrors ; and then they 
 collected together and counted the fish 
 they had caught. The eels had been 
 killed at once and lay scattered here and 
 there in the long grass with their throats 
 cut, but the tench were to be kept alive, 
 and had therefore been put into the 
 covered fishing-basket and sunk into the 
 water, with their prison made fast to the 
 shore. The total catch was found to be 
 fourteen tench and eleven eels. 
 
 ' Not a bad morning's work, after all,' 
 remarked Ralph complacently, as the fish 
 were arranged carefully in the basket with 
 an abundant supply of wet leaves and 
 grass to keep them fresh. * We'll take 
 the tench straight to the garden and put 
 'em into the little tank so that we can fish 
 'em out with a net as they're wanted. 
 And now for home and respectabilising 
 ourselves.' 
 
 The basket of fish was no light weight,
 
 76 A Burglary. 
 
 and they sometimes slung it between them 
 and sometimes carried it by turns, as they 
 stepped out briskly up the hilly road lead- 
 ing from Gwern to Llwyn-yr-Allt. When 
 they reached the house they kept carefully 
 out of sight, and sneaked in quietly by the 
 back way, having a vague idea that they 
 would be held guilty of some grievous 
 breach of manners if * company ' were 
 allowed to behold them in their present 
 condition. 
 
 Their over-strained sense of the iniquity 
 of being muddy and dishevelled was due 
 to often-reiterated condemnations of that 
 condition which had been dinned into 
 their ears from earliest childhood by prim 
 authorities, such as nurses and governesses, 
 who regarded all untidiness as being alike 
 reprehensible. Wherein, however, the 
 aforesaid authorities were mistaken ; since 
 there are unquestionably two kinds of 
 untidiness, which are distinctly different 
 from one another ; the one kind is slovenly
 
 Imogens Ideas. jy 
 
 and therefore legitimately blameable, being 
 an untidiness that never was nor could be 
 anything else ; whereas the other is blame- 
 less, having made its original start in good 
 order, and only become disarranged by 
 subsequent honest wear and tear. And 
 between these two there is obviously a 
 marked difference which ought to be 
 recognised in the language that is ap- 
 plied to them, especially in the case of 
 children. 
 
 No such distinction, however, had ever 
 been taught to Ralph and Imogen, and so 
 they now fully believed themselves to be 
 unpresentable in polite society till they 
 should have removed as far as possible all 
 traces of their occupations of the morning. 
 Indeed, they were not altogether sure 
 whether It was quite becoming on their 
 parts not to feel ashamed of the rosy 
 cheeks, robust and healthy looks, bright 
 eyes, scratched hands and faces, and tre- 
 mendous appetites, which were so many
 
 "^^t A Burglary. 
 
 indelible symptoms of what they had been 
 about, and must inevitably accompany 
 them when they should enter the dining- 
 room and join the visitors at breakfast. 
 
 But on this particular morning they 
 might have spared themselves all anxiety 
 about the matter. During their absence 
 from the house an event had occurred so 
 startling as fully to engross the attention 
 of the whole household, and they might 
 have presented themselves in any fashion 
 they chose, without fear of having any 
 peculiarities of their appearance noticed or 
 commented on.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AN HEIRESS. 
 
 THEL PERCIVAL CARTON, 
 
 cousin to Imogen Rhys, heiress 
 to very great wealth, and pos- 
 sessor of more splendid jewels than any 
 other spinster in the kingdom, must have 
 a chapter of introduction all to herself, 
 since she is obviously a personage of too 
 much consequence to be brought into a 
 story in the casual sort of manner that 
 does very well for girls with nothing worth 
 mentioning a year. 
 
 The precise amount of her heiress-ship 
 was not kndwn definitely, but it was
 
 8o A Burglary. 
 
 popularly estimated as being somewhere 
 between eighty thousand and a hundred 
 and twenty thousand a-year ; for when 
 people talk of sums of that magnitude they 
 are apt to become vague, and to regard 
 twenty thousand pounds, more or less, as 
 the merest trifle. She was an only child, 
 and had inherited from her parents, who 
 were both dead, a very large fortune. 
 And besides this she was the chosen in- 
 heritor of Mr Carton, her father's brother, 
 who was a childless old widower of im- 
 mense property, and with whom she lived 
 at Carton House. A Mrs Grey, who was 
 a poor relation of the family, also resided 
 there, and officiated as her chaperon ; but 
 as Mrs Grey was a nonentity, and as Mr 
 Carton hardly ever interfered with his 
 niece, Ethel w^as virtually mistress of the 
 place, and did pretty much what she liked 
 with herself and every one and thing con- 
 nected therewith. 
 
 The affairs of an heiress are of course
 
 An Heiress, 8i 
 
 far more worthy of attention than those of 
 an ordinary young woman who has nothing 
 to recommend her except her own merits, 
 and therefore the world at large had always 
 taken a lively interest in Ethel and what- 
 ever concerned her. Consequently she had 
 from childhood been made much of, flat- 
 tered, smiled upon, and deferred to on all 
 sides, till she had come to regard her own 
 importance as a sort of matter of course, 
 and only what was strictly her due ; though 
 she might perhaps have been a little 
 shaken in this opinion if it had ever 
 occurred to her to notice and try to account 
 for the striking contrast between the de- 
 ference which was invariably paid to her- 
 self and the very inferior amount of con- 
 sideration bestowed upon the majority of 
 other girls of her own standing. 
 
 The continual homage that she had re- 
 ceived all her life would have been enough 
 to spoil many characters completely ; but, 
 fortunately, she was endowed with sufficient 
 
 VOL. I. F
 
 82 A Burglary. 
 
 sterling good sense and simplicity to save 
 her from being much the worse for such 
 treatment. The fact was that she was 
 not altogether a young lady of the every- 
 day type. Neither she nor anyone else 
 had yet discovered that fact, but there 
 it was, all the same. An ordinary good- 
 natured, pleasant, unaffected sensible girl, 
 graceful and rather pretty, but with noth- 
 ing very remarkable about her one way 
 or other, was the verdict that would have 
 probably been pronounced upon her had 
 she had no special golden charms to re- 
 commend her. That was all true as far 
 as it went ; but, furthermore, she had a 
 shrewdness of judgment, and sundry other 
 latent talents and good qualities, for which 
 no one gave her credit, because she was too 
 indolent, and too entirely satisfied with 
 her position, to take the trouble properly 
 to develop them or make them apparent. 
 On account of her costly setting, people 
 would behave to her as though she were
 
 An Heiress. 8 
 
 rare china, while all the time, in their 
 secret hearts, they sneered at her as 
 nothing but common ware ; yet, could 
 they have perceived all that was hidden 
 within her, they would have been forced, 
 greatly to their surprise, to acknowledge 
 that she was in very truth the valuable 
 porcelain which they affected to consider 
 her to be. 
 
 The easily obvious good points which 
 would have earned her the verdict just 
 mentioned, would have sufficed to procure 
 her an average share of social success, 
 whatever her station in life mi^ht have 
 been ; but, nevertheless, if left to find 
 her own level in society, not as the repre- 
 sentative of great riches, but simply as 
 Ethel Carton and nothing more, there 
 would certainly have been a vast difference 
 in the sort of reception that she would 
 have met with, and the change would 
 not have been a flattering one. Various 
 charms and accomplishments of hers upon
 
 84 A Burglary, 
 
 which she was now continually compli- 
 mented In the most gratifying manner, 
 would then have been passed over un- 
 noticed ; little jokes that now received 
 the applause due to high-class witticisms, 
 would then often not have been honoured 
 with even a smile ; the Interest that was 
 now taken in her likes and dislikes, and 
 the eagerness shown to do her any service 
 and to anticipate her wishes, would then 
 have ceased ; her goings and comings 
 would no longer have attracted the same 
 attention that they did at present, nor 
 would her opinions about things have 
 been considered equally Important ; it was 
 possible that she might have had to 
 undergo the mortification of being ne- 
 glected, and even snubbed, by those who 
 now appeared to be entirely devoted to 
 her, and firmly convinced that it was out 
 of the question for her ever to be in the 
 wrong, or her company otherwise than 
 in the highest degree acceptable. Some
 
 An Heirless, 85 
 
 dim and hazy idea she had of the possi- 
 bihty of a state of affairs of this kind 
 existing in regard to other people, but 
 by no means reahsed how completely it 
 was the case as regarded herself. Indeed, 
 it was a matter into which she had no 
 wish to examine too closely ; for she did 
 not see what gain it would be to her to 
 have the unpleasant certainty that no one 
 liked her for her own sake, when there 
 was obviously no remedy for it ; since it 
 was impossible for her to alter her cir- 
 cumstances, and divest herself of her 
 gilded setting, even if she should desire 
 to do so, — which she certainly did not. 
 
 She was quite aware that constant in- 
 tercourse with dependants, toadies, and 
 people more or less servile, could not be 
 exactly wholesome, and must necessarily 
 prevent the mental atmosphere from being 
 bracing and healthy. But she did not 
 care to open her eyes too wide in order 
 to try and discover reasons for thinking
 
 86 A Burglary. 
 
 that all the people surrounding her were 
 to be included in that category, and 
 thought it better to acquiesce contentedly 
 in the existing state of things, than to 
 be ferretting and routing about merely 
 on chance of finding out what would 
 make her dissatisfied with it. This was 
 not to be wondered at, for few people 
 find it unpleasant to be paid court to ; 
 and if continual deference and artistic 
 toadying fall to anyone's lot as naturally 
 as the air that is breathed, it is too much 
 to expect of human nature that the fav- 
 oured individual should, of his or her 
 own accord, turn away from these things 
 or quarrel with them. Everyone would 
 rather be welcomed than received with 
 indifference, agreed with than contra- 
 dicted, looked up to than despised, held 
 in honour than slio^hted. And this is 
 not only because of the actual gratifica- 
 tion afforded by being thought well of, 
 but also because of the great extent to
 
 An Heiress. Z*] 
 
 which people's opinion about themselves 
 is affected by that which they believe 
 others to entertain about them. 
 
 If a man meets with black looks on 
 all sides, he probably feels as if he had 
 done something wrong, however innocent 
 he may really be ; whereas, when the world 
 manifestly thinks him a fine fellow, he is 
 almost sure to enjoy an exhilarating con- 
 viction that he is one, even though un- 
 conscious of any particular act of virtue to 
 entitle him to that credit. The spectacles 
 through which we regard ourselves are 
 very apt to be of the same tint as those 
 through which our companions regard us ; 
 and so the fact that other people seemed 
 to think Ethel all she should be, was a 
 great assistance to her having the same 
 opinion about herself as a general rule. 
 A very comfortable opinion it was, too, 
 and one which produced a tranquil sen- 
 sation of content, and an idea that things 
 in their present condition were so emi
 
 88 A Burglary, 
 
 nently satisfactory, that it would be a 
 pity to disturb them ; and hence the good 
 sense which she undoubtedly possessed 
 did not make her at all object to spend 
 her time chiefly in the company of persons 
 who had more or less interested motives 
 for being agreeable to her. Some of these 
 were toadies of the common, vulgar type ; 
 whilst others were specimens of a higher 
 and more refined class of the same article 
 — people who, if accused of being so, 
 would have rejected the imputation indig- 
 nantly, and would certainly have scorned 
 to occupy the position of paid companions, 
 but who, nevertheless, were ready enough 
 to do all that in them lay in order to 
 become habitual hangers-on at any house 
 where the loaves and fishes were to be 
 found in abundance, and were not very 
 nice as to the means by which that end 
 was to be attained. 
 
 Ethel's willingness to let these indi- 
 viduals associate with her, however, never
 
 An Heiress. 89 
 
 seemed to lead to her being very Intimate 
 with them ; and this imperviousness of 
 hers was a source of great disappointment 
 to some who had been encouraged by her 
 accessiblHty to imagine that they would 
 have no difficulty in attaining to the 
 coveted post of toady-in-chief. For this 
 important situation there had been various 
 candidates of both sexes who had aspired 
 to be either bosom-friend, husband, confi- 
 dential adviser, or something of the same 
 kind which might give the aspirant a 
 permanent influence over her ; but some- 
 how she had eluded them all, and not one 
 had managed to become attached to her 
 in the desired capacity. 
 
 In her treatment of these people, she 
 always displayed great skill and tact. 
 When civilities were offered her, she 
 received them placidly, profited by them 
 as far as might be convenient, and never 
 worried herself on the subject of what 
 motives might have prompted them. If
 
 90 A Burglary. 
 
 she found people agreeable, she was quite 
 ready to enjoy their society for as long 
 as she and they might be thrown together, 
 and seemed to be thoroughly happy and 
 contented with them ; yet when circum- 
 stances happened to drift them away from 
 her again, she made no effort whatever 
 to prevent it, and those who had flattered 
 themselves they were becoming necessary 
 to her, would find suddenly that they had 
 passed out of her life and left no more 
 trace there than does an arrow on the 
 air which it has cleft. She never com- 
 mitted herself to people, or behaved so 
 that they could have just cause to com- 
 plain of her as unkind or fickle whenever 
 she might chance to drop them ; nor was 
 she ever known to snub any one harshly ; 
 but for all that she would not let herself 
 be taken possession of. Invariably pleas- 
 ant, amiable, and polite towards all who 
 came in contact with her, she nevertheless 
 carefully avoided giving anyone really good
 
 An Heiress. 91 
 
 reason for supposing that he or she was 
 indispensable to her ; and she seemed to 
 understand, as though by instinct, exactly 
 how to behave so as to keep herself to 
 herself when she chose, and gently to 
 shake off whoever showed symptoms of 
 too burr-like a character. 
 
 Her disposition was an indolent one ; 
 but she was charitable, good-hearted, and 
 conscientious, and had a religious belief 
 which was very genuine and firm, and a 
 real support to her on critical occasions, 
 though at other times it may perhaps 
 have been somewhat sluggish. She had 
 a high opinion of masterly inaction as 
 being almost always the best policy to 
 adopt; because, as she said, * If things 
 get into a mess, they generally seem to 
 come right by -and -by, if they're let 
 alone ; and if they're not in a mess, why, 
 of course, there's no reason for meddling 
 with them at all' And this doctrine 
 was evidently eminently well adapted to
 
 92 A Bm^glary. 
 
 gratify the natural inclination to laziness 
 that was characteristic of her. Add to 
 all this that her gracefulness, prettiness, 
 and pleasantness had completely capti- 
 vated Imogen, who had fallen in love 
 with her as a girl in her teens sometimes 
 does do with one a few years her senior, 
 and then Miss Carton will have been 
 described sufficiently for the requirements 
 of this story, and in order to do justice 
 to the position which she occupied in the 
 world's estimation.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A BURGLARY. 
 
 N the night of the Cwm-EIthin 
 ball, Ethel Carton the heiress, 
 famous for- her wealth and her 
 jewellery, returned to Llwyn-yr-Allt with 
 the rest of Mr Rhys' guests. Having been 
 assisted to undress by her maid Green, she 
 went tranquilly to bed, and was very soon 
 fast asleep. But she was not destined to 
 pass the night undisturbed. Her slumbers 
 had lasted but a short time before some 
 sound partially awoke her, and she won- 
 dered drowsily what it was. Any unwonted 
 nocturnal sound has a tendency to sug-
 
 94 ^ Burglary. 
 
 gest the idea of robbers to most people, 
 even though it is not at all a necessary- 
 consequence for them to suppose that the 
 particular noise which they hear at that 
 moment is caused by a thief; and so there 
 was nothing remarkable in her thoughts 
 having turned vaguely, for an instant, in 
 the direction of some one breaking into the 
 house. But the idea merely glanced 
 across her mind in the haziest way, and 
 then altogether vanished. 
 
 Being of a placid disposition, and not 
 given to nervousness, or a habit of fidget- 
 ing about imaginary dangers, she regarded 
 burglaries as very remote possibilities. No 
 doubt they occurred sometimes ; but she 
 had never been bothered with them, and 
 did not see why she ever should expect to 
 be. She remembered that before going to 
 sleep, she had been conscious that some- 
 where within hearing there was an ill-fitting 
 window which rattled in its frame, when- 
 ever the wind blew. Of course it must
 
 A Burglary. 95 
 
 have been that that woke her, and she 
 wasn't such a silly as to be alarmed at a 
 common, every-day sound like the rattling 
 of a window, which was a thing she had 
 heard all her life long. 
 
 Besides, even if there were anything 
 wrong, it was clearly not her affair, but her 
 uncle's, since the house belonged to him 
 and not to her. One couldn't be expected 
 to wake oneself wide up, just to go listen- 
 ing to stupid noises, and worrying about 
 visionary evils, in other people's houses. 
 That was obviously the owner's business ; 
 and it was quite nuisance enough to feel 
 bound to bother oneself in that way in 
 one's own house, without wanting to go 
 and do it in other places as well. And 
 after such an unanswerable argument as 
 that, it would be quite ridiculous for her to 
 trouble herself any further about what 
 sort of noise she might have been dis- 
 turbed by. 
 
 A dreamy half-doubt did indeed cross
 
 96 A Burglary, 
 
 her very sleepy mind as to whether this 
 argument would appear quite equally satis- 
 factory in a wide-awake condition ; but the 
 doubt departed as quickly as it came, and 
 the reasoning seemed to her conclusive in 
 her then drowsy state ; so she turned com- 
 fortably on to her other side, and closed 
 her eyes with a sweet consciousness of 
 having thoroughly fulfilled her duty, and 
 done all that any one could possibly expect 
 of her. 
 
 She had not, however, had time to get 
 quite sound asleep again, when something 
 else aroused her. She fancied she heard 
 footsteps come softly up to her door and 
 stop there in the passage outside. This 
 gave her a momentary feeling of surprise, 
 as she knew that neither of the rooms near 
 hers was occupied. But then she im- 
 mediately jumped to the conclusion that 
 one of the gentlemen must have been sit- 
 ting up late to smoke, and had mistaken his 
 way to bed. Yes, evidently that was it ;
 
 A Burglary. 97 
 
 for there was her door handle being turned, 
 and a light shining into the room. How 
 excessively stupid of whoever it might be. 
 
