orged ones," said Mrs. Undercliff.

"Oh, what friends I have found at last!" cried Helen.

She thanked them both warmly, and hurried home, for it was getting late.

Next day she brought Hand's letter to Mr. Undercliff, and devoured his
countenance while he inspected it keenly and compared it with the forged
note.

The comparison was long and careful, but unsatisfactory. Mr. Undercliff
could not conscientiously say whether Hand had written the forged note or
not. There were pros and cons.

"We are in deeper water than I thought," said he. "The comparison must be
enlarged. You must write as I suggested, and get another note out of Mr.
Hand."

"And leave the prayer-book with me," said Mrs. Undercliff.

Helen complied with these instructions, and in due course received a
civil line from Mr. Hand, to say that the extracts had been sent him from
the country by one of his fellow-clerks, and he had locked them up, lest
Mr. Michael Penfold, who was much respected in the office, should see
them. He could not say where they came from; perhaps from some provincial
paper. If of any value to Miss Rolleston, she was quite at liberty to
keep them. He added there was a coffee-house in the city where she could
read all the London papers of that date. This letter, which contained a
great many more words than the other, was submitted to Undercliff. It
puzzled him so that he set to work, and dissected every curve the
writer's pen had made; but he could come to no positive conclusion, and
he refused to utter his conjectures.

"We are in a deep water," said he.

Finally, he told his mother he was at a stand-still for the present.

"But I am not," said Mrs. Undercliff. She added, after a while, "I think
there's felony at the bottom of this."

"Smells like it to me," said the expert.

"Then I want you to do something very clever for me."

"What is that?"

"I want you to forge something."

"Come! I say."

"Quite innocent, I assure you."

"Well, but it is a bad habit to commence."

"All depends on the object. This is to take in a forger, that is all."

The expert's eyes sparkled. He had always been sadly discontented with
the efforts of forgers, and thought he could do better.

"I'll do it," said he, gayly.

CHAPTER LXI.

GENERAL ROLLESTON and his daughter sat at breakfast in the hotel. General
Rolleston was reading the _Times,_ and his eye lighted on something that
made him start. He looked toward Helen, and his f