SECON 
 DANDY 
 C HATER 1 
 
 n 
 
 TOM GALLON
 
 THE 
 
 SECOND I 
 
 DANDY CHATER 
 
 BY 
 
 TOM GALLON 
 
 Author of 
 
 : Tatterly," "The Kingdom of 
 Hate," et cetera. 
 
 Dodd, Mead & Company
 
 Copyright, 1900, 
 By TOM GALLON.
 
 Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. WHEREIN THE QUICK AND THE 
 
 DEAD MEET 1 
 
 II. ON THE TRACK OF A SHADOW . . 14= 
 
 III. BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALARMED . 27 
 
 IV. A SUNDAY TO BE REMEMBERED . 40 
 Y. AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN . . 53 . 
 
 VI. AT THE SIGN OF "THE THREE 
 
 WATERMEN" .... 66 
 
 VII. MASTER AND SERVANT ... 80 
 VIII. TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN IN 
 
 THE WOOD 93 
 
 IX. A SUMMONS FROM SHYLOCK . . 106 
 
 X. A BODY FROM THE EIVER . . 120 
 
 XL Miss VINT HEARS VOICES . . 133 
 
 XII. WANTED A DEAD MAN ! . . 146 
 
 XIII. INSPECTOR TOKELY is EMPHATIC . 159 
 
 XIV. BETTY SIGGS DREAMS A DREAM . 173 
 XV. SHADY 'UN AS A MORAL CHARACTER 186 
 
 XVI. WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN ? . .199 
 
 XVII. CLARA FINDS A LODGING . . 212 
 
 XVIII. A CHASE IN THE DARK . . . 224 
 
 XIX. HAUNTED . 238
 
 vi CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XX. NEPTUNE TO THE KESCUE . . 252 
 
 XXL DR. CEIPPS is INCOHERENT . . 265 
 
 XXII. OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD . 279 
 
 XXIII. DANDY CHATER COMES FROM THE 
 
 GRAVE 293 
 
 XXIV. A KACE FOR A LIFE . . . 306 
 XXV. GOING GOING GONE! . 320
 
 The Second Dandy Chater 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 WHEREIN THE QUICK AND THE DEAD MEET 
 
 IF there is one place, in the wide world, more 
 dreary and disconsolate-looking than another, on a 
 gusty evening in March, it is that part of Essex 
 which lies some twenty miles to the north of the 
 Thames, and is bordered nowhere, so far as the eye 
 can reach, by anything but flat and desolate marsh- 
 lands, and by swampy roads and fields. For there, 
 all the contrary winds of Heaven seem to meet, to 
 play a grand game of buffets with themselves, and 
 everything else which rises an inch or two above 
 the ground ; there, the very sun, if he happen to 
 have shown his face at all during the day, sinks 
 more sullenly than anywhere else, as though dis- 
 gusted with the prospect, and glad to get to bed ; 
 there, the few travellers who have been so unwise, 
 or so unfortunate, as to be left out of doors, are 
 surly in consequence, and give but grudging greet- 
 ing to any one they meet. 
 
 On just such an evening as this a solitary man, 
 muffled to the eyes, fought a desperate battle with 
 
 l
 
 2 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 the various winds, something to his own discom- 
 fiture, and very much to the ruffling of his temper, 
 on the way to the small village of Bamberton. The 
 railway leaves off suddenly, some six miles from 
 Bamberton, and the man who would visit that in- 
 teresting spot must perforce pay for a fly at the 
 Railway Inn, if he desire to enter the place with 
 any ostentation, or must walk. 
 
 In the case of this particular man, he desired, for 
 purposes of his own, to attract as little notice as 
 possible ; and was, therefore, tramping through the 
 mud and a drizzling rain, as cheerfully as might be. 
 He was a tall, well-built man, of about eight-and- 
 twenty years of age; with strong, well-defined 
 features, rendered the more so by the fact that his 
 face was cleanly shaven ; possibly from having led 
 a solitary life, he had a habit of communing with 
 himself. 
 
 " A cheery welcome, this, to one's native land- 
 to one's native place ! " he muttered, bending his 
 head, as a fresh gust of wind and rain drove at him. 
 " Why if the devil himself were in league against 
 me, and had made up his mind to oppose my coming, 
 he couldn't fight harder than this ! Ton my word, 
 it almost looks like a bad omen for you, Philip 
 Crowdy a devilish bad omen ! " 
 
 Despite the wind and the rain and the gath- 
 ering night, however, the man presently seated him- 
 self on a stone, near the roadside, and within sight 
 of the twinkling lights of the village, as though he 
 has something weighty on his mind, which must be 
 thrashed out before he could proceed to his desti-
 
 THE QUICK AND THE DEAD MEET 3 
 
 nation. Despite the wind and the rain, too, he took 
 the matter quite good-humouredly, in putting a sup- 
 positious case to himself even doing it with some 
 jocularity. 
 
 " Now Phil, my boy you've got to be very care- 
 ful. There's no getting away from the fact that 
 you are not wanted and you certainly will not be 
 welcome. The likeness is all right ; I've seen a 
 picture of the respected Dandy Chater and there'a 
 nothing to be feared, from that point of view. 
 The only thing is, that I must feel my way, and 
 know exactly what I am doing. And, for the 
 moment, darkness suits me better than daylight. 
 My first business is to get as near to Dandy Chater 
 as possible, and observe him." 
 
 The tall man, bringing his ruminations to a close, 
 sat for a moment or two, deep in thought so deep 
 in thought, indeed, that he did not hear the sound 
 of light steps approaching him, from the direction of 
 the village ; and was absolutely unaware that there 
 was any other figure but himself in all the land- 
 scape, until he felt a light touch on his shoulder, 
 and started hurriedly to his feet. 
 
 Facing him, in the semi-darkness, was a young 
 girl, who, even by that light, he could see was 
 unmistakably pretty. She was quite young, and, 
 although her dress was poor and common, there 
 was an indefinable air of grace about her, which set 
 her apart or seemed to do, in the man's eyes 
 from any mere rustic girl. To his surprise, she 
 stood quite still before him, with her eyes cast 
 down, as though waiting for him to speak. After
 
 4 THE SECOND BANDY CHATER 
 
 a moment or two of embarrassing silence, Mr. Philip 
 Crowdy spoke. 
 
 " "What is the matter ? " he asked, in a low voice. 
 
 The girl raised her eyes and very beautiful eyes 
 they were, too, although they seemed haggard and 
 red, and even then had the traces of tears in them 
 and looked steadily at him. Even though the man 
 knew that he had been mistaken by her for some one 
 else, there was no start of surprise on her part ; he 
 knew, in an instant, that she thought she saw in him 
 the person she wanted. 
 
 "Dandy, dear," she said, appealingly and her 
 voice had a faint touch of the rustic in it "you 
 promised that you would see me again to-night." 
 
 The man had given a faint quick start of surprise, 
 at the mention of the name; he turned away 
 abruptly partly in order to have time to collect 
 his thoughts, partly to hide his face from her. 
 
 "Better and better!" he muttered to himself. 
 " Nearer and nearer ! Now who on earth is this, 
 and what is Dandy Chater's little game ? " 
 
 " I can't go down to the village, Dandy," went 
 on the girl piteously. " You know why I can't go. 
 You promised to meet me to-night, in the little wood 
 behind the mill didn't you, Dandy ? " 
 
 "Yes yes I know," replied the man, impa- 
 tiently. In reality, in this sudden surprising turn 
 of events, his one object was to gain time to give 
 such replies as should lead her to state more fully 
 who she was, and what her errand might be. 
 " What then ? " 
 
 " Don't be hurt, Dandy dear," the girl went on,
 
 THE QUICK AND THE DEAD MEET 5 
 
 coining timidly a little nearer to him. " You know 
 how much it means to me my good name every- 
 thing. I was afraid afraid you might might for- 
 get." 
 
 How piteously she said it and what depth of 
 pleading there was in her eyes ! She seemed little 
 more than a girl, and the man, looking at her, felt 
 a certain hot indignation growing in him against 
 the real Dandy Chater, who could have brought 
 tears to eyes which must once have been so inno- 
 cent. It was not his purpose, however, to undeceive 
 her ; he had too much at stake for that ; so he felt 
 his way cautiously. 
 
 " I shan't forget ; you need not fear. I will meet 
 you, as I have promised," he replied slowly. 
 
 " You are very good to me, Dandy," said the girl, 
 gratefully. "And you are going to take me to 
 London aren't you ? " 
 
 This had evidently been promised by the real 
 Dandy Chater, and Philip Crowdy felt that he must 
 deal delicately with the matter, as he had still much 
 to learn. Accordingly, pitiful though the thing 
 was, he took it half laughingly. 
 
 " To London ? But what am I to do with you 
 there. "Where shall we go ? " 
 
 She laughed, to please his humour. "Why 
 Dandy dear how soon you forget ! Didn't you 
 promise that I should go with you to the old 
 place there, I can see you've forgotten all about it 
 already the old place at Woolwich the Three 
 Watermen near the river; didn't you say we 
 might wait there until to-morrow ? And then
 
 6 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Oh, Dandy, the thought of it takes away my breath, 
 and makes my heart beat with joy and gratitude 
 and then we are to be married ! " 
 
 "There is some desperate game afoot here," 
 thought Philip Crowdy to himself, as he stood in 
 the dark road, looking at the eager face of the girl. 
 "Why in Heaven's name, does he want to meet 
 her in a wood, if he's going to take her to London ? 
 I must follow this up, if possible, at any cost." 
 Aloud he said, " Of course how stupid of me ; I'd 
 quite forgotten. And to-morrow Dandy Chater, 
 Esq., and " 
 
 "Patience Miller," broke in the girl, quickly 
 " will be man and wife and Patience will be the 
 happiest girl in England ! " 
 
 " Got her name, by George ! " muttered the man 
 to himself. "Poor girl I hope to goodness the 
 man is dealing fairly with her." Turning to the 
 girl again, he said carelessly "Let me see, what 
 time did I say we were to meet in the wood ? " 
 
 "At half-past seven," replied the girl. "You 
 said we should have time to walk across the fields, 
 from there to the station, to catch the last train, 
 without any one seeing us don't you remember ? " 
 
 "Yes yes, I remember," replied the man. "I 
 shan't be late ; till then good-bye ! " 
 
 He had turned away, and had gone some few 
 paces down the road towards the village, when the 
 girl called piteously after him. 
 
 "Dandy you're not going like that? "Won't 
 you won't you kiss me ? " 
 
 The man retraced his steps slowly. As, after a
 
 THE QUICK AND THE DEAD MEET 7 
 
 moment's hesitation, he put an arm carelessly round 
 her shoulders, and bent his face towards hers, he 
 looked fully and strongly into her eyes ; but there 
 was no change in her expression no faintest start 
 of suspicion or doubt. 
 
 " That was a trial ! " he muttered, when he had 
 started again towards the village, and had left her 
 standing in the road looking after him. " The like- 
 ness must be greater even than I suspected. Now 
 to find Mr. Dandy Chater or rather to keep out 
 of his way, until I know what his movements are." 
 
 Coming, in the darkness, into the little village 
 a place consisting of one long straggling street 
 of cottages, running up a hill he found the road 
 flanked on either side by a small inn. On the one 
 side the right hand was the Chater Arms; on 
 the other the Bamberton Head. Standing be- 
 tween them, and looking up the long straggling 
 street, Mr. Philip Crowdy could discern, in the dis- 
 tance, perched on rising ground, the outlines of a 
 great house, with lights showing faintly here and 
 there in its windows. 
 
 " That's Chater Hall evidently," he said softly 
 to himself. "Now the question is, where is Mr. 
 Dandy Chater? Shall I go up to the Hall, and 
 reconnoitre the position, or shall I try one of the 
 inns ? I think I'll try one of the inns ; if I happen 
 to drop into the wrong one, and he's there, I must 
 trust to making a bolt for it ; if he's not there, I 
 think the likeness will serve, and I may hear some- 
 thing which will be useful. Now, then heads, 
 right tails, left ! "
 
 8 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 He spun a coin in the air looked at it closely 
 returned it to his pocket and turned to the left, 
 into the Bamberton Head. Knowing that any sign 
 of hesitation might mean his undoing, he thrust 
 open a door which led into the little parlour, and 
 boldly entered it. There were one or two men in 
 the room, and a big surly-looking giant of a fellow, 
 who appeared to be the landlord. The men ex- 
 changed glances which, to the man keenly watchful 
 of every movement, seemed to be glances of sur- 
 prise; the surly landlord put a hand to his fore- 
 head. 
 
 " Evenin', Muster Chater," said the man. " 'Tain't 
 of'en 'as we sees anything o' you this side the way, 
 sir." 
 
 "Wrong house," thought Philip Crowdy. "So 
 much the better, perhaps ; I am less likely to meet 
 the real man, until I wish to do so." Aloud he said, 
 with a shrug of the shoulders " Oh anything for 
 a change. Bring me some brandy, it can't be worse 
 than that at the other shop and it may be better." 
 
 " A deal better, Muster Chater, take my word for 
 't," replied the landlord, hurrying away to execute 
 the order. 
 
 During the time that the stranger sat there, and 
 had leisure to look about him, he became aware of 
 one unpleasant fact. He saw that, however great 
 might be their respect for the mere position of the 
 man they supposed him to be, there was a curious 
 resentment at his presence, and a distrust of him 
 personally, which was not to be disguised. When, 
 having leisurely drunk his brandy, he left the place,
 
 THE QUICK AXD THE DEAD MEET 9 
 
 to their evident relief, and came again out into the 
 darkness of the village street, he expressed the 
 opinion to himself, in one emphatic phrase, that 
 Dandy Chater was a bad lot. 
 
 In the strangeness of his position, and in his un- 
 certainty as to what future course he was to take, 
 his interview with the girl, on the road outside the 
 village, had gone, for the time, clean out of his 
 mind ; when he looked at his watch, he discovered, 
 to his dismay, that it was nearly eight o'clock. 
 More than that, he did not even know where the 
 wood of which she had spoken was situated, and he 
 dared not ask the way to it. 
 
 Trusting to blind chance to guide him, and look- 
 ing about anxiously over the flat landscape, for 
 anything at all answering the description of a mill, 
 or even of a wood, he lost more valuable time still ; 
 and at last, in sheer desperation, remembering that 
 the last train for London started at a few minutes 
 to the hour of nine, he set off, at a rapid rate, for 
 the railway station running along the road now 
 and then, in his anxiety not to miss it. 
 
 " If the real Dandy Chater has kept his promise 
 to the girl, even so far as taking her to London is 
 concerned," he muttered, as he ran on, " they've 
 met in the wood long ago, and are well on their 
 way to the station. I'll follow them ; that's the 
 best course. Besides I don't like the look of that 
 business with the girl ; her eyes seem to haunt me 
 somehow. If I miss them at the station, I can at 
 least go on to that place she mentioned at Wool- 
 wich, and keep my eye on the man."
 
 10 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 The wind and rain were less heavy and boister- 
 ous than they had been, and the moon was strug- 
 gling faintly through driving clouds. As the man 
 hurried along, seeing the lights of the station in 
 the distance before him, a figure suddenly broke 
 through the low hedge beside the road, scarcely 
 more than a hundred yards in advance, and ran on 
 in front, in the same direction. Philip Crowdy, 
 hearing the warning shriek of the train, hurried on 
 faster than before. 
 
 At the very entrance of the station-yard was a 
 gas lamp, which served to light feebly the dreary- 
 looking muddy roads converging upon it. And, 
 beneath this lamp, the figure which had broken 
 through the hedge, and run on before, had stopped, 
 and was carefully scraping and shaking some heavy 
 wet clay from its boots. Catching a glimpse of the 
 face of the figure, as he hurried past, Crowdy, with 
 an exclamation, drew his hat down well over his 
 face, and pulled his coat collar higher. 
 
 There was no time even to get a ticket ; Crowdy 
 raced across the booking-office, and reached the 
 platform just in time ; wrenched open a door, and 
 jumped in. He heard a shout, and, looking out, 
 saw a porter pulling open another door, while the 
 man who had been so particular about his boots 
 sprang into the train. Then, the door was slammed, 
 and the train, already in motion, steamed out of 
 the station. 
 
 Philip Crowdy leant back in the compartment in 
 which he found himself alone, and whistled softly. 
 " This is a new move," he muttered, " Dandy Chater
 
 THE QUICK AND THE DEAD MEET 11 
 
 himself and without the girl. "Well, most respect- 
 able Great Eastern Railway Company," he added, 
 with a laugh, apostrophising the name of the Com- 
 pany staring at him from the wall of the carriage 
 " it isn't often that you carry, in one train, two 
 such queer people as you carry to-night!" Then, 
 becoming serious again, he said softly " But I'd 
 like to know what's become of the girl." 
 
 When the train reached Liverpool Street, Philip 
 Crowdy remained in the carriage as long as possi- 
 ble, in order to avoid meeting the other man ; and, 
 on getting out, discovered to his annoyance that 
 the other man had vanished swallowed up in the 
 restless crowds of people who were moving about 
 the platforms. However, having one faint clue to 
 guide him, he set off for "Woolwich. 
 
 The Three Watermen is a little old-fashioned 
 gloomy public-house, situated at the end of a nar- 
 row street, which plunges down towards the river, 
 and on the very bank of that river itself. Indeed, 
 it is half supported, on the riverside, by huge 
 baulks of timber, round which the muddy water 
 creeps and washes ; and it is the presiding genius, 
 as it were, over a number of tumble-down sheds 
 and out-houses, used for the storage of river lum- 
 ber of one sort or another, or, in some cases, not 
 used at all. And it is the resort of various river- 
 side men; with occasionally some stranger, who 
 appears to belong to salter waters, and to have lost 
 his way there, in getting to the sea. 
 
 Outside this place, Philip Crowdy waited, for a 
 long time, in the shadow of a doorway, debating
 
 12 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 with himself what to do. Being practically in 
 strange quarters, he had had to enquire every step 
 of the way, both as to his journey by train to Wool- 
 wich, and afterwards, when he had reached the 
 place. In consequence, he had lost a very consid- 
 erable amount of time ; and was well aware that, 
 if the man he pursued had come to the place at all, 
 he had had all the advantage, from the fact of 
 knowing the way clearly, and being able to make 
 straight for his destination. Under these circum- 
 stances, it was quite impossible for Crowdy to 
 know whether the man was in the place, or, if so, 
 how long he had been there or even if he had not 
 already left the house. 
 
 Turning over all these points in his mind, Crowdy 
 wandered, half aimlessly, down a little alley, which 
 led beside the Three Watermen towards the river. 
 He had just reached the end of it, and was shivering 
 a little, at the melancholy prospect of dark water 
 and darker mud before him, when a man, rushing 
 hurriedly from the direction of the water, almost 
 carried him off his legs ; snapped out an oath at 
 him ; and was gone up the alley, and into the street, 
 before Crowdy had recovered his breath. 
 
 " People seem in a hurry about these parts," he 
 murmured to himself. "Now, I wonder what on 
 earth that fellow was running away from ? " 
 
 Impelled, half by curiosity, and half by the rest- 
 lessness which possessed him, he turned and walked 
 some little distance, over a kind of dilapidated 
 wharf, in the direction from which the man had 
 come. The place was quite lonely and deserted,
 
 THE QUICK AND THE DEAD MEET 13 
 
 and only the skeleton-like frames of some old 
 barges and other vessels, which some one, at some 
 remote period, had been breaking up, stood up 
 gaunt against the sky. Some darker object, among 
 some broken timbers at the very edge of the water, 
 attracted his attention; he went forward quickly, 
 and then, with a half-suppressed cry, threw himself 
 on his knees beside it. 
 
 It was the body of a man, who had apparently 
 fallen just where he had been struck down ; the 
 hand which Philip Crowdy touched was quite warm, 
 although the man was stone dead. But that was 
 not the strange part that was not the reason why 
 the living man, bending close above the dead, stared 
 at the face as though he could never gaze enough. 
 
 The faces that stared so grimly, in that desolate 
 spot, into each other the dead and the living 
 were alike in every particular, down to the smallest 
 detail ; it was as though the living man gazed into 
 a mirror, which threw back every line, even every 
 faint touch of colouring, in his own face. 
 
 " Dandy Chater ! " whispered Crowdy to himself 
 in an awed voice. " So, I've found you at last ! "
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 ON THE TEACK OF A SHADOW 
 
 THE man's first impulse was to shout for assist- 
 ance ; his second, to dash hot foot after the mur- 
 derer; his last, to keep perfectly still, while he 
 thought hard, with all his wits sharpened by the 
 crisis of the moment. For hours, he had been racing 
 across country, and hiding and dodging, in pursuit 
 of this man ; and he came upon him lying dead, the 
 victim of he knew not what conspiracy. Instinc- 
 tively he glanced about him, with the dread of see- 
 ing other murderous eyes watching; instinctively 
 sprang to his feet, the better to face whatever dan- 
 ger might threaten. 
 
 The thing was so awful, and so unexpected, that 
 the man, for a moment, had no power to face it ; 
 indeed, he had started to run from the place, in an 
 agony of fear, when a sudden thought swept over 
 him arresting his flight, and holding him as mo- 
 tionless as though some mortal hand had gripped 
 him, and brought him to bay. 
 
 " Dandy Chater dead ! " he gasped. " This puts 
 a new light on things indeed ! Dandy Chater dead 
 and out of the way ! Let me think ; let me ham- 
 mer something out of this new horror let me find 
 the best road to travel ! " He sat down among the 
 rotting timbers, and propped his chin in his palms, 
 and stared at the dead man. 
 
 14
 
 ON THE TRACK OF A SHADOW 15 
 
 " Who am I ? Who in all this amazing world, 
 will believe my story, if I tell it ? Dandy Chater 
 
 out of the way ! My God ! that serves my 
 
 purpose ; that was what I wanted. The game's in 
 my hands ; the likeness " 
 
 He started to his feet again, and looked round 
 wildly looked round, like a hunted man who seeks 
 desperately for some way of escape ; ran a few 
 paces, and stood listening ; came slowly back again. 
 
 " Great heavens ! " he muttered softly " they'll 
 think I murdered him ! " 
 
 That was a sufficiently sobering thought ; he stood 
 still, the better to work out the new problem which 
 faced him. 
 
 " Think, Philip Crowdy : you've come across the 
 world, to find this man to wrest from him that 
 which is your right. His real murderer is by this 
 time far away ; you are alone with his body, in a 
 place to which you have tracked him. If Dandy 
 Chater has been lured here, and struck down, as is 
 more than likely in such a neighbourhood, for the 
 mere purpose of robbery, there is not the slightest 
 chance or a very faint one, at best of finding the 
 man who struck the blow. On the other hand 
 how do you stand ? Tell your story to the world, 
 and, if they believe it, what must inevitably be 
 said : that by this man's death you benefit there- 
 fore, by logical reasoning, you must have com- 
 passed his death. Philip Crowdy you're in a re- 
 markably tight place ! " 
 
 Looking at the matter from one standpoint and 
 another, he came to a desperate resolution even
 
 16 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE 
 
 smiled grimly a little to himself, as he bent again 
 over the dead man. Turning the body over, he 
 found that Dandy Chater had been struck down 
 from behind, apparently with a heavy piece of tim- 
 ber which lay near at hand ; he must have been 
 wandering at the very edge of the river at the time, 
 for the rising tide was now actually lapping the 
 edges of his garments. Philip Crowdy bent above 
 him and began to search rapidly in the pockets, for 
 whatever they might contain. 
 
 " Papers watch and chain keys a very little 
 money," he whispered to himself quickly, as he 
 made his search. "The money I'll leave; some 
 river shark will get that ; the rest I'll take. The 
 keys I shall want also the papers." 
 
 Carefully stowing away the things in his own 
 pockets, he rose to his feet, and looked about him. 
 It was very late, and there seemed to be no sign of 
 life, either on land or water, save for the distant 
 muffled sound of the steady beat of a tug, working 
 heavily down stream. 
 
 " I can't leave him here ; for the body to be dis- 
 covered would spoil everything. And it wouldn't 
 be particularly nice for Philip Crowdy to be dis- 
 covered, with Dandy Chater's private possessions in 
 his pockets. Now what's to be done ? " 
 
 The perplexing question was answered for him, in 
 an unexpected way. The beat of the tug sounded 
 nearer and louder, and he saw the gleam of the 
 light which hung from its funnel. Behind it, tower- 
 ing high in the darkness, was a great vessel, which 
 it was dragging manfully down the river. While
 
 ON THE TKACK OF A SHADOW 17 
 
 the man stood there, idly and mechanically watch- 
 ing it, with his dead likeness lying at his feet, there 
 came a sudden disturbance in the water ; a great 
 wash from the river swamped up all about him, so 
 that he turned, and ran back hurriedly a few paces, 
 out of the way of it. 
 
 When he looked again at the spot where he had 
 stood, the body was gone. Some of the timbers, 
 too, among which it had lain, were washing about, 
 and crashing together, at some little distance from 
 the shore. The man ran to the very edge of the 
 water, and strained his eyes eagerly, in search for 
 something else beside timbers ; but the darkness 
 was too profound for him to see anything clearly ; 
 and, although he ran along the muddy bank first 
 to right, and then to left he could discover noth- 
 ing. He stood alone, in that desolate place, and 
 the dead man was undoubtedly being hurried, with 
 the timbers among which he had fallen, down the 
 river towards the sea. 
 
 Presently, the man seemed to realise the full 
 significance of what had happened ; touched the . 
 papers in his pocket; and stood staring thought- 
 fully at the ground for a long time. 
 
 " There is some strange fate in this," he muttered 
 to himself. "To-night, by accident, I took the 
 place of the real Dandy Chater for a few hours ; 
 now I'll take his place not by accident, but by de- 
 sign. Dandy Chater is dead and gone ! Yes 
 Dandy Chater is dead but long live Dandy 
 Chater!" 
 
 With these words, the man turned quickly, hur-
 
 18 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 ried up the alley way into the street, and set off as 
 rapidly as possible in the direction of London. 
 
 It was so late, that all public vehicles had ceased 
 running, and the railway station was closed. He 
 did not care to excite attention, by chartering a cab 
 to take him to London, and he stood for some time 
 in one of the main streets now almost deserted 
 wondering what he should do. The appearance of 
 a small coffee-house, on the other side of the street, 
 with the announcement swinging outside that beds 
 were to be let there, attracted his attention ; the 
 proprietor of it had already closed one half of the 
 double doors, and was standing outside, leaning 
 against the side of the window, and contemplating 
 the street, before retiring from the public eye for 
 the day. Philip Crowdy, after a moment's hesita- 
 tion, crossed the street, and accosted the man. 
 
 " Can I have a bed here ? " he asked. 
 
 The man looked him up and down for a moment 
 in silence ; removed the pipe he was smoking from 
 his lips blew a long stream of smoke into the air ; 
 and finally ejaculated " 'Ave yer pick of the w'ole 
 bloomin' lot, if yer like. It's my private opinion 
 that there ain't anybody a sleepin' in beds these 
 times, 'cept me, an' the missis, and the Queen, an' 
 a few of sich like nobs ; leastways, they don't come 
 my way. Walk in, guv'nor." 
 
 Crowdy followed the man into the shop a small 
 and very dingy-looking eating-house, fitted up with 
 boxes along each side. The sight of the boxes re- 
 minded him that he had had nothing to eat for 
 many hours ; discussing the matter with the pro-
 
 ON THE TRACK OF A SHADOW 19 
 
 prietor of the establishment, he found that he could 
 be supplied with a light meal within a short space 
 of time. Accordingly, he ordered it, and sat down 
 to await its coming. 
 
 He picked up a stained newspaper, and tried to 
 read ; but before his eyes, again and again, came 
 the image of the dead face, which had stared into 
 his that night. So much had happened so much 
 that was wild and strange within the past few 
 hours, that it all seemed like some horrible unruly 
 nightmare. Yet he knew that it was something 
 more than that ; for his fingers touched the papers 
 in his pocket, and the watch that had belonged to 
 the dead man. For a moment, as his hands closed 
 upon them, a sweat of fear broke out upon his fore- 
 head, and he glanced about him uneasily. 
 
 " It's a desperate game," he muttered. " If the 
 body should be found, and recognised or if the 
 likeness be not so complete as I have thought 
 what shall I say what shall I do ? Why I don't 
 even know what manner of man this Dandy Chater 
 was or what were his habits, his companions, the 
 places to which he resorted ; I know absolutely 
 nothing. Every step of the way I must grope in the 
 dark. And I may betray myself at any moment ! " 
 
 He dropped the paper from before his eyes, and 
 found, to his astonishment, and somewhat to his 
 discomfiture, that he was being steadily regarded, 
 by a man who sat at the other side of the table. 
 More than that, the man, having his back towards 
 the little inner room where the meal was being 
 prepared, nodded his head quickly, in a familiar
 
 20 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 fashion, and bent forward, and whispered the fol- 
 lowing astounding remark 
 
 " Wot give the Count the slip 'ave yer ? " 
 
 Philip Crowdy's position, at that moment, was 
 not an enviable one. He was utterly alone, in the 
 sense that, whatever battles lay before him, he had 
 to fight them as best he could, and dared not trust 
 any living soul ; worse than all, he must fight them 
 in the dark, not knowing, when he took one step, 
 where the next might lead. Moreover, the man 
 before him was one of the most repulsive looking 
 ruffians it is possible to imagine a man who, from 
 his appearance, might have been one of those un- 
 fortunates described by the proprietor of the place 
 as never sleeping in a bed. His clothes, which had 
 once been black, were of a greenish hue, from long 
 exposure to the weather, and were fastened to- 
 gether, in the more necessary places, by pins and 
 scraps of string. His face, long and thin and 
 cadaverous, had upon it, besides its native dirt, a 
 week's growth of beard and moustache ; his hair 
 thin almost to baldness on the top hung long 
 about his ears, and was rolled inwards at the ends, 
 in the fashion of some thirty years ago. 
 
 Crowdy, after eyeing this man for a few mo- 
 ments in silence, grunted something inaudible, and 
 took up the paper again. 
 
 "No offence, Dandy," said the man, somewhat 
 more humbly, and in the same hoarse whisper as 
 before. " Seed yer outside an' came in arter yer. 
 Agin the rules an' well I knows it ; but there 
 ain't no one 'ere to twig us is there ? "
 
 ON THE TRACK OF A SHADOW 21 
 
 " Well what of that ? " asked the other, taking 
 his cue from the fellow's humility. " Can't you let 
 a man alone, even at this hour? What the devil 
 do you want now ? " 
 
 " Don't be so 'asty, Dandy," replied the man, in 
 an injured tone. " It ain't for me ter say anyfink 
 agin the Count 'cos 'e's your pal. But you're 
 young at this game, Dandy, and the Count is a bit 
 too fly. If you wants a fren', as '11 be a fren', don't 
 fergit the Shady 'un will yer?" This last very 
 insinuatingly. 
 
 " Oh so you're the Shady 'un are you ? " 
 thought Crowdy. Aloud he said " Thanks I can 
 take care of myself." 
 
 "Ah you wos always 'igh an' mighty you 
 wos," replied the other, with a propitiatory smile. 
 " It ain't fer me ter say anyfink agin the Count 
 on'y 'e's a deep 'un, that's all. An' 'e's got some new 
 move on ; 'e was a stickin' like wax to you to-night 
 yer know 'e wos." 
 
 Philip Crowdy caught his breath. Here, surely, 
 was some faint clue at last ; for it was possible that 
 the man who had been " sticking like wax " to the 
 unfortunate Dandy Chater that night, might have 
 stuck to him to the very last, down by the river's 
 muddy brink. Crowdy was breathlessly silent, 
 waiting for more; he left his meal untouched, 
 where it had been placed, and kept his eyes nar- 
 rowly on his neighbour. 
 
 But that neighbour had evidently made up his 
 mind to say nothing more ; after a pause, he shuffled 
 to his feet, and started to leave the place. As he
 
 22 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 neared the door, however, he came back again, and 
 bent his face down to Crowdy's ear. 
 
 "I say yer won't fergit Toosday will yer ?" 
 " What about it ? " asked the other, as carelessly 
 as he could. 
 
 " "W'y at the "Watermen o' course," whispered 
 the Shady 'un, in a surprised tone. " Ten thirty, 
 sharp. I suppose you'll come wiv the Count 
 eh?" 
 
 " I suppose so," replied Crowdy. " Good-night ! " 
 Left alone, he thrust his plate aside, and sat 
 staring at the table, turning the business over in his 
 mind. In the first place, he had resolved to find 
 Dandy Chater's murderer; on the other hand, if, 
 as was possible, the man spoken of as the Count had 
 anything to do with that murder, it would obviously 
 be impossible for Philip Crowdy to appear before 
 him ; the fraud would be exposed at once. Again, 
 it was evident that the late Dandy Chater had 
 kept remarkably queer company ; and that, more- 
 over, Philip Crowdy as the new Dandy Chater 
 was pledged to meet some members of that queer 
 company, on the following Tuesday, at half-past 
 ten, at the house known as The Three "Watermen. 
 
 " So far so good or rather, bad," he said slowly 
 to himself. " I'm Dandy Chater for the present, 
 at least ; if the man who struck the blow happens 
 to meet me, he'll either die of fright, or denounce 
 me. For the present, I've got to be very careful ; 
 I've very fortunately discovered one or two things 
 which may be useful. But how in the world am I 
 to know what Dandy Chater was doing, or meant
 
 OK THE TRACK OF A SHADOW 23 
 
 to do or what people he knew, or didn't know ? 
 At all events, I must put a bold face on the matter, 
 and trust to luck." 
 
 It was not until he was undressing for the night, 
 in the shabby little room which had been assigned 
 to him over the coffee-house, that he remembered 
 the interview he had had with the girl, on the road 
 outside Bamberton. He stopped, and stood stock 
 still, with a puzzled face. 
 
 " The girl Patience Miller ! I'd clean forgotten 
 about her. Why, Dandy Chater was to have taken 
 her to London, and they were to be married to- 
 morrow. Now, Dandy Chater or the real one, at 
 least is at the bottom of the river. But where on 
 earth is the girl ? " 
 
 He puzzled over it for some time, and finally, 
 finding sleep stealing over him, gave it up, with all 
 the other troublous matters connected with the 
 past few hours, and slept the sleep which comes 
 only to a man who is utterly worn out with fatigue 
 and excitement. 
 
 He slept late the next morning, and had time, 
 while he dressed, to consider what his future course 
 of action should be. In part, he had made up his 
 mind the previous night ; had studied carefully the 
 dress and appearance of the dead man, with that 
 object indefinite then, but clear and distinct now 
 of taking his place. He felt now that the first 
 move in the game must be for him to get down to 
 Bamberton. 
 
 "No one in England knows of my existence; 
 only one man, so far as I am aware, knows, beside
 
 24 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 myself, of the death and disappearance of Dandy 
 Chater. There is no one to suspect ; so far as I am 
 concerned, there is everything to gain, and but lit- 
 tle to lose. Therefore, Mr. Dandy Chater the Sec- 
 ond, you will go down into Essex." 
 
 Watchful and alert ready to take up any faint 
 cue which might be offered him suspicious of dan- 
 ger on every hand, Philip Crowdy got back to Lon- 
 don ; made some slight purchases, with a view to 
 changing his dress ; and started for Chater Hall. 
 Arriving at the little railway station, he returned, 
 with grim satisfaction, the salutes and nods of 
 recognition which one and another bestowed upon 
 him; got into the fly the only one the station 
 boasted and was driven rapidly to his future 
 home. 
 
 It was a fine old house, standing in most pic- 
 turesque grounds a place which bore the stamp 
 of having been in the same family for many genera- 
 tions. Mr. Philip Crowdy rattled along the drive 
 which led to the house, with very mixed feelings, 
 and with a heart beating unpleasantly fast. 
 
 " I need all the luck I've ever possessed, and all 
 the impudence with which nature has endowed me," 
 he thought. " "Why I don't even know my way 
 about my own house shan't know where to turn, 
 when I get inside, or what the servants' names are. 
 And I wish I knew what sort of man Dandy 
 Chater was whether he bullied, or was soft-spoken 
 swore, or quoted Scripture." 
 
 The fly drew up, with a jerk, at the hall door, 
 which was already open. A young servant a
 
 ON THE TRACK OF A SHADOW 25 
 
 pleasant-looking lad, of about twenty years of age, 
 in a sober brown livery, ran out quickly, with a fore- 
 finger raised to his forehead, and opened the door 
 of the fly. 
 
 " Morning, sir," said this individual, in a voice as 
 pleasant as his face. " Hoped you'd telegraph, sir, 
 and let me drive over for you." 
 
 Crowdy alighted slowly, looking keenly about 
 him. " I hadn't time," he said, gruffly being con- 
 vinced, for some strange reason, that the late 
 Dandy Chater had been of a somewhat overbearing 
 disposition. He walked slowly up the steps, and 
 into Chater Hall. 
 
 There his troubles began ; for, in the first place, 
 he did not even know his room did not, as he had 
 already suggested, even know which way to turn. 
 In desperation, he laid his hand on the knob of the 
 first door he saw, and \valked boldly in. 
 
 He found himself in what was evidently the 
 dining-room. He turned, as he was passing through 
 the doorway, and beckoned to the young servant, 
 who had taken his hat and coat, and who was lin- 
 gering in the hall. 
 
 "Here, I want you," he said. His quick eye, 
 roving round the room, had seen a pipe on the 
 mantelshelf, and a spirit stand on an ancient Shera- 
 ton sideboard. " Get me a whiskey and soda, and 
 bring me those cigars the last lot I had." 
 
 The servant placed the spirit stand at his master's 
 elbow, and hurried away to complete the order. 
 Philip Crowdy leaned back in his chair, and laughed 
 softly, when he thought of how well he was carry-
 
 26 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 ing the thing off. " I must be as natural as pos- 
 sible," he muttered. " That was a good move about 
 the cigars." 
 
 The servant reentered the room, bringing the 
 cigars, and a letter which he handed to Crowdy. 
 
 " Brought this morning, sir, quite early," he said. 
 
 Philip Crowdy, after a moment's hesitation, 
 broke the seal, and read the following astounding 
 note 
 
 " Dearest Dandy, 
 
 " You shall have your answer, sooner even 
 than I promised. I do trust you I do believe in 
 your capacity for the better things of which you have 
 spoken. I will marry you, when you like, and with 
 a glad heart. Come and see me to-morrow night, 
 and we can talk about it comfortably. 
 " Yours loyally, 
 
 " Margaret JSarnshaw." 
 
 Philip Crowdy dismissed the servant, with a wave 
 of the hand, and sank into a chair helplessly.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALAEMED 
 
 PHILIP CROWDY felt, however, that there was 
 no time to waste in vain speculation; he had 
 plunged into a mad business, and it must be carried 
 through at all hazards. Moreover, the more he 
 came to think about it, the more the strong nature 
 of the man rose up, to assist him to confront his 
 difficulties. Essentially cool and calculating, he 
 saw his desperate position, and saw, too, how the 
 house of cards he was erecting might be fluttered 
 down at a breath. At the same time, with the 
 daring of a desperate man, he took the thing 
 quietly, and determined to advance step by step. 
 
 Everything seemed to be in his favour. In the 
 first place, there was evidently no suspicion, in the 
 mind of any one he had met yet, that he was not 
 the man he claimed to be Dandy Chater ; in the 
 second place, the young servant who had first 
 admitted him gave him the very clue he needed, 
 and at the very outset. Coming into the room, 
 immediately after Crowdy had finished reading the 
 letter, this man asked : 
 
 " Excuse me, sir but Mrs. Dolman would like to 
 know whether Mr. Ogledon is coming down to- 
 day ? " 
 
 Philip Crowdy gathered his wandering wits, and 
 
 27
 
 28 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 faced the question. " Mrs. Dolman that'll be the 
 housekeeper," he thought, rapidly. " But who the 
 devil is Mr. Ogledon ? " After a moment's pause, 
 he looked up, and said aloud "Can't say, I'm 
 sure. You'd better send Mrs. Dolman to me." 
 
 The young man went away, and the housekeeper 
 presently came bustling in. She was a trim, neat, 
 precise old lady, with a certain dignity of manner 
 belonging to her station. She inclined her head, 
 and folded her hands, and hoped that "Master 
 Dandy " was well. 
 
 " Old servant been in the family all her life," 
 thought Crowdy. Aloud he said "I really can't 
 say, Mrs. Dolman, whether Mr. Ogledon will be here 
 to-day or not. By the way, Mrs. Dolman" this, 
 as a brilliant idea struck him "I think I shall 
 change my room my bedroom, I mean." 
 
 The good woman raised her hands in astonish- 
 ment. " Change your room, Master Dandy ! "Why 
 I never heard the like ! What's the matter with 
 the room, sir ? " 
 
 " Oh nothing the matter with it ; only I want a 
 change; one gets tired of anything. Just come 
 upstairs with me, and I'll show you what I 
 mean." 
 
 Mrs. Dolman would have stepped aside, in the 
 doorway, to allow him to precede her ; but he waved 
 her forward impatiently, and she went on ahead, 
 and up the broad staircase, with her gown held up 
 delicately in two mittened hands. 
 
 " Now," thought Philip Crowdy, with a chuckle, 
 " I shall know where I sleep."
 
 BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALAKMED 29 
 
 The old lady went before him, and softly opened 
 the door of a room on the left hand Crowdy 
 taking careful note of its position. It was a beauti- 
 fully furnished room, with huge old-fashioned 
 presses in it, and with everything arranged with a 
 view to comfort. 
 
 " There couldn't be a better room, Master Dandy," 
 urged the old lady " and you've slept in it as long 
 almost as I can remember. There's your dressing- 
 room opening out of it, and your bath-room beyond 
 that nothing could be more convenient, Master 
 Dandy. If you moved into the Yellow room, the 
 outlook is pretty, it can't be denied but it ain't 
 to be compared to this. Of course, Master Dandy, 
 you'll do as you like but I " 
 
 Philip Crowdy had achieved his object. He 
 looked round the room for a moment, and shrugged 
 his shoulders. " No after all, I think you're right. 
 It was only a whim of mine ; I'll stay here." 
 
 As he seemed disposed to remain in the room, the 
 housekeeper quietly took her departure, and closed 
 the door. Crowdy threw himself into an armchair, 
 and laughed softly. He felt that he was advancing 
 rapidly ; every fresh pair of eyes which met his, 
 and in which he saw no gleam of suspicion, gave 
 him confidence. His one desire was to do every- 
 thing which the late Dandy Chater had been in the 
 habit of doing, and, on the other hand, to do noth- 
 ing which would seem strange or unusual. And 
 here again luck was with him. 
 
 Mrs. Dolman, on retiring from the room, had not 
 closed the door so carefully as she had imagined ;
 
 30 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 the sound of two voices, in low converse, came to 
 his ears. 
 
 ""What's brought 'im 'ome in such a 'urry?" 
 asked the first voice evidently that of a woman. 
 "I thought 'e was goin' to be away about a 
 week." 
 
 In the second voice, which replied in the same 
 low tone, but somewhat aggressively, Crowdy 
 recognised that of the young man-servant, who had 
 already waited upon him. " Well I suppose Mas- 
 ter can do as he likes can't he ? " 
 
 " Lor' some of us soon gits put out, don't we, 
 Mr. 'Arry," replied the woman. 
 
 "Good. Now I know his name," muttered 
 Crowdy to himself. Whistling loudly, he strode 
 across the room and pulled open the door abruptly. 
 The distant flutter of skirts announced that the 
 woman had taken fright and fled. 
 
 " Harry," he said, turning back when he reached 
 the head of the stairs " I'm going out." 
 
 The man seemed, he thought, to look at him 
 rather narrowly almost frowningly, in fact. " To 
 the Chater Arms, sir ? " he asked. 
 
 "Yes I may look in there," replied Crowdy 
 carelessly, and wondering somewhat at the evi- 
 dently well-known habits of the late Dandy Chater. 
 " I shall be back in time for dinner." 
 
 Mr. Philip Crowdy took his way downstairs, 
 selected a cigar with much care, and strolled out, 
 after taking a walking stick from its place in the 
 hall. 
 
 "A dead man's house a dead man's cigar a
 
 BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALARMED 31 
 
 dead man's walking stick ! " he said to himself, as 
 he went down the long drive. " I don't like it ; it 
 smothers me. And yet and yet " 
 
 He did not finish the sentence ; some thought 
 was evidently running in his mind, to the exclusion 
 of everything else. He turned away from the vil- 
 lage, and made his way across some fields, and sat 
 down, in the winter sunlight, on the footstone of a 
 stile. Looking cautiously about him, he pulled 
 from his pocket the papers he had taken from the 
 body of Dandy Chater. 
 
 There was a cheque book, with one cheque filled 
 up, even to the signature, but still remaining in the 
 book. There was a pocketbook, with various en- 
 tries in regard to betting, and to sporting engage- 
 ments generally. And there were one or two let- 
 ters, in the same handwriting as that seen by him 
 that day. These last he read carefully. 
 
 They were couched in terms of friendly advice, 
 and even of remonstrance with sometimes a little 
 note of anger to be read between the lines. Yet 
 they breathed a very true and very disinterested 
 aifection, and were, in every way, full of true 
 womanly feeling. 
 
 " Ah Margaret Barnshaw (sometimes she signs 
 herself ' Madge,' I see) that's the lady who's going 
 to marry me which is more than I bargained for, 
 when I stepped into Dandy Chater's shoes. "Well, 
 I'll go through these more carefully later on. 
 Now, as it's evident that I am expected at the 
 Chater Arms, I'll make my way there." 
 
 He did so; to the accompaniment of friendly
 
 32 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 nods, and rustic curtesyings and salutations. But 
 at the Chater Arms he received a shock. 
 
 It was a bright little place much better and 
 more cleanly kept than the house he had patronised 
 on the previous day. From its well sanded floors 
 to the black beams which crossed its ceilings, it 
 was a picture of comfort and prosperity. And, 
 seated behind the hospitable-looking bar, was the 
 neatest and trimmest landlady imaginable. 
 
 Yet it was precisely this landlady or the sight 
 of her which gave Mr. Philip Crowdy such an un- 
 pleasant shock. As he entered the door, and she 
 turned her head to look at him, he had but one 
 glance at her ; yet that glance was sufficient to 
 sweep him back through many years, and across 
 many miles of land and sea. If the woman had risen 
 calmly and awfully from the grave, her appearance 
 could not have been more startling to the man. 
 
 The landlady, for her part, appeared to be 
 troubled in no such fashion by his appearance. She 
 nodded somewhat curtly, he thought and evi- 
 dently saw in him merely the idle Dandy Chater she 
 had been in the habit of seeing almost daily for 
 years past. Kecognising the importance of keeping 
 a steady hand upon his emotions, Philip Crowdy 
 nodded in reply, and approached, and leaned over 
 the bar. 
 
 "Afternoon, Master Dandy," said the woman, 
 fixing her eyes again on her work. Yet how 
 familiar her voice was in his ears and how he 
 longed to jump over the bar, and take her portly 
 person in his arms !
 
 BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALARMED 33 
 
 " Good-afternoon," he responded. " And I won- 
 der," he thought " what your name is now ! " 
 
 There was a long pause ; and then, in sheer self- 
 defence, he ordered something to drink, adding, at 
 the same time " It's so deadly dull up at the Hall, 
 that I thought I'd look down to see you." He 
 stopped lamely, wondering if she expected him to 
 say anything else. 
 
 " Yery kind of yer, Master Dandy," she retorted 
 quickly, flashing her black eyes at him for a mo- 
 ment, as she set his glass before him. " Wouldn't 
 yer like to step into the parlour, Master Dandy ? " 
 she added. There was no graciousness about the 
 speech, and she was evidently in a bad humour. 
 
 "Thanks I think I shall do very well here," 
 replied Crowdy. "And, if you only knew, old 
 Betty, whose eyes are looking at that dear old grey 
 head of yours, at this moment, I think you'd jump 
 out of your skin." This latter, it is scarcely neces- 
 sary to add, passed through his thoughts only, and 
 not his lips. 
 
 Presently, to his astonishment, the old woman, 
 after making several false starts, got up quickly, 
 and came round the bar, and faced him ; he saw 
 that there was some extraordinary excitement upon 
 her ; he could hear one foot nervously beating the 
 ground. 
 
 " Master Dandy," she said, in a voice little above 
 a whisper " I must speak to you ! " 
 
 On the instant, the man felt that she had made 
 some discovery that she knew he was not Dandy 
 Chater. But, the next moment, he saw that this
 
 wag a matter which had been consuming her for 
 some time, and had now boiled up, as it were, and 
 could be held no longer some grievance which she 
 imagined she had against Dandy C hater. Know- 
 ing that he had a part to play, he spoke lightly and 
 easily. 
 
 "Well I'm here; speak to me, by all means," 
 he said, with a little laugh. 
 
 " Not here not here, Master Dandy," she said, 
 hurriedly. "If you would be so kind as step in 
 here, there ain't likely to be no one in this time 
 o' the day, Master Dandy." She indicated, as she 
 spoke, the door of the little parlour near at hand. 
 
 " As you will," replied Crowdy ; and he followed 
 her into the room, inwardly wondering what was 
 going to happen. 
 
 Inside the room, he seated himself upon a table, 
 and looked questioningly at her. She was evi- 
 dently at a loss how to proceed, for a few mo- 
 ments, and stood nervously beating her fingers on 
 the back of a chair. When, at last, she broke the 
 silence, her question was a startling one. 
 
 "Master Dandy for the love of God where's 
 Patience Miller ? " 
 
 The man stared at her in amazement. He knew 
 the name in an instant remembered the interview, 
 in the darkness and the rain, upon the road outside 
 the village almost felt again, for an instant, the 
 warm pressure of the girl's lips upon his. He shook 
 his head, in a dazed fashion. 
 
 " How on earth should I know ? " he asked, slowly. 
 
 " How should anybody know better, Master
 
 BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALAKMED 35 
 
 Dandy ? " she retorted, in the same suppressed ex- 
 cited voice. " Master Dandy I'm an old woman, 
 and poor Patience, 'avin' no mother of 'er own, 
 'as turned to me natural-like these many years. 
 There's been w'ispers 'ere, an' w'ispers there, this 
 ever so long ; but it was only the other night as I 
 got it all from 'er." The good woman was quiver- 
 ing with excitement, and her fingers were beating 
 a rapid tattoo on the back of the chair. 
 
 " All what ? " asked Crowdy, faintly. 
 
 "The 'ole story, Master Dandy," she replied 
 promptly. "Ah it ain't no use your tryin' to 
 deny it, sir ; I knows the truth w'en I 'ears it 
 'specially w'en it comes to me wi' tears an' sighs. 
 You've led 'er wrong, Master Dandy you know 
 you 'ave ; and now wot's become of 'er ? " 
 
 " I tell you I know nothing about the girl," re- 
 plied Crowdy, doggedly. 
 
 The old woman threw up her grey head, like a 
 war horse, and looked defiance at him. " Then, 
 Master Dandy," she said fiercely " if yer turn me 
 and old Toby out in the road, I've got to tell yer 
 a bit o' my mind. You're a Chater and you've 
 got the Chater blood in you, I suppose because I 
 knowed your blessed father and mother, now in 
 their graves. But there it ends; for you've got 
 some other black heart in you, that never belonged 
 to them. There's not a man or woman, in the 
 countryside, but wot won't shake their 'eads, w'en 
 they 'ears your name an' well you knows it. Oh 
 if on'y my boy 'ad lived, wot a Chater 'e would 
 'ave been ! "
 
 36 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 For some hidden reason, the man seemed strangely 
 moved by that last despairing phrase from her lips ; 
 indeed, as she bowed her old face down on her 
 hands, with a moan, he made a sudden movement, 
 with outstretched arms, as though he would have 
 taken her within them and comforted her. But 
 when, a moment afterwards, she looked up, with 
 the former stern expression settling on her features, 
 the man was simply watching her keenly, with his 
 hands thrust in his pockets. 
 
 " What are you talking about ? " he asked, slowly. 
 " What about your boy ? " 
 
 She hesitated for a moment, even glancing round 
 at the door behind her ; then came a little nearer 
 to him. 
 
 "I ain't never said anything about it, Master 
 Dandy, because I thought the story was dead and 
 buried like my poor boy an' I didn't think as 'ow 
 talkin' about it would do anybody any good. But 
 it don't matter now ; an' I'd like you to know, Mas- 
 ter Dandy, that for all your pride your wicked 
 pride you wouldn't 'ave no right to be standin' 
 'ere, as the master of Chater 'All, if my poor boy 
 'ad lived." 
 
 The man was watching her, more keenly than 
 ever ; for the sake of appearances, however, he let 
 a smile play round his mouth, and then broke into 
 a laugh. 
 
 " Ah you may laugh, Master Dandy. Wot if I 
 tell you that you had a brother an elder brother, 
 Master Dandy, though only by a matter of min- 
 utes."
 
 BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALAKMED 37 
 
 " "What on earth are you talking about ? " asked 
 the man ; though only for the sake of appearances 
 again for he had heard the story from her lips, a 
 long long time before. 
 
 " The truth ! " she exclaimed. " Not one child, 
 Master Dandy, came into the world at Chater Hall, 
 vv'en you was born but two twins ; an' the other 
 boy was the first. But your father was crazy on 
 that one idea ; I'd often 'eard 'im say that if ever 
 twins came, 'e would find means to git rid of one of 
 them. It was all done quiet and secret-like ; ole 
 Cripps was doctor 'ere then an' a drunken little 
 rascal 'e was, though sound in 'is work. 'E 'd 'ave 
 done anything for money that man; an' pretty 
 'eavy 'e must 'ave been paid by your father for it. 
 As for me the Lord forgive me I'd a notion of 
 starting at the other side of the world, and making 
 a business. So your father sent me off, with five 
 hundred pounds, and the eldest boy the eldest, be- 
 cause 'e seemed the weakest. ' I won't 'ave two 
 boys, to fight over the property, an' cut it up after 
 I'm dead an' gone,' says your father." 
 
 " "Well and what became of the boy ? " asked 
 Crowdy. 
 
 " "Went to Australia, 'e did, the blessed mite an' 
 growed fine and strong lookin' on me as 'is mother, 
 an' 'avin' my name, as it was then Crowdy ; Philip 
 Crowdy, we called 'im. Then I met Siggs my 
 Toby an' we 'adn't been married a year, an' I was 
 full of care an' anxiety, over a little one o' my own 
 w'en Philip disappeared. 'E was ten then, an' I 
 told 'im the story, on'y a week or two afore 'e went
 
 38 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 your father bein' dead, an' my lips sealed no 
 longer." 
 
 "A pretty story, Mrs. Siggs," replied Philip. 
 "And you never heard anything about this boy 
 again ? " 
 
 " Never," she replied, sadly. " "We did everyfink 
 we could to find 'im ; but we was livin' on the very 
 edge of the bush at that time, an' the poor lad must 
 'ave got lost in it, an' starved to death. Even men 
 'ave done that," she added, with her apron at her 
 eyes. 
 
 " And why did you return to England ? " he asked, 
 in the same dull level voice. 
 
 " I couldn't abear the place, after we'd lost 'im ; 
 an' things went wrong, an' Siggs an' me lost most 
 of our money. Besides, I was always longin' 
 for the old place where I was born; an' so at 
 last we come 'ome, without nobody bein' a bit 
 the wiser, an' took the Chater Arms an' settled 
 down." 
 
 Carried away by the remembrances of years, 
 Betty Siggs had forgotten the real object with 
 which she had started the conversation; she re- 
 membered it quickly now, and her tone changed. 
 But it was no longer harsh ; the remembrance of 
 her boy, as she called him, had softened her, and 
 she turned to the graceless Dandy Chater (as she 
 imagined him to be) and spoke pleadingly. 
 
 " Master Dandy, won't you listen to an old woman 
 won't you tell me w'ere I can find this poor girl 
 Patience ; won't you " 
 
 Philip Crowdy, remembering suddenly the part
 
 he had to play, got up impatiently, and made for 
 the door. 
 
 " I tell you," he said, with a frown, " that I know 
 nothing about her. And please let us hear no more 
 of such idle tales as these. Your boy, indeed ! " 
 He laughed, and swung out of the place into the 
 road. 
 
 Yet, as he walked along, his heart was very sore, 
 and his face was troubled. " Poor old Betty ! " he 
 muttered to himself " she thinks I'm Dandy Chater 
 and a blackguard ; what would she think, if she 
 knew that the boy she lost in the bush was saved, 
 after all ; and that he stands here to-day, in his 
 dead brother's place, and under his dead brother's 
 name ? What would she say, if she knew that I am 
 her boy, as she calls me Philip Crowdy or Philip 
 Chater?"
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A SUNDAY TO BE REMEMBERED 
 
 THE sun, shining brightly over the trim lawns 
 which stretched before Chater Hall, seemed to de- 
 clare, deceitfully enough, the next morning, that 
 winter was dead and buried, and spring come in 
 full force to take its place. Philip Crowdy or 
 Philip Chater, as we must now call him waking 
 in the unaccustomed softnesses of a great bed, and 
 gradually opening his eyes upon the luxuries about 
 him, awoke as gradually to a remembrance of his 
 new position ; looked at it lazily and comfortably, 
 as a man will who wakes from deep sleep ; and then 
 came to a full realisation of all it meant, and sat up 
 quickly in bed. 
 
 " Yes," he muttered softly to himself, nodding 
 his head as he looked about him " I am bound to 
 admit that when one has slept or tried to sleep 
 for a few weeks, in a narrow berth aboard an evil- 
 smelling sailing vessel, with a scarcity of blankets, 
 and no pillows worth mentioning, this " he looked 
 round the big bed, and smiled " this is a very de- 
 cent apology for Heaven. And such being the 
 case I want to stop in Paradise as long as pos- 
 sible." 
 
 He stretched out his hand, and pulled the bell- 
 rope. In a moment or two, the young servant 
 
 40
 
 Harry made his appearance coming softly into the 
 room, and regarding his master with some surprise. 
 Philip Chater, quick to take his cue from the other's 
 expression, glanced carelessly at Dandy Chater's 
 watch, which hung near his head. 
 
 " Rather early, Harry ? Yes I know it is ; but 
 I'm restless this morning. I shall get dressed at 
 once. Put me out some things you know what I 
 want ; I don't want to be bothered about it and 
 get my bath ready. Oh by the way " he called 
 out, as the young man was moving away " I shall 
 go to church." 
 