 * Who's there ? Can't come in ! ' she 
 called out. 
 
 ' Oh, beg pardon — made mistake,' was 
 muttered by a male voice in reply. Then 
 the door, which sounded as if it must have 
 been opened pretty wide, was shut gently, 
 the light disappeared, and everything re- 
 lapsed into silence. 
 
 * I wonder who it was ? ' thought she with 
 as much wrathfulness as was compatible 
 with her sleepiness. 'It really Is too idiotic 
 of people not to know the look of their 
 own doors ! ' 
 
 And with that reflection she again snug- 
 gled down into the bedclothes, and com- 
 posed herself to resume the slumbers that 
 had been thus twice interrupted. 
 
 She was not long In dropping off into a 
 doze ; but was once more aroused, and this 
 time by a sound of something rustling 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 98 A Burglary. 
 
 close at hand. Very soon she was broad 
 awake, and frightened in good earnest. 
 Round part of her bed a curtain was drawn, 
 and on the other side of this appeared a 
 ghmmering Hght, which cast the shadow of 
 some one moving stealthily across the 
 room. In a moment or so the caster of the 
 shadow came within range of her eyes, and 
 she saw to her horror that it was a man 
 whose face was covered by a black mask. 
 
 At this terrifying sight she felt an im- 
 mediate and not unnatural inclination to 
 scream, but controlled it with an effort, hav- 
 ing presence of mind enough to perceive 
 that the wisest thing she could do, would 
 be to simulate sleep at all events till she 
 should have time to think over the situa- 
 tion, and determine what else there was 
 to be done. Keeping her eyes shut, there- 
 fore, and continuing the regular breathing 
 proper to a sleeper, she hurriedly revolved 
 in her mind all the courses of action that 
 were open to her. Supposing she were to
 
 A Burglary, 99 
 
 scream, what use would that be ? Directly 
 she did so, she would probably be silenced 
 by violence ; and even if she should re- 
 solve to take her chance of that, yet she 
 felt sure her voice would not penetrate far 
 enough through thick walls, and closed 
 doors, to be of any avail in bringing assist- 
 ance, for unluckily her room was some dis- 
 tance off from that of any of the other in- 
 mates of the house. There was a bell to 
 have recourse to, of course ; but as it was 
 near the fireplace, and quite out of reach 
 from the bed, she did not feel disposed to 
 try and get at it to ring it ; and so alto- 
 gether she quickly came to the conclusion 
 to abandon any idea of summoning help by 
 making a noise. 
 
 The next thing to suggest itself was, 
 whether flight was anyhow possible. Could 
 she not manage to slip quietly out of bed, 
 get safely as far as the door, rush into the 
 passage, hold the door against the enemy 
 from the outside, and shriek till she
 
 lOO A Burglary. 
 
 should succeed in attracting some one's 
 attention ? But then, as bad luck would 
 have it, the execution of such a manoeuvre 
 as this was rendered impossible by the 
 situation of the bed, for it was a long way 
 off from the door, and had one side jammed 
 close up against the wall, whilst the other 
 side faced right into the middle of the room. 
 It was hopeless to think of leaving the 
 bed without being seen immediately, and so 
 that idea also had to be dismissed as im- 
 practicable. 
 
 The only other plan that presented itself 
 to her was, that she should do nothing at 
 all, but remain perfectly quiet, just as she 
 was. It has already been mentioned that 
 she upheld a policy of masterly inaction as 
 usually the best to be pursued, and by 
 staying quiet she would evidently be carry- 
 ing out this cherished principle, and avoid- 
 ing all risk of committing herself to any- 
 thing decisive which she might, perhaps, 
 afterwards have reason to repent of. Mas-
 
 A Burglary. loi 
 
 terly Inaction carried the day with her. 
 What are principles worth if they do not 
 assist one at critical moments ? and how 
 are they to have a chance of doing that, 
 unless one sticks to them steadily ? So 
 the end of the pros and cons of various 
 plans which had passed swiftly through 
 her brain was, that she determined to lie 
 still, and go on feigning sleep. The in- 
 truder might help himself to whatever he 
 chose unmolested, and then the instant 
 he was safe out of the room she would 
 lock the door, and proceed to ring, scream, 
 and arouse the household by every means 
 of clamour in her power. 
 
 A few words will suffice to account for 
 the burglar's presence there. Miss Carton's 
 jewels were renowned, and there could be 
 no doubt that any woman who owned such 
 things would be sure to bring the most 
 costly to display at an occasion like the 
 Cwm-EIthln ball, when there would be so 
 very favourable an opportunity to show
 
 I02 A Burglary, 
 
 them off to a large number of people, and 
 eclipse a great many of her own sex — some 
 of whom she might even hope to see turning 
 green with envy at the sight. Her jewels, 
 therefore, had attracted the burglar to the 
 house where it was known that she was 
 going to stay. It was a place of which he 
 had some previous knowledge, and by means 
 of a short and apparently careless conver- 
 sation with one of the servants, he had 
 discovered what bedroom she was to 
 occupy. He had expected to have to 
 break into the house, but the exit of 
 Ralph and Imogen had saved him that 
 trouble, as he had simply pushed up the 
 window which they had left unfastened, 
 and thus easily effected his entrance. 
 Knowing his way about inside, he had 
 had no difficulty in reaching Ethel's room ; 
 and the opening of the door, which she had 
 attributed to a mistake on the part of one 
 of the other visitors in the house, had been 
 his doing. Having opened it wide enough
 
 A Burglary. 103 
 
 to admit him, he had slipped in before 
 closing it, and had at the same time 
 hidden the light of the dark lantern that 
 he carried. After that he kept perfectly 
 still for a short time, until her regular 
 breathing made him believe her to be fast 
 asleep ; and then he advanced cautiously 
 towards the dressing-table in search of the 
 booty which v/as the object that had 
 brought him there. 
 
 Her quickly-formed resolution to pre- 
 tend sleep made her continue the steady 
 breathing of a sleeper unbroken, save for 
 just one momentary check that occurred at 
 the first discovery of his presence. Short 
 as the interruption in the sound was, it 
 had not escaped his quick ear, and he 
 went softly up to the bedside, and turned 
 the light full on her face to try and ascer- 
 tain if she were really sleeping or not. 
 She felt him close to her, felt him touch 
 the bed, felt his breath upon her face, and 
 could hardly retain her self-control. It was
 
 I04 A Burglary, 
 
 well-nigh Impossible to He there, acting 
 peaceful repose, and not having an idea of 
 what he might be going to do. All kinds 
 of horrible thoughts and fears rushed across 
 her mind. Perhaps he was armed with a 
 knife or pistol, and was about to take her 
 life ; perhaps each breath she drew might 
 be her last. 
 
 How would death feel ? would it be very 
 terrible ? would it be quickly over, or 
 would each fraction of a second seem a 
 long-drawn hour of agony ? In that dread- 
 ful moment of suspense and feeling of utter 
 helplessness her faith came to her assist- 
 ance. Religion was a living factor in her 
 life — a real belief, and not a mere empty 
 form of words — and she now with a sort of 
 desperate mental effort grasped and held 
 fast the knowledge that God was with her 
 always, that He loved her and was watch- 
 ing over her, and that she was as much 
 under His care at one time as another — 
 now in her solitude and danger, as when
 
 A Burglary, 105 
 
 she was in apparent safety and surrounded 
 by friends. The thought was comforting 
 and restful, and it gave her will strength 
 enough to conquer the almost ungovern- 
 able nervous eagerness of the body to take 
 action of some kind or other. 
 
 Yet the longing she felt to look and see 
 what might be impending was very nearly 
 irresistible ; and the difficulty of forcing 
 her eyes to remain shut was increased by 
 the flashing of the light close to them. 
 She did all she could to keep her eyelids 
 closed in a natural manner ; but the rebel- 
 lious muscles would twitch a little in spite 
 of all her efforts to keep them still, and a 
 tremor quivered over them for an instant, 
 which did not pass unobserved by the 
 robber, and which made him increasingly 
 doubtful as to the genuineness of her 
 slumber. He hesitated, and watched her 
 attentively. Certainly she had every ap- 
 pearance of being sound asleep, and in 
 that case there was no need for him to
 
 io6 A Burglary, 
 
 take measures to keep her quiet. He 
 would much prefer not proceeding to 
 extremities, if it could be helped, and 
 desired nothing better than that she should 
 sleep through the whole business. But, of 
 course, his own safety must be his first 
 consideration, cost what it might ; and 
 what if she were shamming after all '^. 
 
 After pausing for about a minute — which 
 appeared to her at least an hour — he left 
 the bedside as if satisfied, and went to the 
 table. He appropriated her purse, which 
 was lying there, and then began noise- 
 lessly opening the drawers to hunt for her 
 jewel-case. To abstain from looking at 
 him when his back was turned was too 
 much to expect of human nature, so she 
 ventured to open her eyes and watch his 
 movements. This was exactly what he 
 had calculated she would do, if not really 
 asleep, and had accordingly set a trap for 
 her, into which she now fell unsuspect- 
 ingly. By skilfully tilting the looking-
 
 A Burglary. 107 
 
 glass, he had so arranged it as to make 
 it reflect the lantern-Hght straight into her 
 face ; and thus a glance into the mirror 
 immediately showed him the gleam of her 
 open eyes. He took no notice of this at 
 first, but went on quietly ransacking the 
 drawers till he had found what he wanted, 
 and also a few valuable rings and other 
 trinkets which had been left carelessly 
 lying about. All these he pocketed, and 
 then began to return to the bed ; and 
 it need hardly be said that her eyes were 
 re-closed with the utmost promptitude 
 directly he turned round in her direction. 
 Her fond hope of having imposed upon 
 him with her feigned slumber, however, 
 was rudely dispelled by these words ; and 
 as she listened to them they conveyed 
 to her mind a vague impression of some 
 kind of incongruity, as if the speaker's 
 voice was an assumed one, and as if the 
 vulgarity of his accent and manner did 
 not sit upon him quite naturally.
 
 io8 A Burglary. 
 
 ' Stop quiet and yer safe enough ; but 
 if yer speaks so much as vun single vord, 
 ril dash yer brains out vlth this 'ere Hfe- 
 perserver ! Oh, It ain't no use yer per- 
 tendln' to be asleep any longer ; I knows 
 better, for I seed yer in the glass ven yer 
 wos a pryin' at me.' 
 
 Perceiving the uselessness of carrying 
 on her attempt at deception, she opened 
 her eyes and looked at him, with a de- 
 cided feeling as to her tenure of life being 
 unpleasantly frail. Her fright, however, 
 did not prevent her from remembering 
 the importance of making such observa- 
 tions as might enable her to give some 
 description of him, and to recognise him 
 hereafter, and she rapidly took in as 
 much as she could of his appearance. 
 The black mask which he wore kept any 
 part of his face from being visible. In 
 the left hand he held a lantern, and by its 
 light she noticed something that might 
 perhaps be an assistance to his identi-
 
 A Burglary, 109 
 
 ficatlon, she thought. This was that one 
 of the fingers was missing from the right 
 hand. In this hand was grasped a short, 
 wicked-looking bludgeon. 
 
 ' A life-preserver, does he call it ? ' 
 thought she, with a shudder ; ' it looks a 
 deal more like a life-destroyer, to my mind.' 
 
 * Now,' continued he, deliberately, and 
 with the same manner as before, as to 
 which she was quite puzzled to determine 
 whether it were natural to him, or put on 
 for the occasion, * don't yer speak nor 
 move, as yer valleys yer life, young 
 ooman. I've a -got all as I wants, and 
 I'm a-goin' ; and no doubt as yer be 
 thinkin' to wait till I've cut my stick and 
 then raise the 'ouse upon me. Werry 
 purty indeed — and don't yer wish as yer 
 may get it ? But I 'asn't no wish to 
 'arm yer, so before I goes, all I'll do is to 
 make yer safe, so to say. Now don't forget 
 wot I tell'd yer at fust, and keep quiet for 
 yer life, 'cept jest to do as I tells yen'
 
 no A Burglary. 
 
 Depositing his lantern on a small table, 
 he produced some cord from his pocket, 
 and ordered her to put her hands out of 
 bed. She dared not disobey, and with 
 the middle part of the rope he tied them 
 together securely ; next he made one end 
 of the rope fast to the foot and the other 
 end to the head of the bed so as to pre- 
 vent her moving away. Then he took 
 one of her own pocket-handkerchiefs and 
 tied it round her mouth, stuffing it in so 
 that she was unable to call out, and could 
 only breathe through her nose. When he 
 had finished gagging and imprisoning her 
 in this fashion he drew back a step and 
 surveyed the performance critically. 
 
 * Might still wriggle yer *ead down to 
 yer 'hands and get loose that way, though 
 I don't think as its likely,' he observed. 
 ' I'd best tie back the 'ead too, and then 
 yer can't get free without 'elp — not unless 
 yer be a meedyum, or one o' they Daving- 
 port brothers as I've 'eerd tell on. Don't
 
 A Burglary. 1 1 1 
 
 be afraid now, yer won't be strangled if 
 yer keeps quiet.' 
 
 So saying he made a running noose in 
 a piece of rope, passed it round her neck, 
 and secured it behind her so that it would 
 not hurt her as long as she lay still, but 
 would choke her if she pulled at it. As 
 soon as this was done he remarked face- 
 tiously that he should be sorry to disturb 
 her any longer, and advised her to go to 
 sleep again now ; and then he departed 
 with his spoils. 
 
 Her first thought was one of genuine 
 and profound thankfulness at being still 
 alive and unhurt after the peril to which 
 she had been exposed ; then as his parting 
 words recurred to her they set her ideas 
 off in a fresh direction. 
 
 ' Advises me to go to sleep again, does 
 he ? ' thought she indignantly. As if that 
 could be possible when one's had such a 
 thing as this to excite one, and when, too, 
 one's fixed tight in one place by his nasty
 
 112 A Burglary. 
 
 ropes! Oh dear! don't I wish I were free, 
 and could jump up this moment, and give 
 the alarm, and have him caught and 
 punished as he deserves, and made to 
 give me back my things. It's quite horrid 
 to lie here and do nothing to interfere 
 with him, while he's going about as he 
 pleases. I wonder if he's satisfied with 
 what he's stolen already, or If he's doing 
 any other mischief in the house ? It's too 
 provoking to lie here tied up by the head 
 like a horse in the stables — can't I by any 
 possibility manage to get free ?/ 
 
 A vague idea occurred to her that per- 
 haps if she could anyhow bring her feet 
 to bear upon one of the fastenings, that 
 might help her to regain her liberty, and 
 so she began to contort and writhe about 
 her body in hopes of accomplishing this. 
 But it was to no purpose. The thief had 
 not bungled his job of making her safe ; 
 and after she had nearly throttled herself 
 with the noose round her neck, she per-
 
 A Burglary. 113 
 
 ceived that there was nothing for it but 
 to wait till her maid Green should come 
 in the mornine to release her. How aston- 
 ished Green would be ! Her face of horror 
 when she got to the bedside would be 
 as good as a play. Green would have a 
 bit of a triumph over her too, for before 
 leaving home they had had a grand dis- 
 cussion as to what set of jewellery to bring 
 for the ball, and she had finally brought 
 her best diamonds and sapphires in spite 
 of Green's advice, the latter having wanted 
 her to wear another and less valuable set 
 w^hich, in her opinion, matched best with 
 the ball - dress. Ethel now devoutly 
 wished she had taken Green's advice, 
 for the stolen set was a particular favourite 
 of hers. Would she ever see it again she 
 wondered ? 
 
 Then her thoughts went off in another 
 direction, as she remembered with no 
 little amusement her drowsy conviction a 
 short time ago that it could not possibly 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 114 ^ Burglary. 
 
 be her business to trouble herself about 
 burglars when staying in another person's 
 house. It really was a disgustingly lazy, 
 selfish way of reasoning, which nobody 
 ought to have accepted contentedly even 
 In the very sleepiest condition. Well, 
 she had been nicely paid out for It anyhow, 
 and it was quite ludicrous to think how 
 promptly retribution had overtaken her. 
 
 She was usually disposed to take a fair, 
 and, for a woman, an impartial view of 
 events ; and as her habitual tranquillity 
 and disinclination to fuss gradually re- 
 sumed their sway and calmed down her 
 first excitement, she began to think that 
 the retribution part of the affair was 
 rather a joke, even although it had re- 
 sulted in her own discomfiture ; and she 
 could not resist a smile at the recollection 
 of the selfish and absurd logic which had 
 so completely satisfied her half-awake 
 condition, and for which she now had 
 to suffer.
 
 A Bu7'glary. 115 
 
 Then she thought of nothing very par- 
 ticular for a few minutes, till it suddenly 
 occurred to her that she was not quite 
 sure but what she might be getting sleepy ; 
 but she was so thoroughly convinced of 
 that being impossible that she dismissed 
 the Idea immediately ; she was quite posi- 
 tive that she must inevitably lie awake till 
 morning, and that her rest was hopelessly 
 spoilt for that night. 
 
 Lying awake was dull, and she would 
 pass the time by speculating about the 
 burglar, and what likelihood there was 
 of her knowing him if ever she should 
 see him again. She did not at all want 
 to lose her diamonds and sapphires, to say 
 nothing of sundry other valuable articles 
 which he had carried off, and she greatly 
 hoped he would be caught. There had 
 been something about him which was not 
 altogether what she should have expected 
 such a man to be like in one or two ways, 
 and no doubt he had taken pains to dis-
 
 1 1 6 A Burglary. 
 
 guise his real identity on purpose to avoid 
 recognition. That would account for the 
 sort of unnaturalness that had struck her 
 in his voice, way of speaking, and pro- 
 nunciation, and also for the indefinable 
 impression of incongruity which he had 
 given her, so that she could almost have 
 fancied he was acting a part. Of course 
 this was caused by the constraint he put 
 upon himself in order to seem as different 
 as possible from what he really was ; and 
 it would make It all the harder for her to 
 know him again. She had often noticed 
 how apt people were not to correspond to 
 preconceived ideas about them, and she 
 certainly thought that this man was a 
 proof of the truth of that observation, for 
 he hadn't been exactly an embodiment of 
 her Idea of a burglar. 
 
