ly the shoes he
wore on Friday night--in fact, every other pair he had were then on the
shoe-stand on the lobby. So Lowe entered the house, and got pen and ink,
and continued to question the maid and make little notes; and the other
maid knocked at the parlour door with a message to Toole.

Lowe urged his going; and somehow Toole thought the magistrate suspected
him of making signs to his witness, and he departed ill at ease; and at
the foot of the stairs he said to the woman--

'You had better go in there--that stupid Lynn is doing her best to hang
your master, by Jove!'

And the woman cried--

'Oh, dear, bless us!'

Toole was stunned and agitated, and so with his hand on the clumsy
banister he strode up the dark staircase, and round the little corner in
the lobby, to Mrs. Nutter's door.

'Oh, Madam, 'twill all come right, be sure,' said Toole, uncomfortably,
responding to a vehement and rambling appeal of poor Mrs. Nutter's.

'And do you _really_ think it will? Oh, doctor, doctor, _do_ you think
it will? The last two or three nights and days--how many is it?--oh, my
poor head--it seems like a month since he went away.'

'And where do you think he is? Do you think it's business?'

'Of course 'tis business, Ma'am.'

'And--and--oh, doctor!--you really think he's safe?'

'Of _course_, Madam, he's safe--what's to ail him?'

And Toole rummaged amongst the old medicine phials on the chimneypiece,
turning their labels round and round, but neither seeing them nor
thinking about them, and only muttering to himself with, I'm sorry to
say, a curse here and there.

'You see, my dear Ma'am, you must keep yourself as quiet as you can, or
physic's thrown away upon you; you really must,' said Toole.

'But doctor,' pleaded the poor lady, 'you don't know--I--I'm
terrified--I--I--I'll never be the same again,' and she burst into
hysterical crying.

'Now, really, Madam--confound it--my dear, good lady--you see--this will
never do'--he was uncorking and smelling at the bottles in search of
'the drops'--'and--and--here they are--and isn't it better, Ma'am, you
should be well and hearty--here drink this--when--when he comes
back--don't you see--than--a--a--'

'But--oh, I wish I could tell you. She said--she said--the--the--oh, you
don't know--'

'_She_--who? _Who_ said _what_?' cried Toole, lending his ear, for he
never refused a story.

'Oh! Doctor, he's gone--I'll never--never--I know I'll never see him
again. Tell