 The servant stopped, as though he had been shot 
 even came back a pace or two towards the bed. 
 The expression of his face was such an astonished 
 one, that Philip knew that the day, from a point of 
 view of good luck, had begun very badly. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir," said Harry, with some- 
 thing very like the flicker of a smile about his 
 mouth. 
 
 " I said," repeated Philip Chater, slowly and em- 
 phatically, being determined to brave the matter 
 out " that I should go to church." 
 
 " Very good, sir." The young man had recovered 
 his composure, and walked through into the adjoin- 
 ing bath-room, after another quick glance at his 
 master. 
 
 " Ah Dandy Chater was evidently not a profess- 
 ing Christian," muttered Philip. " I'm half sorry 
 now that I suggested going ; but I suppose it's best 
 to take the bull by the horns, and plunge among 
 the people I shall have to meet as rapidly as possi-
 
 ble. Well, if they single me out as a lost sheep, and 
 call me publicly to repentance, I can't help it. But 
 I shouldn't be surprised if the living were in my 
 gift ; in which case, they may be disposed to forgive 
 me, and treat me leniently." 
 
 Finding, to his satisfaction, that the clothes be- 
 longing to the late Dandy Chater fitted his suc- 
 cessor as accurately as though made for him, Philip 
 went down to breakfast in an improved frame of 
 mind. After breakfast, when he lounged out into 
 the grounds, there came another of those little trials 
 to his nerves, which he was destined thereafter often 
 to experience. 
 
 Coming near to the stables, a dog a fine animal 
 of the spaniel breed leapt out suddenly, with 
 joyous barks, to meet him ; came within a foot or 
 two sniffed at him suspiciously and then fled, 
 barking furiously. Turning, in some discomfiture, 
 he came almost face to face with the servant Harry, 
 who was looking at him, he thought, curiously. 
 
 "Something the matter with that beast," said 
 Philip, as carelessly as he could. " Have it chained 
 up." Turning away, and reentering the house, he 
 said softly to himself "The moral of which is: 
 keep away from the animals. They are wiser than 
 the more superior beings." 
 
 It was with very uncomfortable sensations in his 
 breast that Philip Chater after discovering, in his 
 wanderings, a small gate and path leading direct 
 from the grounds to the churchyard strolled care- 
 lessly across, and entered the church. He had been 
 careful to wait until the last moment, when the slow
 
 A SUNDAY TO BE REMEMBERED 43 
 
 bell had actually ceased, before venturing inside ; 
 and it was perhaps as well that he did so. Fortu- 
 nately for himself, he came face to face, just inside 
 the porch, with an ancient man, who appeared to 
 act as a sort of verger or beadle ; and who was so 
 much astonished at his appearance, and stepped so 
 hurriedly backwards, that he almost tripped himself 
 up in the folds of his rusty black gown. But he re- 
 covered sufficiently to be able to shuffle along the 
 church, towards the pulpit, and to pull open the door 
 of a huge old-fashioned pew, like a small parlour, 
 with a fireplace in it. Philip was glad to hide him- 
 self within the high walls of this pew, and to find 
 himself shut in by the ancient one. 
 
 But his coming had created no little stir. Al- 
 though, having seated himself, he could see noth- 
 ing except the windows above him, and a few 
 cracked old monuments high up on the walls, he 
 was nevertheless aware of a rustling of garments, 
 and sharp whisperings near him. When, presently, 
 he rose from his seat with the rest of the congrega- 
 tion, he discovered that his eyes, passing over the 
 top of the pew were on a level with certain other 
 eyes gentle and simple which were hurriedly 
 withdrawn on meeting his own. Moreover, imme- 
 diately on the opposite side of the aisle in which his 
 parlour-like pew was situated, was another pew, in 
 which stood a young girl very neatly, but very 
 beautifully dressed ; and, to his utter embarrass- 
 ment, the eyes of this young girl met his, with a 
 gaze so frank and kindly, and lingered in their 
 glance for a moment so tenderly and sweetly over
 
 44 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 the top of that high pew, that he wondered who in 
 the world the young girl was, and what interest she 
 had in Dandy Chater. 
 
 Again another disquieting circumstance arose; 
 for, when he got to his feet a second time, and al- 
 most instinctively looked again in the direction of 
 those eyes which had met his so frankly, his glance 
 fell on another pair, near at hand a black pair, 
 looking at him, he thought with something of sul- 
 lenness something of pleading. This second pair 
 of eyes were mischievous daring wilful kitten- 
 ish what you will ; and they were lower than the 
 other eyes, showing that their wearer was not so 
 tall. And the strange thing about them was, that 
 they flashed a glance, every now and then, at the 
 other eyes a glance which was one wholly of de- 
 fiance. 
 
 " The devil's i' the kirk to-day," thought Philip 
 Chater " and I wish I knew what it was all about. 
 Dandy my poor brother you're at the bottom of 
 the river ; but you didn't clear up things before you 
 went." 
 
 The clergyman was a dear old white-haired man, 
 who also gave a glance, of kindly sympathy and 
 encouragement, towards the big square pew and its 
 single occupant ; and who preached, in a queer 
 quavering old voice, on love, and charity, and all 
 the sweeter things which men so stubbornly con- 
 trive to miss. And he tottered down the steps from 
 the pulpit, with yet another glance at the big pew. 
 
 The service ended, Philip Chater sat still and, to 
 his infinite astonishment, every one else sat still too,
 
 A SUNDAY TO BE REMEMBERED 45 
 
 "Worse than all, the whispering, and the faint stir- 
 ring of dresses and feet, began again. 
 
 " I wonder what on earth they're waiting for," 
 thought Philip, craning his neck, in an endeavour 
 to peer over the top of the pew. The next moment, 
 the door of the pew was softly opened, and the 
 ancient man who had ushered him into it, stood 
 bowing, and obviously waiting for him to come out. 
 In an instant, Philip recognised that the congre- 
 gation waited, in conformity with an old custom, 
 until the Squire should have passed out of 
 church. 
 
 Rising, with his heart in his mouth, the supposed 
 Dandy Chater faced that small sea of eyes, every 
 one of which seemed to be turned in his direction ; 
 and every face, instead of being, as it should have 
 been, familiar to him from his childhood, was the 
 face of an utter stranger. 
 
 He thought hard, while he gathered up Dandy 
 Chater's hat and gloves harder, probably, than he 
 had ever thought before, within the same short 
 space of time. And then, to crown it all, as he 
 stepped from the pew came the most astounding 
 event of all. 
 
 The young girl with the kindly eyes looked full 
 at him, as he stepped into the aisle; hesitated a 
 moment ; and then, with a quick blush sweeping up 
 over her face, rose to her full height (and she was 
 taller than the average of women) and stepped out 
 into the aisle beside him. Quite mechanically, and 
 scarcely knowing what he did, he offered her his 
 arm; and they passed slowly out of the church
 
 46 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 together, with the silent congregation, still seated, 
 watching them. 
 
 Not a word was spoken by either of them, until 
 they had almost crossed the churchyard ; glancing 
 back over his shoulder, Philip could see the people 
 emerging from the porch, and breaking up into 
 groups, and evidently talking eagerly. And still 
 no word had been said between the two chief actors 
 in this amazing scene. 
 
 At last, the girl turned her face towards his, (she 
 had seemed quite content to walk on beside him, in 
 silence, until this moment) and spoke. Her voice, 
 the man thought, was as beautiful as her face. 
 
 "Well, Dandy dear have you nothing to say 
 to me ? " 
 
 In a flash, light broke in upon Philip Chater. 
 From the girl's appearance, style of dress, and easy 
 assurance with him, in the presence of a church- 
 full of people he felt that this must be the Margaret 
 Barnshaw whose letter he had read the letter in 
 which she promised to marry Dandy Chater. But, 
 not being sure even of that, or of anything indeed, 
 he decided to grope his way carefully ; looking at 
 her with a smile, he asked lightly " What would 
 you have me say to you ? " 
 
 She clasped her other hand on his arm, and her 
 face suddenly grew grave, and, as he thought, more 
 tender even than before ; her voice, too, when she 
 spoke again, had sunk to a whisper. 
 
 "Nothing not a word, dear boy," she said. 
 " You've said it all so many times haven't you ? 
 And I've sent you back, with a heartache oh
 
 A SUNDAY TO BE REMEMBERED 47 
 
 ever so many times. But from today, we'll 
 change all that; from to-day, we'll begin afresh. 
 That's why I took your arm, before them all, to-day 
 to show them my right to walk beside you. Did 
 you understand that ? " 
 
 There was no reasonable doubt now that this was 
 the Madge of the letter; unless the late Dandy 
 Chater had made proposals, of a like nature, in 
 other quarters. He answered diplomatically. 
 
 " Yes I think I understood that," he said. " I 
 I am very grateful." 
 
 " Do you remember," she went on, " what you 
 said to me when last we met when I told you you 
 should have your answer definitely ? Do you re- 
 member that ; or have you forgotten it, like so many 
 other things ? " 
 
 " I said so many things, that perhaps I may have 
 forgotten which one you refer to." Philip Chater 
 felt rather proud of himself, after this speech. 
 
 "You said 'I'm going to be a stronger, 
 better fellow than I have ever been before; you 
 shall find me changed from to-night ; you shall find 
 I'll be a new man.' Do you remember that ? " 
 
 It was a trying moment ; and, for the life of him, 
 Philip Chater found it difficult to keep his voice 
 quite steady, when he answered, after a pause 
 " Yes I remember." For this girl, with her hands 
 locked on his arm, and with her eyes looking so 
 trustfully and confidingly into his, had heard those 
 words, of repentance, and hope, and well-meaning, 
 however lightly said, from the lips of a man she 
 would see no more, and who was now washing
 
 48 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 about horribly, a disfigured thing, with the life 
 beaten out of it. And the man who stood beside 
 her, in his place in his very clothes was a fraud 
 and an impostor. 
 
 " Did you mean it, Dandy dear ? Was it true ? " 
 
 He answered from his heart, and spoke the truth, 
 in that instance at least. " Yes God knows it was 
 true," he said. 
 
 They had left the road, and had turned through 
 a gate into a little wood, which belonged, he sup- 
 posed, to his own estates. Here, quite suddenly, 
 she stopped, and held out both her hands to him. 
 Very gravely and, it must be said, with a growing 
 anxiety which matched an expression in her own 
 eyes he took the hands in his, and looked, as 
 steadily as he might, into her face. 
 
 " Dandy my dear boy as friends as man and 
 woman we have said some bitter things to each 
 other have parted in anger, more than once. You 
 have been wild, I know have made some blunders, 
 as we all must make them, in our poor journey 
 here on earth. But you have sworn to me that 
 those old tales, about you you and Patience 
 Miller forgive me; I promised never to men- 
 tion the subject again ; but I must I must 
 you have told me that all that story was mere 
 malicious gossip. As Heaven is my witness, I be- 
 lieved you then ; but tell me once again. Tell me," 
 she pleaded "that no woman need hide her face 
 to-day, because of you ; tell me that reckless and 
 foolish as you may have been no living creature 
 weeps to-day, because of you,"
 
 He paused for a moment ; a dozen new thoughts 
 and ideas seemed to dart through his mind. The 
 name she had mentioned had brought again to his 
 memory the scene with the girl, on the road out- 
 side the village, on the night of his first visit to 
 Bamberton the girl whom Dandy Chater was to 
 have married, and who failed, after all, to accom- 
 pany him to London. But, for all that, he had a 
 double reason for setting her doubts at rest, and 
 for speaking clearly and without fear. In the first 
 place, the man to whom the question referred was 
 dead, and beyond the reach of any earthly judg- 
 ment ; in the second place, Philip Chater was, of 
 course, blameless in the matter. Therefore he said, 
 after that momentary pause 
 
 " Indeed no living creature weeps to-day on my 
 account, Madge " he felt that he must attempt the 
 name, and was relieved to observe no start of sur- 
 prise on her part. " I have had your letter ; I I 
 wanted to thank you for it. I wish I could think 
 that I deserved " 
 
 "Hush, dear," she broke in, hurriedly. "All 
 that is past and done with ; haven't I said that we 
 start from to-day afresh. Perhaps who knows ? " 
 she laughed happily, and came a little nearer 
 to him "perhaps I've helped to change you to 
 make a new man of you. And I won't believe a 
 word that any one says against you never any 
 more ! " 
 
 With a gesture that was all womanly, and all 
 beautiful, she leaned suddenly forward, and kissed 
 him on the lips. Then, as if half ashamed of what
 
 50 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 she had done, she released her hands, and, with a 
 quick half-whispered " Good-bye ! " sped away 
 from him through the wood. 
 
 Philip Chater stood looking after her, for a few 
 moments, in a bewildered fashion ; then, presently, 
 sat down on a bank, and let his head drop into his 
 hands. 
 
 " Oh it's horrible ! " he groaned. " Here's a 
 woman one of the best in the world, I'll be 
 sworn holding my hands, and kissing my lying 
 lips, and swearing that she loves me, and will make 
 a new man of me ; and the man she loves lies at 
 the bottom of the river. I thought this was to be 
 a mere question of money ; a matter of ' the king 
 is dead long live the king ! ' but when it comes to 
 lying steadily to a woman, it's another business al- 
 together. Yet, what am I to do ? " He sat up, 
 and stared hopelessly before him. " If I tell her 
 that her lover is dead, I break her heart, and en- 
 danger my own neck ; on the other hand, to keep 
 up this mad game requires more subtlety than I 
 possess, and the Devil's own cheek. What a mighty 
 uncomfortable pair of shoes I've stepped into ! " 
 
 He heard a sudden rustling among the leaves 
 near at hand, and the next moment a girlish figure 
 sprang out, and confronted him. Raising his head 
 slowly, from the ground upwards, he saw, first of 
 all, a very trim little pair of shoes a gay little 
 Sunday frock a remarkably neat waist and so 
 up to a mischievous face, shaded by a wide hat ; 
 and in that face were set the pair of black eyes 
 which had looked at him in so audacious a manner
 
 A SUNDAY TO BE REMEMBERED 51 
 
 in church, and which were regarding him roguishly 
 enough now. 
 
 " Mr. Dandy Chater " the voice of this girl of 
 about eighteen was imperious, and she was evi- 
 dently not a person to be trifled with " I want to 
 know what you mean by it ? " 
 
 The situation was becoming something more than 
 merely humorous. Philip Chater pushed back his 
 hat, and gazed at her in perplexity ; and, indeed, it 
 must be admitted that, to be accosted in this fash- 
 ion by a young lady, of whose name he was entirely 
 ignorant, was enough to try the stoutest nerves. 
 However, remembering all that was at stake, and 
 seeing in this girl one of a very different stamp to 
 the woman from whom he had just parted, he 
 asked, with what carelessness he might 
 
 " And what's the matter with you f " 
 
 The girl stamped her foot, and began to twist 
 the lace scarf she wore petulantly in her hands. 
 " As if you didn't know ! " she exclaimed, passion- 
 ately. " I've watched you, since you walked out of 
 church and I know why you went there for 
 the first time since you were christened, I should 
 think. Surely, you remember all you said to me 
 last week when " the little hands were very busy 
 with the lace scarf at this point " when you kissed 
 me." 
 
 Philip Chater rose hurriedly to his feet ; advanced 
 to the girl, and took her by the shoulders. " Look 
 here, my dear," he said and his voice was really 
 very plaintive "if I kissed you, I'm very sorry 
 I mean I ought not to have done it. In fact,
 
 there are a lot of things I've done in the past 
 and I've left them behind. You're a very pretty 
 girl and I'm quite sure you're a good girl; but 
 you'd better not have anything more to do with 
 me. It's only too evident that I'm a bad lot. I 
 think in fact I'm quite sure you'd better go 
 home." 
 
 He turned away, and walked further into the 
 wood. Looking back, after going a little way, he 
 saw her crouched down upon the ground, weeping 
 as if her heart would break. Hastily consigning 
 the late Dandy Chater's love-affairs to a region 
 where cynics assert they have their birth, he re- 
 traced his steps, and raised the girl from the 
 ground. She was very pretty, and seemed so much 
 a child that the man tenderly patted her shoulder, 
 in an endeavour to comfort her. 
 
 "There don't cry, little one. I know I've 
 
 been a brute or, at least, I suppose I have ; and 
 j 
 
 "No you haven't," sobbed the girl. "And 
 please don't mind me ; you'd better go away ; you'd 
 better not be seen with me. He'll kill you, if he 
 finds us together he said he would." 
 
 " Who'll kill me ? " asked Philip, glancing round 
 involuntarily. 
 
 " Harry." She was still sobbing, but he caught 
 the name distinctly. 
 
 " And who the deuce is Harry ? " 
 
 " As if you didn't know ! Why, Harry, of course 
 your servant. And he'll keep his word, too"."
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN 
 
 PHILIP CHATER sat over the fire late that 
 night, in a futile endeavour to see his new position 
 clearly, and to decide upon the best course of action 
 for him to adopt. Try as he would, however, the 
 thing resolved itself merely into this : that Dandy 
 Chater was dead, and that he (Philip), together 
 with possibly one other man, alone knew of his 
 death ; that Philip Chater was accepted by every 
 one even the most intimate as the real Dandy ; 
 that, in that capacity, he Avas already engaged to 
 be married had left a girl crying in the wood, 
 that very day, whose name he did not know, but 
 who obviously regarded him with considerable 
 tenderness ; and that there was, in addition, a cer- 
 tain Patience Miller, whom he was to have mar- 
 ried, and who, up to the present, was not accounted 
 for in the least. 
 
 "Altogether a pretty state of affairs!" he 
 muttered to himself, as he sat brooding over the 
 fire. " Why, I don't even know whether I'm rich 
 or poor, or in what my property consists ; I may 
 meet Dandy Chater's dearest friend to-morrow, and 
 cut him dead ; and, equally on the same principle, 
 embrace my tailor, and hail him as a brother ! I 
 can't* disclose my real identity, for the question 
 would naturally be asked ' If you are not Dandy 
 
 53
 
 54 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Chater, where is he ? ' and I should have to tell 
 them that he was dead murdered and I don't 
 know by whom. No ; there's not the slightest 
 doubt that you are in a very tight place, Phil, my 
 boy, and your only chance is to go through with 
 the business." 
 
 His thoughts strayed and pleasantly, too to 
 the girl of more than average height, with the eyes 
 that had looked so frankly into his own ; he found 
 himself remembering, with something very like a 
 sentimental sigh, that she had held his hands, and 
 had kissed him on the lips ; remembered, too, with 
 some indignation, that the man she supposed she 
 loved had arranged to take another woman to Lon- 
 don, on that very night of his death, and to marry 
 her. 
 
 "The late Dandy Chater," he said, softly 
 "twin-brother of mine, in more than ordinary 
 meaning of the word either you are a much ma- 
 ligned man, or you were a most confounded rascal. 
 And it's my pleasing duty to discover, by actual 
 experience, whether you were saint or sinner. And 
 I don't like the job." 
 
 Inclination, no less than the actual necessity for 
 following out that part of the tangled skein of his 
 affairs, led his thoughts, on the following day, in 
 the direction of Madge Barnshaw. Yet, for an 
 engaged man, he was placed in a decidedly 
 awkward position, inasmuch as that he did not even 
 know where the lady lived. Having recourse to 
 her letter, he found it headed "The Cottage, 
 Bamberton."
 
 AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN 55 
 
 "Now where on earth is 'The Cottage' situ- 
 ated," muttered Philip to himself in perplexity, as 
 he surveyed the letter. " As a matter of fact, she 
 ought to have supplied me with a map, showing 
 exactly how far away it was, and the best method 
 of reaching it. Let me see ; what shall I do ? I 
 know ; I must sound the individual who is thirsting 
 for my blood Harry." 
 
 Acting upon this resolution, he rang the bell, and 
 requested that the young man should be sent to 
 him. On his appearance, a brilliant idea struck 
 Philip Chater, and he said, airily " I am going to 
 see Miss Barnshaw. I think I'll drive." 
 
 Harry, whose eyes had been respectfully cast in 
 the direction of the floor, gave a visible start, and 
 looked up in perplexity at his master. "Drive, 
 sir ? " he stammered. 
 
 "What an ass I am!" thought Philip. "She 
 probably lives within sight of this place ; and the 
 man will think I'm mad." Aloud he said " No- 
 no ; what on earth am I thinking about ? I mean, 
 I'll go for a drive now ; and call on Miss Barn- 
 shaw this afternoon." He got up, and crossed the 
 room restlessly ; stopped, and spoke to the servant 
 over his shoulder spoke at a venture. 
 
 " By the way, Harry I suppose you'll be think- 
 ing of getting married one of these days eh ? " 
 
 There was so long a pause, that he looked round 
 in astonishment at the other man. Somewhat to his 
 discomfiture, the servant was gazing frowningly at 
 the carpet, and tracing out the pattern on it with 
 the point of his boot. Looking up at his master,
 
 56 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 still with that frown upon his face, he said slowly 
 " Don't see as it matters, one way or another, 
 Master Dandy, to anybody but myself. I don't see 
 any likelihood of it at present. What time might 
 you be ready to drive, Master Dandy ? " 
 
 Yery wisely, Philip decided to leave the matter 
 alone. It was in his mind in the earnest desire 
 which filled him to do something to straighten out 
 one of the many tangled things Dandy Chater had 
 left behind him to say something to this young 
 man, in reference to the love affair at which he only 
 guessed ; but so many other matters claimed his 
 attention, and demanded to be straightened out, 
 that he decided to leave the thing alone for the 
 present. Therefore he said, somewhat abruptly 
 " Yery well ; I have no wish to interfere. And, 
 after all, I shall not drive." 
 
 Harry hesitated for a moment, as though he 
 would have said something more; but finally 
 turned, and left the room. In a few moments he 
 returned, however, and announced 
 
 " Miss Yint to see you, sir." 
 
 Momentarily wondering whether this might not 
 be some one else who loved him, Philip requested 
 that the lady might be shown in ; and there flut- 
 tered into the room an elderly lady small, and 
 thin, and dry-looking ; indeed, she gave one the im- 
 pression, from her appearance, of having lain by 
 unused for a long time, so dusty was her aspect. 
 She had hair of no decided colour, and features of 
 no decided form; and her clothing even her 
 gloves were of a neutral tint, as though, from long
 
 AN HOKEST SAILOR-MAN 57 
 
 preservation, whatever of original colour they had 
 possessed had long since faded out of them. But, 
 with something of sprightliness, she came rapidly 
 up to Philip, and seized his hand in both her own. 
 
 " My dear Mr. Chater shall I, under the special 
 circumstances, say my dear Mr. Dandy ? " 
 
 " My dear lady," replied Philip, lightly " say 
 what you will." 
 
 " How good of you ! " she exclaimed, and squeezed 
 his hand once more. " The dear girl has but just 
 told me all about it ; and I hurried over at once, to 
 offer my congratulations " 
 
 " Now I wonder," thought Philip " which dear 
 girl she means ? " 
 
 "For I felt that I must not lose a moment. 
 Madge has not confided in me, as she might have 
 done, and I have had to guess many things for my- 
 self. But I must say, Mr. Dandy " she shook a 
 rallying forefinger at him " that you are the shy- 
 est lover I have ever known." 
 
 " Indeed I am very sorry " he began ; but she 
 checked him at once. 
 
 " "Well we'll forgive you ; only I had been given 
 to understand that you were very different that's 
 all. However that is not what I came to say. 
 Standing in the position I do, as regards Madge, I 
 feel that I must make some formal acknowledg- 
 ment of the matter. Therefore, I want you to dine 
 with us let me see to-morrow night ? " 
 
 " I shall be delighted," replied Philip, mechanic- 
 ally. u By the way what is to-morrow ? " 
 
 " Tuesday, of course," she responded, with a little
 
 58 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 laugh. " Ah love's young dream ! I suppose all 
 days are alike to you eh ? " 
 
 The mention of that day had brought to his mind 
 a certain appointment he had. He remembered the 
 hoarse whisper of the Shady 'un in his ear, in the 
 coffee-house in Woolwich " Toosday ten-thirty 
 sharp." 
 
 " I'm afraid," he said, slowly " I'm afraid I can't 
 manage to come to-morrow. I I have to be in 
 London; a a business appointment. I'm ex- 
 tremely sorry. Could you pray forgive the sug- 
 gestion could you arrange for some other evening 
 or could you bring Madge here ? " 
 
 " I had quite set my heart on to-morrow," said 
 the old woman, in an injured tone. 
 
 "I'm dreadfully sorry," replied Philip again. 
 " But I shall be coming in to see Madge, and we 
 can make arrangements. If you are going back 
 now," he added, " please let me walk with you." 
 
 " Thank you but I am going down to the vil- 
 lage," she replied, as she backed towards the door. 
 
 She was gone, before he could quite make up his 
 mind what to do or say ; he watched her through 
 the window helplessly, as she walked away from 
 the house. 
 
 "Done again!" he muttered, savagely. "I 
 thought I should be able to find out where the 
 cottage was. Well I must trust to luck, I sup- 
 pose; I haven't committed any very great errors 
 
 yet." 
 
 It seemed possible, however, that he might com- 
 mit an error which would lead to his undoing, in
 
 AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN 59 
 
 this matter of the appointment at "The Three 
 Watermen." In the first place, if, as he suspected, 
 the man responsible for the death of Dandy Chater 
 was the man known as " the Count," it would be 
 obviously impossible for Philip Chater to keep the 
 appointment. Yet, on the other hand, Philip was 
 determined to know more of the surroundings and 
 associates of the late Dandy Chater than he knew 
 already ; indeed, to do so was absolutely necessary. 
 He had set his feet upon that road which was 
 plainly marked " Deception " ; and, wheresoever it 
 might lead, there must be no turning back now. 
 As Dandy Chater he stood before them all; as 
 Dandy Chater he must stand while he lived, or 
 until the cheat was discovered. Philip Crowdy 
 was as dead as though he had never existed. 
 
 " There's another man, too, with whom I am sup- 
 posed to be in company Ogledon, I think the name 
 was; I wonder who he is? However, I'll go to 
 London and I'll attend this meeting, if it be pos- 
 sible." 
 
 Early next morning saw him on his way to the 
 station this time with some pomp and ceremony, 
 for he drove a smart dog-cart, and was attended by 
 Harry. The occupants of other vehicles, passing 
 him, were respectful or familiar, according to their 
 grade ; and he answered all salutations discreetly. 
 
 " I'm beginning to like this," he said, as he leant 
 back in the corner of a first-class carriage, and lit a 
 cigar. " I wish I knew how much money there was 
 in the bank, or what property I had generally ; I 
 must make enquiries. At present, things are de-
 
 60 THE SECOND DANDY CIIATER 
 
 cidedly pleasant and there's an element of dan- 
 ger about the business that gives it a flavour. 
 There's that girl, too Madge; but I'm not sure 
 that I quite like that. I've taken a kiss from her 
 lips that was never meant for me ; and yet " he 
 shook his head over it, and sighed heavily " I'm 
 very much afraid that I'm a little bit in love with 
 her ; I know, at any rate, that I dread very much 
 seeing those eyes change from tenderness to con- 
 tempt from kindness to reproach or scorn. Well 
 we must hope for the best." 
 
 Cheerfully hoping for the best, he made his way 
 to Woolwich, as night was coming on, and headed 
 for the little public-house by the river. Being still 
 doubtful, however, what course to pursue, he paced 
 a little side street near at hand for some time, try- 
 ing to make up his mind whether to put in an ap- 
 pearance at "The Three Watermen," at the time 
 appointed, or not. He was so deep in his reflections, 
 that he failed to notice one or two lurking figures, 
 in the shadow of the houses, on the opposite side of 
 the way ; until another figure not by any means a 
 lurking one, but one which took up a great deal of 
 the pavement, with a rolling gait, and roared very 
 huskily a stave of a song as it came along lurched 
 towards him ; when, in an instant, the lurking 
 figures became very active. 
 
 Two of them darted across the road, and bolted 
 in front of the rolling figure ; another ran swiftly 
 behind, and embraced the singer with much tender- 
 ness round the neck. Before Philip had had time 
 to take in the situation completely, the four figures
 
 AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN 61 
 
 formed one struggling heap upon the pavement, 
 with the central one the singer, but roaring out 
 quite another tune now making lively play with 
 fists and feet. 
 
 Philip Chater rushed in to the rescue ; seized one 
 assailant dragged him to his feet preparatory to 
 immediately knocking him off them ; and looked 
 round to see how the battle was progressing. The 
 man who had been attacked and whose musical 
 tendencies were stronger, apparently, than any 
 alarm he might reasonably be expected to feel had 
 collared one of his opponents round the neck, in re- 
 turn for the delicate attention bestowed upon him- 
 self, and was hammering away lustily at him, mak- 
 ing the blows keep time to the tune of " The Death 
 of Nelson," the first bars of which he solemnly 
 chanted, while he performed his pleasing duty. 
 
 The man who had been so unexpectedly knocked 
 down had got to his feet, and, together with the 
 third member of the gang, had bolted away ; pres- 
 ently the stranger, tiring of his exercise, and having 
 got, perhaps, as far through the tune as memory 
 served him, released his victim's head, although 
 still keeping a tight hold on his collar. Philip, be- 
 ing close beside him when he did this, saw revealed, 
 in the features of this footpad of the streets, the 
 Shady 'un. 
 
 " Now you bloomin' pirate ! " exclaimed the 
 musical one, shaking his man until it seemed as 
 though he must shake him altogether out of his 
 dilapidated clothes " wot d'yer mean by runnin' a 
 decent craft down like that, in strange waters eh?
 
 62 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 An' to land a man like that, w'en 'e's a bit water- 
 logged leastways, we'll call it water-logged, for the 
 sake of argyment. If it 'adn't 'ave been for this 
 'ere gent, I don't know " Here the man, turn- 
 ing for a moment towards Philip, stopped in amaze- 
 ment, and almost let his victim go. The Shady 'un, 
 too, was regarding Philip curiously. 
 
 " Look 'ere, Mr. Chater," began the Shady 'un, 
 with a whine "you'll swear as 'ow I'm a 'ard 
 workin' man, as just stepped forward for to 'elp 
 this gen'leman, as was set on by two thieves 
 won't yer, Mr. Chater ? " 
 
 "'Ere 'old 'ard," broke in the man who held 
 him. "Who the dooce are you a callin' 'Mr. 
 Chater ' ? I'd 'ave you know that this 'ere gent is 
 a mess-mate o' mine an' 'is name ain't Chater at 
 all ; it's Crowdy good ole Phil Crowdy if so be 
 as 'e'll excuse the liberty I takes. You an' yer 
 bloomin' Chater! Wy they'll be a callin' yer 
 the Dook o' Wellin'ton nex', Phil." As he spoke, 
 he stretched out his disengaged hand, and grasped 
 that of Philip Chater. 
 
 Philip hurriedly interposed, wh$n he saw that 
 the Shady 'un was about to speak. > " It's all right, 
 Captain," he said; "I certainly know this man, 
 and there may have been a mistake. Don't you 
 think pray pardon the suggestion that he's had 
 a pretty good thumping, whether he deserved it or 
 not?" 
 
 " Well p'raps 'e 'as," replied the Captain, some- 
 what reluctantly. " But let me give you a word of 
 advice, my friend," he added to the abject Shady 'un.
 
 AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN 63 
 
 " Wen nex' you tries to 'elp anybody, wot's bein' 
 run over or run through by a couple of thieves, 
 don't show your kindness of 'eart by a thumpin' 
 'im in the wes'kit ; to a man o' my figger, it ain't 
 exactly a kindness. An' don't call gentlemen out 
 of their names 'cos you'll find " 
 
 "That's all right, Captain," interrupted Philip; 
 "this man knows me as Mr. Chater." To the 
 Shady 'un, who had been that moment released, he 
 whispered quickly " Get off as fast as you can 
 and think yourself lucky." 
 
 The man needed no second bidding, and in a 
 moment Philip Chater and the man whom he had 
 addressed as the Captain were left standing alone 
 in the street. The Captain was a big, burly indi- 
 vidual, with a round good-tempered face, surrounded 
 by a fringe of dark whiskers ; whatever temporary 
 exaltation he might have been labouring under, be- 
 fore the attack upon him, he was now perfectly 
 sober, and looked at his friend with considerable 
 gravity, and with a slowly shaking head. 
 
 " My boy far be it from the likes o' me to inter- 
 fere with a messmate, or with 'is little fancies but 
 I don't like this 'ere sailin' under false colours. I 
 did know a 'ighly respectable ole gal, wot called 
 'erself the Queen o' Lambeth ; but she lived in a 
 retirhr way,jji a lunatic asylum. W'y, if so be as 
 your name is Crowdy w'y, I ask, call yourself by 
 such a common name as Chater ? " 
 
 "I can't explain now," said Philip, hurriedly. 
 " A number of strange things have happened, since 
 last I saw you. You mustn't think badly of me,
 
 64 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE, 
 
 old friend ; but, for the present, I am sailing under 
 false colours, and am known to all the world as 
 Chater. Moreover, I must impress upon you to 
 forget that you ever knew any one of the name of 
 Crowdy, or that he ever sailed with you, on board 
 the good ship ' Camel,' from Australia for England. 
 Come forget all about me, for the present and 
 tell me about yourself, and when you sail again." 
 He glanced at his watch, as he spoke, and found 
 that it was exactly ten o'clock. "I have half an 
 hour to spare, Captain; where shall we go, for a 
 chat?" 
 
 " W'y to tell the truth, I'm a cruisin' in strange 
 waters, an' 'ave lost my bearings a bit," replied the 
 Captain, looking about him with a puzzled air. " If 
 so be as you knew of a place, where the grog wasn't 
 watered over much, with a locker for a man to rest 
 'isself on, it might be better than the streets eh '?" 
 
 Accordingly, they set out together, to find a 
 house of refreshment; and presently came upon 
 one, in a quiet street, with a tiny bar empty 
 round a corner. Here they called for what the 
 Captain termed " a toothful," and were soon deep 
 in conversation. 
 
 " You haven't told me yet when you sail again," 
 said Philip, when he had parried the other's ques- 
 tions as much as possible. "I suppose you'll be 
 quite glad to get on board again." 
 
 " Well not exactly," replied the Captain whose 
 name, by the way, was Peter Quist. " I'm a thinkin' 
 of givin' it up altogether. Yer see it's this way," 
 he added, confidentially. "I've put by a bit of
 
 AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN 65 
 
 money, an' I'm thinkin' of settlin' down ashore. 
 The sea's been my business an' I want somethin' 
 else for my pleasure. I'm a thinkin'," he went on 
 slowly, pulling meditatively at his whiskers " I'm 
 a thinkin' of goin' in for the showman line, with a 
 dash of the circus. I was always fond of 'osses 
 an' I believe as fat ladies and two-'eaded babbies is 
 profitable always supposin' as Mrs. Quist don't 
 get spiteful about the fat ladies. I'm now a lookin* 
 out for anybody as 'as got a good second-'and circus 
 to dispose of, with a fat lady or two goin' cheap." 
 
 " Well," said Philip, laughing, " I hope you'll suc- 
 ceed. But what brings you into this part of the 
 world?" 
 
 " I come down 'ere, to see a man I thought 'ad 
 got wot I wanted. I've put up at a nice little 
 place, down near the river; I was makin' for it, 
 w'en I run foul of them land-sharks." 
 
 " What place is it ? " asked Philip. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Crowdy leastways, I should say 
 Mr. Chater they calls it ' The Three Watermen.' "
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 AT THE SIGN OF " THE THREE WATERMEN " 
 
 FOR a few moments Philip Chater sat gazing at 
 Peter Quist, as though he half suspected that the 
 man knew more than his guileless face proclaimed, 
 and that he was playing a joke upon him. Seeing, 
 however, that his friend appeared to be completely 
 in earnest, and that he had simply answered his 
 question as straightforwardly as it had been put, 
 he merely remarked, in a surprised tone 
 
 " Why what takes you to ' The Three "Water- 
 men'?" 
 
 " I was a cruisin' about in these parts bein' near 
 the water, and so comin' more nateral like w'en 
 I turned in there for a toothful, an' found they let 
 beds. "Wantin' a bed (for man were not made to 
 sleep on the 'ard ground) I took it. It looks over 
 the river, an' is cheap which is a consideration." 
 
 It suddenly occurred to Philip that he might well 
 make use of this man, to discover whether or not it 
 would be safe to venture into the place that night. 
 If, as the Shady 'un had suggested, he was ex- 
 pected to arrive in company with the man known 
 as the Count, and if, further, that man knew any- 
 thing of the murder of the real Dandy Chater, 
 Philip's position was precarious in the extreme; 
 indeed, safety only lay in the company of those 
 
 66
 
 SIGN OF "THE THREE WATERMEN" 67 
 
 people who were ignorant of the death of his twin 
 brother. 
 
 " Look here, Quist," he said, after a little hesita- 
 tion " I want you to do me a favour. At this 
 same house where you have a lodging, a certain 
 man is likely to be, in whom I have an interest. 
 I can't explain the full circumstances ; but I am 
 playing a desperate game, for a large stake, and it 
 is essential that I should know whether this man is 
 there or not ; at the same time, I do not wish him 
 to know or, indeed, any one else that I am mak- 
 ing enquiries. Will you to oblige a friend, drop a 
 casual enquiry as to whether the Count is there ? " 
 
 Captain Quist stared at him, in open-mouthed as- 
 tonishment. " 'Ere 'old 'ard, Phil, my boy ; I'm 
 afraid the beds at that 'ouse will be a bit too ex- 
 pensive for me. I thought it was a place w'ere a or- 
 dinary sailor-man might get a cheap lodging ; but 
 w'en it comes to a matter of counts " 
 
 "Oh you needn't be afraid," replied Philip, 
 laughing. "The man I want is not, I suspect, a 
 count at all I think it's merely a nickname." 
 
 The Captain shook his head, and looked at his 
 friend with a troubled countenance. " Phil, my 
 boy," he said, " I'm very much afraid you're a get- 
 tin' into bad company. In the ordinary course o' 
 nature, I don't mind a little scrap in the street, or 
 bein' butted violent ; but w'en you knows the lub- 
 ber I'd nabbed, an' 'e knows you by another name 
 I don't like it. An' now, 'ere's another of 'em, also 
 under a wrong flag. No, Phil " the Captain was 
 very emphatic about the matter " I do not like it ! "
 
 68 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 "Very well," said Philip, somewhat testily, "I 
 won't trouble you. If I had not been acting quite 
 innocently in the matter, I would not have asked 
 you to do this for me. I have no doubt " 
 
 " Stop stop ! " broke in the Captain. " I never 
 said I wouldn't do it ; I only expressed my opinion. 
 Peter Quist ain't the man to go back on a mess- 
 mate, as you've found afore to-day. Trust in the 
 old firm, Phil, my boy, and if there's a count any- 
 wheres about Woolwich, I'll lay 'im by the 'eels, as 
 soon as look." 
 
 Philip Chater urged upon him, however, the ne- 
 cessity for proceeding with caution ; and, above all, 
 making his enquiries in as casual a fashion as pos- 
 sible. It being now very near the time for keep- 
 ing the appointment, the Captain, accompanied by 
 Philip, set off on his quest; they parted near to 
 " The Three Watermen," Philip remaining in the 
 shadow of an archway, to await the Captain's return. 
 
 In a very short space of time although it seemed 
 long to the waiting man Peter Quist hove in sight ; 
 coming along in a very mysterious and cautious 
 manner, and keeping well within the shadow of the 
 houses. He dived into the archway, dragging Philip 
 with him ; and there stood for some moments, in 
 the semi-darkness, breathing hard, and shaking his 
 head with much solemnity. 
 
 " Well," asked Philip, impatiently " what news ? " 
 
 "I tell yer wot it is, young man," replied the Cap- 
 tain, slowly "you'll be a gettin' me into serious 
 trouble, you will alonger yer counts and things. 
 I stepped into the bar, an' I orders a drop of rum
 
 SIGN OF "THE THKEE WATERMEN" 69 
 
 just to ease conversation a bit ; an' I ses off-hand 
 like "As the Count come in?' The man was a 
 drawin' the rum, and 'e ses, without lookin' up 
 * No nobody ain't seen the Count for some days.' 
 Then ? e looks up seems surprised an' ses ' Who 
 wants to know ? ' I tells 'im a pal o' mine was 
 wishful to know about the Count. Well Phil, my 
 boy the man looks at me very 'ard ; and presently 
 I see 'im a w'isperin' to some one, wot 'ad slipped in 
 on the quiet an' a lookin' at me. So I strolls out 
 careless like an' I 'adn't gone far, w'en I found 
 as I was bein' followed and by the bloke as called 
 you ' Mr. Chater ' not an hour ago." 
 
 " What the Shady 'un ? " exclaimed Philip. 
 
 " Shady or not, there 'e was ; but I soon settled 
 'is business," replied the Captain. "As 'e was a 
 sneakin' past a little shop, with steps a leadin' 
 down into it, I turns round on a sudden, an' lands 
 'im one on wot I may call the fore-'atch an' down 
 'e tumbles into that shop. In fact," added the Cap- 
 tain, with a fine air of carelessness " the last I see 
 of 'im, 'e was on 'is back, an' the female wot kep* 
 the shop was a layin' into 'im proper with a broom, 
 an' yellin' ' Fire ! ' Accordingly, I left 'im, an' cut 
 on 'ere, as 'ard as I could." 
 
 " You're a good fellow," said Philip, gratefully. 
 " I must go on to ' The Three Watermen ' at once, 
 and trust to luck to bring me safely out of it again. 
 If you will come on later, and take your lodging 
 there in the ordinary course, I shall be glad ; I 
 might want to have such a friend near me. But, 
 should you see me there, don't recognise me, or take
 
 70 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 the faintest notice of me, unless I call upon you 
 to do so. Will you undertake to carry out my 
 wishes ? " 
 
 Captain Peter Quist, though evidently much dis- 
 turbed in mind, nodded slowly, in token that he 
 would do as he was asked ; and Philip Chater set 
 out alone for " The Three Watermen." 
 
 Guessing that the late Dandy Chater was prob- 
 ably well acquainted with the house and its inmates, 
 Philip, for his own protection, determined to put on 
 a moody sullen demeanour, and to lounge at the bar 
 of the place until he was accosted by some one ; he 
 felt that he could take his cue more readily, if 
 he led those who imagined they knew him to speak 
 first. 
 
 In pursuance of this plan, he roughly pushed 
 open the door with his shoulder, and lounged into 
 the place looking about him with an air that was 
 half insolent, half quarrelsome. Making his way to 
 the bar, he gave a curt nod to the man behind it, 
 and gruffly ordered some brandy. 
 
 The man who presided there regarded him with 
 a sort of obsequious leer ; and took the opportunity 
 to lean across the bar, and whisper huskily " All 
 gone upstairs, Mr. Dandy." 
 
 " What the devil do I care where they've gone ? " 
 asked Philip, roughly. 
 
 " They'll be expecting you, Mr. Dandy," ventured 
 the man, after a pause. 
 
 " Well let them wait till I choose to go," said 
 Philip, in the same reckless manner. "I've been 
 looking for the Count."
 
 SIGN OF " THE THREE WATERMEN " 71 
 
 " And he ain't come," replied the man. " They 
 expected he'd come along with you. There's some- 
 thing big afoot " the man leaned over the bar to 
 whisper this "hadn't you better go up and see 
 them, Mr. Dandy ? " 
 
 As a matter of fact, that was precisely what 
 Philip Chater most desired to do ; but, in the first 
 place, he did not know which way to turn, or where 
 to go ; and, in the second, he had no intention of 
 presenting himself before whatever company might 
 be expecting Dandy Chater, in such a place as that, 
 unannounced and unprepared. Therefore, trusting 
 to the good-fortune which had not yet deserted 
 him, he waited to see if some event would not 
 occur, to prepare the way for him. 
 
 " I don't care what's afoot," he said ; " I'll finish 
 my brandy, and go when I choose." 
 
 The man who appeared to be the landlord of 
 the house advanced his face a little nearer, across 
 the bar, and spoke in a wheedling tone. "I'm 
 going up myself, Mr. Dandy," he said, in a whisper ; 
 " perhaps you'd like to come up with me ? " 
 
 "Oh if you like," replied Philip, carelessly; 
 although this was exactly what he wanted. He 
 felt that, from the tone the man had adopted, it 
 was evident that the late Dandy Chater had been a 
 difficult man to deal with. lie determined to make 
 what capital he could out of that. 
 
 The man after calling gruffly to a draggled 
 female in the inner room to come and attend to the 
 bar dived under the wooden flap in the counter, 
 and stood beside Philip. The latter slowly and
 
 72 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 coolly drank his brandy, and even stopped to bite 
 the end from a cigar, and light it looking frown- 
 ingly at the other, who stood waiting patiently at 
 the foot of some dark stairs for him ; all this to give 
 himself time, and to carry out, as fully as possible, 
 that idea, of which he had somehow possessed him- 
 self, that the late Dandy Chater had been a re- 
 markably disagreeable fellow, and that it was 
 necessary for his successor to keep up the character. 
 
 At last, having spun out the time as much as 
 possible, he lounged after his guide, up the stairs ; 
 and was ushered by him, through a low doorway, 
 into a room which, from the appearance of the 
 single long projecting window, which took up 
 nearly all one side, evidently gave on to the river. 
 Round a table in this room, four men were seated, 
 with their elbows upon it, and their heads very 
 close together ; the heads were turned, as the door 
 opened, and a murmur apparently of relief and 
 recognition broke simultaneously from the four 
 throats. Philip Chater, observing, in that momen- 
 tary glance, that they were all men of an inferior 
 type to himself, from the social standpoint, carried 
 off his entry with an air, and swaggered up to the 
 table still with that heavy insolence of bearing, 
 which had seemed to have so good an effect upon 
 the landlord below. 
 
 " Well," he said, taking a seat at the table, and 
 coolly blowing a cloud of smoke into the air 
 " what do you want with me ? " 
 
 He noticed, as he spoke, that the man who had 
 guided him to the room appeared to have a direct
 
 SIGN OF "THE THREE WATERMEN" 73 
 
 interest in whatever proceedings were afoot ; inas- 
 much as that he took a seat at the table, quite as a 
 matter of course. 
 
 " Where's the Count ? " abruptly asked one man 
 a tall, sandy-haired fellow, with grey eyes far too 
 close together to make his countenance a pleasing 
 one. 
 
 " The very question I was going to ask you," 
 replied Philip. " Do you suppose I'm the Count's 
 keeper ? " 
 
 " Well he left here with you last week," replied 
 the same man, in an injured tone. " We supposed 
 he'd been staying with you as usual." 
 
 "Then you supposed something that didn't 
 happen," said Philip, in the same surly tone as be- 
 fore. " I've seen nothing of him since since that 
 night." Then, a sudden thought occurring to him, 
 he added " I left him down by the river." 
 
 A shrill voice piping, and thin, and unsteady 
 broke in from the other end of the table. It's 
 owner was a little man, with a figure as thin and 
 shrunken and unsteady as his voice a man with 
 no linen to speak of, who yet had whiskers, which 
 had once been fashionable, on either side of his 
 grimy face, and whose shaking hand affectionately 
 clasped a glass of spirits. " A split in the camp 
 eh ? " he squeaked out. " Ogledon and his cousin 
 had a row eh ? " 
 
 Philip Chater was learning many things and 
 learning them quickly. If Ogledon the man ex- 
 pected at Chater Hall by the housekeeper and the 
 man known as the Count were one and the same
 
 74 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 person, and that person Dandy Chater's and his 
 own cousin, what had they both to do with these 
 men, and why had both disappeared the one mur- 
 dered, and the other missing ? 
 
 " Hold your tongue, Cripps," exclaimed the man 
 who had spoken first. " The Count knows his own 
 business and ours ; I expect he'll be here pres- 
 ently " 
 
 (" I sincerely hope he won't," thought Philip.) 
 
 "In the meantime, if you're sober enough, 
 Doctor" this to the man he had addressed as 
 Cripps " we'll get to business." 
 
 Philip Chater pricked up his ears; he remem- 
 bered, at that moment, that Betty Siggs, in her 
 disclosure to him of the story of his own life, had 
 mentioned a certain drunken little doctor, of the 
 name of Cripps, who knew the secret of his birth, 
 and had been paid to keep it. 
 
 " You'll be glad to know, Dandy," went on the 
 man, who appeared to act as a species of leader 
 "that the business at Sheffield has turned up 
 trumps. "We don't mention names, even amongst 
 ourselves ; but the haul was bigger than we antici- 
 pated. The man behind the counter you know 
 who I mean gets a thousand for handing over the 
 flimsies ; and gets it pretty easily, too, to my mind. 
 The rest is divided out between us, except for your 
 share and Ogledon's. Here's yours " he handed a 
 packet across the table to Philip " and perhaps, as 
 the Count hasn't turned up, you'd better take his as 
 well. Here it is." 
 
 Philip took the two packets, inwardly wondering
 
 SIGN OF "THE THREE WATERMEN" 75 
 
 what they contained, and thrust them into his 
 pocket, with a nod. As he did so he became aware 
 that three of the heads had drawn together, and 
 that whispers were passing amongst them, while 
 three pairs of eyes were glancing in his direction. 
 Quick to fear that some suspicion of his identity 
 might have come upon them, he watched them 
 covertly ; while such phrases as " The Count said 
 nothing about him " " I suppose we'd better tell 
 him" "He'll know the country, at any rate" 
 and the like, fell upon his attentive ears. 
 
 " Now what the devil are you plotting there ? " 
 he asked, angrily. 
 
 The sandy-haired man raised his head, and spoke 
 hesitatingly. " Well, you see, Dandy, it's a little 
 matter the Count mentioned last week but he 
 didn't say anything about you. He's told off the 
 men for it and it's a matter of a few diamonds, 
 and only women to deal with. But the Count's 
 particular about one of the women a young one 
 coming by no hurt. After all, it's down your 
 way, and he must have meant you to know what 
 was going on. It's for Friday, as soon after mid- 
 night as may be. There's Briggs here, and myself, 
 and Cripps, in case of accidents. He wrote the 
 address, and a rough plan, so that we might find it 
 without making enquiries. Here you are." He 
 tossed across the table a folded piece of paper as he 
 spoke. 
 
 Philip's hand had closed on the paper, and he 
 was in the very act of opening it, when a confused 
 sound of scuffling and angry voices came from out-
 
 76 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 side the door. Looking round quickly, with the 
 others, he saw the Shady 'un dart in breathless 
 and panting and make a hasty attempt to close 
 it ; indeed, he got his back planted against it, while 
 some one outside was evidently striving hard to 
 burst it open, and pointed with a shaking hand at 
 Philip Chater. 
 
 " Treachery by God ! " he gasped. " He's put 
 the splits on us ! " 
 
 The man's appearance, no less than his voice, 
 and the words he had uttered, were sufficient to 
 cause alarm. He was battered and bruised from 
 his two encounters with the Captain, and with the 
 woman into whose shop he had been so unceremoni- 
 ously thrust, while his clothing such as it was 
 had been almost torn from him, by his struggle 
 with the unknown person against whom he still 
 frantically held the door. At the very moment he 
 spoke, this unknown one, proving too much for 
 him, burst into the room, sweeping the Shady 'un 
 aside, and revealed himself as Captain Peter Quist, 
 without a hat, and in a great state of perspiration, 
 disorder, and excitement. 
 
 Finding himself unexpectedly in the presence of 
 half-a-dozen men one of whom was Philip Chater 
 in addition to his late assailant, the Captain stopped, 
 and looked round in some astonishment. At the 
 same time, the Shady 'un, in an agony of spite and 
 fear, backed away from him, and continued to gasp 
 out his indictment. 
 
 " Seed 'em together all night, I 'ave. Dandy 
 sent 'im 'ere, a spy in' out fer the Count an' I "
 
 SIGN OF "THE THREE WATERMEN" 77 
 
 Philip Cbater did not care to risk waiting to give 
 any explanation to that company. In point of fact, 
 he feared the honest Captain more than any man 
 there ; for he dreaded lest he should blurt out his 
 knowledge of a certain Philip Crowdy, who was 
 done with, and left behind in the past. Therefore, 
 edging quickly near to the Captain, while he still 
 kept his eyes on the other men, who had risen to 
 their feet, he whispered quickly 
 
 " Make a bolt for it ! " 
 
 There hung from the ceiling, over the table, a 
 single gas jet, with a naked light ; Philip, with a 
 quick movement, snatched the ragged hat from the 
 head of the Shady 'un, who stood at his elbow, and 
 dashed it straight at the light ; the room was in 
 darkness in a moment. He heard the men falling 
 about, and stumbling over the chairs, as he darted 
 through the doorway, and plunged down the stairs, 
 with the Captain almost in his arms for that gen- 
 tleman had waited for him. The men were actually 
 on the stairs, when the two fugitives darted through 
 the bar, and into the street. 
 
 Rightly guessing that no attempt would be made 
 to pursue them in the open street, Philip and his 
 companion, after doubling round one or two cor- 
 ners, came to a halt, and sat down on some steps 
 outside a church, to review their position. 
 
 " This comes of gettin' into bad company, Phil," 
 said the Captain drearily, when he had recovered 
 his breath. " A 'at bought off a Jew gentleman, 
 with nice manners, only last week ; a brush and 
 comb the brush a bit bald, and the comb wantin'
 
 78 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 a noo set of teeth ; to say nothink of a night gar- 
 ment, 'emmed by the Missis, and marked with a 
 anchor on the boosum all lost at 'The Three 
 Watermen.' " 
 
 "I'm. very sorry," replied Philip, <k but I think 
 we got off pretty cheaply as it was. But I don't 
 think we had better be seen in company; those 
 fellows only saw you for a moment, and will 
 scarcely be likely to recognise you, should you meet 
 them." 
 
 " I don't want to meet 'em," said the Captain. 
 " I saw that Shady chap in the bar, and thought 'e 
 was on the lookout for me again so I chivvied of 
 'im upstairs." 
 
 They parted for the time, after Philip Chater had 
 impressed his address upon the Captain's mind, 
 with many injunctions to talk about him as little as 
 possible. Philip, after walking for nearly an hour, 
 found a quiet hotel, and gladly got to bed. At the 
 last moment, before his eyes closed, he remembered 
 the two packets which had been given him, to- 
 gether with the piece of paper the sandy-haired 
 man had tossed to him, and which latter he had 
 thrust into his pocket. He jumped out of bed, re- 
 lit the gas, and took them from the pockets of his 
 clothing. 
 
 The first packet, when he broke it, he found con- 
 tained bank-notes for small and large amounts 
 to the total of three thousand five hundred pounds ; 
 the second packet held the same amount. Drop- 
 ping these hastily, he caught up the scrap of paper, 
 and hurriedly unfolded it.
 
 SIGN OF "THE THREE WATERMEN" 79 
 
 It was a roughly-drawn plan of certain roads and 
 paths, together with two little squares one at the 
 top right-hand corner, and one at the top left-hand 
 corner. The square at the right was marked 
 " Dandy's house easily seen from village street." 
 The other square was marked " The Cottage." 
 
 And the address pencilled upon it was " The 
 Cottage, Bamberton."
 
 CHAPTEK YII 
 
 MASTER AND SERVANT 
 
 FOR a long time, Philip Chater sat staring, in a 
 stupefied fashion, at the packets of bank-notes, and 
 at the paper he held in his hand. He was at first 
 utterly at a loss to understand why such a sura of 
 money should have been paid into his hands, to- 
 gether with a similar sum for the mysterious man, 
 his cousin, known as the Count. Gradually, how- 
 ever, a light began to dawn upon him ; remember- 
 ing the talk about diamonds, and about the young 
 girl who was to receive no hurt, the horrible busi- 
 ness began to piece itself together in his mind, bit 
 by bit. Once again he seemed to be looking into 
 the evil faces, in that upstairs room in the low pub- 
 lic-house at Woolwich ; saw that the giving of the 
 packets one for himself, and one for his cousin 
 had been but a dividing of the spoils of some suc- 
 cessful robbery. More than that, the paper seemed 
 to point to the fact that another robbery was 
 planned, at the house of Madge Barnshaw. 
 
 Everything seemed to point to this. The affair 
 had evidently been arranged by this same mysteri- 
 ous man Ogledon; and that he was a frequent 
 visitor to Bamberton was obvious, from the men- 
 tion made of him by Mrs. Dolman, the housekeeper, 
 on the day of Philip's first journey to Chater Hall. 
 Again, the mention of the young girl who was not 
 
 80
 
 MASTER AND SERVANT 81 
 
 to be hurt of the fact that they only expected to 
 have to deal with women all pointed to robbery, 
 to which possible violence was attached. 
 
 " My God ! " whispered Philip to himself, in an 
 awed voice " I've landed straight into the midst 
 of some tremendous conspiracy. Dandy Chater 
 the Squire the gentleman ; yet Dandy Chater, the 
 associate of thieves and footpads. Dandy Chater, 
 professing love for the sweetest woman in the 
 world, yet mixed up with scoundrels who are plot- 
 ting to rob her ! And, in the meantime, where in 
 the world is this precious cousin of mine Ogledon ? 
 Did Dandy Chater meet his death at that man's 
 hands, and is that the reason the fellow keeps out 
 of sight ? Well two things are clear ; in the first 
 place, I have in my possession notes, which I be- 
 lieve to be stolen, to the extent of seven thousand 
 pounds ; and, in the second place, the gang from 
 whom I escaped to-night are to plunder Madge's 
 house, on Friday next, soon after midnight." 
 
 He began to pace up and down the room, in an 
 agitated fashion ; stopped suddenly, with a look of 
 resolution on his face. 
 
 " Well one thing is clear ; I must find the right- 
 ful owners of this money, and restore it Great 
 
 Heavens I can't do that! This plunder belongs 
 to Dandy Chater, and he belongs to the gang that 
 stole it and I I'm Dandy Chater! Upon my 
 word, I begin to wish that the good ship ' Camel ' 
 had struck a rock, somewhere on its voyage home 
 from Australia, and had deposited me comfortably 
 at the bottom of the ocean,"
 
 82 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE 
 
 Fully understanding the hopelessness of attempt- 
 ing to do anything, at all events at that time, Philip 
 Chater put the notes under his pillow, and returned 
 the slip of paper to his pocket. He had lain down 
 in bed, with the full intention of putting off all 
 thought until the morrow, when a remembrance of 
 this same scrap of paper brought him suddenly up- 
 right in bed, in the darkness. 
 