 She had always taken It for granted 
 that such a person would be sure to have 
 coarse, rough hands, harsh to the touch, 
 and brown and dirty in appearance ;
 
 A Burglary, 117 
 
 whereas his had seemed to her to be 
 smooth and fine-textured when they had 
 rubbed against her face in gagging her, 
 and she could have almost declared, too, 
 that they were white, and looked like those 
 of a gentleman. 
 
 Yet there was not anything very sur- 
 prising In that either, when she came to 
 think about it ; for as anyone who was a 
 thief would have especial need for supple- 
 ness In hands and fingers, he would be 
 likely to keep them constantly oiled, 
 greased, or something of that kind which 
 would probably make them soft and white. 
 Besides, she had been in a great deal too 
 much of a fright to have noticed such 
 things carefully, and could not really feel 
 at all certain of anything connected with 
 his hands except that there was a finger 
 off the right one. Indeed, as far as 
 touching her face went, she was by no 
 means positive that he had done so at 
 all, and that It might not have been only
 
 1 1 8 A Burglary. 
 
 her own soft handkerchief that she had 
 felt rubbing against her cheek. Since she 
 was a handkerchief, then, she supposed 
 she miofht as well — 
 
 Good gracious ! whatever could have 
 made her fancy herself a handkerchief? 
 Could she possibly have been going to 
 sleep ? She would be only too glad to 
 do so, for she cordially detested lying in 
 bed awake. But then, unluckily, sleep 
 was Impossible just now, she knew very 
 well, and she was doomed to watch 
 through the remainder of the night. 
 
 How uncomfortable it was to have one's 
 mouth stuffed full of handkerchief like this! 
 Still, matters might have been worse ; for 
 what if she had happened to have a cold 
 In her head which would have stopped 
 up her nostrils, so that she could not 
 breathe through them ? In that case she 
 really could not imagine what would have 
 become of her, with neither mouth nor 
 nose able to act as air passages, she must
 
 A Burglary, 1 1 9 
 
 certainly have smothered. He would have 
 been obliged to take that into consider- 
 ation, and leave her mouth open ; only- 
 then she would have been able to scream 
 and make a noise when he was gone. 
 Altogether it was a very perplexing ques- 
 tion to settle, and she could not think 
 what he would have done. 
 
 Further than this, her reflections did 
 not continue. Her repeatedly broken 
 slumbers returned to her again, and she 
 was conscious of nothing more till it was 
 time to get up in the morning, and she 
 woke to find Green standing beside the 
 bed with a look of horrified amazement 
 on her face, and a cup of tea in her 
 hand.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 AN ARISTOCRATIC TOADY. 
 
 HEN Ethel had been invited by 
 her uncle, Mr Rhys, to stay 
 at Llwyn-yr-Allt for the Cwn- 
 Eithin function and ball, she had asked 
 if she might bring with her Lady Elise 
 Bolyn, who was paying her a long visit, 
 and whom she could not very well leave 
 alone ; and as the request had been 
 assented to readily, Lady Elise, also, was 
 amongst the number of Mr Rhys' guests. 
 
 She was the eldest daughter of the Earl 
 of Bolyn, was a few years older than 
 Ethel, and had no very great affection
 
 An Aristocratic Toady. 121 
 
 for her own home. Her father was of 
 old family, and possessed a creditable stock 
 of ancestors ; but he was poor for a peer, 
 and she greatly disliked the various petty 
 economies that were practised In order to 
 keep up the semblance of wealth con- 
 sidered necessary for the Earl of Bolyn. 
 As, furthermore, she did not get on well 
 with her mother, she took care to be at 
 home as little as possible, and was always 
 on the look-out to make friends with any- 
 one who rejoiced in the possession of 
 money and the comforts which It can 
 procure, with whom to establish herself 
 for good long visits. 
 
 In return for such hospitality, she was 
 quite prepared to sink her own individu- 
 ality, and would lay herself out to be 
 agreeable to uncongenial natures amongst 
 rich hosts with an amount of complaisance 
 which would not have been displayed to- 
 wards other people. Not that she allowed 
 to herself that she was a mere toady, or
 
 122 A BM7^glary, 
 
 put the motives for her actions before 
 her own mind in a broad, coarse way 
 that would have been derogatory to her 
 self-respect. She was above being de- 
 pendant, she thought, proudly ; an earl's 
 daughter, indeed ! Was it likely that she 
 should ever humiliate herself so greatly ? 
 
 But for all this pride of aristocratic 
 birth, she was certainly never guilty of 
 the folly of quarrelling with her bread 
 and butter in any way, and had a quite 
 surprising natural aptitude for accommo- 
 dating herself to the angles of anyone 
 who had the power of giving her the 
 enjoyments that she hankered after. To 
 such a person as Lady Elise, therefore, 
 Ethel was of course extremely attractive, 
 and her ladyship felt ardently impelled 
 to become the bosom friend of the heiress. 
 For this purpose she had of late been 
 taking much pains to Ingratiate herself 
 with Ethel, and appeared to some people 
 who did not know Miss Carton well to
 
 An Aristocratic Toady. 12 
 
 o 
 
 be In a fair way to attain her object, seeing 
 that she had been a good deal with Ethel 
 in London during the last season, and 
 when that was over, had been Invited to 
 stay at Carton House, without any limit 
 for the visit being fixed, but with a sort 
 of tacit understanding that she was to 
 stay as long as she pleased. Thus, as 
 has been already mentioned, It had come 
 about that she had gone to Llwyn-yr- 
 Allt in Ethel's train for the grand ball at 
 Cwm-Eithin. 
 
 When her maid brouofht her the news of 
 the burglary, she lost no time in leaving 
 bed and attiring herself, in order to hurry 
 off to the heiress's room, and condole 
 with her. Here was an event which 
 might, It seemed to her, prove an in- 
 valuable opportunity for advancing towards 
 that close friendship which she was so 
 anxious to see established between her- 
 self and Ethel. The nerves of the latter 
 could not fail to be unstrung, and her
 
 124 ^ Burglary, 
 
 whole system upset, by the shock of what 
 had taken place. She would be sure to 
 be in a state when a little petting, cher- 
 ishing, mental propping-up, and sympathy 
 would be particularly acceptable. It was 
 quite likely that she would be Inclined to 
 hysterics, shrinking from general society, 
 unfit to be worried about business, per- 
 haps unable to leave her room. 
 
 How welcome at such a moment would 
 be a faithful and zealous friend to soothe 
 the agitated nerves, and to be a comforter, 
 supporter, and medium of communication 
 with the rough outer world ! And how 
 delighted would Lady Elise be to per- 
 form that part on the present occasion. 
 She would devote herself heart and soul 
 to her friend's interests, spare no pains 
 for her service, save her from all necessity 
 of coming in contact with other and less 
 sympathetic individuals ; be, in short, 
 even as a sister unto her. And in regard 
 to this last simile, it may be observed,
 
 All Aristocratic Toady. 125 
 
 that when it passed through Lady Ellse's 
 mind, it must have referred rather to the 
 conventional ideal of that relationship than 
 to any personal experience of her own, 
 as to the feelino^s to which it eave rise. 
 For though she had sisters, yet she had 
 never shown any eagerness to fly to their 
 assistance when they got the measles, or 
 fell into any other kind of trouble, either 
 mental or bodily ; and had, to say the 
 truth, always been much more ready on 
 such occasions to consider her relations 
 as nuisances, and to grumble at them, 
 than to make the slightest effort to help 
 them, or to put herself out of the way on 
 their account. 
 
 Anticipating, then, that the burglary 
 would have given her an unexpectedly 
 good opening for making herself necessary 
 to Ethel, Lady Elise hastened to Miss Car- 
 ton's room, knocked at the door, and was 
 told to come in. 
 
 ' My dearest Ethel ! What is this that
 
 126 A Burglary. 
 
 I hear ? Can it possibly be true ? It 
 seems quite too horrible ? You poor, dear 
 thing ; how you must have suffered ! Are 
 you really still alive after it all ? ' 
 
 Such were Lady Elise's exclamations 
 as she opened the door and entered the 
 room, eager to render all the devoted 
 attentions which she made sure her friend 
 must be in urgent need of. But the sight 
 that met her eyes when she was well into 
 the room was not at all what she had been 
 prepared for, and made her feel decidedly 
 disappointed. Instead of being in a con- 
 dition of hysterics and general collapse, 
 Ethel seemed no more nervous and 
 fluttered than if she had spent a night 
 of unbroken repose. With Green's as- 
 sistance she was calmly performing her 
 toilette as usual, and gave no indication 
 whatever of being likely to prefer shutting 
 herself up with a sympathetic friend, to 
 going downstairs to breakfast with the 
 common herd.
 
 An Aristocratic Toady. 127 
 
 * Well,' answered Ethel, smiling, ' of 
 course I can't say what you may have 
 heard, but, at all events, I'm altogether 
 uninjured and alive. Though I've been 
 robbed, yet the thief was a gentlemanly 
 creature, who, notwithstanding his threats, 
 used no brutal violence, and accomplished 
 his purpose with as little barbarity as was 
 possible. But if he spared me, he didn't 
 do as much for my jewels. There's my 
 favourite set of diamonds and sapphires 
 gone, amongst others, and who knows if 
 I shall ever get them back again. Isn't 
 it heart-breaking ? ' 
 
 ' Oh, it's awful ! quite too altogether 
 awful ! ' cried Lady Elise. * And I can't 
 tell you how I pity you. That great 
 stone in the centre of the pendant was 
 simply the veriest love of a sapphire that 
 I ever did set eyes on. But, of course, 
 you'll have them back some day or other, 
 you know ; all the jewellers will know of 
 their being stolen, and so the thief won't
 
 128 A Burglary, 
 
 venture to take them for sale to anyone, 
 and then, sooner or later, they are certain 
 to be found in his possession, and brought 
 back to you.' 
 
 * I only wish it may be so/ answered 
 Ethel ; * but I don't feel very hopeful in 
 the matter when I remember what stories 
 have been told of the ease with which 
 jewels can be taken out of their settings, 
 and disposed of abroad, so that all trace 
 of them is lost' 
 
 ' Ah, quite true ! ' returned Lady Elise. 
 ' I'd forgotten all about the foreign 
 jewellers ; I haven't such a memory as 
 you have. You really never do forget 
 anything^ I think ! But I'm quite sur- 
 prised to find you out of bed already, for 
 I felt positive you wouldn't think of get- 
 ting up just yet. You know, dearest, 
 that after such a shock as this fearful 
 robbery must have given you, a little 
 extra care of yourself is most indispensable, 
 for fear that else you may be the worse
 
 An Aristocratic Toady, 129 
 
 for it afterwards. Sui^ely you aren't think- 
 ing of going downstairs as usual, now, 
 immediately, are you ? It would be far 
 more prudent to have your breakfast 
 quietly up here, and not expose yourself 
 to the fatigue and worry of society till 
 your poor nerves have had time to recover 
 themselves a bit. I'm sure no one could 
 wonder, or think it anything but the most 
 natural thing in the world for you to do. 
 And I shall be only too delighted to be 
 of use to you in any way possible, so you 
 needn't be bothered about business affairs, 
 if only you'll accept my humble services, 
 and let me see people for you and act on 
 your behalf. It'll be no trouble, but a 
 real pleasure to me to be able to help you 
 at all.' 
 
 It had certainly never entered Ethel's 
 head that there was a possibility of her 
 being expected to remain secluded, and 
 assume the part of an invalid, merely 
 because her trinkets had been stolen, and 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 130 A Burglary. 
 
 her first impulse was to laugh at the notion, 
 and declare that she had never felt better 
 in her life. But when she found that Lady 
 Elise seemed seriously to regard it as a 
 matter of course that she should not be 
 equal to mixing in society just yet, she 
 was troubled by a momentary qualm of 
 doubt and uneasiness. It was always her 
 ambition to do whatever would be gener- 
 ally considered the right thing. Indeed, 
 her anxiety on this point was carried to an 
 extent which was quite remarkable in a 
 person possessing as much originality and 
 strength of character as she did. At the 
 present moment, therefore, though she did 
 not feel the very smallest inclination to 
 stay upstairs, and was, on the contrary, 
 stirred by a faint curiosity to witness the 
 sensation created amongst people by her 
 adventure ; yet the idea that to eschew 
 society for a while was, perhaps, in the 
 eyes of the world, the correct course to be 
 pursued by a lady who had been robbed,
 
 An Aristocratic Toady. 131 
 
 made her pause and hesitate before reply- 
 ing to Lady EHse. 
 
 A very few seconds of reflection sufficed 
 to bring her natural good sense to the 
 front, and show her the absurdity of affect- 
 ing to be an invalid when she was really 
 as well as possible. But she would on no 
 account run any risk of being thought 
 wanting in due decorum, so she was care- 
 ful to give no sign of the surprise and 
 inward amusement she had felt, as she 
 answered with the utmost sedateness, — 
 
 ' Thanks, very much indeed ; but I 
 think, on the whole, that I shall come 
 down as usual. You see the man didn't 
 do me any bodily damage ; and besides, I 
 slept very comfortably after he was gone. 
 I didn't think that I should have, but I did 
 after all. Furthermore, I'm uncommonly 
 hungry this morning — though I don't 
 suppose any of us have a right to any 
 appetite, after the tremendous supper Sir 
 Cadwallader gave us last night — and I
 
 132 A Bttrglary, 
 
 never think breakfast's half nice when one 
 has it in one's own room ; do you ? ' 
 
 Evidently the burglary was not going to 
 prove the splendid opportunity to Lady 
 Elise which she had hoped. Her little 
 castle in the air had crumbled away 
 promptly, and it only remained for her to 
 make the best she could out of the situa- 
 tion as it was. 
 
 * You don't mean to say you actually went 
 to sleep again ! ' she exclaimed, with enthu- 
 siastic admiration. ' Why, you dear, brave 
 creature, I can hardly believe it possible.' 
 
 ' Yes, but I did though, really,' answered 
 Ethel. * You can ask Green if I wasn't 
 fast asleep when she came to call me.' 
 
 * Oh, of course I believe it if you really say 
 so, without wanting any further evidence 
 than your word,' returned Lady Elise; 'but, 
 upon my word, Ethel, your pluck is some- 
 thing too extraordinary, and your nerves 
 must be simply of iron. I'm convinced \ki2X 
 not one woman in a thousand, and very
 
 An Aristocratic Toady. 133 
 
 few men, would have been able to sleep 
 the rest of the night after such a dreadful 
 affair. And yet you did ; and here you 
 are this morning just as quiet and com- 
 posed as if nothing out of the common had 
 happened to you. You're perfectly won- 
 derful ; isn't she, Green ? ' 
 
 Green simpered and coloured at this 
 appeal to her, and felt a little embarrassed. 
 When amongst her equals she did not 
 hesitate for a moment to express her 
 opinion freely about Miss Carton, or any 
 other Individual who might chance to be 
 mentioned. But to do so in the presence 
 of her superiors was quite a different 
 matter, and appeared to verge on a breach 
 of etiquette. If, on the present occasion, 
 she should assent to the proposition that 
 her mistress was wonderful, she had doubts 
 whether it would not imply a free-and-easy 
 sort of criticism that was unbecomlnof to 
 her station to indulge In, and might be 
 considered as taking a liberty. Still, It
 
 134 ^ Burglary. 
 
 would obviously never do to Ignore an 
 earl's daughter who had condescended to 
 ask her opinion. So Green replied with a 
 solemnity that was Intended to show how 
 far she was from treating the subject with 
 any approach to undue levity, — 
 
 ' I think so, my lady. And I only 'opes 
 as Miss Carton mayn't come to feel it too, 
 by-and-by, when, perhaps, there may come 
 a rehaction.' 
 
 To find oneself considered heroic by 
 other people Is always gratifying ; and 
 from the glimmer of gentle complacency 
 which passed over Ethel's face, a physiog- 
 nomist would have rightly Inferred that 
 the tribute of admiration she was receiving 
 was not unacceptable to her. But yet her 
 satisfaction was a little spoilt by the fact 
 that in some secret recess of her soul 
 lurked a faint uncertainty as to whether, 
 perhaps, the composure with w^hlch she 
 was credited was not owing as much to her 
 being of an easy-going, unemotional, and
 
 An Aristocratic Toady. 135 
 
 rather lymphatic temperament, as to her 
 having any heroic pluck or power of self- 
 control. It mi^ht be so or not. She 
 really did not know ; and determined that 
 some day, when she had leisure, she would 
 set to work to think the subject out care- 
 fully, and find out the truth about it. 
 
 This was an excellent resolution ; only, 
 unluckily, it eventually never came to any- 
 thing ; for the very good reason that 
 directly after being made it went com- 
 pletely out of her head, and never returned 
 there afterwards. None the less, however, 
 at the time of making it she had been quite 
 in earnest about meaning to put it in 
 execution, for she always wished honestly 
 to know the real truth about herself and 
 her qualities as far as might be possible to 
 do so. Any self-deception of which she was 
 guilty was really not her own fault so much 
 as that of the entourage and position, which 
 seemed, as it were, to thrust it upon her in 
 spite of herself Considering iiow habitu-
 
 136 A Burglary, 
 
 ated she was to be treated as though she 
 were of different clay to average mortals, 
 it was hardly strange that she should be 
 gradually learning to consider it an indis- 
 putable fact ; and it certainly spoke well 
 for her character that she should still be 
 capable of entertaining any doubts on the 
 subject. 
 
