atitude and
maternal influence.

It was late when he reached home. He let himself in with a latch-key,
and went into his room for a moment.

A letter lay on the table, with no stamp on it: he took it up. It
contained but one line; that line made his heart leap:

"News of G. C. RANSOME."

CHAPTER XLIII.

Late as it was, Little went to the Town-hall directly. But there, to his
bitter disappointment, he learned that Mr. Ransome had been called to
Manchester by telegram. Little had nothing to do but to wait, and eat
his heart with impatience. However, next day, toward afternoon, Ransome
called on him at the works, in considerable excitement, and told him
a new firm had rented large business premises in Manchester, obtained
goods, insured them in the "Gosshawk," and then the premises had caught
fire and the goods been burned to ashes; suspicions had been excited;
Mr. Carden had gone to the spot and telegraphed for him. He had met a
London detective there, and, between them, they had soon discovered that
full cases had come in by day, but full sacks gone out by night: the
ashes also revealed no trace of certain goods the firm had insured. "And
now comes the clew to it all. Amongst the few things that survived the
fire was a photograph--of whom do you think? Shifty Dick. The dog had
kept his word, and gone into trade."

"Confound him!" said Little; "he is always crossing my path, that
fellow. You seem quite to forget that all this time I am in agonies of
suspense. What do I care about Shifty Dick? He is nothing to me."

"Of course not. I am full of the fellow; a little more, and he'll make a
monomaniac of me. Mr. Carden offers L200 for his capture; and we got an
inkling he was coming this way again. There, there, I won't mention his
name to you again. Let us talk of what WILL interest you. Well, sir,
have you observed that you are followed and watched?"

"No."

"I am glad of it; then it has been done skillfully. You have been
closely watched this month past by my orders."

This made young Little feel queer. Suppose he had attempted anything
unlawful, his good friend here would have collared him.

"You'll wonder that a good citizen like you should be put under
surveillance; but I thought it likely your advertisement would either
make the lady write to you, or else draw her back to the town. She
didn't write, so I had you watched, to see if any body took a sly peep
at you. Well, this went on for weeks, and