od himself, so eager to
know if there was a letter for him that he had come out without his hat.
There _was_ a letter for him--the letter that he longed for from his
vagabond son.

These were the terms in which Bashwood the younger answered his father's
supplication for help--after having previously ruined his father's
prospects for life:

"Shadyside Place. Tuesday, July 29th.

"MY DEAR DAD--We have some little practice in dealing with mysteries at
this office; but the mystery of your letter beats me altogether. Are you
speculating on the interesting hidden frailties of some charming woman?
Or, after _your_ experience of matrimony, are you actually going to give
me a stepmother at this time of day? Whichever it is, upon my life your
letter interests me.

"I am not joking, mind--though the temptation is not an easy one to
resist. On the contrary, I have given you a quarter of an hour of my
valuable time already. The place you date from sounded somehow familiar
to me. I referred back to the memorandum book, and found that I was sent
down to Thorpe Ambrose to make private inquiries not very long since.
My employer was a lively old lady, who was too sly to give us her right
name and address. As a matter of course, we set to work at once, and
found out who she was. Her name is Mrs. Oldershaw; and, if you think of
_her_ for my stepmother, I strongly recommend you to think again before
you make her Mrs. Bashwood.

"If it is not Mrs. Oldershaw, then all I can do, so far, is to tell you
how you may find out the unknown lady's address. Come to town yourself
as soon as you get the letter you expect from the gentleman who has gone
away with her (I hope he is not a handsome young man, for your sake)
and call here. I will send somebody to help you in watching his hotel
or lodgings; and if he communicates with the lady, or the lady with him,
you may consider her address discovered from that moment. Once let me
identify her, and know where she is, and you shall see all her
charming little secrets as plainly as you see the paper on which your
affectionate son is now writing to you.

"A word more about the terms. I am as willing as you are to be friends
again; but, though I own you were out of pocket by me once, I can't
afford to be out of pocket by you. It must be understood that you are
answerable for all the expenses of the inquiry. We may have to employ
some of the women attached to this office, if your lady is too wideawake