 " By Jove ! " he exclaimed, softly " I shall be 
 able to find my way to the cottage easily enough, 
 after all." 
 
 He slept soundly through the night, and, quite 
 early in the morning, set off for Bamberton send- 
 ing a telegram to " Harry care of Dandy Chater, 
 Esq., Bamberton," to apprise that respectable young 
 man-servant of the hour at which he desired to be 
 met at the station. 
 
 " That's another of the defects of my position," 
 he thought, savagely ; " I don't even know the 
 name the surname, at least of my own servant. 
 However, if there should happen to be more than 
 one Harry at Chater Hall, I can blame it on the 
 post office, and swear they left out the name." 
 
 To his satisfaction, however, the Harry he wanted 
 was awaiting his arrival at the little railway station, 
 with the smart dog-cart in which he had driven be- 
 fore. But, ever on the watch for some sign of sus- 
 picion in those about him, Philip Chater noted, 
 with a quick eye, that the pleasant manner of this 
 young servant was gone ; that he answered his 
 master's greeting, by merely touching his hat, and 
 without a word in reply. More than that, he
 
 MASTER AND SERVANT 83 
 
 seemed to avoid Philip's eyes as much as possible 
 glancing at him covertly, and, as it appeared, al- 
 most with aversion. 
 
 As they drove in the direction of Bamberton 
 Philip having the reins, and the young man sitting 
 silently beside him Philip broke an uncomfortable 
 pause, by asking abruptly "Anything happened 
 since I went to town ? " 
 
 For quite a long moment, Harry did not reply ; 
 Philip Chater, looking round at him quickly, saw 
 that he was staring straight in front of him, down 
 the long road before them, and that his face was 
 rather white. " No, sir," he replied at last 
 " nothing has happened." 
 
 His manner was so strange so perturbed, in fact, 
 for his voice shook a little as he spoke that Philip, 
 scenting danger, guessed that something was wrong, 
 and determined to get out of him what it was, while 
 they were alone together. He turned quickly on 
 the young man, checking the horse's speed as he 
 did so, and spoke quietly, though with a certain 
 strong determination in his voice. 
 
 " Come, Harry something has happened ; I am 
 convinced of it. You are hiding something from 
 me ; what is it ? " 
 
 Another long pause, while the horse paced slowly 
 along the road, and the hearts of both men beat 
 faster than ordinary. At last, the servant spoke 
 still without looking at his master. He spoke 
 doggedly, and as though repeating something he 
 had trained himself, with difficulty, to say. 
 
 " There's nothing I'm hiding, Master Dandy," he
 
 84 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 said, slowly and distinctly " and nothing has hap- 
 pened since you went away." 
 
 It was evident that nothing was to be got out of 
 him ; Philip touched the horse smartly with the 
 whip, causing it to break into its former rapid pace, 
 and said quietly, with something of reproach in his 
 tone "You are hiding something, Hany. I am 
 sorry ; I thought you were my friend." , 
 
 " God knows I am, Master Dandy ! " broke from 
 the other, almost with a groan. But he said noth- 
 ing more, and they swept up the long drive to 
 Chater Hall in silence. 
 
 Now, the ill-luck which seemed to have begun to 
 pursue Philip Chater, caused time to hang heavily 
 upon his hands that afternoon, and prompted him 
 to stroll down to the Chater Arms. Truth to tell, 
 he had a very strong desire to pay a visit to Madge 
 Barnshaw which would have been easy, now that 
 the plan on the scrap of paper was in his hands. 
 But he hesitated, for more reasons than one. 
 
 In the first place the natural chivalry of the man 
 rebelled against the thought of taking advantage of 
 the fraud he was compelled to practice upon an in- 
 nocent woman. Some feeling, stronger than mere 
 interest in her, had begun to stir in his breast, from 
 the time when she had placed her hand upon his 
 arm, in the church, until she had blushingly kissed 
 his lips, and fled from him. For this man, so 
 strangely made in the likeness of the dead, and so 
 strangely placed, in the masquerading game he was 
 forced to play, was desperately and bitterly lonely. 
 Surrounded by unknown dangers necessarily sus-
 
 MASTER AND SERVANT 85 
 
 picious of every one with whom he came in contact 
 resenting, as an honest man, the lie he was obliged 
 to live he craved most earnestly for some sympathy 
 and tenderness. All unconsciously, this woman had 
 given them both to him ; and, in the midst even of 
 his remorse that he should be playing so false a 
 game with her, was the natural selfish feeling of 
 his manhood, which cried out " Let her love me ; 
 she will never understand ; I am as good, or better, 
 than the man to whom she thinks she is giving her 
 caresses. Born of the same mother, in the same 
 hour, and fashioned so strangely alike he, the 
 younger, has had all the luxury and beauty of life 
 hitherto ; I the elder all its hardships and priva- 
 tions. Surely it is my turn rightfully now." 
 
 Nevertheless, he thrust that thought from him, 
 and resolved to see no more of her than was con- 
 sistent with the keeping up of the fictitious charac- 
 ter he had assumed. And thus it was that, in des- 
 peration, and haunted by troublesome thoughts, he 
 betook himself to the Chater Arms. 
 
 The moment he entered the door of that respect- 
 able inn, he regretted having done so ; for, behind 
 the neat little bar, there sat, to his infinite surprise, 
 the young girl whose black eyes had looked at him 
 so reproachfully in church, and whom he had left 
 weeping in the wood. However, he felt that he 
 must make the best of it ; and he therefore advanced, 
 boldly and smilingly, and gave her greeting. 
 
 The girl was evidently disturbed in her mind by 
 his appearance yet not unhappily so ; she blushed 
 prettily, and rose, with some nervousness, to fulfil
 
 86 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 his demands. And, just at the moment when, as 
 she was bending to pour out the liquor he had or- 
 dered, and, as he lounged on the bar, his own head 
 was necessarily somewhat close to hers, the door 
 swung open, and Harry came in. 
 
 The situation was, of course, ridiculous; for, 
 whatever the methods of the late Dandy Chater 
 might have been, Philip had a natural personal ob- 
 jection to drinking in public with his own servant. 
 But, however he might have been disposed to resent 
 it, the sight of the young man's face gave him 
 pause. 
 
 It had been white when they drove together in 
 the dog-cart ; it was white now but with a differ- 
 ent sort of whiteness. Then, his face had borne the 
 expression of deep emotion of a struggle to repress 
 something almost of a deadly fear ; now, it was 
 set into a look of stern and ill-suppressed anger. 
 Moreover, he made no attempt to give his master 
 any salutation, respectful or otherwise. 
 
 Desiring, at least for the sake of appearances, to 
 assert his position, and being, at the same time, un- 
 willing to wound the lad more than could be avoided, 
 Philip stepped quietly up to him. and, with his back 
 towards the girl, said, in a low voice " I don't de- 
 sire that you should be seen here, at this hour of the 
 day. When your duties at the Hall are ended, you 
 can, of course, please yourself but I can't have you 
 drinking here now." 
 
 The once respectful Harry looked at him steadily 
 for a moment, and returned a remarkable answer 
 speaking in the same suppressed voice as his master. 

 
 " I'll please myself now, Master Dandy and I'm 
 not drinking. I'm here for a purpose." 
 
 The nature of the elder man was too strong to be 
 put off, even with such a rebuff as this ; his manner 
 changed, and his voice, when he spoke again, had in 
 it the sternness of command. 
 
 " You forget yourself," he said ; " return at once 
 to the Hall." 
 
 The young man, without changing his attitude in 
 the least, shook his head doggedly. " No, Master 
 Dandy," he replied "I'm going to stay here." 
 His eyes wandered, for a moment, towards the girl 
 with the black eyes behind the little bar. 
 
 "Very good. Then you understand that you 
 leave my service from this hour. Is that clear ? " 
 
 " No, Master Dandy it ain't clear. I don't leave 
 your service now, most of all not if you was to 
 kick me, like a dog, from your doors." He spoke 
 in a hurried, breathless whisper, and, to the utter 
 bewilderment and amazement of Philip Chater, his 
 eyes full of some mute appeal had tears in 
 them. 
 
 Baffled in earnest now, Philip Chater, after look- 
 ing at Harry for a moment or two in perplexity, 
 shrugged his shoulders, and turned away. But he 
 had no stomach for the drink the girl had prepared 
 for him ; avoiding her eyes, he paid for it, and, with- 
 out looking at either of them, walked out of the 
 place. 
 
 He felt that some mystery was brooding, behind 
 the extraordinary attitude of his young servant. 
 Remembering the girl's mention of him in the wood,
 
 88 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 he felt that mere foolish jealousy was at the bottom 
 of the matter ; and, knowing that this was one of 
 the difficult legacies left behind by the late Dandy 
 Chater, he accepted it philosophically. At the same 
 time, he was puzzled at the young man's last re- 
 mark, and at the evident emotion he had displayed. 
 Being in no mood to return to his solitary home, 
 which seemed always full of unfamiliar ghosts of 
 people he had never known, he struck off across 
 some fields, and sat down on the felled trunk of a 
 tree, and was soon lost in unprofitable dreaming. 
 
 He was roused from this, by hearing a footstep 
 quite close to him; looking up, he saw the man 
 from whom he had so recently parted. Anger at 
 the thought of being followed, and spied upon, 
 brought him hurriedly to his feet. 
 
 " What do you want ? "What right have you to 
 follow me, in this fashion ? I suppose you've come 
 to plead something, in extenuation of your rudeness 
 eh?" he exclaimed. "I'll hear nothing I've 
 nothing to say to you." 
 
 He turned away angrily, and walked a half-dozen 
 paces ; twisted on his heel, and came back again. 
 Harry had not moved ; he stood, with his hands 
 clasped tightly together before him, and with his 
 head bowed on his breast. When he spoke, his 
 voice was low, and had a curious mournful ring 
 in it, that struck upon his listener's heart like a 
 knell. 
 
 "Master Dandy I'm only a common country 
 lad, that's seen nothing of the great world, and 
 knows but little of the rights or wrongs of things, 

 
 MASTEK AND SERVANT 89 
 
 more than whatever good God put in my heart can 
 teach me. But I've only known one life, Master 
 Dandy and that's you ! " 
 
 He took a half step forward, and stretched out 
 his clasped hands, in mute appeal dropping them 
 again the next moment. Philip Chater humbled 
 and awed by the pathetic dignity of the lad was 
 silent. 
 
 " The first thing I remember, Master Dandy, was 
 having you pointed out to me, on your pony, as the 
 young Squire; I used to go out of my way, to 
 watch you cantering along the roads. Then, after- 
 wards, when you took notice of me, and wouldn't 
 have any one else near you, and made me your serv- 
 ant, I was prouder than I can ever express. God 
 forgive me (but there's no blasphemy in it, Mas- 
 ter Dandy) you were my God to me my every- 
 thing ! I think I would have been glad to let you 
 thrash me, as you did your dogs, if I could have 
 thought it would please you." 
 
 Philip Chater found his voice at last although 
 it was rather an unsteady one. "Well," he said, 
 with what brusqueness he could muster " what 
 has all this to do with the matter ? " 
 
 " Master Dandy," went on the appealing voice 
 " I'm not a great gentleman, like you and I can't 
 put my poor thoughts into the right words. But 
 Master Dandy won't you won't you try to run 
 straight with me won't you let me help you? 
 Master Dandy" he came a step nearer, in his 
 eagerness " I'd give I'd give my life for you ! " 
 
 " Yes and yet you'll insult me, because I hap-
 
 00 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 pen to look at some girl in whom you take an in- 
 terest," said Philip, slowly. 
 
 The lad's figure stiffened, and the appeal died out 
 of his eyes. " Because I love her, Master Dandy," 
 he said. " Because I've got the feelings of a man, 
 and I know that a gentleman like yourself doesn't 
 pay court to a tavern-keeper's daughter, with any 
 good intent." 
 
 "Why what the devil do you mean?" cried 
 Philip, startled for the moment into answering out 
 of his own honest heart. 
 
 " Master Dandy I've stuck up for you through 
 thick and thin and I'd kill the man who dared to 
 say a word against you. But you know what has 
 been said, about these parts God forgive me, I'm 
 speaking as man to man, and not as servant to 
 master and you know that decent mothers warn 
 their girls about you. Master Dandy I suppose 
 these are gentlemen's ways at least, I've heard so ; 
 and I'd have held my tongue, and done my duty, if 
 so be you had not touched what belonged to me. 
 But she's mine, Master Dandy and she's a child 
 and innocent. God in Heaven, man ! " all social 
 distinctions seemed to be swept away, for the mo- 
 ment, in the passion which overwhelmed him " was 
 not one forlorn woman's life enough for you ? " 
 
 Staggered by the words, and even more by the 
 tone in which they were uttered, Philip Chater 
 turned upon him swiftly, and caught his arm. 
 " "What do you mean ? ' One forlorn woman's life ! ' 
 "What are you talking about ? " 
 
 All the passion had faded from the face of the
 
 MASTER AND SERVANT 91 
 
 other man ; but the eyes which looked into those of 
 Philip Chater had a horrible deadly fear growing in 
 them. 
 
 "Master Dandy before God, I think I'm the 
 only man who knows it. There is time for you to 
 get away to hide beyond seas never to come back 
 to this place, where you have been led to do such 
 wrong. Master Dandy ! " he had fallen upon his 
 knees, at the feet of the other man, and was clasp- 
 ing his dress, in the agony of his appeal " I knew 
 you when you were a bright -faced lad, laughing in 
 the sunshine, and with no stain of blood upon you. 
 Master Dandy " 
 
 " Stain of blood I " cried Philip, recoiling. 
 "What are you talking of? What madness 
 possesses you ? " 
 
 " No madness, Master Dandy would to Heaven 
 it might be ! " cried the other. " It isn't for me to 
 see into a gentleman's heart, or to know what 
 temptations he may have, above such as I am. But 
 the thing is done, and all high Heaven can't undo 
 it now. Master Dandy there is yet time to get 
 away, before they find it." 
 
 " Will you tell me what you mean ? " cried Philip, 
 distractedly. 
 
 Harry got up from his knees, and came nearer to 
 his master looking all about him fearfully first, as 
 though afraid there might be listeners, even in that 
 spot. 
 
 " Listen, Master Dandy," he whispered. " Last 
 night restless, and thinking of you for you 
 haven't been as kind to me lately as you once were,
 
 92 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Master Dandy I crept out of the house, and went 
 out in the moonlight. I walked a long way, with- 
 out knowing it and I came to the wood behind 
 the old mill." 
 
 Like an echo, there came to Philip Chater cer- 
 tain words, spoken by a girl who called herself 
 Patience Miller, and who had met him on the night 
 of his arrival at Bamberton. As in a dream, too, 
 while the other man went on speaking, he seemed 
 to see a figure dart out into the highway a figure 
 that afterwards scraped heavy clay from its boots, 
 in the light of a flickering lamp a figure which 
 now lay at the bottom of the Thames. 
 
 "Master Dandy," went on the agitated voice 
 " I came, by accident, to where she lay, with blood 
 upon her dead in the moonlight. Master Dandy " 
 he put his hands before his face, and shuddered 
 " say it isn't true, Master Dandy for God's sake, 
 say it isn't true ! " 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked Philip, hoarsely, 
 with an awful sweat of fear beginning to break out 
 upon him. 
 
 " Master Dandy in the wood behind the mill 
 Patience Miller murdered ! " 
 
 With a cry, the lad fell at his feet, and buried 
 his face in the grass.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN IN THE WOOD 
 
 PHILIP CHATER was so stunned, in the first 
 shock of the thing, that he did not know what to 
 say, or what to do. Standing, as he did, an abso- 
 lutely innocent man, he yet had time to recognise 
 that he had taken upon himself the identity of an- 
 other ; and stood answerable, by reason of that, for 
 that other's sins, in the eyes of the world, at least. 
 
 He had no doubt, in his own mind, that Dandy 
 Chater had murdered this unfortunate girl. Her 
 words to himself, on the night of his coming to 
 Bamberton her reminder, to the supposed Dandy 
 Chater, of his promise to marry her the mysteri- 
 ous appointment made, for that same night, in the 
 wood behind the mill ; all these things seemed to 
 point to but one conclusion. Again, the man run- 
 ning, as for his life, to catch the train and with- 
 out the girl ; her disappearance, from that hour ; 
 all these things, too, pointed, with unerring finger, 
 to the common sordid story, ending, in an hour of 
 desperation, in the blow which should rid the man 
 of his burden. 
 
 These thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, 
 even in the few seconds which elapsed after the 
 other man's halting declaration, and while that 
 other man still crouched at his feet. Then, the 
 
 93
 
 94 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 instinct of self-preservation the desire, and the 
 necessity, to hide that blood-stained thing, which 
 seemed to point to him innocent though he was 
 as surely in death as it would have pointed in 
 life swept over him. He caught the lad by the 
 arm, and dragged him to his feet; the while his 
 mind was fiercely working, in a wild attempt to 
 settle some plan of action. Even in that hour of 
 danger, a keen remembrance of the part he still 
 had to play was full upon him ; in his brutal rough- 
 ness of voice, when he spoke, he played that part 
 of Dandy Chater, as he imagined Dandy Chater 
 would have played it himself. 
 
 " Get up, you fool ! " he cried, roughly. " Is this 
 a time to be snivelling here ? suppose she is dead 
 it was an accident." 
 
 Harry sadly but doggedly shook his head. " You 
 won't find many to believe that, Master Dandy," 
 he said. "She lies there stabbed in the breast. 
 There is a trail of blood for some yards ; she must 
 have tried to crawl away and have bled to death. 
 Master Dandy, can't you see that she will be found ; 
 can't you guess what they will say, and whom they 
 will question first ? All the village has linked your 
 names, for months past." 
 
 "She it must be hidden," whispered Philip, 
 weakly. "God man" he cried, with a sudden 
 burst of petulant anger " why do you stand star- 
 ing like that ? It may be found at any moment ; 
 it may have been found before this ! " 
 
 " There's no help for it, Master Dandy," replied 
 the other, with a groan " it must be found, sooner
 
 TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN 95 
 
 or later. I tell you, you must get away beyond 
 seas, if possible." 
 
 "And draw suspicion on myself at once!" ex- 
 claimed Philip. Then, some of the real Philip 
 Chater coming to the surface, and sweeping aside 
 the false personality under which he lived, he 
 added, hurriedly " But you must have nothing to 
 do with it, Harry ; we mustn't get you into trouble. 
 No I'll take the thing in my own hands, and in 
 my own fashion. Do you keep a silent tongue to 
 every one." 
 
 " You need not fear that I shall speak, Master 
 Dandy," replied the lad. "And it may not be so 
 bad, after all ; you may yet find a way of getting 
 out of it, Master Dandy." 
 
 " A way of getting out of it ! " muttered Philip 
 to himself, as he watched the retreating figure of 
 his servant. "There seems but small chance of 
 that. Robbery was bad enough ; but this is an- 
 other matter. She's dead, and cannot speak ; even 
 if she were alive, she must point to me as Dandy 
 Chater. And I cannot speak, because the real 
 Dandy Chater is gone, and I stand here in his 
 clothes, and with his very papers in my pockets. 
 Philip, my boy keep a cool head for this busi- 
 ness means death ! " 
 
 Some morbid attraction, no less than the necessity 
 for doing something with the body, urged him to 
 see it. But, here again, the bitterness and the 
 strangeness of his position came strongly upon him ; 
 for, though he stood in deadly peril of being charged 
 with the murder of this girl, he was actually
 
 96 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 ignorant of the spot where her body lay. He 
 shuddered at the thought that he might stumble 
 upon it, at any step he tot>k. Still casting about in 
 his mind for the best method of finding the place, 
 he went back to the Hall ; and resolved to fortify 
 himself with dinner, before doing anything. . 
 
 " I suppose, if I really had murder on my soul, I 
 should have no appetite^unless I were a hardened 
 villain indeed. Being innocent, I'll make the best 
 of things, until they come to the worst." 
 
 With this wise resolution, he dined well, and 
 drank an excellent bottle of wine. The world 
 beginning to look a little better, in direct con- 
 sequence, he lit a cigar, and put the matter phil- 
 osophically before himself. 
 
 "Men have been hung, I know, on slighter 
 evidence than that which connects me with the 
 dead girl.- Yet, after all" he derived very con-, 
 siderable satisfaction from the remembrance of this 
 point " I am not Dandy Chater and' never was. 
 If I can only as readily persuade people that I am 
 not my twin brother, as I have persuaded them that 
 I am I've nothing to fear. That's the point. 
 However, I must know what the danger of dis- 
 covery is, and exactly where I stand, before I do 
 anything else. Then if therfe is nothing for it but 
 flight, the question will be : can I as readily drop 
 my mask as I have assumed it? Frankly, I'm 
 afraid I can't." 
 
 Knowing the impossibility of doing anything 
 alone, by reason of his ignorance of the neighbour- 
 hood, he rang the bell, and requested that Harry 

 
 TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN 97 
 
 might be sent to him. In a few moments, the 
 servant who had answered the summons returned, 
 and, standing just within '"the door, announced that 
 Harry was not to be found. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked Philip. " Look 
 about for him, man ; he must be somewhere about 
 the place." 
 
 " Begging your pardon, sir," replied the man 
 " 'e 'as been seen leavin' the grounds a little while 
 since." 
 
 " Very well ; it doesn't matter," said Philip, care- 
 lessly. * " Send him to me when he returns." 
 
 The man withdrew, leaving Philip Chater in an 
 uneasy frame of mind. He saw at once that, great 
 as this lad's devotion might be to Dandy Chater, he 
 had already, in a moment of passion, defied his 
 master. He was scarcely more than a boy and in 
 that boy's hands hung the life of Philip Chater. 
 That he should have gone out, in this fashion, with- 
 out a word, was a circumstance suspicious enough 
 at any time ; that he should have done so now, was 
 alarming in the extreme to the man who dreaded 
 every moment to hear unaccustomed sounds in the 
 house, which should denote that the secret of the 
 wood was a secret no longer, and that men had come 
 to take him. 
 
 " I can't stay here ; I shall go mad, if I do," 
 said Philip to himself. " After all, there may be 
 only a few hours of liberty left to me perhaps 
 only a matter of minutes. Come what shall I do 
 with the time ? " 
 
 A certain recklessness was upon the man the
 
 recklessness which will make a man laugh some- 
 times, in the certain approach of death. With that 
 feeling, too, came a softer one ; in that hour of diffi- 
 culty and danger, he turned, as it were instinctively, 
 towards the woman who had kissed him the woman 
 who had whispered that she loved him. In his bit- 
 ter loneliness, as has been said, his thoughts had 
 turned to her, more often than was good for his 
 peace of mind ; and now a longing, greater than he 
 could master, came upon him, to touch her hand 
 perhaps, by great good fortune, her lips once 
 again. 
 
 " Who knows it may be for the last time ! " he 
 said. " There has not been so much of tenderness 
 or beauty in my life, that I can afford to throw it 
 churlishly aside, when it is given so freely to me. 
 Madge, my sweet girl this vagabond, thieving, 
 murdering, masquerading lover of yours is coming 
 to see you." 
 
 With that lighter, better mood upon him, he 
 sought for the piece of paper, on which the plan 
 had been drawn, and traced the paths by which he 
 should reach the cottage ; he found, as he had an- 
 ticipated, that it was within some two or three 
 hundred yards of his own lodge gates. 
 
 It was quite dark when he strolled out ; but he 
 had the plan very clearly in his mind, and he found 
 his way, without difficulty, to the place he sought. 
 It was a good-sized house, of but two stories, and 
 rambling and old-fashioned ; thrusting open a gate, 
 set in the hedge which surrounded it, he walked 
 across trim lawns, in the direction of certain long 

 
 TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN 99 
 
 windows, which lighted a terrace, and behind which 
 the warm glow of lamps and fires was shining. 
 
 But, before he reached this terrace, he heard an 
 exclamation, and from out the shadow of some 
 trees a figure came swiftly towards him. For a 
 moment, he hesitated, and half drew back ; but the 
 figure came nearer, and he saw that it was Madge 
 Barnshaw. In his great relief, and in his gladness, 
 at that time, to see her friendly face, and her eyes 
 giving him welcome, he took her silently in his 
 arms, and kissed her. 
 
 " Dear Dandy," she said and her voice was very 
 low and soft " how I have longed to see you 1 " 
 
 " Not more, dear heart, than I to see you," he 
 replied. "But I I have been been very busy; 
 so many things have occupied my attention so 
 many things have needed to to be done. Why 
 what a poor lover you must think me ! " 
 
 " Indeed no," she said. " Only I feared such 
 a foolish thought, I know I feared that something 
 might be wrong with you feared that you might 
 be in danger. Dandy " she was twisting a button 
 on his coat round and round in her fingers, and 
 her eyes were bent down, so that he could not see 
 them "you remember once a long talk we had, 
 about about your cousin Mr. Ogledon don't 
 you ? " 
 
 He did not, of course, remember it, for an obvious 
 reason ; but, as he was desirous of hearing as much 
 as possible about that gentleman, he answered dip- 
 lomatically, 
 
 " Well what about him ? "
 
 100 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 "Dandy dear old boy I don't want you to 
 think that I am uncharitable, or that this is a mere 
 woman's whim. You remember that you were 
 very angry with me, when last I spoke about him ; 
 you said " 
 
 " I promise that you shall not make me angry 
 this time no matter what you say about him," 
 broke in Philip, gently. 
 
 She raised her head quickly, and looked at him 
 for a moment or two in silence. "Dandy," she 
 said at last, looking at him strangely " you have 
 never been so good to me as you are to-night ; 
 never seemed so near to me. That old impatience 
 of yours seems to be gone. Something has sof- 
 tened you ; what is it ? " 
 
 " Perhaps it is my love for you, dear Madge," 
 he said ; and indeed, he thought then that the love 
 of her might have softened any man. 
 
 " Do you think so ? " she asked, smiling at him 
 happily. " And you will promise not to be angry 
 at anything I say ? " 
 
 "Most faithfully." 
 
 "Well, then, I mistrust that man. I think a 
 woman sees deeper into the hearts of her fellow- 
 creatures than a man can hope to do ; perhaps it is 
 God's gift to her, for her greater protection. The 
 world is a sweet and precious place to me espe- 
 cially since we have been drawn so much more 
 strongly together you and I ; but I say from my 
 heart that it would be a better place if that man 
 were dead." 
 
 He looked at her in some astonishment ; a rising
 
 TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN 101 
 
 tide of passion had flushed her face, and drawn her 
 figure more erect. 
 
 " God forgive me for wishing harm to any living 
 creature ! " she went on, in the same low passionate 
 voice " but he is your worst foe, Dandy. Beneath 
 his smiling, soft ways, he hides the heart of a devil ; 
 and I have seen that in his eyes, when you have 
 not observed him, which has told me that he would 
 not hesitate to do you a mischief, if you stood in 
 the way of anything he desired." 
 
 Philip Chater suddenly remembered, even in the 
 interest he took in what she said, that he had 
 a part to play. Therefore, with a shrug of the 
 shoulders, he replied, lightly "Indeed you do 
 him a wrong, Madge. Besides, I can take care of 
 myself, even if he should be as bad as you paint 
 him." 
 
 Yet, how he longed, at that time, to tell her how 
 true he believed her words to be ! How he longed 
 to fall at her feet, and tell her that the man to 
 whom her heart had been given had been unworthy 
 of it ; that he was dead, and that another stood in 
 his place ready to take his place in a yet greater 
 sense ! But he knew that that was impossible ; 
 only, in his heart, was growing up a dreadful in- 
 sane jealousy of the man who was dead. 
 
 " Where is he now ? " she asked suddenly, after 
 a little pause. 
 
 " I haven't the faintest idea," replied Philip, care- 
 lessly. " Come surely we have something better 
 to talk about than cousin Ogledon. See the moon 
 is rising the moon that calls to lovers, all the
 
 102 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 world over, to worship him, and swear by him. 
 What shall I swear to you, dear Madge ? " 
 
 " Swear first of all," she said, still with that note 
 of anxiety in her voice " swear that you will have 
 as little as possible to do with that man. Ah do 
 let me speak " this as he was about to interrupt 
 her "I know, only too well, that I have reason 
 for my anxiety. Come if you love me, Dandy 
 dear promise me that you will have as little 
 
 "Indeed I'll promise you that, with a light 
 heart," exclaimed Philip. And indeed he had small 
 desire to have anything at all to do with Mr. 
 Ogledon. 
 
 " Thank you, dear boy thank you ! " she ex- 
 claimed, gratefully. " That's quite like that newer, 
 better self, which you promised I should see in 
 you. There " she bent forward, and kissed him 
 lightly "that in token that the matter is ended 
 between us. Now what shall we do ? The moon 
 is rising, as you say, and I don't want to go inside 
 yet; Miss Vint plays propriety, and never under- 
 stands when she is in the way." 
 
 "We certainly don't want Miss Yint," said 
 Philip, with a laugh. " Come, my sweetheart let 
 us ramble here, for a little time, at least and talk." 
 
 After pacing up and down the garden once or 
 twice, they stopped, side by side, at a little gate 
 which opened from the further corner of its some- 
 what limited extent ; as the girl laid her hand upon 
 it, Philip inwardly wondered where it led. She 
 swung it open, quite as a matter of course, and as 
 though that had been a favourite walk of her own
 
 TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN 103 
 
 and her lover ; and they passed through, into a sort 
 of little plantation. The moon was high, and the 
 sky clear; their own shadows, and those of the 
 trees, were sharp and distinct upon the ground. 
 Still almost in silence, save for an occasional word, 
 they passed on, side by side, until the gate was far 
 behind them. 
 
 A thought had been growing in Philip Chater's 
 mind while they walked ; and he suddenly put it 
 into words. 
 
 "You have some reason other than the mere 
 instinct of which you speak for disliking Ogledon 
 so much." He said it slowly, having been at some 
 pains to work the thing out in his mind. 
 
 " I thought we had done with the matter, and 
 were not to speak of it again ? " she said. 
 
 " I think you ought to tell me ; I think I ought 
 to know," he said, doggedly. " In fact haven't I 
 the right to know ? " 
 
 She was silent for some moments, while they 
 still paced on steadily, side by side, leaving the 
 gate in the garden further behind them at every 
 step. So intent was he upon the girl, and so 
 eagerly did he listen for her answer, that he did not 
 observe that the plantation had changed to some- 
 thing of denser growth, and that the trees about 
 them were thick and heavy, and the ground broken 
 and uneven. 
 
 " Yes I suppose you have the right," she said at 
 last. " I always suspected the man, Dandy I al- 
 ways disliked him. But a little time since, presum- 
 ing upon a chance meeting with me, he protested
 
 oh you will not remember this afterwards will 
 you ? he protested his love for me, in a fashion so 
 violent, that I have feared him ever since. He said 
 that the stories about you and that girl Patience 
 Miller " 
 
 Do what he would, he could not repress a start 
 could not keep his face wholly within control. So 
 violent had the start been, that she had stopped in- 
 stinctively, and had dropped her hand from his 
 arm. 
 
 " Why what is the matter ? Dandy dear you 
 are ill!" 
 
 " Nothing nothing is the matter," he replied, 
 with a faint smile. " My God what's that ? " 
 
 In the silence of the place, as the man and the 
 woman stood looking into each other's eyes, there 
 had come, borne upon the still air, the unmistakable 
 thud thud of a spade in stiff earth. A question 
 forced itself to the man's lips, and found voice, 
 quite as though some other voice had spoken. 
 
 "Madge in Heaven's name what place is 
 this ? " 
 
 She stared at him, in mingled amazement and 
 terror ; while he, for his part, seemed to count the 
 steady thud thud near to them, as he might have 
 counted his own heart beats, if life were ebbing 
 from him. 
 
 "What place? Dandy you are dreaming! 
 Surely you know that this is the wood the wood 
 behind the mill you know " 
 
 With a cry like that of a wounded animal, Philip 
 Chater sprang from her, and went plunging among
 
 TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN 105 
 
 the trees, in the direction of that frightful sound. 
 He came, in a moment, upon something which 
 brought him to his knees, with a suppressed scream ; 
 the body of a young girl, about whom all the earth 
 seemed stained a dreadful crimson. Beyond that 
 sight, was the young lad Harry, up to his knees in 
 a long shallow trench, in which he was digging 
 away like a fury. He neither heard his master's 
 approach, nor glanced up for a moment. 
 
 Philip turned, and crashed back through the 
 wood, until he reached the woman's side again. 
 " Come away," he whispered, hurriedly " it it is 
 nothing ; come away for God's sake ! " 
 
 But she broke from him, and went racing in the 
 direction he had himself taken, and was lost to 
 sight in a moment. He heard, through the silence 
 that brooded awfully upon the place, a piercing 
 scream ; and the next moment she came plunging 
 headlong past him, and went, staggering blindly, 
 with her hands before her eyes, in the direction in 
 which they had walked so calmly but a few mo- 
 ments before.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 A SUMMONS FEOM SHYLOCK 
 
 FOE quite a long time, Philip C hater stood, star- 
 ing helplessly in the direction in which the girl had 
 disappeared. All around him was the silence of 
 the wood, broken only by the call of some night-bird, 
 or by the whisper and rustle of the branches, stirred 
 by a rising wind. So still was it all, that he al- 
 most shrieked aloud when a hand was laid softly 
 on his arm. 
 
 It was Harry white-faced, and shaking as though 
 with an ague. He, too, gazed in the direction in 
 which Philip's eyes were turned, and spoke in a 
 frightened whisper. 
 
 " Master Dandy did she did she see it ? " 
 
 The question roused Philip, and put the whole 
 horrible thing more clearly before him than it had 
 appeared even in his imagination. He looked 
 round at the lad, and spoke aloud, and in a tone of 
 recklessness quite out of keeping with the peril of 
 his situation. But all considerations of prudence 
 had been swept aside, at that time ; ringing in his 
 ears still, was the startled scream of the woman he 
 loved (yes he could confess it to his own heart, 
 now that he had lost her) before his eyes again 
 was the sight of her running figure, with its horror- 
 struck eyes hidden from his view. 
 
 106
 
 A SUMMONS FEOM SHYLOCK 107 
 
 "See it! Of course she saw it. What does it 
 matter ? All the world may see it ; all the world 
 may know of it. Take your spade away, Harry ; 
 you may dig a grave, as deep as the pit of Hell it- 
 self, and yet you shall not hide that thing ! Why 
 do you tremble ? What is there for you to tremble 
 at ? Her blood cries out not against you, but 
 against me; it cries to Heaven 'See Dandy 
 Chater killed me Dandy Chater spilled my blood 
 on God's fair earth Dandy Chater ' " 
 
 His voice had risen to a cry ; the other sprang at 
 him, and clapped a shaking hand over his mouth. 
 
 " Stop stop, for God's sake ! " he cried, huskily. 
 " Are you mad, Master Dandy are you mad ? I 
 tell you it can be hidden ; no man knows of it but 
 myself, and Miss Barnshaw will say nothing." 
 
 " I tell you it shall not be hidden," cried Philip, 
 impatiently. " Why if any one found you here, 
 digging a grave for it don't you understand that 
 suspicion would fall upon you ? " 
 
 "I don't care about that, Master Dandy," he 
 cried. " Better me than you. Let them think what 
 they will, Master Dandy ; only get you gone, be- 
 fore the hue and cry is raised." 
 
 "No I shall not go," replied Philip, speaking 
 quite calmly, and with a certain hopeless note in 
 his voice which was more impressive than any 
 other utterance could have been. " My dear boy 
 you can't understand that it doesn't matter one 
 little bit now. It has been a blunder and a 
 muddle, from first to last; Fate has proved too 
 strong for me I'll struggle against it no longer."
 
 108 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 " But, Master Dandy," urged the eager voice 
 " won't you let me hide it at least, for the mo- 
 ment ? It will give you time to get away time to 
 hide." 
 
 " I tell you I shall not hide," said Philip, quietly. 
 " Come away ; I won't have you mixed up in the 
 business. Why dear lad " he dropped his hand, 
 for a moment, on the other's shoulder " there's a 
 sweet girl, whom you love, and who loves you, I'll 
 be bound, no matter what she may say. Your life 
 is straight before you ; you mustn't throw it away 
 on me." 
 
 He turned, and went in the direction he had 
 come, looking behind him once, to be certain that 
 the other was following. Suddenly remembering 
 that he was like a blind man, groping his way, 
 and having no desire to go near Madge Barnshaw's 
 house again, he turned abruptly, when he had gone 
 a little way, and motioned to Harry to go before 
 him. 
 
 " Lead the way," he said, in the old tone of 
 authority " I want to be sure that you don't go 
 back again." 
 
 Harry passed him, with bent head, and walked 
 in front. And in that order they came to Chater 
 Hall. 
 
 Once inside the home which he felt was rightly 
 his, and surrounded by the quiet and luxurious re- 
 pose of it, the mood of the man changed. He was 
 but young, and life was very very sweet. Quixot- 
 ism, self-sacrifice, despair ; all these things went to 
 the winds. He was a hunted man, playing a des-
 
 A SUMMONS FKOM SHYLOCK 109 
 
 perate game with chance, with his life for the stake. 
 Figuratively speaking, he had his back to the wall ; 
 and he meant to make a fight for it, before he gave 
 in. 
 
 Pretence was gone ; and he was more lonely even 
 than before. The one being who had seemed to 
 turn to him naturally, avoided him now with 
 horror, as one whose hands were stained with blood. 
 Whatever hope might have been in his mind of es- 
 caping was gone ; he no longer masqueraded in an- 
 other man's garments, and in another man's place ; 
 he was battling for his life. 
 
 "Every moment that I stay here makes the 
 danger greater ; that thing may be found, and they 
 may be upon me, like bloodhounds, at any moment. 
 I must clear myself ; I must, if necessary, undo all 
 that I have done, and declare who I really am. 
 But, if I stop here, I shall be caught like a rat in a 
 trap. I want time to think time to plan out what 
 I must do What's that ? " 
 
 Some one had knocked softly at the door. After 
 a moment's pause, Philip Chater, in a nervous voice, 
 called out " Come in ! " 
 
 A servant entered, bearing a letter. " I did not 
 know you were in, sir," he said. " This came while 
 you were out." 
 
 Philip Chater doubly suspicious now looked at 
 the man curiously as he took the letter. Was it 
 possible that some one had watched his going out 
 had even seen Harry going in the direction of the 
 wood first, carrying the spade for his awful work ? 
 The spade ! It had been left behind, in that half-
 
 110 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 dug grave ; there had been no time even to think 
 of it. All these thoughts passed rapidly through 
 his mind, in the few seconds during which the man 
 handed him the letter bowed respectfully and 
 retired. 
 
 Almost mechanically, he tore open the envelope, 
 and unfolded the sheet within it. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " It is imperative that you should see me at 
 once. I use the term 'imperative,' because it is 
 necessary that there should be no delay about the 
 matter. Permit me to add that the business has 
 reference to the draft, recently paid into my hands, 
 and drawn by a Mr. Arthur Barnshaw. I must ask 
 you, if quite convenient to yourself, to be good 
 enough to call upon me, at my office, to-morrow 
 (Thursday) before noon. 
 
 "I am, Dear Sir, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "Z. ISAACSON." 
 
 The letter bore an address in the neighbourhood 
 of Old Broad Street, London and was dated that 
 day. 
 
 Philip Chater read the letter through three times, 
 without coming any nearer to its meaning. Again, 
 the phrase " drawn by a Mr. Arthur Barnshaw " 
 was more puzzling than anything else. It was, 
 of course, probable indeed, almost certain that 
 this Mr. Arthur Barnshaw was a relative of Madge ; 
 but, if so, what relative ? and on what terms of 
 friendship, or otherwise, had he stood with the late 
 Dandy Chater? All these things had to be dis~ 
 covered.
 
 A SUMMONS FROM SHYLOCK 111 
 
 " Under any circumstances," said Philip to him- 
 self, " this letter helps me, and points the road that 
 I must travel. For the time, at least, I must get 
 out of the way ; this business calls me to London 
 and to London I will go. The name of Isaacson has 
 a flavour of sixty per cent, and promissory notes ; 
 but I must leave explanations to him. I wish I 
 knew who Arthur Barnshaw is." 
 
 Still with that dread upon him of the fearful 
 thing in the wood, he determined not to wait until 
 the morrow, but to start for London that night. 
 Finding, however, that it was far too late for any 
 train to be running, he made up his mind to press 
 Harry into his service ; and sent for him, without 
 any further delay. 
 
 The lad made his appearance at once, and stood 
 quietly just within the closed door of the room, 
 waiting for his master to speak. Between the two, 
 from this night onwards, there seemed a tacit un- 
 derstanding that something was not to be men- 
 tioned between them, at any time even while 
 there was an equally strong understanding also 
 unspoken that each watched for danger, and was 
 ready to act swiftly, if necessary. 
 
 "Harry I am going to London. Yes yes I 
 know" as the other glanced instinctively at the 
 clock " it's too late for trains ; I must drive as far 
 as possible and walk the rest. I leave all the de- 
 tails to you ; get the horse you think will stay best ; 
 we shall go some fifteen miles, and you can then 
 drop me, and drive back. Quick there is no time 
 to be lost ! "
 
 112 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Understanding, only too well, the necessity for 
 quickness and for caution, Harry returned, in a very 
 short space of time, to announce that the dog-cart 
 was in waiting at the gate in the lane, and a bag, 
 packed with a few necessary articles, already in it. 
 With the servant leading the way, Philip went 
 through a long passage he had never traversed be- 
 fore, and, passing through a low doorway, found 
 himself under the stars. The two men went silently 
 across a sort of paddock, and came out into a nar- 
 row lane, where the dog-cart stood waiting, with 
 the horse fastened to the fence. 
 
 " I thought it best to do it myself, Master Dandy ; 
 so I sent Jim away, and did the harnessing alone," 
 he said. 
 
 " Quite right, Harry," replied Philip. " Here 
 you'd better drive and take the straight road for 
 London, once we get past the village." 
 
 They had come almost to the end of the lane, 
 when Philip's quick ear detected the sound of run- 
 ning feet, on the road towards which they were 
 driving. He signed to Harry to check the horse 
 scarcely twenty yards from the road; and they 
 drew up in the shadow of the trees. 
 
 "Get down," he whispered to the lad "and 
 stroll out into the road to meet them. Find out 
 what is the matter." 
 
 Harry jumped down, and reached the road just 
 as two men came running heavily along it. Philip, 
 listening intently, while they gave their breathless 
 answers, knew that the body was found, and that 
 the frightened yokels were off in search of the vil-
 
 A SUMMONS FROM SHYLOCK 113 
 
 lage constable. As their hurried footsteps died 
 away in the distance, Harry came back to the trap, 
 and climbed in, and took the reins. 
 
 " You were wise to start to-night, Master Dandy," 
 he said, as he started the horse. "Bamberton 
 won't sleep to-night, with this news in the air." 
 
 Leaving Bamberton behind them to be stirred 
 to its depths presently by the news, and to gather 
 itself in excited shuddering knots, -within and 
 without the Chater Arms, and other public places ; 
 and to whisper, and shake heads, and offer many 
 wise suggestions in regard to the murder Philip 
 Chater and his companion headed straight for 
 London. It was pitch dark, and heavy rain had 
 begun to fall, when, within about ten or fifteen 
 miles of the first straggling outskirts of the great 
 city, Philip directed the vehicle to be stopped, and 
 sprang down into the road. They had rattled 
 on, mile after mile, in silence; now, as he stood 
 beside the steaming horse, he looked up at his 
 servant. , 
 
 " Understand, Harry," he said, " I won't have you 
 interfere in this matter again. Keep away from 
 the wood keep away from everything and every- 
 body. I am more grateful than I can say, for your 
 devotion ; and I will not insult you by asking you 
 to be silent. Keep a stout heart, my lad ; I'll get 
 clear of this, and be back with you before very long. 
 Good-bye ! " 
 
 He turned away, and struck off alone in the direc- 
 tion of London ; Harry turned the jaded horse, and 
 started on his journey back to Bamberton..
 
 114 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 It was a very drenched and disconsolate-looking 
 man that tramped into the slowly awakening streets 
 of London some hours later. He found a modest 
 hotel a sort of superior public-house, of an old- 
 fashioned type ; and, after waiting some consider- 
 able time, was able to get something of a meal, and 
 to get to bed. But his last thought, as he un- 
 dressed, was that this hurried flight, on the spur of 
 the moment, had been a blunder. 
 
 "Harry's devotion and my fright have, I fear, 
 carried us both away," he muttered to himself. 
 " The smuggling out of the dog-cart by a back way ; 
 this hurried race to London ; above all the spade, 
 taken, I suspect, from the Hall and left so near 
 the body ; it all points to Dandy Chater. Well I 
 must get this interview over to-morrow or rather 
 to-day and see what further troubles are in store 
 for me. For the moment, I am worn out, and shall 
 do no good by thinking or planning." 
 
 He slept soundly, and a little before noon pre- 
 sented himself at the office of Mr. Z. Isaacson, in 
 the neighbourhood of Old Broad Street. 
 
 It was a somewhat pretentious place, consisting, 
 so far as he could see, of but two rooms ; the first 
 of which, at least, was very solidly and heavily fur- 
 nished. But by far the most solid and heavy piece 
 of furniture in the place was the gentleman he im- 
 agined to be Mr. Z. Isaacson a portly individual, 
 with pronounced features, much watch-chain, and 
 some heavy rings on his fat white fingers. Kemem- 
 bering, in time, that he was probably supposed to 
 know this gentleman with some intimacy, Philip
 
 A SUMMONS FKOM SHYLOCK 115 
 
 nodded carelessly, and threw himself into the chair 
 which the other indicated. 
 
 " I'm glad you've come, my dear boy," began Mr. 
 Isaacson, in a familiar manner. He spoke with 
 something of a nasal accent, and a little as though 
 his tongue were too large for his mouth. " You 
 know we like to have things pleasant and square, 
 and / like as you've found before to-day to do 
 the amiable, if I can. But, you know, dear boy " 
 he passed his large hand over his shining bald 
 head, and shook that head gravely " this is rather 
 well, you know really " 
 
 His voice trailed off, and he pretended to be busy 
 with some papers on his desk. Philip Chater looked 
 at him for a moment, and then broke out impa- 
 tiently, 
 
 " What are you talking about ? What do you 
 want with me ? " 
 
 " Now, my dear boy," said Mr. Isaacson, sooth- 
 ingly " this is not the spirit I like to see it isn't 
 really. You and me have had dealings, this year 
 or two, and you've paid the little bit of interest I've 
 asked, fairly and squarely ; likewise, I've renewed 
 from time to time for a little consideration and 
 all has been square and pleasant. But, when it 
 comes to playing it off on an old friend in this fash- 
 ion well, really, you know " 
 
 Philip Chater was in no mood for unprofitable 
 conversation, especially with a man of this stamp, 
 on that particular morning. His nerves had been 
 tried, beyond the lot of common nerves, within the 
 past four-and-twenty hours ; he had had a wet and
 
 116 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 weary journey, and not too much sleep. Conse- 
 quently, the smooth oily utterances of Mr. Isaacson 
 drove him almost to frenzy. 
 
 " Why the devil can't you say what you're driving 
 at, and be done with it. You've brought me all 
 this distance," he cried, savagely " and now you're 
 mouthing and carrying on in this fashion. What's 
 the matter with you ? Out with it ! " 
 
 Mr. Isaacson's face underwent a sudden change ; 
 certain veins in his temples swelled up ominously, 
 and he came a little way round his desk ; leaning 
 over it, and putting his face near to that of his vis- 
 itor, he said, truculently 
 
 " Oh so you want me to out with it do you ? 
 You're not a bit ashamed of what you've done 
 
 " Ashamed ? What of ? " cried Philip. 
 
 " Forgery ! Obtaining money by false pretences ! 
 Eobbery ! Holy Israel ! how much more do you 
 want ? " 
 
 "Not much more thank you," replied Philip, 
 staggered into calmness. " Perhaps you'll have the 
 goodness to explain." 
 
 " There isn't much explanation needed," snarled 
 the other. " The last time you were in this office, 
 you paid me a cheque for one thousand six hundred 
 and twenty-six pounds, for accumulated interest, 
 expenses, and other matters ; because I had threat- 
 ened that, unless I had that sum, by that date, I 
 would come down on you, and sell you up. Now, 
 you knew, Mr. Dandy Chater and I knew that 
 you hadn't any such sum of your own ; therefore 
 you came to me, bringing a cheque for the amount,
 
 A SUMMONS FKOM SHYLOCK 117 
 
 on the same bank as your own, at Chelmsford, from 
 a Mr. Arthur Barnshaw the brother, so you told 
 me, of the young lady you expected to marry." 
 
 (" I'm glad I know who Arthur Barnshaw is," 
 thought Philip.) 
 
 " You told me a pretty story, about his having 
 lent you the money, out of affection for his dear 
 sister, and to keep the knowledge of your affairs 
 from her ears. Now, Mr. Dandy Chater " the man 
 brought his hand down upon the desk with a bang, 
 and became rather more red than before in the face 
 " perhaps you'll be surprised to learn that that 
 cheque has been referred, on account of the signa- 
 ture, to Mr. Barnshaw himself ; and that he unhesi- 
 tatingly states that it is a forgery, and that he 
 never drew any cheque, for any such amount." 
 
 Philip Chater, utterly at a loss what to say, sat 
 staring at the man helplessly. The opening of the 
 door behind him, and a change of expression to 
 something milder on the part of Mr. Isaacson's 
 countenance, caused him to turn his head. 
 
 A young man at whom it was unnecessary to 
 cast a second glance, to assure him that this was 
 Madge's brother had entered the room; had 
 stopped, on seeing Philip ; and now came hesita- 
 tingly forward. He was younger than Philip 
 scarcely more, from his appearance, than a year or 
 two the senior of his sister. He waved aside the 
 man Isaacson, and said, in a low voice, to Philip 
 
 " I say, old fellow I'd like to have a word with 
 you." Then, as Philip rose, and walked with him 
 towards a window, he added, in a low voice
 
 118 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 "Look here, Dandy I want to do the square 
 thing ; and I swear to you that, if I'd have known 
 that this affair had anything to do with you, I should 
 never have pressed my enquiries. But, you see, the 
 cheque was made out to the order of that old shark 
 at the desk there, and I never guessed now, look 
 here you've got into a hole, old boy but I'd like 
 to pull you out of it, if I can. What can we do ? 
 You see, I've got to think, not only of you, but of 
 Madge ; it'll be such an awful blow to her." 
 
 Philip wondered whether anything could be a 
 greater blow to her than the sight on which her 
 eyes had rested in the wood. But he said nothing. 
 His one desire, at the moment, was to get clear 
 away ; and to drop, as completely as possible, out 
 of the life in which he had usurped a place. There 
 was, too, a wholly foolish and ridiculous idea in his 
 head, that he would not like this girl, who had 
 kissed his lips, and had once believed in him (or in 
 his dead counterpart) to have any worse opinion 
 than she at that time cherished. As by an inspira- 
 tion, he remembered that the notes he had received 
 on the night of the meeting at " The Three "Water- 
 men " were still in his pocket. He determined to 
 use them. 
 
 He explained briefly to Arthur even while he 
 expressed his regret that he had unexpectedly 
 received a considerable sum of money the pro- 
 ceeds from some speculations, the shares in which 
 had long lain useless. He suggested that it might 
 be possible to bribe that worthy Hebrew at the 
 desk.
 
 Mr. Isaacson was not at first to be persuaded ; 
 but the cheque being in his hands marked " Refer 
 to drawer " he at last agreed to sell it, for the sura 
 of three thousand pounds. Arthur Barnshaw struck 
 a match set fire to the tell-tale paper and allowed 
 it to burn down to his fingers. " That matter is 
 done with," he said, quietly. 
 
 In the street, however, a change came over him ; 
 he stood, for a moment, looking at Philip, and then 
 thrust his hands into his pockets. " I don't think 
 I should care to shake hands not yet," he said. 
 " I want to get over this." He turned, and walked 
 away. 
 
 At the same moment, a newsboy hurrying past 
 shouted at the full pitch of his lungs " 'Orrible 
 murder in Essex ! Bank robbery in Sheffield ! 
 Weener ! " 
 
 Philip Chater staggered, and then walked on, in 
 a dazed condition. For he knew that he stood 
 wholly, in the one case partly, in the other 
 responsible for both.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 CAPTAIN PETER QUIST, for some two or three 
 days after his parting with Philip Chater, roamed 
 about uneasily, in his search for a desirable circus 
 which might happen to be for disposal, and which 
 might possess the additional advantage of having 
 attached to it a fat lady or two, who might not 
 object to show herself, for a consideration, to a 
 curious public. On more than one occasion, he 
 entered into negotiations with gentlemen usually 
 hoarse as to voice, and inflamed as to countenance 
 who appeared, at first, to possess the very thing 
 he wanted ; whereupon, " toothfuls " were ex- 
 changed, and much conversation ensued. 
 
 But the guileless captain always discovered, when 
 it came to actual business, that the " circus " con- 
 sisted of a caravan or two, in a state of advanced 
 dilapidation, up a yard; that the horses (if there 
 had ever been any) were long since dead, or engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits ; that the clowns had long 
 since left off being funny, and taken, for the most 
 part, to itinerant preaching ; that the fat ladies had 
 retired from business married the man who took 
 the money at the doors and started public-houses. 
 
 Some three or four days of such hopeless inter- 
 viewing having reduced the Captain to a state of 
 
 120 

 
 A BODY FROM THE RIVER 121 
 
 despondency, he cast about in his mind for some- 
 thing which should restore him to his usual con- 
 dition of placid cheerfulness ; and, having imbibed 
 somewhat freely of his favourite beverage, and 
 being then on the outskirts of those narrow and 
 straggling little streets beyond the actual town of 
 Woolwich, discovered that the river drew him, like 
 a magnet probably from the fact of his legs being 
 somewhat unsteady, and causing him, for that rea- 
 son, to imagine that they were sea-going, like his 
 mind. 
 
 "Wandering down some slippery stone steps, lead- 
 ing to a causeway of cobble-stones, and doing so at 
 the imminent risk of his life, owing to his condition, 
 the Captain precipitated himself on to the shoulders 
 of a little man, who was seated on the top of a wooden 
 post, with his chin propped in his hands, and who 
 was gazing in a melancholy fashion at the water. 
 The Captain, having saved both himself and the 
 little man, by clasping him affectionately round the 
 neck, broke into profuse apologies. And, indeed, 
 they were necessary ; for the little man who was 
 very shabby, and had no linen that was visible, but 
 whose whiskers had a bedraggled air of having once 
 been fashionable was almost speechless with rage 
 and fright ; and danced about on the causeway, 
 shaking his fist, and threatening in a thin piping 
 voice, and with many oaths his vengeance upon 
 the Captain. 
 
 " 'Ere 'old 'ard, guv'nor 'old 'ard," exclaimed 
 the Captain. " This comes of gettin' into bad com- 
 pany ; I'm surprised at a man of your hage, usin'
 
 122 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 all them naughty words; w'erever did yer learn 
 'em, mess-mate ? It wasn't my fault, Mister ; the 
 steps was a slide an' these 'ere stones is all bumps ; 
 an' w'en a man comes from a slide to bumps sud- 
 den-like I puts it to you that 'e ain't responsible 
 for 'isself. An' I 'umbly asks yer pardon." 
 
 The little man, appearing somewhat appeased, 
 sat down on his post again, and meditatively pulled 
 at his whiskers glancing round now and then at 
 the Captain, as though apprehensive of his indulg- 
 ing in some other gymnastic performance. The 
 Captain, for his part, being of a peaceful nature, 
 began to make overtures of friendliness the more 
 so, that he had a dim notion in his brain that he 
 had seen the little man on a previous occasion. 
 
 However, as the little man remained obstinately 
 silent, despite all the Captain's conversational over- 
 tures, that gentleman turned his attention to the 
 boats, several of which were moored near at hand, 
 with a man sitting near by, smoking, and keeping 
 an eye upon them. This man, as a familiar spirit, 
 the Captain accosted. 
 
 " Nice boats you've got 'ere," said the Captain, 
 casually. 
 
 " Ah " responded the man, looking the Captain 
 up and down "the boats is all right." By which 
 he seemed to imply that somebody else was not. 
 
 " I suppose a man might 'ire a boat eh ? " was 
 the Captain's next enquiry. 
 
 " Do you fink they're on this 'ere river for the 
 kids to look at or to pervide me with amoosement 
 in bailin' of 'em out ? " asked the man, indignantly.
 
 A BODY FROM THE RIVER 123 
 
 The Captain, meekly repudiating the idea that 
 any such thought was in his mind, carried his en- 
 quiry a little further, by asking if he might " 'ire 
 one for a hour or so." 
 
 " Can yer row ? " asked the man, after a pause. 
 
 " Can I what ? " shouted the Captain. 
 
 The man coolly repeated his question, and went 
 on placidly smoking. The Captain, when he had 
 recovered his breath, spoke with an unnatural 
 calmness. 
 
 " P'raps, my man, you takes me for a omnibus 
 conductor," he said. "Bring round one of them 
 boats, an' steady 'er w'ile I gits in will yer ? " 
 
 The man, seeing that the Captain really meant 
 business, knocked the ashes out of his pipe, got into 
 one of the boats, and slowly pushed it from where 
 it was moored until it bumped against the cause- 
 way. The Captain, in his delight at the prospect 
 of being once more afloat, suddenly remembered 
 the little man with the faded whiskers, who had 
 sat all this time, absolutely unmoved, on his post. 
 
 " 'Ere mess-mate let bygorns be bygorns an* 
 come an' 'ave a blow." He clutched the little man 
 by the arm, in a jocular fashion, and made as if to 
 pull him towards the boat. 
 
 It unfortunately happened, however, that the 
 little man was nearly asleep; being pulled from 
 his seat with such violence, and so unexpectedly, he 
 had only a dim idea of what was happening, and of 
 where he was. Realising, however, that he was in 
 the grip of a stronger man, he suddenly flung him- 
 self fiercely upon the Captain, driving that gentle-
 
 124 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 man backwards towards the boat. The Captain, 
 for his part, in an endeavour to protect himself, 
 made a rough-and-tumble of it, and twisted the lit- 
 tle man clean off his legs. Moreover, he twisted 
 him too far ; and, being very unsteady on his legs 
 himself, fairly rolled with him off the causeway into 
 the boat. 
 