 On the present occasion there were so 
 many important things to occupy her 
 attention, that it was not surprising for 
 her speedily to have forgotten the self- 
 examination which she had determined 
 upon. Every detail of the robbery had to 
 be related ; the jewels, and the robber had 
 to be described as accurately as possible, 
 and all particulars had to begone into over 
 and over again, for the benefit of people 
 who, either as a matter of business, or else 
 from mere idle curiosity, wanted to know 
 exactly all that had happened. Indeed, 
 she got very tired of repeating the same 
 thine so often before she had done with
 
 An Aristocratic Toady. 137 
 
 it ; but yet found some amount of com- 
 pensation for the annoyance in the novelty 
 of the sensation which she was creating. 
 It was so absolutely different from any- 
 thing she had ever done before. There 
 was, of course, nothing new to her in 
 attracting attention, and feeling herself to 
 be a central figure in whatever society she 
 might be ; but on no previous occasion had 
 she been able to feel that she had such a 
 really fair claim to the position as now. 
 
 To begin with, she had been robbed of 
 many thousand pounds' worth of jewellery, 
 which was a sufficiently uncommon occur- 
 rence to be in itself almost a distinction. 
 Furthermore, she had, for the first time 
 in her life, taken part in a genuine, sensa- 
 tional adventure. And as she looked back 
 on the events of the night, she could 
 reflect with satisfaction that her fright had 
 not been immoderate, and that even though 
 she mieht not have so acted as to deserve 
 all the extraordinary amount of glory that
 
 138 
 
 A Burglmy. 
 
 Lady Ellse and others sought to attribute 
 to her, yet at all events she had got 
 through her adventure without disgracing 
 herself in any way, or giving way to un- 
 reasonable terror.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 IMOGEN HEARS OF IT. 
 
 SrW^lHE burglar had departed with 
 &M M^ Ethel's jewels without commit- 
 ^^ o<L^^ ting further depredations, and as 
 his entrance and exit were made through 
 the window that Ralph and Imogen had 
 left open, no trace of his presence was 
 to be found anywhere in the house, ex- 
 cept in Miss Carton's bedroom. Conse- 
 quently no one knew or suspected any- 
 thing of what had occurred, until such time 
 as Green went to pay- her usual morning 
 visit to her mistress, and found her gagged 
 and bound as has been told.
 
 140 A Burglary, 
 
 The moment Ethel was released, she 
 despatched Green to Mr Rhys, and as 
 soon as he heard of the burglary, he sent 
 off a messenger post haste to communicate 
 with the Cwm-Eithin police. But by that 
 time several hours had already elapsed 
 since the thief's departure, and as the 
 town was some miles off, there was a yet 
 further loss of time before any pursuit was 
 commenced. All this delay gave him a 
 good start, and his chances of escape were 
 increased by the fact that the local con- 
 stables were not remarkable for detective 
 talent, promptitude of action, or fertility of 
 imagination. It. was in his favour, too, 
 that the best description Ethel could give 
 of him was but a vague one ; for the loss 
 of one finger from the right hand was not 
 much to go by, and yet that was the only 
 really definite mark of identification that 
 she could furnish. 
 
 Meanwhile, by means of valets and 
 ladies'-maids, the news had quickly spread
 
 Imogen hears of It. 141 
 
 through the whole household, and of course 
 created universal excitement. 
 
 When Imogen and Ralph returned from 
 Gwern pond, they sneaked in and up- 
 stairs to their own rooms by the back 
 way w^ithout meeting any one ; and as 
 soon as the girl was in her room, she rang 
 the bell for her maid Millet, to assist in 
 that * respectabilising ' process which had 
 to be gone through before descending to 
 the dining-room for breakfast. On occa- 
 sions of this kind, it was Millet's wont to 
 put on a highly aggrieved air at beholding 
 the torn and sodden condition of the petti- 
 coats, stockings, boots, and other garments 
 whereof she was the appointed guardian. 
 But on this particular morning she quite 
 forgot to give her customary signs of disap- 
 proval, and was in an irrepressible state of 
 fluster and excitement which was plainly 
 visible to her mistress when she answered 
 the bell. Millet was an individual of whom 
 Ralph had once remarked with much truth
 
 142 A Bttrglary, 
 
 that she 'regularly wallowed in rapture 
 whenever she could be the first to tell a 
 bit of news ; ' and the more sensational it 
 was, the more she enjoyed relating it. 
 Now that the intelligence of the burglary 
 had been diffused so widely through one 
 establishment, it was an unhoped-for piece 
 of luck to meet with someone who the 
 still ignorant of it, and a sort of spasm of 
 joy thrilled through her, when in answer to 
 her remark, — 
 
 ' I s'pose hin corse, miss, as you've 
 'eard what 'ave 'appened ? ' 
 
 Imogen made answer, — 
 
 'What has happened? I've not heard 
 of anything particular, or likely to put you 
 into such a state of commotion as you 
 seem to be in.' 
 
 ' There 'ave been a burglairy, miss/ 
 replied Millet ; and as she spoke her face 
 and manner expressed alternately the in- 
 tense relish which she experienced in 
 telling such a startling piece of news, and
 
 Imogen hears of It, 143 
 
 the grave horror which she thought would 
 be the fitting frame of mind in which to 
 approach the subject of so heinous a crime. 
 * Oh, it's reely quite shocking to think of! 
 And you not to 'ave 'eard of it yet — just 
 look at that now ! Which it was the very 
 remark as I passed to Mrs Lamb when 
 she come to my hapartment for to talk it 
 hover with me. 'As my young lady gone 
 to pore Miss Carting, says I ? — those was 
 my own words to 'er. But Mrs Lamb, 
 she's one of them that'll halways try and 
 snap one hup has hif one 'ad said some- 
 thing foolish, so she said, says she, as 
 short has you please, — 'Ow should she 'ave 
 gone there, or 'eard hanything hat all hof 
 the matter, and she hout of the 'ouse hall 
 the time, and not come back to this blessid 
 minnit ? But no matter for 'er a snapping 
 of me hup like that — I mortified 'er hafter- 
 wards, I did — I mortified 'er hat the 
 breakfast-table.' 
 
 * Well, never mind about all that/ said
 
 144 A Burglary, 
 
 Imogen impatiently, cutting short the 
 account of how Mrs Lamb had been 
 mortified that seemed impending. ' What 
 about the burglary? and what about Miss 
 Carton ? ' 
 
 ' Yes, that's jest what I am telling you 
 hof, miss, as fast as I can hutter the words,' 
 replied Millet, without the faintest con- 
 sciousness of having been in any way led 
 aside from her original theme. ' Hit's 
 quite dreadful as such people can be in the 
 world, I do declare. To think as this 
 'ouse 'ave been broke hinto, and Miss 
 Carting's room hentered, and hall 'er 
 lovely jools took, and she seen the man 
 'er hown self, and 'e tied 'er 'ands and feet 
 together, pore thing ! and put an 'anker- 
 chief in 'er mouth, and fastened 'er down 
 in bed so as she shouldn't move nor hutter 
 a sound while 'e got clear hoff! And 
 there she was this morning fast hasleep, 
 if you can believe it, miss, when Miss 
 Green took 'er in 'er cup of tea. Least-
 
 Imogen hears of It, 145 
 
 ways, so Miss Green says. But Sir 
 Charles' gentleman says as 'e reely cant 
 believe that — and hindeed it seems so 
 haltogether himpossible that I can't 'elp 
 'aving some doubts myself as to the 
 haccuracy of the statement.' 
 
 'Was Miss Carton hurt in any way.-*' 
 asked Imogen quickly, with a rush of 
 colour to her face that showed her anxiety 
 lest any harm should have been done to 
 her cousin. 
 
 ' Oh no/ replied Millet ; ' she's totally 
 huninjured, Miss Green says — not a 
 scratch, nor a bruise, nor nothing.' 
 
 This assurance relieved Imogen's mind, 
 and she proceeded without further remark 
 to change her clothes and get ready for 
 breakfast. An elaborate toilette was a 
 thing which she looked down upon as 
 frivolous and ridiculous, for she had not 
 yet attained to that love of dress w^hich 
 most women have from their earliest child- 
 hood. Consequently the style of dressing 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 146 A Burglary. 
 
 which she preferred was more rapid than 
 elegant ; and when left to her own devices 
 In the matter, she was apt to appear with 
 her hair parted all awry, the edge of her 
 petticoat protruding below her gown, the 
 front and side of her skirt twisted so that 
 each had usurped the place of the other, 
 and a general look of having had her 
 clothes 'put on with a pitchfork,' as Millet 
 expressed it. 
 
 Of course when the maid was v/Ith 
 her, that official never allowed such un- 
 tidiness ; but as the extra time that was 
 taken up by her carefulness was always 
 a sore trial to Imogen, whilst, on the 
 other hand, the young lady's want of 
 vanity, and indifference to her personal 
 appearance, were a continual source of 
 grievance to Millet, therefore It naturally 
 resulted that the periods devoted to dress- 
 ing were generally rather purgatorial times 
 to both mistress and maid. 
 
 ' It's my belief,' Millet would declare to
 
 Imogen hears of It, 147 
 
 a sympathising audience of other maids, 
 'that I might send Miss HImojin down 
 with 'er glove on top of 'er 'ed, and she 
 wouldn't know it ! no ; nor yet hif 'er 
 gown was made wrong side up, and put 
 on wrong side in front ! She don't know 
 a bit what clothes she 'ave, and don't 
 never think as a thing's wore out so long 
 as it'll 'old together some'ow or hany'ow. 
 I never see the like of 'er in hall my 
 born days before. She'll take and read 
 hall the time I'm dressing 'er 'air, and 
 never give so much has one single look 
 in the glass to see what I'm doing hof. 
 She's a good young lady enough in many 
 ways, and I will say for 'er as she hisn't 
 that mean, and nasty tempered, and spy- 
 ing as many is. But still, to a maid as 
 takes a proper pride in 'er purfession, it's 
 'art breaking to serve a lady like that as 
 'asn't a scrap of hinterest In 'ow she looks. 
 When I see 'er sometimes hafter she've 
 been dressing hof 'erself, I feel that
 
 148 A Bw^glary. 
 
 hashamed hof 'er that reely it's as much 
 as I can do to bring myself to hac- 
 knowledge 'er as belonging to me hat 
 hall ! ' 
 
 On this particular morning, Imogen 
 found it even harder than usual to re- 
 main tranquil during the time required 
 by Millet to perform her office ; for the 
 girl was longing to rush off to see if she 
 could do anything for Ethel, and to satisfy 
 herself personally as to her cousin's safety. 
 It had been her first impulse to do this 
 directly she had been told of what had 
 happened ; but she had been restrained 
 by the fear of not perhaps being wanted 
 just then, and of appearing to be over- 
 fussy ; for the sort of adoration which she 
 had lately begun to feel for Miss Carton 
 was mingled with a considerable amount 
 of awe. 
 
 Imogen, on the verge of the line di- 
 viding her present from her future con- 
 dition, when she should be *come out,'
 
 l77iogen hears of It, 1 49 
 
 had, as it were, looked across the boundary 
 to reconnoitre the inhabitants of that other 
 sphere which she was shortly to enter, 
 and which was so different from the care- 
 less, unconventional, running-wild state of 
 existence she had hitherto known. Upon 
 the male denizens of the new country she 
 had bestowed no attention, feeling per- 
 fectly certain that she should never care 
 to marry, and being absolutely devoid of 
 that inclination for flirtation which nature 
 commonly implants in a woman's breast. 
 But it had been different in regard to 
 those of her own sex ; these had seemed 
 more interesting to her, and now and then 
 as occasion offered, she had observed them 
 with a closeness that was quite unsus- 
 pected by the objects of her study. The 
 result of her observations had been un- 
 satisfactory, and she was disgusted with 
 what she believed to be the characteristics 
 of the whole body of those who were to 
 be her future female companions.
 
 150 A Burglary. 
 
 Petty vanities, silly little airs and graces, 
 recognised conventional insincerities, and 
 other similar small matters were things of 
 which she was intolerant with the intense 
 intolerance of a child ; and as she had 
 frequently detected these fallings amongst 
 'come out' young ladies, she had come 
 to the hasty conclusion that they were all 
 alike, that they were but a poor and des- 
 picable set of creatures, and that the more 
 essentially feminine they were, so much 
 the more thoroughly contemptible were 
 they likely to be. 
 
 Proof of the over-hastiness of this con- 
 clusion, however, was not long in coming 
 to her, for she suddenly began to discover 
 that one of the despised class had a 
 strange fascination for her, and it was 
 soon evident that one who was pretty, 
 graceful, and feminine, had nevertheless 
 been able, without effort on her own part 
 to quicken into life the capacity for ro- 
 mantic attachment which exists somewhere
 
 Imogen hears of It. 151 
 
 or other in the composition of most people, 
 but which in Imogen had till now lain 
 dormant. The person who had uncon- 
 sciously performed this feat was Ethel. 
 Her money had had nothing to do with 
 it, for Imogen was as yet too innocent 
 of worldly-mindedness to be in any 
 degree mercenary ; it was something in 
 Ethel's own self that had captivated 
 her, and begun to evoke in her breast 
 a feeling that she had not before experi- 
 enced. 
 
 Any kind of devoted friendship or 
 attachment that could possibly be called 
 sentimental, had hitherto been made fun 
 of mercilessly by Imogen because it had 
 seemed to her unreal. She had never 
 had such a feeling herself, and did not, 
 therefore, believe that other people had 
 it either. But now she beo^an to look at 
 the matter differently, as personal ex- 
 perience taught her the necessity of ad- 
 mitting sentiment to be a real component
 
 152 A Burglary. 
 
 part of human nature. She looked up 
 to Ethel enthusiastically, as a being for 
 her to worship from a position of wide 
 inferiority without any expectation of re- 
 ciprocal affection. For Ethel to care 
 about her and be friendly with her in a 
 cousinly fashion was, of course, no more 
 than the natural result of their relationship 
 to one another; but Imogen would have 
 deemed it the height of presumption for 
 her to think it likely that she could call 
 forth any warmer feeling than that from 
 one so far above her as Ethel. To belong 
 to the same family as Miss Carton was 
 to Imogen a source of happiness, because 
 she was thereby enabled naturally to be 
 on a more intimate footing with her idol 
 than if they had been unconnected by 
 any tie of blood. But this pleasant sense 
 of cousinly familiarity was not strong 
 enough to overcome the shyness which, 
 on the present occasion, withheld her 
 from hurrying off to Ethel the instant
 
 Imogen hears of It, 153 
 
 that she heard of the burglary, as she 
 would have dearly liked to do. 
 
 Imogen reflected that every one else 
 would be likely to do that, and to go 
 clamouring for an account of what had 
 happened, and making a tremendous fuss 
 and bother. She herself had always had 
 a horror of making a fuss about things, 
 or indulging in special demonstrations of 
 excitement ; and this tendency to unde- 
 monstrativeness had been encouraged by 
 noticing the habitual placidity of Ethel's 
 demeanour, which she had attributed to 
 Ethel's being of the same mind as her- 
 self in the matter. It would never 
 do, she thought, for her to be as ridi- 
 culously fussy as the majority of man 
 and woman kind, and to cause herself 
 to be ranked amongst them as such in 
 Ethel's mind. 
 
 So she controlled her impatience, and 
 would not allow herself to stir in the 
 direction of the person whom she was
 
 154 ^ Burglary. 
 
 longing to see, until Millet's minis- 
 trations were at an end, and she was 
 fully attired In her best clothes In honour 
 of the company staying In the house. 
 
 Then she set off towards her cousin's 
 room ; but paused after a few steps, de- 
 bating In her own mind whether It might 
 not be even better to wait till she should 
 meet Ethel downstairs In the ordinary 
 course of events, rather than to pay an 
 unwonted bedroom visit which might, 
 perhaps, be thought to betoken an undue 
 disposition to fusslness, and so lower her 
 in the esteem of the Individual whose 
 good opinion she most desired to win. 
 She was standing In the passage, con- 
 sidering this Important question, when 
 the matter was settled for her by the 
 appearance of Ethel and Lady Ellse on 
 their way down to breakfast. 
 
 ' Good morning,' said Imogen, brusquely, 
 and manifesting not the least symptom of 
 being In any particular manner Interested
 
 Imogen hears of It. 155 
 
 or excited. ' So there you are, Ethel ! 
 Is it true you've been burgled ?' 
 
 ' Yes, indeed, alas ! ' returned Ethel, 
 with a look of comically exaggerated 
 woe. ' A whole lot of my treasures 
 have been carried off, and amonofst them 
 one of my favourite and most valuable 
 sets.' 
 
 ' What a horrid bore for you,' replied 
 Imogen, laughing at the deplorable face 
 Ethel had assumed. * However, you 
 look all serene after it, so I conclude 
 you didn't get any way damaged, did 
 you ? ' 
 
 ' Oh no, not a bit,' responded the 
 heiress ; * you shall hear all about it by- 
 and-by ; only I want my breakfast be- 
 fore I do much talking, for the robbery, 
 or the ball, or something or other, has 
 given me a sharp appetite this morning.' 
 
 ' Come along then — I've ditto,' answered 
 Imogen. ' Grub's bound to be in by now, 
 for the bell went some time aofo.'
 
 156 A Burglary, 
 
 And with these words she and the other 
 two ladies descended to the dining-room, 
 each one of them presenting an aspect 
 of being unemotional that was peculiar 
 to herself, and different to that of her 
 companions. Imogen was so in appear- 
 ance only ; Lady Elise, on the contrary, 
 was inwardly indifferent though she 
 thought fit to make a great show of 
 excitement in order to be credited with 
 the sympathetic interest of devoted friend- 
 ship ; and Ethel was calm and unmoved 
 both inwardly and outwardly, because it 
 was her nature to be so.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 AN INSPECTION OF FINGERS. 
 
