h him. They kept themselves ready for a start
whenever there should be symptoms of a discovery, but, in the meantime,
he gambled away all that he got into his hands, and never gave her
enough to feed the children. Thus she was absolutely driven to force
work from them for subsistence; and she is a passionate creature, whom
jealousy embittered more and more, so that she became more savage than
she knew. Poor thing! She has her punishment. Maddox only came home,
yesterday, too late for any train before the mail, and by that time the
child was too ill to be moved. He must have thought it all up with him,
and wished to be rid of both, for they quarrelled, and he left her to
her misery."

"What, gone?"

"Yes, but she told us of his haunts--haunts that he thought she did not
know--a fancy shop, kept by a Mrs. Dench at Bristol, where it seems that
he plays the philanthropical lecturer, and probably has been trying to
secure a snug berth for himself unknown, as he thought, to Maria; but
she pried into his letters, and kept a keen watch upon him. He was to
be inquired for there by his Mauleverer name, and, I have little doubt,
will be captured."

"And then?"

"He will be committed for trial at the sessions; and, in the meantime,
I must see Beauchamp and Dr. Long, and arrange that he should be
prosecuted for the forgery, even though he should slip through our
fingers at the sessions."

"Oh, could that be?"

"This Clever Woman has managed matters so sweetly, that they might just
as well try her as him for obtaining money on false pretences; and the
man seems to have been wonderfully sharp in avoiding committing himself.
Mrs. Curtis's man of business has been trying all day to get up the
case, but he has made out nothing but a few more debts such as that
which turned up yesterday; and it is very doubtful how far a case can be
made out against him."

"And then we should lose him."

"That is exactly what I wish to avoid. I want to bring up my forces at
once, and have him laid hold of at once for the forgery of those letters
of Edward's. How long would it take to hear from Ekaterinburg? I suppose
Edward could travel as fast as a letter."

Alison fairly sprang to her feet.

"O, Colin, Colin! you do not think that Edward would be here by the next
sessions."

"He ought," said Colin. "I hope to induce Dr. Long and Harry to write
him such letters as to bring him home at once."

Self-restrained Alison was fairly overcome. S