 The man in charge of the boat being, probably, 
 very glad to get rid of them ; and feeling, perhaps, 
 that they had better be left to settle whatever dif- 
 ferences they might have in their own fashion, im- 
 mediately shoved the boat off ; so that, by the time 
 the Captain got his head out of the bottom of the 
 boat, and sat up to look at his passenger, they were 
 well out into the stream. 
 
 " This comes of keepin' bad company," murmured 
 the Captain, ruefully rubbing the back of his head. 
 " However, I asked you to come fer a blow and 
 you've come accordin' ; but you needn't 'ave bin in 
 sich a 'urry, an' come with sich a rush." 
 
 With these words, the Captain took the oars, and 
 dexterously pulled into the stream, out of the way 
 of a lumbering barge exchanging a little light and 
 airy badinage with the man in charge of that craft 
 as it passed him. The little man, who had been so 
 unceremoniously taken for an airing, appeared to 
 take the matter in good part ; picked up his dilapi- 
 dated silk hat from the bottom of the boat put it 
 on and sat, grimly silent, watching the Captain. 
 
 " It's a nice arternoon fer a row," said the Cap- 
 tain pleasantly, as he pulled sturdily. " Ain't yer 
 glad you coine alonger me, mess-mate ? "
 
 A BODY FKOM THE RIVER 125 
 
 The little man murmured something uncompli- 
 mentary, and then was silent. The Captain, who 
 began to feel the sobering effects of the breeze and 
 the exercise, smiled upon him benignly, and pulled 
 harder. After a long pause, the little man, who 
 had been staring at him intently, nodded his head 
 three or four times, and spoke again. 
 
 " I thought I'd seen you before," he said, in his 
 thin piping voice. " Now I'm sure of it. It was 
 on Tuesday and you were with that infernal 
 Chater." 
 
 The Captain almost dropped his oars in his aston- 
 ishment. " Why so it was ! " he exclaimed. " You 
 was a sittin' at the table ; I'd seed yer just afore 
 the light went out." 
 
 The little man, for some unknown reason, began 
 to tremble ; looked all about him, indeed, as though 
 contemplating making a sudden exit from the boat. 
 " What do you want with me ? " he asked, in a whin- 
 ing voice. 
 
 "I don't want nothink with yer," replied the 
 Captain, staring at him. " Thought you might like 
 a turn on the river, in a friendly way that's all." 
 
 " Don't tell lies ! " ejaculated the other. " I can 
 tell you this : you won't get any good out of me. 
 I'm only a poor old man, who's been unfortunate, 
 and has fallen on evil days. If you think you'll 
 make anything out of me, you're much mistaken. 
 What do you want with me ? " 
 
 The Captain looked at him in amazement ; the 
 little man's terror appeared so strong. "W'y 
 wot do you take me for ? " he asked.
 
 126 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE. 
 
 "Oh I know what you are," cried the little 
 man, wagging his head. " You're a split a detec- 
 tive a policeman. I know what you are." 
 
 The Captain stood up in the boat, and put him- 
 self in a fighting attitude. " Say that again and 
 I'll knock you out of the boat ! " he shouted. " I'd 
 'ave yer know that I'm a decent sailor-man an' 
 a captain at that. 'Oo are you a callin' a police- 
 man ? " 
 
 " The Shady 'un said so," replied the little man, 
 tremulously. 
 
 " That Shady gent said a good many things as 
 Vll 'ave to answer for," said the Captain, sitting 
 down again. " "W'y, if I'd wanted to run yer in, I 
 reckon I could 'ave picked yer up under my arm, 
 
 an' done it easy, without 'irin' a boat for it 
 
 'Ullo wot's that ? " 
 
 The boat, travelling slowly, had struck some- 
 thing struck it softly, but sufficiently to send a 
 slight quiver through its timbers. The Captain, 
 backing water at once, peered over the side ; dipped 
 an oar deep, and swung the boat's head round with 
 a sturdy pull; leaned over, and caught at some- 
 thing bobbing near the surface of the water. His 
 carelessness had gone in a moment; he was the 
 quick, masterful man, used to a boat, and used to 
 matters of life and death. 
 
 " Sit tight there," he commanded. " 'Ere ketch 
 this oar; that's it keep her steady. There's a 
 body 'ere ! " 
 
 The mention of that seemed to stir something in 
 the little man ; he became all attention, in a mo- 

 
 A BODY FROM THE RIVER 127 
 
 ment, and watched the other's movements with 
 alert eyes. 
 
 " Can't get 'im into the boat," said the Captain, 
 in a low voice. " 'E's dead bin dead days, I should 
 think. Throw me that line there." 
 
 The little man obeying promptly, the Captain, 
 leaning over the edge of the boat, made the line 
 fast to that grim thing bobbing alongside; and 
 then turned the boat's head for the shore, and 
 pulled hard. The little man in the stern was so 
 interested in that grisly passenger, that he must 
 needs go to the very end of the boat, at the immi- 
 nent risk of losing his silk hat and peer at the 
 thing as it came along behind, making a wake in 
 the water as it swept through it. 
 
 They happened, by this time, to be quite clear of 
 the town, and to have come to a spot where the 
 bank was low and flat, and where it was easy to 
 run the boat ashore. This the Captain did, and 
 together they leapt out hauled the boat up and 
 afterwards hauled in the body. 
 
 As it came in on the line, hand over hand seem- 
 ing, in their imagination, to assist the operation 
 horribly, by crawling up over the dank mud, the 
 Captain and the little man bent forward together, 
 to look at it ; and started back, as one man, at the 
 sight of the swollen, distorted features. For it was 
 the body of Dandy C hater. 
 
 Dandy Chater born to such good and prosper- 
 ous things having his beginnings in such fair and 
 unclouded circumstances to have come to this at 
 last! Well for him, surely, that the mother, at 

 
 128 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 whose knee he had lisped his childish supplications 
 to Heaven, was dead, before this thing fronted the 
 world, and grinned back at it so horribly ! To be 
 found like this muddy soiled broken awful 
 dead by two strangers, far away from the fair and 
 pleasant places through which he had wandered in 
 his innocent boyhood 1 
 
 The Captain raising his head from the contem- 
 plation of what he believed to be the features of 
 his dead friend Philip Crowdy was confronted by 
 the startled eyes of the little man with the faded 
 whiskers. For a long minute, they stared at each 
 other in silence ; the thoughts of each were busy 
 for each had something to hide. 
 
 For his part, Captain Peter Quist whatever his 
 personal grief may have been bore in remem- 
 brance certain words impressed strongly upon him 
 by the supposed Philip Crowdy ; an injunction laid 
 upon him not to reveal who he was, or that he was 
 living under another name. The Captain good 
 honest fellow that he was had a very sincere re- 
 gard for his friend ; and, believing that he had, in 
 a moment of indiscretion, got mixed up with some 
 queer people, was glad to feel that he could bury 
 the knowledge of it in his own breast, as surely as 
 the dead man would be buried in his grave. Sor- 
 rowing for him as he did, and bitterly vengeful as 
 he felt, in his heart, at the mere suspicion that there 
 had been foul play, he yet had the philosophic feel- 
 ing that it did not matter now, as the man was 
 dead ; and the gentle thought that it would be a vile 
 thing to defame one no longer able to defend himself.
 
 A BODY FROM THE RIVER 129 
 
 The little man who was, of course, no other 
 than the Dr. Cripps of " The Three Watermen " 
 had equally strong reasons for preserving silence. 
 With that scene in the upper room of the little 
 public-house still clearly before his mental vision, 
 he saw, in this tragedy, the vengeance of some 
 member or members of the gang a vengeance 
 prompted by fear that Dandy Chater had betrayed 
 them. Being himself remarkably closely connected 
 with that gang, he saw his own head in peril, if any 
 stir were raised about this business. Therefore, it 
 will be seen that the two men had equally strong 
 reasons for saying nothing about the identity of 
 the man who lay dead between them. 
 
 The Captain, however, being, in his sober mo- 
 ments, a cautious man, looked attentively at the 
 other, and said slowly " Bad business this 'ere. 
 Do you 'appen to know the gent ? " 
 
 " No never saw him in my life. How the devil 
 should I ? " stammered Cripps, with his teeth chat- 
 tering. 
 
 " Nor me," said the Captain. After a long pause, 
 he asked " Wot are we agoin' to do with 'im ? " 
 
 The question was answered for them, in an abrupt 
 and startling manner ; for another face that of a 
 very dirty, keen-eyed, ragged-headed urchin, whose 
 bare feet had brought him silently over the muddy 
 bank was obtruded between them, and stared 
 down into the face of the dead man. Before either 
 of them had time to say a word, the urchin leapt 
 to his feet again, with a cry, and scudded away in 
 the direction of the nearest houses.
 
 130 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 "That's done it," murmured the Captain, in a 
 resigned voice ; " we'll 'ave a policeman 'ere, in no 
 time." Then, a sudden thought striking him, he 
 looked at the little man, and asked slowly " Wot's 
 your opinion of 'ookin' it, mess-mate ? " 
 
 Dr. Cripps appearing to be too dazed fully to 
 comprehend the situation, the Captain took him by 
 the shoulders gave him a shake or two and stated 
 the case. 
 
 " We can't do no good by stoppin' 'ere," he said. 
 " We shall only be 'awled up at the hinquest, an' 
 asked awkward questions. Nobody ain't seen us 
 'cept that young limb an' I doubt if 'e knows us 
 again. Therefore wot I ses is into the boat with 
 yer an' let's cut our lucky ! " 
 
 Cripps appearing to grasp this point, after some 
 difficulty, they left the dead man on the shore, and 
 pushed off the boat, and made for Woolwich. Go- 
 ing, without further mishap, up the stream, they 
 landed at the causeway from which they had so un- 
 ceremoniously started apparently greatly to the 
 surprise and satisfaction of the man to whom the 
 boat belonged. 
 
 " Got back, yer see," said the Captain, carelessly, 
 as he stepped on to the causeway, and gave a hand 
 to the little man. 
 
 "So I see," replied the man, pocketing the 
 money which the Captain handed to him. " 'Ad a 
 nice row ? " 
 
 " Oh so-so," responded the Captain. " I should 
 like to give you an 'int, young man," he added. 
 " W'en you're a shovin' orf a boat nex' time, it
 
 A BODY FROM THE RIVER 131 
 
 wouldn't be a bad idea to give a man a chance of 
 settin' down fust. It ain't wot you'd call a 'ealthy 
 style of rowin', w'en you starts on the back of yer 
 neck ; it don't some'ow give yer as good a chance, 
 as if yer started sittin' down, with a proper 'old on 
 the oars, ^oo^arternoon ! " 
 
 But, although the Captain was jocular, his heart 
 was heavy ; remembering the hiding and dodging 
 process through which he had passed, in the com- 
 pany of the supposed Philip Crowdy, he began to 
 see some dreadful tragedy some foul play, which 
 had caused the death of his friend. Yet, being but 
 a simple seafaring man, and having a great dread 
 of the power of the law, he saw himself in un- 
 heard-of difficulties, if he so much as attempted to 
 stir in the matter. For had he not found the body 
 and then fled from it ? 
 
 " From the look of that there body," muttered 
 the Captain to himself, as he strolled along, in the 
 gathering twilight of the streets "it's bin in the 
 water a day or two in fact, it might 'ave bin 
 longer, if I didn't know as 'ow I'd seen poor old 
 Phil on'y three days back. An' to think as 'e was 
 that strong an' 'earty an' now ! " 
 
 The Captain did not finish his sentence; he 
 shuddered, at the remembrance of that awful star- 
 ing thing he had left on the muddy bank of the 
 Thames; and feeling somewhat faint looked 
 about for a house of refreshment. 
 
 When he emerged, after imbibing several glasses 
 of his favourite tonic, the world wore a brighter 
 aspect ; and the honest Captain, swaggering along 

 
 132 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 the pavement, with an occasional lurch, as though 
 a heavy gale of wind had struck him had clean for- 
 gotten all about unpleasant bodies, or the chances and 
 changes of this mortal life ; had clean forgotten, in 
 fact, anything but that the world was a good place, 
 and decent rum a thing to be thankful for. 
 
 Now it happened, by some unlucky chance, that 
 Philip Chater drawn, by strong influence, to the 
 scene of the tragedy which had been so vividly 
 stamped upon his mind came, that night, to "Wool- 
 wich ; merely wandering aimlessly, with no settled 
 plan as to the future, or, indeed, as to the next 
 hour. And it happened, too, that, walking slowly 
 along a dark street, and coming to the corner of it, 
 he cannoned against a man, who was rolling along 
 swiftly, chanting a song in a very loud and very 
 deep voice. 
 
 It was the Captain; and that gentleman no 
 sooner caught sight of Philip, than his song stopped, 
 in the very middle of a note ; indeed, the note 
 turned to a shriek, and Peter Quist, beating off the 
 supposed apparition with both hands, backed away 
 from it unsteadily ; and then, recovering power of 
 definite motion, fairly turned tail, and ran as if for 
 his life leaving Philip alone, at the corner of the 
 street, staring after him in blank amazement. 

 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 MISS VINT HEARS VOICES 
 
 PHILIP stood, for some moments, turning over in 
 his mind the probable cause of the extraordinary 
 terror evinced by the Captain, while he watched 
 the flying figure of that gentleman, careering down 
 the street. After some little thought, he put down 
 that sudden desire, on the Captain's part, to get 
 away from him, to a knowledge of the murder; 
 and to a natural dread and abhorrence of the man 
 he supposed to be guilty of it. He turned away, 
 with bitterness in his heart, feeling that all the 
 world was against him ; and made his way back to- 
 wards London by train. Arriving at Charing 
 Cross, he bought an evening paper, and turned to 
 see what news there might be concerning the dread- 
 ful thing which was always in his mind. 
 
 More than a column was devoted to it with in- 
 terviews with wholly uninteresting people, of whom 
 he had never heard, nor, indeed, any one else giv- 
 ing their several versions of the matter ; how this 
 one had heard a scream and another a dog bark 
 and how a third had an aunt, who had dreamed of 
 a man with a red mark on his forehead, about a 
 week before the occurrence. But there was abso- 
 lutely nothing in any report which connected him 
 with the affair at least, by name. 
 
 133
 
 134 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 It was stated that the police had several clues ; 
 but that was to be expected. Only, at the end of 
 the column, was a suggestion that the police had 
 issued a warrant against a man well known in the 
 neighbourhood, who had disappeared some two days 
 before. That was from a telegram dated that 
 afternoon Friday. 
 
 Philip Chater sat down, on a seat in the station, 
 and pondered the matter again. " The warrant is 
 for me that's certain. But there is no mention of 
 my name so that that idea about the Captain 
 goes to the winds. Now what on earth can have 
 startled him in that fashion ? " 
 
 Turning the paper over in his hands, he came 
 upon a " Stop-Press " telegram, in the small space 
 reserved for such things, and read it. 
 
 " The body of an unknown man well dressed 
 was taken from the river below "Woolwich this 
 afternoon. Nothing in pockets to lead to identifi- 
 cation." 
 
 Once again, Philip Chater seemed to stand at the 
 corner of the dark street in Woolwich ; once again, 
 he seemed to see the ghastly face of the startled 
 Captain, as he backed away. Philip Chater folded 
 the paper rapidly, and got up, with an excited face. 
 
 " By all that's wonderful ! he's found the real 
 Dandy Chater ! " he muttered. 
 
 That thought, and all that it might involve for 
 him and so many others, set him walking at a rapid 
 pace, thinking hard as he went, and without paying 
 much attention as to the direction he took. But 
 his thoughts, coming, by a natural transition, to the
 
 MISS VINT HEARS VOICES 135 
 
 girl who would be most affected by any news of 
 Dandy Chater, leapt from thence to the quiet gar- 
 den, wherein he had walked and talked with her. 
 Then in a flash, his mind went back, over the dis- 
 covery of the road which led him to the cottage, 
 to the plan on the scrap of paper and to the reason 
 for that plan. 
 
 " * Friday night as soon after ten o'clock as 
 possible. Only women to deal with ! ' Great 
 Heavens ! " he exclaimed " and this is Friday 
 night ! " 
 
 He hailed a hansom, and shouted to the man to 
 drive to Liverpool Street Station. Arriving there 
 in hot haste, he found that he could catch an ex- 
 press, which would land him at a small town a few 
 miles from the station at which he had before 
 alighted for Bamberton. Taking his seat in this, a 
 few moments before its departure, he found himself, 
 somewhat to his consternation, in the company of a 
 couple of men who were discussing the murder in 
 the wood evidently newspaper men, judging by 
 what they said. 
 
 " Yes," said the first " I'm going down, so as to 
 be on the spot if there's anything fresh. In any 
 case, I must wire up about half a column." 
 
 " I think we shall probably have some news to- 
 night," replied the second man. " Our people have 
 got hold of an idea that the police have spotted 
 their man, and may get hold of him within the next 
 few hours. I hear that Tokely has the case in 
 hand." 
 
 " Ah smart man, Tokely," said the other nod-
 
 136 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 ding. "I wonder if that swell who was spoken 
 about had anything to do with it ? " 
 
 "I dare say," replied his friend, coolly. "If 
 so, it'll make rare good copy won't it ? Trust- 
 ing village maiden young Squire and all the 
 other details. By Jove won't our people lick it 
 up!" 
 
 Philip Chater, sick at heart, turned away, and 
 tried to busy himself in the paper he had bought. 
 But the more he tried to read, and to fix his mind 
 on the page before him, the more hopeless became 
 the tangle into which the words seemed to form 
 themselves. He thought of himself a fugitive ; of 
 his brother, fished out of the river, and perhaps by 
 this time identified. Philip Chater had but to 
 think, for an instant, of the contents of his own 
 pockets at that moment, to realise the desperate 
 position in which he stood. 
 
 He had the dead man's watch and chain his 
 cheque book and other papers ; he had upon him 
 also, a large number of bank-notes, which he knew 
 must have been stolen, and part of which he had 
 paid away to cover up a forgery which he was also 
 supposed to have committed. More than all, he 
 was venturing now into the very heart of the 
 enemy's country, in the hope to stop a robbery, 
 with which he was also connected and at the 
 house of the woman he loved. It is small wonder 
 that he saw, in all this, a resistless tide, which must 
 sooner or later sweep him to destruction. 
 
 Arriving at the small station for which he had 
 taken his ticket, he alighted with the two news- 

 
 MISS VINT HEARS VOICES 137 
 
 paper men, and saw them get into a vehicle which 
 had evidently been ordered for them. Not wishing 
 to ask any more questions than were absolutely 
 necessary, he watched this carriage, as it drove 
 away, and followed the road it took. Glancing at 
 the watch he carried, by the light of the last lamp 
 he passed, he saw that it was nearly eight o'clock ; 
 and he had, so far as he could judge, nearly eleven 
 miles to go before reaching Bamberton. But his 
 purpose was a strong one, and the night was fine ; 
 he set out to walk the distance, knowing that he 
 dared not ask for a lift from any passing cart, lest 
 he should be recognised. 
 
 At one or two points on his journey, where sign- 
 posts were too illegible to be read, or the night too 
 dark to see them clearly, he was compelled to wait 
 fuming and impatient until such time as a slow- 
 footed, slow-voiced countryman should come in 
 sight. At such times Philip Chater pulled his hat 
 down as far as possible over his face, and kept in 
 the shadow. But he got through each interview 
 safely, until within a mile or two of the village 
 when taking a wrong turning and losing his bear- 
 ings hopelessly, he was obliged to wait again, in the 
 hope of some one passing him. 
 
 This time, it was a woman ; and she civilly di- 
 rected him showing him a short cut, which would 
 bring him she said, within a short distance of 
 Chater Hall. He thanked her, and was turning 
 away, when she came rapidly nearer to him, and 
 peered into his face ; cried his name, in a sort of 
 shriek ; struck at him ; and ran off towards some
 
 138 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 cottages, where lights were gleaming, screaming 
 " Murder ! " 
 
 He lost no time in getting away from the spot, 
 and ran as hard as he could in the direction she had 
 indicated. He had heard the deep boom of a 
 church clock strike ten some time before, and his 
 one desperate fear was that he might arrive too late 
 to prevent the robbery. At that thought, he re- 
 doubled his efforts, and did not stop until he saw 
 the huge bulk of Chater Hall looming up against 
 the sky. 
 
 Hunted wretched forlorn exhausted, the un- 
 happy man stood, for a few moments, leaning 
 against a tree, and contemplating the place that 
 was rightfully his. He was even in a mood to 
 curse the father who had banished him, and who 
 was sleeping, peacefully enough, in the churchyard 
 near at hand. He almost wished that his own 
 troubles were ended, and that he was beyond the 
 reach of pursuit. 
 
 " It's hard," he muttered, savagely " that I, who 
 have never wronged any living creature knowingly, 
 should be in this plight now. If I had had the 
 chance that was given to my brother, should I have 
 used it better or have I merely kept out of temp- 
 tation, because temptation kept out of me ? Heaven 
 knows ! But, while I stand here cursing my fate, 
 those wretches have got to work, I'll be bound, and 
 may be clear away again before I reach the place. 
 Now to remember the roads I traversed before 
 and yet to keep out of the sight of all men, and " 
 he added, as an after-thought " all women ! " 

 
 MISS VINT HEAKS VOICES 139 
 
 With these words, he crept round, as near as he 
 dared, to the front of the house, and struck off 
 cautiously from there in the direction of the cottage. 
 
 Now it happened that night that Madge Barn- 
 shaw, being wholly occupied with sad thoughts, 
 and having no friendly being in whom she could 
 confide, or to whom she felt disposed to tell the 
 tragic story which was by this time in every mouth, 
 had gone early to her room, leaving Miss Vint her 
 distant cousin and guardian nodding over the fire. 
 Arthur Barnshaw, who had arrived from town only 
 the day before, was in the room he called his " den," 
 reading and smoking, and the house was very quiet. 
 Miss Vint, being very comfortable, fell asleep. 
 
 When she awoke, the fire had long gone out, and 
 the room was chilly. Miss Vint rose, shuddering 
 and yawning, and, having extinguished the light, 
 went out into the hall ; took her candle, and slowly 
 and sleepily mounted the stairs to her chamber. 
 
 Passing a window on the staircase, immediately 
 below the level of her own room, Miss Vint stopped 
 suddenly, and became very wide awake. Clearly 
 and distinctly, in the death-like silence which per- 
 vaded everything, Miss Vint had heard a voice 
 muffled and cautious apparently proceeding from 
 below. What the words were that were spoken, 
 she could not say ; but she had distinctly heard a 
 voice and that voice the voice of a man. 
 
 Before the worthy lady had had time to decide 
 what to do, another voice as muffled and cautious 
 as the first answered ; only, in this case, it ap- 
 peared to come from above almost as though (but
 
 140 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 the idea was, of course, too ridiculous to be enter- 
 tained) the first speaker had been outside, in the 
 garden, and the second at an open window, speak- 
 ing down at him. 
 
 Miss Tint's first natural thought was to rush 
 downstairs, and summon Arthur Barnshaw to her 
 assistance. But it was a long way downstairs, and 
 there was a dark and ghostly corridor to be traversed 
 before she could reach him. On the other hand, 
 her room was quite close ; she had but to dash up 
 three steps, open the door, plunge in, and find her- 
 self in safety. 
 
 Accordingly, Miss Yint took the plunge ; flung 
 open the door shut it hurriedly and locked it on 
 the inside. At the same instant, Miss Tint's candle 
 was softly blown out, and a strong firm hand was 
 placed over Miss Tint's mouth a hand which 
 pressed her, not too ceremoniously, against the 
 door she had locked. 
 
 "Not a word," whispered a voice, huskily. 
 " Scream and I'll knock yer bloomin' brains out. 
 I ain't alone; there's pals o' mine outside, as 
 mightn't be so considerate of a lady's feelin's. 
 Now are yer goin' to be quiet ? " 
 
 Miss Tint nodded her head, as well as she could 
 for the steady pressure of the hand upon her mouth, 
 and the man relaxed his hold. She could just dimly 
 discern his figure, looming large above her, in the 
 dim light which came from outside the window. 
 
 "What do you want?" asked Miss Tint, in a 
 frightened whisper. 
 
 " We've got wot we want, " replied the man, in,
 
 MISS VINT HEARS VOICES 141 
 
 a low voice "an' nobody ain't 'urt a bit. I 
 found my way into the young lady's room, without 
 wakin' of 'er an' now I'll wish you good-night. 
 On'y mind" the man paused, for a moment, to 
 give his words greater effect " I've got something 
 'ere wot'll keep yer quiet, if I 'ears any noise from 
 yer." Miss Vint felt something hard and cold touch 
 her forehead. 
 
 "My good man," whispered Miss Vint, tremu- 
 lously, " you may be sure I will not place you under 
 the necessity for doing violence upon me. I would 
 only beg that you will join your companions I 
 hesitate, in your presence, to call them depraved, 
 although I fear they are not what they should be 
 and leave me in peace. Your friends are evidently 
 impatient to see you." This last was in reference 
 to a low whistle, which sounded from the lawn. 
 
 The man, after hesitating for a moment, moved 
 slowly towards the window, which Miss Vint 
 noticed, for the first time, was wide open ; and got 
 one leg over the sill ; looking back at her, he shook 
 a fist, by way of caution to her to be quiet ; lifted 
 the other leg over, and slowly disappeared appar- 
 ently down a ladder from her view. 
 
 Then it was that Miss Vint, no longer restrained 
 by the fear of his presence, opened her mouth, and 
 emitted a long and piercing shriek a shriek so 
 tremendous, that it brought Arthur Barnshaw 
 tumbling out of his den, half asleep, and stumbling 
 blindly in the darkness ; and brought another man, 
 who had been crouching behind a hedge, leaping 
 over it, and hurrying to the scene. Having accom-
 
 142 THE SECOND BANDY CHATER 
 
 plished these useful purposes, Miss Vint backed 
 towards her bed, and fainted away, with propriety 
 and comfort. 
 
 The second man, who had leapt the hedge, was 
 no other than Philip Chater ; and, as he hurried to 
 the scene, he caught a momentary glimpse of the 
 little drama that was going forward. In the first 
 place, he saw a man hurriedly and unceremoniously 
 coming down a ladder from a window; saw him 
 thrust something into the hands of another man, 
 who stood near at hand, and make off in another 
 direction, clearing the low hedge at a bound, and 
 vanishing in the darkness. "While this was happen- 
 ing, the door of the house had been wrenched open 
 from inside, and a young man had dashed out, and 
 grappled with a taller figure, standing also near the 
 ladder a taller figure which, after a short struggle, 
 threw the man who grappled with him, and made 
 off also, in the same direction as the first. All this 
 passed within a few seconds, and before Philip had 
 had time to do anything. But he saw, at this 
 moment, that the man into whose hands that some- 
 thing had been thrust, by the man who had come 
 down the ladder, was making off also not with the 
 strength of the others, but as though he were older 
 and weaker. This man Philip Chater immediately 
 seized ; when, to his consternation, the man in his 
 grip (and who was no other than our friend Dr. 
 Cripps) after one horrified glance into his face, 
 fell upon his knees, babbling and stuttering; and 
 then, casting from him what he held, broke away, and 
 went careering like a madman across the garden.
 
 MISS VINT HEARS VOICES 143 
 
 Philip, for his part, was so astonished, that he 
 made no effort to follow the little man ; but, seeing 
 something gleaming, in the faint light of the stars, 
 on the ground at his feet, stooped, and picked it 
 up. Having dropped on one knee in doing this, he 
 was absolutely powerless to defend himself, when a 
 man sprang upon him, caught him by the throat, 
 and forced him backwards to the ground. 
 
 "I've got one of you, at least," cried a voice 
 which sounded curiously familiar. "It's no use 
 struggling ; you won't get away, I can assure you." 
 Then, as he caught sight of the face of his prisoner, 
 he dropped his hands from Philip's throat, and 
 struggled to his feet, and stood staring down at 
 him. It was Arthur Barnshaw. 
 
 For a moment or two, there was a death-like 
 silence between the two men ; then Philip spoke, 
 although he knew that what he had to say would 
 sound futile and absurd. 
 
 "I I heard that this robbery was to be com- 
 mitted and I came here, as rapidly as I could, 
 in the hope to prevent it," he said, in a low voice. 
 
 Barnshaw's voice was cold and hard when he 
 replied. " Indeed ? How did you hear of it ? " 
 
 " In in London quite by accident." 
 
 "What is that you have in your hand?" asked 
 Barnshaw, in the same tone. 
 
 Philip slowly raised his hand, which held the 
 thing Dr. Cripps had dropped, and held it up in the 
 light ; it sparkled and glittered, and threw back a 
 hundred changing brilliancies to the night. 
 
 "It is my sister's necklace," said Barnshaw. 

 
 144 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 " Give it to me." Then, as he took it in his hand, 
 he said slowly " This was taken out of the house 
 to-night, by the men who have escaped. They have 
 all got away except yourself 
 
 " Good God, Barnshaw," faltered the other 
 " you surely don't think " 
 
 " You knew that the robbery was to be commit- 
 ted ; so much, on your own confession. I find you 
 hiding in the garden, with this actually in your 
 hands." "Without another word, he turned, and 
 walked slowly back to the house. 
 
 For some moments, Philip knelt upon the ground 
 where the other had left him, staring after Barn- 
 shaw like one stunned. Then, slowly and heavily, 
 he rose from his knees and went out of the garden, 
 with bowed head, and without once looking round. 
 
 Meanwhile, Dr. Cripps, being incapable of the 
 feat of agility which had carried his friends over the 
 hedge, went crashing straight through it ; ducked 
 suddenly, and ran along on the other side, beneath 
 it, in order to keep out of the view of any one who 
 might be on the lookout for him. And, running 
 thus, he dashed straight into the arms of a man who 
 was also crouching down behind it. After a very 
 brief struggle, feeling himself in a grip from which 
 it was impossible to escape, he resigned himself to 
 circumstances, remained passive, and looked up at 
 his captor. 
 
 " Ogledon ! " he ejaculated. " I thought it was a 
 policeman ! " 
 
 The man into whose hands he had fallen shook 
 him until his teeth seemed to rattle, and whispered
 
 MISS VINT HEARS VOICES 145 
 
 angrily " So you've bungled it, have you ? rousing 
 the house in that fashion. Who's got the neck- 
 lace?" 
 
 "D-D-Dandy C-C-Chater!" stuttered Cripps, 
 faintly. 
 
 The man dropped him, as hurriedly as though he 
 had been red-hot ; looked all about him ; and seemed 
 to breathe hard. 
 
 " What do you mean ? What the devil are you 
 talking about ? " He spoke in what seemed almost 
 a frightened whisper. 
 
 The little man, bewildered alike by the shaking, 
 and by the sudden change in the demeanour of Ogle- 
 don, lost his balance completely, and stammered 
 out 
 
 "It's no good the devil is in everything. I 
 fished him out of the river only this very day, and 
 laid him on the bank, as dead as twenty doornails ; 
 yet he caught me in the garden here just now, and 
 stared straight into my eyes and he's got the dia- 
 mond necklace ! " 
 
 " You're mad ! " whispered the other, in the same 
 uneasy fashion. 
 
 " I'm not I'm not but I soon shall be ! " mut- 
 tered Cripps. " I tell you that Dandy Chater is 
 dead been dead for days; and yet he's got the 
 necklace, and is in that garden " he pointed awfully 
 behind him, as he spoke " at the present moment. 
 As sure as I'm a living sinner Dandy Chater has 
 come to life again ! "
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 WANTED A DEAD MAN! 
 
 FOR quite a long minute, Ogledon stared at the 
 trembling Cripps knitting his brows, and biting 
 his lips at him the while he turned this thing over 
 in his mind. And the more he stared at Cripps, 
 the more did that gentleman continue to babble of 
 Dandy Chater dead, and Dandy Chater alive and 
 with the diamond necklace. Presently, the strong 
 common sense of the bigger man seemed to assert 
 itself ; he caught Cripps by the shoulder, and shook 
 him again, and compelled his attention. 
 
 " Now listen to me, you chattering idiot ! " he 
 said. " Are you certain that you took Dandy Cha- 
 ter's body from the river ? " 
 
 Dr. Cripps nodded vehemently. " Certain of it," 
 he replied. 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 " Just below Woolwich." 
 
 " Just as I thought," muttered Ogledon to him- 
 self. Aloud, he said, " You've been drinking, you 
 little scoundrel, and the sight of a body has upset 
 you. You've been drinking spirits and seeing 'em 
 afterwards. Now listen to me again ; it will be 
 worth your while. This Dandy Chater, being dead, 
 everything he possesses belongs to me ; I am the next- 
 of-kin. I'm going now straight to Chater Hall; 
 you'll have to go with me ; and your business will be 
 
 146
 
 WANTED A DEAD MAN! U7 
 
 to hold your tongue, and follow all that I do, and 
 take your cue from me. Dandy Chater come to life 
 again ! " he added, with a sneer, giving Cripps a final 
 shake, and casting him roughly off. " You're killing 
 yourself with all the liquor you take, my friend." 
 
 After listening carefully for some little time, and 
 hearing no disturbing sounds to break the silence 
 all about them, he set off cautiously in the direction 
 of the Hall, followed closely by Cripps. And, as 
 he went along, he reviewed his position. 
 
 " Now I must not forget," he muttered to him- 
 self " that I have but just returned from a journey, 
 and know nothing of what has happened in my ab- 
 sence. If they know of Dandy's death, I must be 
 properly horrified at the news; if he has merely 
 disappeared, and they have heard nothing of him 
 (which I suspect will be the case) I must be filled 
 with surprise and alarm accordingly. In any case, 
 I play the innocent, and take advantage of what I 
 know, and of what turns up. And I must carry off 
 everything with a bold face." 
 
 Acting upon this resolve, Ogledon made his way 
 to Chater Hall, and loudly rang the bell. It being 
 now nearly midnight, the house was in complete 
 darkness ; but, after a time, shuffling feet were 
 heard within, bolts were drawn, and the great 
 doors were slowly opened. Ogledon, advancing 
 boldly, with Cripps sticking close at his heels, con- 
 fronted a couple of astonished and sleepy-eyed 
 men-servants; pushed past them, and went into 
 the great dining-room. 
 
 " Evening, Simms evening, Barker or, perhaps
 
 148 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 I should say, almost morning," said Ogledon, pleas- 
 antly. "I've only just arrived from a long jour- 
 ney, and am tired and hungry. You need not dis- 
 turb any one else ; I dare say you can get me and 
 my friend here," he added, as an after-thought 
 "something to eat, and to drink. Anything cold 
 will do ; only be quick." 
 
 The men hastened away, to do his bidding. But, 
 just at that moment, a sharp clear voice sounded 
 from upstairs, calling to the men, and demanding 
 to know who had arrived. 
 
 Ogledon, listening intently, heard the men give 
 his name, and state what they were doing for his 
 comfort. But this did not appear to satisfy the 
 owner of the voice ; for, a few moments afterwards, 
 a rustle of garments was heard on the staircase, 
 and then in the hall; and, the door opening, dis- 
 played the figure of Mrs. Dolman the housekeeper, 
 in an antiquated wrapper, and with a light shawl 
 over her head. 
 
 "Truly, Mr. Ogledon truly, gentlemen" this 
 latter, as she caught sight of Cripps " I trust you 
 will excuse so informal a reception. Of course, had 
 we expected you, preparation should have been 
 made, and the servants waiting. But, of course, I 
 did not know " 
 
 "Of course not, Mrs. Dolman of course not," 
 broke in Ogledon, cheerfully. "No excuses are 
 necessary, I assure you; both myself and my 
 friend permit me ; Dr. Cripps Mrs. Dolman 
 the worthy housekeeper here are quite prepared to 
 take pot-luck, I can assure you."
 
 WANTED A DEAD MAN! 149 
 
 Now, when the housekeeper had entered the 
 room, Dr. Cripps, after one momentary glance at 
 her, had turned his back, and pretended to be busy 
 with some books upon a side table ; but, having 
 now to turn, in acknowledgment of the introduc- 
 tion, he gave the old lady one searching glance, 
 bowed, and turned away again. But not before she 
 had looked quite as keenly at him, and had clasped 
 her hands, in sudden recognition and astonishment. 
 
 " "Well dear me ! " cried Mrs. Dolman " if my 
 eyes do not deceive me, I am known to this gentle- 
 man though it's many years since I had the pleas- 
 ure " 
 
 " You are perfectly right," replied Cripps grudg- 
 ingly, seeing that there was no help for it. " I am 
 the Dr. Cripps who used to practice in this place, 
 and who " 
 
 " Who brought Master Dandy into the world ! " 
 cried the old woman, clasping her hands again. 
 
 The Doctor nodded, and turned away, as if to 
 put an end to the conversation ; Ogledon was watch- 
 ing him curiously. 
 
 " And little did I think, those many years ago, 
 that ever it should have come to this, gentlemen," 
 went on the old lady, with tears starting to her 
 eyes " with Master Dandy gone, God knows where, 
 and lying tongues wagging about him, and he not 
 here to defend himself." 
 
 Ogledon took her up quickly. " Lying tongues, 
 Mrs. Dolman? And what, pray, are they daring 
 to say about our dear Dandy ? " 
 
 " It seems, sir, that there has been a body found
 
 of a young girl who belonged to these parts in 
 a wood near by ; and, because Master Dandy has 
 been seen talking to her once or twice (as young 
 men will, and always have done, since the good 
 Lord made young men and women!) they must 
 needs go whispering about that Master Dandy 
 made away with her." 
 
 Ogledon drew in his breath sharply, and rose 
 from his seat ; confronted Mrs. Dolman for a mo- 
 ment, in an amazed silence ; and finally spoke, in a 
 voice which shook a little with his anxiety. 
 
 " I don't understand," he said. " Do you suggest 
 that Mr. Chater is accused of murder ? " 
 
 " That's what they dare to say, sir," replied the 
 old lady. " And as he's been gone from here 
 and left no word as to where he is since Wednes- 
 day " 
 
 Ogledon, who had turned partially from her, 
 even while he listened intently to all she said, 
 swung round quickly, and interrupted her. "My 
 good woman what day did you say ? " 
 
 " Wednesday, sir. Master Dandy went from here 
 very late." 
 
 Ogledon looked at her, for a moment, in blank 
 amazement and terror ; put his hand to his shirt 
 collar, and tugged at it, as though he found a diffi- 
 culty in breathing ; moved away a step or two, and 
 then came back to her, smiling in rather a ghastly 
 fashion. He spoke with some little impatience, and 
 yet very clearly and distinctly. 
 
 " I I want to be very very clear about this, 
 Mrs. Dolman," he said, speaking in a gasping,
 
 WANTED A DEAD MAN! 151 
 
 breathless sort of fashion, as one deeply agitated, 
 and yet striving to keep control of himself. " I I 
 have been away in France Paris and have only 
 just returned. Mr. Chater and I, as you know, left 
 here a week ago a week this night I went to 
 London in the morning he came on late at night, 
 and met me there. We we parted that night; 
 I " the man passed his hand quickly over his fore- 
 head, and tugged again at his shirt collar " I have 
 not seen him since." 
 
 " Well, sir," replied the housekeeper " he came 
 back the next day, sir Saturday " 
 
 The expression on Ogledon's face stopped her ; 
 she looked at him uneasily. He recovered his com- 
 posure somewhat, and was about to start again to 
 question her on that disquieting matter, when the 
 two servants entered the room, with the materials 
 for supper. Dr. Cripps had, long before this, dis- 
 covered a decanter of spirits, and had been helping 
 himself rather liberally to the contents. He came 
 up to the table now, still carrying the decanter, 
 and moaning out a song in a wheezy and cracked 
 voice ; sat down, with the decanter at his elbow, 
 and utterly oblivious of every one else began his 
 supper ; taking a great deal to drink, and very little 
 to eat. 
 
 Ogledon being in no mood, with that question 
 still unanswered, for any meal, waited until the men 
 had withdrawn, and then once more approached 
 Mrs. Dolman. White-faced and in deadly anxiety 
 though he was, his smile was soft and kindly, and 
 his voice albeit a trifle impatient at times of what
 
 152 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 he supposed to be the good woman's perversity as 
 soft and kindly as his smile. 
 
 " Now my dear Mrs. Dolman pray excuse my 
 pestering you with questions at such an hour, I beg 
 I am desperately anxious about my cousin, Mr. 
 Chater. You say you saw him on Saturday; are 
 you sure you are not confusing the dates ? " 
 
 It was the housekeeper's turn to stare now ; after 
 doing so for a moment, in evident perplexity, she 
 shook her head vigorously. "No, Mr. Ogledon 
 certainly not," she said ; " Master Dandy came down 
 on Saturday driving from the station in a fly. I 
 sent down to ask if you were expected, sir and he 
 said he did not know." 
 
 Here a remarkable and ghostly interruption came, 
 in the form of a long wailing chant from Dr. 
 Cripps, who suddenly broke forth, in a quavering 
 treble, with a stave of " Down Among the Dead 
 Men." Ogledon, turning furiously, fell upon his 
 friend, and shook him so vigorously, that the little 
 man seemed, for a few moments, in danger of being 
 shaken out of existence altogether. When, how- 
 ever, Ogledon desisted, Cripps merely looked round 
 about him dizzily ; smiled, quite as though it were 
 an exercise to which he was accustomed ; and set 
 to work drinking harder than ever. 
 
 Meantime, Ogledon had turned again to the 
 housekeeper and began once more to peg away at 
 that subject of the dead man, as though he could 
 never leave it alone. 
 
 "Did did Mr. Chater seem seem well?" he 
 asked, with some assumption of carelessness. 

 
 WANTED A DEAD MAN ! 153 
 
 " I never saw him looking better, Mr. Ogledon," 
 replied the housekeeper, tranquilly. "And now, 
 gentlemen," she added " seeing that you have all 
 you require, I will take the liberty of going to bed." 
 
 " By all means," responded Ogledon, appearing 
 to wake suddenly from a heavy musing fit which 
 had been upon him. " By all means, Mrs. Dolman. 
 You are quite sure, Mrs. Dolman quite sure that 
 you have made no mistake about the date ? " 
 
 " Quite certain, Mr. Ogledon," she replied, a little 
 coldly. " I am not likely to make such mistakes as 
 that, sir ; it was impressed upon me the more, per- 
 haps, because Master Dandy got up very early the 
 next morning Sunday that was and afterwards 
 went to church." 
 
 " Dandy Chater went to church ! " exclaimed 
 Ogledon; and, at the mere suggestion of such a 
 thing, he smiled in good earnest, despite the seri- 
 ousness of the matter to him. His face cleared a 
 little; he seemed to see an easy solution of the 
 business. " My good soul you have certainly been 
 dreaming; Dandy Chater would never have gone 
 to church ! " 
 
 Mrs. Dolman looked at him for a moment, in ma- 
 jestic silence ; drew herself up to her full height, as 
 though about to make a withering speech ; remem- 
 bered her position, and merely bade him " Good- 
 night " ; and walked, in a stately fashion, from the 
 room. 
 
 For a long time, Ogledon paced the room rest- 
 lessly stopping every now and then, on the oppo- 
 site side of the table to Cripps (who had fallen 

 
 154 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 asleep, with an arm thrown lovingly round the de- 
 canter) to look at that gentleman doubtfully, as 
 though half inclined to wake him, and endeavour 
 to get something out of him. But at last, a new 
 thought striking him, he rang the bell, and waited 
 near the door until one of the sleepy men-servants 
 answered the summons. 
 
 " Simms," he said not looking at the man, but 
 keeping his eyes fixed on the floor " has Harry 
 Routley gone to bed ? " 
 
 " Hours ago, sir," replied the man. 
 
 " Wake him at once ; tell him I want to see him." 
 
 Some ten minutes later, Harry knocked at the 
 door, and came in ; having dressed hurriedly, and 
 having all the appearance of one roused unexpect- 
 edly from sleep. Ogledon nodded to him, with a 
 smile. 
 
 "Harry I'm sorry to trouble you, at such an 
 hour as this, but I am worried about Mr. Chater." 
 
 At the mention of that name, the lad suddenly 
 became rigid, and set his lips, as though with the 
 determination to say nothing. Ogledon, after a 
 pause, went on again, evidently disconcerted. 
 
 " We Mr. Chater and I have somehow some- 
 how missed each other. I was called called 
 abroad; I parted from him rather hurriedly. 
 Coming back to-night I hear from Mrs. Dolman 
 that he that he has gone away again." 
 
 " Yes, sir. Last "Wednesday." 
 
 If Harry had suddenly dealt Ogledon a heavy 
 blow, he could not have staggered or surprised him 
 more. Recovering instantly, however, he came at
 
 WANTED A DEAD MAN! 155 
 
 the other with a rush, and caught him by the 
 throat ; his dark face almost livid with passion. 
 
 " You hound ! " he said, in a sort of hoarse 
 Avhisper " this is a trick a lying tale, hatched up 
 amongst you here. Do you want to drive me 
 mad ? " Then, seeing the look of blank amazement 
 and growing wrath in the other's eyes, his mood 
 changed swiftly, and he dropped his hands, and 
 passed one over his forehead, in the same nervous 
 fashion as before. " I I beg your pardon, Harry ; 
 I had no right to speak to you in such a way. But 
 I I have been ill and am faint faint and weak, 
 from a long journey, and but little food. Take 
 take a glass of wine, Harry and then answer me 
 clearly." 
 
 He turned to the table, and poured out wine with 
 a shaking hand ; carried it spilling a little as he 
 did so to the lad. But Harry shook his head, and 
 seemed to put away the glass with his hand. He 
 was suspicious of every one and everything at that 
 time. 
 
 " I can answer you quite clearly, sir," he said, 
 brusquely. 
 
 " Mr. Chater went with me to London not with 
 me, but on the same day ; we met in London a 
 week ago. I have not seen him since. Have 
 you ? " He seemed to listen for the answer of the 
 other, as though his life hung upon it. 
 
 " Yes, sir. Master Dandy came down the next 
 day, quite unexpectedly ; went to church " 
 
 Ogledon signed to him with his hand to go away. 
 " That will do," he said. " You can go to bed."
 
 156 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 When he was left alone in the room with the 
 sleeping Cripps, he went almost mechanically, as it 
 seemed, to the table, and unsteadily poured out some 
 brandy, and drank it. Then, with an awful eager 
 hurry upon him, he ran round the table, and caught 
 Cripps by the shoulders, and dragged him to his 
 feet. 
 
 "Wake up, you drunken fool wake up!" he 
 cried, in a voice but little greater than a whisper. 
 "I shall go mad, if I stop here alone, with this 
 thing weighing upon me. Come open your eyes ; 
 listen to what I have to say ! " 
 
 Dr. Cripps, striving hard to go to sleep again, 
 even while held upright by his friend, tried a line 
 or two of his former lugubrious ditty, and smiled 
 feebly. Ogledon, all impatience however, brought 
 him rapidly to something of sobriety, by uncere- 
 moniously emptying the remains of a glass of spirits 
 over him ; whereupon he shuddered, and shivered, 
 and opened his eyes fully ; and stood upright with- 
 out assistance. 
 
 "Now, Cripps just attend to me for I mean 
 business. If you deceive me, by so much as a word, 
 it'll be the worse for you. You tell me you took 
 this body from the river ? What day was that ? " 
 
 The Doctor blinked his eyelids, moistened his lips 
 with his tongue, and looked extraordinarily grave. 
 " Thish afternoon no thish is to-morrow mornin' 
 ain't it ? Yeshterday afternoon, I mean " 
 
 " I know what you mean ; you mean a few hours 
 since say, ten or a dozen eh ? " cried Ogledon, 
 impatiently, yet always in that low, cautious tone.
 
 WANTED A DEAD MAN ! 157 
 
 " Thash it," replied the Doctor, fast merging into 
 sleep again. 
 
 " Very well then. You understand your business, 
 I suppose ; how long had this man this body been 
 in the water ? " 
 
 "Five shix days p'raps a week," said the 
 other. Then, suddenly becoming more sober, at the 
 recollection of what had so recently happened, the 
 little man waved his arms wildly, and exclaimed, 
 in his thin piping voice "But that's nothing 
 nothing 't all. Dandy Chater came to meeting; 
 took bank-notes his own yours, too " 
 
 " What the devil are you talking about ? " cried 
 Ogledon, almost as wildly as the other. "What 
 meeting what notes ? " 
 
 "Tuesday. The boys divided up share and 
 share alike Dandy took yours and his own. And 
 to-night ugh ! he was in that damned garden, 
 and took the necklace. He takes everything." 
 
 Ogledon wiped his face, and even his hands, and 
 poured out more brandy. Drinking it, he looked 
 over the top of the glass at Cripps ; set the glass 
 down, and stood nervously beating his hands to- 
 gether, and biting his lips. 
 
 " Cripps," he said at last, in a whisper " this 
 thing has got the better of me. As sure as Heaven, 
 Dandy Chater is is dead." 
 
 The Doctor saw something in Ogledon's eyes 
 which completely sobered him ; he sank down help- 
 lessly in a chair. " You don't mean " he began. 
 
 Ogledon nodded. " We we had a row. We've 
 had had rows beiore. Besides the fool was in
 
 158 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 my way in my way everywhere. I'd got out of 
 him all I wanted. I followed him down to the 
 river, a week ago, and struck him down there from 
 behind. I know he was dead ; I felt for his heart. 
 Then I made a bolt for it ; got to Paris, so as to be 
 out of the way and came back here only to-day. 
 I've watched the papers, for a week ; I came back, 
 expecting to hear that the body had been found, 
 and that this .house was in mourning. Cripps as 
 Heaven's above us, there is some devilish Thing go- 
 ing about from the grave from anywhere you 
 will in the likeness of this man we both know to 
 be dead." 
 
 The little Doctor was trembling from head to 
 foot ; not sober enough yet to understand the mag- 
 nitude of the thing, and having, after that lapse of 
 twenty-eight years, but a dim and fleeting recol- 
 lection of the birth at Chater Hall. Indeed, then, 
 as now, he had been always in so hazy a condition, 
 that it is doubtful if he remembered the real cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 " It has been seen at this meeting ; it came here ; 
 it dogged us to-night. I'm I'm choking, Cripps ; 
 I must have one of these windows open." 
 
 He crossed the room hurriedly, and flung back a 
 heavy curtain, which hung across the long French 
 window which opened on to the terrace. But, the 
 next moment, he started back with a scream, and 
 covered his face with his hands ; for there, in the 
 clear cold light of the moon, stood the living image 
 of Dandy Chater, looking calmly at him.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 INSPECTOR TOKELY IS EMPHATIC 
 
 IN one of the many rooms of that barrack-like 
 building, which harbours so many guilty secrets, 
 and is so learned in many shady ways of life, and 
 is known to all and sundry as Scotland Yard, 
 there worked with long intervals for mysterious 
 disappearances into various parts of the country 
 a small man, with a hard, expressionless face, 
 ornamented with a tuft of greyish hair on the 
 chin. 
 
 This man had once had the extraordinary good 
 fortune to pick up a vital piece of evidence 
 literally, to trip over it ; for it was right in his way, 
 and he could not well avoid it. But it brought him 
 into prominent notice ; it got him talked about ; and, 
 as he was wise enough to appear absolutely im- 
 passive, when complimented by his superior officers, 
 and even by a great and bewigged Judge on the 
 Bench, he gained greater credit still; was spoken 
 of with bated breath, by criminals acquainted, by 
 experience, with some of the intricacies of the 
 Yard ; and sagely nodded over by those in author- 
 ity. Then, one lucky chance following another, he 
 rose up, by dint of that hard expressionless face, to 
 something greater still; and, steering clear of 
 blunders, and getting other men with brains to 
 
 159
 
 160 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 secure information for him, blossomed at last into 
 Inspector Tokely, of the Criminal Investigation 
 Department. 
 
 Now, this same Inspector Tokely was a native of 
 the small and unimportant village of Bamberton ; 
 had come up from it, indeed, as a raw youth, to 
 enter the police force in London. So that, when 
 news came of the murder of poor Patience Miller, 
 and a request that the matter might be investigated, 
 Inspector Tokely, instead of sending a subordinate, 
 determined to combine business with pleasure, and 
 to see his native place. Thus it came about that 
 the great little man descended on the village, early 
 on the afternoon preceding Philip's night adventure 
 in the garden, and stirred the already startled com- 
 munity of yokels to its depths. 
 
 Reversing the copybook maxim, Inspector Tokely 
 determined to take pleasure before business, and to 
 flutter with envy the bosoms of his former acquaint- 
 ances. Therefore he put up, with some ostentation, 
 at the Chater Arms; and took his expressionless 
 face, with its dependent tuft, into the bar of that 
 hostelry, when some half-dozen village celebrities 
 were assembled in it. Old Betty Siggs, being busy 
 at the moment, and not having set eyes upon him 
 since his boyhood, failed to notice his entry, or to 
 recognise him other than as a casual visitor. The 
 Inspector, looking down from his height of superior 
 importance and criminal experience on the mere 
 hinds on whom Mrs. Siggs was attending, coughed 
 vigorously to attract her attention, and dropped his 
 portmanteau with a bang upon the floor. Mrs.
 
 INSPECTOR TOKELY IS EMPHATIC 161 
 
 Siggs, smiling and pleasant, came across, and civilly 
 enquired what she could do for him. 
 
 " I shall sleep here for a night possibly two or 
 three," replied Tokely, in a loud voice, and with a 
 side glance to note the effect of what he said upon 
 the mere hinds before-mentioned. " I am here upon 
 upon business." 
 
 " Indeed, sir," said Mrs. Siggs, briskly. " It ain't 
 many commercial gents we gets down to Bamber- 
 ton, sir 'cept by accident. "Would you wish to 
 'ave a meal prepared, sir ? P'raps you'd be so good 
 as step this way, sir." 
 
 "I should like something to eat, certainly," re- 
 plied the Inspector. " And I am not here on com- 
 mercial business ; quite the contrary. My business 
 is connected with the the Law." 
 
 " Lor' ! " exclaimed Mrs. Siggs, as she led the way 
 into the little parlour ; this exclamation not being 
 intended as an echo of the Inspector's last word, by 
 any means. " I 'ope we shall be able to make you 
 comfortable, sir, w'atever your business may be. 
 This way, sir. P'raps you might like to take a 
 little summink afore your meal, sir ? " 
 
 Inspector Tokely gave the order for the " little 
 summink," as well as for the meal, and then turned 
 to Mrs. Siggs as she was leaving the room. " One 
 moment, my good woman," he said. 
 
 Mrs. Siggs hesitated, with her hand on the door- 
 knob, and looked at him curiously not at all pre- 
 possessed in his favour. The Inspector, leaning 
 against the table, and putting his head a little 
 on one side, conveyed into his hard features some-
 
 162 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 thing as nearly approaching a smile as he was ca- 
 pable of. 
 
 " You don't know me, I suppose ? " he said. 
 
 Mrs. Siggs shook her head slowly, after looking 
 him up and down for a few moments in some per- 
 plexity. 
 
 " I see you don't," said Tokely, grimly. " Do 
 you remember a lad a lad of superior intelligence, 
 I might say who used to be a sort of under-keeper 
 up at the Hall by name Tokely ? " The Inspector 
 smiled a little more. 
 
 Mrs. Siggs, after a moment or two of frowning 
 contemplation of the floor, looked up at him with 
 a brightening face. " To be sure I do," she said. 
 " "When I was a gel about 'ere remember 'im well, 
 I do. Let me see now " Betty Siggs, immersed in 
 recollections of the past, lost sight of her visitor for 
 a moment completely "chuckle-headed chap 'e 
 was with a taste for spyin' out things wot didn't 
 concern 'im " 
 
 " He was nothing of the sort," broke in Tokely, 
 very red in the face. " He was a lad considerably 
 above the average of rustic intelligence and he 
 made his way in the world, Ma'am, I should like 
 you to know got his name in the papers, more 
 than once " 
 
 " Ah lots o' folks manages to do that, without 
 meanin' it," said Betty Siggs, with a little laugh. 
 " I've knowed a man to do it by breakin' a winder." 
 
 "Never mind about that," said the Inspector, 
 testily. " The young man I'm talking about got on 
 in the world, by sheer merit. / am that young
 
 INSPECTOR TOKELY IS EMPHATIC 163 
 
 man, Ma'am " the Inspector tapped himself dra- 
 matically on the breast " now Inspector Tokely, of 
 Scotland Yard ! " 
 
 Betty Siggs went a little white about the region 
 of her plump cheeks ; clasped her hands ; and 
 faltered out" Of of Scotland Yard." 
 
 "Criminal Investigation Department, Ma'am," 
 went on the Inspector, tapping himself on the 
 breast again. " Have the goodness, Ma'am, to shut 
 that door." 
 
 Mrs. Siggs put a hand out, to do as she was 
 bidden, never taking her eyes for a moment from 
 the face before her. Indeed, after shutting the 
 door, she stood with her hand upon the knob, as 
 though ready to pull it open in an instant, and 
 scream for assistance, if necessary. 
 
 " Now, Ma'am," began Tokely, wagging his head 
 and a forefinger at her, by way of caution "I 
 want to ask you a question or two ; and I'll trouble 
 you to be very careful what you say, or what you 
 don't say. I have been commissioned to enquire 
 into a case, touching a certain female of the name " 
 he pulled a pocketbook from his coat, and dived 
 into it for a moment " of the name of Patience 
 Miller. Now, this same Patience Miller " 
 
 Betty Siggs suddenly threw up her hands, and 
 clapped them over her ears. Performing a species 
 of little dance, entirely on her own account, with 
 her two feet, she shut her eyes, and called out 
 " Stop stop it ain't no use ! If you puts me on 
 the rack, and draws me out till I'm as thin as the 
 four-ale over the way (and there can't be any think
 
 164 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 much thinner than that} you won't get nothink 
 out of me. I know no more than anybody else 
 not so much, in fact and what I does know I ain't 
 agoin' to tell." 
 
 " So you defy the Law do you ? " roared Tokely 
 for, Betty Siggs still keeping her hands tightly 
 pressed upon her ears, there was no other way to 
 make himself heard. But Betty Siggs did not wait 
 to hear an account of whatever terrors might be in 
 store for her ; watching her opportunity, she 
 wrenched open the door, and darted through into 
 the bar, where judging by a confused murmur, 
 which presently sprang up, of heavy rustic tongues, 
 leavened pretty strongly by her own shrill voice 
 she immediately began to stir up war against In- 
 spector Tokely. 
 