 MONGST the visitors staying 
 at Llwyn-yr-Allt was a bar- 
 rister, named Trevor Owen, 
 who, Hke Lady Elise Bolyn, thought the 
 burglary might possibly prove a very 
 opportune misfortune, and hoped to reap 
 some profit to himself from it. His father 
 was a peer more blessed with children 
 than with materials to support them ; and 
 Trevor, being a younger son with his 
 own living to gain, had adopted the law 
 as his profession. Briefs, however, are 
 apt not to rain very plentifully upon
 
 158 A Burglary. 
 
 a man who has no family connection 
 amongst attorneys, and whose brains and 
 general capacities are in no wise above 
 those of any other average specimen of 
 humanity ; and Trevor soon arrived at 
 the conclusion that the simplest and most 
 expeditious means of providing for himself 
 would be to marry a rich wife. 
 
 Could he have chosen his parentage, 
 he would unquestionably have preferred 
 to be the son of a rich commoner who 
 could give him an ample portion, rather 
 than that of a poor viscount from whom 
 he derived little except a handle to his 
 name. But as this misfortune of his 
 birth was evidently irremediable, he did 
 not waste time in fruitless lamentations 
 over it, and set himself wisely to make 
 the best of such advantages as had been 
 afforded him. Though the honourable 
 prefix which was his birthright would 
 certainly not of itself suffice for food and 
 clothing, yet still, by skilful management,
 
 An Inspection of Fingers. 159 
 
 he thought it might be made to conduce 
 to the attainment of those necessaries. 
 It was inferior to money, no doubt ; but 
 yet it could justly be considered as an 
 article of marketable value, since it con- 
 ferred upon its owner a precedence and 
 position which many women find irresis- 
 tibly attractive, and which might greatly 
 assist him in the wooing of such a help- 
 mate as he desired. In other respects, 
 also, he had qualifications to make him 
 agreeable in the eyes of society in general, 
 and women in particular. He was an ex- 
 cellent dancer, and, being only twenty- 
 eight years of age, was not yet too old 
 for a keen enjoyment of that amusement 
 — and a good partner is always an accept- 
 able individual. Besides this, he invariably 
 had plenty to say for himself, dressed well, 
 was tall, and by no means ugly, even 
 though not to be called positively hand- 
 some. 
 
 The chief drawback to his personal
 
 i6o A Burglary. 
 
 appearance was a peculiar air which he 
 always had of wanting to know more of 
 everything than other people did. This 
 air is generally Inseparable from the wear- 
 ing of eye-glasses, and renders their In- 
 discriminate use undesirable — since even 
 the least curious of mortals with an 
 eye-glass stuck in his or her eye must 
 Infallibly look as though anxious for an 
 undue share of Information about things. 
 But though Trevor Owen wore no glass, 
 none the less had he the inquisitive look 
 which that appendage conveys ; and no 
 one who had once seen him could doubt 
 his being a bit of a Paul Pry. There was 
 really nothing that he did not want to 
 know ; and when he had ferretted out 
 all he could about anything, he seemed 
 always to be troubled by a convlc-tlon 
 that the most valuable and Interestinof 
 part of the information still remained un- 
 told. He took good care, however, that 
 his curiosity should never stand in his
 
 An Inspection of Fingers, i6i 
 
 light, or give offence to those by whose 
 displeasure he could be Injured ; and 
 altogether he seemed as likely to be a 
 successful suitor for a woman's hand as 
 the majority of men going about the 
 world in search of wives. 
 
 Such an heiress as Ethel was, of course, 
 a most Interesting individual in his eyes ; 
 but though he knew her by report well 
 enough, he had never had a chance of 
 becoming acquainted with her until the 
 time of his present visit to Llwyn-yr-Allt, 
 when he was greatly rejoiced to find that 
 she also was amongst Mr Rhys' guests. 
 
 Determined to make the most of the 
 opportunity, Trevor, ever since his arrival, 
 had been doing everything he could think 
 of that seemed likely to produce a favour- 
 able impression of him on the young lady's 
 mind ; and the moment he heard of the 
 burglary, he began to reflect on how to 
 turn it to good account. 
 
 In the first place he sniffed a brief. If 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 1 62 A Bui^gla7y. 
 
 he could contrive to display advantageously 
 what legal knowledge he possessed, and 
 give her a good opinion of his ability, zeal, 
 and sagacity, there would be a reasonable 
 chance of her instructing her solicitors to 
 employ him for the prosecution whenever 
 the buroflar should be caug^ht. Besides 
 that, it was an affair that was sure to attract 
 public attention and be very much talked 
 about, so it would be a good advertisement 
 to him to get his name mixed up with it 
 as much as possible from the very begin- 
 ning. And finally, supposing she could 
 be induced to trust him as a lawyer, might 
 not the professional connection lead even- 
 tually to a yet closer and more tender tie 
 between them ? Such things had happened 
 to other barristers before now ; so why 
 not to him as well as another ? Feeling 
 convinced that he would be an idiot if he 
 could not manage to profit in some way 
 or other by the robbery, he lost no time 
 in placing his services at Miss Carton's dis-
 
 An Inspection of Fingers, 163 
 
 posal, and offering to assist in investigating 
 into all that concerned the loss of her jewels. 
 His offer was accepted readily. The 
 police had not yet had time to arrive ; and 
 it seemed to Ethel as if a barrister would 
 be the next best thing to a policeman 
 under the circumstances. It gave her 
 a vague sense of confidence to know 
 that there was on the spot some one acting 
 for her, whose professional experience 
 made him likely to know all about the 
 detection of crime and criminals. The 
 only other representative of the law who 
 was in reach at that moment was her 
 uncle, Mr Rhys, who was a magistrate. 
 But she knew that he was by no means 
 active in his magisterial duties, and thought 
 it extremely probable that whatever 
 knowledge of legal matters he had ever 
 had, was become rusty through want of 
 practice ; therefore she was inclined to 
 think that the wide-awake looking young 
 barrister, fresh from the law courts, was
 
 164 A Burglary, 
 
 more likely to be of use to her at present 
 than any other person who was available, 
 and she was gratified to have his energies 
 working on her behalf. 
 
 This he was quick to perceive, and at 
 once proceeded to act in such a way as 
 should make it impossible to doubt that 
 his whole heart and soul were in the case 
 he had undertaken, and that he had identi- 
 fied himself with it as completely as though 
 his own interests had been involved. 
 Having asked leave to cross-examine her 
 as a necessary preliminary, he performed 
 that operation in a manner that was a 
 happy combination of the sympathising 
 friend with the hard-headed, practical man 
 of business, and thus elicited all the infor- 
 mation she could give as pleasantly as 
 possible. Next he explored the whole 
 house thoroughly, and examined rooms, 
 staircases, passages, windows, doors, and 
 fastenings without end — which looked 
 business-like at all events, even though it
 
 An Inspection of Fingers, 165 
 
 did not bring to light anything more than 
 was already known about the robbery. 
 Then he went to the smoking-room window, 
 which, having been wide open, had natur- 
 ally been supposed from the first to have 
 been the thiefs way In and out of the 
 house ; upon this window Trevor concen- 
 trated his attention for some time — standing 
 with his head stuck on one side like a 
 magpie, viewing the place from both Inside 
 and out, and taking notes of every dent, 
 notch, or scratch that was to be discerned 
 on paint, wood or stone near the window. 
 Furthermore he asked Innumerable ques- 
 tions (many of which appeared to the un- 
 educated minds of those who were not 
 lawyers to be utterly Irrelevant) of every 
 member of the household ; and altogether 
 he left no stone unturned to demonstrate 
 the devouring eagerness that he felt to 
 hit upon some clue that might lead to 
 the detection of the villain who had robbed 
 Miss Carton.
 
 1 66 A Burglary, 
 
 One of the thief's fingers was missing 
 from the right hand. Well ; that was a 
 very important point to start from, and 
 would throw grave suspicion upon anyone 
 who might be discovered in the vicinity in 
 that maimed condition. It could do no 
 harm to make absolutely sure of the 
 innocence of every one who was within 
 immediate reach, and with Mr Rhys' per- 
 mission, Trevor proposed at once to pass 
 in review the hands of every person then 
 in the house — whether visitor or servant — 
 in order to investigate their number of 
 fingers. Mr Rhys stared, and hummed 
 and hawed, being in truth not quite pleased 
 at having the command of affairs in his 
 own house thus taken from him by this 
 extremely energetic young man, whose 
 ideas were so much more ready than Mr 
 Rhys' own. As, however, he could not 
 think of any valid objection to the pro- 
 posal, orders were given to carry it into 
 effect, and the whole establishment was
 
 A n Inspection of Fingers, 167 
 
 speedily paraded before Mr Owen. So 
 suspicious of every one was that gentleman, 
 and so determined to do his work quite 
 thoroughly, that ocular evidence alone was 
 not enough for him, and he insisted on 
 submitting every finger to the test of 
 being pinched and pulled by him before 
 he would be satisfied that it was real, live, 
 flesh and blood. 
 
 ' Supposing a robber to be short of a 
 finger, he'd be very likely to have a sham 
 one,' he observed knowingly ; ' and if so, 
 he'd wear it as a rule, so that no one 
 should know of his deficiency ; then he 
 could take it off by way of a blind when 
 he wanted to do business, you see.' 
 
 The finger-inspection produced a great 
 sensation amongst the servants — especially 
 the maids — and gave rise to mingled feel- 
 ingfs of wrath and mirth. It was both 
 insulting and ludicrous to have a gentle- 
 man prying into and feeling their hands, 
 and supposing that one of them might
 
 1 68 A Burglary, 
 
 possibly have been Miss Carton's robber ; 
 and the females resented the supposition 
 all the more because it of course involved 
 also the belief that they were capable of 
 having donned male attire — which idea 
 was an immense shock to the sensibilities 
 of most of them. 
 
 * 'Ow dare 'e heven think such a thing ! ' 
 said Millet indignantly ; * but there — they 
 barristers is mostly a low lot, as it stands 
 to reason they should be when you think 
 of the hinferior sort of parties has they be 
 halways coming in contack with. And 
 though Mr Howen is by birth a Honour- 
 able and a reel gentleman, yet when 'e 
 demeans 'imself to take up with a purfes- 
 sion like lawyers, why, in corse, 'e soon 
 comes down to the levil of the rest of 'is 
 trade.' 
 
 All the maids had a strong sense of the 
 * horkardness' of the position which caused 
 them to be much oppressed with shyness ; 
 and this found expression and relief in
 
 An Inspection of Fingers, 169 
 
 foolish simpers, blushes, suppressed giggles, 
 or uneasy contortions of the body, accord- 
 ing to the temperament of the Individual 
 under examination. Mr Owen, however, 
 was quite superior to feeling awkward or 
 bashful about anything whatever that had 
 to do with collecting evidence for a case, 
 and proceeded as calmly with his hand- 
 researches amongst total strangers as if he 
 was in the habit of conducting such things 
 every day of his life. He was drawing 
 near the end of his task, and had dis- 
 covered no deficiency of fingers anywhere, 
 when he was struck by a look that came 
 into the face of a heavy-looking girl whose 
 hands he had just examined. A gleam of 
 Intelligence came Into her eyes, her stupid 
 face partially lighted up, and her mouth 
 opened. From these signs he Inferred 
 that some bright Idea had invaded her 
 mind and was about to Issue from her lips, 
 so he paused to hear w^hat would come. 
 But to his disappointment the mouth
 
 1 70 A Burglary, 
 
 merely gave vent to an Inarticulate sound, 
 and was then again shut up tight. 
 
 * Well, what were you going to say ? 
 he asked sharply ; 'out with it.' 
 
 That a thought had suddenly struck the 
 girl was perfectly true ; but yet she had no 
 wish or intention of communicating it to 
 the strange gentleman. Ideas being of 
 rare occurrence in her mind, when one 
 had actually come there it had quite taken 
 her by surprise, and she had been on the 
 point of blurting it out at once as freely as 
 she would have done if in the company 
 only of friends in her own station of life. 
 But before she could so, her slowly work- 
 ing brain had evolved a second thought 
 which had checked the impulse to speak. 
 
 What if the thing she had thought of 
 was to bring Richard Richards into trouble.'^ 
 Indeed, it would be a pity to do that. If 
 so be as 'twas he as was the thief, she'd 
 no wish to save him, not she ; but still it 
 didn't seem right to go and put this gentle-
 
 An Inspection of Fingers. 171 
 
 man as she didn't know after a neighbour, 
 neither. If Richards was the man they 
 wanted, they'd be sure to find him out for 
 themselves fast enough without her help, 
 — and serve him right too ! — but she 
 shouldn't like to think as shed been the 
 one to set them on his heels. 
 
 The result of her meditations was, that 
 she held her tongue steadily, though be- 
 coming extremely red and confused as 
 Trevor Owen repeated his question several 
 times in the vain hope of extracting an 
 answer. 
 
 * Who's that girl ? ' said he, turning im- 
 patiently to the butler, who was assisting 
 him. ' Make her answer me, can't you ? 
 I'll swear she's got something to say. I 
 saw it in her face just now, only she's shy, 
 or frightened, or something, and won't let 
 it out.' 
 
 ' Polly Thomas, sir, that is,' replied the 
 butler. * She don't belong to us reglar, 
 but comes in now and again to wash up a
 
 172 A Burglary, 
 
 bit when the work's in any ways extry, 
 such as comp'ny staying here. Why don't 
 you speak, Polly, and answer the gentle- 
 man, like a good girl ? ' 
 
 In Polly's eyes the butler was a person 
 of almost more dignity and consequence 
 than anyone else in the house — even includ- 
 ing Mr Rhys — and to disobey his orders 
 was an act of daring hardly possible to 
 contemplate. Still she could not bear to 
 go against her sense of what was due to a 
 neighbour who was on friendly terms with 
 her and hers ; therefore she remained 
 silent, shuffling her feet to and fro, blush- 
 ing, rolling and unrolling her apron round 
 her hands, and giving other similar indica- 
 tions of the excessive nervousness and dis- 
 composure which she was experiencing. 
 
 This reticence was by no means ap- 
 proved of by the bystanders, who were 
 greatly excited on the subject of the bur- 
 glary, and caught eagerly at anything 
 which seemed to offer a chance of throw-
 
 An Inspection of Fingers, 173 
 
 ing fresh light upon the mystery. Further 
 pressure was put upon her, not only by the 
 butler and Mr Owen, but by the other ser- 
 vants also, and on all sides she heard whis- 
 pers of ' Speak you, Polly.' * What is it ? ' 
 ' Tell, girl, tell,' etc. This pressure was 
 more than she could stand, and she finally 
 gave way before the potent engine of the 
 public opinion of her own class. 
 
 It came out at last, therefore, that all 
 the fuss about fingers had suddenly re- 
 minded her about Richard Richards, for 
 she knew there was something looked odd 
 about one of his hands. She hadn't never 
 taken no notice of what it was, not she, 
 and wasn't sure but what it might be a 
 finger gone from it as he had. That was 
 all as she'd been thinking of. 
 
 This was deemed by Mr Owen quite 
 worth inquiring into further. Who was 
 Richard Richards } he asked immediately. 
 And where did he live ? Trevor soon 
 learnt that Richards was a collier with a
 
 174 ^ Burglary, 
 
 wife and children, that he lived not far 
 beyond Mr Rhys' property, and that that 
 gentleman held him in abhorrence and 
 believed him capable of any iniquity, be- 
 cause he was a notorious poacher. 
 
 The next step to take, in Mr Owen's 
 opinion, was to proceed at once to Rich- 
 ards' cottage, find out if he had a proper 
 complement of fingers, and if not, try to 
 ascertain where he had spent the preceding 
 night. Would it be too much to ask Miss 
 Carton to accompany this reconnoitring 
 expedition, if she were equal to that 
 amount of fatigue after the terribly trying 
 events of the night ? Her presence might 
 be of great advantage, as, perhaps, they 
 might be fortunate enough to see the man 
 himself ; and if she were to be able to pro- 
 nounce positively either for or against him, 
 waste of time over a false scent might thus 
 be avoided. Perhaps Mr Rhys would be 
 able to spare a carriage to take her ? 
 She replied graciously that she felt quite
 
 An Inspection of Fhigers. 175 
 
 equal to going to the cottage, and should 
 prefer to go on foot, as she always liked 
 to have a walk on the morning after a 
 ball, if possible ; and with that she went 
 to put on her things without loss of time. 
 As soon as she was gone Mr Rhys and 
 Mr Owen had a slight sparring match as 
 to whether or not the former gentleman 
 should be of the party going to the cot- 
 tage. Trevor wanted to manage every- 
 thing himself and let Miss Carton see 
 how w^ell he did it, and he feared that 
 Mr Rhys' coming might relegate him 
 to the second place ; therefore he tried 
 to impress upon his host the importance 
 of staying in the house in order to give 
 any directions that the police might re- 
 quire, and made every suggestion he could 
 think of that might induce Mr Rhys to 
 remain at home. 
 
 Mr Rhys, however, had no intention 
 of doing anything of the kind. As being 
 a magistrate for that district, Ethel's uncle,
 
 176 A Burglary, 
 
 and also master of the house where the 
 burglary had been committed, he felt that 
 he was in every way entitled to take the 
 lead in all that was done, and to decline 
 being pushed aside by this meddlesome 
 young fellow who seemed to think no 
 one knew anything but himself. So he 
 announced positively that he meant to 
 accompany his niece to the cottage and 
 make the necessary inquiries as to Richard 
 Richards, in such a manner as to put an 
 end to further discussion of the matter ; 
 and Trevor Owen had to resign himself 
 to a companion, whose presence he would 
 gladly have dispensed with. 
 
