osts such as Minister never dreamt of, yet which, he
declared, could not fail of vast success. 'You just look at these
figures!' he would exclaim to Sidney, in his low, intense voice. 'There
it is in black and white!' But Sidney's faculties were quite unequal to
calculations of this kind, and Eagles could never summon resolve to
explain his schemes before an audience. Indefatigably he worked on, and
the work had to be its own reward.

He was busy in the usual way this afternoon, as he sat on the bed,
coatless, a trade journal open on his knees. His wife never disturbed
him; she was a placid, ruminative woman, generally finding the details
of her own weekly budget quite a sufficient occupation. When she had
taken off her bonnet and was turning out the contents of her bag,
Eagles remarked quietly:

'They'll have a bad journey.'

'What a day for her to be travelling all that distance, poor thing! But
perhaps it ain't so bad out o' London.'

Lowering their voices, they began to talk of John Hewett and the
daughter he was bringing from Lancashire, where she had lain in
hospital for some weeks. Of the girl and her past they knew next to
nothing, but Hewett's restricted confidences suggested disagreeable
things. The truth of the situation was, that John had received by post,
from he knew not whom, a newspaper report of the inquest held on the
body of Grace Danver, wherein, of course, was an account of what had
happened to Clara Vale; in the margin was pencilled, 'Clara Vale's real
name is Clara Hewett.' An hour after receiving this John encountered
Sidney Kirkwood. They read the report together. Before the coroner it
had been made public that the dead woman was in truth named Rudd; she
who was injured refused to give any details concerning herself, and her
history escaped the reporters. Harbouring no doubt of the information
thus mysteriously sent him--the handwriting seemed to be that of a man,
but gave no further hint as to its origin--Hewett the next day
journeyed down into Lancashire, Sidney supplying him with money. He
found Clara in a perilous condition; her face was horribly burnt with
vitriol, and the doctors could not as yet answer for the results of the
shock she had suffered. One consolation alone offered itself in the
course of Hewett's inquiries; Clara, if she recovered, would not have
lost her eyesight. The fluid had been thrown too low to effect the
worst injury; the accident of a trembling hand, of a moveme