emature death, by starvation, of his pet parrot, which had been for
years in the family, and a marvellous speaker, having been taught by his
mate Bill. The said Bill was also out of work, and waiting for him
outside. He too would be thankful for a job--anything would do, and
they would be willing to work for next to nothing. The contractor still
professed utter indifference to the labourer's woes, but the incident of
the parrot had evidently touched a cord which could not be affected by
human suffering. After a few minutes' consideration he said there _was_
a small job--a pump at the corner of a certain street not far off had to
be taken down, to make way for contemplated alterations. It was not
necessary to take it down just then, but as the labourers were so hard
up for a job they were at liberty to undertake that one.

Thus two wheels were set in motion, and the result was that the old pump
at the corner of Purr Street was uprooted and laid low by these
labourers, one of whom looked into the lower end of the pump and said
"Hallo!"

His companion Bill echoed the "Hallo!" and added "What's up?"

"W'y, if there ain't somethink queer inside of the old pump," said the
labourer, going down on both knees in order to look more earnestly into
it. "I do b'lieve it's letters. Some double-extra stoopids 'ave bin
an' posted 'em in the pump."

He pulled out handfuls of letters as he spoke, some of which, from their
appearance, must have lain there for years, while others were quite
fresh!

A passing letter-carrier took charge of these letters, and conveyed them
to the Post-Office, where the machinery of the department was set in
motion on them. They were examined, faced, sorted, and distributed.
Among them was the letter which George Aspel had committed to the care
of Tottie Bones at the time of his first arrival in London, and thus it
came to pass that the energies of Sir James Clubley, Baronet, were
roused into action.

"Dear me! how strange!" said Sir James to himself, on reading the
letter. "This unaccountable silence is explained at last. Poor fellow,
I have judged him hastily. Come! I'll go find him out."

But this resolve was more easily made than carried into effect. At the
hotel from which the letter had been dated nothing was known of the
missing youth except that he had departed long long ago, leaving as his
future address the name of a bird-stuffer, which name had unfortunately
been mislaid--not lo