 He had not done badly so far, however, 
 having, undoubtedly, contrived to show 
 himself to be a very energetic young 
 fellow, and to display an ardour on Miss 
 Carton's behalf which disposed her to 
 regard him favourably. For few people 
 dislike to feel that their interests are being 
 looked after by a sharp, active, business-
 
 An Inspection of Fingers. 177 
 
 like person, who may be relied upon not 
 to let the grass grow under his feet ; 
 and that was just the impression of his 
 character which he had managed to give 
 her. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 M
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE SUPERIORITY OF RED INDIANS. 
 
 T may be remembered that Ralph 
 had announced his intention to 
 spend the day in trout-fish- 
 ing, and that Imogen had made up her 
 mind to accompany him. Accordingly, 
 they went off as soon as they could after 
 breakfast to prepare the fishing-tackle for 
 the proposed expedition ; but whilst they 
 were in the midst of their preparations, 
 they were interrupted by their father. The 
 general commotion produced by the bur- 
 glary, and a vague sense that he ought to 
 do something, but did not quite know what,
 
 The Superiority of Red Indians. 1 79 
 
 had by this time worked Mr Rhys into 
 an uncomfortably fidgety condition, and 
 he was inclined to be annoyed at anyone's 
 supposing it possible to go on in the same 
 way as usual without regard to the im- 
 portant event that had occurred. 
 
 Where were Ralph and Imogen off to 
 now ? Fishing in the Dwrwen ? Oh, 
 nonsense ! It was out of the question 
 for Ralph to go away from home to-day ; 
 he must stay and make himself useful. 
 There would be the police coming pre- 
 sently, and inquiries to make, and direc- 
 tions to give, and fifty things to do and 
 see to in consequence of all this bother 
 about the robbery ; and then there was 
 the ball party staying in the house to be 
 looked after and entertained as well, and 
 altogether the fishing must absolutely be 
 postponed to some other day when the 
 boy could be spared. He was wanted 
 to help about something at that very 
 moment ; and so the son was carried
 
 i8o A Bui^glary, 
 
 off then and there by his father to assist 
 about some trifling matter or other, which 
 would, on ordinary occasions, have been 
 considered quite unimportant, but which 
 was caused by Mr Rhys' present state 
 of fussiness to assume unnaturally large 
 proportions. 
 
 Thus Imogen, to her great annoyance, 
 found herself suddenly deprived of her 
 companion, and also of the day's outing 
 to which she had been confidently looking 
 forward. She began to think it was de- 
 cidedly a mistake to be in a house where 
 a burglary had just taken place. It was 
 liable to interfere with one's plans, how- 
 ever unconcerned one might be with it ; 
 and besides that, it put every creature 
 except herself into a state of flutter and 
 excitement which was simply intolerable. 
 She was quite sick of all the nonsense 
 she had heard talked about the all-en- 
 grossing subject, and could not imagine 
 how people could care to go on making
 
 The Sitperiority of Red Indians, 1 8 1 
 
 the endless, ridiculous, and unpractical 
 surmises and suggestions that were re- 
 sounding in all parts of the establishment. 
 And all the effusive sympathy and con- 
 dolences that were poured in upon Ethel, 
 too ! Imogen did not in the least believe 
 in the sincerity of the greater part of them, 
 and could not understand how anyone had 
 the patience to listen to such humbugging 
 stuff quietly. Of course these strangers 
 couldn't really care so very much about 
 her cousin's loss, and so whatever was the 
 use of pretending such a lot of rubbishing, 
 good-for-nothing interest ? She regarded 
 all the commotion with a lofty contempt, 
 and wondered how people could conde- 
 scend to allow themselves to be so easily 
 moved, and to behave in such a foolish 
 manner. 
 
 What was the good of civilisation, if 
 civilised beings made such gushing, af- 
 fected fools of themselves ? Having re- 
 cently read The Last of the Mohicans, she
 
 1 82 A Burglary. 
 
 knew perfectly well that those admirably- 
 brave and stoical people, the Red Indians, 
 deemed all violent demonstrations of ex- 
 citement undignified, and thought that 
 ' Wagh ! ' was an amply sufficient expres- 
 sion of opinion under all circumstances. 
 Well ! and quite right too. It seemed 
 to her that these savages were out and 
 away superior to the silly, chattering, emo- 
 tional products of civilisation amongst 
 whom she lived, whose sentiments were 
 all on the surface and wanted for show. 
 Such people could not ever feel things 
 really, genuinely, and deeply at all ; since 
 when a feeling was frittered away and 
 spread about in all directions it must lose 
 its power as a stick would do if cut up 
 into little bits — it would be simply worth- 
 less ! she was glad to think that she, at 
 all events as yet, hadn't been caught and 
 tamed and made just like all the rest of 
 the world ; she still had enough of the 
 barbarian in her not to want to talk when
 
 The Superiority of Red Indians, 183 
 
 she had nothing but intensely stupid and 
 meaningless words to utter ; nor yet to 
 affect exaggerated, unreal feelings because 
 other people did so, or because it might 
 be thought the right thing to do. Wagh ! 
 was a most impressive remark if grunted 
 in a properly expressive tone ; and Red 
 Indians had altogether the best of it, in 
 her judgment. 
 
 Having thus worked herself up into a 
 highly intolerant and misanthropical (as 
 far as civilisation was concerned) frame of 
 mind, she began to reflect upon what she 
 should do with herself at the present 
 moment, and how she should spend the 
 day. Staying indoors in fine weather was, 
 of course, a thing not to be contemplated 
 for an instant ; nor yet would she remain 
 within reach of any of these fine, civilised 
 folk whose senseless chatter provoked her. 
 She would take her beloved butterfly- net, 
 put a book in her pocket, get right away 
 where she would be able to be by herself,
 
 184 A Burglary. 
 
 and pass her time In mothing or reading as 
 the fancy took her. There were nuts to be 
 had now, and she loved nuts. She might 
 gather a handful of them, climb up to the 
 tree-sofa, and lie there contentedly eating 
 nuts and reading for as long as she liked 
 without the least fear of being disturbed by 
 objectionable fellow-creatures, for no one 
 knew of the place except herself and 
 Ralph. And here it may be as well to 
 remark for the reader's benefit, that what 
 she and Ralph denominated the tree-sofa, 
 was a place at the top of a tree where the 
 boughs crossed and intercrossed one 
 another so as to form a sort of rough 
 couch whereon a person could recline at 
 full length. It was much frequented by 
 Imogen in hot weather, and she would 
 often lie there for hours in perfect satis- 
 faction with an amusing book to read, 
 whilst the birds flew close to her, 
 twittering and singing but never heeding 
 her presence, and the wind gently swayed
 
 The Superiority of Red Indians. 1 8 5 
 
 the boughs beneath her, and blew to and 
 fro the over-hanging leaves, so that the 
 sunlight now came dancing over her face 
 and book, and now left her in the shade. 
 
 The first thing to be done was to go 
 and pick the nuts. Armed with her 
 butterfly-net, she was about to sally forth, 
 when she remembered that she had not 
 got the book which she meant to take, and 
 which stood on a shelf in the front hall. 
 She was proceeding in search of it when 
 she met Ethel, who had just come down 
 stairs with her walking things on, ready 
 to set out for Richard Richards' cottao-e. 
 
 ' Oh, so you're going out too, are you, 
 Im ? ' said Ethel pleasantly. ' There's 
 some poor man near here whom uncle 
 Rhys and Mr Owen think may possibly 
 know more than he should do about where 
 my stolen jewels are, and we're going to 
 inspect him ; come with us, won't you .'^ ' 
 
 Imogen hesitated. At that particular 
 moment she was eminently out of charity
 
 1 86 A Burglary, 
 
 with civilisation In general, and It appeared 
 to her that to go walking with some of the 
 ' swells ' when she had Intended to go nut- 
 ting and tree climbing, would be incon- 
 sistent with her principles, and a danger- 
 ously near approach to consenting of her 
 own free will to be, as It were, caught 
 and tamed — that Is to say, reclaimed from 
 the condition of running wild that she de- 
 lighted in, and knew to be abhorrent to all 
 her friends except Ralph. Had the invi- 
 tation to join the party come from anyone 
 except Ethel, she would have refused it 
 promptly ; but could she say no to any- 
 thing that Ethel proposed ? 
 
 * I don't know about that,' answered 
 Imogen, rather ungraciously. ' I'm going 
 mothing.' 
 
 ' Well, never mind the moths for once,' 
 returned Ethel, without being at all of- 
 fended at the grumpy manner of one 
 whom she knew to be somewhat eccentric, 
 and was inclined to like, notwithstanding.
 
 The Sztperiority of Red Indians, 1 8 7 
 
 You can catch them another day ; be- 
 sides, perhaps there'll be some where we 
 are going. Do come ; I want you to/ 
 
 Imogen's savagery was not proof 
 against this persuasion from a person 
 whom she regarded with that extreme 
 admiration and veneration sometimes felt 
 by a girl of sixteen or so for one a few 
 years older, and with which, as has been 
 already said, Ethel had unconsciously and 
 involuntarily inspired her young cousin. 
 Imogen felt it deliciously flattering to be 
 thus pressed to accompany the object of 
 her worship, and^ after pausing in indeci- 
 sion for an instant, she replied, — ' All right. 
 I'll come then. I daresay I'll be able to 
 kick up a moth or so somewhere or other 
 on the way.' Might not being caught and 
 tamed be differently regarded, and even 
 possibly considered as endurable, provided 
 that Ethel were to be the captor ? 
 
 There was also in the front hall a third 
 person, who had listened with interest to
 
 1 88 A Burglary. 
 
 the short colloquy between the cousins, 
 and whose own movements were affected 
 by Imogen's decision to accompany Miss 
 Carton. This third individual was a young 
 man named Sir Charles Dover, who was 
 amongst the visitors invited to Llwyn-yr- 
 Allt for the last night's ball. He had been 
 loitering about for the last ten minutes, 
 feeling acutely conscious that he had noth- 
 ing very particular to do, and wondering 
 how he should dispose of his time. What 
 he wanted was to go out to play lawn 
 tennis, walk, ride, or take some exercise 
 or other ; only he did not care about going 
 alone, and could not find anyone of the 
 same mind to be his companion. No one 
 seemied to have any present intention at 
 all of going out except the three who were 
 going to the cottage ; and he was shy of 
 joining them unasked, because their errand 
 seemed to invest them with a sort of im- 
 portant, private, business-like halo which 
 he feared to break in upon ; besides, he
 
 The Superiority of Red Indians. 189 
 
 had never met the heiress till the evening 
 before, and held her In no Httle awe. 
 
 But If Imogen were going to accom- 
 pany the party, that quite altered the 
 aspect of affairs. He thought she seemed 
 rather a jolly girl, and certainly not In the 
 very slightest degree awe-inspiring. He 
 did not at all object to her outspoken 
 straightforwardness ; was amused by what 
 he had seen of her wildness and hoyden- 
 ishness ; and had an intuitive conviction 
 that there would always be some chance 
 of a bit of fun going on at any place 
 where she might be present. Since she 
 had been asked to go to the cottage, it 
 was evident that those who were going 
 there as a matter of necessity and business 
 did not regard the visit as a thing requir- 
 ing any special privacy ; therefore, he 
 might safely venture to propose himself 
 as an addition to the party without fear 
 of being considered an Intruder. 
 
 * May I come with you ? ' said he to
 
 190 A Burglmy. 
 
 Mr Rhys, who just then joined them. 
 
 * I was on the point of going for ' a 
 stroll, and should greatly prefer your 
 company to my own, if I sha'n't be in 
 the way.' 
 
 ' In the way } Oh, not a bit of it — 
 delighted to have you, my dear fellow, 
 if you care to come,' returned Mr Rhys. 
 
 * Shouldn't have thought of suggesting it, 
 though, if you hadn't proposed it of your- 
 self, for you won't find it very lively, I'm 
 afraid. Business is a great bore some- 
 times, but of course it has to be done ; 
 and you see that I, as a magistrate, am 
 bound to take active steps immediately 
 in an affair of this kind. People ex- 
 pect it of people in our position. Ah ! 
 here's Owen. Are you ready to start, 
 Ethel?' 
 
 * Yes, quite,' answered Ethel. ' I won- 
 der if we shall make any very important 
 discovery at this cottage after all — find 
 my set of diamonds and sapphires in the
 
 The Superiority of Red Indians. 1 9 1 
 
 oven, or one of my rings in the teapot, 
 or something of that kind ? ' 
 
 ' Ha ! ha ! ' laughed Mr Owen ; ' what 
 an exquisitely amusing idea ! But seri- 
 ously, you know, though I wouldn't have 
 you too sanguine, yet it seems quite pos- 
 sible, from all we have heard, that this 
 Richard Richards may turn out to be 
 minus a finger on the right hand as your 
 robber was. And in that case it'll be 
 a very fishy circumstance for a man of 
 notoriously thieving proclivities, unless he 
 should be able to prove quite satisfactorily 
 where he was during the whole of last 
 night' 
 
 ' That's true enough,' interposed Mr 
 Rhys ; * but remember that it's a great 
 mistake to go rushing to hasty conclu- 
 sions in the way that all you young men 
 like to do. The mere fact of a man's 
 having lost a finger from the right hand 
 is, in itself, not even a ground for sus- 
 picion, unless accompanied by other sus-
 
 192 A Burglary. 
 
 picious circumstances. Why, I know a 
 gentleman who was paying me a visit 
 here not long ago, and is maimed in just 
 the same way. Yet to charge him, merely 
 on that account, with having committed 
 this crime, would be evidently absurd and 
 preposterous.' 
 
 ' Some one staying here with a finger 
 off one hand, papa ? ' exclaimed Imogen. 
 ' How funny that I never noticed it — who 
 was he ? ' 
 
 ' I'm not sure that you've ever met 
 the person whom I mean, my dear,' re- 
 plied Mr Rhys ; ' no — now I come to 
 think of it, I'm pretty certain you've not, 
 for I remember that you were away when 
 he was here. It's that young Sylvester 
 who is with the Messrs Glass. But come, 
 come ; we must be off and not stop talk- 
 ing here. Excuse my hurrying you all, 
 but it'll never do for me to allow waste 
 of time in the prosecution of the inquiries 
 that have to be made. We magistrates
 
 The Superiority of Red Indians, 193 
 
 are in a position of much responsibility, 
 and must remember that it's to us the 
 country looks in an emergency of this 
 kind, and that it behoves us to act 
 accordingly/ 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A COTTAGE VISIT. 
 
 HE party did not take very long 
 in reaching the place whither 
 they were bound, which was 
 situated at a short distance outside the 
 Llwyn-yr-Allt grounds. Neither Mr Rhys 
 nor any of his family had ever yet set foot 
 in the cottage ; but for all that he knew 
 perfectly well where it was, for the same 
 reason that the more a thorn pains one, 
 the more certain one is to be able to lay 
 one's finger precisely on the spot where it 
 lies. For the proximity of so evil-disposed 
 and ill-regulated a person as a poacher was
 
 A Cottage Visit. 195 
 
 a sore trial to him ; and he was resolved 
 that if ever that cottao-e should be in the 
 market he would purchase it, whatever it 
 might cost, in order to have the satisfac- 
 tion of ridding himself of his objectionable 
 neighbour. 
 
 Though Mr Rhys was naturally a most 
 amiable and benevolent individual, yet his 
 prejudice against poachers was inveterate ; 
 and in spite of the warning he had given 
 Trevor Owen against coming to hasty con- 
 clusions, he himself had in his secret heart 
 a strong, and by no means unwelcome, im- 
 pression of the great probability there was 
 that Richard Richards would turn out to 
 be the burglar. 
 
 Ethel was the most at ease of either ot 
 the five visitors as they entered the cottage. 
 To go into a place of that kind seemed to 
 her a perfectly natural and every-day action, 
 because she had been brought up from her 
 earliest childhood to visit amongst the 
 villagers and poor people living near her
 
 196 A Bu7'glary, 
 
 as a matter of course. But to Imogen, on 
 the contrary, it was a strange and novel 
 sensation, as she had seldom done such a 
 thing before in her whole life ; and she 
 looked about with a mixture of curiosity, 
 shyness, and feeling that they were all 
 being horribly rude, when they had attained 
 their destination and walked into the house, 
 after knocking at the door. 
 
 An untidy, uncared-for looking place the 
 cottage was, with a mud-floored, roughly- 
 furnished kitchen, wherein Richards' wife, 
 Ann, was engaged in kneading dough, 
 whilst children of various ages and stages 
 of dirt surrounded her, and from time to 
 time amused themselves by poking little 
 holes in the dough with their filthy fingers. 
 She was evidently a thorough slattern — 
 unwashed, unkempt, and with dishevelled 
 hair that looked as if it might have been 
 done about a week ago, and not since 
 taken down or brushed. The appearance 
 of the children, furniture, and whole place
 
 A Cottage Visit, 197 
 
 corresponded to that of the mistress ; and 
 Imogen, unfamiliar with cottage interiors, 
 and rather fastidious about her eating, 
 wondered with a shudder how near to 
 starvation she would have to be reduced 
 before it would be possible to her to touch 
 food prepared by that woman and in that 
 house. 
 
