b,' he said, laughing.

'Oh! I thought Mab was to act Whittington's cat.'

'I'm afraid they would eat her up; besides, there's the voyage. No,
you must keep her till I come home, even if she is to end like Argus.
Would you die of joy at seeing me, eh, little black neb?'

CHAPTER XII

Let us meet,
And question this most bloody piece of work,
To know it farther. Macbeth

'If you please, sir, Master Hardy from the Vintry Mill wants to see
you, said a voice at Dr. May's door early in the morning; and the
Doctor completed his dressing in haste, muttering to himself
exclamations of concern that the old man's malady should have returned.

On entering the study, Hardy's appearance, whiter than even the
proverbial hue of his trade, his agitation of feature, confused eye,
and trembling lip, inspired fears that the case was more alarming than
had been apprehended; but to cheer him, the Doctor began, 'Frightened
about yourself, Master Hardy, eh! You've come out without breakfast,
and that's enough to put any man out of heart.'

'No, sir,' said the old man, 'it is nothing about myself; I wish it
were no worse; but I've not got the heart to go to tell the poor young
gentleman, and I thought--'

'What--what has happened to the boy?' exclaimed Dr. May, sharply,
standing as if ready to receive the rifle shot which he already
believed had destroyed Leonard.

'That's what we can't say, sir,' returned Hardy; 'but he is gone, no
one knows where. And, sir, my poor master was found at five o'clock
this morning, in his chair in his sitting-room, stone dead from a blow
on the head.'

'Mind what you are saying!' shouted the Doctor passionately. 'You old
scoundrel, you don't mean to tell me that you are accusing the lad!'

'I accuse nobody, sir,' said the old man, standing his ground, and
speaking steadily, but respectfully, 'I wouldn't say nothing to bring
any one into trouble if I could help it, and I came to ask you what was
to be done.'

'Yes, yes; I beg your pardon, Hardy, but it sounded enough to overset
one. Your poor master murdered, you say!'

Hardy nodded assent.

'And young Ward missing? Why, the burglars must have hurt the poor
fellow in defending his uncle. Have you searched the place?'

'I never thought of that, sir,' said Hardy, his countenance much
relieved; 'it would be more like such a young gentleman as Mr. Ward.'

'Then we'll get over to th