 Nor did the Inspector see her again for some 
 time. His meal was served to him by a very pretty 
 black-eyed girl, who evidently secretly instructed 
 by Mrs. Siggs, returned evasive answers to his 
 questions, and remained in the room as little as pos- 
 sible. The Inspector, having refreshed himself, at 
 his country's expense, to the very best of his ability 
 sallied forth again into the bar, with a general 
 view, as he would have expressed it, of " keeping 
 an eye on things." 
 
 There was no one in the bar; but, glancing 
 through a side door, Tokely had a view of a very 
 snug inner room, where three persons were seated, 
 in the glow of a small fire, very comfortably. One 
 of these persons was Mrs. Siggs herself ; the second, 
 the black-eyed damsel who had waited upon him ;
 
 INSPECTOK TOKELY IS EMPHATIC 165 
 
 and the third, a man of some sixty years of age, 
 with a round, jolly, innocent face, half hidden by 
 an enormous grey beard and moustache, and faintly 
 illuminated by a pair of sleepy good-tempered blue 
 eyes. 
 
 This man was reading a newspaper, following the 
 words and sentences in a sort of low comfortable 
 growl, like the purring of a huge cat by the fire ; 
 Mrs. Siggs was stitching away busily, in a sharp 
 energetic fashion, which denoted that her temper 
 had been ruffled ; the girl was sitting, with her eyes 
 pensively fixed on the fire, and her hands clasped 
 in her lap. 
 
 The room appeared so very comfortable, and the 
 Inspector had so clearly made up his mind to devote 
 the remainder of that day to pleasure, leaving the 
 more serious business of his visit until the morrow, 
 that he advanced his head a little into the room, 
 and enquired whether he might come in. 
 
 "You look so very cosy here, you know," he 
 said, " and I'm quite sure you couldn't be hard on a 
 lonely man, who has nobody to talk to," he added, 
 in an appealing tone. 
 
 " Depends a good bit on what you want to talk 
 about," said Mrs. Siggs quickly, without glancing 
 up from her work. " We don't want no Law 'ere, 
 my friend." 
 
 The man who was reading the paper glanced up 
 mildly, and pushed his chair back a little from the 
 fire. "Them as comes in the way of trade, my 
 angel," he said as slowly and heavily as though he 
 were spelling the words out of the newspaper in
 
 166 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 his hand " 'as a right to come where they will, if 
 so be " 
 
 " Oh I dessay," interrupted Mrs. Siggs, wrath- 
 f ully. " Wy don't you 'ave the 'ole Noah's Ark in 
 to tea, w'ile you're about it, an' 'Am to cut the 
 bread and butter for 'em." 
 
 Inspector Tokely, feeling that he had received as 
 much encouragement as he was likely to get, passed 
 into the room, and sat down. After a few mo- 
 ments, he ventured to suggest a little refreshment 
 for himself and his host even delicately hinting 
 that Mrs. Siggs might be tempted to partake of a 
 glass at his expense. Mrs. Siggs, relenting a little, 
 passed into the bar to get what was required ; and 
 the visitor, feeling the necessity for ingratiating 
 himself as much as possible with them all, turned 
 to the girl. 
 
 "Your mother, I suppose, Miss?" he asked, 
 edging a little nearer to her. 
 
 The girl glanced at him for moment nodded 
 and looked again at the fire. 
 
 "And a fine looking mother, too," went on 
 Tokely, feeling that it was more uphill work than 
 he had anticipated. " You, sir " he turned to the 
 man with the newspaper " ought to be proud of 
 such a wife and daughter." This at a venture, for 
 he knew nothing of the relationship they bore to 
 each other. 
 
 "Wen I fust drawed near to Betty t' other 
 side the earth there was a matter of nine men 
 one on 'em nigh on to eighty a makin' eyes at 'er, 
 an' even goin' so far as to sleep on 'er doorstep. I
 
 INSPECTOR TOKELY IS EMPHATIC 167 
 
 polished off as many as I could get at, and spoke 
 \vords of kind advice (as was throwed away on 'im) 
 to the old 'un an' drove 'er nigh a 'underd mile to 
 see a parson. An' she were then as fine a woman 
 or finer than any in them parts." He laid 
 down his newspaper picked it up again and 
 finished his remarks. " W'ich so she are now." 
 
 It was at this moment that Betty Siggs came in 
 from the bar, with a little tray, on which stood 
 some glasses and a jug of water ; but she no sooner 
 entered the room, than she stopped dead uttered an 
 exclamation and let fall the tray and its contents. 
 
 Inspector Tokely had had his eyes fixed upon 
 Mr. Siggs, so that he almost faced her as she came 
 in ; yet he could have sworn that, in the half glance 
 he had of her, she had been looking straight over 
 his head. Turning swiftly so soon at least as he 
 had got out of the way of the flowing liquids he 
 saw that, at the spot to which her eyes had been 
 directed, was a window, partly shrouded by a cur- 
 tain. Looking at Mrs. Siggs again, however, he 
 came reluctantly to the conclusion that he must 
 have been mistaken ; for that excellent woman, 
 with much laughter at her own carelessness, was 
 picking up the glasses, and rearranging them on 
 the tray. 
 
 " There's a butter-fingers for you ! " she exclaimed. 
 "Never knowed myself to do that before. It's 
 tryin' to do too much at once; that's wot it is. 
 Howsever, it ain't no use cryin' over spilt milk or 
 spilt spirits; an' I'm a keepin' everybody waitin' 
 for their liquor."
 
 168 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE, 
 
 In a moment, she bustled out again, appearing to 
 be in a much better temper than before indeed, 
 quite desirous of making herself pleasant to every 
 one, and propitiating the guest as much as possible. 
 On coming back, she was careful to a nicety about 
 mixing his drink, and even suggested he should 
 taste it, to be sure that it was to his liking, before 
 she proceeded to mix the others. Yet there was 
 about all her movements a certain fluttering 
 anxiety which had not been there before. 
 
 " 'Pon my word, Clara," she exclaimed suddenly 
 " I never see sich a girl in all my days ! Fancy 
 lightin' up the gas, an' never drawin' the curtain 
 even ; wot could you 'ave bin a thinkin' about ? " 
 
 She bustled across to the window, and pulled the 
 curtain sharply across it ; yet seemed to look out 
 of it for a moment, too, the Inspector thought, be- 
 fore doing so. She came back to her seat a seat 
 which faced that window and gaily pledged the 
 two men with her glass. But immediately after- 
 wards, she got up, and moved towards the door. 
 
 " Toby, old boy I wish you'd come and see to 
 this 'ere tap for a minute," she called out; and 
 Toby Siggs got up heavily, and followed her. 
 
 Immediately Inspector Tokely rose also, and 
 strolled quite casually, as it seemed across the 
 room. Coming to the window, he said apparently 
 for the benefit of Clara " I wonder what sort of 
 a night it is " and jerked back the curtain again. 
 
 Outside the window, however, was nothing but 
 black darkness; after a moment, the Inspector 
 turned away, half making up his mind that he must
 
 INSPECTOR TOKELY IS EMPHATIC 169 
 
 have been mistaken, and resumed his seat. At the 
 same moment, Mr. and Mrs. Siggs came in, evi- 
 dently on the best possible terms with each other, 
 from the bar. 
 
 Now, it was a curious thing that Mrs. Siggs, after 
 one glance at the bared window, made no further 
 remark about it ; nor did Mr. Siggs. Further than 
 that, Toby Siggs suddenly developed an extraordi- 
 nary liking for the Inspector, and a mad desire to 
 be convivial with him, quite out of keeping with his 
 general character. For he slapped that respected 
 man upon the back ; forced his glass upon him ; ran 
 out into the bar to fill it himself, the moment it was 
 empty, insisting that it should be at his expense ; 
 and altogether woke up wonderfully. More than 
 that, the Inspector, after sipping his renewed glass, 
 pronounced it to be mighty good stuff but rather 
 stronger, he thought, than the last; however, he 
 drank it, and it seemed to loosen his tongue in an 
 extraordinary fashion. 
 
 He mentioned as between friends that he had 
 a warrant in his pocket to be used if necessary 
 against a certain person whom he would not name ; 
 proclaimed himself a cautious man ; but hinted at 
 murder, and darkly suggested that a certain person 
 would find him a re-mark-ably tough fellow to get 
 over. 
 
 The Inspector had had his glass replenished for the 
 fourth time, and was so well pleased with himself, 
 that he had begun to wag his head, and wink upon 
 Mrs. Siggs, when another strange thing happened. 
 Clara, who had been sitting all this time, looking,
 
 170 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 for the most part, at the fire, and occasionally at 
 the Inspector, suddenly seemed to cry out ; checked 
 the cry with a fit of hysterical laughter, which may 
 have been induced by some remark of Tokely's ; and 
 ran still laughing in that strange fashion from 
 the room. 
 
 The Inspector, after recovering from the little 
 shock occasioned by Clara's behaviour, appeared to 
 be falling asleep. Betty Siggs, with a watchful eye 
 upon him, drew nearer to her husband. 
 
 "Toby," she whispered breathlessly, stretching 
 out a hand to draw him towards her, and still keep- 
 ing an eye upon Tokely "'e's come back again. 
 Clara must 'ave seed 5 im." 
 
 " Can't think w'y 'e should be a 'angin' about 
 'ere a shovin' 'is 'ead into danger like this," whis- 
 pered Toby in reply. " 'E's 'ad a long start an' 
 might 'ave bin miles away afore this. Were's Clara 
 gone ? " 
 
 Betty Siggs made a hasty movement with her 
 hand to silence him; for Tokely was waking up 
 again. At the same moment, a noise was heard in 
 the rear of the house, and the next instant a small 
 door in the further corner of the room was thrust 
 open, and Harry Routley burst in. He was wild 
 looking, and in a fearful state of excitement ; with- 
 out pause, he bounded into the middle of the room, 
 and faced the astonished Tokely, who had risen hur- 
 riedly to his feet. Betty Siggs must have seen that 
 in his face which appalled her, for she cried out sud- 
 denly, and covered her eyes with her hands. 
 
 " Is there a man here," cried Harry, looking round
 
 INSPECTOK TOKELY IS EMPHATIC 171 
 
 upon them all, " who wants to find the murderer of 
 Patience Miller ? " 
 
 Before any one could speak, and while the energy 
 of the lad still held them dumb, a figure darted in 
 at the open doorway, and caught him in its arms, 
 and fell at his feet. It was Clara Siggs. 
 
 " Harry," she cried, hiding her face against his 
 leg, and still clutching him desperately " for the 
 love of God, be silent ! For the love of all the good 
 angels don't betray him ! " 
 
 A sort of fierce struggle seemed to go on, for a 
 moment, in the lad's breast ; finally, looking down 
 at her, he stooped, and caught her half roughly by 
 the arm, and released himself stepping back a lit- 
 tle, so that she trailed over the floor after him. 
 
 " Harry ! Harry ! " was all she said, with a sort 
 of sob in her voice. 
 
 " Is there a man here who wants the murderer 
 of Patience Miller ? " he cried again. " I've seen 
 him, not a moment since ; I know which way he's 
 gone. I found him talking with this this girl. 
 I'll lead any man to him ; I'll track him down any- 
 where. Who wants him ? " 
 
 " I'm your man," cried Tokely, advancing to him, 
 sobered by the scene he had witnessed. ""Who's 
 the man ? " 
 
 " Harry ! Harry ! " wailed the girl again, without 
 rising, or looking up. 
 
 The lad seemed to choke down something in his 
 throat, before he spoke. " Dandy Chater," he said, 
 after a moment's pause. 
 
 " That's my man," cried Tokely, bringing his fist
 
 172 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE, 
 
 down heavily on the table. " And for a thousand 
 pounds I'll have Dandy Chater to-night, before I 
 sleep ! Come on ! " 
 
 Catching Harry by the arm, and snatching up his 
 own hat, he hurried with him out of the still open 
 door, and vanished in the darkness.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 BETTY SIGGS DKEAMS A DREAM 
 
 THE girl rose slowly from the ground, after the 
 two men had disappeared, and, still sobbing heav- 
 ily, made her way towards the door which led to 
 the upper part of the house. But her mother, 
 brought to herself by the movement, advanced rap- 
 idly, and caught her in her arms. 
 
 " Child," she said, in a sort of gasp " this ain't 
 no time for callin' folks names, or talkin' about 
 rights and wrongs. Quick what's i' the wind? 
 I see Master Dandy a lookin' in at that winder 
 straight at me ; what's i' the wind, child and w'ere 
 have they gone ? " 
 
 For some moments, Clara Siggs could not speak ; 
 her sobs seemed to shake her from head to foot. 
 But, after a little time, she grew more calm, and 
 told what she knew. 
 
 " I saw him looking in at the window ; he beck- 
 oned to me. Then, when I slipped out to him, I 
 was frightened at first, because he seemed so worn- 
 looking, and so strange. But he kept saying, again 
 and again, that he wanted to see you that he could 
 not go away, without seeing you. And, in spite of 
 all they have said, I could not believe, somehow, 
 when I looked into his e} r es, that he could have 
 done such a cruel and wicked deed as that." Here 
 
 173
 
 174 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 her sobs broke out afresh, so that Betty had much 
 ado to comfort her. 
 
 " There, there don't cry, child," she said. " Cry- 
 ing never mended anythink yet. Wot else did 'e 
 say?" 
 
 " He asked who the man was with us ; and, when 
 I told him, he laughed, and said he would give him 
 a run for his money, anyway." 
 
 " Spoke like a Chater that was ! " cried Betty, 
 with considerable pride. " Then wot 'appened ? " 
 
 " Master Dandy said that as it wouldn't be safe 
 to see you, he would make across the fields, so as 
 to get clear of Bamberton, and walk on the way to 
 London. Then, as I was crying, he put his arm 
 round my shoulders indeed, indeed, there was no 
 shame in it, mother dear and told me not to mind, 
 for he would clear himself yet. And just at that 
 moment, I heard a rustling in the hedge, and Harry 
 jumped through." 
 
 Toby Siggs looked long at his daughter ; slowly 
 shook his head ; and delivered himself of this piece 
 of wisdom. " The good Lord, with the willin' 'elp 
 of yer mother, made ye fair-lookin' an' put bright 
 eyes into your face ; but neither the good Lord nor 
 your mother meant as 'ow they should be a snare, 
 or in any way deludin'. One lad is good enough for 
 the best o' gels. Go to bed an' think well on it ! " 
 
 Clara, still sobbing, took her way slowly upstairs. 
 For a long time, Toby Siggs and his wife sat in 
 whispered conversation ; Toby saying but little, 
 but probably thinking the more. The shadow of 
 that crime in the wood seemed to have fallen even
 
 BETTY SIGGS DKEAMS A DKEAM 175 
 
 on that quiet household ; Betty Siggs watched the 
 dying fire ; and her mind travelled back, through 
 the years to the farm in Australia, on the edge of 
 the Bush, and to the bright-faced lad that cruel 
 Bush had swallowed up, and snatched from her. 
 Old Toby Siggs knew the story ; for, when first he 
 had met her, she had had to account for the pres- 
 ence of the child ; but Toby was a silent man, and 
 the lost boy was as far back in the mists of the dead 
 years, as in the mists of Toby's brain. 
 
 " It's all been a muddle, Toby," said Mrs. Siggs 
 at last, still in the same cautious whisper. " If the 
 old Squire could only know what has happened, I 
 think Vd be a bit sorry 'e cast that boy loose, an' 
 took up with the younger. Lor', Toby wot a boy 
 'e was ! " 
 
 Toby nodded his head slowly. " Ah ! " he ejacu- 
 lated. " There ain't no up-settin' about me, or about 
 you, ole gal ; we knows ourselves for ordinary folk. 
 But that boy moved, and talked, and 'eld 'isself like 
 a gen'leman." 
 
 "That 'e did!" replied Betty, with a vigorous 
 nod. "Lor', Toby if 'e'd 'ave bin at the 'All 
 we'd 'ave 'ad no talks about pore ruined gals ; no 
 policemen in the 'ouse no 'untin' an' dodgin' an' 
 'idin' like this. God knows 'ow it's all goin' to 
 end, Toby." 
 
 The house had been shut, so far as its public 
 capacity was concerned, for some time. Knowing, 
 however, that the Inspector must presently make 
 his appearance, and that, in any case, his bed was 
 reserved for him, Mrs. Siggs and her husband sat
 
 1T6 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE, 
 
 on over the fire, each filled with sad thoughts, and 
 ready, from the events of the evening, for anything 
 which could happen. 
 
 Presently there came a heavy knock at the front 
 door ; Mrs. Siggs, with a hand on her ample bosom, 
 started, and looked appealingly at Toby. That gen- 
 tleman, rising with a determined countenance, pro- 
 ceeded to the door, and flung it open. Exactly 
 what he was prepared to see, it is impossible to 
 say; but he was certainly not prepared for the 
 sight which met his eyes. 
 
 Out of the darkness there staggered into the 
 place a solitary figure that of Inspector Tokely. 
 His hat was gone one side of his face was grazed 
 and bleeding ; he was covered with mud and water 
 almost from head to foot; and his coat was torn 
 right across one shoulder. Gasping and weary, he 
 shook a fist in the face of the astonished Toby Siggs, 
 and snapped out his wrath at that innocent man. 
 
 "You scoundrel!" he shouted "You infernal 
 villain ! This is all a plot a conspiracy you know 
 it is ! I'm lured out of this place, and go racing 
 and chasing across country where there are no 
 street lamps as there ought to be, and no constables 
 to whistle for. I bark my face against a tree put 
 there on purpose, I've no doubt, for me to run my 
 head against; I fall into a ditch, which ought to 
 have been drained long ago ; I lose my hat, which 
 cost nine-and-sixpence ; I tear my coat on a barbed 
 wire fence, which ought never to have been put up. 
 And to crown it all I lose my prisoner ! " 
 
 Betty Siggs, who had come to the door of the lit-
 
 BETTY SIGGS DREAMS A DREAM 1Y7 
 
 tie parlour, suddenly clapped her hands and cried 
 out with an exclamation of so much relief, that 
 the Inspector turned savagely upon her. 
 
 "Yes, Ma'am laugh giggle clap your hands 
 scream with joy, Ma'am ! I like it it does me 
 good ! How will you like it, when you appear in 
 the dock the dock, Ma'am ! on a charge of aiding 
 and abetting a prisoner, to escape ? What about 
 windows covered with curtains " 
 
 " What would you 'ave 'ein covered with ? " re- 
 torted Betty, with a laugh " wall paper ? " 
 
 "Never mind, Ma'am never mind," retorted 
 Tokely, viciously. "At the present moment, 
 Ma'am, I will go to bed. The Law, Ma'am, can 
 wait. Prepare yourself, Ma'am, for the dock for 
 the dock, I say ! " 
 
 With these words, and utterly scornful of Betty 
 Siggs's peals of laughter, the Inspector made his 
 way upstairs to his chamber leaving a trail of 
 muddy water to mark his passage. 
 
 " That chap's done me good ! " exclaimed Betty, 
 wiping her eyes, and turning to Toby, who was 
 staring in ludicrous amazement after Tokely. " I 
 just wanted sum mink to stir me up I did an' that 
 chap's done it ! " 
 
 " You take care, ole gal, that 'e don't stir you 
 up," retorted Toby, shaking his head. " The Law 
 'as got a 'cap be'ind it an' you ain't got the figger 
 to be redooced by skilly, nor the fingers for oakum- 
 pickin'. An', mark my words, that's what you'll 
 come to, ole gal, if you mocks at the Law ! " 
 
 Betty Siggs, however, was in too good a humour
 
 178 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 to heed any such warning ; she gaily locked up the 
 house, extinguished the lights and pushed Toby up- 
 stairs to bed. "Blow the Law!" she exclaimed, 
 kissing him "You an' me won't sleep the less 
 sound, because the Law 'as got its face scratched, 
 and lost its 'at will we, Toby ? " 
 
 Nevertheless, Betty's prediction proved to be, so 
 far as she was concerned, a false one ; sleep refused 
 to come to her, no matter how she wooed it. Liv- 
 ing, as she always had done, a good brisk hard- 
 working blameless life, with a conscience as clear as 
 her own healthy skin, Betty had known nothing of 
 the terrors of insomnia ; yet to-night, she lay 
 blinking at the stars peeping in through the uncur- 
 tained window, thinking of many things thinking 
 most of all, perhaps, of the unhappy man flying for 
 his life, hiding in ditches and under hedges, and 
 trembling at every sound. Betty's tender heart 
 melted a little when she thought of him, and she 
 sadly cried herself into a state of quiet exhaustion, 
 and so fell into a troubled sleep. 
 
 And in that sleep she dreamed a dream. She was 
 back again, in the old days, in Australia, at Talla- 
 poona Farm the farm which had never paid, and 
 from which that bright-faced boy Philip had wan- 
 dered out one morning, never to return. Yet the 
 curious part of Betty's dream was this ; that, al- 
 though the sights and sounds beyond the windows 
 were as she had known them over a quarter of a 
 century ago, the house bore a curious resemblance 
 to the Chater Arms ; indeed, faces familiar to her 
 later days in Bamberton passed to and fro before
 
 BETTY SIGGS DEEAMS A DKEAM 179 
 
 the windows, and the slow Bamberton drawl was 
 in her ears. 
 
 But, in her dream, night came swiftly on, and the 
 place was in darkness. She thought she stood 
 again in the little parlour alone ; and, drawing back 
 the curtain from before the window, looked out 
 upon the sandy bridle-tracks, and wild vegetation 
 which fringed the denser growth beyond. Sud- 
 denly, out of this, and coming straight to the win- 
 dow, she saw the child, just as she had known him 
 eighteen long years before. So vivid was the 
 dream, and so clearly did she see his face, and 
 recognise it, that waking with a cry upon her lips 
 she found herself out of bed, and standing on the 
 floor, in the faint light of the stars. 
 
 Betty Siggs was more troubled than ever. She 
 looked round the room, as though half expecting to 
 see her dream realised ; rubbed her eyes, and began 
 to tremble a little. Toby's regular breathing re- 
 assured her somewhat; but still she felt uneasy. 
 The window at which she had seen the face of the 
 man that night, in reality, and the dream-face of 
 the child, haunted her ; she felt that she must go 
 to it must assure herself that there was nothing 
 on the other side of it. 
 
 She threw a long cloak round her, noiselessly lit 
 a candle, and crept out of the room. There was no 
 sound anywhere, save the quick patter of her own 
 feet on the stairs, and the rapid scurry of a mouse 
 flying from the light. Betty reached the parlour, 
 set down her candle, and faced the window, over 
 which the curtain had been drawn again.
 
 180 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Now, under all the circumstances, it is probable 
 that ninety-nine people out of a hundred would 
 have hesitated, at that hour, to draw back that cur- 
 tain ; and the hundredth would have done it if at 
 all out of sheer bravado. But the curious thing 
 was, that Betty had no fear of it at all ; so com- 
 pletely was she dominated by her dream, and so 
 much did she seem to be dreaming still, that she 
 walked up to the curtain, and softly drew it aside. 
 
 Nor did she think it strange, under the circum- 
 stances, that there was a face upon the other side ; 
 for, although she believed she looked upon Dandy 
 Chater, somehow the dream face had got mixed up 
 with it ; the dream-eyes of the child she believed 
 dead smiled at her, out of the face of the man. 
 Still keeping her eyes upon the window, she slipped 
 along to the door and softly drew the bolt, and opened 
 it ; and then for no known reason, and yet for 
 some reason which seemed strong within her be- 
 gan to tremble very much, as though she faced 
 something uncanny. 
 
 A figure moved towards the door, slipped into the 
 room, and took her in his arms. Not Dandy Chater 
 not the man with a price on his head, and blood 
 on his cruel hands not the man whose name was 
 a by-word and a reproach in all that country-side ; 
 but her boy her dear lad, back from his grave 
 thousands of miles away ! You couldn't have tried 
 to deceive old Betty Siggs at that moment ; she 
 knew that no other arms could hold her like that. 
 
 Then, when he called her as he had done all 
 those long years before "little mother" when
 
 BETTY SIGGS DREAMS A DREAM 181 
 
 he whispered, did she remember Tallapoona Farm, 
 and the mare with the rat-tail, and Peter the sheep- 
 dog and a dozen other things that would have 
 stamped him as her boy, if nothing else oould have 
 done ; old Betty woke from her dream, and burst 
 into a flood of tears, and laid her old grey head 
 down on his shoulder. 
 
 Perhaps it was well that Toby was sleeping 
 soundly above. For, if he had happened to dream, 
 and had wandered, in his night apparel, down to 
 that same parlour, he would have been very prop- 
 erly scandalised. For here was the supposed Dandy 
 Chater, sitting near the table, with Betty Siggs 
 (hugging him mighty tight round the neck) on his 
 knee the while he rapidly sketched out all that 
 happened in those eighteen years. 
 
 " Ah little mother little mother ! " he said, 
 drawing her face down, that he might kiss it 
 "You didn't know to whom you were talking, 
 when I strolled in here the other day, and you read 
 me a lecture on the sins of Dandy Chater. It's 
 been a long time, little mother; picked up, more 
 dead than alive, by an exploring party in the Bush ; 
 taken with them miles into the interior ; then more 
 miles, by a party bound for the "West, with whom 
 they came in contact. Then, five or six years of 
 life with a dear old couple, who had no chicks 
 of their own, and were fond of the friendless boy 
 thrown on their hands. Then, when I could, I 
 went back to Tallapoona only to find that you had 
 gone to England no one exactly knew where." 
 
 " An' you kep' a thought of me all those years
 
 182 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 did you, Phil ? " whispered the old woman, 
 proudly. 
 
 yes and came back to you as soon as I could. 
 At least not to you, because I didn't know where 
 you were. But I remembered the story you had 
 told me ; and I knew I had the right to the place 
 which had been my father's. But I would not 
 have turned out my brother ; my idea was that we 
 might live together peaceably, sharing what there 
 was. But he is dead." 
 
 She looked round at him, with a startled face ; 
 and he realised, in a moment, that he had given her 
 the clue to the whole mystery. Therefore, with 
 much pains and many pauses to allow her to fully 
 digest the extraordinary story, he told her of the 
 whole business ; of his arrival in England of his 
 discovery of the strange likeness between himself 
 and the real Dandy Chater ; and of his determina- 
 tion, on discovering that his brother was dead, to 
 trade upon it. Of his certainty that his brother had 
 been murdered ; and of the impossibility of fixing 
 the crime upon any one's shoulders. 
 
 But Betty Siggs saw only with the limited vision 
 of love ; knew only that her boy was with her 
 again, and that he was innocent of the crime she 
 had unconsciously laid to his charge. 
 
 " Lor' this'll be news for Toby ! " she cried ; 
 " this'll be something to laugh at in the village ; 
 that they've taken my boy for Dandy Chater, and 
 called him names, and 'unted 'im with perlice and 
 sich like " 
 
 " Stop stop ! " he cried, hurriedly. " Not a word
 
 BETTY SIGGS DKEAMS A DREAM 183 
 
 of this to a soul, little mother not a word. Don't 
 you see the position in which I stand ? My brother 
 is dead ; I have upon me, at the present moment, 
 his clothes, his papers his valuables. Good God, 
 little mother I've traded on his name, and on his 
 appearance; I'm mixed up in I know not what 
 shady things concerning him. Turn to any living 
 soul about here to-night save yourself and tell 
 my story. They will laugh you to scorn ; will de- 
 ride your boy, who's come back from the grave. 
 Don't you see that their first question would natur- 
 ally be ' If you are not Dandy Chater you who 
 wear his clothes, and use his name, and hide by 
 night, because of his sins if you are not the man, 
 where is he ?' And, Heaven help me what am I 
 to answer them ? " 
 
 Betty Siggs seemed altogether nonplussed, and 
 could only shake her head. Philip, with his arm 
 about her, did his best to cheer her up again. 
 
 " Come you mustn't be down-hearted ; I'll pull 
 through, somehow or other," he said. " But, for 
 the time, I must keep out of the way. Every day 
 I'm getting nearer to the truth about my brother's 
 death ; every day I seem to see my way more clearly. 
 But I don't want to be accused of his murder for 
 they might say, with perfect justice, that I mur- 
 dered him, the better to take his place. No I want 
 to track down the real man ; when that time comes, 
 I'll call on you to speak. Until then, you must be 
 silent as the grave." 
 
 " I can't I can't ! " cried Betty Siggs. " Is my 
 dear boy to come back to me, after all these years
 
 184 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 and am I to see 'im 'unted an' drove like this 
 'ere, by a mere common Tokely an' say nothink ? 
 Not me!" Betty Siggs folded her arms, and 
 nodded her head with much determination. 
 
 " Little mother little mother ! " he exclaimed 
 " do you want to ruin me ? Do you want to undo 
 all that I have tried so hard to bring about ? Shall 
 I tell you something more ? something to be 
 hidden deep in that good heart of yours, and never 
 breathed to any one ? Betty you don't mind my 
 calling you Betty do you ? have you ever been 
 in love ? " 
 
 " P'raps you'd like to ask Toby, as is a snorin' 'is 
 'ead off upstairs this very minute," retorted Mrs. 
 Siggs, with a very becoming blush. " In love, 
 indeed ! " 
 
 " Well then, you will understand my difficulty. 
 /'m in love, little mother and with the sweetest 
 girl in all the world. But even in that, my ill-luck 
 dogs me ; for she believes that her lover is Dandy 
 Chater, whom she has known for years ; if she once 
 heard that she had whispered her words of love 
 and tenderness and sympathy to a stranger do 
 you think that she would look at me again ? Little 
 mother it's the maddest thing in the world; be- 
 cause, if she has any regard for me as Dandy 
 Chater, she knows me for everything that's bad and 
 vile food only for the common hangman ; while, on 
 the other hand, as Philip Chater I am a stranger, 
 and farther from her than ever. In any case, it is 
 hopeless; yet, knowing that whatever sympathy 
 she has is given to Dandy Chater, I'll be Dandy
 
 BETTY SIGGS DKEAMS A DREAM 185 
 
 Chater to the end whatever that end may be. 
 And even you, little mother, shall not change that 
 purpose. So don't talk about it." 
 
 She recognised however unwillingly that what 
 he said was true ; although she cried a little partly 
 for love of him, partly in terror at his danger she 
 yet was comforted by the feeling that all the sad 
 years of mourning were swept away, and that the 
 boy she had reared and loved had fulfilled her most 
 sanguine expectations and had grown to the man- 
 hood she had pictured for him. 
 
 He got up, and took her tenderly in his arms 
 again, to say good-bye. " It won't be long, little 
 mother," he said, " before I come again to you, and 
 take my place in my father's home. But, for the 
 present, I want you to swear to me to swear to 
 me on something you love well that you will not 
 betray my secret. Betty for the love of your boy 
 swear to me that you will not betray me will 
 not take from me the love of the woman who is more 
 to me than anything else in the wide world. Swear 
 to me ! " 
 
 With tears in her honest old eyes, she drew his 
 head down, and kissed him. " I'll swear to you, 
 Phil," she said" by that ! " 
 
 He ran out into the darkness, and left her stand- 
 ing, in the light of the candle, in the little parlour.
 
 CHAPTER XY 
 
 THE SHADY J UN AS A MOEAL CHARACTER 
 
 IT must be confessed that Mr. Ogledon better 
 known, in some shady circles, as " The Count " 
 was in an awkward situation. For a whole week, 
 he had secretly congratulated himself on the fact 
 that his unfortunate cousin Dandy Chater was 
 safely out of the way ; moreover, he had carefully 
 rehearsed the part he was to play, when first told 
 of Dandy's disappearance ; had decided how best to 
 show his pain and indignation, and his determina- 
 tion to hunt down the mystery, and find the mur- 
 derer. In a word, he had carefully arranged so 
 that no possible suspicion should fall upon himself ; 
 and now he discovered to his consternation that 
 all these precautions were unnecessary, and that 
 some ghastly replica of the murdered man had 
 taken his place, and was accepted, by all and 
 sundry as the genuine man. It must be said at 
 once, that Ogledon, having no knowledge of the 
 real story, and goaded by his own guilty conscience, 
 found no solution in his mind of the mystery in any 
 practical form. He saw, in this creature who had 
 sprung up in the likeness of the man whose life had 
 been brutally beaten out of him, only something 
 horrible and intangible, come straight from the 
 Land of Shadows, to mock at him, and drive him to 
 
 186
 
 SHADY 'UN A MORAL CHARACTER 187 
 
 distraction. If, on that lonely river bank, at the 
 dead of night, the victim he had struck down life- 
 less had suddenly risen up in full vigour, unharmed 
 and smiling, the murderer could not have been 
 more appalled than he was by this quiet acceptance, 
 by every one, of the figure which had stared 
 through the window at him from the terrace of 
 Chater Hall. Never for an instant suspecting the 
 presence of the second man, that solution of the 
 mystery did not occur to him ; he saw in this 
 Dandy Chater, risen from the grave, only his own 
 embodied conscience, come to haunt and terrify 
 him. 
 
 He remained that night in the dining-room with 
 the Doctor ; fearing to go to bed, or to be left alone 
 for a moment. And, as the Doctor, whenever he 
 got the opportunity, applied himself assiduously to 
 the consumption of neat brandy, Mr. Ogledon as 
 the time drew on towards morning, found himself 
 pretty fully occupied in shaking his companion, and 
 keeping him awake. 
 
 But day had its terrors, too ; for the first person 
 who entered the room made a casual and innocent 
 enquiry concerning " Master Dandy," and when he 
 might be expected. Ogledon, dismissing this man 
 with an oath, turned to the Doctor. 
 
 " Cripps," he shook the little man, for perhaps 
 the hundredth time, the better to impress his mean- 
 ing upon him " Cripps I'm going to make a bolt 
 for it. I must get away, for a time, until this thing 
 has blown over, and been forgotten. I shall go mad, 
 if I stay here "Well what do you want ? "
 
 188 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER, 
 
 This last was addressed to a servant, who had. en- 
 tered the room. The man informed him that a Mr. 
 Tokely connected, he believed, with the police 
 wished to see him. 
 
 Ogledon grasped the back of a chair, and turned 
 a ghastly face towards Cripps. Telling the man to 
 show the visitor in, he turned to Cripps, when they 
 were alone together again, and spoke in a frightened 
 hurried whisper. 
 
 " Stand by me, Cripps stand by me, and back 
 me up," he said. " Ask what you will of me after- 
 wards only stand by me now." 
 
 Dr. Cripps had the greatest possible difficulty, in 
 his then condition, to stand by himself ; but he 
 feebly murmured his intention to shed his blood for 
 his friend. And at that moment Tokely came in. 
 
 Now, in the stress of more personal matters, 
 Ogledon had paid but little attention to the dis- 
 jointed remarks of Mrs. Dolman, concerning the 
 murder in the wood ; and the subject had, by this 
 time, gone clean out of his mind. Indeed, but one 
 subject a deadly fear for his own safety occupied 
 his mind at this time ; so that it will readily be un- 
 derstood that the first words uttered by the In- 
 spector were startling in the extreme. 
 
 The Inspector was not in the best of tempers, and 
 was in no mood to be trifled with. He came in 
 rapidly, closed the door and advanced towards 
 Ogledon. 
 
 " Now, sir," he began, " I don't want you to com- 
 promise yourself about this matter ; but business is 
 business, and the Law is the Law. Touching this
 
 SHADY 'UN A MORAL CHARACTER 189 
 
 matter of Mr. Dandy Chater this matter of mur- 
 der " 
 
 He got no further ; as Ogledon, with a cry, turned 
 swiftly, and made towards the door Tokely turn- 
 ing, too, in his astonishment Dr. Cripps, dimly 
 and drunkenly realising that his patron was in dan- 
 ger, caught up the nearest weapon, which happened 
 to be a heavy decanter, and, with a shrill scream, 
 hurled himself upon the Inspector, and brought the 
 decanter down with all his force upon that gentle- 
 man's head. The unfortunate officer, with a groan, 
 dropped flat, and lay motionless. 
 
 For a moment or two, Ogledon stood staring 
 down at him, scarcely knowing what to do while 
 Cripps, mightily pleased with his performance, 
 danced all round Tokely's prostrate form, waving 
 the decanter, and chanting a species of dirge. But, 
 the seriousness of the position dawning rapidly 
 upon Ogledon, he seized Cripps by the arm, 
 wrenched the decanter from his grasp, and buffetted 
 him into a sense of the enormity of his offence. 
 
 " You idiot ! " he whispered, hoarsely " a pretty 
 thing you've done now. I might have stood and 
 braved the thing out ; there's no proof against me 
 and suspicions are useless. But now, after this, 
 there's nothing for it but to make a bolt of it ! I 
 suppose it's my own fault, for having anything to 
 do with a drunken little worm like yourself. 
 Quick ! there's no time to be lost ; we must clear 
 out of this. Come ! " 
 
 Going to the door, he listened cautiously for a 
 few moments, and then swiftly opened it. There
 
 190 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 was no one in sight, and he darted across the hall, 
 and caught up his own and the Doctor's hats and 
 coats, and went back noiselessly. Tokely still lay 
 without movement; and Ogledon dragged Cripps 
 into his coat, and crammed his shabby hat on his 
 head ; put on his own outdoor things, and prepared 
 to leave the place. 
 
 " Now, attend to me," he said to Cripps. " I 
 shall lock this door on the inside, and take the key 
 with me ; we'll go through this window on to the 
 terrace. If this fellow ever wakes again of which 
 I am extremely doubtful it won't be for an hour 
 or so ; and that will give us a fair start. Now 
 come quietly. This has been a devilish unlucky 
 night, and it promises to be an unlucky day. I 
 thought myself so safe ; I don't like the turn things 
 have taken at all." 
 
 Strolling quietly, until they were out of sight of 
 the windows of the house, the two got clear away 
 Ogledon keeping a tight grip of the arm of his 
 swaying companion. Indeed, it is possible that, 
 before many hours had elapsed, the little man 
 deeply regretted the part he had played in the re- 
 cent adventure ; for Ogledon walked him on, without 
 mercy, mile after mile, and without paying the 
 slightest attention to his many piteous entreaties to 
 be allowed to pause at seductive-looking public- 
 houses, for rest and refreshment. Later in the day, 
 they came to a small station, within easy distance 
 of London ; and dusty, weary, foot-sore, and ill- 
 tempered, Cripps was glad to get into the corner of 
 a third-class railway-carriage, and fall asleep.
 
 SHADY 'UN A MOEAL CHARACTER 191 
 
 Arrived at the terminus, Ogledon coolly an- 
 nounced to his companion that they must part. " I 
 shall drive across London get some dinner and 
 catch the night express for the Continent. You will 
 not, in all probability, hear from me for some time. 
 Good-bye ! " 
 
 " But what what is to become of me ? " asked 
 the little man, in dismay. 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know and I'm equally sure I 
 don't care," responded Ogledon. " You've got 
 yourself and me into this trouble; I'm going to 
 get out of it you had better do the same." 
 
 " But I've no money," said Cripps, appealingly. 
 
 "Ah you should have thought of that before 
 knocking policemen on the head with decanters. 
 If you will be so giddy and youthful and frolicsome, 
 you must take the consequences. Good-bye again ; 
 I hope they won't catch you ! " He turned and 
 made his way out of the station ; Cripps saw him 
 jump into a cab, and disappear in the press of 
 traffic in the streets. 
 
 Meantime, another traveller a fugitive like him- 
 self had set his face in the same direction ; with 
 no settled purpose in his mind, save to hide, until 
 such time as he could formulate a plan of action. 
 Not daring to trust to the railway, lest his descrip- 
 tion should have been telegraphed, and men should 
 be on the lookout for him, Philip Chater had started 
 off to walk to London. Coming, long after the sun 
 was up, into a straggling suburb, which yet had 
 some faint touches of the country left upon it, he 
 sat down, outside a small public-house, on a bench
 
 192 THE SECOND DAXDY CHATER 
 
 ordered some bread and cheese and ale and ate 
 and drank ravenously. 
 
 "Well," he muttered to himself, with a little 
 laugh " yesterday was a busy day. We start with 
 a burglary, and with the fact that Arthur Barnshaw 
 has discovered me in a forgery, and so he believes 
 in an attempt to steal his sister's diamond neck- 
 lace. Compared with what has gone before, these 
 things are mere trifles." 
 
 He laughed again, took a pull at his beer, and 
 shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "Let me see what happened after that? Oh, 
 to be sure ; I went round, to try and have a word 
 with old Betty ; I hated the thought that she dear 
 little mother of the old days should think so badly 
 of me. I felt that I could trust her to keep my 
 secret, if necessary. Then, after waiting about for 
 a long time, that girl (Clara Harry called her) 
 came out, to tell me that the strange man I had 
 seen through the window was from London, and 
 probably held a warrant for my arrest. And then 
 that jealous idiot Harry, must jump in, and come 
 acouring over the country after me with the police- 
 man in tow. "Well, I got away that time at all 
 events." 
 
 He sat for some time, with a musing smile upon 
 his face, stirring the dust at his feet with the toe of 
 his boot. At the moment, he had clean forgotten 
 the danger which threatened him, or the necessity 
 for further flight. 
 
 " Dear little mother ! " he whispered " how glad 
 she was to see me ; how glad to know that her bov
 
 SHADY 'UN A MORAL CHARACTER 193 
 
 had come back again. I'm glad I went back to the 
 place, after the policeman gave up the chase as 
 
 hopeless. Heigho I suppose I must be moving 
 
 Hullo what the devil do you want ?" 
 
 Some one had stopped before him some one 
 with remarkably old and broken boots. Raising 
 his eyes rapidly upwards to the face of the owner 
 of the boots, Philip Chater gave a start of surprise 
 and dismay. The Shady 'un looking a little more 
 disreputable than usual stood before him. 
 
 Going rapidly over in his mind the events of the 
 past few days, Philip Chater tried to discover, in 
 the few moments the Shady 'un stood silently 
 regarding him, whether or not he was to look upon 
 that interesting gentleman as a friend, or as a foe. 
 Remembering the two encounters with Captain 
 Peter Quist the scene in the upper room at " The 
 Three Watermen " and the unwarrantable liberty 
 taken with the Shady 'un's headgear on that 
 occasion, for the extinguishing of the light Philip 
 decided that the man had reason to be resentful 
 Accordingly, he waited for an attack verbal or 
 otherwise. 
 
 But the Shady 'un for some reason of his own 
 was disposed to be friendly; feeling, perhaps, a 
 certain warming of his heart towards one in misfor- 
 tune a brother in criminality, as it were he 
 turned a smiling face towards Philip Chater, and 
 held out his hand. 
 
 u This 'ere is the 'and of a pal an 'umble pal, if 
 yer like but still a pal. Strike me pink ! " ex- 
 claimed the Shady 'un, in a sort of hoarse whisper
 
 194 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 " but w'en it comes ter bread and cheese fer swells 
 like Dandy wot are we a comin' to ; I would arks " 
 he flung out one grimy hand, in an appeal to the 
 Universe "I would arks wot are we bloomin' 
 well comin' to ? " 
 
 " Yes it looks bad doesn't it ? " replied Philip, 
 still with a wary eye upon the other. "But one 
 must take what the gods send eh ? " 
 
 " "Well they sends me a dry throat, an' nuffink 
 to wet it with," said the Shady 'un, dismally eyeing 
 the beer which stood on the bench beside Philip, 
 with a thirsty tongue rolling round his lips. 
 
 "Well I dare say we can remedy that," re- 
 sponded Philip. "Go inside, and get what you 
 want, and bring it out here ; I should like to talk to 
 you." 
 
 The Shady 'un immediately vanished through the 
 doorway, and was heard inside, explaining that his 
 "guv'nor" would pay "the damage." In a few 
 moments, he emerged, bearing a tankard, and some 
 bread and cheese ; seated himself on the bench, and 
 fell to with an appetite. 
 
 He disposed of his breakfast if one may so 
 describe it at an astonishing rate; wiped his 
 pocket-knife on his leg; and looked round, with 
 a smirk which was probably intended as an ex- 
 pression of gratitude, at Philip. 
 
 "Tork away, guv'nor," he said, with a glance 
 towards the open door of the house. 
 
 " First," said Philip " tell me how you come to 
 be here." 
 
 " They took me, at the last moment, for that 'ere
 
 SHADY 'UN A MORAL CHARACTER 195 
 
 little job at Bamberton the job of the diamonds. 
 You was in that, Dandy wasn't yer?" 
 
 " Oh yes I was in it," replied Philip. " So I 
 suppose that you like myself are making your 
 way towards London ? " 
 
 The other nodded. " The word was passed for 
 us to scatter; an' I've bin a scatterin' all the 
 bloomin' night I 'ave. I must 'ave bin close on 
 yer 'eels most of the time, Dandy." 
 
 There was a long and somewhat awkward silence 
 between the two. Philip was debating in his mind 
 as to how much to tell the Shady 'un, and how much 
 to leave unsaid. The Shady 'un, for his part, hav- 
 ing heard gathering rumours of that business in the 
 wood, eyed his companion somewhat stealthily, and 
 worked out a plan of action in his own fertile 
 brain. He broke silence at last, by coming at the 
 matter in what he thought a highly diplomatic 
 manner. 
 
 " Beastly noosance gels," he said staring hard 
 before him. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked Philip, glancing at 
 him in some perplexity. 
 
 The Shady 'un drew a deep breath, and shook his 
 head. " There you go ! " he exclaimed, with con- 
 siderable disgust. "No confidence no trust no 
 confidin' spirit about yer! Didn't I say, a week 
 ago, as you might come ter the Shady 'un, wiv a 
 open 'eart an' 'and ; that 'e was the friend, if ever 
 the Count should fail yer ! Strike me pink ! " cried 
 the Shady 'un, with much earnestness " did I say 
 them words or did I not ? "
 
 196 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 "I believe you said something of the kind," re- 
 plied Philip, after a moment's pause. 
 
 " 'Course I did," said the Shady 'un, energetically. 
 "An' wot I said I sticks to. They calls me the 
 Shady 'un ; but I was c'ristened * Shadrach ' an' 
 'ad a f aver of the name of Nottidge. The Shady 'un 
 may not be all as 'e should be ; but Shadrach Not- 
 tidge is a pal, an' a friend. Dandy, my boy 
 there's 'emp-seed sowed for you an' well you 
 knows it." 
 
 Philip glanced round at him quickly, but said 
 nothing. The Shady 'un drank some beer slowly, 
 looking over the top of the tankard, and winked 
 one eye with much solemnity. Setting down the 
 beer, he ventured to lay one hand on Philip's arm. 
 "Yer ain't treated me quite fair, Dandy but I 
 bears no malice," he said, in the same hoarse 
 whisper as before. " I 'ave bin chivvied by a pal o' 
 yourn I 'ave bin knocked into a shop by that same 
 pal I 'ave 'ad a many things done wot ain't 
 strictly on the square. But I bears no malice, an' 
 I'm ready to 'elp yer." 
 
 There seemed so much sincerity about the man, 
 and Philip was so desperately in need of assistance 
 at that time, that he resolved to confide in him. 
 After all, he thought, the man knew the worst, and 
 knew in how many other shady transactions Dandy 
 Chater had been mixed up ; to confirm his friend- 
 ship would perhaps, after all, be a matter of policy. 
 
 "Well, then understand this," he said abruptly 
 " I'm flying for my life. There's a warrant out 
 against me for murder "
 
 SHADY 'UN A MOKAL CHARACTER 197 
 
 The Shady 'un nodded comfortably. " I know 
 I know," he said ; " young gel very much in the 
 way you 'its 'er a clump say by axerdent. She 
 don't like it an' just to spite yer goes dead. Lor' 
 that ain't nuffink; might 'appen to a man any 
 day. But I suppose the splits is out an' Dandy 
 must make 'isself scarce ? " 
 
 " Yes that's about it," replied Philip. 
 
 The Shady 'un got up, and shook himself, with an 
 air of resolution. " It's a lucky fing I came acrost 
 yer so 'andy," he said. " You'd 'ave got nabbed in 
 no time. The Shady 'un's yer pal ; stick to 'im 
 an' all will be well." 
 
 In his desperate extremity, Philip made up his 
 mind to trust the man. By strange courts and 
 alleys, and by unfrequented thoroughfares, they 
 came at last to a wretched lodging, in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the Borough a lodging which ap- 
 peared to be the private retreat of the Shady 'un in 
 his hours of leisure. There, Philip Chater, utterly 
 worn out, was glad to fling himself on a wretched 
 bed, and fall asleep instantly. 
 
 For some minutes after he had begun to slumber, 
 the other man stood looking down upon him, with 
 an evil smile crossing his face ; he even shook his 
 fist at him once bringing it so near to the sleeper's 
 head, that it was a matter for wonder that he did 
 not actually hit him. 
 
 "This is a good chance fer me this 'ere," 
 whispered the Shady 'un to himself. " Nice chap 
 you are to give yerself airs, an' git yer pals to 
 bang me about ain't yer ? This little bit of busi-
 
 198 THE SECOND BANDY CHATER 
 
 ness may stand me in all right, if I gets into 
 trouble on me own. Yes Dandy I'll make sure 
 of you, right away ! " 
 
 The Shady 'un after assuring himself that Philip 
 was sleeping heavily left the place, and bent his 
 steps in a direction they would not willingly have 
 taken on any other occasion to a police-station. 
 Within a very little time, messages had flashed to 
 and fro upon the wires ; questions had been asked 
 and answered ; and a silent and taciturn sergeant, 
 accompanied by a couple of constables, went back 
 with the Shady 'un to his lodging. 
 
 Philip, waking from an uneasy sleep, saw the grim 
 faces the blue coats the helmets of the Law ; and 
 knew that the game was up. The Shady 'un after 
 being quite sure that he was secured drew near. 
 
 " These gents know me an' they knows as 'ow 
 I've 'ad my little bit of trouble afore to-day. But 
 my 'ands look at 'em, gents, I beg of yer my 
 'ands is free from blood an' sich-like wickedness. 
 Gents if ever the time should come w'en, for 
 dooty's sake, you should 'ave to be 'ard on me 
 you'll remember this in my favour won't yer ? " 
 
 "Oh yes we'll remember it," responded the 
 taciturn sergeant. " Come, Mr. Dandy Chater we 
 are quite ready." 
 
 Late that night, Bamberton was stirred to its 
 depths again, by the news that Mr. Dandy Chater 
 was in close custody in the lock-up, with a special 
 draft of constables to keep watch over him.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN? 
 
 BAMBERTON was taking grim holiday. Bamber- 
 ton the sleepy with nothing to stir it, from one 
 dreary year's end to the other, treading its dull re- 
 spectable round, knowing exactly who married who, 
 and how John This, or James That, got on with 
 their respective wives, with the certainty of the dull 
 little clock in the Chater Arms had suddenly 
 awakened to find itself notorious, and its name in 
 big print in the great London papers. Moreover, 
 had not Bamberton, the newly-awakened, already 
 had pictures of its High Street (with an impossible 
 man, in a smock-frock, leaning on a species of 
 clothes-prop, in the foreground) in the illustrated 
 and evening journals ? Had not Bamberton already 
 been photographed, interviewed, stared at, and made 
 public in a hundred different ways. Now, too, had 
 come the day of the inquest ; and impossible ru- 
 mours were already in the air, concerning that same 
 inquest, and the marvellous things which were to 
 be said and done thereat. Scarcely to be wondered 
 at therefore, is it, that Bamberton should be taking 
 grim holiday, and should be flocking to the place 
 where twelve lucky members of its male community 
 had been summoned to give judgment, concerning 
 the doing to death of poor Patience Miller. 
 
 199
 
 200 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE, 
 
 At a period long since forgotten, some charitable 
 inhabitant, or other person interested in the welfare 
 of the male and female youth of Bamberton, had 
 had dreams of an Institute ; and, with that laudable 
 design in view, had pounced upon the only unoccu- 
 pied spacious building in the locality, and had en- 
 deavoured to transform it into a Hall of semi-daz- 
 zling Light. The attempt had been a failure ; and 
 the building which was no other than the old Mill, 
 which stood on the outskirts of the wood had long 
 since fallen into greater decay than before. 
 
 But this place had again come before the public 
 notice, by reason of the fact that the body of the 
 murdered girl had been carried there, after its dis- 
 covery ; and at that place the inquest was to be 
 held. The body had been put in an upper room 
 a species of loft; the inquest was to be held 
 in the great room of the Mill, where certain 
 iron rings and rotting ropes part of an abortive 
 attempt at a gymnasium hung suggestively from 
 the ceiling. And thither all Bamberton bent its 
 steps. 
 
 Whisperings, and murmurings, and the shuffling 
 of many feet with some glances towards the ceil- 
 ing, as though curious eyes would pierce through, 
 and see the ghastly thing laid above. At present, 
 only a grave-faced country constable or two, setting 
 chairs in order for the twelve lucky men, the Cor- 
 oner, and the witnesses ; and exercising a little brief 
 authority, in keeping back certain Bambertonites 
 who were pressing forward beyond the limits as- 
 signed for the general public. Once or twice, the
 
 door of a smaller room opened, and an important- 
 looking little man, with a hard face and a tuft of 
 hair on his chin, came bustling out, with a little 
 sheaf of papers in his hand, to whisper to one or other 
 of the constables. The door of that room proved to 
 be a keen source of attraction to many eyes ; for it 
 was whispered that the prisoner waited within. 
 
 After what seemed an interminable length of 
 time, a little gentleman, in a black frock-coat, thrust 
 his way with some impatience through the general 
 public, and made his way to one end of the table set 
 apart in the cleared space. A murmur ran round 
 that this was the Coroner, from the neighbouring 
 county -town ; murmurs, also, that he did not quite 
 look the part, inasmuch as that he wore an air of 
 cheerfulness, which seemed almost to suggest that 
 he was about to preside at a wedding, rather than 
 at anything so formidable as an inquest. 
 
 A little glancing at his watch by this gentleman ; 
 an expostulatory whisper or two on his part to the 
 constables in attendance, and the door of the inner 
 room opened again, and Inspector Tokely came 
 bustling out. One constable a stranger to Bam- 
 berton, and of more importance on that account, 
 produced a list, from which, with a strong provincial 
 accent, he proceeded to call out certain names. 
 Then, more shuffling of feet, and some friendly 
 pushing of bashful jurymen forward, and the twelve 
 ranged themselves sheepishly, with much coughing, 
 round the table, and were duly sworn. 
 
 " Be seated, gentlemen, I beg," said the Coroner, 
 busy with his papers. " Stop one moment, though "
 
 glancing up quickly "have you viewed the 
 body?" 
 
 Several of the jurymen present expressed a de- 
 cided disinclination to do anything of the kind; 
 and it became apparent that that important cere- 
 mony had not been performed. 
 
 " Really, Moody," exclaimed the Coroner " this 
 is most remiss on your part. This should have 
 been done first of all. We are wasting time val- 
 uable time." 
 
 The repentant Mr. Moody the strange constable 
 made some attempt at an apology, and concluded 
 by hurrying the jurymen through another door, 
 where they were heard to go heavily up wooden 
 stairs, and to tramp about a little overhead. In 
 the meantime, the Coroner had a word or two with 
 Inspector Tokely, and glanced once or twice, with 
 a nod, towards the door where the prisoner was 
 supposed to be. 
 
 The jurymen coming down again some of them 
 rather white-faced and wide-eyed the Coroner ab- 
 ruptly motioned them to their seats, and turned to 
 Tokely as he took his own. 
 
 " Inspector, I think we may have Mr. Chater in 
 here now." 
 
 The general public seemed to stir and sway, as 
 though bent by a sudden wind ; bending towards 
 each other, and whispering hoarsely, yet keeping 
 their eyes with one accord turned towards that 
 door. Inspector Tokely hurried out, and came 
 back in another moment, glancing over his shoul- 
 der through the doorway; immediately following
 
 WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN? 203 
 
 him came Philip Chater, with two constables in 
 close attendance. He looked round for a moment 
 at the murmuring crowd ; seemed to seek one face 
 in it, and to smile as he recognised it. At the same 
 moment, a woman in the crowd burst into violent 
 weeping. 
 
 The Coroner rapped the table impatiently with 
 his knuckles. " Any demonstration on the part of 
 any member of the public will necessitate my clear- 
 ing the room at once," he said, looking sternly 
 about him. 
 
 One of the jurymen no other than old Toby 
 Siggs rose ponderously in his place. " Askin' yer 
 pardon, Mister," he said, slowly " I rather think 
 as 'ow that was my ole gel." Then, before the 
 astonished Coroner could interpolate a remark, 
 Toby turned abruptly, and addressed his spouse. 
 " 'Earty is it, ole gel," he said, in a voice like 
 muffled thunder, for her special hearing "we'll 
 git 'im off, afore you'd 'ave time to draw 'arf a pint. 
 Bear in mind, ole gel, as 'ow I've got a vote." 
 
 " My good sir," interposed the Coroner, hurriedly, 
 " let me impress upon you that this business must 
 be tried judicially and fairly with no bias. Un- 
 derstand that clearly." 
 
 Toby nodded his head with much gravity. " Sich 
 are my intentions, Mister," he said. " So fire away 
 as 'ard as you like. An' Gawd 'elp the winner ! " 
 With which pious exclamation, Toby Siggs sat down 
 perfectly satisfied with himself. 
 
 And now the Coroner in a quick, bustling fash- 
 ion, as though he were in a hurry, and should be
 
 204 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 glad to get so unimportant a matter off his hands 
 began to inform the jury of what their clear duty 
 was, and how rapidly they might set about it. The 
 body of this young girl, gentlemen, had been found 
 in the adjacent wood. She was stabbed very near 
 a vital part, and had undoubtedly, under consider- 
 able pain, and for a period perhaps of half-an-hour, 
 slowly bled to death. They would be told by the 
 medical gentleman then present who had made a 
 most careful post-mortem examination of the body 
 that the wound could not have been self-inflicted. 
 Such being the case, gentlemen, it devolved upon 
 them to discover in what fashion her death had 
 been caused ; and here he would remind them that 
 they must be guided entirely by circumstantial evi- 
 dence. A man a gentleman of good position 
 appeared before them that day, in a most unenviable 
 situation. It was not for him, gentlemen, to tell 
 them of their duty, or to lead them to imagine that 
 any guilt attached to the man they saw before 
 them; all that they must judge for themselves. 
 But they would be confronted with witnesses- 
 most unwilling witnesses who would tell them of 
 the intimacy which had undoubtedly existed be- 
 tween this man and the murdered girl ; they would 
 be told, gentlemen, by a witness from the railway 
 station, of the appearance of this man, in a great 
 state of excitement and hurry, at the station, in 
 time barely in time, gentlemen, to catch the last 
 train to London. This, too, on the very night of 
 the murder, and within a very short time of the 
 hour at which, according to the medical testimony
 
 WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN? 205 
 
 they would hear, this unfortunate young woman 
 must have been struck down. 
 