 The unexpected arrival of the gentle- 
 folks — of whom only Mr Rhys and 
 Imogen were known to her by sight — dis- 
 quieted poor Ann Richards not a little. 
 Such people had never visited her before, 
 and she could not imagine what brought 
 them now, and was disposed to be distrust- 
 ful — as all people are who know they have 
 something to conceal — of whatever was out 
 of the regular course of things. She knew 
 that her man was fond of poaching, and 
 had been out all the night before, though 
 she did not know what he had been doing, 
 nor where he had been. Could it be that 
 he had got into some fresh trouble with
 
 igS A Burglary. 
 
 the keepers ? The fear of that happening 
 was constantly on her mind, and the sight 
 of Mr Rhys was particularly calculated to 
 suggest the idea, because his detestation 
 for poaching was very well known, and 
 made him an object of especial suspicion 
 to all that class of evildoers. She felt a 
 good deal alarmed, therefore, and being 
 uncertain what particular point might most 
 need to be guarded, was prepared to stand 
 on the defensive all round, and commit 
 herself as little as might be in any direction. 
 To be entrusted with the exclusive man- 
 agement of the cross-questioning which 
 would have to be done at the cottage was 
 a thing which Trevor Owen coveted greatly. 
 On the way there he had given plenty of 
 hints to that effect — had held forth on the 
 skill required to ask effective and judicious 
 questions, and had expatiated on the Im- 
 possibility of any person's possessing that 
 skill unless they had acquired It by dint of 
 legal training and practice. But his hints
 
 A Cottage Visit. 199 
 
 had produced no effect whatever on Mr 
 Rhys, who, having been once roused to 
 act magisterially, did not dislike the feeling 
 of importance it gave him to take a lead- 
 ing part in connection with so serious an 
 affair as this was, and had no idea of allowing 
 anyone — least of all a strange young man 
 of no local standing — to take the bread out 
 of his mouth in the matter. There could 
 be no doubt that he was in the right about 
 this, and that in virtue both of his local 
 position and of his relationship to Miss 
 Carton, he had the first claim to conduct 
 the inquiry that was now about to be made 
 as to the peculiarity of Richard Richards' 
 hand which had attracted the attention of 
 Polly Thomas, and also as to what the 
 man's movements might have been during 
 the preceding night. But though Trevor 
 could not deny the truth of this, and had 
 no option about deferring to the older and 
 more influential man, none the less did it 
 cost him a bitter pang to yield the point,
 
 200 A Burglary. 
 
 and to have to sit silently listening to 
 
 * cross-examination for his side performed 
 by a bungling ignoramus/ as he inwardly 
 termed Mr Rhys' questioning of the 
 woman. 
 
 ' Good morning, Ann,' said Mr Rhys. 
 
 * Is your husband in just now ?' 
 
 Ann was perfectly well aware that he 
 was not, and had not been since nine 
 o'clock on the evening before. But she 
 saw no reason for at once imparting all 
 this information to people who might, 
 perhaps, have hostile motives for wishing 
 to know where he was, and so declined to 
 gratify their curiosity too promptly by 
 giving an immediate answer. 
 
 * My daughter shall see now just, sir,' she 
 replied, and then continued, turning to the 
 eldest child, * run you, Sairerrann, and see 
 if dadda's in the garden.' 
 
 The child addressed had been hitherto 
 standing motionless since the strangers 
 appeared, staring at them with great, wild,
 
 A Cottage Visit, 201 
 
 brown eyes, that looked half-fierce and 
 half-frightened. When told to go and look 
 for her father, she did not at first move an 
 inch, but only turned her eyes wonderingly 
 towards her mother, and opened her mouth 
 as if about to make some observation. The 
 mother, however, guessing that the child 
 intended to remonstrate against being sent 
 on an errand that she knew to be a fruitless 
 one, nipped the impending protest in the 
 bud, by giving her daughter a slight 
 shove, and adding peremptorily, ' Quick 
 now ! ' Whereupon Sarah Ann at once 
 departed. 
 
 A somewhat awkward silence ensued, 
 which was broken by Ethel's making ad- 
 vances towards friendship with some of the 
 children. This seemed suddenly to sug- 
 gest to Mrs Richards that the nose of the 
 second boy was not exactly in a condition 
 that was suitable for the reception of com- 
 pany, so she pounced upon him unexpect- 
 edly, and hastily pinched and wiped it with
 
 202 A Burglary. 
 
 a corner of her apron. This attention was 
 hardly received with the gratitude It de- 
 served by the recipient, who evidently 
 regarded the proceeding as quite uncalled 
 for. He acknowledged It by wrinkling 
 up the offending member Impatiently and 
 twitching himself out of her grasp as soon 
 as the operation was concluded, with an 
 air of only having tolerated It at all because 
 he knew it to be — though utterly mistaken 
 — kindly meant. 
 
 When this was accomplished, Mr Rhys 
 thought it time to resume the Inquiries that 
 were the object of his visit. 
 
 * By-the-bye, how came Richard to hurt 
 his hand } ' asked he. 
 
 This was a question that greatly aston- 
 ished Ann. 
 
 ' Hurted his hand, sir, have he ? ' re- 
 turned she cautiously, wondering how her 
 husband might have contrived to damage 
 himself since last she had seen him, and what 
 row he could have been getting into during
 
 A Cottage Visit. 203 
 
 the night. * Indeed, and 'tis like enough ; 
 what with drams sHppIng, and stones fall- 
 ing, and one thing and another, there be 
 always something wrong at them collerles. 
 I don't suppose as It be very bad though, 
 neither, for he haven't a said nothing of It 
 to I.' 
 
 ' Oh ! but ]\Ir Rhys means a long time 
 ago,' Interrupted Trevor, finding It Impos- 
 sible to keep silence any longer. ' He 
 meant that time when your husband lost 
 his finder — or — let me see — wasn't It two 
 finorers that he lost ? ' 
 
 ' 'Twas only one, whatever,' answered 
 Ann quickly, astonished at this stranger's 
 knowledge about her husband, and sur- 
 prised Into forgetting her determination 
 not to oflve an atom more information 
 about him than could be helped. 
 
 The barrister felt that he had scored a 
 point in thus discovering certainly that 
 Richards was short of one finger, and con- 
 tinued at once, with a glance of triumph,
 
 204 A Bu7^glary. 
 
 before Mr Rhys had a chance of interfer- 
 ing again,— 
 
 * To be sure ! Of course it was only- 
 one. Stupid of me to have fancied it was 
 two. And it's off his right hand that it's 
 gone, isn't it now ? ' 
 
 But Ann was not to be entrapped into 
 making any further admissions, and an- 
 swered curtly, — 
 
 ' Indeed, and I can't speak as to that. I 
 didn'tnever take no nottice which handitbe.' 
 
 She was becoming more and more 
 mystified as to the object of this visit. 
 What possible interest could the gentry 
 have in Richard's loss of a finger ? for that 
 had taken place years ago, and could 
 certainly not be referred to any poaching 
 or other disturbance that might have taken 
 place last night. Whatever the drift of 
 their questions might be, however, she 
 would at all events keep on the safe side 
 and let her visitors get as little as possible 
 out of her.
 
 A Cottage Visit. 205 
 
 The return of the child now effected 
 a diversion ; and Ethel, feeling interested 
 in the wild-looking little thing, and wishing 
 to make friends with her, said kindly, 
 ' Did you find your father, Sarah ?' 
 
 Perhaps the girl did not recognise 
 herself when addressed only by one 
 Christian name, or perhaps she did not 
 understand English readily, when it was 
 spoken without the familiar Welsh accent. 
 Be that as it may, at all events she paid 
 no attention to the question, and stood 
 silently and stolidly staring as before, 
 without giving the least sign of knowing 
 that anyone had addressed her. ]\Ir 
 Owen seeing this, thought It incumbent 
 on him to Interfere on Miss Carton's 
 behalf, and reprove the child for rudeness. 
 
 ' Where are your manners, you rude 
 little girl ? ' said he severely ; ' you must 
 answer the lady directly.' 
 
 His severity, however, produced no 
 more effect than Ethel's gentleness had
 
 2o6 A Burglary. 
 
 done, for the child remained Immovable 
 till asked by her mother, * Did you find 
 dadda, Sairerrann ? Tell now.' To which 
 she responded, ' Noo ! ' and then returned 
 to her former occupation of staring. 
 
 While all this had been going on, 
 Imogen had watched the proceedings 
 curiously. She did not feel in any way 
 specially drawn towards this dirty, slovenly 
 woman and her equally untidy children ; 
 but for all that she was aware of some 
 intuitive feeling of sympathy with them 
 which enabled her to guess pretty confi- 
 dently at the thoughts that were likely 
 to be passing through their minds. And 
 she observed, too, with some surprise, 
 how completely at home Ethel seemed 
 to be, and how much less awkward she 
 was in her manner of addressing the 
 cottage inmates than any of the rest of the 
 party. 
 
 Mr Rhys lost no time In going on with 
 his interrogations, so that Trevor Owen
 
 A Cottage Visit. 207 
 
 might not again have an opportunity of 
 putting in his oar. 
 
 * I'm very sorry Richards is out,' said 
 Mr Rhys, rather stiffly, with a vague sort 
 of impression that the man's being out of 
 the way when he was wanted to be inter- 
 viewed, was an additional proof of the 
 iniquity of his disposition. * Do you know 
 at all where he is likely to be found ? ' 
 
 * Well, no sir, indeed and I can't say as I 
 does,' returned Ann. 
 
 * Humph, that's unlucky, as there's 
 something that I particularly wish to see 
 him about,' answered the gentleman. 
 * However, perhaps you can tell me part 
 of what I want to know, and that is, 
 whether he was here during last night, 
 or whether he was away at all ? ' 
 
 At this direct question Mr Owen groaned 
 internally. ' Oh, what an idiot the man 
 is ! ' thought he ; ' but its just like an un- 
 professional to go blurting out leading 
 questions like that, and showing the
 
 2o8 A Burglary, 
 
 witness — who is evidently very suspicious 
 of us — exactly where to be specially on 
 her guard. Dear, dear ! why couldnt he 
 have left the examination to me ? If 
 people did but know what fools they make 
 of themselves when they will go meddling 
 with what they don't understand.' 
 
 Ann affected not to have heard or com- 
 prehended the question, so as to gain 
 a moment's time for considering her 
 answer. 
 
 * Er ? ' she inquired, with a look of 
 absolute stupidity. 
 
 * Was your husband out anywhere last 
 night, I want to know 1 ' repeated Mr 
 Rhys, in a rather louder tone. 
 
 * Out of here, sir, is it as you do mean ? ' 
 returned Ann, innocently. 
 
 ' Yes, of course ; where else should I 
 mean ? ' returned Mr Rhys impatiently. 
 
 She had by this time reflected upon 
 the situation sufficiently to perceive the 
 futility of denying what would be easily
 
 A Cottage Visit. 209 
 
 discoverable from other sources, and 
 replied, — 
 
 * Why, no sir ; you see as this be his 
 night-week. The colliers always do take 
 it turn about, working one week by day 
 and the next by night, as you do know, 
 in course ; and so this being his night-week, 
 he has to be away to work every night/ 
 
 * Oh, then he was not here last night,' 
 answered Mr Rhys. * Thank you ; I wanted 
 to know about that ; well, we must be going 
 now, and won't disturb you any longer. 
 Good day.' 
 
 With that he left the cottage, followed 
 by the rest of the party. Ethel, Imogen, 
 and Sir Charles Dover all took leave 
 with more or less courtesy of the mistress 
 of the house as they departed ; but Mr 
 Owen stalked out without taking any 
 notice at all of her. 
 
 ' He didn't even hitch his head at her,' 
 remarked Imogen afterwards, when giving 
 Ralph an account of the visit. ' He might 
 
 VOL. I. o
 
 2IO A Burglary. 
 
 have done that much, I think. It ain't 
 my notion to go into any one's house, 
 whether it's a rich person's or a poor one's, 
 and behave as if the owner were a bit of 
 stick that hadn't the right the turn one 
 out if he or she chose. One's only on 
 sufferance, as it were, in other people's 
 diggings, whoever they may be.' 
 
 As soon as Mr Rhys had reached the 
 road, he said, with considerable compla- 
 cency, — 
 
 ' Well, we didn't go there for nothing, 
 and have found out something of what 
 we wanted to know at all events. So far, 
 I shouldn't say it seems at all impossible 
 for Richard Richards to be the man we 
 want. Eh, Owen ?' 
 
 ' It's hard to say anything positive about 
 the matter yet one way or other, as far 
 as I can see,' answered Trevor, who spied 
 an opportunity of triumph and of showing 
 Miss Carton that her uncle had blundered 
 in managing her affairs. ' Shall we go
 
 A Cottage Visit. 211 
 
 straight on now to the colliery the man 
 works at, or will it be too far for the ladies, 
 do you think ? ' 
 
 ' The colliery he works at ! ' echoed 
 Mr Rhys, in surprise ; * what should we do 
 that for ? and besides, how am I to know 
 which it is ? ' 
 
 ' Oh, I beg your pardon for speaking 
 then, sir,' returned Trevor, with the faintest 
 possible accent of sarcasm to be detected 
 in his tone ; ' I took it for granted you 
 must know that, as you didn't ask the 
 wife about it. I should have thought 
 there could have been no doubt of the 
 importance of going to the colliery at once 
 in order to verify her statement that he 
 was working there last night ; but of 
 course you know best what to do, and 
 have probably some better scheme.' 
 
 To be able to administer this rebuke to 
 the man who had been trampling for the 
 last some time upon his professional feel- 
 ings was a comfort to the barrister, and
 
 212 A Burglary, 
 
 afforded him some slight compensation 
 for what he had undergone. 
 
 Mr Rhys was discomposed to perceive 
 the omission of which he had been guilty. 
 
 * Bless my soul ! ' he exclaimed ; * yes — of 
 course — I believe I did think of It once, 
 only then It slipped my memory again. 
 Just go on without me, and I'll step back 
 and find that out, and overtake you in 
 two minutes.' And with these words he 
 hurried back to the cottage, leaving the 
 rest of the party to saunter slowly along 
 till he rejoined them. 
 
 * Poor Ann ! that means more pumping 
 for her,' observed Imogen. *I don't expect 
 she will be particularly pleased at his return, 
 for she's had more than she wants of us 
 already, unless I'm very much mistaken.' 
 
 * She wasn't pumped to much purpose 
 though,' said Mr Owen with a sigh 
 
 * I do wish Mr Rhys had allowed me 
 to conduct the examination. It stands 
 to reason that no amateur can ever
 
 A Cottage Visit, 213 
 
 understand that sort of thing as well as a 
 lawyer does, and I feel little doubt of 
 having extracted a good deal more infor- 
 mation out of her if the case had been left 
 in my hands/ 
 
 ' I'm very glad It wasn't then/ said 
 Imogen bluntly. ' Poor people are one's 
 fellow-creatures after all, and it seems 
 rather a shame to go and bully them in 
 their own homes like that, when they can't 
 get away from one.' 
 
 * You're right there. Miss Rhys,' said 
 Sir Charles, who was amused at the way 
 she had snubbed the barrister ; * but then 
 can you fancy living in such a pig-sty as 
 that cottage, and dignifying it by the name 
 of home ? And don't you think, too, that 
 it's a grave question whether pockethand- 
 kerchlefless children with colds ought to be 
 allowed to exist ? I'm Inclined to think 
 that it's a proper subject for legislation, 
 and that they ought either to be cured or 
 else done away by Act of Parliament.'
 
 214 A Burglary. 
 
 At this stage Ethel joined in the con- 
 versation. As she had all her life been 
 familiar with the cottagers residing near 
 Carton House, and been on the best of 
 terms with them, it seemed to her that it 
 was the right and natural thing for the in- 
 habitants of all country houses always to 
 exercise a gentle, kindly, and beneficent 
 influence over their poorer neighbours, and 
 took it for granted that Imogen would 
 think the same, and act accordingly. Con- 
 sidering, therefore, how near the abode 
 they had just left was to Llwyn-yr-Allt, 
 Ethel had been quite astonished at the 
 dirty, squalid condition of the Richards' 
 dwelling, and its inmates ; and was dis- 
 posed to take her cousin mildly to task for 
 tolerating such untidiness. 
 
 * I don't wonder at Sir Charles' criti- 
 cism, Im,' she said, turning to Imogen 
 with a laugh. * Certainly the Richards' 
 manage isn't very creditable to have in 
 one's immediate neighbourhood, and I
 
 A Cottage Visit. 215 
 
 know I should be dreadfully ashamed if 
 I had one even a quarter as bad at Carton. 
 Are those Richards' only just come here ? 
 or are they very unusually unmanageable ? 
 or how is it that you haven't managed to 
 reform them ? ' 
 
 Imogen opened her eyes wide in sur- 
 prise at an idea which had certainly never 
 before entered her head. She regarded 
 poor people as belonging to a weaker class 
 than her own, and was on that account 
 chivalrously disposed to sympathise with 
 and stand up for them. But it was quite 
 another thing to think of going about 
 amongst them in their own homes, and 
 trying to convert them to the same ideas 
 of comfort, cleanliness, and morality as 
 were entertained by herself and her equals. 
 She had not been brought up, as Ethel 
 had been, to do this. Therefore, whereas 
 Ethel regarded it as simply a matter of 
 every-day duty, Imogen, on the contrary, 
 esteemed it to be a sort of irksome, out-of-
 
 2 1 6 A Burglary, 
 
 the-way, eccentric proceeding which was 
 only fitting for clergymen, and such indi- 
 viduals as were extra good and anxious to 
 be saints. 
 
 * Reform them ! * she echoed ; * why, I 
 never tried to — they're no earthly business 
 of mine/ 
 
 It was now Ethel's turn to be somewhat 
 surprised. 
 
 * Aren't they? Well, I should have 
 thought they were, living so close to you,' 
 she answered. * However, of course you 
 know your own business best. But don't 
 you think it would be an advantage to get 
 them to be a bit cleaner, and civilise them 
 a little ? Surely you might do something 
 towards it if you were to try.' 
 
 * Oh no ! it's quite out of my line,' re- 
 plied Imogen, who did not at all take to 
 the notion. * I've no turn for that kind of 
 thing, and never have an idea what to say 
 when I'm in a cottage. Besides, I don't 
 see what right I should have to go inter-
 
 A Cottage Visit. 217 
 
 fering with a poor woman, and telling her 
 she isn't clean enough. I should feel all 
 the time that she must be wondering in- 
 ternally why I didn't mind my own busi- 
 ness, even if— not being as rude as me— 
 she didn't say so right out. I'm sure I 
 wouldn't stand her coming to tell me that I 
 ouo-ht to wash — and so why should I expect 
 her to put up with my doing it to her ? 
 
