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638 HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

stant'y, and I don't care two straws for the ex-

pense 1"

" Suppose we telegraph to my father, Sir?"

suggested the judicious Pedgift, "It's the

quickest way of expressing your feelings, and

the cheapest.""So it is," said Allan. "Thank you for re-

minding me of it. Telegraph to them 1 Tell

your father to give every man in Thorpe-Am-

brose the lie direct, in my name. Put it in

capital letters, Pedgift-put it in capital let-

ters !"

Pedgift smiled and shook his head. If he

was acquainted with no other variety of human

nature, he thoroughly knew the variety that ex-

ists in country towns.

" It won't have the least effect on them, Mr.

Armadale," he remarked, quietly. "They'llonly go on lying harder than ever. If you want

to upset the whole town, one line will do it.

With five shillings' worth of human labor and

electric fluid, Sir (I dabble a little in science

after business hours), we'll explode a bombshell

. in Thorpe-Ambrose I" He produced the bomb-

shell on a slip of paper as he spoke: "A. Ped-

gift, Junior, to A. Pedgift, Senior.i--Bpread it

all over the place that Mr. Armadale is coming

down by the next train."

"More words," snggested Allan, looking over

his shoulder. "Make it stronger."

"Leave my father to make it stronger, Sir,"returned the judicious Pedgift. " My father is

on the spot, and his command of language is

something quite extraordinary." He rang the

bell, and dispatched the telegram.

Now that something had been done Allan

snbsided gradually into a state of composure.

He looked back again at Mr. Pedgift's letter,

and then handed it to Mr. Pedgift's son.

"Can you guess your father's plan for setting

me right in the neighborhood?" he asked,

Pcdgift the younger shook his wise head.

"His plan appears to be connected in some

way, Sir, with his opinion of Miss Gwilt.'

"Iwonder what he thinks of her?" said Allan.

"I shouldn't be surprised, Mr. Armadale,"

returned Pedgift Junior, "if his opinion stag-

gers you a little when you come to hear it. Myfather has had a large legal experience of the

shady side of the sex, and he learned his pro-

fession at the Old Bailey."

Allan made no further inquiries. He seemed

to shrink from pursuing the subject, after hav-

ing started it himself. " Let's be doing some-

thing to kill the time," he said. "Let's pack

up and pay the bil!."

They packed up and paid the bill. The hour

came, and the train left for Norfolk at last.

While the travelers were on their way back a

somewhat longer telegraphic message than Al-lan's was flashing its way past them along the

wires in the reverse direction-from Thorpe-

Ambrose to London. The message-was in ci-

pher, and, the signs being interpreted, it ran

thus:

"From Lydia Gwilt to Maria Oldershaw-e-

Good news! He is coming back. I mean to

have an interview with him. Every thing looks

well. Now I have left the cottage I have no

women's prying eyes to dread, and I can come

and go as I please. Mr. Midwinter is luckily

out of the way. I don't despair of becoming

Mrs. Armadale yet. Whatever happens, dependon my keeping away from London until I am

certain of not taking any spies after me to your

place. I am in no hurry to leave Thorpe-Am-

brose. I mean to be even with Miss Milroy

first."

Shortly after that message was received in

London Allan was back again in his own house.

It was evening-Pedgift Junior had just left

him, and Pedgift Senior was expected to call

on business in half an hour's time.

THJ