 Here the Coroner stopped to clear his throat, and 
 to glance at Philip Chater as though to assure 
 that unfortunate man that he was quite prepared 
 to put a rope round his neck within the next few 
 minutes, and had already got it half spun. 
 
 The gentlemen of the jury, who surely knew 
 their duties, would be told how this man, deserting 
 his home, had fled to London ; how he had come 
 back, in the dead of night, and had been seen about 
 the village ; how a most intelligent officer a gen- 
 tleman from Scotland Yard, gentlemen had en- 
 deavoured to capture him ; how he had again fled 
 to London. They would be told, by a former as- 
 sociate of this man now very repentant of his 
 connection with him of a sort of semi-confession 
 made by this man to him. More than all, they 
 would hear that a spade had been discovered near 
 the body, which had evidently been used in a hur- 
 ried attempt to dig a grave for the murdered girl 
 (the crowd swayed again, like an angry sea and 
 one woman shrieked out something unintelligible 
 against the man who stood so calmly through it all) 
 and that spade would be traced as having come 
 from the residence of the man now before them. 
 While admitting, gentlemen, that all this evidence 
 was purely circumstantial, the Coroner must beg 
 them not to cast it lightly aside on that account, 
 but to hear the witnesses with patience. And so 
 sat down, having spun his rope to a tolerable length 
 and strength.
 
 206 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Marshalled by Tokely, the first witnesses were 
 already shuffling to their places, when an inter- 
 ruption came from among the crowd ; and a young 
 man thrust himself forward, and made straight for 
 the Coroner. He was a bright-faced fellow, with a 
 cool and gentlemanly bearing, and he gave a quick 
 nod to Philip as he pressed forward. 
 
 " One moment, Mr. Coroner," he said. " Mr. 
 Chater here is an old friend of mine knew him at 
 Oxford. I'm a barrister ; and I claim the right to 
 represent Mr. Chater at these proceedings. I should 
 like to point out to you, Mr. Coroner " still with 
 the same engaging frankness, and the same cheery 
 smile " that my friend is placed in a very awk- 
 ward position, and has against him, in charge of the 
 case, a very able representative of the law " a bow 
 here for the gratified Inspector "from Scotland 
 Yard. I merely propose to watch the case on be- 
 half of my friend, and to put such questions as I 
 may deem necessary, and as you, Mr. Coroner, may 
 see fit, in the exercise of a wise discretion, to 
 allow." Here the young gentleman bowed all 
 round again, with another cheery smile, and sat 
 down near the Coroner, after having made a de- 
 cidedly good impression. 
 
 Philip Chater broke the silence which seemed to 
 hang so heavily about him, and addressed the Cor- 
 oner. " I am greatly obliged," he said, " for my 
 friend's kindly offer ; but I would rather decline it. 
 Whatever case there is against me must go on its 
 merits ; I desire nothing more." 
 
 Before the Coroner, or any one else, could speak,
 
 WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN? 207 
 
 the young gentleman came darting out of his chair, 
 and had Philip by the button-hole drawing him 
 aside a little, and impressing his points upon him in 
 an eager whisper. 
 
 "Now, my dear boy," he said, with the same 
 frankness as before " don't you be foolish. Frankly 
 I believe you to be innocent ; but these beggars 
 don't and you'll get yourself into a devil of a hole, 
 and give yourself away most gloriously, if you try 
 to conduct the case yourself. This chap from Scot- 
 land Yard is an ass but he's vindictive ; the Cor- 
 oner is in a hurry, and is dead against you. On 
 the other hand have the goodness to consider my 
 position. This is my first chance absolutely my 
 first. I've read up the case, day by day, and I 
 know it by heart ; I may do you a lot of good and 
 I shall make my own fortune. To-morrow morn- 
 ing in all the newspapers Andrew Banks rising 
 young barrister badgered the Coroner turned the 
 witnesses inside out played Old Harry with the 
 police ; don't you see ? Now all you have to do 
 is to sit quiet, and look virtuous ; I'll lay out Mr. 
 Coroner, for the benefit of the yokels, in a brace of 
 shakes." 
 
 He was gone again, back to his place at the table, 
 before Philip Chater had even time to thank him, 
 or to remonstrate further ; and the real business of 
 the inquest began. In the first place, appeared the 
 two countrymen who had found the body ; and who 
 contradicted each other in minor points of detail, 
 and were hopelessly confused by that rising young 
 barrister Mr.. Andrew Banks so much so, that, at.
 
 208 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 the end of five minutes, they were half disposed to 
 believe that the one had committed the murder, and 
 the other made an attempt to hide the body. And 
 so sat down, greatly confused. 
 
 Next came Betty Siggs making a deeper im- 
 pression than she would willingly have done against 
 the man who stood watching her. For, after a 
 question or two, old Betty turned suddenly to that 
 quiet figure, and stretched out her hands, and ap- 
 pealed to him, in a voice shaken by sobs. 
 
 " For God's sake let me speak ; let me tell what 
 I know," she said ; and, though she spoke in a 
 whisper, the silence about her was so deep and 
 solemn that the lightest breath of that whisper was 
 heard. " For the sake of the old days let me say 
 what you and I alone know let me my dear my 
 dear ! " 
 
 Unfortunately, it had the very opposite effect to 
 that which Betty intended ; for there seemed to be 
 at once established between these two some terrible 
 affinity in the crime, which made it more horrible. 
 Nor did the young barrister improve matters ; for, 
 wholly at a loss to understand to what she referred 
 he began to urge her to tell all she knew even to 
 threaten her with dire penalties, in the event of 
 non-compliance. 
 
 But that only made matters worse ; she cast one 
 swift look in the direction of Philip, and read in his 
 face that she must be silent ; turned on the young 
 and ardent man of law and defied him. 
 
 " Don't you think, young man as you're agoin' 
 to open my mouth because you ain't. I loved this
 
 WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN? 209 
 
 poor young gel, as though she'd been a child o' my 
 own ; but I swear to you, before God, that the man 
 who stands there knew nothing of it, and is abso- 
 lutely innocent. Toby my angel vote for 'im 
 if you love me ! " 
 
 Toby answered with a responsive growl, and 
 Mrs. Siggs sat down. Nor would the pleadings of 
 the Coroner the threats of Tokely or the suavity 
 of the young barrister move her ; she read in the 
 face from which she took her inspiration that she 
 must be silent and the rack itself would not have 
 moved her. 
 
 Came the medical man, who gave his evidence 
 grimly enough, in technical terms which yet sent a 
 shudder through the listening crowd. He had ex- 
 amined the body, and, in answer to a question from 
 the Coroner, gave it as his opinion and with cer- 
 tainty that the unfortunate girl, at the time of her 
 death was near the period when she would have 
 given birth to a child ; struck a more deadly blow 
 at the prisoner, by describing, in callous medical 
 phraseology, the wound which had been inflicted, 
 and the lingering death which followed. At the end 
 of that evidence, there was not a man nor woman in 
 the place that would not have shrieked " Mur- 
 derer ! " at him, whatever the verdict of the jury 
 might be. 
 
 Some little sensation was created by the appear- 
 ance of Harry Routley, the young servant of Dandy 
 Chater ; who tackled by the Inspector, and keep- 
 ing his eyes resolutely turned from the man whose 
 life he was swearing away, gave his evidence in
 
 210 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEB, 
 
 little more than monosyllables; but gave it in 
 damning quality enough, even at that. Some 
 greater sensation, too, was caused, by his turning 
 swiftly to the prisoner, in the midst of the ques- 
 tions of the Inspector, and holding out his hands to 
 Philip in an agony of appeal ; and then covering 
 his face with them. 
 
 " Master Dandy Master Dandy ! " he cried " I 
 swore to you that I would keep the secret I have 
 broken my word ! Master Dandy I was mad 
 beside myself Master Dandy forgive me ! " 
 
 It created, if that were possible, a worse impres- 
 sion than ever. In the midst of the murmurs 
 which surged up about them, the quiet voice of 
 Philip was heard. 
 
 " It's all right, Harry ; you've only done the 
 right thing. The time will come when you will 
 understand better what I mean when you will 
 have no cause for regret. You need have none 
 now ; you have been more loyal and true to me 
 than I deserved ; I say it openly, before all here." 
 
 Came Inspector Tokely himself, demanding that 
 this man be sent for trial ; pointing out this man's 
 desperate attempts to escape ; his partial success ; 
 and so introducing the last witness the Shady 'un. 
 
 The Shady 'un giving his name, with much hu- 
 mility, as Shadrach Nottidge threw himself upon 
 the mercy of the gentlemen present. He was but 
 an 'umble workin' man led astray by the villainies 
 of Mr. Chater. In a moment of remorse, he had 
 felt that Mr. Chater must be given up ; he could 
 not have slept in peace, good gentlemen, while Mr.
 
 WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN? 211 
 
 Chater remained at large. Mr. Chater had told 
 him that he was flying for his life ; had begged him 
 (the Shady 'un) to give him shelter. Declining to 
 allow his white hands to be soiled even by deputy 
 with blood, he had taken the earliest opportunity 
 of handing Mr. Chater over to the Law. And he 
 hoped it would be remembered in his favour. 
 
 Mr. Andrew Banks rising young barrister of 
 the cheery smile tried his hardest badgered the 
 Coroner twitted Inspector Tokely was sarcastic 
 with the Shady 'un ; but all to no purpose. The 
 Coroner very clearly pointed out to the jury their 
 obvious duty in this matter ; reminded them that 
 Law and Justice took no cognizance of a man's so- 
 cial position ; and generally spun his rope a little 
 stronger. Finally, addressing Philip, begged to 
 know if he cared to make any statement, adminis- 
 tering to him, at the same time, the usual legal 
 caution. 
 
 " I have nothing to say except that I am wholly 
 innocent of this murder," said Philip, quietly. 
 
 The rest was a mere matter of form. The jury 
 returned a verdict of Wilful Murder, against Mr. 
 Dandy Chater, of Chater Hall, in the County of 
 Essex ; and he was duly committed to take his trial 
 at the coming Sessions at the county-town. Toby 
 Siggs made some faint protest, but was overruled ; 
 and the crowd surged out into the spring sunshine, 
 and generally expressed the opinion that Dandy 
 Chater was as good as hanged already.
 
 CHAPTER XYII 
 
 CLARA FINDS A LODGING 
 
 ON the morning following that verdict of Wilful 
 Murder, some one was astir very early at the Chater 
 Arms ; some one dressed hurriedly, while the dawn 
 was yet breaking ; some one crept softly down the 
 stairs pausing for a moment at one door, and 
 seeming to catch her breath in a sob and so went 
 cautiously out of the house. 
 
 It was Clara Siggs. But not the Clara Siggs of 
 old ; not the bright-eyed impudent little beauty, 
 ready for a dozen coquetries willing to exchange 
 smiling glances with any good-looking lad who 
 passed her. Quite another person was the Clara 
 Siggs who went swiftly down the village street this 
 morning, with a resolute purpose in her black eyes ; 
 so much had one night changed her. 
 
 She hurried on, for a time, resolutely enough, 
 until she was almost clear of the village. The 
 houses were closed ; in one window which she 
 passed, a faint light burning perhaps in some sick- 
 chamber seemed to bid scant defiance to the com- 
 ing day, and crave that the night might be longer. 
 But there was no sign of life anywhere else ; the 
 village might have been a place of the dead, for all 
 the life there was about it. 
 
 At a certain point on the road, her steady resolu- 
 tion seemed to falter ; she hesitated walked more 
 
 212
 
 CLAKA FINDS A LODGING 213 
 
 slowly and finally stopped altogether ; as though 
 working out something in her mind, she made little 
 circles in the dust with one foot, while she stood, 
 looking frowningly at the ground, and biting her 
 red lips. At last the difficulty whatever it was 
 seemed to have solved itself ; she turned from the 
 road, and struck off by a side path in the direction 
 of the house known as The Cottage. 
 
 What instinct had guided her there, it would be 
 impossible to say ; but the object of her search, 
 early as the hour was, was in the garden sitting 
 on a rustic seat, out of the view of the windows of 
 the house, and with her face hidden on her hands. 
 Hearing the light sweep of the girl's dress on the 
 grass, she rose hurriedly and disclosed the figure 
 of Madge Barnshaw. 
 
 For a moment, the two faced each other in si- 
 lence the one, vexed and ashamed at being dis- 
 covered in such an attitude ; the other, with some- 
 thing of defiance about her, mixed with a desperate 
 and growing anxiety. In some indefinable fashion, 
 each seemed to know the subject of the other's 
 thoughts, and to be jealous of those thoughts, each 
 in a different way. 
 
 But the one woman would have died sooner than 
 acknowledge any emotion or sorrow to the other ; 
 the other was proud of her emotion openly 
 flaunted it, as it were ; and would have been glad 
 to think that one man's name was branded upon 
 her forehead almost, that all might read her secret. 
 
 "Is anything the matter?" asked Madge, rising 
 to her feet, and confronting the other.
 
 214 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 " Dear Heaven ! " cried Clara, in a sort of harsh 
 whisper "can you stand there, and look at me 
 and ask that? Can you know that a man is as 
 good as dying dying by inches, with every mo- 
 ment that we live and ask me that ? " 
 
 " I I don't understand," said Madge, in a low 
 voice. " More than all, I cannot see why you are 
 troubling yourself about " 
 
 Clara Siggs had turned away impatiently; she 
 flung round now, and came at the other woman 
 with her hands held clenched close to her sides, and 
 her teeth close clenched also. " You don't under- 
 stand ! You cannot see why I should be troubling 
 about him ! I am an inn-keeper's daughter only a 
 common girl, at the least ; you are a great lady. 
 They say you were to marry him ; will you cast 
 him away now, when he lies in prison, in shame 
 and misery and with Death drawing nearer every 
 day? Is your love for him so great, that it is 
 something to be changed by what men say of 
 him?" 
 
 Some curious shame some strange stirring of 
 admiration for this wild untutored child crept 
 over Madge Barnshaw. She saw, in this girl, 
 something stronger and more purposeful than her- 
 self the wild and desperate courage which might 
 over-ride all obstacles which might snap fingers 
 at Death itself, for the sake of one man's life. She 
 went nearer to the girl, and held out her hands to 
 her. 
 
 " Tell me help me ! " she whispered " show me 
 what I should do 1 "
 
 CLARA FINDS A LODGING 215 
 
 With that direct appeal, all poor Clara's heroism 
 went to the winds ; she could only cover her face 
 with her hands, and weep, and shake her head, and 
 declare how helpless she was. She could have 
 met defiance with defiance pride with pride ; but 
 the sudden tenderness of the other woman was too 
 much for her, and broke down at once whatever 
 barrier she had determined to build up between them. 
 
 " Indeed I don't know I can't think. I want 
 to help him, if I can ; I want to be near him oh 
 you needn't think," added Clara, tearfully " that 
 I am anything to him ; I might have thought so 
 once but I know better now. This trouble has 
 cleared my mind somehow, so that I can see things 
 as they are. If he has been kind and nice to 
 me it's only as he might be to any one whose face 
 pleased him" Clara tossed her head a little, de- 
 spite her tears, and seemed to suggest that she knew 
 the value of her own charms. " With you well 
 it's different." 
 
 Madge Barnshaw thought bitterly that it might 
 not be so very different, after all ; thought of the 
 murdered girl, and bitterly blamed herself because 
 she could not stand aside before all the world, and 
 believe him innocent. 
 
 Something of this must have been in the mind of 
 the other girl; looking at Madge steadily, she 
 asked, with some sternness " You don't believe he 
 did that horrible thing do you ? " 
 
 Madge Barnshaw covered her face with her 
 hands, and shuddered. "I don't know I don't 
 know what to think," she said, in a whisper.
 
 216 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Clara turned swiftly, and began to walk away. 
 She had almost reached the garden gate, when 
 Madge, springing after her, caught her by the arm. 
 
 "You're right and I am a coward, and un- 
 worthy of his or any one else's love and confidence. 
 I will believe in him in his innocence. You make 
 me believe. Tell me what are you going to do ? " 
 
 "I am going to Chelmsford," replied Clara, 
 simply. " I want to be near him I want to feel 
 that I know all that is happening. For me it will 
 not matter ; no one will take any notice of me. I 
 can go where you could not. " 
 
 "But what will you do at Chelmsford? How 
 will you live ? asked Madge. 
 
 Clara smiled bravely, and threw up her head a 
 little higher. "I have a little money no, thank 
 you " as the other made a gesture, as if to reach 
 her purse " I have more than I need and I shall 
 take a lodging near near the prison. I came here, 
 because I wanted to know to know " she hesi- 
 tated, and her voice trailed off, and died away. 
 
 " Wanted to know what ? " 
 
 " To know if there was any any message you 
 would wish to send to him," replied Clara at last, 
 very stiffly, and with a face of scarlet. " I thought 
 maybe that if I could carry carry some message 
 from you you, who have the right to send one it 
 might cheer him, and lead him to think better 
 of the world, when every one is against him. He 
 may not how should he ? may not think or care 
 anything for what I may say but you " 
 
 Madge Barnshaw moved forward quickly, and
 
 CLARA FINDS A LODGING 217 
 
 took the girl in her arms. " "What angel of God has 
 put such a thought in your heart ? " she whispered. 
 " I shall bless you all my life for coming to me like 
 this for teaching me, out of your own simple faith 
 and loyalty, some faith and loyalty too. Will you 
 promise to write to me, directly you are settled in 
 your new lodging ? Will you promise to write 
 often to me to claim from me anything you may 
 want ? " 
 
 After a little further hesitation, Clara Siggs 
 promised that she would communicate with her 
 new friend frequently. And then Madge, with her 
 arms still about the girl, whispered her message. 
 
 " Tell him if you will," she said " that I love 
 him, and believe in his innocence that I will believe 
 in that and in him until he tells me, with his own 
 lips, that he is guilty ! " 
 
 Clara promised that the message should be 
 delivered ; and, with a parting embrace the two 
 separated Clara to set forth on her journey; 
 Madge to pace the garden wearily, and, now that 
 she was alone again, with a growing despair. 
 
 Having only some five miles to traverse, before 
 coming into the picturesque old town of Chelms- 
 ford, Clara Siggs first trod its streets just as the 
 shops were beginning to set forth their wares for 
 the day, and its pavements to echo with the fall of 
 busy feet. Rendered timid by the size of the place, 
 and fearful of attracting attention, she did not care 
 to ask her way to the jail, but wandered about, 
 until the frowning walls of the building looked 
 down upon her. Various notices were posted on a
 
 218 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 door, setting forth the date of the next assizes, 
 together with other information only part of 
 which she grasped, in her anxiety, and in the many 
 tumultuous thoughts which stirred her, at the re- 
 membrance of how near she was to the place where 
 the man of whom she had come in search lay. 
 
 She resolved, for her own comfort and satis- 
 faction, to get a lodging as near to the prison as 
 possible; and, after some little search, came to a 
 decent house in a by-street, in the lower window of 
 which a card announced that a room was to be let. 
 Her hesitating knock at the door was answered 
 promptly, by a tall, thin, angular-looking woman, 
 with very red hair, and a very business-like aspect. 
 She appeared to possess a kindly nature, however, 
 despite her grim appearance ; and civilly invited 
 Clara to inspect the room advertised. 
 
 " If I wasn't a person as 'as bin put upon by 'er 
 'usband," she ejaculated, darting a scornful glance 
 in the direction of a door past which they walked 
 "I wouldn't never demean myself by a takin' a 
 lodger. But 'avin' a man as give me 'is name, an' 
 precious little else an' whose delight it 'as bin to 
 flaunt it on the main, so to speak 'an who now 'as 
 'is mind runnin' constant on circuses, an' fat women 
 (w'ich is nothink else but a thro win' of my figger 
 in my face) I should be in a better position than I 
 now am, Miss. But Peter Quist won't deceive me 
 with 'is circuses the low Turk an' so I tells 'im." 
 
 They had, by this time, reached the room a 
 pleasant and airy place, and very simply furnished. 
 Clara would probably have decided to take it, what-
 
 CLARA FINDS A LODGING 219 
 
 ever terms might have been asked, when she saw 
 that its one small window looked right on to the 
 prison ; but, as a matter of fact, the rent proved 
 to be very small, and the woman, being pleased 
 with the bright face of the girl, asked for no ref- 
 erence. 
 
 Perhaps from the fact that she felt most des- 
 perately lonely and friendless, in that strange place, 
 Clara determined that she would tell the landlady 
 frankly what her mission was, and ask her advice. 
 Accordingly, with many tears, she told the woman 
 that she had come to Chelmsford, in the hope of 
 seeing or befriending a prisoner a friend of hers, 
 then awaiting his trial. The woman proved to be 
 genuinely sympathetic, and, after a little cogitation, 
 decided to consult her husband about the matter. 
 
 "Mind you," she said, in a voice of caution 
 " I'm not sayin' but wot Quist is a bit of a fool ; 
 salt water do 'ave that effect on the best o' men ; it 
 seems to soak through, some'ow and make 'em soft. 
 But 'e's got a 'eart, 'as Quist an' now an' then, 'e 
 knows wot 'e's about. It ain't often but we may 
 'appen to catch 'im at a lucky time." 
 
 Clara, willingly consenting to consult this oracle, 
 and inwardly praying that he might have his full 
 wits about him, they adjourned downstairs in search 
 of him. He proved to be an exceedingly amiable 
 looking man, with a heavy fringe of whiskers all 
 round a jolly red face. 
 
 The circumstances having been briefly explained 
 by his wife, the man no other than our old friend 
 Captain Peter Quist poured himself out, from a
 
 220 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 stone bottle, what lie termed " a toothful " and 
 proceeded to give the matter weighty consideration. 
 
 " You see, my lass," he said " w'en the Law 'as 
 once got a 'old on a man, an' clapped 'im under 
 'atches, as it were that man 'as got to go through 
 with it, right up to the end. Might I venture for to 
 ask wot your friend is put in irons for ? " 
 
 " Indeed he is quite innocent," exclaimed Clara. 
 " But he has been sent to take his trial oh I beg 
 that you will not think the worse of him for that 
 for murder." 
 
 The Captain whistled softly, and raised his eye- 
 brows. " An' wot might be the name of this in- 
 nocent gent ? " he asked, after a pause. 
 
 " Mr. Chater," replied Clara, in a low voice. 
 
 Peter Quist upset his toothful, and nearly over- 
 turned Mrs. Quist also, in his excitement ; he sprang 
 up, and backed away into a corner of the room. 
 For some moments he stood there, making curious 
 motions with his hands, as though warding off an 
 attack, and looking at Clara uneasily. 
 
 "Say it agin," he said at last, in a hoarse 
 whisper. " Wot was the name ? " 
 
 Clara repeated it; and the Captain gradually 
 came out of his corner, and approached her slowly. 
 " Look 'ere, my lass," he said ; " I've 'ad a shock 
 over that there name an' I'm a bit upset with it. A 
 friend o' mine sailed under that name an' it proved 
 too much for 'im or summink did. Leastways 
 'e's dead. So I don't want nuffink more to do with 
 no Chaters ; I'd sooner 'elp a Smith or Jones than 
 a Chater," 

 
 CLARA FINDS A LODGING 221 
 
 Gradually, however, the Captain's uneasiness 
 wore away ; he began to take a lively interest in 
 the girl, and in her story ; and went out, that very 
 afternoon, to ascertain if it were possible for her to 
 visit the prisoner, and at what hours. 
 
 He returned, with the gratifying intelligence that 
 she might go to the prison on the next morning ; 
 and poor Clara slept happily enough that night, 
 with that blessed prospect before her. The Cap- 
 tain, too, was in better spirits than he had been for 
 some time past a letter having reached him 
 through the post, which seemed to promise a 
 definite solution of his difficulties, in regard to 
 finding a circus at last. The only drawback to it 
 seemed to be, that there were no fat ladies attached 
 to it although, perhaps, in view of Mrs. Quist, this 
 was not altogether a subject for sorrow. 
 
 It was with a trembling heart that Clara pre- 
 sented herself next day at the door which the Cap- 
 tain pointed out to her. But everyone with whom 
 she came in contact seemed willing to help her 
 even anxious to be of service ; and she was passed 
 on, from one to the other, until at last she was di- 
 rected to the room where he was actually waiting. 
 
 " You'd better wait a minute, Miss," said a warder 
 "there's someone with him." 
 
 The door opened at the same moment, and a 
 brisk-looking young gentleman came out, thrusting 
 some papers in his pocket as he did so. Seeing a 
 young girl drawn up timidly against the wall, he 
 stopped hesitated a moment and then turned to- 
 wards her.
 
 222 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 " You're young for such a place as this, girl," he 
 said, sharply but kindly. "Are you going to see 
 Chater?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." She was scarcely able to speak for 
 nervousness. 
 
 The young man came nearer, and whispered 
 exultantly, " Splendid case they're proud of it 
 even here. And I think we shall pull him out of it 
 I do, indeed." 
 
 " Oh I am so glad to hear you say so, sir," said 
 the girl, gratefully. 
 
 " Yes I think he's all right ; I shall try every- 
 thing. The only difficulty is that he's so close 
 about it that I can get nothing out of him. But 
 won't he make a lovely prisoner ; we shan't be able 
 to get into Court for the petticoats ! " 
 
 The young man walked briskly &~wa.y t and Clara 
 passed into the room. The warder who had 
 brought her to the door, and who had stood aside, 
 while the young barrister spoke, opened the door, 
 and followed her in. Another warder, who had 
 been lounging near a high barred window, glanced 
 at her for a moment ; and then she felt her hands 
 grasped by those of Philip Chater. 
 
 "My child! How do you come to be here? 
 Are you alone ? " 
 
 Hurriedly and tearfully, she explained all that 
 had happened ; how she had left a note at home, 
 telling them that she was safe, and with friends 
 and would write more fully at a later time ; how 
 she had seen Miss Barnshaw, and how she had a 
 message for him. And, loyal and brave as she bad
 
 CLAKA FINDS A LODGING 223 
 
 been through everything, her heart seemed to sink 
 deeper and deeper, as she saw the brightness on his 
 face, when he heard what that message was. 
 
 The warders, seeing in these two, as they 
 imagined, a pair of sweethearts, took but little 
 notice of them, beyond keeping a sharp eye upon 
 them. In reply to Philip's eager questions, Clara 
 told him of the lodging she had taken, and men- 
 tioned the name of her landlady and of the Cap- 
 tain, husband of that landlady. 
 
 " There is a Providence in this," whispered Philip, 
 eagerly. He appeared to be deep in thought for a 
 moment, and then turned swiftly to the girl. " I 
 know this man Quist a good and honest man, with 
 whom you are safe. Say nothing to him about me, 
 or about my knowledge of him. Now, don't start 
 or cry out come closer to me, and listen to what I 
 say. I shall be out of this I must within a few 
 hours. My defence my life everything depends 
 on that and on myself. There is some one I must 
 find ; to stay here means death within a given 
 time." 
 
 " Time's up ! " exclaimed one warder, shaking his 
 keys. 
 
 "An instant I beg." He turned again to the 
 girl. " If you could loiter near the prison at the 
 back of it, so far as I can discover, each night 
 can you ? " 
 
 There was no time for anything more ; the girl 
 nodded quickly, and was hurried away. But she 
 went home to her lodging with a heart beating 
 more heavily even than before.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 A CHASE IN THE DARK 
 
 NOT daring to say a word in explanation to the 
 Captain or Mrs. Quist, Clara went out that night, 
 when darkness had fallen, and waited near the 
 prison. Fortunately, it stood in a quiet spot not 
 much frequented after nightfall ; she found a con- 
 venient arched doorway, from which she could watch 
 the building unseen. 
 
 On the first night, nothing happened ; the moon 
 was set high in flying clouds, and the night was 
 very still ; now and then, she heard the passing feet 
 of a pedestrian, crossing the end of the street in 
 which she stood ; once, a man went along on the 
 opposite side, under the high walls, whistling but 
 did not see her. Mrs. Quist, having provided her 
 with a key, in her trustfulness of heart, the girl 
 lingered until a very late hour, and until the last 
 footstep had died away. But still there was noth- 
 ing. 
 
 On the second night, with a growing hope, she 
 waited again wishing, with all the strength of her 
 love, that her eyes might pierce the heavy walls, 
 and discover what the prisoner was doing. She had 
 almost given up hoping for anything, and was pre- 
 paring to return home to her lodging, when a curious 
 sound broke upon her ear, and she started forward 
 out of the gateway, keenly watchful. 
 
 324 

 
 225 
 
 She had heard a quick light thud upon the pave- 
 ment, and then the rapid feet of some one running. 
 Almost before she had had time to collect her 
 thoughts, or to decide whether to hide again, or 
 show herself, a figure dashed straight towards her, 
 down the street, in the shadow of the wall. Some 
 instinct causing her to spring out, the figure stopped, 
 drawn straight up against the wall, and then slowly 
 crossed towards her. The next moment her hands 
 were in those of Philip Chater. 
 
 She had time, before he spoke, to notice that the 
 hands which held hers were cut and bleeding ; that 
 he panted heavily, as though after some terrible ex- 
 ertion ; and that he was covered with dust and lime- 
 wash, and was hatless. 
 
 " Show me the way," he panted. " Hide me some- 
 where quick ! " 
 
 She hurried on with him, while he crouched in 
 the shadow of the houses, so that her figure might 
 cover him as much as possible. They had scarcely 
 more than a hundred yards to go, before she put her 
 key swiftly in the lock of a door drew him through, 
 and shut it behind her. Bidding him, in a whisper, 
 wait where he was, in the darkness of the passage, 
 she softly opened the door of a lighted room, and 
 went in. 
 
 Now it happened that evening, that Captain Peter 
 Quist was in a great state of excitement. He had 
 completed, that very day, the purchase of an abso- 
 lutely ideal circus ; a circus in full working order, 
 the proprietor of which was only anxious to pass it 
 into the hands of its new owner, and retire into
 
 226 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 private life. The delighted Captain had discovered 
 that his new property consisted of three or four 
 well-fitted caravans a few small tents, together 
 with one huge one for the accommodation of his 
 audiences and some waggons, with the necessary 
 fittings for the concern. Horses performing and 
 otherwise there were in abundance ; and the Cap- 
 tain had already been assured that the male and 
 female staff was only too ready to accept service 
 under him. And the proprietor, having expressed 
 a desire that Quist should see the show in working 
 order, and be initiated into its mysteries gradually, 
 the Captain, at the very moment of Clara's entrance 
 into the room, was busily engaged in packing a few 
 articles which he considered proper and appropriate 
 to his new standing in life. 
 
 The chief of these articles consisted of a high and 
 very glossy silk hat, which was at that moment 
 perched upon the Captain's head; and a pair of 
 Wellington boots, as glossy in appearance as the 
 hat, and into which the Captain was struggling. 
 Indeed, he had just got them on, and was very red 
 in the face from his exertions, when Clara darted 
 in. Before she had had time to utter a word, Mrs. 
 Quist who had been regarding her lord and mas- 
 ter with an expression half of admiration, half of 
 contempt turned towards Clara, with a view to 
 relieving her feelings. 
 
 " Look at 'im, Miss," she exclaimed, extending a 
 hand towards the Captain, who had got on to his 
 legs, and was swaggering about the little parlour 
 " did you ever see sich a figger in all yer born days ?
 
 A CHASE IN THE DARK 227 
 
 Do yer think I'd ever 'ave led that to the altar if 
 I'd knowed wot 'e was a comin' to in 'is old days ? 
 Begin at the top " she indicated the Captain's hat 
 " an' 'e's fit fer 'Igh Park, or a drorin'-room ; come 
 to 'is middle " the indignant woman indicated the 
 Captain's seafaring blue coat "an' 'e's a decent 
 man an' a sailor ; look at 'is legs (if so be as you'll 
 excuse sich a remark, Miss) an' 'e might be a 
 coachman out o' work, or the bottom 'arf of a 
 French Markiss. 'Im in a circus ; w'y 'e don't know 
 no more about 'osses than a bluebottle ! " 
 
 " 'Old 'ard, my dear 'old 'ard," remonstrated the 
 Captain, surveying his boots with a very proper 
 pride "I'm merely a livin' up to me character; 
 w'y, a get-up like this 'ere '11 even make the 'osses 
 'ave a proper respect for me." Then, observing sud- 
 denly that Clara stood, with clasped hands, looking 
 from him to his wife appealingly, and with tears in 
 her eyes, he checked himself, and came slowly 
 towards her. 
 
 " Why, my lass," he said, in a tone of sympathy 
 " wot's wrong with yer ? You look as if you'd 
 'ad a fright of some kind don't she, Missis ? " 
 
 " I want your help," said Clara, glancing behind 
 her towards the door. "My friend the unfortu- 
 nate man of whom I spoke Mr. Chater " 
 
 The Captain immediately began to back away, in 
 some perturbation. Mrs. Quist, on the other hand, 
 readily divining that something was wrong, nodded 
 to Clara quickly to continue what she had to say. 
 
 "Mr. Chater has has escaped and is here at 
 this moment."
 
 228 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Mrs. Quist darted after Clara into the little pas- 
 sage ; the Captain, scarcely knowing what he did, 
 took off his hat, and held it pointed towards the door, 
 as though it were a weapon, and he might defend 
 himself with it. When, a moment later, Mrs. Quist 
 and the girl came in, and the Captain, looking past 
 them, saw Philip Chater enter the room, he imme- 
 diately dived down behind the table on his knees, 
 keeping only his eyes above the level of it. 
 
 " Take 'im away ! Don't let 'im come near me," 
 he begged, in a hoarse and trembling whisper. 
 Then, addressing Philip in a conciliatory tone, he 
 added " I never done nothink to you, ole pal, w'en 
 you was in the flesh an' all I asks is that you '11 
 go back w'ere you come from w'erever it is 
 an' sleep sound. I ain't done nothink to deserve 
 spooks. Go back, my lad go back ! " 
 
 Philip, despite his own danger, burst into a roar 
 of laughter. " There's nothing of the ghost about 
 me, Quist," he said. " I think I can understand 
 what you mean and presently I'll explain every- 
 thing. But, for the moment, I am in desperate 
 peril; I've broken out of the jail here, and may 
 be searched for at any moment. I want you to 
 hide me." 
 
 The Captain rose from his knees, still somewhat 
 doubtfully, and came slowly round the table ; ap- 
 proached Philip in gingerly fashion ; and finally 
 ventured to take one of his hands ; squeezed it 
 squeezed it a little more. Then his face broke up 
 into smiles, and he clapped Philip jovially on the 
 shoulder. Remembering, however, the more serious 

 
 A CHASE IN THE DAKK 229 
 
 part of the business, he darted to the window, and 
 drew the curtain across it ; then sat down, breathing 
 hard, and staring at Philip with all his might. 
 Finally, he got up, and came to Philip again, and 
 shook hands with him, as though to assure himself 
 that he was solid flesh and blood. 
 
 " This comes of keepin' bad company," ejaculated 
 the Captain at last. "You gits yerself in the 
 river an' very bloated you looks, I do assure you 
 you gits into jail an' you likewise gits out of it ; 
 an' you frightens a honest sailor-man (leastways 
 sailor-man retired ; circus-man now) you frightens 
 him nearly out of 'is wits. But still it's good to 
 see you again ; an', if the Missis can find us a drain 
 o' somethin' jist a toothful apiece we can talk 
 over things comfortable-like." 
 
 It was just at this moment, as Mrs. Quist turned 
 smilingly to get out bottles and glasses, that Philip 
 discovered, to his consternation that little Clara 
 Siggs, who had sat down on a sofa near him, was 
 swaying to and fro, with a very white face, al- 
 though she bravely tried to smile. He had just 
 time to step forward, and catch her in his arms, 
 when she gave a sort of gasp, and fainted dead 
 away. Overwrought for so long, she had given 
 way, now that the danger seemed over, and the 
 tension relaxed. 
 
 Bitterly blaming himself for having exposed her 
 to such trials, he picked her up tenderly in his 
 arms, and, guided by Mrs. Quist, carried her up- 
 stairs to her room. There, being assured by that 
 good woman that it was nothing more serious than
 
 230 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 a sudden attack of faintness, Philip left her in 
 charge of the girl, and rejoined the Captain in the 
 room below. 
 
 " One thing I must ask you, Captain," he said 
 when he was seated with that gentleman at the 
 table " and that is, in regard to your taking me 
 for a ghost. What induced you to imagine I was 
 anything but the Philip Crowdy whom you knew 
 on the voyage from Australia ? " 
 
 On this, the Captain, with much detail, entered 
 into a full account of the finding of the body of the 
 unfortunate Dandy Chater by himself and Cripps ; 
 and, although he did not know, of course, the name 
 of the latter, the description he gave, and his state- 
 ment that he had seen the little man on the night 
 of his invasion of the upper room at " The Three 
 "Watermen," enabled Philip to identify the man who 
 had been with him when the body was found. For 
 the first time, too, he understood the reason for the 
 Doctor's consternation on meeting him in the garden 
 of the Cottage. 
 
 "I'm not surprised," said Philip, "that you 
 should have been upset at seeing me. The body 
 you took from the river was that of my brother 
 whom I never knew in life. He was, I have every 
 reason to believe, murdered ; at all events, I found 
 him lying dead on the river bank. I took his be- 
 longings ; I took his place and, by Heaven, Cap- 
 tain I've taken his sins too. I've been chased and 
 hunted like a dog for his sins ; I've had the best 
 woman in the world turn from me, as from a leper, 
 for his sins ; and I've been in jail for his sins. I
 
 A CHASE IN THE DAEK 231 
 
 put on this hideous disguise, at the whiin of a mo- 
 ment ; and now I cannot shake it off." 
 
 " But there's them as would swear to you, if need 
 be," urged the Captain. 
 
 " Not yet," replied Philip, hurriedly. " The time 
 may come when I shall be glad to declare who I 
 really am ; for the present it is impossible. Mean- 
 while what of the body you found in the river ? " 
 
 " "Well I've kep' a eye on the papers," replied 
 the Captain " an' I've read accounts of the in- 
 quest. They set it forth, clear and reg'lar, as 'ow 
 the body 'ad bin left on the river-bank, by two 
 parties wot was evidently afraid of 'avin' their 
 names mixed up in the business ; of 'ow there was 
 nothink on the body to show who it was an' the 
 injury to the 'ead might have bin caused by barges, 
 or any think of that kind. Verdict in consequence 
 unknown man found drowned. And, I suppose, 
 buried accordin'." 
 
 "Yes it merely leaves me in a worse position 
 than before. So far as all the world knows as all 
 the world believes Dandy Chater is alive and 
 must stand his trial for the sins he has committed. 
 I have taken his place his papers his keys ; I 
 should be bound to confess that I saw his body on 
 the shore. If they did not swear that I murdered 
 him, they might laugh at the story, and refuse to 
 recognise any mass of corruption dug up out of the 
 grave as the real Dandy Chater." 
 
 " Then wot are you a goin' to do ? " asked the 
 Captain, in perplexity. 
 
 " There is but one chance for me," said Philip,
 
 thoughtfully. " I have a suspicion that I know 
 who the real murderer of Dandy Chater was ; if I 
 can once see him, and force from him any confes- 
 sion, my way is clear. For that purpose I escaped 
 to-night that purpose and another. And in that 
 I want you to help me." 
 
 " There's my 'and on it," said the Captain, quickly. 
 " But I don't think you'll want much 'elp, Phil," he 
 added, with a laugh. " Any man as can go a breakin' 
 jail like you, ought to be a match for most people. 
 'Ow did yer manage it, Phil ? " 
 
 Philip laughed softly to himself. " It was rather 
 a tough business," he said. " It all had to be done 
 in a few minutes. I was left alone in a waiting- 
 room for a moment, in going from one part of the 
 prison to another. There was a sort of skylight 
 high up with hardly too much room for a cat to 
 wriggle through. But there were ropes to it, to 
 open and shut it and you know what I can do 
 when there's a rope handy, Quist." 
 
 The Captain nodded darkly and rubbed his hands ; 
 contemplated his friend with admiration and begged 
 him to proceed. 
 
 " I nearly tore my clothes off my back, in getting 
 through ; but, once through, there was only a roof 
 to slide down a yard to cross and a wall. Luck- 
 ily I found a builder's pole lying against it and 
 scrambled up that; dropped over, and found that 
 dear girl in the street. She brought me here. " 
 
 The more they discussed the matter, the more 
 evident it became that Philip must be got away 
 before daylight. For a long time, the Captain
 
 A CHASE IN THE 
 
 ruminated over the matter, wondering what to do. 
 He suggested, from time to time, the most absurd 
 and impracticable disguises even offering to lend 
 his precious top-boots for the occasion. But at last 
 a really brilliant idea suggested itself to him. 
 
 "The circus!" he exclaimed, slapping his leg 
 with much vehemence. " That's the very thing ! 
 I'm a goin' out to see them move the show, quite 
 early to-morrow mornin' just to see 'ow it's done. 
 They've got to start precious early, so as to reach 
 the town they're a goin' to in time for the perform- 
 ance at night. Now wishin' to identify myself 
 with the business as early as possible I've asked 
 'em to send in one of the caravans to fetch me so 
 as to make a sort of percession of it. As the show's 
 mine, of course they don't mind a gratifyin' a little 
 weakness like that. Now if you can't 'ide in a 
 caravan w'ere can you 'ide, Phil ? " 
 
 "It sounds like the very thing," replied Philip. 
 " You can drop me quietly on the road, when we 
 are clear of the town, and nothing need be known 
 of me. But what of this girl, who has been so 
 brave and loyal to me ? I can't leave her behind." 
 
 " That's easy arranged," responded the Captain. 
 " Let 'er stop 'ere ; the Missis '11 be glad to give 'er 
 shelter as long as you like ; an' you may be sure 
 she's in good 'ands." 
 
 Philip gratefully accepted the offer ; and, neither 
 of them being disposed for sleep, they sat and 
 talked the night away, or such part of it as re- 
 mained. Philip duly impressed upon the Captain 
 the necessity for preserving silence concerning the
 
 234 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 real story of Dandy Chater making his plea more 
 forcible by telling the worthy man of the difficulties 
 he might find himself in, should it become known 
 that he had harboured a fugitive, or assisted him to 
 escape. 
 
 Soon after four o'clock in the morning, wheels 
 were heard outside, in the quiet street, and a knock 
 sounded at the door. The Captain spying out the 
 land from the window signalled to Philip that all 
 was right, and they prepared to set out. Mrs. Quist 
 had come downstairs, and had announced that the 
 girl was sleeping soundly. 
 
 "Then I won't disturb her," said Philip. "I 
 know that she will be well cared for, and I am 
 more grateful than I can express. Will you tell 
 her, when she wakes, that I am safe, and have gone 
 with the Captain ; that I will find an opportunity 
 of seeing her mother, and assuring her that her 
 child is safe ? And now, if the Captain can lend 
 me a cap of some sort, I am ready." 
 
 The Captain would have pressed his own gor- 
 geous silk hat upon his friend, but being dissuaded 
 from this with some difficulty, provided him with 
 a cloth cap, which would be less likely to attract 
 attention. 
 
 Then the Captain sallied out, to be sure that the 
 coast was clear ; and, there being no one in sight, 
 Philip took leave of Mrs. Quist, and darted into the 
 caravan, which moved off at once. 
 
 It was still quite dark when they got clear at 
 last of the streets of Chelmsford ; and Philip Chater 
 was beginning to congratulate himself upon the
 
 A CHASE IN THE DARK 235 
 
 fact of having got out of his difficulties so neatly, 
 when the man who acted as driver, and to whom 
 the Captain must have given some word of warn- 
 ing, rapped smartly on the side of the vehicle. 
 
 The Captain, who had begun to fill his pipe, and 
 had quite settled down to the enjoyment of his 
 ride, popped open the little window in the side 
 of the caravan, and put out his head. "What's 
 wrong, mess-mate ? " he asked. 
 
 The man informed him rapidly that there was a 
 gig so far as he could make out, judging by the 
 twin lights coming over the hill behind them from 
 the town and evidently coming at a great rate. 
 Indeed, in the silence the caravan having stopped 
 they could hear the swift beat of a horse's hoofs. 
 
 " Ask him what road we are on," said Philip. 
 
 The Captain did so, and the man replied promptly 
 that they were heading towards Bamberton. 
 
 " Just where I want to go," whispered Philip to 
 the Captain. " Now I don't want to get you into 
 trouble, old friend as you would most assuredly, 
 if I were found in your company. Therefore, you 
 can drop me here by the roadside, and go on with- 
 out me." 
 
 " I'm damned if I do ! " said the Captain, 
 sturdily. 
 
 "But you must," replied Philip. "If I remain 
 here, I shall certainly be taken, quite apart from 
 getting you into difficulties. On the other hand, if 
 I drop out in the darkness, I can lie close under a 
 hedge until they've gone by. And you, for your 
 own satisfaction, can give them a false direction." 

 
 236 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 This last point appeared to settle the matter 
 with the Captain ; Philip left him chuckling hugely 
 to himself. Just as the caravan was beginning to 
 move on again and while Philip lay crouched be- 
 hind a hedge, the gig dashed up, and drew rein 
 within hearing of him. 
 
 " Wot ! " exclaimed the Captain, in a voice of ap- 
 parent indignation, the moment he heard that a 
 prisoner was missing, and was believed to have 
 taken the road to Bamberton " You don't mean a 
 tall clean-shaven dark chap, without a 'at ? " On 
 being assured that that was a correct description of 
 the fugitive, the Captain became more indignant 
 than ever. 
 
 " If you goes along that 'ere road to the left, 
 about a 'underd yards further back you'll nab 'im 
 sure as eggs," he exclaimed. " 'E was runnin' 
 like a good 'un tol' me 'e was a doin' it for a 
 wager. Wen you ketches 'im, guv'nor 'it 'im one 
 fer me will yer for a tryin' ter deceive." 
 
 "I should like to have a look inside your 
 caravan," said the man, quietly, jumping down 
 from the gig. 
 
 " Wy certainly," responded the Captain. " It's 
 a nice roomy place, pervided yer don't git yer feet 
 in the fireplace. I'd 'ave 'ad it painted special, if 
 I'd knowed you was comin'." 
 
 The man looked in at the open door of the 
 vehicle ; looked sharply at the Captain, and at the 
 driver ; and climbed into the gig again. 
 
 " Drive on," he said ; and the gig turned back pn 
 the road it had come. 

 
 A CHASE IN THE DARK 237 
 
 " Drive on, mess-mate," said the Captain, climb- 
 ing into the caravan. 
 
 Philip Chater, lying behind the hedge, watched 
 the two vehicles until they were out of sight in the 
 darkness ; then, when there seemed nothing more 
 to be feared, he crept out, and struck off towards 
 Bamberton. 
 
 " What was the message ? " he muttered to him- 
 self. ' I love him and believe in his innocence.' 
 Dear girl ! I'll see you to-night if I die for it ! "
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 HAUNTED 
 
 THAT one thought dominated all else in the mind 
 of Philip Chater. She believed him innocent and 
 she loved him. True, the message was not for him, 
 in reality ; it was for the man who lay in an un- 
 known grave. But, having taken that dead man's 
 place, he claimed this message also, as belonging 
 to him. 
 
 " I have taken the burden of his sins upon me I 
 am in peril of my life on account of them," he 
 thought. " Surely I have the right to claim this 
 sweeter portion of what was his, as some leaven in 
 the weight of my punishment. Yes I'll see her 
 first ; after that, if they capture me, I'll go back 
 with a light heart." 
 
 Caution was necessary in approaching the village ; 
 for, by the time he reached it, daylight had fully 
 come, and the people were astir. Keeping well on 
 the outskirts of it, and yet in a place from which he 
 could easily and rapidly reach the spot he had 
 marked out in his mind as his destination, he came 
 to a little copse, on the edge of some fields, and 
 settled himself, as comfortably as possible, in a deep 
 dry ditch, overhung with brambles and bushes, 
 which completely hid him from the sight of any 
 one parsing near. Knowing that he must wait un.-, 
 
 238
 
 HAUNTED 239 
 
 til nightfall, before daring to venture out, he re- 
 solved to remain in this place, with all the patience 
 he could muster. 
 
 He had borrowed from Captain Quist a little 
 tobacco and a pipe ; and, after cautiously looking 
 about him, he filled and lit this, and began to feel 
 more resigned to his position. From where he lay, 
 he could see, through the tangled growth above 
 him, the towers and chimneys of Chater Hall ; rais- 
 ing his head a little he could see a path, which 
 wound across some slightly rising ground, and ap- 
 peared to lead from the Hall down to the road near 
 which he lay entry to the road from it being ob- 
 tained through a wooden gate in the high paling, 
 which surrounded the grounds at the point where 
 they joined the road. The Hall being high above 
 him, he could see this path in its windings and 
 twistings very clearly ; and, as it was a short cut 
 to the village, it appeared to be used pretty often. 
 
 It amused and interested the fugitive, lying 
 hidden there, to watch this path, and those who 
 came down it; he found himself wondering idly 
 whether he should ever tread that path again or 
 set foot in Chater Hall, and under what circum- 
 stances. 
 
 Knowing nothing of the locality, Philip had not 
 chosen his hiding place so well as he had hoped ; 
 for presently he was startled by the noise of wheels 
 behind him. Rising hurriedly, he looked over a 
 bank, sheer down into a road below a road not so 
 broad as that which lay at some distance in front 
 of him, but broad enough for vehicles. Indeed, the
 
 240 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 vehicle which Philip had heard had stopped im- 
 mediately below him, and a man in it was alighting. 
 So close was it, and so immediately underneath 
 where he lay in the thick undergrowth, that Philip 
 could hear distinctly what this man said to the 
 driver. 
 
 " I brought you this way because I have a fancy 
 for going up to the Hall unannounced just a mere 
 whim of mine. I can get over from here. It'll be 
 ha ha a little surprise for them won't it ! " 
 
 The man muttered something, which Philip could 
 not catch ; received his fare ; turned his horse's 
 head, and drove back the way he had come. The 
 man stood quite still in the road, until the vehicle 
 was out of sight; then began to climb the bank, 
 which led to the place where Philip was con- 
 cealed. 
 
 At first, Philip was afraid that the man had seen 
 him, and was coming straight for him; he dived 
 down, and lay flat, scarcely daring to breathe. But 
 the stranger, who evidently knew the place well, 
 came on steadily, until he stood within a few yards 
 of the spot where Philip crouched ; then he stopped, 
 and looked straight across at the distant chimneys 
 of Chater Hall. As he stood there, Philip found 
 himself watching the man with an eagerness greater 
 than he would have felt at the appearance of any 
 chance stranger ; for he knew the face of this man. 
 Once again, he seemed to stand at the entrance to 
 a little court, leading down to the river, at Wool- 
 wich ; once again, to see a man dash past him, and 
 to catch a glimpse of a face gone in an instant,
 
 HAUNTED 241 
 
 and seemingly forgotten but well enough remem- 
 bered now. Again, too, he seemed to stand on the 
 terrace at Chater Hall, on that night of the burglary, 
 striving to peer in through a window ; to see the 
 curtain suddenly flung back, and the room bright 
 with lights, and that same face staring out at him. 
 Small wonder that his heart beat heavily, as he lay 
 crouched among the bushes, looking up at the man 
 above him. 
 
 The stranger, for his part, seemed to hesitate 
 what to do ; made a step forward more than once, 
 as if to go boldly across the road, and up the path 
 to the house before him ; and as often stopped, and 
 turned about, and waited where he was. 
 
 Philip Chater was beginning to wonder what was 
 to happen, and was half resolved in the wild hurry 
 of the thoughts which came crowding upon him 
 to spring out, and confront the man, when another 
 figure seemed to spring almost from the grass near 
 at hand, and to make rapidly towards the first 
 comer. Philip, raising his head quickly, no sooner 
 caught sight of this second man, than he dropped 
 down flat again, at the bottom of the ditch. 
 
 It was Inspector Tokely; and that gentleman 
 came forward with a threatening aspect, and 
 stopped within about a yard of the other, who was 
 much taller than himself. 
 
 " Mr. Ogledon, I believe," said the Inspector, 
 grimly ; and Philip almost jumped out of his place 
 again, at the mention of that name. 
 
 "Well what of it?" was the surly reply; and 
 it almost seemed to the listening man as though the
 
 242 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 speaker looked Tokely up and down superciliously 
 as he spoke. 
 
 " What of it, sir ! " cried the other, fiercely. 
 " This of it, Mr. Ogledon that you have insulted 
 and maltreated the Law, as personified in me in 
 me, sir ! That I have been lured into your presence, 
 and, while in the execution of my duty, have been 
 struck on a tender spot to wit, the head by a 
 debauched companion of yours, and with a hard and 
 heavy substance to wit, a decanter ; such assault 
 being committed in order to delay, frustrate, post- 
 pone, or prevent the arrest of a certain person 
 against whom I held a warrant. Damme, sir 
 what have you to say to that ? " exclaimed the little 
 man, suddenly losing his legal technicalities in an 
 outburst of fury. 
 
 " I dare say you think you have cause of complaint 
 against me " began the other, coolly ; but Tokely 
 burst in again, more furiously than ever. 
 
 " Cause of complaint ! " he almost shrieked. 
 ""When a man and that man an oificer of the 
 Law has a bump raised on his head, which com- 
 pels him to wear his hat like a giddy youth on a 
 bank-holiday excursion, and which prevents his 
 lying with comfort in his bed and the abettor of 
 the outrage talks about cause of complaint! I 
 wonder, sir, what you will think when you occupy 
 a cell, on account of this eh, sir ? " 
 
 " I am extremely sorry," replied Ogledon " very 
 sorry indeed that you should have been caused any 
 inconvenience. My friend is not not responsible 
 for his actions at times and he he mistook you for 

 
 HAUNTED . 243 
 
 some one else." All this time, Ogledon was work- 
 ing round the Inspector, and watching him nar- 
 rowly. The Inspector, for his part, respecting the 
 size and apparent strength of the other, began to 
 move away ; but flung back a taunt or two as he 
 went. 
 
 " You shall hear from me again, sir ! " cried the 
 little man, savagely. " You and your decanter I 
 You may like to know that I got my prisoner, 
 after all." 
 
 " To the devil with your prisoner ! " cried Ogledon 
 without looking round. The little man stopped, 
 although at a safe distance, and even came back a 
 pace or two. 
 
 " Oho ! " he cried, with a vicious laugh " I 
 thought he was a friend of yours ? I suppose you 
 don't own him now eh ? " 
 
 " I certainly own no interest in any prisoners," 
 said the other, glancing round at Tokely for a mo- 
 ment, and then turning away again. 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed the Inspector, more loudly 
 even than before. " Yet you don't mind living in 
 his house, and knocking people about with his de- 
 canters ! " 
 
 " "What on earth are you talking about ? " asked 
 Ogledon, with a new and sudden interest. 
 
 The Inspector came a little nearer. "About 
 your friend Mr. Dandy Chater ! " With this last 
 shot, he turned and began to walk away down the hill. 
 
 Philip, looking out cautiously, saw the man who 
 had been addressed as Ogledon start, as if a blow 
 had been struck him ; hesitate for a moment, with
 
 a face that was ghastly ; and then start off at a 
 run after Tokely. The Inspector, who was totally 
 unprepared for pursuit, was overtaken in a few 
 strides ; seized ; swung round ; and confronted with 
 the startled face of the other man. 
 
 " Stop stop and listen to me ! " cried Ogledon, 
 wildly. " What of this this man this prisoner 
 this " he appeared to have some difficulty in get- 
 ting out the name from, his throat as though it 
 stuck there a little " this Dandy Chater ? " 
 
 4< Ah that stirs you up a bit does it?" said 
 Tokely, grinning. "Let me tell you then, that 
 your friend Mr. Dandy Chater lies at this moment 
 in Chelmsford Jail, awaiting his trial for murder 
 ah that makes your face turn white eh ? mur- 
 der committed in this very village." 
 
 Ogledon had dropped his hands from the other's 
 shoulders, and was staring at him, with an expres- 
 sion of stupid wonderment, incredulity and deadly 
 fear. After a moment or two, he said, in a sort of 
 whisper " Then I did read of it ; I haven't merely 
 seen the name in every paper I've picked up just 
 in the same fashion as I have seen it on the lips of 
 every man I met ; heard it in every wind that 
 blew ; seen it spelled in the stars on every night- 
 sky." He broke off suddenly, and looked at the 
 other man, as if only just aware at that moment of 
 his presence ; looked at him silently for a space ; 
 and then burst into a peal of the most frightful 
 laughter imaginable. 
 
 " There's nothing like being merry, when you've 
 got a chance," said the Inspector, savagely.
 
 HAUNTED 245 
 
 " Merry ! " cried the other, with another shout of 
 laughter. " You'd make the dead rise from their 
 graves, to laugh at such a jest as this ! Merry ! 
 And so you've got Dandy Chater safe in Chelms- 
 ford Jail have you ? Well keep him safe ; lock 
 and bolt and bar him in and stop up every chink 
 and keyhole or, by Heaven ! Dandy Chater may 
 give you the slip, my man! Dandy Chater in 
 Chelmsford Jail ! " 
 
 He burst into another frightful roar of laughter, 
 and turned away ; while the Inspector, after look- 
 ing at him oddly, for a few moments, continued his 
 way down the hill towards the road. Ogledon 
 stopped in the same spot as before, near where 
 Philip still lay, and sat down on the bank, above 
 the very ditch in which the fugitive crouched, but 
 with his back towards him. 
 
 " My God what does this mean ? " He spoke 
 aloud, quite unconsciously, in the strong emotion 
 which was upon him. " Is this some devil's trick, 
 to frighten and trouble me? Or has Something 
 come back to earth, to take up again its old way of 
 life, and mock me ? " He stretched out one 
 clenched hand, and looked at it. " With this hand 
 I struck him down ; my eyes saw him lying dead ; 
 other eyes have seen him food for worms taken 
 from the river. Yet this Thing starts up again, full 
 of life, the very next day ; haunts the places where 
 he was known ; appears even to me ; stands out as 
 a living fact to all men, and is even printed about, 
 in black and white, before my eyes. Am I going 
 mad ; is this some distortion of the brain ? Do I
 
 dream that every one talks of him, even in a chance 
 meeting like this a few minutes since or what is 
 it?" 
 