 ' That's not badly put, by Jove ! ' remark- 
 ed Sir Charles, ' and I don't know that I 
 ever looked at it in that light before. My 
 mother and sisters at home are perpetually 
 pottering after the cottagers, and I always 
 took it for granted that it was the kind and 
 proper thing to do, and that the people 
 liked it. But I wonder if they really do, 
 after all ? ' 
 
 ' Of course they do,' said Trevor Owen ; 
 ' or if they don't they're ungrateful brutes ! 
 It's absurd, begging Miss Imogen's pardon, 
 to reason about poor people just like our- 
 selves ; they're altogether different from us,
 
 2 1 8 A Burglary, 
 
 and can't be treated in the same way. 
 Don't you agree with me, Miss Carton ?' 
 
 * Indeed, I don't,' answered Ethel ; ' I 
 don't altogether agree with Imogen's point 
 of view either ; but it's true enough what 
 she says about their being our fellow- 
 creatures, and having just the same 
 human nature as we have; and I can't 
 bear for people to ignore that.' 
 
 Trevor entertained the utmost contempt 
 for the lower classes, and regarded anyone 
 in whom poverty and ignorance were com- 
 bined as belonging to a very inferior order 
 of being from himself. But at the present 
 moment it was of much more consequence 
 in his eyes to get into Miss Carton's good 
 graces, than to air any private opinions of his 
 own. Finding, therefore, that the sentiment 
 he had just expressed was objectionable to 
 her, he immediately applied himself to 
 modify and explain it away, and was thus en- 
 gaged until Mr Rhys rejoined them, and the 
 conversation turned into another channel.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A FRITILLARY. 
 
 f^MOGEN'S mind was beginning 
 by this time to revert to her 
 favourite pursuit of entomology, 
 and she paused, looking attentively at a 
 hedge they were passing which was thickly 
 overgrown with brambles, ivy, and an 
 abundance of hazel bushes. Sir Charles 
 Dover, who regarded her as the most 
 lively and interesting member of the party, 
 stopped because she did, and the others 
 went on without them — Mr Owen still 
 zealously devoting himself to the heiress, 
 and endeavouring to do the agreeable to 
 her.
 
 2 20 A Burglaiy, 
 
 * Anything particular in that hedge, Miss 
 Rhys?' inquired Sir Charles. 
 
 * Yes, very likely,' she answered. * I 
 was just thinking what a capital place for 
 moths to be lying in it looked.' 
 
 ' You don't say so, now ? ' he returned, 
 not quite knowing what other remark to 
 offer, and inwardly wondering what pos- 
 sible attraction she could find in this * bug- 
 hunting,' as he disrespectfully termed moth- 
 ing. He was sure he could see nothing to 
 be so fond of in it ; only, it need scarcely 
 be said, that that was an opinion which he 
 did not judge suitable to be imparted to 
 his companion. 
 
 * Yes I do, though,' she replied, without 
 any suspicion of the irreverent thoughts 
 passing through his mind. ' I shouldn't 
 wonder if it was full of 'em.' 
 
 * Well then, why don't you catch 'em .-* ' 
 asked he ; ' and why don't they fly about 
 if they're there ? ' 
 
 ' Why they're mostly asleep, of course,
 
 A Fritillary. 221 
 
 at this time of day/ returned she ; ' and 
 they'd have to be beaten out before one 
 could catch 'em. I expect 'twould take 
 no end of a good beater, too, to get out 
 all there are in such a thick place as 
 that.' 
 
 The day was very hot, and Sir Charles 
 did not feel particularly inclined for thump- 
 ing his stick upon bushes. Still there was 
 nothing much else for him to do, and he 
 thought he would be good-natured to this 
 queer girl. So he said condescendingly, — 
 
 * Look here ! I don't mind doing beater 
 for you a bit.' 
 
 Having made certain that she would 
 jump eagerly at so magnificent an offer, 
 he was rather staggered at the cool 
 manner in which she received it, as if 
 the favour would be rather more on her 
 side in allowing him to help her, than 
 on his in exerting himself for her services. 
 
 * You ! ' said she, with an emphasis on 
 the pronoun that was anything but flatter-
 
 222 A Burglary, 
 
 ing. * Do you know how to ? — did you 
 ever do it before ? ' 
 
 He was amused at this unexpectedly 
 scornful reception of his well-meant pro- 
 posal, but just the least bit ruffled by it 
 also. 
 
 ' Well, no,' he answered ; ' I can't say 
 that I ever did. But I don't see how that 
 can matter. I don't imagine there's any 
 very great art required.' 
 
 * Ah, that just shows how little you 
 know about It,' she replied, ' for the fact 
 is there's a deal of skill in beating. First, 
 the bushes ought to be touched quite 
 gently to knock out any moths that are 
 awake or sleeping lightly ; then you get 
 harder by degrees, till you come to routling 
 about amongst the roots with all your 
 might to wake up the heavy sleepers. 
 And nothing but a deal of practice '11 ever 
 make you know exactly the best places to 
 poke a stick In at. Of course I don't 
 mind your trying if you like — but you
 
 A Fritillary. 223 
 
 won't find it as easy as you think, / 
 know.' 
 
 The young man felt nettled at this low 
 opinion of his capabilities, and resolved to 
 show her she was mistaken. It was 
 absurd to suppose he couldn't wake up a 
 stupid moth and make it fly out of a 
 hedge ; why, any fool could do that much ! 
 However, he kept this sentiment to him- 
 self, and set to work at his task. 
 
 She was not in the best of tempers, 
 having still not altogether got over the 
 annoyance of losing the day's outing she 
 had meant to have with Ralph, and at 
 first she criticised Sir Charles' performance 
 so unsparingly that he began to come to 
 the conclusion that it was impossible to 
 please her. If he beat hard, that was 
 wrong, and when he struck softly, that 
 was no better ; if he hit at the leaves he 
 was told he should rout in the roots, and 
 when he routed in the roots he was asked 
 why he had left the top branches un-
 
 2 24 ^ Burglary. 
 
 touched ? But by-and-by the moths took 
 to emerging from their hiding-places in 
 sufficient numbers to keep her fully 
 employed in running after them, and 
 amongst those she captured were several 
 that she wanted. This caused her first 
 severity to relax considerably, and she 
 even went so far as to tell him patronis- 
 ingly that he was not doing so badly for 
 a beginner. 
 
 This was all very well no doubt, and 
 ought to have stimulated him to redoubled 
 efforts ; but he was getting tired of the 
 hard, hot, dusty work of beating, and 
 besides that, had taken It into his head 
 that he should like to try his own hand 
 at wielding the net. 
 
 ' I should think you must be getting 
 tired with so much running about,' he said 
 cunningly ; ' let me have the net and do 
 some of it for you.' 
 
 * Oh, dear no ! thanks all the same,' 
 was the answer ; * I don't find catching
 
 A Fritillary. 225 
 
 is any harder work than beating, and it's 
 much better fun ! Go on ; you haven't 
 half worked through that hollow yet.' 
 
 But Sir Charles did not obey. He 
 thought he had sacrificed himself lonor 
 enough in her service, and that it was hi^h 
 time for him to have a share in the more 
 amusing part of the performance. 
 
 M Ve a great fancy to try how I should 
 get on with a net,' he remarked insinuat- 
 ingly.. 
 
 This was a tolerably broad hint, but 
 Imogen failed to see it. 
 
 ' Well, if Ralph doesn't want his net this 
 afternoon,' said she, ' I daresay he'll lend it 
 you, and then you can try. Now then ! 
 I'm all ready for you to go on.' 
 
 ' Oh ! but I should like to try now,' 
 urged Sir Charles. ' Couldn't you lend me 
 your net for a minute, and let me do the 
 catching, whilst you beat instead of me ? 
 It isntfair for me to work so hard and 
 not have any of the fun at all ; is it now .> ' 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 22(5 A Btirgla7y. 
 
 There was a justice in this claim which 
 she could not deny, however loath she 
 might be to surrender the net. 
 
 ' Well — no — I suppose not,' she replied, 
 reluctantly. * But then you see you've had 
 no practice at it. Only fancy if you were 
 to miss catching some first-rate rare moth 
 that we want awfully ; perhaps it might be 
 one that we should never have the chance 
 of again, you know.' 
 
 The loss of a rare moth would evi- 
 dently be a serious calamity in her eyes, 
 and the perfect gravity and business- 
 like earnestness with which she threw 
 herself Into her hobby diverted him 
 considerably. 
 
 * True — very true,' he answered mali- 
 ciously. ' I hadn't thought of anything so 
 dreadful as that. Perhaps, after all, it may 
 be wiser not to risk such a misfortune ; 
 and, of course, there can't be the least 
 chance of it's happening as long as the net 
 is held by a practised hand like you, who
 
 A Fritillary, 227 
 
 never by any accident miss the moth you're 
 after.' 
 
 This was an unkind speech on his part, 
 for it referred to what had happened a few 
 minutes before, when a moth which she 
 had been especially anxious to secure had 
 suddenly emerged from the hedge. The 
 insect had several times been within her 
 reach, and she had struck at it more than 
 once without success, but it had at last 
 defeated her ignominiously, to her no small 
 disgust. She had rather hoped that her 
 companion had perhaps not noticed the 
 failure, and was now, therefore, consider- 
 ably irritated to find that such was not the 
 case. What business had a person who 
 was such a slight acquaintance as he was 
 to twit her with her mischance ? Decidedly 
 he must be a very rude young man ! For 
 it never occurred to her that the lack of 
 ceremony with which she had treated him, 
 took from her the right of complaining when 
 he retaliated upon her In the same way.
 
 2 28 A Burglary, 
 
 Colouring angrily, she held the net out 
 towards him. 
 
 ' Oh, well, you can try if you like,' she 
 said, ungraciously ; ' but I daresay you 
 v/on't catch a thing. You must give me 
 your stick instead, for I've nothing else to 
 beat with. Now then ! look out ! I'm going 
 to beat that lump of ivy at the top.' 
 
 Her efforts speedily drove out a moth 
 of some kind or other, and Sir Charles 
 struck wildly at it as it whizzed past him ; 
 but he failed to get it in the net. He 
 ran a few steps after it without getting 
 another chance to strike, and then it dis- 
 appeared from sight, and he returned, 
 rather annoyed, to his post, quite aware of 
 the scornful looks that Imogen was casting 
 upon him, though she did not say anything. 
 
 With the second moth that appeared 
 he was more successful, but was disap- 
 pointed to find that the captured insect 
 was only a common thing, which was 
 turned out of the net to f^y away again
 
 A Fr I Hilary. 229 
 
 as soon as Imoo^en saw what It was. He 
 was standing at some little distance away 
 from her, watching for another to emerge 
 from the ivy, when suddenly he heard 
 her shriek out to him, — 
 
 ' Hi ! — look there ! That big butterfly ! 
 Catch him — don't lose him on any ac- 
 count ! Keep him in sight ! Run — do 
 run ! Mark him down ! Now — now ! 
 Ah ! you've muffed him ! Give me the 
 net ; yozcre no good with it ! ' 
 
 This excitement was caused by a splen- 
 did reddish - brown fritillary that came 
 sailing along in the brilliant sunshine. Sir 
 Charles ran after it, got near enough to 
 strike at it, but unfortunately missed it. 
 
 Imogen, indignant, contemptuous, and 
 reproachful, was dashing up to recover 
 the net which he was wielding so unskil- 
 fully ; but before she could get within 
 reach of him and snatch it out of his 
 hands, he had set off in full pursuit after 
 the insect. It seemed as if her enthusiasm
 
 230 .A Burglary, 
 
 had at last infected him, for at that moment 
 he certainly felt as if there were no pos- 
 sible alternative between securing the 
 creature he was in chase of, or else run- 
 ning after it for ever. 
 
 Away it went like a flash of lightning ; 
 then, circling round, again came pretty near. 
 He swooped at it with the net, furiously 
 but ineffectually. Once more it darted 
 away, with him after it, and Imogen fol- 
 lowing a little way behind. As she ran 
 she kept shouting out instructions, more 
 or less coherent, adjuring him to keep It 
 in sight whatever he did, and ordering 
 him to give up the net to her directly she 
 got within reach of him. This, however, 
 he was privately resolved that nothing 
 on earth would Induce him to do till the 
 chase should be over. His whole soul 
 was in it by this time, and he was burning 
 to retrieve the disgrace of his two unsuc- 
 cessful strokes, and to cover himself with 
 glory by bringing the butterfly in triumph
 
 A Fritillary. 231 
 
 to Imogen. Without that fritillary he 
 felt that life would be not worth the 
 having, and his future existence hope- 
 lessly blighted. 
 
 Bother the brute, what had become of 
 it ? He could swear he had never taken 
 his eyes off it for an instant, yet now it 
 had vanished! He stood still, perforce, 
 and stared around, stamping with vexa- 
 tion, and in an agony lest the check should 
 give Imogen time to overtake him, and 
 insist on the restoration of her property. 
 She had almost got up to him when his 
 eye caught a twinkle of something red, 
 a little way off, on the ground ; and there, 
 sure enough, was the fritillary sitting 
 calmly on a white stone, with its great 
 wings stretched out broadly in the sun 
 and motionless, save when now and then a 
 sort of rapid flap quivered through them. 
 
 Calling to Imogen to keep back and 
 not frighten the quarry, he advances 
 cautiously ; still it remains quiet. A step
 
 232 A Burglary. 
 
 nearer and he will have a chance ; he 
 prepares to strike ; Imogen stands watch- 
 ing with breathless interest. No use ! 
 away glances the insect like a flash of 
 light, and the chase begins all over 
 again. 
 
 What a splendid beauty a fritillary is ; 
 but oh, gracious ! what a tiresome thing to 
 have to keep one's eyes on. Its manner 
 of going on is too erratic for its course to 
 be reckoned on with any certainty for two 
 moments together ; now it shoots along as 
 straight as an arrow, and now zigzags 
 about from side to side, gleaming and 
 glancing hither and thither with a swift- 
 ness that makes it hardly possible for 
 mortal eyes to follow the flight. 
 
 Keeping the insect in view as best he 
 could, Sir Charles went on in frantic 
 pursuit till he came to a low bank dividing 
 two fields from one another. He heard 
 Imogen shouting something to him but 
 paid no heed to what she said. Of course
 
 A Fritillary. 
 
 60 
 
 she was only going on ordering him to 
 give her back the net— give back the net, 
 at such a moment, indeed ! As if that was 
 likely ! 
 
 Turning a deaf ear to her words, there- 
 fore, and never taking his eyes off the 
 butterfly, he sprang to the top of the bank 
 and down on the other side. Just as his 
 foot quitted the earth on the top he 
 became aware of the glint of water be- 
 neath, and on looking down saw a pond 
 underneath him. It was too late to draw 
 back, for he had already taken his spring, 
 and next moment he was sprawling on 
 his face in a stagnant duck-pond, half full 
 of filthy green mud and water ! Dripping, 
 unsavoury, disgusted, but yet undaunted, 
 he rose immediately to his feet, vigorously 
 spluttering out the foul stuff that filled his 
 mouth, and looking eagerly around for 
 the butterfly, in hopes that he might still 
 perhaps be able to retrieve his credit. 
 Alas for his hopes ! He had fallen with
 
 2 34 A Burglary. 
 
 the net underneath him and completely 
 smashed it; consequently all chance of 
 capturing anything more till a fresh 
 net could be procured was now at an 
 end. 
 
 In Imogen's mind there were two con- 
 trary inclinations struggling together. On 
 the one hand she felt disposed to laugh 
 at his ridiculous and dismal appearance ; 
 and on the other, to lament the loss of 
 the fritillary which she took quite seri- 
 ously to heart. On the whole her dis- 
 appointment predominated, and made her 
 too serious to indulo^e in much merriment 
 just then ; she only said mournfully, — 
 ' I wonder if it was Argynnis Lathonia 
 or Argynnis Euphrosyne ! It must have 
 been one or the other of them, because 
 they're the only two fritillaries that are 
 out in September. I wanted it either 
 way ; but, oh dear ! how awfully pro- 
 voking if it should have been Lathonia^ 
 which is so rare ! '
 
 A Fritillary. 235 
 
 The poor young man had never before 
 heard these formidable names, and had 
 not the remotest notion of what either 
 Lathonia or Eziphrosyjie were ; but, any- 
 how, he perceived that something very dis- 
 astrous had taken place, and as it had 
 evidently been caused by his over-great 
 ambition in aspiring to the management 
 of the net, he felt very small indeed as 
 he sneaked home by her side in a crest- 
 fallen and uncomfortable condition of both 
 body and mind. 
 
 Such was the enthusiasm for entomology 
 with which his short experience of it had 
 inspired him, that the loss of the fritillary 
 seemed to him even more to be deplored 
 than his own ducking ; and it was an 
 additionally bitter drop in his cup to 
 reflect that that loss was his own fault, 
 and would very probably have been 
 avoided if the net had been in the hands 
 of its rightful owner. 
 
 Ah ! if only he had let the net alone !
 
 236 A Burglary. 
 
 Then, perhaps, a Lathonia (whatever that 
 might be) would on this day have been 
 added triumphantly to the entomological 
 cabinet at Llwyn-yr-Allt, and he might 
 himself have had the distinguished felicity 
 of beholding its capture ! 
 
 END OP^ VOL. I. 
 
 COLSTON AND SON, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.
 
 ■
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 3 0112 042259298 
 
 ig^gH^^ 
 
 <'>&Mi:f^^>.^^z/Mm^., 
 
 W/yyZ2^.'iZ/^^Z^W^/^yM-Z%i<^J^^^^^ 
 
 ^^^W^^^-