ine is the strongest will of the two. In my present situation, she
might be of use to me in various ways, if I could secure her assistance,
without trusting her with secrets which I am now more than ever
determined to keep to myself. That was my idea as I walked to Pimlico.
Upsetting Mother Oldershaw's nerves, in the first place, and then
twisting her round my little finger, in the second, promised me, as I
thought, an interesting occupation for the rest of the afternoon.

"When I got to Pimlico, a surprise was in store for we. The house was
shut up--not only on Mrs. Oldershaw's side, but on Doctor Downward's as
well. A padlock was on the shop door; and a man was hanging about on the
watch, who might have been an ordinary idler certainly, but who looked,
to my mind, like a policeman in disguise.

"Knowing the risks the doctor runs in his particular form of practice,
I suspected at once that something serious had happened, and that even
cunning Mrs. Oldershaw was compromised this time. Without stopping, or
making any inquiry, therefore, I called the first cab that passed me,
and drove to the post-office to which I had desired my letters to be
forwarded if any came for me after I left my Thorpe Ambrose lodging.

"On inquiry a letter was produced for 'Miss Gwilt.' It was in Mother
Oldershaw's handwriting, and it told me (as I had supposed) that the
doctor had got into a serious difficulty--that she was herself most
unfortunately mixed up in the matter, and that they were both in hiding
for the present. The letter ended with some sufficiently venomous
sentences about my conduct at Thorpe Ambrose, and with a warning that
I have not heard the last of Mrs. Oldershaw yet. It relieved me to find
her writing in this way--for she would have been civil and cringing if
she had had any suspicion of what I have really got in view. I burned
the letter as soon as the candles came up. And there, for the present,
is an end of the connection between Mother Jezebel and me. I must do
all my own dirty work now; and I shall be all the safer, perhaps, for
trusting nobody's hands to do it but my own."

"July 31st.--More useful information for me. I met Midwinter again in
the Park (on the pretext that my reputation might suffer if he called
too often at my lodgings), and heard the last news of Armadale since I
left the hotel yesterday.

"After he had written to Miss Milroy, Midwinter took the opportunity
of speaking to him about the necessa