 After a time, he got up, and spoke more reso- 
 lutely. 
 
 " I've allowed myself to think of him too much ; 
 I'll do so no longer. I've heard of men who, 
 dwelling on one frightful vision always, grow at 
 last to see it in everything about them hear it in 
 every word that's uttered until it fills every fibre 
 of their being, like some horrible disease, and saps 
 their reason and their life. I'll have no more of it ; 
 the man is dead, and I stand in his place ; let that 
 end it." 
 
 He turned about resolutely, and went down by 
 the road the Inspector had taken. After a little 
 time, Philip, from his place of concealment, saw 
 him mounting the path opposite, on the way to 
 Chater Hall. 
 
 Through the weary hours, Philip waited, crouched 
 where he was, cramped and stiff, until night came 
 on, and the moon rose, in ghostly fashion, over the 
 hill before him. Then, very cautiously, and looking 
 all about him in case of surprise, he started for the 
 Cottage. 
 
 There was a recklessness upon him, greater than 
 any he had felt yet. "What happened after this 
 night he scarcely seemed to care ; to see that one 
 woman once again, and hold her in his arms, and 
 hear from her own lips the message she had sent 
 him, seemed enough. Whatever Fate might have in 
 store for him after that did not seem to matter;
 
 HAUNTED 247 
 
 this one night, at least, he was free, and he was go- 
 ing to the woman he loved. 
 
 Still, with all his recklessness, he was careful not 
 to expose himself to any danger of capture ; in a 
 little time, he became quite an adept at dodging be- 
 hind hedges, or dropping down flat among thick 
 undergrowth, when any one came near him. But 
 he reached the boundary hedge of the garden he 
 remembered so well at last, and crouched behind it, 
 striving to peer through wondering how he should 
 reach her, or make his presence known. 
 
 Yoices in the garden, quite near to him, struck 
 upon his ear ; voices of a man and a woman that 
 of the man soft, smooth, and pleading that of the 
 woman angry, contemptuous, and scornful. And 
 he knew both voices at once. 
 
 The two who talked in that garden in the moon- 
 light appeared to be further up the lawn than the 
 spot where he was ; looking eagerly in that direc- 
 tion, he saw that the regularity of the trim hedge 
 was broken by a thick growth of small trees, whose 
 branches swept down to the ground. Gliding along 
 noiselessly, he got amongst these, and lay flat, 
 within a few feet of the pair upon the lawn ; could 
 see them distinctly, standing there facing each 
 other Ogledon and Madge Barnshaw. That they 
 had arrived at a crisis of some kind in their talk 
 was evident ; for Madge stood proudly erect and 
 defiant, looking at the man, who slashed savagely 
 at the grass with a cane he held. 
 
 " Will nothing move you ? " Ogledon was say- 
 ing, without looking up at her. " Do you think it
 
 248 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 is nothing for me, who am no mere boy, to be the 
 sport of a girl do you think it's nothing for me to 
 have to plead, again and again, with you, when it 
 is my nature to bend people to my will, and gain 
 what I desire by force ? " 
 
 " I have told you many, many times already 
 that you might as well fling yourself against a 
 rock, as strive to move me by any pleading. You 
 are a coward, in any case, to assail me like this, 
 when I have already told you that my heart is given 
 to some one else " 
 
 " Bah ! a mere girlish whim a boy-and-girl af- 
 fair, that should have been forgotten and done 
 with in the days of pinafores. Besides, Dandy 
 Chater is " he hesitated, and seemed for a moment 
 uncertain what to say ; turned the sentence swiftly, 
 and asked instead, with his keen eyes raised to her 
 face " By the way where is this wonderful lover 
 of yours ? " 
 
 There was a pause for a moment, while the 
 listener almost held his breath, and while Ogledon 
 never took his eyes from her face. Then she went 
 a little nearer to him, and held her head more 
 proudly still. 
 
 " In a prison there to await his trial on a fear- 
 ful charge of which I believe him innocent. But, 
 though he appeared twice as black as men paint 
 him, and as you, his evil spirit, have tried to make 
 him, I would hold to him to the last ; would cry, 
 before you and all others ' I love him I love him 
 I love him ! ' Now, what think you your plead- 
 ing will do for you ? "
 
 HAUNTED 249 
 
 The man had turned, and walked a step or two 
 away ; his hand had gone up nervously to his lips. 
 " What does it mean ? " Philip heard him mutter. 
 "They all say it even she says it. Go where I 
 will, this Thing follows me this name is dinned 
 into my ears." He turned swiftly towards her. 
 " Why do you lie to me ? " he cried harshly ; " why 
 do you repeat what every one else repeats ? Do 
 
 you think to frighten me away by such " He 
 
 stopped confusedly, and laughed. " There I don't 
 know what I am saying; I I lose myself some- 
 times. I I'm not well; I'll come some other 
 time to see you." 
 
 Without another word he turned quickly and 
 hurried out of the garden leaving the girl standing 
 alone in the moonlight. Philip waited until he 
 heard the gate click, and the footsteps of the man 
 dying away in the distance ; then he came out of 
 his hiding-place, and spoke her name in a whisper. 
 She turned about swiftly, and would have cried 
 out, but that he caught her in his arms, and laid a 
 hand lightly on her lips. 
 
 " Hush, dearest," he whispered " I have escaped 
 from prison, to come to you ; just to look into your 
 dear eyes to touch your lips to know that all is 
 well with you, and that you are not changed to- 
 wards me. Don't speak for a moment; there is 
 much that I must say to you. There is small 
 chance of my final escape ; I must I fear inevitably 
 be caught, and taken back again to stand my 
 trial." 
 
 " But you are innocent, Dandy dear," she whis-
 
 250 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 pered, hurriedly ; " and you can prove your in- 
 nocence." 
 
 " As God above is my witness, I am absolutely 
 innocent," he replied. " But I cannot I dare not 
 prove it ; some day you will understand the reason. 
 If I was never firm upon this matter before, I am 
 firm from to-night. But, if it should go hard with 
 me, and there should be no way of escape, I want 
 you to promise one thing." 
 
 " Anything everything," she whispered, ear- 
 nestly. 
 
 " If it should come to that, and there is no other 
 way find the man who was here with you just 
 now and ask him to tell you all he knows about 
 Dandy Chater. He and he alone can establish 
 my innocence. But this must only be done as a 
 last resource. Will you promise that ? " 
 
 She had begun to question him wildly and eagerly, 
 when he suddenly raised his hand to silence her ; 
 they both stood listening. The garden gate had 
 clicked again. 
 
 Philip dropped down among the shadows of the 
 trees, and crept in amongst them again. Across the 
 turf came a figure, noiselessly, and stopped before 
 Madge, who had walked a few paces away from 
 where Philip lay. The figure was that of Ogle- 
 don. 
 
 " I had no intention of troubling you again at 
 least, to-night " he said, in a curiously strained 
 voice, as though he were keeping control of it with 
 difficulty " but there is something I should like to 
 ask you. I have been away on the Continent
 
 HAUNTED 251 
 
 and have only returned a few hours ago. This 
 lover of yours and cousin of mine this Dandy 
 Chater " 
 
 " In Chelmsford Jail," she reminded him, with a 
 smile. 
 
 " In Chelmsford Jail. When when did you see 
 him last ? " 
 
 She was on the point of answering, in some 
 equivocal fashion which should not betray the fugi- 
 tive, when she stopped, struck dumb by the expres- 
 sion on Ogledon's face. He was looking past her, 
 at something behind ; turning, she saw Philip stand- 
 ing bareheaded and perfectly still in the moonlight, 
 against the background of dark trees. 
 
 Ogledon stood for a moment, with his eyes start- 
 ing, and his breath coming and going in gasps, 
 while Philip stood absolutely rigid ; then, with a 
 terrible cry, he dropped forward upon his knees, and 
 covered his face with his hands. When he ventured 
 to look up again, Philip had vanished into the 
 shadows.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 TSTEPTUNE TO THE RESCUE 
 
 NOT daring to venture near the Cottage again, 
 Philip got as near to the village as he could, and 
 hung about, until lights were gleaming only in the 
 upper windows of cottages, and until the doors of 
 the Chater Arms had been closed for some time upon 
 the last roystering yokel who had had more than was 
 good for him. His purpose was to see Betty Siggs, 
 and assure her, in accordance with his promise, of 
 Clara's welfare. But it took a longer time to carry 
 out his purpose than he had anticipated. 
 
 Over and over again, when he was almost within 
 touch of the place, he would fancy he heard a door 
 being opened, or that footsteps were coming cau- 
 tiously towards him ; and would make a dash back 
 into the darkness. At last, however, he managed 
 to get round to the back of the inn, and to take a 
 survey of its windows. 
 
 Now, it so happened that two of those windows 
 were lighted clearly showing that some one else 
 was going to bed, in addition to Toby Siggs and his 
 wife. Knowing nothing about the disposition of 
 the various rooms upstairs, Philip was, for a time, 
 at a loss what to do ; being dreadfully afraid that 
 he might rouse the wrong party and bring disaster 
 upon himself. At last, tired with waiting, he de- 
 
 252
 
 NEPTUNE TO THE KESCUE 253 
 
 termined to take the risk, and to throw a few small 
 pebbles at the larger of the two lighted windows. 
 This he did sending the stones rattling smartly 
 against the glass once or twice and then crept into 
 the darkness, and awaited results. 
 
 Unfortunately, it happened that the chief guest 
 room at the Chater Arms was the largest room up- 
 stairs ; and that Mr. and Mrs. Siggs, in their mod- 
 esty, and with an eye to business, occupied a smaller 
 apartment. And in that guest room, at that par- 
 ticular time, reposed the important figure of Inspec- 
 tor Tokely, who had been stopped, in his projected 
 return to London that afternoon, by the intelligence 
 that his prisoner had broken jail, and was thought 
 to be in the neighbourhood of Bamberton. 
 
 At first, the rattle of the stones had no effect 
 upon the sleeping officer of the Law ; but Philip's 
 second attempt roused him from sleep, and drove 
 him to the unwelcome thought that some one was 
 playing practical jokes upon him, as a form of rus- 
 tic humour. Not at all relishing this, he sprang 
 out of bed, just as a third handful pattered against 
 the panes. 
 
 The indignant Tokely dashed to the window, and 
 drew up the blind ; then, unable to see anything, he 
 flung up the window-sash, and poked out his head. 
 
 "Who's down there?" he cried out. "You'd 
 better come out because I know who you are, and 
 I'll lay you by the heels to-morrow morning, as sure 
 as a gun. Now then are you coming out of it ? " 
 
 Philip, who had drawn himself up in the darkest 
 corner of the yard, horror-struck at his blunder, very
 
 254 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER, 
 
 naturally declining to obey the Inspector's bidding, 
 that indignant man continued to shout various 
 threats of future punishment into the darkness, until 
 he contrived to rouse his host and hostess ; so that, 
 in a minute or two, the second lighted window was 
 raised, and old Toby Siggs put his head out, with a 
 most prodigious nightcap upon it, and looked round 
 at Tokely. 
 
 " Wot's all this ? " he asked, in his slow heavy 
 fashion. " If so be as you 'ave a pain anywheres, 
 the Missis '11 be on'y too glad to git up, an' make a 
 poultice, or anythink of that kind, double quick ; 
 on'y don't go a 'owlin' at the moon like that there 
 jist like a lost dorg 'cos it ain't restful at this 
 time o' night." 
 
 " I'm not howling at the moon or at anything 
 else," retorted Tokely, savagely. " And I'm not in 
 pain, you idiot. Only some yokel has had the im- 
 pudence to keep on shying pebbles at my window, 
 this half hour past by way of a joke, I suppose. I 
 wish they'd try any one else's window, for a 
 change." 
 
 " Wot did you 'ave for supper ? " was the extra- 
 ordinary query propounded by Toby, after a 
 thoughtful pause. 
 
 " What the deuce has that got to do with it ? " 
 snapped out the Inspector. 
 
 " Oh nothink," replied Toby, innocently. " On'y 
 I thought you might p'raps 'ave bin dreamin'- 
 that'sall." * 
 
 Tokely muttered something decidedly uncompli- 
 mentary under his breath, and jerked down the
 
 NEPTUNE TO THE KESCUE 255 
 
 blind quite forgetting, in his rage, about the win- 
 dow. Moreover, being thoroughly roused from any 
 sleep, or thoughts of it, he sat down near his bed- 
 stead, to think about the matter, and to decide how 
 best he could visit his wrath upon some one for the 
 offence on the morrow. 
 
 Sitting thus, engaged with his own angry 
 thoughts, he lost count of time, until presently he 
 was startled by another sound of the striking of 
 pebbles against glass. But the curious thing was, 
 that it was not his window which received the at- 
 tack this time, but another for the sound was far 
 less distinct. The Inspector quietly blew out his 
 candle, and crept to the window. 
 
 In a few moments, there was another little 
 shower of pebbles ; and the Inspector, quietly draw- 
 ing aside the blind, peered down into the darkness. 
 Then he heard the creak of a window being softly 
 raised, and a bright light, as from a candle, fell on 
 the ground below, and on a figure standing there. 
 And this figure, raising its head, and looking up, 
 revealed to the watching Tokely the face of Dandy 
 Chater, who should have been, by all right and pro- 
 priety, at that moment in Chelmsford Jail. 
 
 " Little mother ! " came in a quick whisper from 
 below ; and a voice that of Mrs. Siggs responded 
 promptly in the same cautious fashion. 
 
 " Oh, my dear, dear boy. Wait just one blessed 
 minute, and I'll come down to you," cried Betty, 
 softly. 
 
 " Wait just one blessed minute, and /'ll come 
 down to you," muttered the Inspector to himself.
 
 256 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK, 
 
 " This is a piece of luck, indeed ! " The Inspector 
 crept away from the window, and began, hurriedly 
 and noiselessly, to get into his garments. 
 
 In a few moments, he heard, as he had fully antici- 
 pated, a rustling upon the staircase, and a quick 
 footstep going downwards ; immediately after, the 
 cautious drawing back of bolts, and the turning of 
 a key ; then, the subdued sound of voices. The In- 
 spector dressed with greater rapidity than ever. 
 
 Meanwhile, Mrs. Siggs had drawn Philip into the 
 little parlour, and had laid her old head night-cap 
 and all upon his shoulder, and was crying com- 
 fortably. It was some time before she could com- 
 pose herself sufficiently to listen to what he had to 
 say ; but she did at last, only punctuating what he 
 said by an occasional sob. 
 
 " First for my time is very short about Clara," 
 he said. "I blame myself horribly for all the 
 anxiety she has caused you ; but you know, little 
 mother, that she fell in love with that scapegrace 
 brother of mine, and only transferred her affections 
 to me, without knowing it. But the child's safe I 
 give you my word for it ; and I think you can trust 
 me, Betty, to deliver her into your hands again, 
 when the time comes for speaking the truth. But 
 that time is not yet ; for the present, you must be 
 silent; everything I value most on earth depends 
 on that. I am getting nearer, every hour, little 
 mother, to the end of my difficulties ; I am on the 
 track of the man who murdered my brother, and 
 can declare my innocence. If I can remain free 
 but a few hours longer, I may be able to devise
 
 NEPTUNE TO THE KESCUE 257 
 
 some plan some way out of the tangle. Don't 
 you see my strange position; that, for my own 
 sake, as well as yours, I want to declare to the 
 world that I ain Philip Chater, and innocent of all 
 these sins which have been visited upon me ; while, 
 for the sake of one dear woman, I want to remain 
 Dandy Chater, because God help me ! she loves 
 Dandy Chater and I am a stranger to her." 
 
 ""Well yer don't stand much chance of goin' 
 free if yer chucks stones up at that there Tokely's 
 winder," said Betty, laughing through her tears. 
 
 " I had no idea that the man was still here," re- 
 plied Philip, " and, of course, I couldn't be expected 
 to know which window was yours ; I had to take 
 the risk of that. But I saw his light go out; 
 there's no doubt that he is sleeping peacefully, and 
 dreaming of anything but Dandy Chater." 
 
 The words were scarcely out of his mouth, when 
 the door leading from the staircase was opened ab- 
 ruptly, and Toby Siggs thrust in his head, and 
 looked at them with a scared face. On the prin- 
 ciple that whatever Betty did was sure to be right, 
 Toby would not have thought of questioning her, 
 concerning her championship of the supposed Dandy 
 Chater, or of her endeavours to hide him. Obedient 
 to Philip's injunction, Mrs. Siggs had refrained from 
 entering into any explanation with Toby who was, 
 if the truth be told, somewhat of a gossip. But, at 
 the present moment, loyalty to his wife, no less than 
 to the man whose cause she upheld, had prompted 
 him to leave his chamber, and creep down to give 
 them warning.
 
 258 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE, 
 
 "Betty, old gal that there Tokely as is the 
 deepest ever I see an' the most careful of 'is pre- 
 cious skin 'as gorn off to fetch assistance." It 
 took Toby a long time to say this, in his slow and 
 ponderous fashion ; but he got it out at last, and 
 stood nodding his head prodigiously when he had 
 finished. 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked Philip quickly, 
 making a movement towards the door. " I've 
 heard no one about the house ; how could he have 
 got out ? " 
 
 " Artfulness downright perlice artfulness an' 
 nothink else," replied Toby, slowly. "Arter you 
 chucked stones at 'is winder, an' arter I'd 'ad that 
 little argyment with 'im, I thought 'e'd gone to by- 
 bye ; but not 'e. I 'eard a scrapin' agin' the wall, 
 an' looked out ; an' there was that Tokely, shinnin' 
 down a sort of rope, made of the Missis' best com- 
 pany sheets. 'E's gone straight down to the vil- 
 lage constable, to get 'im an' a few more so as to 
 make sure of yer, Master Dandy. An', by the noise 
 'ere they come ! " 
 
 Philip Chater, even while Toby's slow speech 
 was in progress, had become aware of a noise of 
 feet and a murmur of voices outside. "It's all 
 over, Betty, I'm afraid," he said, in a low voice 
 " but I think I'll try a dash for it. Good-bye, little 
 mother ; don't fear for me." 
 
 Feeling more valiant than usual, with a good 
 backing of yokels, and the village constable, In- 
 spector Tokely came straight into the room, and 
 walked up to Philip, smiling grimly. Before, how-
 
 NEPTUNE TO THE RESCUE 259 
 
 ever, he had had an opportunity for saying a word, 
 Philip stepped forward, and caught him by the 
 arms; swung him round, by the impulse of that 
 movement, straight to Toby Siggs, and dashed 
 headlong at the crowd in the doorway. Toby, for 
 his part, receiving the full weight of the Inspector 
 on his stockinged feet, immediately held fast to 
 that gentleman, and began to pummel him soundly 
 on his own account heedless of the fact that 
 Philip had only been able to fight his way into the 
 midst of a considerable crowd of men, and had 
 there been secured. The Inspector, writhing under 
 his punishment, and struggling vainly to get away, 
 was shouting out orders, entreaties, and threats, in 
 the most confusing fashion. 
 
 At last, some sort of order being restored, and 
 the Inspector released, the two principals in the 
 little scene faced each other in Betty SiggsVparlour, 
 with a crowd of eager faces about them. 
 
 " Well," gasped Tokely " so I've got you, have 
 I, Mr. Dandy Chater ! " 
 
 "Pray be accurate, policeman," replied Philip, 
 coolly. "You haven't got me; it's these good 
 fellows you have to thank for that. I congratulate 
 you on your bravery, policeman ; you have brought 
 a pretty good mob against me." 
 
 There was a smothered laugh at the expense of 
 the Inspector, who turned rather red. "I knew 
 you to be a dangerous character," he said " and I 
 did not intend that you should slip through my 
 fingers again. For the present, Mr. Siggs" he 
 turned towards Toby, with a malicious grin on his
 
 260 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 face " I must trouble you to give over this room 
 in the Queen's name until such time as I can 
 get a trap, to drive this man back to Chelmsford ; 
 one or two of us will wait here with him, until it 
 arrives. He may be a desperate character, but he 
 won't get over me in a hurry. Here catch his 
 arms, some of you." 
 
 Almost before Philip realised what had hap- 
 pened, his arms were pinioned, and he felt some- 
 thing hard and cold forced over his wrists. When 
 the men fell away from him, he discovered that he 
 was securely handcuffed. 
 
 "You're surely not going to drive me through 
 the open country, with these things on my hands 
 are you ? " he asked bitterly. " If I give you my 
 word not to attempt to escape " 
 
 "We won't trust your word, Dandy Chater," 
 said Tokely, grinning again. " You've given us a 
 pretty good chase, as it is and any amount of 
 trouble ; and there are one or two people " he 
 glanced for a moment at Toby, and then at Betty 
 Siggs " against whom I intend to apply for war- 
 rants for aiding and abetting you to escape, and 
 for obstructing me in the execution of my duty. 
 I've been hit over the head with decanters and 
 have barked myself painfully again trees and 
 have been struck heavily in the region of the ribs 
 by " 
 
 " If you should 'appen to refer to me, with that 
 there last remark" said Toby, slowly "let me 
 recommend that you don't go a jumpin' promiscu- 
 ous-like on a man's corns, without so much as ' by
 
 NEPTUNE TO THE RESCUE 261 
 
 yer leave.' I don't permit no man much less a 
 perliceman to jump on me in my own parlour." 
 
 Without deigning any reply to this, the Inspector 
 told off t\vo or three of the men to remain with 
 him, and dismissed the others outside the door, 
 which he shut. The crowd by the sounds which 
 proceeded from the yard, was evidently in no mood 
 to go home to bed ; but remained, discussing the 
 matter excitedly, and no doubt taking much in- 
 dividual credit to itself, for the successful issue of 
 the business. 
 
 For a long and weary half hour, Philip sat, with 
 his eyes upon the ground, waiting until such time 
 as the man who had been sent for a conveyance 
 should return; and, during that time, a curious 
 thing happened. 
 
 There sat next to him, a tall, thin individual, with 
 a melancholy visage a man who had not, curiously 
 enough, taken any part in the actual fray, but who, 
 nevertheless, had thrust himself forward eagerly, 
 when the men who were to guard the prisoner were 
 selected. Once or twice, Philip was under the 
 curious impression that the man was striving to at- 
 tract his attention ; he lunged out one of his thin 
 legs at him sideways, once or twice, while the In- 
 spector happened to be engaged in conversation 
 with the constable and the other men. At last, he 
 found an excuse to get up from his chair, and pass 
 in front of Philip ; tripped purposely, as it seemed 
 over the prisoner's feet ; and turned swiftly to 
 make an apology. 
 
 " Beggin' yer pardon, sir, I'm sure 'adn't no in-
 
 262 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 tention of" the words died away, in a sort of 
 growl; but at the end of them, as the man bent 
 his head to speak, Philip heard distinctly the whis- 
 per" Cap'n Quist." 
 
 Philip was so astounded, and his heart began to 
 beat so fast, at the probable thought that a friend 
 was near at hand, that he could scarcely control 
 himself. But he managed to keep his eyes fixed, 
 apparently on the floor, even while he turned 
 towards the man, who had resumed his seat. His 
 astonishment was greater than ever, when he saw 
 that man, on the pretext of scratching his arm, pull 
 up his sleeve a little way, and disclose so that 
 Philip alone saw them certain heavy tattoo marks, 
 such as would scarcely be likely to be on the skin 
 of any one but a sailor. 
 
 At that moment, wheels were heard at the front 
 of the house, and, the door being unfastened by 
 Toby who had gone with Betty into the bar a 
 man came in, and walked straight through to where 
 Tokely was standing. 
 
 " Couldn't get a trap, sir, anywheres ; but I man- 
 aged to get a fly and it's at the door." 
 
 " All right a fly will do better than anything ; 
 we'll have him safer there than elsewhere." 
 
 The man with the melancholy visage suddenly 
 emitted a most extraordinary sound a sound 
 which, had it moved any part of his face in any 
 way, might have been described as a laugh; but, 
 as his countenance appeared as melancholy after 
 it as before, it did not seem possible that it arose 
 from mirth.
 
 NEPTUNE TO THE RESCUE 263 
 
 "What's the matter?" asked Tokely, turning 
 towards the man. 
 
 " Nuffink, guv'nor. It's rather a nasty corf, that 
 ketches me now and agin," replied the man. 
 
 Philip was thrust into the vehicle, together with 
 the man of the melancholy countenance who stuck 
 close to him, and even held his arm, as though 
 afraid of losing him and Tokely. When one of 
 the watchers suggested that he might want other 
 assistance, in view of the prisoner proving refrac- 
 tory, Tokely admitted that it might be better for 
 one of them to get on the box with the driver; 
 but, immediately afterwards, thinking apparently 
 that such extra precaution might be put down to 
 cowardice on his part, he countermanded the order ; 
 so that the prisoner drove off with only the melan- 
 choly-looking man and Tokely inside, and the driver 
 on the box. 
 
 Philip's mind was chiefly occupied with wonder 
 as to what was going to happen. That the melan- 
 choly man was an emissary of Captain Quist, he did 
 not doubt ; at the same time, lest he should alarm 
 the Inspector, and so frustrate any plan which might 
 have been formed for his own rescue, he sat still in 
 a corner of the fly, apparently in a sulky humour, 
 but really alert and watchful. 
 
 The moment came at last. A shrill whistle 
 sounded somewhere out of the blackness of the 
 night. It was answered, in an instant, with deaf- 
 ening intensity, by the melancholy man, who on 
 the instant leapt upon Tokely, and seemed to be 
 doing something extraordinary, in the midst of a
 
 264 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 violent struggle, with that gentleman's arms. In 
 less time than it takes to tell, a figure appeared, 
 through the glass of one window, racing along be- 
 side the vehicle ; the door was wrenched open, and 
 Philip was tumbled out, with the melancholy man 
 literally on top of him, into the road ; the door was 
 slammed, and the horse, maddened by a cut across 
 his haunches from a long whip, fairly took the bit 
 in his teeth, and dashed straight down the road like 
 a racer. The last that Philip saw of the vehicle, 
 as he sat up in the road and looked after it, was it 
 swaying from side to side of the road, while the 
 unfortunate Tokely (whose arms had been pinioned 
 behind him with true sailor-like adroitness) had his 
 head thrust out of one window, and was vainly 
 shouting to the driver. 
 
 Then, a familiar voice broke upon Philip's ear, 
 and Captain Quist, looking ruefully at a tall silk 
 hat, which lay battered in the roadway, and on 
 which some one must have fallen, muttered a famil- 
 iar phrase. 
 
 " That comes," said the Captain, " of gettin' into 
 bad company."
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 DR. CKIPPS IS INCOHERENT 
 
 WHEN that unfortunate and much battered foot- 
 ball of Fate Dr. Cripps was left, stranded and 
 alone, at Liverpool Street Station, he cast about in 
 his mind as to what was best to be done. His 
 small share of the spoils of the Sheffield robbery 
 had been passed into the hands of a person, who 
 had promised to effect a safe exchange ; and Cripps 
 was, as usual, remarkably short of money. 
 
 He remembered too, not with contrition, but with 
 something of alarm, that he had, in a moment of 
 forgetfulness, struck a man on a vital spot with a 
 decanter, and left him apparently dead; so that 
 there might be consequences to be feared. On 
 the other hand, money must be screwed out of 
 somebody, and he was at a loss to know to whom 
 to turn for it. Woolwich was barren country ; for 
 the recent tragic events, and the stir created by the 
 bank robbery, had scattered the band, and it was 
 quite unlikely that he would have a chance of meet- 
 ing any member of it. 
 
 However, the barren country had to be tried ; 
 much liquid refreshment was necessary to him, and 
 it had to be obtained somewhere. Accordingly, 
 for nearly a week he haunted those shady, out-at- 
 elbows places near the river, in the hope of meet- 
 
 265
 
 266 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 ing a friend. But friends were scarce and shy; 
 and, although he met one or two, and pleaded his 
 position successfully, it was hard and uphill work. 
 At the end of a week, he had come perilously near 
 to spirituous starvation and was, in direct conse- 
 quence, more sober than he had been for years past. 
 
 His wits being much sharpened, as his brain be- 
 came clearer, he began to think, with rising hope, 
 of Bamberton, from which he had so unceremoni- 
 ously taken flight. The idea appealed to him ; with 
 growing confidence, he remembered, in these more 
 sober moments, that the man he had assaulted with 
 the decanter had had but a passing glimpse of him, 
 and might not be likely to recognise him. At all 
 events, the distance was not great, and the place 
 had a public-house two public-houses, unless his 
 eyes had deceived him. Brightened with this 
 thought, and with the prospect of having a new 
 field in which to borrow, and finding that he had 
 sufficient money in his pocket to pay for the jour- 
 ney, he set off for Liverpool Street ; and, in a little 
 time, was standing an incongruous figure enough 
 in the spring landscape outside the little station 
 which was within a few miles of Bamberton, moist- 
 ening his dry lips with his tongue, and wondering 
 where he was to get a drink. 
 
 In the days over a quarter of a century before 
 when Cripps had known Bamberton, the little 
 town where the railway now ended had been but 
 an insignificant village, and the railway (which had 
 made its fortune) a thing undreamt of. At the 
 present time, therefore, the Doctor stood on strange
 
 DR. CRIPPS IS INCOHERENT 267 
 
 ground ; and the past was so far away, that he had 
 absolutely no idea in which direction Bamberton 
 lay. Divided between the necessity for reaching 
 the village, and the more pressing need for refresh- 
 ment, the little man looked about him for some 
 promising stranger, who might have a kindly heart 
 and a spare threepence in his pocket. 
 
 Standing almost at his elbow, and staring down 
 the road, in altogether as gloomy a fashion as him- 
 self, was a young man, quietly dressed in country 
 style a mere lad. Cripps, after glancing at him 
 once or twice, edged towards him. 
 
 " I suppose, my friend," he said " I suppose you 
 don't happen to know the way towards Bamberton 
 do you ? " 
 
 The young man looked at him for a moment, and 
 then smiled. " I ought to know the way, sir," he 
 replied ; " I was born there." 
 
 "And a most excellent place to be born in, I 
 should imagine," said Cripps. " Delightful scenery, 
 and and a public-house or two, just just to re- 
 lieve the monotony of things. Er by the way 
 they don't seem to have one just about here eh ? " 
 
 " Just across the road," replied the young man, 
 jerking his head in that direction. 
 
 Dr. Cripps began to conceive a dislike for the 
 lad, as one who could not understand the true 
 meaning of a hint ; but he tried again. " Is is the 
 liquor there worth drinking?" he asked, in a confi- 
 dential tone. 
 
 " It's a long time since I tried it," replied the 
 young man carelessly.
 
 268 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Cripps saw an opening here ; lie laughed feebly, 
 and clapped the young man on the shoulder. " Ha 
 ha very good," he cried "very good indeed. 
 But you wouldn't object to tasting it now, I sup- 
 pose ? " 
 
 The young man shrugged his shoulders, without 
 looking at Cripps, and made no reply. But the 
 little man, whose thirst was rapidly getting the 
 better of every other consideration, promptly seized 
 him by the arm, and began to lead him across the 
 road in a desperate hurry. 
 
 " You shall taste it, my young friend," he cried, 
 in an ecstasy of good-fellowship. " Not mind you 
 not that I would have any young man follow in 
 my footsteps for I, my young friend, am a wreck. 
 But a little stimulant especially at this hour of 
 the day (indeed, I might say, at any hour of the 
 day) is very necessary ; it gives tone to the con- 
 stitution." 
 
 It appeared to have given something besides tone 
 to the Doctor's constitution ; but he did not say so. 
 He walked with his new friend into the little Kail- 
 way Inn, and ordered refreshments for both ; dis- 
 covering, to his dismay, when asked for the price 
 of them, that he had no money. He had performed 
 the same excellent trick so often, that he was an 
 adept at it ; and tears of indignation actually sprang 
 to his eyes, as he solemnly cursed the unknown 
 man who must have stolen his purse " containing 
 gold, sir gold and my dear and sainted mother's 
 portrait a miniature, sir, from which I would not 
 have parted, except at the sacrifice of my last drop
 
 DR. CRIPPS IS INCOHERENT 269 
 
 of blood. The gold, sir, was nothing but the 
 miniature Here the old sinner hid his face 
 in the folds of a very doubtful-looking handkerchief, 
 and appeared to weep. 
 
 The young man, whatever his suspicions may have 
 been, was a good-natured fellow, and he paid the 
 reckoning. Immediately, the little man became all 
 smiles again, and raising his glass, insisted on drink- 
 ing the young man's health. 
 
 "If, my dear young friend, I could have the 
 privilege of knowing to whom I am indebted I 
 should be glad ; if I could pledge you by name " 
 
 "My name's Routley Harry Routley," replied 
 the lad. " Your health, sir." 
 
 "And yours, Mr. Routley," responded Cripps. 
 " Whatever station of life may be yours, sir, I am 
 convinced that it is a station you adorn. Bamber- 
 ton should be proud of you, Mr. Routley." 
 
 Harry shrugged his shoulders, and laughed a 
 little bitterly. "At the present time," he said 
 "neither Bamberton nor any other place is par- 
 ticularly proud of me, I think. And I have no dis- 
 tinct position in life." 
 
 "That's a pity a great pity," said Cripps 
 gravely, shaking his head. " If a man has no 
 position, the devil is likely to find him one. My 
 young friend I am sorry for you." 
 
 " You needn't be," replied Harry, savagely. " It's 
 my own fault and my own business, if it comes to 
 that. I deserve everything I get. I sold the best 
 man and the best master ever a lad had and I 
 don't care what becomes of me."
 
 270 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 " Sold a man ! " exclaimed Cripps. " I don't under- 
 stand you." 
 
 "Don't suppose you do," replied Harry, reck- 
 lessly. " Maybe, not belonging to these parts, you 
 haven't heard of Mr. Dandy Chater eh ? " 
 
 The unfortunate Cripps, with a gasp, dropped his 
 glass to the floor, and fled. But, before he had 
 managed to wrench open the door, Harry had laid 
 a strong hand on his shoulder, and was hauling him 
 back again. 
 
 " Let me go let me go ! " cried Cripps wildly. 
 " I won't be pestered with that devilish name any 
 more. Let me go ! I've found him in the river ; 
 he's got the diamond necklace ; he's got the bank- 
 notes ; he's frightened the Count and myself out of 
 our senses ; and I can't have a quiet drink with a 
 stranger, without hearing of him again.- Let me go ! " 
 
 " Stop a bit," said Harry quickly, with his care- 
 lessness and reckless demeanour gone " stop a bit ! 
 What do you know of Dandy Chater ? " 
 
 " A great deal too much," said the Doctor, shaking 
 his head, and looking all about him. " What do you 
 know about him ? " 
 
 " I was his servant," replied Harry, casting down 
 his eyes, and speaking in a low voice. " And I I 
 betrayed him, and handed him over to the police." 
 
 The little Doctor looked at Harry for some 
 moments with great gravity, and then shook his 
 head at him reproachfully. "My young friend 
 my dear young friend," he became quite melan- 
 choly over him " it's very evident to me that you 
 are on the downward path in the very devil's
 
 DK CRIPPS IS INCOHERENT 271 
 
 clutches. You've been dreaming. Dandy Chater 
 is as dead as Pharoah." 
 
 " God forbid ! " exclaimed Harry, turning very 
 white. '' What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Dandy Chater was drowned a week or two 
 back in that noble stream, the Thames." 
 
 Harry burst into a roar of laughter. " A week 
 or two back," he exclaimed. " You must be out of 
 your mind! "Why, he's been down here within 
 these past few days has been in Chelmsford Jail, 
 to stand his trial for murder ; and is now at large 
 about the country somewhere God be good to him, 
 wherever he is with the police hunting high and 
 low for him." 
 
 Cripps sat down suddenly on a bench. " Would 
 you be so kind so very kind, young man as to call 
 for a little drop of brandy neat ? " he said, in a 
 shaky voice. " I've been persuading myself, for the 
 last week, that I'd dreamed it all ; and now I find 
 that it's all true." 
 
 Harry called for the brandy and Cripps swallowed 
 it, murmuring to himself, over and over again as he 
 set down the empty glass " Dandy Chater in the 
 river Dandy Chater got the necklace Dandy 
 Chater in Chelmsford Jail Dandy Chater running 
 about the country, with the police after him. And 
 Ogledon said that he " 
 
 He checked himself hurriedly there and got up. 
 " You are a most estimable young man," he said, 
 addressing Harry " and I would recommend you 
 to drink as little as possible, and not to see more 
 Dandy Chaters than you can help at once. Now, if
 
 272 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEE, 
 
 you are going towards Bamberton, perhaps you'll be 
 good enough to put me on my road." 
 
 Harry expressing his willingness to do so, the 
 two went out of the inn together, and set off. For 
 a long time, they walked in silence ; but the Doctor's 
 mind was busy. Perhaps the mere fact of coming 
 again in daylight among old well-remembered scenes 
 jogged that blurred and faded thing, his memory ; 
 perhaps the sight, in the distance, of the towers of 
 Chater Hall helped it still more. Whatever it may 
 have been, he suddenly stopped in the road, just 
 before they came to the village and clapped his 
 hands together, with a cry ; burst into a shriek of 
 laughter ; and began to dance and caper wildly 
 about in the dust. Harry fully convinced, that the 
 man had suddenly gone mad, backed away from him 
 and stood ready to defend himself. 
 
 " Ho ho ho ! " screamed the Doctor, slapping 
 his thighs, punching himself in the ribs, and still 
 dancing as wildly as ever " here's a joke ! Here's 
 a business ! Here's a topsy-turvy devilish upside- 
 down affair ! Ho ho ho ! It's the other child ; 
 it's the twin that was smuggled away ! " 
 
 Harry, feeling at last that the man was serious, 
 and that his disjointed remarks had a meaning 
 which the other could not fathom, sprang at him, 
 shook him, and demanded to know what he meant. 
 
 " Oh, you idiots ! you blunderers ! " Cripps was 
 still laughing boisterously. "Don't you see that 
 there are two of them? One dead t' other 
 living ! " 
 
 Further than that, he would say nothing ; he
 
 DR. CEIPPS IS INCOHERENT 273 
 
 still continued to dance about in the dust, and to 
 clap bis hands, and to shriek with laughter, and to 
 shout, over and over again, that one was dead and 
 t' other living. Harry, filled with repentance for 
 the trouble he had brought upon his master, and 
 keenly anxious to do all in his power to undo the 
 wrong he felt he had committed, began to feel that 
 this man might know something concerning Dandy 
 Chater which would be useful that he might be 
 able, in some strange way, to save the man against 
 whom that fearful charge of murder had been made. 
 Looking at him, Harry began to wonder what to 
 do ; how to force from this man the information he 
 probably held. Feeling his own weakness in the 
 matter, he cast about in his mind to discover to 
 whom he might turn for help. 
 
 He must find, in the first place, a friend of the 
 man he desired to assist some one about whose 
 loyalty to Dandy Chater there could be no faintest 
 doubt. The name of one person after another oc- 
 curred to him only to be immediately rejected, as 
 an avowed believer in his guilt, or as too weak to 
 be of use. Suddenly there came the thought; of 
 Miss Barnshaw the woman who loved Dandy 
 Chater who was rich, and had powerful friends ; 
 he decided to go to her at once, and to take Cripps 
 with him. 
 
 To go to her was easy enough ; to take the little 
 man was another matter. For Cripps already be- 
 gan to repent of having said anything to a stranger, 
 even in the natural excitement attending the dis- 
 covery he felt he had made ; on Harry suggesting,
 
 2T4 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 with much eagerness, that they should go together 
 to see Miss Barnshaw, he at once became very 
 grave again, and resolutely shook his head. Visions 
 of Ogledon of the body he had assisted to drag 
 from the river of many other things floated be- 
 fore him ; he decided to hold his tongue. 
 
 Feeling, however, on second thoughts, that it 
 might be possible that this young and rich lady 
 would be willing to assist so forlorn an outcast, 
 in need of considerable refreshment, he at length 
 consented to accompany the lad to her house ; and 
 was hurried along, at a most undignified pace, by 
 Harry, immediately his consent had been obtained. 
 
 Harry stipulated that he should first see the 
 young lady alone, in order to prepare her for what- 
 ever communication Cripps might have to make ; 
 and that gentleman, complying with so reasonable 
 a request, took a seat in the hall, while Harry was 
 shown into the presence of Madge, who was alone. 
 
 There, his courage and resolution began to fail 
 him at once the more so, that she came eagerly to- 
 wards him, with a flush on her face, and with her 
 eyes lit up with a faint hope that he had news for 
 her. 
 
 " What is it, Harry ; what have you to tell me ? " 
 she asked, quickly. 
 
 "I want to be fair and just, Miss," he said; "I 
 want to undo some of the wrong I have done, and 
 have so bitterly repented of." 
 
 " What wrong ? " she asked. 
 
 Harry hung his head a little lower. "I sold 
 Master Dandy, Miss ; I gave him up to the police,
 
 DR. CRIPPS IS INCOHERENT 275 
 
 when he might have escaped ; I put them on his 
 track." 
 
 " You ! But I thought " 
 
 " Oh yes, Miss," he said bitterly, glancing up at 
 her " I know what you thought ; I know what 
 every one thought. You believed that I loved him, 
 and was devoted to him. So I was ; I would have 
 died for him ; I would die now to undo what I did 
 that night. But I was mad, Miss Barnshaw ; I felt 
 that he had done me a wrong, and I forgot forgot 
 all the rest. But now now I want to put things 
 right to help him if I can to prove his inno- 
 cence." 
 
 " Yes yes he is innocent, Harry ; there can be 
 no question about that," she said firmly. " I believe 
 that with all my heart." 
 
 " And so do I, Miss Barnshaw," replied the lad. 
 " I feel now that he could never have struck down 
 an unprotected girl I know that, whatever mystery 
 there may be about it all, the Master Dandy we 
 know could never have done that deed. And there 
 is a man here, Miss, a man I met by accident, who 
 knows him, and who has some strange story to tell 
 about him. I could make nothing of it myself, so 
 I brought him here, in the hope that you would see 
 him, Miss, and try to get the story from him. He 
 has been babbling about twins and there being 
 two of them (two Dandy Chaters, he seemed to 
 mean, Miss) and one dead, and the other living." 
 
 She looked at him in perplexity for a moment, 
 and then, following the direction of his eyes, and of 
 a hasty movement he made towards the door, opened
 
 276 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 it swiftly, and looked into the hall. She beckoned 
 to Cripps, who got up somewhat diffidently, and 
 came into the room. 
 
 He had had time to think about the matter while 
 he sat alone in the hall. Having a deadly fear of 
 Ogledon, and of his own connection with those 
 shady characters at Woolwich, he had come to 
 the conclusion that the less he said the better 
 would it be for him. At the same time, he wanted 
 money ; and, if this woman wanted information, she 
 must pay for it, no matter how meagre that infor- 
 mation might be. Putting on an air of deep hu- 
 mility, he faced the girl, hat in hand, and waited for 
 her to speak. 
 
 " I am told," she said at last, in a low voice, " that 
 you have something to tell me, concerning Mr. 
 Dandy Chater something that may help him per- 
 haps save him from the fate which seems to be 
 sweeping down upon him. Will you tell me what 
 you know ? " 
 
 Cripps moistened his lips with his tongue looked 
 all round the room looked into his hat and finally 
 raised his eyes to her face. "Owing to circum- 
 stances I cannot explain, my dear young lady," he 
 said, in his weak treble " I run a very great risk 
 in telling you anything ; so great a risk that I 
 hardly know how to put the matter that it will be 
 necessary for you or any one else to make it 
 worth my while to say anything." 
 
 " If you can help him if you can tell me any- 
 thing of service you shall be paid liberally," she 
 responded eagerly.
 
 DR. CRIPPS IS INCOHERENT 277 
 
 The weak eyes of the little man twinkled and he 
 moistened his lips again. " I want say fifty 
 pounds ? " he hazarded. 
 
 " It is yours. Tell me what you know." 
 
 " I should like " he hesitated, and turned his hat 
 round and round " I should like an open cheque 
 first." 
 
 She went straight to a desk in a corner of the 
 room; was busy for a moment; and then looked 
 round at him. "To whom shall I make it pay- 
 able ? " she asked. 
 
 " Cripps is my name Dr. J. Cripps, if you please." 
 
 She brought him the piece of paper, and he read 
 it greedily and thrust it in his pocket ; seemed to 
 hesitate a little longer ; and finally said what he had 
 made up his mind to say. 
 
 " My dear young lady I am not usually sober 
 enough to give a clear opinion upon anything ; force 
 of circumstances has kept me sober for nearly a 
 week, and I am clearer about the head than usual. I 
 can only say this : to the best of my knowledge and 
 belief, there are two Dandy Chaters." 
 
 " Two ! " she echoed, in a whisper. 
 
 " Two. One was fished out of the Thames some 
 days ago, and has been buried as an unknown man ; 
 the other is in Chelmsford Jail or wandering about 
 the country I don't know which. I only know 
 that there are two of them." 
 
 " But great heavens, man," she cried " I have 
 known one Dandy Chater since his boyhood ; we 
 have grown up side by side. What other man can 
 there be in his likeness ? "
 
 278 THE SECOKD DANDY CHATER 
 
 " I don't care anything about that," said the Doc- 
 tor, obstinately, "and I'm not going to tell you 
 more. I know that there are two that one is dead, 
 and t'other living ; that's all." 
 
 " But, my good man I implore you to relieve my 
 anxiety. Can't you see my position? Which of 
 these men is it who committed the murder of which 
 the living one is accused ; and which has been my 
 friend and my lover ? " 
 
 The Doctor shook his head helplessly. "The 
 Lord only knows," he said ; " / don't ! "
 
 CHAPTEE XXII 
 
 OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CAED 
 
 PHILIP CHATER, after being tumbled so uncere- 
 moniously out of the fly, lost no time in scrambling 
 to his feet, with the aid of Captain Quist and the 
 man of the melancholy visage. He found some dif- 
 ficulty in getting up on his own account, by reason 
 of the handcuffs which still adorned his wrists. The 
 Captain, now that his first lament was over concern- 
 ing the wonderful silk hat, picked up the wreckage 
 of his headgear out of the dust, and became in a mo- 
 ment the resolute man of action. 
 
 " Phil, my lad," he said, briskly " we 'aven't got 
 a moment to throw away. At the rate that there 
 'oss is a goin', they'll be in Chelmsford, with the 
 town roused, in about 'arf an hour ; and then they'll 
 begin ter scour the country, if yer like. Luckily it's 
 dark, an' the moon ain't a showin' 'er face as much 
 as she was ; so we'll cut straight across these 'ere 
 fields, an' lie close for a bit at the circus. Lor* 
 wot a lucky thing it is that I took to 'osses an' saw- 
 dust ! " 
 
 Philip was hurried along so rapidly, and assisted 
 over stiles and through gates and hedges at such a 
 pace, that he found it quite impossible to ask any 
 questions. The Captain kept an arm tightly locked 
 in his, as though he feared Philip might escape again, 
 
 279
 
 280 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 on his own account; while the melancholy man 
 scouted in advance, on the lookout for possible sur- 
 prises. In this order, after going at a great rate 
 for some half hour or so, they came to a place where 
 a few lights were gleaming among trees, and some 
 shadowy figures moving to and fro. In the pale 
 light of the moon, a huge tent stood up as a back- 
 ground to the picture, the front of which was occu- 
 pied by one or two smaller tents, and a couple of 
 caravans. Without stopping for anything, the Cap- 
 tain dived in amongst these, pulled open the door 
 of one of the caravans, and motioned to Philip to 
 go in. 
 
 The place was dimly lighted by a little oil lamp 
 hung at one side ; Philip recognised it, at the first 
 glance, as the caravan in which he had escaped from 
 Chelmsford. The Captain and the melancholy man 
 following him in, the latter closed the door care- 
 fully, while the former produced from a little 
 locker, various bottles and glasses with a smiling 
 face. 
 
 " Not a word, Phil, my boy," said the Captain, in 
 a hoarse whisper " till sich time as you gets a drop 
 of summink warmin' inside yer. You've 'ad sich an 
 uncommonly lively time lately, an' 'ave bin tumbled 
 about to that extent, as it's a marvel ter me if you 
 'ave any system left at all. So down with it, Phil, 
 my lad with the noble sentiment (I feels like a 
 boy -pirate meself !) ' Confusion to the perlice ! ' " 
 
 " I am more grateful to you, old friend, than I 
 can say," said Philip, " and, if I can get these 
 bracelets off, I shall be able to drink, or to do any-
 
 OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD 281 
 
 thing else with greater ease. However, I'll drink 
 to the toast with all my heart." He raised the 
 glass in both his manacled hands, with a laugh. 
 
 " We'll 'ave them little ornyments orf in 'arf a 
 jiffy," said the Captain, diving into the locker 
 again. " "We guessed you might 'ave summink of 
 that sort, as a little delicate attention from your 
 friends so we got pervided accordin'. 'Ere's a file 
 from our 'andy-man's tool-bag ; an' I reckon I'd best 
 'ave a go at the rivets." 
 
 The Captain set to work at once ; nor would he 
 utter a word, in reply to any questions, until the 
 handcuffs were removed. It took some consider- 
 able time, and while the filing went on, Philip 
 noticed that the melancholy man kept his eyes fixed 
 upon the floor only occasionally indulging in that 
 extraordinary cough, with which he had been 
 afflicted at the Chater Arms. 
 
 At last, the handcuffs being safely put out of 
 sight, the Captain, turning to the melancholy man, 
 said abruptly " Now then, Skerritt, my boy let's 
 know 'ow this 'ere affair was brought orf for the 
 infermation of Mr. Chater. This, Phil," he added, 
 " is a man as is to be trusted with anythink from 
 untold gold to w'iskey a man as formerly sailed 
 under me, an' 'as joined me, as a sort of depitty 
 clown. I'll own," added the Captain, in a hoarse 
 whisper behind his hand to Philip " I'll own as 'e 
 don't look it but Vs got a way with 'im, w'en 'e's 
 painted up, as would fairly astonish yer." 
 
 Mr. Skerritt immediately plunged into an account 
 of his doings, and of how he contrived to meet
 
 282 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Philip ; explaining it all with many of those curious 
 sounds before referred to, and with much rolling of 
 one melancholy eye. He had a curious funereal 
 voice, as though it had sunk below the usual level 
 at some period, of great depression, and had never 
 been got up again. 
 
 " The Cap'n 'avin' passed the word as there were 
 a shipmate in distress, I started out fer ter sight 
 'im ; got wind that 'e might be expected in Bamber- 
 ton wind an' tide bein', so ter speak, favourable. 
 The Cap'n 'ere come as far as the cross-roads wi' me 
 an' we arranged signals. Then I 'eard a fair rumpus 
 in the village, an' got up jus' in time to see the per- 
 liceman a bein' pounded in the ribs by a ole gent in 
 his stockin' feet, an' Mr. Chater a layin' about 
 proper among the lubbers as was a tryin' to 'old 'im. 
 I shoves meself for'ard, an' manages ter git with 
 'im an' the perliceman, w'en they starts fer Chelms- 
 ford. The rest 'e knows." Here Mr. Skerritt 
 laughed again, in that peculiar fashion of his, and 
 looked more melancholy than ever. 
 
 " But, Captain, 5 ' urged Philip " you don't seem 
 to realise what a risk you run, in thus defying the 
 Law, and befriending a man who is an outlaw. 
 My debt to you is greater than I can pay ; and I 
 cannot permit you to run any further danger on my 
 account." 
 
 " 'Old 'ard 'old 'ard, mess-mate," cried the Cap- 
 tain. " 'Osses or no 'osses circuses or no circuses 
 I stan' by a friend. I confess I don't understan' 
 the business an' I don't like you a runnin' under 
 false colours ; but you've give me yer word as 'ow
 
 OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD 283 
 
 you're innocent ; an' I'll continue for to rescue yer, 
 once a week, if necessary till further orders. I 
 don't take no notice of objections or risks ; rescue 
 yer I will, agin yer will or with it. An' now, Phil, 
 as we starts early to-morrer mornin', I'd advise yer 
 to turn in, an' git wot sleep yer can. An' in order 
 that yer may sleep with a easy mind, there's some 
 one as I'd like yer ter see, afore I battens yer down 
 for the night." 
 
 So saying, the worthy Captain opened the door 
 cautiously, and crept down the steps. In a few 
 moments, the door was opened again, by another 
 hand ; and a light figure darted in, and fell at 
 Philip's feet. It was Clara Siggs. 
 
 He was so astonished and so delighted at this 
 unexpected meeting, that, as he raised her from the 
 floor, and looked into her eyes, he bent his head, 
 and kissed her, quite on an impulse. 
 
 " My dear girl," he said " this is the best part of 
 all to know that you are safe and well, and in good 
 hands. Tell me how did you come here ? " 
 
 " Mrs. Quist, with whom I lodged at Chelmsford, 
 gave up her house, and came to join the Captain. 
 She has made up her mind to travel about in 
 future with her husband to look after him a little, 
 I fancy " Clara laughed softly as she spoke " and 
 so I came with her." 
 
 " I saw your mother a few hours since," said 
 Philip, watching the girl intently as he spoke 
 " and assured her that you were with friends, and 
 well cared for. When will you return to her ? " 
 
 She looked up at him quickly for a moment, with
 
 284: THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 a half reproachful expression on her face. " When 
 you tell me to go," she said, slowly. 
 
 "No not when /tell you, child ; but when your 
 own heart tells you. I wouldn't have you think me 
 ungrateful, for the world ; I wouldn't have you 
 think that I undervalue, in any way, your sacrifice 
 for me, or your valuable help in my time of great- 
 est need ; I shall remember it all, while God gives 
 me memory to remember anything. But I should 
 be a brute and a coward, if I took advantage of it 
 or of you. You are very young, and have, I trust, a 
 long and happy life before you ; my life seems to be 
 going down in shadows. More than all else, I want 
 you to think that the Dandy Chater who lingered 
 with you in the woods, and whispered foolish 
 things to you, is not the Dandy Chater who holds 
 your hands now, and speaks to you out of a full and 
 grateful heart. Perhaps who can tell, child? 
 perhaps trouble and suffering have altered him 
 have made him see many things in a better light ; 
 perhaps he's a different man altogether." 
 
 She was weeping quietly, with her head bowed 
 down on the hands he held ; but she did not inter- 
 rupt him. 
 
 " There's an old mother at home, waiting to wel- 
 come back the pretty child she brought into the 
 world, and has held so often in her arms ; there's a 
 grey-headed father, who loves you ; and there's 
 some one else a good-hearted lad, with never a 
 stain upon him who loves you, too, as you deserve 
 to be loved. Now when does your heart tell you 
 you must go back to them ? "
 
 OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CAKD 285 
 
 " I I understand," she said, almost in a whisper. 
 " I've had time to think, during these few days 
 and this wild and foolish heart of mine seems to 
 beat for them for him more than it ever did be- 
 fore. I should like to go back to them at once 
 to-morrow now that I know you are safe. But 
 will they understand ? " 
 
 " Your mother will understand everything," said 
 Philip, with a smile. 
 
 For three days, Philip Chater remained with the 
 circus keeping hidden during the day, and only 
 venturing out at night. During that time, he had 
 some narrow escapes from re-capture ; once, he lay 
 under a tarpaulin which had been flung hurriedly 
 over him, and heard a constable making minute en- 
 quiries concerning the missing Dandy Chater, while 
 Captain Peter Quist gave as minute replies. Real- 
 ising, however, that he could not remain hidden 
 much longer, and being fully aware of the risk 
 which was run so cheerfully by the Captain, and 
 those associated with him, he determined to get 
 away, and to let what risk and danger there was be 
 upon his own shoulders. 
 
 He knew well, however, that the Captain would 
 never consent to his departure ; and would be mor- 
 tally offended at the mere suggestion of such a 
 thing. Therefore, he determined to steal away, 
 without giving any warning of his intention. Clara 
 Siggs, under a safe escort, had gone back to Bam- 
 berton ; and the circus was already making arrange- 
 ments to move on further afield. 
 
 Accordingly, quite late at night, when all the
 
 286 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 people connected with the circus were sleeping, he 
 started to make his escape. He had absolutely re- 
 fused to occupy the caravan originally intended for 
 him, because he knew that, by so doing, the Cap- 
 tain and Mrs. Quist would be rendered practically 
 homeless ; after much contention about the matter, 
 it had been arranged that he should sleep in a rough 
 tent, and in the company of the melancholy one. 
 And, on this night, he lay wide awake in the dark- 
 ness, listening to the heavy breathing of that gentle- 
 man, and striving to make up his mind what course 
 to pursue, when once he should be clear of the little 
 encampment. 
 
 Fortunately, the melancholy man was a heavy 
 sleeper, and Philip was able to creep past him. and 
 get out of the tent, under the stars, without rous- 
 ing him or any one else. Standing there, in the 
 silence of the night, with only those faint points 
 of light glimmering and winking above him, and 
 no sound all about, save the distant barking of a 
 dog, Philip wondered what he should do to what 
 point of the compass he should turn. So far as 
 he knew, he stood absolutely alone, with all his 
 battles still to fight. But even now, with a full 
 knowledge of the dangers through which he had 
 passed, and the dangers he had still to face, Bam- 
 berton the scene of all his troubles drew him 
 like a magnet. 
 
 The circus had moved on, some fifteen miles to 
 the westward of the village ; but Philip had kept 
 careful note of the route taken, and was able to set 
 out at once, by the most direct road. There was
 
 OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD 287 
 
 but small fear of his meeting any one, in the middle 
 of the night ; but, for all that, he was watchful and 
 suspicious of every sound. 
 
 He made straight for the Chater Arms, and 
 reached it at about five o'clock in the morning; 
 lying concealed at a little distance, he waited until 
 he saw Betty herself throw open her window, and 
 show her blooming face to the fresh morning sun ; 
 creeping near, he signalled to her, and in a few mo- 
 ments she appeared at the door leading into the 
 yard, and beckoned to him. 
 
 Before a word was spoken, she drew him inside, 
 and hugged him in her hearty fashion, and wept a 
 little in quite a womanly one. 
 
 " Clara is with you ? " was his first question. 
 
 " Yes an' as well as well. But, my dear boy, 
 wot brings yer back to Bamberton ? " 
 
 Philip hurriedly explained his reasons for leaving 
 Captain Quist reasons which Betty cordially ap- 
 proved. 
 
 " You won't need to worry yerself a bit, deary," 
 she said " 'cos that there idjut Tokely 'as took 'is- 
 self back to Scotland Yard an' there ain't nobody 
 in the 'ouse, 'cept a drunken little wretch wot seems 
 to 'ave plenty of money, an' is goin' on in a fair 
 way to empty my bar. An' of all the strange 
 things " she stopped suddenly, and looked at 
 Philip, and clapped her hands together; "Phil, 
 dear lad, to think that you an' 'im should 'ave 
 come together, at this time, in this place, an' with 
 ole Betty under the same roof ! " 
 
 Philip stared at her in astonishment. "Why,
 
 288 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 little mother " he said, laughing " what on earth 
 are you rambling on about ? " 
 
 " Not ramblin' at all, deary but jus' speakin' of 
 plain honest facts. The man who's sleepin' up- 
 stairs now is a chap a Doctor by the name of 
 Cripps " 
 
 " Not the Cripps of whom you told me, Betty ! " 
 cried Philip, excitedly. "Not the man who was 
 paid to keep the secret of my birth ? " 
 
 " The very same," cried Betty, with equal excite- 
 ment. " Why Phil, dear lad " 
 
 " Don't waste a moment, Betty," he cried " I 
 must see this man at once." 
 
 " But 'e's in bed an' sleepin' like a pig ; it took 
 Toby an' another man to get 'im upstairs las' night 
 an' 'e fought all the way." 
 
 " I don't care if he's in bed or where he is," said 
 Philip " I must see him." 
 
 Persuaded at last that the matter was really 
 urgent, Betty led the way upstairs pointed to a 
 door and hurriedly retired. Philip Chater, after 
 knocking once, and getting no response, turned the 
 handle and went in. 
 
 Dr. Cripps must have gone to bed, as suggested 
 by Betty Siggs, in a state of considerable excite- 
 ment. His dilapidated clothing was literally all 
 over the room, as though he had stripped it from 
 his person, and hurled it in all directions. He was 
 hanging half out of bed, as though he had made a 
 vain attempt to stand on his head on the floor, and 
 had fallen asleep before accomplishing it ; so that 
 his countenance, at all times an inflamed one, was
 
 OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD 289 
 
 literally purple. Philip, in his impatience, hurried 
 towards him, shook him into an upright position, 
 and spoke his name. 
 
 The unfortunate Cripps, awakened thus hurriedly 
 from his slumbers, and having no time to collect 
 his thoughts properly, saw before him the man who 
 had been the cause of all his miseries and troubles, 
 and remembered nothing of that solution of the 
 mystery at which he had so opportunely arrived. 
 Indeed, the fifty pounds he had earned or ob- 
 tained from Madge Barnshaw was going far to 
 make him a greater wreck than before ; for he was 
 melting it into a liquid form, as rapidly as mortal 
 man could. 
 
 Staring, in those first moments of semi-conscious- 
 ness, into the eyes of Dandy Chater, as he sup- 
 posed, he beat him off with both hands, shrieked 
 aloud, and made for the window. Philip had only 
 just time to catch him round the waist ; in another 
 moment, he would have gone head first into the 
 yard below. 
 
 " Steady, my friend steady ! " exclaimed Philip, 
 putting the terror-stricken man into a chair, and 
 getting between him and the window. " What are 
 you frightened at ? "What's the matter ? " 
 
 Cripps looked at him for a moment or two, and 
 then his face gradually changed. "You came 
 came on a man so suddenly," he said. " But I see 
 now ; I suppose you're the other one." 
 
 Philip laughed. " Yes," he said " I'm the other 
 one. You know all about me, Cripps ; you know 
 that I'm a fugitive from justice and you know,
 
 290 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEB 
 
 better than any one, that I am innocent, and am 
 suffering for my brother's sins. I suppose you know- 
 that he is dead ? " 
 
 Cripps nodded. "Fished him out of the river 
 myself, with a beastly sailor-man, who dragged me 
 into it by sheer brute force," he replied. "And, 
 ever since then, you've been appearing to me as a 
 ghost and frightening me out of what few wits I 
 have left. Now what are you going to do ? " 
 
 " First," said Philip, sitting down near him " I 
 want to assure you that I am your friend ; I want 
 to plead with you to help me to work with me 
 to bring this business to an end. "Who knows the 
 real story, except yourself ? " 
 
 " No one," said Cripps after a moment's thought 
 " except the woman who took you to Australia." 
 
 "And she will say nothing, I know," replied 
 Philip. " Now there is a man a cousin of mine 
 named Ogledon " 
 
 Cripps shook a feeble fist in the air. " Ogledon 
 is a scoundrel a devil," he cried. " Ask him how 
 Dandy Chater your brother, mind you met his 
 death?" 
 
 " If you know anything of that, Dr. Cripps in 
 mercy tell me ! " exclaimed Philip. 
 
 "Ogledon killed him; that much I know, from 
 his own lips," said the little man, after a pause. 
 " You see, you have taken his place so neatly, that 
 it has never occurred to anybody to imagine that 
 Dandy is dead. I was always sorry for Dandy 
 oh don't laugh at me ; I'm a drunken little crea- 
 ture, of no good to any one but Dandy would
 
 OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD 291 
 
 have been all right, if it hadn't have been for Ogle- 
 don. Ogledon took him, when he was a mere lad, 
 and moulded him as he would. And then killed 
 him to finish it. But there's worse than that." 
 
 " Worse ! " cried Philip. " What do you mean ? 
 What can be worse than that ? " 
 
 " Do }'ou know a young girl named Marnham ? 
 No Barnham Barn " 
 
 " Barnshaw ? " asked Philip, with his heart be- 
 ginning to beat uncomfortably fast. 
 
 "Barnshaw it is. Lives at a house near here. 
 Well Ogledon's been sweet on her for a longtime, 
 although, from what I hear, she would have noth- 
 ing to say to him." 
 
 " Heaven bless her ! I should think not, in- 
 deed ! " 
 
 " Well Ogledon made up his mind to get hold 
 of her ; he has sent her an urgent message to go to 
 him, on the plea that he can explain about you." 
 
 " About me ? " said Philip, in astonishment. 
 
 " Yes or rather about Dandy Chater. That was 
 the message : * I can tell you the truth about Dandy 
 Chater.' At least, so the Shady 'un told me." 
 
 " The Shady 'un ? What has he to do with it ? " 
 
 " Everything. He has been trusted by Ogledon 
 with the message ; I saw him this very afternoon, 
 when he came in here to enquire the way having 
 missed it somehow or other. And Miss Barnshaw 
 has gone back with him." 
 
 Philip Chater drew a deep breath. "Steady 
 now, Cripps; let's have this thing straight. You 
 say the Shady 'un has taken Miss Barnshaw to
 
 292 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 Ogledon. Where is Ogledon ? Where are they to 
 meet ? " 
 
 " At a hut on the river bank, near The Three 
 Watermen," replied Cripps. 
 
 " Where Dandy Chater met his death ! " muttered 
 Philip to himself. " Cripps, get into your clothes ; 
 we'll follow them at once ! "
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 DANDY CHATEB COMES FROM THE GRAVE 
 
 DR. CRIPPS partly from excitement, partly from 
 sheer vindictiveness against Ogledon was only too 
 ready for the expedition. Indeed, both men were 
 so eager for it, though each for a different reason, 
 that Philip almost forgot the caution that was 
 necessary, in his own case ; he would have started 
 off, in broad daylight that very hour, to track 
 down the man of whom he was in search, had not 
 Cripps pointed out to him the madness of such a 
 course. 
 
 " You see, my dear Chater," he said " you'll get 
 me into trouble, as well as yourself ; it's a danger- 
 ous thing to be running about the country with a 
 notorious criminal I beg that you will excuse the 
 expression ; but you really are a bit notorious, you 
 know and I have no wish to appear in the dock, 
 for anything beyond my own private sins and they 
 are heavy enough, Heaven knows. So that, if I 
 might suggest, I think it would be wiser for us to 
 smuggle you to London, in some way or other 
 that is, if you are really resolved on going." 
 
 " Of course I am resolved," cried Philip, eagerly ; 
 " nothing shall turn me back. Cripps, I won't be- 
 lieve you are so bad as men have painted you, or 
 made you or as you have made yourself. There's 
 
 293
 
 294 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 a heart in you somewhere, and all the brandy in the 
 world hasn't washed it out of you." 
 
 " Thank you," said Cripps, in a low voice ; and 
 hung his head. 
 
 " Let me tell you this ; that I love this girl with 
 all my heart and soul ; she is in danger and I know 
 that Ogledon will not hesitate to add another crime 
 to his list. The question is (for you are right about 
 the necessity for smuggling me) how am I to get to 
 London ? " 
 
 They decided to consult Betty Siggs forthwith ; 
 and, although that lady was at first very chary of 
 holding any communication with Cripps, she cheer- 
 fully accepted Philip's assurance that the little man 
 was to be trusted, and set about devising a plan to 
 help them. Taking Toby into her confidence, also, 
 she brought him up to the room, where Philip and 
 Cripps were waiting, and they put the case before 
 him. 
 
 Toby Siggs thought about it for a long time; 
 turned it over this way and that, but could make 
 nothing of it. Betty, after all, settled the difficulty 
 in her own quick fashion. 
 
 She happened to be standing near the window, 
 looking down into the yard at the back of the inn; 
 when she suddenly clapped her hands, and laughed 
 aloud. " 'Ere you are ! " she exclaimed " the very 
 thing ! " 
 
 Philip ran to her side, and looked down into the 
 yard. A heavy wagon, laden 'with hay, had drawn 
 into the yard, and the carter was at that moment 
 climbing down, ready to enter the house.
 
 BANDY COMES FKOM THE GftAVE 295 
 
 " See, dear lad," whispered Betty " the man is a 
 stranger, and 'alf a sov'rin will be a fortune to 'im, 
 an' Vll ask no questions. You ain't above rough- 
 ing it an' you an' the other man can creep in under 
 the tarpaulin, and get to town, without no one bein' 
 any the wiser. It'll be slow but it'll be better 
 than bein' caught 'arf-way, an' 'avin' yer journey 
 for nothin' won't it ? " 
 
 The plan seemed an excellent one; and Betty 
 went downstairs at once to arrange it. The carter, 
 being an easy fellow, earning small wages, was 
 delighted at the prospect of gathering in ten shill- 
 ings with so little trouble ; and, in half an hour 
 Cripps and Philip Chater were lying snugly on top 
 of the sweet-smelling hay, under the tarpaulin, 
 travelling slowly but surely on the road to 
 London. 
 
 Cripps was very valiant in whispers on the 
 road ; professing his ability to run Ogledon to 
 earth, and openly charge him with the murder of 
 Dandy Chater. Kepentance was strong upon him 
 for the time, and he was ready to perform impossi- 
 ble deeds, by way of reparation for past misdeeds. 
 In particular, he was anxious about the bank notes 
 which had been handed to Philip at The Three 
 Watermen. 
 
 " For of course I know, by this time, Mr. Chater, 
 that they were handed to you," he said " and not 
 to the man who is dead. Let me warn you, for 
 your own sake, not to deal in them ; they are 
 stopped, and keenly watched for already." 
 
 "The warning comes too late," replied Philip,
 
 296 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 with a groan. " I dealt in them almost at once. I 
 had to cover up a well, call it a mistake on the 
 part of my late brother, and I paid away the notes 
 as hush-money." 
 
 " To whom did you pay it ? " 
 
 " To a money-lender a man bearing the distinct- 
 ive name of Isaacson," replied Philip. 
 
 " That sounds bad," said the little man. " He 
 would be sure to find out about the notes before 
 any one. Have you heard nothing from him ? " 
 
 " How should I ? I have not been to Chater 
 Hall since that time; Heaven knows how many 
 letters may be waiting for me or for Dandy Chater. 
 At all events, it's no use worrying about it, or won- 
 dering what is going to happen within the next 
 twenty-four hours." 
 
 The cart in which they travelled was heavily 
 laden, and slow ; and the carter stopped many 
 times upon the road, on the strength of the ten shil- 
 lings he had received, for refreshment. They 
 chafed at the delay, but could do nothing ; for they 
 dared not express impatience, for fear of arousing 
 suspicion. Worse than all, from the Doctor's stand- 
 point, at least, it was impossible for them to stir 
 from under the tarpaulin, or to show themselves ; 
 so that, through the dust and heat of many hours, 
 they had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing the 
 carter bury his face in huge tankards of ale, 
 whilst nothing came their way. At such moments 
 as these, the Doctor buried his face in the hay, and 
 positively groaned aloud. 
 
 It was quite late in the afternoon, when they 

 
 DANDY COMES FROM THE GRAVE 297 
 
 came into London, and the cart was hacked into a 
 huge stable-yard. There, another delay occurred ; 
 for night was still far off, and they dared not stir 
 in daylight. Fortunately, the hay was not to be 
 disturbed until the next morning, so that they lay 
 there, listening to the busy noise of the streets, and 
 longing for darkness. 
 
 Dusk at last, and the noises in the streets grow- 
 ing fainter. They had agreed upon their plan of 
 action, and had decided to take a four-wheeled cab 
 to "Woolwich choosing that conveyance, as being 
 likely to attract less attention than a hansom and 
 then to walk to The Three Watermen. They slipped 
 down the side of the hay wagon, and crept out of 
 the stable-yard into the streets. 
 
 Philip dived into the first crawling " growler " he 
 saw, leaving Cripps to give the necessary directions. 
 Philip leaned back in the cab, as much out of sight 
 as possible, and began to wonder, with fiery impa- 
 tience, whether they would be too late or whether 
 they would miss those of whom they were in pur- 
 suit or whether Madge had really come to London, 
 and, if so, where she was at that time. 
 
 After a long journey through endless streets, 
 Cripps stopped the vehicle, and they alighted. 
 Philip found himself at the corner of a narrow and 
 very dirty street, in a neighbourhood evidently of 
 the poorest class and yet a neighbourhood which 
 seemed familiar. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Chater," said the little man, who was 
 evidently growing more nervous at every step they 
 took " Now comes the necessity for greater cau-
 
 298 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 tion than ever. We we may absolutely ruin 
 everything, if we are too precipitate. We must 
 find out first where Ogledon is, and whether or not 
 he has gone to the hut spoken of by the Shady 'un. 
 Ah you don't know what Ogledon is or what he 
 is capable of." 
 
 "I can guess," said Philip, quietly "and that 
 makes me the more anxious to get on without de- 
 lay. How far are we from the place ? " 
 
 " A hundred yards or so," replied Cripps, who 
 was beginning to tremble like a leaf. " You don't 
 don't feel that you would like like to turn back, 
 I suppose ? " 
 
 " Turn back ! " cried Philip with a grim laugh. 
 " Turn back now when I am within touch of this 
 man ! No not if greater dangers than any I have 
 met yet fronted me. Show me the way, wherever 
 it may be ! " 
 
 The Doctor led the way down a side street, 
 which brought them, with another sharp turn to 
 the left to The Three Watermen ; Philip knew it in 
 a moment. 
 
 " I know the way now," he said " I have been 
 to the spot before. Come on let us waste no fur- 
 ther time." 
 
 In his eagerness, he dived himself into that small 
 alley-way, into which he had gone on that first 
 night of his coming to the place. Only when he 
 reached the end of it, did he look round for his 
 companion; but Cripps was gone. His fears had 
 been too much for him, and, watching his opportu- 
 nity, he had fled. There was no time to wait for
 
 DANDY COMES FKOM THE GRATE 299 
 
 him, or to look for him ; Philip made his way rap- 
 idly in the direction of those tumble-down outhouses 
 he had noticed on the night he found his brother's 
 body. 
 
 Coming within sight of these, he suddenly 
 stopped, and dropped down behind the shelter of a 
 ruined boat, which lay half buried in the mud. For, 
 at the door of one of those dilapidated buildings, 
 stood the Shady 'un, as if on guard. 
 
 Probably Mr. Shadrach Nottidge had never been 
 so surprised or terrified in all his life, as he was 
 when a figure suddenly sprang up before him, and 
 he felt himself caught by the throat, with a grip 
 which threatened to choke him with the least pos- 
 sible delay. And, when he looked into the eyes of 
 Philip Chater, and remembered how much cause 
 that gentleman had for wreaking vengeance upon 
 him, by reason of the treachery he had displayed in 
 handing him over to the police, his fears were in- 
 creased a thousand-fold. 
 
 " Now you sly sneaking villain," whispered 
 Philip between his teeth " you runner and crawler 
 for other rogues where's your master ? " 
 
 The Shady 'un, wholly unable to speak, by rea- 
 son of that grip upon his throat, faintly moved his 
 head in the direction of the hut. 
 
 " Is the lady you brought here with him ? " asked 
 Philip, in the same cautious voice. 
 
 The Shady 'un contrived to nod, and to screw his 
 head again in the direction of the door; Philip, 
 glancing at it, saw that it stood some two inches 
 open. Giving the Shady 'un one final squeeze and
 
 300 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 shake, he flung him away, so that he fell on his 
 back on the mud gently pushed open the door 
 and crept in. The Shady 'un, the instant that 
 Philip had disappeared into the hut, got slowly to 
 his feet, and then scurried away in the darkness to- 
 wards the streets. 
 
 Inside the hut, Philip found himself in a maze of 
 poles, and ropes, and planks, and dusty tattered 
 sails ; gliding among these (the shed had evidently 
 belonged to a boat-builder, and had long been 
 abandoned) he peered past them into the shed it- 
 self, where a faint light glimmered. 
 
 As his eyes became accustomed to the twilight 
 of the place, he saw that the light in it came from 
 a guttering candle, thrust into the neck of a bottle, 
 and stood upon a table. Near this table, and at 
 the further end of the room, stood Madge Barn- 
 shaw. At the side of it nearest to where Philip 
 stood concealed, and with his back towards the 
 door, stood Ogledon. "With his hands clasped behind 
 his back, and his head thrust forward towards the 
 girl, he seemed to menace her, even while he was 
 silent. And yet, though he seemed to have her at 
 his mercy, he had about him a dogged air of being 
 at bay himself, and desperate. From the first 
 words Philip heard, as he stood there in the dark- 
 ness watching them, it appeared that Madge had 
 only just reached the place, and was still ignorant 
 of the full extent of her own danger. 
 
 "You sent for me in desperate haste, Mr. 
 Ogledon," she said "to tell me about Dandy 
 Chater to tell me the truth about him," 

 
 DANDY COMES FROM THE GRAYE 301 
 
 "Yes I'll tell you all the truth about Dandy 
 Chater," he said, sneeringly. 
 
 " I have taken a long journey, in the full hope 
 that you might help him that you might show me 
 a way to prove his innocence, and set him free," 
 she said, in the same earnest pleading voice. " If 
 you can do that if you will help him I will bless 
 you from the depths of my grateful heart ; I will 
 believe that you are true and kind and generous ; 
 and I will beg you to forget any harsh thing I may 
 ever have said to you." 
 
 He moved nearer to the table, and leant his 
 hands upon it, and looked at her across the flicker- 
 ing candle-light. "I have read somewhere," he 
 said, slowly "in some book made for babes and 
 sucklings that the love of a woman will make an 
 angel of a man and raise him up, and exalt him. 
 It's a lie ; no such thing ever happened. So far as 
 I have loved, the love of a woman is a thing 
 wherein are bound up hatred and bitterness and 
 murder and every devil-made thing that belongs 
 to the darkness. They talk of a woman scorned ; 
 what think you of a man scorned ? What think 
 you of a man, who eating his heart out for one 
 smile one word of tenderness from a mere slip of 
 a girl is met by looks which show him only dis- 
 gust and repugnance ? You thought it a fine thing 
 to fling aside the love of a man like myself, and 
 take up with a mere boy didn't you ? " 
 
 "I never flung aside your love," replied the 
 girl, scornfully. "I told you, from the first ? 
 that I could not care for you that I loved some
 
 302 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 one else. Had you been a gentleman even a 
 man " 
 
 " A gentleman ! " lie sneered. " What has gen- 
 tility to do with this business ? It's a question be- 
 tween a man and a woman and you shall find that 
 the man wins. Oh my pretty maid I swore a 
 long time ago that no other man should stand be- 
 tween you and myself ; I swore that I would have 
 you, and would bend you as it pleased me or break 
 you. Yes you've roused a lurking devil in me 
 and I'll stick at nothing now. First let us under- 
 stand each other, in regard to Dandy Chater." 
 
 He took a turn or two about the room, with his 
 head bent, as though undecided what to say, or 
 what to leave unsaid. At last, going to his former 
 position near the table and standing there, he began 
 to say what he had to say. 
 
 " You loved Dandy Chater oh don't interrupt 
 me ; you would say you love him still, I suppose ? 
 I knew that, from your own lips, as well as from 
 what I saw and heard when you were together. I 
 wonder if you would love him now if you could 
 see him ? " 
 
 " I don't understand you," she said, in a low 
 voice. " Why should I not ? " 
 
 " Because well because he wouldn't look nice," 
 he responded, with a grim laugh. "In a word 
 because he's dead." 
 
 Through the mind of the girl there floated the 
 words the little man who had accompanied Harry 
 had spoken " One is dead the other living ! " 
 But she said nothing; she was almost afraid to 
 
 J
 
 DANDY COMES FROM THE GRAVE 303 
 
 speak, because she wanted so desperately to hear 
 what he had to say in explanation of that mystery. 
 
 " Yes he's dead. He stood in my way blocked 
 up the path which led to my desires. More than 
 that, I had made a tool of him for years had used 
 him for every mean and petty thing I did not care 
 to soil my own hands with. He might have told 
 tales. Do you know what I did with him ? " 
 
 She looked at him with a face of horror, and 
 slowly shook her head. 
 
 " Look round these walls look at this miserable 
 place in which you stand. It should have a value 
 in your eyes ; for it has heard his death scream. 
 Within a dozen yards of it, on the bank of this river 
 at night I struck him down. And I'd strike 
 him down again to-night, if he stood alive before 
 me. And you you thought to defy a man who 
 felt the killing of that puny lover of yours no more 
 than he would have felt the killing of a rat ! " 
 
 He had felt it, though and he felt it still ; or 
 why did his hands tremble in their grip of the table, 
 and why did he glance for a moment, with that 
 blanched face, behind him ? 
 
 She, too, began to fear him now, as she had not 
 feared him before ; looked about her wildly, as if 
 for a way of escape. 
 
 "Ah you shake and tremble now do you?" 
 he said, mockingly. "You'll tremble more when 
 you know what I intend to do. Think of it. You're 
 here, far away from any houses, and you may scream 
 your heart out, and no one will hear you. What- 
 ever love I felt for you has gone turned into a
 
 304: THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 viler thing. By God pretty Miss Innocence " he 
 brought his fist down heavily on the table" you 
 shall dally with me an hour or two for the first 
 and last time ; and then go join your lover in the 
 river ! " 
 
 He darted round the table towards her ; but she 
 evaded him, screaming, and made straight towards 
 where Philip stood. Ogledon, in his mad rush, 
 tripped and fell ; and, at the same moment, Philip 
 caught the girl, swung her round into the darkness 
 where he had been standing, and stepped out into 
 the light. 
 
 It was all done so rapidly, that Ogledon was on 
 his feet, and had actually come on, with a blind rush, 
 before he saw who stood in his path; and even 
 then, he had no time to stop himself scarcely time 
 even to cry out. In a moment, Philip had him by 
 the throat, and had forced him to his knees ; bend- 
 ing over him, and looking full into his ghastly face, 
 he spoke the first words that rose to his lips ; re-as- 
 sumed, for a moment, that character he had taken 
 upon himself near that very spot but a week or two 
 before. 
 
 " Dandy Chater is dead is he ? Struck down by 
 your hand from behind in the dark murderer ! 
 Do you look into his eyes now in this place where 
 you killed him or will you still cry that Dandy 
 Chater has not come back from the grave ? " 
 
 The face into which Philip Chater looked, sud- 
 denly changed horribly ; mouthed and chattered at 
 him, in some unearthly tongue ; and the head fell 
 backwards. He felt the body relax, and droop un-
 
 DANDY COMES FROM THE GRAVE 305 
 
 der his hands ; heard a sort of gasping cry ; and then 
 it slid out of his grasp to the floor. At the same 
 moment, the door was flung open, and the place 
 seemed full of people. 
 
 In the front of them were some constables and, 
 just behind them, the face of the Shady 'un. Philip 
 had a dim idea that Madge had come out into the 
 light, and was bending over the prostrate form of 
 Ogledon. He knew, too, that handcuffs were on his 
 wrists, and that he was strongly held by a couple 
 of men. Some others had gone to Ogledon, and 
 were raising him up. 
 
 " Yes take me," he cried, recklessly ; " I don't 
 mind now ; my innocence is proved. Look to that 
 man " he pointed towards Ogledon " he knows 
 my story ; he is my chief witness ! " 
 
 One of the men, who had been bending over Ogle- 
 don, got up and adjusted his chin-strap, and looked 
 at Philip curiously. 
 
 "I'm afraid your witness won't do you much 
 good," he said, shortly. " The man is dead 1 "
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 A EACE FOB A LIFE 
 
 THE Shady 'un, in the vindictiveness of his tem- 
 per, had a word or two to say to the stricken man, 
 before he was marched off. 
 
 " You're the bloke wot took 'old of me by the 
 windpipe ain't yer ? " he said, going close up to 
 Philip, and thrusting his face forward at him. " Let 
 this 'ere be a warnin' to yer not ter tike 'old of other 
 chap's windpipes in futur'. You've done me rather 
 a good turn you 'ave, Mister Dandy Chater ; there 
 was a 'underd pound a 'angin' to you for sich in- 
 fermation as would lead to you bein' nabbed an' 
 that 'underd pound is mine. I calls all these 'ere 
 gents to witness," he cried, raising his voice, and 
 looking round about him " as I brought yer all to 
 this place, an' nabbed 'im mesself. An' I'm a goin' 
 ter stick to these 'ere noble coppers, till I gits my 
 'underd pound ! " 
 
 Before Philip was marched away, he turned 
 towards Madge who stood with her face buried in 
 her hands and made one last appeal to her. 
 
 " Dear girl," he said, in a voice scarcely above a 
 whisper " there is but one way to save me now 
 but one hope left for me. Before God I am inno- 
 cent. Find Dr. Cripps ! " 
 
 There was no time to say more ; they took him 
 
 306
 
 A RACE FOR A LIFE 307 
 
 off at once meeting, at the very door of the place, 
 the doctor who had been sent for to examine the 
 dead man. Madge followed the little party out, 
 and saw Philip placed in a cab, with three consta- 
 bles inside and another on the box and driven off ; 
 the Shady 'un still in pursuit of his " 'underd 
 pound " running after the cab, as if his very life 
 depended on keeping it in sight. 
 
 In the stress of the moment Madge Barnshaw had 
 lost all idea of time or place indeed of everything. 
 She quite forgot in what neighbourhood she stood 
 or at what hour ; and was only roused by hearing 
 a voice address her. 
 
 " I asks yer pardon, young lady for a speakin' 
 of sich a trim built craft, without leave but this 
 ain't no place for you to be a standin' about alone 
 in. If so be as you've lost yer way, put yer faith 
 in a old mariner as knows the points of Life's com- 
 pass a bit, an' let 'im tow yer into wotever 'arbour 
 you may be bound for." 
 
 This extraordinary speech was delivered at such 
 a rapid rate, and in so hoarse a whisper that Madge 
 had no time to interpose a word, or to check the 
 flow of words. Moreover, on looking at the face of 
 the speaker, whatever indignation she might have 
 been disposed to feel melted away ; for it was a 
 good kind honest face ruddy with much exposure 
 to wind and weather, and fringed with a luxuriant 
 growth of tangled hair. 
 
 "My lass I'm a married man (an' well I 
 knows it, w'en Mrs. Quist ain't got 'er temper 
 ironed out straight !) and there ain't no 'arm in
 
 308 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 me. But there's a few craft of a queer rig in these 
 waters and you'll do well not to stay in 'em." 
 
 Madge made up her mind at once to trust him ; 
 explained briefly that she knew nothing of the 
 neighbourhood, and had merely come there to keep 
 an appointment. And then, without more ado, she 
 suddenly turned round made a frantic effort to stand 
 upright and dropped into the man's arms. The 
 scenes through which she had passed so recently 
 had utterly unnerved her, and Miss Madge Barn- 
 shaw was lying in a dead faint in the arms of 
 Captain Peter Quist. 
 
 The Captain's first thought was to shout for 
 help ; his next, to carry the girl to some place where 
 he could procure something which would revive her. 
 Glancing about him eagerly, he caught sight of the 
 lighted windows of The Three "Watermen ; and, 
 without a moment's delay, half carried and half 
 supported her through the door, and into the little 
 private bar. 
 
 Only one person happened to be in that bar at 
 the time a little man, seated in a corner, half 
 asleep, with a glass of spirits beside him. The 
 Ca'ptain, entering hurriedly with his burden, looked 
 round, and cried out "Give me some brandy 
 quick ! an' tell me w'ere I can find a doctor." 
 
 At the mention of that last word, the little man 
 in the corner staggered to his feet ; swayed uneasily 
 for a moment ; and then came towards the Captain, 
 with what dignity he could muster on such short 
 notice. But his eyes no sooner fell upon the Cap- 
 tain, and then upon the girl, than he uttered a sort 

 
 A RACE FOR A LIFE 309 
 
 of cry spun completely round like an unsteady top 
 and made for the door. But the Captain had 
 recognised him, too ; and caught him just as he was 
 slipping out. 
 
 " 'Ere 'old 'ard, mess-mate 'old 'ard," exclaimed 
 the Captain, who had deposited his burden on a 
 bench and was able to give, for the moment, his 
 undivided attention to his captive. " You're a man 
 as I wants to see, in 'arf a shake, so soon as I've 
 attended to this 'ere young lady. An' per'aps, as 
 there don't seem to be nobody else 'andy p'raps 
 you can tell me w'ere I'll find a doctor ? " 
 
 The little man no other than Dr. Cripps was 
 cowed by the superior size and strength of the 
 Captain and capitulated. " I I am a doctor," he 
 said, giving himself a sort of shake, probably with 
 the object of pulling himself together and bending 
 over Madge, who had begun to open her eyes, and 
 to look about her. "Ah nothing more than a 
 temporary faintness, as I imagined." 
 
 He turned round suddenly, and went to the bar, 
 and hammered on it with his fists, and shouted out 
 in a voice sufficient to be heard at the other end 
 of the house. " Hi hi why the devil don't you 
 look after business, all of you! Here's brandy 
 wanted and all sorts of things and yet any 
 one might die, and be buried forty times over, 
 before you'd turn a hair. Hi hi where are you 
 all?" 
 
 A surly-looking man came slowly out of an inner 
 room, and advanced to the bar. " All right all 
 right you needn't shout the 'ouse down, Dr. 

 
 310 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 Cripps," he said, stooping to get what was wanted, 
 and glancing carelessly at the girl as he did so. 
 
 But it happened that the brandy was not re- 
 quired ; for the mere mention of the name of Cripps 
 was sufficient to rouse Madge, as nothing else could 
 have done. She sprang up at once, and caught the 
 little man by the shoulders, and looked into his eyes. 
 Cripps, for his part, began to shake and to tremble 
 very much ; for he remembered the fifty pounds she 
 had paid him, and wondered whether or not she 
 wanted it back. 
 
 " Are you Dr. Cripps ? " she asked, staring at him 
 intently. " Yes I see you are. What Providence 
 has sent you to me at this time ! " 
 
 " Madam," said the Doctor, feebly, " if it would 
 be any use for me to deny my own identity I would 
 most willingly do so. I have been hunted and 
 badgered to an extent beyond all belief; I have 
 been dragged about in the dead of night sworn at 
 carried miles on hay waggons, without a chance 
 of obtaining natural and necessary refreshments ; 
 and all because my name happens to be Cripps. 
 But I give in, Madam ; I am vanquished ; do what 
 you will with me but let me finish my liquor." 
 He walked across to where his glass stood, and 
 drained it, and then looked expressively at the 
 Captain. But nothing came of that; and at last 
 beginning dimly to see, in the coming of these two 
 people each connected, in such a different fashion, 
 with his recollections of Dandy Chater something 
 which he had to face, whispered the landlord over 
 the bar for a moment, and then turned again to them.
 
 A KACE FOR A LIFE 311 
 
 " If you want me if you have anything private 
 to say," he said " you had better come upstairs ; 
 there is a room there, of which I can claim the use." 
 
 " And in which you an' me met some little time 
 back," said the Captain, nudging him. 
 
 Cripps led the way upstairs, and ushered them 
 into the same room in which the meeting had been 
 held not so long before. Carefully shutting the 
 door, he motioned to them to be seated, and stood 
 looking at them curiously, and waiting for them to 
 speak. 
 
 " A day or two since," began Madge, speaking 
 with much eagerness, and looking straight at the 
 Doctor, " I paid you a large sum for certain infor- 
 mation concerning Mr. Dandy Chater " 
 
 " 'Ullo ! " broke in the Captain, staring from one 
 to the other. "I asks yer pardon, Miss but I 
 'adn't no idea, w'en I took yer in tow, as you was 
 acquainted with my ole friend Phil." 
 
 She looked at him in perplexity. " Nor am I," 
 she said slowly. " I spoke of Mr. Dandy Chater, 
 who has been recaptured, and is to stand his trial 
 to-morrow for murder." 
 
 " Dandy Chater is the false flag as Vs bin a sailin' 
 under," replied the Captain. " But, anyways call 
 'im Dandy Chater, or Phil Crowdy or Phil Chater 
 Vs my pal, and I'm beatin' up these 'ere quarters 
 for to find 'im." 
 
 Again there flashed through Madge's mind the 
 words the Doctor had spoken, about the one man 
 living, and the other dead ; again there seemed to 
 ring in her ears the words of Ogledon, when he had
 
 312 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 confessed to her that he had killed Dandy Chater. 
 Yet that same Dandy Chater had stood alive and 
 well in the hut by the river ; that same Dandy 
 Chater was now on his way to Chelmsford Jail ! 
 
 " He said to-night," she said, turning to Cripps 
 " that I must find you that you could save him. 
 I have heard that the trial will be held to-morrow. 
 "Won't you help me ; won't you tell me something 
 more than you told the other day ? Think in what 
 a state of mind I am now left ! The one man has 
 been murdered ; the other, of whom you spoke, is 
 either Dandy Chater, or a total stranger to me. 
 How am I to find out?" 
 
 The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but the 
 Captain suddenly raised his hand, and checked him. 
 " Avast ! " he said hoarsely " I've got the bearings 
 of this 'ere business an' I've got it from Phil 
 'isself. An' if so be as this 'ere young lady '11 bear 
 with me, she shall 'ave the straight of it. Dandy 
 Chater own twin brother to my pal Philip 
 Crowdy, or Philip Chater was took out of the 
 river by this 'ere gent an' myself a while back. I 
 'ad my reasons fer sayin' nothink, an' I cut an' 
 run." 
 
 " I, too, had my reasons," said Cripps, in a low 
 voice "for I feared Ogledon, and my own con- 
 nection with him, and I suspected that Ogledon had 
 killed him." 
 
 Madge had laid her head down on the grimy 
 table, and was weeping bitterly. " Then it is true," 
 she said, in a whisper " Dandy Chater is dead ! " 
 
 " Steady, my lass ! " said the Captain, laying his
 
 A RACE FOR A LIFE 313 
 
 rough hand lightly on her shoulder " Don't give 
 way ; for there's summink I've got to tell you." 
 
 She raised her head, and looked full into his eyes. 
 Kindly eyes they were, and they smiled at her 
 sympathetically. 
 
 " A long while ago, my lass, there was a cruel 
 wrong done a bright lad cut out of 'is 'ome, an' all 
 that should 'ave bin 'is, an' cast adrift, many miles 
 across the sea, without a name an' with the brand 
 of ' Bastard ' upon 'im. That lad was my pal Phil 
 Chater; an' 'e was the twin brother of Dandy 
 Chater." 
 
 Again the words singing in her ears " The one 
 living the other dead ! " 
 
 "Think on it, my lass," went on the Captain 
 gently. "The one boy an' 'im the youngest 
 brought up in luxury, an' with powdered lacqueys 
 for to wait on 'im at every turn ; the other an' 'im 
 the eldest sent miles across the sea, an' roughin' 
 it like any common child. Lost in the bush, 'e was 
 pitched about from one place to another 'omeless, 
 friendless, without a compass. But an' mark you 
 this, my lass if ever a boy steered 'isself straight 
 by the stars o' God, that boy Phil did. An' when 
 at last 'e comes 'ome, with no thought in 'is 'eart of 
 anythink but a 'earty greetin' for 'is brother, an' a 
 share-and-share alike business with that brother 
 an' finds 'im dead wot do 'e do ? I put it to you, 
 Miss wot do my pal Phil do ? " 
 
 She looked at him, with a brighter face, and 
 slowly shook her head. 
 
 " My pal Phil finds as that brother of 'is loved a
 
 314 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 young gel (an' I don't need look far, for to find 
 that young gel to-night !) an' was loved by 'er. 
 Phil is took for the real Dandy by that young gel 
 an' 'e loves 'er ! Bein' afeard that, if she knowed 
 the truth, she would cast 'im off, 'e takes 'is broth- 
 er's place 'is brother's sins dips 'is clean 'ands, so 
 to speak, in the blood that guilty brother shed an' 
 all mark you this, my lass all for love of that 
 young gel. An', for love of 'er the Judge will cry 
 ' Death ! ' on Phil Chater to-morrer ! " 
 
 The Captain, in his honest excitement and ad- 
 miration, had risen to his feet, and waved one arm 
 above his head. Madge had risen, too, with almost 
 equal excitement. 
 
 " There was one man as could 'ave saved 'im a 
 man of the name of Ogledon " 
 
 " Ogledon is dead," said Madge. " He died to- 
 night, and can do neither good nor harm any more. 
 But we " she looked round quickly at both men 
 " we can save him ; we can prove to all the world 
 that this man is innocent, and is suffering for an- 
 other. The trial is to-morrow the first on the 
 day's list. We must reach Chelmsford to-morrow 
 morning ; we must save this man ! " 
 
 The Captain looked at her, in an excess of admi- 
 ration. "My lass," he said slowly "I ain't sur- 
 prised that my pal Phil should 'ave gorn through 
 wot 'e 'as, for sich a gel ! I'd 'ave disowned 'im, 
 if Vd done less ! " 
 
 ****** 
 
 The sun is shining brightly outside the crowded 
 court-house ; and men and women, densely packed
 
 A KACE FOR A LIFE 315 
 
 within the walls, glance up at the grimy windows, 
 and from them to the prisoner, and wonder, per- 
 haps, what he is thinking about. The prisoner, for 
 his part, scarcely makes a movement scarcely turns 
 his weary eyes round when any one speaks. For 
 hope has gone out of him ; the battle has been 
 fought and lost ; the murderer of the real Dandy 
 Chater is dead and has carried his secret into an- 
 other Place where all secrets are known. The 
 crowd of faces about him bears but one stamp upon 
 it all hard, unrelenting, vengeful, every face there 
 looks upon him with certainty as a dead man and 
 is glad to think that he gets what he deserves. 
 
 There has been as there always is in such cases 
 much eloquence on both sides and some dra- 
 matic moments. At the present the jury are a lit- 
 tle tired of it, and the Judge palpably nods ; for the 
 whole thing is such a foregone conclusion. The 
 great man who has come down specially instructed 
 by the Treasury, has pointed out that this, gentle- 
 men, is a case in which no considerations of social 
 standing, birth or position must be allowed to 
 weigh. Indeed, gentlemen of the most intelligent 
 jury, in the most intelligent country of the world, if 
 it be possible to make it a little hotter for the pris- 
 oner than is made already, then, gentlemen, clearly 
 it is your duty to make it hotter. For this man 
 (a most desperate character you must understand, 
 gentlemen as witness the cloud of police about the 
 dock and even in the dock with him) this man 
 had the advantages of a great name a fine position 
 much property. Yet, gentlemen, what have you
 
 316 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 heard of him ? He stands before you a convicted 
 forger, bank robber burglar and as you will have 
 thrust down your throats a little more, gentlemen, 
 a murderer ! You have had a most honest gentle- 
 man here to-day on whom stolen notes were passed 
 to cover the amount of a forgery committed by the 
 prisoner on his greatest friend. You have heard of 
 transactions whereby the estate handed down to 
 the prisoner has been gradually sapped away by 
 riotous living until not one stick of it remains that 
 is not encumbered or bartered away. And to-day, 
 gentlemen, in effect, behold the prisoner brought 
 before you to receive his just doom ! 
 
 All this and much more from the learned gentle- 
 man instructed by the Treasury. A movement in 
 Court as the learned gentleman sits down and the 
 prisoner turns his eyes in the direction of a new 
 voice. 
 
 The new voice belongs to Mr. Andrew Banks, 
 rising young barrister ; and Mr. Andrew Banks is 
 disposed to be flippant. For it must not be under- 
 stood, gentlemen of the jury, that because a man of 
 the station of life of the prisoner has run through 
 a fortune or half-a-dozen fortunes for the matter 
 of that and has made a mistake in the exuberance 
 of his heart in signing some one else's name instead 
 of his own it must really not be imagined, gentle- 
 men, that that man for that reason is capable of the 
 atrocious crime with which he stands charged. In 
 fact, this rising young barrister would have the 
 gentlemen of the jury believe that the fact of his 
 having done these things and done them in an
 
 A RACE FOR A LIFE 31T 
 
 open-handed devil-may-care gentlemanly fashion, 
 rather redounds to his credit than otherwise and 
 goes indeed far to prove him incapable of such a 
 crime as this. The rising young barrister would 
 beg to call the attention of this most intelligent 
 jury to the witnesses relied upon for the prosecu- 
 tion. One the witness in regard to the forgery 
 and the stolen notes is a sixty per-cent. money- 
 lender who has doubtless bled the prisoner pretty 
 freely for years ; the other and a most unwilling 
 witness it must be remembered, gentlemen is a 
 former servant of the prisoner and now on his own 
 confession out of a situation. In a word, gentlemen 
 of the jury, this rising young barrister absolutely 
 flouts the testimony of the witnesses for the prose- 
 cution ; has a little to say about hearths and homes 
 and British liberties ; and sits down amid a little 
 murmur of applause. 
 
 But the rising young barrister is not so sanguine 
 as he appears, for he leans across towards his learned 
 brother from the Treasury and whispers before 
 that gentleman rises again " Devilish uphill work ! 
 Can't get a word out of him won't suggest any 
 course of defence at all." 
 
 A few more words from the prosecution wholly 
 unnecessary words, for the jury are whispering and 
 have obviously made up their minds. Then amid a 
 silence the Judge sums up; would evidently be 
 merciful if he could ; but is compelled to point out 
 all the most damning facts against the prisoner 
 his desperate attempts to regain his liberty the ab- 
 sence of any evidence to rebut the weight of testi- 

 
 318 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 mony brought forward by the prosecution. In a 
 word, gentlemen of the jury, your course is clear be- 
 fore you, and you are called upon to do your duty. 
 
 A whispering a rustling and a nodding of heads 
 among the jurymen ; for it is not even necessary 
 for them to retire. Then amid a silence greater 
 even than before the usual questions are put and 
 the verdict known long ago to every man and 
 every woman in the Court is spoken in one word. 
 Guilty! 
 
 As though that word loosed the pent-up emotions 
 and passions of the crowded place, and as though 
 the grim satisfaction at the supposed justice of the 
 thing can no longer be suppressed, a great cheer 
 breaks out and rolls through the Court and out 
 through echoing corridors into the street itself; 
 where it is taken up by hundreds of throats and 
 sent on and on to fill the town. Then following 
 immediately on it and as suddenly as though no 
 sound had been raised, fell a death-like silence ; for 
 Judge and prisoner are face to face eye to eye. 
 But though he were asked a thousand times, the 
 prisoner has nothing to offer except the simple 
 words "I am innocent." Men whisper each other 
 that he seems stunned. 
 
 Some one glides behind the Judge and fits a 
 square of black on his wig. The Judge has actually 
 opened his mouth to speak, when there comes a 
 sudden commotion at the doors; cries of remon- 
 strance ; people thrusting this way and that ; and 
 foremost of a little knot of people who seem to be 
 fighting their way in a woman.
 
 A KACE FOR A LIFE 319 
 
 She stops for nothing will be stopped by noth- 
 ing. Men fall back from before her as though she 
 had some power above mere humanity. Philip 
 Chater turning towards where she comes, has a dim 
 idea that Cripps staggering and waving his arms ; 
 Betty Siggs, with her arms stretched out towards 
 him ; Captain Quist struggling fiercely with a 
 gigantic constable are all about that central 
 figure. Then the imperious voice of the woman 
 rings out above all the tumult. 
 
 " Stop in God's name ! That man is not Dandy 
 Chater ! "
 
 CHAPTEK XXV 
 
 GOING GOING GONE ! 
 
 Six months had gone by since Dandy Chater 
 (or Philip Chater as he really was) stood on trial 
 for his life ; and with the turn of the year, Quist's 
 Koyal Circus and Unparalleled Combination of 
 Equestrian Talent had come again to Bamberton. 
 judging by the appearance of the Captain as he sat 
 smoking his pipe on the steps of his caravan, the 
 venture had been so far a profitable one ; for the 
 Captain was somewhat rounded and ruddier even 
 than of old. 
 
 It was the afternoon of a warm and sunny day, 
 and the Captain was evidently very well pleased 
 with the day and the world in general and himself 
 in particular ; for he smiled and chuckled over his 
 pipe and gave himself sundry little soft slaps on the 
 leg as though he had some joke which he greatly 
 relished. Finding presently that it was quite im- 
 possible to keep the joke to himself, he threw his 
 head back a little and called softly through the 
 open door of the caravan. 
 
 "Missis!" 
 
 A muffled voice inside demanded to know what 
 he wanted. 
 
 " "Where's them there two turtle-doves ? " asked 
 the Captain in a heavy whisper. 
 
 320 

 
 GOING GOING GONE ! 321 
 
 A sound as of some one moving in the caravan 
 was heard, and then Mrs. Quist came to the door 
 and stood above him. And Mrs. Quist grim red- 
 headed female that she was actually smiled also and 
 kicked Captain Quist softly in the small of the back. 
 
 " Go 'long with yer ! " she said laughing. " It's 
 a pity there shouldn't be some on 'em as plays the 
 turtle-dove a bit ! We ain't all like you was I be- 
 lieve you'd a done your courtin' through a speakin' 
 trumpet of you'd 'ad your way you was that pub- 
 lic. An' I'm sure, considerin' as 'ow they've only 
 bin married this mornin', you might giv' 'em time 
 to say a word or two to each other." 
 
 "Ole gal," responded the Captain solemnly 
 " w'en I said ' turtle-doves ' it were not to be took 
 sarcastic. I honours 'im for 'is feelin', an' I fairly 
 dotes on 'er blushes." 
 
 Mrs. Quist administered another kick to the Cap- 
 tain but seemed well pleased. 
 
 " You an' me, ole gal, 'ad not the figger 'eads for 
 beauty w'en we stood up afore the parson ; we 
 might 'ave bin useful in our stations but there's 
 no denyin' as we was 'omely ; pleasant to look 
 upon if yer like but 'omely." 
 
 "Well yer needn't rub it in," retorted Mrs. 
 Quist. 
 
 " Far be it from me so to do, ole gal. But wot I 
 would say is this 'ere ; that it's a delight for to 
 look on them young 'uns as was married this 
 mornin'. Adam an' Eve in the garding of Eden a 
 goin' 'alves with the apple weren't a prettier pic- 
 ture than 'Arry an' Clara take my word of it."
 
 322 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 " Well Peter I will say this for yer ; that it was 
 a good day's work for you w'en you done the 'and- 
 some by them young people. We 'aven't any 
 chicks of our own an' that boy 'as got sich a way 
 with 'osses, that 'e was fairly born to look arter a 
 circus. An' the gel well, I took a fancy to that 
 child w'en fust she come to lodge with me at 
 Chelmsford." 
 
 Mrs. Quist, with another friendly kick, returned 
 into the caravan, and the Captain continued to 
 smoke his pipe. Indeed, so engrossed was he with 
 the pipe and with his own pleasant reflections, that 
 he did not observe very closely a figure coming 
 along the road towards him ; or if he looked at it 
 at all, saw in it merely a chance traveller and no 
 concern of his. But presently as the figure drew 
 nearer, a remarkable change came over the Captain. 
 Gradually the hand which held the pipe came away 
 from his mouth, bringing the pipe with it, but leav- 
 ing the mouth open ; the placidity of the Captain's 
 face changed and melted away, and in its place 
 came an expression of blank amazement. Then as 
 the figure came nearer still, amazement fled, and 
 with a shout the Captain leapt to the ground and 
 ran forward. 
 
 " Phil Chater ! Phil Chater come back to see 'is 
 old pal ! " he exclaimed, shaking the new-comer's 
 hand again and again. 
 
 It was the Philip of six months before, save only 
 for a certain weariness about the eyes and some 
 lines in the face which had not been there before. 
 He stopped the Captain with a gesture of his hand
 
 GOING GOING GONE ! 323 
 
 when that gentleman in his excitement would have 
 summoned Mrs. Quist to share his joy, and they sat 
 down together on the bank beside the patch of 
 grass on which the caravan stood. 
 
 " I wanted to have a chat with you, old friend, 
 before going away again," said Philip after a pause. 
 " So coming to Bamberton to-day for the last 
 time on business, I thought as I heard that the 
 circus was here that I'd walk over. And how are 
 you prospering ? " 
 
 " Never better," replied the Captain rubbing his 
 hands. " Whether it is, Phil, that the experience I 
 gained, so to speak, in a life on the rollin' main is 
 valuable or wot it is, I don't know ; but certain it 
 is that they comes to my circus w'erever I 'appens 
 to stop an' they claps their 'ands to a quite re- 
 markable extent, an' they laughs at the clown over 
 'is oldest jokes, min' yer things as my poor ole 
 mother used to 'ush me ter sleep with in sich a 
 way that the chap is a beginnin' to give 'isself airs. . 
 You remember the melancholy lookin' man wot 
 'auled you out of the fly that night on this 'ere very 
 road don't yer ? Well I do assure you, Phil, that 
 that chap is a gettin' fat on applause alone; 'is 
 things 'as bin let out twice in two months." 
 
 " I'm delighted to hear it," said Philip laughing. 
 " And how is Mrs. Quist ? " 
 
 "Fine an' 'earty," responded the Captain. 
 " More than all she's a beginnin' to take an interest 
 in 'osses an' talks sometimes as if she'd lived over a 
 stable all 'er days. But now you'll be surprised 
 to 'ear this, Phil, I know you will she won't 'ear 

 
 324 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 of no fat ladies. Puts 'er foot on 'em, so to speak, 
 I do assure you." 
 
 "Really?" said Philip, hiding a smile. "You 
 surprise me. But now I want to talk for a moment 
 about myself ; for I may not have a chance of speak- 
 ing to you again at any time." 
 
 The Captain looked at him in dismay. " Why- 
 wot do yer mean, Phil, my lad ? " he said. 
 
 " Well to tell you the truth at once I'm going 
 abroad," replied Philip. " I made a mistake from 
 one. point of view in ever coming back at all ; I've 
 brought endless misery on any number of innocent 
 heads and have done no good for I'm poorer than 
 when I came. My unfortunate brother had practi- 
 cally got rid of everything that could be disposed 
 of and owed money all the way round. When 
 after my release I came to look into affairs, I found 
 or rather I was advised that I need not pay a 
 single penny of his debts ; that as they had been 
 contracted by him while the property was not his, 
 but mine, 'as the elder brother, I might repudiate 
 everything. But of course I couldn't do that; I 
 made up my mind to get rid of the place and pay 
 as much as possible of what was owing." 
 
 "An' did you?" asked the Captain. 
 
 Philip laughed somewhat bitterly. "Why no," 
 he said. " For I found when it came to the point 
 of selling that I had nothing to sell ; a certain Jew 
 money-lender held a mortgage on the place and on 
 every stick it contained. He's selling it up to-day, 
 at this very hour. No, old friend, the game is 
 played out; and I start the world once more. I
 
 GOING GOING GONE ! 325 
 
 have enough to carry me back to Australia and to 
 give me a little start there; and I sail in a few 
 days' time." 
 
 The Captain was evidently very much depressed, 
 for he slowly shook his head and looked at the 
 ground with a troubled face. Philip Chater rally- 
 ingly clapped him on the shoulder and began to 
 talk of other things. 
 
 " Come," he said, " you must have lots of things 
 to talk to me about and any amount of news for 
 me. There is one thing I should like to know very 
 much ; what has become of little Clara Siggs ? " 
 
 As if in answer to the question, the Captain raised 
 his head and softly touched Philip on the arm. " See 
 there she comes, Phil," he said, " an' under .safe con- 
 voy!" 
 
 Philip Chater, looking in the same direction, saw 
 advancing towards them the girlish form of Clara 
 leaning on the arm of Harry Koutley. He sprang 
 up to meet them and the girl advanced alone. 
 
 For a moment there was silence between them ; 
 the Captain had drawn apart and was talking with 
 Harry. Then Clara, looking up into Philip's face, 
 told the end of her story so far as it could concern 
 him. 
 
 " Mr. Chater I was married this morning and 
 am the happiest girl on earth. When I tried to 
 tell Harry that I had once in my wild wayward 
 fashion cared for your brother he would not let 
 me speak ; he kissed my lips to silence me. I 
 thought that I should like you to know that I am 
 very, very happy ; that I am with people who are 

 
 326 THE SECOND DANDY CHATER 
 
 good to me, and whom I love and respect, and that 
 whatever mad dream was once in niy foolish heart 
 is buried as deep as the brother you never knew in 
 life." 
 
 His heart was too full in that hour of parting to 
 say anything in reply ; he held her hand for a mo- 
 ment and then turned towards Harry. 
 
 " You thought badly of me once, Harry and I'm 
 afraid you've been blaming yourself ever since for 
 any trouble you may have caused me. Don't think 
 of it any more ; you, like every one else, were work- 
 ing in the dark. Now you understand and we part 
 the best of friends don't we ? " 
 
 A little later Philip Chater set off towards Bam- 
 berton ; something seemed to draw him to the place 
 as it had never done before. He knew that the sale 
 had taken place that day and that Chater Hall was 
 lost to the Chaters forever ; but he had a morbid 
 desire to see it once again that he might carry away 
 with ''him the remembrance of the home which had 
 neve^jbeen his, into whatever exile he might be go- 
 ing. 
 
 It was almost dark when he traversed that long 
 winding path which he had once watched as a 
 fugitive through a whole day. But he came at last 
 to the place and noticed, in the desolation of his 
 heart, that the great hall door stood open and that 
 all within seemed blank and empty. 
 
 " I wonder who has bought it," he muttered to 
 himself, "and who will live here in the years to 
 come." 
 
 There seemed to be no one about, and he walked
 
 GOING GOING GONE ! 327 
 
 in. and turned into that room into which he had 
 first gone on the occasion of his coming to Baniber- 
 ton. And being in the room stopped dead with his 
 heart beating suffocatingly ; for there was a figure 
 standing in one of the windows. 
 
 He knew, even in the semi-darkness of the place, 
 that it was Madge Barnshaw before she turned her 
 head or spoke ; something in the mere fact of her 
 being there told him that. He would have given 
 anything not to have met her at that time and in 
 that place ; but there was no possibility of his get- 
 ting away for she turned and saw him. 
 
 She came quickly towards him and almost before 
 he knew her hand was in his and she was looking 
 straight into his eyes. " I wanted to see you," she 
 said slowly. " I waited here strange as it may 
 seem in the hope that you would come..'' 
 
 " Would it not have been better," he replied bit- 
 terly, " if you had never seen me at all ?'"" 
 
 She shook her head and a smile played for $ mo- 
 ment about her lips. " That is an ungenerous (jjfrmg 
 to say," she replied. " Surely it is right that we 
 should meet here in your home." 
 
 " Mine no longer," he said. " It was so'ld to-day 
 to pay some of the debts I took upon me when I took 
 the name of Dandy Chater." 
 
 " Well and do you know who bought it ? " she 
 asked almost in a whisper. 
 
 Something in her face as she bent nearer to him, 
 still holding his hands, seemed to answer the ques- 
 tion without the need of any word from him. She 
 went on rapidly.
 
 328 THE SECOND DANDY CHATEK 
 
 " When you first came to me, Philip, my heart 
 was full of pity for a man who had professed his 
 love for me often and often. Fool that I was, I 
 never saw that a better man stood in his place- 
 spoke with his voice wooed me for his own sake 
 and not because of his dead brother ! Philip, you 
 spoke just now of debts you have paid and I know 
 of burdens you have borne for the sake of that 
 brother. Philip " she came nearer to him in the 
 darkness "there is another debt you must pay 
 if you will, another burden you must bear. You 
 have taken upon yourself the name of Dandy 
 C hater, be Dandy C hater still to me and love 
 me!" 
 
 He held her in his arms even while he tried to 
 reason with his heart that it was not just nor fair. 
 But when she thrust the deeds of the house in his 
 hands ; when she went upon her knees to him and 
 raised her pure face to his; when she prayed that 
 he would take the place that was his, in his home 
 and in her heart ; what could he say ? 
 
 In effect it was all summed up clearly and fairly 
 that night by Mrs. Betty Siggs in the housekeeper's 
 room to Mrs. Dolman in a moment of confidence. 
 
 " The sins as Master Dandy did 'as bin wiped out 
 an' nothing need be said about 'em. Mark my 
 words, Mrs. Dolman, the time is coming when a 
 new Dandy Chater is a goin' to reign at the 'All 
 a Chater as'll be a squire in summing more than 
 name ! An' more than that, Mum, there won't be 
 no mistakes about this one ; for 'e's my dear boy, 
 an' there ain't another like 'im in the wide world.
 
 GOING GOING GONE ! 329 
 
 An' so, Mum," Mrs. Siggs raised her glass before 
 her smiling face, for they were. discussing supper 
 "I gives yer as a toast 'The Second Dandy 
 Chater.'" 
 
 
 THE END
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 



 
 IX SOUTHERN REOONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
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